Huayu: This producer has no bottom line.

Chapter 74 Touching Scenes

Liu Laogen Grand Stage, Laogen Restaurant.

A table laden with hearty dishes was laid out on the round table. The sweet and sour pork was fried until golden brown, the stewed chicken with mushrooms was steaming, and the sauerkraut and pork belly pot was bubbling away on the iron rack.

Zhao Bensan sat in the main seat, with Ren Pingsheng and Dapeng on his left and two guests who had flown in from Hong Kong on his right.

Yu Yuxing, the owner of New Asia Entertainment, is the person competing for Cecilia Cheung's management contract.

The other one was not much older than Ren Pingsheng, bald, and with sharp features, Xie Tingfeng.

The atmosphere at the dinner was very polite.

Yu Yuxing raised his glass first, "Teacher Zhao, this matter was due to our lack of consideration, causing trouble for you and your two young brothers. I will punish myself with a drink first."

After saying that, he tilted his head back and drank it down.

Zhao Bensan waved his hand and sighed, "Hey, we're all family, why talk about causing trouble?"

He looked at Yu Yuxing and Xie Tingfeng, "I appreciate your kind intentions for flying all this way to explain. I was originally thinking of letting her have some fun and relax with Dapeng and the other young people, but since it's not meant to be, I won't force it."

Xie Tingfeng nodded, raised his glass, and clinked it against Zhao Bensan's.

"Uncle, Cecilia has indeed been in a bad state lately. What happened before was a big blow to her. She has been trying to get back on her feet, but... she may not be ready yet."

His gaze turned to Ren Pingsheng.

"Director Ren, Cecilia was a bit willful. I apologize on her behalf."

Ren Pingsheng raised his glass. "Brother Tingfeng, you're too kind. It's also a pity that Sister Zhi couldn't perform. I wish her a speedy recovery."

No one mentioned what happened on set, and no one mentioned the overwhelming news coverage.

This is what a respectable person's dinner party looks like.

Yu Yuxing responded gently but tactfully: "Director Ren, I will handle the subsequent public relations well and it will not have a negative impact on your film."

"With Mr. Yu overseeing things, I feel at ease."

Seeing that both sides had finished their discussion, Zhao Bensan patted the table and said, "Alright, alright, what a pity. It would have been so great if we could have cooperated."

He sighed, a hint of regret still lingering in his voice, "But we can't force things now. It's not meant to be. Zhi'er's health is the most important thing. Let her recover first, and we can team up again sometime in the future."

Then he turned to Dapeng: "Dapeng, don't get too upset. Your master couldn't help you find someone, so it's your master's fault for not thinking things through."

"Master, what are you saying!" Dapeng quickly stood up and picked up his wine cup. "I was the one who brought this up first. Your help is already a huge favor. How could I blame you? This cup is for you."

Zhao Bensan smiled and took a sip.

Nicholas Tse raised his glass beside him and said, "Brother Dapeng, if there's anything I can do for you in the future, just let me know."

Da Peng was flattered and thanked him repeatedly.

The atmosphere then eased.

Yu Yuxing was a smooth talker, so he took the opportunity to tell two jokes from Hong Kong's entertainment circle, one risqué and one innocent, to steer the conversation in a lighter direction.

Zhao Bensan joined in, his laughter growing louder and louder.

Ren Pingsheng didn't say much; he didn't need to say much.

The dinner party unfolded exactly as expected. Cecilia Cheung withdrew without hurting either side's feelings or damaging Zhao Bensan's reputation, allowing everyone to part amicably.

But his gaze unconsciously lingered on the two men who were wholeheartedly "cleaning up" Zhang Baizhi's mess.

One went to great lengths to sign her, while the other ran around trying to mend their marriage.

What a touching scene!

I wonder if, when all sorts of dramatic feuds and court battles unfold in the future, you two will still be so devoted to her.

Ren Pingsheng raised his glass, smiled, and took a sip.

Consider this a toast to the dramatic show that's about to unfold.

……

After the dinner ended, Yu Yuxing and Xie Tingfeng left first.

Only Zhao Bensan, Ren Pingsheng, and Dapeng remained in the private room.

Zhao Bensan brewed a pot of fresh tea. "Dapeng, don't rush things about the female lead."

Just as Da Peng was about to speak, Zhao Bensan raised his hand to stop him, "How about this, my 'The Laughing Swordsman' is about to start auditions, why don't you come with me to take a look, maybe there are suitable candidates for your movie."

Da Peng's eyes lit up, and he was about to agree when someone kicked him under the table.

Ren Pingsheng smiled and took over the conversation.

"Teacher Zhao, thank you so much, but there's really no need to trouble yourself."

Zhao Bensan was taken aback. "What, you think my production team can't find any good talent?"

"No way, yours is a big production worth hundreds of millions," Ren Pingsheng said sincerely. "But we're short on time here, so we need to find someone to film it quickly. We've found Brother Shen Yang to carry the film, so it shouldn't be a problem."

He certainly wouldn't go to the audition for "The Laughing Swordsman".

This film brings together a group of people from Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Even the roles were written specifically for pre-selected actors, and the remaining minor roles were also offered to people with connections.

Going to squat in that kind of place is a complete waste of time.

Seeing that Ren Pingsheng refused so readily, Zhao Bensan did not press the matter and nodded, changing the subject.

"Dapeng, do you know about that new thing your company came up with called Weibo?"

This statement came as a sudden turn of events.

"Your boss, Zhang Chaoyang, called me a couple of days ago, saying he wanted to invite me and my apprentices from Ben San Media to move in. What exactly is this thing?"

Da Peng scratched his head and subconsciously looked at Ren Pingsheng.

"Master, he knows this best; he's an expert in this field."

Zhao Bensan turned to look at Ren Pingsheng, his gaze filled with inquiry.

Ren Pingsheng put down his teacup and took out his phone.

"Teacher Zhao, to put it simply, this thing is a megaphone that allows you to speak directly to netizens across the country."

As he spoke, he opened his phone's browser and demonstrated it to Zhao Bensan.

"In the past, if you made any moves, the public could only see them after reporters wrote about them and published them in newspapers or on websites. In the meantime, you had no control over how the reporters wrote them or how the websites promoted them."

"But now with Weibo, you can post a sentence and hundreds of thousands of people can see it on their phones and computers immediately, without any media taking a cut."

"What can an old man like me say all day long?" Zhao Bensan shook his head. "I can't just post jokes on there every day."

"No need to post every day, just once in a while is enough. You can post anything you want. The key now is to reserve the spot."

"Reserve a spot?"

"Sohu, Xinlang, and Wangyi—all three platforms have Weibo accounts. Whoever grabs more celebrities first will attract more ordinary users. Right now, they're all begging you to join; no offer is too much."

Da Peng nodded vigorously beside him: "Master, Yao Chen from Xinlang is almost a million fans, and Zhao Wei has more than 700,000. The Spring Festival Gala is coming up soon. If you go up there now, you can surpass them in no time."

Zhao Bensan was amused: "Why would I surpass her? I don't compete with young girls for popularity."

Despite saying that, Ren Pingsheng noticed that he subconsciously twirled the teacup in his palm.

Vanity knows no age.

But for a seasoned veteran like him, accustomed to traditional media, this speed of dissemination instinctively made him feel uneasy.

"What if someone talks nonsense and insults me up there?"

"Same, hundreds of thousands or even millions of people can see it instantly," Ren Pingsheng said without any hesitation.

Sohu Weibo launched today with great fanfare, attracting a host of top celebrities such as Li Lianjie, Sun Honglei, and Ren Leehom to join.

Even more ruthless, Sohu directly offered an astronomical price to announce its exclusive title sponsorship of the 2010 CCTV Spring Festival Gala!

This is going to bring the battle on Weibo directly to the dinner table on New Year's Eve.

On the other hand, Cao Guowei naturally wouldn't sit idly by. Leveraging his first-mover advantage, Xinlang's "Big V Strategy" is frantically attracting opinion leaders from all walks of life, continuously expanding its territory with the star effect.

NetEase, on the other hand, took a different approach, focusing its efforts on mobile apps to seize the entry point for mobile users.

A three-way battle is about to erupt.

"This internet is becoming more and more incomprehensible," Zhao Bensan sighed and shook his head.

Ren Pingsheng smiled and was about to put his phone away when he suddenly saw an entertainment news item.

The TV series "Smoke and Rain at Sunset" is currently filming in Hengdian. Tong Liya jokingly said that she "complained" about Chen Jianfeng's sharp tongue.

The accompanying picture shows a girl dressed in the style of the Republic of China era, with two braids.

Although the image quality is somewhat blurry due to the phone, her delicate and refined features are still highly recognizable.

Ya Ya.

Another XJ girl.