Chapter 102: Chapter One-Hundred and Two: Picking Fights
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Yun Nan smiled encouragingly at her, so Shi Xiu continued, “Before this, I never knew there was such suffering in this world. I didn’t know there are truly people who are as tough as grass and determinedly survive the tempestuous storms of their lives. Xiao He is my guiding light; she helped me find a goal and pathway to strive towards. I feel that saying anything else is too vague, so my fundamental message is to be kind, cherish life, and be a star to yourself and others, and you’ll definitely become an angel!” The applause at the end of her speech was thunderous. Shi Xiu bowed deeply to the audience.
“Miss Shi Xiu, may I ask which school you graduated from? How did you get this role?” someone asked.
The emcee smiled and said, “It seems that everyone can’t wait to ask questions, but we haven’t reached the Q&A segment yet. Why don’t we first let our director tell us about the movie’s original premise?”
A male reporter wearing a cap caustically retorted, ‘We don’t think the original premise is all that important. What we do want to know is why the studio hasn’t conducted any follow-up investigation into the yet-to-have-subsided ruckus caused by your previous lead actress—Gao Bei’s—inexplicable disappearance and breach of contract. Could it be that you’d planned the incident all along? Did you do all this to attract attention and increase your movie’s popularity? You made a mystery of everything later by hiding the entire production crew away. I have to say, this marketing method is quite brilliant. The entire industry should learn a thing or two from you!”
The atmosphere instantly turned cold. Although many people had similar questions, not everyone dared to ask those questions aloud in person.
The production crew members on stage looked at each other; some of them were already feeling nonplussed. Yun Nan got hold of the emcee’s microphone, but Fang Xi beat her to the punch. She had already taken a microphone from a staff member on the other side and indicated to Yun Nan to keep quiet.
Fang Xi smiled as she held the microphone and replied, “The gentleman with the cap; I know you. You’re Mr. Wang Wei—chief reporter of Xinyan Press’ entertainment paper. ”
The young man with the cap named Wang Wei was evidently stunned at being called out. Xinyan Press had a terrible reputation in their industry. They fabricated news and dug up dirt on celebrities; like extreme fans, everyone hated them. However, they tenaciously and miraculously survived because they became an important mouthpiece in the game played between celebrities, entertainment agencies, major entertainment companies, and the bourgeois. Xinyan Press would speak for whoever gave them the most money.
When Fang Xi pointed out Wang Wei’s identity, those around him immediately looked at him with disdain. However, Wang Wei didn’t care at all. Instead, his expression was haughty as he aggressively stated, “That’s right, it’s me. Miss Fang Xi, would you like to give us a satisfactory answer on behalf of Miss Shi Xiu? We’re all ears!”
Except for that man from her past, Fang Xi was never one to give ground when it came to words. She smiled and answered, “I’m very thankful to Mr. Wang Wei for bringing this question to the table and allowing me to explain and reply to all the negative news concerning us lately. We’re very popular, so everyone has been very polite. Although people would curiously discuss these topics in private, they’re too shy to ask us questions because they’re afraid of hurting our reputation and our relationship with the media, which would be detrimental for all of us.”
The crowd couldn’t help but laugh kindly at her words, and the tense atmosphere Wang Wei had stirred up immediately relaxed. Mr. MO proudly commented to Shi Nian, “That girl possesses a rare quick wit. I’ve always wanted to recruit her, but unfortunately, she refused to work for me.”
Shi Nian chuckled, “Maybe your offer wasn’t attractive enough? From what I’ve seen, she is extremely protective of Yun Nan.”
Mr. MO was dumbfounded. He pointed at Shi Nian and light-heartedly complained, “Brat, do you have to be biased about something like this, too?”
Shi Nian just pursed his lips into a smile, indicating for him to listen to what Fang Xi had to say.
Fang Xi told the reporters, “The original lead actress of our movie was Miss Gao Bei. As everyone knows, Gao Bei suddenly disappeared a week after we started filming. Even her manager couldn’t find her. We were also very anxious about her disappearance. We quickly discussed countermeasures and did our best to help Gao Bei’s manager, Xiao Ya, find her. If Mr. Wang wants evidence, you can get them from the police station. The police report documented all of the names of the people on the scene, ours included, and the statement Xiao Ya made right before the police, expressing she’ll offer us compensation.”
Fang Xi added, “But we know Xiao Ya dotes on every single one of her artistes and treats them like siblings. She spent most of her money on her artistes, so she didn’t have the financial ability to pay compensation. Besides, our top priority at the time was to continue filming ‘4:30 P.M.’ because each day of suspended work is money out the window.” Fang Xi’s words made many people in the know, and experienced media people and directors empathize with them..
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