Chapter 52

As An Ya expected, Century Entertainment was wary of Jiang Chi and Ye Lan. After receiving the news that Jiang Chi would be signing with Ye Lan's Studio, they ceased all activity. On the surface, they had given in and didn't dare to contact Jiang Chi again. However, others who had caught wind of it, like Yu Xijia, Tong Yizhe, and Super Entertainment, spent the next few days releasing a lot of so-called "dirt" through insinuation.

Jiang Chi's contract termination was imminent, and the news that he was going to sign with Starlight had already been highly publicized before. The level of attention was already high. After hearing the revelations, everyone automatically assumed they were about him. For a time, many topics unfavorable to Jiang Chi appeared online.

"Don't make a fuss, this is very normal." An Ya, worried that Ye Lan would get bored on set with nothing to do and go provoke the media for fun, paid him a personal visit to appease him. "I just contacted Jiang Chi this morning. He didn't think it was a big deal himself and even told me not to worry about it. He's been in the industry for so many years, after all. He's long since gotten used to these kinds of minor, harmless squalls."

Ye Lan said coldly, "He's used to it, so you're just going to ignore it? I told you yesterday I wanted to hand Jiang Chi over to you. Is this how you plan to manage a newcomer?"

"Is he new?" An Ya retorted. "He's at the height of his popularity and doesn't have any real scandals. Why be so sensitive? Don't you understand that it's better to guide than to block? They didn't name any names. If you rush to explain, you'll just amplify the impact and confirm the rumors. How can you not understand a principle that even Jiang Chi gets?"

Ye Lan sneered, "When did I ever ask you to go explain?"

An Ya faltered, speechless. "Then what do you mean?"

"If they're going to disgust me, then I'll disgust them twice as much." Ye Lan fiddled with a lighter, gesturing grandly. "Snatching resources, tripping them up—do I need to teach you these things? Right now, Century Entertainment only has Yu Xijia who's barely presentable, and he's about to become a has-been. Bullying them would be as easy as child's play, wouldn't it?"

Inwardly, An Ya cursed Ye Lan for being a bandit while also feeling a sense of satisfaction. She suppressed a smile and said in a low voice, "You can rest assured about this."

Ye Lan had extensive connections and solid backing; his studio's entire operational system was countless times stronger than Century Entertainment's. If Ye Lan wanted to mess with Century Entertainment, his well-established PR system naturally knew what to do. Openly, they would guide public opinion with bold, roguish tactics. Covertly, they would sneakily snatch resources. And when angrily confronted, they would play dumb. The people at the studio were especially skilled at this routine.

"Just pass the resources we snatch to Starlight as a favor. No need to give them to Jiang Chi." Ye Lan had long looked down on Jiang Chi's hodgepodge of resources. He frowned and said, "How old is he? He's filmed more movies and taken on more endorsements than I have. No matter how good his acting is or how high his commercial value, he can't withstand being used up like this. After he officially signs, let him rest for a while first. Wait until the movie is released before contacting commercial resources for him. Before that, quality over quantity."

An Ya agreed. "I've already had someone look into it. In a few more months, his current endorsements for online games and second-tier clothing brands will expire one after another. There's no rush with endorsements. If he only has popularity but no works to show for it, it's not easy to attract high-end brand resources. He needs to cultivate his image. This... what they decided after discussing is that it would be best for him to take on a film by a major director and officially transition his career, capitalizing on the buzz when he's announced to be signing with our studio."

Ye Lan nodded. "Alright, let's arrange things for him according to this plan for now."

"Then there's the matter of you two." An Ya sighed. "You're already together, so I won't waste words. We're definitely stuck with this time bomb. We can only prepare in advance and do our best to mitigate the impact. We have two plans, want to hear them?"

"There are two?" Ye Lan signaled for An Ya to wait. He picked up his phone, pressed a few buttons, and held it to his ear. After a moment of silence, he asked softly, "Are you filming?"

Ye Lan's eyes softened, and he smiled. "Don't rush, you eat first."

Ye Lan's tone of voice had completely changed. An Ya was silently subjected to a public display of affection; it was obvious who he was calling.

On the other end of the line, Jiang Chi was eating his boxed lunch. He swallowed the rice in his mouth and said quickly, "It's fine, it's fine, I'm done eating. Please go ahead."

Ye Lan turned on the speakerphone and said, "An Ya is here with me. We're talking about us. Just listen in. If you haven't finished eating, keep eating."

Jiang Chi was confused but agreed.

An Ya greeted Jiang Chi, briefly explained the background, and then said, "The first plan is to gradually worsen your relationship in public."

"After Jiang Chi officially signs with our studio, we'll leak some false information saying that your relationship has gradually stiffened since he joined. The former warmth of a senior guiding a junior will be gone. Neither of you is at fault; it's just that after becoming entangled in business interests, you slowly grew apart. We can also say a manager or someone else created trouble, causing misunderstandings between you two. This needs to be done gradually, allowing everyone to slowly accept it, so they won't feel too much aversion toward either of you. This way, even if something is exposed later, no one will believe it. They'll all think you're already strangers. If it's executed smoothly, in four or five years, we can even play the nostalgia card, have you two appear on stage together again, and ease the tension. At that point, we won't even need to say much; the fans on both sides will be able to imagine a whole heartbreaking drama themselves. By then! The girls will be crying, the boys will be silent, and it can be marketed as the most angsty pair in the industry who ultimately went their separate ways!"

Ye Lan cringed so hard his hair stood on end. He was dumbfounded. "Who the hell came up with this? Does this mean I can't appear on the same stage with him for several years? What are they thinking?"

"It's not that you can't be on the same stage, just that you won't be as close in public. Even if you occasionally put an arm around each other's shoulders, we can guide the fans to mistake it as just for the show. We have professionals to manage the scene for that, so you don't need to worry." An Ya actually preferred this plan. "If this plan is truly accomplished, it could practically be written into a textbook on entertainment marketing. This is what you call sustainable hype. What does Jiang Chi think?"

On the other end of the line, Jiang Chi hesitated. "I think..."

Before Jiang Chi could finish, Ye Lan frowned and interrupted, "No need to ask him. This won't work. Tell us the second one."

"Is it no good? Everyone likes angst nowadays." An Ya was a bit regretful and continued to push for it. "This is how you generate buzz. Following this line of thought, I've already figured out how to build Jiang Chi's public persona: after struggling for many years, he can finally stand shoulder to shoulder with the senior he has always respected, only to be misunderstood by him, ultimately leading them down different paths. Yet, he still chooses to stay at his company and work hard for him... How angsty, how thrilling."

Ye Lan covered the phone's microphone and said in a cold voice, "Then why don't you just expose how Jiang Chi clawed his way to where he is today? That would definitely attract more fans than this."

An Ya froze for a second, realizing she had touched on Jiang Chi's sore spot. She quickly shook her head and stammered, "It's, it's not good."

Ye Lan's eyebrow twitched with anger. He lowered his voice and said, "Let me tell you... I still haven't truly won him over yet. You... be careful."

Ye Lan uncovered the microphone. An Ya cleared her throat and said seriously, "It's not very good. If we lose control, it could easily incite a fan war."

Ye Lan leaned back on the sofa and said listlessly, "Tell us the second one."

"The second plan... is to let nature take its course." An Ya gave a helpless smile. "If you two want to meet, then meet. If you want to go out together, then go out. There's no need to deliberately avoid anything. If you get photographed, you get photographed. You're two guys, and now you're at the same company, so it's normal to meet. As long as you don't admit it yourselves, no one can do anything to you. Even if the mainstream media finds out, they'll just turn a blind eye. Leave the rest to us. The people at the studio will create an atmosphere of 'their relationship has always been this good, the media just likes to overthink things.' We'll get everyone to see it as a running joke from the start. That way, if rumors break out in the future, people will still treat it as banter. That's another method. What do you guys think?"

"That's more like it." Ye Lan reluctantly nodded. "It's passable."

Jiang Chi was very satisfied. This was much better than the previous one. At least they could appear on the same stage freely and didn't have to pretend. They might even gain some CP fans. He also said, "I think it's very good."

An Ya said, "Then let's go with this for now. Ye Lan, in that residential area of yours, you seem to have two houses, right? From now on, let's just tell the public that one of them is Jiang Chi's. That way, if the paparazzi follow you into the same residential complex, we can just say you're neighbors."

"Actually, it's not mine... but it's all the same. I'll buy it later." Ye Lan said while pondering how to bring it up with Ye Huaquan, "There's also a female star living near my place who's married. A member of a group also stayed here temporarily before, and a soccer star has a house here too. It can barely be considered a celebrity neighborhood, so it's plausible."

An Ya was relieved. "For now, let's do this. I'll go back and do my best to find a good script for Jiang Chi... The most important thing for him right now is to film a good project and work with a major director."

Ye Lan already had a plan in mind. He sent An Ya away, picked up his phone, and heard Jiang Chi still eating his boxed lunch on the other end.

Worried that Jiang Chi might be unhappy after hearing what An Ya said earlier, Ye Lan deliberately asked, "What dishes are you having? It sounds delicious."

"Fried eggplant, cold-dressed wood ear mushrooms, Kung Pao chicken, and mushroom stew." Jiang Chi answered honestly. "There's also a plate of fried spring rolls and egg drop soup."

"Not bad, the food is better than what we have here." Ye Lan frowned, thinking of the boxed lunch he had. "We're in the middle of nowhere here. It's the same few dishes over and over again. Even if I wanted to cook something special for myself, there's no place to do it."

Jiang Chi asked tentatively, "Should I... visit your set again?"

"Don't." Ye Lan's heart stirred. He thought for a moment and smiled. "It's too far. I can't bear to let you..."

A stagehand came and knocked on the door. Ye Lan answered, walked a few steps toward the window, and lowered his voice. "Focus on your filming. Isn't your shooting schedule short? We'll talk after you're done filming. When the time comes... I'll see if I can find a place for you over here."

Jiang Chi's eyes lit up, and his voice rose. He asked uncertainly, "Can outsiders stay with the crew over there?!" Jiang Chi had heard before that crews for major productions like this had very strict rules, especially numerous confidentiality agreements. Some set visits had to be reported in advance, let alone staying long-term. Everyone knew who he was, so pretending to be an assistant wasn't realistic. How would he explain it to the director?

"Of course not." Ye Lan paused deliberately before smiling. "But if it's family... that's permissible."

Jiang Chi blushed. Family...

Ye Lan didn't want to leave Jiang Chi feeling unsettled, so he gave him a definite answer. "Don't worry, I'll definitely have you come over. But you'd better think it through. This isn't like filming a TV drama in a studio. The conditions here are really poor. Once filming starts, we'll be running all over the place, wherever the scene is, I'll be there. The conditions we have now might be the best it gets. And when you come over, you'll have to be discreet. You can't bring a string of assistants, drivers, bodyguards, and chefs. Can you handle that?"

How could Jiang Chi care about that? He said eagerly, "It's fine, I'll go by myself. Just treat me like a crew hand."

""I can't afford a crew hand worth tens of millions."" Ye Lan's heart softened, and he chuckled lightly. "Go focus on your filming first. Come over after you've finished shooting your scenes there."

Jiang Chi was screaming internally, wishing he could wrap up filming tomorrow.