Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty-Three

"From what Teacher An said, before Chi Tuo returned to the country, he was mainly focused on investment and mergers and acquisitions?" Qi Wei smiled and praised, "As expected, perfectly aligned with his expertise."

Chi Tuo took a sip of his wine, his Adam's apple bobbing.

He had never mentioned his experiences in Canada to An Ye.

So, just like him, An Ye had also taken the time to understand the other's past.

This realization caused a pause before he continued with what he had to say.

The earlier information was indeed related to his professional field, but what he was about to discuss no longer had much to do with his expertise.

"I traced the time when An Ye's resources started to plummet. It was two years ago, when Yan Wan signed Qing Ze," Chi Tuo said. "On the surface, it seemed like An Ye's resources gradually shifted due to Qing Ze, but behind the scenes, Yan Wan probably signed Qing Ze because he decided to support Lian Cheng."

An Ye stopped playing with her nails and raised her eyes to look at him.

"After signing Qing Ze, Yan Wan clearly got more variety and live-streaming resources, which aligns with the views of the radical faction represented by Lian Cheng." Chi Tuo said this just as he made eye contact with An Ye, who immediately lowered her head again to continue playing with her nails.

She didn’t understand why her feelings were so complicated at this moment.

Having Chi Tuo become her intended guardian and legal advisor for her future personal studio was the best choice she could think of. So, after waking up from her narcolepsy relapse in the middle of the night, she immediately brought up these two things to him. When she mentioned it, she was still filled with a sense of blurry despair, not realizing that if she were to bring Chi Tuo into the fold, she would have to tell him about all the unpleasant things she'd experienced over the past decade.

She didn’t want to do that.

So after sending him her agency contract, she didn’t explain a single word. And when everyone had gathered for the meeting, in the middle of the New Year's Eve night, she called Chi Tuo to let him hear those things from other people's mouths.

At least those would be processed by others and might be a little more friendly to her.

But now, listening to Chi Tuo directly pinpoint the key issues without her having to speak a word, she suddenly realized that she didn’t want that either.

She didn’t even know what she wanted to do, so she could only stare at the man in the black shirt and black suit in front of her. She thought numbly to herself, how he even dressed this way for a law firm’s New Year's Eve party. She remembered that day when she was awake, he went to work wearing the exact same outfit, exactly the same brand and style...

How perverse…

So, what did she really want?

She should change his clothes…

An Ye couldn't keep up with her racing thoughts, and all she could hear in her ears was Chi Tuo’s confident conclusion after analyzing the situation.

"Yan Wan wants to follow Lian Cheng and transform Huan Zhou Entertainment, but An Ye will be an issue. Her development direction is completely at odds with the direction Huan Zhou is transforming into. Either An Ye follows the company’s transformation, or she could possibly terminate her contract early with the company."

"But right now, Huan Zhou Entertainment shouldn’t let An Ye go. After all, within the company, she is the only leading actress who can carry the film section. Even if Lian Cheng, a businessman, wants to shift the company’s direction, he won’t block all possible paths."

"Also, since An Ye’s contract still has two more years, considering everything, it explains what Yan Wan is doing now."

Chi Tuo looked at An Ye and said, "He wants to expose your dark secrets to undermine your value. He could also use the dirt to control you, making you follow the same route as Qing Ze, focusing more on variety shows and live-streaming, even taking on quick-turnaround dramas to make fast money."

Qi Wei let out a very soft whistle.

It wasn’t because Chi Tuo was exceptionally capable, but because this friend, who had been separated for ten years, actually took the time to understand the situation to this degree for his old friend.

It’s one thing to be a new lawyer with just a year in the entertainment industry, even with a brilliant resume, but this newcomer not only managed to establish himself but also got An Ye’s situation so thoroughly figured out. He truly deserved the title of a "top student."

Seeing the new team member catch up, Qi Wei didn’t need to sugarcoat anything. He directly got to the point of their meeting: "The current situation is just as Chi Tuo said. We are in a passive position because we don’t know what dirt Yan Wan has on us. Just like the sudden expose of Zhang Sheng Geng, I really can’t understand why the first thing Yan Wan decides to expose is false information."

"Yan Wan should want to target Zhang Sheng Geng," Chi Tuo said. "An Ye is just a decoy in this. These matters are actually related to the shareholder structure of Huan Zhou Entertainment, and An Ye is not as important in this issue."An Ye's contract still has two years left, and Yan Wan still has a period of probation with her.

There was also something Chi Tuo didn't say out loud. The reason why Yan Wan chose An Ye to be exposed was partly because An Ye's popularity was enough to blow the issue up, and partly because, in Yan Wan's hands, An Ye was no longer an ace—she was someone who could easily be used as a scapegoat.

Chi Tuo paused.

He didn't want to think that crudely, but after hearing An Ye speak so naturally about the idea of being "used as a scapegoat," his image of Yan Wan now essentially resembled that of a manure worker in his mind.

He looked at An Ye again.

An Ye had slouched back over to her hardcover book, and the posture she was in, trying to protect her makeup, looked exhausting. She had no expression, and it was hard to tell if there was any emotion behind her appearance.

This was actually quite odd.

They were talking about things that were deeply related to her, yet she appeared to be an outsider.

So, Chi Tuo nudged An Ye's back with his elbow. She instantly straightened up and glared at him.

Chi Tuo began the process of elimination: "If you haven’t done anything crossing the line, have you ever cursed any celebrities, directors, screenwriters, or other staff in front of him?"

An Ye: "… No."

Chi Tuo: "What about fans or journalists? Have you ever cursed them?"

An Ye: "Cursed a stalker fan, does that count?"

Chi Tuo: "Among your rumored boyfriends, were any of them actual relationships? And with anyone you dated, was it a peaceful breakup?"

An Ye, expressionless: "I’ve never been in a relationship."

Chi Tuo paused, then changed the question: "When you had those rumors, you must’ve had agreements, right?"

An Ye had had rumors, but not for movie needs; they were mainly for variety show personas.

An Ye responded: "All those that were hyped had agreements, but some were arranged by them— they'd take me out and have paparazzi secretly take photos. For those, we'd do an after-the-fact agreement."

Chi Tuo: "What about competing with other stars for fashion resources, for haute couture, or jewelry?"

Lan Yifang answered quickly: "Sister An was always the one people competed with. She doesn't care much about haute couture when walking the red carpet. She even wore a suit designed by an unknown designer on the red carpet once."

Chi Tuo: "Have you ever used your fan club for improper voting or hired internet trolls to bring down your competition?"

An Ye opened her mouth, shocked that such terms from the fan circle were coming from Chi Tuo, the serious academic.

It was still Lan Yifang who answered quickly: "Of course not. Sister An doesn't care about those things. Her schedule is packed, and she's always too busy to handle those. If it was done, it was by the company’s PR, but Sister An doesn't like it. She found out about it once and fired her first assistant because of it."

So, assistant Lan Yifang clearly remembered this as one of An Ye's high-pressure points.

Chi Tuo continued to ask, without changing his expression: "Have you ever used a secret account on social media to vent?"

An Ye: "… No. You've been back in the country for less than a year, where did you learn all this?"

How professional.

It was like he had experience in the fan circle.

Chi Tuo didn’t answer her question, but instead remained silent for a moment.

An Ye instantly understood the meaning behind his silence.Legally, aside from the huge penalty for early termination of her contract, An Ye doesn't have any other points that can be used against her by Yan Wan. Professionally, she has earned a reputation as a dedicated actress over the past ten years. Because she started with a high profile, she hasn’t been involved in the usual scandals of the entertainment industry, and there are almost no dirty secrets about her. Even if there were, they could be easily managed by PR.

So, the only thing they could use against her is one thing.

"My recurrent hypersomnia." An Ye smiled. "The real breakdown—he’s probably planning to say I have mental health issues."

Chi Tuo went quiet.

He wasn’t sure whether Qi Wei knew about this, so he didn’t speak up.

But An Ye didn’t avoid it, so after a brief pause, he said the harshest words: "He doesn't need to lower your market value, but he will make it so you can't act."

A mad film fanatic, Yan Wan has medical records, and may even have footage of An Ye during her episodes. These things are enough to destroy any future chances for An Ye to get roles.

He has the ability to break the most important things to An Ye, which is how he can negotiate with her to renew her contract, to obediently abandon long-term, high-risk films and instead help the company make quick money.

Qi Wei, who had been watching the back-and-forth between An Ye and Chi Tuo like it was a show, also fell silent.

Lan Yifang sat there like an idiot, mouth slightly open.

"But..." Lan Yifang said, "Sister An only has one or two episodes a year, and... this is a disease, it’s not something she can control."

Qi Wei looked at An Ye, his smile fading. "This is actually the thing I’m most worried about. I didn't bring it up before because I thought Yan Wan wouldn't directly ruin your career. After all, if you can't act, your value to Huan Zhou Entertainment will be much lower. But if it’s just a simple threat, it’s really possible."

Qi Wei’s furrowed brows tightened: "That's why, in the past two years, the rumors about your mental health have been growing."

Yan Wan had been planning this for a long time.

An Ye added: "If I renew my contract, Yan Wan won’t expose my actual condition, and those rumors will still be nothing more than baseless gossip."

She would still be able to act, but she would be a puppet controlled by Huan Zhou.

"Legally, as long as there’s no proof that he leaked your medical condition, he won't be in trouble," Chi Tuo said.

This move is too simple. He could just hire a temporary worker at a hospital, pay them a bit of money, and the leak would happen.

"An Ye..." Qi Wei’s expression grew serious, "Give me the truth. If Yan Wan really plans to go all out, you don’t want to continue with the contract, do you?"

An Ye lowered her head and smiled.

When she smiled, with her makeup done, it always seemed a bit distant, the smile never reaching her eyes, the corners of her lips cold and thin.

"No," she lifted her face decisively, "I’ve been with him for eight years, and I’ve repaid all my debts to him."

"He won’t fully expose my medical history." An Ye, after all, knew Yan Wan the best. "Recurrent hypersomnia won’t stop me from being an actress, he’s probably going to stir up my mental health issues."

"In order to get into character, I’ve done many things that outsiders would think are crazy. Like singing in the middle of the night and lying in the snow in the middle of winter. Yan Wan even filmed it at the beginning, thinking it might be useful for future promotions. If you look at it in a good light, it’s dedication; if you look at it in a bad light, it’s a sign of mental issues."

"Too much acting has messed with my mind, and with the hypersomnia, that’s enough to end my career as an actress."

"Maybe he’ll even make it a tragic story, the company abusing fans to earn some quick money, and then drag me—who’s mentally unstable and unable to take care of myself—into various live-streams to sell my misfortune."

Lan Yifang was left speechless.

Qi Wei rubbed his nose, glancing between Chi Tuo and An Ye.

Chi Tuo spoke: "Do you want to reveal the medical records yourself?"

An Ye nodded. "The company wasn’t happy when I took Director Yang's film, they didn’t want me to do serious films and wanted me to focus more on variety and easy work. But after Director Yang sent over the script, the company didn’t oppose it as much. I suspect it’s because Alin, the character, is mentally ill.""If I reveal my medical records after finishing filming Alin, it will be a great opportunity for publicity, a way to sell my misfortune. This film is also invested in by Huan Zhou, and the fact that the lead actor has gone mad will actually be beneficial for the box office. As long as I reveal my records before the wrap-up, I can shut Yan Wan up first."

"Let the Jin Ding law firm handle the release," Chi Tuo said. "Don't use regular media, just make a statement saying that due to recent rumors, you are publicly clarifying things. It will sound more authoritative and help block unnecessary trouble."

An Ye looked at Chi Tuo.

Chi Tuo said expressionlessly: "Anyway, you’ve already paid me, so just have my team handle the media and release a statement. That should be enough."

Qi Wei chuckled and then said, "Alright, I’ll get in touch with Zhang Shenggeng’s side first. Once Chi Tuo’s statement is out, I’ll handle the marketing and guidance."

The plan was to first dismantle Yan Wan’s scheme and then deal with the contract termination step by step.

The first meeting of An Ye’s studio’s senior team went much smoother than expected. Qi Wei, satisfied with the outcome, was about to leave when he spoke quietly to An Ye, who was seeing him out: "An Ye, your childhood friend really is impressive."

An Ye smiled.

She was still in that slightly unpleasant mood from being investigated by old acquaintances, so to avoid getting caught up in negative emotions, she focused on silently criticizing Chi Tuo’s suit.

That brand of suit wasn’t cheap.

It was expensive and ugly.

"Do you have work later?" Chi Tuo asked slowly, as if he hadn’t noticed the meeting had already concluded. He picked up a few empty bottles from the coffee table and handed them to Lan Yifang before turning to An Ye.

"Tomorrow afternoon," An Ye said, pointing at her face and head. "This is base makeup. I’ve had too many events recently, and my cheek is broken. If I take it off now, the wound will show even more, so I’m just leaving it on."

When she said her cheek was broken, she tilted her head back and pointed at it for Chi Tuo to see.

Chi Tuo leaned in a little closer and noticed that her left cheek was indeed slightly red, and upon a closer look, it seemed like a wound caused by over-cleansing.

Qi Wei, who had been putting on shoes while observing the so-called childhood friend relationship between the two, finally noticed: "…Did you two get matching ear piercings?"

They both turned around.

Qi Wei pointed at the left ear: "An Ye, your left earring hole is in the same position as Chi Tuo’s, and that same black stone is the same too."

"Coming-of-age ceremony," Chi Tuo said. "We got them together."

"Coming-of-age ceremony," An Ye said. "We got them together."

They said it in unison, with the same tone, the same expression, and even the same pause.

Qi Wei: "…Alright, I’ll stop disturbing you."