Chapter 43

The incident stirred up quite a storm for nearly a week. After Xingren Entertainment officially announced the temporary suspension of Mu’s group activities, there were rumors circulating that Mu group was about to disband. The fans naturally felt disheartened, but after the leaked recording from Cloud’s major fan, both the marketing accounts and the onlookers began to dig up evidence of the team members’ discord. Upon seeing those texts and images, they had to admit that perhaps from the beginning, the unity of the four-member Mu was just their fantasy.

With the absence of the team spirit, some fans left, some remained indifferent, and the majority of them switched to being fans of Yan Zhao.

Salt Soda even found the former Cloud among the new fans.

Facing a group of former adversaries, the previous Cloud cried, “Just because I was blind before, you can’t deprive me of the right to see clearly now! Which fangirl wouldn’t want such a gentle idol!”

Amidst the tumult, Ning Yunfan, as the person involved, seemed to have evaporated from the public eye after issuing an apology letter.

Some said his behavior was the most appropriate, as saying anything now would just make him a target for the public. It’s better to stay quiet and wait for the storm to pass, and then make a comeback when the time is right.

Cloud suffered a major blow, losing a considerable number of fans, but there were still loyal fans standing by. However, what came earlier than Ning Yunfan’s comeback was a devastating blow from a top-tier official media outlet.

Ning Yunfan appeared on television, but evidently, it was not good news—his involvement with some sasaeng fans put him in a precarious position and attracted widespread attention from all sectors of society.

Although he didn’t receive the honor of being called a legal celebrity, he successfully positioned himself in a negative light in front of the public eye. For a long time, probably no television station or production crew dared to collaborate with him.

“Cut, take a break for five minutes,” Yu Youyi called off the shooting, stood up, and walked into the room with Zhao, the producer who had just returned.

The makeup artist rushed over to touch up Yan Zhao’s makeup, while Zhong Ling stood aside and said, “Brother, Sister Song notified you to find time to sign the contract.”

The online rumors were not groundless. Xingren indeed had no intention to continue operating the Mu group. An announcement of the team’s dissolution would be made soon, and Yan Zhao also had to sign a new contract.

Yan Zhao nodded and looked at the closed door of the room where Yu and Zhao were waiting, unable to see the scene inside.

Xiao Dou said, “Producer Zhao has been running around a lot these days to attract investment, his stomach ulcer has recurred.”

Zhong Ling looked surprised, “Didn’t he say he secured the investment?”

Yan Zhao replied, “…Maybe he’s just reassuring us. If the funds aren’t enough, the production crew might have to temporarily disband.”

The production crew was affected by this incident, but fortunately, the negative impact was not significant. The film “Tian Yuan” was still in production, and although its name had been through the wringer with the audience due to the incident, it had gained much more recognition compared to its previously unknown status. Being famous might make attracting investment easier, but judging from Producer Zhao’s worried expression, progress wasn’t going as smoothly as everyone had hoped.

Yan Zhao thought for a moment, then knocked on the door.

Yu Youyi and Yan Zhao’s conversations were usually about the script 90% of the time, so she subconsciously assumed Yan Zhao had come to discuss his role. She said, “Zhao Zhao, wait a moment, I’ll come find you after I finish talking with Producer Zhao.”

Yan Zhao replied, “I’m here to ask about the investment.”

Yu Youyi looked flustered: “Well… you don’t need to worry. We have already found an investor.”

Producer Zhao, smoked and said, “Xiao Yu, don’t hide it, everyone can see it.”

Yan Zhao sat down, “How much have we raised now?”

Producer Zhao gestured with his thumb and forefinger, “Zero.”

Watching Yan Zhao raise an eyebrow, Producer Zhao smiled bitterly, looking world-weary. “I reckon we’ve offended some big shot. We had a good discussion with Diping Real Estate before, and we were about to sign the contract, but they backed out at the last minute. The companies we’ve approached in the past few days also refused to continue negotiations once they heard it was our production team.”

The only ones who could hold a grudge against their production crew, apart from competitors with overlapping schedules, were Ning Yunfan.

Standing behind him was Han Yuxuan, and to appease him, it’s not impossible for him to sabotage the production.

Yan Zhao asked, “How much does the production crew lack? Is 30 million yuan not enough?”

“Tian Yuan” is a low-budget production, with a total funding of only 20 million yuan. Producer Zhao said, “You know how poor our production crew is. If we could secure 30 million, I’d laugh myself awake from dreaming.”

Yan Zhao replied, “Then I’ll invest.”

His response was so straightforward that Producer Zhao was momentarily stunned, “…Sorry, Teacher Yan, what did you just say? I didn’t catch that.”

Yan Zhao smiled, “I’ll invest. I can come up with 30 million yuan.”

Producer Zhao stood up abruptly, causing his chair to wobble, “You’re serious, not joking?” With Yan Zhao’s high earnings from his popular roles, Producer Zhao didn’t doubt his ability to invest this amount, but investing didn’t guarantee returns.

According to last year’s profit and loss statistics in the Huaguo film and television industry, of the hundreds of films released, less than one layer could make a profit, with most ending up losing money.

As for “Tian Yuan”… to be honest, everyone in the crew wasn’t expecting to make money; breaking even would be considered lucky.

But Yan Zhao wasn’t too worried about this. If the movie exploded like the original work, his involvement would create a butterfly effect, making the future of the production crew uncertain. But as long as the essence of the movie remained unchanged and the highlights that attracted audiences were intact, where else could it go?

Even if it did fail… he wasn’t short of money…

Yan Zhao said, “Why are you looking at me with disbelief? I’ll invest because I believe ‘Tian Yuan’ will definitely explode. After playing male lead for so long, I can still tell if the script is good or bad.”

His action was like a timely help in a difficult situation. Yu Youyi’s nose felt a little sour, and she clenched her fist tightly: “Zhao Zhao, I will definitely polish every detail of the movie to perfection.”

Producer Zhao was also somewhat moved and hugged Yan Zhao: “Teacher Yan , I will do my best to make sure you earn a lot.”

So, the crew, emerging from the slump, surged forward as if injected with chicken blood. Yu Youyi and the screenwriter stayed up all night discussing, streamlining the script, deleting the role of the second male lead, and further deepening the characterization of the male lead. Everyone else also worked diligently in their respective roles, with the cinematographer saying that the recent lighting setups were better than ever…

After Yan Zhao officially signed the contract with the crew, he went from being the male lead actor in the crew to being the main financial backer. However, his treatment did not improve, as Yu Youyi drew up a bunch of new storyboards to ensure the perfect original film, doubling Yan Zhao’s workload…

After a busy day, Yan Zhao returned home, and the first thing he did was to cuddle up to Shen Yuanting.

“I’m exhausted. I hardly had any rest today,” Yan Zhao said, hugging him from behind, resting his head on the man’s broad back, his cheek rubbing against his shirt.

Shen Yuanting closed his book. “Go rest for a while. I’ll call you when dinner is ready.”

Yan Zhao made a request: “I want to eat fried yellow croaker, crispy and crunchy.”

Shen Yuanting asked, “Are you not concerned about your weight?”

Yan Zhao usually calculated his calorie intake during meals, occasionally indulging in snacks but compensating with extra gym time. It was rare for him to eat fried foods.

Yan Zhao said, “It doesn’t matter, I’ve been getting hungry in the middle of filming these past few days…”

The desire for high-sugar and high-fat food is ingrained in human nature. He usually resisted it because he genuinely didn’t have much appetite, but when he got hungry, he couldn’t control these cravings.

After Yan Zhao went to rest, Shen Yuanting fried the yellow croaker. The golden fish piled up on the plate, emitting an enticing aroma.

He untied his apron, washed his hands, and quietly pushed open the door, moving very lightly, making almost no sound.

On the large bed, the youth lay quietly on his side, his profile flawless with not a single flaw to be found. On the pillow not far from him, a cow patterned cat lay on its back, its belly fully exposed to the air.

The contrast was quite obvious, and Shen Yuanting didn’t know who Wang Zai learned such a carefree sleeping posture from.

…Maybe let Yan Zhao sleep a little longer.

Shen Yuanting reached out, intending to sneakily take away the chubby cat without him noticing. When his hand touched that soft and fluffy little (?) creature, he hesitated for a moment.

He took out his phone, turned off the sound and flash, and silently took a photo, uploading it to Weibo.

Wang Zai’s Dad: [Picture]

This account hadn’t posted a single Weibo since its registration, and many fans had forgotten about this person still being on their follow list. Suddenly, a photo popped up, and it dawned on them: Oh, this is the alt account Yan Zhao follows.

In the picture, a domestic cow patterned cat is sleeping soundly, with a white belly and black paw pads, resembling a cream-filled Oreo.

The girls praised the cat’s cuteness one after another, likening it to the Audrey Hepburn of the cat world. Some sharp-eyed girls quickly noticed a hidden Easter egg in the picture and asked, “Whose hand is behind the cat? It looks really nice.”

Behind the cat, you can see a slender hand, with fair skin, slender fingers, and a beautifully defined wrist bone.

The girls’ attention quickly shifted…

[I’m in love, this is my absolute favorite!]

[I can’t resist hands, I can’t be stopped even by the chicken coop warning!]

[Having a cat is one thing, but there’s someone in bed too?!! I’m jealous!]

[I feel ashamed to admit it, but when I saw that hand, I [system automatically harmonized]]

Some of the girls eagerly typed their comments and clicked send, only to receive a system prompt: [Due to the other party’s settings, you cannot comment.]

The girl: ???

She refreshed again, and even that Weibo post was gone!

Alas, she wrote such a long string of text, why delete it? I haven’t even saved the picture yet!

Shen Yuanting sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at Yan Zhao’s sleeping face. The youth’s hand lay across the pillow, resembling more of an artwork than in the photo.

Perhaps the fans online just casually exclaimed, but every inch of Yan Zhao’s being had a fatal allure to him.

Shen Yuanting’s fingertips hovered above the youth’s lips, then descended, gently caressing his moist lips before delving inside.

Sensing something in his dream, the youth disdainfully opened his hand and turned over.

Shen Yuanting chuckled softly and whispered in his ear, “You don’t tell me anything, I’m getting mad.”

Whether it was the previously smeared matters or the issues with securing investment for the production, things that he could easily help with, why didn’t he say anything?