Cooking Slowly
The minor scandals released weren't devastating to Sun Zhiyan himself but rather to the celebrities entangled with him. However, Qin Ran didn't care; those people had nothing to do with her, and they weren't exactly paragons of virtue.
If they had been deceived or coerced into relationships with Sun Zhiyan, Qin Ran would have kept their names private and protected them. However, these people had willingly engaged with Sun Zhiyan for personal gain. So, they had no one to blame but themselves for Qin Ran's exposure of their names.
She had no patience for people who took shortcuts. The same applied to the informant, who, although she had helped Qin Ran and was indeed deceived, had climbed into the investor's son's bed for her own benefit. If she made that choice, she shouldn't be upset if others looked down on her.
Once these celebrities were exposed, Sun Zhiyan, though not severely impacted, couldn't escape scrutiny either. He had a wife, and now he was being labeled as having a chaotic private life and being unfaithful. Even if he didn't care much about his reputation, he was inundated with phone calls.
He didn't have many endorsements, but he was currently producing a film. Investors feared his involvement might cause the movie to flop before production even began. Sun Zhiyan repeatedly assured them it would be fine and that he would handle it.
Qin Ran knew all this thanks to the screenwriter who had sent the video to Sister Li.
He was a master at relaying information, providing every detail related to Sun Zhiyan to Sister Li.
This storm wouldn't last long, and Qin Ran knew it well. It wasn't even directly targeting Sun Zhiyan, so it wouldn't impact him much. But Qin Ran wasn't in a hurry; cooking a dish takes time. The small ingredients were ready; now it was time for the main course.
When the buzz around Sun Zhiyan's chaotic private life began to subside, Qin Ran revealed his bribery scandal. She didn't have clear evidence, but as previously mentioned, the court of public opinion didn't require solid proof. Just some suggestive pieces of information, enough to look plausible, would lead netizens to attack Sun Zhiyan.
After all, it wasn't the first time Sun Zhiyan had taken money to demean other artists and kick them out of his productions. As a producer, he indeed had the right to choose actors and could have been straightforward about not wanting certain artists.
However, Sun Zhiyan wanted the buzz from open auditions and the appearance of fairness, all while secretly accepting bribes to fatten his wallet. Wanting it both ways was bound to backfire. Indeed, previous controversies around open auditions had been handled similarly, but no one dared to speak out.
But this time, Qin Ran gave him trouble, unearthing all his past misdeeds.
This was also Qin Ran's warning shot. Sun Zhiyan would easily figure out who was behind his troubles this time. He wouldn't think he'd been betrayed but would assume that Yu Shuman had complained to her sponsor, prompting Qin Ran to retaliate.
The only person he had recently offended was Yu Shuman. He had weighed the pros and cons and decided that offending Yu Shuman was worth the potential connection with the country's richest man. This was a common calculation, and Qin Ran didn't fault him for it.
She was upset because Sun Zhiyan targeted Yu Shuman.
Sun Zhiyan, realizing his current predicament was because of Yu Shuman, naturally retaliated by editing the footage from her audition and releasing it. Qin Ran hadn't planned to involve Yu Shuman, but she knew Sun Zhiyan would trace his troubles back to her and cause her problems later.
Rather than letting Yu Shuman be caught in the storm later, it was better to handle it now when few were paying attention.
Sun Zhiyan edited the video skillfully. In just a few cuts, Yu Shuman appeared to be arrogantly disrespecting an industry senior, coming across as both rude and a diva. The comments reflected this:
[Wow, he's not wrong; Yu Shuman is indeed a resource-driven actress. Isn't her relationship with the boss of 99 Entertainment common knowledge?]
[Honestly, her acting is okay, but aiming for a big production is a bit too much]
[I've always thought her inexplicably good public image was suspicious. Could it be that she's using paid commenters?]
Qin Ran was certain that Pei Qi's hired online trolls were stirring up trouble, but it didn't matter. She wasn't planning to deal with them just yet. After Sun Zhiyan was taken care of, she would take them all down together.
Qin Ran acted swiftly. Before the situation could escalate, she released the unedited footage of Yu Shuman's audition. She also gave a shout-out to the super fans who had stuck with Yu Shuman during the storm, drawing a wave of attention.
The narrative flipped quickly. Before Sun Zhiyan could react, the unedited footage of Yu Shuman's audition was trending online. Even if he wanted to pay to have it removed, there was nothing he could do—Qin Ran had already paid, and she had paid a lot.
With his financial resources, Sun Zhiyan could never compete with Qin Ran. Watching the trending topic grow, Sun Zhiyan felt a cold chill settle in his heart. Not only did the topic vindicate Yu Shuman, but it also implicated the entire film crew. The movie was now mired in negative press before shooting had even started.
The film crew wasn't just Sun Zhiyan's decision alone; many sponsors were there because of the director. At first, he had thought it was just a minor role, and although he felt Yu Shuman's acting was decent, the producer's opinion was equally important. So, he didn't intervene and let the producer lash out.
But seeing things unfold now, he wished he had stopped the producer.
It was too late for regrets. Not only did Sun Zhiyan fail to trample Yu Shuman underfoot, but he also inadvertently boosted her fame. Her audition clip, showcasing her as a vivid, newly-arrived-in-the-mortal-world little fox, captivated countless viewers. On a certain video site, Yu Shuman's clips were popping up everywhere, with the comment section filled with praise:
[Who said our Manman's acting wasn't good enough? Come out and say that again]
[Don't you understand what it means to be a nurtured artist? Manman's acting has been improving all along. She's incredible, I'm crying]
[I can't live without Manman as the little fox! But this movie doesn't deserve her. Listen to me, let's have her play the vixen next time]
The audience wasn't blind. If they didn't find a young actress with acting skills that surpassed Yu Shuman's, the film was bound to be mocked upon release. There were indeed actresses with better acting skills than Yu Shuman, but they were scarce, especially among younger actresses.
Yu Shuman's replacement for the role backed out. When the producer asked multiple times, the actress's manager finally gave a direct response: "We don't want to be compared to Yu Shuman or offend 99 Entertainment. You'd better find someone else."
The producer was furious. Finding a suitable actress became increasingly difficult. Whoever stepped in would either be suspected of being involved with Sun Zhiyan or paying him off. The film hadn't even started shooting, and it was already mired in scandal. Naturally, no one wanted to be involved.
After calming down, Sun Zhiyan decided to restore his reputation using the most common trick in the entertainment industry—sending a lawyer's letter. However, unlike 99 Entertainment's solid legal actions, his was a mere bluff. Qin Ran didn't even pay it any attention.
Even so, he paid online trolls to stir the waters, mixing his narrative with a lot of other news, which indeed improved his situation somewhat. Sun Zhiyan breathed a sigh of relief, thinking his efforts were finally paying off. He probably didn't realize that the improvement wasn't due to his efforts but because the country's richest man and Pei Qi were also helping him. Of course, Qin Ran was also turning a blind eye this time.
This didn't mean Qin Ran intended to let him off the hook. She understood that a straightforward plot wasn't engaging. Only with enough twists and turns, with enough highs and lows, could it capture the audience's attention. Besides, giving someone hope and then crushing it, making them feel safe before throwing them into despair, wasn't that the best?
Qin Ran admitted she had a wicked streak.
During her dealings with Sun Zhiyan, she also had the leisure to toy with the country's richest man, Pei Qi, and the Ling family. Previously, she reached a consensus with Zhao Second Miss and the real estate boss lady, with a preliminary plan now being pushed forward by Zhao Second Miss.
However, there was a piece of land in Beijing currently being fought over by several parties, each wanting to secure it. On paper, it seemed they didn't stand a chance and that Pei Qi and Ling Miaohan's side would likely take it.
But in reality, things were different. Qin Ran had a system behind her. She directly told Zhao Second Miss not to worry and to maximize the budget, ensuring the land wouldn't end up in others' hands.
Zhao Second Miss had worked with Qin Ran's companies before. Although she didn't know those were Qin Ran's enterprises, she could guess that Qin Ran's background wasn't just about 99 Entertainment. Smiling, she agreed.
After a few carefree days, Sun Zhiyan's life would soon take another downturn. Qin Ran felt it was time to reel in the net, so she told Assistant Wu to notify the informant that it was her turn.
This nearly month-long farce had to end before the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays. They couldn't delay the motherland's birthday celebration or prevent people from enjoying their family reunions, could they?
Speaking of the holidays, Qin Ran thought of Yu Shuman. The film crew was considerate enough to plan a three-day break for everyone during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Though short, it was enough for a quick visit home for a family reunion. Qin Ran had already sent gifts to her employees and booked her flight home.
Unlike her apprehension before, Qin Ran was now so cheerful she almost hummed a tune—after all, Mother Yu had acknowledged her as Yu Shuman's partner!