Rebirth and Conquest

The entertainment industry was thrown into a panic, with JK Entertainment artists bearing the brunt. Exposés continued to surface, and everyone worried that they would be next. Following the scandal involving unspoken rules, allegations of prostitution, infidelity, gambling, and even drug use were exposed, creating a massive storm in the entertainment industry. This storm was later dubbed the "Dark March" because it lasted for three whole months.

Meanwhile, online discussions about this issue intensified, with people beginning to boycott the artists and their films. Of course, among those boycotting were online trolls hired by Haoran Entertainment, who fanned the flames and fueled public anger. Later, many people even began to complain to relevant departments, and the number of these complainants alone, including Haoran's online trolls, was no less than ten thousand.

The result of the complaint was that JK's movie was pulled from theaters the day before its release and could not be shown.

This highly anticipated film, which occupied a large proportion of cinema screenings, was suddenly taken off the screens, so it had to be replaced by other films. Previously, several other films that were about to be released deliberately avoided this time period because they were afraid of clashing with this film. Only one film from Haoran Entertainment was released at this time. As a result, most of the filming slots had to be allocated to the film from Haoran Entertainment.

The excessively high screening ratio made Haoran's film an unexpected box office dark horse. Although the film was good, it would never have created a box office miracle in film history if it weren't for this incident. The final box office myth of 1.5 billion yuan was unsurpassable for a long time. Of course, there was another reason for such a high box office: among those who were exposed, only the artists of Haoran Entertainment were not involved. None of the artists of Haoran Entertainment were exposed for scandals, which would generate goodwill. With goodwill, more people would support and watch its film.

After JK's movie was pulled from theaters, the matter didn't end there. The exposé started with Xingfeng Studio, and more people got involved. It seemed like people wanted to dig up every secret about JK, even scrutinizing their cats and dogs. It was as if all the artists in JK were corrupt and unclean. Regardless of whether you had any scandals exposed, you would be criticized. Those whose scandals were exposed were heavily criticized, and those whose scandals weren't exposed were said to be influenced by their surroundings. It was as if even the stone lions at their gates weren't clean. Of course, there were no stone lions at their gates.

Netizens can be quite violent creatures. When they are provoked by something, they can unleash a torrent of violence, crushing everything in their path and leaving you utterly defeated. JK's reputation is now completely ruined, and she is like a rat in the street, hated by everyone.

Shortly afterward, a bill concerning a "ban on celebrities with bad records" was issued by the relevant authorities. The promulgation of this ban completely shattered JK Entertainment.

That year, due to Xi Yichen's vigorous reforms, JK Entertainment invested in many film and television dramas. Among them, two big-budget films almost emptied the company's available cash flow. The first film could not be released, and the other film was nipped in the bud before it was even fully filmed.

Nowadays, JK might not even be able to recover the money he invested, let alone lose it all.

But more losses were yet to come. No one dared to use JK's artists anymore. All of their company's movies and TV series were shelved and never aired again. All of the artists' performances were suspended. People in the industry avoided JK like the plague, afraid of getting even the slightest bit involved and falling into doubt themselves. Some even wanted to kick them while they were down to show that they hadn't gone along with them.

Next, their endorsement advertisements were also quickly taken down. After that, both JK Company and their artists will face huge advertising compensation, and it is impossible to estimate how much they will have to pay.

All the employees who could leave the company did so, while those who had signed contracts with the company, though unable to leave, were also looking for other ways to make a living, leaving the company completely paralyzed.

Even if JK files for bankruptcy and sells all its assets, it will likely be unable to pay off its debts.

On this day, several people came to Chen Yan's office. One was Lu Mengli, the director of JK, and the other two were JK's artists. Lu Mengli came to ask Chen Yan to take him in, but not for himself. Instead, he brought the two artists with him. JK is in a state of disarray right now. If these two artists who just signed with the company don't have any other way out, their careers will be completely ruined, even though they haven't done anything yet.

"You want me to sign them?" Chen Yan asked Lu Mengli.

"Chairman Chen, I beg you to let them go. They just joined the company and have no scandals. I hope you can be lenient and not ruin them," Lu Mengli said. Lu Mengli had lost all confidence and was exuding a dejected aura. Although he hated Chen Yan to the core, he had no choice but to beg Chen Yan.

"If there are no flaws at all, what is there to be afraid of?"

Lu Mengli couldn't help but chuckle softly and said, "You've already controlled public opinion. As long as you're one of JK's people, even if you haven't done anything, you'll still be verbally abused to the point of being unbearable."

“Okay.” Chen Yan spread her hands. “If you’re willing to work for my company, I’ll sign them all at the same time, how about it?”

“I won’t leave JK,” Lu Mengli refused without thinking. “I just want you to give them a way out. Chairman Chen, you’ve ruined so many people, don’t you feel any remorse? Signing them is doing yourself a good deed.”

Chen Yan couldn't help but chuckle, but quickly suppressed her laughter and said coldly, "Never mind then, you can go back now."

"Brother Lu!" The two artists immediately became anxious upon seeing this. They had just relaxed when Chen Yan agreed, but they didn't expect their hopes to be dashed so quickly. They had been on tenterhooks for many days, how could they easily give up on Chen Yan, their lifeline? The two of them grabbed Lu Mengli's arms and pleaded, "Brother Lu, please reconsider. We don't want to be cursed for the rest of our lives. We still want to continue making a living."

Lu Mengli looked apologetic, but still said, "I'm sorry, I have my bottom line. I can't let President Xi down."

"Brother Lu!" the two men cried out urgently again, one of them suddenly kneeling down. "I'm begging you, please say yes! I don't want to be ruined! I didn't do anything! Why are you doing this to me—"

Lu Mengli quickly pulled him up, "Don't be so scared, you'll be fine. Even if something happens, I'll take care of you."

Lu Mengli turned to look at Chen Yan, only to see Chen Yan staring at them coldly, showing no intention of changing her mind. Lu Mengli couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly, "Heh, fine, I've humiliated myself today. I shouldn't have come looking for you in the first place. Let's go." After saying that, Lu Mengli forcefully pulled the two of them away from there.

"You're really ruthless." Li Yilang had walked over without anyone noticing. "In order to destroy JK Entertainment, you've made so many people die with you. Many of the people you ruined had real talent and ability. The entertainment industry is inherently shady, and everyone has a black mark, but you made sure they could never recover, completely destroying their careers and reputations."

"If you choose the wrong side, you can't blame anyone else," Chen Yan said calmly.

"Heh, I've finally seen your skills," Li Yilang said with a laugh, but with a hint of bitterness in it. He paused, then suddenly asked, "If I weren't part of your company, could you also—"

“There are no ‘what ifs’ in this world.” Chen Yan interrupted Li Yilang. “Don’t always think about things you shouldn’t. You should be glad that, looking at the entire entertainment industry, who else has spent more on you than me?”

"Yes, but I'm just a money-making tool for you, aren't I? The day I'm no longer useful, won't you just throw me away without hesitation?"

"A money-making tool?" Chen Yan said dismissively. "When it comes to making money, can you compare to Ji Yunjiang or Fu Mingxue? How much can I extract from you? If it were up to you, the company wouldn't be where it is today."

Li Yilang's body stiffened for a moment, then he said, "Yes, you're right. I don't even have the qualifications to earn money for you. I'm just a freeloader."

Chen Yan frowned upon hearing this. "Are you here to throw a tantrum at me again today? Have you forgotten how JK got those photos of you in a hotel room? If they had been released, you would have been ruined. And today you're here to defend me."

"I'm just feeling sorry for the company's fate." Li Yilang composed himself and said in a calm tone, "We're all artists, and who knows, one day I might also become a victim of the company's infighting."

Chen Yan scoffed, "Sacrifice? What has the company sacrificed for you? Haven't you received enough from the company? Or have you been subjected to unspoken rules?" Chen Yan stopped abruptly, suddenly realizing that Li Yilang had apparently slept with He Yichen for work-related reasons, and he couldn't help but feel that what he said was not right.

Upon hearing this, Li Yilang froze. Chen Yan had indeed never sexually harassed him, but he had still willingly gone to someone else's bed. If he had behaved himself and followed Chen Yan's instructions, none of this would have happened. This was his biggest regret and a thorn in his side. Li Yilang had always kept this a secret, thinking that no one would know, but little did he know that Chen Yan already knew about it.

The atmosphere between the two suddenly changed. Chen Yan paused for a moment, then softened her tone and said, "Go out. When you get back, reflect on your actions. Who in the entertainment industry is as lucky as you? The money I spent promoting you is something no one else could afford."

Li Yilang said nothing more and turned to leave.

...