Chapter 3829 - 3817: Tit for Tat
Chapter 3829: Chapter 3817: Tit for Tat
"In terms of pure skills, the fresh meats definitely aren’t on the same level as the veteran artists, but the problem is those veterans don’t have any traffic at all, nobody wants to watch them."
"Who said anything about inviting those old-timers? Just go find the former top-tier idols, strong skills, cheaper price, have them sing their old smash hits, do a wave of nostalgia kills. I think that could work pretty well."
Zhao Jing’s eyes lit up.
"What you’re suggesting is actually pretty good."
"I’ve been scrolling a lot of videos lately too, there are a few new-generation singers who are really good, we can bring them in as well, that way there’s no problem."
"You mean Zhou Shen and Mao Yi? Those two really are the current top stars. If we can actually get them, the show would be locked in. But the problem is their schedules are packed, and our 8 million budget isn’t even enough to book one of them, let alone both."
"Just go talk to them. Maybe it’ll work out."
"I’m not going to embarrass myself like that. If I quote them 8 million, their business team will probably curse me out."
"No big deal, I’ll handle the embarrassing part. You make the list, leave the rest to me."
"Alright, I’ll draft the list first. In the next few days I’ll contact some people, we’ll have a meeting and lock down the show format. Put the self-media work on hold for now, I’ll find someone else to coordinate with Zhao Yuhuan, you just focus on the show."
"Don’t, I still want to keep running the account. I’ll juggle both."
"You sure you can handle it? It’s easy to end up doing a bad job on both sides."
"It’s not a big problem, just leave it to me."
"Then I won’t be polite."
"It’s fine."
Once the business was discussed, the two of them got ready to leave.
But before they separated, they saw Wang Minji walking toward them.
"Director Zhao, I heard you’re going to be an independent producer now, congrats, congrats."
"It’s not even close to finalized yet, don’t make fun of me." Zhao Jing said with a smile.
"You’re being too modest. Your ability is obvious to everyone, becoming a producer shouldn’t be a problem."
Wang Minji’s smile didn’t reach his eyes, with a faint sense of superiority on his face.
"What kind of show are you planning to do? Tell me, I can give you some pointers."
"A music variety show," Lin Yi said.
"Music variety?"
Wang Minji’s expression changed.
If it were some other kind of show, that’d be one thing, but a music variety show meant they were clearly going up against him.
"Then I can only wish you good luck."
Wang Minji let out a cold snort and flung his sleeves as he left.
"Don’t rush off, weren’t you going to give us some guidance? Let’s find a place to sit down and chat."
Faced with Lin Yi’s mockery, Wang Minji didn’t say a word. Zhao Jing at the side, however, burst out laughing.
"I think you’re trying to piss him to death."
"He’s obviously just a bootlicker, and still tries to act cool in front of me. No way I’m letting him off easy."
"We’re basically standing on opposite sides now. If our show doesn’t do well, we’ll become a joke. You need to be mentally prepared for that."
"I’ve got a lot of faith in your skills. Beating him won’t be a problem."
"You really think highly of me."
They chatted and joked for a bit more, then each went their own way.
Lin Yi drove home and got a call from Lin Yi halfway there.
"Director Lin, we’ve found all the transaction records for this car. The owner is called Ma Chengfei, he bought this car in 2020, but half a year ago it was in an accident, and he sold it cheap to a used-car dealer named Ding Haifeng."
"Was there an invoice for the transaction?"
"There’s a receipt, with the name of the used-car dealership on it and Ding Haifeng’s signature."
"That’s enough. Get a photo of the receipt and send it to me. I’ll come by tomorrow to pick up the car."
"Okay."
After handling that, Lin Yi hung up.
But just after he ended the call, he got a call from Zhao Yuhuan.
"Lin Bro, that guy called Ding Haifeng sent me a DM. He says he wants to talk."
"Did he say what about?"
"No, he said we can talk details when we meet. I didn’t rush to agree, I wanted to call you and ask what you think."
"Of course we should talk. Maybe he’s thought it through and wants to settle it privately."
"So we set up a meeting?"
"You arrange the meeting place with him, then I’ll come pick you up. Get your phone ready and record the whole conversation today. Might come in handy."
"Got it, Lin Bro. Call me when you’re here."
"Okay."
After hanging up with Zhao Yuhuan, Lin Yi drove toward her place.
About twenty-something minutes later, he picked her up.
"Lin Bro, the meeting spot is a café near my place. Keep going straight, then turn left at the traffic light ahead and you’ll see it."
"Got it."
Lin Yi drove over and soon found the café she mentioned.
As soon as they walked in, they saw Ding Haifeng sitting in the corner and headed over.
This time, Ding Haifeng’s attitude was a lot more polite.
"Comrade Journalist, what would you like to drink?"
"We’ll pass. Just say what you came to say."
Seeing Lin Yi cut straight to the point, Ding Haifeng didn’t waste words either. He rummaged through his bag and took out two envelopes.
"Just a little something, I hope you’ll accept."
Faced with this kind of situation, even Zhao Yuhuan could stay calm now.
"You asked the two of us to come here just for this?"
"It’s not easy for us to make money either. I hope you’ll stop pursuing this. That’d be best for everyone."
"Have you considered Zhang Weigang at all? Is it easy for him to make money?"
"I can refund him 10,000 yuan more. That’s my bottom line."
"That kind of solution won’t work. If you don’t refund the money, we’ll keep reporting this."
"No need to go that far, right? If you think it’s too little, just say so. I can add a bit more for you."
"It’s not about the money. We’re here to report the truth," Lin Yi said.
"If you can’t refund the money, then there’s nothing more to talk about."
"Once something’s sold, there are no refunds. Who knows what happened to the car after I sold it to him?"
"In that case, there’s no point continuing. Let’s end it here."
Ding Haifeng’s face suddenly turned ugly.
"In this line of work, you’re supposed to quit while you’re ahead. I came to you on my own, gave you enough face, and you still won’t agree. Then there’s nothing I can do. We’ll see how this plays out. I’d like to see what you can do to me."
"Don’t worry, we’ll be coming back for you."
With that, Lin Yi gave Zhao Yuhuan a look, and the two of them stood up and left.
"Lin Bro, how are you planning to deal with them? Did you find the evidence?"
"Already found it," Lin Yi said.
"Why didn’t you take it out just now?"
"We’re shooting video, making a show. We’ve gotta create some show effect. If I took it out right then, it wouldn’t be fun anymore." Lin Yi said with a laugh.