Chapter 950: A martial arts action star warns against Zhang Ye!
Chapter 950: A martial arts action star warns against Zhang Ye!
Translator: Legge Editor: Legge
"Zhang Ye looking to hire agent!"
"Competition in the talent agency business heats up!"
"Who will end up as Zhang Ye's agent?"
Online, some media outlets had also posted news updates about the situation. Some of the more meticulous reporters even made a chart of talent agents for comparison in a special coverage of the business. They listed some of the current statuses and contributions of agents to celebrities like Zhang Yuanqi, Huo Dongfang, Ning Lan, etc., and took the opportunity to comb through the standing of the talent agency business.
The netizens were very happy.
"Haha!"
"Teacher Zhang has finally been enlightened!"
"Quickly hire someone. Let's see who'll get chosen!"
"Being Teacher Zhang's agent won't be an easy job!"
"Yeah, it's going to be quite difficult!"
"With Zhang Ye's social relationships, the pressure on his agent within the industry will surely be the greatest! After every fight that Teacher Zhang gets himself into, his agent will have to handle the media. I doubt just anyone could handle that!"
"They'd also have to be careful not to get beaten up!"
"Pfft, that's right!"
"Teacher Zhang attracts too much hatred from within the industry!"
Although some things were only meant to be jokes, no one could have expected those jokes to actually come true!
Though no one knew which private gathering it had originated from, nor who had leaked it, a piece of news posted online stirred up a huge reaction! A very popular martial arts action star had actually issued a warning publicly: Whoever dares to take the job as Zhang Ye's agent would get "fixed" by him!
Jiang Hanwei!
An A-list celebrity in the domestic market!
The best martial arts action star in the country!
A famous movie star whose appeal at the martial arts movies' box office was unparalleled. As long as it was a movie that he starred in, the box office earnings would be at least one hundred million RMB! He was the most famous kung fu star in the industry with no one coming close to him! Not only that, he was also a true martial arts expert who had won first place in the National Youth Wushu Championships when he was just 16 years old. This was followed by many other martial arts awards as well, making him a big shot celebrity who actually knew real kung fu! In the A-list Celebrity Rankings, his position was also higher than Zhang Ye!
As a big shot of the big shots, he had actually stated something like that so publicly. This left many netizens in disbelief after they found out!
What did he mean by "fixing" whoever dares take the job?
Did that mean he would beat up whoever became Zhang Ye's agent?
Jiang Hanwei was known for being quite temperamental, not like how Zhang Ye was, instead more hot-tempered. Since he'd debuted, he had beaten up many, many people. He had beaten up reporters, assistant directors, fellow celebrities on set, and some troublemaking fans in his time. As a result, everyone in the industry knew about Jiang Hanwei's temper and most people would not risk angering him. He was a big brother of the entertainment industry after all!
That was why the netizens were shocked!
"Holy fuck!"
"What happened?"
"Why did Jiang Hanwei suddenly pop out of nowhere?"
"What is wrong with Teacher Jiang?"
"W-Why is he picking a fight with Zhang Ye?"
"This should just be a rumor, right?"
"Yeah, I feel that way. Why would Teacher Jiang issue such a threatening statement?"
"Yeah, from what I know, he shouldn't have any animosity for Zhang Ye?"
"Who can tell me what's going on?"
"Jiang Hanwei is being too overbearing, isn't he? Fuck, what makes him think he can stop others from hiring an agent? What logic is that? Who does he think he is? The boss of the entertainment circle?"
"That's how he always behaves, handling everything like one would in a fight!"
"He's borne from a martial arts background after all. If he says he will 'fix' someone, then that person will most definitely be 'fixed'!"
"Fuck, do you think that Teacher Zhang is afraid of you?"
"Who the fuck are you!"
In an instant, the netizens were seething!
Perhaps even the person who started this did not expect it to blow up this much!
Although the veracity of this news was still unconfirmed, the fans treated it as if it were real. On Weibo, Zhang Ye's and Jiang Hanwei's fans immediately got into an argument!
Zhang Ye's fans: "Motherfuckers!"
Jiang Hanwei's fans: "You motherfuckers!"
Zhang Ye's fans: "Do you people think you own the entertainment industry?"
Jiang Hanwei's fans: "Teacher Jiang must surely have an issue with that Zhang fellow. Since Teacher Jiang has said something like that, there must be a good reason. Are you people unconvinced?"
Zhang Ye's fans: "You all think you're really awesome, don't you?"
Jiang Hanwei's fans: "We've always been this awesome! You got a problem with that?"
There were also many who came to mediate the situation!
"Calm down, everyone!"
"The news might not be true!"
"There's a lot of rumors flying around these days!"
...
At home.
Even Zhang Ye thought that the news wasn't true, so did not take it seriously.
But several phone calls later, he began to think otherwise!
Chen Guang was the first to call. "When did you offend Jiang Hanwei?"
Zhang Ye was slightly taken aback, but laughed. "You've been duped by the rumor too?"
"You didn't offend him?" Chen Guang said in surprise.
Zhang Ye replied, "I don't even know him, so how could I have offended him? At most, I've heard of his name and have seen several of his martial arts movies. That's all."
Chen Guang went silent for a moment, then warned, "Well, just be careful. He really walks the walk!"
"Ha?" Zhang Ye found this comical.
Next, Zhang Yuanqi's manager, Fang Weihong called!
The moment he answered the call, Fang Weihong asked, "Did you offend Old Jiang?"
Zhang Ye said in a speechless manner, "I haven't even met him before!"
Fang Weihong mused, "I'm still helping you find an agent, but you'd better not hold out much hope for now. I think it will be difficult to find one in the near future."
Zhang Ye was quite exasperated. "What do you mean, Sister Fang?"
"Old Jiang is considered a big brother in the industry, and even though he has offended some people before, he has helped out many celebrities. Therefore, everyone acknowledges his position in the industry, and he's also very popular with everyone. Now that he's issued a warning against you and made this threat, it's quite possible that you'll really be in some trouble. As long as it's someone in the industry, who would dare be your agent under such circumstances? You'd have to at least wait until this blows over. Do you really not know what happened?" Fang Weihong asked again.
Zhang Ye returned, "Oh, so you mean this isn't actually a rumor?"
"What rumor!" Fang Weihong related, "It's already spread throughout the entertainment industry! Those words were shouted by Old Jiang at a party! And his original words were not even that nice. He didn't say that he would 'fix' your agent, he just said that whoever dares to become your agent will get beaten up by him!"
Zhang Ye narrowed his eyes. "Is that so?"
Fang Weihong sighed. "In any case, just be careful. He's not someone to be trifled with. I still have some influence in the industry, so let me help you ask around first and see if this problem can be resolved amicably."
But when Zhang Ye heard that, he spoke up, "It's alright, Sister Fang. I'll settle this myself!"
Zhang Xia's call came in!
"Little Zhang, what's happening?"
"I don't know."
"Is it a rumor?"
"I think it's real."
Yao Jiancai also heard about it!
Dong Shanshan gave him a call as well!
Zhang Ye's friends were all quite surprised. They didn't know why Jiang Hanwei had suddenly picked a fight with Zhang Ye, so all of his friends called to show their concern for him! This was because the person who had picked a fight with Zhang Ye this time was not some unknown. It wasn't like those little-known athletes or crosstalk comedians like Tang Dazhang who did not have many fans. This was a genuinely recognized A-list martial arts action star who was even more popular than Zhang Ye! In the entertainment industry, such public disagreements between A-list celebrities were virtually unheard of. But when they occurred, the gravity of the situation would not be light!
Before long, Zhang Ye started receiving updates from those talent agents he had contacted earlier!
From the first person:
"Teacher Zhang."
"Hey, Ms. Xu."
"I've fallen sick recently and feel quite bad, so I'll be hospitalized for a while. Umm…let's take a rain check on our meeting. I'm terribly sorry."
"Oh, it's fine. Your health is more important. Do take care of yourself."
From the second person:
"Teacher Zhang."
"Yes?"
"I've considered for a while, but I think that I won't be able to qualify as your agent with my current skill set."
"That's fine."
"My apologies."
From the third person:
"Teacher Zhang, I think I won't be able to meet you in the afternoon."
"What's the matter?"
"Teacher Jiang Hanwei's position in the industry is too high, and I'm just a small-timer, so I…"
"Understood, no worries."
"I'm so sorry."
Everyone was rejecting his offer now!
None of them dared to take the job as Zhang Ye's agent!
Jiang Hanwei's threat was too ruthless. For many of these talent agents, getting beaten up would be considered getting off lightly and it wasn't as bad as it sounded. But realistically, it wasn't going be as simple as just getting beaten up. They were more likely to get several beatings instead, or even not be able to make a living in the industry. Applying for the role of agent that they didn't even know if they would get was simply too risky. And it might even cut short their talent agent careers? No one was willing to take the risk! If it were for the role of Zhang Yuanqi's manager, then it wouldn't matter. With Sister Zhang's reputation in the entertainment industry, Jiang Hanwei would never dare to issue such threats. Even if he did, no one would care because Sister Zhang would most assuredly back them up! But it wasn't the same for Zhang Ye. This fellow's social ties were too poor, and he had few connections or friends to depend on. Compared to Jiang Hanwei, it was clear that Jiang Hanwei was the more oppressive figure! His words definitely held more weight!
His parents also found out about this!
His mother immediately flew into a rage. "Jiang Hanwei? I used to rather like his kung fu movies! That old bastard, based on what is he restricting my son from hiring an agent?"
His father, usually mild-mannered, was also enraged. "Isn't he taking it too far?"
His mother said, "Keep searching, just continue looking for an agent! I doubt that he really dares to beat anyone up!"
Zhang Ye said calmly, "The agents I shortlisted earlier have already rejected me for the interview."
"What?" When his mother heard that, she cursed even more harshly, "Has my son goddamn offended you or something?"
Zhang Ye was also thinking about this.
Jiang Hanwei?
A martial arts action star?
A martial artist?
Soon, he reached a plausible conclusion. Zhang Ye went online to research Jiang Hanwei's history. Everything was available online and was no secret at all!
Jiang Hanwei turned out to be a former disciple of the Huashan Sect, and was Fan Wen's sixth disciple. He had studied under Fan Wen for three years beginning at the age of eight, but then left the sect due to some unknown reason and went into the world to fulfill his own ambitions. He was no longer a disciple of the Huashan Sect, but after he became famous, he donated quite the sum to the Huashan Sect for repairs. It seemed like he intended to rejoin the Huashan Sect back then, but they did not accept him back. Perhaps it was because they just didn't want to take him back, or that something had happened all those years ago. Whatever the reason, it was unclear. But there were rumors that Jiang Hanwei's current martial arts skills were even better than Fan Wen's!
A former disciple of the Huashan Sect?
Zhang Ye sneered!
So this was the reason!
So this was the root cause?