Release that Man

When Ye Shuang went to help Madam Mo get the red wine, she accepted the admiring gaze from Director Zhou and his crew.

“This is brilliant, cutting the ground from under Boss Mo.” Director Zhou used the wine glass to block his lips as he whispered to Luo Mingxin beside him, “He sure knows how to pull a stunt like this. There’s probably nothing left on Boss Mo that he can make use of.”

“You’re right,” Luo Mingxin agreed. “I heard him when he was calling Mo Xiao Xia. After knowing Boss Mo stood in his way, I planned to introduce some colleagues who had a good reputation to him so that he would avoid the paparazzi, but when I called this morning, he said that he already had a date…”

Ye Shuang had the list of Go players in the country given by her elder friend. Naturally, it included the list for Shanghai as well. These were the elder’s connections. Now she used the elder’s name to get to know people. Even though the distance was still a bit far, it was closer than most. After a few rounds, they became even closer.

After all, literature, sports, and arts… Members of the three systems were often connected. Especially for those who had retired, gathering together to play could not have been more common. Through the elder, Ye Shuang got to know his circle, and using the time she went out for Go, she easily got to know Madam Mo.

Using Brother Shuang’s impossibly handsome face, his overwhelming kindness and humility as well as his store of knowledge, making friends with an old lady who didn’t leave the house often couldn’t have been easier.

Along the way, Ye Shuang nodded at Director Zhou’s crew and very reservedly exchanged gazes with them. When Ye Shuang returned with the red wine, Boss Mo was trying his best to persuade his mother to return with Mo Xiao Xia, the only girl within the Mo family.

Madam Mo was initially persuaded, but when Ye Shuang returned, she put her hands on Madam Mo’s hands and gave her the glass of wine. With her eyes focusing on Madam Mo, she said with a smile, “Madam Mo wants to go take a look at Xiao Xia‽ This is perfect. Yesterday, she gave me a tour of Shanghai; I needed to find a chance to thank her in person.”

God, if you’re there, smite this cretin please! Boss Mo felt like coughing up blood. Before he could say anything, his mother smiled and said, “Xiao Ye also knows our Xiao Xia‽ Then perfect, we’re all friends, let’s all go find Xiao Xia.”

Madam Mo pulled along the young man that she approved of excitedly. Ye Shuang turned around to give Boss Mo a smile while the latter could only swallow the mouthful of blood as he followed his mother to go search for Mo Xiao Xia. The girl was bored, socializing with the other artists from her uncle’s agency when she saw her grandmother and Ye Shuang walk over. She instantly became happy.

Ever since Brother Shuang one-shot her own mother, from eighty to eighteen, as long as the creature was a straight female, his face would never fail. Ye Shuang was a woman, so naturally, there was an ease when she talked to other females. Furthermore, she knew a lot of things. When she was in her female form, she already managed to fool the socialites at San Lin City. Now that her skills had improved, dealing with two women could not have been easier.

From aging to dieting, from beauty care to health care, from modern art to traditional art, from Chinese opera to western theatre… No matter the topic, Brother Shuang would be able to provide his own interesting opinion. Seeing the two women of his house being taken down by Ye Shuang, the ire in Boss Mo’s heart could not be put into words.

Elder Mo was on the second floor, talking with the leaders from SARFT ¹ . Even though he had already retired, he was close friends with the former leaders. Therefore, it was understandable that the new leaders would come to greet him during these occasions. Halfway through the conversation, before the ball downstairs even began, someone came to report that Madam Mo had arrived.

Knowing his wife did not like public event like this, Elder Mo was understandably surprised. He excused himself from the several leaders, but instead of parting, they decided to follow Elder Mo to meet Madam Mo.

Brother Shuang’s face stood out wherever he was. When Elder Mo came down the stairs and saw his eldest son’s stressed face and the impressed expressions on Director Zhou’s people, he understood the situation instantly. Spotting him, the eldest son immediately came over to lead Elder Mo to Madam Mo. As they walked, he explained softly, “I really don’t understand how the man managed to find mother… This is too much!”

“Even now, you still don’t know how you’ve lost‽” If not for the public occasion, Elder Mo would have used the staff to smack his son. “You know your mother’s personality very well. Other than her old friends and their very talented children, when have you seen her smile at other people before‽

“The child either came from a powerful family or is really talented. Based on how he conducts himself… the young man knows more than a thing or two. There’s nothing you can do about Luo Mingxin, but don’t make enemies with those that you have no business with.”

On the premise that they had equal power and influence, those in business were afraid of those in politics, and those in politics were afraid of those in arts. The former was because the economic lifeline could be severed by governmental policy, while for the latter, the teacher’s students might become powerful enough to influence the public opinion against the politician.

After Boss Mo became a businessman, he had always maintained a good relationship with SARFT, unlike many others, because of the presence of his father, the old artist.

Similarly, if that Ye Shuang came from a powerful background, be it the progeny or student, if they got into a fight, it was hard to tell who might win, but mutual wounds were guaranteed. Boss Mo nodded, and he absorbed the advice, at least on the surface. He also did not expect a newbie to be so influential.

With Madam Mo’s support and Elder Mo’s approval after a few exchanges, Boss Mo’s attitude was obvious. He knew what to do.

This was a celebratory party for a film, so there were naturally people from the media. When they saw this, they knew what would happen. Obviously, Tian Mo Media had to take a step back. Luo Mingxin’s future was still unknown, but at least this time, nothing would be affected.

Ye Shuang removed herself from the party easily. She met the people that she wanted to, and her first appearance in Shanghai was not bad.

…

“To be fair, this isn’t all Ol’ Mo’s fault,” Director Zhou concluded. Since it was Ye Shuang who solved the problem, naturally, many things could be explained. “Miao Yi Media has the budget and the sponsorship from Xiang Jiang’s entertainment magnate, so they have been going strong in recent years. All the good films and good directors have been taken by them. Tian Mo looks like it’s glorious on the surface, but they haven’t had a good film in a long time already, much less awards.”

Director Zhou shook his head. “If not for my few Oscars, I wouldn’t have become an independent director, and I wouldn’t have been able to get Luo Mingxin to play the lead. The scripts that they receive on their own are not good, and the good scripts that come to them are written by people from Miao Yi. No wonder Ol’ Mo is acting like this.”

At the end of the day, Miao Yi wanted to turn Luo Mingxin against Tian Mo Media. Even though Luo Mingxin did not know the entire truth, at least he understood the general direction. However, understanding it was different from accepting it. Seeing Tian Mo reject the good scripts that came to him again and again, even if Luo Mingxin knew of Boss Mo’s difficulty, he also had his own patience limit.

Three or four scripts were fine, but they rejected every script and kept shoving him with commercial flicks, no wonder Luo Mingxin did not give him face. It was understandable that he asked his company’s artist to keep the company’s interest first, but it did not mean that Luo Mingxin was his company’s private asset. People always tried to go for the higher ground; instead of reaching the point of no return, why not just separate and go their own way?

When Tian Mo Media found the road to the western market, Luo Mingxin had been silent in the local market for a long time already. Even though the film invitation had remained constant, he did not have any renowned films. His status in the local market was already swaying, so Tian Mo was supposed to send him overseas to play extras‽

If not for Director Zhou, who invited Luo Mingxin, temporarily assuaging Boss Mo’s dissatisfaction, the falling out between them might have happened several months earlier.

“It’s only natural since they have different stances.” Ye Shuang swirled the wine glass in her hand, looking at the circle formed by Boss Mo’s family on one side and the circle formed around Luo Mingxin on the other. She said lightly, “No one is one hundred percent right or wrong. Everyone takes care of themselves first before dealing with others… but is Celebrity Luo really going to Miao Yi‽”

“Ninety percent chance.” Director Zhou nodded. “He understands the problem that Ol’ Mo is facing, but that doesn’t mean that he’s willing to take on that problem for him. Unless Tian Mo can find other channels and give him a good script, salvaging this situation won’t be easy.”

There were limited scriptwriters in the country, and the famous ones either worked for a company or had constant cooperation with certain actors. There were too few quality writers.

Salvaging this situation was indeed too difficult!