After Yu Shuman finished speaking, she didn't wait for the producer to respond and turned to leave. Before leaving, she even flicked her hair, letting the curls bounce up and then fall back down.
Afterward, Qin Ran could still hear the producer's indignant voice, continuing to mutter bad things about Yu Shuman.
Qin Ran was furious. How could someone be so tasteless? The person had already left, yet he still badmouthed her behind her back. And he didn't even have the guts to confront her directly. If he was that eager to curse, he could have chased after her and argued face-to-face for three hours if he dared.
What a tasteless person, only knowing how to badmouth others behind their back.
Qin Ran mentally cursed the producer out, then rewound the video to watch Yu Shuman's part again.
Manman was so cool and said all the right things! That's exactly what should be done! How dare anyone badmouth her? If you ask Qin Ran, she should've just sent the producer a lawyer's letter right away, no need to hold back. However, the way Manman said she reserved the right to pursue action was really in the style of 99 Entertainment.
The artists from their company should learn a thing or two. Don't worry about every little thing when you're out and about; just go up and confront them head-on. If anything happens, 99 Entertainment will be there to back you up!
Qin Ran saved the video and thanked Sister Li before turning to Assistant Wu, instructing her to check if the richest man in the country was involved in this. She had a feeling it wasn't that simple. While she had done some initial investigation and knew that the movie's crew and investors had no connection with Ling Miaohan, Pei Qi, or the richest man, it was a surface-level check that didn't delve deep into every detail of the crew and related companies.
Yu Shuman wouldn't be targeted for no reason. She hadn't offended anyone in the industry, except for a few people—Ling Miaohan and a certain male actor. The latter was already buried under a mountain of troubles and couldn't possibly come out to give Yu Shuman a hard time.
That left Ling Miaohan as the only possibility. It could be that companies targeting 99 Entertainment were behind this, but after over a month of handling, Qin Ran had dealt with most of those issues. The companies that had initially banded together to go against 99 Entertainment were now wooed by the small benefits Qin Ran had dangled before them. They followed 99 Entertainment around like dogs begging for treats, oblivious that the sweets they were fed were laced with poison.
The alliance of three major streaming platforms had fractured under Qin Ran's meddling, splitting into factions either inclined toward 99 Entertainment, completely opposed to it, or trying to play both sides while spectating. They were currently fighting among themselves, leaving Qin Ran's supported small platforms to sneak in and try to take their place. With all this chaos, who would have the time to target 99 Entertainment?
The only one still with the will and resources to go against 99 Entertainment was the richest man. He probably realized his previous tricks didn't work and was now venting his frustration by targeting Yu Shuman.
Assistant Wu received the task and quickly went to investigate. The result placed in front of Qin Ran was exactly what she expected.
A shell company registered overseas had invested in this film, having operated in the domestic market for several years but never touching the film industry before.
It wasn't the largest investor and was hidden among other big companies, making it almost unnoticeable. The real owner of such shell companies is usually difficult to trace, but this one's transactions made it easy to deduce who was behind it.
Qin Ran's situation was different because she invested in so many companies with broad and unrelated business areas. Only her domestic branch had a discernible preference for 99 Entertainment when choosing endorsers.
But finding the owner of this shell company was simple—just analyze its business dealings, and the trail would lead straight to the richest man in the country.
Qin Ran didn't need solid evidence; as long as all the information pointed toward the richest man, she could deduce who was behind it. Her finger traced the investment amount the shell company put into the film. It wasn't much, certainly not enough for the producer to go this far. Even if it was to curry favor with the richest man, it wasn't worth this effort.
Unless... there was a bigger profit, like money being directly transferred to his personal account.
Qin Ran quickly grasped the key point. Her finger tapped lightly on the table as she messaged Sister Li, "Take the screenwriter out for a meal as a thank you." Sister Li replied with an understanding emoji; being a shrewd fox herself, she understood Qin Ran's intention.
It wasn't just about expressing gratitude but also signaling that any further news should be passed on to them immediately.
This wouldn't be the end; more exciting scenes would unfold next. The video wasn't only in Qin Ran's hands but also in the crew's and possibly even the richest man's. Qin Ran could already imagine the malicious editing of this video being released online, severely damaging Yu Shuman's reputation.
In that case, it would be better to strike first. Besides, as a courtesy, let's help promote this movie that hasn't even started filming yet.
Of course, using Yu Shuman as a stepping stone wasn't an option. None of Qin Ran's decisions would ever sacrifice Yu Shuman. For people like Assistant Wu, President Li, or Sister Li, they might use this video of Yu Shuman to achieve the best results.
But for Qin Ran, no way. Absolutely not.
There were plenty of alternatives, like exposing the producer for accepting bribes in private. Qin Ran didn't need obvious evidence; nowadays, self-media thrives on mere rumors. She even called Sister Li in person, asking if she had any channels to obtain dirt on the producer.
Sister Li, knowing that the producer's actions had angered Qin Ran, did have some dirt that the producer had previously paid to cover up. It wasn't anything serious, just some indiscretions in his personal life, or it would have been harder to cover up.
"Minor scandals are fine, just an appetizer."
Through Sister Li's connections, Qin Ran acquired the previously covered-up dirt. It was indeed trivial stuff, just suggesting the producer had a messy personal life. Such gossip could be fatal for a celebrity but would barely cause a ripple for a producer.
Assistant Wu also provided Qin Ran with a detailed profile of the producer.
The producer's surname was Sun, full name Sun Zhiyan. He adopted this name after entering the industry, implying "rumors stop at the wise," as if secretly praising himself as a smart person. But Qin Ran thought he was foolish; otherwise, why would he take on such a task, risking his future to offend Yu Shuman?
The profile also listed all his past films, with detailed names and box office earnings. Indeed, some of his films were box-office hits, and given their titles, they seemed so successful that Qin Ran found it abnormal.
Some titles just screamed "flop" from a mile away. It wasn't that she looked down on these films or judged them solely by their names, but film critique bloggers had long compiled a list: movies with titles containing words like "I," "You," "He," "She," "Us," "World," "Love" usually fell into the trashy teen romance category, almost guaranteed to be bad. Exceptions existed, but this rule generally held true.
Especially titles like Our Love or Your Whole World, which were so bad they were unwatchable. Even if they aimed to milk some quick cash from fans, overall box office earnings couldn't be that high. Not to mention that some of Sun Zhiyan's films were small-budget, high-return projects that seemed almost too good to be true.
Where there's something unusual, there's a reason. To be thorough, Qin Ran checked out these films she found questionable. Initially, she planned to watch them carefully, second by second, after paying the streaming service for these films to uncover the truth. But in the end, she couldn't help but fast-forward.
It wasn't that she lacked patience; someone who could harbor a crush for years certainly had plenty. But she really couldn't sit through them.
These films were mind-numbingly bad, to the point where watching them was an ordeal. It was the kind of stuff that would make any parent or teacher roll up their sleeves to discipline those high school students who didn't focus on studying but only cared about dating, fighting, and drama.
After enduring those films, Qin Ran couldn't wait to pounce on Yu Shuman the moment she returned from work.
—Ah, her lovely wife is truly the incarnation of beauty!
Qin Ran clung to Yu Shuman, showering her with kisses and snuggles until she finally soothed her heartache. Yu Shuman found it strange and asked what was wrong. Her eyes instinctively landed on Qin Ran's laptop screen, expecting to see Qin Ran's favorite anime. Instead, she saw a collection of domestic youth drama films on the screen.
Yu Shuman was perplexed.
Qin Ran mumbled, "Manman, promise me you'll never take on one of these melodramatic teen romance roles. Those films are just bad, high schoolers who don't study but focus on dating, fighting, and getting into all sorts of trouble..."
Yu Shuman chuckled, "I won't take on those roles. I'm focusing on serious dramas now."
Qin Ran finally breathed a sigh of relief.
With the visual therapy of Yu Shuman's beauty, Qin Ran felt much better. As Yu Shuman went to take a shower, Qin Ran contemplated the fishy box office earnings of those films. The films' flaws were obvious; how could people not see they were trash, yet they became box-office hits?
She rechecked the current ratings and comment sections. Many shared Qin Ran's sentiment: "What garbage film, I came because of the hype and box office numbers, but it was a waste of my money."
Something shady was definitely going on. Outsiders might not think too much of it, but Qin Ran couldn't help wondering where all that box office revenue came from. Considering this film's crew accepted funding from a shell company and the suspicion that Sun Zhiyan took bribes, Qin Ran guessed that these films were likely involved in money laundering.
Such activities aren't uncommon in the entertainment industry, especially in earlier days when regulations were lax. It was even more rampant in overseas markets, with some films being made at gunpoint by local gangs. But in China, this wouldn't happen without consent.
Sun Zhiyan's personal life might be scandalous, but it was trivial. However, money laundering could land him in jail for a long time. The only problem was that Qin Ran didn't have any concrete evidence.
But evidence can always be found. There's no such thing as a secret that doesn't leak. Even if it's been years, if he did it, it can be uncovered.