Huayu: This director is pretty strong.

Chapter 95 Aftershocks: The Defection of the World of Fame and Fortune

Second floor VIP room.

The dark red leather sofa sank in, and Lin Shufen sat alone in the shadows.

On the table, three cell phones are putting on a symphony.

The constant vibrations made the air buzz.

She turned on the speakerphone on the first phone.

"Mr. Lin! All five screenings in Haidian are sold out! The aisles are packed! The audience is refusing to leave, demanding more screenings. We have to renegotiate our scheduling agreement!"

The voice on the other end of the phone trembled with excitement.

Lin Shufen hung up expressionlessly and started the second part.

"Mr. Lin, the theater managers in Chaoyang have blocked the entrance, all here to inquire about copies of 'Thunder.' Some are even carrying suitcases full of cash!"

Lin Shufen pushed her phone to the corner of the table, picked up a lighter, and lit a slender cigarette.

The flames flickered, reflecting the glitter on her fingernails.

"That kid Chen Yan is bound to cause a major upheaval."

Lin Shufen exhaled a puff of smoke, which blurred her face.

"He changed the world."

The door was pushed open, and Su Wan walked in. Her steps were quick, and the sound of her leather shoes tapping the floor was rapid and steady.

"President Lin, Lu Haiming's legal team has arrived."

Su Wan stopped in front of the table, her tone flat.

Lin Shufen looked up: "How many people?"

"Six of them, top partners at Ruihe Law Firm, led by Zhou Fangping, a seasoned veteran who specializes in dealing with the Film Bureau."

Su Wan placed a fax in front of Lin Shufen.

Lin Shufen glanced at the official seal on the document: "Lu Haiming is inside, but the dogs outside are barking loudly. What does he want?"

"All master tapes have been sealed. The reason given is that there is a dispute over the film's copyright, and it needs to be included in Minghai Industrial's asset preservation plan."

Lin Shufen let out a cold laugh.

"Asset preservation? He wants to drag this movie down with him."

The entrance to the cinema.

Zhou Fangping got out of the car carrying his briefcase, his tie making it hard for him to breathe.

He strode toward the entrance, but four security guards in black stepped out and blocked his way.

"Get out of the way."

Zhou Fangping pulled out a stack of documents stamped with a red seal. "Court preservation order. The investor is involved in the case; all related outputs are to be seized immediately."

Wu Gang walked out of the side door, a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

He blocked Zhou Fangping's path, and the imposing presence of his size made the other man subconsciously take a half-step back.

"There are too many words, I can't understand them."

Wu Gang tucked the cigarette behind his ear. "I only listen to the director. The director said, whoever touches the film today, has to leave their hand behind."

Zhou Fangping's face darkened, and he pointed a finger at Wu Gang's chest: "Obstruction of justice, can you bear the consequences?"

Wu Gang remained motionless, his feet firmly planted on the ground, his body forming a wall.

"All I know is that this place is currently under the jurisdiction of two people. One is the Beijing Film Academy's photography department. The other..." Wu Gang turned to the side.

Liang Qinian, wearing a faded jacket, emerged from the shadows.

He held a document that had just been taken from the fax machine, the edges of the paper still warm.

"Attorney Zhou."

Liang Qinian called out his name.

Zhou Fangping's fingers froze in mid-air before retracting.

"Captain Liang, this is an economic dispute."

"This is now a criminal case."

Liang Qinian handed over the documents. "We found a notarized document with your signature forged in the accounts of Tianjin Third Construction Company. You need to come back to the bureau regarding the whereabouts of the compensation funds for the three fatal accidents."

Zhou Fangping's face visibly lost its color.

He lost his footing, and his leather shoes left a mark on the wet, slippery ground.

"Lu Haiming... he confessed?"

"See for yourself."

Liang Qinian pointed to the red fingerprint at the end of the document.

Zhou Fangping's gaze fell upon it, and his body swayed slightly.

The lawyers behind him exchanged glances and simultaneously stepped back, creating some distance between themselves.

"take away."

Liang Qinian waved.

Two plainclothes officers stepped forward and grabbed Zhou Fangping's arms from both sides.

The briefcase slipped from his hands, scattering documents all over the floor, soaked with mud and water.

Wu Gang bent down, picked up the security order, slowly crumpled it into a ball, and threw it into the trash can.

"Old Liang, take care."

Backstage at the cinema, Chen Yan pushed open the door, bringing in a gust of cool morning air.

He took off his soaking wet suit and draped it over the back of the chair.

Lin Shufen stood up.

She looked at Chen Yan, the scrutiny typical of businessmen had faded from her eyes, leaving only a serious, direct gaze.

"Director Chen."

Lin Shufen changed her way of addressing her.

Chen Yan sat down opposite her, picked up the cold water on the table, and took a sip.

The bottom of the glass collided with the table, making a soft sound.

"The matter outside has been resolved."

Lin Shufen sat down again, her hand resting on her still-vibrating phone: "Lu Haiming has fallen, but the spoils he left behind are too lucrative for anyone to touch. The land in Tianjin has been seized by the banks, and these flagship cinemas in Beijing are about to enter a lengthy judicial auction."

Chen Yan raised his eyelids: "I want the operating rights to those three cinemas."

Lin Shufen stopped pressing her lighter: "Which three?"

"Sanlitun, Xidan, and the one that Wang the comprador was keeping an eye on before."

Lin Shufen shook her head: "You're asking for too much. That's Lu Haiming's lifeline, the property rights are a tangled mess, the court won't be able to sort it out in three to five years."

"I don't want ownership rights, I just want the right to operate the business."

Chen Yan took out a planning map from his bag and tapped three red dots on it. "These three cinemas are all in Minghai Industrial's asset package. Minghai owes the bank 800 million yuan, of which 400 million yuan is bad debt. Without finding someone to revitalize it, state-owned assets are being lost every day. Whose responsibility is this?"

Lin Shufen narrowed her eyes: "You've been waiting for me here."

"Mr. Lin, your connections reach the bank manager's office. Tell them I'll take over. All box office revenue, after deducting expenses, will go directly into the bank's escrow account to offset the debt."

Chen Yan leaned back. "The condition is that I get to decide the screening schedule for these three cinemas."

Lin Shufen forcefully twisted out the cigarette butt in the ashtray.

"You want to build your own cinema chain."

"Lu Haiming was able to use the cinema chain to attack me because he holds the lifeline of the film industry in his hands."

Chen Yan pointed out the window, "What if my movie is only shown in my theater?"

Lin Shufen remained silent for a long time before picking up her phone and quickly swiping through her contacts.

"Chen Yan, if this works out, you'll be more than just a director."

"I never intended to just be a filmmaker."

Su Wan's typing speed increased as she took notes: "President Lin, the phone number for the Shanghai cinema chain."

Lin Shufen took the phone, her tone regaining its businesswoman-like decisiveness: "Add more screenings! Clear out all the halls for 'Thunder'! Copyright? The copyright is in Director Chen's hands! The first payment tomorrow morning will be transferred to the account designated by Chen Yan!"

After hanging up the phone, she looked at Chen Yan with a complicated expression: "Those old guys have gone crazy. They say they haven't seen audiences spontaneously stand up and applaud in a movie theater in over a decade."

Chen Yan stood up and walked to the window.

The rain stopped, and the puddles on the street reflected the city's waking light.

"Aren't you afraid of retaliation from the people behind Lu Haiming?"

Lin Shufen asked.

Chen Yan did not turn around; his voice, though muffled by the glass, was clear and cold.

"They care more about who can turn bad debts into political achievements. Lu Haiming is dead, but the debts remain. Whoever can help them repay the money will become a new friend."

Lin Shufen's fingers twitched slightly on the cold tabletop.

Every move this young man made was so precise that it chilled her to the bone.

"I will revise the contract."

Lin Shufen said, "For the next three films, I will only have a 20% stake."

"Can."

Chen Yan turned around and met her gaze. "But in my film crew, President Lin only provides the money; he's not allowed to lift a finger."

Lin Shufen smiled, a relieved smile: "I understand the rules. Now, you're in charge."

Chen Yan put on his coat: "Su Wan, go pick up Lin Qingqiu. Tell the media that she only said one sentence—she didn't take her medication, she was just filming Chen Yan's scene."

He walked out of the VIP room.

The final drumbeats of "Thunder" echoed from downstairs, penetrating the floor and vibrating beneath his feet.

In the lobby on the first floor, reporters and movie fans mingled together.

Someone spotted him, and cameras and microphones immediately surrounded him.

Chen Yan did not stop, but slipped into the employee passage.

Wu Gang's black Santana was already running, the engine whirring.

"Old Chen, where are you going?"

Chen Yan sat in the passenger seat and took out the dark gold tie clip from his pocket. In the dimly lit car, it reflected a cold light.

He fastened the tie clip to his collar and smoothed out the wrinkles.

"Go to Tianjin."

"I want to see that land with my own eyes."

The car sped off, leaving a dark black trail in the wet ground.

In the distance, the dawn tears through the clouds.

On the rooftop balcony of the cinema, Lin Shufen watched the taillights of the departing car as her phone rang again.

"Yes, it was me. Lu Haiming's case has been settled. The person who took over? A director named Chen Yan."

She paused, her fingers gripping the cold stone railing tightly.

"No, he's not the director."

"He's here to reap the rewards."

Inside the car, Chen Yan closed his eyes.

His fingers tapped rhythmically on his knees, setting the tone for an upcoming grand spectacle.

The stage for this play is the entire BJ.