Against the Light - Chapter 74
Chapter 74: An Eye for an Eye
After dropping Bai Yilan off at the film set, Gu Xinran drove straight back to the company. On the way, she called Qu Qi and told her to contact reporters immediately to schedule a press conference. She specifically noted that Qu Qi should, as much as possible, invite the reporters who had been present at the conference for the The Ode to Mountains and Rivers plagiarism incident.
Qu Qi was highly efficient. By that afternoon, she had gathered more than forty reporters, most of whom had attended the plagiarism press conference not long ago.
At three in the afternoon, the press conference began on time, and the live stream went up.
Gu Xinran took the stage and surveyed the room.
"I know that everyone online is very concerned about the bet between Yilan and Liu Ping."
"But I'd like to set that matter aside for a moment."
"Most of you present today at this press conference also participated in Heart Entertainment's press conference three months ago. I wonder if you still remember it."
"Three months ago, Heart Entertainment's first investment, a show called The Ode to Mountains and Rivers, was exposed as a plagiarized work, and the original author attempted to take her own life because of it. At that time, I stood right here and announced that we were halting production on The Ode to Mountains and Rivers. Perhaps you don't know what a huge blow that decision was to Heart Entertainment. It wasn't as simple as just saying the words, something to be mentioned lightly."
"Heart Entertainment was just starting out back then. Buying the rights and investing in the production nearly wiped me out completely. When the plagiarism was exposed, filming for The Ode to Mountains and Rivers was already halfway done. I could have completely ignored the rumors, disregarded the life of the person who was plagiarized, and resolutely finished filming the show. But my conscience told me I couldn't."
"For the same price, I signed an IOU and bought the rights to Never Parting. I scrapped everything we had filmed before and started from scratch. My film crew was Yilan's team, a total of only twenty-one people. As for the cast, besides Sister Qiuyan who had to withdraw due to scheduling conflicts, four of the main cast members left without a word. It wasn't until the crew of Picturesque Rivers and Mountains announced their production with great fanfare that I discovered those four people had all jumped ship to their project."
Gu Xinran paused.
"At that time, the set for Picturesque Rivers and Mountains was right next to ours. A massive crew of over a hundred people—what a grand display! My team had only about twenty young women, and we couldn't even assemble a full main cast."
"Tell me, how could I possibly be in a position to bully Director Liu?"
"Before filming began, the set we had built was vandalized, and the costumes I had custom-ordered at great expense were cut into shreds." Gu Xinran raised her hand slightly, and two photos immediately appeared on the screen behind her.
"Because there were no security cameras, I had no way to seek justice and could only swallow this bitter pill."
"Yilan was far away in Berlin at the time. When she heard I was in trouble, she rushed back, enlisted the help of Director Yu Hua's team, and the entire staff of Heart Entertainment pitched in just to barely pull a crew together."
"I won't say anything else for now." Gu Xinran glanced at Fang Jinghai, who quickly displayed another image—a screenshot of a joint petition from readers of The Ode to Mountains and Rivers, which had pushed the topic of Never Parting piggybacking on The Ode to Mountains and Rivers to the top of the trending list.
"Many of you here were present for the The Ode to Mountains and Rivers plagiarism incident. You all condemned me, saying I was profiting from another's misery, a capitalist reeking of filth and oozing black blood. So what am I now?"
"Do you think the claim that Never Parting is piggybacking on The Ode to Mountains and Rivers holds any water?"
The reporters looked at each other. Indeed, many of them had been at the press conference for the plagiarism incident not long ago. They had been astonished at the time that Gu Xinran was willing to give up a popular IP for the lesser-known, plagiarized one. And now, the victim from back then had become the so-called aggressor, the one accused of piggybacking. Isn't that just too absurd?
"President Gu, I understand what you mean. The rumors online are certainly not to be trusted. I was also at the press conference for the plagiarism incident, and I can testify for you. Never Parting did not piggyback on The Ode to Mountains and Rivers; in fact, it was the complete opposite. Never Parting is the IP that was plagiarized and piggybacked on," a reporter said, raising his hand.
"Thank you."
"You just said Director Liu's team had over a hundred people. Is that true? From what I know, they only have a dozen or so people. It's a very small team."
"For that, you only need to go to the film base and ask around. You'll naturally find the answer."
"Is it true that your set was vandalized? Do you know who did it?"
"It is true that the set was vandalized. I know who did it, but I have no proof, so I won't casually point fingers."
"Was it Liu Ping's crew?"
Gu Xinran didn't nod, but she didn't deny it either.
"President Gu, did Director Bai, during the filming period, actually bring people to cause trouble, pressure Director Liu Ping, and obstruct the filming progress of Picturesque Rivers and Mountains?"
Gu Xinran looked at the female reporter who asked the question and fell silent for a moment. "Before I answer your question, I'd like to ask everyone here, what kind of people do you think Yilan and Liu Ping are?"
The reporters exchanged glances.
"Director Bai has a very good reputation. As for Director Liu, I'm not too familiar with him. But based on what's online, he's a new director."
Gu Xinran nodded after listening. "Even if it's just hearsay, you'd rather believe the claims online?"
"I remain skeptical, and I believe many others are also doubtful. That's why we hope President Gu can give us a clear answer."
"President Gu, I admire your character. I hope you can give us a truthful answer on this matter."
Gu Xinran took a deep breath and glanced toward the side of the stage.
"President Gu?"
Gu Xinran was silent for a moment, then took another deep breath.
"Regarding this matter, it was I…"
"It's true." A clear female voice came from the entrance. Everyone turned to look and couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
Bai Yilan walked in, her expression serene.
She walked straight onto the stage and gave Gu Xinran a smiling nod.
Fang Yi followed behind her, holding a laptop, and gave Gu Xinran a playful wink.
Gu Xinran secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"What do you mean, 'it's true'? Are you admitting to bullying a new director?" The reporters immediately began asking questions frantically.
Bai Yilan raised a hand, signaling for everyone to calm down.
"If I were to explain this matter, you probably wouldn't believe me. So I've invited the person involved to come and tell you himself."
Everyone was stunned and turned to look at the entrance.
When they saw who it was, they were shocked once again.
"Liu… Liu Ping?"
Startled by the scene, Liu Ping was a bit nervous at first. He straightened his back and walked in.
Once on stage, he bowed to Gu Xinran, then looked at Bai Yilan with a slightly embarrassed expression.
"Regarding the bet between me and Director Bai that's been circulating online, it's true. The photo of Director Bai bringing people to pressure me is also real. But."
"Before that, I… I brought people to vandalize Director Bai's set."
"Her bet with me was a delaying tactic, a move made out of desperation, because she was afraid I would resort to more underhanded methods."
After speaking, Liu Ping bowed deeply to Bai Yilan.
"Director Bai, I admit when I'm beaten. I've seen Never Parting. It's truly well-filmed. I can't compare to you."
"???" Everyone present was completely bewildered. What kind of plot twist was this??
"Director Liu, is everything you've said true?"
"Are you being threatened by her?"
"I'm not being threatened. I'm telling the truth. I know that if I don't stand up now and continue to let them sling mud at these two young women, even the guys on my crew will look down on me."
The reporters held their pens, unsure of what to write.
This reversal was a bit sudden, and it came from the mouth of the person involved. This was a resounding slap in the face to Le Tao!
"Not only that, there's one more thing I think everyone should know." Fang Yi came on stage, opened her laptop, and glanced at Gu Xinran.
Gu Xinran pulled Yilan to the side of the stage, leaving it for Fang Yi's solo performance.
"Friends from the press, I am now questioning the authenticity of Picturesque Rivers and Mountains's box office numbers, based on the five-day data for both films."
The reporters burst into an uproar.
Fang Yi remained calm and unhurried. She presented a set of data and then began to provide examples.
Gu Xinran watched, thinking to herself that things were now settled.
She turned to look at Yilan and pulled her off the stage.
"How did you convince Liu Ping to come forward?" Gu Xinran was very curious.
"He has his principles, and he's been unhappy with Le Tao for a long time. I told him that if he was willing to come forward and explain the situation, Heart Entertainment would be willing to let bygones be bygones and take him in, and we would cultivate his talent properly. I wonder if President Gu is willing to do me this favor?"
Gu Xinran glanced at Liu Ping, who was standing nearby, and chuckled. "I'm the boss of Heart Entertainment, but you're my boss. Even I have to listen to you. How would I dare to object to a decision you've made?"
"Oh, stop it, you old flirt."
At that moment, the reporters suddenly cried out in surprise. The two turned to look and saw that Fang Yi had actually displayed the group announcement from an internal Le Tao company chat group!
"Everyone, please look. The group announcement states that Le Tao employees are required to contribute to the box office, with each person buying out at least one entire screening. And that's just for regular employees. The announcement for management is at least twenty screenings, with no upper limit. I was wondering why people online were always saying it was impossible to get a ticket for Picturesque Rivers and Mountains. Turns out you bought them all yourselves! I just want to ask those Le Tao employees, what kind of families do you have? You work at Le Tao, but you've got a gold mine at home or something??"
"Excuse me, where did you get this group announcement?" a reporter asked.
"I have a friend who works at Le Tao. She sent it to me," Fang Yi said without batting an eye.
Gu Xinran, standing at the side of the stage, broke into a cold sweat. Thank goodness the girl hadn't blurted out that she had hacked into Le Tao's internal group chat.
"Oh, right, this friend of mine also revealed something else to me. Before Zhang Xian joined Le Tao, she was Yang Xue's manager. The incident where Yang Xue faked bed photos with Gu Xinran was instigated by Zhang Xian. And when the scandal broke, Zhang Xian, in order to protect herself, pushed all the blame onto Yang Xue, completely ruining Yang Xue's acting career. While Yang Xue was being cursed by thousands, she signed with a new company and climbed higher and higher. For someone so ruthless, Le Tao, you really have some nerve signing her. You're truly magnanimous!" Fang Yi dropped another bombshell!
"Do you have solid proof?"
"Of course. Our boss has always taught us not to speak without solid proof. It's easy to start a rumor with just a word, but you'll run your legs off trying to debunk it. That's why people at Heart Entertainment, even when we know who's targeting us, will never strike first without evidence." After speaking, Fang Yi directly displayed the chat logs, and they were actually the chat records between Yang Xue and Zhang Xian.
"Yang Xue sent these to me. You can ask Yang Xue herself if they're real or not."
After saying her piece in one go, Fang Yi gave a cool wave and left the stage.
Gu Xinran took her place. "Never Parting is the first movie I've invested in and starred in. No matter what, the filming process has left me with so many wonderful memories. This time, we encountered a piracy issue. I can take the loss, but I can't take it for nothing. I urge everyone to value original works. Whether it's movies or literature, they are the fruits of a creator's labor. When you watch pirated content with a clear conscience, you might be personally strangling a creator's dream."
After her heartfelt speech, Gu Xinran ended with a deep bow, concluding the press conference.
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