Chapter Sixty-Three: Anticipated Allegiances

Early the next morning, Zhang Qianjun got out of bed and began his restorative training.

For the sake of the movie's promotion, Zhang Qianjun needed to get his muscle definition back to the level it was during the filming of Unbeatable before the press conference.

It was fortunate that his body had a super-recovery ability; otherwise, even if he possessed eighteen testicles, he wouldn't be able to train to the level seen in the film.

He gave some thought to the creative team meeting scheduled for today, deciding to just let nature take its course—since things had already reached this point.

At 10:00 AM, everyone gathered in the main conference room of the China Film Group to discuss the premiere event.

In Zhang Qianjun's mind, how much trouble could they possibly stir up no matter what they tried?

As it turned out, they actually managed to stir up quite a storm.

The publicity and distribution team came up with a bizarre marketing stunt: they wanted Zhang Qianjun to publicly confess his love to Kan Qingzi at the premiere and pull out a pigeon-egg-sized diamond ring to propose.

Zhang Qianjun felt sick to his stomach right then and there. Wasn't this the exact same trashy marketing stunt that Li Chen and Fan Xiaopang used to promote Sky Hunter?

Did they take him for someone as broke and desperate as those two?

"No way, forget it. I will not propose to anyone."

Zhang Qianjun explicitly refused. There was no room for negotiation on this matter.

The head of the publicity team, however, remained persistent.

"Qianjun, a stunt like this generates the maximum buzz and spreads the fastest. It's also a tremendous boost to both of your profiles."

Zhang Qianjun's voice grew colder.

"I said no."

The publicity director still acted as if he couldn't feel the chill.

"You are the lead actor of the movie; you naturally shoulder the responsibility of promoting it. Besides, it's just acting—it stops when the movie ends, exactly the same as when you film a scene."

Hearing this, Zhang Qianjun finally confirmed in his heart that this was aimed squarely at him. Whose camp did this guy belong to? Or rather, whose person was he?

But no matter whose person he was, Zhang Qianjun wouldn't take half a step back today.

"Are you an absolute idiot who doesn't understand human speech? Is your job too cushy and you're tired of working, or is life treating you too well and you're tired of living?

You moron, you should really thank your parents for giving birth to you in China!"

The onlookers, who had initially adopted a wait-and-see attitude, were instantly stunned into silence. The meeting room, which had been buzzing with whispers, fell so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Kan Qingzi hadn't been very happy when she first heard the proposal, but she had managed to maintain her composure until Zhang Qianjun suddenly blew his top, after which she could no longer remain calm.

At that moment, a hand suddenly grabbed her—it was Zhang Yao sitting beside her.

Zhang Yao whispered into her ear,

"The situation isn't right. Besides, this is a man's affair, don't speak up right now."

Having been cursed at, the publicity director immediately lost his temper.

"We're discussing work here, why are you cursing at people?"

Zhang Qianjun didn't even look at him, locking his gaze directly onto Department Head Wang.

"Whose man is he?"

Seeing that Department Head Wang remained silent, Zhang Qianjun asked again,

"Wang Guohui, whose man is this idiot?"

Seeing that Zhang Qianjun called him out by name, Department Head Wang knew he couldn't play dumb any longer. He had no choice but to walk over and whisper an explanation,

"He's from the Capital Television Station, likely President Zhang's person."

As soon as he heard this, Zhang Qianjun understood completely: he had been set up as the sacrificial chicken to scare the monkeys.

On the other side of the meeting room, the publicity director was still rambling on.

Annoyed by the noise, Zhang Qianjun grabbed the teacup in front of him and hurled it. The ceramic cup shattered directly against the wall behind the man, with a loud bang as hot water and porcelain shards splattered everywhere.

Instantly, everyone around the man scrambled five meters away, terrified of getting caught in the crossfire.

"Moron, your job is done. Your master heard your barking, so shut your mouth right now, or else watch out for primary school students ganging up to beat you up every day!"

Perhaps Zhang Qianjun's threat was too chilling, or perhaps the man had indeed accomplished his mission, but he actually shut his mouth.

With that, the meeting was completely over, and Department Head Wang finally stepped in to smooth things over.

Zhang Qianjun called over his assistant.

"Go clean up the broken cup, pack up the trash, and take it with you."

Though somewhat puzzled, Chen Xiaoyu, out of habit of obedience, picked up a broom, cleaned up the porcelain shards, and packed them into a bag.

Zhang Qianjun then looked at Department Head Wang.

"Old Wang, report any future publicity work directly to Xiaoyu."

With that, he turned around and led his team away.

Kan Qingzi watched her departing ex-boyfriend with a face full of worry and asked Zhang Yao beside her,

"Sister Zhang, what should we do now? Is something going to go wrong?"

Zhang Yao wore a teasing expression.

"Didn't you say the two of you broke up? You even cursed him out as a scumbag. Are you still worried when a scumbag gets into trouble?"

Kan Qingzi anxiously retorted,

"We're at a time like this and you're still making fun of me!"

Zhang Yao looked at her, thinking to herself that she was still too young.

☁

"This matter can be big or small; it depends on your ex-boyfriend's backing. If his backing holds up, it's nothing to worry about. If it doesn't, he'll have to bow his head and yield."

Zhang Qianjun maintained a poker face as he left the China Film Group building, and no one could tell what he was thinking.

After sitting in the car for a while, just as Chen Xiaoyu was about to ask him where they were headed, his phone rang.

Zhang Qianjun picked it up and saw an unfamiliar number, then swiped to answer.

"Hello, who is this?"

From the other end of the line came a voice that caught Zhang Qianjun completely off guard.

"Is that Qianjun? Oh, look at the mess today. The people underneath are too rigid and misinterpreted the company's intentions. I'm calling on behalf of the company to explain to you—the company merely put forth a suggestion, and the final decision on the premiere event will still be based primarily on your and Qingzi's opinions."

Zhang Qianjun hesitated slightly.

"Are you President Zhang?"

A hearty laugh came through the receiver.

"Qianjun really is a perceptive man. How about it, let's meet up and chat?

The higher-ups have reservations about the management of China Film Group, which is why they transferred me here. Right now, I'm lacking capable generals like you, Qianjun, to contribute to the cause of domestic cinema."

Zhang Qianjun remained silent for a moment before replying calmly,

"President Zhang, I was born with a stubborn temper. Once I've made up my mind about something, I won't change it. Since I've boarded this ship, even if the mountains crumble and the seas overturn ahead, I won't jump ship."

The laughter on the other end of the line paused abruptly.

"It seems you are adamantly refusing to cooperate with the publicity plan and deliberately picking a fight with China Film Group?"

Zhang Qianjun chuckled lightly.

"President Zhang, you can only speak for yourself."

With that, he hung up the phone.

His assistant looked at him, asking with a worried expression,

"Will we really be alright like this?"

Seeing her like this, Zhang Qianjun smiled and rubbed her round head.

"If we didn't do this, there really would be trouble.

Xiaoyu, whenever something gets tangled up with politics, ability and money are no longer the most important things.

Even though I don't understand politics, I at least know that people with wavering stances never meet a good end."

Returning to the company without a word, Zhang Qianjun was pondering how to make the press conference for Unbeatable even more gimmicky when another call came in.

"Yo, President La, what do you need me for?"

"I heard from little Wang that you threw a tantrum today?"

Zhang Qianjun let out a scoff.

"How can you call that a tantrum? Nobody got hurt, we were just having a normal discussion about work."

The voice on the other end sounded somewhat helpless.

"You could have just refused directly. What could they possibly do to you afterward?"

In a rare move, Zhang Qianjun expressed disagreement with President La's view.

"I don't think so. Everyone wants to take a chunk out of a gold-filled soft persimmon, but there aren't many who'd dare to pull the teeth of a mad dog with gold-inlaid fangs."

Hearing such an analogy, President La was equally helpless.

"Why do things that sound completely normal become so bizarre when they come out of your mouth?

Besides, a mad dog isn't completely worry-free—there are urban management officers who will come and capture it."

Zhang Qianjun snorted.

"As long as you don't drop the ball next year, these things naturally won't happen.

By the way, President Zhang called me this afternoon, saying his bed is soft and comfortable, and invited me over to sit on it."

President La found it somewhat amusing.

"And how did you reject him?"

"I've grown up sleeping on a hard wooden bed; switching to a soft one feels insecure, and I wouldn't be able to sleep."

Hearing the laughter over the phone, Zhang Qianjun added another sentence.

"Given this President Zhang's professional background, his mindset is truly quite limited. I suspect I won't be able to cooperate with China Film Group anytime soon.

President La, your title as the producer of a one-billion-yuan domestic film is most likely going to be snatched away by President Yu."

President La, however, remained nonchalant.

"Then let little Yu experience the joy of a half-finished product first.

If a two-billion, three-billion, or four-billion film comes along, the producer will definitely be me! Even for a fifty-billion film, it'll probably still be me."

Hearing the confidence in the other's tone, Zhang Qianjun chuckled.

"Then I wish you an early success."

Then, shifting the topic abruptly, he said,

"By the way, does your office order any half-sleeve cultural shirts or anything? I heard government departments occasionally hold sports meetings or tug-of-war competitions. Aren't you planning to issue some employee benefits?

Twenty-nine yuan and ninety fen for a half-sleeve T-shirt, 100% pure cotton, V-neck or crew-neck optional, twelve colors in total. You can't lose, you won't be fooled.

President La, there are so many people at the Film Bureau, why not start with five hundred pieces?"