He Zihuan’s assistant quickly called the police, and the officers arrived soon afterward. Cen Xi was immediately taken away for investigation. Since many people had witnessed the incident and there was both eyewitness testimony and physical evidence, Cen Xi would definitely have to pay the price for his actions. As a result, most people no longer paid attention to what happened to him afterward. The reporters, however, would never let go of such an excellent news topic.
When Pan Zhihai learned that Cen Xi had actually attacked someone with a knife, he was badly startled. Fortunately, the man had already been subdued. Hearing that Wang Cheng had been the one to save He Zihuan, Pan Zhihai couldn’t help feeling that fate truly worked in mysterious ways. If he hadn’t called Wang Cheng that morning, Wang Cheng would never have come to the company, and He Zihuan might really have been injured. Given He Zihuan’s current worth and popularity, if he had to stop working for a period of time, it would have been a huge loss both for the company and for He Zihuan himself.
“This time, it’s all thanks to Young Master Wang,” He Zihuan said gratefully as he looked toward Wang Cheng, a bright gleam flashing in his eyes.
“I’ve known Young Master Wang for so long, but I never knew he was actually skilled in martial arts,” Pan Zhihai said. He had always thought Wang Cheng was merely somewhat more capable than an ordinary rich second generation. But hearing that he had subdued Cen Xi in just a few moves, his fighting skills had to be extraordinary.
He Zihuan’s assistant, Xiao Li, also pursed her lips admiringly and said, “I saw the whole process of Young Master Wang subduing Cen Xi. That kick was so cool! And the way he restrained Cen Xi with his arms twisted behind his back—it was all so clean and decisive. So handsome.”
Although the others hadn’t seen it directly, they could imagine it clearly. At the time, even the bodyguards hadn’t managed to react.
“I practiced a little when I was younger. It’s nothing special. What matters is that no one got hurt,” Wang Cheng replied.
The next day, as expected, the incident appeared on the front page of the newspapers. The headline even included a photo of Wang Cheng subduing Cen Xi. No one had managed to photograph the moment Wang Cheng kicked Cen Xi flying at the beginning because everyone had still been too stunned to react. The published photos were taken later, when Cen Xi attempted another attack and Wang Cheng restrained him again. However, because Wang Cheng had been wearing a hat and sunglasses, no one could tell he was actually Yazhi’s chairman.
But He Zihuan’s popularity within the country was currently at its peak. He followed the path of a triple-threat celebrity, balancing modeling, film, and television. Naturally, his greatest achievements lay in modeling. He had first risen to fame as a model, collaborated with Fashion Pioneer, and become Master Paul’s exclusive model. In less than half a year, he had already achieved considerable success within the fashion world.
Now balancing both film and television careers, with Yazhi sparing no expense to support and promote him, becoming famous was only a matter of time. Although he still couldn’t compare to those true superstar veterans, he had already become the leading figure among the new generation. As long as he released a few more films or television dramas, he would definitely become an even more established first-tier celebrity. Because of this, the media paid extremely close attention to all news related to He Zihuan. The fact that reporters specifically waited outside Yazhi’s building was proof enough.
Now that such a violent attack had occurred—and specifically targeted He Zihuan himself—the media went completely crazy. It was simply too explosive a topic.
Although He Zihuan appeared frequently in public and maintained a high profile, there had actually been very few scandals surrounding him. Reporters loved exactly this kind of shocking story that could instantly grab public attention. Now that one had finally appeared, everyone rushed to report on it without restraint, each headline striving to be as eye-catching as possible.
At the moment, everyone was trying to guess the identity of the person who subdued Cen Xi.
All kinds of unreliable rumors appeared online. Some people claimed the man was He Zihuan’s admirer. Others said he had suspicious intentions, arguing that anyone who concealed their appearance in broad daylight must be planning something shady. The most outrageous theory of all claimed that he was He Zihuan’s secret lover, as well as another artist from Yazhi. According to the rumor, the two had been preparing for a secret rendezvous, only to unexpectedly encounter this incident. Seeing his lover in danger, the man had rushed forward without hesitation.
Clearly, this was the most ridiculous theory, full of holes and contradictions. Yet beneath it were endless comments enthusiastically supporting it. People spun all kinds of wild fantasies, stirring up drama for fun without caring how serious the issue actually was. Yet once a celebrity truly came out publicly, these same people would likely be the first to mock and insult them.
Wang Cheng wasn’t surprised to see the newspapers reporting the incident. What surprised him was that people had actually begun claiming he and He Zihuan were a couple.
Soon afterward, someone leaked information online claiming that the mysterious man in sunglasses who subdued Cen Xi was actually Zhou Cheng, Yazhi’s chairman. Before the newspapers could even publish the story, the internet was already in an uproar. Even more people now insisted that he and He Zihuan were romantically involved. Others who specialized in smearing He Zihuan no matter what also jumped out, claiming that He Zihuan had only achieved his current status because Wang Cheng had “kept” him through casting couch tactics.
“Casting couch tactics? A couple?”
A low, deep voice suddenly sounded from overhead. Yet no emotion could be heard in it.
Wang Cheng hurriedly closed the webpage. These days, he occasionally browsed Weibo and other online platforms to keep up with popular trends so he wouldn’t fall behind.
“They’re all just making things up. I only subdued someone, and they can still imagine such ridiculous stories. I swear people nowadays are so bored they have nothing better to do. Everyone just loves joining the excitement. I’m not even a celebrity, yet they still keep using me as a topic.”
“That’s because you’re Yazhi’s chairman,” Chu Yifeng said while standing nearby with his arms crossed.
Stretching lazily, Wang Cheng replied, “Do you know what Pan Zhihai told me when I went to Yazhi yesterday? Apparently, the Zhou Corporation opened a new entertainment media company and plans to invest in productions themselves while training new artists. They’re even competing with Yazhi for artists. I don’t know who leaked the news that Grandpa removed me from my position, but now many people are saying Yazhi and the Zhou Corporation no longer have any connection.”
“Was it Zhou Lin?” Chu Yifeng asked.
“Who else could it be? She’s incredibly smug right now. After finding out Grandpa handed Yazhi over to me, she actually went and opened another entertainment company just to bring me down. Using the Zhou Corporation’s name, she’s already poached quite a few promising artists. A week ago, a role that had originally been assigned to one of Yazhi’s artists was stolen away by her.”
The reason Pan Zhihai had contacted him was precisely to discuss these matters. The entertainment company Zhou Lin had established was gaining momentum rapidly, and it was clearly targeting Yazhi’s film roles and advertising endorsements. One or two incidents could still be tolerated, but after repeated interference over and over again, it became impossible to continue enduring it. Although Yazhi also invested in some scripts themselves, the number was limited, so most of the stolen roles were projects that had originally invited Yazhi’s artists to participate.
Because of these incidents, some media outlets even spread rumors claiming that Wang Cheng and the Zhou Corporation had become enemies and fallen out completely. With Zhou Lin secretly stirring up trouble behind the scenes, some investors genuinely began to believe the rumors. If they still refused to make a public statement, it would practically count as acknowledging the reports by default. In the future, even He Zihuan might end up being affected by the fallout.
“I actually have a way to teach Zhou Lin a lesson,” Chu Yifeng suddenly said.
The moment Wang Cheng looked up and saw the meaningful expression on his face, he instantly understood. Whenever Chu Yifeng wore that sort of expression, it meant someone was about to suffer miserably. Wang Cheng immediately observed a brief 0.0001 seconds of silence for Zhou Lin.
From the beginning of production to a movie’s official release, a film had to pass through many different stages. After filming and post-production editing were completed, not only did they need to find a distributor to release the film, but they also had to pass the most important stage of all: censorship review and approval. Only after obtaining a screening permit could the film be shown in major theaters.
This was an absolutely critical step. If the film failed the review, it would be a tragic outcome, because it meant all previous investment and effort would be wasted. Of course, films were normally reviewed during pre-production before filming even began. Only after receiving a filming permit could production officially start. Therefore, the final censorship review usually passed without issue. But things became different if someone deliberately obstructed the process.
Although the Zhou Corporation possessed both wealth and influence, its influence largely came from the Zheng family. Wang Cheng was a legitimate blood descendant of the Zheng family, whereas Zhou Shichang was merely the one who had driven Wang Cheng away; the Zheng family itself had not abandoned him. If Wang Cheng personally stepped forward, at the very least people would still show some respect for the Zheng family’s sake. However, in order to avoid unnecessary complications, this time it was Chu Yifeng who made the move instead. The Chu family’s influence was even greater than the Zheng family’s.
Old Li, the head of Tangren Media, called Zhou Lin to inform her about the matter, but she happened to be in a meeting at the time.
Yang Jun, whom Zhou Lin and Zhao Jiansheng had recommended to the overseas branch company, had made a mistake during work and was reported to headquarters. Although it was only a minor error, someone with Yang Jun’s years of experience should never have made such a mistake. In order to speak up for him, the couple had exhausted themselves trying to persuade others.
After learning from her assistant that Old Li was looking for her, Zhou Lin returned the call and asked about Tangren Media’s recent situation. What concerned her most, however, was still the matter targeting Wang Cheng.
Although the role Tangren Media had stolen from Yazhi didn’t have many scenes, it was still a role snatched directly from Yazhi’s hands. Whenever Zhou Lin imagined Wang Cheng’s utterly frustrated expression after learning about it, she felt delighted. Earlier, she had even deliberately made the matter bigger. Now that the film was about to premiere, this was the perfect opportunity to slap Wang Cheng in the face.
“President Zhou, something happened.”
Old Li briefly and clearly informed her that the film had been detained by the censorship department.
The film had originally been scheduled to premiere the following day. All promotional work had already been completed. They were only missing this final step. Yet for no apparent reason, the film had suddenly been held back. No one even knew what had gone wrong. They tried asking around for information but received nothing. The whole incident had come completely out of nowhere.
“President Zhou, the film clearly passed review before. Now something like this suddenly happens. Could it be that someone has a grudge against either the film’s investors or certain actors?”
That was the only explanation Old Li could come up with. The film’s investors were not the Zhou Corporation. Since someone was specifically targeting the film, then someone involved must have offended an important person. Moreover, it was likely something recent. Otherwise, the issue should have surfaced much earlier.
The first person Zhou Lin thought of was Wang Cheng. However, Wang Cheng should have known about this matter for quite some time already. Yet he had delayed taking action all this time. Could it be that he had intentionally been waiting for this exact moment? Unable to confirm it, she instructed Old Li to ask the investors whether they might have offended anyone recently.
Futile Devices Scans 
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