CHAPTER 706: CHAPTER 495: SETTING OUT FOR THE INTERVIEW

Zhou Yun’s outburst was witnessed by too many people, concealing it entirely was nearly impossible, and Zhou Yun herself never intended to completely block the flow of rumors. She was well aware that it was unachievable.

But it was crucial to ensure that these rumors circulated only within the industry and not online. Otherwise, either Zhou Yun would suffer from public opinion, or He Xuran and Liu Zhikun would take the hit. Whichever the case, it wasn’t good news for the movie "Four Killers."

After Yao Yuanfeng received the report about this incident, his first action was to suppress the news to prevent it from spreading everywhere. This way, it became something that was only whispered about privately.

Having done that, Yao Yuanfeng then sent word to the companies of He Xuran and Liu Zhikun, warning that if such unprofessional behavior occurred again on set, New Shield would have to be much stricter when considering artists from their companies, to avoid casting unprofessional actors and delaying the film’s progress.

Both companies, being talent agencies, faced New Shield, a behemoth in film production. Naturally, they adopted a very proper tone and assured they would have a serious talk with He Xuran and Liu Zhikun, preventing any repeat of such incidents.

Yao Yuanfeng didn’t address He Xuran and Liu Zhikun directly but their companies—firstly, because he didn’t really want to interact with these immature, self-important young actors who couldn’t handle blunt criticism and would stubbornly maintain their own pride even at their own expense. By speaking with their companies, there was an intermediary who could ensure the actors followed directions, whether through persuasion or insistence since they all belonged to the same company.

Secondly, although Yao Yuanfeng spoke harshly and firmly, he couldn’t afford to treat He Xuran and Liu Zhikun like ordinary small-time actors. They needed New Shield’s film resources as much as New Shield needed top young actors. So by speaking harshly to the companies, he preserved the face between himself and the actors.

All this was part of Yao Yuanfeng’s business strategy over the years.

After making his stance clear, Yao Yuanfeng also made a personal phone call to Zhou Yun. This call was to express his gratitude and concern.

"Thank goodness for you, your words really made a difference, and you managed to get through to those two. I respect you, honestly, I think my interference would not have had the same effect," said Yao Yuanfeng. "Don’t worry, I will block any news about this incident from leaking, so it won’t affect you. If any rumors do come out, I’ll reveal the truth to everyone."

Zhou Yun responded lazily, "President Yao, I’m in the middle of a massage, so if there’s nothing important, I’m going to hang up."

Yao Yuanfeng: "..."

He was speaking to Zhou Yun earnestly, but she didn’t take it seriously—Yao Yuanfeng suddenly realized that it has been like this for quite some time. Yao Yuanfeng laughed to himself. If it were anyone else speaking to him this way, he would have thought the young person was being disrespectful, taking advantage of their popularity by showing no respect for their elders. But this was Zhou Yun, and because of that, Yao Yuanfeng understood that Zhou Yun wasn’t just seeing him as President Yao—in line with Zhou Yun’s nature, if she was still being so distant as to address him as President Yao, she would have asked the masseuse to stop the massage and finish the call before proceeding.

Yao Yuanfeng said cheerfully, "Alright then, continue with your massage, I won’t disturb you."

Zhou Yun hung up the phone.

If she knew what Yao Yuanfeng was thinking, she would have let out a chuckle.

Her negativity was not for the reasons Yao Yuanfeng imagined, but rather because she had had enough of "Four Killers."

The director was irresponsible and even seemed to target her vaguely.

Every actor she worked with in the group was difficult, each with their own agenda.

The entire crew was massive and precise, like a well-oiled machine devoid of human warmth.

Her performances in the movie lacked the passion she had anticipated. No matter how deeply she delved into her character, it wasn’t what Hou Mengjie wanted. His desire for layered characters didn’t extend beyond a superficial second layer; probing for third or fourth layers was deemed inappropriate. It was an action movie, and the characters’ inner lives were not meant to be so rich.