Chapter 147: Bully My People, Am I Non-Existent To You?

Yue Tingfeng raised an eyebrow. “I’d rather throw money at people and watch them act for me.”

The reply tensed up the atmosphere in the room—no one knew how to continue the conversation politely after a line like that. They tried their best to subtly shift the topic of conversation.

Qu Jing asked, “Right, I heard there’s a change in the female lead for the drama?”

“Of course not, it’s still Miss Yan Qingsi,” the producer quickly replied.

Yue Tingfeng said in a mocking tone, “Oh? It’s still Yan Qingsi? I thought you guys made some changes.”

The producer followed up instantly, “Why would we? Mr. Yue personally selected Miss Yan for the role. We would never dare question your judgment.”

Yue Tingfeng gave them a sardonic smile. “Really? You wouldn’t? If that’s the case, why is it that Yan Qingsi’s name was not included in the debut press conference?”

The few members of the production team that were present realized where the conversation was going. No wonder the young master of the Yue family suddenly invited them out for drinks—it was a ruse to get the team here so he could confront them for their decision.

The team panicked as they tried to figure out how the news reached the ears of the ‘God of Wealth’ so quickly.

The producer fumbled with his thoughts for a second but as a man with a background in the entertainment industry, he recuperated in the nick of time to clarify. “Yes, it’s like this—Miss Yan is a fresh face. We were worried that if we debut her involvement too early, there may be a backlash from the public... And so we planned to shoot the movie first; only revealing Yan Qingsi once we move into the official promotional phase for the film. A bit of a surprise for the fans.”

Yue Tingfeng chuckled but his demeanor was cold. As a businessman, he has witnessed many tactics and strategies in play. These people were clearly trying to hide his sponsorship from the public for fear of reprisal. They were worried that viewers would accuse them of jeopardizing the quality of the movie for money; as demonstrated by picking a newbie for the lead role. It would be bad press for the movie.

They attempted to manipulate the situation so that they would come out winning on both fronts. Well, the world is never that easy.

Yue Tingfeng got straight to the point. “Don’t try to fool me. I invested a good amount of money in this production for the sake of promoting Yan Qingsi and you guys try to pull something like this? Am I not a threat to you? Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”

The producer and the director’s expression darkened. Song Qingyan sipped his alcohol in silence.

The producer explained, “CEO Yue may have misunderstood our intentions. We’re doing this to ensure the movie will garner good press and be successful in the box-office. This is for long-term gain.”

Yue Tingfeng’s thin lips curled upward in distaste. Qu Jing let out a laugh and said, “I think you misunderstood our intentions. The Yue Clan Financial Group invested this money for the sole purpose of letting Miss Yan get her feet wet. We do not care about the box-office sales. What we care about is the fact that your team is failing to take our requests seriously. If this is the attitude we are dealing with, we will pull our financial support.”

Qu Jing’s words summarized Yue Tingfeng’s thoughts perfectly.

It crudely translated to, ‘Money is not an issue to me and you are not the only movie production team. If you don’t promote Qingsi, I’ll take my money elsewhere. With my money, I can make deals with anyone.’

Those words made the producer worry. It was true that their team was not fond of Yan Qingsi—they felt that she was a small-time actress who depended on her sponsor to secure roles.

However, no matter what they thought of her now, they could not afford to lose the Yue Group’s investment with the debut taking place so soon.

The producer quickly said, “Right. This was simply a mistake on our part. We did not think our decision through. Rest assured, in the debut press conference, Miss Yan will have the spotlight.”