The Secret Realm of Time, His and Her Life Through the Changes

Chapter 143 I offered my heart to the bright moon, but the bright moon shone on the gutter.

Zhou Yanruo was certainly not a fool; she knew perfectly well where she had offended Shang Yibo. Before this trip, she had prepared herself mentally and even tried to voice her opinions, but after much deliberation, she ultimately had no choice but to accept the current arrangement. This helpless compromise caused her considerable inner turmoil.

Before coming, Fang Xichen specifically asked her to convey a message to Shang Yibo: "There's plenty of time in the future, don't rush things." Now, Zhou Yanruo silently thought to herself: "What I owe you, I will get back for you sooner or later."

After a moment of silence in the van, Shang Yibo suddenly spoke up: "You all planned so meticulously, but did you foresee that I would refuse to sign the supplementary agreement and would rather breach the contract?"

Just as Zhou Yanruo was about to explain, the door of the van was suddenly yanked open from the outside, and Ding Jiajia stormed in. Before she could even get her footing on the last step, she hurriedly turned into the van, her head slamming against the edge of the handrail. "Ouch! Damn it!"

Zhou Yanruo quickly turned her head and said, "Slow down. I asked you to arrange lunch. Why did you come back in such a rage?"

Ding Jiajia complained loudly to Zhou Yanruo, "Sister Yanruo, did you come to tell us that we're going to change the script?" Before Zhou Yanruo could respond, she turned to Shang Yibo and said excitedly, "Yibo, it's all over the set that the script is going to be drastically changed. The main male lead is going to become a dual male lead, and they're going to add a lot more scenes for Shen Qing, all of them are romantic scenes between you two. Everyone else knows, but we're still in the dark!"

Seeing that Zhou Yanruo and Shang Yibo were both expressionless, Ding Jiajia became even more anxious: "What's wrong with you two? Why aren't you saying anything? I'm going to call Hong Yun right now, she'll definitely be upset about it."

Zhou Yanruo said, "Sit down first and listen to me."

Shang Yibo remained silent, his eyes lowered.

Ding Jiajia blinked and stared intently at Zhou Yanruo, as if she could find the answer in her face.

Zhou Yanruo finally spoke, explaining the current situation to the two: "The main investor of 'The Legend of Huizhou Merchants' has recently encountered some problems, which has led to the postponement of the second investment payment. However, the production has already started filming, and time is of the essence, so they can't afford to wait. Therefore, the other investors suggested that the main investor give up part of their share, but the main investor insisted on transferring all of their shares. Furthermore, due to the rising popularity of the subject matter and the lead actors after filming started, the outside world's expectations for the drama have also increased, so the transfer price has been increased by 20%. As a result, the other investors are unable to afford the entire share. After a few days of stalemate, Rongyi Pictures finally acquired the entire share."

Ding Jiajia interjected curiously, "Rongyi Pictures? How come I've never heard of this company in the industry before?"

Zhou Yanruo explained, "I've investigated, and Rongyi Pictures has actually only been established for less than two months."

Ding Jiajia exclaimed, "So it's a new company, and it's quite wealthy."

It was only then that Shang Yibo took notice. He raised his eyelids and asked, "Have you investigated the capital behind this?"

Zhou Yanruo answered succinctly: "Rongchang Capital".

Upon hearing this, Shang Yibo's face showed surprise, and he repeated, "Rongchang Capital? You mean Jian Zheng is behind this?" Then he shook his head and denied it, saying, "How could that be?"

Zhou Yanruo replied confidently, "That's right, it's him. Nothing is impossible."

Upon hearing this, Ding Jiajia exclaimed, "Wow, President Jian's company is so rich! Now it's all on our side."

Shang Yibo glared at Ding Jiajia, then turned to Zhou Yanruo: "Zhou Yanruo, continue, what exactly happened?"

Ding Jiajia was bewildered by the glare and muttered somewhat resentfully, "Did I say something wrong? Hey, speaking of which, this suggestion to revise the script, it wasn't President Jian who made the decision, was it?"

Zhou Yanruo responded with a soft "Mm" and continued, "Rongyi Pictures, although it's a new company, has stirred up quite a storm in the industry in the past month. They not only invested in 'Legend of Huizhou Merchants,' but also invested in three S+ level long dramas adapted from popular IPs. In addition, they have signed more than a dozen actors, including many heavyweight stars of the level of Best Actress and Best Actor."

Ding Jiajia's eyes widened in amazement. "President Jian really has a knack for this! He's got real guts!"

Ignoring Ding Jiajia's astonishment, Zhou Yanruo continued, "The newly added character Ling Shaohuai in the drama is Lin Wei, a newcomer signed by Rongyi Pictures. This is his first drama, a perfect opportunity for him to debut. He is also a newcomer that Rongyi Pictures is heavily promoting. The main storyline of the sequel will also revolve around the character of Ling Shaohuai."

Shang Yibo and Ding Jiajia exclaimed almost simultaneously, "So that's how it is." and "How could this be?"

Shang Yibo pondered for a moment and asked, "What about the company? What is President Shen's attitude towards this?"

Under these circumstances, the company could not simply stand by and do nothing. Knowing Shen Yihua as he did, how could he possibly suffer such a loss in silence?

Zhou Yanruo replied, "President Shen has instructed Jie Can and the others that when negotiating the supplementary agreement, they must insist on their position and explain that the adjustment of the plot is the responsibility of the production team, and that their remuneration should not be reduced on the grounds of reduced screen time. The production team has already agreed to this."

Ding Jiajia pressed further, "That's it? Is that the only condition?"

"And another thing," Zhou Yanruo sighed slightly, and continued, "We'll add more scenes for Shen Qing, and the extra pay will be calculated separately. Oh, and I haven't told you yet, the company has recently signed Shen Qing."

"Damn it! They're bullying us! Do they think Ru Shang Group is weak and can be bullied like this?" Ding Jiajia immediately stood up and said indignantly to Shang Yibo, "This is simply outrageous! Do they think Ru Shang Group is easy to bully? Sister Yanruo, did you report this to Chairman Chu? No, Chairman Chu doesn't care about these things. Call President Fang. President Fang won't stand by and watch you get bullied."

Shang Yibo's lips curled into a cold smile. "They've really got a clever plan."

Ding Jiajia was even more furious. "It's one thing for outsiders to want to get involved, but now even our own company is betraying us, making Yibo help them promote their newcomers."

Zhou Yanruo shook her head and analyzed, "Don't talk about our own company, there's only profit here. Shen Yihua is such a shrewd person. As soon as she learned that we were going to co-found a film company with Hong Yun, she started making plans. She must think that you will leave Yihua Entertainment sooner or later. Without you as a cash cow, how can she gain a foothold in the industry? So while the contract is still in effect, she wants to use your popularity to promote a few more newcomers."

"She thinks Shang Yibo can be copied? That's just wishful thinking!" Ding Jiajia added.

Shang Yibo sighed softly, a sense of disappointment washing over him, like the saying, "I offered my heart to the bright moon, but the bright moon shone on the gutter." Shen Yihua had underestimated him as well. How could he be an ungrateful person? After all, Yihua Entertainment had nurtured him. Unless he left the entertainment industry, he would never easily sign with another company.

"Forget it, I'm too lazy to argue with them anymore. I'll just find a lawyer and talk to the company about terminating the contract." Shang Yibo finally made up his mind, his tone tinged with disdain.