It’s this little difference that made He Yong feel somewhat out of control over Zhou Yun. He didn’t have anything with which to control her, so he could only plead with her.
Zhou Lan then added, "However, if you align yourself with the right person, your influence in the company will increase in the future. That’s essentially what Lu Yicheng was implying to you. He can offer you what He Yong is not providing right now."
"Who knows how much of it he can actually deliver."
Zhou Lan: "He Yong must be aware of your meeting with Lu Yicheng in Beijing. Has he contacted you?"
Zhou Lan: "He hasn’t reached out to me either. Silence isn’t his style."
"He might not know that I met with Lu Yicheng," said Zhou Yun.
Zhou Lan: "No way, I deliberately leaked the news. Someone will tell him."
Zhou Yun said in surprise, "Sister Lan, you did it on purpose?"
"Mhm, we need to let He Yong know about Lu Yicheng’s moves to make him feel threatened."
"His sense of crisis is already strong enough, with someone eyeing his position eagerly waiting to take over," said Zhou Yun jokingly.
Thinking back, just a year ago, He Yong’s status and power within Chengqian Entertainment seemed unassailable, unrivaled by anyone.
How quickly things change can happen in a moment.
Zhou Lan said, "No matter who comes to you, just don’t agree straight away. Stay neutral. As long as you can remain neutral, that’s enough. With your current capabilities, if you were to lean towards one side, you would add too much to their stakes and upset their balance. Then, the other party might try to smear or ruin you, to diminish your value." Zhou Yun gave a hum in response.
She had work the next day, so, after meeting with Lu Yicheng, Zhou Yun still stayed in Beijing for the night.
Yuk Chu also happened to be in Beijing for work, and thus, the two of them agreed to have dinner at the restaurant of the hotel where Zhou Yun was staying.
"Congratulations, you’re actually going to act with Shen Yao!" Upon meeting, Yuk Chu hugged Zhou Yun with joy, "That’s fantastic!"
"It’s even better to have a friend like you with whom to share the happiness," Zhou Yun said with a radiant smile, lifting her chin slightly, "Don’t be too envious of me, I know Shen Yao is your idol. Come visit the set sometime."
Yuk Chu asked in surprise, "I can visit the set?"
Yuk Chu’s eyes twinkled with excitement, "So when are you starting the shoot?"
"Ah? October?" Yuk Chu immediately frowned. "That’s such bad timing?"
"The company lined up a drama for me, starting in September and going until December," said Yuk Chu, "Terribly inconvenient timing."
Zhou Yun quickly said, "No worries, there will definitely be other opportunities. Maybe in the future you can act with Shen Yao."
"I won’t entertain such a beautiful dream. Forget it," Yuk Chu suddenly changed expression, "Right, Xiao Yun, how come I heard that your company’s President He is about to be ousted?"
"Ah? You’ve heard about that?" Zhou Yun was surprised. "The rumor has spread that far?"
Yuk Chu: "My agent told me. It seems the news has already spread throughout the industry, even reaching the point where people are talking about how he used to suppress you."
Zhou Yun’s chopsticks paused.
Yuk Chu said, "Rumor has it, if it weren’t for Song Chi, you would’ve left the entertainment industry long ago due to his suppression."
It’s true that He Yong wasn’t particularly fond of her in the past, never giving her the good resources, but it wasn’t to the extent of suppression.
She was just a nobody back then, hardly worth He Yong’s special attention to suppress. It was just that the company’s resources weren’t inclined towards her; most projects were obtained by Zhou Lan one by one.
If not for that, Zhou Yun wouldn’t have spent a year in the company only to have played an extra, with no other roles.
Such rumors spreading at this particular time seemed no coincidence to Zhou Yun.
This was an attempt to push He Yong into an unfavorable position.
The core message being put forth by these rumors was plain—
With Wei Ruxue confirmed not to renew her contract, Zhou Yun, Chengqian Entertainment’s most popular female artist, could rightly be considered the new top actress. Yet He Yong had once suppressed Zhou Yun, this new leading lady, indicating a very poor relationship between the two.
Naturally, the one to benefit from this would be Lu Yicheng.
Seeing it this way, the source of such rumors might be Lu Yicheng or someone from his camp.
After pondering a moment, Zhou Yun smiled at Yuk Chu and said, "I did hear that the headquarters seem to be considering letting President Lu Yicheng switch business roles with President He. But I’ve never heard about He Yong being swept out the door. And that rumor sounds too fake—Who would drive He Yong away? He’s so capable; wherever he goes, he’d become a formidable rival to Chengqian Entertainment."
Yuk Chu nodded, "That’s what I thought."
"As for my issues with He Yong, the part about him suppressing me is false. He, as a president overseeing so many artists in the company, would not bother with me back when I was just an unknown newcomer. Why would he suppress me? Such rumors are too absurd."
Zhou Yun mused for a bit, then said: "Xiao Chu, I need to ask for your help again."
"Just tell me," replied Yuk Chu readily.
"I don’t want others to use me as a tool in their power struggles. If you could have your agent clarify things for me, it would be a big favor. You don’t have to say it’s coming specifically from me. Is that okay?" Zhou Yun asked.
Yuk Chu’s eyes lit up, immediately grasping Zhou Yun’s intent.
"Of course, that’s a trivial matter. I’ll talk to my agent about it," Yuk Chu smiled. "Actually, my agent also mentioned trying to connect us, to introduce you two."