Ou Yunchen returned to the venue alone, walking through the empty conference hall, and followed the direction Zhou Man had left towards the back of the hall.
He stopped a service staff member who was clearing up, and after asking several people, no one claimed to have seen Zhou Man.
Ou Yunchen ran down the corridor, shouting Zhou Man's name as he ran. He suddenly remembered what Fan Zhijie had mentioned to him.
A long time ago, before Zhou Man became Yan Shizong's mistress, Yan Shizong was suspected in a murder case. However, due to lack of evidence, it was only a suspicion, and after a few days of investigation, he was released.
The report was made by a room service attendant at a hotel. It was said that due to complaints of a constant strange odor emanating from a suite, when the police arrived and opened the door, they found a naked woman dead on the bed.
Fan Zhijie said that woman was a very famous actress at the time.
Later, because the hotel stated that the suite was long-term rented by Yan Shizong, and no one had entered to clean it, this woman's death went undiscovered for over a month...
But whether it was witness testimony or physical evidence, Yan Shizong had an alibi. Although the woman died in Yan Shizong's suite, it couldn't prove his involvement...
Ou Yunchen was far more sensitive to such matters than ordinary people.
Zhou Man had been Yan Shizong's mistress for so many years. Based on male intuition, Yan Shizong was not a man who could easily detach himself from his emotions.
The freedom Zhou Man had gained by threatening to die further proved that Yan Shizong must have had feelings for this woman, which was why only Zhou Man had been romantically linked to him over the years!
A slightly ajar door caught Ou Yunchen's attention. The "Yan Shizong's Lounge" printed on A4 paper had not yet been cleared by the service staff.
Ou Yunchen gently pushed the door open. He saw a woman sitting by the window, staring blankly at the dark night sky outside the glass.
Ou Yunchen walked over. Zhou Man didn't turn around. Half of her face was swollen, there was a small bruise on her forehead, and her cheekbone seemed to have a small cut.
Ou Yunchen took off his suit jacket and draped it over Zhou Man. Zhou Man slowly raised her head, not bothering to hide her injured face.
Ou Yunchen extended his hand towards Zhou Man, wanting to help her up, but Zhou Man turned her head away, no longer looking at him.
Ou Yunchen walked to the door and turned off the light. The room was now also dark.
He returned to Zhou Man's side and sat with her by the window, looking at the sky.
Ou Yunchen: "If you turn on the light, there will be reflections of the room on the glass. If you turn off the light, you can see the faint stars in the sky more clearly."
Zhou Man: "I want to retire. Perhaps I shouldn't have yearned for so much."
Ou Yunchen: "It is indeed admirable to exit at your peak. You must have great courage to leave here, but if you are running away, it is not a glorious thing."
Zhou Man: "I left Yan Shizong to prove that I could live better without him."
"But after losing 'Danube in Rose' today, I realized that I've become worse off without him. I am just as he said, I can't be a female director, and I won't win any Best Actress awards..."
Ou Yunchen: "Didn't you choose me because you believed in me?"
Zhou Man: "We thought things were too simple. Yan Shizong won't let me go."
"He hates that I left him, so he will destroy me. He's capable of it. After all, everything I have now was given by him. He's just taking it back..."
Ou Yunchen: "Miss Zhou, I never thought signing you would be an easy matter."
Zhou Man finally turned her head, this time her eyes actively asking why.
Ou Yunchen: "You know I'm in investment, so when I considered signing you, I also thought about how much profit you could bring us."
"Every product follows a rule: the higher the profit, the greater the risk."
"Do you think a popular actress like you comes without any risk?"
"In my eyes, you are no different from the products or projects I invest in. How much money you can earn for Xi Ou, I will put that much effort into you."
Zhou Man gave a bitter smile: "You'll soon realize that when Yan Shizong tries to destroy me, you and Xi Ou will both become targets of his revenge..."
Ou Yunchen: "Miss Zhou, to be frank, I signed you precisely because of your special relationship with Yan Shizong."
Zhou Man: "It seems that anyone who enters this industry will know my past inside out..."
Ou Yunchen: "But I don't think this is a troublesome matter. In fact, I think the more it's like this, the faster I can enter this circle. Even though I still feel like an outsider today, this is a good thing."
Zhou Man was curious: "Why? Don't you know that Yan Shizong rules this circle? If he doesn't let you play, you'll never make money here!"
Ou Yunchen: "Because those involved are blinded by self-interest, while an observer sees things clearly."
Zhou Man: "What do you mean?"
Ou Yunchen: "Did you also realize after leaving him that his status in this circle is far more significant than when you were by his side?"
Zhou Man nodded; otherwise, she wouldn't be worried about her future.
Ou Yunchen: "Coincidentally, I also realized during today's meeting that this summit is just for show for the higher-ups."
"To put it bluntly, he is the one who actually controls the resource allocation for the entire circle. To put it crudely, he is the local emperor, and no one dares to offend him."
"But unfortunately, in this country, no one can be more powerful than those above. People like him will eventually be dealt with. So, the more high-profile he is, the more I look forward to the day he falls."
Zhou Man: "Do you have a way to make him a loser?"
Ou Yunchen: "I generally dislike offending people, but he has truly angered me today."
Zhou Man: "Why?"
Ou Yunchen: "Because he bullied my employee."
Zhou Man: "Mr. Ou..."
Ou Yunchen: "Don't misunderstand. I have no other intentions towards you. Miss Zhou was signed by Xi Ou to make money for me. If Yan Shizong wants to destroy you, it's equivalent to cutting off my financial resources, like killing my parents. This is an irreconcilable feud!"
Zhou Man: "But Mr. Ou, 'Danube in Rose' is my life's work..."
"I guaranteed you that this movie would be a sensation. By then, not only I, but even Xi Ou, would become famous!"
"But Yan Shizong not only took away the copyright, but he also cast the actress I dislike the most as the lead! I truly cannot swallow this insult!"
Ou Yunchen: "If you want revenge, you have to listen to me. Get up now, and we'll go back to discuss how to fight a comeback battle."
Ou Yunchen stood up first, and he extended his hand again to Zhou Man, who was still sitting.
Zhou Man questioned: "Can we really do it?"
Ou Yunchen: "Have you forgotten the theme of today?"
"The integration of film and finance. You are film, I am finance. What can stop us from defeating Yan Shizong?"
"Believe me, Yan Shizong will pay the price for his arrogance and for underestimating me!"
Zhou Man finally nodded. She reached out and tightly grasped Ou Yunchen's hand. Now, they had a common goal, and this battle must be fought together to the death!