Is This The Right Way To Repay A Favor? Chapter 82

Taking Action

The third episode of “A Dream of Peach Blossom Spring” was updated and released. Starting with this episode, there would be no organized live viewing sessions.

That night, several trending topics revolved around Dong Qianqian’s fortune-telling, causing a stir.

At the same time, hot searches about Yu Liang’s infidelity, secret marriage, and child also simultaneously appeared. The exposé and the accompanying resources quickly followed up, clearly indicating that preparations had been made long ago.

Shen Zhiyu recalled the scene where Yu Liang had previously sought him out to delete the tarot card reading segment from this episode, and he couldn’t help but feel curious, “Did you have a grudge against Yu Liang?”

While at Peach Blossom Spring, Yu Liang had behaved decently, being polite to everyone, and showing particular respect, even a hint of flattery, toward Jiang Zhou.

Infidelity and secret marriages are common in the entertainment industry. Jiang Zhou was not one to meddle, so he wouldn’t deliberately release such a hot search.

To say it was to drive traffic to the show also didn’t make sense. Because once Yu Liang’s scandal was confirmed, it would not only increase the difficulty of the post-production editing for the production team but might also lead to a boycott from netizens, making it a net loss.

Moreover, Yu Liang had roles in several of Languang Media’s unreleased films and television projects.

Jiang Zhou briefly explained how Yu Liang had pulled a switcheroo when he asked Shen Zhiyu to look at the cast list, replacing one of the male actors with himself.

After listening, Shen Zhiyu suddenly understood, “So, it was to protect your husband.”

“Ah Zhou is so good to me!” Shen Zhiyu’s tone shifted, clearly suggestive, “Then shouldn’t I repay you somehow?”

Jiang Zhou glanced at the time and politely declined, “No, I have to get up early tomorrow for a business trip.”

Shen Zhiyu didn’t listen, his hand already reaching out, “It will be quick, just once.”

Jiang Zhou: “Then make it fast.”

Shen Zhiyu actually obeyed.

Jiang Zhou was caught off guard, letting out a whimper, and tightly gripping Shen Zhiyu’s arm. His breathing instantly became rapid.

“Slow—” Jiang Zhou gasped for air.

Shen Zhiyu stopped and accused Jiang Zhou, “You are so unreasonable.”

Jiang Zhou hadn’t recovered yet, his eyes half-open, his tear-stained lashes trembling slightly. He didn’t understand Shen Zhiyu’s sudden remark, “What?”

Shen Zhiyu lowered his head and kissed away the pitiful tears clinging to his eyelashes.

“You are the one who wanted it fast, and you are the one who wants it slow. What exactly do you want?”

Shen Zhiyu paused, looking as if he wanted to seriously discuss the issue with him.

The surging intensity was suspended in mid-air, neither advancing nor retreating, causing a strain.

Jiang Zhou felt uncomfortable. He reached out to pull Shen Zhiyu’s hand toward his body, pressing his face close to find Shen Zhiyu’s lips.

Shen Zhiyu didn’t give him his lips, but he didn’t avoid his hand either, letting him lead. He then lowered his head to nip his chin, clearly waiting for his answer, “Jiang Zhou, tell me, what do you want?”

Jiang Zhou pleaded in a low voice, “Shen Zhiyu, give it to me.”

Shen Zhiyu bit his chin hard again, “That’s not a good way to ask.”

A layer of moisture welled up in Jiang Zhou’s eyes, making them dewy and hazy. His brows slightly furrowed, looking utterly pitiful.

He seemed to struggle for a moment, then whispered, “Zhi… Zhiyu.”

“I can’t hear you clearly.” Shen Zhiyu was not satisfied yet.

Jiang Zhou cleared his throat and called out louder, “Zhiyu.”

His voice was slightly hoarse, mixed with the unconscious tenderness that came with pleading, causing Shen Zhiyu’s heart to flutter.

“Such a good boy!” Shen Zhiyu pecked Jiang Zhou’s lips as a reward.

As their lips met, Jiang Zhou eagerly drew in the air between their mouths, his body pressing close, actively guiding Shen Zhiyu to move.

Shen Zhiyu let him lead, occasionally cooperating, a deep chuckle rumbling in his throat, drowned out by their muffled breaths.

“You’ve really learned to be naughty, Jiang Zhou.”

The tide surged, completely engulfing Jiang Zhou. His consciousness became hazy and scattered. He couldn’t hear what Shen Zhiyu was saying, only letting out helpless whimpers.

—

The next day, Yu Liang responded to the matter of his infidelity, secret marriage, and child.

He claimed that his relationship with his girlfriend was normal, and they married after an accidental pregnancy. He also stated that he had not cheated, as he had already separated from his girlfriend and filed for divorce before getting together with his manager.

Fans, blinded by their adoration, immediately took Yu Liang’s response as gospel and turned to attack his ex-girlfriend, demanding she provide evidence of Yu Liang’s infidelity.

With public opinion being manipulated and paid trolls entering the fray, Yu Liang managed to gain a slight advantage.

His ex-girlfriend, pushed to her limit, dropped the definitive evidence that evening, releasing chat logs and recordings between her and Yu Liang.

With the main parties involved stepping forward, the entire affair became as lively as a holiday celebration for several days, with a new recording and chat log released daily.

On the other side, Languang Media was also having a tough time.

After Jiang Zhou rejected the collaboration offer from the Ye Group last time, they started taking action.

First, they poached artists, then work teams, and finally, they directly targeted investment projects.

Languang Media’s massive investment at the beginning of the year, the sci-fi movie “Deep Space Echoes,” had finished filming. A portion of the footage was sent to a foreign production company for post-production special effects. The contract had been signed half a year ago, and the delivery for review was due in one week.

However, the company claimed their computers were hacked, and all previous production results were lost and unrecoverable. They stated they could not deliver within the specified time, requested a one-year extension, and demanded to be paid again.

The film had a huge amount of early promotion and massive investment. Promotional materials had already been released, and the film was set to hit the Chinese New Year box office on the first day of the year to recoup costs.

The delay in delivery meant missing the window for post-production, review, and release, which would result in enormous losses.

The company called an emergency meeting to discuss how to handle the situation.

Some suggested finding a domestic special effects company to rush the production, while others proposed maintaining quality and waiting a year, withdrawing promotional materials to cut losses, and aiming for next year’s Chinese New Year slot.

The discussion in the meeting was heated, with no one able to convince the others.

The difficult decision was ultimately handed to Jiang Zhou.

Jiang Zhou knew very well that this was the Ye Group’s last chance for him.

They had thoughtfully left him a week to make his choice.

If he agreed to cooperate, the other party could still deliver on time. If he remained stubborn, even if he waited one or two more years, the other party would find other excuses to delay.

Jiang Zhou quickly made a decision; he would not be led by the nose.

He wanted to control all the initiative himself.

“We won’t wait. ‘Deep Space Echoes’ is more than just a movie; it is the starting point for the company’s sci-fi IP universe for the next few years. If we delay, not only will the initial investment losses be huge, but it will also allow people to seize upon our weakness, and future constraints will only increase.”

“Over the next two days, everyone should use all channels to sort out and find all domestic and foreign post-production companies and teams. Compile the list and give it to me.”

—

Foreign companies capable of taking over the project seemed to have received the news early, demanding exorbitant prices, directly doubling the cost.

This film was already a massive investment, and a large portion of the payment to the previous post-production company had already been made. If they had to spend another fortune on this, it would be fine if the box office returns were good. But if the test failed and they couldn’t recoup the costs, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Meanwhile, the two domestic giant companies with slightly better qualifications were under a non-compete protection period and would only be available for production in half a month. Even with non-stop overtime, they couldn’t meet the deadline.

Jiang Zhou thought for a whole day and finally made a bold decision.

“This time, we won’t look for companies; we’ll look for people.”

“Look for people? Mr. Jiang, do you mean temporarily assembling a sci-fi post-production team?”

“Exactly!”

The conference room fell silent.

Such a decision was bold to the point of madness.

“Zhang Rui, I know you know many people in this industry. Some might work independently because they dislike the constraints of large companies, some might still be in school but already have astonishing projects, and some might have been marginalized due to conflicting ideas. I want you to find all of them, without missing a single one.”

Then, he turned to the Human Resources Director: “Starting today, Zhang Rui, as the person in charge of this project, has the authority to recruit beyond all conventional procedures. Compensation will be 300% of the recruited personnel’s current income, or a percentage of the project’s net profit, whichever they choose. Half of the compensation will be paid immediately upon signing the contract.”

“In short, as long as Zhang Rui identifies them as talent, everyone must overcome all difficulties, solve all visa, accommodation, and logistical issues, and ensure they are in place within 48 hours.”

Finally, he addressed the Financial Director: “Immediately mobilize all available cash flow and prepare at least 200 million in emergency funds. The budget cap for this project is temporarily removed.”

“Zhang Rui, you have full authority over the quality of the post-production. Work overtime and rush the schedule, but remember one thing: do not compromise quality for time.”

Zhang Rui nodded solemnly.

After all the arrangements were made, Jiang Zhou looked at everyone, his voice deep yet full of power.

“Everyone, we are now fighting a war, doing something almost impossible. I hope everyone brings 100% passion to meet this challenge. This period will be tough, so please bear with it.”

“After this is over, regardless of the film’s final outcome, everyone involved will receive three times their salary and two months of paid leave!”

“Let’s go!”

Everyone was inspired by Jiang Zhou’s words, expressing enthusiasm beyond 100% and passionately declaring, “Mr. Jiang, don’t worry! We guarantee the completion of the task!”

In just two days, the temporary team was assembled. It included a real-time rendering expert who had just resigned from a gaming company, a programmer skilled in writing specialized plugins, and an editor who could stay awake for three days straight to color grade…

There were no hierarchies, no procedures, only madness and extremity.

In the following days, Jiang Zhou practically lived at the company.

Shen Zhiyu came every day to deliver meals. He was currently in a state of semi-retirement from the industry, but he often posted pictures of his cooking on social media, playing the role of a domestic husband quite convincingly.

Fans regretted that he no longer participated in public activities, but seeing him happily posting about his meals, they were happy for him.

Shen Zhiyu sometimes stayed overnight with Jiang Zhou at the company. The set of clothes he had left there previously finally came in handy.

Shen Zhiyu knew exactly why Languang Media was facing this crisis.

He came to the company frequently because he wanted to personally witness Jiang Zhou working hard for him.

He didn’t want to be a god placed high up; he didn’t want to be looked up to. He wanted to come down and become the person Jiang Zhou protected.

He believed Jiang Zhou would protect him well. And this time, he would definitely pull Jiang Zhou up to the altar with him.