Chapter 24: Eight People Struck in a Single Scene.

As the meal drew to a close, the conversation naturally wound down as well.

Glancing at the time, Li Can spoke up. "It’s past eight. Time to head back."

Winnie felt a slight tremor in her heart. Just as she was about to say something, she heard Li Can add, "Get some rest tonight. We’ll head to the studio together first thing tomorrow morning."

"Huh? It’s only eight. That’s so early." Chen Gang’s protest brought a sense of relief to Winnie.

However, the next second, Lin Feng’s response caused her heart to sink again. "Eight isn't early. We have to get going anyway."

"Oh, ho ho, that's right. You two stay out too late, you won't be able to get up tomorrow."

"Hahahaha!"

"Shut it, you single folks."

Amidst the playful banter, Lin Feng and Han Jiayin left the tripe shop. Winnie immediately beamed, ready to suggest, "Since the two vocalists are gone, why don't we go sing karaoke?"

Before she could, she heard Chen Gang say to Li Can, "Boss Can, Zhao Ze and I are going to hit an internet cafe. It’s been a while since we played any games."

"Sure, go ahead," Li Can said with a smile. "You actually reminded me—I need to upgrade the studio with a few more computers later."

"I want a GTX-980 Ti, brother."

"Consider it done," Li Can said, waving a hand dismissively. "Even if I have to upgrade to a 4090, I’ll get it for you."

After all, when working in music, you have to max out the motherboard, CPU, RAM, and SSD. Under those circumstances, not having a decent graphics card to slack off and play games with would be a bit of a waste.

"Nice!" Chen Gang gave a thumbs-up before leaving with Zhao Ze.

With only the two of them left, Winnie’s heart began to race. She looked at Li Can with anticipation. "Senior, then... how about the two of us go grab a drink?"

"Not tonight." Li Can shook his head, feeling a bit amused by the Russian penchant for alcoholic beverages. "I have something to take care of; I need to head back to the studio."

He checked his phone and smiled. The production team for *Xianxia* had sent over an appointment for their collaboration, congratulating him on securing the spot for the song submission and setting a time for a face-to-face meeting. He needed to return to the studio to handle some preparatory work and give Wang Yongchang a heads-up.

***

With that emotional rollercoaster, Winnie’s mindset shifted slightly.

"Alright then, see you tomorrow, Senior."

Although disappointed, Winnie didn't press the issue. She knew that when someone has real work to do, acting clingy isn't cute—it's annoying. She would just have to find another opportunity later.

"Bye, Winnie." Li Can smiled and waved at her.

"See you tomorrow, Senior." Winnie flashed a bright smile, turned, and strode away on her long legs.

Watching her walk away in her red-bottomed high heels and black stockings, Li Can couldn't help but sigh. "Tsk tsk, Winnie really has great taste in fashion... It’s a pity not to put such beautiful legs to work on a tricycle."

...

Back at the studio, after a brief rest, Li Can headed to Wang Yongchang’s office. He explained the invitation from the *Xianxia* production team.

Wang Yongchang frowned. After closing the door, he said in a low voice, "Since you’ve secured this collaboration, work hard, but it’s best to keep a low profile."

"Wrapping up filming doesn't mean the crew is gone. While most actors are only on set during the filming stage, you may still need to interact with some of them for post-production tasks like editing and dubbing. Some actors might come in to check on things, do their own voice-overs, or film reshoots."

Handing Li Can a cup of tea, Wang Yongchang continued, "The bloodiness of the capital market is unimaginable. People might hold a grudge against you just because you’re with Xingmei Entertainment. Even though you earned this opportunity through a fair and open competition, not everyone will see it that way."

"Over the years, Xingmei Entertainment has built up a certain scale, but it’s certainly not without its bitter rivals. Beyond our direct competitors, there are many emerging entertainment capitals stirring. Even if they’re small fry, you can't rule out those looking to stir up trouble."

"The next big trend is the internet. Any company with a bit of capability is making assessments to compete for resources and develop corresponding entertainment tracks. With your connections, as long as you don’t get caught in the vortex of deep-level power struggles, you’ll be able to live comfortably."

"So... who is this rival? And which emerging capitals should I watch out for? Should I be careful and try to avoid certain people?" Li Can scratched his head. He just wanted to make money and enjoy the show; he preferred to stay far away from schemes and conspiracies.

"No need, just go about your work as usual. Just be a bit cautious—it pays to be wary of others," Wang Yongchang chuckled.

Wang Yongchang thought highly of Li Can. The music market was larger than people imagined, and in the entertainment industry, the most valued thing is always profit, and the basic necessity for maintaining profit is resources. A producer who consistently delivers high-quality resources is worth far more to the company than hundreds of outsourced studios.

***

So, even though post-production after filming isn't particularly eventful, Wang Yongchang still wanted to offer a reminder.

"As for who to watch out for..." Wang Yongchang opened the list of *Xianxia* crew members and pointed them out to Li Can.

"The male lead and the second female lead are our own artists; you don't need to worry about them. But the female lead and the third male lead are from our rival, Yijia Media. However, our old rivals know their limits, so you don't need to worry about them. You should worry about the hot-headed newcomers."

After saying this, Wang Yongchang pointed to someone on the list.

"Among the emerging forces... pay attention to this second male lead. He has a lot of screen time and plays a very eye-catching role. He’s the pillar of the emerging firm, Yuehua Company."

Looking at the list, Li Can felt like he had stumbled upon a major piece of gossip. The person in question was Luo Zhongwen, an A-list actor who had been constantly active on the big screen for the past two years. In his roles, he often played deeply devoted characters, and his public persona was that of a warm, gentle man.

He looked up at Wang Yongchang and noticed his expression was as calm as a frozen pond, as if he were long accustomed to the duality between public personas and reality. This wasn't even a matter of disillusionment; it was like he was simply observing livestock.

"The reason I want you to watch out for this Luo Zhongwen is that... his career path has been incredibly smooth, and his status has risen rapidly. As it stands, he is definitely a domestic A-list actor. At the peak of his popularity, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a 'top-tier' star. If it weren't for our company's solid strength, even the male lead role would have been a fierce competition."

"The main thing is... this guy often looks for trouble and has a violent temper. Just during the filming of *Xianxia*, he hit at least eight people—both staff members and extras."

"He even caused a light injury—well, a light injury by legal definition—and in the end, he just paid a small amount of money to settle it."

Wang Yongchang pursed his lips, clearly holding the man in contempt. Li Can was genuinely surprised. He had expected a hot-tempered brat, but based on Wang Yongchang’s description, this guy was truly outrageous.

"Of course, he’s smart enough not to pick on people from Yijia or our Xingmei. He’s very good at picking targets to vent on—mostly ordinary people or minor actors with no backing."

At this point, even Wang Yongchang seemed a bit annoyed. "Because he hasn't touched the fundamental interests of the market, even though everyone hates him, he continues to thrive. Combined with the protection of his own popularity and hype, he acts with impunity and is incredibly arrogant."

Hearing this, Li Can frowned. His impression of Luo Zhongwen hit rock bottom. He picked up Luo Zhongwen’s file to read more, then suddenly paused.

"Huh? Eight people? Doesn't the note above say he's gotten into ten fights?"

"Yeah..." Wang Yongchang’s eyelid twitched. "Some poor soul got hit by him three times. That’s the one who sustained the 'light injury'."

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