MMB Chapter 147 The Fairy Sister's Awakening
Chapter 147 The Fairy Sister's Awakening
One day later.
Haofeng Film & Television's official Weibo account posted a brief update.
Welcome the highly recognizable and talented young actor @XinZhilei to the Haofeng family! A bright future awaits him!
The accompanying image is a black-and-white portrait of Xin Zhilei, exuding a wild and aggressive aura.
Those full lips and sharp eyes seemed out of place in the Chinese entertainment industry's aesthetic, which is accustomed to sweet and innocent looks.
This Weibo post caused a huge uproar across the entire internet in less than half an hour!
Netizens and fans from all walks of life flooded the comments section, launching a barrage of mockery:
"Holy crap? What's going on with Haofeng Film & Television? What kind of contract did they sign?!"
"I could tolerate Haofeng's low standards for signing male stars before, after all, whether it was Xue Zhiqian or Xu Song, although they weren't particularly good-looking, they at least had some talent. How come even their usually high standards for female stars have started to plummet now?!"
"Exactly! Look at the previous lineup: Liu Yifei, Yang Mi, Tang Yan, Liu Shishi, Li Xin! Weren't they all the absolute pinnacle of beauty in the Chinese entertainment industry? What kind of mediocre talents has Haofeng signed in the last six months?!"
"Upstairs +1! Bai Lu and Li Yitong, they're so bad they're practically blinding! They're obviously knock-offs of Li Xin! And Song Tie, he's alright looking, but his demeanor is too bland and he's not famous at all. Now they've brought in Xin Zhilei with his thick lips and fierce-looking face. Has Boss Li gotten sick of seeing pretty girls lately and wants to try something different?"
Public opinion on the internet spread extremely quickly.
In less than two hours, the hashtag "#Haofeng'sAestheticAestheticsDropped" was pushed into the top ten of Weibo's trending topics by netizens!
……
The actresses at the center of the storm have naturally taken notice of the uproar online.
At the foot of Zijin Mountain in Nanjing lies a secluded and elegant upscale residential area for the wealthy.
Several independent, high-end Chinese-style villas are located here, offering excellent privacy.
Liu Yifei was sitting in the sunroom of his villa, leisurely tending to several pots of precious orchids with a pair of pruning shears in his hand.
This villa is a symbol of her status within Haofeng Film and Television!
As the company's most favored "fairy sister," she not only enjoys top-tier revenue sharing and resources, but also unique honors.
She is the only female celebrity who owns a detached villa, which is very close to her boss's estate, just a few minutes' drive away.
In fact, Yang Mi used to receive the same treatment.
But ever since that incident where Yang Mi angered Li Feng and was forced to kneel, the keys to Yang Mi's villa were taken back by Zhang Xinyu and her people the very next day.
As for Tang Yan and Liu Shishi, they only own large apartments in the city center.
At this moment, two pretty girls were sitting on the sofa behind Liu Yifei.
It was Bai Lu and Song Tie, whom she had recently signed into the company under the guise of casting.
Bai Lu scrolled through the trending topics on her phone and saw comments calling her a "knock-off of Li Xin." She pouted in anger, but couldn't show it in front of Liu Yifei.
She put down her phone and began to analyze the current situation for Liu Yifei:
"Sister Yifei, I think Zhao Liying has become a bit arrogant lately because she's been too favored. She just got some favor with the boss, and she can't wait to bring Xin Zhilei in to build her own faction."
"However, bringing in such an unknown person poses no threat to us. In my opinion, her actions are likely aimed at Yang Mi's clique."
Sitting next to her, Song Tie obediently nodded in agreement: "Yes, Sister Yifei. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Since Zhao Liying wants to compete with Yang Mi, why don't we go with the flow, make a good relationship with her, and sit back and watch the showdown?"
Listening to the two newcomers' analysis, Liu Yifei stopped scissors in his hand.
She turned around, placed the scissors on the table, and her aloof and detached face no longer showed the anxiety and unease she had felt last year when she was vying for the title of "Weibo Queen".
Instead, there is a composure born from seeing through the true nature of fame and fortune.
"You underestimate her."
Liu Yifei picked up the black tea on the table, took a sip, and said calmly, "Zhao Liying is a capable woman. She has a strong work ethic in her acting, and more importantly... she knows very well how to please the boss and how to strike the right balance."
She walked to the sofa and sat down, her eyes becoming deep and clear.
Over the past six months, Liu Yifei has experienced ups and downs, and he has finally figured out how to live life.
Yang Mi fought hard and schemed her way to finally win the diamond-encrusted "Weibo Queen" trophy.
But the result?
They still didn't get any face from the boss!
Those who deserve to be punished by kneeling should be punished by kneeling; those who deserve to have their villas taken back should have their villas taken back!
The boss doesn't care how much the fans outside praise you; he only cares whether you're obedient and know the rules.
In this vast capitalist empire, external fame and trending topics are nothing but illusions.
Instead of vying for empty fame, quietly hone your acting skills and wait for your boss to reward you when he's in a good mood—that's the real, tangible resource!
As long as the boss still favors her, her intangible position as "Sister Haofeng" will never change in any substantial way.
Having figured this out, Liu Yifei no longer felt the anxiety he initially had about always being number one.
She looked at Bai Lu and Song Tie in front of her, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"We don't go looking for trouble, but it's always good to make friends with capable people in this company."
Liu Yifei put down his teacup and whispered the instructions:
"My next project will also be an urban drama, as decided by the boss. After 'Let's Get Married' is finished filming, Lao Han from the company's film and television department reserved a script for me called 'Ode to Joy'."
"It's a typical ensemble drama featuring five beautiful women. Besides me, we need a few other actresses who can carry the ratings to support the other characters."
Liu Yifei straightened her skirt, appearing quite at ease: "Bai Lu, go and arrange a meal for me."
"Let's invite Zhao Liying out for a chat, under the pretext of reviewing the script."
......
Shanghai, Yuanshen Sports Center.
A carnival worthy of being recorded in the history of Chinese esports is about to begin.
The grand opening ceremony of the first "Hundred Cities League" National Finals of "League of Legends", which is fully sponsored by Haofeng Network, has arrived!
The venue was bustling with activity, both inside and out.
Tens of thousands of young players waved glow sticks and team support signs, turning the entire sports center into a sea of excitement.
Brilliant laser lights intertwined on the dome, and a huge 3D holographic projection condensed the phantoms of heroes from the game into the sky above the stage. The deafening e-sports-specific background music made everyone in the room feel excited.
"Next, let's give a warm round of applause to Mr. Li Feng, Chairman of Haofeng Group and the initiator of this Hundred Cities League, for cutting the ribbon to open the finals!"
As the host roared with passion, Li Feng, dressed in a tailored suit, steadily walked to the center of the stage amidst a tsunami of cheers from the audience.
He took the golden scissors handed to him by the hostess and cut the red ribbon that symbolized a new era for Chinese e-sports!
"boom--!"
A sky full of cold fireworks and golden ribbons burst forth!
The e-sports media representatives, investors, and countless netizens watching the high-definition live stream on iQiyi and Bilibili were all deeply shocked by this scene.
"Holy crap! Boss Li actually came to the ribbon-cutting ceremony in person?!"
"Importance! This is absolute display of power! In the past, those game competitions would at most send a department manager to make a formality, but Boss Li is a super tycoon worth tens of billions!"
"What does this mean? It means that Haofeng Networks treats League of Legends and esports as the core of its group's strategy!"
"The golden age of esports has truly arrived!"
After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Li Feng did not leave immediately. Instead, he took a seat in the VIP section, which was arranged by the organizers, to prepare to watch the opening match.
His presence undoubtedly gave the entire Chinese esports industry a powerful boost.
However, just as the first game ended with the Ban/Pick phase and both teams officially entered Summoner's Rift...
Zhang Xinyu, who had been standing behind Li Feng, suddenly looked rather unpleasant.
She glanced at the phone she had just hung up, quickly walked to Li Feng's side, bent down slightly, and whispered in his ear, "Boss, something urgent has happened."
Li Feng's gaze remained fixed on the match footage on the big screen, and he said calmly, "Speak."
"It's from Xiaomi."
Zhang Xinyu's tone was anxious and grave. "CEO Lei just called personally on the internal hotline. Xiaomi's supply chain has collapsed!"
"A massive flood struck Thailand, affecting core contract manufacturers of electronic components worldwide, causing a large-scale disruption to our supply of materials! Xiaomi's production lines are now almost completely shut down, with daily production capacity... capped at a mere 1,000 units!"
A thousand units a day?!
Upon hearing this number, Li Feng's previously lazy gaze turned cold!
It's worth noting that Xiaomi phones caused a sensation online with their incredibly low price of 1999 yuan at the previous 798 launch event.
Online pre-orders have now surpassed three million!
With a production capacity of 1,000 units per day, this is going to kill Xiaomi Technology, which has just begun to have hope, in the public outcry over delivery defaults!
This is the lifeline for Haofeng Group to control the mobile internet hardware gateway in the future, and it cannot be lost!
"Prepare the car."
Li Feng stood up without any hesitation.
The event executives standing nearby were startled when the boss suddenly stood up. They were about to speak up to stop him, but Zhang Xinyu glared at them and shut them up.
Surrounded by security guards, Li Feng left the bustling sports center without looking back.
……
After half an hour.
Li Feng's private jet landed in Xuzhou and then headed straight to the R&D center at the Xiaomi Technology startup headquarters.
Upon entering the conference room, one could see Lei Jun with bloodshot eyes and hair as messy as a bird's nest, lashing out at a group of supply chain managers.
"Mr. Li! You've arrived!"
Seeing Li Feng push the door open and enter, Lei Jun seemed to have found his backbone, but he could not hide the dejection and anxiety on his face.
"What exactly happened? I've heard about the floods in Thailand, but they mainly affected hard drives and low-end components. How could they have blocked our entire system production capacity to a mere thousand units per day?"
Lei Jun reported bitterly, "President Li, the floods were just a trigger; the real core issue is that we're being strangled by those international giants!"
"To deliver on our promise of a 'performance monster' at 1999 yuan, we used only top-of-the-line components for our first-generation Xiaomi phone! Now, the two toughest challenges are holding up our production capacity!"
"First, the screen! We're using a Retina ultra-high-definition screen from Sharp of Japan. The entire Asian supply chain is tight right now, and Sharp has booked our Xiaomi orders until next year. Their limited production capacity is being prioritized for Apple and Samsung!"
"Secondly, and most fatally—the chip!"
"Our core GPU graphics processor is Nvidia's Tegra series dual-core chip! It's indeed incredibly powerful, but now Nvidia is demanding we switch to a lower-spec alternative chip, citing insufficient production capacity. If we don't, they'll indefinitely delay delivery!"
"They're deliberately trying to take advantage of us because Xiaomi is a new brand!"
Lei Jun gritted his teeth, but his face was full of helplessness. "President Li, the R&D department just came up with a backup plan... How about we compromise? We can switch to a domestic screen or one from Tianma in Taiwan, and as for the chip, we can settle for a mid-to-low-end Qualcomm chip as a temporary solution? This way, we can at least guarantee a supply of 100,000 units next month and get through this public relations crisis..."