How A Ride-Hailing Driver Comes To Dominate The World? [EN]: Chapter 406

The Demise of “Ping Pong’s Counterattack”: A Heated Debate

The sudden removal of “Ping Pong’s Counterattack” sparked fervent discussions among viewers.

“What the heck? What happened? Why was it suddenly taken down? I was planning to watch it this weekend.”

“My girlfriend and I were halfway through at Yida Cinema when it ended abruptly. The theater refunded our money, and I had a feeling something big was up.”

“I saw it. While the movie wasn’t anything special, there was nothing wrong with it either. I really can’t think of a reason why it was suddenly pulled.”

…

To reassure the audience, the publicity team quickly released an announcement to smooth things over.

The gist was that there were issues with the marketing and distribution that needed urgent attention, so it was temporarily taken down and would be re-released at a later date.

After calming the audience, Wang Chao rushed to Beijing to find Gao Zheng.

“Gao, what did you do to offend Yang Chen? Why hasn’t it been resolved after all these days?” Wang Chao asked bluntly.

Gao Zheng looked embarrassed and replied guiltily, “It’s nothing, I’m working on it. Give me some time, and I promise I can resolve this perfectly, okay?”

Wang Chao: “I’ll give you time, but who will give our project time? Do you know what it means for a movie currently in theaters to be taken down? Once a pirated or even a legitimate copy leaks into the market, our project is finished. 350 million! Many investors invested in this project because of me. If this project fails, my reputation will be ruined! I’ll give you time, but who will give me time?”

Gao Zheng was already feeling guilty, but Wang Chao’s outburst made him unhappy. He retorted, “I’m the biggest investor. Is that how you talk to me?”

Wang Chao calmed down slightly, softening his tone. “Gao, I admit I was a bit harsh. But I’m only like this because the project is in serious trouble. Forget it, let’s not waste time on this. Quickly arrange a meeting with Yang Chen. Whatever conditions he sets, we’ll agree to them immediately. Every day we delay, we could lose millions in box office revenue.”

Gao Zheng replied helplessly and aggrieved, “Do you think I don’t want to meet him? But he blocked me. I can’t even reach him. I’ve already asked my backers to help me get in touch with him. Calm down and let’s wait for news together.”

Wang Chao: “Then can you tell me exactly what happened? He wouldn’t target you for no reason, would he?”

Gao Zheng didn’t think there was anything to be ashamed of in the entertainment industry, so he told him everything about how he tried to sleep with Zheng Xuanyi.

Wang Chao was speechless and just kept shaking his head.

Trying to sleep with actresses is too common in the entertainment industry. Everyone knows it, so there’s really nothing to say.

Gao Zheng offended Yang Chen this time, and Wang Chao could only say that he was unlucky. Wang Chao didn’t think he did anything wrong.

Meanwhile, Yang Chen, having dropped off his passenger, went to a nearby cafe to kill time.

Before he could finish his coffee, Starlight Entertainment CEO Yang Zhen called him.

Yang Zhen: “Mr. Yang, several bosses have contacted me about the removal of ‘Ping Pong’s Counterattack.’ They want to have a good talk with you.”

Yang Chen: “There’s nothing to talk about. They just need to kick Gao Zheng out, and the movie can be re-released.”

Yang Zhen: “Okay! I understand. So, I’ll just tell them that directly?”

Yang Chen: “Yes. Just tell them the truth.”

Hanging up, Yang Zhen relayed Yang Chen’s words to the bosses.

Kicking Gao Zheng out would mean finding someone to replace his 140 million yuan investment.

Anyone could see that after this ordeal, “Ping Pong’s Counterattack” wouldn’t do well at the box office. It was almost certain to lose money. Who would put up real money to take over a doomed movie?

The bosses had no choice but to quickly discuss countermeasures with Wang Chao and Gao Zheng.

After understanding the situation, Wang Chao didn’t care that Gao Zheng was the boss of an investment company and immediately started yelling at him, “What a mess you’ve made! In this situation, who would be willing to take over your shares for 140 million yuan? Just withdraw yourself and forget about the 140 million yuan. Consider it compensation for the movie’s lost box office revenue.”

Gao Zheng was humiliated and pointed at Wang Chao, yelling, “Get your facts straight. I’m the biggest investor. Who the hell do you think you are, yapping at me? Is your mouth just for farting? You think I can just give up 140 million yuan? What a big face you have!”

The other investors quickly pulled them apart, trying to calm them down so they could discuss things properly.

In the current situation, they definitely couldn’t find anyone to take over Gao Zheng’s 140 million yuan share. Wang Chao’s solution was unfair to Gao Zheng, but there was no other way.

Gao Zheng would pretend to withdraw from the investor list, and they would compensate him with his share of the box office revenue when the movie was distributed.

The priority was to get the movie back in theaters as soon as possible. Every day of delay could mean a loss of tens of millions in box office revenue.

Gao Zheng was silent for a moment but ultimately shook his head and rejected the plan.

To put it bluntly, he knew the movie was going to be a huge loss. He’d rather have the other investors find a way to take over his 140 million yuan investment, preserving his principal, than suffer a huge loss when the box office revenue was distributed.

Gao Zheng played the rogue, saying, “I don’t agree with this plan. I invested 140 million yuan, and I can’t make a profit, but I definitely can’t lose money. Don’t try to scare me with lawsuits or anything. We’ll just take it to court and drag it out.”

This infuriated Wang Chao and the others. He was completely disregarding the interests of the other investors.

But no matter how Wang Chao and the others tried to persuade, or even threaten and intimidate him, it was all ineffective. Gao Zheng just stuck to his guns.

Wang Chao and the others were helpless and had to find another way to talk to Yang Chen face-to-face.

…

Yang Chen gave Maya a 630,000 yuan watch, and she was so happy that she didn’t let him sleep well all night, causing him not to wake up until almost noon.

Maya was in the kitchen experimenting with her “dark” cuisine: half-cooked sweet and sour carp, cola chicken wings with blood still seeping out…

Yang Chen was scared just looking at it. It would be better to eat it raw.

Maya flipped her hair and said, “I think I’ve made great progress. I should be able to do it well after a few more tries. When you go out to drive, eat outside. I’ll just have some fruit and bread later.”

Yang Chen: “Why don’t you come out and eat with me?”

Maya: “No, I still need to study cooking.”

With that, Maya ran over and kissed Yang Chen, then ran back to cooking.

Yang Chen made two bowls of *Luosifen* [spicy river snail noodle soup] and ate them with Maya.

After eating the *Luosifen*, Yang Chen went out to drive.

In the evening, Ju Yiyi called Yang Chen.

Ju Yiyi: “Hello, Brother Chen, do you have time? Xuanyi is very grateful that you helped her so much and would like to invite you to dinner.”

Yang Chen: “I helped her because I wanted to get you. Now that you’re signing with my company, we’re even. She doesn’t need to thank me specifically.”

Ju Yiyi: “Then… okay. Can I treat you to dinner when you’re free?”

Yang Chen: “Sure. After you officially sign with my company.”

Ju Yiyi: “Okay! Then I won’t bother you. Goodbye, Brother Chen.”

Hanging up, Yang Chen was about to find a place to eat dinner.

At this time, at Zhuo Wenjun’s house.

Grandma: “Xiaojun, you’ve been working non-stop at home these past few days. Your body won’t be able to take it if you keep going like this. Why don’t you go out for a walk, or invite Yang Chen to dinner to maintain our family’s relationship with him?”

The old lady finished speaking and looked at her son, Zhuo Zidan, winking at him.

The Zhuo family was very satisfied with Yang Chen and hoped that he would become their son-in-law.

The family was worried that Zhuo Wenjun wasn’t being proactive enough.

There were countless girls who dreamed of marrying a handsome and rich man like Yang Chen. If Zhuo Wenjun didn’t take the initiative, she wouldn’t have a chance.

Zhuo Zidan understood his mother’s meaning and quickly said to his daughter, “Xiaojun, I think what your grandma said makes a lot of sense. Our family’s business will depend on him to grow stronger in the future, so we should maintain a good relationship with him. I’m not familiar with him, and he might not agree if I invite him to dinner. You’re friends with him, so he’ll definitely agree if you ask him. In the future, the family business will be entirely in your hands, and you need to learn how to maintain client relationships. Does that make sense?”

Zhuo Wenjun was stunned by her grandma and dad’s persuasion and quickly nodded, replying, “Okay, then I’ll call him and see if he has time.”

With that, she got up to wash her hands and went back to her room to make a call.

Zhuo Zidan whispered, “Are we doing the right thing? It makes it seem like Xiaojun can’t get married.”

Grandma: “It’s too easy for Xiaojun to get married, but it’s hard to marry a young man as outstanding as Yang Chen. I’ve lived for sixty years, and I’ve only met one young man as outstanding as Yang Chen. He can get people from Prince Gong’s Mansion. What kind of status do you think he has? It’s not easy for a family like ours to meet someone like that, so of course, we have to be proactive.”

Zhuo Zidan nodded, feeling that his mother’s words made sense. Just the Prince Gong’s Mansion alone was enough to show that Yang Chen’s status was extraordinary.

If Yang Chen could become the Zhuo family’s son-in-law, the Zhuo family would definitely take off in the future.

Zhuo Wenjun’s mother: “The main thing is that Xiaojun seems to have feelings for him too. I can tell that the way Xiaojun looks at him is different from how she looks at others. Let’s just treat it normally. If they can really be together, that’s of course a good thing. If he doesn’t have those feelings for Xiaojun, we can’t force it.”

Zhuo Wenjun dialed Yang Chen’s number.

Zhuo Wenjun: “Hello, Brother Chen, what… what are you doing?”

Yang Chen: “I’m about to find a place to eat. What’s up?”

Zhuo Wenjun: “I was just thinking about eating too. Let me treat you. Where are you now?”

Yang Chen: “I’m at Joy City.”

Zhuo Wenjun: “Then wait for me, I’ll come find you right away.”

Zhuo Wenjun was worried that Yang Chen would refuse, so she quickly hung up.

More than ten minutes later, Zhuo Wenjun, after carefully dressing up, walked out of her room.

Zhuo Wenjun said as she hurried towards the door, “I’m going to have dinner with Yang Chen. Don’t wait for me for dinner tonight.”

Grandma, Dad, and Mom quickly nodded happily, not forgetting to tell her to have a good chat with Yang Chen.

Zhuo Wenjun nodded, changed her shoes, and went out.

Grandma: “Our Xiaojun’s conditions are still very good. I wouldn’t say she’s worthy of Yang Chen, but at least she’s not climbing too high.”

Dad: “That’s right. With my daughter’s conditions, she’s good enough for a young master like Wang Nianming. It’s just that Yang Chen’s conditions are too heaven-defying. He even got Prince Gong’s Mansion involved. It’s really hard to imagine what his identity is.”

Mom: “Sigh… Don’t say these things in the future. Although we do think highly of Yang Chen’s overall conditions, saying it so explicitly makes it seem like we’re pushing our daughter to be greedy for power.”

Half an hour later, Zhuo Wenjun and Yang Chen met at Joy City.

“Brother Chen, what do you want to eat? I’ll search for nearby restaurants online,” Zhuo Wenjun asked with a smile.

Yang Chen: “Just something simple. Let’s have steak.”

Zhuo Wenjun nodded and searched for nearby steak restaurants, eventually choosing Hya Atlantis Saffron Western Restaurant.

This restaurant was the first store opened by Hya Atlantis Hotel, a seven-star hotel controlled by Yang Chen, to try to enter the high-end catering industry.

Yang Chen nodded and said, “Okay! Let’s choose this one.”

The two followed the navigation prompts and walked towards Saffron Restaurant.

The two were walking and talking with smiles when suddenly a female voice called out Zhuo Wenjun’s name.

“Wenjun?”

Zhuo Wenjun looked up and saw a girl wearing a mask, sunglasses, and a hat waving at her.

Zhuo Wenjun didn’t recognize her at first, so the other party quickly lifted her mask and made a face at her.

“Ruoxi, what are you doing here?” Zhuo Wenjun said softly, quickly stepping forward to hug her.

This person was named Zhang Ruoxi, and she was Zhuo Wenjun’s roommate at the dance academy.

After graduation, Zhuo Wenjun went home to “inherit” the family business, taking over her grandfather’s craft and saying goodbye to the dance industry.

Zhang Ruoxi was more fortunate. With her high looks and graceful figure, she captured the heart of an investor. With the investor’s heavy support, she was now considered a second-tier celebrity.

She played supporting roles in some big productions and female lead roles in some small productions, so she was doing pretty well.

Because of her celebrity status, Zhuo Wenjun didn’t dare to call her name out loud, lest she be surrounded by passersby.

The two hugged each other and exchanged a few words of greeting, then Zhang Ruoxi’s attention turned to Yang Chen.

Wow, what a handsome man. He’s so strong and has such a good temperament.

Zhang Ruoxi was instantly smitten. He was her type.

“Wenjun, is this your boyfriend?” Zhang Ruoxi asked softly.

Zhuo Wenjun quickly denied it, saying, “No, we’re just ordinary friends for now.”

Zhang Ruoxi’s eyes lit up. Then she still had a chance.

As a second-tier celebrity, it shouldn’t be difficult to pursue an ordinary handsome guy, right?

However, Zhang Ruoxi didn’t dare to openly pursue Yang Chen. She didn’t dare let her backer know, or he might stop supporting her.

First, she’d find a way to add him on WeChat and slowly flirt with him later.

“What are you doing here? Shopping?” Zhang Ruoxi asked.

Zhuo Wenjun: “No, we’re here to eat.”

Zhang Ruoxi: “What a coincidence? I’m also meeting a friend for dinner. Where are you going to eat?”

Zhuo Wenjun pointed to the Hya Atlantis Saffron Restaurant not far ahead and said, “There.”

Zhang Ruoxi: “Wow, that’s really a coincidence. We’re also meeting there for dinner. It’s been three years since we last met, right? Why don’t we eat together?”

Zhang Ruoxi’s goal was Yang Chen, and Zhuo Wenjun was her stepping stone to get closer to him.

Zhuo Wenjun was in a dilemma.

She had invited Yang Chen to dinner to connect with him, and Zhang Ruoxi’s addition was a bit of a hindrance.

But after three years, her old classmate had taken the initiative to invite her, and it didn’t seem appropriate to refuse directly.

Yang Chen didn’t like eating with strangers, so he said, “Why don’t you eat together? We can meet another time.”

Zhuo Wenjun quickly said, “No, no, no. Ruoxi, let’s not eat dinner together. I’ll take you to sing karaoke after dinner. How does that sound?”

Zhang Ruoxi nodded awkwardly with a smile, saying, “Okay! Then you guys go ahead. I won’t bother you.”

Zhuo Wenjun nodded with a smile, and she and Yang Chen went to the Hya Atlantis Saffron Restaurant first.

Zhang Ruoxi’s expression gradually turned ugly. She thought, “What’s the big deal? Just because you’re handsome? Men who want to eat with me could line up from here to the United States. I want to eat with you, and you don’t want to. Ugh!”

At this time, Zhang Ruoxi’s sugar daddy, Qu Changde, arrived.

“Ruoxi, have you been waiting long?” Qu Changde asked with a smile.

Zhang Ruoxi shook her head and said, “No, I just got here too. Let’s go.”

Although they were in that kind of relationship, they still had to be careful in public.

If they were photographed and posted online, Zhang Ruoxi’s pure and innocent image would collapse.

The two arrived at Saffron Restaurant and asked the waiter for a private room.

Waiter: “I’m sorry, we don’t have any private rooms available at the moment. There are two other guests waiting for a private room ahead of you. You’ll have to wait a little longer.”

Zhang Ruoxi followed the waiter’s gaze and saw that the two guests the waiter was talking about were Yang Chen and Zhuo Wenjun.

Qu Changde also saw Zhuo Wenjun, who had a better temperament than Zhang Ruoxi. An idea popped into his head: he could turn Zhang Ruoxi, who had a slightly inferior temperament, into a second-tier celebrity, so he could definitely make Zhuo Wenjun, who had a better temperament, famous too.

Qu Changde only invested in film and television now, and he specialized in promoting actresses. He could not only earn commissions but also get their bodies, which was a win-win situation.

He’d do it right away. Qu Changde said with a smile, “I’ll discuss it with them and ask them to let us use the private room first, or we can use the private room together.”

Zhang Ruoxi quickly stopped him and said, “No, that girl is my college roommate, Zhuo Wenjun. We already met outside just now. I wanted to invite them to eat together, but that man didn’t want to.”

Oh crap, a college roommate, which meant that the girl named Zhuo Wenjun also graduated from the dance academy.

It was good to learn to dance because they could do all kinds of difficult poses.

Qu Changde was already tired of sleeping with Zhang Ruoxi, and it was time to change to someone with better conditions.

“Since she’s a college roommate, then we definitely have to eat together. Besides, there are no private rooms now, so we can just squeeze in. Let’s go, let’s discuss it with them,” Qu Changde said hypocritically.

Zhang Ruoxi didn’t think much about it, nodded, and walked over with Qu Changde.

“Wenjun, let’s share a private room. The waiter said there are no private rooms, and I can’t eat in the lobby. Discuss it with your boyfriend, and we’ll eat together,” Zhang Ruoxi said.

Zhuo Wenjun looked at Yang Chen with embarrassment.

This was Hya Atlantis’s restaurant, and Yang Chen thought that doing business was important, so he nodded and said, “Okay! Then let’s use a private room together.”

Zhang Ruoxi: “Great. This is my friend, Mr. Qu Changde. Wenjun, what’s your friend’s name?”

Qu Changde shook hands with Yang Chen in a serious manner and said, “Hello, my name is Qu Changde.”

Yang Chen: “Hello, my name is Yang Chen.”

Qu Changde: “Let’s add each other as friends. We’ll have the opportunity to get together often in the future. I mainly do film and television investment. I think Mr. Yang and Miss Zhuo both have very good images. Are you interested in becoming actors? I can help you operate it. I can’t guarantee anything else, but at least I can make you second- or third-tier celebrities. If you two have good talent and luck, becoming first-tier celebrities is not a problem.”

Zhang Ruoxi was unhappy. If Qu Changde promoted Zhuo Wenjun, then she would have fewer opportunities.

“Wenjun has her own career to do, so don’t think too much about it,” Zhang Ruoxi said quickly.

Zhuo Wenjun: “Yes, I have my own job, and I’m not interested in being an actress. Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Qu. You should give all your resources to Ruoxi.”

Qu Changde concealed his inner embarrassment with a smile and nodded helplessly.

However, he didn’t want to give up so easily.

If Zhuo Wenjun wasn’t willing, then he’d start with Yang Chen.

“Mr. Yang, are you interested in becoming a celebrity?” Qu Changde asked.

Yang Chen shook his head and said, “I’m not interested. Being a celebrity is too tiring and not suitable for me. I prefer to be free and drive a taxi for a few hours every day. There’s no need to work so hard.”

Driving a taxi?

Oh, so he’s a taxi driver.

Qu Changde straightened his back in an instant, feeling even more confident that he had Zhuo Wenjun in the bag.

No matter what, he, the boss of an investment company, was stronger than a taxi driver.

Zhang Ruoxi was also happy in her heart. Yang Chen was just a taxi driver. She could use some tricks to win him over.

It had to be said that Qu Changde and Zhang Ruoxi were a match made in hell. Their marriage would be the best ending, so they wouldn’t have to think about other people.

At this time, the waiter came over.

The private room had been cleaned up, and they could go in.

The four came to the private room.

The waiter brought the menu for them to order.

Yang Chen wasn’t very hungry; otherwise, he wouldn’t have come to eat Western food.

He just ordered a steak.

Zhuo Wenjun cared about her figure and usually paid attention to controlling her diet.

Therefore, she also ordered a steak like Yang Chen.

Qu Changde misunderstood. He thought that Yang Chen and Zhuo Wenjun were poor and could only order the cheapest steak *套餐* [set meal] and didn’t dare to order other delicious dishes.

Zhang Ruoxi also thought the same way. They both felt that the opportunity to perform had come.

Qu Changde: “You old classmates are reunited, how can you just eat some steak? I’ll order. Waiter, bring four servings of pan-fried foie gras, a king crab weighing more than five pounds, and two Australian lobsters weighing four pounds each.”

Zhang Ruoxi: “I want to eat some caviar, so let’s have four servings of caviar.”

Qu Changde: “No problem, we’ll order whatever you want to eat. My consumption concept is very simple. As long as it’s eaten or used, it doesn’t matter how much money it costs. Brother Yang, Miss Zhuo, what else do you want to eat? Order whatever you want, I’m treating tonight.”

Yang Chen shook his head with a smile and said, “No need, I’m not very hungry. A steak *套餐* [set meal] is enough.”

Zhuo Wenjun: “Me too, a steak *套餐* [set meal] is enough.”

Zhang Ruoxi: “Then let’s do that for now. We can order more if it’s not enough. Waiter, serve the dishes as soon as possible.”

The waiter nodded and said, “Okay. Please wait a moment, the dishes will be served soon.”

The kitchen needed some time to prepare the dishes, so Qu Changde began to show off.

“Actually, doing film and television investment is a test of personal vision. If you choose the right person to promote, you can easily succeed. If you don’t have a good eye and choose the wrong person to promote, you may spend a lot of money and not see any results.”

“I have a lot of contacts in the entertainment industry. As long as there are suitable newcomers, I can make them famous. A few days ago, there were a few newcomers who asked me to promote them, the new members of the girl group SHN, Wu Xiuyun and Yang Yunzi. However, I didn’t like them. Actually, I’m very interested in Ju Yiyi, the face of the SHN group, and I’m also very optimistic about the new member Zheng Xuanyi.”

“I not only promote newcomers, but I also promote many celebrities who are already famous. For example, Wang Chao and Sun Yali, the couple who made ‘Ping Pong’s Counterattack,’ have my investment.”

…

Qu Changde kept bragging about his achievements, just to make Zhuo Wenjun tempted.

But Zhuo Wenjun was really indifferent and didn’t listen to him show off at all.

Yang Chen said with a smile, “I saw in the news that ‘Ping Pong’s Counterattack’ was taken down. What’s going on?”

Qu Changde: “Brother, you asked a great question. Let me tell you, there’s a big shot involved behind this.”

Yang Chen: “Really? What big shot? He can actually take down a movie that’s currently in theaters.”

Qu Changde: “You might not believe it, but that big shot is also named Yang Chen, the same name as you.”

Zhuo Wenjun’s eyes lit up. This might not be the same name, but the same person!