Chapter 152: Blacklisting Lin Ze!

Four songs.

The prompt was given right now.

After all, creating four songs is not as simple as writing just one.

Four songs.

"A long-awaited rain after a severe drought, meeting an old friend in a distant land, the wedding night in the bridal chamber, passing the imperial examination on the golden list."

I must admit, this director certainly knows how to make things difficult for people.

Every day he comes up with such bizarre prompts, and now he has even brought out the four major joys in life.

This competition is scheduled to begin at the same time the week after next.

Lin Ze mentioned this time to Lu Zhoushan, and Lu Zhoushan indicated that he understood.

For the next episode of the acting competition, Lin Ze would perform a segment in his absolute best condition and then announce to everyone his departure from the acting stage.

The second episode of the acting show featuring Lin Ze was broadcasted.

In this episode, Lin Ze let out a wild, uninhibited outburst that practically frightened Bai Zi into kneeling.

Even through the screen, everyone could feel the erratic and mercurial nature of the emperor portrayed by Lin Ze.

[Watching Lin Ze stand there, it wouldn't even be surprising if he suddenly choked Bai Zi to death in the next second.]

[I am most terrified of people like this; one second they are smiling at you, and the next they slap you across the face.]

[My high school teacher was just like this. To this day, whenever I see someone who looks like him, I get scared.]

The first episode might not have proven much, but now that the second episode is out, everyone has begun to acknowledge Lin Ze's acting skills.

Word of these events eventually reached a certain chubby man.

Zhou Tiesheng had never looked favorably upon Lin Ze entering the entertainment industry to begin with, but now Lin Ze's public reputation was actually quite good.

Since that was the case, he would just have to make his move!

Upon learning of this, Zhou Tiesheng immediately called several directors he knew.

The general core message was simple:

"Let's all unite to boycott any films featuring Lin Ze. As long as you join the boycott, if you ever run short of funds for your film shoots, just come to me."

At the same time, he also called several theater chains.

For those third-rate theater chains, Zhou Tiesheng gave only a single instruction:

"Do not allow any films featuring Lin Ze to be screened! Otherwise, the movie I invested in, *Romance of the Steel Forest*, will not be shown at your theaters."

The attitude of the second-rate theater chains was somewhat different.

"Help us boycott Lin Ze's films; it's best not to let them premiere at all anyway. It's just a low-budget movie after all, and when the time comes, we can insert a few extra advertisements into our *Romance of the Steel Forest*."

As for the first-tier theater chains.

Zhou Tiesheng made calls one by one. When dealing with such behemoths, his tone was much more polite.

"Hello, is this Zhengyuan Cinema? Ah, I am the producer of *Romance of the Steel Forest*."

"Mm-hm, go ahead."

Zhou Tiesheng took a sip of water to moisten his already hoarse throat.

"Hello, hello. The reason for my call today is actually to discuss the profit-sharing after our movie premieres."

"Oh..." The person on the other end nodded vaguely. "Can't we just follow the standard revenue split? Are you looking for a higher profit share?"

"No, no, no!"

Zhou Tiesheng hurriedly said, "That's not what I mean. Actually, we don't even need a single cent..."

"As long as your esteemed theater chain is willing to boycott Lin Ze's movie, I am willing to forgo my share of the profits for this film entirely."

The voice on the other end fell silent for a moment before saying, "Let's do this. I need to report this matter to my superiors, or you can call my boss directly."

Zhou Tiesheng found it a bit strange. Why would such a simple matter require reporting to superiors? Wasn't this the direct number for the person in charge of the theater chain?

The person gave him a string of digits, and Zhou Tiesheng dutifully wrote them down.

It turned out to be a private number. With some lingering suspicion, Zhou Tiesheng dialed the call.

"Hello?" A dignified voice came from the other end. "You must be President Zhou Tiesheng, right?"

Hearing the voice from across the line, Zhou Tiesheng suddenly felt a pang of guilt and could only answer hastily.

"Ah, yes, yes..."

"You're saying you want our theater chain to ban Lin Ze's movie from release, correct?"

Across the phone, Zhou Tiesheng nodded vigorously once more. "Yes, yes, yes! To compensate for your losses, our side..."

"It's fine. It's still quite early before your movie finishes production. I'll tentatively agree to this matter for now." The voice paused, then continued, "May I ask? Why do you want to ban Lin Ze's movie from being released?"

"To be completely honest with you, the situation is actually like this..." Zhou Tiesheng gathered his thoughts. "Lin Ze failed his audition, and as a result, he flew into a rage and started insulting us..."

"Alright, understood. Then let's wish each other a pleasant cooperation."

Zhou Tiesheng wasn't sure if he misheard, but it seemed as though he heard a light chuckle from the other side.

The call disconnected. With a smiling expression, the person on the other end picked up the phone and dialed a different number.

"Oh my, son! Someone just called me wanting our theater chain to blacklist your movie."

A similarly smiling voice came from that side of the line.

"Godfather, the budget for that movie is only a tenth of that other film's..."

"Let's make a deal. If this movie becomes a hit, how about you fork over some cash to invest in a couple of movies for me?"

"Done, small matter." Su Zhengguo laughed heartily and waved his hand. "Is your movie... forget it, won't ask. I'll go to the cinema to watch it after you guys premiere."

Lin Ze patted his chest and promised, "Rest assured, when the premiere ceremony arrives, I'll bring the two of you as well as my mom and dad over."

After a few more closing remarks, the call hung up.

"What's going on?" Su Zitan asked with a puzzled expression.

"Zhou Tiesheng went all the way to my godfather, saying he wanted their theater chain to blacklist our movie."

Hearing this, the two of them covered their mouths and burst into laughter.

"Hahaha..."

After laughing for a moment, Lin Ze stroked his chin and pondered.

"I've already stepped out into the spotlight, I just wonder how he's going to deal with your side."

"What are you thinking about? Are you scheming about how we should mess with him?" Seeing the mischievous look plastered all over Lin Ze's face, Su Zitan knew he was definitely up to no good.

...

In business, there are many circles: jewelry sellers, clothing vendors, the food industry.

Across all three hundred and sixty trades, every profession is distinct.

Yet everyone is ultimately here to make money, and as long as money is involved, even someone in the food business can strike up a conversation with someone in apparel.

Zhou Tiesheng's net worth was already substantial, making him a heavyweight figure whom many in the industry could only look up to.

He owned a major portion of the commercial chain encompassing design, processing, and retail, and he had even managed to squeeze a tiny foothold into the raw materials sector.

Thus, his foundation was deeply entrenched, which made quite a few people envious.

It didn't take much effort for Zhou Tiesheng to find out which factory served as Su Zitan's upstream supplier.

All he had to do now was cut off that supply chain!