Ever since he started dating Chen Fei'er, Lu Chen had been prepared for people to hold a grudge.
As one of the country's enduring queen-level pop stars, Chen Fei'er stood at the very top of the entertainment industry in terms of talent, character, and beauty.
Naturally, she had no shortage of admirers. And the men who had both the confidence and status to pursue her were anything but ordinary.
Unlike many people in show business who treated romance casually, Chen Fei'er had always been conservative when it came to relationships.
Although she'd been linked to several dating rumors over the years, they had all eventually been exposed as either false reports or deliberate publicity stunts.
So when her relationship with Lu Chen became public, it caused quite a stir throughout the industry. Among all those who had pursued her without success, very few could honestly say they felt no resentment.
What Lu Chen hadn't expected was to run into one of her former suitors so soon after coming to Hong Kong.
---
As they left the Yunding Hotel, Li Mubai looked like he was itching to stir up trouble. "So, should we teach Cui Xingxian a lesson? Let's show him we're not people he can mess with."
Under Liu Zhenghao's mediation, Jiang Chenghua had formally apologized, served Lu Chen tea, and paid ten million yuan in compensation. The dispute was finally settled, and as for the troubles Honghua was currently facing, they were no longer Lu Chen's concern.
Overall, it was a satisfactory outcome. But the Li family's Third Young Master clearly wasn't ready to let things end there.
"He dared to go after Sister Fei'er," Li Mubai muttered. "We should beat him up!"
Lu Chen couldn't help laughing. "Forget it."
He already owed the Li family plenty. Asking Li Mubai to deal with Cui Xingxian on his behalf would only deepen that debt. Besides, if Cui Xingxian needed to be dealt with, Lu Chen intended to do it himself.
Li Mubai frowned. "So we're just letting him off?"
"No," Lu Chen said, shaking his head. "We'll settle this on the battlefield."
The battlefield, of course, was the film industry. If 'A Chinese Ghost Story' could secure one of the government's support slots while pushing 'Painted Skin' out of the running, that would be the most satisfying victory of all.
Still, the incident made Lu Chen realize something: it wasn't enough to focus solely on making his own film. He also needed to know his competition. He immediately tasked Chen Wenqiang with gathering information on the rival productions.
---
Walking toward the car, Lu Chen took out the envelope containing the ten-million-yuan check and handed it to Li Mubai.
Li Mubai rolled his eyes. "What's this?"
"It's yours," Lu Chen said with a smile. "You did the most to help with this whole affair. I can't let you work for free."
Li Mubai immediately raised his middle finger. "You think I'm short on money?"
Lu Chen laughed. "Your sister already called me. Stop pretending and take it, there's no need for formalities between us."
Having his bluff exposed, Li Mubai immediately wilted. "My sister is way too stingy," he complained miserably. "She only gave me a few million yuan to start my company in Hong Kong. I can barely afford to take my friends out for dinner!"
Lu Chen laughed and shoved the envelope into his hands. "Use this first. If you run out, come ask me for more."
Li Mubai grinned sheepishly and finally accepted it. Their friendship had long since reached the point where they didn't need to waste time with fake politeness.
Besides... it was only ten million yuan.
---
By then, it was already late at night. For Li Mubai, however, the night was only beginning. The moment he got the money, he started calling friends to arrange a night out.
Lu Chen naturally declined and had Zhang Xiaofang drive him back to the house in Repulse Bay.
When he got home, Chen Fei'er was still awake, in the middle of her nightly skincare routine. Although she had naturally flawless skin, no one's beauty could withstand the passage of time forever.
Youth faded eventually, and proper care was the only way to slow it down. For actors who spent every day wearing heavy makeup, skincare was especially vital.
Seeing Lu Chen return, she asked through the facial mask covering her face, "You're back? How did it go?"
Lu Chen took off his jacket, gave his girlfriend a gentle hug, and sat down on the edge of the bed. "It's settled."
Chen Fei'er chuckled. "Harmony brings prosperity. But seriously, why did they go to so much trouble? Were they trying to force an investment in your movie? Or your studio?"
Lu Chen hesitated briefly before answering honestly. "They were acting on someone else's orders."
"Someone else's?" Surprised, Chen Fei'er removed her facial mask. "Do you know who?"
Having enemies wasn't unusual in the entertainment industry; anyone who refused to fall in line was bound to offend people sooner or later.
But the truly dangerous enemies were the ones who stayed hidden until the perfect moment to stab you in the back. Having spent over a decade in the industry, Chen Fei'er had seen plenty of that darkness herself, so she was naturally concerned.
"Huaguan Film," Lu Chen explained. "They're also shooting a movie in Hong Kong. It's the same genre as ours, adapted from 'Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio', so we'll be competing directly."
"Huaguan Film..." Chen Fei'er frowned thoughtfully. "I've met their general manager before. As for Cui Xingxian..." She shook her head, her eyes full of disdain. "He's incredibly arrogant. Far too full of himself."
Lu Chen smiled, pulling her into his arms. "Enough about that. My dear wife, let me get some rest."
He leaned in to kiss her, but Chen Fei'er giggled and covered his mouth with her hand. "I haven't taken a shower yet."
Reluctantly, Lu Chen let her go. She rose gracefully and walked toward the bathroom. After taking a few steps, she stopped, looked back over her shoulder, and shot him a teasing, soul-stirring glance. "Want to join me?"
Lu Chen's eyes lit up, and he jumped to his feet without hesitation.
It turned out to be a wonderfully romantic night.
---
Filming for 'A Chinese Ghost Story' resumed the next day.
Now fully settled into her role, Chen Fei'er's performance grew even better. She rarely needed a second take, leaving director Wan Xiaoquan extremely satisfied.
With all the previous distractions out of the way, production was running smoothly once again. The crew's morale was high, and everything suggested they would finish on schedule.
That afternoon, Chen Wenqiang brought Lu Chen a stack of market research documents. The report wasn't exhaustive, but the numbers still surprised him.
Only then did he learn that more than twenty film companies from the Mainland had already begun shooting movies in Hong Kong.
Counting productions from local Hong Kong studios that had either wrapped or recently entered production, at least a hundred films were expected to compete for the government support program the following year.
The competition was going to be fierce.
According to Chen Wenqiang's findings, besides Huaguan Film's 'Painted Skin', several other supernatural romances, including 'Eternal Love' and 'Spirit Fox', were already underway. 'A Chinese Ghost Story' was facing a crowded field.
Whether it could stand out among so many similar productions and secure one of those precious support slots remained completely uncertain.
But Lu Chen welcomed the challenge without fear.
(End Of This Chapter)
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