Chapter 150: Chairman of Huayi!

"Miss Liu, this room is too small. Let's move to a large private suite upstairs. If you feel there aren't enough people to keep the atmosphere lively, feel free to invite more classmates and friends to join us."

After saying this, Lin Fan glanced up at the two couples in front of the window and added, "Though, some people are truly superfluous. Like flies, they not only pollute the environment but also spoil the mood. You should really avoid associating with such people in the future."

Liu Yimeng looked incredibly embarrassed. Was she expected to kick Yu Xiawei and the others out?

The man in the T-shirt, seeing how arrogant Lin Fan was acting, remained unconvinced. He walked straight up to the manager and asked with feigned anger, "Manager Jin, are you sure the diamond card in this guy's hand is real? Perhaps he stole someone else's?"

"No comment."

Jin Hantang didn't take the man in the T-shirt seriously at all. Someone holding only a gold card dared to put on airs in front of him? He was far too full of himself. If Lin Fan gave the order, he could have security throw this braggart out of the hotel. However, Lin Fan seemed magnanimous and chose not to stoop to the level of these four.

"It's still early. After we have lunch, how about we take a yacht out to sea? We can have a proper celebration when we return tonight."

Lin Fan took charge, dominating the room and crushing the momentum of the man with the crew cut and the man in the T-shirt.

Seeing this, the woman in glasses finally found an opportunity to speak up. "Thank you for the treat; I'm so embarrassed. With so many people, it must be quite an expense. If there were fewer people, the atmosphere might be much more harmonious."

Previously, those two vain women had belittled her until she couldn't hold her head up. Now that Lin Fan's status had been confirmed, those four didn't dare to utter a sound, and it was naturally her turn to strike back.

"It's nothing. Friendship is priceless; it's worth every penny. Even if there were twice as many people, it wouldn't cost much."

Lin Fan said this nonchalantly before giving a few instructions to Jin Hantang to arrange cars and a yacht for their afternoon excursion.

However, as soon as Jin Hantang left, Qiu Shan and Yu Xiawei began their antics again.

"Hmph! Isn't it just that you're relying on knowing the management of the Dihao Group to show off here? Could you still act so big anywhere else? Without that card, you're nothing!"

"Exactly. When it comes down to it, you're just a rich kid who lives off his family's money. If you're so capable, why don't you buy the whole hotel instead of just posturing?"

Seeing the two women attacking Lin Fan, the man with the crew cut and the man in the T-shirt were not to be outdone.

"Do you even know how expensive a yacht is? Can you afford it? The docking and maintenance fees alone could buy a luxury mansion in the suburbs!"

"I want to see if you can actually get a show producer to come here today. Can you really force Liu Yimeng into a production crew? As far as I know, the 'Keep Running' crew is all in the south filming. Do you think a nobody like you can just summon them back whenever you want?"

Lin Fan couldn't be bothered to explain anything to these two idiots; they were clearly ill-informed and self-righteous.

After the four of them had finished their round of mockery, Zhang Yichen finally retorted with an air of haughtiness: "President Lin knows the top actress of Huayi! He has also invested billions into filming the 'Detective Dee' series, led by Huayi Company. Of course, he knows the chairman! If I want, President Lin can arrange a role for me!"

Hearing this, everyone present gasped, all feeling that it was unbelievable. The three women with glasses were even more excited than words could express.

"Is President Lin really that powerful? Then, could I also take pictures with my favorite stars when my birthday comes around?"

"Wasn't that 'Sister Li' he called earlier the Huayi top actress who played Shangguan Wan'er?"

Even Liu Yimeng and the others began asking Lin Fan about the whereabouts of their favorite stars or if he could arrange small roles for them. After all, they were students at a drama academy; after graduation, they would either be actors or work in related fields. Which of the girls here didn't want to become a big star?

But becoming a star wasn't easy. Beyond personal talent, what mattered more were connections and capital that others couldn't reach. Without those, even the most capable person would fade into the crowd and disappear.

"Some people are just crazy for fame! Is becoming a star something you can just do? To be a big star, how many connections do you need to grease? How much money is spent behind the scenes? It's built with real money, not just by knowing one or two people!" The man with the crew cut crossed his arms and retorted with disdain.

Yu Xiawei and Qiu Shan continued to echo the gossip.

"Exactly, exactly. If money could buy everything, why are some third- or fourth-tier stars still unable to become top-tier big shots? The top-tier stars are not people that mere mortals can reach."

"Talking about investing billions with just a word? You've blown it up to the sky. Why haven't I seen any news? Are you filming movies in the underworld with ghost money?"

After they finished, Lin Fan spoke slowly: "I've just been busy negotiating various contract details lately. Everything is almost finalized, and it will be officially announced soon. I only need one phone call now to have Huayi announce the continuation of the 'Detective Dee' series!"

"You really can blow smoke, can't you? If people didn't know better, they'd think you were the great director Tsui Hark!" The man with the crew cut sneered.

"Coincidentally, I actually do have Director Tsui's contact information... At 4:00 PM, I will have Huayi announce this news." Lin Fan gave a light huff.

He wasn't bluffing. Ever since he signed the letter of intent, Li Li had recommended him to the upper management of Huayi Media. Because the first three films in the Detective Dee series were all invested in and led by Huayi, and many of the actors in the previous films were Huayi's, this sequel was also led by Huayi Media. They provided the actors, and Lin Fan provided the capital.

As early as the day he signed the contract, he had a video chat with the brothers on the Huayi Media board of directors. The Wang brothers were very grateful to Lin Fan for his timely help. This investment was so large that it could reverse the image of Huayi Media and would later help to restart or continue stalled film projects.

Originally, Huayi planned to announce it on Singles' Day to take advantage of the shopping festival's traffic, and they even planned to hold a press conference at the end-of-year Huayi Media annual meeting to announce the cast. However, Lin Fan intended to have Huayi Media release a teaser today and hold a formal press conference at the year-end meeting.

But the man with the crew cut and the others still felt that Lin Fan was just posturing.

"I really want to expose you on the internet, you idiot, so everyone can see how much of a braggart you are!"

"Calling her the top Huayi actress? Don't you know that of the two top Huayi actresses, one was banned for tax evasion, and the other retired due to age? They've faded into the crowd! You might not know, but these stars will record birthday greeting videos for anyone as long as you pay them. Cheap ones are 300,000 to 400,000, and big stars are over a million. You can use that to show off online."

The man with the crew cut looked at Lin Fan with great disgust. He remained convinced that Lin Fan was just spending money to put on an act. After all, who here didn't know how to act?