Chapter 257: Internal Entertainment Circle Gets “lively Together”
“Or… should we let Peng Chen and Chu Han Zhou take the finale?”
The person in charge of the red carpet saw the chief director’s expression and tentatively suggested, “They should both be happy to do it.”
“No… no, that doesn’t feel right. Let me look again. These two people… their star power is about the same, but who goes first and who goes second?”
The chief director felt a bit uncertain and shook his head, “Let’s see. Let’s just see.”
Mango TV’s chief director couldn’t make up his mind. The main reason was that Jin Xia, Sheng Ning, Shi Jinwei, and Shang Youshu all adopted a “deferential” attitude, which made him inexplicably nervous.
Could it be that… Chi Ye’s persona wouldn’t collapse?
He suddenly remembered the “tragedy” when they were competing for “Xing Ni.” The person in charge at Mango TV who had previously rejected “Xing Ni” was probably still looking for a job.
Hmm… let’s wait and see. No rush, no rush…
That’s what the director thought. He could “take his time,” but some people were already in a hurry.
— — Word spread somehow, and Peng Chen and Chu Han Zhou soon learned that they might be replacing Chi Ye to take the finale of this year’s Golden Eagle Festival!
In that instant, both their backs straightened, their hearts raced, and although they tried to hide it, the smiles on their faces were uncontrollable.
Peng Chen was a bit better off. Because of Jiang Mou’s sudden madness, the entire “Rise” was affected. Although he hadn’t been named yet, it was unpredictable when they might suddenly target him.
Chu Han Zhou was truly overjoyed.
Ever since Chi Ye ascended to become an unrivaled top streamer, he hadn’t had a single good day!
A large portion of his fans were absorbed by Chi Ye, and the company’s team spent money every day marketing him as one of the “Four Great Young Actors,” but Chi Ye refused to be associated with him, giving him no opportunity for co-branding.
Zhang Yu was so angry!
He was angry that someone he used to overlook, a mere small card, could now rise above him. Not only did he rise above him… he wouldn’t even give him the chance to ride on his popularity!
He absorbed my fans, and still won’t let me ride his coattails?
It could be said that Chu Han Zhou was currently the person among all the traffic stars who hated Chi Ye the most.
And if he could “replace” Chi Ye to take the finale on the red carpet at the Golden Eagle Festival, it would definitely be more than just a simple release of anger; it would be an excellent opportunity to make a strong statement and “elevate his status” again.
Look, I’ve even replaced Chi Ye; with the value of the Golden Eagle Festival finale, who would dare say Chu Han Zhou isn’t a top streamer?
Therefore, after learning this news, Zhang Yu’s team immediately communicated with Mango TV. At the same time, they started to spread rumors online – Rise has tax issues, so the question is, could Peng Chen, as a former senior member of Rise second only to Chi Ye, not have any?
He does!!
In an instant, before Jiang Mou could even attack Lao Peng, Lao Peng inexplicably accumulated many “black spots.”
He was dumbfounded, in disbelief, and extremely angry that Chu Han Zhou could do something so shameless.
Not long ago, they were still “chatting and laughing,” discussing how to jointly target their common enemy, Chi Ye.
And then, Chu Han Zhou started backstabbing him?
Dead memories began to attack Lao Peng. Lao Peng almost instinctively remembered how, on New Year’s Eve, Chu Han Zhou, using his higher star power and popularity, had forcefully snatched the finale spot from him…
He thought all of this was in the past with Chi Ye’s ascension, and now they both had a common enemy, but it seemed…
A dog can’t change its habits. Zhang Yu, you big idiot, I’ll fight you to the death!
— — Following Peng Chen’s suspected tax evasion, rumors began to circulate online that Chu Han Zhou also had significant tax issues.
Yes, while Chi Ye was still “collapsing,” two other top streamers in the internal entertainment circle were actually “fighting” each other.
The gossiping public and guests at the Golden Eagle Festival were dumbfounded. At this moment, Chi Ye, Peng Chen, and Chu Han Zhou had not yet walked the red carpet and were all in the waiting area. Many big stars found it inconvenient to approach, so they could only peek through the red carpet, wanting to see what was happening on the other side.
Would these three have already started fighting on the spot?
“What a grand show.”
Inside the venue, Xu Yingying, who was not participating in the red carpet segment but was present as an investor, looked at the scene and sighed, “Is this the era of great contention?”
“It’s just that Chi Ye hasn’t even collapsed yet, and these two are already fighting over his legacy… It’s a bit too hasty.”
“You can say that.”
Beside her, Ning Mo, one of the Four Great Flowers who had rarely been involved with the Beijing Circle, nodded. She looked at Xu Yingying and noticed the unconcealed smile on her face.
“Did you guys do this?”
“Huh?”
Xu Yingying paused, then reacted and chuckled, “Don’t talk nonsense. This kind of thing carries legal responsibility. If he hadn’t done anything wrong, how could this have happened? What does it have to do with us.”
Seeing her reaction, Ning Mo immediately understood.
Xu Yingying, when she was still a little flower, was known for her behind-the-scenes scheming and had stabbed many people in the back during various competitions.
Now she had become a big flower. While appearing amiable, she was actually arrogant.
How many times had Xu Yingying suffered losses at Chi Ye’s hands?
It was too many to count.
Therefore, Ning Mo didn’t doubt that Xu Yingying could do something like this. Of course, she might not have had such great influence alone, but if combined with the entire Beijing Circle, and even the film circle… then Chi Ye’s “earth-shattering” collapse would be quite normal.
“Little Ning, you haven’t interacted with that Chi Ye. This person isn’t suitable for the entertainment industry.”
Xu Yingying also knew she couldn’t hide it from Ning Mo. She said with a smile, “He’s too much of a loner. This time, it’s not me targeting him; everyone wants him to fail. Haven’t you understood yet?”
Ning Mo listened, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
…
Xu Yingying wasn’t lying.
It was indeed “everyone” who wanted Chi Ye to fail.
His opponents, enemies, and even investors he had collaborated with—such as the new handsome at Ku Ying—were very pleased to see this.
Let you get carried away, let you be arrogant. Now look, artists can also “confront” and put on airs with us platforms?
There is only one Ku Ying in the entertainment industry, but there can be countless “Chi Yes.”
Facts will tell everyone the answer. After this incident, let’s see how those so-called top streamers will continue to be “arrogant.”
“Chi Ye is making a move.”
The room door was knocked, and the secretary entered with a tablet to report, “They probably paid for marketing.”
“Marketing? What can he market? At this point, he’s still marketing?”
The new handsome asked doubtfully, “Selling sympathy?”
“…Yes, no, but it does seem quite pitiful.”
The secretary hesitated to speak.
The new handsome felt curious and took the tablet to glance at it. That one glance made him freeze in place.
…
#ChiYeCollapse event occurred less than four hours ago. Weibo crashed twice. Bilibili and Douyin, as well as major streaming platforms, had trending topics. Chi Ye’s side finally responded for the first time.
And his response was simple: only a few documents, recordings, and photos.
The documents were internal files from Yue Na from a few years ago. It’s unknown how Chi Ye, given his relationship with Yue Na, managed to obtain them, but their content was “shocking.”
Because the entire content, as long as one could read, was a summary of Yue Na’s tax situation regarding Chi Ye’s “artist contract” back then.
This summary detailed Chi Ye’s tax situation at the time, but what confused everyone was that this tax list was strange.
It was strange because it also had “post-dated” receipts, and the dates were very close.
The first few were normal taxes, as everyone imagined—Chi Ye’s taxes at that time were cleverly evaded by Yue Na using conventional methods.
At that time, Chi Ye’s declared income at the company was very high, with taxes amounting to ten million. Below it was a “salary record” from Yue Na to Chi Ye at that time, which should be internal information with Yue Na’s official seal.
He was paid 500,000 per month.
Owing 500,000 per month, but Yue Na could evade ten million in taxes?!
This was just one document.
Such an exaggerated and strong contrast instantly baffled all the gossiping netizens. Because although everyone knew Chi Ye had been severely exploited by Yue Na, the contract income Chi Ye had revealed at the time was zero.
People always said that the more Chi Ye worked, the more he owed, but there was never any solid evidence. After Chi Ye became famous, his team, to discard the “selling sympathy” persona, never mentioned anything about the past.
In the eyes of many bystanders, over time, it was naturally understood that Chi Ye had exaggerated his claims to save money, and the debt was likely non-existent.
But today, with Chi Ye being incredibly popular, this “bill” that had never been made public was revealed by chance.
The stark numerical contrast, along with the monthly “salary” of 500,000 and the blatant ten million in taxes, made people’s scalps tingle and their jaws drop.
【<This…??️<
【<Holy crap, Yue Na, is this still a company? Hasn't anyone investigated this company yet?!️<
【<It's too terrible. What kind of life did Ye Zi live before?️<
【<Where are the haters? Haters, speak up. With the treatment of owing 500,000 per month, how do you pay taxes? Some people still say that no matter how Yue Na squeezed Ye Zi, it's different from Chi Ye evading taxes… God, could he make his own decisions?️<
【<It's hard to imagine what Chi Ye went through to reach this point.️<
【<Brought to tears. I didn't know Professor Chi before; was he this miserable?️<
【<Others sell sympathy; only he is truly miserable. And people are exposing his past? Anyone who believes Jiang Mou is done for in this life.️<
【<Pure passerby, isn't the most outrageous thing that Chi Ye paid back taxes before he became famous? No one has ever mentioned this, have they…️<
Someone noticed the “strange” aspect of these tax documents.
In the later documents, there were actually Chi Ye’s own tax payment lists, officially certified with seals. It was clearly written, and upon a brief glance, a netizen found the dates to be extremely exaggerated—it was before “Xing Ni” aired.
To be precise, it was just after “Xuan Huan” aired, Chi Ye became a little popular, and as soon as he earned money, he promptly paid back the taxes he “owed.”
Yes, in a sense, Chi Ye “helped” Yue Na pay taxes, but he never told anyone, and his team never used this to market or promote themselves.
Because regardless of how you look at it, this was a “stain” from his past. So, the moment he gained autonomy, he chose to pay back taxes.
Some people roughly calculated that if these documents were true, it would mean that after “Xuan Huan,” Chi Ye had virtually no significant income—it was all used to pay taxes.
The previously aggressive and “joyful” paid commenters and haters were stunned, and the followers who jumped on the bandwagon were also bewildered.
This… Chi Ye doesn’t seem to have “collapsed” at all.
Not only did he not collapse, but it seems like…
【<At this moment, I suddenly understood the meaning of the four words "Quality Idol."️<
【<Brother, you truly never disappoint me! "Borrowed money to pay taxes," who else can do that?️<
【<At Yue Na, the more you worked, the more you owed, and you had no influence, but the moment you left Yue Na, you chose to pay back taxes for your past self… I'm crying.️<
【<Those who blindly attacked are truly brainless. Even with your rear end, you know how miserable Chi Ye was at Yue Na? Did Yue Na let him pay taxes if he wanted to?️<
【<Where are the haters? Where are the paid commenters? Why aren't you continuing your attacks?️<
【<Spreading rumors can indeed destroy a person, but luckily, Chi Ye was not destroyed.️<
【<I didn't feel it before, but now I realize Chi Ye's mental fortitude is truly amazing… This person shouldn't be in the entertainment industry; he would achieve success in anything.️<
【<@Yue Na @Certain Official Institution, aren't you going to do anything about this?️<
【<Ban Yue Na, permanently ban Jiang Mou!️<
【<Jiang Mou, go to hell! Yue Na's ancestors are also dead!️<
【<…️<
— — Chi Ye paid back taxes before, not because he was prescient, but because he had witnessed too many artists with tax problems on Earth. Therefore, knowing this could be a minefield, he naturally took precautions.
At that time, his financial situation wasn’t as exaggerated as netizens imagined. He had a wealthy older woman “keeping” him, so there was no so-called “borrowing money to pay taxes.” It was just that netizens liked to exaggerate things, and once they latched onto an idea, they would fiercely promote their perceived “habit.”
Of course, he also didn’t expect this document to actually be used. Originally, with his increasingly successful career, he had forgotten about it. But this incident gave him an opportunity.
Similarly, Chi Ye had “insiders,” which was something others had not anticipated.
Back then, he hadn’t actually received many of the “solid evidence” materials about him from Yue Na; he only had a contract. So, when he fell out with Yue Na, he could only expose that.
But now it’s different. Long ago, he had made arrangements at Yue Na. Once he had money, he naturally had the “ability.”
Moreover, Chi Ye’s issues with Yue Na had long been in the past. Even Yue Na itself didn’t expect these things, which were originally waste paper and had been “destroyed,” to appear in Chi Ye’s hands.
If you had it then, why didn’t you bring it out earlier? Wouldn’t the commotion when you fell out back then have been even bigger than it is now?
But…
They had no way to verify this, nor did they have the mental energy to ponder how this had happened.
Because, with Chi Ye’s side’s initial round of “refuting rumors,” and their final clarification, a decisive victory on the first battle, Yue Na was completely pushed to the forefront.
On the other side.
In the red carpet waiting area of the Golden Eagle Festival, Chi Ye was on the phone, saying to Keke, “Let’s do it together. Since they’re targeting us first, we can’t just let them watch the show. Let’s all join in the fun.”
