Chapter 25: I Can No Longer Look at Character Tropes the Same Way. (My sincere thanks to all the kind patrons for your recommendation votes, monthly tickets, and tips!)

"Six."

Li Can couldn't help but find it absurd. This was practically a world-class boxing champion unleashed on the entertainment industry, throwing haymakers left and right.

"You'd better be careful. Don't get tangled up with that sticky mess. He doesn't even know you, but if you happen to cross paths and get hurt, it wouldn't be worth the trouble."

Upon hearing Wang Yongchang's words, Li Can chuckled.

"It's fine, no big deal. My combat prowess is still top-tier. Back when I was in the UK, there was this group of 'knights.' The leader was a six-foot-tall guy, and I laid him out with a single kick. After I floored all five of them, I even danced right in front of them."

"What?" Wang Yongchang’s pupils constricted. He never expected Li Can to have such a glorious history. All that nutrition for his six-foot-three frame hadn't gone to waste.

"It’s true, there’s video," Li Can said, pulling his phone from his pocket and scrolling through his files. "I recorded it."

After a moment, he found his prized possession: "Precious Footage of an Early Overseas Student Domesticating Great Apes." He showed it to Wang Yongchang. Sure enough, several men were lying on the ground in the video, and the leader looked miserable, bruised and battered. Li Can was standing over him, dancing while the video featured some hilariously cheap flash effects.

"???" Wang Yongchang’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. He blurted out instinctively, "What if you can't beat him?"

"Then I’ll just be a Beyblade kid—I’ll at least be able to snap him in half." Li Can shrugged dismissively, his gaze turning distant. "If he dares to mess with me, I’ll fight him to the end. If the worst comes to the worst, I’ll just go home and take over my dad’s restaurant. We only live once; if you can't live comfortably, what’s the point?"

*I’ve already crossed over, I’m not going to take your crap! ...A man has to do what he has to do!*

Shaking his head, Li Can didn't say anything more. Amidst Wang Yongchang’s "we're doomed" expression, he continued reading down the list.

[Luo Zhongwen, male, 34, core artist of Yuehua Entertainment. Debuted in 2008. His personal annual income reached 12.5 million in 2013, 17.2 million in 2014, and is projected to hit 23 million in 2015. He plays the second male lead, the "Sword Demon," in *Xianxia Romance*.]

"Six."

Seeing the character Luo Zhongwen was playing, Li Can couldn't hold it in any longer.

***

He certainly lived up to the role of a "Sword Demon"—whether he was a "sword" or not was unclear, but he was definitely a "demon." While mocking him internally, Li Can was also secretly shocked. Compared to the traffic stars of the future with their annual incomes of hundreds of millions, this might not seem like much, but for 2015, it was undeniably dominant. He was a screen regular; while he might not be a top-tier superstar, he was firmly in the upper echelon of first-tier earners. Given his current traffic and status, it wouldn't be strange for his personal annual income to reach one or two hundred million in a few years.

"Alright, I get it." Li Can nodded and set the information sheet down. "I’ll bring a few friends over tomorrow. Once they’re finished with their onboarding, we’ll report to the set."

"No problem, I’ll notify the department below," Wang Yongchang said with a smile. "As for the crew, you don't need to worry too much. It’s unlikely you’ll run into trouble, and even if you do, you have the company backing you."

"That's right! Hahaha! Who could be that unlucky?"

"..." "..."

Their smiles faded instantly. They looked at each other, both feeling their right eyelids twitching violently.

...

After leaving Wang Yongchang's office, Li Can returned to his studio. He thought for a moment before standing up.

"Xiao Ai, analyze the basic information regarding Luo Zhongwen and Yuehua."

[Big Data System is analyzing and organizing for you...]
[Ding.]
[Since its inception, Yuehua’s business model has been severely distorted. At one point, 91% of its revenue originated from only two top artists, with the profits brought in by Luo Zhongwen accounting for as much as 70% at its peak.]
[Yuehua received 10 million in funding from Red Leaf Venture Capital in its Series A round in 2011, 120 million from Dingsheng in Series B at the end of 2014, and listed on the New Third Board at the start of this year. Luo Zhongwen debuted in 2008, exploded in popularity in 2013, and his fame continues to rise.]
[Yuehua, deeply dependent on Luo Zhongwen, is eager to break free from this status quo by expanding its business scope into entertainment investment, though with little success. Even so, Yuehua has provided a bold outlook for future growth this year and has signed a gambling agreement with Dingsheng.]
[The surface phenomenon is that Yuehua is highly dependent on Luo Zhongwen, but the deeper phenomenon is that the current market lacks liquidity and Yuehua’s market recognition is low. To develop, Yuehua must list to cash out, but a collapse is inevitable. Because the surface appearance affects investor judgment, once Luo Zhongwen’s reputation is ruined, it will likely cause a run on the company. The risk post-listing is extremely high.]

"So that's how it is..." Li Can nodded thoughtfully after hearing Xiao Ai's analysis.

No wonder Wang Yongchang was acting so serious when talking to him, but didn't seem to hold any real fear. The "threat" was likely just an indication that Yuehua was trying to leverage Luo Zhongwen's value and the future heat of this drama to cash out, and there was a fear that Yuehua might pull some desperate moves.

But this company really seemed to have significant problems.

"The New Third Board has very little trading volume; you can't build up a company's valuation there. I doubt they’re satisfied with just those scraps."

"Maybe they want to use this drama for strategic financing or an IPO, using the artist's popularity to boost the stock price and cash out. After all, this kind of distorted economic model... the stock price is too closely linked to the reputation of its artists; it's very easy to manipulate."

"The A-share market is tough, but the Hong Kong stock market seems plausible."

"They might even harvest some retail investors; heaven knows if the people behind Yuehua are looking to grab the money and run."

Li Can had an epiphany. No wonder Luo Zhongwen could beat up eight people while filming a single movie and face no consequences. It turned out he might be the one bringing the disaster. If he ever hit a real wall, Yuehua's collapse might happen in an instant.

"I thought he was some boss, but he’s just a small-time thug," Li Can muttered. It was a miracle such a person had survived in the entertainment industry for so long; he must have only encountered soft targets. As long as Yuehua wanted to make money, they had to list and cash out on their fans. If the artist was hot, the market value would skyrocket; if the artist's reputation collapsed, the company would die on the spot.

If Yuehua were to go public, with Luo Zhongwen's explosive temper, wouldn't every punch he threw be a punch to the stock price?

In an instant, Li Can understood. Why did some artists refuse to admit anything when facing a reputation crisis? It was almost always cold-handling or counter-intuitive, idiotic PR. It wasn't about entertainment; it was all about the stock.

"...Forget it, why am I thinking about him? Is it really going to be such a coincidence that I run into him? And what are the odds I’d end up in a fight with him?"

"Even if we do fight, it doesn't seem like a big deal. As long as I'm in the right and don't throw the first punch, I’m guaranteed to win."

Shaking his head, Li Can decided not to dwell on it. He opened his phone, thinking of browsing some other entertainment news to get a better feel for the circle.

On a whim, he searched for Luo Zhongwen’s name.

Immediately, a piece of old fan-content with the title [Luo Zhongwen, he really is the gentle prince of my dreams] caught his attention. He clicked on it and found it was entirely dedicated to praising how gentle, understanding, and affectionate Luo Zhongwen was. It dug deep into "easter eggs" and behind-the-scenes footage, even pointing out so-called "unintentional details" from variety shows.

It was as if these people were living in a false dream, carefully packaged by the entertainment industry.

Li Can felt a wave of darkness wash over him. Although he knew that an artist's persona was different from reality, the contrast was still too jarring. He felt like he could never look at an artist's persona the same way again.

"Gentle? You call someone who beat up eight people while filming a single movie 'gentle'?!"