In front of Gu Bai, besides Wu Qian who sat on the edge nervously, there were three others.
A short, plump middle-aged man with dark skin in a suit was probably Qi Jianhong, the president of Yao Lai Film and Television, whom Gu Bai had asked Principal Wang to invite.
As for the other two, not only did Gu Bai know them, but most people knew them too.
One of Hua Country’s four great directors, Ma Xiaogang.
An international top-tier action star, and also a widely recognized bigwig in Hua Country’s entertainment circle, Chen Long!
In the previous life, Gu Bai had heard that from top idol to the most notorious person in domestic entertainment, Wu Qian made a remarkable record in five years. Wu Qian was always that Wu Qian, the difference was that previously he had various "benefactors" assisting him, the most crucial one being Qi Jianhong, the chairman of Yao Lai Group.
In 2012, Qi Jianhong collaborated with Chen Long to establish Yao Lai Film and Television.
And under its flag, there were only two artists, Chen Long and Wu Qian. Without this relationship, why would Chen Long repeatedly praise Wu Qian at various public events? Who would have thought that the big brother who openly criticized young idols was actually Wu Qian’s backer? Therefore, the entertainment circle is a small world; as long as there’s an interest, nothing else matters.
As for Ma Xiaogang’s presence, although it was unexpected for Gu Bai, it was also reasonable.
After all, Huayi and Yao Lai are brother enterprises, so it’s only natural to come and support Wu Qian.
Facing several bigwigs, Principal Wang and Gu Bai remained calm, showing no change in their expressions, but Peng Shiba was nervous, her face a bit pale, tightly clutching Gu Bai’s arm, as the whole matter originated because of her. It could be said that this dinner was arranged for her, the little internet celebrity.
Sensing Peng Shiba’s nervousness, Gu Bai gently held her hand to reassure her, then led her directly to a seat.
"This must be President Gu, right? Lately, I’ve been hearing your name in various occasions. Truly, meeting you in person surpasses the reputation. ’Promising young talent’ seems too small a phrase when applied to President Gu."
Recently, Gu Bai’s name had spread throughout the capital circle. A 20-year-old captain of a billion-dollar group wasn’t just a gimmick.
It’s known that Qi Jianhong was already 50 years old, with peak assets only reaching 16 billion, and that was assets, not cash. The Gu Bai in front of him was different; in the circle, he’s famed for having billions in cash, completely in a different league.
Faced with Qi Jianhong’s compliments, Gu Bai responded with a slight smile.
"President Qi is too kind. We’re just engaging in minor affairs, with no noteworthy projects at the moment, unlike President Qi. Yao Lai Film and Television has been thriving brilliantly in the film industry these past few years."
It was clear that Gu Bai had no intention of exchanging pleasantries, and Qi Jianhong knew what Gu Bai had come for today, so his smile diminished somewhat.
"Chen Long and Director Ma were my idols during childhood. Meeting in a setting like today is indeed a serendipitous encounter."
In terms of assets, Chen Long was no less than Qi Jianhong, and his influence was far greater. However, facing Gu Bai, who was considerably younger than his own son, Chen Long didn’t show any arrogance, maintaining his good elder brother image in public while exchanging pleasantries with Gu Bai.
As for Ma Xiaogang, Gu Bai had no fondness for him, perhaps due to Zhai Li’s involvement, wherein his dislike extended to the entire Huayi.
After uttering a few polite words, the conversation didn’t continue.
Seated in another spot, Wu Qian observed Gu Bai exchanging courtesies with several bigwigs, his mood could be best described with a Kyoto dialect as "liver trembling."
Since being slapped and kicked by Gu Bai last time, Wu Qian returned to Kyoto and began gathering information about Gu Bai.
Not knowing was fine, but the more he found out, the more anxious he became.
Firstly, he asked a few friends within the system to investigate Gu Bai’s family information, only to get a response: insufficient permissions; besides knowing he was from Anhui Province, there was nothing else.
Moreover, during this period, Gu Bai had been crazily investing in film and television in the entertainment circle, spending nearly 1 billion acquiring companies. Just the visible strength was enough to crush him, not to mention the hidden background behind Gu Bai.
Upon thinking this, he wished he could strangle himself for that day.
Why had desire clouded his judgment to the point of daring to have ideas about Gu Bai’s company employees, foolishly even hitting Gu Bai’s woman.
This wasn’t his first time faltering because of a woman.
Last year, there was a major scandal involving himself and a certain internet celebrity. Although it caused quite a stir, under the mitigation by Qi Jianhong and other bigwigs, the issue was smoothly resolved. After behaving well for a while, just as he planned to do something, he hit the iron plate of Gu Bai, and now Wu Qian’s regret was consuming him inside.
Gu Bai was unaware of Wu Qian’s thoughts and didn’t care to know. After exchanging politeness for awhile, he straightforwardly broached the subject.
"President Qi, Brother Chen Long, I bet you are aware of why I traveled all the way from Shanghai to Kyoto. You both are seniors, while I am younger and might speak a bit bluntly; please bear with me."
Upon hearing these words, everyone except Principal Wang, who was there to accompany, was taken aback.
Though they knew Gu Bai has come to hold someone accountable, none expected him to be so candid. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⚑𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⚑𝙣𝙚𝙩
"Please, President Gu, go ahead."
Having received a reply, Gu Bai no longer held back and spoke calmly: "You should be aware of what Wu Qian did. I just want to know what kind of explanation you can give me."
His tone was exceptionally flat, devoid of any aggressive stance, yet it directly cornered Qi Jianhong and others to the edge of a cliff, leaving no room for them to maneuver.
Wu Qian swallowed his words, looking at Gu Bai’s calm face, then at the bigwigs who came to support him, without daring to speak a word.
In the entertainment circle, he was top-tier, envied by many, but in this scenario, he was just a small fry, and nobody cared about his opinion.
After a few seconds of silence, Qi Jianhong’s dark face showed a hint of a smile, slowly speaking: "President Gu, isn’t the word ’explanation’ a bit too heavy?"
"Oh? What does President Qi think then?"
Gu Bai laughed lightly as if he wasn’t the least bit concerned with Qi Jianhong’s words.
"We are aware of the specifics of this matter, and it is indeed Wu Qian’s fault. However, President Gu, as you mentioned, young people need to be forgiving; this incident didn’t cause any loss to you. If President Gu is willing, I will decide, and let Wu Qian offer a toast and apologize. Additionally, he will provide 1 million as compensation to the lady. How about that?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Qian promptly cast his gaze toward Gu Bai, eagerly seeking his reaction.
As long as Gu Bai nodded, the matter would be resolved, as for compensation, 1 million was trivial; he could easily afford it. Compared to his career, what was 1 million worth?