Chapter 155: 155: Must Sell the Guild

Chen Ankang didn’t go straight to the point but instead asked, “From what I gathered from what you said earlier, Hua’an Film and Television have collaborated with Fengcai Guild, and you don’t know why?”

Chen Guanglei was taken aback, then asked, “Dad, do you know?”

Chen Ankang nodded, “In a word, it’s all for profit. With enough benefits, conflicts between people, as long as they’re not particularly deep-seated hatred, can be resolved. If I were Xue Zhanhua, I would also collaborate with Fengcai Guild rather than other guilds.”

Chen Guanglei was stunned again, “Why?”

Chen Ankang said, “It’s simple. Collaborating with Fengcai Guild is safe, it gives peace of mind.”

Chen Guanglei frowned, “Dad, what do you mean? From what you’re saying, it seems like collaborating with our guild is unsafe, and it doesn’t give others peace of mind.”

Chen Ankang nodded, “That’s exactly the case.”

Chen Guanglei, puzzled, said, “Dad, I don’t understand. Why is it that collaborating with Fengcai Guild is safe and gives peace of mind, but with our guild, it’s not safe and doesn’t give peace of mind?”

Chen Ankang sighed and said, “Look at what products Jia Sheng Guild is currently selling, most are from unknown brands, and there are many substandard products. Selling such products will sooner or later lead to disaster. How can you make others feel safe and at ease?”

“Dad, you’re talking about this.” Chen Guanglei laughed, “Zhao Yulu has already mentioned this to me, and I don’t think there’s any need to worry about it. As long as you can make money, that’s fine. The quality issues are not our problem.”

Chen Ankang shook his head, “No, this is our problem. Once a scandal breaks, any guild and host involved in selling counterfeit products will not be able to escape unscathed. They might even face catastrophic consequences. Fengcai Guild insists on selling high-quality brand-name products, which is the right path. Guilds like Jia Sheng Guild, that only care about making money and neglect product quality, selling counterfeit products, will sooner or later face backlash. By then, not only will they have to give back the money they made, but the guild might also go bankrupt.”

Chen Guanglei, incredulous, said, “Dad, aren’t you being a bit over the top? It’s just selling some substandard products. How could it come to a point where we have to give back the money we’ve made, or even the guild goes bankrupt? Besides, everyone is doing it this way. If it’s not punished generally, we have nothing to fear from Douyin or national rectification. The important thing is that we’ve made the money.”

Chen Ankang shook his head, “You’re oversimplifying things. To be honest, I’ve been too busy lately and haven’t kept an eye on Jia Sheng Guild. I let you handle it, but what you’ve done has been disappointing. You’ve narrowed the path for the future. You should learn from Xu Yang, have the guild sell high-quality brand-name products, rather than selling counterfeit products for profit.”

Hearing his father say he should learn from Xu Yang, Chen Guanglei felt annoyed and couldn’t help saying, “Dad, I think you’re worrying too much. What’s there to learn from Xu Yang? He doesn’t sell high-profit products because he’s stubborn and inflexible. He sticks to high-quality brand-name products and won’t make much money. Operating like I do is the mainstream. It is the true path to making money.”

Chen Ankang sighed, seeing that his son’s mindset was still not changing, he could only say, “Guanglei, I’m comforted that you could pioneer celebrity-driven sales, but I didn’t expect the product quality to be subpar. I’m not asking you to adjust now, and even if you did, it wouldn’t change much. When the scandal breaks, we’ll still face huge losses. The only solution now is to sell the guild, to withdraw in time to avoid the impending catastrophe.”

Chen Guanglei was shocked, “Dad, you want me to sell Jia Sheng Guild?”

Chen Ankang nodded, “Yes, sell it. Selling it now can still make a good profit. If you wait until the scandal breaks, it’ll be too late to get out. You won’t make any money, and even the investment capital might be lost. Start looking for a buyer in the next few days and sell the guild.”

Chen Guanglei was still reluctant, “Dad, the guild is making tens of millions a day.”

He really didn’t want to sell such a profitable guild.

Moreover, he believed that his father’s talk of the consequences of a scandal was somewhat alarmist.

If a scandal happens, so what? Everyone is doing the same thing; the consumers can’t trace it back to them.

As for penalties from Douyin and the government, he still believed that there would be no punishment due to the principle that the law does not punish the majority.

“No matter how much it earns, it must be sold. There is no room for negotiation. Understand?!” Chen Ankang said firmly.

Chen Guanglei didn’t respond, clearly unwilling.

Chen Ankang sighed and said in a softer tone, “Guanglei, listen to your dad. I won’t be wrong about this. It’s like that aluminum mine investment from last time. I originally wanted to invest, but you persuaded me to put money into the guild instead, making me the laughing stock of the investment world. I’ve been a joke when meeting people these days. Fortunately, the guild made quite a bit of money, which somewhat made up for it. You must listen to me this time, sell the guild quickly, or else it’ll be too late for regrets.”

Hearing what his dad said, Chen Guanglei could only respond, “Alright.”

Although he verbally agreed, he had no intention of immediately looking for a buyer; instead, he planned to wait and see.

“Good, then you go ahead and take care of it early. It will put my mind at ease,” Chen Ankang waved his hand.

He trusted Chen Guanglei to take care of the matter completely.

“Okay, dad, I’m off then,” Chen Guanglei got up and left.

…

That day.

Xu Zhen was looking for a filming location for “I Am Not the God of Medicine.”

The main actors were essentially all in place, and as for the extras, with money, there could be as many as needed.

Busy as he was, his phone began to ring.

Seeing the caller ID, it was Wen Muye calling.

“Xiao Wen,” Xu Zhen answered the call.

“Director Xu, I’ve recently written a script and just finished revising it. I think you’d be the perfect fit for the lead role. Do you have time?” Wen Muye got straight to the point.

Having revised the script, which was more or less finalized, he immediately reached out to Xu Zhen, wanting to secure his schedule.

He felt Xu Zhen was the ideal choice for the male lead in his play.

“Xiao Wen, I’m sorry, but I’ve just taken on a play. I am both the director and the lead actor. It’s a terrific play, and I plan to dedicate myself entirely to shooting it. I can’t take on your play,” Xu Zhen said.

Xu Zhen held quite an admiration for Wen Muye, this talented young man.

He had seen the art film directed by Wen Muye and couldn’t stop praising it.

During an event where they met, they enjoyed a pleasant conversation and exchanged phone numbers.

He had also told Wen Muye that if there were any good films in the future, to consider him.

Now, it seemed Wen Muye remembered his words and had come to him with a role.

However, since he had just taken on “I Am Not the God of Medicine,” there was no way he could make time for Wen Muye’s film.

“Ah? You’ve taken on a play? But I believe you would be very interested in mine. Maybe after you read it, you would even consider dropping your current play,” Wen Muye said.

“Xiao Wen, it’s not possible. My play is really good, and I won’t drop it. Getting this play is my opportunity. Whether it’s for my directing career or my acting career, it might lead to a breakthrough,” Xu Zhen shook his head and smiled.