Shen Feng instantly moved away from the sofa. The Wind God's speed was not for nothing; in the blink of an eye, he appeared nearby.
Then, Shen Feng continued to ask, "If that's really the case, I'll just pretend I didn't see anything. By the way, Lu Xian, if it's not possible, send Liu Tianxian to a room."
Lu Xian immediately shook his head and said earnestly, "City Lord, I have a family. You know, my wife is a lady from a good family, well-educated, and can converse with me on literature, music, and even art. I cannot do anything that would betray my wife."
Shen Feng nodded, then looked at Feng Shicheng and said, "Old Feng, how do you know about these things so clearly?"
Feng Shicheng shrugged and said, "I used to write novels for a living. If you want to make a living, you need to have some skills, don't you? Writing novels in the entertainment sector requires researching materials, so I happened to learn about some of the dirty laundry in the entertainment industry."
When the group in the private room heard Feng Shicheng's words, their hearts skipped a beat. Earlier, they had been wondering why Shen Feng brought someone completely unrelated. Now it seemed that this was not unrelated at all; he had brought someone who could expose their secrets.
"This guy is too troublesome, and it might not be easy to deal with him. We must be careful from now on." Everyone had this thought. At this moment, they absolutely could not underestimate Feng Shicheng, who looked so ordinary.
At this moment, Lu Xian said, "Mr. Feng, please be polite to these artists. There are actors, screenwriters, and directors who shoot films here. Don't make them unhappy; it's also for your reputation."
Feng Shicheng generally disliked offending people, but today he had received instructions from Shen Feng. It was impossible not to offend them now.
Then, Feng Shicheng directly said, "Mr. Lu Xian, in my opinion, you have been deceived by a group of fake artists. In China, shooting TV dramas only requires a brain, right? Have these people become famous by shooting movies and TV dramas? No. Also, there's someone from the news industry here. As far as I know, he said a few things!"
"What things?" Lu Xian couldn't help but ask.
Feng Shicheng pointed to a man in his forties and said, "This Mr. Yang said: 'Actors are the primary productive force, and appearance is the primary productive force. Chinese actors can promote world progress.'"
When such words came from Feng Shicheng's mouth, Lu Xian was not a fool. Could such words come from a news reporter? He immediately sneered, "Mr. Feng, stop talking nonsense. You probably made these words up yourself, didn't you? You want to trick me, but it's too simple."
Lu Xian knew very well that the primary productive force could only be science and technology. Saying that actors could promote world progress was simply talking nonsense. Even a child would not believe such words, because even children had heard that technology is the primary productive force. In the face of technology, what were actors?
But Feng Shicheng smiled slightly and pointed to the reporter, saying, "Mr. Yang, you can speak now. Did you say these words?"
The reporter named Yang's face then turned pale. To defend himself, he said, "There was a reason for this. I did say these words, but in that environment, I could only say that. If I didn't, I wouldn't be able to get more attention."
Lu Xian was stunned. He never expected that the person who said such ignorant words was indeed Mr. Yang. How could he say such things? What use were actors and appearance? Could they stop bullets? Such words were like spewing dung from one's mouth.
As the saying goes, when scolding someone, don't expose their shortcomings. But for Feng Shicheng, when scolding someone, it was best to expose their shortcomings, because as long as their shortcomings were exposed, they would be put in an awkward position. If they knew shame and left on their own, that would be fine. But if they stood there with thick skin, then he would continue to expose their shortcomings.
Feng Shicheng looked at everyone present and found that they were still covering up for the reporter. "Past events should not be brought up again because pursuing past events is meaningless. The most important thing is to ensure that mistakes are not made in the future."
Feng Shicheng saw this and thought, "Hmph, you people have flexible moral standards. If that's the case, then don't blame me for continuing to expose your shortcomings. I am also aware of the special circumstances Mr. Yang mentioned. As far as I know, it was because a man named Yang Qianxi was admitted to the civil service without an exam. This was considered unfair by everyone, and almost everyone was questioning whether this was legitimate. In the end, only reporter Yang strongly supported it."
"I hate unfair things the most, especially celebrities getting into the civil service. Celebrities have already gained popularity and wealth that ordinary people cannot obtain. Yet, these people do not need to take exams when applying for civil service positions. This is simply a joke," Lu Xian said coldly.
By now, Lu Xian was gradually realizing that he might have been deceived. These people were not artists at all, but just a bunch of swindlers.
After Lu Xian said this, everyone present didn't know what to say. They had finally built a good relationship with Lu Xian of Yuzhou, but now they were disliked. How could this be tolerated?
In response, Director Zhao quickly changed the subject, "City Lord, didn't I mention shooting a TV drama before? What are your thoughts? Isn't it a very valuable thing to let the people of Yuzhou admire your peerless demeanor?"
At this point, a group of swindlers still wanted to get Shen Feng's approval to shoot a TV drama. As long as Shen Feng agreed, their goal would be achieved. Shen Feng controlled Yuzhou, and in this situation, no matter what kind of TV drama was filmed, it would gain attention, and no one would dare to insult Shen Feng. Thus, their reputation would be established, and filming TV dramas in the future would become a natural progression.
However, Shen Feng did not answer. Instead, he looked at Feng Shicheng and asked, "What do you think?"
"City Lord, I must object to this. First of all, a group of swindlers impersonating so-called artists. If they were truly artists, how could they not make ends meet? And how could artists appear in large groups? So, this is all deception, and these people cannot be trusted. Second, if filming a TV drama can increase prestige, that is sheer nonsense. As a City Lord, you should protect the peace and security of your territory and do your proper work. Instead, you are filming a TV drama, which is like using paper to build a wall in the rain – it's chaos," Feng Shicheng said impolitely.
"How dare you say that filming the City Lord's heroic appearance is chaos? You are simply lawless. Your name is Feng Shicheng, right? I've heard of you. You're just a writer of vulgar and low-level works. With your narrow perspective, you wouldn't understand art. You are not qualified to criticize us." Everyone's faces turned green and white; they were all angry.
But Feng Shicheng smiled and said, "Lawless? I'm not as lawless as you are. I still remember what some screenwriters said. Some said Guan Hanqing's writing was not good, some said Bai Juyi's writing was vulgar, and some said they could write the fifth great novel. Now it seems that you are the real madmen, too audacious."
Lu Xian's face darkened. At this moment, he remembered his wife's evaluation of his musical talent: "Your musical talent is only good enough for performing in bars. Although it's not bad, it's not stunning. So, if someone praises you as a genius, you'd better be careful. The person who says this to you is definitely a liar."
When he heard his wife's evaluation before, Lu Xian still felt that his wife was deliberately trying to discourage him, and she was just too embarrassed to praise him. But now, it seemed that these people had been flattering him all along, saying his music was unparalleled in the world and that he would save the Chinese music scene in the future. Now, it seemed that these so-called artists were all swindlers. It was ridiculous that he couldn't even see this clearly and needed Feng Shicheng to expose it.
Then, Lu Xian said helplessly to the City Lord, "City Lord, let's go. I'm sorry for wasting your time!"
Shen Feng smiled and said, "It's okay. I'm just idle anyway. It's a good way to relax. However, I'm very happy that you understand this principle. Let's go."
Shen Feng and Lu Xian then prepared to leave the private room. The artists' plan ultimately failed, and they became dejected. They wanted to win back Shen Feng and Lu Xian, but Lu Xian didn't even glance at them.
As Feng Shicheng left, he smiled and said, "I've eaten the free sunflower seeds in the hotel. Sorry about that. Also, the tags on your clothes are still on. Return them as soon as possible. Oh, right, the evening gowns have been stained with tea. When you return the clothes, remember to pay for them."
After speaking, Feng Shicheng went out. It turned out that Feng Shicheng had already seen through these people. When he entered the room, Feng Shicheng saw the furnishings in the hotel private room, which was fine, as they were talking in a high-end hotel. However, in the room, there were only free tea and sunflower seeds, not even fruit. It was winter, so there were no fruits, but a large hotel would definitely have fruits. Many greenhouse orange trees could be harvested in winter. This meant that these so-called artists were paupers.
Feng Shicheng further confirmed this after subsequent observation. The reason was simple: he saw a tag on someone's body. This tag was located at the back of the neck, a place that ordinary people wouldn't notice. Only rented clothes could not have their tags casually removed, because if the tags were removed, they would be difficult to sell.
By saying these words when leaving, Feng Shicheng was essentially telling these people, "I've seen through all your secrets."
Liu Tianxian, who had fainted on the sofa earlier due to low blood sugar, stood up at this time, her face grim, and said, "Director Zhao, your advice to me was also not good. You said you could lure Shen Feng, but Shen Feng didn't take the bait?"
"Yes, what should we do next? Renting hotel rooms is a significant expense, and now we have to return the rented clothes. If there's still no progress, we'll just go back to working in the karaoke bars." Another actress also spoke at this time.
Seeing that everyone was unwilling to continue participating, Director Zhao couldn't help but say, "Don't be discouraged! This must be because Shen Feng has no artistic talent. What does he know about art? As I see it, we can change our target. Since Yuzhou didn't work out, let's go to Rongcheng. As long as we work hard and use our strengths, we can definitely restore our former lives of being superior to others."
When the crowd heard Director Zhao's words, they nodded. Yuzhou was not valued at the moment, and developing the cultural industry here was a dead end. Now, it seemed that if they went to another place, perhaps they could trick... perhaps they could attract investment.