Huayu: This producer has no bottom line.

Chapter 41 Should I get my hair done?

After dropping Ni Ni off at the hotel, Ren Pingsheng returned to his studio.

He pushed open the door, and the smell of smoke made him squint.

Only a table lamp was lit in the room, casting a dim yellow light on Dapeng sitting by the window, cigarette butts haphazardly stuck in the ashtray, and a cigarette between his fingers.

"Someone's dead?" Ren Pingsheng reached out and turned on the light.

Dapeng squinted for a moment, and after his eyes adjusted to the light, he stubbed out his cigarette.

"Alex spoke with me."

Ren Pingsheng didn't rush to reply. He went around to open the window, and the cold wind rushed in, making the air feel a little better.

"How so?"

Da Peng took out another cigarette, moved his lips twice before lighting it, and said, "He said he knows I've been helping you behind the scenes."

Ren Pingsheng leaned against the edge of the table opposite him, not surprised.

Any normal person would gather some old partners when starting a business. Besides, Dapeng himself is the best choice. He has traffic and doesn't need any adjustment period. Alex isn't stupid. It would be strange if he didn't think of that.

"What did he say?"

"He put it very tactfully," Da Peng mimicked Alex's tone, speaking in a high-pitched voice. "Brother Peng, you're different from Qiao San. You're a veteran at Sohu. The second season of 'Men's Diary' is a key project for the company, personally directed by Zhao Baogang. Even the guest appearances are all from top-tier celebrities. It's a qualitative leap for your career."

"However, the company has also heard some rumors that you are still working with outside teams in private. If your reputation is ruined by some low-budget productions, then you will not be suitable to play the male lead in important projects."

"What did you say?"

Da Peng gave a wry smile. "What else can I say? I'm not cut out for espionage."

Ren Pingsheng waited for him to continue.

"He let me choose for myself: whether to work diligently for the company or to start my own business with you. I could choose either way, but I couldn't have both."

"Where is Qiao San?"

Da Peng flicked his cigarette ash onto the ground. "Qiao San is out of the game."

So Alex's plan was very clear.

It's true that Qiao San was the main supporting character in "Wan Wan" and "Diao Si", but in Alex's eyes, a supporting character is just a supporting character. Any famous person could easily fill the gap and replace him, so he's not worth the effort to keep.

But Dapeng is different.

Dapeng is the main character, Wang Duoyu, and the host of "Deba De".

He has a strong foothold in Sohu and is popular with the audience. More importantly, if Da Peng chooses to leave, Alex will be spared all the trouble.

He didn't drive him away; Da Peng left on his own. No one can say anything about it.

Ren Pingsheng pulled up a chair and sat down, the two facing each other. "Brother Peng, what are you thinking?"

Da Peng didn't answer immediately.

The silence lasted for a long time, so long that Ren Pingsheng lit a cigarette for himself.

"Life," Da Peng's voice was a little hoarse, "I'll tell you the truth."

"explain."

"You are the smartest person I have ever met, bar none."

Ren Pingsheng did not respond.

"But being smart doesn't guarantee making money," Da Peng said, staring at the embers of his cigarette. "My wife asked me why my salary was lower last month, and when I said it was deducted for taking time off, she got upset. If I told her I was going to quit my job and start a business with some guy in his twenties..."

"She can divorce me."

Ren Pingsheng knew in his heart that Dapeng wasn't being pretentious.

A thirty-year-old man with a family to support.

While being a job isn't exactly a golden opportunity, it's at least a secure one.

With the host's base salary plus the performance bonus from "Deba De," he could earn a little over 10,000 yuan a month, which was already considered a respectable middle-class income in Beijing in 2009.

And he followed Ren Pingsheng?

A dilapidated 90-square-meter house with four tables and less than 100,000 yuan left in the account. It was only because Bai Ke and his friends were still students and did not need to support their families that they were able to survive.

But Dapeng couldn't hold on.

"So what do you plan to do?" Ren Pingsheng's tone remained calm.

Da Peng looked up at him. "Tell me something: can 'Report to the Boss' surpass 'Men's Diary'?"

"have no idea."

Da Peng was stunned.

He thought Ren Pingsheng would give a resolute answer, just like every previous "guess".

"you do not know?"

"I know that 'Report to the Boss' will be a hit, but I can't guarantee whether it can surpass 'Men's Diary 2,' which bears Zhao Baogang's name and has Sohu's full support."

This is the truth.

Rebirth is not about gaining supernatural powers; he simply lived more than ten years longer than others, but during those ten years, some things were rewritten by him.

Alex brought in Zhao Baogang as a variable, and given that Zhao will definitely use all the platform's resources, and since he himself doesn't have a system, the outcome is indeed hard to predict.

"But I can tell you something else," Ren Pingsheng said, stubbing out his cigarette and leaning forward slightly.

"you say."

"Even if you go back to Alex right now and pledge your loyalty, do you think he'll believe you?"

Da Peng's expression changed.

"Prejudice in people's hearts is a mountain that you can't move no matter how hard you try," Ren Pingsheng said. "They will always remember that you hesitated."

Da Peng held the cigarette to his lips, but didn't smoke it.

"It has nothing to do with trust, it's human nature. He won't feel at ease just because you chose him; he'll only ever feel at ease because you've crossed the line before."

Ren Pingsheng leaned back in his chair. "Brother Peng, I'm not trying to persuade you to come with me. You can survive just as well if you stay in Souhu. But think carefully about what life will be like if you stay."

Dapeng stayed there for a long time.

He thought it was a choice, but Ren Pingsheng told him that he had no choice.

"And what about you?" Dapeng suddenly countered. "What will you do if I don't come?"

Ren Pingsheng stood up, walked to the water dispenser, and filled a glass of water for himself.

"Let Qiao San play the boss's role, and then find someone else to replace him."

Da Peng's lips twitched. "Qiao San? With his slicked-back hair and powdered face, playing a boss?"

"Have you forgotten that he played seven or eight roles in one episode of 'Wanwan'?" Ren Pingsheng took a sip of water. "Qiao San has a wider range of roles than you. I can just change the script. The boss can change the character from a nouveau riche to a sleazy type. He can handle it."

Da Peng choked for a moment.

He thought he was irreplaceable, but Ren Pingsheng's words told him that no one was irreplaceable to him.

That's the most impressive thing about him; Ren Pingsheng is never the kind of person who would coax or beg you to stay.

He simply lays out the cards; the choice is yours.

"You're such a boring person, you can't even bring yourself to say a nice thing."

Da Peng cursed, then reached for his cigarettes, only to find the box empty. He crumpled it up and threw it on the ground.

"I'm not forcing you," Ren Pingsheng tossed his pack of Hongtashan cigarettes over. "Go back and think it through. Tell me when you've made up your mind, but once the phone is on, it won't stop waiting for anyone."

Dapeng took the cigarette, held it in his hand without smoking it, and said, "This is my last question to you."

"Um?"

"That domain name thing... is it true?"

Ren Pingsheng looked at him for two seconds and then smiled.

"Don't be too greedy, Peng. You can only choose one right now: your future or money."

Da Peng, his face flushed red after being exposed, said, "I was just asking."

"Really, it's at least an eight-figure sum. When have I ever lied to you?"

Dapeng put the pack of cigarettes in his pocket and stood up.

"Okay, I'm going back."

He walked to the door, opened it, and then paused.

"Is Luo's junior classmate coming tomorrow? Should I get my hair done?"