The phone call with Su Yuqing acted like a shot of adrenaline, temporarily stabilizing Lin Chen's mind in the mire of despair. He was no longer merely passively enduring, but began to re-examine everything around him from a new, discreet perspective. He remained the silent, cooperative artist, but a subtle, almost imperceptible, vigilance and scrutiny had crept into his eyes.
Back at the company, life seemed to return to its previous course. Amy resumed control of his schedule, maintaining strict management. But Lin Chen's mindset was different. He no longer viewed the company's arrangements merely as oppression, but began trying to find clues to the "abnormal flow of funds" and "shady operations" that Su Yuqing had mentioned.
This was no easy task. The core information he could access was extremely limited. Contracts, announcements, promotional plans… these were all the final products, layered and polished; the real undercurrents lay hidden deeper beneath the surface. He was like a blind man groping in the fog, trying to determine direction through subtle sounds and changes in airflow.
An opportunity arose after a seemingly ordinary magazine interview. After the interview, Amy was called to a meeting by Mr. Wang and instructed Lin Chen to wait for her in the lounge. Xiao Zhang, a newly hired, somewhat inexperienced intern in charge of external relations, was frantically organizing interview materials and backup files.
"Brother Chen, please wait a moment, Sister Amy will be right back," Xiao Zhang said nervously, accidentally knocking over a stack of documents on the table.
Lin Chen knelt down to help tidy up, his gaze inadvertently falling on a printed document tucked among the interview outlines, its format quite different from the other documents. The title was: "Phantom Night Project Phase One Cost Settlement Details (Internal Review Version)."
"Phantom Night" project? Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat. He remembered the name; it was a high-profile, heavily promoted S+ level period drama by Xingyao Entertainment, with a huge investment and massive publicity. However, rumors circulated in the industry that the actual cost of the project was far lower than the publicly claimed figures, indicating serious "inflated costs."
He calmly picked up the document along with the other materials and handed it to Xiao Zhang. Xiao Zhang thanked him, oblivious to anything amiss.
"This 'Phantom Night' project seems to be quite popular," Lin Chen casually remarked. "I heard the production quality is excellent."
Xiao Zhang, being young and naive, readily opened up when Lin Chen initiated the conversation: "Yes, it's an investment of several hundred million! But…" he lowered his voice, a hint of excitement from someone new to the workforce sharing a secret, "I heard the finance department is practically going crazy trying to balance the accounts for this project. Lots of invoices don't match up, and it seems they've even used a considerable amount… uh, funds from other projects to cover it up."
Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat! Using funds from other projects to cover it up? Didn't this perfectly match what Su Yuqing had mentioned—the characteristics of using complex projects for financial maneuvering and profit transfer?
He maintained a calm expression and smiled, "Big projects are all like this, the process is complicated."
"Exactly!" Xiao Zhang echoed, then complained, "Just the salaries for those lead actors alone take up almost half the budget, it's really..."
Just then, Amy pushed open the door and came in. Xiao Zhang immediately fell silent, lowering his head to continue organizing the documents.
On the way back, Lin Chen appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, but his mind was racing. The "Phantom Night" project, inflated costs, fund transfers... this was a crucial clue! If he could obtain that internal settlement detail, or similar financial documents, it would undoubtedly be extremely valuable evidence.