157: Chapter 157 John's Phone Call Outrage, Lin Chen Responds and Re-establishes Defenses

Lin Chen's private cell phone rang suddenly in the office. The name "John" flashing on the screen was an eyesore. He raised his hand to answer the call, his fingertips gripping the phone until his knuckles turned white, his tone cold and devoid of warmth: "Something the matter?"

John's arrogant sneer came from the other end of the line, his voice exploding through the receiver with undisguised mockery: "Lin Chen, don't get too ahead of yourself! So what if a leaked clip happened to go viral? It was pure luck. Do you really think you're that capable?"

The office fell silent instantly. Lena, Ella, and the others stopped what they were doing, their eyes all snapping toward Lin Chen. The blinds were half-closed, letting in very little sunlight. The white indoor light hit the desk, and the air felt like it had frozen solid; even the sound of the air conditioning was exceptionally clear.

Lin Chen leaned back in his office chair, his eyes dark as ink. His retort was concise and fierce: "Whether I have good luck or not is none of your business. As for you, you've tried one petty trick after another and haven't succeeded once. Aren't you embarrassed?"

"Embarrassed?" John's voice suddenly rose, filled with thick hostility. "Lin Chen, stop being so stubborn! Don't even dream of this movie having a smooth release. I'm telling you, if I want to, I can ruin your show in a heartbeat! Your little tricks aren't even worth looking at in my eyes!"

"Is that so?" A cold smile curled at the corner of Lin Chen's mouth, his tone full of disdain. "Then I'd like to see what you're capable of. I suggest you mind your own business and stop wasting your time staring at mine. Don't regret it when you end up shooting yourself in the foot."

"Regret? I don't even know how to spell the word!" John roared over the phone. "You just wait. This is only the beginning. You'll have plenty to suffer through later!"

"I'll be waiting." After Lin Chen finished speaking, he didn't give John another chance to talk nonsense and hung up immediately. He tossed the phone onto the desk with a dull thud. His expression was incredibly grim, his brow furrowed into a knot, and the low pressure surrounding him made those nearby afraid to speak.

Seeing his state, Lena spoke softly: "Brother Chen, John is acting out of desperation. He'll definitely pull even nastier tricks later. We need to be twice as careful."

"I know his character all too well." Lin Chen looked up, his gaze sweeping over everyone, his tone decisive. "Li Wei, increase the manpower immediately. The set, the post-production center, the materials warehouse—everywhere related to the movie—arrange for 24-hour rotating security. Install more surveillance cameras. Don't give John any opening to exploit."

Li Wei immediately stood up straight and accepted the order, his tone firm without a hint of hesitation: "Brother Chen, I'll increase the manpower right away! I'll contact the security company to deploy people now, and I'll arrange for technicians to install the cameras immediately. I guarantee every point will be watched closely; no unauthorized personnel will be allowed near!"

After speaking, Li Wei took out his phone and walked quickly to the side, his fingers dialing rapidly. He spoke at a high speed with the security company, arranging everything from personnel deployment to camera installation clearly without any delay, showing his loyalty and strong execution.

Lin Chen looked at Jack again, tapped his fingertips on the desk, and instructed: "Jack, take some people and keep a close eye on all of John's movements. His travels, calls, and the people he contacts—investigate it all. Report any abnormalities immediately. Especially his contacts with relevant people in Hollywood; you must focus your surveillance there. Don't let him pull any new stunts."

"Got it!" Jack nodded, pulled out a tablet, and quickly opened the backend system. "I'll arrange the team now. We'll use the network-wide monitoring system to track his communication records and send a few undercover agents to follow him. Not a single move of his will escape our eyes."

Jack's fingers slid quickly across the tablet while he was still on the phone with his subordinates: "Keep a dead eye on John Williams immediately. Record all his travel routes and the people he meets. Especially meetings with people from theaters or film companies—you must tell me immediately!"

Hanging up the phone, Jack looked at Lin Chen and added: "Brother Chen, I'll have the preliminary monitoring results soon. I guarantee no details will be missed."

Lin Chen gave a hum of acknowledgment, leaned back in his chair, and rubbed his brow, his tone still cold and heavy: "John is cornered now and will do anything. We must have all our defenses in place. We can't give him any chance to ruin the movie. We finally built up this momentum; we can't let him destroy it."

Ella stood to the side with her arms crossed and said: "I think John will most likely start with the theater chains. After all, the movie eventually has to hit the theaters. He's been in Hollywood for so many years and has connections with many theater executives. He'll definitely try to mess with the screening schedule."

"You hit the nail on the head." Lin Chen looked up at Ella. "So Jack, focus on his contacts with theaters. Once you find any sign of him contacting theater executives, tell me immediately so we can respond in advance."

"Understood. I'll make theater-related checks a priority." Jack responded, looking down at his tablet to set the screening keywords to 'Theater, Screening Schedule, Release.' The system immediately began precisely filtering relevant information.

The atmosphere in the office remained heavy, but everyone was performing their duties in an orderly fashion. Lena took out the filming schedule and began checking the subsequent plans to ensure filming could be completed as quickly as possible, leaving John little time to cause trouble. Ella began calculating the costs of theater coordination and contacted familiar theater managers in advance to give them a heads-up. Jack's tablet constantly refreshed with information about John, while Li Wei was finalizing the details of the personnel deployment with the security company.

The sun gradually dipped in the west, casting mottled shadows on the floor through the gaps in the blinds. The coffee on the desk had long since gone cold. Lin Chen's phone screen was dark, and no one mentioned John's provocative call again, but everyone knew this was just the start of a new round of confrontation. John would not let it go, and there would only be more trouble ahead.

About half an hour later, Jack suddenly frowned, tapped his tablet a few times, walked quickly to Lin Chen, and whispered: "Brother Chen, I found something. John has been on the phone with executives from several major Hollywood theaters for the past half-day. The calls weren't short, and he's scheduled to meet with the heads of two of them tonight. Looking at this, he really does intend to mess with the theater release."

This discovery confirmed everyone's suspicions. Lin Chen's eyes grew colder, and his fingertips tapped faster on the desk as he quickly calculated a counter-strategy: "If he wants to mess with the screening schedule, we'll coordinate with the theaters in advance. We'll secure all the theaters we can negotiate with. At the same time, have Eva continue to guide public opinion, using the audience's expectations to pressure the theaters. They won't go against the traffic."

"I'll go coordinate with Eva right away and have her increase the intensity of public opinion guidance. We'll focus on highlighting the audience's anticipation for the release and the current internet-wide popularity so the theaters know the box office potential of this film." Lena responded and immediately took out her phone to message Eva.

Ella followed up: "I'll also immediately contact all the theater managers I know. I'll send over the popularity data and the number of 'want to see' reservations to discuss preliminary screening intentions. We'll lock down the basic screenings first so John doesn't have an opening."

"Good." Lin Chen nodded. "Jack, keep a close eye on John's meeting tonight. Find out what he talks about with the theater heads and what terms he offers. Report any news immediately. Li Wei, arrange for two people to follow John to ensure we can get the details of his meeting. Be careful not to get exposed."

"Don't worry, Brother Chen, it's all arranged." Jack and Li Wei responded simultaneously and continued their work.

Lin Chen looked at the busy people before him, knowing in his heart that this battle with John was far from over. With his years of accumulation in Hollywood, John had more connections and resources than he did, so the obstacles ahead would only be greater. But he would never back down. He would not only ensure the movie was released smoothly but also make all of John's schemes fail, making him pay for his repeated attempts to cause trouble.

For the next few hours, everyone in the office was intensely busy. Eva soon reported back that after increasing the public opinion guidance, netizens' anticipation for the movie's release date had grown even higher. Many people were leaving comments in the review sections of major theaters demanding a screening schedule as soon as possible. Ella had also reached preliminary screening intentions with several theater chains; they all expressed optimism about the movie's box office potential and were willing to give it a reasonable schedule.

Jack also kept receiving news about John. His meeting with the theater heads was recorded in full by the undercover agents. As expected, he was asking them to suppress the screening schedule for Lin Chen's movie, even offering heavy bribes. It was just not yet known if those theater heads had agreed.

Li Wei had also settled the security matters. Extra manpower had been deployed to all relevant points, and surveillance was fully installed. With 24-hour rotating shifts, he ensured no problems would arise.

Everything seemed to be moving in a good direction, and everyone's hearts eased slightly. Looking at the feedback from various tasks, a faint curve finally appeared at the corner of Lin Chen's mouth. It wouldn't be that easy for John's schemes to succeed.

But that very night, Ella suddenly rushed into the office holding a theater screening schedule, her face looking terrible. She slammed the schedule down in front of Lin Chen: "Brother Chen, this is bad. John succeeded after all!"

Lin Chen looked down at the schedule. It clearly marked the premiere screenings for their movie. They were all in unpopular time slots like the early morning or morning; the number of screenings during prime time was zero. It was obvious that the premiere screenings had been deliberately suppressed.