Chapter 619 Do you believe I'm still working overtime?

Lu Yanhe asked, "But, Sister Ziyan, why did Hong Qi tell me all this at this time? Isn't he afraid that I'll tell Li Zhibai and Yan Liang, and that Lin Suyang and Zhou Ping'an will find out?"

Chen Ziyan asked with a smile, "Then why don't you think he wanted to use you to pass these messages on to Zhou Ping'an and Lin Suyang?"

Lu Yanhe was taken aback.

Chen Ziyan: "This is an open strategy, the kind that plays its cards in the open. Why has this matter been discussed for so long, and why has it only taken action now? Because Li Zhibai and Yan Liang just renewed their contracts with the company, so the negative impact of this matter can be minimized."

Lu Yanhe suddenly realized.

“If Zhou Ping’an and Lin Suyang don’t accept it, then they can leave the company. Anyway, they can’t take Li Zhibai and Yan Liang with them,” Chen Ziyan said. “The timing is crucial at this point, so in order to protect what they have, this kind of open scheme is not unacceptable in comparison.”

"Sister Ziyan, what if I don't tell Li Zhibai and Yan Liang these things?" Lu Yanhe asked. "Since I already know that Hong Qi wants to tell them through me, and then let Zhou Pingan and Yan Liang know, if I don't want to get involved, I'll just not say anything."

“Even if you don’t say it, these words will still reach their ears openly. It’s just that it will save a lot of effort if these words come from Li Zhibai and Yan Liang,” Chen Ziyan said bluntly. “Hong Qi is a man who is mostly out of the public eye and does not participate in the company’s specific business. However, once he starts to take action, he rarely fails to achieve his goal. He will calculate everything clearly, leaving no way for anyone to escape.”

Lu Yanhe was surprised and puzzled.

"This seems different from the image of him I heard from Star Entertainment before."

"He probably enjoys being a lion who sleeps soundly most of the time, but roars when it matters and can rule for a period of time," Chen Ziyan said with a smile.

“Alright,” Lu Yanhe asked, “If this is an open scheme for Zhou Ping’an and Lin Suyang, what about for Ma Zhongquan and the others? They are vice presidents. Don’t they realize this is an open scheme to divide them and are powerless to change the situation?”

"Who would refuse an opportunity to be the top leader? Who would be willing to change?" Chen Ziyan chuckled softly. "As for the company being weakened, who in his position would think they couldn't rebuild the company after taking over? Besides, Xingyu is undergoing a transformation, and will expand into developing peripheral businesses related to idol artists. Even if Hong Qi doesn't transfer other businesses to Zhuomuren Company, Ma Zhongquan will still make a purge. As long as the actors' business is not linked to him, no matter how important that business is to the company, it has nothing to do with him personally."

Lu Yanhe nodded.

Chen Ziyan: "These things within Xingyu really have nothing to do with you. This time, Hong Qi insisted on meeting you and talking to you about these things. Asking you to be his consultant is secondary. He wants to see where there is room for further cooperation with you. Simply put, he wants to see you in person, rather than getting to know you from the past or from what I said."

"What kind of cooperation does he want with me?" Lu Yanhe asked, puzzled.

“It’s not just Xingyu that needs to transform. What kind of cooperation do you think Woodpecker, a company whose main business is actor management, wants to have with you?” Chen Ziyan said. “Don’t think you won’t cooperate with them. Li Zhibai and Yan Liang’s acting contracts are with Woodpecker. You’ll have to deal with them a lot in the future. Plus, there’s Liu Zhiyin and Cheng Hai, who you have a good relationship with… Didn’t you arrange cameo roles for them in ‘Chinese Paladin’ later?”

Lu Yanhe suddenly realized.

“Okay.” He shrugged. “I didn’t expect Mr. Hong to suddenly become interested in me.”

“He has always been interested in you, but he has never considered you as a strategic partner before,” Chen Ziyan said. “He always felt that all your actions in the company, including ‘Jump Up,’ were due to me and my guidance, and he didn’t attribute these achievements to you.”

Lu Yanhe smiled.

"Sister Ziyan, you and Hong Qi are very close?"

"It's alright, at least it's much better than my relationship with Ma Zhongquan and his gang," Chen Ziyan said. "We've known each other for so many years, we stick to work principles, and we still have a good personal relationship."

For Chen Ziyan to say something like that, it seems their relationship is indeed quite good.

Of course, that's true. When Chen Ziyan left Xingyu Entertainment without warning to start Shihuo, Hong Qi still held shares in the company. While Chen Ziyan was at Xingyu Entertainment, she held no senior management position, yet she possessed invisible and unshakeable privileges, which must have been authorized and tacitly approved by Hong Qi.

Lu Yanhe didn't actually have a special impression of Hong Qi. The only time he had interacted with him before was when Hong Qi was recognized for his act of bravery, and Hong Qi attended the ceremony as a company representative. Most of the time, as Chen Ziyan said, Hong Qi was practically invisible at Xingyu Entertainment.

On the contrary, when his contract with Xingyu expired, Lu Yanhe originally thought that Xingyu would cause some trouble, but unexpectedly, nothing happened, and it ended smoothly.

Chen Ziyan's assessment was: "That's because your impression of Xingyu's senior management mainly comes from Zhou Pingan and Ma Zhongquan. They are the kind of people who have no airs and will use any means necessary, but not everyone is like that."

-

Li Zhibai and Yan Liang's reactions were surprisingly consistent.

“Then let’s tell them,” Li Zhibai said. “We’ve already said we’re playing our cards openly; it’s an open strategy.”

Lu Yanhe: "Won't this affect your relationship with your agents? If you're going to bring this up yourself, then you'll have to make your stance clear to them."

Li Zhibai: "Brother Su Yang wouldn't let me make that choice. He's a very smart person, and even if I were willing to support him unconditionally, my contract is with Xingyu. If things really get to the worst point, and he breaks up with the company, I won't be able to leave either. He understands that very well."

Yan Liang: "Zhou Ping'an is actually teaming up with Lin Suyang to put pressure on the company to retain their power to manage artists across different companies within the group. As you told us, the company doesn't necessarily want them to choose sides, but rather to have their power shared. It depends on what they think. In fact, the company's actions are actually a good thing for us. Before, one person managed all our businesses, but now different businesses are managed by more professional people. By telling them about this, we are already showing our stance."

Indeed, Star Entertainment's approach is definitely more beneficial to the artists.

A more professional team will serve them.

“However, all three of us have upcoming projects, so please be careful not to let this affect your project promotions,” Lu Yanhe reminded them.

As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Liang sighed.

"What's wrong?" Lu Yanhe asked.

“Don’t say anymore, I’ve already been affected. Zhou Ping’an asked Ma Zhongquan for marketing funds for my drama’s promotion period, but Ma Zhongquan refused.” Yan Liang said, “But now, nobody knows who will be the CEO of Woodpecker Company.”

"Surely someone is still managing this part of the business, right? Or is no one managing it at all?"

"For now, Deputy General Manager Xu Zhouji is in charge, but he used to be in charge of finance and doesn't understand our business, so he doesn't dare to sign anything casually," Yan Liang said. "Zhou Ping'an said he would definitely get this sorted out before the drama's promotion starts, but judging from the current situation, Zhou Ping'an is probably too busy to even take care of his own affairs."

Lu Yanhe: "The Legend of Liuguang is a drama starring you and Zhang Lan. Did Zhang Lan not get any publicity funding?"

"I don't know about that, but Zhang Lan doesn't seem to have that problem. Her agent only manages her," Yan Liang said. "This adjustment by the company won't have a real impact on them. She won't lack publicity funds."

Lu Yanhe: "She won't lack it, and you shouldn't lack it either. If Ma Zhongquan won't approve it, Xu Zhouji won't sign it, and Zhou Ping'an can't manage it, then you should go find Hong Qi yourself. Now, whether it's Xingyu or Zhuomuren, he's in charge. You have a client who can bring the company tens of millions in revenue every year. If they can't even support you during your drama promotion, according to your contract renewal with them, aren't they in breach of contract?"

Yan Liang nodded.

Li Zhibai also said, "That's what I mean. If you're too embarrassed to go and ask, I'll help you. My film 'Even Faking Death Is Not Acceptable' is about to be released. If they don't provide me with the necessary support as stipulated in the contract, then we might as well just terminate the contract."

Li Zhibai's temper flared up again.

Lu Yanhe nodded, "No matter how they adjust their management, it shouldn't affect your affairs."

"It's really ridiculous. They want to take away the power of the agents and cut off the treatment we should have. What's the point of cooperating with them?" Li Zhi said speechlessly. As he spoke, he got angry and his face was full of rage.

"Don't get so worked up while you're talking," Yan Liang patted Li Zhibai on the shoulder.

Lu Yanhe: "Don't be angry."

Li Zhibai breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Yes, I'm not angry." Li Zhibai nodded, unable to hold back any longer, and slowly exhaled, "I suddenly regret it now. Why did I renew my contract with Xingyu?"

Lu Yanhe: "Most talent agencies in this world are pretty much the same, unless you go out and work for yourself. But if you go out and work for yourself, you have to worry about everything, which isn't a good thing. Do you know how much work and worries Linghe Company has given me right now?"

Yan Liang: "But you still have the initiative in your own hands. I envy that. If I had enough experience and could write scripts and do projects like Yan He, I would like to open my own studio. Even if it is hard work, I would not be just a contractor like I am now."

Lu Yanhe: "It's okay. If you're willing, you can definitely open your own studio after a few more years of experience."

Yan Liang nodded.

Li Zhibai said, "If you're willing to do it, you can help me out. I don't want to do it myself, but I can help you out."

Yan Liang nodded with a smile.

-

Yu Ming, Ling Yang.

Chen Siqi was sitting in the conference room, holding a tablet computer, listening to a report on the International Film Critics Festival that was to be held at the end of the month.

"We have already adjusted and modified the itinerary and related arrangements based on the feedback from last time. The Yuxi Hot Spring Hotel in Hangu has agreed to our quote for a total of forty-two rooms."

Chen Siqi nodded.

After going over the details of the itinerary with everyone, including some small details such as airport pick-up and drop-off, Chen Siqi did not overlook anything and required that the invited film critics must receive "warm, enthusiastic but not extravagant" service.

This is a perception.

"Everyone must remember the positioning of this film festival: it is a gathering of private circles, a warm, comfortable, and relaxing film festival."

Everyone nodded.

"Regarding the films, we still haven't been able to finalize a deal for Peter Umbridge's 'Homeland' trilogy," reported He Sui, who is in charge of screening films at the festival. "Apart from this trilogy, we have already obtained the rights to the other target films for a commercial screening. We will open pre-sales by next week at the latest, otherwise it will be difficult to predict the situation later. We will have a public discussion after each film screening."

Chen Siqi said, "We couldn't reach an agreement on Peter Umbridge's 'Homeland' trilogy, so we gave up on it. What are our alternative films?"

“We’d like to try to get ‘Paradise,’ which won an award at this year’s Jose Film Festival. It’s one of the most anticipated films at the festival, and if it could be screened at our festival and discussed by critics, it would make our festival even more valuable,” He Sui said. “But this might require you, the editor-in-chief, and Xiao Lu to step in. The film hasn’t been released in theaters yet, so they’ll probably be quite cautious about screening it at a festival like ours.”

Chen Siqi nodded: "The distribution rights for 'Paradise' in China have already been acquired by Longyan Film Industry. We'll try to negotiate and try to get it back. If we really can't get it, are there any alternatives?"

He Sui said, "There are a few more films in the selection, but they are all old films. Although they are classics, the films we are screening this time are already half of the classic films. I think there are a few fresh films that are of current interest to audiences and have a lot of buzz and discussion, which can better reflect the diversity of our film festival selection."

Chen Siqi nodded.

She strongly agreed with He Sui's point of view.

Since the purpose of this film festival is to highlight the essence of "discussion" and "research," the objects of discussion should first and foremost be "discussable." Classics are a kind of "discussable," and "topic appeal" is of course also one.

After the meeting ended, Lin Yu pulled Bai Yu and Zhou Mukai aside and called out to Chen Siqi.

Chen Siqi was taken aback.

Currently, the three of them are the main content editors for "Jump Up" magazine. Chen Siqi didn't know why Lin Yu had suddenly called her over.

"Is there some kind of emergency with the magazine?" she asked.

“No.” Lin Yu shook her head with a smile. “We do have an idea, an idea about this film festival. We want to make a special issue called ‘Jump Up’, which is dedicated to the content of this film festival.”

"Huh?" Chen Siqi was taken aback.

“The theme of our film festival this year is to discuss film. Although film critics have many opportunities to express their opinions on a film in public, there is definitely more content that cannot be shown on camera,” Lin Yu said. “Of course, the reason I made this book is not to supplement the film festival, but because I think this topic can allow the book to be distributed and sold all over the world. Famous film critics from all over the world can sit together, express their opinions on some films, and have a discussion. People who truly love film will definitely not miss this book.”

-

I'm still working overtime, but thankfully I managed to write a little something at lunchtime.

That's all for today.

See you tomorrow~

(End of this chapter)