Chapter 874 Struggle

Golden Globe Awards.

The awards ceremony.

Red carpet.

This was destined to be another lively, star-studded night.

Jiang Yuqian and Li Zhibai, the lead actresses of "Love is Not Blind," received invitations to the awards ceremony through Green Valley.

They didn't get the chance to go on stage to promote the film, even though the two of them were going on stage to present a TV series award, but the Golden Globes wouldn't allow them to mention the film "Love is Not Blind" during the awards ceremony.

If that were the case, the entire awards ceremony would be in complete chaos.

However, this doesn't mean they can't promote the movie. Their combined presence alone has a huge promotional effect. Midoriya's press releases will be issued the moment they walk the red carpet.

Besides Li Zhibai and Jiang Yuqian.

Jiang Jun was also invited to attend.

Although Jiang Jun isn't particularly skilled at being a star actor, he has one huge advantage: he's highly cooperative. His career didn't come easily, so he cherishes everything he has now all the more.

Through dramas like "Squid Game" and "Doomsday," Jiang Jun has miraculously maintained his star power. Although his commercial value is far lower than Jiang Yuqian's, in the entertainment industry, especially in the eyes of producers and film companies, Jiang Jun still holds a clear advantage over Jiang Yuqian. The reason is simple: in "Squid Game," Jiang Jun is undoubtedly the leading actor.

When "Doomsday" was released, box office analysis showed that 27% of moviegoers came to see the film because of Jiang Jun, far exceeding Jiang Yuqian's 18%. Although this was due to the fact that Jiang Yuqian's audience as a celebrity did not overlap much with the audience of "Doomsday," and there were special reasons, in the eyes of the film company, this meant that although Jiang Jun usually had little exposure, the group of moviegoers willing to buy tickets because of him was still very large.

In addition, Yan Liang, Yin Xincheng, Zhan Yun, Wen Minglan, Bai Jin and other main actors of "Friends" also received invitations to attend.

This year, Friends received no further nominations, but the show's popularity is so great that even the Golden Globes cannot ignore it.

With the addition of Chen Pinhe and Meng Li, the two lead actors in "The Seventeen Floors: Reboot," the number of Chinese actors at this year's Golden Globe Awards is the highest in recent years.

“Meng Li didn’t receive any nominations, but she came anyway,” Wang Biao said. “I don’t know what she’s here for.”

Lu Yanhe asked, "How did Mengli perform in 'The Seventeenth Floor: Reboot'?"

He hadn't watched the show. At the time, online discussions about it mainly focused on Chen Pinhe and its competition with "Grasshopper," with very little mention of Meng Li.

It's embarrassing to say, but the leading actress didn't get much attention.

Wang Biao said, "It's neither good nor bad. Not many people are discussing it. Moreover, Meng Li didn't participate much in the follow-up promotion of the show, including some offline events arranged by Maxine, which Meng Li did not attend."

Lu Yanhe: "Initially, Zhou Pingan specifically persuaded Meng Li to take on this role, so Meng Li didn't actually gain much from it."

"To say that the gains were not significant would be an overstatement. Although it was outperformed by 'Grasshopper' in many aspects, 'Seventeen Floors: Reboot' still came out on top in terms of streaming viewership and domestic ratings. The trilogy you starred in had already made 'Seventeen Floors' a very popular IP."

Lu Yanhe nodded: "It's okay. I know that 'Seventeen Floors: Reboot' did well. You don't need to worry that I'm upset. I'm just curious, since Meng Li has been absent from promotion and exposure for so long, why has she suddenly reappeared at this time? Is it just because the Golden Globe Awards ceremony is attractive?"

Wang Biao shook his head.

"I don't know about that."

Lu Yanhe suddenly remembered something and asked, "Has the second season of 'The Seventeenth Floor: Reboot' already started?"

"Yes, it was announced a long time ago that there would be a second season, but I don't know what the current situation is."

"Regarding the second season, is there any news about whether Meng Li will return?"

Wang Biao: "I didn't pay attention. I only remember that they announced early on that Chen Pinhe would return as the lead actor."

Lu Yanhe nodded.

He wasn't really thinking about anything else, but it suddenly occurred to him that, given Meng Li's personality, how could she be willing to be a supporting character for someone else, even if that person was Chen Pinhe?

If Mengli could reason with you, she wouldn't be Mengli.

Wang Biao asked, "Brother Lu, if Meng Li comes over to take a picture with you later, should I stop her?"

Lu Yanhe was somewhat amused and exasperated, and asked, "How did you stop them?"

Even if Chen Pinhe were to ask him for a photo in this situation, could he possibly refuse?

Well, Chen Pinhe would still say yes.

Lu Yanhe immediately realized what was going on.

However, the conflicts and unpleasantness between Mengli and him in the past cannot be said to have disappeared, but as time goes by, they are indeed no longer so unpleasant.

"It's okay. If she really comes up to take a picture with me, don't stop her. It's not like we can't take a picture together."

“I’m afraid she’ll use the group photo to stir up trouble again and make a fuss about it,” Wang Biao said with concern. “She’s capable of anything to create a buzz.”

"She doesn't need to do that now, does she? With Zhou Ping'an around, why would she need to resort to any means to create buzz and maintain popularity?" Lu Yanhe felt that unless Zhou Ping'an had given up on Mengli and wanted Mengli to fend for itself.

Obviously not.

-

Lu Yanhe, Wen Shengming, Liu Bige and Miao Yue attended the awards ceremony tonight.

"How is your mother recovering?" Lu Yanhe asked with particular concern.

Miao Yue nodded and said, "Yes, I'm recovering quite well, thank you."

She smiled at Lu Yanhe, "My mom was asking about you when she called me yesterday. She's very gossipy and asked if Chen Siqi came with you this time."

Lu Yanhe chuckled, "Why is Auntie curious about something like this?"

Miao Yue's mother is also a writer.

In Lu Yanhe's memory, Miao Yue's mother was a very elegant and scholarly woman.

“She’s your and Chen Siqi’s biggest fan,” Miao Yue said. “You have no idea how much she likes you and Chen Siqi. She’s always nagging you two, saying you’re a perfect couple.”

Lu Yanhe said with a smile, "You and Liu Bige are right in front of her."

Miao Yue pointed at Liu Bige without any politeness and said, "My mom dislikes him. You know what, my mom reminded me that even though he looks quite handsome and young now, in thirty years he will be an old man. If I take good care of myself, I will still be pretty. When we stand together, it will look like an old man and a young woman."

Lu Yanhe noticed that Liu Bige's lips twitched.

"Haha." Lu Yanhe immediately laughed, "Give Liu Bige some face."

Liu Bige said, "Never mind, I'm used to it."

Liu Bige added, "Who told me to seduce her when she was in college? Maybe this is the price I have to pay."

He made a face.

Lu Yanhe laughed.

Miao Yue said, "My mother always feels that I was deceived by him."

She also showed a helpless expression.

“You two have been together for so long, why don’t you consider getting married? If you get married, your mother won’t treat Liu Bige like this anymore, right?” Lu Yanhe said.

Miao Yue sighed: "If only it were that simple. My mom insists that I get married after I turn 28. She's always worried that I'll be deceived, that I haven't thought things through, and that I've been fooled by Liu Bige."

Lu Yanhe nodded.

"Actually, if you think about it from your parents' perspective, it's not surprising that they think this way; it's quite normal," he said. "I guess you'll think the same way when you become parents."

Miao Yue nodded.

“I also think that it’s just a matter of one or two years anyway, so we can wait and wait, as long as she’s satisfied,” Miao Yue said. “She’s not like me, who has known Liu Bige for so long and understands him so well. Like you said, it’s normal for her to be worried.”

Liu Bige shrugged.

"I feel like I'm being scrutinized by your mother every day."

Wen Shengming, who had been listening with a smile the whole time, suddenly spoke up and interjected.

“You don’t understand. Mothers-in-law are always picky first and like later,” Wen Shengming said. “You haven’t reached that age yet. When you reach our age, you’ll understand why we have such worries. Especially Liu Bige, who is in his prime, an internationally renowned film director, handsome and charming. What mother-in-law would feel comfortable having someone like that as her son-in-law?”

Lu Yanhe never expected that the group of people would suddenly start talking about these things at this time.

It doesn't fit in with the Golden Globe Awards.

But it's strangely natural.

-

Leaf vein network.

Editorial Department.

Xin Zixing personally led her team to produce a special feature on the Golden Globe Awards ceremony.

With financial support from the Shijin Group, Yemai.com secured interviews with several film crews nominated for this year's Golden Globe Awards.

Based on these interviews, YeMai.com launched a special live broadcast.

This live stream wasn't in video format, but rather text-based. It wasn't that YeMai.com chose this artistic approach to be unique; it's simply that the live streaming and broadcasting rights for the awards ceremony were held by other platforms, and they didn't have the copyright, so this was their only option.

However, after failing to secure the live streaming and broadcasting rights, Yemai.com came up with a unique idea: to find the "Jump Up" team, bring in two senior editors who usually focus on film, and Lin Yu, to create a "tea-drinking" live stream room for the three of them. In conjunction with this column, they provided real-time commentary, or rather, introductions, on the winners and nominees of each award.

This kind of format is destined to fail in attracting a large, mainstream audience.

Therefore, Xin Zixing simply abandoned the idea of ​​making this feature popular and instead adopted an elitist design, deciding that the content should not cater to the general public and should be as professional as possible.

The three of them, Lin Yu and Yu, didn't need to worry about whether what they said was understandable to most viewers. They could just go about whatever came to mind, talking about anyone and everything, reciting their works and anecdotes with great familiarity, speaking freely and unrestrainedly, with no one knowing what they would say next.

"We only have a little over five thousand viewers for this live stream," the person in charge of the live stream reported.

Xin Zixing nodded.

"Are related segments being made at the same time?" Xin Zixing said. "Although we will have a pre-recorded version later, the live analysis and commentary of this kind of award ceremony will definitely have the highest traffic and attention while it is in progress. We can't wait until the award ceremony is over before we have made a few segments."

The so-called "slicing" refers to cutting out some exciting segments from a relatively long video, just like the content we see on short video platforms.

“We’re already working on it, but the number of new users we’re attracting isn’t very high.” The subordinate looked somewhat troubled. “The people behind ‘Jump Up’ aren’t very well-known to the general public.”

“It’s alright, as long as our core users are satisfied, that’s enough,” Xin Zixing said. “But we still need to do the segmentation. We’ve already made arrangements on the operations side, and we will continue to promote and drive traffic.”

"Don't slack off on the text-based live coverage either," Xin Zixing said. "Especially on the tweets. We've already done some research on each nominee and compiled complete articles. We shouldn't waste the hype surrounding the Golden Globe Awards ceremony; we need to release them as soon as possible."

"OK."

During the break, Xin Zixing received a message on her phone from Huang Kairen, asking her: "Are you going to work overtime after the awards ceremony?"

Xin Zixing replied: I don't think so. The work has already been arranged. What's wrong? Didn't you have an appointment with Ruyi to discuss the script today? How did it go?

Huang Kairen replied: "Another special appearance as the third male lead. I'm not interested. I don't want to help them promote newcomers."

Xin Zixing said: Wasn't it said before that he was the lead actor?

Huang Kairen: Nowadays, any character who appears in a movie for more than ten minutes is considered a lead actor.

Xin Zixing: This is really... Ruyi is so unfair. When they contacted us before, they acted like they wanted you to play the male lead.

Huang Kai-ren: Am I washed up? Why are all the roles we're getting offered these days like this?

Xin Zixing: You're not washed up. I told you that a long time ago. You just have high standards. If you want to play the male lead, there are tons of scripts for you.

Huang Kairen: But why would you only cast me as the third male lead in such a good script?

Xin Zixing asked: Who is the male lead? Does he have a powerful background?

Huang Kairen: I don't know if he has any connections, but he's a newcomer I've never heard of before.

Xin Zixing asked: Who is the second male lead?

Huang Kairen said: Jiang Mingzheng.

Xin Zixing then asked: "Is the male lead very young?"

Huang Kairen: Yes, she is sixteen years old in the script.

Xin Zixing: That's settled then. The role itself wasn't suitable for you anyway. You're facing an age crisis; you're not young enough, nor are you old enough.

Huang Kairen: I really can only wait for Yan He's script. Is it possible that I will have difficulty getting good film scripts in the next few years?

Xin Zixing: Given your current demands, I can't even offer you any comfort. It's difficult, truly difficult.

Huang Kairen: Maybe I should go and try my luck in Hollywood too.

Xin Zixing: Just let Hollywood take its course. At your age, you're not good enough for anything, so going to Hollywood won't help you unless you lower your expectations and stop only accepting leading roles.

Huang Kairen: ...

Xin Zixing: Why don't we have a baby in the next year or two, and you can take care of the baby for a few years?

Huang Kairen: ...It's not impossible.

Xin Zixing: Shall we eat at home tonight?

Huang Kairen: Wait, let me confirm first. You just said you want to have a child in the next year or two. Are you serious? I don't want to be disappointed after having expectations.

Xin Zixing: It can be serious, depending on whether you want to be serious or not.

Huang Kairen: What do you want to eat tonight? I'll go buy it now.

Xin Zixing laughed.

-

Tonight, Lu Yanhe will be presenting the Best Original Screenplay Award in the film category.

This is Lu Yanhe's only appearance on stage tonight.

"Calm Windsor No. 1" earned him a Best Actor nomination, but everyone knows that's where it ends.

Lu Yanhe was certainly very confident in his performance in the film and his improved acting skills. However, the American awards season has never been a contest of absolute talent.

To some extent, the value of a role outweighs the actor's acting skills.

The good thing is that Chen Pinhe's nomination is considered an affirmation, and he is unlikely to go on stage to accept the award.

Lu Yanhe wasn't under much psychological pressure.

With Chen Pinhe also present, he couldn't help but exude a more nonchalant air when presenting the award.

It wasn't natural; it was acted. It was all to impress Chen Pinhe with his Golden Globe Award performance—

It's as easy as going back to my hometown.

Seeing Hollywood's adoration for him must be making you anxious, right? Jealousy, or unease? Either way is fine.

Lu Yanhe just wanted to make Chen Pinhe uncomfortable.

-

If Chen Pinhe knew what Lu Yanhe was thinking, he would only say one thing: "You really don't need to make him uncomfortable."

Recently, Zhang Yuezhen has suddenly become distant and cold towards him for some reason.

When asked what happened, she wouldn't say, only that she was a little busy and tired at work.

But when asked what happened in detail, they wouldn't say anything.

This puzzled Chen Pinhe, and even made him feel vaguely uneasy. Over the years, Zhang Yuezhen had always prioritized his affairs, and she had always paid close attention to his every move, whether it was his work or other aspects of his life.

Chen Pinhe trusted Zhang Yuezhen to handle his management affairs for two reasons: first, she was indeed capable, had strong work skills, and was good at building connections and making friends; second, Chen Pinhe knew that it would be difficult to find another person who was "wholeheartedly" good to him and wanted the best for him to handle these matters.

However, this has recently changed abruptly.

She rarely even asked him questions like where he went or what he did, questions she used to ask him every day.

If these things could be attributed to Zhang Yuezhen being too busy lately, then the fact that she didn't come with him to the Golden Globe Awards this time is enough to suggest that something must have happened to her.

“Hey Chen, you seem a bit distracted today,” asked Vasily Keke, his agent in charge of his overseas brokerage business, who was sitting next to him.

Chen Pinhe snapped out of his reverie and said, "I was thinking about some things."

Vasily Kecker said, "Your wife isn't here today, but she specifically asked me to take a picture of the two of you together tonight, as Jessica Brand is also here, to promote your upcoming romantic comedy film."

Chen Pinhe nodded and asked, "Shall we go now?"

“I haven’t found her yet. We’ll go over there after we find her,” Vasily Keke said. “Oh, by the way, there are a lot of Chinese actors here tonight. Would you like to take a picture with them too?”

Chen Pinhe: "If they come over and ask me to take a photo with them, of course I can."

Vasily Keke nodded.

“Actually, it would be great if you could collaborate with Lu Yanhe on a film.” Vasily suddenly said with some emotion, “Look at that actor from your country named Wen Shengming. Nobody thought he could get this far, but now he’s firmly in the top tier of the Best Supporting Actor category. The Academy’s emphasis on Lu Yanhe has exceeded my expectations.”

A shadow fell over Chen Pinhe's eyes.

He said, "You mean that if we don't work with Lu Yanhe, it will be more difficult to succeed during the awards season?"

“Of course that’s not what I meant.” Vasily shook his head. “What I meant was that working with Lu Yanhe would be a shortcut. If you perform well, the chances of being seen and valued by the Academy are much higher. If ‘Dingfeng No. 1’ had only won the Best Actor award at the Venice International Film Festival, or only achieved good box office results, it certainly wouldn’t have received as much attention as it does now. There’s a consensus in Hollywood now, a consensus that usually only exists among top directors in the Academy’s inner circle and a very few legendary actors—any film by Lu Yanhe deserves serious attention, and we should consider whether he should be recognized with awards.”

Vasily's words made Chen Pinhe frown.

He understood perfectly.

Others, if they make a good movie, need to go to great lengths to do public relations so that others can see it. But Lu Yanhe skipped that step. As long as it was his movie, the judges with voting rights would actively watch it and consider whether it was worth casting their vote.

These are two completely different concepts.

In just a few years, Lu Yanhe has created such an advantageous situation for himself.

Chen Pinhe's feelings were very complicated.

On the one hand, he felt a little regretful. If he had pressed his advantage when he was at the height of his international film career many years ago and made more films in Europe and America instead of reducing his output, would he have been able to build such a foundation in Europe and America?

On the other hand, he felt restless once again. What would Lu Yanhe do? What did he want to do? In their previous encounters, Lu Yanhe had put him at a disadvantage. Although it hadn't caused any real damage, this feeling of being "chased and beaten" was the main reason why Chen Pinhe couldn't sleep soundly at night.

"Teacher Chen." Meng Li's cheerful voice rang out.

Chen Pinhe looked up.

Mengli said, "Let's take a picture together? I want to post it on social media later."

Upon hearing this, Chen Pinhe nodded, stood up, smiled familiarly, and stood next to Meng Li.

-

Jiang Yuqian's hard work on the international stage over the past few years has yielded remarkable results. At events like the Golden Globe Awards, she knows and has met almost half of the people there.

Therefore, in many people's eyes, her demeanor as she moved around was effortless and unrestrained, a poised and elegant air that was quite different from many other Asian faces.

In comparison, even with his representative work "Buried Alive," Li Zhibai remains an unfamiliar face.

He stayed close to Jiang Yuqian, and the two of them were practically inseparable tonight. Jiang Yuqian introduced him by saying, "The movie 'Love is Not Blind,' which I starred in with him, is about to be released. Everyone is welcome to attend the premiere."

However, that night, Li Zhibai was surprised to find that several men were making advances towards Jiang Yuqian.

Actually, it's not uncommon for celebrities to encounter some "flirting." Li Zhibai himself often encounters people "giving him flirty glances," but these situations usually end after he gives them a "cold look."

Jiang Yuqian's situation, however, was somewhat closer to the meaning of "entanglement".

Even though Li Zhibai was standing right next to Jiang Yuqian, the men who came to "flirt" with her ignored his presence, like peacocks, arrogantly radiating what they thought was some kind of charm.

To Li Zhibai's dismay, even though Jiang Yuqian had directly expressed her refusal, those people seemed not to understand and continued to pester her. Jiang Yuqian could only continue to feign compliance with them.

Li Zhibai almost lost his temper several times and wanted to yell at them, but Jiang Yuqian, as if she could read his mind, always gave him a reassuring look before he could explode.

"Are we just going to have to put up with this?" Li Zhibai had genuinely thought that once Jiang Yuqian reached her level, she wouldn't have to face such a situation.

Jiang Yuqian said, "In Hollywood, almost all actresses, even the top-tier ones, will encounter this kind of harassment. Not to mention actresses, male actors are the same. Some people are fine with it, but like those few just now, they are all rich and powerful. For example, the one wearing a headscarf is a member of the Saudi royal family. If you offend them, it will be troublesome. Anyway, they don't dare to do anything. They are just a bit annoying. If you bear with it, they will leave on their own."

Li Zhibai said, "This is so frustrating."

"Feeling frustrated? Since my debut, this kind of thing has never stopped." Jiang Yuqian shook her head helplessly. "It's much better now. No one dares to really do anything to me. At most, they'll just say a few words to get the better of me. When I first debuted, I was even forced by the company to go to dinner with people at banquets. That was really frustrating."

Li Zhibai: "Damn Star Entertainment."

His face was full of anger.

"It's okay. Luckily, I have Sister Heng as my manager. She always protects me from things that violate my principles," Jiang Yuqian said. "These kinds of things can't be avoided."

Li Zhibai: "Let's make it public as soon as possible. If it's inconvenient for you to say it later, I will say it. I really wanted to slap those bastards a couple of times just now."

"Give me a break, don't act impulsively," Jiang Yuqian said. "With your temper, you might have your family backing you up in China, but abroad, people won't listen to you. They might even hire someone to teach you a lesson. There was a Korean celebrity who was arrogant and reportedly offended someone. Within two days, he was cornered in a parking lot and beaten up. Even his bodyguards couldn't help him."

Li Zhibai immediately became a little nervous and asked, "What about you? You've been around here for so long, haven't you been bullied by anyone?"

Jiang Yuqian shook her head.

"I came here to develop my career for two reasons. First, Yan He's influence is growing, and everyone here regards me as one of his people, so they won't easily bully me. Second, I've had a relatively smooth journey. When I came here, I had already become famous with 'Squid Game,' so I didn't have to start from the bottom anymore. Therefore, I haven't suffered any losses or been bullied. At most, there was some verbal entanglement like just now, which is nothing."

As the two were talking, suddenly, a blonde, blue-eyed female celebrity came up to them.

"Yuqian—"

Jiang Yuqian looked up.

“Oh! Sidney.” Jiang Yuqian hugged the woman named Sidney affectionately and kissed her cheek.

You look so beautiful today.

"Your dress makes you look like a princess!"

...

Li Zhibai's lips twitched.

No need to ask, it's definitely a fake friendship.

Sidney's gaze suddenly turned towards Li Zhibai.

You look familiar.

Jiang Yuqian subtly moved closer to Li Zhibai, blocking Sidney from getting too close.

"Li Zhibai starred in 'Buried Alive'."

“Oh! So that was you.” Sidney smiled broadly. “I really liked the movie, but you’re even more handsome in it.”

Her gaze lingered on Li Zhibai.

Li Zhibai: "I'm sorry, my English isn't very good, I didn't quite understand what you were saying."

He looked completely innocent.

Sidney: "Didn't understand? That's okay."

Her gaze remained fixed on him.

"Perhaps we can continue our conversation a little later?"

Li Zhibai still looked bewildered.

"Could you please repeat that?"

Sidney: "..."

Jiang Yuqian turned her face slightly to hide her smile.

Sidney looked away and said to Jiang Yuqian, "I'm planning to host a party at home the day after tomorrow. Yuqian, you can bring your... friend along."

Jiang Yuqian nodded, still affectionately, "If we have time, we'll come and participate. Sidney, I wish you good luck winning the prize tonight."

Sidney smiled.

"I hope so."

As soon as Sidney left, Jiang Yuqian immediately turned to Li Zhibai and said, "Look at you, you're being watched now too."

Who is she?

“A woman you should run away from as soon as you see her,” Jiang Yuqian said. “She likes any handsome man. Tonight, she’s slept with at least ten men in this place.”

Li Zhibai looked surprised.

-

"The winner is Sidney Weiss."

An hour later, the winner of Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Limited Series was announced.

Li Zhibai watched as the blonde, blue-eyed woman walked onto the podium amidst applause.

She accepted the trophy and was so excited that she burst into tears.

Jiang Yuqian whispered in his ear, "I heard that she slept with the producer and director to get this role."

Li Zhibai asked in surprise, "What era are we living in? Why are people still doing this kind of sex trade?"

“No matter what year it is, if this method works, people will always do it,” Jiang Yuqian said softly. “Sydney Weiss’s reputation in Hollywood is basically at the level of being commonplace.”

"How come she's doing so well?"

“She’s willing to go all out. She can do things that others are unwilling or unable to do, so of course she has the space to thrive,” Jiang Yuqian said. “And as you’ve seen, she’s reaped a great harvest.”

Li Zhibai: "If you can only win an award this way, you might as well not win it at all."

"Of course you can say that so easily, but for her, if she doesn't do it, she might never get ahead in her life." Although she had been somewhat disdainful before, Jiang Yuqian's words now carried a hint of sympathy for Sidney Weiss.

Li Zhibai hesitated for a moment, wanting to say something, but then stopped himself.

“Anyway, everyone has their own choices,” Jiang Yuqian said. “If you asked me to make the same sacrifices as her, I definitely wouldn’t be willing, but there are always people who are willing. It’s not even a matter of willingness or unwillingness. The competition to make it in Hollywood is too fierce and too difficult. The so-called story of getting a role through an audition and soaring to the top is like winning the lottery. If you go to the cafes and restaurants around Hollywood, you’ll find that the waiters and staff are all handsome men and beautiful women, all waiting for their chance. If an opportunity suddenly comes their way, how many of them can resist the temptation?”

Li Zhibai: "When you have nothing, that's when you're most vulnerable to temptation."

Jiang Yuqian nodded.

"So, many people in Hollywood feel that people like us suddenly appeared and took away their jobs, and they are very unhappy about it." Jiang Yuqian smiled. "Don't be fooled by how warmly everyone greeted me tonight. In reality, anyone who has any competitive relationship with me has clashed with me in various ways in private."

Li Zhibai: "Competing for movies and roles?"

“It’s not just that.” Jiang Yuqian shook her head. “Of course, it ultimately points to this. In Hollywood, all the competition ultimately comes down to roles and awards.”

"Here, people don't compete for endorsements, billing order, or treatment?"

“Everyone is competing, but not so much putting the cart before the horse,” Jiang Yuqian said. “Moreover, much of the competition is between agents and PR, not the artists themselves. This is a bit different from China, where the focus is mainly on the artists themselves and the clashes between their teams. Here, there is a very mature industry chain. Whether it’s performing arts or business, there are different specialists to help you manage it.”

-

Nearly 9,000 words updated, please vote with monthly tickets!

(End of this chapter)