Chapter 104 Arrogance [VIP]

Chapter Summary: This is an attempt to poach his girlfriend.

In late November, the major year-end celebrations and events kicked off.

Mu Zhi had a movie released this year, won a newcomer award, starred as the female lead in a movie directed by a famous director, and also has a spy drama currently airing on satellite TV.

We received invitations to all kinds of grand events, big and small, and the benefits offered were all very good.

The new year will begin in a week.

I'll be joining a new film crew in January.

My confirmed schedule for January includes advertising shoots and magazine covers, makeup trials, photoshoots, and script readings for a new drama. I also need to make time for myself to prepare for the new role. My schedule is very full.

I only selected two major events to attend. One of them was the Star Awards hosted by the Owl platform. "Back to 17" was released on the Owl platform a few months after its theatrical run ended, and "The Edge of the Blade" was also broadcast on the Owl platform.

So this year I didn't go to Green Apple, but came to the Owl platform.

This effectively dispelled the rumors that she withdrew from the "Chasing the Light" competition and was subsequently blacklisted by the Owl platform.

The Star Awards and Green Apple's "Boiling Night" event have similar procedures, including a red carpet and an indoor awards ceremony.

The lineup of invited celebrities is even stronger than that of the Boiling Night event.

Tonight, the four new young beauties have all gathered.

That is, Liao Yaning, Xi Qianwen, Chi Yue, and Mu Zhi.

On the red carpet, everyone was battling it out over who looked the best in their gowns, with fans pulling at each other's hair and naturally no one giving an inch.

Then they set their sights on the seats inside the arena.

The seating arrangement and treatment provided by the organizers, to a certain extent, represent the industry's recognition of the artist's status.

This year's Tencent Video All Star Awards ceremony brought together the "New Four Little Flowers" for the first time. In the previous two years, Liao Yaning, Xi Qianwen, and Chi Yue received the same treatment at the ceremony.

How Mu Zhi is treated has become the most talked-about topic among netizens.

"Mu Zhi and Liao Yaning both have dramas airing, and the two are being compared to each other to compete for the top spot among the four little actresses. But does her status actually warrant sitting with the other three?"

"It feels like we're still one step away from being released. We'll have to wait for 'Countdown' to be released."

"She's played the lead role in all the big directors' movies. When 'The Bell Ringer' aired, it outperformed Xi Qianwen and Du Qianqian. And the ratings for her currently airing 'The Edge of the Blade' have also surpassed Liao Yaning's new drama. With such a strong upward trend, there's no reason why her treatment shouldn't be as good as the other three, right?"

......

This is Mu Zhi's first time participating in the Owl Festival.

After walking the red carpet, Mu Zhi changed into a dress, put her long hair up, and walked gracefully into the venue in a white halter-neck gown. She was noble, pure, elegant, and charming, just like a white swan.

He walked straight to his seat, which was in the second row.

She sat in the same row as Liao Yaning, Xi Qianwen, and Chi Yue.

Mu Zhi knew that there was a lot of discussion about her status online. Many netizens felt that she had risen too fast. It had only been a little over a year since "The Bell Ringer" aired, and she was already at the same level as Liao Yaning, Xi Qianwen, and Chi Yue, who had been popular for several years.

But for Mu Zhi, it has been more than two years since she came into this world. Is that fast? No, it's slow.

Having found her seat, Mu Zhi calmly sat down.

Netizens noticed that Mu Zhi didn't show any signs of being flattered, apprehensive, or awkward sitting with the seniors. It was as if she was entitled to sit there and that sitting there was no big deal.

Am I not amazed? This is what they mean by "red aura nourishes the body"? Such a powerful presence.

During tonight's awards ceremony.

Mu Zhi won two awards: "Newcomer Film Actress of the Year" and "Most Popular TV Actress of the Year," representing both film and television awards.

The dramatic scene of the "new four little actresses" receiving awards together, which netizens had been hoping for, did not materialize.

But Mu Zhi was undoubtedly the most popular female artist tonight. Whether it was walking the red carpet, her seating arrangements, or accepting awards at the awards ceremony inside the venue, her beautiful face radiated confidence, poise, and a noble and composed demeanor, as if she were in her own living room.

She stands out among a host of big-name celebrities, leaving a deep impression on people.

The awards ceremony is drawing to a close.

When it was Mu Zhi's turn, she cooperated with other popular artists to shoot materials related to the Star Awards.

The footage will be released gradually within a day or two after the event ends. It's a big event that we managed to gather so many big-name celebrities, so we're trying to keep the event generating buzz and attention.

After Mu Zhi finished shooting the promotional materials, the awards ceremony was almost over.

She no longer needs to go back to the inner area to sit.

I went to the dressing room arranged by the organizer, intending to change out of the dress and then leave.

I ran into a middle-aged man wearing glasses at the entrance to the locker room.

Upon seeing Mu Zhi's appearance, the other party walked over but maintained a certain distance.

He introduced himself: "Hello, Teacher Mu, my name is Ji Peng."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. May I have two minutes of your time?"

Ji Binghe did not accompany them to tonight's grand event.

Minmin sized up the man, took two steps forward, and whispered in Muzhi's ear, "He is Liao Yaning's agent and the director of Shengyu Media's talent agency."

Mu Zhi exchanged a glance with the agent in front of her. The agent had a gentle smile on his face and showed great patience and composure in waiting for Mu Zhi's response, even though Mu Zhi did not respond immediately after greeting him.

It seems that if he hears Mu Zhi say "no" in the next second, he will reply "it's okay".

Anyway, we'll have another chance to meet next time.

Mu Zhi didn't even give the other party a professional smile, and out of politeness, she simply replied with a calm expression, "Hello, Manager Ji."

"There are people coming and going in the corridor. It's not appropriate for you to linger outside the changing room where I need to change clothes."

"Sorry, I'm busy."

Upon hearing this, the other party said apologetically, "I'm sorry, it was my oversight."

"Because it's so difficult to meet Teacher Mu in person, I can only get to know her through this grand event in a rather impolite way. I hope you won't mind."

Ji Peng adjusted his glasses and indicated that there was a staircase at the end of the corridor that led down to the lobby on the first floor.

They asked Mu Zhi if they could go over there to say a few words, saying, "It won't be more than two minutes. I hope Teacher Mu will do me the honor."

After changing into her formal dress, Mu Zhi came out with her long hair down. She was wearing a black turtleneck sweater with a black down jacket over it. After hesitating for a moment, she walked towards the stairwell.

She was used to solving problems immediately.

There is a large platform in the stairwell with a wide view, and you can see the lobby downstairs. Artists and their entourages are constantly walking towards the entrance.

Before Mu Zhi could speak, Ji Peng extended an olive branch.

"Teacher Mu, your company has Liu Rui before you and You Chan after you, both of whom are in the film industry. It's inevitable that there will be conflicts over resources. There's no guarantee that things like resource hijacking won't happen again in the future."

He paused, then made a dig at He Zhiyue: "A young company, a young boss, is full of unknown risks. Shengyu Media, on the other hand, has been standing in the industry for almost ten years. As one of the partners of Shengyu, I have been working as an agent for more than ten years."

Ji Peng stood with his hands in his pockets, looking as if he had everything under control.

Looking at Mu Zhi, he continued:

"Teacher Mu, you are excellent in every way. I regret that I didn't recognize your talent sooner, but I believe that it's not too late for us to get to know each other now."

Ya Ning will focus on developing her career in the television drama industry. If you come, there will be no conflict of resources. I can guarantee with my more than ten years of experience as a manager that I will make you the most popular female artist in the country.

After listening, Mu Zhi glanced at her phone.

"Exactly 2 minutes."

"Thank you for your appreciation, Agent Ji. I have no plans to switch jobs."

Despite being rejected outright, Ji Peng maintained a gentle smile, as if he had anticipated Mu Zhi's response.

"No rush, I can wait."

"Today I simply want to formally get to know Teacher Mu."

"This is my business card. Please feel free to contact me anytime if you change your mind, Professor Mu."

He handed Mu Zhi a business card with both hands.

Mu Zhi watched the movie without moving, while the other person maintained the same posture of handing over their business card.

After waiting for 6 seconds, Mu Zhi reached out to take it.

This scene was captured by someone with ulterior motives...

Donghua Mansion underground parking lot.

He Zhiyue parked the car and was about to turn off the engine and get out when he noticed that the screen of his phone next to him lit up, showing that he had received a picture.

Upon opening the window, one could see that Mu Zhi was receiving a business card from a middle-aged man.

After careful examination, I recognized the middle-aged man as Ji Peng.

When He Zhiyue was looking for a suitable talent manager for Lanxing Media, she did some research on top agents in the industry and remembered Ji Peng.

When the management director of a rival company hands out his own artist's business card, it's clearly more than just admiration.

This is an attempt to undermine him.

He Zhiyue glanced at the time on her phone; it was almost 12 o'clock. She figured Mu Zhi would be back soon, so she wasn't in a hurry to get out of the car and go upstairs.

12:30 a.m.

After leaving the Star Awards venue, Mu Zhi and her team went out for dinner together.

After having a late-night snack, I drove home by myself.

After getting out of the car, Mu Zhi felt a chill in the underground parking garage, as if a gaze was following her. As she walked quickly toward the elevator, she subconsciously put her hand in her pocket and pulled out a business card.

Oh, it's the business card that Ji Peng handed me.

She understood the meaning behind Ji Peng's words when he handed her his business card.

The gist is "Let's get to know each other first," and that when you intend to terminate your contract with Lanxing Media or when your contract expires, you should give priority to Shengyu Media.

Ji Peng was polite on the surface, but arrogant in reality.

Mu Zhi was certain that she wouldn't be looking for a business card two or three years from now.

Just as I tore the business card in my hand in half, I heard a voice behind me call out, "Teacher Mu."

Startled, Mu Zhi turned around following the familiar voice and saw her boss, He Zhiyue, striding towards her with his long legs.

He Zhiyue walked closer and saw what Mu Zhi was tearing in her hand. The corners of her mouth, which had been constantly drooping during the half hour of waiting, unconsciously turned up at this moment.

A little embarrassed, Mu Zhi quickly threw the business card in her hand into the trash can next to her.

Thinking back to when I heard the agent talk about Mao Hongjun's contract termination, he mentioned that the boss was quite affected by it.

They're back so late.

Mu Zhi casually asked, "Are you working overtime at the company until this late?"

He Zhiyue initially wanted to deny it, but after a moment's thought, she nodded listlessly, like a wilted eggplant.

With such a hardworking boss who works long hours for the company, it seems that Lanxing Media will really become the largest entertainment agency in the industry, just like in the novel "The Boss Spends Money to Spoil Her Debut".

Seeing the tired look on her boss's face, Mu Zhi knew that the company would inevitably be affected by Mao Hongjun's departure, and might even be severely damaged, potentially affecting the completion of the performance-based agreement. However, she believed that everything would be resolved.

She was quite pleased to see her boss in such high spirits and hoped to see him grow and expand the company as soon as possible.

The boss offered a reassuring statement in official terms: "Mao Hongjun's departure is a timely way to stop the company's losses. We believe that the departure of one artist will not affect the company's progress."

He Zhiyue: "Thank you. If Mao Hongjun had left Lanxing for another company, I wouldn't be so... never mind, he'll regret his foolish decision."

The company invested a lot of resources in Mao Hongjun, promoting him to a top-tier position, but all that effort was wasted.

He inevitably felt frustrated that all his resources had been wasted on an ungrateful wretch.

When this topic comes up, He Zhiyue has been thinking about a question for the past few days.

In his impression of Mu Zhi, Mu Zhi was very familiar with the entertainment industry. As an artist, her behavior and views were always so clear-headed.

Perhaps we can find the answer here with Mu Zhi?

He Zhiyue asked, "Teacher Mu, what should I do to prevent other artists from experiencing a situation similar to Mao Hongjun's?"

Mu Zhi: "It's unavoidable."

The boss looked somewhat saddened after hearing this.

He thought to himself: The boss is probably worried that the nominal eldest brother, He Junzhi, will try to poach him again.

I spoke a few more words from my own subjective perspective.

“Every artist has different pursuits, ideas, and perspectives. Sometimes, artists make wrong choices based on their own judgment or due to information gaps.”

For example, an artist might feel that staying with their current company means receiving only self-produced dramas or being suppressed by the company's top female stars, which hinders their development and prevents them from becoming famous.

Just then, another company offered her a great role and promised her many benefits. She imagined that after leaving her current company, she could take on roles according to her own preferences, become the leading lady in the new company, and usher in a broad career development.

When I arrived at the new company, apart from the first resource I received, I found that everything else promised was just empty talk, and they didn't provide the corresponding good resources.

After the first installment flopped, no more resources were available to continue it.

They vanished without a trace, disappearing from the industry.

"Other factors, such as the company's future prospects and its plans for its artists, can also lead to artists leaving. Interests bind artists and companies together; if they cannot grow together, one will eventually abandon the other..."

He Zhiyue was suddenly "shot in the knee".

Upon hearing these words, the first person that came to mind was Mu Zhi.

Even without Lanxing Media, Muzhi would still have achieved the status and success she has today.

Realizing this, He Zhiyue's mood became somewhat heavy.

Mu Zhi smiled brightly at him and said, "Don't worry about it. Just like the popularity of celebrities, no one can keep their popularity forever."

"Many fans say they will always support you, but they disappear after a few months, a year, two years... But that's okay, new fans will keep joining during this time, and they're on their way."

November 29th, Wednesday.

The finale of "The Edge of the Blade" will air in 3 days.

Tonight, Mu Zhi's character will be leaving the show early.