Chapter 84 Questioning [VIP]

Chapter Summary: Does a conflict of interest exist regarding resource competition?

Brokerage Director's Office.

Ji Binghe was quite surprised that Liu Rui had come to her office without prior arrangement.

Liu Rui signed with Lanxing Media with her own team, including an agent she had worked with for three years.

In most cases, Ji Binghe and Liu Rui's agent handle their work-related communication.

There was very little direct contact between Ji Binghe and Liu Rui; Liu Rui visited the director of brokerage office only a handful of times.

This is Liu Rui's first time here. She is not accompanied by her agent, but only by an assistant.

Ji Binghe was puzzled by Liu Rui's arrival, but she didn't show it on her face. She stood up from her desk and invited Liu Rui to sit down on the sofa.

"Ms. Liu Rui, you came here so suddenly today, is there something wrong with your work?"

Ji Binghe asked this question because she had just gone through Liu Rui's recent schedule in her mind. Next week, she would be joining the cast of an S+ suspense web series in collaboration with the Green Apple platform.

After finishing filming the suspenseful web series, she will be joining the cast of a crime drama film directed by a well-known director in the second half of the year, playing the lead role.

My work schedule is already full this year.

"Nothing much, I'm about to start filming, so I came to the company to check on things."

"I was originally going to see President He, but unfortunately, he wasn't in the company."

"Director Ji, am I disturbing your work?"

"Won't."

Since everyone was already seated, and Liu Rui was the company's top female employee, Ji Binghe had no reason to leave her on the sofa to attend to her own business.

Knowing that Liu Rui wouldn't come without a reason, her arrival must mean she has something to say.

Sure enough, Liu Rui had just said that nothing was wrong.

The next second, she mentioned Mu Zhi to Ji Binghe: "Just now, I ran into Mu Zhi in the hallway outside the door."

He remarked with emotion, "I remember she was a newcomer who had only been signed with the company for two years. After one web series and one movie, her value skyrocketed more than tenfold."

Looking at Ji Binghe, Liu Rui praised, "Director Ji truly deserves to be ranked among the top three agents in the industry."

"I heard that you recently helped Mu Zhi get the lead role in director Wan Zhou's new movie?"

Only a week has passed since the audition.

Where did Liu Rui find out about this? So fast.

Before a film is officially announced, the artist's team is not allowed to reveal information about the new film to others.

But when Liu Rui learned of this news, she asked him, her tone sounding very certain.

If Ji Binghe doesn't admit it, news about her new drama will be leaked soon, which might cause a rift between her and Liu Rui.

He had no choice but to reveal, "Yes, there is such a thing."

Liu Rui immediately inquired with concern, how did Mu Zhi, a newcomer to the film industry, manage to obtain resources?

Ji Binghe declined to reveal the relationship between her boss and director Wan Zhou.

He only briefly mentioned: "I found out that the lead actress in the director's new movie hasn't been cast yet, so I managed to get an audition spot and took Mu Zhi to the audition..."

This means that Mu Zhi passed the audition.

Liu Rui noticed that the director of her agency didn't mention how she obtained the audition spot through any connections.

This means they don't want to answer.

Fine, Liu Rui stopped asking how she obtained the resources.

The gaze directed at Ji Binghe was no longer gentle, but sharp.

"Director Ji, when I signed with Lanxing Media, President He told me that the company would definitely take my future career plans seriously."

I feel like you're putting less effort into me than into a newcomer. Should I make you my manager too?

It directly points out that Ji Binghe favors newcomers, doesn't value her, and doesn't give her the best resources.

Ji Binghe: "......"

Liu Rui has acted in several works, but it was only after winning the "Best Actress" award for an art-house romance film that people began to notice that there was such a film actress.

Because her award-winning role in the film featured explicit and passionate scenes, audiences perceived Liu Rui as a good actress with a great figure.

After signing with Lanxing Media.

The company has given Liu Rui a completely new image makeover, aiming to cultivate a high-end image under the halo of the "Best Actress" title. They have secured her the endorsement of Yao Nai'er perfume, as well as other endorsements.

However, some actors are more charismatic in their roles than in real life.

Although Liu Rui is a film queen, she lacks national recognition and brand awareness, making it difficult for her endorsements to bring brands benefits such as increased popularity, prestige, or expanded brand awareness.

The endorsements that were bought and sold failed to generate a good effect, and no brand resources were available to continue the investment.

After trying it out, the company changed its approach and encouraged Liu Rui to focus on developing her career in the film industry, aiming for a low-key image and a career as a talented actress.

Liu Rui's previous roles in movies often featured scenes that showcased her figure and included explicit intimate scenes to attract attention. She was mostly a decorative character in male-dominated films, which led to her being labeled as #vulgar# by the audience.

In order to remove this label from Liu Rui, Ji Binghe refused to use actresses' figures to attract attention in the film resources and roles she negotiated, and refused to be promoted as a selling point of the film.

They've gone to great lengths to broaden Liu Rui's acting range, but she needs one or two projects to gradually "transform"...

However, the decision to accept roles still rests with Liu Rui, and Ji Binghe has no say in it.

In the film industry, actresses are already rare to get good roles that offer a lot of room for performance. Liu Rui doesn't have box office appeal and relies on working with well-known directors and actors who can carry the box office. After not accepting roles that are outside her "comfort zone," the roles she can get are very limited.

The TV dramas and web series that have approached us offer a wide variety of roles that we can play.

Liu Rui saw that other female celebrities could gain high popularity and a lot of attention, and then receive many endorsements, thus increasing their commercial value.

Isn't Mu Zhi, a newcomer in the company, a perfect example? After a web series aired, she became a popular young actress and landed several high-quality endorsements.

Therefore, seeing Tai Feng's performance in the suspenseful web series "Green Apple" garnered excellent reviews and popularity, they also chose to collaborate with "Green Apple" this year, signing on for an S+ rated suspenseful drama.

Ji Binghe had read the script and felt that the plot was somewhat unrealistic, so she wasn't very supportive of taking the role. Liu Rui, however, accepted the role according to her own wishes.

In helping Liu Rui plan her acting career and secure film resources, Ji Binghe has a clear conscience. She has done her best to help Liu Rui obtain the best resources that the company can get for Liu Rui to star in.

Currently, there is no competition for resources between Liu Rui and Mu Zhi.

Liu Rui's film for the second half of the year was finalized as early as November last year.

At that time, Mu Zhi was still filming the TV series "The Edge of the Blade".

Ji Binghe explained: "Around the time of the Chinese New Year, I found out that the great director has a new movie to start filming this year, and Ms. Liu Rui, your schedule is already full."

Mu Zhi's next role was still undecided, so I introduced her to a film by a renowned director, just to give it a try. She was lucky; the role's age was perfect, and she passed the audition.

With a somewhat helpless tone, he said to Liu Rui, "Ms. Liu Rui, our company currently has 18 artists. When signing a contract, we will formulate the career development path for each artist, which includes considering whether there will be resource competition conflicts with existing artists."

Mr. He is responsible for every artist he signs, and so am I.

Lanxing Media's vigorous cultivation of Mu Zhi will not squeeze out or affect Liu Rui's resources.

Liu Rui can rest assured.

After leaving the brokerage director's office.

Liu Rui's furrowed brows did not ease despite Ji Binghe's words.

It does not pose a threat at present.

That doesn't mean it won't happen in the future.

After Mu Zhi landed the lead role in a renowned director's new film, her rise has been too rapid, and it will soon threaten her position as the top female star in the company...

In early April, the youth fantasy film "Back to 17" was taken off the screens.

The final box office was 1.009 billion.

In the month and a half since its release.

Muzhi's square was filled with positive reviews of the film, with so many praises that even fans exclaimed, "They're better at praising than we are!"

"Mu Zhi's face has such a cinematic quality, she's perfect for the big screen, she's beautiful from every angle."

"She has acting skills, good looks, popularity, and a film with a box office of 1 billion yuan. I predict that Mu Zhi will soon become a top-tier actress."

"After watching 'Back to 17,' I watched 'The Bell Ringer.' I have to praise Mu Zhi for her amazing acting skills. She can portray both ancient and modern characters, and each role she plays has a strong impact on the audience, making them believe in the existence of the character. And she actually debuted as an idol? God really is feeding her."

"Mu Zhi is going to win the Best Newcomer Award for 'Back to 17'. [Thumbs up]"

......

Muzhi fans: Did they win the award even before us?

On the forum, the most discussed topic among netizens regarding Mu Zhi was how she would fare in her next film after entering the film industry with the movie "Back to 17".

Can I get a role in a movie?

Some stubbornly argue: "The marketing for 'Back to 17' was excellent, and the production team, including the director, scriptwriter, and cinematographer, was top-notch. They put their heart into making the film, resulting in a sincere work, which is why it achieved such high box office numbers."

Mu Zhi was just lucky; she landed the lead role and got a great deal.

Some people were sour: "Mu Zhi's film resources will probably just be a few more campus movie packages. Her last TV series, 'The Edge of the Blade,' has been finished for three and a half months, and she hasn't joined another production yet."

"Whether it's a web series or a movie, the industry knows perfectly well what made the work popular and whether it has anything to do with the actors. So-and-so, stop bragging. You've only become popular for nothing."

"I guess 'Back to 17' and 'The Edge of the Blade' were both gifts for Mu Zhi when she signed with her new company. That is to say, after 'The Bell Rings' became a hit, a full 7 months have passed and Mu Zhi still hasn't received any decent resources [surprised]."

"Actually, Mu Zhi's acting skills are quite good, so why is she not getting any roles now? Is she an idol who's at the very bottom of the entertainment industry's hierarchy of disdain?"

These pessimistic voices are seen by fans and some onlookers as forced negativity, which is really unnecessary.

Mu Zhi has the most screen time in the movie "Back to 17". Her performance runs through the entire movie, and it can be said that she supports the story with her acting skills.

This film's impressive box office performance is not only due to its 1 billion yuan box office, which broke the box office record for youth films, but also its excellent reputation.

Following "The Bell Ringer", Mu Zhi has another representative work of critically acclaimed films.

This is extremely rare.

Among the currently popular young actresses, very few have both critically acclaimed works in web dramas and movies.

The benefits of the film may not come so quickly.

No matter how you look at it, Mu Zhi's future is undoubtedly brighter than before.

Mu Zhi's fans certainly won't be brainwashed by the rhetoric of haters and sour grapes.

However, they are indeed anxious because there is still no accurate information about their idol's next project.

Urging their idol to join the film crew as soon as possible:

"The movie's over, Mu Zhi's new drama crew welcomes you! Zhi Bao, hurry up and join the crew to film and produce content, we only have one left in the pipeline, once it airs this year, there won't be any content next year. (crying)"

"I don't want to act in movies anymore. As long as Mu Zhi thinks the script is good and the production team is good, it doesn't matter if it's an ancient or modern drama. Please, just get on set and start filming soon."

"Filming only one drama a year is just too, too, too inefficient. A new fan of Muzhi (the author) caught up on all the promotional materials in just three days. So lonely, waiting for more new works to keep me entertained~"

"My darling daughter has top-notch beauty. I want to see Miracle Zhizhi appear in all sorts of beautiful clothes. It's such a waste that she's not acting in modern dramas. How about we consider a Mary Sue drama where she's a heartthrob? Hehe."

"Your presence on the red carpet is very powerful. How about you play a female CEO? But the current workplace dramas are written in a very unrealistic way and are not down-to-earth at all. I think you should avoid acting in workplace dramas."

......

Mu Zhi saw the various "pie in the sky" promises her fans were making for her.

"......" All I can say is that the fans are really cute.

Minmin said, "Sister Zhizhi, do you think it will shock a lot of people when the news about our next movie comes out?"

Those who are now saying that Mu Zhi has bad resources and a bad future will be proven wrong in the future.

Just imagining that scene is incredibly satisfying.

Mu Zhi smiled without saying a word. Then new voices would emerge, speculating on what kind of ability she had to land this big project, while also trying to discredit her by saying that even if "Countdown" became a hit, it would be due to the box office appeal of directors Wan Zhou and Tai Feng, and had nothing to do with her.

"Sister Zhizhi, are you confident that you can win an award for 'Back to 17'?"