Chapter 188 A Stronger Opponent

"Xia Lu."

"Xia Lu?" Hu Xiaoxiao was confused. She didn't seem to have seen this person at the company. She hadn't seen this person appear in the anniversary program or any of the recent hit dramas.

"You haven't seen her at the company. She just came back. If you've watched TV dramas from T.V.A.T. a few years ago, you should be familiar with her. She was a top star on TV a few years ago and starred in many popular dramas."

Hu Xiaoxiao grasped the key point, "A few years ago? In other words, she hasn't acted in a TV series in recent years?"

"Yes, she went into the film industry and just returned recently." Zhu Wanwen was born and raised in Taiwan and is very familiar with Taiwan's artists. When Xia Lu became popular, she hadn't yet gone abroad to study. By the time she returned to compete in Miss Hong Kong, Xia Lu had already entered the film industry.

"Come on, let's find a place to sit down and tell me about Xia Lu's situation." Hu Xiaoxiao could see that Xia Lu was different. She hadn't been in the TV station for a few years, but she got such an important role as soon as she came back. It was obvious that she had a great background.

She has a prominent background and was once a top-tier actress. She has both resources and audience appeal, making her a strong competitor.

The two girls came out of the TV station and found a quiet and private afternoon tea restaurant.

They hadn't eaten together for a long time, so they just treated it as a small gathering. They all ordered their favorite foods and talked about Xia Lu while eating.

After finishing a company sandwich, Zhu Wanwen picked up the iced lemon 7-Up and took a sip. The lemon and 7-Up had a unique taste, and paired with ice cubes, it was very refreshing.

Zhu Wanwen leaned back comfortably in her chair and slowly told Hu Xiaoxiao the news she had learned. "Xia Lu was highly favored by the former director of the production department. A few years ago, the former director was appreciated by Ji Sheng for his outstanding work ability and was assigned to manage a film company. Xia Lu then followed the former director to make movies. Our two current deputy directors of the production department were both trained by the former director. The reason the production department doesn't have a director is because after the former director left, neither Sister Linda nor Charlie could surpass the other for a promotion."

Baogang Television is just a subsidiary of the parent group, which also includes a film company, a real estate company, and other businesses covering a wide range of areas.

"After Xia Lu joined the film industry, thanks to the support of her former director, she played the leading role in several films and was very popular. Unfortunately, she didn't adapt to the local environment. Although the TV series she starred in received good ratings, the box office performance of the films she starred in was not ideal. In recent years, she has even lost her status as a leading actress and has been forced to play supporting roles in several films. I don't know if it's bad luck or she really doesn't have audience appeal, but the box office performance is still not ideal."

Zhu Wanwen sighed, "Xiaoxiao, you know, the film industry is much more competitive and cutthroat than the television industry. The movies Xia Lu starred in, or played important supporting roles in, all performed poorly at the box office, significantly impacting her career in the film industry. Even though the former CEO considered her a favorite, he had to give up on her for the sake of the company's interests. Xia Lu couldn't get good resources, and she didn't want to be demoted to a supporting role, so she chose to return to television and continue filming TV series."

Even though she has been away from the TV station for several years, she still has good resources at the TV station and can compete for important roles in the anniversary drama because of her previous fame, audience base, and the support of the former director.

"The Bund" is the first major drama that Xia Lu filmed after returning to the TV station. It is conceivable how much Xia Lu values ​​this drama, and she will definitely choose the role with the highest status and the most memorable point for the audience after the protagonist.

Zhu Wanwen also gave Hu Xiaoxiao another piece of news, "The chief director of 'The Bund Storm' was brought up by the former director."

Therefore, with Xia Lu's status and previous connections, she can basically play any role she wants except the female lead. Except for Sister Yu, no one can compete with Xia Lu.

If Xia Lu takes a fancy to the role of Xie Weihua, it can almost be said that it is hers.

Hu Xiaoxiao is very sure that Xia Lu will definitely take a fancy to the role of Xie Weihua. So if she wants to compete for Xie Weihua, in addition to defeating Yuna, she also has to defeat Xia Lu.

As a good friend, Zhu Wanwen unconditionally stood by his friend and cheered Hu Xiaoxiao on, saying, "Although the role of Xie Weihua is difficult to get, I believe you can do it."

Hu Xiaoxiao laughed, "Are you so confident in me?"

"Of course." Zhu Wanwen also smiled and said, "I've known you for so long, and I've never seen you lose."

"Since you said so, I must get this role no matter how difficult it is." Hu Xiaoxiao said it was difficult, but there was no sign of embarrassment on his face.

The more competition there is, the more fun it is, isn't it?

If she wanted to be comfortable, she could just go to Charlie's show and be a vase.

However, although Hu Xiaoxiao spoke in a relaxed manner, she was always very serious in her actions. She looked down upon all opponents psychologically, but in her actions, she never looked down upon any opponent. Even if the opponent seemed weak, she would be fully prepared to deal with him.

What's more, Xia Lu is coming on strong, and Yuna is also a first-line actress on TV who is not much less popular than her. The three of them are stronger opponents.

After Hu Xiaoxiao got a lot of useful information from Zhu Wanwen, he spent a lot of effort to inquire about the chief director Qi Weiming.

Qi Weiming has served Baogang Television for nearly twenty years and is one of the station's leading directors. In recent years, he has rarely made television series and is in a semi-retired state. If the script doesn't impress him enough, it's unlikely that this veteran director will be able to direct a new show.

Hu Xiaoxiao specifically inquired about Director Qi's personality. Many people had contact with or worked with this director, so she easily got a lot of information about Director Qi, including his personal character, style of doing things, etc.

Director Qi Weiming is a very serious and rigorous person who has a perfectionist personality. He has very strict requirements for the dramas he shoots. He is a very strict and dedicated person.

After seeing these news, Hu Xiaoxiao understood why Director Qi's dramas were so good. Not only did he have very high requirements for the actors, he also had even higher requirements for himself, so high that he could find fault with even the smallest details.

This is actually a good thing for Hu Xiaoxiao.

She was afraid of encountering someone like Qiu Lihua, who couldn't distinguish between public and private matters, who cared only about personal feelings rather than facts. As long as it was fair and just, no matter how difficult it was, even if it was impossible, she would dare to give it a try.

In addition to the director, the screenwriter of this drama is also the TV station's gold medal screenwriter and has the final say.

Hu Xiaoxiao began to study the screenwriter Lin Yi again, mainly studying the setting of Xie Weihua when screenwriter Lin Yi wrote the script.

Hard work pays off. After overcoming many difficulties, Hu Xiaoxiao finally found out that the character Xie Weihua written by screenwriter Lin Yi had a prototype.