Chapter 171
He who wears the crown must bear its weight
In mid-April, Ling Sui recorded a video for "Peach Blossom" to cooperate with the promotion work of the Aoqi World Conference.
This "World Conference" invited many industry leaders, including Tong Xiaoman. The strategic development of the platform has attracted real attention in the industry. Star-chasers and marketing accounts are most concerned about the list of dramas and materials for dramas to be broadcast.
As of April, "Peach Blossom Burning" has received eight million reservations, far ahead in the ancient idol drama track. Ochi has high hopes for this drama and reserved the July summer vacation slot six months in advance.
In the past, new dramas on several platforms would be watched together - although several dramas could be bundled for marketing when they collided, if they could drain the market like last year's games did, who wouldn't want to reap the fruits of victory alone?
While other companies were considering carefully, Aoqi was firm in his stance. The "n years, n explosions" that traffic fans love to brag about are nothing when compared to Ling Sui. It would like to see what confidence Antenna and Corn have to compete with it for the summer vacation time slot!
Among the trailers released on the day of the World Conference, "Peach Blossom Burning" also received the best feedback. The combination of Ling Suisui x Li Mingxu is undoubtedly a feast of beauty. The feeling presented in the trailer is very comfortable, and the word that is praised most is the heroine's "smartness".
The role span from Li Sanniang to Xu Fangfei is very large. In order to step on her peach blossom, many people said that they couldn't imagine how innocent and cute Li Sanniang's face could be. Under the guise of discussion, they actually want to create public opinion that "the actors don't fit their roles" and try to influence passers-by's impression of the drama.
These people do have complaints against Ling Suisui - you're already acting in movies, why do you come back to costume dramas and compete with everyone else for food! Can’t this part of resources be given to other young girls?
Ling Suisui: Sorry, I can act in whatever role I want :)
She is not in a hurry. The brainwashing claims that she doesn't look like the character are shattered as soon as the trailer comes out.
Please, she was only 23 years old when she played Taohua, and her skin was in great condition, how could she not have a "girlish look"! This is her passive talent at this age. On the contrary, it was Shi Zhen and Li Sanniang, who had full aura before, that showed her acting skills.
Rolling her eyes, smiling, puffing up her cheeks... In the trailer alone, Ling Sui was captured in several beautiful animated GIFs. Her face, which is so tender that it looks like it could be pinched out of water, has softened the hearts of countless netizens, and it has become a natural thing for them to want to be her mother fan.
As for holding her down and kissing her madly... ahem, it's normal to suck a little dream girl.
The trailer’s broadcast effect gave Aoqi great confidence. The show hasn’t even aired yet, but they have expanded the new Peach Blossom IP operation plan and specially designed character-related peripherals for fans of the show.
Aoqi looks like he is bound to have a lot of romantic opportunities, but Ling Sui asks his team members to remind his fans to lower their expectations appropriately.
Whether a TV series can become a hit depends on the right time, place and people. Even if the original crew is brought back to remake Game of Thrones 2, it may not be able to replicate last year's success. Besides, Peach Blossom is a work in the ancient costume drama genre, and the two are simply not comparable.
Ling Suisui once again emphasized that even the top stars can only carry the lower limit of the entire drama. Although the audience's expectations of a work always fall on the actors, the actors actually have very little say in whether a work will be successful.
If fans are led astray by the mentality of other platforms, thinking that everything will be fine as long as she is there and that the drama that the platform pays attention to will definitely be a hit, then it will be a joke if the performance of the drama after it is broadcast is not as good as expected.
She and her team were very calm, and several big fans also posted short essays to cool down the circle that had been boiling over after the movie became a huge success.
Tong Xiaoman agreed with her caution. To be honest, with the box office success of "Zhao Jiang" as a foundation, as long as "Peach Blossom Burning" doesn't fail miserably, it will not have much impact on Ling Suisui. She was not going to film another ancient costume drama anyway.
When Feng Yang received scripts for ancient costume dramas for female protagonists these days, he asked the crew if they were short of supporting actresses and actively recommended three newcomers from Harvest Media.
Chen Yuening had very few schedules in the first two months, but his roles became concentrated after April. He and Ling Suisui are permanent residents of the crew, and their conversations cover a wide range of topics, inevitably mentioning their mutual friends.
"Do you know what's going on with Ji Zhaoying?" Chen Yuening said to her in the RV, "I heard that she and Li Mingxu's crew are still filming supporting roles, and the two main actors are unwilling to film."
Ling Sui nodded, of course she knew.
These two people collaborated on an idol drama. They first quarreled over the role for more than a month, and later came up with a "yin-yang script". They both thought they were playing the "leading female/male role", but when they arrived on the set, the truth was exposed.
This is not the first time that the producer of that crew has done this. The previous times, the situation was stronger than the people, and the actors who had already joined the crew had no choice but to make concessions and compromise, but this time they hit a wall.
Ji Zhaoying and Li Mingxu both dislike each other, but this time their attitudes towards the crew are quite consistent. If the issues of ranking and script are not clarified, they won’t shoot the film. Let’s see who can outlast the other!
This reflects the real difference in public relations capabilities. Some celebrities' trivial matters will be on the hot searches on Weibo for several days, but such big events will not receive any attention on the Internet.
But it's normal. After all, Ji Zhaoying and Li Mingxu are both the company's darlings. This time it's a princess touching a prince, and no one will give in.
Ling Suisui said helplessly: "Not only do I know, but I also have to smooth things over for them."
Before, Li Mingxu went to her to complain, but unfortunately, Ji Zhaoying heard him on the phone.
Ji Zhaoying instantly got furious. In terms of friendship with Ling Suisui, could Li Mingxu compare to her? Is this kid worthy of being the first to complain to Ling Suisui?
Ji Zhaoying sarcastically said to Li Mingxu, "It's not your turn to be a son-in-law yet", "If you can't walk independently, I'll buy you a wheelchair" - it's not glorious in itself for a traffic star to use the upcoming dramas to get loans to grab roles, and he would definitely be ridiculed if he said it clearly. The information he used to attract investment even had the line "co-actor Ling Suisui" in bold. Why didn't he just stick these words on his forehead!
After so many years in the entertainment industry, the thing that makes Ji Zhaoying most like Aunt Dahua is that she doesn't do those roundabout ways and instead personally scolds people.
What's the point of competing with him from a distance? If the team hadn't stopped her, she would have rolled up her sleeves and beat him up.
Li Mingxu was also very angry. He scolded the other party for having debuted for many years and spending so many resources but still not making any waves, and he was born not to be famous. Ji Zhaoying looks down on him, but isn’t he the only male protagonist she can find? Even the ranking and the script can't directly surpass him, what is there to be proud of!
As time went by, the fight between the two became more and more fierce. Although there is still a drama to be filmed, it has reached the point where they have to quarrel whenever they meet and cannot be in the same room together.
As their mutual friend, Ling Sui was brought to the producer's presence. I don’t expect them to be very close, but at least they shouldn’t interfere with their work!
Ling Sui had a lot to complain about. In her opinion, these two actors were indeed too willful, but your crew made promises to them and came up with a shady script, so you are the ones who are most at fault!
She really didn't want to get involved in this mess, however... this producer was Zhang Yun's good brother, and Zhang Yun also invested in this drama.
Well, for the sake of his uncle's reputation, Ling Sui had no choice but to agree to give it a try.
It is not easy to maintain interpersonal relationships in the entertainment industry. Zhang Yun was very open with her and shared her experiences with her on the set of "Zhao Jiang". Ling Sui has always remembered this kindness. It's impossible for her to receive benefits from her uncle-master and not give anything back to him. That would not be acceptable in front of Teacher Tang Bing.
When Chen Yuening mentioned this matter, Ling Sui poured out his grievances to him, vented his emotions, and explained the whole story.
Chen Yuening originally wanted to share some industry gossip with her, but she didn't expect that the gossip was actually related to Ling Suisui.
He sighed, "So what are you going to do? This is not an easy thing to persuade."
Ling Suisui lay back and said, "Yesterday I asked them to calm down. For my sake, Yingying and Xiao Li promised me that they would not quarrel with each other again. All communication should prioritize solving problems."
This step is easy, but to truly solve the problem, one of the people must give in.
Chen Yuening asked tentatively: "Who do you think can withdraw?"
"The companies behind these two people are not easy to deal with. I don't want to talk to their companies, only to the actors themselves, and let them communicate with the team."
Ling Suisui thought for a moment and said, "To be honest with you, both sides are my friends, but I definitely lean towards Yingying. We have known each other for so many years in the Jinbang team, is there any need to explain our friendship?"
The word "we" made Chen Yuening feel relieved, and he also spoke up for Ji Zhaoying: "Sister Ying has been in the industry for so long, how can she be outshined by a newcomer? This Li Mingxu team is too careless, and I don't know what he means."
There was a ding in Ling Sui's head, and the system prompted her that she had unlocked the achievement of "When the male protagonist becomes a green tea".
Ling Suisui: ...
She ignored her complicated feelings towards Chen Yuening and changed the subject.
Ling Suisui is still busy filming and doesn't have time to waste on issues like this. Since she had to intervene, her solution to the problem was simple, which was to make Li Mingxu give in.
Ji Zhaoying will definitely be ranked first. If it really doesn't work, then the two of them will be ranked equal, with a line of small words added saying "Sort by the artist's debut time" to save him some room for "equal ranking". As for the script, the original work is a female-oriented novel, and the version provided by the crew to Ji Zhaoying is closer to the original, so just shoot it according to that version.
Ling Suisui sincerely advised him: "I have read the plots you added to the script. These roles are not suitable for you. It is difficult to bring out your strengths."
She said this very tactfully - Ling Sui's real thought was that Xiao Li's acting skills were just so-so, and the more he acted, the more his shortcomings would be exposed. Ji Zhaoying is just a little lacking in traffic in recent years, but she can completely crush him in acting skills.
"It's really stupid to be the male protagonist in a story written from the perspective of a female protagonist. It's a thankless task and a waste of the value of the IP."
Ling Suisui then said bluntly, "No matter what your relationship is like in private, cooperation means making the pie bigger first, and then talking about dividing the pie. Her script has better logic and is more attractive to the audience. If you act in a flop drama, no one will watch your one-man show."
"It doesn't matter how many scenes the male lead has in an idol drama. His existence is meaningful only if he loves the female lead, and only then can the female audience like him. You could have achieved mutual benefit and win-win results, so why make the relationship so awkward?"
If Li Mingxu was smarter, he would know that although Ling Suisui supported Ji Zhaoying, these words really showed that she regarded him as a friend and had genuine concerns for him.
But he was now overwhelmed by a feeling of loss, and he just replied with a "hmm" and refused to say anything else.
No way, we still have to take care of the kids after the filming is finished?
Ling Suisui was a little impatient. If it wasn't for her uncle's face, who would be willing to care about the trivial matters of your crew? Ji Zhaoying didn't even have the courage to approach her about this.
She half-jokingly and half-warningly said, "You were using my fame to negotiate for resources, why don't you listen to me at this time?"
Although Li Mingxu is a little stupid, he still has basic emotional intelligence. He could tell that Ling Sui was unhappy, and quickly explained that he was not unhappy and that these matters were discussed by the team.
With this stepping stone, the subsequent conversation went much more smoothly. Just before hanging up the phone, Li Mingxu asked her aggrievedly: "If, I'm just giving an example... Sister Sui, if Ji Zhaoying and I fell into the water at the same time, who would you save first?"
Ling Suisui: "...You are three years old this year? Sign up for a swimming class!"
She ended the call directly, not bothering to say more to him.
With Li Mingxu's help in communicating and making concessions with the team, the crew's issues were finally resolved. Zhang Yun specially thanked her and told her that she was ashamed for bothering a junior with her friend's affairs. If she encountered such a situation again in the future, she would just refuse it directly.
Hearing him say this, Ling Sui was quite satisfied. It was good that his uncle knew what was going on. It's okay to help with this kind of thing once. She wants to build a network of contacts, but it's impossible for her to end up causing trouble for others every time.
Ji Zhaoying also treated the Perfect crew to milk tea for several days, and said that her aunt had taught her a lesson after knowing about this. This time she owed Ling Suisui a big favor and would definitely repay it if she had the chance.
Ling Sui told her not to be polite. It was different from what Ji Zhaoying imagined that she had to exchange some interests to make Li Mingxu compromise. She was just the tiger in the story of "the fox borrowing the tiger's power" and made some requests to the fox.
Li Mingxu will not bear a grudge against her. Although Xiao Li is very childish and often has temper tantrums, he is a very qualified younger brother. As for what his team thinks, Ling Suisui doesn't care.
Even if the planets are unhappy with her, what can she do?
For some unknown celebrities, Planet can still threaten them by saying that they can never film Aoqi's drama in the future, but to say such things to Ling Suisui - let's not talk about whether they have such power or not, even if they do, Antenna and Corn will only applaud.
Ling Suisui's negotiating position with the platform has changed. Although she still has to rely on the platform's channels, given the benefits she can bring and the greater possibilities for her career development, it becomes questionable who needs whom more.
This can be seen from the completely different shooting environments of "Perfect Life" and "Peach Blossom Burning". Even if we change the cooperation platform, who dares to say that Antenna is definitely better than Ochi?
No matter where you are, a blacksmith must be strong himself.
Ling Suisui dealt with the little incident and continued to devote himself to the filming of "Perfect Life".
She did receive a prompt for an achievement unlock from the system, which was the "Chasing Husband Crematorium" contributed by Li Mingxu for her.
Ling Suisui: ...
Although her attitude towards achievement titles has always been that it’s enough to get the points and it doesn’t matter what the name is, these few words do challenge her cognition.
System: [Li Mingxu has been very sad these days]
Ling Suisui was very surprised: [Isn’t it just that he didn’t become the number one? Not really? 】
System: [Host, what Li Mingxu cares about is not this drama, but your attitude]
Ling Sui was silent. Is it honorable for an actor to care about these messy things instead of the drama?
She cursed him in her heart and had no intention of coaxing Xiao Li as the system instructed. Please, she doesn't have the free time.
As May approaches, the filming of "Perfect Life" is about to be completed. Meeting deadlines is a common trait among human beings, so her roles became increasingly tight, and she often switched back and forth between the two ages of Cheng Yimo.
What changes here is not only the mentality, but also the makeup. Although modern costumes and makeup are easier than ancient ones, changing them all over again is very demanding on physical strength and patience, and is a double drain on Ling Suisui both physically and mentally.
She has a very important scene, two scenes to be exact. The coordinators arranged to shoot two scenes that were adjacent to each other in the script timeline on the same day. Although this was no longer necessary given Ling Sui's ability, it was still very helpful for the actors to get into the role.
In the morning, there was a campus drama. Ling Sui put on her school uniform and found the feeling of high school student Cheng Yimo and sat in the classroom.
She wore glasses while attending class, but her eyes would glance towards the class monitor's seat from time to time.
In the previous plot, Cheng Yimo lost the election for class monitor to her, but she was convinced. In Cheng Yimo's heart, the class monitor is simply the most perfect person in her dreams.
She is beautiful, has good academic performance, is popular in class, and is liked by all the teachers. She is the center of attention in various activities. She also has a few good friends who are always by her side. They always go out to play on weekends and she always has endless pocket money... This is exactly the life template that Cheng Yimo dreams of.
Cheng Yimo envies a lot of people. From her perspective, it seems that everyone around her is living a better life than her.
Cheng Yimo kept looking over there because the monitor had asked for leave. She was not sick, but just said that she was in a bad mood today and felt uncomfortable. Her mother called the class teacher and took her home.
Oh my god! This was simply unimaginable for Cheng Yimo. The saying "You can only take a leave if you are sick" has been deeply rooted in her mind. If she tells her parents that she is in a bad mood and does not want to go to class, they will definitely scold her or even beat her with a clothes hanger.
Cheng Yimo was so envious, but she couldn't tell anyone about this feeling because she felt she had no friends to confide in. She was used to consuming any emotions she had.
While listening to the class, Ling Suisui touched his forehead and earlobes with his hands every few minutes, and his expression became very lost.
Not hot means she doesn't have a fever and she is not sick.
According to Ling Suisui's understanding, Cheng Yimo is not a masochist, she just wants to go home.
Cheng Yimo didn't know what she wanted, but Ling Sui knew.
In fact, her family could not give her any emotional support. This stubborn and poor child just subconsciously imitated the behavior of the monitor and created the illusion of being loved to deceive herself.
Her behavior of touching her head every few minutes attracted the attention of her classmates. When the camera moved over, Wen Yi asked her: "Yi Mo, are you feeling uncomfortable?"
Ling Suisui hesitated. She was stunned for a moment, then said, "I feel a little dizzy."
She shook her head slightly, which was both a psychological hint and an impromptu performance when asked by her deskmate - it was Cheng Yimo who was acting.
At Ling Sui's age, it is a bit difficult for her to show the deliberateness of a middle school student. During the first take, the director called for a stop and asked her to be a little more exaggerated, as her performance just now was too smooth and natural.
Although that was a compliment to her, when performing, fitting the role is of course much more important than showing off one's skills.
Ling Suisui adjusted her state immediately. Her expression didn't change much, but her tone was a little vague and her eyes blinked several times in a row. Anyone could see that she was a little nervous and guilty.
The director didn't call for a stop, although this was different from what he wanted to be "a little more exaggerated", but Ling Sui's version was obviously better, so he would definitely let her go.
This silent little game ended in a very harmonious way, but the onlookers were left thinking.
Chen Yuening's seat in the classroom was quite far away from Ling Suisui. It was not his turn to perform in this scene yet. He was sitting next to the director and watching.
After spending a few months together, he has figured something out. No wonder Suisui and Sky Studio would recommend this person to be the director.
Laymen only look at whether a director's representative work has become a hit to judge whether it has enough gold content and whether the team can brag about it. Only experts understand how much influence the director's personal style has on the entire work.
This director does not have any phenomenal hit dramas, but his works have basically never failed, and at worst can be averagely broadcast. If you study it carefully, you will find that his dramas have very different styles and don't seem to be made at all. If there is anything in common, it is that they all conform to market trends.
From this, we can conclude that this is a director who values practical effects far more than "personal artistic pursuits." He doesn't care about what he wants to express, but only cares about what the audience likes. This trait of knowing the times has awakened, and when dealing with actors like Ling Suisui who can make investors pay real money, he will make concessions 100%.
This kind of personality can be good or bad. If you encounter an actor who is clueless but feels good about himself, the reputation of the work may be worrying, and the actor's fans will definitely blame the director... But if the partner is Ling Suisui, then there is no problem.
Chen Yuening couldn't help but think of Tang Bing. Suisui is only 24 years old this year, but he is already trying to take control of the crew. Has he started preparing to transition behind the scenes so early?
He asked this question during the transition.
"I have no plans to become a director." Ling Suisui shook his head, "At least not in the next 20 years. Maybe I will consider changing careers after I retire from acting and want to learn something new."
With her personality, she wants to do her best. After all, before Tang Bing decided to become a director, he studied theoretical courses for several years and participated in the production of Jin Bang throughout the process. Only after accumulating experience did he start producing "Zhao Jiang".
She said to Chen Yuening: "Now people say that actors carry the show, which is really ridiculous... Can actors manage every aspect of the crew? Whether it is credit or responsibility, it belongs to the entire crew."
"But now the audience has high expectations of me. It is an honor to be labeled as the spokesperson for good works, but it also makes me nervous. The entertainment industry likes to create gods and even more likes to see gods step down from the altar. Now that I am standing high, I have to be more cautious with every step I take."
Since the outside world thinks that Ling Sui should be held responsible for the explosion, she cannot change other people's perception. She can only put more effort into it and try not to disappoint the audience's trust.
Chen Yuening walked behind, watching her leaving, and suddenly thought of the saying "If you wear the crown, you must bear its weight."
The huge advertising revenue locked in advance, and the dramas that will be booked by the audience as long as she is the lead actress...which actor doesn't want it? But not everyone can afford it.
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