Chapter 75 (075) One of the factors that significantly impacted Ye Liuchuan and Xie Yu…
Chapter Seventy-Five
Now, comparing Wink and Lin Yuan's achievements, there shouldn't be any more controversy, right?
With the popularity of "The Powerful Minister", the amount of analysis on Wink on various platforms has surged, and discussion threads have been opened one after another. The last time such a phenomenon occurred was at the New Year's Eve concert of Xingyao Video at the end of last year - the live performance of the eight members of Wink left a deep impression on many netizens.
At the time, there were still Wink/fans who spoke up for Ye Liuchuan—in terms of actual achievements in dramas, Ye Liuchuan was at least better than Lin Yuan.
Although Lin Yuan has won numerous awards, he has low public recognition.
After the broadcast of "The Powerful Minister", similar statements never appeared again.
Although Lin Yuan's output is pitifully small, with the help of his strong career luck, the release of "Thousand Mountains" and "Powerful Minister" is enough to completely overshadow the entire Wink team.
Ye Liuchuan's fans were hoping that "Lin Lang" would become a huge hit and that Ye Liuchuan could secure a place among the top young actors. However, they never expected that during this period, a male actor did indeed rise to prominence, but the person who rose to prominence had a name that they hated very much.
Even He Xun benefited from the popularity of "The Powerful Minister," gradually gaining recognition among young actors.
"How come he's so lucky?"
Xie Yu was so angry that she smashed her favorite cup: "Ye Liuchuan is really useless."
It's a complete waste to use such a good platform as Tianfeng TV for "Linlang".
Xie Yu wasn't expecting Ye Liuchuan to become a sensation with "Lin Lang"—he wouldn't be happy if Ye Liuchuan became famous anyway. But he couldn't accept Lin Yuan's complete turnaround—Lin Yuan had already gotten incredibly lucky by winning the Golden Wing Award for Best Supporting Actor with "Qian Chong Shan," and who would have thought that "Quan Chen" was waiting for him next.
This was the development path Xie Yu had planned for himself.
He actively auditioned for "Thousand Mountains" because he wanted to make his presence known through a film by a famous director, showcasing his acting skills, and then land a hit drama with a good cast and positive reviews. This way, he could continue smoothly on his acting path.
With awards and high viewership ratings, his position in the entertainment industry will be completely secure and unshakeable.
However, after "The Immortal", he fell into a slump, while Lin Yuan had good luck and his career was about to take off.
Why? Why does Lin Yuan have such good luck?
The more popular Lin Yuan becomes, the lower Xie Yu's chances of escaping his current predicament.
Everyone knows that he stole Lin Yuan's debut spot.
Yes, that's what everyone thinks now, just like before, they all think Lin Yuan is turning the tables.
Because Lin Yuan has shown more outstanding talent than Wink in singing and acting, and his popularity has gradually caught up, there is no doubt that Lin Yuan is the one more qualified to debut than him.
Some of Xie Yu's fans are fans who admire strength. When Xie Yu was picking his toes for months, this group of fans were the first to leave.
Another group of fans are fans who pity him. In the persona that DA Entertainment carefully crafted for Xie Yu, Xie Yu is a pitiful wretch who successfully debuted through his own efforts and perseverance, but was framed for vote rigging by a jealous contestant (Lin Yuan).
Xie Yu could easily express his grievances, and these fans would be willing to fight for him and attack Lin Yuan from every angle.
However, as Lin Yuan became more and more popular, these fans gradually realized that between Lin Yuan and Xie Yu, Lin Yuan was the one who worked harder and deserved more pity.
Others, however, came to their senses as they continued their pursuit.
In this situation, Xie Yu's sympathetic fans also left.
When a celebrity lacks fans, their dramas and movies flop, and their singing skills are ridiculed, not only will production teams be unwilling to continue using them, but even the management companies that have been investing in them will distance themselves.
Moreover, every time Lin Yuan trends on social media, netizens will explain his and Xie Yu's interactions.
Even with Xie Yu's thick blood, he couldn't withstand such depletion, especially since he didn't have that much blood left.
He wants to maintain his popularity, so he can only rely on getting good scripts, but the harsh reality is that he can't get any good scripts at all.
Wink disbanded only a few years ago, how did he end up like this?
Xie Yu simply couldn't understand it.
When Wink disbanded, he was actually prepared that his popularity as a solo artist would not be as high as his popularity as as a member of the group. However, after going solo, he was able to take on more commercial deals, and his income in the first year did exceed that during his time in the group. The drama he starred in also became a minor hit, and his career was booming.
How did they manage to do this?
Xie Yu knew in his heart that his current situation was inseparable from Lin Yuan, but although he regarded it as Lin Yuan's responsibility, he did not want to admit that Lin Yuan had such a great influence.
Time is passing too quickly; he simply can't accept it.
Xie Yu lowered his head. The "friends" in the industry who used to contact him frequently on his phone and WeChat Moments had disappeared, including his agent. Before, when Xie Yu was filming on set, his agent would contact him at least once a day, and even if there was nothing to say, he would still ask how he was doing.
Currently, their chat history remains stuck three days ago.
The same goes for his agency... After "The Immortal," DA Entertainment seems to have given up on investing resources in him.
Although Xie Yu wasn't exactly the top star at DA Entertainment in the past, he considered himself the new number one. All the newly debuted stars in the company were extremely polite to him, afraid of offending him in any way.
What about now?
He was no longer being paid attention to.
However, Xie Yu wasn't worried about the company replacing him with a new agent; his current agent wouldn't run away.
The other party may have already considered running away, but the truth is, he absolutely cannot escape.
The other party came to DA Entertainment from Lin Yuan's former company, and before leaving, he betrayed Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan is now a representative of a comeback in the entertainment industry, a rising star, while he, on the other hand, has squandered his potential.
In other words, whoever this agent works with will see their career plummet. Whether it was Lin Yuan's decline after "Tomorrow's Star" or the box office failures of "A Tear" and "The Immortal," all companies interested in this agent should take heed.
Luck is a mysterious thing; no one can predict it.
...
While Xie Yu was worrying about the future, Ye Liuchuan wasn't doing much better.
Although "Linlang" didn't flop as badly as "A Tear in a Cup," it was still a big-budget production that was highly regarded by people in the industry. They originally thought it could make people famous, but in the end, not only did it fail to make people famous, but Zheng Mian almost suffered as a result.
While the script for "Linlang" may have had problems, since the show flopped, it will be difficult for the actors to advance their careers further.
Ye Liuchuan remained outwardly calm, but his heart was inevitably filled with gloom.
Previously, Lin Yuan snatched away the Tnz collaboration. With the premiere of "Lin Lang", Ye Liuchuan was prepared to contact another luxury brand. However, now the brand's tone has become ambiguous, and if nothing unexpected happens, the collaboration will likely fall through again.
It's just one step away from victory.
Ye Liuchuan still can't accept the fact that "The Powerful Minister" is better than "Linlang".
He had considered the possibility that "Linlang" might flop, but while "Linlang" was being ridiculed for its failure, why did "The Powerful Minister" become a hit?
Tnz even changed Lin Yuan's title—Lin Yuan is now a proper side character.
Tnz is notoriously stingy with titles, and there are only a handful of brand ambassadors worldwide who can be chosen across all product categories and sub-brands. The fact that Lin Yuan managed to secure a brand ambassadorship, regardless of which sub-brand he represents, is enough to demonstrate Tnz's high regard for him.
Even He Xun has luxury brands approaching him!
Upon hearing the news, Ye Liuchuan could hardly believe it.
Lin Yuan at least has the Golden Wing Award for Best Actor, but what does He Xun have? He Xun's starting point was even worse than Lin Yuan's.
When he collaborated with He Xun, He Xun was just an unknown actor. The character might have some presence, but He Xun's own star power was limited. In short, in the entertainment industry, He Xun was the kind of actor who was always a supporting actor. Even if the agency was willing to promote him, the chances of him becoming famous were not high.
The luxury brand that He Xun collaborated with was the one that Ye Liuchuan was interested in acquiring.
Because the audience buys it.
Even though He Xun's fashion sense is not as good as his, and he has hardly ever shot a magazine cover, the brand is still willing to promote him.
Is "The Powerful Minister" really that powerful?
Ye Liuchuan was puzzled by this.
He Xun has a face that is completely devoid of popularity. In Ye Liuchuan's opinion, the other party's image is completely out of step with the audience's tastes in the last two years.
Ye Liuchuan initially thought the items the brand recommended to He Xun would be slow-selling, but surprisingly, the same items sold out shortly after He Xun wore them.
Fans are actually praising He Xun's ability to drive sales.
Ye Liuchuan couldn't help but laugh. What kind of sales ability could He Xun possibly have?
He even thought, with a hint of malice, that He Xun might have bought it himself.
Ye Liuchuan pursed his lips tightly. "Linlang" had flopped, and he began to lack confidence in his next two dramas. Although reason told him that these two dramas might not be as good as "Linlang", he looked at them from all angles and couldn't see that they were of higher quality than "Linlang".
At least "Lin Lang" could benefit from Zheng Mian's reputation, but these two dramas? They can't benefit from anything.
"Any good new scripts lately?" Ye Liuchuan asked his agent.
The agent remained silent for a long time before replying with a light, indifferent "hmm."
Ye Liuchuan immediately understood; it was probably not true.
"It doesn't have to be a historical romance," Ye Liuchuan said. "Urban dramas are fine too, historical dramas... are also acceptable."
The agent's expression immediately became complicated: "Several agencies have their eyes on historical dramas... those that are in preparation."
Regardless of whether Ye Liuchuan's agency can compete, even if they can, if there's a good script, the company will prioritize their top star, He Mian.
When "The Powerful Minister" became a hit, the news that the production team had approached He Mian first was brought up again. For He Mian, not taking on "The Powerful Minister" was not a big deal. Although He Mian's new drama was not a huge hit, the ratings were not bad.
When Ye Liuchuan heard about it, He Mian felt a little regretful. After all, it was rare to find a script like "The Powerful Minister". Although He Mian was already a top-tier actor, who wouldn't want to further solidify their popularity?
Therefore, He Mian recently expressed his willingness to film a historical drama.
If he's willing to act, the company will naturally give him priority, which will naturally reduce Ye Liuchuan's job opportunities.
"What about urban dramas?" Ye Liuchuan continued to press.
The agent looked even more troubled, but ultimately said nothing, even though Ye Liuchuan's expression was already quite unpleasant.
But to be honest, it would only look worse.
In the later stages of "Linlang", Ye Liuchuan's face looked somewhat strained.
To be precise, the fact that his face looked terrible was something that even his fans who had followed him since "The Rising Star" couldn't accept.
The main reason is that when filming "Lin Lang", Zheng Mian was not yet a big star, and the crew, including Ye Liuchuan himself, were not very optimistic about the show. So even though he knew that it would be difficult to maintain his facial condition, Ye Liuchuan did not take timely corrective measures.
Later on, even with the heavy makeup in period dramas, Ye Liuchuan's face still looked terrible.
If this is the case for period dramas, imagine what it would be like for modern dramas... Even production teams with well-connected agents would immediately reject Ye Liuchuan upon hearing his name.
Besides, Linlang was making waves at that time.
The production crew said some really harsh things, directly saying that Ye Liuchuan had a problem with his aesthetic sense.
The agent dared not tell Ye Liuchuan these things. He had been managing Ye Liuchuan for more than a year or two and knew the pride hidden beneath Ye Liuchuan's calm exterior.
Ye Liuchuan has a strong sense of self-esteem; one could even say that his self-esteem is equivalent to jealousy.
Ye Liuchuan could not tolerate anyone else in Wink being better than him, and he could not tolerate Lin Yuan, who hadn't even entered Wink, being superior to him.
In fact… Ye Liuchuan is definitely more intolerable than the other members of Wink, but he hides it very well, and his personality is not high-profile, which makes him seem nonchalant.
In the entertainment industry, where is there truly any peace of mind?
"Just get through this hurdle," the agent comforted him. "The audience will forget about it soon."
Ye Liuchuan replied, "Even if you've forgotten, it doesn't mean it never existed."
"Don't worry, I'll accept it." Ye Liuchuan saw through his agent's thoughts. "I don't believe Lin Yuan will always have good luck, nor do I believe I'll always have bad luck."
If that's really the case, then fate has been far too kind to Lin Yuan.
He even felt that if things went as smoothly as Lin Yuan's, he would be willing to pay the price of not being able to debut with Wink.
...
During the airing of "The Powerful Minister", Lin Yuan continued filming "Major Cases" while attending events.
The filming of "Major Cases" was slower than Lin Yuan had anticipated. He originally thought that by the time "The Powerful Minister" aired in March, "Major Cases" would have been finished.
However, no.
The case is becoming increasingly complicated.
In the crew of "Major Cases", one way the actors understood the plot was by watching documentaries. Several of the cases involved in "Major Cases" had caused a sensation online, and there were quite a few related records.
Lin Yuan and the other main actors were fine, but the actors who played roles in various cases worked even harder to understand reality, because the murderers in these cases could not be reasoned with by common sense. They were different from ordinary people. Some of them seemed ordinary, but in fact, their thoughts and ideas were incomprehensible.
Fortunately, the director gave Lin Yuan some time, and since filming "Major Cases" wasn't too tiring, Lin Yuan's scenes were always filmed in one go.
During this process, Lin Yuan himself also maintained maximum focus.
Although time was tight, Lin Yuan felt that life was very fulfilling.
He's not the kind of actor who pursues seamless transitions between projects. Compared to quantity, Lin Yuan believes quality is more important. When good collaborations come along, Lin Yuan is willing to spend more time to secure them and is willing to wait. He's willing to take on any kind of challenge.
Recently, musical production companies have also approached him.
The tour of "Tomorrow's Tomorrow" has been quite successful, and it is now one of the few musicals in the industry that can generate profits.
The production team that recently invited Lin Yuan didn't offer him a main role; instead, they asked him to play an important supporting role. The production team was also aware that Lin Yuan was unavailable and didn't expect him to take on a lead role.
After reading the script, Lin Yuan agreed.
He personally felt that choosing a good musical script was easier than choosing a movie or TV series script. After all, the cost of a musical ticket is not low, and if the performance is too bad, the audience will not buy it. In addition, investors who are only interested in making money are not very willing to invest in musicals. If a musical wants to succeed, it ultimately depends on its own quality.
"Do you have any free time lately?" Feng Zeng raised an eyebrow.
"Just squeeze and you'll get it."
Having only signed Lin Yuan recently, his agent is already experiencing the feeling of being busy. Business offers are coming one after another. Lin Yuan's skills are quite diverse, with invitations to perform, participate in variety shows, film dramas and movies, as well as various commercials, singing theme songs and ending songs...
Lin Yuan's career prospects have gradually proven themselves.
Because Lin Yuan is quite picky, his schedule isn't completely packed, but it's much more fulfilling than when the studio was first established.
When Feng recently discussed collaborations with others, he received the treatment befitting a well-known agent.
Lin Yuan was once an unknown person, but he is no longer.
Feng had never experienced this kind of feeling when he was at DA Entertainment.
What Lin Yuan was doing coincided perfectly with the route he had planned for the other party.
Recently, Feng met with his former colleagues from DA Entertainment at an event.
Those people who used to "generously" introduce him to resources have now stopped talking to him altogether. Feng Zeng understood their gazes; they were filled with jealousy. When Feng Zeng was still at DA Entertainment, every time an artist he managed showed promise, he would receive the same look, and soon after, that artist would have a falling out with him and go to another agent.
They still look at him with the same jealousy, but Lin Yuan and his group can't take him away.
The group of people on Feng Zeng's phone fell silent, but the group of people contacted him more frequently.
"Brother Feng, I really admire you. I've always thought you were good at picking scripts. Lin Yuan's success must be partly due to your efforts."
"Brother Feng is truly remarkable."
"...I heard you've recently been in contact with the 'Infinite Hotel' production team? Could you give me a recommendation?"
Feng Zeng: "..."
He couldn't help but stroke his chin, thinking back carefully. Had he always given people the impression of being weak and easily bullied?
The person who contacted him was a star that Feng had previously managed at DA Entertainment. This person had only just begun to gain some popularity when he eagerly sought out other agents.
Feng once passed by the underground parking lot and overheard the other person laughing at him in the car, saying he was useless and flattering his new agent.
Although Feng Zeng did not hold grudges, it did not mean he did not remember things.
Even if he knew someone from the "Infinite Hotel" production team, there was absolutely no way he would promote it for them.
Even more surprisingly, some people even hinted that he wanted to join Lin Yuan's studio.
Lin Yuan Studio currently only has Lin Yuan himself, but there will definitely be resources that Lin Yuan himself doesn't need and can leak out.
Feng Zeng naturally refused without hesitation, and he even found it somewhat amusing.
Back when he was at DA Entertainment, his ideas were considered foolish, but now that Lin Yuan is famous, he's seen as a visionary manager.
The other party kept sending messages, calling him "Brother Feng" repeatedly, even more affectionately than when he was his manager. He said that he was young and naive back then and didn't know how good Feng had been to him. He also complained about how irresponsible managers are now and how they have ruined his life.
Indeed, Feng had noticed that DA Entertainment had given the other party some resources for a while, but after squeezing out their popularity, they left them to fend for themselves. The other party had not received any real work for a long time, and their Weibo homepage was full of pictures showing off their abs.
Even when he occasionally gets a job, it's all thanks to the role that Feng Zeng had previously gotten for him.
When a character has a strong presence, they feel more confident when others introduce them.
Feng Zeng could only reply, "You're young and naive, but I'm not stupid either."
He's already suffered too many losses; he can't keep doing it.
Through the other party's contact, Feng Zeng also noticed that DA Entertainment seemed to be declining.
DA Entertainment's approach to promoting its artists is problematic. They blatantly treat celebrities as mere tools, only interested in gaining temporary popularity. The key issue is that this approach cannot be successful in the long run.
DA Entertainment had been promoting Xie Yu, which did help him gain recognition. However, not everyone can be as lucky as Xie Yu to land a role that resonates with the audience. If someone is less fortunate, DA Entertainment might give up on promoting another person, while the other company might fail to promote the person they want to promote. In the long run, even if DA Entertainment is aiming to make quick money, that kind of quick money won't be so easy to earn.
"Won't Xie Yu have an even harder time?" Lin Yuan asked curiously.
Feng Zeng nodded: "Probably."
“Last year’s Wink reunion was actually a good opportunity,” Feng Zeng said. “If individual careers aren’t going well, they can still win back some fans by leveraging the name of the Wink reunion.”
When Starry Night Video officially announced Wink's return, the Wink members were quite popular on various platforms.
Lin Yuan shrugged: "Singing like that won't do, will it?"
"So they've run out of work, and Wink's name is no longer effective." Feng Zeng scratched his head. "I don't understand what their management company is thinking. Don't they even go to the rehearsals?"
"They probably thought the fans would buy it," Lin Yuan said.
Wink became a sensation after participating in just one show, "Star Road to Tomorrow." At the time of their debut, the members' average age was less than 20. They reached great heights early on, were adored by fans, and became rich at a young age. Using the Wink name was always a winning strategy. Over time, it's normal for people to take Wink's fame as their own.
Although Lin Yuan often argued with some of the Wink members, he actually didn't have much contact with them. However, judging from Xie Yu's behavior when he transmigrated, it was clear that the Wink were a group of arrogant and haughty humans.
Xie Yu has already benefited from his debut, but he is still not satisfied and will only be happy if he tramples the original owner to death.
Lin Yuan's existence seems to be designed to highlight his success.
"I'm still too kind," Lin Yuan couldn't help but praise himself.
The agent glanced at him silently, a look of confusion on his face.
“I didn’t kick him when he was down,” Lin Yuan said.
He casually patted his agent on the shoulder: "You didn't either, you're a good person."
...
Lin Yuan's latest job is shooting a fashion cover with He Xun.
This is Lin Yuan's fourth set of covers to date. The first set was in a second-tier magazine, the second set was in the first-tier magazine "UNO", and he also appeared in an issue of "Fashion" - benefiting from his Golden Wing Award nomination.
This issue's cover still belongs to "Fashion".
Among the four top-tier magazines, "Fashion" is the one closest to the film and television industry. It not only collaborates with the Golden Wing Awards for many years, but also, once a hit drama or movie is released, the first magazine the lead actor usually collaborates with is "Fashion".
This time, Lin Yuan will appear on the cover of "Fashion" magazine alongside He Xun.
Lin Yuan has done magazine shoots more than once, so he is quite experienced. Therefore, in his eyes, shooting for "Fashion" this time is no different from shooting for other magazines.
As a result—whether it was him or He Xun's schedule that was leaked—Lin Yuan arrived at the filming location while still in the car and heard a commotion outside. When he looked out the window, he saw a huge crowd of people.
Lin Yuan: "?"
At the same time he sent a questioning emoji, He Xun also sent a question mark.
Clearly, He Xun was also cornered.
But the two still had to get off the bus.
The moment they agreed to get off the bus at the same time, Lin Yuan was stunned by the sight before him—
One by one, faces suddenly broke into bright smiles after he appeared.
The sound of calling his name.
He could completely feel the sincerity in that smile and voice.
-----------------------
Author's note: [Starry eyes][Starry eyes] I'm here!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com