Chapter 458
"You know what to do next, right? I don't need to remind you again, do I?"
Zhou Pingan turned around and glanced at Ma Zhiyuan sitting in the back.
Ma Zhiyuan was sitting in the back row, looking down at his phone. When he heard Zhou Ping'an's words, he paused in the motion of swiping his phone screen with his thumb.
Since the news broke that the father of Xu Qinyin's child was him, Ma Zhiyuan's life has undergone tremendous changes.
His popularity plummeted, he was met with a barrage of criticism, many collaborations fell through, and he lost many of his previous endorsements.
Zhou Ping'an's expression turned ugly.
Ma Zhiyuan's troubles also caused his income to drop. And just earlier this year, Zhou Ping'an lost Li Zhibai because he wanted to have his cake and eat it too.
Zhou Ping'an could almost picture Li Zhibai's private cry of "Retribution!"
The comments made by Lu Yanhe and Li Zhibai on Weibo dealt another blow to Ma Zhiyuan, who was already in dire straits.
This time, Ma Zhiyuan didn't even have the courage to respond.
He has lost his greatest asset—his fans.
Ma Zhiyuan didn't speak, but Zhou Ping'an knew he had taken it to heart.
Zhou Pingan said, "According to the agreement we reached with Xu Qinyin, you have to pay her 500,000 yuan in child support every month. If you can't pull yourself together soon, no one will pay this child support for you."
Ma Zhiyuan frowned slightly.
"How else do you want me to pull myself together? I've taken every single job you've assigned me."
“Accepting clients is one thing, but satisfying them is another,” Zhou Ping’an said. “If you continue to work in the same way as before, fewer and fewer people will be willing to cooperate with you in the future.”
Ma Zhiyuan said, "What is my attitude?"
"Such an arrogant attitude." Zhou Ping'an looked at him coldly. "Do you think you're still that popular idol? Without the support of your fans, I have to beg others for the jobs you get now. How did you do it? During the last shoot, you were unhappy with the clothes the production team arranged for you, and you threw a tantrum and insisted on changing them. You made such a scene over a piece of clothing. What kind of attitude is that?"
Ma Zhiyuan: "I don't have any fans supporting me anymore. If I let myself be bullied like this, what will happen in the future? Will everyone know that I'm easy to bully and can just give me the runaround? Didn't you see what kind of clothes they prepared for me? They were so ugly that wearing them to record a show would immediately make me the most ugly person on social media."
Zhou Ping'an: "Can't you talk to me properly? Can't you talk to me and let me negotiate with them? You just have to throw a tantrum in public and let everyone see you get angry over a piece of clothing? This almost got exposed online."
Ma Zhiyuan: "I want to show these snobbish guys that I'm not someone to be bullied. Do they really think I'm a tiger fallen into the plains, being bullied by dogs?"
Zhou Pingan sighed.
Ma Zhiyuan: "You regret choosing me and giving up Li Zhibai, right? You can go and find him again. If you don't want to continue being my manager, you don't have to force yourself."
"Did your brain get squeezed by a door or was you reincarnated as a pig?" Zhou Ping'an was so angry that he almost jumped up from his chair. "Who do you think you are, spouting nonsense here! Do you believe I'll really just dump you here and abandon you? Let's see how you're going to pay the 500,000 yuan monthly child support!"
Ma Zhiyuan's face turned ashen.
"You think the little money you've earned is enough to last you for years? Let me tell you, you still have several brands whose breach of contract fees you haven't paid!" Zhou Ping'an took a deep breath to calm his escalating anger. "Ma Zhiyuan, let me make this clear again: don't test my patience. The reason I'm still willing to help you and support you through this struggle is because I still have some consideration for you and want to give you a hand. If you continue like this, one day when you've worn down my patience, you'll be begging on the streets."
An eerie silence fell over the carriage.
The driver seemed completely oblivious to the hurricane-like argument that had just taken place beside him, his hands firmly gripping the steering wheel.
-
“When I first took the role of Ma Zhiyuan, he didn’t want to take it, so it came to me. But I didn’t care. I read the script and really liked the story and the character.”
Yan Liang sat opposite director Shen Mofan and spoke candidly about the story behind his decision to take on this role.
"I've never even seen a drama about fraud, let alone acted in one, so this feels very fresh to me," Yan Liang said. "I've been quite lucky on my acting path these past few years. I started with Yan He casting me in 'Friends,' which gave me my first representative work, and then I got the opportunity to work on a show like 'The Summit.'"
The director, Chen Mofan, was finalized only after the actors were all confirmed.
He listened attentively as Yan Liang explained his situation, nodding occasionally.
“At first, I lacked confidence in acting, and I think the director can understand that. Yan He goes without saying, and Li Zhibai is also a very talented actor. If you haven't seen his work, you should check it out. Although he hasn't won as many awards as Yan He, I believe it's only a matter of time before he does,” Yan Liang said. “Being next to them, I often felt ashamed and thought I couldn't act. But later, I realized there was no need to compare myself to them. I will give my all to every role I play, so I believe that every role I play will be just as good.”
Chen Mofan said, "I'm quite surprised that you're willing to act in 'The Summit,' as I heard your salary for this film isn't high."
Yan Liang: "It's probably because of Yan He and Zhi Bai's influence. I don't care too much about whether the pay is high or low."
"Do you have any hope of winning an award or something through this drama?" Mo Fan asked.
Yan Liang: "Winning awards? Of course I'd like to win some, but I don't have that idea. I'm not the kind of genius actor. I need to figure out a role well and do a lot of preparation. I can only start early and work hard. I won't think about winning awards until I've finished acting."
“You really surprised me,” Chen Mofan said. “I recently met Yin Xincheng, who also starred in Friends. Among the other young male actors I’ve met who are quite famous, this is the first time I’ve seen someone as humble as you, who is quite famous.”
Yan Liang smiled and said, "There's no way, Director. I don't have the right to be arrogant. Of course, I wish I could sit in front of you with full confidence and say, 'Don't worry, I'll handle the role perfectly.' But I can't. I can only tell you the truth about my situation and then ask you to help and guide me in completing this role."
Silent Fan nodded.
He asked, "In this drama, there's a big contrast and transformation in you, especially in the later scenes where you turn to the dark side. That might have a significant impact on your idol image. Are you mentally prepared?"
"Yes, it's done. I don't really have much of an idol image to begin with," Yan Liang said with a smile. "My manager often forgets that I'm also an idol."
Seeing Yan Liang say these words with a bright smile, Chen Mofan was quite touched.
The last time I worked with Xu Yiren on the film "My Home I Haven't Been Returned to in a Long Time," although the film was a great success, working with Xu Yiren was quite a ordeal. This popular actress has too many flaws. She's always late for filming and leaves early, refuses to play ugly roles, and constantly complains about the long filming hours affecting her rest. If it weren't for the fact that Xu Yiren's acting is genuinely good, I, Chen Mofan, would have given up long ago.
Nevertheless, Chen Mofan quietly made a decision: he would avoid cooperating with Xu Yiren in the future if possible.
In the entertainment industry, there are quite a few celebrities with "prince syndrome" or "princess syndrome." It's hard to tell when they're at events, parties, or even in private. They can't pretend for long, but they can keep up the act for half a day.
Yan Liang made a special trip to Jiang Guang to meet with him in advance and have a chat. This attitude alone made Chen Mofan feel very pleased. Not to mention that today's meeting and chat made Chen Mofan feel even more favorably toward Yan Liang.
-
"Mrs. Huang, it's a pleasure to see you again!" Zhou Ping'an greeted her warmly and shook hands with Mrs. Huang from Longyan Film Industry. "Thank you for taking the time to see us. I know you must be very busy. Zhiyuan just came back from the Northeast a while ago. This time he brought two boxes of old ginseng that he specially asked someone to purchase there. Zhiyuan."
With a smile, Ma Zhiyuan took the gift box from his hand and said to Mrs. Huang, "Hello, Mrs. Huang, I am Ma Zhiyuan."
The assistant next to Mrs. Huang took the gift box from Ma Zhiyuan and put it aside.
Mrs. Huang looked at Ma Zhiyuan with a smile and asked, "You're even more handsome in person than in the photos. No wonder you're so popular with young girls."
Zhou Pingan said with a smile, "I was saying that too. I've always told him to make good use of his strengths and not to always think about transforming into a serious actor. He's clearly an idol."
Mrs. Huang immediately said, "It's a good thing that young people are willing to improve themselves; you should encourage their spirit."
"Haha, that's true, I'll listen to you." Zhou Ping'an exchanged pleasantries with Huang Tai.
They then sat down.
"Mrs. Huang, regarding that movie we talked about before, 'The Umbrella Girl,' although Zhiyuan hasn't acted much before, judging from the script, he's still very suitable for the role. He also wants to try his hand at acting," Zhou Ping'an said. "I wonder if the male lead hasn't been cast yet?"
Mrs. Huang said with a smile, "That movie? We've already cast the actors for that movie. We found Liu Zefan, and we signed the contract last week."
"Liu Zefan?" Zhou Ping'an was somewhat surprised. "Hasn't he never acted in a movie before?"
Mrs. Huang nodded, glanced at Ma Zhiyuan, and asked, "Zhiyuan, have you acted in movies before?"
Ma Zhiyuan has never acted in a film.
Zhou Ping'an subconsciously thought that Liu Zefan was no match for Ma Zhiyuan.
That's true. Although Liu Zefan is popular, he's still a far cry from top idols like Ma Zhiyuan.
He swallowed the words back before he could say them.
If Ma Zhiyuan hadn't done that, they wouldn't have needed to come here to beg for help.
Mrs. Wong said, "However, I do have another project on hand. There's a role that's quite suitable for Zhiyuan, but it's not the lead role. Would Zhiyuan be willing to play a supporting role?"
Ma Zhiyuan's face almost collapsed.
Zhou Ping'an knew him well enough; he immediately glanced at him and gave him a wink.
Ma Zhiyuan then managed to maintain his smile.
-
"You want me to play a supporting role? Are you crazy? You want me to play a supporting role to their newcomers?"
As soon as he got in the car, Ma Zhiyuan glared angrily at Zhou Ping'an.
"You even told her to consider it? What's there to consider? When have I, Ma Zhiyuan, ever needed to play a supporting role for someone else?"
“You didn’t become a father by accident, so you don’t need to,” Zhou Ping’an said bluntly.
Ma Zhiyuan was so angry that his face turned red.
He clenched his fist and said, "I don't play supporting roles."
“Now it’s not you choosing others, it’s others choosing you,” Zhou Ping’an said. “Do you think anyone is willing to give you a chance now? Do you even know what you’ve done? Your fans are leaving in droves, so what makes you think you can play the lead role?”
Ma Zhiyuan said, "Let those who say they want to unfollow me go. I don't care. I have so many fans. Even if half of them unfollow me, the remaining half will still be more than that guy Liu Zefan! Cast Liu Zefan as the lead actor? Heh, just wait for it to flop."
Zhou Ping'an gave Ma Zhiyuan a look of utter disdain.
Ma Zhiyuan is the kind of person who had it too easy before. He became a top idol overnight and has been constantly pampered by his company and fans ever since. It's completely baffling what's really going on with him. However, it's too early for Zhou Ping'an to give up on Ma Zhiyuan now. He just had a child, he just slept with someone and was irresponsible, he just lost a group of fans—Ma Zhiyuan wasn't entirely wrong; despite all the terrible things that happened, he still has a group of very loyal and devoted fans.
Ma Zhiyuan's commercial value still exists—it's just that his commercial image has become negative.
Those who care about their brand image will naturally stay as far away from him as possible and avoid any cooperation.
However, if you care more about popularity and fame at this stage, then cooperating with Ma Zhiyuan, such as having him do a business promotion or a live broadcast, will be more effective than working with those popular live streamers.
Because in addition to Ma Zhiyuan's own fans, a large number of haters will come to criticize him, causing the brand's popularity to soar.
This is especially true for variety shows.
For many programs, they don't have their own built-in audience and must create some buzz to stand out. Celebrities like Ma Zhiyuan, who bring their own buzz and trending topics, are the most welcome.
Besides, and most importantly, what Ma Zhiyuan did didn't touch on any fundamental principles or cross any lines. So perhaps after a few months, once this storm has passed, Ma Zhiyuan's popularity might slowly recover. For an artist like Ma Zhiyuan who has reached the top of the industry, as long as he's not blacklisted, he's always "a fallen camel is still bigger than a horse," and can continue to thrive for several years. Perhaps in those few years, he'll experience a resurgence in popularity due to some opportunity.
Zhou Ping'an now only needs to constantly suppress Ma Zhiyuan's arrogance and make him clearly realize what situation he is in.
Even now, Ma Zhiyuan doesn't actually have a particularly clear understanding of this.
-
Star Entertainment Company Building.
As a black van pulled up, many fans gathered on the first floor craned their necks to look. When they saw Maxine's Wei Zhuoran, Qu Yousong, Jiang Bai, and Chen Jing getting out of the van, they immediately let out screams and shouts.
Several celebrities, escorted by bodyguards, hurriedly entered the company building.
No one stopped.
Lin Suyang was waiting for them at the elevator entrance. When he saw them coming, he smiled.
"Yesterday's performance was a great success!" Lin Suyang said with a smile and applause. "The organizers are very satisfied with the results."
Maxine performed at a commercial event in Jinkou yesterday, and the venue was packed with people; the event was almost canceled due to safety concerns.
Wei Zhuoran, with one hand in his pocket, smiled and said, "Brother Su Yang, could you give us less work later? We've been rushing to announcements every day this month, it's exhausting."
Lin Suyang said, "I'll try my best to arrange some rest for you in the back. You've really worked hard these past two months with so many commitments. Go on up, Mr. Ma is already waiting for you."
Wei Zhuoran nodded.
Lin Suyang led the Maxine members to Ma Zhongquan's office, and then immediately came out again.
Ma Zhongquan wanted to show Maxine his friendly and caring side as a leader, so it was naturally inconvenient for him, as her agent, to be present.
After Lin Suyang came out, he sent a message to Li Zhibai, asking: Have you left for the airport yet?
Li Zhibai: It just ended, I haven't gotten on the bus yet.
Lin Suyang: There's still time. Tell the driver to drive carefully and not to rush. If there's a real delay, there's another train in an hour.
Li Zhibai replied with a single word: "Good".
Lin Suyang was very satisfied with his collaboration with Li Zhibai.
Li Zhibai is so much better than Ma Zhiyuan.
Lin Suyang simply couldn't understand why Zhou Ping'an would choose Ma Zhiyuan over Li Zhibai. In Lin Suyang's eyes, Zhou Ping'an was just completely out of his mind.
Zhou Ping'an is probably kicking himself now.
When Ma Zhiyuan is unhappy, Zhou Ping'an is unhappy, but Lin Suyang is very happy.
In recent years, Star Entertainment has entered a period of rapid development.
Lu Yanhe, Li Zhibai, Ma Zhiyuan, Yan Liang, and Wei Zhuoran alone occupy half of the top-tier popular young actors.
Other talent agencies might not even have a single young male artist of this caliber, but Star Entertainment has produced a whole bunch of them.
This has led many entertainment agencies to start their own trainee programs.
When summarizing Xingyu's successful experience, everyone felt that there was one thing they could learn from: in the field of broadcasting, there are always a few that will grow into successful ones.
Having hundreds of trainees is a unique feature of Star Entertainment Group.
He went downstairs to buy coffee.
When Li Zhibai returned in the evening, he still had to go to the airport to pick him up.
Unexpectedly, he ran into Ma Zhiyuan and Zhou Pingan in the elevator.
Lin Suyang glanced at them, a smirk unconsciously playing on his lips; he was too lazy to keep up the act.
When Ma Zhiyuan saw him, his face immediately darkened.
Zhou Ping'an remained expressionless.
Lin Suyang picked up her phone and sent a message and voice message to Li Zhibai.
"Zhibai, grab something to eat on the plane. I've already made a reservation at a new Italian restaurant on Chunming Road. Let's try it together. I'll pick you up from the airport later, and we can have a good chat tonight about our work plans after filming Liu Bige's new movie."
Lin Suyang's voice was cheerful, relaxed, and unrestrained, as if he were the only person in the elevator.
Ma Zhiyuan and Zhou Ping'an's faces darkened even more.
Of course, the darker their faces were, the brighter Lin Suyang's smile became.
-
People are not afraid of seeing their enemies, but they are afraid of seeing their enemies when they are down on their luck, especially when their enemies are living a life of great success.
After Lin Suyang got out of the elevator, leaving only Zhou Pingan and Ma Zhiyuan inside, Zhou Pingan looked at Ma Zhiyuan and asked, "Now you know how others see you? Even Lin Suyang can mock you to your face."
Ma Zhiyuan's face darkened, and he remained silent.
“You have to take that film from Longyan Film Studio,” Zhou Ping’an said without giving a chance to argue. “If you want to put on airs, wait until you’ve regained your footing. Until then, either you listen to me, or you get a new agent.”
Ma Zhiyuan glared angrily at Zhou Ping'an.
Zhou Pingan said, "I'm serious."
Ma Zhiyuan took a deep breath. "Whatever!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ping'an slightly curled the corners of his mouth.
If you're so capable, don't just say "whatever." If you dare to say "I'll change it if you want" at this point, then you've got guts.
Zhou Pingan mentally criticized Ma Zhiyuan.
-
"We have received more than 500 short films so far. After removing those that are obviously shoddy, there are only about 30 valid films. We have watched them and found only three to be good and worthwhile."
Chen Siqi shrugged helplessly at Lu Yanhe, "Although there are still two months until the registration deadline, the current situation is not optimistic."
She was referring to the "Power Accumulation Plan" that had been launched earlier.
Lu Yanhe said, "Actually, it's already quite difficult if you can discover one or two promising directors a year."
Chen Siqi said, "No, no, no, the standards we set for films that we think are pretty good and have merits are not as high as you think."
Lu Yanhe asked, "Have these films been released on Aurora Borealis?"
"We were originally planning to launch them online, but the quality of the short videos we've received so far makes us hesitant to release them. If everyone sees that this is the level of the contestants, those who are truly skilled and are still observing might not come," Chen Siqi said with a headache. "Sure enough, the hardest part of these high-cost competitions is attracting skilled participants."
Lu Yanhe said, "Mainly, I overestimated the situation. I thought there were many people in the industry who wanted an opportunity, and it shouldn't be difficult for them to shoot a ten-minute short film. After all, as long as they make it into the top three, they can get funding to officially shoot a film. I thought that reward was attractive enough for them."
Chen Siqi said, "Of course, we can also comfort ourselves by thinking that those who have really made good films don't want to send them over so quickly. Anyway, there are still two months until the deadline, so they can continue to polish and improve them, or look at other people's work before deciding whether to send them to us or not."
Lu Yanhe: "We can't pin our hopes on receiving a few good works by the final deadline. If we don't receive even one, then this 'Accumulation Project' is practically doomed."
Chen Siqi asked, "What are your thoughts?"
Lu Yanhe shook his head and said, "Not for now, but I'll call a few people I know and ask if they're interested in participating. Actually, every film crew I work on has a lot of people who move between different film crews, constantly accumulating experience, all in the hopes of becoming directors in the future."
“Sigh, it’s true that every profession is like a mountain to climb.” Chen Siqi said with a wry smile, “Indeed, we overestimated ourselves. But fortunately, Aurora Studios arranged for several of its own trained young directors to participate in the competition, so we won’t be unable to select the top three. When the time comes, they can use the funds to make films, and Aurora Studios will be self-sufficient.”
Lu Yanhe could hear the resentment in Chen Siqi's words.
Of course, the purpose of putting so much effort into creating this plan is not to train directors for Aurora Video.
Chen Siqi still wants to seriously use this project to develop the story library of "Jump Up" and deepen her connection with the film and television industry.
Chen Siqi hopes that through this plan, she can provide more targeted assistance to Lu Yanhe when he needs it in the future.
"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's see if there are any other solutions later," Chen Siqi said. "You'll be a senior next semester, and you don't have a single course. I also have a required course scheduled for last semester, which is really annoying."
Have you completed all your elective course credits?
“Yes, I’ve already completed all the required courses,” Chen Siqi said. “Next semester, I will only have one course per week. Because of that one course, I will have to stay at school. But it will definitely be much better than before. I won’t have to rush to catch planes or high-speed trains anymore, and I can travel to other places more leisurely.”
Lu Yanhe asked, "So, after you graduate, where do you plan to put 'Jump Up'?"
Chen Siqi said, "I will definitely go back to Yuming, but I plan to set up an office in Jiangguang. We have accumulated a lot of resources and connections there over the years, and it would be a pity to give it up. However, our 'Jump Up' is still a cultural media company. Whether it is magazine publishing, publicity and marketing, or our self-media, we definitely have more resources in Yuming. The best resources in the country are basically concentrated here."
"Then you're going to rent an office building?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Chen Siqi said, "I plan to buy a detached house in the suburbs as an office space for everyone to work together. It's really unnecessary for our company to rent in the CBD where land is so expensive; it's a waste of money. Our main business is a magazine, and our main revenue streams are currently magazine and social media advertising, film and television dramas, and other publicity and marketing. To be honest, it looks impressive, but we don't have a mature, independent team yet, so we can't stand on our own right now."
Lu Yanhe asked, "Buying a detached house in the suburbs isn't cheap, is it?"
“It’s not cheap, but it’s still part of the ‘Jump Up’ assets, so it’s an investment and won’t depreciate,” Chen Siqi said. “I’ve asked around, and a decent detached house of over 300 square meters, plus a yard, costs around 15 million.”
There are actually no cash reserves of around 15 million yuan on the books for "Jump Up".
In recent years, "Jump Up" and its self-media platforms have made a lot of money, but the annual expenses are also considerable. The team of over a hundred people costs at least eight figures in human resources annually just to maintain them. "Jump Up" has grown too fast, and most of the money earned has been used for expansion.
Lu Yanhe asked, "So what do you plan to do with this money?"
Chen Siqi said, "The company has about five million available in its accounts. As for the rest, I'll contribute some myself and ask you for some—you're also a major shareholder. We'll take out a bank loan for the rest. And based on the current revenue of our 'Jump Up' project, we can pay off the five million loan in one to two years if things go smoothly, or three years if things go slowly. I've done the math, and compared to the rent for office space in the city, the interest on the bank loan is much more cost-effective."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
With their size, renting an office building in the city center would be impossible, let alone in a good location. Even in a less desirable location, the rent would be at least two or three million. Add to that the higher costs of water, electricity, and property management fees for commercial properties, and they would easily spend hundreds of thousands or even millions more.
Although Lu Yanhe didn't understand the details of this financial calculation, he still grasped the point.
Lu Yanhe said, "How about I cover the remaining ten million first? That way we won't have to take out a bank loan."
Over the past few years, Lu Yanhe has become a hidden tycoon, and ten million is indeed not a big burden for him.
"Jump Up" is his own home base, and he's happy to pay for it; he didn't send it to anyone else.
In a way, it's also one's own asset.
It's simply moved from the left pocket to the right.
Chen Siqi said, "Forget it, I see you have a lot more to deal with than I do. You're graduating soon, aren't you going to buy a house? And if you are, it certainly won't be a small one, right? With your work pace, you'll definitely need a professional support team to help you with your life. There are plenty of other places where you'll need money, don't throw so much into 'Jump Up.' We're not really broke. Also, Yan He, the company account is the company account, and the personal account is the personal account. If 'Jump Up' really goes bankrupt one day, we can only try to save it if we can, and if we can't, we can't risk everything by trying something desperate."
Finance is the easiest thing to get complicated.
Chen Siqi didn't want Lu Yanhe's personal finances to become complicated with the finances of "Jump Up." No one could guarantee what would happen to "Jump Up" in the future. What if—and this is just a possibility—"Jump Up" went bankrupt in three months due to some unforeseen event? Then Lu Yanhe would have nowhere to get the ten million he'd advanced. To put it bluntly, if a company goes bankrupt after taking out a loan, the bank can't hold Lu Yanhe personally liable for the debt. Loans are a company matter; banks assess a company's profitability, essentially considering the bank's revenue streams—and all projects carry risk.
Chen Siqi felt that there was no need to transfer so many risks onto Lu Yanhe alone.
(End of this chapter)
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