Chapter 723 Celebrities and Their Assistants (2) 10400 words
Xiao Mo carried the insulated box to the nanny van.
Liu Bai immediately glared at her, "Why are you so slow?"
Xiao Mo bowed his head and apologized.
"Bring it up quickly." Liu Bai grimaced and gasped.
Xiao Mo opened the insulated box, which was full of ice.
She put the ice cubes into a cloth bag and handed it to Liu Bai.
Seeing this, Liu Bai glared at her and said, "Do you expect me to apply it myself?"
Xiao Mo was stunned.
"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and apply it, it hurts like hell!" Liu Bai cursed.
Xiao Mo looked at Liu Bai, who was lying on his side in a strange position on the car seat, hesitated for half a second, and then, in the manner of a working person, took an ice pack and applied it to Liu Bai's waist.
The moment they touched, Liu Bai let out a piercing scream, like a crowing bird.
Xiao Mo was startled.
Liu Bai: "Be gentle!"
Xiao Mo: "I... I only got hit—"
Liu Bai: "Forget it, hurry up. Damn it, if I'm still like this when we're filming, I'll be so embarrassed."
Xiao Mo hesitated for a moment and said, "How about I ask the crew for leave and go to the hospital to get checked out?"
Liu Bai was furious: "Take leave? What kind of leave? Do you want the whole crew to laugh at me?"
Xiao Mo: "..."
She said, "If I just say I twisted my ankle when I got off the bus, it should be okay, right?"
Liu Bai: "..."
Xiao Mo: "Generally, people don't want to think about it in that way."
"No ordinary person would do something like this," she muttered to herself.
Liu Bai: "...Then go and ask for leave for me."
Xiao Mo nodded and turned to leave.
Liu Bai gasped again, and had no choice but to pick up the ice pack and place it on his waist.
The sound of inhaling was like entering a cave, and the volume suddenly increased.
-
"call--"
"Whoosh—"
"call--"
The sound of breathing, sometimes rapid and sometimes slow, came from the front.
It sounds like someone has been injured.
Lu Yanhe walked over and took a look, somewhat surprised.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out that no one was injured; Zhou Ruo was simply practicing for her next scene.
The next scene is about Zhou Ruo being injured, shot, and practicing the panting sound after being wounded.
She was also holding a tablet computer, which was playing documentaries filmed when other people were injured.
Lu Yanhe didn't disturb them and left quietly.
When he returned to his lounge, someone was waiting at the door.
He was one of the photographers for "Dingfeng No. 1".
Lu Yanhe asked with some surprise, "Brother Jiang, you were looking for me?"
“Yes, Yan He.” Brother Jiang nodded, a smile on his face.
Jiang Yufeng, 36 years old, has been working in film and television photography for 13 years. He is a senior professional with solid skills.
He was also the primary cinematographer on set, working under the director of photography.
"Please come in." Lu Yanhe opened the door and invited Jiang Yufeng in. "Brother Jiang, would you like some water or... coffee? Sorry, that's all I have here."
Jiang Yufeng waved his hand and said it was nothing, then said, "I know you're busy. It's like this, I... I have a notebook that I wrote myself. I've wanted to do it for a long time, and I'd like to... Do you have time to take a look at it for me?"
He pushed a leather bag in his hand in front of Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe looked surprised and taken aback.
Is this a script?
“Yes.” Jiang Yufeng nodded.
Seeing this, Lu Yanhe took the script out of the leather bag.
It's a very thick book.
There are definitely fewer TV series to film, but it seems like there are more movies to film.
Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "No problem, Brother Jiang. But, you asked me to look at the script, is there something you're thinking about?"
He laughed. "Whether you want me to act, invest in your project, or something else, you have to tell me so I can know how to read the script."
Jiang Yufeng rubbed his hands together and said, "If I say I have all these ideas, wouldn't that seem a bit greedy?"
Lu Yanhe's smile widened even more.
“Okay, I’ll take a look at the script first,” Lu Yanhe said. “But, Brother Jiang, have you signed with any other companies? Can I see this script first?”
Jiang Yufeng waved his hand somewhat listlessly.
“I haven’t signed with any other company. I run my own photography studio. But to be honest, I’ve shown this script to several companies, including Longyan and Ruyi. They all felt that the script didn’t have much market potential and the investment was too large, so no one was willing to work on it.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Yanhe nodded and asked, "So, according to your opinion, how much would it cost to bid for this script?"
"Not counting post-production, it would cost at least 40 million to film it," Jiang Yufeng said. "That's indeed a bit high."
Lu Yanhe immediately estimated in his mind that if the post-production costs alone were 40 million, then with the addition of the music, editing and other post-production work, and all the other expenses, it would easily reach 60 million if not carefully controlled. In addition, with the publicity and distribution, the production cost of this movie could soar to nearly 100 million.
Linghe has never made such a big film before.
However, Lu Yanhe did not refuse immediately.
He said, "Let me take a look at the script first."
Jiang Yufeng nodded.
-
After Jiang Yufeng left, Lu Yanhe glanced at the script, not looking at it carefully, but just to get a general idea of its style.
To Lu Yanhe's surprise, this seemed to be a film that leaned towards a biographical genre.
It tells the story of a photographer's ups and downs in the film industry during the Republican era.
It's a drama film, specifically a biographical drama film.
However, it would cost nearly 100 million yuan. Putting aside the quality of the script, just this combination made Lu Yanhe understand why Longyan and Ruyi were unwilling to invest.
If a story like this were made into a movie, it would most likely lose money.
Even if Lu Yanhe were to star in it, without a marketing miracle like "Love Letter," the box office would normally be capped at three to five hundred million yuan, relying entirely on the halo of Lu Yanhe's past success stories.
Such stories simply don't appeal to audiences these days.
-
"Did you give the script to Lu Yanhe?" Wei Chang, the producer of "Dingfeng No. 1," asked Jiang Yufeng.
Jiang Yufeng nodded and said, "I'll give it to him. Let's give it a try and see if he's willing to help."
The guard sighed.
“Your film will cost far too much money,” Wei Chang said. “Under normal circumstances, no film company would be willing to do it.”
—You're not Lu Yanhe.
These were the words the ward chief didn't say aloud.
Jiang Yufeng: "But without that much money, we can't capture the look of that era. I don't want those cookie-cutter Republic of China-era landscapes."
"What if Lu Yanhe also rejects you?" the guard asked.
"What else can we do?" Jiang Yufeng said. "We just won't film it."
Wei Chang: "By the way, I heard you're going to be in charge of Jing Jin's 'Ten Miles of Fragrance' project?"
"Yes." Jiang Yufeng smiled. "You're quick to get the news."
“That project is Shi Jin’s first project after entering the entertainment industry, and everyone is watching it closely,” Wei Chang said. “Perhaps Shi Jin will become a strong competitor to Longyan in the future.”
"In the current film market, no one is really competing with anyone else," Jiang Yufeng said bluntly. "How many film projects actually made money last year? Most of the highest-grossing film projects were related to Lu Yanhe. I really hope they can stir up the market and make it less stagnant."
Wei Chang: "Sigh, to be honest, the market positioning of movies has changed. Audiences have more choices now. It's no longer about choosing one movie from two, but about choosing between watching a movie or doing something else from a variety of products. But, if we really come in, we'll probably burn through a lot of money on advertising. If we can get everyone's attention back to the movie a little bit, that would be good."
What do you think of the box office performance of "Windbreaker"?
"It shouldn't be bad," Wei Chang said. "Just the names of Liu Bige, Lu Yanhe, and Wen Shengming alone could sell a lot of movie tickets."
“Sometimes, I’m a bit confused. You can’t expect a movie to sell at the box office just because of a few names, right? When you mention them, it seems like it can sell, but when you say you can sell at the box office just because of a few names, it keeps flopping so badly that even Jia Long’s latest comedy film did a terrible job, only grossing a little over 100 million yuan,” Jiang Yufeng lamented.
Wei Chang said, "Jia Long's problem is his choice of subject matter. He insisted on making a comedy with a tragic tone, a non-comedy film for the general public, so that everyone would think it was a realistic story. Then people wouldn't want to go to the cinema to watch it. He didn't find the core selling point."
“Everyone has only a few selling points. Why is Lu Yanhe so great? Because Lu Yanhe has created this impression not only in the industry but also among all audiences. His plays are worth watching, and you can try them no matter what the subject matter is. He has always been successful and has never failed. This has become his biggest selling point, which gives everyone confidence in him.”
"Then he can't replicate it like that."
“Yes.” Wei Chang nodded. “Wen Shengming is actually at a similar point. It’s so difficult for him to come out of retirement. What kind of film would it take to get him to come out of retirement? Many times, the role of celebrities is not just about their fans buying tickets, but about their image in the public’s mind. When combined with a few selling points, they can unlock a large market.”
"You're right." Jiang Yufeng nodded. "You're truly amazing."
“Lu Yanhe is dragging his feet and refusing to sign the sequel contract for ‘Burning Fire’. The company is divided into two factions and they are arguing.” Wei Chang revealed, “The first ‘Burning Fire’ did very well at the box office. Now, business cooperation and licensing are starting at five million. The company wants to push forward the second film as soon as possible, but Lu Yanhe is an unknown factor. Therefore, some people have suggested that Lu Yanhe’s character be removed from the second film.”
"Withdrawing from the second part?" Jiang Yufeng asked in shock. "Did you hear me wrong, or have the people from Longyan gone mad?"
“Because the first part of ‘Burning Fire’ received very good reviews and was an ensemble piece, many people believe that even if Lu Yanhe’s character doesn’t appear in the second part, it won’t affect the basic audience of ‘Burning Fire’,” Wei Chang said. “Of course, they have a point. An actor’s audience is ultimately limited. If the ‘Burning Fire’ IP is established, as long as the quality is maintained, even if a few different characters are used to tell the story, it can still be a box office hit. There are many such cases.”
This is true unless it's the same actor playing the same role.
“Then it wouldn’t be called ‘Burning Fire Part 2’,” Jiang Yufeng said.
“Yes.” Wei Chang nodded. “Their idea is to give Shang Yongzhou’s role a standalone movie, with a storyline that doesn’t continue from the first movie. The original story will be done after Lu Yanhe is confirmed to be returning.”
Jiang Yufeng scoffed.
"By doing this, they are shooting themselves in the foot. I have only ever seen successful people try their best to retain all the elements of success, but I have never seen anyone who thinks that they can still succeed even if they are missing a certain link."
Wei Chang said meaningfully, "Yes, but speaking of which, Longyan does have the right to be so confident. 'Burning Fire' is also Lu Yanhe's first film to break 2 billion yuan at the box office. Although 'Burning Fire' needs him, he also needs 'Burning Fire,' doesn't he?"
"Does he need such a number?" Jiang Yufeng shook his head. "I don't think so."
"Um?"
"Does that mean he wouldn't be the leading man that every film project is vying for if he didn't have these two billion-plus box office earnings?" Jiang Yufeng asked. "Is there any other actor who could compete with him for a role?"
Wei Chang said, "If it were a commercial film like 'Burning Fire,' to be honest, Li Zhibai could do it, Wang Dashan could do it, and even Lang Xia could do it."
Are you kidding me?
“I’m not joking,” Wei Chang said. “The casting logic for commercial films is not that the bigger the actor, the better. Take ‘Burning Fire’ for example. With Shang Yongzhou, who is a perfect match for Li Zhi, is the effect worse than with Lu Yanhe? Not necessarily. Commercial films are never about who is the best or who is the most suitable. The lead role in commercial films is, most of the time, not the actor.”
After the ward chief explained it this way, Jiang Yufeng began to understand.
“I think Lu Yanhe still wants to act in ‘Burning Fire’, otherwise he wouldn’t be using delaying tactics, but would have directly refused.” Wei Chang said to Jiang Yufeng, “The situation in Longyan is very complicated right now. If those who want to make a solo film about Shang Yongzhou really gain the upper hand, Lu Yanhe will be in a passive position.”
"If Shang Yongzhou's solo film hadn't achieved the success of 'Burning Fire,' Lu Yanhe might not have been the one in a passive position," Jiang Yufeng said.
"That depends on what Lu Yanhe thinks," said the guard. "Anyway, no matter what, we shouldn't be completely ignorant and kept in the dark. Otherwise, others will have already made several moves and Lu Yanhe will still be clueless."
Jiang Yufeng's expression changed slightly.
"Do you think I can tell Lu Yanhe this news?"
Guard Chief: "That's up to you. Anyway, I haven't said anything to you since you left this door."
-
After Wei Chang came out, he walked a little further away, took out his phone, and sent a message to Huang Tai: I have already told Jiang Yufeng what happened, now it's just a matter of whether he will pass it on to Lu Yanhe's ears.
Mrs. Huang: Did Jiang Yufeng really show his script to Lu Yanhe?
Chief of Staff: Yes.
Mrs. Huang: Keep an eye on this project as well. If Lu Yanhe is interested in working on it, let me know immediately.
Chief of Staff: Should we get involved in his notebook?
Huang Tai: That depends on whether Lu Yanhe is willing to do it.
Commander Wei: Understood.
-
When the market is good, people become bolder; when the market is bad, people become less bold. Even a company like Longyan is no exception.
Mrs. Huang does indeed plan to make a movie for the character Shang Yongzhou, but that doesn't mean she really thinks that the "Burning Fire" series can skip the character Lu Yanhe and not make a second movie.
A true IP must be a series with continuous characters and stories.
What the sergeant said wasn't false, but it was still a tactic.
Huang Tai couldn't keep waiting like this; she had to give Lu Yanhe some drastic measures.
Huang Tai is very confident that Lu Yanhe will definitely be willing to continue acting in the "Burning Fire" series.
In China, very few film companies can make a movie like this, let alone succeed in making one and gaining a good reputation and market response.
As for the unpleasant things that happened before—
Mrs. Wong also believes it is not important.
That was merely an excuse for Lu Yanhe to increase his bargaining power.
That's right, just as Lu Yanhe and the others thought, Huang Tai really thought that way.
The medicine has been administered to Wei Chang and Jiang Yufeng; now we're just waiting for Lu Yanhe's reaction. It needs to ferment for a while.
Mrs. Huang was also busy.
She arrived at the set of "You Are the Apple of My Eye".
She came to see Li Zhibai.
“We want to make a sequel to ‘Even Faking Death Is Not Allowed’,” she told Li Zhibai.
Li Zhibai was somewhat surprised.
"ah?"
"Even Faking Death Is Not an Option" grossed over 600 million yuan, which is a very good box office result for an urban romantic comedy film, and it was even the highest-grossing urban romantic comedy film of that year.
Li Zhibai had not heard any rumors about Longyan's plan to develop a sequel.
“We want you to return, and co-star with Ji Miao in the second season,” Mrs. Huang said.
Li Zhibai said, "When this movie was released, weren't there quite a lot of people criticizing it?"
"That's because of the market positioning. Many people went to see a movie in Liu Bige's style, and the negative reviews mainly focused on the fact that the movie did not meet their expectations," Huang Tai said. "But as for the movie itself, it is still a very good movie in the eyes of the audience, which can be seen from the reviews of the movie on the Internet."
Li Zhibai remained silent.
“Look, these are messages from many movie fans online.” Mrs. Huang actually pulled out a bound booklet, as thick as half a brick. “These are the voices of viewers who love this movie, calling for a sequel.”
Li Zhi asked: "Will Liu Bige return to direct?"
“No.” Mrs. Huang shook her head. “Liu Bige may not be suitable for directing romantic comedies. We still want to find someone suitable for this genre. Of course, we will bring back the original screenwriter, Miao Yue, and ask her to continue writing the script for the sequel.”
Li Zhibai looked hesitant.
"I can't just tell you right now that I'll act in it," he said frankly. "I already get a lot of offers for romantic comedies, and I'm finally starting to have other genres to work on."
Huang Tai seemed to have anticipated that Li Zhibai would say such a thing.
She took a script out of her bag.
"If you're willing to return to 'Even If I Fake My Death 2,' this script is yours, as long as you're willing to act in it."
Li Zhibai looked at Huang Tai with some surprise.
He received it.
The cover of the script reads "Orange".
There's a dash below the name, which reads—
Adapted from the novel that won the Mao Dun Literature Prize.
Li Zhibai raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"How is it?" Mrs. Wong said, "Although it's a drama film, not a blockbuster, and the investment isn't huge, it's definitely a good script. If the acting is good, it can compete for awards."
-
Xiao Mo walked through the crowd and came to Liu Bai's side.
Liu Bai looked around before asking in a low voice, "What are they talking about?"
Xiao Mo shook her head and said, "I can't hear anything clearly."
Upon hearing this, Liu Bai was about to get angry again, but with so many people around, he opened his mouth and then held back.
"So useless!" he muttered, suppressing his temper.
Xiao Mo kept her head down, expressionless.
-
"How are you?"
When Xiao Mo went to fetch water, Yan Sui's voice suddenly rang out behind her.
Xiao Mo was startled and looked at Yan Sui in surprise.
Yan Sui is Li Zhibai's assistant, and the assistants usually communicate quite a lot.
Yan Suiren was quite amiable and got along well with everyone.
Xiao Mo looked puzzled, seemingly not understanding why Yan Sui asked her "Are you alright?"
Yan Sui said, "I think Liu Bai seemed to have lost his temper with you again just now."
"I'm used to it." Xiao Mo lowered her gaze somewhat blankly. "It's nothing."
"If your company doesn't agree to let you change positions, you can contact me if you decide you don't want to work here anymore, and I'll recommend you to Woodpecker."
Xiao Mo looked at Yan Sui with some surprise.
Yan Sui smiled and said, "Being an artist's assistant is not easy, and being Liu Bai's assistant is especially difficult. You're quite tolerant."
Xiao Mo: "As long as you can pay me my salary on time."
“If you manage to get through a year, you’ll have a year of work experience, which will make it easier to change jobs later,” Yan Sui said.
Xiao Mo nodded.
-
When Yan Sui said those words to Xiao Mo, it really was just... mutual appreciation between kindred spirits, nothing more.
He has been Li Zhibai's assistant for several years.
Being an assistant to a celebrity is a very difficult job.
Even though Li Zhibai is a pretty good artist, an assistant is still an assistant, which is basically a job of serving others.
They have almost no time for themselves, no life of their own, and have to put up with the bad temper of celebrities and manage all sorts of miscellaneous things like a mother hen.
In terms of income, it is indeed not low. He can earn about 30,000 yuan a month, and he also gets a bonus at the end of the year, which is equivalent to that of a white-collar worker. However, compared with the hard work throughout the year, he doesn't feel that he is getting what he deserves.
Many celebrities' teams earn extra money by secretly selling information and schedules.
Yan Sui didn't do such a thing for two reasons. First, Li Zhibai was a genuinely good person. Aside from finding the assistant's job difficult, Yan Sui had no complaints about Li Zhibai. In fact, having spent a considerable amount of time with him, he developed some affection for him and wanted the best for him. Second, Yan Sui had been staying by Li Zhibai's side with the intention of securing a better position in the future.
Just like Wang Biao was acting as Lu Yanhe's executive agent.
Yan Sui also thought that perhaps one day he would become Li Zhibai's executive agent and start earning a commission from Li Zhibai's income.
He hadn't discussed this with Li Zhibai yet, but he decided that if Li Zhibai and Lin Suyang still didn't bring it up next year, he would take the initiative to bring it up.
-
After spending three days in the hospital, Wang Biao couldn't stand it any longer, so he packed his things, returned to the film crew, and reported to Lu Yanhe.
"Are you done yet? You came so quickly," Lu Yanhe said. "Why are you in such a hurry? Are you afraid someone will take your job?"
Wang Biao glanced disdainfully at Yu Xiaoyan and Xing Lecheng and said, "I'm doing this to take responsibility. My job isn't something they can just take away. If that's all the ability you have, I wouldn't have been your assistant for so long."
Lu Yanhe smiled.
"After being an assistant for so long, your skin is still as thick as ever."
Wang Biao: "Say whatever you want, I'm all better now. I'm back to work today. CCTV has a back-to-school season program recording in September, and they want to invite us to give a speech. I discussed it with Sister Ziyan, and we felt that we couldn't turn down this job."
“Okay, you can make the arrangements.” Lu Yanhe nodded.
"In addition, 'The Days of Youth' will be filming here on August 2nd and 3rd," Wang Biao said to Lu Yanhe. "We need to coordinate with the crew these two days to try not to schedule night scenes for you. Then, filming will wrap up in early October. If we can make it to the last recording, we will participate in it. They had a hard time scheduling the time. This is the final recording date."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
"Besides these two jobs, there's Huang Kairen and Xin Zixing's wedding on August 11th. We'll leave on the evening of the 10th after filming, attend the wedding the next day, and come back in the afternoon," Wang Biao said. "The schedule is tight, but in order not to affect the normal filming of the crew, I can only ask you to work hard."
Lu Yanhe nodded again.
"OK."
“I won’t go with you then,” Wang Biao said. “Brother Dong will take care of it.”
"Oh dear," Lu Yanhe laughed, "You usually follow me everywhere I go, why aren't you coming this time?"
Wang Biao said in a serious tone, "I need to use this day to go back to Yuming and finalize your production contract for the 'Jiangyan' project, as well as the relevant promotional matters for your September digital album release."
Lu Yanhe was shocked.
"Wang Biao, you're pretty cool now."
Wang Biao made a peace sign, his face expressionless, and said, "Please call me the ruthless executive agent."
Lu Yanhe laughed.
“Take care of Xiaoyan and Lecheng more often, let them share some of the burden, and they can also learn,” Lu Yanhe said. “Don’t forget what I told you.”
If you can't lead a team, you'll just have to work yourself to death.
The cold-blooded executive agent, Wang Biao, smirked, then quickly suppressed his smirk.
"I will."
-
In the group chat, Li Zhibai asked in surprise: "Wang Biao has already evolved to this level?"
Lu Yanhe: Yes, it completely exceeded my expectations. With his learning ability, I feel he can succeed at anything.
Li Zhibai: Why do I feel like my assistant is so much weaker than yours?
Lu Yanhe: Yan Sui? He's a good guy, isn't he? You said before that he's very reliable.
Li Zhibai: When you made Wang Biao your executive agent before, I thought about whether Yan Sui could also learn from him, so that he could share a lot of Su Yang's specific tasks. However, when Su Yang took him to help me with some work, the feedback was not good. He even managed to make the other party's director angry with just one program.
Lu Yanhe: What's going on?
Li Zhibai: It seems like he's a bit stubborn and doesn't know how to be flexible.
Lu Yanhe: For example?
Li Zhibai: For example, my rehearsal time was originally scheduled for 3 pm, but because other artists' schedules changed, they wanted to coordinate with me for the rehearsal time. However, Yan Sui refused to agree no matter what. Actually, it was possible to coordinate. It wasn't that I only had that time to rehearse that day.
Lu Yanhe: Why did Yan Sui disagree?
Li Zhibai: I asked him about it at the time, and he said that if the time was changed, it would affect my dinner time and I wouldn't be able to eat dinner on time, so he didn't agree.
Yan Liang: To put it another way, he was also protecting your interests.
Li Zhibai: Yes, so I can't really say anything.
Lu Yanhe: Why shouldn't you say anything? You should tell him the right thing so he knows what to do next time.
Li Zhibai: Su Yang has told him many times, but there is no significant change.
Lu Yanhe: Okay.
Li Zhibai: I envy you.
Yan Liang: At least your agents are Chen Ziyan and Lin Suyang. Look at me, Zhou Ping'an, the Ping'an brother you all know.
Lu Yanhe: ...
Lu Yanhe: His problem is that he overthinks things.
Lu Yanhe: In the movie "Ten Miles of Fragrance", did he keep urging you not to give up?
Yan Liang: Yeah, I'm so tired of hearing about it.
Lu Yanhe: He was so insistent on having you take the role in the movie "Ten Miles of Fragrance" so that you could connect with Shi Jin, or rather, he himself wanted to connect with Shi Jin?
Yan Liang: It's possible. I feel that his relationship with Vice President Ma is not as good as before. I've also heard him talking to people about the possibility of moving to another place.
Lu Yanhe: If he leaves Xingyu, Xingyu will lose a great talent.
Yan Liang: The earth can keep turning no matter who is missing.
Lu Yanhe: Without Copernicus and Galileo, who would know that the Earth is spinning?
Yan Liang: ...
Lu Yanhe: But are you really not considering the resources available to Shijin?
Yan Liang: I'm not tempted. If it were before I became famous, I wouldn't care. I don't lack resources now, but Shi Jin... Although he has a lot of resources, if I really become one of their "representatives" as Zhou Ping'an said, then whatever role I play will largely be tied to Shi Jin.
Li Zhibai: If you put it that way, it seems so.
Yan Liang: I still prefer to be freer and to be someone who has the right to choose.
The argument between Yan Liang and Zhou Ping'an stemmed from Zhou Ping'an's view that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Yan Liang to get on the big stage of the financial world, while Yan Liang's experience in the entertainment industry over the past few years led him to believe that getting on the big stage would do more harm than good for him at present.
Popularity is only temporary.
Capital represents real resources.
However, they won't let him sit at the table for free; there will be a price to pay and sacrifices to be seated there.
Can "The Gold Rush" be made again?
What about Friends?
What if Shi Jin couldn't get into the investment circle for the Hollywood film "Speed," which Lu Yanhe tailored specifically for him?
What Yan Liang actually rejected wasn't "Ten Miles of Fragrance," but rather the binding relationship, and Zhou Ping'an's implicit suggestion of him being a "pragmatic spokesperson."
He can make solid films, provided that it is a film, not because of other factors, but because it is a film that truly moves him from the script level, like "The Gold Rush" and "The Summit".
Yan Liang was certainly aware of the advantages of sitting at the table, but he was now more concerned about the disadvantages.
That was something he was unwilling to sacrifice.
-
"Huang Tai came to see Li Zhibai, there must be some new project."
At the same time, Li Yuefeng was also on the phone with his agent.
“Li Zhibai might not accept the role. Go and inquire about it. If there’s an opportunity, help me get this role,” Li Yuefeng said.
The agent said, "Okay, by the way, have you finished reading the original novel of 'Ten Miles of Fragrance'?"
"I've finished watching it," Li Yuefeng said. "Are there many competitors for this movie?"
“Almost all the top male actors are on their list of considerations,” the agent said. “This is their first film, made with utmost care, and they’re determined not to let it fail. It’s a huge opportunity that almost everyone wants to get their hands on.”
Li Yuefeng asked, "Lu Yanhe probably won't be acting, right?"
"I don't know if Shi Jin has approached Lu Yanhe, but I estimate that Lu Yanhe will not be in the film." The agent also stated frankly, "This film is mainly from a female perspective, with the female lead as the main character. Moreover, this film is neither a serious work aiming for awards nor an industrial-level blockbuster like 'Burning Fire,' so his participation would not be very meaningful."
Li Yuefeng nodded.
"That's fine. If it were a competition with him, I really wouldn't have the confidence."
The agent said, "If Lu Yanhe were to play the role, I don't think Shi Jin would have communicated with so many top male actors about this project."
really.
Shi Jin wants to use this movie to make his debut in the entertainment industry. If he can get Lu Yanhe to star in the movie, Shi Jin won't need to talk about other male actors in the current entertainment industry.
The agent added, "Besides 'Ten Miles of Fragrance,' Shi Jin has also acquired the filming rights to the big IP 'The Divine Picture.' According to what I've heard so far, Shi Jin plans to adapt it into a web series first. 'The Divine Picture' will definitely be told from the male lead's perspective. We will also strive to get that series."
Li Yuefeng nodded.
Li Yuefeng was already very popular, and his team was very good at marketing. In the eyes of outsiders, although his achievements could not be compared with Yan Liang, who had several hit dramas, he was definitely on the same level. In everyone's impression, Li Yuefeng's commercial value and fan loyalty were higher, which was more in line with the characteristics of traffic in the Internet age.
This is his advantage.
Therefore, if "The Divine Picture" is really to be developed, Li Yuefeng is definitely one of the most competitive male actors.
Moreover, if he is determined to compete, the competition is actually greater than competing for "Ten Miles of Fragrance".
It's nothing else, but movies of "Ten Miles of Fragrance" are extremely rare in China, with only a handful produced each year. There are far more monks than plucked meat.
There are still many TV series adapted from big IPs like "The Divine Map" every year in the industry. At least several major platforms have one S+ series to produce every year, and major film and television production companies also have one S+ series to produce every year. This is an ecosystem that will continue in a mature TV series market that is not as extremely unstable as the film market.
A film like "Ten Miles of Fragrance" is like "Burning Fire." You might think it's just a big-budget special effects movie, or that it's going to flop. But there's no other film like it. It's the only opportunity you can have. If you want to act in a movie, this is one of the best opportunities you can have.
This is why actors of Li Yuefeng and Xiao Yun's caliber still played the second male and female leads in "You Are the Apple of My Eye".
There's no other reason than this: first, it's a movie; second, it's a movie written by Lu Yanhe; and third, based on the first two points, if this movie performs normally, it will be enough to boost their acting careers.
However, the possibility of Li Yuefeng playing the second male lead for Li Zhibai in the series is much smaller.
In this industry right now, among actors of the same age, only Lu Yanhe can get other male actors to willingly play the second male lead; no one else could. It's not that there's no difference in their abilities; it's just that they have their own S-level or S+ level leading roles, so there's no need for them to play supporting roles.
The TV drama market offers actors far more choices than the film market.
Aside from Lu Yanhe, who no longer needs to care about the order of roles, who would willingly lower themselves to a lower rank?
Yan Liang was cast as the second lead in both "The Gold Rush" and "The Mountain Peak" because the lead actor was a veteran actor, and being the second lead was not shameful. Otherwise, Zhou Ping'an would definitely not have accepted the role.
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Liu Bai: "Brother, I only played a small supporting role in 'You Are the Apple of My Eye.' For our next role, could you give me one with more screen time?"
His agent said, "You're not satisfied with playing an important supporting role in 'You Are the Apple of My Eye'? Do you know how many people were competing for this role?"
Liu Bai: "Of course I know, but I can't just be satisfied with this kind of role, right? Huang Tai from Longyan came to Li Zhibai before, she must have a new project. Did you find out for me what it is? Maybe I can get a second male lead role in that project?"
His agent said, "Forget about that project. Longyan wants to develop a sequel to 'Even Faking Death Is Not Allowed,' with the original cast. The new characters will definitely just be extras with a few lines."
Upon hearing this, Liu Bai immediately lost interest.
"So that's how it is."
"However, there is a project I would like to compete for for you, but I need to discuss it with Linghe to see if we can get a clip of your performance that you did well from the current filming footage of 'You Are the Apple of My Eye' to compete for," the agent said. "For the project 'Ten Miles of Fragrance,' we are currently in talks with almost all the top male actors in the industry. We can't count on the male lead, but the second and third male leads in this movie are also characters with a lot of screen time and highlights."
Liu Bai: "Is this the movie that Shi Jin is going to make?"
"right."
"Who are you planning to cast as the male lead in the movie 'Ten Miles of Fragrance'?" Liu Bai asked. "Don't I have any hope at all?"
"Shi Jin has said that he will only look for popular A-list male actors, and I heard that Li Yuefeng is on the list."
Liu Bai frowned slightly, somewhat unwilling.
Suddenly, he remembered something and saw Xiao Mo sitting silently to one side of the room without saying a word.
The latter had her head down, her bangs covering most of her face, and she was looking at her phone, though it was unclear what she was looking at.
"Can't you see I'm on the phone? Get out," Liu Bai snapped.
Xiao Mo stood up like a startled bird and left timidly.
She went out the door, took two steps forward, and as she turned the corner, she suddenly bumped into someone.
The phone fell to the ground with a thud.
Xiao Mo staggered back a step, and the person in front of her immediately reached out and grabbed her arm.
"Excuse me."
Li Zhibai apologized first.
Xiao Mo looked at Li Zhibai in surprise, shook her head, and turned to look for her phone.
Li Zhibai was the first to bend down and pick up Xiao Mo's phone that had fallen to the ground.
He paused, startled, when he caught a glimpse of the screen displaying his phone.
Xiao Mo also saw it; when the phone was dropped, a program hidden in the background suddenly popped up.
A recording program that shows it is recording and has been recording for 22 minutes.
Li Zhibai handed over his phone, glancing at Xiao Mo with some confusion.
Xiao Mo's face turned pale. She looked at Li Zhibai nervously and hesitantly before reaching out to take the phone.
"Thank you," she said softly.
"It's alright." Li Zhibai nodded. "I bumped into you by accident. I'm sorry."
Xiao Mo shook her head timidly and ran forward.
Li Zhibai turned to look at her, his expression even more puzzled, but then he gradually realized something.
He turned around and looked at the other side of the corner.
That was Liu Bai's lounge.
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I recommend the new fantasy novel, *The Demon-Slaying Sword*.
(End of this chapter)
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