Chapter 724 Celebrity Personality (5300 words)
Although assistants are a large but inconspicuous group in the entertainment industry, Li Zhibai felt that he was influenced by Lu Yanhe and always believed that, firstly, one should not flatter the powerful and belittle the weak, and secondly, although assistants are inconspicuous, they really have a lot of influence on many things.
Therefore, every time Li Zhibai joins a production, he not only pays attention to his fellow actors, but also to their assistants.
At least, when discussing sensitive topics with others, one should be aware that someone's assistant is nearby and should be more discreet.
Li Zhibai didn't have a deep impression of Xiao Mo.
Because she is usually a quiet and reserved girl. On set, she often keeps her head down, timid and hesitant, not the type to joke and mingle with those around her.
Li Zhibai wondered if she was a little insecure.
Anyway, every time he greeted her, she rarely responded to his gaze.
Therefore, Li Zhibai's impression of her has always been that of a relatively "quiet and unassuming" person.
Until he saw the recording interface on her phone.
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"It's true that some assistants secretly take some of the artist's materials to sell for money, but recordings are relatively rare," Yan Liang said. "This is already..."
Li Zhibai hesitated for a moment and said, "Do you think I should talk to Liu Bai about this?"
Yan Liang: "What's your relationship with Liu Bai like?"
"He's so-so. He always tries to get close to me, which sometimes makes me feel awkward."
“If you don’t have a serious relationship with him, he might not believe you if you suddenly bring up something like this,” Lu Yanhe said. “That’s his assistant.”
“The most crucial thing is that Yan Sui told me that he treats his assistant terribly, so terribly that if his assistant wanted to mess with him, I would think he deserved it.”
"Then what are you hesitating for? In this situation, of course you should pretend you didn't see it," Yan Liang said directly.
"But I'm also afraid something serious might happen," Li Zhibai said. "What if something happens to Liu Bai and it affects the film 'Those Years'?"
"Hiss—" Yan Liang gasped, "That's true."
Lu Yanhe said, "Either you talk to her? Or you can have Yan Sui talk to her?"
Li Zhibai: "What should I talk to her about? I should ask her if she secretly recorded Liu Bai while he was talking. Of course, she would deny it."
“Whether she admits it or not, you went to ask her, and you saw it. You can choose to tell Liu Bai, but you should go directly to her first and talk to her about it,” Lu Yanhe said. “Basically, you should tell her that you don’t plan to tell Liu Bai about this.”
Li Zhibai: "Then I won't make such a promise. What if she exposes something in the end and really ruins the movie 'You Are the Apple of My Eye'?"
Lu Yanhe: "Don't say anything yet. Try to probe her first. She might not be ready to do anything right away. If she really recorded something incriminating about Liu Bai, you won't need to step in. The production team can negotiate with her and see how to handle the situation. To be honest, she's probably more nervous than you are right now."
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Lu Yanhe is absolutely right.
Xiao Mo is indeed nervous, uneasy, and even a little scared right now.
She was worried that Li Zhibai would tell Liu Bai about it.
She followed closely behind Liu Bai, afraid that he might suddenly have an attack.
This unresolved matter hung over her head, and she didn't know when it would come crashing down on her. She couldn't sleep soundly, and her heart felt like it was on stilts.
While she was eating, Yan Sui came to find her.
Xiao Mo looked at him in surprise.
Yan Sui said, "Brother Bai told me to tell you that he will pretend he didn't see it, as long as you don't affect the production and release of this film."
Xiao Mo pursed her lips, shook her head, and said, "I don't have that idea."
Yan Sui: "What exactly happened?"
Xiao Mo was taken aback.
"Brother Bai just sent me to tell you this, but he didn't tell me why." Yan Sui looked at Xiao Mo with suspicion. "What did you do?"
Xiao Mo shook her head, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Could you please tell him that I won't do anything that would affect the film?"
Yan Sui looked at her hesitantly, his expression even more puzzled.
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“I suggest you take on ‘Even If I’m Not Dead 2’,” Lin Suyang told Li Zhibai over the phone. “The audience’s reviews for this movie are indeed quite good, and your performance in the movie has also been well received. Longyan wants to make a sequel, but this sequel is also a very good project for you. After all, with the first movie as a precedent, the box office of the sequel should not be bad either.”
Li Zhibai said, "I feel that I still have a long way to go if I want to break free from the romantic comedy genre."
"Why do you have to completely get rid of it?" Lin Suyang said. "Since you have so many well-received dramas in this field, it means this is your comfort zone. It's certainly right for you to want to step out of your comfort zone and challenge more types of roles, but you don't have to completely abandon your comfort zone, do you?"
Li Zhibai: "Because if I don't completely abandon it, romantic comedies will always be the first choice for people looking for me."
Lin Suyang: "But you see, they'd use a project like 'Orange' as a bargaining chip to get you to act in a romantic comedy. If you didn't have a strong appeal in romantic comedies, Longyan wouldn't have made such a deal with an actor so easily, right?"
That's true.
"Most importantly, you haven't even reached the pinnacle of your performance yet, and you're already busy switching tracks. Be careful, or you might end up only managing a top-eight finish on every track."
Lin Suyang's words made Li Zhibai fall into deep thought.
"Anyway, I recommend taking on 'Even Faking Death Won't Work 2.' Whether it's objectively for your career development or subjectively, I think the story and characters are suitable for you." After saying that, Lin Suyang changed the subject, "How's it going with having Yan Sui handle the matter of Liu Bai's assistant?"
"It's alright. Liu Bai's assistant said she won't do anything that would affect the show."
"It seems she either wants to keep something for herself, or..." Lin Suyang chuckled, "she might be planning to extort money from Liu Bai."
Li Zhibai: "Extortion?"
"Didn't Yan Sui say before that she seemed to be short of money and was putting up with Liu Bai's temper for a monthly salary of three thousand yuan?"
Li Zhibai: "It seems so."
"That's good. People like Liu Bai deserve to be taught a lesson." Lin Suyang said, as if he had also been offended by Liu Bai in the past.
"Liu Bai seems to have quite a background, right?" Li Zhi asked.
"He's just so-so, just an actor that Sanhua's company is heavily promoting," Lin Suyang said. "His agent has been quite active lately, looking for projects and roles everywhere, and saying that he's a rising star with great potential. He said that the director of 'You Are the Apple of My Eye' had a very high opinion of Liu Bai, creating the feeling that Liu Bai will definitely become an overnight sensation after 'You Are the Apple of My Eye' is released."
Li Zhibai: "Huh? There's someone even better at marketing than Li Yuefeng?"
"Li Yuefeng's marketing usually focuses on the promotional stage of the drama, and he doesn't do much during the filming stage," Lin Suyang said. "Liu Bai didn't buy trending searches or anything. He just used 'You Are the Apple of My Eye' to create the image of a rising star and try to get some resources."
Li Zhibai: "Those Years are really useful."
"You know what, he actually got offers from several production teams," Lin Suyang said. "Although they aren't big projects, they are definitely more substantial than the roles he's had before."
Li Zhibai: "It still proves the saying that when you're out in the world, your reputation is something you have to earn yourself."
"That's the truth." Lin Suyang nodded. "Is Liu Bai still bothering you lately?"
"Seeing that I wasn't paying much attention to him, he quieted down a bit," Li Zhibai said.
“He’s trying to climb up your coattails,” Lin Suyang laughed. “His agent even asked me if I would act in the movie ‘Ten Miles of Fragrance’.”
Li Zhibai: "What's the point of acting? I don't even want to act in romantic comedies, let alone fantasy romances."
"Many of your fans hope to see you act in a fantasy drama again."
After gaining attention for his first acting role as a wealthy second-generation heir, Li Zhibai's first truly breakout role was in "The Legend of Bai Yu," co-starring with Zhang Wei. That drama marked Li Zhibai's transition from an idol star to a full-fledged actor.
After that, Li Zhibai never acted in any mainstream fantasy romance dramas again.
They've only just filmed one movie, "Chinese Paladin".
Li Zhibai said, "I definitely don't want to make a film like 'Ten Miles of Fragrance,' it's meaningless."
“Shi Jin said that as long as you are willing to act, he will offer you a salary of 20 million yuan.” Lin Suyang said. Although he emphasized the number, his tone did not seem to care much. “They are offering a salary that is considered top-tier in the domestic film industry.”
Li Zhibai: "I don't understand why a fantasy romance film from a female perspective would go to such lengths to recruit male actors, while I've never seen them go to such lengths to find female actors."
"For this type of genre to become popular, the male lead has to be popular," Lin Suyang said with a smile. "I have never seen a fantasy romance drama where the male lead is not popular but the drama is still popular, while the female lead is not popular but the drama is popular. This type of genre, to put it bluntly, is about creating dreams for female audiences. How can the male lead not meet the standards of creating dreams? If the female lead is a little more ordinary, it will make the audience more able to identify with her."
Li Zhibai: "Let others create their dreams. I'm not doing a good job myself, so how can I make other people's dreams interesting?"
Lin Suyang: "I guessed you would say that."
Li Zhibai: "Shi Jin's approach is also insane. He not only contacted you, but Yan Liang also contacted you. Besides him, Li Yuefeng did the same. Does he think that by bringing us together to raise poison, he can give it to whoever wins in the end?"
Lin Suyang: "They're using this show to promote themselves. Their first show is choosing actors from so many top-tier actors, which is the same logic as Liu Bai's approach. Anyway, even if we refuse, they won't say that we refused. In the industry, details are a mix of truth and falsehood, but it's real that they've been in contact with so many top-tier actors for one show. Doesn't that genuinely elevate their status in the industry?"
Li Zhibai: "Heh."
Lin Suyang laughed, "However, actors of your caliber will always be scarce."
Li Zhibai: "What do you mean by scarce or not? No matter how scarce an actor is, if he acts in a bad show, he will become infamous. When 'Nineteen Years' aired, so many people were criticizing me. Even if my fans praised me to the skies, it wouldn't change the fact that my acting was bad."
"You're becoming more and more worldly-wise."
"How could I not be clear-headed? Damn it, if you had my two friends, you'd be even more clear-headed than me," Li Zhibai said. "One is a genius, I can't even catch up to him, and the other is a nobody who built a skyscraper from scratch. And I was so smug, thinking I was really awesome, that I could sweep through the entertainment industry just with my face and a so-called arrogant persona, right?"
"You are who you are, and that's fine. You drag them down, they drag you down, and in the end, everyone else will be dragged down by the three of you," Lin Suyang said with a smile.
In the entertainment industry, there are many top-tier male actors. Apart from Lu Yanhe, who has already surpassed the Five Elements, the others, including Yan Liang who has won awards, each have their own strengths and weaknesses. It is not easy to see who will come out on top in the future.
Li Zhibai isn't a serious drama actor, and awards seem far out of reach for him, but his star quality ensures his popularity will last a long time. Moreover, his acting skills are quite good, which is widely acknowledged.
Yan Liang won the award, but his image couldn't follow the "handsome man" route like Li Zhibai's. Moreover, due to the nature of his representative works, his popularity and commercial value were somewhat lacking. However, "Friends" laid a solid foundation for his national recognition, and the stage of idol artists gave him a loyal fan base and popularity far exceeding that of "powerful actors".
Other male actors, like Li Yuefeng, have slightly inferior acting skills, but unparalleled marketing skills. The key is that he can fool both insiders and outsiders in the industry. Apart from complaining that "he is really good at marketing", you really can't bring him down. His representative roles and works have never stopped.
Liu Zefan, Huang Kairen, Zeng Qiao... These male actors, who are not far apart in age from Lu Yanhe and have more or less connections with him, each have their own path and the foundation to stand out and become a force to be reckoned with in the industry. It all depends on their future development.
However, in comparison, Yan Liang and Li Zhibai both started their acting careers many years later than these people, yet they have already overtaken them by taking a shortcut.
Especially considering the projects they have in stock, nobody knows which of their next projects will propel them to stardom.
Of course, Lu Yanhe said it directly.
For Li Zhibai, it's definitely "Chinese Paladin". With the broadcast of this drama and Li Zhibai's previous foundation, in terms of popularity and traffic, no one can surpass him.
Regarding Yan Liang, Lu Yanhe said, "Let's see which action movie he releases first."
"Li Zhibai's innate advantage is that his own personality is very distinct, and it blends well with every role he plays and every stage performance. Over the years, he has developed a unique identity. This is also Yan Liang's disadvantage. His own personality is not strong. Therefore, although he has many hit dramas, the characters' personalities have not blended well with Yan Liang's personality. He has not formed an actor's personality, and his strength has not been concentrated."
This was something Chen Ziyan mentioned in a private conversation with Lu Qingzhen.
“Yan He and Li Zhibai are able to occupy a niche because they have completely integrated their personalities with those of the artists,” Chen Ziyan said. “Yan Liang… his image is still too vague. Yes, he works hard, and several of his dramas have been well-received, but what kind of actor is he? What kind of personality does he have? Is he hardworking? It seems a bit too mediocre.”
"All efforts are aimed at achieving something, not just at the effort itself," Lu Qingzhen concluded.
The two nodded.
"So, if you want to be a star, unless you say, 'Okay, this is it, I don't want to be too famous, I just want to treat it as a job,' you must have a distinctive star personality."
Lu Qingzhen wrote it down.
"We should talk about this properly when we have a meeting with the agents later," she said with a smile.
"These things are useless to talk about; it all comes down to first impressions," Chen Ziyan laughed.
"But now that you mention it, the entertainment industry really isn't friendly to good people," Lu Qingzhen said. "Sometimes, the more unconventional a person is, the more distinctive they become, and the more personal their style becomes."
"These are two different things. Being unconventional doesn't necessarily mean you have bad character," Chen Ziyan said. "But there's one good thing about the entertainment industry: no matter how famous or popular you are, you're a public figure. Even if you're just pretending, you have to put on a facade of following public order and good morals. Compared to many other circles, they don't even bother to pretend. They just attribute everything to human nature and then rationalize rule-breaking, the survival of the fittest, unfair competition, and even bullying the weak. It's the so-called law of the jungle. Which celebrity would dare to expose even a little bit of this? No one can resist the pressure of public opinion."
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"I want 500,000."
Her gaze was firm, powerful, and unwavering.
Her voice was clear and calm.
Liu Bai stared incredulously at the timid and submissive Xiao Mo from before, unable to process what he had just witnessed.
"Otherwise, these things will spread online in various ways after 'You Are the Apple of My Eye' is released, and your acting career will be over."
Liu Bai: "Are you crazy? This is a crime!"
"You committed a crime too." Xiao Mo tried to control her nervousness and smiled, perhaps trying to achieve the kind of laugh seen in movies, but she couldn't control it well and ended up with a ferocious smile.
"Do you know that extortion can land you in jail?"
“Then I’ll drag you to jail with me. Threatening me won’t work. Now I’m the one threatening you.” Xiao Mo glared at Liu Bai and suddenly raised her voice.
Liu Bai stared at Xiao Mo in astonishment.
"So, 500,000. Transfer it to this account before noon tomorrow." Xiao Mo took out a folded piece of paper and placed it in front of Liu Bai, saying bluntly, "I don't accept bargaining. Don't even think about asking the company or agent to resolve this matter. The item is in my hands. As long as the money hasn't arrived, you can just wait for 'You Are the Apple of My Eye' to be released."
Xiao Mo stood up and turned to leave.
"Wait a minute!" Liu Bai grabbed her angrily. "Do you think you can just leave like this? I'm calling the police right now! I want to see—"
"Then go ahead and call the police!" Xiao Mo said, reciting lines he had rehearsed countless times in his mind. "What are you going to say to the police? What you just heard is only in my possession. Only you heard it, and after you heard it, it was destroyed. The backup is in a place that none of you know about. You have no proof that I have it."
Liu Bai was taken aback.
“I have already submitted my resignation to the company. From now on, I am no longer your assistant,” Xiao Mo said. “You also have no right to ask me to stay here.”
Liu Bai was furious.
"As long as you dare to post it, we can find out it's you."
Xiao Mo nodded, "Then let's investigate. I don't know if we can find me, but your career is definitely ruined."
She stared defiantly.
"You'd better think this through. I advise you to just send the money directly, 500,000, not a penny less."
Xiao Mo broke free from Liu Bai's hand, turned around, and rushed out the door.
(End of this chapter)
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