Chapter 875 Meng Li's "Appeasement," Li Zhibai's "Retreat"
"This is something only big-name actors have, right? I know that Hollywood superstars here often have more than a dozen people serving them, each responsible for a different area of business, a management team, with some in charge of scripts, some in charge of media, each doing their own job."
“Yes, but even the smallest actors here have agents. The biggest difference from China is that in China, actors are either signed to a company or work independently with their own resources,” Jiang Yuqian said. “But in Hollywood, many actors don’t have a company to sign with at the beginning. They only sign with an agent who is responsible for their work. If you want to act, you need an agent; otherwise, you have no way to access any projects, including audition opportunities. A very complete operating system has been established here. Communication between actors and production companies must go through this huge agent system.”
Li Zhibai: "So, what you're really saying is that the order here is relatively complete?"
“That’s right, the order is complete, but not well-organized.” Jiang Yuqian smiled. “You’re absolutely right. Precisely because every part has established a complete order, it’s very difficult for you, as an individual, to become a miracle overnight through sheer luck in such a vast environment. What you can rely on, what you can depend on, is this system of established rules and regulations. In this situation, what can you give up? You can continue to pursue your dreams, stick to your principles, go to auditions, meet with casting directors, do small theater performances, and leave a good impression on the casting directors. But there are too many competitors. If you’re not a genius who makes a name for yourself overnight, if you don’t have outstanding, memorable beauty, if you don’t put in some effort, you’ll always just be a scrap on the sidelines of this agent-casting director-audience system. What will you do?”
Jiang Yuqian smiled helplessly.
“Actors here, whether famous or not, all have to audition. It seems fair, but like public relations during awards season, there are always gray areas outside of the established order. I used to think that the system here was mature and worth learning from in China, but now I feel that it’s not quite like that. Many battles are not fought by the actors themselves, but by their agents and PR staff. In other words, actors can’t fight this battle on their own; they can only rely on these generals.”
Jiang Yuqian's gaze remained fixed on Sidney Weiss.
"So, one generation of actors wants to stand out, one generation of actors wants to hold onto their positions, one generation of actors wants to go further. Step by step, you know there are many traps, you know that temptation and danger coexist, but you have no choice but to move forward."
"Isn't it said that there are all kinds of American Dreams here?" Li Zhibai said, "Are those American Dreams of going to Hollywood alone, winning people over with their charm and talent, seizing opportunities, soaring to the top, and becoming famous overnight all fake?"
“No, of course there are genuine, lucky American Dreams. But my feeling is that the so-called various American Dreams are based on the fact that the behind-the-scenes promoters need to periodically use a case to prove their ability, strength, and power. It’s not that stars automatically appear; it’s that those star-makers need to push some stars out,” Jiang Yuqian said.
"You sound so pessimistic." Li Zhibai looked at Jiang Yuqian with concern and asked, "Are you a little tired?"
Jiang Yuqian shook her head: "No, I just happened to be talking to you about these things, and I just had to get it off my chest. I've experienced these past few years, and there's no one I can share with, and it's hard to expect anyone to understand how I feel. I'm increasingly prone to doubting my own convictions, including why I became an actress and what I should pursue next. The deeper my understanding of this environment becomes, the more disillusioned I feel. I even envy someone like Sidney Weiss, who has such a clear and unwavering purpose, even though I find the methods she uses repulsive."
Li Zhibai nodded seriously.
"I understand what you're saying."
Do you really understand?
“Hmm,” Li Zhibai said. “I didn’t quite understand it before. Later, Yan He also went through such struggles and deep thoughts, until I myself went through a period of self-questioning and self-answering. I used to say that Yan He was always thinking about things that weren’t problems. Later I realized that the pursuit of fame, fortune, and ideals brings us real troubles. Only problems that aren’t problems can truly hold us back.”
He whispered in Jiang Yuqian's ear, "Do you know what trapped me for a period of time before?"
Jiang Yuqian shook her head.
“I became a star because I love performing on stage and singing and dancing,” Li Zhibai said. “When I first started acting, I was also juggling my idol work, releasing songs and organizing stage performances. Later, acting gradually became my main focus, and eventually, I worked entirely as an actor. Many times when I saw some great performances, I asked myself, what happened? Why did I suddenly give it up?”
Why did you give up?
“It’s not that I gave up, it’s just that for a year or two, Yan He gave me several scripts, and I was also encouraged to become a producer, so my time was completely taken up by acting.” Li Zhibai smiled. “As I was doing it, I forgot to allocate some time to stage performance. As I continued, I found that my work as an actor was more familiar and better suited to my team. As I continued, I realized that I wanted to do a better job as an actor so that I could help Yan He and my family.”
"And what about yourself?" Jiang Yuqian frowned.
“Yes, that’s what I often asked myself for a while: You’ve considered so many other people, but why haven’t you thought about yourself?” Li Zhibai said. “Until later, I went to see my previous choreographer in private and contacted the song collection team I was familiar with. I suddenly realized that it wasn’t that I gave up the singing and dancing stage that I love for them, but rather that I wanted my existence to provide tangible help to the people around me. I didn’t want to be unable to provide what they needed when they needed me. Being able to provide what they need when they need it is the proudest moment for me. Then, those obsessions and struggles that had been holding me back could no longer hold me back.”
Jiang Yuqian: "You mean, I haven't really thought it through what I truly want?"
“Your career has risen too fast these past few years, and the people and environments you've encountered have changed too quickly. It's not that you haven't figured out what you want; you just haven't had time to think about these things. Yet, when you do occasionally think about these things, you suddenly realize there are many gaps in your knowledge, and that's when you feel lost.” Li Zhibai laughed. “Yan He told me that you used to want to win awards, but later gave up that goal and decided to wholeheartedly become a superstar. In the face of this goal, you have achieved remarkable results in the past two years. However, you have found that to go further, it's not just about the difficulty; you can't see the potential.”
Jiang Yuqian paused for a moment.
“Because in Hollywood, all the superstars are award winners. It’s a place where business and honor are most intertwined,” Li Zhibai said. “You just told me so much, and I don’t know if you realized it yourself? What you subconsciously wanted to express was both your resistance to the Hollywood system and your discomfort as a Chinese actor who can’t adapt to this system. You even seemed to be having second thoughts. You also said you admired Sidney’s firm and clear goals, which means you’re wavering on your own goals, isn’t it?”
Jiang Yuqian opened her mouth, and after a long while, she said, "...I've never thought of it that way before. What you said seems to be right."
-
The commercial breaks during live TV broadcasts are a great time for people to socialize.
It wasn't until this time that Lu Yanhe had the opportunity to meet and take photos with the cast and crew of "Friends".
"The latest episode of this season of Friends has already surpassed 15 million views on Maxine in 24 hours," Yin Xincheng said excitedly. "And it's still breaking records."
“I just ran into someone who told me that the American sitcom ‘Friends’ seems to be ending,” Zhan Yun said.
"It's finished?" Lu Yanhe immediately looked surprised. "Really?"
The American TV series version has only had three seasons so far.
"It's said that the lead actors demanded a pay raise, but Maxine refused, and the negotiations reached a stalemate," Zhan Yun explained.
“The American version of the TV series doesn’t have a large audience, so they’re demanding higher salaries. I think Maxine would have a hard time agreeing to that,” Lu Yanhe said. “A raise would mean six people would have to get a raise too, which would put too much pressure on them.”
Since their show "Friends" was revived on Yuehu TV, all six of them have received the same salary for starring in the show. Of course, Lu Yanhe also receives a salary and profit sharing as a screenwriter and producer, which is separate.
At that time, Lu Yanhe made it clear to the others that everyone in this drama would have a base salary plus profit sharing model. Because the drama would become more and more popular, the pressure of raising salaries for all six people would be enormous. In order to ensure that the series could continue normally, the income of the six main actors would be mainly realized through profit sharing.
After that, no one got a raise each season. Of course, the rewards for the actors each season were very generous, although not as extravagant as the original Friends.
Now, seeing the American version of "Friends" stuck in a production stalemate due to disagreements over the lead actors' salaries, Yan Liang recalls Lu Yanhe's actions back then and feels that Lu Yanhe was indeed prescient.
As the seasons of Friends were filmed, it became increasingly popular, which exceeded everyone's expectations except for Lu Yanhe.
Before Friends, there really wasn't a TV series that could be filmed for such a long time.
Unlike American dramas, Chinese TV series don't have the tradition of seasonal productions; some shows can run for ten or even twenty years.
When the six of them got together, they looked like mascots. People around them would come over to take photos with them, including several of this year's top contenders for awards, as well as big names like Best Actor and Best Actress.
When they started chatting, it turned out they were all viewers of "Friends".
In Europe and America, sitcoms have a huge audience. However, it was quite unexpected that so many big names were watching this show.
Some even said, "If I were invited to make a cameo appearance in a later role, I would be very happy to do so."
They said it on their own initiative.
They have come to the United States many times for promotional events, meeting all sorts of people, including at events like the Golden Globe Awards, and this wasn't even their first time at the Golden Globe Awards.
However, this level of enthusiasm is unprecedented.
Lu Yanhe didn't know why either. Could it be that Maxine had done a lot of advertising and promotion in Europe and America over the past year? That wasn't out of the question.
After all, their own American sitcom version of "Friends" failed to take off, and now they're facing production difficulties due to actors demanding higher salaries. Meanwhile, their "Friends" shows no signs of declining popularity, despite some criticisms of its melodramatic plot.
However, the show took a very melodramatic turn from the very first season.
True fans of the show have been trained in this regard since the first season.
People who fall into the trap of sitcoms are no longer really following the plot.
-
"Sis, if Mr. Chen wins the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor tonight, can we post a congratulatory message on Weibo?"
Domestically, Ning Yao received an invitation from Zhang Yuezhen tonight to watch the Golden Globe Awards ceremony live at her home.
She wasn't the only one invited; other people in the company also received invitations, totaling more than a dozen people, half of whom were artists—artists personally signed by Zhang Yuezhen.
Zhang Yuezhen smiled and glanced at Ning Yao, saying, "What's wrong? Do you think Teacher Chen still has a chance to win an award tonight?"
"The Seventeen Floors: Reboot" isn't a blockbuster series, nor was it produced by a Western company, so it's basically out of the running for awards.
Ning Yao's statement was somewhat self-indulgent.
However, she affectionately hugged Zhang Yuezhen's arm and said in a coquettish tone, "With me here, even if Teacher Chen doesn't win this time, she'll win next time. There will always be a day when she wins an award. What I want to ask is, can we bask in Teacher Chen's glory when she wins an award?"
Zhang Yuezhen looked at Ning Yao with a loving smile.
"If you want to benefit from Teacher Chen's fame, do you think I can stop you?" Zhang Yuezhen said, then looked at the others. "However, rather than you benefiting from Teacher Chen's fame, I would much rather see you standing on that award stage in the future."
Everyone fell silent, looking at Zhang Yuezhen with some confusion.
Zhang Yuezhen seemed completely oblivious to the change in atmosphere, and continued to smile, saying sincerely, "I selected you all to join the company, and I have high hopes for you."
Ning Yao was the first to speak, saying energetically, "Okay, sis, I will definitely work hard and strive for a nomination in three years and an award in five!"
Zhang Yuezhen immediately burst into laughter.
"That's the kind of ambition we should have!" Zhang Yuezhen encouraged.
-
"What's wrong with her today?" After leaving Zhang Yuezhen's house, Li Hailu, who was also signed with Zhang Yuezhen's company, drove Ning Yao home. As soon as they left the residential area, he couldn't wait to complain, "She used to subtly remind us to understand our place and not to have too much ambition. Today, she suddenly made us ambitious."
Li Hailu's tone was laced with sarcasm.
Ning Yao sat in the passenger seat.
She was looking down at her phone.
“Who knows? Maybe she had a fight with Chen Pinhe,” Ning Yao said. “This time, she unusually didn’t go to the Golden Globe Awards ceremony. Instead, she organized a gathering for us at home.”
"The people here tonight are quite interesting; they're all people she personally recruited," Li Hailu said. "Do you think President Zhang and Teacher Chen might have fallen out?"
"What are you thinking? How could that be?" Ning Yao denied it without looking up. "You don't know how much President Zhang loves Teacher Chen."
Li Hailu shrugged. "I'm not as valued by her as you are, and I can't be by her side every day. How would I know? I'm just guessing. But I still think this isn't her usual style. In the past, she would never allow anyone to have the slightest idea of overstepping her bounds, especially when she had to respect Chen Pinhe in her words and actions. Don't you find that strange?"
"Does it matter?" Ning Yao retorted.
"What?"
“Isn’t it strange? Her signal tonight was very clear: she’s going to heavily promote us.” Ning Yao finally raised her head and said, “For us, this is a good thing, isn’t that enough? Whether she and Chen Pinhe broke up or not, or for some other reason, it doesn’t matter to us.”
Li Hailu: "If that's the case, then it's true."
“I told you before, if you say some nice things to President Zhang and lower your stance, she will allocate some resources to you. She cares a lot about whether we truly respect her and listen to her. As long as she thinks you listen to her, she will be willing to give you resources and promote you,” Ning Yao said. “You always say that there is a difference between men and women, that what I can say, you can’t say, and what I can do, you can’t do. I didn’t know this before, but after tonight, He Ting and the others will definitely show some reaction.”
Li Hailu: "By the way, will you get the third female lead role in 'The Seventeenth Floor: Reboot'?"
"That was the original plan, but Meng Li suggested that the newly introduced third female lead role should be given to her cousin." Ning Yao sighed. "Otherwise, she doesn't want to return to the lead role either. I heard that Director Jiang Lan of Beijing TV has already compromised."
Upon hearing this, Li Hailu frowned.
"She actually did such a thing."
"Yes." Ning Yao didn't seem very angry or disappointed; she was quite calm.
Li Hailu asked, "Aren't you angry?"
“The anger has subsided, and the die is cast,” Ning Yao said. “Before, Meng Li had decided to withdraw from the series because she didn’t receive proper publicity. Now, suddenly there’s room for maneuver, so it’s not surprising that Jingtai will agree to her request.”
"This show is so popular, how could she have considered quitting?"
"No matter how popular a show is, if it doesn't significantly boost her career, why should she waste her time continuing to act in it? She's not like us; she doesn't lack fame or good projects."
Li Hailu: "To be honest, when I signed the contract with this company, I thought I could get some benefit from Chen Pinhe's influence, but I didn't get anything at all."
Ning Yao glanced at him.
"Did you know that He Ting got a pretty good role in 'The Seventeenth Floor: Reboot'?"
Li Hailu was taken aback.
Ning Yao lowered her head, leaving her with nothing more to say.
-
After taking a friendly photo with Jiang Yuqian, Meng Li turned and glanced at Li Zhibai.
Li Zhibai's eyes were fixed on the other side, completely ignoring her.
Mengli pursed her lips.
She asked Jiang Yuqian, "Are you going to stay in the United States or go back to China?"
Jiang Yuqian said, "Of course I have to go back to China. 'Love is Not Blind' is about to be released, and there's so much promotional work to do, including roadshows."
Meng Li: "You're actually still doing roadshows one after another?"
Jiang Yuqian nodded.
"Because the release date is relatively late, in order to increase the screening rate, we need to do more promotional tours, which they had already promised to the theaters."
“You’re already an international superstar, how come you’re still working so hard?” Meng Li asked, puzzled. “When I sign a contract now, the number of roadshow appearances has to be included. I don’t want to travel all over the country with them. Five shows at most, that’s the most I can do.”
Jiang Yuqian smiled noncommittally and said nothing more.
But Mengli hasn't left yet.
Jiang Yuqian couldn't help but wonder if there was something else she wanted to say.
However, Mengli didn't say anything more.
Just then, the car that was supposed to pick her up arrived.
Jiang Yuqian said to Meng Li, "Then I'll be going now."
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she asked, "Where do you live? Do you need me to take you?"
Mengli shook her head and said no.
Jiang Yuqian then got into the car.
Through the car window, Jiang Yuqian saw Meng Li turn around and say something to Li Zhibai.
But Jiang Yuqian couldn't understand what was said through lip reading.
-
Li Zhi looked at Meng Li with utter disbelief.
Two seconds earlier, Mengli had actually asked him, "Can you take me back to my hotel?"
Perhaps because the expression on his face was too incomprehensible, Meng Li added another sentence.
"The car they arranged for me, for some reason, told me it would take half an hour to arrive." Meng Li spread her hands and said, "It didn't mean anything by it."
Li Zhibai's gaze fell on her face again, and this time, his eyes clearly expressed what he hadn't said before—
distance.
He even took a step back.
Not a word was said.
Mengli immediately bit her lip.
"What do you mean?" Meng Li looked at Li Zhibai pitifully, her eyes even welling up with a hint of humiliation. "Are you so unwilling to talk to me right now?"
Li Zhibai turned around and took a few steps to the side.
Throughout the entire process, he didn't say a single word to Mengli, but directly demonstrated his attitude through his actions.
—Stay away from me.
-
Li Zhibai will never forget the period when he was plagued by granulation.
He's a complete madman.
This was the last impression Mengli left on Li Zhibai.
Therefore, if you can't afford to offend them, avoid them. This is Li Zhibai's strategy for dealing with Mengli. Almost all of Li Zhibai's contracts contain a clause—
We will not share the same platform with Monel, nor will we cooperate with Monel.
Everyone in the industry knows this.
Five minutes later, the car that was there to pick up Li Zhibai arrived.
Li Zhibai quickly got into the car, and as soon as he got in, he immediately sent a message to Jiang Yuqian: That's so unfair of you, you actually abandoned me and ran away!
Jiang Yuqian: What's wrong?
Li Zhibai: She wanted me to take her back to the hotel.
Jiang Yuqian: ? What's going on? I specifically asked her before I got on the bus if she needed me to give her a ride.
Li Zhibai: How would I know what's going on? Anyway, it's not a good situation. Speechless.
Jiang Yuqian: You're very lucky in love tonight.
Li Zhibai: Stop.
Jiang Yuqian: But isn't Meng Li with Wu Zhouyou? Why is he now eyeing you?
Li Zhibai: She's a lunatic. Don't try to understand her with the mindset of a normal person.
Jiang Yuqian: So you're still standing with her now?
Li Zhibai: Of course I only texted you after I got on the bus. Who knows if she might suddenly come over and look at my phone?
Afterwards, Li Zhibai mentioned this matter in the three-person group chat.
-
Looking at the messages in the group, Lu Yanhe saw that Li Zhibai had sent more than a dozen messages in one go. After reading them, Lu Yanhe was at a loss for words.
He never imagined that one day, Meng Li would come looking for Li Zhibai again.
Yan Liang suddenly replied, saying: "Are you being targeted again? I heard from the crew of 'The Gold Rush' that she and Wu Zhouyou have been having a falling out lately."
Wu Zhouyou is the director of "The Gold Rush". Yan Liang has known him for a long time and they have many common interests.
Lu Yanhe asked in confusion: "Are you saying that Meng Li suddenly contacted Lao Li again tonight to provoke Wu Zhouyou?"
Yan Liang: I don't know what Meng Li was thinking. Maybe she wanted to ease tensions? Meng Li originally wanted to play the female lead in the spin-off movie of "The Gold Rush", but after Lao Li joined, one of his conditions was not to work with Meng Li. In order to keep Lao Li, Meng Li was eliminated.
Lu Yanhe was even more puzzled and asked: Since Meng Li is Wu Zhouyou's girlfriend, shouldn't Wu Zhouyou do his best to protect Meng Li?
Yan Liang: Wu Zhouyou doesn't have much say in this movie, and the female lead's role is more of a tool; anyone could play it. Li Zhibai's role, on the other hand, is one of the true male leads, and his role in the movie is much more significant. Plus... if Li Zhibai is willing to act, the investors and producers will definitely give him priority.
Lu Yanhe: Mengli wouldn't suddenly want to make peace with Li Zhibai because of this, would he?
Li Zhibai suddenly spoke up: She definitely didn't come to beg for peace.
Yan Liang: How did you know? Did you talk to them?
Li Zhibai: I didn't say a word to her, but what kind of person begs for peace by asking me to take her back to her hotel right away? What kind of beg for peace is that?
Lu Yanhe: It is indeed a bit strange.
Yan Liang: Why don't you just call her and ask her what she's thinking?
Li Zhibai was very disdainful: If you don't have an idea, you don't have to come up with one, but don't come up with a random one, it's disgusting.
Lu Yanhe curled the corners of his mouth.
-
I recommend the classic entertainment novel, "I Became the Scandalous Leading Lady Overnight".
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
