Chapter 867 A Perfect Match
Li Zhibai looked at Ji Miao in disbelief, the words "Are you sick?" almost escaping his lips, but he managed to hold back, thinking that they were in public.
Ji Miao had a crush on him ever since they started filming, and he knew that.
However, he kept expressing his attitude afterward—of course, since Ji Miao hadn't been very frank about saying "I like you," Li Zhibai couldn't just tell her directly, "Then I'm sorry, I don't like you, there's no possibility between us."
The two maintained this kind of relationship, sometimes in contact, sometimes out of contact, neither quite familiar nor quite unfamiliar.
Li Zhibai's instinctive reaction was, "Does Ji Miao already know about his relationship with Jiang Yuqian?"
However, just by looking at Ji Miao's clear yet foolish eyes, Li Zhibai knew that she definitely didn't know, otherwise things wouldn't be like this.
She deliberately wanted to use Jiang Yuqian's words to "mess with" him again.
Li Zhi was speechless.
Jiang Yuqian smiled and said, "He's alright. As for whether he has a conscience, you'll have to ask Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang. Who knows better than the two of them?"
Ji Miao immediately covered her mouth dramatically.
"Li Zhibai, you don't actually like men, do you?"
This time, Li Zhibai couldn't hold back any longer and blurted out, "Are you sick?"
Ji Miao smiled with satisfaction and nodded confidently, "Don't get angry."
Li Zhibai took a deep breath.
ignore.
Forget it, just ignore it.
Thankfully, the host finally began guiding everyone to their seats and reminding them that the awards ceremony was about to begin.
-
"You look beautiful today." Zhang Yuezhen gave Wei Xue a close hug when they bumped into each other.
Wei Xue said thank you somewhat awkwardly.
"Pinhe and I both watched 'Life and Breath,' and your performance was excellent. I wish you all the best in winning an award tonight."
Wei Xue smiled and said thank you.
"Also, do you not have a management company yet?" Zhang Yuezhen asked.
Wei Xue was taken aback and opened her mouth—because Chen Ziyan had reminded her not to announce that she had signed a contract with Shi Huo for the time being, she didn't know how to respond.
“Honey, after the awards ceremony, let’s find an opportunity to talk about collaboration, okay?” Zhang Yuezhen said affectionately, holding Wei Xue’s hand. “Pinhe and I own a company, and Pinhe said he really hopes to have the opportunity to invite you to be his leading lady.”
Wei Xue said, "This is my honor."
For Wei Xue at this stage, playing the female lead in Chen Pinhe would indeed be a rare opportunity.
Zhang Yuezhen took this response as a good sign.
She smiled at Wei Xue.
"Then we'll talk later."
Wei Xue wanted to say that she had already signed with a company, but the host urged the guests who had not yet found their seats to sit down.
Zhang Yuezhen patted her arm and said, "I'm going to find my husband first."
After going around in circles, Wei Xue discovered that her seat was right behind Zhang Yuezhen and Chen Pinhe.
However, the room was already full of people, and she didn't want to bring up what had just happened in this setting.
Awkward.
-
After they sat down, Zhang Yuezhen whispered something in Chen Pinhe's ear.
“You have a very good chance of winning tonight,” she said in a voice barely above a whisper. “I just ran into one of the judges, and she gave me a hint.”
In the entertainment industry, the higher a person's status, the more likely they are to know each other.
At the level of judges for the Lingyun Award, there are basically no people they don't know; it's just a matter of "knowing" and "being very familiar" with each other.
Chen Pinhe remained calm and said, "Whether you take it or not is up to you."
Zhang Yue thought to herself: I clearly care a lot.
However, Chen Pinhe has always cultivated his image as an artist. This aligns with Zhang Yuezhen's thinking. Therefore, she has consistently defended the image Chen Pinhe wants to project.
Zhang Yuezhen: "Zheng Ximo didn't come over tonight."
Chen Pinhe: "Whether he comes or not has nothing to do with us. Last time he came, he didn't even come to greet us. Anyway, he's already hooked up with the Northern Lights now."
Zhang Yuezhen sighed softly and said, "Honey, next time we work with a director like Zheng Ximo, we can't let him benefit others again. We must sign him to our company."
This way, it's easier to control.
Chen Pinhe asked, "Back then, you also asked Zheng Ximo if you wanted him to sign with the company, but he refused, didn't he?"
“If we refuse, we can’t cooperate. Otherwise, after all our hard work getting the film into a top international film festival and giving him a prestigious reputation, he’ll be poached by someone else,” Zhang Yuezhen said. “The loss would be too great.”
Chen Pinhe was silent for a moment, then said, "Next time, let's make sure we're sure we're dealing with the right people before deciding whether to cooperate. If it's someone as arrogant and self-important as Zheng Ximo, then forget it."
Zhang Yuezhen nodded.
"Indeed, it's exhausting to work with this kind of person. They clearly have no ability, but they act like they've suffered a great injustice."
-
Wei Xue sat right behind Chen Pinhe and Zhang Yuezhen.
Unfortunately, her hearing was quite good, and perhaps because her seats were really close together—she was wearing a very high-end designer dress that day, and to maintain the dress's beauty, she had to stand up straight, so she was very close to the two people sitting with their backs against the chairs in front of her.
She overheard almost everything in the whispers between the two.
I heard some of the keywords.
Wei Xue turned to look at both sides, but found that both people looked normal and probably hadn't heard anything.
"..."
She is now a contracted actress with Shi Huo.
However, this matter has not been officially announced yet.
Chen Ziyan was wondering if Wei Xue had any chance of winning an award tonight.
If you win an award, just announce it.
If you don't win the award, just wait until another time; don't let it clash with the Lingyun Award.
Chen Ziyan said, "The official announcement is also a signal to the industry. The more high-profile we are in announcing your joining Shihuo, the more people will think we value you, and the more they will look at you."
Although Wei Xue was not familiar with this, she understood the logic.
Moreover, Wei Xue naturally wouldn't object to what Chen Ziyan said.
However, although there was no official announcement, Chen Ziyan did everything she was supposed to do.
She was given a dedicated agent, and her personal contact with luxury brands was arranged to borrow dresses for Wei Xue. She even provided Wei Xue with her own jewelry.
Therefore, Wei Xue's appearance tonight was completely different from her appearance at the Fei Hong Awards last time.
Yu Qin glanced at her a few more times and said that she finally had the demeanor of a star.
That's not the demeanor of a star at all.
Wei Xue thought to herself, it's nothing more than the glitter and jewels created by money.
Of course, she understood the saying that clothes make the man and a saddle makes the horse.
-
This year's Best Actress award goes to Yu Mengling, whose biggest competitor has already won the Fei Hong Award. According to tradition, the Lingyun Award should go to someone else.
Especially given the strong and uncontested nominations for Best Actress this year, it is extremely rare for someone to win a second or even third time.
Therefore, Wei Xue may still have a chance.
Chen Ziyan was quite curious to see how the industry would react if Wei Xue actually won Best Actress tonight and Shi Huo immediately announced that they had signed Wei Xue.
To further emphasize her excellent taste?
-
Wei Xue messaged Chen Ziyan, telling her about her meeting with Zhang Yuezhen, and asked if she could explain the situation to Zhang Yuezhen if Zhang Yuezhen really came to talk to her about cooperation after the awards ceremony.
Chen Ziyan was stunned when she saw the message.
What's going on?
What a coincidence, what a... chance encounter!
At that moment, Chen Ziyan suddenly wondered if there really was such a thing as the unseen forces in this world.
Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?
Chen Ziyan took a screenshot and sent it to Lu Yanhe, saying: "Luckily, we struck first."
Lu Yanhe couldn't help but widen his eyes.
He even glanced back at Wei Xue, his gaze suddenly meeting that of Chen Pinhe and Zhang Yuezhen.
As if he had been electrocuted, Lu Yanhe quickly moved away and turned his head back.
That's really unlucky.
Lu Yanhe said to Chen Ziyan: Director Yu Qin has good taste.
I didn't initially intend to introduce Wei Xue to Chen Pinhe and Zhang Yuezhen.
Chen Ziyan: Of course, everyone knows exactly what's going on.
Lu Yanhe: If Zhang Yuezhen knew that Wei Xue had already signed in to collect fire, wouldn't she be furious?
Chen Ziyan: I guess she would not only be angry, but also go crazy, and wouldn't be able to sleep at night thinking about it.
Lu Yanhe: I really hope Wei Xue can win an award tonight.
Chen Ziyan: Zhang Yuezhen might hire a Taoist priest to perform a ritual and calculate her birth chart to see if she clashes with ours.
Lu Yanhe: Do we even need to ask a Taoist priest to calculate this? Our relationship with them isn't fate, it's human will.
Chen Ziyan: That's right.
-
The award that Li Zhibai and Jiang Yuqian will be presenting together is the Best Screenplay Award.
To promote "Love is Not Blind," the two had to present an award together; otherwise, there would be no point in coming here to promote the film.
Since the two of them were presenting an award together, and the award had to be of some significance, it was assigned to this particular award.
After Li Zhibai and Jiang Yuqian went on stage, they recited their lines in a back-and-forth manner according to the pre-arranged script.
The award citation mentioned the upcoming film "Love is Not Blind".
"For example, Lu Yanhe, a very famous, very talented screenwriter who has been a great help to both of us, although he was not nominated for this award this time, his film 'Love is Not Blind,' which we both starred in, is about to be released. Please pay more attention to it and give it your support," said Li Zhibai.
Jiang Yuqian nodded: "As actors, getting a good script is our eternal obsession, because only in a good script can we find good roles, allowing us to become the people the audience remembers."
...
Mrs. Huang whispered in Huang Zhongjing's ear, "The release date of 'Love is Not Blind' was set so suddenly, which is quite surprising. Do you know what's going on behind the scenes? It is said that they are still trying to communicate with the theaters about the screening schedule, but they have not reached an agreement. Clearly, if this movie had chosen a suitable release date, it could have easily obtained a screening rate of more than 30%."
Huang Zhongjing: "I don't know, but I heard that Lu Yanhe personally set the release date for 'Love is Not Blind' on New Year's Eve. It is indeed suitable for this kind of romance movie. I don't know when it started, but New Year's Eve has suddenly become one of the preferred release dates for romance movies. Moreover, it is followed by the New Year's Day holiday."
"New Year's Eve is just a time for young men and women to go on dates," Huang Tai laughed. "So, in that case, Lu Yanhe didn't think 'Love is Not Blind' would become a huge hit?"
"Releasing it during this period, I estimate its box office revenue won't exceed 1 billion." Huang Zhongjing nodded. "I really admire Lu Yanhe for this. He can make movies like 'Home Alone' and 'Men in Black,' yet he's still thinking about making movies like 'Love is Not Blind' and 'The Notebook,' which have a smaller box office size."
Mrs. Huang: That's true. We haven't made a romance movie in Longyan for a long time.
It's a consensus within the Chinese film industry that romance movies don't sell well at the box office.
Huang Zhongjing: "Actually, it should be done. The filming difficulty and cost are relatively low, and it is the type that is easiest to promote actors."
Once a romance movie is well-made and becomes a group of people's "white moonlight" and "heart's blood," it will absolutely skyrocket overnight.
Because of the immersive romantic perspective, viewers are more likely to become attached to the actors.
Mrs. Wong said, "The only company that is still making romance movies steadily right now is Yu Jiang's 'Love Like a God,' but their two latest movies only grossed 50 to 60 million each."
“That’s still profitable,” Huang Zhongjing said. “Her films are mostly set in campuses and modern cities, and the actors are all actors who have just become popular. The cost is definitely no more than 20 million.”
Mrs. Wong: "That's true."
“I should learn from her,” Huang Zhongjing said frankly. “To be honest, she has never lost money on any of her films, it’s just that she doesn’t make as much money as Lu Yanhe does.”
"How about we ask all the young and popular actors who want to participate in our big productions in the future to help us make another low-to-medium budget romance movie? Their image and age are suitable, and their pay is not high."
These young actors who have recently become popular may be able to command a fee of around 20 million yuan for a TV series that takes about three months to film, but for a movie that takes about three months to film, the actual fee is usually half of that, or even more.
Low film salaries are a consensus in the industry.
Very few actors can command such high salaries as Lu Yanhe.
Even Li Zhibai's actual salary for a movie these days doesn't exceed ten million.
The “connections” and “actual figures” here are much lower than the numbers the general public perceives.
After all, in many people's minds, a top-tier, popular star like Li Zhibai must be earning at least eight figures for a movie role.
-
The Lingyun Awards present the Best Actor award first, followed by the Best Actress award.
This order is different from that of the Fei Hong Award.
Lu Yanhe knew perfectly well that he probably wouldn't win the award, so he was more composed than he was at the Fei Hong Award.
He hoped that Wen Shengming would win the award.
However, the name read out by the award presenter was "Chen Pinhe".
Lu Yanhe turned to look at Wen Shengming. Wen Shengming had already started clapping, smiling and nonchalant, seemingly unconcerned that he hadn't won an award again.
Chen Pinhe took the stage.
Lu Yanhe would check on Wen Shengming every now and then.
The camera captured this.
"It's alright," Wen Shengming told him.
These awards not only prevented the "double crowning" of the same award or the "double win" in the same year, but also prevented established veteran actors from winning the award again.
But--
Why is it that Chen Pinhe can break these conventions?
Lu Yanhe clapped twice symbolically, but the clapping lacked any soul.
As for what Chen Pinhe said, Lu Yanhe didn't listen at all; he was completely distracted.
Chen Pinhe is currently putting all his effort into winning awards and filming, seemingly wanting to return to the forefront of the market. After "Death Stranding" and "Seventeen Floors: Reboot," he has become one of the few domestic actors who has gained some international recognition.
Lu Yanhe pondered that despite organizing such a large operation, he might not be able to completely crush Chen Pinhe in the future. In fact, given Chen Pinhe's current achievements, even if Lu Yanhe were to promote seven or eight Jiang Jun in the future, it wouldn't erase Chen Pinhe's status.
I'm so frustrated.
On second thought, the worst-case scenario is that he has no idea what kind of outcome he hopes Chen Pinhe will have.
Because, on the most crucial issue—he and Chen Pinhe alike do not want their so-called blood relationship to be known by the public.
Chen Pinhe was afraid of ruining his image, and Lu Yanhe was afraid of being disgusted. From then on, they really got smeared with a piece of shit that they couldn't get rid of in the field of public communication.
Apart from that, all other "curses" are nothing more than far-fetched psychological comforts.
Therefore, the consensus that Chen Ziyan and he reached at the time was that, no matter what, in the entertainment industry, they had to firmly surpass Chen Pinhe, and even do their best to block him and disgust him.
When Lu Yanhe saw Chen Pinhe receive the award, he suddenly felt that this was also a kind of self-deception.
How disruptive will this be for Chen Pinhe?
At this moment, Lu Yanhe truly felt the urge to perish together with the enemy.
At this moment, Wen Shengming whispered in his ear, "If you can't leave behind any works, winning any number of awards is useless. Compared to a Best Actor award, I care more about a movie like 'Dingfeng No. 1'."
Lu Yanhe came to his senses.
Wen Shengming glanced at him with a smile in his eyes.
Lu Yanhe also smiled.
Wen Shengming probably still worried that Lu Yanhe would be bothered by his failure to win the award, so he comforted him with these words.
However, these words helped Lu Yanhe pull himself out of his "dead end".
Think long-term.
Don't be so short-sighted.
Will everything perish?
On what grounds?!
He's already ruined his life once, do you want to ruin it a second time?
"The winner of Best Actress is—"
The award presenter's voice brought Lu Yanhe back to his senses.
Lu Yanhe came to his senses.
They've already started awarding the Best Actress prize.
""Biology", Wei Xue."
Lu Yanhe turned to look at Wei Xue with surprise.
Wei Xue sat in the third row.
Yu Qin sat next to her.
Wei Xue covered her mouth in disbelief.
Yu Qin smiled and patted her, signaling her to hurry up and go on stage to receive the award.
Wei Xue then stood up.
-
Zhang Yue felt genuinely annoyed. "Sigh, I should have signed Wei Xue sooner."
Wei Xue suddenly won Best Actress tonight, and even if other agencies don't compete, her market value has skyrocketed.
However, if they could sign the newly crowned Best Actress at the Lingyun Awards to their company—
Zhang Yue smiled again as she thought about the positive impact this would have.
This is a good thing.
Wei Xue isn't particularly beautiful, so she can only rely on her acting skills. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.
In the entertainment industry, it's not just idols who have commercial value.
Especially in the current environment, the positive impact a Best Actress can have on a project means that Best Actress winners of mainstream awards can basically gain direct recognition from the platform.
The platform doesn't rely on you to attract investment, but rather on you to create a project's "value" and enhance its "quality."
Zhang Yue truly believes that with her own management, Wei Xue will definitely gain popularity as quickly as possible. In the entertainment industry, there are many talented actors who are not particularly good-looking, but rely on marketing their acting skills and professional abilities to establish themselves as top stars.
She saw that Wei Xue had already gone up on stage.
She accepted the award, stood in front of the microphone, and suddenly burst into tears. She tried to speak, but choked up.
The audience erupted in applause once again, encouraging this newcomer to the entertainment industry and tonight's newly crowned Best Actress.
"Thank you." Wei Xue nodded. "I hope you can understand, I'm a little excited right now, I can't control my excitement."
Lu Yanhe looked at Wei Xue with surprise and delight.
“I’ve been an actress for almost twenty years, but this is my first time acting in a movie.” Wei Xue held the trophy tightly to her chest. “Director Yu Qin, if it weren’t for you, I think I might never have stood on this stage and received such an award in my life. Your guidance and help to me go far beyond this movie and this role. I will always be grateful to you.”
Yu Qin smiled at Wei Xue and shook her head.
“After the movie was released, you remembered that I didn’t have a management company, so you took me under your wing and recommended me to your friends. That’s why I’m here today, wearing such a beautiful dress and with such beautiful makeup.” Wei Xue took a deep breath. “Thank you for the Lingyun Awards. You’ve made me an exceptionally lucky person, allowing me to suddenly become a prominent actress after more than thirty years of living an ordinary life.”
Zhang Yue's expression suddenly froze.
What's the meaning?
Her brows furrowed instantly.
-
At the same time, Shi Huo's official Weibo account posted a new message: Warmest congratulations to @Wei Xue for winning the Best Actress award at this year's Lingyun Awards for her role in Yu Qin's "Life and Breath". Let's walk the flower path together with the Best Actress.
Chen Ziyan reposted the Weibo post, saying: Welcome actress Wei Xue to the Shi Huo family.
Following closely, more than a dozen of the celebrities signed with Shi Huo retweeted the Weibo post to welcome Wei Xue.
Even Jiang Jun forwarded it.
Presentation.
-
After winning Best Actress, Yu Qin won Best Director, and "Ding Feng Yi Hao" won Best Film for the second time.
The Lingyun Awards ceremony has now concluded.
Before leaving, Wen Shengming asked, "Are you going back to the Friends set tomorrow to continue filming?"
"Yes." Lu Yanhe nodded.
Wen Shengming: "Friends is really popular right now. All the young people in my family are watching this show, including my granddaughter. She really wants to have a meal with you through me. To be honest, I never expected that they would have a grandfather like me who is still obsessed with the entertainment industry and still likes to follow celebrities."
Lu Yanhe smiled and said, "It's probably because I'm charming enough. We can have dinner together next time if you have the chance. I often throw parties and have fun with my friends. I'll invite your granddaughter next time."
Just then, Li Zhibai and Jiang Yuqian came over together.
"Hey—" Li Zhibai looked at them with a regretful expression, "It's a pity that the Lingyun Award isn't good for you."
Lu Yanhe was both amused and exasperated.
Li Zhibai said, "Even though this place isn't lucky for you, 'Dingfeng No. 1' still won the grand prize, which shows that 'Dingfeng No. 1's momentum this year is truly unstoppable."
Lu Yanhe: "When did you start believing in this kind of metaphysics?"
"Believe when you need to," Li Zhibai said.
Wen Shengming smiled and tapped him, "You."
"These judges for the Lingyun Award are just taking advantage of the fact that you've won too many awards before. So even if you perform brilliantly, they think it's only right and there's no need for further recognition. Tsk, they're just afraid that the gap between them and you will widen, so they're doing it on purpose."
Wen Shengming: "Keep joking, you guys chat, I'm going back first, old people can't stay up all night."
Lu Yanhe: "Okay, goodbye, Teacher Wen."
After Wen Shengming left, Li Zhibai winked at Lu Yanhe.
"Want to grab a drink later?"
Lu Yanhe: "Having a drink is fine, but where to? A bar?"
Li Zhibai said, "I won't go to bars. There are too many people and too much noise, and I'm likely to get photographed."
Jiang Yuqian said, "How about we go to one of my restaurants? It's closed at this hour."
"You also own a restaurant?"
“Yes, I’ll hire people to do it,” Jiang Yuqian said. “Having my own restaurant makes things more convenient sometimes.”
For example, in situations like this now.
That is absolutely true.
Jiang Yuqian said, "Just the few of us? Are we inviting anyone else?"
Li Zhibai looked at Lu Yanhe, "And you?"
"Forget it, it's too late, and I have to film tomorrow," Lu Yanhe said. "Let's just have a little drink instead."
"OK."
To Lu Yanhe's surprise, Li Zhibai and Jiang Yuqian came to apologize to him.
"When we were filming this movie, I never imagined that our relationship would cause such trouble for the film," Jiang Yuqian said sincerely. "If I had known, I wouldn't have cast Li Zhibai in the first place."
"Oh, why say such things? There's no need." Lu Yanhe shook his head. "It is a little troublesome, but it's not a big problem. Even if it is exposed, it's nothing. Don't underestimate your fans, and don't underestimate this movie. I have great confidence that this movie will not fail easily. Really, otherwise I wouldn't have cast you two as the leads."
Jiang Yuqian said, "I acted in this movie myself and I really like it. It's one of the few movies I've ever acted in that I really enjoyed."
Lu Yanhe smiled.
Lu Yanhe believes that Huang Xiaoxian is arguably the most outstanding young female character in an urban setting.
Whoever plays the role enjoys it; whoever plays the role gets a lot of satisfaction.
Lu Yanhe said, "I really enjoyed writing the script. Although it may not achieve much in terms of artistry, it is definitely a classic romance film for the general public. Among all the scripts I have written, I think the character design of these two characters is the best I have ever done."
Lu Yanhe had no intention of hearing their apologies.
As we chatted, the conversation turned to the movie itself.
Lu Yanhe shared a bottle of champagne with them, but it was just a light sip.
It doesn't cause headaches.
Jiang Yuqian said, "I saw that Wei Xue also signed in to pick up the torch?"
“Yes, Director Yu Qin came to us personally after the Fei Hong Award. At that time, no company had offered Wei Xue a contract, and Director Yu was worried about Wei Xue’s future development,” Lu Yanhe said. “Coincidentally, Sister Ziyan also felt that Wei Xue was worth signing, so the two sides hit it off immediately.”
(End of this chapter)
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