Chapter 428 Career Line
Do you want to see what Director Fang has to say about the leading actor in the movie? Any hesitation on this question is disrespectful to your curiosity!
The next afternoon, Zhou Xiao was already waiting for them in the hotel lobby. Yes, a whole group. Since they were discussing an artist's invitation, how could it be just Director Fang and her?
The small team of five people seemed to be very serious about today's negotiations from the very first glance. Zhou Xiao was quite curious about who Director Fang was looking for as the male lead this time, and who was worthy of her mobilizing so many people?
"Xiao Zhou is here. Let me introduce you," Fang Xi waved at Zhou Xiao, then pointed to the group of people behind him and gave her a brief introduction. "Gong Hua, our assistant director. If you need anything during filming, just look for him!"
A short, plump, middle-aged man laughed heartily, leaned forward, and offered his hand to shake Zhou Xiao's. "You've got to listen to Director Fang. We're both just workers, but if you have any questions about post-production, just come to me!"
The word "worker" had everyone else laughing. Zhou Xiao understood that the other party had said it on purpose, to ease his nervousness, and he was also grateful for the favor.
The atmosphere in the corner of the lobby began to warm up. Fang Xi smiled slightly at this. When Zhou Xiao's gaze shifted to the next person, he said cheerfully, "Fu Qianran, executive producer. From now on, this girl will be in charge of the budget for filming."
Zhou Xiao turned sideways and glanced at the person Director Fang had mentioned, Fu Qianran. She was of medium height, with dark skin, but she looked exceptionally cheerful, with a smile identical to Director Fang's. As she greeted him, her dimples appeared faintly, a look that made her look appealing.
After meeting the remaining two staff members who were responsible for negotiating salary and benefits with the artist's agency, Zhou Xiao was taken by Fang Xi into a private room that had been reserved in advance.
Today, Zhou Xiao's mission, as Fang Xi put it, was to support the event and act as a mascot. At first, she didn't understand why she needed to support the event during a collaboration, but after a crowd of people crowded in, Zhou Xiao understood her importance.
Well, it really wouldn’t be okay without her!
Compared to their group of six, the other side seemed to have deployed more than eight people? The reason they said more than eight was because the artists hadn't even arrived yet. They'd clearly agreed to just be preliminary contacts, but this whole thing was like they were about to sign a multi-million dollar contract.
Zhou Xiao had no idea about the candidates for today's male lead. Having only read a small portion of the script, she had no idea of the film's leading man, so how could she possibly participate in the casting discussion?
So Zhou Xiao, sitting in his chair, was very calm, even able to observe the expressions of everyone around the long table with a calm mind. No wonder the private room they had booked today was dedicated to meetings, with a special U-shaped table. This was all taken into consideration in advance!
But when her gaze shifted to the third person opposite, Zhou Xiao suddenly felt something was wrong. Why did that person look so familiar?
Just as she was struggling with this, she heard several knocks on the door. Zhou Xiao turned around and was stunned, then she realized what was going on. No wonder she felt that the person across from her looked familiar. Now she finally understood.
Since Director Fang's candidate for the male lead was Ji Shao, it was only natural that Feng Ruogu, who worked for Ji Shao's original agency, would be in the role. But after taking another look at the woman accompanying Ji Shao, Zhou Xiao became a little confused. Why were two agencies involved?
"Ji Shao is here, come and sit down." Feng Ruogu stood up, a smile on her face becoming more pronounced. She pointed and arranged for Ji Shao to sit in the empty seat next to her. As for the person who came in after him, that was not within her scope of arrangement.
In addition to the original eight people on the opposite side, there were four more people. The three people who came with Ji Shao were Mao Sifeng, the agent of Huayao, his assistant Chen Shenju, and Song Xiao from Xincheng, who Zhou Xiao knew well.
Caught off guard by this unexpected encounter, Zhou Xiao looked in Fang Xi's direction. As if sensing someone's gaze, the woman in the seat of honor raised her head and winked at her.
Is this Director Fang’s bad taste?
Zhou Xiao thought to herself, perhaps because she had come to join in the fun with the intention of watching a show, her emotions didn't fluctuate much. Anyway, since she was already here, she could also take the opportunity to see Ji Shao, which was great!
As soon as everyone arrived, Fu Qianran walked to the door very naturally and locked it. When she returned to the long table, the several scripts that Gong Hua brought were already in the hands of Ji Shao and his group.
For a moment, the spacious conference room fell silent. The rustling of papers brought Zhou Xiao back to that moment last night. A quiet atmosphere encourages reflection, but for those in Fangxi, it became a time for observation.
The twelve-person team was clearly divided into two factions. The New Town faction, led by Feng Ruogu, was more focused on the script. Zhou Xiao could occasionally hear her whispering with someone nearby, and he couldn't tell what they were talking about. They would even circle and scribble on the script.
As a long-established domestic agency, their control over scripts was clearly much more professional than that of the newly established Huayao. However, this script was undoubtedly brilliant. Otherwise, Zhou Xiao wouldn't have decided to join Director Fang's team immediately last night. Therefore, the focus of this discussion was on the series of events that would follow Ji Shao accepting the script.
However, Huayao and Xincheng's attitudes diverged from the first round of discussions. Zhou Xiao also vaguely understood why Ji Shao hadn't been taking on any new business or filming opportunities recently.
The communication was not as pleasant as imagined. In addition to the remuneration, the absolute ranking, shooting cycle, working hours, accommodation and food conditions, and post-production publicity were all battlegrounds.
After chatting for about an hour, the executive producer, whose smile resembled Director Fang's, seemed like a completely different person. He meticulously calculated all the possible budgets, causing Mao Sifeng's smile to falter.
As for those without a say, including Ji Shao, they were all obedient, silently reading the script over and over again. It was as if an invisible barrier had blocked them from the heated arguments in the meeting room.
Zhou Xiao listened attentively at first, but when the two sides started discussing the treatment of the accompanying staff, her mind began to wander. During this time, she even made eye contact with Director Fang, who was sitting in the front seat and seemed to be listening attentively but was actually distracted.
The moment they looked at each other, they both lowered their heads, as if the patterns on the table were so delicate that they couldn't help but immerse themselves in studying them.
For Zhou Xiao, this was a taste of the challenges of directing a team. No wonder there are so many directors who simply want to film. For those who simply want to be uninterrupted, focusing on filming is clearly more suitable for them right now.
As for the salary, although both parties had a tacit understanding on the surface about this point, with Ji Shao's double award last night, even Zhou Xiao, who was watching from the sidelines, could guess that it would definitely not be low.
More important than the pay was the fact that, for Ji Shao, this was his first foray into the film industry. Film seemed like a completely different field for actors, and it was common for them to struggle with the environment.
Success across multiple fields is a step up in the world. Conversely, the challenges are significant. So, if Ji Shao wants to make a film, he first needs a reliable script, director, and editor.
"Hey, Mr. Fu, of course we hope Ji Shao can work with Director Fang!" Mao Sifeng said as he winked at his colleague from Huayao Business. Then he turned to Fang Xi and said, "'Letters from Time and Space' performed so well during the May Day holiday. I didn't have the chance to congratulate you in person before."
"Haha, thanks, don't be so polite." Fang Xi took over the conversation with a smile, waiting for the next words tacitly.
The staff member sitting next to Mao Sifeng saw this opportunity and quickly spoke up, "Oh, I was chatting so much that I forgot the time. Ji Shao has to go to the airport later. What do you think, Mr. Fang?"
"That can't be delayed," Fang Xi immediately said, "You all happen to be here today, so don't refuse when we come to visit you next time!"
“…”
As everyone exchanged witty banter, the meeting room began to regain its former bustle. People stood up, shook hands, and hugged each other; the atmosphere was quite lively.
Even Zhou Xiao, who had been sitting in his chair, pretending to be invisible, received a smile from the staff member opposite him who had initially introduced himself as a film script reviewer. However, from this smile, Zhou Xiao could clearly sense the other person's sense of relief.
It seems like everyone has this feeling of being left out in the cold, listening to colleagues perform in areas they're not familiar with. But Zhou Xiao thought about it and found it a little amusing. This negotiation didn't need so many people, and it was such a big deal.
What Zhou Xiao didn't know was that after Ji Shao won the two Huacai Awards, Mao Sifeng, who had followed Ji Shao and others here, was actually at the airport half an hour ago and had just gotten off the plane.
Unlike Mao Sifeng who rushed back to China because of Ji Shao's award, Feng Ruogu hurried over with Xincheng's colleagues in Pengcheng because of Fang Xi's invitation to cooperation.
"Hey, Xiao Zhou, this should be for you, right?" Fu Qianran, who was standing at the long table and helping to clean up, picked up a piece of A4 paper. After thinking for a moment, she waved at Zhou Xiao who was chatting with Fang Xi.
"Let's go see what it is," Fang Xi smiled upon seeing this, "and we'll talk about it later."
"OK!"
Zhou Xiao nodded and walked straight towards the long table. When she was a certain distance away from the long table, she had already seen what was written on the A4 paper.
TO: Teacher Zhou Xiao
I wish the teacher happy every day and look forward to future cooperation^_^
Ji Shao
July 27, 2025
Seeing the smile on Fu Qianran's face, Zhou Xiao chuckled and took the A4 paper from her. They had been sitting at the same long table for so long, and even if Zhou Xiao hadn't said a word the entire time, it would be a lie to say he hadn't been recognized.
After all, it was Director Fang who organized the party today, and since the occasion was not right, Zhou Xiao did not intend to make a big move of "recognizing relatives". However, when he received this to signature, he was naturally in a very good mood.
The conference room was cleaned up quickly. After everyone had taken their belongings, Fu Qianran and the others left the hotel first, leaving Zhou Xiao and Fang Xi behind.
"Are you a little curious about why I have to invite both of Ji Shao's companies to discuss a cooperation?" Fang Xi sat on the sofa, picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea, then looked up at Zhou and smiled.
"I really don't quite understand," Zhou Xiao answered truthfully, taking the teacup handed to her by Director Fang. In her opinion, if Fang Xi wanted to collaborate with Ji Shao on a film, wouldn't it be more convenient and quicker to find Xincheng?
On the one hand, New Town has experience and connections, and I believe that when the two sides actually discuss things together, they won't be as busy and chaotic as they are today. Specifically, Huayao is somewhat lacking interest in this cooperation.
Zhou Xiao could understand. After all, it was already July, and Ji Shao's graduation from Nine Star was less than a month away. Besides, Ji Shao was still filming. They just wanted to sign him, but when they learned that New Town was also sending someone along, they knew New Town wouldn't give them the chance.
So, naturally, I have a nonchalant attitude towards the cooperation with Fangxi. I feel like I want it but I don't really want it, but I'm willing to listen to your conditions.
"Blueberry" picked up a blueberry from the fruit plate and Fang Xi repeated it to Zhou Xiao again.
Zhou Xiao understood it this time. Putting together the information about investors that Director Fang had told him last night, wasn't the reason clear?
As Huayao's holding company, Blueberry Group couldn't bypass it even if Fangxi had only been discussing cooperation with Xincheng from the beginning. After today's drama, Blueberry must have understood Fangxi's sincerity.
The entertainment industry is truly full of twists and turns. Thinking of this, Zhou Xiao pondered for a moment and suddenly felt that his previous idea of hanging out with Director Fang was a good one. Otherwise, he would have accidentally stepped into a big pit at any time.
"Hey! Xiao Zhou, the master is here, let's go!"
Fang Xi, who was leaning on the sofa, clapped her hands, signaling Zhou Xiao to follow her. Their destination was clear: the hotel's spa.
I heard that the craftsmanship of the masters here is the best in Shenzhen, and many people come to this five-star hotel just for this craftsmanship. When Fang Xi said "coming", he was referring to the masters' working hours. Otherwise, who would come to the hotel to discuss business?
"Okay!" Zhou Xiao picked up his backpack and took Fang Xi's arm, looking very relaxed. As for when to return to Shanghai, it can only be tomorrow.
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