"Long Island Iced Tea" was released in North America and other regions for a month, and by the time it was closed, it had earned a super box office of 437 million US dollars, making it into the top ten in North American movie box office history.
In the category of art films, it has directly surpassed many previous classic films and become the current art film box office leader.
Ji Li and Qin Li attracted the love of countless movie fans and friends, and became two well-known Chinese actors overseas. They received numerous film invitations from directors and producers.
Not only that, the first round of 'Best Actor' screening at the Ana International Film Festival has already announced the results. Ji Li and Qin Li have both successfully entered the second round of competition. The final shortlisted results will be announced in a month.
If they are lucky enough to enter the final competition, then in mid-May, the two will go to the awards ceremony of the Anaheim International Film Festival with their work "Long Island Iced Tea".
After the overseas promotion of the film came to a temporary end, Ji Li and Qin Li flew back to China, each busy with the accumulated notices.
Inside Super Film Studio, Baozi walked into the lounge with five or six overseas film invitations and script synopses, with a bright and proud light in his eyes, "Brother Ji, you? Take a look at this first!"
"There are also three domestic film invitations, I'll give them to you too? Bring them here!"
In the past, it was difficult to pick a good script, but now Chaoying’s mailbox is filled with invitations to various films, and you can choose the best one.
Brother Ji is amazing!
My career has been soaring and I can now turn my attention directly to the international market!
"Where's Sister Yu?" Ji Li was not in a hurry to look at the movie invitations on the table.
"She's coming soon."
As soon as Baozi finished answering, the familiar sound of high heels was heard, and Yu Fuya's voice arrived before she arrived.
"Are you in a hurry to find me?"
"Sister Yu, the filming of "The Demon Monk" was completed, and "Long Island Iced Tea" was released immediately afterwards. Haven't I discussed my career goals for the new year with the company yet?"
Ji Li asked straight to the point, without any hesitation about his next task.
Yu Fuya sat down and smiled, "Don't worry, I've already notified everyone. We will hold our own team meeting tomorrow afternoon."
She pointed to the script invitations on the table and said, "There are so many movie invitations. Take your time to look through them. If you like any of them, tell me."
"No hurry." Ji Li shook his head. "I promised Director Yao and Teacher Fang. Didn't Special Operations II start filming at the end of this month? Where's the script? Why hasn't it been sent to me yet?"
"I was just about to talk to you about this." Yu Fuya continued.
The film was originally scheduled to start shooting around March, but Fang Zhixing is a screenwriter who is notoriously strict with scripts. At the beginning of the year, he said that the plot of the script still needed further polishing.
Director Yao Chuan knew his friend's personality, so he clapped his hands and agreed readily.
As a result, the entire film project has been postponed to the end of May, and the crew is currently in the early stages of preparation.
When Ji Li heard this, his brows furrowed slightly.
Chaoying had originally signed a preliminary filming contract with "Special Operations", but suddenly there were two and a half months extra time, which stretched his schedule.
"Most overseas film projects start shooting in mid-April, and the shooting period is two and a half to three and a half months. You? If you like any of them, you can take them. I'll talk to Spec Ops for you."
Of course, it’s not that the “Special Operations” film party broke the contract, they are just discussing postponing it.
Yu Fuya is an agent who can see the situation clearly.
The momentum of "Long Island Iced Tea" is just right, and Ji Li has to seize this opportunity to move forward. Otherwise, once we miss this opportunity, it will not be easy to continue to develop internationally.
The entertainment industry is a circle that selects the best.
It’s not that the filming of “Special Operations” is bad, but when there are better opportunities, we must make full use of them and adjust the time differences among various announcements.
"No, I'll just wait for the filming of Spec Ops to start in late May. It's okay for me to wait for the crew alone, but it would be too much to ask the entire crew to wait for me."
Baozi and Yu Fuya looked at each other, and the latter tried to persuade him again.
"Brother Ji, these overseas film invitations, both the directors and the production teams are pretty good, it would be a shame to give them up? If all else fails, we can take on a domestic film script, right?"
It is only mid-March now. If Ji Li finds the right script and signs the contract quickly, and the new crew speeds up the filming schedule, it will actually be completely possible for them to join the subsequent "Special Operations" series.
Ji Li shook his head firmly again.
"First, Director Yao and Teacher Fang are my mentors. I promised them and the crew of Special Operations that I don't want to and can't break the contract. We will shoot when it's time."
Two years ago, if Yao Chuan and Fang Zhixing had not let him play the role of Xie Yan in "The Young Masters of the Great Sect", his career path might not have been as smooth as it is today.
He must remember this favor.
"Secondly, I have to treat every script with my heart. I need to adjust after the last role before I can spend new energy studying the new script and role."
Seamless connection is indeed a very stable job, but for Ji Li personally, it is irresponsible to the two crews before and after.
Although the crew schedule for last year's "Reverse Hunt" and "Demon Monk" was tight, there was also a month of adjustment time in between.
If I take on a new script now, it would seem very rushed to wait until the filming is finished before joining the "Special Ops" crew.
"Sister Yu, Baozi, I understand that you and the team are thinking about me."
"Whether overseas or in China, I am in the rising stage of my career. Even if I have to stay on the set to film all year round, I am not afraid of being tired, but I have to be responsible for every role I play."
Ji Li looked at the script on the table and made a resolute decision, "Please thank the film producers for their invitations. However, no matter how good the script is, we have to wait until we finish filming "Special Operations"."
When Yu Fuya heard Ji Li's cautious words, she couldn't help but chuckle twice.
"Okay!" Baozi put away the script without saying a word and looked at Yu Fuya with a smile.
"Sister Yu, you really guessed it right. Brother Ji is a stubborn kid when it comes to choosing scripts."
“…”
Ji Li was stunned and didn't react for a moment.
Yu Fuya explained with a smile, "I guessed that you would insist on waiting for the script of "Special Operations". I just wanted Baozi to bring these scripts over to see if they can arouse your curiosity."
Although these script invitations are really good, Yu Fuya does not want to force Ji Li to take the roles, as he has made big and steady steps in the past two years.
Joining the crew seamlessly sounds great, but it will cause severe wear and tear on the artists' body and mind.
Yu Fuya still loves her children. No matter how important work is, it is not as important as healthy and orderly development.
"That's good. There are still two and a half months before the filming of Spec Ops. You should take a good rest. Maybe we can go to the Yana Film Festival in mid-May."
If Ji Li really makes it to the final round of the Ana International Film Awards, or directly wins the title of "International Film Actor", will he still be worried about not being able to get good international films in the future?
Ji Li came back to his senses, a smile spread across his brows, "Thank you, Sister Yu."
During the two years that Yu Fuya had been guiding him, just as they had agreed upon, she gave him 100% of the power in choosing the script.
"What are you thanking me for? I do have a request." Yu Fuya replied jokingly.
"What? Request?" Ji Li asked back.
Yu Fuya asked Baozi to take the script invitations back to the department, and asked him to get a file bag.
Yu Fuya started the topic, "Since becoming the advertising spokesperson for Ying's perfume, you haven't taken on any other TVC shoots, right?"
Ji Li nodded.
In the past two years, he has accepted endorsements from many brands, big and small, but they all remained at the level of print shooting and publicity. He has never been involved in video advertisements like those for Yingshi perfume.
"The endorsement of Ying's perfume has expired, and both parties plan to suspend cooperation this year." Yu Fuya spoke up and reported this fact.
"I know."
After Ji Li became the spokesperson for Ying's perfume, the advertisement became a huge hit and won international awards, and both parties moved towards a win-win situation.
After the contract expired last year, Ying took the initiative to propose a renewal of the print advertising contract with Ji Li, and still recognized the latter as their sole spokesperson.
Seeing him nod, Yu Fuya continued to explain that the two parties' idea of not renewing the contract was based on two points -
First of all, the identity of "full-line spokesperson" will restrict Ji Li from endorsing other luxury brands of the same type.
Secondly, the public will have a "visual fatigue period" towards spokespersons, or in simple terms, there will be a lack of freshness.
Two years of cooperation is long enough.
Yu Fuya has no plans to renew the contract, and after careful consideration, Yingshi's top management also plans to try a new spokesperson.
There was no displeasure in Ji Li's eyes. To him, the considerations of both parties were completely reasonable.
"Who is Ying's new spokesperson?"
“Good things should be kept within the family. Whether it’s us at Chaoying or Yingshi’s investor Ji’s, the first choice is Ji Yunqi.” Yu Fuya stated directly.
When Ji Li heard his friend's name, he chuckled twice, "It's good that it's him."
Ji Li was originally worried that he had taken on the perfume endorsement before Ji Yunqi, and would inadvertently affect the other party's path in the original book.
Seeing that Ji Li didn't feel the slightest bit disappointed about the 'competition', Yu Fuya added, "I heard from Manager Yin that Third Young Master Ji has been driving her crazy these past two days."
"What's wrong?"
"Ying's perfume has become the top domestic perfume brand in the past two years. If you stop being the spokesperson, I don't know how many celebrities will be vying for you. But Ji Yunqi refused to accept the invitation..."
Ji Yunqi was still yelling -
"This is the endorsement that Ji Li has taken over. He has been such a good spokesperson for the past two years. You can never go past him and come directly to me. This is related to my revolutionary friendship with him!"
"Why don't you continue to choose him? Ji Li is so good!"
I've seen artistes scrambling to grab endorsements, but I've never seen an artiste persuading advertisers to continue using their previous spokespersons. Ji Yunqi is completely unconventional.
Ji Li really couldn't hold back his laughter, and shook his head helplessly, "Miss Third is so silly, this is indeed his style."
"Yin Ning sent me a WeChat message last night, saying that if you don't mind, please help her persuade this naughty kid."
Ji Li and Ji Yunqi are real friends in the circle, and they are both from the same company, Chaoying. Yingshi Perfume obviously has such a high-quality endorsement, so why should they give it to artists from other companies?
"Of course, I'll talk to him later." Ji Li agreed without thinking.
If Ji Yunqi refuses to accept this endorsement, he will be the one to feel guilty.
Yu Fuyaxin curled her lips in satisfaction.
As expected, all the children of their Chaoying family are well-behaved and lovable, unlike other companies who openly "have good relationships" but secretly "play tricks" on others.
"Sister Yu, you were only halfway through your sentence. What request do you want me to agree to?" Ji Li brought the subject back.
As soon as he finished speaking, Baozi took the file bag back from Yu Fuya's mouth.
Yu Fuya handed a thick stack of advertising contracts to Ji Li.
"I've negotiated with you to be the global spokesperson for Natural Mineral Water. You will be the spokesperson for the entire product line. According to the requirements of the advertising company, we need you, the spokesperson, to help shoot two sets of print ads and one video ad."
When Baozi heard this brand, his mouth suddenly became so big that an egg could fit in it. "Sister Yu, when did you negotiate for this brand? That's awesome!"
Yu Fuya curled her lips, "It was Ji Li's performance in Long Island Iced Tea that was so impressive that he won over their top fans. I was just doing my part."
In fact, this brand had competition in choosing its spokesperson.
Yu Fuya was never one to shy away from things. She took the time to come to Ji Li's house and made a swift introduction. Then she spent half a month negotiating with him before she finally helped Ji Li get the endorsement.
However, regardless of the hard work involved, it is her duty as an agent.
If Ji Li's career can move to a higher level, it will be the biggest gain for her as an agent.
Ji Li flipped through the endorsement contract to learn about the relevant information of this brand.
The origin of Natural mineral water is in the central and southern regions of France. Due to the unique volcanic crater geographical location, it has created this truly high-quality mineral groundwater.
Initially, it was the exclusive water for the French royal family. Later, it was developed into the exclusive water for the upper class. Only later was it opened to the public as drinking water.
Although the water quality is of unified standards, Natural mineral water has been able to create two series that satisfy their respective user groups.
The first series pursues the "ultimate sense of luxury". The bottle of mineral water was designed in collaboration with a luxury jewelry designer and won the first prize in an international design competition.
The bottle alone costs a lot, and is basically bought by rich people for the psychological enjoyment they get.
The second series pursues "local simplicity". It is produced from the place of origin and exported to more than 20 countries.
Every country has a localized name, for example, in China it is called "Shengquan" mineral water.
"The company has always used the money from the first series to cover the sales expenses of the second series, so even with the large expenses of localization, it can still make a profit every year."
Especially in France and neighboring countries, it is almost the best-selling mineral water all year round, and its annual total sales rank first or second in the world.
Not everyone can afford luxury watches and jewelry, but mineral water can. Its demand audience includes both high-end upper-class people and ordinary people.
Yu Fuya and Ji Li carefully analyzed the advantages of this spokesperson, "As a global spokesperson for the entire line, even if the term is only one year, it is enough for you to gain enough exposure around the world."
Ji Li read the contract and felt that there was no major problem. "Sister Yu, can you help me contact them to confirm the time for the commercial shoot?"
The two months of waiting to join the crew was not a waste of time to have such an advertising endorsement.
"Okay, I heard from the person in charge of the advertising company that they took your name, the spokesperson, to see Director Adolf, hoping to facilitate cooperation in the filming of the advertisement."
The original perfume advertisement was very famous in the advertising industry, and the Natural brand should want to create a beautiful video again.
Ji Li raised his eyebrows and readily agreed.
Having said that, he and Qin Li were able to meet because of "Long Island Iced Tea", and director Adolf's matchmaking was also indispensable.
"One more thing. The producer of Reverse Hunt informed us two days ago that the finished film has passed the review and may be released at a suitable time in the first half of the year."
"As for the details, I'll let Baozi and the others contact each other and we'll talk about it at the meeting tomorrow."
"good."
Ji Li's eyes lit up and he nodded.
It seems that even if he hasn't been in the group for the past two and a half months, he has been busy.
"It's getting late. Should I ask Baozi to take you home?" Yu Fuya glanced at the time.
"No need, I'll just ask the driver to take you back. The security measures in the community are very strict, so we shouldn't encounter anything like being surrounded by fans." Ji Li stood up and answered.
"Ji Li, I know that you and Qin Li have always been sensible in what you do."
Yu Fuya stood up with him and said earnestly, "But now there are so many CP fans, so there must be no shortage of reporters watching you."
"You must be careful when you go out to avoid being followed."
"If you meet at home, you should also close the doors and windows. If your relationship is exposed, I don't need to remind you how serious it will be, right?"
Ji Li understood that Yu Fuya was thinking about him, and nodded carefully, "Sister Yu, don't worry, we all understand."
"Okay, go back and rest early."
"Um."
…
As soon as Ji Li opened the door, two furry babies came up to him, one in front and one behind.
Xuebing grabbed his legs and asked for a hug, while the major general sat down and raised his big head to ask for a caress.
When Ji Li heard the sound of water dripping in the bathroom, he knew that Qin Li had brought back the two little cuties. He rubbed his pets, then closed the door and walked towards the living room.
Qin Li had a strong sense of protection and had already closed the doors and windows tightly. Not long after, he came out of the bathroom.
Qin Li was wearing a bath towel, with his upper body bare without any clothes on, but his strong abdominal muscles still attracted a lot of attention.
Ji Li was lying on the sofa staring at him, jokingly saying, "Mr. Qin, are you trying to seduce me?"
"You? What do you say?" Qin Li came closer, his body still warm from the shower, making Ji Li's breathing hot.
"Stay away, it's hot if you stick close to me." Ji Li quickly pushed him away.
Since returning to China, the two hadn't seen each other for three days. Qin Li was clingy at this moment, still leaning against the sofa, "...Libao."
Ji Li had no choice but to vacate half of his seat for him to sit next to, "Are you done with the announcement?"
"Pretty much, just photo shoots and interviews for two magazines. But I'm going abroad for work in a week."
"Have you found a new movie?" Ji Li asked.
"Do you still remember the apocalyptic disaster movie I told you about last year?" Qin Li asked back.
Ji Li remembered this and nodded.
This was a film project that Qin Li and Li Xing had planned a long time ago, with the ambition to fill the gap left in the world by Chinese disaster films.
But Qin Li said that the male lead role in this movie was reserved for him? Why start filming now?
Qin Li saw his confusion and replied with a smile, "I don't want to take your male lead role, but after much discussion, we decided to make a prequel first."
Over the past year, Qin Li has learned from many outstanding disaster film directors. According to everyone, if this film wants to expand overseas markets, it must proceed step by step.
Originally, the film was going to start directly from the 'fifth year after the disaster', but at Qin Li's suggestion, the filmmakers decided to start from the beginning of the disaster.
This will make it easier for the audience to have a re-constructed impression of the doomsday world in the movie, and will also facilitate the filming of future sequels.
The preparations are almost done, and the filming is scheduled to start early next month. As the investor, producer and leading actor of the first film, Qin Li needs to prepare early.
"Yeah, that sounds plausible."
"Of course I have to be reliable. I have to take the lead for my baby." Qin Li hugged him.
Ji Li chuckled twice, and told him about his future plans before talking about trivial matters.
"China is not like foreign countries. You? Even if you return to China in the future, don't bring your keys and bags with you when you check in. Aren't you afraid of being discovered by entertainment reporters?"
"I'm very careful." Qin Li felt aggrieved.
"Why don't you live in your own mansion but come to my small rented house? Be careful or I'll ask you for accommodation fees."
Ji Li's current residence is the one that Chaoying found for him. He has saved enough money to buy a house, but he was busy with work in the second half of last year and did not have time to look for a new house.
"Accommodation fee? How much?" Qin Li asked with a smile.
"At least there should be a standard fee for a presidential suite?" Ji Li asked jokingly, "With the status of Mr. Qin, can you still afford this amount of money?"
Qin Li's eyes sparkled as he touched his neck and patted it, "Boss Ji, can I use my labor to pay for the accommodation fee and then the right to stay?"
Ji Li shook his head and stopped what he was doing. "I don't have any housework for you to do."
"Who said I have to do housework?"
Qin Li suddenly stood up and held him in his arms like a child, saying meaningfully, "I'm talking about another kind of physical labor."
“…”
Ji Li reacted a little slowly, and her face became red with anger because of Qin Li's dirty talk. She wrapped her legs around him unconsciously.
"Who wants you? That kind of physical labor!"
Qin Li raised his eyebrows and did not refute, hugging his lover tighter.
Under the suspicious gazes of the Major General and Xue Bing, he took his baby directly back to the bedroom, "Didn't you say you would pay for the accommodation?"
Qin Li rubbed Ji Li's earlobe, his deep voice was seductive.
"Libao."
"I'll be happy to help."
The author has something to say: #Special Serious Science: Physical labor is beneficial to physical and mental health, but you must pay attention to combining work and rest and do things within your ability! 【Ji Hanhan brand thumbs up.JPG】
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