Ji Yushi rubbed his forehead, staring blankly at the text message page on his phone.
Ji Yan transferred 7 million yuan in one go. If he wasn't mistaken, this was probably the entire share of the album "Mist".
To date, his so-called "debt" has dwindled to less than 10 million.
Ji Yushi went to DW Entertainment to find Ji Yan, but Ji Yan refused to see him and refused to answer his calls. Ji Yushi could only go to Ji Yan's agent, Ye Ying, but the woman's tone was colder than her expression: "Mr. Ji, since you did not live together since childhood and your habits and hobbies are different, there is indeed no need to maintain a superficial brotherly relationship."
None of these words were things Ji Yushi wanted to hear.
Just as Ji Yu was feeling irritable, his assistant knocked on the door: "Mr. Ji, there is a sum of money waiting to be transferred to Mr. Ji Ruan's studio."
Ji Yushi frowned: "Again?"
It's only the end of the month, and it hasn't even been a month since he suspended Ji Ruan's access to funds, yet Ji Ruan has already requested remittances three times. Ji Yushi clearly remembers that Ji Ruan's income is not low, and the entertainment industry is a lucrative business. Since the establishment of Ji Ruan's studio, part of the investment has been handled by the Ji family. Out of trust in Ji Ruan, the Ji brothers haven't asked too many questions.
But now, Ji Yushi realizes that it might be better for him to ask.
"What is it this time?"
"Clothing allowance".
Ji Yushi paused, her hand holding the pen still: "What?"
"Clothing allowance," the assistant raised his voice and repeated.
Both the 800,000 yuan in the funds section and the clothing expenses item made Ji Yushi feel both amused and exasperated. Celebrities do need to make a grand entrance, and Ji Yushi understands that, but spending 800,000 yuan on clothing expenses for a single gala seemed extravagant to him.
After the passing of the Ji family couple, Ji Yushi and his brother still had a period of hardship. Although the Ji family regained its position as the richest family in City A, and Ji Yushi handled a huge amount of money every day, he still had a keen sensitivity to numbers because of his childhood experience.
One more thing, Ji Yushi pursed her lips, her expression deep.
800,000... Is it really impossible for the studio to come up with that amount?
Ji Yushi lowered his head, the 7 million yuan transfer in his line of sight seemed particularly ironic at this moment, because in just this month, the funds allocated by the Ji family to Ji Ruan Studio were more than that amount.
Brothers can be forgiving of each other—provided there is no comparison.
Ji Yushi couldn't help but recall how Ji Yan had been recognized and returned to the Ji family. He was timid and hesitant, not even daring to meet their gaze. Ji Yushi couldn't see any of the demeanor of a member of the Ji family in him. In contrast, Ji Ruan was much more magnanimous. But... that was only because Ji Yan lived in a completely different world from them.
Ji Yushi put down her pen: "Let him handle the clothing expenses himself."
"Add more investment to DW Entertainment."
Just as the assistant was about to leave after hearing the arrangements, Ji Yushi stopped him again: "Give me the accounts of Ji Ruan Studio from the past few years."
Since the controversy surrounding the competition between "Wings" and Ji Ruan's new album, Ji Yushi has been paying close attention to everything happening in the entertainment industry. In his spare time, he also browses Weibo. He doesn't understand the jargon commonly used by fans, but he can still tell what kind of reputation a celebrity has.
Ji Yushi watched the Night Music Awards live stream. He saw the fans praising the two songs by "Yi," and he also saw Ji Ruan's fans constantly dissing Ji Yan for trying to gain attention by associating with others. What was that term? "Trying to get attention by associating with others by going to the moon." Ji Yushi searched online for a while before he understood what that term meant.
What impressed him most was that on the live stream, fans kept emphasizing that the total price of the outfits for the four members of "Wings" was less than one-tenth of the price of Ji Ruan's custom-made outfit, and Ji Yan was also ridiculed for being "stingy".
The Ji family has never been mocked for being poor.
...
As soon as Ji Yan and his group arrived at the company, they were told that they had an extra allowance for clothing.
Their thought was: "Did the boss rob a bank?"
DW Entertainment is known in the industry for its frugality. Ji Yan and Xie Mingxuan usually wear their own clothes when they appear in public. Their families are all of average means, and their usual style is mostly comfortable. They only consider luxury brands when attending events. Their clothing expenses have always been relatively low in the industry.
Of course, as "The Mist" gradually gained a good reputation, the "Wings" look slowly started to get brand sponsorships. The outfits of the four at the Night Festival were all from the streetwear brand Lix. After the festival, the same clothes on Lix's official website sold out. Other clothing brands also came to Ye Ying to discuss cooperation. If nothing unexpected happens, for a long time to come, none of them will have to worry about borrowing clothes.
But at this moment, the boss was actually willing to pay more for clothing, which was completely out of character for his usual stinginess.
Ji Yan and the others felt that the album "Mist" was probably so profitable that even capitalists were willing to bleed money away.
“New Year’s Eve concert, fashion magazine cover shoot, watch endorsement…” Lu Wei listed “Wings”’s recent work one by one, “The end of the year is so busy.”
In addition to their group activities, he and Ji Yan each have a variety show to participate in. "The Voice of China" and "The Voice of China" are nearing their end and are expected to conclude before the end of the year. Therefore, Ye Ying has arranged three performances for them at the end of the year.
Xie Mingxuan and Fang Yu both crowded around to look at the itinerary, but Ji Yan quietly shrank to the corner by the window, holding a piece of letter paper and deep in thought.
"Forget about replying to your letter, come and look at the schedule."
"Wait until I finish replying."
"Professor Ji's pen pal has written again."
After Ji Yan sent out his letter to his fans, he would receive a letter from them every few days, exchanging their thoughts on music. Ji Yan vaguely felt that the other person might be someone in the industry, because their insights into music were much deeper than his own, and they could always give him some inspiration.
The replies continued in this way.
Ji Yan leaned quietly against the window, carefully reading each word. He had a notebook and a guitar beside him. When the other person wrote sheet music in the letter, Ji Yan would casually play a few notes. For him, replying to letters was a pleasant thing. Although he had been busy with work recently, he would always take the time to reply with a few words. When he wrote sentences on paper, he could also feel a sense of peace in his heart.
After replying to the letter, Ji Yan stretched and checked his recent schedule. There were still two episodes of "The Voice of China," and the rest were group activities. He was indeed much busier than a few months ago.
But the busier a celebrity is, the more it proves their value.
"Excuse me, everyone, I have some good news to tell you." Ye Ying interrupted them, "You have been chosen to sing the theme song for Director Li Xiang's film 'I, Nameless'. Your main task this week is to complete the recording of the theme song."
"Didn't we lose the election before?"
Ye Ying explained, "That was before the release of 'Mist.' Director Li Xiang listened to 'Is It Black or White' and liked it very much. He thought you met the requirements for the theme song."
Upon hearing this news, even the usually composed Xie Mingxuan couldn't help but show an excited expression.
Director Li Xiang is a household name. He is one of the most prestigious directors of the fifth generation in China. He has made several film stars and his representative works, "Spring Blossoms and Autumn Fruits" and "Fearless", have influenced a generation of filmmakers.
In addition to the diverse themes of his films and their box office and awards success, the theme songs of each of Li Xiang's films have a high degree of popularity. However, Li Xiang does not choose the singers of the theme songs based on their fame. The key is that they must fit the mood of the film itself. The theme song of his film "Fearless" was even sung by a singer who had never had any musical experience.
Therefore, whenever Li Xiang announces that he is choosing a singer for the theme song of his new work, singers flock to him, regardless of their level of fame, to try and secure the opportunity.
Ji Yan and the others never expected that they would be selected by Director Li Xiang.
“Ji Yan.” Ye Ying called his name. “There’s a role in the movie ‘I, Nameless’ and the production team wants you to audition.”
"Me?" Ji Yan pointed to himself uncertainly. "Are you sure it's me?"
Ye Ying nodded: "The production team has only expressed this interest, but whether you get selected depends on your performance."
“Then I definitely won’t be chosen.” Ji Yan spread his hands. “I can’t act.”
Moreover, Ji Yan never felt that he had a talent for acting. He was not formally trained and had not received systematic acting training.
“Director Li Xiang prefers to pick actors from non-professional backgrounds.” Ye Ying looked at him. “Give it a try. This opportunity is quite rare. The main scenes of ‘I, Nameless’ have been completed. There is only one role that the production team has not been able to decide on. They have selected many actors, but none of them are suitable.”
"Why not give it a try?" Fang Yu urged Ji Yan. "This is such a rare opportunity!"
Ji Yan said helplessly, "Alright then."
He had no idea how he was chosen. Idol actors should be the type most rejected by the film industry. It's not easy for actors who have proven themselves on the small screen to make it to the big screen, let alone idols who are at the bottom of the entertainment industry.
Suddenly, a large pancake came crashing down, making Ji Yan feel a little dizzy.
Faced with such a colossal project as "I, Nameless," all of "Wing's" other work naturally had to take a backseat. This week, Ji Yan and the others spent almost all their time in the recording studio. The theme song for the movie was called "Fly," a short name but a heavy one.
"I, Nameless" is a spy film that tells the story of a group of nameless people who sacrificed their lives in a time of war. They lived and died anonymously for a brighter future.
During the recording of the theme song, the members learned that they were chosen by Li Xiang because the song "Is It Black or White" had a similar tone to "I, Nameless"—no matter how much chaos lies ahead, the future is always bright.
The song "Is It Black or White" was created by the four of them together, and the insights they gained during the creative process helped them understand the song "Fly," thus enabling them to deliver the effect that Li Xiang wanted.
Director Li Xiang happened to see a live performance of "Is It Black or White" and then bought a copy of "Mist" to listen to himself. He spent a long time selecting and listened to many people's recommendations, but it wasn't until the song "Is It Black or White" came out that he was sure that "Wing" was the person he wanted.
The song "Fly" was originally intended to be a solo, but he felt that if he tried to sing it in the style of "Is It Black or White", a duet might be more interesting.
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