Chapter 105 "I want to try web series".
Xia Mian spread her five fingers and examined the ring on her ring finger. Most men's rings are like this, not as sparkly as the pigeon egg rings she saw at the HARRY WINSTON counter during the day. But this one is very beautiful. She can't quite put her finger on what's so beautiful about it, it's just beautiful.
"You like it?" the person on the other end asked.
Xia Mian immediately stopped smiling: "It's alright, the size is a bit too big. I'll have my assistant take it to be smaller tomorrow."
He liked it, but wedding rings had to be bought before registering the marriage. Zhou Pingchuan bought them too late and hadn't gone through any proposal or similar procedures. He couldn't let Zhou Pingchuan be too smug.
“If you don’t like it, you can buy a new one,” Zhou Pingchuan said.
"...That's fine. Give me your hand."
Zhou Pingchuan knew what he was going to do, so he didn't move and just said, "I'll wear it myself."
After saying that, he turned and left.
aestivation:"……"
From the moment Xia Mian met Zhou Pingchuan, he always wore gloves whenever he appeared in public. Xia Mian could tell that he didn't want people to see his hands.
Does that mean he has a mark on his hand that indicates he's virgin, and if someone touches it, he'll have to marry that person?
"Tch, fine, I won't wear it then." Xia Mian sneered inwardly.
In fact, he was prepared to let Zhou Pingchuan sleep in the master bedroom.
But since the other person left so readily, he decided not to say anything more. It was much more comfortable to have the big bed all to himself.
With filming wrapped up for "Our Little Life," he has to get back to work. His agency isn't a charity; they signed him mainly to make money, so they can't let him rest for too long.
Upon receiving the summons, Xia Mian got up early and went to the company to see Zhao Wei—one of Zhao Wei's artists had gotten into trouble and he couldn't find time to meet with him, so he had to send him there by himself.
"Take a look at the web series script and the variety show project overview that I told you about a few days ago." Zhao Wei pushed the two documents in front of him.
Xia Mian first watched the web series, a typical ancient costume drama IP, with a lighthearted plot that was a bit melodramatic, but the cast was quite good. The leading actress was a top-tier actress, while the male lead was a second or third-tier actress, but he was currently gaining a lot of popularity and obviously wanted to use this drama to get ahead.
He had a pretty good grasp of everything, closed the script, turned on the variety show, and his eyes widened immediately.
—It's actually a wildly popular S+ level outdoor reality show in China!
This variety show is now in its fourth season, and each season has broken viewership records, making each season a classic. Anyone who participates is guaranteed a significant boost in their streaming popularity. Taking on this role is practically guaranteed to be beneficial.
Xia Mian was shocked: "Big companies are really amazing, they can even snag S+ level variety show resources!"
“It really wasn’t thanks to the company,” Zhao Wei laughed. “The production team approached me on their own.”
Xia Mian floated around, "Find it yourself? Am I that famous already?"
"Judging from the number of fans, he doesn't seem to be 'hot,' but the amount of buzz he generates is ridiculously high." Reaching this point without relying on company hype is rare in the industry; Scorpion Daddy is one of a kind.
Xia Mian shrugged at him, raised her voice, and said in an affected tone, "Maybe I'm just naturally good at attracting attention, there's nothing I can do about it."
Zhao Wei had been busy cleaning up the mess left by the celebrity in trouble for the past few days, and was in a bad mood. Amused by Xia Mian's smug little face, he chuckled, "Alright, stop pretending, hurry up and choose, they're waiting for your reply over there."
There's really no choice; anyone with a brain can analyze which is better or worse.
However, the Chinese entertainment industry has always treated its artists very well, and with Xia Mian having such a powerful figure backing him up, Zhao Wei had to respect his decision.
To everyone's surprise, Xia Mian pondered for a moment and then suddenly said, "Brother, I want to try web series."
Zhao Wei looked up at him and smiled knowingly. This was an unexpected yet perfectly logical choice.
“Xia,” he asked, “do you know what you’ll miss out on if you choose a web series?”
“I know,” Xia Mian held up three fingers. “A variety show that can help me reach new heights; a driving force to keep me at the forefront of topics; and an opportunity to connect with and maintain good cooperation with top variety show producers.”
Yes, compared to other young actors, Xia Mian's only advantage right now is his high profile and strong variety show presence. If he wants to maintain this, he must choose projects with short production cycles for his next assignment to ensure he remains active in the public eye.
Film and television productions often involve months of filming, with crews confined to film studios or remote mountains, having virtually no opportunity to interact with the outside world except through social media. By the time filming is finished, everyone has long forgotten who you are, resulting in extremely high sunk costs.
Moreover, whether a drama becomes a hit or not is entirely up to fate; it's impossible to predict in the early stages. Like now, with hundreds of historical romance dramas being filmed every year, how many will actually become hits? What if the lead actor, like that actor Zhao Wei, ends up working at a sewing machine? Then all the hard work of the production team and the investors' money will be wasted...
It's really not worth it.
Variety shows are the safest choice—especially since it's a variety show that's sure to be a hit.
"So you still want to choose the web series?" Zhao Wei asked Xia Mian to confirm.
Xia Mian closed her eyes, and the image of Ren Xiping's hands appeared before her eyes—rough, calloused.
"Brother Wei, I'm not just dabbling in the entertainment industry; I want to go further."
Zhao Wei pointed at him: "Well done, kid. I knew I hadn't misjudged you."
Having worked as an agent for so many years and managed several TV Kings and Queens, Zhao Wei certainly knows how to plan for the benefit of his artists. Xia Mian still has no representative work, and no matter how much buzz she generates, it's all just a castle in the air. It will collapse instantly when the wind changes or she can no longer provide so much buzz.
Whether you're a singer or an actor, ultimately you have to move people's hearts with your work.
He assumed Xia Mian's choice of variety shows was based on her current situation. He reasoned that once Xia Mian joined the Zhou family, she would be set for life, able to stay famous for as long as she could, and if she lost her fame, she could simply retire from the entertainment industry and live the life of a wealthy young master.
Only now does Zhao Wei realize that he was truly narrow-minded and underestimated Xia Mian's determination to "become famous in a respectable way."
"I'll find a reason to turn down the variety show for you. I'll write a short essay to the production company in your voice to try and leave a good impression; maybe there will be opportunities to work together in the future. As for the web drama, filming starts next month. Ancient costume dramas have very high requirements for styling, so start losing weight today. A slim waist will make you look better in costumes. You also need to pick up your acting skills again... Ugh... have you ever studied acting?"
Xia Mian had studied it, but so much time had passed that he had long forgotten it. Moreover, he had never actually acted in a play; he was still in the stage of theoretical discussion.
He pinched his thumb and forefinger together and gestured, "I've learned a little bit."
"That's all?" Zhao Wei collapsed, clutching his head. "Starting tomorrow, you'll have acting lessons. You don't need to come to the company; I'll have the teacher come to your apartment to teach you. Oh, by the way, I've also booked you a show, a Beijing-Taiwan event, hosted by Tongshan—the same Tongshan that's behind Yongying Luggage Factory."
"A party?" This time, Xia Mian was in despair, clutching her head. "I've never released an album, what am I supposed to perform with?!"
"Didn't Zhang Yuno send you a song before? Sing that one. Also, prepare a dance solo. It's a great opportunity to make your face known. Mission accomplished!"
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