The film and television city starts from the courtyard

The awards ceremony.

Zhao Shucheng and Shanli got out of the car together and walked on the red carpet. They found it very interesting to watch the excited fans on both sides and the female celebrities vying for attention.

Shanli looked at Zhao Shucheng and said, "What are you looking at?"

"I find Vanity Fair very interesting. What do you think about making a TV series or movie like that? Would it be worthwhile?"

Sanli pondered for a moment and said, "There should be, but we need to be careful about the subject matter or plot."

"Of course, but I already have an idea about what to film. Once the script is written, you can give it your feedback."

"Okay. But are you sure you want to film this next?"

"Of course not. I'm not famous enough in the industry yet, so I'll start by making low-budget movies or TV series. Once I've gained some fame, I'll work on big productions."

"Then I'm relieved. I was worried that you might suddenly get the urge to make a big production."

"Don't worry, it definitely won't happen."

Since Zhao Shucheng and Shanli did not have any works to present and were not award presenters, they did not go backstage but came to the venue to sit down.

Soon after, Mo Xiaomin arrived. Upon seeing Zhao Shucheng, she walked over and sat down next to him.

Why aren't you with the rest of the crew?

"Why would I be with them? I don't know them at all, and I'm just a minor supporting character. I only walked the red carpet with them to show the crew's unity. How could A-list celebrities sit with me?"

"Don't worry, you won't always be a supporting role. The movie is showing now, and everyone will recognize you by then. You've played the lead role before, so you won't always be taking on supporting roles in the future."

Mo Xiaomin nodded and said, "Of course I know that. Actually, the scripts that have been coming to me recently are for the female lead or the second female lead, but most of them are not very good. My agent and I are still choosing."

"Being cautious is the right thing to do. You've finally made it big now, so you have to take each step carefully. If the pay is high but the script isn't good, you should avoid taking the role to prevent your popularity from declining."

"Ok!"

Seeing that no one else was paying attention to them, Mo Xiaomin whispered, "Xiaobai, you have no idea what happened backstage just now?"

"What happened? Did they start fighting? I don't think so. Everyone here is someone of status, especially in a situation like this."

Mo Xiaomin shook her head and said, "Of course not. Actress Ruan Lihua is here; she's a presenter at today's awards ceremony, so the guests backstage were taking photos together."

"Isn't that great? I remember you liked her a lot too. Did you take any pictures together or get her autograph?"

Mo Xiaomin said, "That's not what I meant. The point is that everyone else respected her, but Mo Xiangwan's artist, Lin Xiang, tried to take the center position from her. It was only because Mo Xiangwan appeared in time to help her out that things got out of hand, otherwise it would definitely have turned into a fight."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shucheng couldn't help but shake his head, saying, "This is a classic case of someone becoming famous overnight but developing a bad mentality. Their virtue doesn't match their status, and disaster is inevitable. Mo Xiangwan protected her too well, keeping her from the treacherous nature of people and the complexities of the entertainment industry."

Shanli nodded and said, "That's right. Who is Ruan Lihua? She's the dream girl of many middle-aged men and a movie queen. Although she's faded a bit now, her connections haven't disappeared. Besides, if people find out, they'll think she's being unreasonable, and her future will be ruined."

Mo Xiaomin nodded and said, "Yes, that's why I came back in a hurry, so that people won't misunderstand me."

Zhao Shucheng said, "With fame comes controversy, and actors should pay more attention to their personal character. After all, everyone is watching them and demanding near perfection from them. Even the smallest action or flaw can backfire and cause a backlash from the popularity they receive."

As they were talking, Zhao Shucheng saw Yao Menggui and Song Ci arrive at the venue together.

Yao Menggui didn't expect to see Zhao Shucheng here, and nodded to him.

Zhao Shucheng smiled and nodded in response, but made no move to go forward and greet him.

As the awards ceremony proceeded as scheduled, Lin Xiang won the Best Actress award, while Xu Ling won the Best Actor award. Because Zhao Shucheng's film was still in theaters, he was ineligible for nomination; he was simply there to be a runner-up.

Shanli held Zhao Shucheng's hand and said, "Xiaobai, don't worry, we'll be on stage next year."

Zhao Shucheng smiled and said, "Shanli, you don't need to worry about me. I don't really care about winning awards, because awards don't represent box office success. Directors need box office success to make films. If they only lose money and make a lot of noise, they will disappear from the entertainment industry sooner or later."

"It's great that you think that way. But speaking of which, are you really planning to make commercial films in the future?"

"Yes, you think I'm not suitable?"

Sanli shook her head and said, "No, it's just that commercial films seem simple, but very few people can actually strike a good balance and even make a profit. You've finally gained some fame, what if..."

Zhao Shucheng said, "There's no such thing as 'what if'. When I first became a director, I wanted more people to see my work. Art films have too many limitations and a narrow audience."

"As long as you're happy, I'll take care of all the logistical support."

"I knew you would support me."

Mo Xiaomin also said, "Xiaobai, I support you too. I'll play the female lead for you again."

Zhao Shucheng said, "Then it's settled. But I can't always make you the female lead. After all, audience fatigue is a big problem. We need to keep things fresh for them."

"So, you haven't even succeeded yet, and you're already thinking of discarding me after I've served my purpose?"

"How could that be? I'm just stating the facts, to prevent you from having any complaints about not being able to play the leading role in the future. So I'm giving you a heads-up."

Zhao Shucheng was certainly serious. After all, every actor has roles that suit them and roles that don't. You can't cast an ugly woman as the most beautiful woman in the world. That would not only insult the audience's intelligence and aesthetic sense, but also the director's judgment in casting.

After the awards ceremony, Zhao Shucheng and Mo Xiaomin went straight home and did not stay to attend the celebration banquet.

Shanli actually had a different opinion on this, saying, "Xiaobai, you don't really need to go back so early. You can still meet a lot of people at the celebration banquet."

Zhao Shucheng said, "Of course I know, but right now I'm just a small-time director. Famous actors look down on me, while small-time actors beg me to work with them, so it doesn't matter whether I participate or not." Shanli had to admit that what Zhao Shucheng said made a lot of sense. You could tell from the red carpet and the venue today that even though Zhao Shucheng had won a film award from the Westminster, not many people recognized him, and even fewer took the initiative to greet him.

"That's true, but once your movie is released and achieves good results, they will naturally seek cooperation."

"Of course, I am very confident about this."

Zhao Shucheng was not bragging. After all, he had the experience of the future and more than a hundred years of life experience. The movies or TV series he made could have depth, visuals, and plots as long as he wanted. How could they not be successful?

Even the currently showing film "And Then There Were None" was a script that Zhao Shucheng rewrote based on a few words provided by Gu Xiaobai, which is why it won an award at Venice.

The novel is currently being serialized online and is not entirely copied from popular novels in other worlds. Some plot points that are illogical or have unresolved plot holes are revised by Zhao Shucheng himself, which makes it even more irresistible to readers.

After sending Mo Xiaomin and Shanli home, Zhao Shucheng did not stay. Instead, he returned to his own home and began writing a script.

Of course, it wasn't the entertainment industry script I'd previously discussed with Shanli, but rather an urban drama I'd planned beforehand, set in a world I'd personally experienced: "Caught in the Web."

Zhao Shucheng chose this script for two reasons. Firstly, he had personally experienced similar events, and although the plot had deviated from the original story, most of the elements remained. Secondly, with the recent increase in cyberbullying, Zhao Shucheng hoped to use his abilities to bring about some change.

However, Zhao Shucheng had also learned about this world. Because it was a real world, but there were no actors from the original storyline, Zhao Shucheng needed to audition for the actors himself.

Zhao Shucheng felt this was also an opportunity. After all, the original plot only needed to be followed step by step, but he wanted to do some secondary creation, so using suitable actors was the best choice.

Just as Zhao Shucheng was busy, he heard a knock on the door. When he opened the door, he saw that it wasn't his girlfriends, but Mo Xiangwan standing at the door.

"Xiang Wan, what brings you here? Shouldn't you be at the victory celebration banquet right now?"

Mo Xiangwan said, "The celebration banquet is over. I saw you were at the awards ceremony today. Don't you have anything to say?"

Zhao Shucheng smiled and said, "No, what I wanted to say was, why are you with your artist instead of me?"

Mo Xiangwan said, "Of course I'm not asking that. Aren't you going to ask me why I came to find you?"

Zhao Shucheng looked at the somewhat drunk Mo Xiangwan and said, "Alright, I'll ask you, why did you come to find me at this time?"

"Xiaobai, are all men this heartless, able to forget past love and start a new relationship without any regrets?"

Zhao Shucheng said, "You can't generalize. It depends on the person and the situation. What's wrong? Are you upset because you ran into your ex-boyfriend and saw him living happily?"

"Of course not, I wouldn't be sad because of him."

Despite saying that, Mo Xiangwan's expression didn't seem like she didn't mind at all; instead, it showed a complex mix of love and hate.

"Tell me, what's going on that made you stay up all night to come and ask me for answers?"

Mo Xiangwan hesitated for a moment before finally telling her about her relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Mo Bei. She wanted to confide in someone, but it was inconvenient to talk about her as an artist, her boss didn't care about her personal life and only wanted her to complete company tasks, and her friends already knew but couldn't offer advice. So, after thinking it over, she realized that Zhao Shucheng was the most suitable person to confide in.

Mo Xiangwan and Mo Bei were once considered a perfect couple. However, Mo Xiangwan's father was accused of fraud, and the person who helped file the charges was Mo Xiangwan's boyfriend, Mo Bei. From then on, Mo Xiangwan began to resent Mo Bei and broke off all contact with him.

She never imagined that the owner of the car she had scratched was actually him, and that she had even seen him at the after-party following the awards ceremony today. She even heard a young girl affectionately call Mo Bei "brother-in-law." This made Mo Xiangwan feel betrayed, even though they had broken up long ago.

After Mo Xiangwan finished speaking, she looked at Zhao Shucheng and asked, "Are all lawyers so cold-blooded and ruthless, willing to betray their own family for the greater good?"

Zhao Shucheng said, "Not everyone does this, but this lawyer Mo's approach is indeed problematic."

Whether a lawyer needs to recuse themselves from the defendant depends primarily on whether it would affect the fairness of the trial. While Mo Bei acted impartially, he overlooked the relationship between his girlfriend and his father.

This is a classic case of prioritizing career over love. If he had chosen love, he should have recused himself. He could have appeared as a witness, but not as the accusing lawyer.

After all, if the evidence is conclusive, even if Mo Bei doesn't act as the prosecuting attorney, it won't affect the other party's sentence or their relationship.

Therefore, Zhao Shucheng thought that Mo Bei's reconciliation with Mo Xiangwan was nothing more than a way to salvage their past relationship, or perhaps it was just a result of resentment.

Zhao Shucheng looked down on this kind of person, who wanted everything and took everything for granted, without ever reflecting on his own actions.

Mo Xiangwan felt that Zhao Shucheng understood her too well. She didn't really ask Mo Bei to do anything, but the other party didn't show any consideration, which made her doubt their relationship, so she chose to break up.

"So, now that things are resolved, shouldn't you go back?"

Mo Xiangwan hesitated and said, "Um, could I stay here for the night? My driver went back, and I've been drinking, so I can't go back."

Zhao Shucheng said helplessly, "I give up. There are still Shanli and the others' clothes in the guest room. You decide what to do."

"Thank you, Xiaobai. You're so kind. Now I understand why Shanli, even knowing you have a girlfriend, still fell head over heels for you like a moth to a flame."

After changing out of her dress, Mo Xiangwan returned to the living room and saw Zhao Shucheng still writing. She leaned over to take a look and found the script increasingly impressive.

"Xiaobai, your script is good. Are you planning to film this next?"

Zhao Shucheng nodded and said, "That's right. It's mainly an urban drama, so we don't need to worry too much about set design. Once we've finished scouting locations and found suitable actors, we can start filming immediately."

"Have you chosen the female lead and the male lead yet?"

"What, do you have an idea?"

Mo Xiangwan nodded and said, "Of course. What do you think of my artists, Xu Ling and Lin Xiang? They are both rising stars with good acting skills. I can ask the company for help with promotion."

Zhao Shucheng shook his head and said, "No!" (End of Chapter)