China Entertainment’s rescue plan is hard to come by

Chapter 1017 Utilizing the Rules
The reshoots for "When a Man Falls in Love" in Harbin went more smoothly than expected.

Perhaps it was Sun Yi's "nosebleed scene" that, after the impromptu rewrite, completely opened up his mind. Subsequent shots and scenes, whether it was Han Zhongqing's increasingly weak struggle, Haoting's gentleness and resilience without knowing the truth, or her perseverance and companionship after the truth came out, all flowed with a more real and heart-wrenching power.

The original plan was for ten days. Although the first day was delayed for a morning, the subsequent progress was very fast, and the film was completed in about a week.

Filming has wrapped.

The wrap party was simple yet warm. As the film director, this was her third film. At the party, Yu Feihong frequently raised her glass, accepting all toasts as a woman, to thank everyone in the crew for their hard work.

After filming wrapped, Sun Yi and Liu Yifei didn't linger. They left quietly at the end of the wrap party, even before the night was over, and rode their own car, Little White, heading to Beijing under the stars.

On the double sofa in the cabin, Liu Yifei leaned on Sun Yi's shoulder, pretending to doze off. Her long eyelashes cast a soft shadow in the warm yellow light.

Sun Yi, however, was not sleepy. His laptop was lit up, displaying a densely packed schedule for the Spring Festival Gala preparations. Although he had informed the Gala preparation team in advance about the week of reshoots, as the chief director, much of his work had been put on hold.

In particular, some core matters that need to be finalized in person have piled up and require his immediate personal approval.

For example, one of the most important things is the program he arranged for the little girl.

According to his initial plan, he only wanted Ms. Liu to sing a song on stage, just like she had done in the previous two Spring Festival Galas—a warm, powerful song that could convey her feelings.

But after visiting the Hope Primary School and seeing Ms. Liu dancing gracefully with the children, another thought suddenly popped into his mind:
Could we ask the young lady to perform another dance, one that showcases another side of her, fits the atmosphere of the Spring Festival Gala, and aligns with the core theme he proposed?

This idea is very bold. There are too many performers and not enough spots on the Spring Festival Gala stage. It's a one-person-one-job system, and usually an actor can only appear on one program. This is an unwritten rule and a tacit rule for balancing the interests of all parties.

The idea of ​​someone monopolizing two programs, even if it's just a hypothetical scenario, is enough to cause a huge uproar in the industry, and there will be no shortage of gossip about Sun Yi "abusing his public office" and "using his power for personal gain."

But he had his reasons and his "solutions".

As the chief director of this year's Spring Festival Gala, his word carries weight when it comes to anything related to the program.

The day after returning to Beijing, Sun Yi went straight to the Spring Festival Gala Arts and Entertainment Center to report for duty and found Yu Yuanshan, the head of the Spring Festival Gala preparation team.

In Yu Yuanshan's office, which was piled high with program review applications, Sun Yi didn't beat around the bush and directly stated his thoughts.

After hearing this, Yu Yuanshan's hand holding the teacup froze in mid-air. He remained silent for a long time, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

He was initially quite happy that Sun Yi had returned, as the mountain of program applications could finally be processed. However, he never expected that Sun Yi would present him with such a huge problem as soon as he came back.

"Sun Yi, I understand your thoughts."

Yu Yuanshan put down his cup, tapping his fingers on the table. He paused, carefully considering his words.

Sun Yi's request may not seem like a big deal, but it would have far-reaching consequences, making it difficult to make such a request.

If you agree, the other actors will definitely have objections, and there might even be a few fools who, relying on their seniority, will come knocking on your door.

But if they don't agree, there are precedents for this before the Spring Festival Gala, and it would likely greatly dampen Sun Yi's enthusiasm.

What? I'm the chief director of the Spring Festival Gala, and it's so difficult for me to arrange for one person to appear on two programs?

I'm not afraid of being talked about behind my back, so what are you afraid of?
Dilemma.

Yu Yuanshan hesitated for a long time before slowly speaking:
“Sun Yi, this little Liu... well, Comrade Liu Yifei, is indeed excellent, especially in terms of audience appeal, which is exceptionally good. However, the rules are still there. Think about it, how many veteran artists and provincial and local teams are eagerly waiting for this opportunity to appear on the Spring Festival Gala.”

"You're putting one person on two shows? That's too much pressure, and it's difficult for me too."

Sun Yi thought for a moment and nodded.

He had expected Team Leader Yu to say that, but he had his own way of doing things.

Sun Yi leaned forward unhurriedly, refilled Yu Yuanshan's teacup, and said with a smile, "Director Yu, the rule you mentioned refers to 'a star actor can usually only perform one act,' right?"

Yu Yuanshan nodded: "That's right, this is the usual practice, and it's also to avoid the over-concentration of resources."

"But, if I remember correctly, our station's rules apply to independent programs, right? Collaborations and group programs are not included, are you correct?"

"Yes, that's right."

Yu Yuanshan nodded, noticing a sly glint in Sun Yi's eyes. At this point, he was pretty much guessing what Sun Yi was up to.

Just as he expected. "Alright, I won't break this rule, or rather, this convention. My proposal is..."

Sun Yi held up one finger.

"First, the song is not a solo, but a duet. Liu Yifei, as one of the lead singers, participates in a duet that expresses warmth and is a public welfare or thematic song."

“In previous years, the performers in this type of chorus were not limited to ‘one program’, right? Many performers both acted in skits and participated in chorus, and there are precedents for this.”

Sun Yi said slyly.

Yu Yuanshan pondered for a moment, not immediately refuting, but the way he looked at Sun Yi had changed.

It must be admitted that this is indeed a loophole, or rather, a gray area in the interpretation of the rules.

But rules are rules, and if there are loopholes, it means that they can be exploited.

Whether it succeeds or not depends entirely on the strength of the person who exploited the loophole. If they are strong, it's called making reasonable use of the rules; if they are weak, it's called trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead, or being too clever for their own good.

Sun Yi, from any perspective, should be considered to be highly capable.

“Second, dance,” Sun Yi continued, extending a second finger.

"It wasn't a solo dance, but a group dance. A group dance with at least five people and a complete plot or theme. Liu Yifei participated as one of the lead dancers or one of the core performers. It's common for dancers to perform two or more dance programs on the Spring Festival Gala, and no one has ever said that this is against the rules."

Yu Yuanshan looked at Sun Yi, pursed his lips in a sickeningly sweet manner, and felt as if he was being led astray by Sun Yi little by little.

But remaining silent implies an admission that this situation does indeed exist.

Seeing Team Leader Yu's expression, Sun Yi chuckled and added fuel to the fire.

"Team Leader Yu, let me be frank with you. This time, I'm not doing this for the sake of having more programs. To be blunt, given my current fame and influence both domestically and internationally, even the Spring Festival Gala wouldn't elevate her performance much. On the contrary..."

Sun Yi stopped there, knowing he couldn't say anything more, as it would be a bit hurtful. He decided to leave it at that.

Yu Yuanshan looked at him with even more disdain.

Yes, that's right, it's disdain.

If it weren't for the fact that he had invited Sun Yi, he would have loved to kick him.

Have you no shame?!
"Haha, Uncle Yu, calm down, calm down." Sun Yi laughed, giving himself a way out.

Upon hearing the address "Uncle Yu," Yu Yuanshan's expression finally improved.

“Uncle Yu, the programs I designed are all to better align with the core of this year’s Spring Festival Gala. In particular, this song and this dance echo each other in theme, both revolving around positive energy cores such as ‘family’, ‘hope’, ‘inheritance’, and ‘warmth’. Yifei’s participation can better connect and enhance the appeal of the entire program. From the perspective of program effect, this is definitely a choice where one plus one is greater than two.”

"As for the related public opinion, I can openly admit that this is a 'cooperation' and a 'collective program,' without much personal bias."

"And you definitely won't regret your decision today once the show airs."

Yu Yuanshan stared at Sun Yi for a long while, finally letting out a long sigh, a helpless smile on his face that said, "I knew you'd pull this trick." He pointed at Sun Yi:
“You’ve already thoroughly studied the rules and regulations, haven’t you? Okay, that explanation makes sense in theory. But Sun Yi, I must remind you, even if the format is compliant, there will still be plenty of eyes watching you and Xiao Liu. The quality of the program must be excellent, it must withstand everyone’s scrutiny, and it cannot be perceived as a perfunctory ‘favor program.’ Otherwise, I’ll be the first to get punished, and then you will be next.”

"Uncle Yu, don't worry." Sun Yi stood up, his tone solemn. "I guarantee the quality of the program with my professional life. There will only be surprises, never disappointments."

"Okay, I'll wait."

Sun Yi breathed a sigh of relief after leaving Yu Yuanshan's office.

He managed to get through the toughest hurdle.

But what follows is not so easy.

He already had a clear idea of ​​the song and had a plan for the duet partners.

The only challenge is this dance. It's not just Ms. Liu's responsibility; she needs a talented, sophisticated, and professionally skilled team that can hold its own on stage.

(End of this chapter)