It's reasonable for me, a stuntman, to live a crazy life, right?

Chapter 1373 Weight Loss? Contract Termination? Dazzling and Brilliant?
"The Film Bureau has announced the latest batch of approved film and television scripts: 'The Room Next Door,' 'Scorching Heat,' 'Operation Jiaolong,'"

"Feiyue Films has announced the latest film project approval: the drama film 'The Room Next Door,' directed by Liu Yifei, has been officially approved, telling the story of the friendship between two female friends..."

"Jia Ling's new film 'Hot and Spicy' has been approved. The film tells the story of a homebody's rise to success."

"Several films, including Desperate Househusband, Someday or One Day, and Detective Conan: The Halloween Bride, have announced their release dates and will hit theaters in November, December, and January."

...

The National Day holiday box office fervor continues, but the film and television industry has already ushered in a new trending topic.

Feiyue Films, Big Bowl Entertainment, and Bona Film Group simultaneously announced their latest film projects.

Among them, the most popular one has to be "The Room Next Door" announced by Feiyue Films.

Many people stared wide-eyed at the name "Liu Yifei" in the director's column, their faces filled with disbelief!

On Weibo, netizens are already in an uproar:
"Liu Yifei is a director? I can't believe my eyes! She's really the director of 'The Room Next Door'?"

"Are you crazy? Can't she just stick to being an actress? So many actors who try directing have failed miserably. Don't ruin the reputation of Feiyue Films!"

"Wait a minute, Feiyue Films must have some confidence to let her direct, right? Her husband is Chen Fei, after all. Ensuring quality is a piece of cake for him, isn't it? Maybe there's a surprise hidden in this movie!"

"Everyone, stop arguing. Let's look at who's in the assistant director, producer, and executive producer positions before we start talking. What's there to criticize?"

"Director Liu Yifei, producer/screenwriter Chen Fei, assistant director Wen Muye, executive producer Han Jianu, well, what more can be said? There's absolutely no need to worry about the quality of this movie, just wait and see."

"It's obvious that Liu Yifei wanted to try what it's like to be a director, so her husband casually assembled a team and let her have some fun."

The comments section was filled with heated discussions, and even more questions arose.

However, many people are just criticizing for the sake of criticizing, without actually understanding the project's architecture.

After looking at it carefully, I realized there was nothing to complain about at all.

With the help of three Golden Horse Award-winning directors Chen Fei, Palme d'Or winner Han Jianu, and Golden Lion winner Wen Muye, making an art film is a piece of cake.
Even for big-budget commercial films, let alone art films, there's no problem getting them approved.

There's no other reason than that the support lineup is just too powerful!

With such a team to help, even a junior high school student who only knows how to say "start" and "pause" can successfully make a movie.

...

At the same time, in the conference room of Big Bowl Entertainment.

Jia Ling looked at the online discussions about Liu Yifei becoming a director and couldn't hide her envy.

Compared to her popularity and online traffic, Liu Yifei is far superior; she can't compare at all.

However, amidst her envy, a multitude of thoughts of "riding the wave" popped into her mind...

It's important to know that the number of female directors in China is extremely limited, and the number of actresses active in the film and television industry in recent years can be counted on one hand.

Previously, she broke Xue Xiaolu's box office record with "Hi Mom" ​​and ranked No.1 on the list of domestic female directors' box office achievements.

This made her, while enjoying the glory and huge profits, also give rise to the idea of ​​continuing to direct and make movies.

Just like when she was filming "Hi Mom," she was clear about her strengths, such as her ability to capture the emotional resonance of ordinary people.

The fact that she is a female director inherently generates a lot of buzz.

Now that Liu Yifei has stirred up a huge wave of discussion by "crossing over" to become a director, why can't she take advantage of this momentum to push forward?
She doesn't possess top-tier screenwriting skills like Chen Fei, but adapting and localizing the material is surprisingly easy for her.

Back when "Hi Mom" ​​was finished showing, she specifically asked her assistant to list all the well-received female-themed films from recent years, and ultimately chose the Japanese film "100 Yen Love".

This film, which tells the story of a reclusive woman who finds herself through boxing, is rough and exciting. After just one glance, it reminded her of the mother's indomitable spirit in "Hi Mom".

So she immediately decided to remake the movie.

The original version was too depressing and didn't suit my comedic background, but the core theme of "the awakening of ordinary people" could be retained.

So, she made the story even more exciting and relatable.

For example, the female protagonist can be set up as an overweight girl who has been worn down by life, and who regains her passion for life by working out and transforming herself.

The reason she chose the movie title "Hot and Spicy" is because she felt that "hot" could correspond to the vitality after a comeback, while "scalding" hides a spirit of never giving up.

This name is more powerful than the original and better reflects the feeling of "living life to the fullest" that she wants to convey.

After everything was finalized, she brought in the old team from "Hi Mom," moved the story's setting to an old neighborhood in Zhengzhou, added a mother who ran a food stall for the female lead, and a bunch of witty neighbors...

At this point, the film project was officially approved.

But to her utter surprise, on the very day that "Hot and Spicy" was launched, she stumbled upon Liu Yifei's plan to cross over into directing!
In the conference room, Li Ning, president of New Classics Media and executive producer of "Hot and Spicy", frowned as he looked at the screen on his phone that was flooded with posts about #LiuYifei'sFirstTimeDirecting#.

"Director Jia, we picked such a bad date. As soon as 'The Room Next Door' was officially announced, the whole internet was talking about Liu Yifei. The news of 'Hot and Spicy' being approved was completely suppressed and didn't even get close to trending on social media."

Upon hearing this, Jia Ling raised her head and smiled confidently: "Don't worry? You can always get back the attention you've been given."

"Take it back?" Li Ning was taken aback. "How can we steal Liu Yifei's popularity?"

“No! It shouldn’t be called stealing, it should be called taking advantage of.” Jia Ling said, her eyes gleaming with shrewdness. “Right now, everyone on the internet is talking about female directors and female-themed content. Isn’t this just the perfect stage for us?”

"The Room Next Door" focuses on female friendship, so we'll call it female empowerment, firmly linking the labels of 'female director' and 'female independence' together."

Seeing that Li Ning still didn't quite understand, she continued, "Just like how 'Man Jiang Hong' piggybacked on 'Lone on the Moon,' when we released press releases, we mentioned things like 'a showdown between female directors in the same release window' and 'two female directors exploring female power together.'"

Although ostensibly a comparison, it's actually a marketing ploy to link us with "The Room Next Door," so when viewers talk about her, they'll naturally see us in the process.

Li Ning pondered this logic and nodded: "This move is clever enough, but just bundling them together isn't enough, is it? After all, they are a project of Feiyue Film and Television, with a very strong foundation."

“This is just the first move.” Jia Ling smiled even more smugly. “The second move is to play the mystery game! From today onwards, the crew will be filming in complete secrecy, and the actors’ costumes and plot details will not be revealed to the public.”

I've focused on one thing: losing weight.

"Losing weight?" Li Ning was even more confused. "What does this have to do with the movie?" "It has a lot to do with it!" Jia Ling stood up and patted her waist. "I'm not only the director, but I also plan to play the female lead this time."

During filming, I posted a comparison photo every week, without showing my face, just showing the changes in my body shape, so that netizens could guess 'how much weight Jia Ling has lost' or 'how thin she can be for the role,' creating a gimmick for everyone to follow the series.

That way, when the movie is about to be released, my appearance will create a stark contrast that's more effective than any form of publicity.

Li Ning stared at her for a long time before hesitatingly asking, "With your weight... is it possible for you to lose weight?"

“It’s definitely difficult to lose weight by just exercising.” Jia Ling was quite honest and shrugged nonchalantly. “But we can use technology. We can have a nutritionist, a fitness coach, and a body shaping team all together. With some professional methods, how could we not lose weight?”
Just you wait and see. When I'm as thin as lightning, it'll be even more surprising than Liu Yifei's directorial debut.

As she spoke, she pointed to the computer screen, "Think about it, on the one hand, the audience is curious about how Liu Yifei directed, and on the other hand, they want to know if I've lost weight and how much. With both sides' interest combined, how can we worry about not getting attention?"

Seeing Jia Ling's confident demeanor, Li Ning's doubts gradually dissipated.

He picked up the plan, flipped through a few pages, then looked up at Jia Ling and nodded after a moment, saying, "Okay, let's do it your way."

Putting everything else aside, Li Ning found the "Jia Ling losing weight" gimmick quite interesting.

After all, ever since she became famous, she has always presented herself to the audience and netizens as a "chubby girl".

If someone suddenly decides to lose weight, and becomes as thin as a lightning bolt, the buzz surrounding it is bound to be huge.

The atmosphere in the meeting room gradually relaxed, and the team members discussed the specific marketing milestones, from the wording of the press releases to the frequency of releasing before-and-after weight loss photos, everything was arranged clearly.

Looking at the bustling scene before her, Jia Ling unscrewed the bottle of mineral water and took a sip.

She knew that comparing herself to Liu Yifei in terms of popularity was pointless, but when it came to making the most of an ordinary situation, she had plenty of experience.

The excitement in the film and television industry is never a one-person show; those who can truly dance along are the real talent.

...

Jiaxing Media.

Inside the office, Yang Mi stared at the announcement online, unable to come to her senses for a long time.

Back then, we were all one of the "Four Little Actresses".

Although Liu Yifei was more popular than them at that time and enjoyed more resources, the gap wasn't particularly large.

Especially in recent years, with Liu Yifei getting married and having children, her frequency of public appearances has decreased significantly, and her popularity and buzz are much lower compared to other actresses who rely on online traffic.

After the movie "Parasite" finished its run during the summer, her popularity began to decline, and she appeared in public much less frequently.

But to everyone's surprise, she dropped a bombshell today!
"She's actually going to become a director?"

Yang Mi murmured, her voice filled with undisguised envy, like a fine needle gently pricking her heart.

She thought that she was maintaining her popularity through traffic and variety shows, and that the distance between them was quietly closing. But she didn't expect the other party to make such a big move.

From actress to director, she made a steady and decisive leap, backed by Feiyue Films and Chen Fei. How could I possibly compare?

Before the envy had even subsided, the heavy pressure of reality surged in like a tidal wave.

The schedule Zeng Jia had just sent me in my phone's notes app was densely packed with entries:

Tomorrow morning I'm flying to Changsha to record a variety show, then rushing back in the afternoon to film a night scene for a TV series. The day after tomorrow morning I have to go to a movie set for location rehearsals, and in between, I'll be doing live streams for three brands...

Upon closer examination, she realized that she hadn't had a full night's sleep in three months.

"They really treat me like a beast of burden." Yang Mi gave a bitter laugh, rubbing her throbbing temples, feeling utterly irritated.

Zeng Jia always says, "Take advantage of the current popularity to accumulate more capital," but all she wants is a moment to catch her breath.

Two variety shows, three TV dramas, and one movie are weighing on him; each project feels like a shackle.

Not to mention, I also had to mentor those hopeless newcomers in the company, teaching them lines, rehearsing their scenes, and even helping them avoid bad movies. I was exhausted, like a spinning top.

What chilled her even more was the future of Jaywalk Studio.

The IPO plan had long since fallen through, and the company's resources had visibly shrunk, yet Zeng Jia was still pressuring her to sign a renewal contract, promising her "shareholding dividends."

But she knew perfectly well that she was nothing more than a tool for Jiaxing to cash out.

If this continues, we'll only be squeezed dry of our last bit of value.

"I really can't do it anymore."

Looking at the empty office, Yang Mi murmured to herself, her voice filled with an unprecedented determination.

The idea of ​​leaving Jaywalk Studio has been on her mind for a while now. She wants to film scripts she truly loves, has time to rest, and wants to live a life she can control.

However, Zeng Jia seemed to have noticed something. Recently, there has been a sudden surge of negative news about her "acting like a diva" and "working on multiple projects at once" online. It's obvious to everyone that the company is putting pressure on her behind the scenes.

Some people in her team advised her to back down, saying that "it's no good to fall out with the company," but Yang Mi stubbornly stuck to her guns.

No matter how nasty those scandals are, they're still better than being stuck in one place and wasting your life!
She turned off her phone's schedule, opened her contacts, and found the lawyer's number.

My fingertip hovered over the dial button. After hesitating for a moment, I finally pressed it.

"Hello, Attorney Zhang, I'd like to discuss the contract termination with you in more detail..."

Sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting dappled shadows on the floor.

As Yang Mi listened to the lawyer's words on the phone and looked at the light on the ground, she suddenly felt a sense of relief.

If Liu Yifei can bravely cross boundaries, why can't she be brave just once?
This time, she didn't want to live for others anymore; she just wanted to fight for herself one last time!
At the same time, Yang Ying, who was filming on set, was also looking at the trending news online.

The four leading actresses of yesteryear now have vastly different class backgrounds.

Yang Mi envied Liu Yifei, but she never dared to dream of reaching Liu Yifei's level. She only thought about proving that she could become famous even after leaving Huang Xiaoming after the divorce!
"Let's fight! While we're still young! While we still have time! I must prove myself, that I can live a brilliant and dazzling life even without a man!"

(End of this chapter)