Entering the Chinese entertainment industry is like entering a deep sea

Chapter 809 Shanghai Theatre Academy's words cause a frenzy
With the Lunar New Year film season approaching, the most anticipated films are "La La Land," which will be released on December 18, and "The Mermaid," which will be released on the first day of the Lunar New Year. The former is not only a Golden Lion winner but also holds the record for the highest score among Chinese-language films in the Venice Film Festival's program.

The latter has the support of Stephen Chow.

In addition, the dramas "Fall in Love Like a Star" starring Yang Mi and Li Yifeng, and "The Villain Angel" starring Deng Chao and Sun Li, are equally eye-catching.

The former was released on December 3rd, while the latter, like "Mr. Six," was released on Li Chen's birthday, Christmas Eve.

For the first film to be released, Yang Mi went all out for the box office, declaring that she would personally re-sing the theme song "Please Contact Me" if the box office exceeded 500 million!
Meanwhile, Deng Chao and Sun Li, a married couple, also met with Li Chen's "La La Land" crew in Shanghai.

Li Chen gladly accepted the couple's invitation.

At 6 p.m., the Bund One, a top-tier luxury residential complex on the banks of the Huangpu River, was brightly lit.

Deng Chao, dressed in a casual suit, and Sun Li, dressed in a proper business suit, personally greeted him in the garage.

As the couple were talking, they saw the familiar Maybach drive in. Deng Chao quickly ran forward, opened the car door, and smiled broadly.

"Boss! Your presence as a billionaire has been so kind that my property management has upgraded the security system three times!"

Sun Li also stepped forward, stood next to Deng Chao, and gave a half-bow with a smile, saying, "Hello, Director Li, welcome to our esteemed presence."

Li Chen smiled and handed over a wooden box, which Sun Li quickly thanked him for and accepted.

"Do you think this is a movie shoot? You've upgraded security three times!"

Deng Chao laughed heartily: "Boss, you just said you were coming, why did you bring a gift?"

"Yes, Director Li, please come in."

Li Chen glanced around and could tell that Deng Chao had earned a lot of money in the past two years, and of course, Sun Li, the Best Actress winner, had earned just as much.

In two days, her drama "The Legend of Mi Yue" will premiere on Tomato TV and Beijing TV. Along with "The Villain Angel", this empress will be indispensable on both the big and small screens.

The couple accompanied Li Chen into the villa, where the banquet had already been prepared.

Deng insisted on inviting Li Chen to take the seat of honor, but Li Chen declined.

In the end, the guests followed the host's lead, and the three of them raised their glasses under the crystal chandelier.

Sun Li gently swirled her wine glass and laughed, "The night La La Land won the award at Venice, Chao Ge watched the live broadcast and said sourly, 'If I hadn't left Rong Chen back then, I might have gotten the role of the boss, and Yi Fei might not have had a chance!'"

Deng Chao laughed loudly: "Boss, don't listen to her! I'm working with Yu Baimei on 'The Villain Angel' now, and I get called 'greasy' by netizens every day. Unlike you and Teacher Liu, your Douban rating has never dropped below 8 points!"

Even Deng Chao now calls his wife "Teacher Liu," which is how the entertainment industry's practice of praising the powerful and belittling the weak comes about.

Li Chen raised an eyebrow and said, "You have a natural talent for comedy. This is a roundabout way to achieve your goal. Once 'The Mermaid' is released, I estimate you may become the highest-grossing male actor in China!"

Sun Li burst out laughing, thinking that this person was joking with her husband.

Deng Chao wailed, "Boss, don't kid me. Even if 'The Mermaid' is good, it can't be better than 'Vientiane Island'!"

Li Chen smiled; he didn't have an answer to that question either.

After all, "The Mermaid" now has the added support of Rong Chen's brand and the variable of Lu Han, and with his current resources.

Although "The Monkey King 3" and "From Vegas to Macau III" will be competing on the first day of the Lunar New Year, their screening rates will definitely not be able to compete with "The Mermaid".

It shouldn't be a big problem for the box office to surpass the previous 34 billion; as for whether it can reach 40 billion, only heaven knows.

As Li Chen was leaving, Deng Chao suddenly pulled out his phone and grinned, "We have to take a picture together! Let netizens see who the real king of connections in the film and television industry is! Come on, Lili, I'll put you in the center."

Sun Li quickly ran over with a smile. Among the three, Sun Li was in the middle and leaned slightly towards Li Chen next to her. Deng Chao grinned and made a peace sign, with his other hand on his wife's shoulder.

Li Chen smiled and gave him face.

After seeing Li Chen off to his car, Deng Chao bowed and waved goodbye to Li Chen, saying with a smile, "Boss, you don't mind if I post something on Weibo later, do you?"

Li Chen chuckled lightly: "We've already taken the photos, what's there to mind? Let's go."

Goodbye, Director Li.

"Welcome back again, boss!"

After watching the Maybach disappear from sight, Deng Chao and his wife returned to the villa and opened the gift box that Li Chen had brought.

"Tea cake? This Pu'er tea isn't the one Yifei uses for bathing, is it?" Sun Li exclaimed, both surprised and delighted.

Deng Chao laughed: "Most likely. I think the boss is afraid of Yifei. Rather than let her ruin him, he might as well give her away."

That evening, Deng Chao posted a photo of the three of them on Weibo with the caption: "The Empress has taken the center position from the boss!"
Sun Li replied instantly: "You took this punishment for me!"

This photo went viral with the hashtag #DengChaoLifeWinner#.

Netizens left numerous comments jokingly.

"If you don't dare to take it, let your wife take it. Brother Chao, be a man. If you're ambitious and want to be on equal footing with your boss, just say so!"

"That's right. Little Li and Little Deng were helping the Empress out of the palace, one on each side. Looking at the photos, the Empress clearly favors Little Li more. Oh no, their relationship is in trouble."

Deng Chao burst into laughter while holding his phone, and Sun Li also laughed heartily.

"Actually, I also wanted to tag you and Director Li, but I didn't dare to tag Leonardo DiCaprio."

"You were right not to post it. The boss said he doesn't like people calling him 'Little Li.' It's fine for netizens to call him that, but we shouldn't join in the fun."

As soon as I got back to the riverside villa, Liu Yifei called.

Li Chen saw it was his wife calling and smiled as he pressed the speakerphone button.

"You're back from Chao Ge's house?"

As soon as Li Chen returned, the housekeeper of the riverside villa sent her the news.

Although she trusted her husband, countless real-life cases show that the peak period for men to cheat is during a woman's pregnancy.

Therefore, some precautions are necessary, as long as the husband doesn't find out.

"Yeah, I just got back. That couple talks too much; it hurts my eardrums."

"Brother Chao does talk a lot. What are you doing?" Liu Yifei laughed.

“Read comics.”

"A comic book? Kowloon Walled City?"

"No, this time it's a cartoonist from mainland China."

"What are you calling me? Are you falling for me again?"

"Of course, I've already sent someone to negotiate, and I expect to have a result soon."

"You haven't told me what it's called yet. I'm bored, so I might as well take a look."

"Don't read 'Under One Person' because it's too long and bad for your eyes. Wait until I buy it and publish it before you read it."

"Okay, I know. Get some rest. You'll probably be busy at the Shanghai Theatre Academy tomorrow. Their director will definitely bring up the 70th anniversary of the academy. You'd better keep your composure, or I'll see how you explain it to Director Zhang."

Li Chen laughed heartily: "It's just an invitation, not some honey trap, and you managed to hold back. I'm truly impressed!"

-

The following day, despite it being the weekend, the Shanghai Theatre Academy campus was packed with people.

The cast and crew of "La La Land" are coming to the Shanghai Theatre Academy for a promotional tour today.

Whether it was the Shanghai Theatre Academy administration, its students, fans from the surrounding areas of Shanghai, or media from all over the country, they all gathered at the Shanghai Theatre Academy campus.

Of the three people who came, two were benefactors to all young people who wanted to improve themselves.

Both Li Chen and Chen Kexin are top directors from Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Even playing a supporting role in one of their films would be a significant achievement.

The campus was bustling with people and filled with noise.

The red carpet stretched from the school gate all the way to the experimental theater.

When Li Chen, Chen Kexin, and Hui Yinghong's black van drove in, deafening screams and cheers erupted at the scene.

Some students held up signs that read "Director Li, take a look at our puppetry department," while others waved posters and banners featuring Li Chen.

The car door opened, and Vice President Huang Changyong personally stepped forward and smiled, "Director Li, we meet again."

Li Chen smiled and shook hands with the other party: "Dean Huang, you can just call me Li Chen."

Huang Changyong laughed heartily, quite satisfied with this man's attitude, and then turned to look at the two people next to Li Chen.

"Director Chen, Ms. Kara Hui, welcome to the Shanghai Theatre Academy."

"Dean Huang, you're too kind."

"I can't accept Dean Huang calling me 'teacher'."

"Hey, whether it's your age or your major, you're qualified to be a teacher, students, don't you think?" Huang Changyong turned around and asked the enthusiastic students of the Shanghai Theatre Academy with a smile.

Immediately, a student rushed forward and stuffed a bouquet of roses into Hui Yinghong's hands.

Many girls immediately surrounded Kara Hui: "Teacher Yinghong! Your performance in 'The Invisible Guest' was absolutely brilliant!"

"Teacher Hui, what do you think dancers should give up most when transitioning to film?"

Kara Hui seemed to be infected by the students' enthusiasm, answering almost every question: "Drop the burden of 'beauty'! Look at how I acted as a crazy woman, with snot and tears flying everywhere."

The audience burst into laughter.

"Alright, alright, students, let's invite our guests in first. If you have any questions, we'll give you time to ask them later." Huang Changyong smiled and invited Li Chen and the others into the lecture hall.

Li Chen glanced at the tall girl who had just asked the question, and felt that she looked somewhat familiar.

The girl seemed to be staring at Li Chen the whole time.

Seeing the director looking over, she immediately flashed what she considered her sweetest smile, waved her hand, and said loudly, "Director Li, my name is Zhong Chuxi, I'm a student in the 10 Folk Dance Performance Department, and I especially love Sister Yifei's solo dance segment in 'La La Land'!"

Li Chen suddenly realized, "Isn't this the second female lead from 'Youth'? No wonder she looks familiar."

Zhong Chuxi's shout seemed to bless the students present.

They introduced themselves one by one, like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

"Director Li, my name is Peng Yuchang!" A short boy jumped up, just like Tian Xiwei who was jumping around in the Beijing Film Academy that night, begging Li Chen to return to Guan.

"Director Li, my name is Zhang Binbin!"

Li Chen was both amused and exasperated. Wasn't this Yang Mi's artist? Why was she joining in the fun?

Seeing Li Chen looking over, Zhang Binbin laughed even more excitedly.

Li Chen turned to Huang Changyong and said with a smile, "Dean Huang, the students at our Shanghai Theatre Academy are even more enthusiastic than those at the Beijing Film Academy."

Huang Changyong laughed and said, "If you're so enthusiastic, just sign a few more! You only signed Jiang Shuying! You're now a flag bearer for Chinese cinema, you can't just focus on one film or one theater!"

Li Chen nodded: "Dean Huang is right, but I dare not accept the title of the flag bearer for Chinese films."

Huang Changyong was subtly addressing him, pointing out that in recent years, the Beijing Film Academy has seen a strong rise due to the influence of Li Chen, Liu Yifei, and the Rong Chen faction.

Both the number of applicants and the number of students admitted far surpassed those of the Central Academy of Drama and the Shanghai Theatre Academy.

The vast majority of the artists signed by Li Chen are also from Beijing Film Academy.

The students at the Central Academy of Drama and the Shanghai Theatre Academy inevitably have some complaints.

Just like Dilraba, who should have applied to the Shanghai Theatre Academy but ended up choosing the Beijing Film Academy.

If he remembered correctly, Tian Xiwei should have applied to the Shanghai Theatre Academy, but that night she claimed to be a student from the 2016 class of the Beijing Film Academy, so her goal had obviously become the Beijing Film Academy.

The saying "Beijing Film Academy produces stars" was taken to a whole new level by Li Chen, and now it has an extra word: "Beijing Film Academy produces great stars!"
Zhang Hanyun, Dilraba Dilmurat, Zhu Yilong, Yang Zi, and Meng Jie, who has already begun to make a name for herself, are all clear examples.

"If you put it that way, I'll take that as a yes!" Huang Changyong pressed on, seizing the opportunity.

“I agree. Dean Huang has already spoken, how could I dare not agree?” Li Chen said with a smile.

This guy will probably drop the "vice" title next year. His relationship with Ren Zhonglun has deteriorated, so there's no need for him to have a falling out with the Shanghai Theatre Academy as well. It's just a matter of signing one or two people.

Huang Changyong laughed heartily: "The day after tomorrow is the 70th anniversary celebration of the Shanghai Theatre Academy. I mentioned it to you before, and asked if you could come and support us."

Li Chen smiled and said, "Dean Huang, please let me off the hook. My schedule is packed these next few days, and I'll be leaving Shanghai tomorrow."

Huang Changyong knew that Li Chen was a very busy person, so he didn't insist. He smiled and said, "Alright, alright, I know you're a busy person. Come to the Shanghai Theatre Academy more often to teach the students when you have time."

They even used the word 'preaching'; someone who can be a school principal is definitely not a bookworm.

After all, not just anyone can hold a position where they can sleep with whomever they want.

"Students, Director Li just told me that the students at the Shanghai Theatre Academy are even more enthusiastic than those at the Beijing Film Academy." Huang Changyong's words sent the students at the Shanghai Theatre Academy into a frenzy.

It felt like the ceiling of the lecture hall was about to collapse from the cheers and shouts of the students.

Li Chen and Chen Kexin exchanged a helpless glance; it seemed the school leaders from Beijing Film Academy would be harassing him again tomorrow.

We welcome Director Li to say a few words to us.

Thunderous applause erupted as Li Chen was invited to the center by Huang Changyong, flanked by leaders and student representatives from the Shanghai Theatre Academy.

Li Chen was already quite adept at handling such situations.

He paused for a moment while holding the microphone before saying, "I won't say much else, let me give you some practical advice."

As soon as he said this, the audience burst into applause. The students below the stage, as numerous as giraffes, craned their necks and stared expectantly at the short-haired young man in front of the podium.

"Just before I arrived at the academy, someone from the company called me and said they had just completed a 5800 million yuan deal with an animation company."

The scene erupted in uproar; 5800 million is an astronomical figure for today's students.

But in this person's words, it felt like it was just five dollars and eighty cents.

"I plan to develop this animation series as a key project on par with the MonsterVerse, FengshenVerse, and Science FictionVerse."

"And the lead actor in this new universe is, as requested by Dean Huang just now," Li Chen said with a smile, glancing at Huang Changyong.

Huang Changyong's eyes disappeared from laughing.

The senior students in the audience were already getting excited.

"Director Li, should we choose the lead actors from among us?"

"That's right, Director Li, it's about time it was our turn at the Shanghai Theatre Academy!"

"Yes, Director Li, the Shanghai Theatre Academy has suffered for you for so long. You can't only have eyes for Senior Sister Shuying!"

The atmosphere was lively, with laughter echoing both on and off the stage.

Zhang Binbin, Peng Yuchang, Zhong Chuxi, and others in the audience were extremely excited.

"Sister Mi, listen, listen!" Zhang Binbin dialed Yang Mi's number directly.

"The main characters of this new universe will most likely come from one or two of you, or even more!"

The scene went absolutely wild.
(End of this chapter)