Actor: Thank you.

After finishing up with the "If You Are the One" show, Zhang Yuan didn't even have time to go home.

After finishing the promotion of my own film, there are still other favors to be done.

Alec Su, who had worked with him on "The Message" for a long time, asked him to support his new movie.

It's a romantic comedy called "Four Cupids".

It's a bit rustic.

One major selling point is the quadruplets who were born during the intertwined era of the century.

The naturally born quadruplets were quite famous back then.

Later, he appeared on many programs, including CCTV and the Spring Festival Gala.

Nowadays, Alec Su can only act in small-scale productions and can't get good resources.

It's said that the TV series "My Fair Princess" "absorbs yang energy".

All the leading actresses became very famous, but from Erkang and Ertai to the Fifth Prince, their careers all declined.

Zhou Jie, who played Er Kang, suffered the most.

Besides being tricked by "Ziwei" on a Taiwanese TV program, she also crashed into a taxi while driving under the influence of alcohol in the middle of last year, causing minor injuries to several people.

Being tricked by Ziwei is one thing, but drunk driving is another.

After calling the police, he fled and hid until the next day when the effects of the alcohol wore off, at which point he went to the hospital for a blood test.

After successfully pulling off a sneaky trick, although he escaped legal liability for drunk driving, his reputation was further tarnished.

At this point, they had essentially withdrawn from the Huaxia Performing Arts industry.

In comparison, it's not as good as Wu Jing, who obediently accepted the punishment.

The Fifth Prince, Bierkang, is doing slightly better; at least he's still online.

However, compared to Xiao Yanzi, Ziwei, and Jin Suo, who are all top-tier actresses in television dramas and movies, Alec Su can only linger in the second tier now.

The films he makes are all low-budget productions; if they gross over ten million, it's something to celebrate.

The production cost was only 200 million, so it shouldn't lose money.

This is also the current state of the film and television industry.

Don't be fooled by the ton of blockbuster movies every year, each with an investment of over 100 million.

In fact, low-budget works make up the majority.

The same applies to Blumhouse films.

"Thank you." When Brother Youpeng saw him arrive, he put his hands together in thanks.

And they came as soon as they were called, which touched the other party.

I was even a little embarrassed.

Initially, the other party sent him a text message asking if he was free.

Zhang Yuan laughed when he saw it.

Su Youpeng is ultimately quite smart and not reckless.

Rejection via text message is also easy.

Zhang Yuan called him back and asked what was wrong.

As soon as he heard that he was calling, Peng felt relieved.

He has been in the industry for many years and has seen too many people and things.

Especially in this circle, you can't even be friendly with many people to their face anymore.

But they turn on you the moment they turn around!
It's already good enough if they don't stab you in the back; it's really rare to find someone you can still be on good terms with.

Su Youpeng was also unsure about Zhang Yuan's situation.

It's not that I doubt he's a bad person.

Back then, he was the male lead and the other was a supporting character; now it's the other way around.

The crew of "The Message" were very close and had a good relationship.

But now that the film crew has disbanded, will they still recognize him?

uncertain.

When he called back, she wasn't too excited; instead, she nervously explained why she had contacted him.

This is a romance film, and recently the word "romance" has been strongly associated with it.

After all, news of him being rejected is everywhere.

The team wanted to ride his coattails and attract more attention.

After listening, Zhang Yuan felt that Su Youpeng was a decent person; at least he clearly told him that he wanted to freeload.

It's much better than pretending to be a friend while actually just trying to get on your good side.

Regardless of their motives, at least they treated you sincerely.

That's how we got to today.

He is the male lead, and the female lead is also an old acquaintance of Zhang Yuan, Yan Danchen.

I met them on the set of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" back then. After the audition, the two of them strolled home together.

Shake hands and greet each other.

Yan Danchen also exclaimed that she hadn't seen him for many years and that he had changed so much.

When Zhang Yuan took her home back then, she thought he was interested in her.

As it turned out, they barely contacted her at all.

Now, when I see her again, she looks and has an even better demeanor than before.

Zhang Yuan also felt that Teacher Yan was very young and fresh in her early years.

She is fair-skinned and looks gentle.

Now she's grown even more, and her eyes and brows exude a more mature woman's charm.

It's the kind of thing that easily evokes the spirit of Cao Cao.

However, Zhang Yuan did not have any romantic feelings for her.

It's not that you're not good enough!
My brother's requirements are really too high.

Moreover, this person's intelligence is rather average, and their luck is not very good either.

Let's not bully honest people.

There were many questions about the film at the press conference.

But people kept asking Zhang Yuan about "If You Are the One".

The production team let him ask, since that was the reason they hired him.

"I just happened to be recording a program for Jiangsu TV."

"The station told me that there is such a program."

"I found it quite interesting."

"In addition, there's been a lot of talk online lately about how young people these days are really materialistic."

"So this is what happened."

"I thought at least some people would persevere to the end, but it seems I overestimated myself."

he joked.

At this point, you have to play the submissive role and stop stirring things up by complaining that girls are materialistic.

Otherwise, it's easy to get attacked, and if it's brought up again in later generations, it's easy to be used as dirt to criticize others.

"Could you talk to everyone about your personal relationship issues?"

“No, this is my personal privacy, and I will not talk about these things publicly,” Zhang Yuan refused decisively.

Su Youpeng glanced at him.

Don't you want to talk about that little girl who performed Kunqu Opera on the set of "The Message"?

Zhang Yuan not only doesn't know how to talk, he's also incapable of talking.

This is like the curtain separating first class and economy class.

We can't reveal it. If you find out how happy the people in first class are, the people in economy class won't be able to keep it up.

“He is very focused when he is working and doesn’t think about anything else, so I have never seen any signs of his love life on set.”

When asked if he had ever met Zhang Yuan's girlfriend, Su Youpeng gave this answer.

Hey!
Zhang Yuan wanted to give a thumbs up.

This is one of our own.

Some people are just being cheeky, or trying to get attention, and they deliberately leak information about others. There are quite a few people like that.

Of course, some of these are just random, muddled statements.

It's good to be a smart person; they know how to handle things.

After the press conference, Zhang Yuan planned to leave.

"Let's have a meal together. Thank you for your help."

"No need, I have things to do when I get back." Zhang Yuan wasn't making excuses; he genuinely had something to do.

"Eat up, don't be shy... I have something to ask you." Su Youpeng said, a little embarrassed.

A short while later, they found a private room in a restaurant.

After some hesitation, Brother Youpeng spoke up, saying that he had a friend who was a director.

I'd like to meet him.

Now that you know that, I understand. He's definitely trying to attract investment.

Zhang Yuan stopped beating around the bush and told him to get straight to the point, and he asked directly as well.

Which director?

"What drama?"

"A director from the Beijing Film Academy named Zhang Fanfan."

"I want to make a mystery film based on a novel."

Su Youpeng gave a detailed introduction.

There's a novel called "Terror Trap: The Mystery of the Locked Room Villa" that a director wanted to adapt into a film. He approached the author, but no one was willing to invest.

The script has been revised and is planned to be made into a series called "The Locked Room".

The cost is expected to be kept below 500 million.

Su Youpeng frankly stated that he would imitate the suspenseful and thrilling style of "Detective Conan," which involves solving cases in locked rooms.

His role is similar to an adult version of Conan.

For these kinds of small films, you often have to find actors first, and then use their names to attract investment; otherwise, nobody will pay any attention.

There has to be a signboard.

Su Youpeng and the director went to find Hua Yi first.

After all, Youpeng is an artist under Huayi Brothers.

But Huayi is so awesome now!
They've gone public, so they look down on small projects like this.

I even feel ashamed that they produced such a horror movie; only a small, run-down company would make such a film.

Of course, Su Youpeng wouldn't say it that way, but Zhang Yuan roughly understood what the other party meant.

He shook his head helplessly.

Not only will they go public, but after acquiring shares in Tudou.com through their own channels, they'll probably become even more arrogant.

Zhang Yuan heard that Huayi was working on a strategic partnership with Tudou, and it was almost finalized.

Pulling his thoughts back from Hua Yi, Zhang Yuan reconsidered the play that Su Youpeng had mentioned.

I think I've heard of the "Locked Room" series.

It should be able to make money.

He couldn't recall the director's name when only mentioned.

But when it came to making a mystery thriller, he remembered it.

Isn't this the same guy who later co-produced "The Three-Body Problem" with Yoozoo?

It's the "Three-Body Problem" movie that was filmed but never released.

Yoozoo is unprofessional, and this director is also lacking in ability.

It's fair to say that Yoozoo's eventual collapse was inextricably linked to this person, as he was the one who initially purchased the rights to "The Three-Body Problem."

After buying it, the guy insisted on filming it himself and sought investment from Yoozoo.

But not everyone can make blockbuster movies.

You don't have the ability to know!

This person isn't completely incapable; they just excel at making thriller-themed works.

Suddenly switching to making science fiction films is clearly a mismatch with their expertise.

In the end, not only was the filming a mess, but the project management was also a mess.

Yoozoo lost a lot of money as a result, causing internal rifts to appear.

Zhang Yuan thought to himself, "Luckily, I have the copyright now, so he can't mess with it."

"Sure, if the cost isn't high, we can consider it."

"How about this, you have the director send me the script first, and I'll take a look at it."

"And the project proposal, my people need to review it."

"And if we're going to film, you won't move, but I'll arrange for some of my own artists to take the other positions."

Such low-budget productions can be used to support actors.

Su Youpeng was surprised that things went so smoothly and thanked him repeatedly.

These days, because the authorities have relaxed their regulations a little, low-budget "horror films" have become popular.

Plays like "The Pen Fairy" and "The Ouija Board".

But the premise is that there can't actually be ghosts.

Given this premise, the content can't be good.

Filming movies allows you to dance in shackles, but you've put me in turtle shell bindings, how am I supposed to dance well?

Even though they knew it wouldn't be very good, quite a few people still watched it. Because of its low budget, most of these films were profitable.

After parting ways with Su Youpeng, I called Jiang Zhiqiang to talk about it.

He wasn't against it, because Hong Kong used to make low-budget horror films.

This is something that the Hong Kong entertainment circle has already done before.

Neither the film companies on either side of the strait have the arrogance of Hua Yi; they just approve projects as they see fit.

If you think it's okay, then fine. I'll come to you if I lose money anyway...

Go home.

Not long after sitting down, Cheng Hao, looking travel-worn, pulled his suitcase and stepped through the courtyard gate.

"Coming?"

"coming."

"Dandan, lend a hand to your sister Cheng Hao."

He called his assistant for help and carried the suitcase to the backyard.

"Let me first explain the work arrangements." Zhang Yuan sat down facing her.

He invited her today; it wasn't for a date.

Moreover, it won't just be Cheng Hao who will be there; almost all the company's artists will be present.

"First of all, it's our company's annual meeting."

"In the past, we could only eat a meal, but this year we have a place to go."

"Brother Qian has finished his work at the horse farm in Lixian. I'll go check on him."

"We'll have some fun together with Deyuan Society, which will boost our popularity."

Cheng Hao took out his notebook and wrote it down.

"Next, I still need to go and support Sina."

"Weibo contacted me a while ago; they're holding their annual conference."

It was officially called the Sina Awards Ceremony, but its subtitle was actually the First Weibo Night.

We should focus on promoting the Weibo brand and gradually shift resources from blogs and Sina's portal to it.

"After supporting Sina, we'll also go support Duowan Games."

"Because this is my business, it's somewhat of a private matter."

"So we have to pay everyone."

"Don't be so tacky with money transfers, give me a red envelope instead."

"Then we'll stop by Hong Kong for some food and drinks, it's on me."

“When Huayi went public, these monkeys and their offspring made a fuss about me treating them to a meal, and I can’t go back on my word.”

You have to prepare red envelopes, withdraw cash from the bank, and coordinate the artists' schedules.

Things become complicated whenever people are involved.

"You'll be leading the team then, I'll have to attend to social engagements and probably won't have time to take care of them."

“I can’t manage so many people,” Cheng Hao frowned.

"Are you stupid?" Zhang Yuan replied with a laugh.

"Does a teacher who manages a class maintain individual contact with each student?"

"No class monitor should be elected."

"You take charge of Yang Siwei and Zeng Jia, and let them take charge of their subordinates, that's all."

"Oh, oh, oh..." The older sister nodded and made a note of it.

"You've been quite popular online lately," Cheng Hao said with a look of disdain after finishing their business.

"Getting rejected by everyone on a show, isn't that embarrassing?" The man pointed at him with his slender finger.

"Those who reject me are the ones who are shameful." He didn't feel embarrassed at all.

"I've been busy lately and haven't contacted you much for a while. It seems you've been quite busy."

Cheng Hao replied, seemingly casually.

"I heard you also went to Africa for a trip."

"Who told you that?" Zhang Yuan asked nervously.

It wasn't reported, was it?

"I've seen all the aircraft wear and tear bills," Cheng Hao said calmly.

"Ah...yes, that's just what I needed."

"I'll go to Abu Dhabi on the way and return the plane to its owner."

"That's good. You're usually busy, so you should rest, enjoy yourself, and have fun."

"You need to relax before you can work well," the kind older sister said, reaching out to straighten his collar.

My hands are a little cold, after all, it's winter now.

Zhang Yuan, full of youthful vigor, had warm hands, so he held his to help warm them.

Then, Cheng Hao lowered her eyes and asked a question that seemed to be something unintentional.

How was your trip to Africa?

"Well, the peaks are majestic and magnificent, and the power of nature is truly awe-inspiring."

"Looks like you're having a lot of fun," Cheng Hao chuckled and then suddenly asked.

"Who did you go with?"

Zhang Yuan: …

After all that, this is what I wanted to ask.

I can still stump you with my questions.

"A whole team, a professional mountaineering team."

Are there any women?

"Of course..." Zhang Yuan straightened his chest, looking as if he had a clear conscience.

At this moment, the assistant brought over a snack made by the aunt.

The radishes from Shawo are crisp and sweet, truly radishes that rival pears, and this is the perfect time to eat them.

You're giving it to me, fine, but why are you making a fuss about it?

"Of course..." Zhang Yuan hadn't finished speaking when his assistant arrived.

"There are women."

Zhang Yuan: !!!
Cheng Hao's hands were cold just now, and now they are cold.

"Don't talk nonsense, or I'll sue you for defamation..." Zhang Yuan was about to warn her, but Cheng Hao stopped him.

"Don't open your mouth... Dandan, I'll ask you a question and you answer it."

"Oh."

"A woman?"

"Yes, I have."

"Young?"

"Yes, young."

"Is it pretty?"

"It's quite beautiful," the assistant replied, emphasizing each word.

"No wonder you were having so much fun." Cheng Hao turned to look at him with a smile.

"This, I..." Zhang Yuan stammered, unable to open his mouth.

Good guy!
You'll be fearless after your year-end bonus is all deducted, right?

Cheng Hao turned back to look at her assistant.

"Don't be afraid, just tell me boldly, who is this woman?"

"Don't panic, he won't dare fire you."

"If he fires you, expose all those things he did."

Zhang Yuan: Then I'll be a complete sensation!

Cheng Hao was half-joking, but she held his hand down firmly.

But when the assistant heard this, he raised his hand and pointed to himself.

"me."

Young, beautiful, a woman—that's me!

The older sister raised her eyebrows high.

That's not wrong...

Zhang Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.

Saying you're pretty is a little shameless...

"I wasn't talking about you," Cheng Hao waved his hand.

“But Brother Long is still here.” Zhao Dandan replied blankly.

"I wasn't talking about the two of you... Go play." Cheng Hao rubbed his head, feeling a headache coming on, and waved her away.

Before leaving, the assistant suddenly gave Zhang Yuan a resolute look.

Similar to the look in the eyes of the second-in-command when the Supreme Treasure's crotch is on fire in "A Chinese Odyssey".

Zhang Yuan: …

They've made progress over the years by following me.

I finally know what to say and what not to say.

What needs to be said and how to say it.

You have to be selective in telling the truth.

See, after fining out their year-end bonuses, they've started to reflect on their actions, haven't they?

Rewards and punishments must be balanced.

The next day, Zhao Dandan was given 12 months' salary as year-end bonus because she stepped into the courtyard with her left foot first… (End of Chapter)