Actor: Thank you.

Everyone goes through such a phase.

After a certain opportunity, their income or reputation skyrocketed several times, or even dozens of times, and then they became arrogant.

They will engage in retaliatory spending to fulfill their childhood regrets.

Then came panic, the fear that the money might be there today but gone tomorrow.

They disregarded the cost and, with the mentality of "making as much money as possible," rushed to grab what they could.

This is why many actors and internet celebrities start taking advantage of others' fame as soon as they become famous.

There aren't many people who can truly calm down and take a good look at themselves.

Fortunately, Zhang Yuan has already passed this initial stage.

He doesn't just look at the pay when he accepts roles now.

After all, film remuneration is not the largest part of his income.

On the contrary, it allows him to view certain works more objectively.

For example, this movie, "The Warring States"!
The director, Jin Chen, was very interested in him, spoke very nicely, and was very sincere.

They have consistently emphasized that they can offer a salary commensurate with their own expectations.

Tsk!
Zhang Yuan smacked his lips a few times.

Troublesome matters.

He knew about this show; it was notoriously bad.

Of course, there are many bad movies, not just this one.

The reason they became famous is because their work was not only bad, but also because they artificially promoted the artists.

The person they are pushing hard is the new title that has emerged in this day and age, following the "Four Dan and Two Bing" and the "Four Little Flowers," called "Bingxue Weitian" (Ice and Snow with a Touch of Sweetness).

The four are Bai Bing, who finally became famous with the TV series "The Myth".

Han Xue hasn't started promoting her grandfather yet, but she's already started promoting herself by refusing to film kissing scenes and keeping her private life private.

Gan Wei later married Jia Yueting, the owner of LeEco.

And now, the female lead of this drama, Jing Tian.

These four individuals have been grouped together since the beginning of this year and are known as the "Four Beauties of Beijing," in contrast to the "Four Young Masters of Beijing."

The online rhyme goes, "Slightly sweet from ice and snow, extremely wealthy"...

It may be a bit cliché, but it accurately expresses the audience's opinion of these four people.

They're all people with connections!
Bai Bing is the least successful; she comes from a businessman's family, but she debuted early and, through her connections in the Hong Kong entertainment circle, finally made it big.

The remaining three are Han Xue's grandfather... right?

Gan Wei later became well-known because of her identity as the wife of the owner of LeEco.

But in fact, her family background was not simple before she got married.

After graduating from the PLA Academy of Arts, he went straight to China Film Group Corporation to work behind the scenes, participating in distribution business.

Is this the kind of work that an average female college student can do?
In addition, Jingtian's father was also in the military.

Of the four, three are military dependents, except for Bai Bing.

Why is Bai Bing from a wealthy family considered "the worst"? It's mainly because of the comparison with the other three.

How can an ordinary businessman compare to a politically connected family?
These four are actually quite good-looking, passable to the audience, but their abilities and intelligence are rather average.

Compared to the four Dan and two Bing, they are like a weasel giving birth to mice, each litter worse than the last.

Jing Tian was good-looking and had a great figure at her peak, but her acting skills were just so-so, barely passable.

She has quite a few fans, especially male viewers who really like her youthful, schoolgirl-like face.

Our Liu Cixin, the electrician, once paid great attention to Jing Tian.

The Lord is very pleased.

Zhang Yuan understood that if he went, he would only be a supporting character to Jingdian.

They use their own fame and popularity to support the other party.

The problem is that Jing Tian is the kind of person who doesn't have the luck to become a superstar; she can't be promoted.

If I were to sacrifice myself to support her, wouldn't that be a complete waste?

The director seems to know this too.

They might not even know what kind of work they're doing.

This director has never made such a large-scale film before or since.

Zhang Yuan guessed that even the most famous directors wouldn't want to take this job.

So I talked to him like crazy about his salary.

Having a popular male star on the sidelines not only boosts box office revenue, but also provides someone to take the blame if the film fails.

Zhang Yuan could roughly understand the other party's thoughts; it's not easy to have a major work in one's career, and such an opportunity is rare.

But I cannot sacrifice myself for your wish.

In general, when an artist encounters a role they don't really want to film, they'll quote an exorbitant price to scare the other party away.

But there are also cases where the other party agrees to an exorbitant price...

This is also why many celebrities act in terrible movies; what's done is done.

He knew the people behind this show had plenty of money, so he couldn't do it that way.

If I offer tens of millions and they agree, am I really going to act in it?

If you go back on your word, they can easily make things difficult for you.

Because at her peak, Jing Tian had the strongest background among these four women.

So his method remains the same: delay!

The tactic of procrastination.

"How about this, bring me the script so I can take a look."

"I'll consider it after I see the quality of the work."

"If the work itself is good enough, I am not someone who insists on a high salary, and everything is negotiable."

Zhang Yuan's words are flexible and adaptable; if the work isn't good, then don't blame me.

"Okay, okay, I'll send it to you right away."

It's good enough that they're willing to read the script.

Furthermore, they can claim to the outside world that "Zhang Yuan accepted the script," which provides an explanation when they approach other artists.

"No wonder they were able to find my number directly, it turns out it was this company."

Zhang Yuan tossed his phone aside, finding it troublesome.

"I definitely have to turn down the performance, but I can't afford to offend them."

Jingdian's operational process can basically be seen as Liu Qianqian's PRO MAX PLUS version.

Independent companies that serve their own individuals.

They debuted with top-tier film, television, and singing resources.

The difference is that Da Tian Tian's background is much stronger than Xi Xi's; a company of Hua Yi's caliber wouldn't dare to mess with her.

However, Sisi's appearance, temperament, and personal abilities are far superior to Jingtian's.

As a result, even though the latter has several times more resources than her or any other artist, she still cannot maintain her popularity.

The script came very quickly, unlike usual when it was delivered to my door quickly.

Instead, it was a muscular man in a black suit who drove a Mercedes-Benz and personally delivered it to our door.

He felt pressured whenever he saw a delivery person.

"Boss, that guy just now looked like he came from the military," Brother Long said as he handed the items to him.

"Understood," Zhang Yuan replied casually, while untying the manila paper strap and taking out the script.

If you say you'll look at it, you have to look at it; otherwise, it'll be hard to explain if people ask.

After reading it, Zhang Yuan felt that his intelligence had been insulted.

It's just one word: awful. I'll only say it once, and you know I only express it by throwing the script...

My God, that's so brutal!
Aside from the format, there's not a single thing wrong with this script.

The characters' logic is unclear, and there are various forced attempts to promote the female lead... But when you think about it, the logic seems quite clear.

Zhang Yuan recalls that the film's investment and distribution exceeded 1.5 million yuan.

The special effects were good, but the props and costumes were very ordinary.

Clearly, the money wasn't used in the right way.

They found a bunch of celebrities, including two foreign artists, Kim Hee-sun and Kiichi Nakai.

Ah, Zhang Yuan suddenly remembered, this play seems to be starring Teacher Guo!

I made a phone call.

"Senior, have any film crews contacted you recently...?"

Sure enough, when I asked, he did. They wanted to cast him as the Zhou emperor.

When comedians become emperors, no wonder the world is in chaos.

There were only a few scenes, yet they gave him a million...

This shows that no expense is spared in promoting someone.

Zhang Yuan thought for a moment, "Teacher Guo is getting 1 million. If I go, I'll get at least 10 million, or even more than 20 million in salary. No matter how much the film is invested in, there's no money for special effects."

"Boss Chen has been supporting Xixi, and although he has spent a lot of resources on her, he has always made money."

Mr. Chen has made a lot of money thanks to her, especially from business deals and endorsements.

On the other hand, Jing Tian's spending was a bit "extravagant".

"Let Honglei do it; he'd be happy to earn the money."

Thinking of this, Zhang Yuan laughed. The two male leads in this film are Sun Honglei and Wu Zhenyu.

Liu Huaqiang battles Liang Kun...

He pushed the script of this play to a corner where it couldn't be seen; he really didn't want to read it.

I turned on my computer and went online to look for news related to "Under the Hawthorn Tree".

Sure enough, after he ordered Jia Shikai to increase the intensity of the film, a lot of negative information appeared online, especially regarding box office performance.

It's true that Zhang Yimou's films are not doing as well at the box office as before!
Currently, among the three major directors in China, Feng Xiaogang's films have the most stable box office performance, and they continue to rise.

Because Director Feng is inherently the most commercially oriented one.

Even Zhang Yimou can't do it.

"I've seen 'Under the Hawthorn Tree,' but I still prefer masterpieces like 'Hero' and 'Curse of the Golden Flower.'"

"Poor box office performance means Zhang Yimou is no longer good."

Many netizens commented in this way.

Furthermore, Zhang Yimou's previous films were mostly male-oriented, but this one is female-oriented, "betraying" his longtime audience.

Actually, a box office of over 100 million is already quite high, but films like "Painted Skin" and "Ip Man" easily reach 200-300 million.

Avatar, a Hollywood blockbuster with a "super-level" and "dimensionally superior" level of attack, directly grossed 17 billion yuan in China over 10 years!
Online, some people lamented that Zhang Yimou's career was waning, while others sighed that domestic films were simply inferior to imported blockbusters.

That's the truth. At this stage, domestic blockbusters are really not good; at most, they can only produce period dramas.

The equipment is also far inferior to that of foreign countries.

Zhang Yuan was quite satisfied to see the information gain traction online.

I called Zhang Ziyi again.

"Boss, what's the matter?"

Zhang Ziyi is very enthusiastic now; when she answers his call, her voice is very loud and her tone is upbeat.

The movie "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" was a great stimulus to her, and it really energized her.

"Keep both things secret and carry them out quietly."

"I know." Upon hearing this, the man immediately lowered his voice.

"First thing, how is Song Huiqiao doing?"

"That's good. Now, if there's nothing wrong, I'll say I'm not feeling well and find an opportunity to ask for leave."

"Keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't say anything out of line, and don't let Wong Kar-wai pin the blame on me."

"The second thing is to contact your benefactors more often recently."

“I’m in contact right now,” Zhang Ziyi replied instantly.

Zhang Yuan: …

This woman... has such a strong duality; she's definitely a born actress.

That's true. Stupid people can't become superstars. Nine out of ten female stars who make it big are shrewd and capable.

"I don't have time to joke with you."

"Director Zhang Yimou, your mentor who led you into the industry."

"Contact him more often recently. You can come up with an excuse yourself."

With her like that, Zhang Yuan wasn't worried at all about being exposed.

"Help me observe his emotions and attitude, and try to get some information out of him."

"The key point is his relationship with Zhang Weiping, understand?"

"Oh... I think I understand." Zhang Ziyi's mind raced.

"Good, just keep a low profile and go."

An old acquaintance, someone I can talk to, and currently "loyal."

After sending out a spy, Zhang Yuan continued to monitor information online.

For a few days, he dealt with a lot of official business.

At the same time, he also assembled Cao Yunjing's team.

The company registration is complete, the venue has been rented, and a group of artists have been selected and are in place.

Zhang Yuan glanced at the list and, noticing that names like Xiao Yue, who seemed "silly," ignored it.

Xiao Yue needs to stay by his master's side, otherwise no one will support him.

He also personally inquired with the Chinese Quyi Association about when the crosstalk club could open.

Chairman Liu hinted that many people were gloating and wished for your complete collapse.

Zhang Yuan knew immediately that the person must be a fellow crosstalk performer.

The other party told him not to worry, as long as he hadn't made any fundamental mistakes, things would be alright.

He then relayed the message to Teacher Guo.

Even if you know things will get better, you still have to ask around and relay the message, otherwise it's easy to make logical mistakes.

On the other hand, Zhang Ziyi is quite attentive, reporting her progress to herself every day.

About two weeks later, her report showed that the online rumors about Zhang Yimou's "lack of talent" and "lower box office returns" had affected him.

External pressure has turned into internal pressure.

And the source of this pressure is Zhang Weiping!
These messages from Zhang Yuanfang are actually forging a "knife" for Zhang Weiping.

By using these things to pressure Zhang Yimou, he was able to take more and more benefits.

This is a form of PUA (Pick-Up Artist) that uses various methods to tell you that you are not good enough, thereby increasing its own value and control.

But after the 08 Olympics, Zhang Yimou improved and became more ambitious. He was no longer the Zhang Yimou who could be easily controlled.

Especially in the past two years, the industry has developed rapidly. After seeing that Feng Xiaogang, who was far inferior to him back then, has made hundreds of millions of yuan through movies and shares, this man's heart is bound to be shaken.

They're making a fortune, while I'm constantly being owed pay...

Zhang Weiping's attempt to pressure the other party by citing "poor box office performance" will only further irritate Zhang Yimou.

In fact, the two were already at a critical point of discord, and Zhang Yuan was just adding fuel to the fire in this pot of hot pot that was about to boil.

Going against the natural order can easily backfire, but going with the flow is much better.

At the same time, he also had his troubles.

The production team of "Warring States" has their eye on him!
They would come looking for him every few days, calling to ask for his thoughts.

He kept delaying, trying to use his schedule as an excuse, but the other party said in advance that they could make minor adjustments to the shooting schedule for him.

This made him very uncomfortable, and he didn't know what excuse to use to refuse.

"Annoying!" After arguing with the other party for a while that day, he threw down his phone with a headache.

"The crosstalk club is busy."

"Zhang Yimou is busy too."

"You're just making things worse for me."

"It seems like I don't have enough to do... Huh?"

Zhang Yuan pondered for a moment and suddenly realized a problem.

He found a piece of paper, wrote down the things he had been dealing with recently, organized them, and wrote a detailed plan.

"wrong!"

"We couldn't refuse the production team of 'The Warring States'."

He clapped his hands, as if he had thought of something.

"Looks like I need to take a risk!"

Pick up your phone and call Director Jin Chen back.

"Director Kim, I've thought about it."

"To be honest, I have some minor complaints about your script."

"You mentioned that the female lead is the investor's girlfriend, which is why the script..."

"I'm glad you understand," the director replied with a smile, looking like he knew everything.

“The other party is the woman of my sugar daddy. If we are to cooperate, I have to make sure that I won’t cause any problems.”

"The other person's character, personality, appearance, and ability are also very important."

"Otherwise, the work would be extremely painful, wouldn't you say?"

"Don't worry, there's absolutely no problem. Although she's the investor's girlfriend, she has a great personality and her appearance is fine too."

“It’s not a matter of whether I’m reassured or not,” Zhang Yuan said in a deep voice. “As the saying goes, seeing is believing.”

"I think it's like this: you help me arrange a meeting with the investors and the female lead, and we can discuss the film in person."

"That's great! I'll go ask her out right away!"

The other party was overjoyed to hear that he was willing to meet.

I feel like I've finally made it after all this time.

"Brother Long." After putting down his phone, Zhang Yuan called over his bodyguard.

"Go and do a few things for me."

"Go to the hospital."

"you are sick?"

"No, it's not that I'm sick. I just need to go to the hospital to take care of some things," Zhang Yuan instructed, word by word.

He told Brother Long to get on with his work and then called Zeng Jia.

"I have some comments to make soon."

"As my agent, you should prepare public relations in advance."

"What remarks?" Zeng Jia panicked.

Hey, what kind of work is the boss up to now?

Judging from his tone, my heart started pounding; it couldn't be anything good.

"Don't worry, it's not any illegal or disorderly conduct."

"Who are you planning to go public with?" Zeng Jia asked in a low voice.

"Are you afraid I won't die?" Zhang Yuan retorted directly.

“It’s not a romantic relationship,” Zhang Yuan sighed.

But then a topic that caused Zeng Jia an even bigger headache came up.

"I intend to express my stance on the recent events at Deyuan Society..." (End of Chapter)