Actor: Thank you.

Inside the Sugar Man Xiaobailou office in Hengdian, Zhang Yuan and Cai Yinong sat facing each other, the atmosphere strained.

The two sides disagreed on the casting of "Scarlet Heart".

"When you were discussing the decision, did you involve me in the discussion?" Zhang Yuan's expression darkened, and his fingers rubbed lightly on the sofa, making a soft rustling sound.

"As a shareholder of Sugarman Films, I believe I have the right to inquire about matters related to investing in works with the full resources of the company, right?"

Zhang Yuan's tone wasn't forceful, but Boss Cai still sensed the change in his attitude.

He is much more composed than when he first appeared in a similar situation many years ago.

After listening to his words, Mr. Cai understood that the other party was using shares as leverage.

He still harbors resentment about the 30% stake that was given to him.

Of course he was unhappy. Boss Cai wanted the company to be run by him and his mentor and friend, Li Guoli.

However, due to the circumstances at the time, and also because of Zhang Yuan's kindness, he agreed to the arrangement.

But what she feared still happened.

Zhang Yuan is different from her!

At least Mr. Cai felt that the two sides had different understandings and beliefs about the industry.

At least it's a difference between conservatives and radicals.

Mr. Cai is a typical conservative, preferring stability and being stubborn.

One of their main characteristics is that once they've set their sights on someone, they'll stick to their beliefs.

I think you're great, everything about you is wonderful. I'm very close to you, and I wish I could eat and live with you. I don't believe anyone who says you're no good.

But if things don't go well between you, they'll react very strongly, always finding fault with you, and no amount of persuasion will help.

Such people exist in all walks of life.

This applies to emperors as well, with Yongzheng being a prime example.

This is also the controversial role that the two played at this time.

Now, Mr. Cai has set his sights on Wu Qilong.

"Wu Qilong has extensive acting experience."

"We invited them several times and even visited them in person in Taiwan before they agreed to act in the film."

“We had a very pleasant conversation and have reached an agreement on the content and performance.”

"And a letter of intent was signed."

"Changing the actor now would be quite troublesome. We have already gone through many rounds of casting for the male lead."

“Your reasons don’t convince me.” Boss Cai adopted her usual attitude, reasoning with me and acting like an older sister in a large family.

"If you have any other thoughts or opinions, we can discuss them slowly."

Zhang Yuan knew that Cai Yinong was good at "wearing people down," and that engaging in a protracted battle with her would be a thankless task.

Men are all about high bursts of energy; women have the advantage in a prolonged battle.

"Other ideas?"

"What if I say that almost no one on this cast list satisfies me?" Zhang Yuan picked up the document, then casually tossed it down.

"I have read the novel. 'Scarlet Heart' is a secondary creation based on 'Yongzheng Dynasty'."

"Being associated with 'Yongzheng Dynasty' has both advantages and disadvantages."

"Can our actors' skills compare to those in that production?"

He found a reason to pressure the other party.

Wu Qilong played the fourth brother, Zheng Jiaying played the eighth brother, Han Dong played the ninth brother, and Ye Zuxin, who later became Jiang Xin's boyfriend, played the tenth brother.

Yuan Hong played the thirteenth prince, while Lin Gengxin, who had just debuted, played the fourteenth prince.

It looks fine on its own, but there are excellent examples to follow.

Tang Guoqiang's master of disarming, Wang Huichun's great sage, Miao Haojun's pig teammate Lao Jiu, and Liu Kui's GOLD Lao Shi.

Wang Hui's executive vice emperor, the thirteenth prince, and Xu Zuming's Aisin Gioro, the fourteenth prince, are difficult to say.

These are all actors of what caliber and iconic characters.

What makes a good work is that it can stand the test of time.

Not only should it become more and more enjoyable to watch, but it should also be something that every generation loves to watch and can find something they like in it.

"Yongzheng Dynasty" has achieved a level of popularity where, whenever the topic of the struggle for the throne among the nine princes is mentioned, the images of these actors automatically come to mind for every Chinese person, bringing historical figures to life.

Just like how mentioning Taoist priests immediately brings up Chen Baoguo.

What kind of production is "Scarlet Heart" that you're even bringing up casting with me?

Why are some classics popular for decades, while you're only popular for a few years at most? Don't you have any self-awareness?

Zhang Yuan was too lazy to complain.

The best actor in this drama is actually the "Chief," who plays Emperor Kangxi, played by Damian Lau.

Although he can't compare to Jiao Huang, Liu Songren's father was a banker in Shanghai during the Republic of China era, so he was born into a wealthy family and naturally exuded an air of nobility.

That's why he always plays a master, even though he gets instantly killed on his first appearance.

"I only picked the most serious one to talk about."

"I can't be bothered to mention the other actors."

"My silence doesn't mean I have no opinion."

"I have always respected your and Director Li's choices."

“But I feel that you don’t respect me much these days,” Zhang Yuan said bluntly.

I own 30% of Sugarman's shares. Can I influence the casting decisions?

“Zhang Yuan, there’s no point in you talking like that,” Boss Cai said, feigning difficulty. “It also hurts my feelings.”

“You rarely come to the company and don’t participate much in company activities, so you don’t know the actual situation.”

"We can't make major adjustments based on your single comment, otherwise the company and projects will be thrown into chaos."

Mr. Cai argued his case logically and found a reasonable excuse to refute it.

Zhang Yuan sat up straight and stared directly into his eyes.

You want to challenge me to a duel?
"Moreover, according to the company's operating rules, the minority should obey the majority," Mr. Cai added.

This means that Li Guoli and I together account for 70%, and we made the majority decision.

The air in the room seemed to grow a little heavier.

After saying that, Mr. Cai regretted it a little.

She recalled the time many years ago when Zhang Yuan punched her through her bedroom door.

Time does indeed erase everything, especially memories.

It's been so long, she's almost forgotten.

Zhang Yuan adjusted his breathing, suppressing the emotions that were about to erupt within him.

Whether it's rapid development or the power of a large population, it can indeed help a company grow stronger quickly.

However, the downside is that management becomes increasingly difficult as the number of people increases.

There are all sorts of people among a hundred.

For lower-level artists and employees, things are alright; they can simply get a raise. If things don't work out, they can just leave.

But this is where the management of the companies they own shares in is in trouble.

Often, these people's interests do not align with one's own, which leads to disagreements.

In particular, their vision and overall perspective are broader, focusing on comprehensive planning and the future market.

Most of the people in these companies only care about the short-term interests of their own small groups.

A thought suddenly flashed through Zhang Yuan's mind.

He seemed to understand the reform of state-owned enterprises and the side reasons for the decline of Northeast China, and his feelings about the play "The Piano in a Factory" deepened even more.

He is now on the opposite side of Boss Cai on this issue.

Zhang Yuan was considering whether it was worth falling out with the other party over this matter.

After all, this matter cannot be explained; if one cannot reveal the truth, one's position is untenable.

Seeing that he was breathing heavily, Boss Cai also became nervous and wondered whether he should run away.

Deng Deng Deng!
Just then, there was a knock on the door, and a clear female voice came from behind.

"President Cai, junior brother, would you like some milk tea?"

"I'm planning to go buy it," Liu Shishi poked her head in again.

Her arrival just broke the heavy atmosphere.

Zhang Yuan steadied himself and found a way out.

"I want to drink bubble tea, full sugar, large." He beckoned the other person to come to his side.

Then he carefully examined the other person's appearance.

A small nose and mouth, perfectly sized bright eyes, and slightly chubby cheeks.

It really is a beautiful sight.

She is becoming increasingly beautiful and confident, just at the beginning of her peak.

Then he looked closely at the small mole on the bridge of his nose.

Whether it will remain or be destroyed in the future is still unknown.

Am I doing this for myself, for you, or to give your family an explanation?

No one can choose someone else's life.

Because if we stop Wu Qilong today, Yu Qilong and Wang Qilong will inevitably emerge tomorrow.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Is my face dirty?" The little lion, a little embarrassed, raised his wrist and wiped his face when he saw him staring at him.

“No, it’s perfectly clean.” At the same time, he changed his mind and strategy.

"What would you like to drink, Mr. Cai?"

"It's milk green tea, right?" Cai Yinong breathed a sigh of relief. With Liu Shishi around, Zhang Yuan wouldn't suddenly lash out.

"Go ahead and buy it. I'll talk to Mr. Cai again."

"How about I go with Shishi?" Cai Yinong was tempted to slip away.

"You're the boss, is it appropriate for you to be running errands?"

"Who's so high and mighty that they'd let you run errands for them?"

Zhang Yuan smiled and told Little Lion to get busy, but Boss Cai felt that his words were mocking him and felt a little guilty.

But to her surprise, after closing the door, Zhang Yuan's smile remained unchanged, making her feel as if she were basking in a spring breeze, and the oppressive atmosphere that had been hanging over the room was swept away.

"I've reconsidered."

"We have decided to respect your opinion."

"It's true what you said, I spend very little time at Sugar Man."

"No one knows the situation as well as you and Director Li Guoli."

"Ah...that's great."

"Don't say that yet," Zhang Yuan interrupted, raising his hand. "I respect your opinion."

"The premise is that you also need to ensure that your vision is sound and that the filming of your work is also sound."

“Absolutely. Over the years, you should know that my judgment has been quite accurate.” Boss Cai was quite confident.

"That's good, I'll sign it."

Tsai Yi-nong never expected things to go so smoothly.

Looks like I'm useless; I need pretty girls to be useful.

Hey?
its not right.

I'm just a pretty girl.

The milk tea arrived shortly afterward, it was COCO.

Back then, there weren't various brands like BaWangChaJi, Nayuki, or Heytea. The milk tea market was quite limited, dominated by just a few franchise stores from Taiwan.

Later, they were utterly defeated by mainland brands. Not to mention these Taiwanese brands, even foreign brands were brutally crushed.

Zhang Yuan sucked on a pearl.

Regardless of what happens in the future, he's already indulging in his junior sister's bubble tea.

What would you like to eat later?

"My treat, Japanese food or shabu-shabu?"

"I want to eat them all." She shook her head. "But I have to ask Mimi what she wants to eat first, and then pick something that everyone likes."

"Okay... wait a minute!" Zhang Yuan was about to agree when he realized something was wrong.

"power?"

"Yes, Mimi just asked me out, saying we should have dinner together."

"You can come along too," Liu Shishi said, quite pleased to spend time with her best friend.

But Zhang Yuan wasn't too happy about it.

Isn't that going to kill him?

Hiss... No, that's not right!
"Did she just contact you at the last minute, or was it arranged in advance?"

"Just now, a little over half a day ago."

Zhang Yuan rubbed his forehead.

Being too cunning can also be troublesome.

Yang Mi, that little girl, knew he was going to a meeting at the Sugar Man Restaurant, so she pulled a fast one on him.

He would not eat or play with her, so he would ask Liu Shishi to leave, making it impossible for him to play with her either.

They even started playing a zero-sum game with me.

"I suddenly remembered that I have some things to take care of later, so I won't go with you." Zhang Yuan had no choice but to abandon his plan to forcefully insert the chicken.

Amidst the other party's somewhat disappointed gaze, Zhang Yuan left Hengdian by car.

"Brother Long." Not long after he left, he called out to the bodyguard in the driver's seat.

"Find the buddy who will benefit the most."

"You don't need to be physically strong, you just need to have sharp eyes and a quick mind."

"Arrange for him to be Liu Shishi's personal bodyguard."

"After that, I served her alone for a long time."

"Most importantly, they report to me regularly, directly, without going through anyone else."

"Understood," Brother Long replied in a low voice.

Zhang Yuan called Little Lion again.

"I forgot to tell you earlier."

"You're more famous now than before, more people know you, and you participate in more activities."

"It's inevitable to encounter danger or bad people. Even without these things, it's hard to say what might happen if you run into a mentally ill person."

"So I will arrange a personal bodyguard for you, and my company will cover the expenses."

"From now on, wherever you go, you'll have someone to protect you."

He wasn't just exaggerating; he did become famous and he did need security, especially when going to shopping malls or doing outdoor roadshows.

"Really? You care about me that much?" The person on the other end of the phone was, as always, grinning from ear to ear.

"Of course, but it has to be kept secret, since other artists at Sugar Man don't get this treatment."

After explaining things to her, Zhang Yuan thought for a moment and then called Mr. Yuan and Liu Shishi's mother separately to inform them that he would arrange bodyguards.

The elderly woman and her own mother naturally agreed and even praised him for taking good care of her.

Only after everyone has been notified can the matter be finalized.

Meanwhile, in a hot pot restaurant in the capital city.

This is a Taiwanese hot pot restaurant; the duck blood and tofu are especially delicious.

Inside a private room filled with the aroma of medicinal herbs from the broth, a group of men and women were having a meal.

Every now and then, waiters would sneak up and knock on the door, wanting to take a photo with the customer.

Because in addition to some unfamiliar staff members, there were also several top celebrities in the room.

But as soon as a young waitress made her request, the woman sitting in the head seat started cursing in a Taiwanese accent.

"I want to file a complaint against you."

"Bring your manager here!"

"Don't you understand the importance of respecting guests' privacy?"

"They have absolutely no manners."

"Alright, alright, Xinru, that's enough." The round-faced Fifth Prince stood up and stopped Ziwei.

"Can we wait a bit? Let's take a group photo before we leave after we finish eating."

"We have some things to discuss, so please don't disturb us."

After Su Youpeng calmed him down, the frightened waiter hurriedly left.

"If this were Taiwan, the waiters would never be so rude," Sister Ziwei glared at the doorway.

"I'm not criticizing the mainland, but this is just too uncivilized."

“Back in my hometown, they would have already hired someone to beat her up.”

"People are excited to see you," Su Youpeng said, trying to persuade his old friend to stop talking.

Because most of the people at this table were from mainland China.

Yan Kuan, Wang Lin, Liu Tao...

Today is a dinner gathering for the cast and crew of "The Glamorous Imperial Concubine".

Although filming hasn't started yet, most of the cast members have already been decided.

Contacting each other in advance can help build relationships.

Although Alec Su wasn't filming this movie, he happened to be in Beijing, so he was invited to join the cast.

Despite her gentle and beautiful image, Ziwei is actually a bit of a tomboy in private.

The campus green tea girl who falls in love with the basketball team captain—that's pretty much the type.

He started hanging out in society in high school, so he has a strong sense of江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) about him.

The TV series "My Fair Princess" is quite remarkable. All three leading ladies debuted with a pure and innocent image, but in reality, none of them were easy to deal with.

The three of them were all incredibly skilled, each a big fan of smoking, drinking, and getting their hair permed.

Although these three came from the same drama, their relationship with each other was not so harmonious.

Competition is inevitable, and since everyone involved is ambitious, things are naturally not as harmonious as they appear on the surface.

However, these three women are usually very good at hiding their emotions, and they rarely lose their temper, even in private.

Therefore, Su Youpeng noticed his old friend's unusual behavior.

"What's wrong? Are you in a bad mood?"

"Tch!" The man picked up a piece of thoroughly cooked tofu and took a vicious bite.

"Damn it!"

"Someone inexplicably threatened me today..." (End of Chapter)