Actor: Thank you.

Since the boss personally spoke up and even called her out by name, Zeng Jia naturally became extremely attentive.

I immediately started typing on the keyboard and searching for the name.

They quickly found several videos.

One video shows her wearing a brown top, jeans, and leather boots, dancing a Xinjiang dance.

It's important to know that Xinjiang dance is a type of ethnic dance with many small movements, and it places high demands on body shape and posture.

Jeans and leather boots are relatively stiff materials that restrict human movement.

But Zeng Jia saw that the girl still completed the entire dance with agile and graceful movements.

Unfortunately, the video is rather blurry, and the face is not very clear.

Because it was taken by her friend, it wasn't professionally done.

But soon another video surfaced, filmed by professional cameramen from the "The Last Supper" audition team.

Upon clicking in, Zeng Jia's eyes immediately widened, and she perked up.

The girl in front of the camera was wearing a plain outfit, with her hair tied in a bun, and a lot of her hair ends were scattered messily on both sides of her face.

His face, especially his forehead, was shiny with oil, and he had dark circles under his eyes.

But for the first time, Zeng Jia thought, "Why do these dark circles look so good?"

Zhang Yuan had previously seen Fan Bingbing without makeup, and she also had dark circles under her eyes, especially a bluish-black area under her eyes.

It doesn't affect your appearance at all; in fact, it can enhance it, adding a natural feel and making you look more youthful.

"I am 18 years old and weigh 42 kilograms..." A soft, hoarse voice came from the video, sounding somewhat awkward and timid, with eyes that darted around like a rabbit's.

This is what Dilraba looked like in her early days.

In stark contrast to Naza, who is also a member of the XJ beauty club.

Naza and Dilraba are two completely different types of people, even though they both came from XJ and studied dance.

Naza's appearance and temperament are more like the delicate and charming type from Jiangnan.

In some people's eyes, Dilraba's features are too three-dimensional and her appearance is too aggressive.

When Zeng Jia first saw the video, she thought the girl was wearing smoky eye makeup and had applied two lines of nose contouring.

When they moved, they discovered that the person wasn't wearing any makeup at all; their moles and pimples were still visible. The "eyeshadow" and "nose shadow" were just shadows cast by their deep-set eyes and high nose bridge under natural light.

These two girls represent two different aesthetics; many people tend to prefer one but dislike the other.

Zhang Yuan thought they were both good and had their own unique features.

At the same time, I also feel that these two haven't fully matured yet, because of their ethnic minority features, their facial features, especially their eyes, are a bit too big.

It needs to grow a little longer; it will look best when it's around 27 or 28.

Regarding these two distinctive beauties, Zhang Yuan's first thought was not to thank their parents, but to say "May Zuo Zongtang live forever."

I knew Zuo Zongtang didn't bring his coffin into Xinjiang just to steal cut cakes!

As Zhang Yuan was admiring the two girls' looks, he noticed Zeng Jia secretly watching him with a playful expression.

What's with that look?

"It's nothing," Zeng Jia immediately laughed it off.

"I've been quite busy with work lately, and my eyes have been uncomfortable."

Ha ha.

She is 18 years old, weighs 42 kilograms, and has an exotic look.

Zeng Jia understood.

Does my boss think the other person has potential, or does he think they have potential?

Zeng Jia thought for a moment and thought to herself that her boss probably didn't want to be the top scholar or the second-place scholar, but he probably wanted to be the third-place scholar.

"It's okay if your eyes feel uncomfortable." Zhang Yuan immediately saw through his subordinate's thoughts, rubbed his temples, and replied, "As long as your mouth is fine."

"Definitely!" Zeng Jia had been by his side for a long time and was much more astute than Jia Shikai. She immediately understood the unspoken message from her boss: "You can think wildly, but you can't talk wildly."

"I'm not going to waste my breath on you."

"Go and contact them to see if they are willing to make contact."

“If necessary, I can personally meet with them for a meal,” Zhang Yuan said as he stood up.

"You should also go home early and rest, so your eyes don't feel uncomfortable."

Zeng Jia got up to see him off, stopping at the office door.

"She's eating alone, probably just for what happens afterward..." she thought to herself.

But it didn't seem strange at all.

With my boss's current net worth, it wouldn't be surprising if girls kept throwing themselves at him.

After all, everyone wants to take a shortcut.

After Zhang Yuan left her office, her phone rang.

I glanced at it and saw that it was Liu Shishi calling.

He hesitated for a moment, then didn't take it and put it back in his pocket.

Back at the small courtyard, he waited at home for a while before welcoming several guests.

Director Guo Fan and Zhang Yu, the creator of "Li Xianji's Adventures", visited his home.

The film has been completed and screened during a regular time slot.

As for the result...

It's not fair to say it received unanimous praise; in fact, it was almost bombarded with criticism.

It can be said that he offended both sides.

Those who haven't seen the original anime say they don't understand what's going on.

Those who have seen the original anime say that this lousy director has ruined my masterpiece!
This is a common problem encountered when adapting manga, or any film or television adaptation based on a source work.

There were also criticisms after the Harry Potter films and television series were adapted, but that doesn't stop them from being well-made.

Given Guo Fan's limited budget, the fact that it's his debut work and that he's a career changer, it's already quite good that he was able to present a complete and logically coherent piece of work.

But he himself was in a very low mood. When I went to his house today, he looked completely disheveled.

After sitting down, it felt like there were dozens of bullet ants scratching under my buttocks, making it hard to keep my face still and impossible to concentrate.

He felt that Zhang Yuan, this investor, must have come to "attack" him.

"I know about the film, and I've roughly seen it," Zhang Yuan said calmly, crossing his legs.

"There are a lot of negative reviews, theaters have low expectations, and they are not very willing to screen the film, right?"

Guo Fan looked dejected and choked up.

How do you feel?

"I did my best," Director Guo replied after a long pause.

Zhang Yuan nodded, agreeing with this statement.

That's true. The other party didn't mess around; they filmed it seriously, but their abilities and resources were limited.

It was precisely because his first work was an adaptation and he suffered setbacks that he accumulated the experience needed for a major adaptation like "The Wandering Earth".

The most important point is that we cannot be faithful to the original work, but must be based on it.

We can't just adapt the original work; we need to learn to expand on the content, since novels, animations, and movies are different.

We can't just rely on enthusiasm; we also need to understand how commercialization works.

Zhang Yuan discussed these matters with him in detail, speaking with a serious and earnest tone.

"I hope you can learn from this experience."

"So, you don't intend to hold me responsible?" Guo Fan finally understood what he meant.

“It’s just a few million, I don’t care.” Zhang Yuan gave a reasonable explanation that left the other party speechless.

That was quite a show of bravado… Guo Fan made a mental note of it, thinking that he would speak like that in the future.

But I doubt he'll get the chance; he's very stingy.

But Zhang Yuan's next words moved him deeply.

"Because I think you are more important than millions."

These are all the truths he told.

You're full after eating the sixth bun, but you can't say the first five and a half buns were useless.

His later success and fame were due to the feeding of five and a half steamed buns.

Talented people need to be nurtured; you can't expect a child to run around everywhere right after birth.

Without bumping your head a few times and crying a few times, how can you learn to walk?

"I've called you here today to ask if you'd be willing to sign a contract with my company and become a contracted director, so we can continue to work together in the future."

"Huh?" Guo Fan never expected it to be this heavy.

Not only are there no bad things, but there are also good things.

Signing a contract... is like binding someone to you.

hiss……

He considered it carefully.

"Actually, we've always been quite destined for each other, haven't we?"

"You created and drew the prequel comic to the movie 'The Forbidden Kingdom,' right?"

Guo Fan smiled and nodded, "Indeed."

This was a job he took on; he didn't do all of it himself, but he was the one in charge.

"You can consider it." "Also, I think your experience in film and television is still limited, especially in commercial films."

"This incident has laid bare all the truth."

"So I plan to arrange for you to be the executive director in Zhang Yimou's next film, so you can learn from him."

Upon hearing this, Guo Fan trembled with excitement.

At this time, Zhang Yimou's ability to produce commercial blockbusters was still top-notch in the country, perhaps even the strongest.

"Just think about it and let me know before filming starts," Zhang Yuan said, casting out the bait and then not pressing further.

"And what about you?" He turned to look at Zhang Yu again.

This unassuming-looking guy, who exuded a strong intellectual vibe, scratched his head.

"Do you want to sign a contract with my company? I can't guarantee you'll become a superstar, but at least you won't starve and you'll be able to live a comfortable life."

"I...I'll think about it some more."

Guo Fan glanced at himself, the male lead, and thought to himself, "Zhang Yuan wants you, you should think it over."

This is just like the Jade Emperor wanting to recruit a toad from a pond as a soldier, only to have the toad say it needs to think about it.

That's a bit like taking advantage of someone's kindness.

But then I thought, maybe I was thinking the same thing...

"It's alright, you can take your time to think about it."

"You're welcome to come over for tea or a meal sometime."

"Even if the deal falls through, we still need to maintain goodwill and friendship, right?"

He adopted a rather mild attitude toward the two of them.

drop by drop...

Just as he was trying to make amends with the two of them, his phone rang again.

He glanced at the caller ID; it was Liu Shishi again. He closed his eyes, gently placed the phone aside, and still didn't answer.

I had a big drinking session with these two, and then had a good night's rest.

The next day, he boarded a plane again and headed to the northeastern continent, where spring had arrived and flowers were in bloom, a far cry from the icy and snowy landscape of a few months earlier.

The company is located at No. 110 Zhengyang Street, Shenhe District, Shenyang, Liaoning Province.

This place is now called the Liaoning Folk Art Troupe, but it is actually the headquarters of Liu Laogen Grand Stage and also the location of Benshan Media.

"How did things go last time?"

In the audience seats below the stage, Uncle Benshan watched the rehearsals with him and chatted with them.

What are you doing?!

"If you can do it, then do it; if you can't, then don't do it." Teacher Zhao, unlike his usual comedic image on screen, is very strict in private, like a mountain king.

The title "King of Northeast China" isn't just for show; his ability to manage such a large group of folk artists speaks volumes about his power.

"Thanks to you, it was very successful." Zhang Yuan immediately raised his teacup with both hands and thanked you respectfully.

It refers to the matter of borrowing a plane from the island nation last time.

"It's good that the matter is settled, no need to be so polite, besides you've already paid me." Teacher Zhao was quite frank with him.

Then he narrowed one eye and asked with his signature wicked grin.

"You didn't come here for this, did you?"

"I'm just an old eggplant, not worth you making a special trip for me."

"I don't have any pretty girls here that are worth your trip."

“What kind of talk is that…” Zhang Yuan thought for a moment, and it seemed to make sense.

Oh, there's a woman here named Guan Tingna who's...not bad looking. She was originally a makeup artist at the Beijing Film Academy. She was spotted while working on the set of "Ma Dashuai" and was recruited into Benshan Media.

This woman's cleavage is particularly impressive... she's a really cool older sister.

But that's not why he came.

"I do have something to discuss with you."

"See? I told you so."

"Tell me what you want now, whether you want to cast my apprentice in a movie or collaborate with him."

"Let's cooperate," Zhang Yuan replied directly.

"Are you really looking for my apprentice?" Uncle Benshan laughed: "That's a good thing."

"Should we look for Shenyang, or Xiaoli?"

"Neither." Zhang Yuan leaned closer, resting his elbow on the small table. "I'm looking for your new apprentice."

"Oh?" Uncle Benshan rolled his eyes and gave him a slightly wary look.

Zhao Benshan himself needs no introduction; he's the king of sketch comedy, known to everyone in the country.

At the same time, he was also known as the "King of Northeast China," which shows that he was particularly successful in the black soil of Northeast China.

Naturally, they have a very good relationship with Liaoning TV, the local television station.

The skit about Chunwang being rejected was broadcast directly on Liaoning TV without even needing to be reviewed.

The mutual trust has reached this level.

Looking at Guo Degang and Beijing TV, you can see the personality differences between Zhao Benshan and him.

In 09, Benshan Media and Liaoning TV collaborated on a variety show called "Celebrities Spinning Around".

Give your apprentices more opportunities to shine, and they can also make money along the way.

Since it's a variety show, it needs a host.

Especially for programs during the Chinese New Year period, you need to find hosts who can liven up the atmosphere.

So, a young man from Northeast China who was returning home for the Spring Festival received a call from Zhao Benshan during the Spring Festival 10 years ago.

Without prior notice, I just said I watched your show online and decided to invite you to host a variety show episode. Would that be convenient for you?

This guy from Northeast China is named Dong Chengpeng, also known as Dapeng.

He gained some fame through the fashion talk show "Dapeng Debade" on Sohu.

At first, Da Peng thought someone was joking with him. "Zhao Benshan is looking for me?"

Only after repeatedly checking did I realize that I had been hit by a windfall.

Hurry up and go. It took a lot of effort to get to Teacher Zhao's compound in the suburbs of Shenyang overnight.

As soon as we arrived at the destination, a bus from Liaoning TV came to pick us up, including some of Teacher Zhao's students.

Da Peng had just greeted them when Teacher Zhao glanced at him and stopped him.

They didn't let him get on the bus.

Da Peng thought Teacher Zhao had changed his mind, and his heart skipped a beat.

As a result, the other party arranged for his own car to take him to the TV station.

He was very polite, saying that I could just take the bus, but Teacher Zhao insisted.

This is the wisdom of Zhao Benshan.

At this time, Dapeng was not his apprentice yet, but just a temporary artist who was not very famous and had never appeared on a local TV station.

Zhao Benshan specially drove him there in his own car; people from Liaoning TV all recognized his car.

When you arrive and get out of his car, will people treat you the same way as when you get off the bus with a group of people?

When you ride in Teacher Zhao's car, people will see that he personally drove you there, so we have to be polite.

This is why Zhao Benshan could subdue a large group of "earth immortals".

There are few entertainers in the world more intelligent and worldly-wise than him.

And so, when Da Peng went to Liaoning TV to do a program, he was immediately placed in the main guest position.

And when he finished the show and received his payment, he was stunned.

That's too much money!

It was a thick stack of papers, equivalent to his annual salary.

He joined Sohu in 04 and is now a top host on Sohu Video. How much does he earn?

A fixed salary of 5000 yuan a month.

And the job level is only level 3.

At Sohu, interns are at level 1, and the lowest level for a full-time employee is level 2. He's only level 3.

This is how Sohu treated him.

This is Zhang Chaoyang.

Not only were the wages and benefits low, but Da Peng's contract with Sohu wasn't a work contract; it was an artist contract.

He goes out to work, and Sohu still wants a share of the profits!

Now we have to look after Teacher Zhao again.

When they went back for dinner, Zhao Benshan directly told the deputy general manager of Sohu's department, "Go back and talk to your boss. Don't take any commission this time, it's the New Year."

Zhao Benshan and Zhang Chaoyang had met several times, and the other party had to give him face.

That's how Dapeng managed to get the full amount of the income.

Because of this, three months later, Dapeng knelt down and kowtowed, becoming Teacher Zhao's apprentice.

He is Zhao Benshan's newest apprentice.

That's exactly why Uncle Benshan became alert as soon as he thought about it.

Sohu and Youku... this is a difficult situation! (End of Chapter)