Huayu became famous overnight

Chapter 265 This is what you call a sense of variety show humor
three days later.

The box office figures for "The Hunger Games" during its opening weekend are in.

With $1.52 million, it broke the opening weekend record for a non-sequel film, officially cementing Jennifer Lawrence's status as a top-tier actress.

Xu Ming casually sent someone a blessing text message.

I didn't expect to receive a response anytime soon, but I was surprised to receive a reply shortly after sending the message.

[Jennifer: A tabloid contacted my agent, saying they have intimate photos of the two of us entering and leaving a hotel, and they're demanding $20,000...]

Xu Ming was taken aback when he saw it.

It's true that fame brings trouble.

However, he doubted whether the photo was taken by paparazzi or deliberately left by the other party.

But upon closer reflection, given his reputation in Hollywood, such photos would only benefit him, not harm him.

They don't care about the ethics of celebrities there, especially since he's single.

What do you think? I can transfer the money if you need it.

Xu Ming narrowed his eyes; the other party wouldn't tell him this without a reason.

They're either using this as an excuse to curry favor, or they genuinely care about you and want to force your way into their position.

The second idea had barely surfaced when he dismissed it.

Whether it's Scarlett or Jennifer, his relationships with them were at most fleeting affairs; it's hard to say who benefited whom.

Jennifer: Those photos don't provide any substantial evidence and prove nothing. I'm not going to pay them; that would only embolden those paparazzi. But...

My agent wants to use these photos to help generate buzz and promote "The Hunger Games" in China, and I'd like to ask for your opinion.

Tsk, that's a pretty good way of absolving himself of all responsibility.

Xu Ming raised an eyebrow, carefully considering his reply: "Just don't go too far."

Anyway, these are all just rumors, and I figured the other party wouldn't want to be associated with me so soon after entering the ranks of A-list actresses.

In that case, this publicity campaign will only benefit him.

Jennifer: I'll have my agent handle things carefully. I'll thank you properly when I go to China.

Then followed by a revealing photo.

Xu Ming glanced at it, his body shuddered violently, and he suddenly felt utterly bored.

Tang Yan emerged from under the table, covering her mouth, and tried to grab the tissues from the table.

"Don't you like it?"

Xu Ming's voice came through.

Tang Yan's face stiffened, then she swallowed hard: "I like it."

Seeing that the other person reached out and beckoned to her, she obediently sat on the other person's lap.

Xu Ming stroked Tang Yan's hair with one hand and rested the other on her long, white thigh: "What do you want?"

"I don't want anything, just being by your side is enough."

Tang Yan shook her head. After their relationship ended last time, she became much more humble when she returned to his side.

"Hehe, I'm happy with your answer, but I don't like it."

Xu Ming chuckled lightly: "That's too fake. What I'm unwilling to give, no one can take away. If I'm willing to give, you can rest assured to take it."

Tang Yan cautiously looked at the former and tentatively asked, "I heard that the company has started a new film adaptation project based on a book by Guo Jingming..."

“There’s no suitable role for you in this play,” Xu Ming said.

In fact, besides Tang Yan, Li Jinming, Zhao Wenqi, and others had also contacted him.

After all, the company has recently launched several projects, including "Bad Genius," "Tiny Times," and "My Love from the Star," all of which involve substantial investments.

It's perfectly normal for them to want a piece of the pie.

Tang Yan's eyes dimmed.

Before she could speak, Xu Ming continued, "You currently only have one masterpiece, 'Palace 2,' which is a sequel. You still need to build up your reputation, so film projects won't be of much help to you."

I've been thinking of giving you two solo dramas, trying out a more urban setting.

After Tang Yan made contact with him, she was blacklisted by Orange Sky Entertainment.

As a result, she didn't star in "Summer's Desire," the show that established her "naive and sweet" image in her previous life, and she's still only a second-tier actress.

In his presence, one naturally feels inferior.

She was even gradually excluded from the list of the four beauties of the Legend of Sword and Fairy series, and only the three beauties of the series were mentioned.

This situation was partly due to Xu Ming's laissez-faire attitude; he wanted to give Tang Yan a warning.

It seems like the training has gone well.

"Thank you, boss," Tang Yan said gratefully, her eyes brightening.

The company is investing heavily in her, producing two TV series specifically for her, representing a new direction.

"No need to call me boss, just call me Xu Ming as before."

Xu Ming brushed aside the strands of hair blocking the other person's eyes and said with a faint smile, "There's no need for us to be so distant."

Going back to how things were before?

is it possible?
Tang Yan had the answer in her heart, but when she met Xu Ming's eyes, her heart still couldn't help but pound.

She finds it hard to resist the kindness the other person is showing.

Even though she knew there was a bottomless abyss ahead and had suffered because of it, when she stood in the abyss again and looked down, she still jumped down without hesitation.

……

April has arrived.

After three films and one TV series, Qi Ming started three more TV series.

Two of them are adaptations of Gu Man's works: "My Sunshine" and "Love O2O". The former stars Zhong Hanliang and Tang Yan, while the latter stars Yang Yang and Li Xin.

The third is the Republican-era drama "Legend of Fragrance," which is also Tang Yan's famous work from her previous life. Xu Ming gave her a plot outline and had his screenwriting team fill it in. The male and female leads are Chen Xiao and Tang Yan, respectively.

The reason why Zhong Hanliang was chosen for the role in "My Sunshine" was simply because there was no other way.

Qiming Entertainment doesn't have any handsome, mature male artists. Wang Qianyuan's image might be considered decent for a movie, but it wouldn't work for a TV series, especially an idol drama.

Everyone in the company immediately realized that Tang Yan was the next artist they would promote, and a wave of envy and jealousy swept through the company.

Even Da Mimi, upon learning this, became jealous and asked Xu Ming for more several times, wanting to squeeze every last drop out of him.

Unfortunately, it caused her to be unable to get out of bed the next day.

Qi Ming's actions have attracted much attention within the industry.

Originally, they thought Qiming would be able to take a break after Xu Ming went to Hollywood. Unexpectedly, while Xu Ming's projects were suspended, the works of his artists suddenly appeared like an explosion.

This doesn't even include the two projects that Yu Zheng Studio started.

The only thing they could be thankful for was that the other party had changed direction and was clearly going to make a big push into the television drama industry, while their films were also mostly targeting overseas channels.

The latter, in particular.

This caused some people who planned to use this as an excuse to punish Xu Ming to temporarily put on the sidelines.

If this path truly leads to Xu Ming's success, then their current actions will undoubtedly be seen as a case of flattery backfiring.

Domestically, it may seem that we don't put much effort into external publicity, but in reality, we value it too much and would rather let it go to waste than make any rash moves.

First cultivate your internal strength, then consider external skills.

However, if Xu Ming can carve out a path for himself through his own abilities, it would be an unexpected bonus for the higher-ups.

This undercurrent of power struggle among various parties is what makes it so that even though Xu Ming is in the middle of the vortex, he rarely has a moment of peace.

Of course, he knew very well that the peace was just a temporary illusion.

If we fail to make a name for ourselves on this path, the backlash will be even greater.

Even so, he preferred to take a gamble rather than wait for fate to smile upon him.

Only by demonstrating their dominant value can they gain protection. "Brother Ming, we're here," Xiao Juan called out.

Xu Ming opened his eyes: "This is the studio that Sohu set up?"

“Yes, according to Sohu, the venue and equipment cost 50 million yuan,” Xiao Juan said.

Xu Ming scoffed, too lazy to expose him.

The rental cost in Daxing wouldn't be too high, but after deducting the markup, it should have cost around 20 to 30 million yuan.

After all, according to the plan that Xu Ming discussed with Sohu, "The Voice of China" was to be recorded for at least four seasons.

Although the latter had some doubts about whether the variety show could last, they were still willing to invest in and endorse Xu Ming's judgment.

"Let's go, don't keep people waiting. After we finish recording the show, we can take Li Ronghao back to record the song together." Xu Ming stretched and jumped out of the car.

Previously, Sohu was worried that the show wouldn't be popular enough, so they added a clause to the contract to allow him to appear on stage as a special guest once.

He simply released a song from his new album, which he was recording, as a way to promote it in advance and boost its chart rankings.

Sohu staff were already waiting, and upon seeing the person in question arrive, they quickly stepped forward to guide them.

Xu Ming listened to Xiao Juan's report as he walked backstage.

"For President Yu's project, 'Legend of Lu Zhen,' Zhao Liying has been cast as the female lead. Sister Xiaoyuan has been in contact with her, and Zhao Liying is willing to switch roles to Qiming."

According to Sister Yuan, there's no need to pay a penalty for breach of contract. The other party only has six months left on their contract with Hairun, and they will proactively choose to switch sides when it expires.

Xiao Juan didn't take the news seriously. There were plenty of artists who wanted to join Qiming, including many popular stars.

She hadn't heard much about Zhao Liying, so she was clearly not a valuable artist.

Little did Xu Ming know that Zhao Liying's commercial value was no less than that of Yang Mi.

At her peak, the latter was someone who could go toe-to-toe with Yang Mi and even be evenly matched.

If there's no chance to make money from this cash cow, so be it; but if there is, of course we have to take it in.

By securing contracts with Zhao Liying and Yang Mi, even if he loses his precognitive memories, Qi Ming will remain invincible in China.

“No need. Let Zhao Liying tell Hairun that it would be best to terminate the contract peacefully, but if not, just pay the penalty and take them away,” Xu Ming said in a deep voice.

He has plenty of money; it's not worth ruining his reputation for such a small amount.

Poaching talent is acceptable within the industry, but if someone is unwilling to pay the breach of contract penalty, then that breaks the rules.

The reason why Rong Xinda and Li Xiaowan attacked him before, and so many people responded, was simply because he was too popular and no one wanted to watch Qiming ride on their heads.

Later, realizing that public opinion was turning against them, they gave up.

However, if he didn't pay the breach of contract penalty when he poached Yang Yang and Li Xin, then no matter how much public opinion he garnered, his peers in the industry wouldn't let him off easily.

Once this bad precedent is set, it's truly like opening Pandora's box.

"Understood," Xiao Juan nodded.

Xu Ming followed the staff into the backstage dressing room.

After finishing his makeup, he went on stage for a rehearsal.

All preparations are complete.

We'll just wait for the afternoon's performance.

In order to create a good show effect, he specifically asked the production team to keep it a secret from mentors such as Wang Fei.

He personally invited all four mentors to participate in the show.

I wonder what my expression will be when I see myself on stage.

Even he was curious, and he expected that when the program preview was released, the audience would probably be even more excited.

This appearance on stage was also a test of the domestic environment for him.

See if you have any opinions about appearing in public.

Start with variety shows, take it one step at a time, and avoid rushing things.

What he's really waiting for is "My Love from the Star." Once he opens up the Asian market, he won't just be a simple entertainer anymore.

Artists like Chow Yun-fat, Jet Li, and Jackie Chan, who have a certain international reputation, even if Xu Ming thinks the former are all show and no substance, can still receive preferential treatment.

There's no other reason than that control is highly valuable.

Similar to some galas, the threshold for Hong Kong and Taiwan artists to get on stage is lower than that for mainland artists, especially Taiwanese artists.

If one only blooms within the walls, one is still easily manipulated.

He's determined to make things happen, both inside and outside the walls!
"Teacher Xu, it's your turn."

The staff member's reminder interrupted Xu Ming's thoughts.

"it is good."

Xu Ming smiled and responded, then walked toward the stage under the other party's guidance.

The photographer carried a camera and pointed it at him the whole way.

"This is my first time on a music variety show. I don't know if I will be chosen by the four mentors."

Xu Ming looked at the camera and stroked his chin: "If possible, I would like to choose Wang Fei as my mentor."

Providing as much material as possible is the responsibility of a guest.

Although the production team didn't require it, as one of the producers, he still had to do his part.

"Ah, why did you choose Teacher Wang?"

The photographer received a prompt from the director through his earpiece and nervously began to ask his question.

"Teacher Liu Huan is too old, there's a generation gap. Jay Chou's own singing isn't very clear either, I'm afraid he'll lead me astray again."

Xu Ming was talking nonsense. With his current status, making this level of announcement was truly effortless for him.

He said these joking remarks without fear of offending anyone, and they even created entertainment value for the show.

"La Ying speaks without thinking. Her teachers all say she was born with a great voice but a brain like a dog. I'd be afraid of a fight if I treated her as a student."

In conclusion, Wang Fei is still the better choice, mainly because we're familiar with each other and I can pull some strings.

After saying this, Xu Ming sighed and said, "It's no use talking about this now. I'll be so embarrassed if no one chooses me."

The director, sitting in the studio, looked excited.

Pointing at the screen, he said, "See that? That's what you call a sense of variety. Teacher Xu is such a big star, yet he can still be so uninhibited. We really made the right choice this time. It's just a pity he's only coming for one episode."

No one responded.

Phase 1?
That's only because Xu Ming is the show's financial backer and producer; otherwise, given his status, it would be difficult to even invite a guest for one episode.

When Xu Ming stood on the stage, the stage lights shone on him.

Once the audience recognized him, screams and cheers erupted instantly.

This left the four mentors, who had their backs to him, looking puzzled.

"Is it a handsome guy or a beautiful girl? Everyone's so excited," Jay Chou said, raising an eyebrow.

"Who knows? We've been filming this show for a while now, don't you think we can't figure out what kind of people the production team is? They just like to cast people we can't guess." Spicy Ying shook her head.

Ahead of us were drivers, students, and sanitation workers.

This was the first time she had ever seen a music talent show, and it always surprised her.

"Listen to the song, I hope this one can join my team," Liu Huan said with a smile.

Wang Fei blinked. She wasn't used to speaking in front of the camera and mostly listened to the other three chatting.

"We traveled along the way, stopping and starting frequently."

Following the trail of the boy's drifting journey~

hiss~
Wang Fei frowned slightly.

That voice sounds familiar.

(End of this chapter)