Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 378 Good and Bad

Although Wang Shuo and Peng Xiaolin were bickering, the meal was still quite enjoyable thanks to Feng Xiaogang and Ma Wei, both of whom were good at livening up the atmosphere.

After a few rounds of drinks, Ma Wei took the opportunity to ask, "Mr. Zhang, I heard that Tianjin TV is having a big event that will bring together major museums to put on a show, and even the Palace Museum and the National Museum of China are involved. Is that true?"

"Haha, Teacher Ma is still as well-informed as ever."

Zhang Yan smiled and said, "However, this matter is still far from being settled, so I'm sorry to say that I can't reveal anything at the moment."

Although Zhang Yan didn't reveal much, it proves that this news wasn't unfounded.

Ma Weidu is currently preparing to resign and start his own business, aiming to deal in antiques. If he has the opportunity to contact the leaders of major museums, it will definitely be of great benefit to his future career.

So he took Zhang Yan's acquisition of Dingli to heart, thinking that if he could help Zhang Yan in this matter, he might have a chance to achieve his goal.

Of course, Ma Wei felt that this was also for Wang Shuo's good, since judging from the information they had received, it was clear that Zhang Yan's offer was more favorable.

As for the issue of face...

Wang Shuo has already fallen from grace. His film and book publishing have been restricted, and he doesn't know how long he will have to endure this. For him, the benefits he holds in his hands are the real assets!

After the meal, they went their separate ways.

When Zhang Yan drove back to the Guomao Courtyard alone, as expected, Zhou Tao had already washed up and was waiting for him in bed.

After the two had a fierce battle, the crew of "The Conqueror of Western Chu" called to inform them that they had contacted Rosamund Kwan, and just as Zhang Yan had predicted, she had indeed flown back to Hong Kong for a follow-up examination.

Zhang Yan asked with concern, "Is Miss Guan's illness serious? Will it affect your filming?"

"This... cannot be confirmed yet; we need to wait for Guan Zhilin's test results."

Speaking of this, Sin Ki-yin felt a headache coming on. Filming was supposed to start tomorrow, but the female lead suddenly ran back to Hong Kong Island. How could it not affect the filming?
But a brain tumor is no small matter. Even if Rosamund Kwan's behavior was somewhat inappropriate, the production team couldn't hold her responsible, much less replace her because of it.

The two exchanged a few more words before hanging up.

Zhang Yan didn't put down his mobile phone. Instead, he called Wang Jinghua, told her about Guan Zhilin's situation, and then instructed her: "These next two days, you should communicate more with the 'Xi Chu Ba Wang' crew and find a suitable opportunity to suggest that they prepare a backup plan in advance, so as not to be caught off guard and delay filming."

Now, the only two people qualified to replace Rosamund Kwan as Yu Ji are Chen Hong and Gai Lili, but Chen Hong is pregnant and Gai Lili has already joined the cast.

If we want to recommend other newcomers, we have to take a roundabout approach – there are certainly many people who want to replace Rosamund Kwan, but very few well-known actors are willing to be a backup option.

Although Zhang Yan wasn't sure if Xian Qiran would look for a backup plan, it wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

After discussing the backup plan, Zhang Yan talked to Wang Jinghua about the casting for "Three No-Man's-Law". The production center has already chosen Shi Lanya to play the female lead, and Huang Zhizhong to play the male lead.

The former is the most famous among the newcomers besides Jiang Wu, while the latter is a native of Tianjin. Moreover, the two are classmates and work together quite well.

As for the second male lead, the TV station wanted to find a famous person to anchor the show, preferably someone who could bring some hype, so they chose the recently popular Richie Jen.

"The problem now is that Richie Jen has already scheduled a tour for the second half of the year. He is quite popular now, and people generally have a higher opinion of Hong Kong and Taiwan singers. His income is expected to rank among the top three among signed singers."

This is no small sum of money. Based on last year's situation, Ren Xianqi could bring in at least a million yuan in revenue for the company in just six months.

What is his own opinion?

"He's still hesitating. He still has some ideas about becoming an actor, but this is, after all, his first chance to make big money since he came here to fulfill his dream."

"Then let him figure it out himself."

Zhang Yan finally said, "I've always said we need to take a long-term view. Ren Xianqi's identity as a Taiwanese singer means he has more possibilities in the future. There's no need to let such a small thing cause him any resentment." After hanging up the phone again, Zhang Yan noticed that Zhou Tao was resting his chin on his hand, staring blankly out the window.

"what happened?"

Zhang Yan fiddled with the slender branches and large fruits, and asked in puzzlement, "What are you thinking about?"

"nothing."

Zhou Tao snapped out of his daze, turned around, and said, "I'm a little short on cash lately. Do you know any ways to make money without breaking the rules?"

This is the advantage of having fewer emotional ties. In the past, Zhou Tao would have been embarrassed to talk about money in front of Zhang Yan. Of course, she still has some burdens, so she didn't directly ask Zhang Yan for money, but hoped that Zhang Yan could provide a way to make money.

"Can't I do gigs?"

Zhang Yan was somewhat puzzled, since CCTV's regulations weren't that strict yet, and many hosts would go out and do commercial performances in private.

“I’ve only just established myself at Zhengda Variety Show,” Zhou Tao explained. “There are too many people watching me now. The principle of ‘the law does not punish the masses’ might not apply to me. Besides, I have the opportunity to host the Spring Festival Gala this year, and I don’t want to make a mistake at this time.”

Zhang Yan thought for a moment and said, "Then why don't you just open a shop? A restaurant, a clothing store or anything like that is fine. Call Tao Hong along, and I'll provide the capital and give you some planning and packaging."

There are currently few restrictions on CCTV hosts engaging in side businesses, especially those unrelated to their primary job.

As long as the celebrity effect can be used reasonably, you should be able to make a profit no matter what you do. Even if you do lose money, you can make up for it with other means.

"嘁~"

Zhou Tao turned away unhappily. She was originally happy that Zhang Yan was willing to pay for her side business, but this womanizer actually wanted to drag Tao Hong into it.

Although she and Tao Hong didn't have any conflicts, that was based on the principle of non-interference. If they became business partners who were essentially fighting side by side, the situation would be quite different.

Zhou Tao turned his back to Zhang Yan in a huff. He had originally wanted to wait for Zhang Yan to coax him so that he could take the opportunity to make some demands and at least set the priorities. How could he let others enjoy the benefits that he had actively sought?

But after waiting for several minutes, all I heard was Zhang Yan snoring.

That despicable, stinky man!

So you're not acting at all anymore, huh?!

Zhou Tao instinctively wanted to kick him, but hesitated to do so—this is the downside of lacking emotional ties; interests need to be calculated, and with calculation comes hesitation and second-guessing.

…………

the other side.

Chen Hong also received the latest updates on Rosamund Kwan's disappearance, and felt somewhat depressed.

Chen Hong originally intended to let Gong Li rest for a few days and then "guide" her when the opportunity arose, but with Guan Zhilin's outburst, Gong Li probably wouldn't have time to think about such things anymore.

It seems we must step up our efforts and make things clear in advance.

Chen Hong originally didn't want to attend tomorrow's opening ceremony, but due to the unexpected situation, she changed her mind at the last minute.

It would be good to bring Wong Jing-hua along. Besides getting back on track with Gong Li's matter, we also wanted to see if there was any chance to have the artist who fulfilled her dream replace Kwan Chi-lam.

As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together; the two made the same decision almost simultaneously without much communication.

(End of this chapter)