Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 235 Outstanding Beauty
Jiang Weixin had his own considerations. The entertainment industry today is not what it used to be. Since coal bosses entered the market with huge sums of money, the industry is now flourishing, and the film and television industry has become a hot commodity in the eyes of capital.

Putting aside everything else, since Fan Bingbing went solo, she has made her personal studio a great success and taken her career to the next level.

With such a successful example, many celebrities who feel they have connections and abilities have started to get creative, wanting to emulate Fan Bingbing's model by setting up their own studios and trying to get a bigger slice of the pie.

There was also the uproar a while ago about Li Bingbing, Huang Xiaoming and Ren Quan opening an investment company together. Some directors who felt their talents were not being recognized came to them with their scripts and offered to invest.

Jiang Wei keenly sensed that everything in the entertainment industry was quietly changing. He thought that once this precedent was set, many wealthy and well-connected celebrities would try to organize events and invest in film and television projects to test the waters.

Although his connections weren't as extensive as those of Huayi Brothers, the top female star in front of him was a promising prospect. Perhaps in two or three years, her career would advance further, and he would have the opportunity to persuade her to invest.

The two walked and talked, asking and answering each other, each with their own thoughts, and soon arrived at the dressing room of "Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre" filled with all kinds of costumes and props.

The makeshift dressing room was warm and cozy, with a heater blowing whirring.

As soon as he entered the room, Jiang Wei immediately instructed the makeup artist: "This is Liu Shishi, the actress who plays Huang Shangnu. Quickly do her makeup. Director Yu is waiting."

With the assistant director present, the makeup artist dared not slack off, her face beaming with smiles and a friendly tone: "Mr. Liu, please sit here."

Liu Shishi nodded slightly, sat down quietly in front of the dressing mirror, closed her eyes, and let the makeup artist apply makeup to her face.

After a long period of work, Liu Shishi finally finished her makeup and changed into the yellow ancient costume carefully prepared by the stylist.

When she reappeared before everyone, everyone's eyes lit up, feeling that Liu Shishi's personal image was instantly endowed with an indescribable charm.

The eldest sister moved with light, graceful steps, her long skirt swaying slightly, her flowing garments revealing her elegant and charming figure. Her aloof and proud aura was naturally revealed, as if she were a fairy who had stepped out of a painting.

"Teacher Liu, come and look in the mirror! Your appearance is absolutely stunning!" Jiang Wei stood to the side, his eyes filled with amazement. He secretly thought that the role of Huang Shangnu in this play would probably outshine all the other beauties.

Liu Shishi turned around as instructed, faced herself in the dressing mirror, nodded slightly, and was quite satisfied with her yellow dress. She felt that the stylist of the "Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre" crew was quite skilled.

The person in front of him was a distinguished guest, and Jiang Wei said with concern, "Teacher Liu, it's too cold outside. Please wear your down jacket over your costume. We'll go see Director Yu now."

On set, the staff were busy but not chaotic, each performing their duties. Director Yu Min was staring at the monitor screen, carefully reviewing the footage he had just shot, immersed in his own world.

He only snapped out of his daze when he heard his deputy calling him. Turning to the side, he saw Jiang Wei approaching with a girl in yellow.

Liu Shishi then took off her coat and quickly stepped forward to greet him: "Director Yu, hello. I am Liu Shishi. I am very happy to join the cast of 'Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre'."

"Welcome!" Yu Min responded, carefully examining Liu Shishi. A look of amazement appeared on his face, and he clapped his hands and laughed, sincerely praising, "What a wonderful look! It's truly amazing!"

I couldn't help but admire my friend Zhang Jizhong's discerning eye. He immediately recognized Liu Shishi's talent and wanted her to make a cameo appearance. It seems that it wasn't just about riding on her popularity; her temperament truly matched the character perfectly.

"Old Zhang's choice of the host is indeed excellent!" Yu Min said with admiration. "You are simply a natural beauty in period costumes."

After being praised by many people, Liu Shishi beamed with joy, her words tinged with shyness and humility: "Director Yu is too kind. I still have many shortcomings that I need to improve."

"I'm not exaggerating, I'm just telling the truth. To make a name for yourself in the fiercely competitive entertainment industry, you not only need to be beautiful, but you also need to have a unique beauty, your own charm and style."

Your temperament and appearance are very distinctive. I dare say that, based solely on your elegant and graceful appearance in period costume, you will definitely have a place in the entertainment industry in the future.

Upon hearing this, Liu Shishi was overjoyed. She wanted to exchange a few more polite words, but Yu Min waved his hand and said, "No need to be so modest. Let's get down to business and try out the scene. Let me find out if you can handle wire work."

"Will do!"

"Xiao Jiang, have Wu Sisi come over and take Liu Shishi to test her pressure and see how good she is."

Although Huang Shangnu has a small role in "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber", she is the most mysterious and intriguing character in the entire series.

In order to highlight the mystery, she must leave a deep impression on the audience every time she appears, especially when she makes her first appearance, the plot requires her to descend slowly from the sky.

While this design certainly makes people look like celestial maidens descending to earth, light and elegant, bringing a strong visual impact and aesthetic enjoyment to the audience, it places extremely high demands on the actors' core strength and sense of balance when on wires.

Many actresses are passable when it comes to artistic roles, but they often struggle with action scenes that demand a lot of physical strength and endurance, such as wire work. Although the young woman had just given a confident and resolute answer, Yu Min was still a little worried.

But Liu Shishi's performance greatly exceeded his expectations. With the help of the rope, the little girl was as light as a swallow, flipping and leaping in the air, her posture ethereal and otherworldly.

Even though the low temperature made her movements a bit stiff, Liu Shishi still managed to complete the series of movements designed by the action choreographer very well, thanks to her solid skills and tenacious perseverance.

"Very good! Teacher Liu has a good foundation."

The martial arts choreographer couldn't help but cheer. As the saying goes, experts see the details, while laymen just watch the show. Clearly, as a professional, the martial arts choreographer could tell at a glance that Liu Shishi's movements were standardized, smooth, and stable, which must have come from rigorous basic martial arts training.

On set, the lead actress, during her audition, executed a series of movements in one smooth motion, as natural as flowing water, as she slowly descended from the sky to the ground.

The crew members around them couldn't help but applaud and praise this wonderful scene.

After untying the safety rope, Liu Shishi stood beside the director again. Her delicate face was slightly flushed from the intense exercise, and a few strands of hair on her forehead were a little messy, but this did not affect her beauty at all. On the contrary, it added a touch of liveliness and playfulness.

At this moment, Yu Min felt an indescribable satisfaction and admiration for the young girl in front of him. Sure enough, those who can become famous in the industry are not ordinary people; they all have one or two special skills.

Unfortunately, filming for "Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre" has been underway for nearly two months, and it's too late to change the cast now. Reshooting would be too costly, otherwise he would have considered replacing all the female leads.

He was not very satisfied with the performances of several leading actresses, including An Yixuan and Liu Jing, feeling that they lacked the necessary skill and charm in interpreting and portraying their characters.

Thinking of this, Yu Min sighed helplessly. Once his new version of "Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre" is filmed, it will inevitably be compared with the previous version.

The male lead, Deng Chao, gave a passable performance, but the female leads are far inferior to Jia Jingwen and Gao Yuanyuan, and the film will likely be criticized. It's a pity the actresses aren't up to par; it seems the director is also struggling. Hopefully, Liu Shishi can offer some surprises to the audience.

With anticipation growing, Yu Min's attitude softened further: "The action sequences were perfect. You must be tired from your long journey. Get a good rest tonight and recharge your energy. We'll officially start filming Huang Shangnu's scenes tomorrow."

Liu Shishi nodded. The mountain road was rugged, and she had been traveling since early morning, so she was indeed a little tired.

Since the director is so considerate in letting her rest well, it's a good opportunity for her to recharge and be in top form for filming tomorrow.

As night fell, the crew of "Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre" finished their busy day and returned to their hotel one after another, exhausted.

Zhang Jizhong has booked the entire hotel for the film crew.

The third floor of the hotel is a rest area for several female celebrities, and the most spacious single room at the end of the corridor is the guest room of the female lead, An Yixuan.

The celebrity had finished washing up and was reclining comfortably on the headboard, busy applying a face mask to care for her skin. Her phone was on speakerphone, and she was talking to someone on the phone.

"Hu Ge, your junior sister has quite the entourage, always bringing two assistants wherever she goes."

An Yixuan felt a strange mix of emotions when she thought of the top female host from Tangren Media that she had met during the day. She felt that the other woman was deliberately showing off.

They both looked down on her and were a little envious, after all, such a grand display also showed how much Tangren Media valued Liu Shishi.

Tangren's top actor, who was at home in Donghai, was well aware of Ms. Liu's situation and casually replied, "It's Shishi's first time filming outside, and she's unfamiliar with the place. It's only natural that President Cai would be more concerned and make more thorough arrangements."

"Hmph, what do you mean by human nature? I think she's just being spoiled."

Recalling how generous and forthright Shishi was when they spent time together, Hu Ge defended her, saying, "No, Shishi is quite bold. She wasn't a delicate girl when she was at the company or on set."

An Yixuan looked disdainful upon hearing this: "That's just putting on an act, pretending to be gentle and charming to make people dizzy with infatuation."

Sensing the resentment in her old friend's words, Hu Ge quickly asked, "Yi Xuan, something's not right with you! You didn't offend Shi Shi, did you?"

"Hmph, did I offend her? She stole the show today, outshining all of us lead actors. Director Yu kept praising her, saying how good her appearance was and how great her action scenes were."

They find fault with everything we do. Now the whole production crew is saying that Liu Shishi's portrayal of Huang Shangnu is more beautiful than all of Quan Fang's, surpassing even Zhang Wuji's many female confidantes. Can you believe it?

An Yixuan became more and more excited as she spoke, her voice unconsciously rising a few decibels, and even the face mask on her face trembled slightly.

Although she didn't know exactly what happened on set, Hu Ge could tell that Liu Shishi must have performed exceptionally well on set and was highly regarded by the director, which made her the object of jealousy among the other actresses.

"That's an exaggeration. Shishi is only making a cameo appearance. Besides, you're the one who asked me to invite her. You'd better take good care of her on set."

"Take care of her? I don't have the time for that." An Yixuan had no way to express her bitterness. If Zhang Jizhong hadn't asked her, would she have bothered to invite such a delicate young actress to the film set to cause herself trouble?

"Besides, she doesn't need my care at all. She has two assistants by her side, the assistant director takes extra care of her, and a senior from her senior class is also very attentive to her and trying to please her in every way."

"What's going on? Tell me in more detail. Is someone pursuing Shishi?"

An Yixuan recalled Li Tai's various actions during the day, her face full of disdain, without considering her own capabilities:
"It's Li Tai, the actor who plays Song Qingshu. He and Liu Shishi are alumni of the Beijing Dance Academy, and he wants to pursue her. However, he sees that Liu Shishi isn't interested in him and is very cold towards him."

Li Tai is also shameless. In the drama, Song Qingshu relentlessly pursues Zhou Zhiruo, while in real life he tries to win Liu Shishi's heart. The characters on and off screen are quite similar. However, as the saying goes, even a good woman can be easily swayed by a persistent man; the future is uncertain.

"Although I don't know Mrs. Li, I know that his efforts are doomed to be in vain. Shishi has a boyfriend who is super handsome, and Shishi loves her boyfriend very much."

Hu Ge said with a smile that he knew very well the relationship between Liu Shishi and Song Ci, and that no one else could easily interfere.

Upon hearing this, An Yixuan immediately perked up. Celebrities are people too, and they also love to hear gossip from the industry. She quickly asked, "Which male celebrity is it? Tell me quickly."

"Shishi's boyfriend is not a celebrity; he's not in the entertainment industry."

"Could he be a young master from some wealthy and powerful family?"

"More or less," Hu Ge replied vaguely, not wanting to dwell on the topic any longer, as it involved Liu Shishi's privacy.

"How does he compare to my partner?"

Upon hearing this, Hu Ge couldn't help but burst out laughing. She didn't know where An Yixuan got her confidence from, comparing her boyfriend Wang Xiaofei to Song Ci. It was like a firefly trying to outshine the moon.

Hearing Hu Ge's mocking laughter, An Yixuan was immediately displeased and stood up for her boyfriend, shouting:
“What’s wrong with my Xiaofei? He’s very ambitious. He owns his own real estate company, and his family also owns the large restaurant chain South Beauty.”

Hu Ge shook her head helplessly, with a sigh and certainty: "Yi Xuan, let's not talk about this anymore. I'll just say this here: no woman in the entertainment industry can find a boyfriend better than Shi Shi."

"I don't believe it!" An Yixuan said stubbornly.

She didn't believe that Liu Shishi's boyfriend could be so perfect. There were countless handsome men and beautiful women in the entertainment industry, and many outstanding people. How could she not find someone more outstanding than Liu Shishi's boyfriend?
Hu Ge murmured softly, her voice becoming gentle and full of story: "Shi Shi and her boyfriend were childhood sweethearts, a perfect match in their prime."

If you knew their story like I do, you'd know that person truly is an ideal, someone you can only dream of!

An Yixuan listened quietly to Hu Ge's story, momentarily lost in thought, a vague yet beautiful image involuntarily appearing in her mind.

Although she still didn't know the other person's identity, she suddenly felt that her boyfriend was no longer "appealing," and their relationship lacked the deep affection and tacit understanding that Liu Shishi and her boyfriend had.

(End of this chapter)