A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 82 Cooperation
They met, had a meal, and discussed cooperation.

Qiong Yao brought her daughter-in-law, and Lin Jianlu brought Jia Jingwen.

Of course, Jia Jingwen is just a figurehead, but Qiong Yao, the daughter-in-law named He Xiuqiong, is not.

It seems that Qiong Yao intends to push her to the top. When introducing her, she said that she planned to make her the producer of the drama called "Princess Pearl" - she is said to have quite a lot of production experience.

Cooperation is not difficult to discuss.

Qiong Yao revealed that she recently went to the mainland, mainly to discuss the co-production of "Tears in Heaven". She was warmly received by the cooperating party, Hunan Economic Television, and the two sides had a very good discussion.

The main point is that in the past few years, from "Six Dreams" to "Plum Blossom Trilogy" and then to "Two Eternities", Qiong Yao's company has been trying to conduct limited co-productions with Hunan TV. The results were acceptable. Although they were not very successful, it can be said that she has been steadily promoting cooperation with the mainland. The next "Heaven Has Tears" will also follow this cooperation model.

Furthermore, since the Xiangnan Economic Television Station was officially established at the beginning of this year, they have gained greater freedom, and therefore their involvement in "Tears in Heaven" will be deeper than before.

But it doesn't matter. Forbidden City Film Studio definitely has the same channels as Hunan Economic Television, and Forbidden City Film Studio has even more freedom than Hunan Economic Television.

Backed by Beijing Film Studio and affiliated units such as Beijing Television and Beijing Television Art Center under the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture, Forbidden City Film Studio still boasts an unparalleled advantage in terms of film production experience.

This is clearly something that Qiong Yao values ​​highly—otherwise, she wouldn't have been so immediately interested and asked to talk to him in person.

They were a perfect match.

Because Lin Jianlu intended to facilitate this matter.

The popularity of many things has both accidental and inevitable aspects, but in Lin Jianlu's view, the popularity of "Princess Pearl" was obviously more inevitable. After traveling to the capital for more than half a year, he had a lot of dealings with the literary and artistic circles and knew very well what the situation was like in China.

As people's lives have improved, there is an exceptionally strong demand for entertainment and leisure activities. However, the domestic entertainment industry is still in its infancy, lacking not only sufficient production capacity but also often struggling to create purely commercial products. It's fair to say that this is a market where supply cannot meet demand. Under these circumstances, the popularity of Qiong Yao dramas is, in fact, inevitable.

As for which specific film will become a hit—history has already provided the answer.

Lin Jianlu, being a time traveler, was too lazy to bother with the actual selection process. He could just copy the standard answer—if he made a mistake, so be it, it didn't matter.

Even if the film was shot and broadcast but didn't become popular, at least Han Shanping and Zhang Heping's warm invitation for him to join and establish Forbidden City Film Industry brought about the implicit task of promoting film and television exchanges between the mainland, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, which he had seriously promoted and done very obvious work on—not only inviting him to join, but even inviting Brigitte Lin to participate in investment and shareholding, Lin Jianlu understood what the two meant!

So let's start with "My Fair Princess"!

Lin Jianlu needed to promise to secure filming permits in mainland China, which was easy. The main thing was to get a broadcasting commitment from Beijing TV – the so-called "penetration" into mainland China, and how to penetrate it is through broadcasting! Over the past few years, Qiong Yao had tried many times, mainly with Hunan TV at the time, but the broadcast results were always mediocre.

Given the special status of the capital's television station, she felt it was worth a try!

As long as Lin Jianlu can do the above two things, she is fully willing to openly discuss co-production and co-production with Forbidden City Film Studio—obviously, she also needs to give up some benefits!
So, the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves.

He Xiuqiong was responsible for discussing many details with Lin Jianlu, with Qiong Yao occasionally adding a few words. As for Jia Jingwen, she was relatively awkward and basically couldn't get a word in edgewise. She was just a pretty face.

After the general direction of the cooperation was basically finalized, Qiong Yao smiled and looked at her, "Miss Jia, A Lu just introduced you as an actress. Have you acted in any famous dramas?"

Alyssa Chia shook her head slightly embarrassedly, "It hasn't really been a hit yet."

Qiong Yao smiled and said, "It's alright! You're so beautiful. Since A Lu brought you here, she must want to give you a wider path. I have a drama to film here soon, A Lu knows about it, it's called 'Heaven Has Tears', would you like to give it a try?"

Jia Jingwen paused for a moment, then her face lit up with surprise. She was almost about to blurt out an immediate agreement, but what she finally said was, "I'll listen to Brother Lu! He asked me to act, so of course I'm willing to act in your play. But I don't know if he has any other plans..."

As she spoke, she turned to look at Lin Jianlu.

Qiong Yao couldn't help but show an expression of admiration on her face, "What a smart and well-behaved girl!"

She smiled and said to Lin Jianlu, "Ah Lu, you have such good taste! You know how to choose a girlfriend! ... Does this Miss Jia have a management contract? Would you be willing to part with her and let me work with her for a few years?" — She was a seasoned veteran; she didn't let anything slip, but her words were full of hidden meaning.

Trying to have your cake and eat it too!

But Lin Jianlu didn't care about her subtle mockery; she just repeated the same old line—

"Sure! But you have to really support him!"

"Hahaha, you little brat, I'll help you promote your girlfriend, but you at least have to agree to act in one of my movies!"

"It's more of a cameo role; I'm not good at real acting."

This is Lin Jianlu's second rejection, and it seems she is truly sincere.

Qiong Yao hesitated for a moment and said, "For 'Princess Pearl,' I need at least two songs. I'll write the lyrics, and you'll compose the music. Moreover, you have to sing at least one of them!"

"Hahaha!...Good!"

The collaborations have increased and seem to have deepened. For Qiong Yao, in addition to the Hunan TV network with which she has collaborated for a long time but has not seen much success so far, she now has a powerful partner in mainland China, and Lin Jianlu, a popular star who is famous throughout mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong and whose status in mainland China is almost unparalleled, is also there to support her, which increases the chances of success for her new drama.

For Lin Jianlu, not only did he complete the hidden mission from the Forbidden City Film Company and introduce the collaboration with Qiong Yao dramas, he also conveniently launched two girls, giving them the opportunity to film Qiong Yao dramas in the future. Incidentally... if "Princess Pearl" becomes a hit as it has in history, he can also make a fortune.

And so everyone was happy.

He raised his glass, and the four of them clinked glasses. "It's been a pleasure working with you!"

After taking a small sip and putting down her cup, Qiong Yao smiled at Jia Jingwen and said, "Miss Jia, you are not only beautiful, but also lucky! I can promise you right now that you can star in my 'Heaven Has Tears'!"

She didn't even mention the agency contract again.

…………

Qiong Yao is gone.

Her daughter-in-law was about to pay the bill, but Lin Jianlu stopped her and sent Jia Jingwen to pay it instead. Then, the two of them politely escorted her to the hotel entrance and watched the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law get into their car.

Once the car had driven away, Lin Jianlu turned around and met Jia Jingwen's incredibly interesting gaze.

He raised his hand and brushed her head aside. "Take back your thanks! Just focus on filming! With this movie, you'll probably pay off those debts soon... 274 million, right?"

"Ah."

"Let's go, let's take a taxi back, I'll drop you off first!"

But she suddenly grabbed Lin Jianlu's hand. Lin Jianlu turned around, and their eyes met. Her eyelashes blinked only twice, and under the bright streetlights, her eyes unknowingly reddened.

The next moment, she quickly lowered her head and sniffed.

With a nasal tone, he said, "Brother Lu..."

Lin Jianlu laughed, "Ha...I already said, take it back!"

But she suddenly lunged forward and hugged Lin Jianlu's waist, and a faint sobbing could be heard.

In fact, Lin Jianlu could understand her loss of composure at this moment—they had talked about it quite deeply. Although she was suffering and tired from the family's debts, she didn't complain much. She was willing to work hard to earn money to pay off the debts. However, as a girl who was only in her early twenties, the pressure of shouldering this burden alone was unimaginable.

She really needs a shoulder to lean on when she's tired.

It's not about money, it's about spiritual needs.

Perhaps, to be more precise, what she needs is a spiritual father and a spiritual brother.

That's why, during their brief acquaintance on the set of "Four Daughters," when Lin Jianlu gave her a business card with Ai Jia's phone number written on the back, she couldn't help but tear up on the spot.

During their first dinner date, her cathartic tears, and the subsequent payment of another 300,000 yuan debt, coincidentally led to Lin Jianlu making that phone call…

Well, when we had dinner together a couple of days ago, she was testing the waters a bit.

I want to express my love.

She seemed quite eager and brave in her search for a spiritual support!
And now, it's clear that emotions have completely spiraled out of control—Qiong Yao dramas! Yao girls!

Although the plan for Qiong Yao dramas to open up the mainland market has not been successful in the past few years, it is at least very famous in Hong Kong and Taiwan, especially in Taiwan!

It's no exaggeration to say that every Yao Girl who emerges becomes a hit!

A man she already considered a source of emotional support, a handsome young man who would normally inspire admiration in her, a talented and well-connected superstar... Not only did he recently promise to secure a lead role in a TV series for her, but he has now pushed her into a position where she can star in the next Qiong Yao drama!

She completely lost control.

A suppressed sob.

Lin Jianlu hesitated for a moment, then gently hugged her and patted her back. "Alright, alright, don't be sad! Things will definitely get better from now on! I promise!"

"Ah."

She nestled in Lin Jianlu's arms and nodded.

***
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(End of this chapter)