Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 153: Initially slow, then obsequious; upon reflection, it's laughable.
He called me "Brother Xiu" so naturally.

Chen Xiu silently criticized Wang Sicong in her heart, but still pretended to hesitate for a moment on her face.

看在王首富的面子，他还是决定多等上5秒，再去拒绝，5、4、3、2、1……

"Excuse me, were you implying that you were trying to introduce me to acting opportunities?"

"Yup!"

Wang Sicong's eyes lit up as he said he was very satisfied with his idea.

"You like acting, right? There's a suitable role in Wu Jing's movie. Why don't you two work together? Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"

"At first glance, that makes sense, but I'd like to ask, what role did you play in all of this? Given your stature, Young Master Wang, surely you'd be paid quite a bit to act as a middleman?"

Chen Xiu looked Wang Sicong up and down, but didn't see any helpful spirit in him at all.

Even if he did, he would probably be more willing to help young ladies than a rough guy like Wu Jing.

Under Chen Xiu's gaze, Wang Sicong touched his nose, not bothering to hide it.

“I invested in his movie, so I thought I’d do my part.”

"That's a good reason, but you've come to the wrong person. I only accept roles based on the part. If your movie is short of funding, I can help you out."

The second half of the sentence was spoken by Chen Xiu to Wu Jing.

The box office success of "Wolf Warrior 2" speaks for itself; if we could invest, that would be ideal.

However, as a sequel, and given that Wu Jing secured investment from Wang Sicong, the remaining share of "Wolf Warrior 2" is likely to be minimal.

Chen Xiu simply mentioned that it would be best to have a bite of Wolf Warrior 2 cake.

It doesn't matter if we can't have it, there are two other equally delicious cakes.

Thinking of this, Chen Xiu turned her head and glanced at Chen Sicheng, who was being interviewed.

Now that the "Detective Chinatown" IP has been successful, while the box office of individual sequels may not be as high as that of "Wolf Warrior 2", their high output and overall value will far exceed that of the "Wolf Warrior" series.

The other film, "The Wandering Earth," is still in its early stages, and there is still a significant shortfall in its production costs. This is where the real big prize lies.

Guo Fan, the director of The Wandering Ball, and Chen Sicheng were "classmates" who went to Paramount to study at the same time. Through this connection, Chen Xiu was still able to easily contact this cyber Daji.

As Chen Xiu stared at Chen Sicheng, Chen Sicheng, who was being interviewed, also noticed and looked over in their direction.

When he saw that it was Chen Xiu looking at him, the newly minted billion-dollar film director actually trembled slightly, and then smiled ingratiatingly at Chen Xiu.

"Mr. Chen, the supporting character I designed is quite interesting."

"what?"

Chen Xiu looked at Wu Jing with some surprise, not quite understanding why he suddenly brought up the role.

Wu Jing smiled confidently: "Didn't you just say that you should consider the role when accepting a role? The supporting character I designed is quite interesting, and there's a lot of room for development."

"hehe."

Chen Xiu chuckled twice, glanced at Wang Sicong first, and then said to Wu Jing, "I'm already here, so I don't mind staying a little longer. If you want to try to persuade me, then let's begin."

"it is good."

Wu Jing paused for a moment, mentally organizing his words, before continuing, "Mr. Chen, the rich second-generation character I'm talking about is a young man who is proficient with firearms, likes to show off, and enjoys excitement. In the movie, he also has a coming-of-age storyline, and in the end, he single-handedly kills a mercenary..."

"To sum it up, it's about a rich kid who likes to show off, who eventually takes down a minor character through some comical means, right?"

"Um...you could say that."

"This is a comedic role, which would really suit you."

Chen Xiu looked at Wang Sicong and said in a serious tone.

Wang Sicong didn't refute the teasing, only grudgingly at the awkward situation.

He already knew that he was no match for Chen Xiu in verbal sparring, so there was no need for him to humiliate himself further.

However, Wang Sicong's reaction surprised Wu Jing, and his gaze towards Chen Xiu began to clear.

"Mr. Chen, if you are not satisfied with the character's design, I can change it."

"No need for all that trouble, just leave it as it is! If I don't act, you can find someone else, the effect will be the same, won't it?"

"How can it be that it doesn't matter who plays the role?"

“I don’t think there’s any difference. The reason why ‘Wolf Warrior’ is loved and supported by the audience is because you, Wu Jing, are brave and daring. As long as your performance as the male lead is up to par, nobody cares who the supporting male character is!”

Chen Xiu said this as a matter of course, her expression extremely sincere.

This sudden recognition left Wu Jing somewhat bewildered, and he was even more surprised by Chen Xiu's evaluation of him.

After calming down, Wu Jing forced a smile and began his "humble" remarks: "President Chen, you're exaggerating a bit. The supporting male role is still very important..."

“I didn’t say that the supporting male role is unimportant. I just said that it’s only ‘Wolf Warrior’ because of Wu Jing. Other roles can be replaced.”

Chen Xiu reiterated her point of view, which is an indisputable fact.

In his previous life, after playing a supporting role in "Wolf Warrior 2", Zhang Han's status and resources remained unchanged.

Because everyone knows that the success of "Wolf Warrior 2" lies in Wu Jing. If the male supporting role were replaced by anyone with a similar level of skill as Zhang Han, the effect would be the same, and there would be no change.

Faced with Chen Xiu's second approval, Wu Jing could no longer suppress the urge to smile.

He was a proud and ambitious person to begin with. In his early years, he went to Hong Kong to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry, just to prove that he could make a name for himself through kung fu.

Although the results were less than satisfactory, my pride never wavered.

Wu Jing takes the recognition from ordinary people, and even those in the industry, in stride.

However, given Chen Xiu's status as a rising star in both the internet and entertainment industries, coupled with Wang Sicong's earlier statement, Wu Jing's approval carried significant weight. "Mr. Chen, you're making me a little embarrassed. The film investment is almost finalized; the remaining shortfall isn't large..."

"Is there still a gap?"

Chen Xiu's expression was a mixture of surprise and delight that was not easily noticed by others.

He just casually mentioned the investment when he asked about it, and I really didn't expect to make a profit.

Wu Jing said with some embarrassment, "Yes, one investor lost confidence in the project and withdrew their investment, so there's still a shortfall of about 10%."

Have you found new investors?

"Yeah, we're chatting with a few right now..."

"If you don't mind, you can send a copy of the film project proposal to Datang Pictures, and I will study it carefully."

Chen Xiu smiled, not showing much surprise, but rather giving the impression that she was helping out.

Upon hearing his words, Wu Jing's smile became even more genuine than before.

Just as the two were having a pleasant conversation, and Wang Sicong had gone from being a middleman to a spectator, an overly solicitous voice reached Chen Xiu's ears.

"Mr. Chen, you wanted to see me?"

Chen Xiu turned around and looked at Chen Sicheng, who had arrived at some point, and asked in confusion, "Did I look for you?"

"You glanced at me just now, and I thought you were looking for me."

"Oh, then I was indeed looking for you."

"Just look for me, what do you think, what should we do?"

After a cryptic discussion, Chen Sicheng and Chen Xiu turned their attention to Wu Jing, subtly indicating that he should leave.

Chen Sicheng dared not hint at Wang Sicong's involvement.

Wu Jing pursed his lips. He didn't want to pay attention to Chen Sicheng, but he didn't want to stay and interfere with Chen Xiu's conversation.

"Mr. Chen, I have something to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."

"Okay, don't forget about the movie project."

"I won't forget it, I'll deliver it to you personally tomorrow."

Wu Jing chuckled and raised his hand to say goodbye to Chen Xiu.

Watching the wolf warrior leave, Chen Xiu glanced at Wang Sicong again: "I need to talk to you, you should leave for a bit."

"Should I still avoid this?"

"Okay, hurry up and stop dawdling."

"Tsk tsk, fine, I'll avoid it then."

Wang Sicong's helpless attitude inexplicably brought out a comedic effect, which made Chen Xiu look at him with surprise, and also made Chen Sicheng secretly click his tongue.

Once Wang Dashao had walked away, Chen Xiu didn't bother with any preamble and went straight to the point: "Do you know Guo Fan? He's the director who made 'My Old Classmate'."

"Old Guo, I know him! Mr. Chen, do you need to see him?"

"Yes, there's a youth-themed film we'd like to work on. Could you please help us get in touch with him?"

"No problem, give it to me!"

Chen Sicheng agreed readily, and his submissive attitude caused Chen Xiu's gaze towards him to change slightly.

After looking him up and down, Chen Xiu smiled and said, "You seem a little different."

"I've just figured some things out."

"What is it?"

Chen Sicheng hesitated for a moment, but when he saw Chen Xiu waiting for his answer, he quickly composed himself.

"Mr. Chen, can we continue to collaborate on the sequel to 'Detective Chinatown'?"

"You still want to work with me? You don't mind being called a blank slate director?"

"These are just jealous jokes from envious people; I don't care at all."

Chen Sicheng frowned and said seriously, his tone quite impassioned, showing that his acting skills were also on point.

Chen Xiu looked at him noncommittally, thinking to herself that he was a smart man.

"If we were to collaborate again, would you be clear about your own role?"

"I'll shoot exactly as you tell me to, and there won't be a single shot's error!"

Chen Sicheng's gaze was firm, as if he were making a vow, which was in stark contrast to his previous behavior of being pliable because of Chen Xiu's domineering attitude.

As a smart person, after understanding the IP value of "Detective Chinatown".

Chen Sicheng clearly understood that only by following Chen Xiu and continuing to stay in the position of director of "Detective Chinatown" could he maximize his own interests.

At that moment, he had only one thought in his mind: Being a blank slate director is really awesome!
"Ah."

Chen Xiu let out a soft laugh, clearly thinking of Chen Sicheng's previous dismissive behavior.

However, since the other party had clearly surrendered by sliding to his knees, he left each other with some dignity: "I currently have no intention of changing directors. If nothing unexpected happens, you will still be the number one director!"

"Director Number One?"

"Yes, and Xiao Yang too!"

(End of this chapter)