Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 223 The Ambitious Zhao Liying

Chapter 223 The Ambitious Zhao Liying
Stealing a glance at Chen Xiu's profile, Zhao Liying thought: He's so young, yet so composed...

From the start of the dinner until now, Zhao Liying has been paying close attention to Chen Xiu's reactions. In the past half hour, he has only said five sentences, three of which were spoken to Meng Ziyi.

The character "孟" means "beautiful" and "lucky".

Wang Sicong was like an excited parrot, talking non-stop, and Lin Genxin kept echoing and praising him.

Although Wang Sicong is older, he looks like a child when he sits next to Chen Xiu.

Zhao Liying made a general assessment of the people at the table, and then began to think about how to establish a relationship with Chen Xiu, not a physical one, but a business one.

As an actress who rose from humble beginnings, she neither craves nor believes in love.

Zhao Liying's sense of security comes from having a voice.

When she accepted the invitation to play the lead role in "The Monkey King 3," one of her conditions was that she would also serve as a co-producer.

Zhao Liying is not satisfied with being a top actress among the post-85 generation; what she wants is to have a voice!

To get a seat at the table, networking with higher-ups is essential, and Chen Xiu, as a rising star who entered the entertainment industry with capital, is exactly the kind of person Zhao Liying needs to befriend.

However, Chen Xiu's polite and taciturn attitude left her somewhat unsure of his temperament, so she dared not rashly bring up the topic of cooperation...
"Brother Xiu, my dad asked me to ask you when you'll be done with your work. He wants to arrange another round of golf with you."

Wang Sicong's words caused the atmosphere at the table to suddenly become quiet.

Everyone, including him, looked at Chen Xiu. Meng Ziyi was simply curious, while Zhao Liying and Lin Genxin were surprised and moved.

Chen Xiu swirled his wine glass, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"After this movie is finished, many film and television projects will need to be prepared and launched. Although there are people to do the specific work, I still have to take care of each project... I will contact your dad before the Spring Festival."

"Okay, I've delivered the message. I don't care about anything else."

Wang Sicong grinned and went on to boast about how well his online variety show, "Hello! Goddess," was doing.

Zhao Liying keenly sensed the opportunity to discuss cooperation and seized it.

She stood up, holding her wine glass, and said to Chen Xiu, "Mr. Chen, I'd like to propose a toast to you!"

"Hmm? Okay! Just a little drink is fine, no need to do anything."

Chen Xiu raised his glass to Zhao Liying, took a small sip, and showed no intention of drinking heavily.

Seeing this, Zhao Liying, having drunk most of her drink, put down her glass and said, "President Chen, you just mentioned that you have many projects in preparation for next year. I wonder if there's any possibility of cooperation between us?"

"You want to cooperate with me?"

"Yes! Do you think there's a chance?"

Zhao Liying stood there, her eyes shining, and said.

Based on the limited information gathered at the dinner, she believed that Chen Xiu was a very direct person, and that communication with such a person should be straightforward and direct rather than roundabout.

Chen Xiu gave Zhao Liying a careful look, and in her round and bright almond-shaped eyes, he saw a hint of ambition.

Chen Xiu was quite familiar with Zhao Liying and knew that she was a very career-minded star. In her previous life, she served as a producer and executive producer in many of the works in which she starred.

In this light, it's not surprising that she approached me to discuss collaboration.

"You just said you wanted me to call you Liying, right?"

"Correct!"

"Mr. Wei is in charge of all the film and television projects at Datang Pictures. Whether there is an opportunity for cooperation between us is up to him to evaluate. Liying, I hope you can understand."

"Ok, I see."

Zhao Liying nodded slightly and sat back down in her seat with a normal expression.

Seeing this demeanor, Chen Xiu could understand why she was the most successful among the post-85 actresses.

Compared to actresses born in the 85s like Yang Mi, Liu Qianqian, and Liu Shishi, who come from wealthier families, Zhao Liying's family background is only very ordinary, and she received no help whatsoever in her acting career.

People who rise from humble beginnings are often better able to control their emotions and desires, and they certainly have the intelligence and ability to succeed; otherwise, they wouldn't have made it this far.

Unfortunately, Zhao Liying was already famous, and her high salary meant that the chances of them working together were slim.

The so-called "having Wei Feng evaluate" was nothing more than a polite way of declining.

However, Zhao Liying took this matter to heart: "President Chen, may I talk to President Wei at your film set next time?"

"sure!"

Chen Xiu nodded in agreement, but based on his understanding of Wei Feng, he could even guess what kind of words Wei Feng would use to reject Zhao Liying.

"Mr. Chen, may I invite you and Mr. Wei to dinner alone sometime?"

Zhao Liying then asked, and with her extensive experience of being rejected, she clearly knew how to reduce the probability of rejection.

Chen Xiu looked at her with some surprise, but secretly admired her quick wit.

Indeed, the road we've traveled is the greatest teacher in life.

People like Zhao Liying, who have nothing, often mature the fastest; their character and abilities are both excellent. People like Lin Genxin, who cling to powerful figures, will gradually mature after being kicked in the back…

Chen Xiu turned to look at Meng Ziyi, and looking into those pure and clear eyes, she felt that she was fine even without being mature.

"No need for a meal. If there's a possibility of cooperation, Mr. Wei will tell you directly."

"Uh, okay, I understand."

Zhao Liying nodded with a slight change in expression, already understanding Chen Xiu's subtext.

However, she didn't rule out the possibility of anything, so she would still try to communicate with Wei Feng. After all, the two film crews were so close, and there was no cost to walking there.

After Zhao Liying's sudden collaboration negotiations, the atmosphere at the dinner table underwent some subtle changes.

After Wang Sicong finished boasting about the success of "Hello! Goddess", the dinner party came to an end.

After bidding farewell to the three, Chen Xiu took Meng Ziyi and left the private room, returning to the hotel that the "Qin King's Battle Song" production team had booked.

……

"Wow!!"

Meng Ziyi, who had been a "flying man" five times in a row, reached out and gently stroked Chen Xiu's arm—the same arm that could effortlessly pull her up and spin her around—his face beaming with a lovestruck smile. "Hehe, Xiu-ge'er, let's do it one last time!"

"the last time?"

"Hey, the last few times."

"So how many times exactly?"

Chen Xiu slowly shook her head and joked, "I feel like you've gained a little weight recently, and your hands are a bit tired. Shall we play again tomorrow?"

"No! Let's play a few more times today! I'll start dieting tomorrow, I promise."

Meng Ziyi clasped her hands together, closed one eye, and tilted her head to fawn over Chen Xiu.

Both of them, pretending not to understand, knew what the other was thinking, yet they both enjoyed the feeling of teasing each other and acting coquettishly.

After a sweet tug-of-war, Chen Xiu put one arm around Meng Ziyi's slender waist, and carried her horizontally around the room, slowly speeding up the pace.

Meng Ziyi's hands are outstretched, like a dragonfly flitting around the room.

Throughout the flight, Chen Xiu naturally had to exert force with her hands, and Meng Ziyi also had to tighten her core muscles to keep her body as straight as possible in order to take off better.

By the tenth round, Chen Xiushang was able to switch hands and continue, but Meng Ziyi, who couldn't straighten his back, had already waved his hands, begging to be let go.

"I can't go on anymore, Xiu-ge'er, let's play again tomorrow!"

"Ha, you're the one who's both bad at the game and loves to play."

"Hmm? This sentence sounds pretty interesting. Is it some new internet meme?"

"I don't know, I'll just say it when I think of it."

With so many internet memes in her head, Chen Xiu didn't even know when they appeared; she just said them as they came to mind.

Meng Ziyi pursed her lips, trying to recall the origin of the internet meme. After thinking for a long time, she finally realized...

"Were you just saying I'm bad at games but love to play?"

"Well, that's right!"

"I, you, I..."

The silly beauty pointed to herself, then to Chen Xiu, and finally pouted helplessly: "What you said doesn't seem wrong, but I'm a little annoyed."

"Tch! So you're not bad at the game, but you love to play. Is that alright now?"

"Hehe, that's much better."

Meng Ziyi's face turned from gloomy to happy, and then he reached out and poked Chen Xiu's biceps.

"Brother Xiu, you're so strong! I feel like you could carry me for half an hour at a time."

"No, my muscles will be too sore to stand in 10 minutes at most."

"how do you know?"

"Forehead……"

Chen Xiu's expression froze; she realized this was a difficult question to answer.

“I’ve done a test. You’re going back to Beijing in a few days to continue filming ‘Back to Field’. I won’t be able to accompany you this time.”

"It's okay. After you went last time, Teacher Huang didn't dare to force me to eat his cooking anymore."

Meng waved his hand, no longer considering the time issue.

Just when Chen Xiu thought the conversation was over, Meng Ziyi suddenly asked, "Brother Xiu, what do you think of Jing Tian and Zhao Liying?"

"Ok?"

Chen Xiu looked at Meng Ziyi carefully to make sure she wasn't implying anything, before saying, "One is naive and the other is ambitious. I can't really see through their true character."

"Why are you analyzing this? I'm asking you, are they good-looking or not!"

Meng Ziyi pursed her lips and frowned, her mischievous nature ready to be unleashed. She was just waiting for Chen Xiu to give her answer so she could make a little fuss about the share she hadn't managed to cause during the day.

Looking at the silly beauty whose true thoughts and feelings were written all over her face, Chen Xiu chuckled and said with amusement, "Why aren't you in this group?"

"Hey, among me, Jing Tian, and Zhao Liying, who's the prettiest?"

"How about we add Yang Mi, Liu Qianqian, and Liu Shishi to the competition and have everyone compete together?"

"Okay, then between me and them, who is prettier?"

Compared to other actresses born in the 85s, Meng Ziyi seemed somewhat lacking in confidence, and her voice even became lower.

Chen Xiu looked at her amusedly and added, "How about we broaden the scope a bit and put you among all the women I know, and we all compete?"

"I know my own limitations. No matter what, I can't possibly be better looking than everyone else!"

Don't you want to ask who's the best looking?

Meng Ziyi, who had been lured in with a pouty face, indeed took the bait.

"Who?"

Chen Xiu smiled and leaned close to her ear, whispering, "My mom."

The standard answer is perfectly acceptable.

Meng Ziyi pouted, dissatisfied, and said, "And second place?"