In the entertainment industry, everyone has been reborn, but who will be their servant?

Chapter 102 Power Above All Else

The suite has no complicated furniture, just a low rattan sofa, which looks simple, and the crystal chandelier in the ceiling illuminates the entire living room.

Qin Xuan and Liu Yifei sat facing each other on the sofa. Qin Xuan was changing her bandages: "Have you applied any medicine yet?"

"It's on." Liu Yifei frowned slightly, trying to bear it, but still said, "Be gentle!"

"You still feel pain?" Qin Xuan held her soft, white hand and gently blew on it.

"Nonsense, I'll cut you with a knife and see if it hurts." Although Liu Yifei said this, she felt a tingling sensation on her palm, as if a gentle breeze had brushed over it.

They've been through thick and thin together and are very familiar with each other, so they can say whatever they want without worrying about anything else.

"It's not that I'm being arrogant, but even if I gave you a knife, with your small frame, I could easily subdue you with one hand." Qin Xuan said arrogantly as he continued to re-bandage her.

"Heh," Liu Yifei said, feigning disdain, "I wonder who can't even open a bottle cap."

"Just this once, and you're going to remember it for the rest of your life, planning to keep talking about it?" Qin Xuan was speechless.

"Of course, I'll keep saying it." Liu Yifei said proudly, shaking her head triumphantly, regaining her usual energy.

She didn't think much of twisting the bottle cap at first; it was a very ordinary thing. But seeing the man deliberately demonstrate how to twist the bottle cap in front of her made a deeper impression on her.

"All right."

Qin Xuan tied it up and patted her hand.

It landed right on Liu Yifei's wound, and she cried out in pain, immediately slapping him back, hitting her injured hand.

After being hit, he quickly pulled back as if he had been electrocuted, his face showing pain as he gasped for breath.

"That's what you call reaping what you sow," Qin Xuan laughed.

"roll!"

Liu Yifei raised her leg and kicked him in the thigh.

She wasn't wearing shoes, just a pair of small, delicate pink socks.

Qin Xuan kicked off the chair and sat back down indifferently, saying to her, "You should attend this meeting, and you should attend as many as possible. This is the Olympic year, so getting involved will be of great benefit to you."

This year is the year when people have the strongest sense of belonging to the country. That song can allow her to participate in official activities from the beginning to the end of the year.

"Isn't this a bit too deliberate? People might actually think I'm trying to create hype or something." Liu Yifei stared at him.

That was the same before; it was too deliberate.

"Does it matter whether it's intentional or not? What matters is that mainstream media reported on you and gave you a thumbs up. Many people try every means to do this. So-and-so came and took a picture with a child and went back, and they publicized it extensively. Isn't that intentional?" Qin Xuan didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

He genuinely did his work and deserved some recognition, but he still adhered to his theory that everything he did should be rewarded.

Just like his younger cousin, although his younger cousin was doing things for his own future, it made him understand that there is no such thing as a free lunch.

Seeing Liu Yifei remain silent, Qin Xuan continued, "First, you need to understand one thing: the ecosystem of our entertainment industry is such that minor fame relies on capital, but if you want to go further..."

He leaned forward, getting closer, squinted, and lowered his voice, saying, "Power will always be above money!"

No matter how powerful Qin Xuan is, daring to yell at capital and point his finger at it, he has to be respectful when he meets Lao Zhang. That's how it is.

Liu Yifei stared at him, feeling touched, knowing that Qin Xuan was doing it all for her own good, to make her health bar thicker.

"In our business world, there's a saying: get close to the government, stay away from politics. You need to understand this principle!" Qin Xuan told her.

This is a truth that Liu Yifei probably won't understand for another ten years, but she's being made to understand it ahead of time.

They probably understood long ago, but just didn't have the chance.

Liu Yifei asked in confusion, "Aren't you in the entertainment industry? How did you end up in the business world?"

"Isn't business also in the entertainment industry? Movies and TV series are commodities, and celebrities are commodities too. You get paid for endorsements and events," Qin Xuan said.

Liu Yifei shook her head. "I became like this because I didn't want to be a commodity."

"Then keep going. If you keep going, you will gain your freedom. This is just the pain. Victory belongs to those who persevere," Qin Xuan encouraged her.

Liu Yifei nodded solemnly, as if she had been greatly encouraged.

She was relentlessly attacked because she didn't want to become someone's commodity. If she had a management company or a powerful backer, at least she would have someone to protect her. Now, she has no one to protect her.

The two chatted for a while before returning to their respective rooms. They were exhausted from staying up all night and working.

The two flew back to Beijing on the 15th!

Filming for "The Unknown" has wrapped up, and all post-production work has been completed. The equipment was rented, so we just need to return it to the rental company.

The new players are still operating with a light asset model.

On this very day, the Film Bureau issued an internal notice regarding "Nanjing Photo Studio," the gist of which is as follows:

"In accordance with the 'Regulations on the Filing and Approval of Film Scripts (Synopsis)' and the relevant requirements for the management of major-themed film and television creation, and after final review by the Leading Group for the Creation of Major Revolutionary and Historical Films of the National Film Administration, and in conjunction with a special review by relevant departments, the filing information for the major-themed film 'Nanjing Photo Studio' is hereby publicized, and filming is approved!"

The following line reads: "This is a simplified public notice; specific approval details will be archived for future reference in accordance with the regulations for special subject matter management."

There are also additional notes, and the filing entity is: New Power!
This information was only publicized through special channels and was not made public to the public, but state-owned enterprises such as China Film Group and Huaxia Film Distribution, as well as private enterprises such as Bona Film Group and Huayi Brothers, knew about it the moment it was publicized.

Several authoritative media outlets, including China Daily, Sina, and Phoenix.com, have also reported on this matter.

The general public doesn't pay attention to this, but it caused a huge stir within the industry, with the most incredulous being the two Wangs of Huayi.

"He's qualified to film major themes? How did it pass censorship? Did no one stop him?" Mr. Wang really couldn't understand it.

If even the Propaganda Department can produce films on major themes? Then what are they compared to us? The most incomprehensible thing is how they even passed censorship?
After hanging up the phone, Boss Wang said, "It was the leader's decision; there's no stopping him."

He took a drag of his cigarette and said, "I heard that kid spoke eloquently at the defense, leaving all the experts speechless."

“This won’t do, brother. If he films something big, we’ll be even less able to control him,” said Young Master Wang. Big Master Wang took a drag of his cigarette and lowered his head in thought.

This is indeed not easy to handle. They plan to wait until the eve of the release of the movie "The Unknown" and then use their connections to make the movie be revised dozens of times, until they are exhausted.

After all, the bigwigs in Beijing's elite circles know some experts, consultants, and industry authorities, and there are also people on the review committee.

At the time, some bigwigs said they wanted to kick Qin Xuan out, but this important subject matter didn't go through the review committee, but rather a separate leading group, and with the Film Bureau protecting it, which made things very difficult.

Not only the two kings, but also various people in the entertainment industry were shocked. Some stars and actors even disregarded Huayi's ban and contacted new forces to try to get a role.

First, secretly try to get involved; once you've passed the test, then perform, and while you're at it, apologize to Huayi: "It wasn't easy for me either!"

If you didn't get it, just pretend nothing happened.

Even Bona Film Group's Fatty Yu and Enlight Media's Wang Changtian were shocked and immediately contacted New Force, wanting to get involved and get a share of the pie.

Major themes are hard to lose money on. To put it simply, ordinary movies don't have a solid fan base; they compete on tactics.

However, for major films, once they are released, grossing over 100 million yuan is a sure thing, because enterprises, institutions, and universities form the basic customer base, and these entities can contribute enough to the film's box office revenue.

As long as the film doesn't flop too badly at the box office, it can easily rake in hundreds of millions, since mainstream media helps with promotion, so such films have a large base of potential customers.

In addition, participating can provide access to other resources.

"Xiaoping, help me contact General Manager Xuan," Wang Changtian instructed.

Fatty Yu was more proactive and courteous, having his secretary invite President Xuan to dinner.

Despite his tendency to talk nonsense, this guy is usually very respectful to filmmakers, though he looked down on Wu Guoqiang back then.

If you have the ability, he'll really try to lick your boots; he's even licked boots from Wang Jin and Chow Yun-fat.

Qin Xuan was currently on the phone with Ye Ning, whose tone was harsher: "Damn it, why didn't you tell me beforehand that you got this movie approved?"

"Didn't you already know?" Qin Xuan said calmly.

Ye Ning was speechless. This was too calm. The entire entertainment industry was probably already talking about this.

China Film Group should also respond.

"How are your preparations going? Do you need any help from me?" He was very eager to assist.

"We definitely need your help, but there's something I need to let you know," Qin Xuan said.

"what's up?"

"The film's production budget has increased from 60 million to 80 million, so Wanda's share may have to be reduced slightly," Qin Xuan said.

"Why do you always raise prices? You raised prices halfway through filming 'The Unknown,' and now you're raising prices again before filming has even started." Ye Ning was speechless.

"Tell me, for this movie, should I treat everyone to dinner, should I entertain them in all sorts of ways? Do you think I can just open my mouth and the movie will pass censorship? If it's that easy, why don't you come and do it?" Qin Xuan said it as if it were a matter of course, and he really could get the movie approved just by opening his mouth.

Anyway, it's perfectly reasonable to include it in public relations expenses.

Ye Ning was speechless at these words, as those in the real estate business indeed incurred many such expenses.

Furthermore, it cannot be officially designated as a category; it must be included as part of the film production process.

"Alright then, let's keep in touch anytime if anything comes up, I'll cooperate." Ye Ning could never win an argument with him, but she took this matter very seriously.

With box office revenue of just a few hundred million, imagine how many people would be drawn to their cinemas, and how many cinemas would be revitalized.

Such films are a rare treat for Wanda. Even if they are at the height of their success ten years from now, they will still have to take a backseat. There's no other reason than that they lack their own creative system and cannot take the lead.

The new force is entirely due to Qin Xuan's foresight. Even if "Nanjing Photo Studio" doesn't pass censorship now, it will in the future. This movie is absolutely right.

"I need your cooperation to send some more money over," Qin Xuan said.

"What do you need money for again?" Ye Ning asked helplessly.

"We need to do some preparatory work in the early stages, and we also need to have meals and team building activities with the main creative team. We can't just talk dryly when we're discussing things, right? We always need to have something to drink with, don't you think?" Qin Xuan said without batting an eye.

"You guys just come to the Wanda Hotel for dinner, it's on me, okay?" Ye Ning said helplessly.

Since officially starting to work with this person, all I've done is ask for money, and now I'm even asking for money for meals.

Qin Xuan was just imitating the Hong Kong entertainment circle, but of course he wasn't as exaggerated as them, where a celebration banquet was supposed to bankrupt investors. He didn't mention "Storm Riders 2"!
A hat costs six thousand dollars, was that in US dollars or RMB? I forgot!
After the two finished talking, Qin Xuan hung up the phone with satisfaction, and then said to the people around him, "Boss Chen, Yifei, let's go to the nearby Wanda Hotel for a meal and chat while we eat."

"Since President Xuan has invited me, I will naturally accept with utmost respect." Chen Yuli readily agreed.

Liu Yifei nodded, having no objection.

They were discussing the recording of "As You Wish". Chen Yuli is the owner of Yuli Music Studio. In a few months, they will be recording "Me and You". There is no problem with his professional ability.

His father, Chen Qigang, is a famous composer and the music producer for Zhang Yimou's films "The Flowers of War" and "Under the Hawthorn Tree," so he has quite a background.

However, Chen Yuli passed away in a car accident in 12.

He looks fine now, but he wears glasses and is already balding at a young age.

Qin Xuan treated the three of them to a big meal at the Wanda Le Méridien Chinese Restaurant, where they finalized their plans for the music recording of "As You Wish".

This will take a few days to record, since it involves auto-tuning. It will be edited to look perfect, and it won't be considered a live performance. You can just lip-sync on stage; nobody cares about that in that kind of setting.

Moreover, CCTV generally does not encourage live singing for the sake of program effect.

That is, a demo will be released on the 16th. The demo is quite simple. After that, Liu Yifei will record it slowly.

　That's all for tonight, get some rest!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)