Which top celebrity doesn't support a few female stars?

Chapter 91 The Grand Finale

Ten days later, just when the entertainment industry was unusually quiet and no one was making headlines or trending on social media, Shengshi Entertainment poured in heavy marketing resources to announce the signing of Qin Jinxuan.

In no time, the hashtag #QinJinxuanJoinsShengshi# became a trending topic across the internet.

Interestingly, initially, all the discussion focused on Qin Jinxuan's acting skills.

"The Chinese entertainment industry is doomed. Qin Jinxuan has such superb acting skills, yet she's completely unknown? She has to rely on massive marketing campaigns to gain any buzz?!"

"When there are no heroes, even a nobody can become famous. Putting everything else aside, everyone knows what level Zhou Ge is at, but his popularity is 100 times higher than hers."

"Speaking of my brother Zhou—Shengshi is the company my brother Zhou is signed with. This matter can't possibly have anything to do with my brother Zhou, can it? No way, no way?"

"Is there even a need to guess? It's definitely related to Brother Zhou. There have been leaks before that Qin Jinxuan is the female lead in the movie Brother Zhou starred in."

"Holy crap, Zhou Ge is practically abusing his personal charm! First Ning Xixia, now Qin Jinxuan—damn!"

"Seriously, if Brother Zhou is really that charming, why doesn't he just poach two top female celebrities to join Shengshi? Like Zhang Jiayan!"

'

Despite Qin Jinxuan having already starred in many well-received films, the public seems to be only now realizing that she is an award-winning actress.

Not surprisingly.

Popularity among the general public does not equate to online buzz, and online buzz does not represent real influence.

However, we are already in the era of internet traffic, and online buzz can bring substantial commercial value.

In other words, the massive marketing resources that Shengshi invested in Qin Jinxuan brought her into the public eye, allowing her to gain wider exposure.

Its commercial value will naturally increase accordingly.

Some large GG companies have always had an extremely keen sense of smell, and it is estimated that business cooperation will be poured into Qin Jinxuan in just two or three days at most.

As an aside, public opinion will focus on Li Zhou, which is unexpected for everyone online.

In the Chinese entertainment industry, when talking about a golden age, one must mention Li and Zhou—the two have long been inextricably linked.

The more active the entertainment-focused netizens are, the clearer they are about this, and the less doubt they will have.

Chen Anqiang's directing ability is truly outstanding.

Although Li Zhou was a self-taught actor with many of the bad habits he developed from acting in television dramas, under Chen Anqiang's tutelage, Li Zhou caught up with the pace of film acting in just two days.

Furthermore, Chen Anqiang made no attempt to make Li Zhou suppress his astonishing personal charm.

Instead, they used every possible method to ensure that Li Zhou could complete his performance within his absolute comfort zone of showing off.

Chen Anqiang made no attempt to hide his achievements, stating frankly: "The ability of an excellent director is to bring out the most core personal characteristics and qualities of an actor to the fullest extent possible."

Li Zhoushen understood: "I get it. What the director means is—looking at all the directors in the Chinese entertainment industry, they are all just shills who sell their work for money."

Chen Anqiang:

Even if that's what I mean, is it something you can say to someone's face?

Even a dignified director like me, Chen, knows to keep his boasts to himself!

"6

The main setting of "A World Without Thieves" is very simple, mostly taking place inside a train carriage.

There are far fewer tedious transitions.

Therefore, once the director Chen Anqiang brought the performance level of the male lead Li Zhou to a level that matched the plot, the filming progressed rapidly.

Even though Li Zhou continued to leave the group from time to time to do his own thing, just like before, it didn't have any impact.

Filming began at the end of October and wrapped up on December 29th.

They didn't even make it into the new year.

According to an insider, this is the fastest film in director Chen Anqiang's career.

He emphasized that the director himself was extremely satisfied, believing that it could revitalize the somewhat sluggish Chinese-language film and television industry.

It is expected to become his latest masterpiece.

It's not hard to see that this insider is director Chen Anqiang himself; he sometimes boasts without any shame.

With the wrap-up of filming for "A World Without Thieves," Master Li, who has been busy all year, finally has the leisure to take a break.

Then----

He had just returned to Guangzhou when Xu Qingyi took him away.

After getting into the same van as Xu Qingyi, Xu Qingyi held up her left hand and made a peace sign: "I have two small things to ask you about."

"Go see your new home."

"To help you get back on track."

The smile that had just appeared on Li Zhou's face froze. Then, he looked at Xu Qingyi with a pair of bewildered eyes and didn't say anything.

Under Li Zhou's gaze, Boss Xu pretended not to understand and said, "Let's go see the new house first."

-

Li Zhou:

'

He couldn't understand why Boss Xu, who seemed perfectly capable, was resorting to such suspenseful tactics.

The car circled around in traffic before finally arriving at a picturesque manor villa community.

Li Zhou occasionally has a bit of a dependency mentality.

He considered having his assistant, Yang Sisi, look for a place, but never thought of looking for a place himself.

Therefore, after handing the matter over to Xu Qingyi, Li Zhou didn't bother to care about the follow-up, and never paid any attention to the Guangzhou real estate market.

In other words, Li Zhou had absolutely no recollection of this unfamiliar manor villa community.

What the heck is Qingxi Garden? — It's quite common. For example, the place with the highest property prices back then on Ersha Island was called Hongcheng Garden.

Thinking of this, Li Zhou asked curiously, "I heard that the villas on Ersha Island have been vacant for a long time. Was there any inside story behind it back then?"

Xu Qingyi didn't mince words, casually tossing out, "Don't ask what you shouldn't ask."

Fortunately, she knew when to stop and quickly explained simply, "Due to the impact from over a decade ago, those with money and power all withdrew."

"Many houses are now considered to be in disrepair. My house, for example, has been vacant for a long time. I only lived there for half a year when I was a child."

Li Zhou pretended to suddenly understand, but in reality he only had a vague understanding, though he roughly knew what the source was.

Putting all that aside, Li Zhou quickly entered the courtyard of the villa that had already been registered under his name.

It turned out to be a rather simple courtyard house.

It is a typical north-facing building, with no houses facing south, but a two-story building on each of the east, west, and north sides.

It's the kind of comfortable design that's pleasing to the eye.

"This neighborhood is great; every building has a unique design."

Li praised the surrounding area as he walked.

"I even have a yard here—this place is big enough to bring my mistresses over to live in one house."

Admittedly, Li Zhou really liked the new house.

Besides an outer courtyard with a garden and pond, which is estimated to be several acres in size, the inner courtyard, surrounded by three buildings and a gate, is also quite spacious.

It's at least four or five hundred square meters.

The courtyard has only one large tree, and the rest of the place is unfurnished, making it so spacious and refreshing.

Xu Qingyi, who was following beside her, explained simply: "There aren't many rooms available, and many of them are multi-functional rooms, so you can enjoy life at home."

"The east and west buildings are mainly for entertainment purposes, with only one bedroom on each side."

Li Zhou: "Oh, oh—"

As she spoke, Xu Qingyi abruptly changed the subject: "Since you brought up the matter of mistresses, I won't go on and on about it—"

"Have you been a bit too reckless these past few months? Before, you were just dating some good friends, but lately you've been practically living together, haven't you?"

"And they're all big stars."

"Do you even care about your career as an artist?"

Li Zhou:

'

"You might not believe it, but ever since I was threatened by paparazzi, I've learned to prioritize safety."

"And they insisted on giving it to—"

Hearing this, Xu Qingyi was stunned with anger: "You want it just because I give it to you?!"

Li Zhou calmly explained, "It's safe."

"They all come to our door with reports and test strips, how considerate they are—and they're even healthier than before."

Having a stable partner does indeed lead to better health.

Moreover, the fixed number of people is not large; it's just Ning, Qin, Zhang, Su—you can count them on one hand.

Su Yuran goes without saying; she was genuinely willing to give it, and she's been quite popular lately, so she was given this opportunity.

As for Qin Jin, that's a misunderstanding.

She thought that after joining Shengshi, she would have to accept some unspoken rules. Since she had already made the choice, there was no need to be coy.

Having been in the Chinese entertainment industry for so long, even if you haven't eaten pork, you must have seen pigs run.

Moreover, Qin Jinxuan felt that she had been able to maintain her purity for so many years, and that it was her due blessing to offer herself to Li Zhou.

Li Zhou isn't a good person either, and Qin Jinxuan's appearance fits his aesthetic standards. They act together every day, so once a misunderstanding occurs, he naturally goes along with it.

Zhang Jiayan was the only exception.

And then there was the unexpected incident a while ago—Li Zhou left the crew to participate in a film and television event organized by Tencent Penguin Pictures.

He and Zhang Jiayan sat in the very center, with no other seats arranged to their left or right.

Therefore, Zhang Jiayan seized the opportunity to settle accounts with Li Zhou.

The top tier of celebrities in the Chinese entertainment industry isn't very large, so there's no need for a process of elimination; no one is innocent.

Moreover, the uproar caused by the start of filming of "A World Without Thieves" was clearly instigated by Li Zhou behind the scenes.

With too many cameras on set, things weren't clear enough. Zhang Jiayan, not having had her fill of verbal sparring, took the initiative to invite Li Zhou to argue after the event, and Li Zhou didn't back down.

Zhang Jiayan took the initiative to get into Li Zhou's car, and after arguing for a while, they ended up sitting together—but wearing it doesn't count as giving it to him.

In principle, this shouldn't count.

Unfortunately, they argued several more times afterward—having been prepared, they had no choice but to give it to him.

After being angry for a while, Xu Qingyi finally just sighed: "You'd better settle down and be more obedient before the New Year."

"I will be keeping an eye on you at home."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhou was startled: "No way, why are you observing me, a nobody like me?!"

Knowing full well that this bastard was deliberately playing dumb at this moment, Xu Qingyi still had no choice but to explain, "To optimize the appearance of the next generation."

Li Zhou panicked even more: "No—"

"This isn't right. I know you'll eventually regret it, boss, and try to take advantage of me, but—isn't this kind of thing something you can just do once and for all?"

Xu Qingyi, who had already entered the living room of the main house in the north wing, sat down on a single sofa and glanced at Li Zhou lightly: "I'm happy to!"

She paused for a moment before explaining, "I'm not really interested in marriage, but I do want to have a child of my own—"

"You are the man I admire most so far, and I'm the perfect age for you."

"So you have to marry me."

Li Zhou sighed dramatically, "It's even worse than before. This has practically sealed the fate of my artists."

Xu Qingyi didn't seem to care: "No one but my family would know."

Hearing this, Li Zhou felt relieved, took off his coat, and opened his arms: "Come on, I'm all ready."

Upon seeing this, Xu Qingyi slammed her hand on the table and stood up, cursing, "You motherfucker!"

But then Boss Xu thought again, she wasn't going to date this Qi Li Ba Li, so there was no need to go through the formalities.

Come on, come on.

So, Boss Xu pulled Li Zhou up to the second floor with practiced ease.

Although she had zero experience, she was well-prepared, her mind brimming with all sorts of torturous ideas, but—

I was immediately treated like a guest upon entering the house —

Time flies, and after much consideration, Li Zhou finally performed his new song "Blue and White Porcelain" on the Spring Festival Gala.

This directly sparked a wave of Chinese-style music.

Li Zhou's appearance on the Spring Festival Gala caused his popularity to skyrocket—Song Mingche's position suddenly became precarious.

However, what truly alarmed Song Mingche was yet to come, as "A World Without Thieves" launched its promotional campaign.

Released on March 29th, after the Spring Festival, it achieved an unexpected opening weekend box office of 500 million yuan.

The film's theatrical run was repeatedly extended until the end of June, when it finally finished its run, accumulating a box office of 42 billion yuan.

It has an excellent reputation.

-

Meanwhile, "Chinese Paladin," starring Li Zhou, was broadcast ahead of schedule, and for the rest of the summer, "Chinese Paladin" was the only drama to dominate the scene.

As early as right after New Year's Day, Li Zhou had already adjusted his personal work focus.

We are committed to promoting various film and television projects.

For example, it facilitated the creation of "The Wind Blows Through Half Summer" for Ning Xixia.

He also prepared several new dramas for Su Yuran, one of which was "The Beginning".

In addition, the role of Xuejian, the female lead in the highly anticipated "Chinese Paladin 3", was given to Zhang Jiayan.

The main filming location is still in Heyuan, which means that the cultural tourism brand of the Legend of Sword and Fairy series will be further developed.

On the contrary, Li Zhou himself has taken a half-step into the background, mainly accepting large-scale business activities and endorsements.

He never lacks popularity, and his name frequently trends on social media.

After all, with "A World Without Thieves" and "Chinese Paladin" becoming national blockbusters one after the other, Li Zhou's popularity was already in a league of its own.

..

In addition to television dramas, Li Zhou has also made efforts in film.

The project "All or Nothing" was initiated, and the female lead was given to Qin Jinxuan.

However, just like giving up acting in television dramas, Li Zhou also did not participate in this movie.

Interestingly, in that year, Li Zhou only released one song, "Blue and White Porcelain," and was involved in all other projects behind the scenes. Instead of declining, his popularity rose. He had already crushed Song Mingche and was now surpassing Lü Muyuan and Wang Zeyuan.

After a year of reflection, Li Zhou finally released a new film, "The Birth of a Warrior," during the National Day holiday in October of the new year.

It's another old movie remake, almost identical to the original, but with multiple real-life figures mixed into the main character.

This time, not only is Chen Anqiang involved in directing, but another towering figure among Chinese film directors, Han Wenqing, is also involved.

It was excellent in every aspect, initially scoring as high as 9.9 points, and its box office performance was also outstanding, earning 57 million yuan.

100 million.

Considering that this film was written by Li Zhou, many people who disliked Li Zhou switched to Li Zhou after the movie was released.

On the contrary, the core izhou group within the core of the Lihei group is very resilient.

The following year, Li Zhou returned to working behind the scenes, focusing solely on producing screenplays for films and television dramas and original songs.

Another year has passed, and Li Zhou feels it's time to put an end to his career as an artist.

So—he took out "Wreath at the Foot of the Mountain".

From the project's inception, numerous people tried to dissuade it, including but not limited to director Chen Anqiang, Tencent Penguin Pictures' Zhong Huai, Huang Jie, Wang Juan, and many other long-term partners.

There was no one blocking the review process, and they even received some support.

Therefore, the filming was not difficult.

However, after many hardships and a long period of delays before its release, the original version was finally released.

The critical content was not cut out.

After its release, the film received mixed reviews, and Li Zhou faced the biggest public backlash of his career.

Some complete strangers came forward to criticize Li Zhou for being lawless, disorganized, and undisciplined, and so on.

If Shengshi Entertainment hadn't been Xu Qingyi's company, Li Zhou would probably have been fired by the agency during the first wave of public opinion.

However, Li Zhou had already prepared to retire from the entertainment industry, and never paid attention to the impact of public opinion.

He had long felt that it would be better to stay at home and raise the children full-time—more than two years ago on the same day, he was blessed with two children, one of whom was his, and the other was also his, the difference being that one had the surname Li and the other had the surname Xu.

Perhaps influenced by Xu Qingyi, Li Zhou also loves his child very much.

What followed was quite unexpected; the public outcry intensified, and even the Xu family was affected.

It seemed as if the sky had instantly turned upside down.

But Li Zhou received a special notification that implied he couldn't simply back down and give up.

After nearly two months of this uproar, all the noise disappeared overnight.

The following morning, Li Zhou released his new song "As You Wish" —

(End of the book)

P.S.: It was my mistake to condense several years' worth of content into one chapter. I apologize.

I won't say more, I just regret that I'm really not the kind of person who can keep working hard for love.