A writer has arrived in the Chinese entertainment industry.

Signing Li Xian went very smoothly. He's currently a junior in college and still frantically applying for roles. Although Fusu Culture has only launched one project so far, Xiao Liu took him aside for a heart-to-heart talk, painting a very appealing picture of everything from Su Liu's creative talent to the company's future vision.

How could Li Xian contain himself? He immediately bowed down and exclaimed that Sister Liu was wise!

The casting of the male and female leads has been temporarily settled, but the role of "detective" Shen Zhongping is still undecided. Mao Xiaotong and Li Xian's salaries are ridiculously low, with the former tentatively set at 150,000 yuan and the latter only 80,000 yuan.

After the company's legal department conducted a review, several rather stringent clauses were added to Mao Xiaotong's contract.

First, there is an image management clause. Although the company does not interfere with her love life, it stipulates the obligation to report major matters. Any public announcement of a relationship or response after being photographed by paparazzi must be in accordance with the company's unified statement.

Second, regarding breach of contract penalties and compensation, if it is clearly due to personal emotional issues, such as breakup dramas, negative rumors, or publicizing a relationship leading to project withdrawal or endorsement claims, the artist must bear the full economic loss and pay additional breach of contract penalties.

Third, if a romantic relationship negatively impacts work performance, including but not limited to refusing to act, being late, or having romantic disputes interfere with filming, the company has the right to unilaterally reduce promotional investment or withdraw promised film and television resources. Furthermore, the practice of "couples using each other for publicity" is strictly prohibited.

As for revenue sharing, film and television projects and commercial projects are split 70/30, with the company receiving 70% and the artist 30%. Media activities are split 50/50, and this part depends entirely on the artist's hard work, with little to no extra profit.

Incidentally, due to the influence of the traitor Xiao Liu, Dilraba's contract was directly signed as a 50/50 split, but the term is fifteen years.

"What do you think about the selection of Shen Zhongping?" Su Liu asked.

Now that the male and female leads have saved a lot of money and have money in their pockets, they can hire a big-name star who can carry the box office.

Chen Zhixi opened the folder. "We're currently in talks with Deng Chao and Yu Hewei. Their acting skills are both good enough. Who do you prefer?"

"Which is cheaper?"

"That must be Yu Hewei. But Deng Chao is on a roll this year; 'American Dreams in China' did well at the box office in the first half of the year." Chen Zhixi changed the subject slightly, "However..."

"But what?"

"His new film, which he directed and starred in, has just started filming, and his release date is probably uncertain."

"That's not necessarily true," Li Fei replied. "Actors work non-stop; why wouldn't they make money?"

Su Liu leaned back, his tone casual, "So you mean he should film multiple projects at once?"

"What? Director Su has this kind of professional fastidiousness?"

"I don't care." Su Liu raised an eyebrow. "As long as it doesn't interfere with my work here, I wouldn't care even if he went to outer space for a part-time job." He paused for a moment, then continued, "However, the role of Shen Zhongping is very important. If he can't fully commit to it..."

Su Liu thought of Deng Chao's self-directed and self-acted movie, in which his exaggerated and awkward performance was unbearable to watch. Shen Zhongping is a calm, wise, and slightly playful character; what if he acts too wildly and can't rein himself in?

"How about Yu Hewei? What do you guys think?"

"Okay," Li Fei said, "I'll have someone contact him right away."

With the three lead actors' casting settled, Su Liu finally relaxed a bit. "By the way, how's the casting assistant director's job going? Have the supporting roles been cast yet?"

"We're still choosing," Li Fei said calmly.

"This efficiency is just too low!"

"This is a movie, and from the moment it was first conceived, all sorts of powerful figures, big and small, have tried to get their people involved. Do you think it's that simple? Besides, what about the casting process?" Li Fei shook his head, making a "tsk tsk" sound as he said this.

Seeing this, Su Liu suddenly approached her with a sneaky look, "What's wrong? I heard that casting assistant directors love to engage in some kind of 'unspoken rules,' is that true?"

"What? Director Su wants to too?"

Hmph! Asking such a question shows this person has no idea about Su Liu. Because of his overly upright character, he often reflects on himself, wondering why he possesses such unparalleled charm. Now that he's entered the entertainment industry, he's certain he'll suffer at the hands of women, which truly troubles him.

The domestic film and television industry can be described as chaotic. When it comes to things like casting, Hollywood casting directors can assemble a cast very efficiently because they have a huge pool of actors and unions, plus standardized processes.

However, in China, recruitment is currently largely based on word-of-mouth recommendations, with the most common method being posting on social media. Therefore, sometimes the time spent casting actors can be longer than the filming period.

This is industry practice, and Su Liu couldn't do anything about it. He could only ask Li Fei to notify the other side to speed up the process.

That night, exhausted, Su Liu collapsed on the bed and had a long phone conversation with Chen Duling. All the complaints he had been holding back all day burst forth onto the other end of the line.

"I used to think this industry was glamorous, but when I got in, I found out it was all a shoddy operation."

Su Liu originally thought that a large group like Shanghai Film Group would be able to assemble a film crew in no time. But it turned out that finding actors was basically done through WeChat Moments, and the lighting, production assistants, and props were still done through a mentor-apprentice system of recommendations from acquaintances. Whether there was work or not depended entirely on the word of acquaintances, with absolutely no professional standards.

"And they're all temporary hires," Su Liu rolled his eyes at the ceiling. "It's a miracle that the Chinese entertainment industry can still produce so many films every year in this chaotic and disorderly state."

Chen Duling was quiet on her end, seemingly absent-minded, occasionally chiming in with, "Huh? Why is that?"

"Hey, are you even listening to me?"

"Of course I'm listening."

"You're clearly just giving me the runaround."

"No, I was listening very carefully!"

"So what did I just say?"

"..." Chen Duling was silent for a moment, then quickly changed the subject, "There's a comic convention in Shanghai the day after tomorrow, come with me."

"A comic convention?" Su Liu was taken aback. "You still have time to go to a comic convention now?"

Actually, she didn't have time. Chen Duling was currently busy with her studies and also had to participate in various school-organized activities. Before this, she hadn't been to a comic convention for several years.

But she wanted to go to Shanghai to see Su Liu.

"Of course I'm free!" she said innocently. "How about we do a cosplay together this time?"

"Oh? It's too late. If we go the day after tomorrow, we won't have time to buy the cosplay outfit and props."

"Hehe, I bought it, I'll bring it to you tomorrow." Chen Duling seemed to be suppressing a laugh, her nose was snorting.

Su Liu suddenly had a bad feeling. "Hey, don't buy me anything weird."

This "people's chosen school beauty" is more abstract than anyone else. She has a cool exterior, a shy interior, but a free-spirited nature.

"This guy, could he be planning to embarrass me on purpose?" Su Liu wondered to himself.