I really didn't intend to make a living based on my looks.

Chapter 122: Trailer for "My Love from the Star" Released (Bonus Chapter for Alliance Leader Shangguan)

In addition, on June 14, he made a special trip to Shanghai to attend the 19th Shanghai TV Festival Magnolia Awards.

There are four benchmark awards in the domestic TV drama industry.

The Feitian Awards are biased towards the official system, the Golden Eagle Awards are biased towards Hunan's popularity, and the Huading Awards are biased towards public popularity!

Magnolia, that's the home ground of the Shanghai circle!

The awards ceremony was held at the Shanghai Exhibition Center, with the red carpet stretching from the entrance to the lobby, and both sides crowded with reporters and fans.

Jiang Chen was wearing a dark blue suit with a white shirt underneath, without a tie, looking clean and casual.

He walked the red carpet, signed his name in front of the backdrop, gave interviews to several media outlets, and then strode into the venue.

The hall was brightly lit, and the guest seats were arranged in a fan shape. The front row was occupied by the judges and leaders of the organizers, followed by the shortlisted film crews, investors, and media representatives.

Jiang Chen was assigned to the third row, next to Kong Jin.

"Brother, is 'The Family of Wenzhou' a sure thing for winning an award?"

Kong had no temper with this guy. "I don't know."

"You've already been nominated for Best Director, and you're still being modest?"

"It's not about being modest. Teng Huatao's 'Floating Life,' Yan Jiangang's 'The Orphan of Zhao,' and Zhao Baogang's 'Beijing Youth'—aren't they all top-tier productions? Not to mention that 'Floating Life' also has Zhang Jiayi, 'Jin Tailang' has Song Dandan, and 'The Orphan of Zhao' has Wu Xiubo; the cast and ratings of these shows are all incredibly strong. Judges always consider all factors when giving scores. Whether I win or not depends on the judges' mood."

Jiang Chen smiled and didn't ask any further questions.

He looked up at the first row.

The real financial tycoons of the night are sitting there.

Li Ruigang, known in the industry as Uncle Li.

President of SMG, Director of Shanghai Radio and Television Station, the top local media figure in Shanghai, and the true voice of Shanghai's film and television capital circle.

Shanghai TV, BesTV, and SMG Pictures are all his assets.

Next to him is Yang Wenhong, director of SMG Film and Television Drama Center and president of Shangshi Pictures.

Ma Zhongjun is the chairman of Ciwen Media.

Zhao Yifang, President of Huace Media.

Qiu Xin is the chairman of Shanghai Film Group and the top executive of Shanghai Film Studio.

And also the directors and screenwriters from the Shanghai circle, Wang Liping, Teng Huatao —

Sitting near the judges' table, he occasionally nodded to the members of the shortlisted film crews.

Any one of these people could be the life or death of a TV series.

Despite Jiang Chen's current popularity, he is insignificant to these real capital tycoons.

Just like SMG, or Shanghai Media Group.

The entire group has over 17000 employees, oversees 16 first-tier companies and 85 second-tier subsidiaries, as well as BesTV,

Oriental Pearl's two listed companies are supporting the company's operations.

No matter how famous a celebrity is, it doesn't really mean anything to them.

Today's hottest star may be tomorrow's forgotten.

But the platforms and capital will always be there.

"What are you thinking about?" Kong suddenly asked.

"Think about the gap," Jiang Chen said, "the gap between me and them."

Kong followed his gaze to the first row, then looked away.

"That's normal. When I was forty, I still saw them with weak legs."

"And now?"

"Now when they see me, they will greet me on their own initiative."

Jiang Chen smiled and said, "Because you have works to your name."

"Yes," Kong nodded, "Your work is your only source of confidence. If you have work, they'll have to be mindful of your attitude. If you don't, you'll have to be mindful of their attitude."

As he spoke, he suddenly stood up: "Come on, let me introduce you to someone."

"Who?"

"Chen Liang, deputy director of SMG's Film and Television Drama Center, in charge of procurement. Wasn't your 'My Love from the Star' going to be sold to a satellite TV station?"

Jiang Chen's eyes lit up, and he stood up as well.

The two walked to the first row, and Kong patted Chen Liang on the shoulder: "Director Chen."

Chen Liang turned around, saw Kong Sheng, and immediately smiled: "Director Kong! Congratulations! The Wenzhou family has been nominated for multiple awards; they're the big winners tonight!"

"Thank you for your kind words," Kong Sheng stepped aside to let Jiang Chen out, "Let me introduce you, Jiang Chen."

Chen Liang looked at Jiang Chen with a scrutinizing gaze, but his smile was gentle: "Jiang Chen? I know him, Baili Tusu. My daughter calls your name every day at home."

"Director Chen, you're too kind. I'll need your help in the future."

"I don't deserve your kind offer," Chen Liang waved his hand. "I heard you have a new drama?"

"My Love from the Star, a modern sci-fi romance, is having a screening next week. If Director Chen is available, please do so."

"I'll definitely be there when I have time. We at SMG are interested in the drama you, Jiang Chen, star in."

"Should I have someone deliver the invitation to your office?"

"Okay," Chen Liang took out his business card and handed it over. "Contact my secretary directly and arrange a time."

Jiang Chen accepted it with both hands and put it away.

Kong then took him to see Yang Wenhong, and they chatted for a few minutes about the publication of "A Family in Wenzhou".

Yang Wenhong was very polite to Jiang Chen, but that politeness carried a distance.

Jiang Chen knew in his heart that this was the difference.

He responded with a smile, neither humble nor arrogant, and then took his leave at the appropriate time.

"Director Kong," he said softly as he returned to his seat, "thank you."

"Don't thank me. Your future is brighter than mine. You can't reach these people now, but in a couple of years, they'll come looking for you."

"Thank you for your kind words."

"It's not just a lucky saying," Kong turned to look at him, "it's the truth. If your 'My Love from the Star' becomes a hit, companies like SMG will line up to buy it."

Jiang Chen smiled but didn't say anything.

The awards ceremony begins.

Best Director, Kong and Li Chu, for "The Family of Wenzhou," is well-deserved.

Best Actor, Zhang Jiayi, for "Floating Life", winning the award for the second time.

Song Dandan won Best Actress for her role in "Jin Tailang's Happy Life".

As each professional award was presented, applause rose and fell.

Then came the online voting section.

"Most Popular Actor," the host opened the envelope, "the winner is Jiang Chen!"

The applause of the audience was thunderous.

Jiang Chen stood up, bowed to all four sides, and quickly walked onto the stage.

How should I put this award?

The professional evaluation has limited value, but its commercial value is decent.

He was able to win because this was the only award in the entire event chosen purely by online voting.

It's not too important. Unlike Mango TV, the Shanghai entertainment circle doesn't have the kind of backroom deals and capital involvement that's seen in the Shanghai entertainment circle, so it's relatively clean.

Last year, Wu Qilong and Liu Shishi became wildly popular thanks to "Scarlet Heart".

This year, he is with Wang Like, who starred in "Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties".

"Thank you," Jiang Chen accepted the trophy and stood in front of the microphone. "Thank you to the fans who voted, and thank you to the Magnolia Awards. This award is a popularity award, which means everyone likes me, and I am very grateful. But I will continue to work hard, let my work speak for itself, and strive to one day win a professional award."

After he finished speaking, he bowed to the audience and walked off the stage.

After the awards ceremony, a banquet was held in the banquet hall of the Shanghai Exhibition Center.

Jiang Chen, holding a wine glass, weaved through the crowd.

The actors were very enthusiastic about him.

"Jiang Chen, congratulations on becoming a popular actor!"

"Jiang Chen, my daughter listens to your song 'Unstoppable' on repeat every day."

"Jiang Chen, there's a chance we could collaborate!"

He responded with a smile, neither humble nor arrogant, and then took his leave at the appropriate time.

After the banquet, he returned to his hotel and went straight to sleep.

Starting on June 18th, Chen Zhixi led a team of several investors to book hotel conference rooms in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hengdian, inviting the purchasing directors of major TV stations to screen "My Love from the Star" together.

This screening wasn't of the entire series, but rather a 3-episode preview, plus a 15-minute highlight reel, character biographies, and a script synopsis.

The final product of the series is of extremely high quality. Lin Yufen's directing skills, Jiang Chen and Jing Tian's performances, top-notch costumes and props, plus Jiang Chen's current incredible popularity, have attracted high bids from various TV stations.

Finally, four satellite TV stations—Dragon TV, Zhejiang TV, Anhui TV, and Shandong TV—jointly invested 500 million yuan per episode, totaling 1.5 million yuan for 30 episodes, to acquire the first-run broadcast rights.

The king of dramas in 2013!

Because this drama has a top-notch cast, including the director, producer, lead actors, and investors, especially Jiang Chen's current immense popularity, and the blockbuster success of "Swords of Legends" last year, major TV stations are very willing to support it.

In 2013, the trend of "one drama, four channels" was in full swing, meaning that a drama was allowed to premiere on a maximum of four channels.

It wasn't until 2015 that the system was changed to "one drama, two channels".

However, Hunan TV did not reach a cooperation agreement; they only offered 300 million yuan per episode.

Because Hunan TV only recognizes exclusive broadcasts.

Since 2010, their Golden Eagle Exclusive Theater has insisted on 100% exclusive broadcasting of dramas. This is their core brand asset, and they will never share the first-run traffic of the same drama with other satellite TV channels.

Jiang Chen is confident in his drama and definitely wouldn't want to sell it for a low price.

In other words, the show has already recouped its costs and earned 100 million yuan.

Of course, there are many miscellaneous expenses to be deducted, but the show also has many other revenue streams, such as second runs and overseas sales.

Overall, the show has already made a fortune even before it has aired.

If this drama is successful, then Jiang Chen's subsequent dramas will soar to new heights, and he can confidently become a producer and organize his own productions.

If you fall, then you're back to square one.

On June 21, the investors, streaming platform, and main actors of "My Love from the Star" made an official announcement.

The final trailer has been released online.

The screen is black at the beginning.

Three seconds of silence.

Then, a meteor streaked across the night sky, trailing a long, fiery tail, and plummeted toward Earth.

Screen switch.

In the ancient Ming Dynasty, war raged everywhere.

A young man in a white robe stood on a cliff, looking down at the ruins below, his eyes empty and sorrowful.

"I come from another planet."

Jiang Chen's voice was deep and cold, as if it came from a very distant place.

The scenes switch rapidly.

Streets of the Qing Dynasty, schools of the Republic of China, and modern cities.

He wore different clothes and stood in different backgrounds, but his eyes always held the same sense of detachment.

"For four hundred years, I have witnessed too many partings."

Screen switch.

Modern city, neon lights flashing.

Jing Tian, ​​dressed in a red coat and high heels, got out of the van and was surrounded by reporters.

She smiled, her smile radiant and bright, like a burning flame.

"Jing Yiren, a top actress and a national goddess."

She turned to the camera, a bright smile on her face: "I make a living with my looks!"

Screen switch.

He stood by the window, looking at the city outside, his back view lonely yet upright.

She burst in, drunk, and grabbed his collar: "Professor Jiang! Why don't you like me?"

He looked down at her, his eyes filled with complex emotions: "Because—I can't."

"Can't what?"

"I can't—I can't fall in love with you."

The music suddenly changed.

The drumbeats were rapid, like a racing heartbeat.

The footage is edited quickly.

He stretched out his hand, time stood still, and the snowflakes stopped in mid-air.

She looked at him in surprise, her eyes wide open.

He teleported behind her and gently embraced her.

He used his hand to shield the falling chandelier, sending shards flying everywhere.

She fell on the stage, and he leaped into the air and caught her in his arms.

"Who exactly are you?"

"I—" He looked at her, his gaze finally no longer distant, "am someone who doesn't want to leave you."

Screen switch.

She turned away, crying, "Let's never see each other again!"

He silently watched her retreating figure, then the lights suddenly blazed on, he leaped into the air, pulled her into his arms, and lowered his head to kiss her.

The music reached its climax.

Screen switch.

The two looked at each other in the snow; she was wrapped in a scarf, and he was wearing a coat. Snowflakes fell on their shoulders.

"Professor Jiang," she said softly, "will you leave?"

He looked at her, his eyes tender and sorrowful: "No."

"real?"

"real."

He reached out and pulled her into his arms.

The screen gradually darkens.

black screen.

White text slowly appeared: "You Who Came From the Stars"

"July 15th, four-star simultaneous broadcast"

"Professor Jiang, we're waiting for you."

Finally, the screen went black for a second, then suddenly lit up.

Jing Tian tiptoed and kissed him on the cheek, then ran away laughing.

He stood there, touched the spot where he had been kissed, and a helpless smile curved his lips.

"Seriously, I can't do anything with you."

The image freezes.

The music ended.

The entire internet is in an uproar.