Huayu: Starting with Hextech

The team can gradually gel, and investment opportunities will continue in the future.

However, such phenomenal opportunities as "Palace" are rare and fleeting.

Almost without hesitation, Lin Xiao silently recited in his heart:

"I choose one."

[Confirmation! The male lead role in the TV series "Palace" has been secured!]

[Character compatibility adjustments in progress... Opportunity-driving process initiated...]

[Wishing you a resounding victory in your first battle!]

The system interface slowly faded away, carrying with it a lingering sense of grandeur and passion.

The office fell into darkness again, with only the neon lights of the city outside the window reflecting on Lin Xiao's face, creating a play of light and shadow.

He slowly exhaled, feeling his chest filled with a hot and solid power.

The male lead in "Palace"!

With this, his studio was no longer a rootless duckweed, and his path to independence had its first and most solid foundation.

He could almost see the storm that the show would create when it aired, and the tremendous boost it would give to his career.

He walked to his desk and turned on the desk lamp.

The warm yellow light dispelled the darkness in the corner and illuminated the several newly received script offers spread out on the table.

The quality of these scripts varied greatly. Some were similar fantasy dramas trying to capitalize on his popularity in period dramas, some were poorly made urban dramas, and there were also a few projects that seemed to be made with some effort, but the production team and investment scale were mediocre.

Before, when he looked at these things, he needed to carefully weigh the pros and cons and consider the risks.

But now, his goal is crystal clear.

Before "Palace" was finalized, he needed to maintain a certain level of exposure and activity, but he absolutely could not accept any projects that might damage his reputation or conflict with his future image.

He can take on some high-quality short-term jobs, such as high-profile magazine shoots, endorsements and promotions for reputable brands, or guest-starring in some big productions to maintain his popularity, build connections, and wait for that crucial opportunity to arrive.

He picked up a pen and began marking the scripts and offers, his thinking clearer and more decisive than ever before.

Outside the window, night was deepening, but the city remained bustling.

But in this small, newly established office, the lights stayed on until very late.

The feeling of loneliness has long been replaced by surging fighting spirit and a clear blueprint.

Starting a business is difficult, but with the system's rewards and precognitive information at his fingertips, he is ready to meet any challenge.

The first battle, the target is "Palace".

……

In early November in Shanghai, the air already carries the chill of early winter.

On the fifth floor of that old office building in the JA district, the silver sign of "Lin Xiao Studio" stands out against the hazy sky.

The office was heated, but it couldn't dispel the chill of the early days of starting a business.

Zhang Wei pushed open the glass door and came in, holding three documents in his hand, his face showing a mixture of exhaustion and excitement.

"Lin Xiao, the deals are done." He spread the documents out on his desk. "Three commercial performances, all next week. One is for a domestic cosmetics brand, two hours, 80,000 yuan appearance fee; one is for the opening ceremony of a new shopping mall in Pudong, 30,000 yuan; and one is for a private company's annual meeting performance, singing two songs, 50,000 yuan."

Lin Xiao looked up from the script, took the document, and glanced at it.

160,000.

For him, this was a considerable sum.

But for a newly established studio that needs to maintain operations, this is just a drop in the bucket.

The office rent is 25,000 yuan per month, Zhang Wei's monthly salary is 15,000 yuan, and Xia Yu's monthly salary is 8,000 yuan. With water, electricity, internet and daily expenses, the fixed expenses are more than 50,000 yuan per month.

This doesn't even include his own expenses.

"The one for the brand event," Zhang Wei pointed to the document, "they want you to wear their designated clothing and maybe take a set of promotional photos. The ribbon-cutting ceremony at the mall is relatively simple; you just need to show your face and say a few words. The annual party one... the boss's daughter is a fan of yours, and they specifically asked you to go."

Lin Xiao nodded: "Let's accept them all. Now is not the time to be picky about jobs."

"Understood." Zhang Wei put away the documents, paused, and said, "There's one more thing... Xiaoyu's statistics show that your Weibo followers surpassed 800,000 yesterday. 'Chinese Paladin 3' is being rebroadcast on Jiangxi TV these days, and the ratings have surprisingly reached number one in its time slot again. Many viewers are leaving messages on Weibo asking if Chonglou will reappear later."

Just then, Xia Yu trotted in carrying her laptop, her ponytail swinging back and forth.

"Teacher Lin! Look!"

She turned the screen towards Lin Xiao, which displayed a data analysis chart from Weibo's backend: "The 'Studio Daily Life' photo you posted yesterday was retweeted over 30,000 times! Lots of people in the comments are guessing what your next project is, and some are even asking..."

She suddenly stopped and secretly glanced at Lin Xiao.

"What do you want to ask?" Lin Xiao took the computer.

"They're asking if you and Teacher Tang Yan are really together..." Xia Yu whispered, "Someone found out that your Weibo IP addresses have been highly overlapping over the past three months, and they also discovered that Teacher Tang has liked all of your Weibo posts..."

Lin Xiao swiped the mouse, looking at the enthusiastic, gossipy, and even somewhat inappropriate comments in the comment section, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Do we need to respond?" Zhang Wei asked. "Now is the time to build popularity; a little bit of gossip would actually..."

"No need." Lin Xiao handed the computer back to Xia Yu. "Keep it as it is. You can cooperate with the interaction during the drama's promotional period, but don't actively expose your private life. Xia Yu, continue to maintain the comment section. If you see any extreme comments, guide them appropriately, but don't delete comments unless they involve personal attacks."

"Okay, Teacher Lin!" Xia Yu said, her eyes sparkling as she hugged her laptop. "Then I'll go and organize the promotional materials for 'The Myth,' it's airing next month!"

She jogged away, and the office fell silent again.

Zhang Wei lowered his voice: "Lin Xiao, there's something I'm not sure if I should say..."

"you say."

"At this stage, the news that you've started your own studio has already spread throughout the industry." Zhang Wei carefully chose his words. "I heard... Wang Jinhua isn't too happy about it."

At the same time, Beijing Shiba Culture.

Wang Jinhua stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a coffee cup, watching the traffic flow on Chang'an Avenue below.

Her assistant stood behind her, holding a tablet computer, reporting on recent new talent signings.

"Sister Hua, Orange Sky Entertainment has signed two recent graduates from the Central Academy of Drama, and Rong Xinda is also in contact with several people who came from talent shows..."

"Where's Lin Xiao?" Wang Jinhua interrupted her, her voice cold. "How's his studio doing?"

The assistant paused for a moment, then said, "According to news from Shanghai, we've just landed a few commercial performances, none of them very large. The team consists of three people: an executive agent, a publicity assistant, and himself."

Wang Jinhua sneered and turned around.

"It's good that young people have ambition." She walked to her desk, put down her coffee cup, and said, "But the entertainment industry isn't something you can succeed in just by looking at yourself. Resources, connections, capital, background... what does he have? A degree from the Shanghai Theatre Academy? A few unreleased dramas?"

The assistant didn't dare to respond.

"Once he hits a wall and gets hurt badly," Wang Jinhua sat back in her boss's chair, flipping through another document, "he'll naturally understand the importance of having a powerful backer. By then, if he wants to turn back... he won't have such good conditions anymore."

She paused, then added:

"However, we should still keep an eye on him. This kid... he's a bit sinister."