Chinese Entertainment: Directors Start with the Fairy Sister

Chapter 57 Liu Daiyu's Burial in Heaven and Earth, The Beginning of "Painted Skin" (One more chapter to go)

Ultimately, it was the controversy caused by the new version of "Dream of the Red Chamber" that caused this uproar.

The TV series that Han Sanping recently invested in and personally produced is the "New Dream of the Red Chamber" that Yang Mi just mentioned.

After Zhou Xun left, Yang Mi thought she could naturally become the leading lady at Rong Xinda, but unexpectedly, Li Shaohong only gave her the role of "Qingwen".

It wasn't even a direct pre-selection—she still had to audition with candidates from major art schools across the country.

She will only get the role if there is no more suitable candidate.

In a fit of anger, Yang Mi decided to leave.

Since signing with Rongxinda, she has received almost no decent resources from the company.

To be honest, she only played Guo Xiang in "The Return of the Condor Heroes" and the female lead in the movie "The Door".

The former was just a supporting character, and the latter, although nominally the female lead, had a thin and bland role, and the film itself flopped quietly.

The only TV series she actually starred in, "Wang Zhaojun," was one she won through her own audition, and had nothing to do with Rong Xingda.

She had long been disillusioned with Rong Xinda and felt she had no future there, which is why she wanted to find a better opportunity elsewhere.

After a moment's thought, Zhao Yanxi told the truth: "The company's current focus is on film production, and we have no plans to get involved in artist management at the moment."

"If the company ever decides to sign artists in the future, I'll definitely sign you first."

"Okay." Yang Mi's voice lowered, tinged with sadness.

Who can say for sure what will happen in the future?

"Don't be too anxious," Zhao Yanxi advised. "You've just started school, so the most important thing right now is to build a solid foundation and study hard."

Yang Mi disagreed. She felt that compared to her classmates, she was already a "senior," and many graduates might not even have as much practical experience as her.

She grew up on film sets, what else does she need to learn? Liu Yifei said she enrolled in school in 02, but she didn't even spend many days at school, yet she kept filming one movie after another.

Of course, she only dared to mutter these words to herself. Given Zhao Yanxi's current status, she wouldn't dare to be presumptuous in front of him.

However, Zhao Yanxi's next words instantly lifted her spirits to the heavens—

"I'll contact you if I find a suitable role in the future. If nothing unexpected happens, at the very least, it'll be a supporting role."

"Huh?!" Yang Mi was taken aback, then a fawning smile bloomed on her face. "Thank you, Yan Xi! Thank you, Director Zhao!"

"Go to class now."

"Okay!"

It's not that Zhao Yanxi is just making empty promises; if she decides to adapt "So Young" someday, Yang Mi would be a perfect fit.

This drama has already received mixed reviews and generated a lot of buzz, which is perfect for Yang Mi, the future queen of controversy!

Zhao Yanxi didn't expect that Yang Mi wasn't the only one attracted to "Dream of the Red Chamber".

Even Liu Xiaoli, who was preparing to stay away from TV dramas, was tempted to let Liu Yifei try out for the role of Lin Daiyu!

"I think I'm quite suitable for the role of Lin Daiyu, just as delicate and beautiful~" Liu Yifei said, pinching her pinky fingers in a effeminate manner.

Zhao Yanxi shuddered: "Qianqian, let's just forget about it!"

"What do you mean? You think I can't play Lin Daiyu?" Liu Daiyu, with the posture of uprooting a willow tree, was determined to get an explanation from Zhao Yanxi.

Undeterred by the danger, Zhao Yanxi, thinking of Liu Yifei's martial arts skills, smiled helplessly and said, "Others play Daiyu by burying flowers, but if you wield that Su Nu Sword, you'll probably bury heaven, earth, and all living beings!"

After saying that, Zhao Yanxi imitated Liu Yifei's martial arts movements and did a couple of moves.

"When the time comes, I don't care if it's Jia Baoyu or Xue Baochai; if I don't like someone, I'll stab them with a sword! Hahaha..."

Liu Yifei gritted her teeth and pounced on Zhao Yanxi from the sofa.

"Zhao Yanxi, you're finished..."

However, Zhao Yanxi is not a weak and delicate sissy; she has plenty of strength and skills.

With a turn, he pulled Liu Yifei, who was rushing towards him, into his arms.

Before Liu Yifei could object, he pretended to be serious and said, "Actually, the reason we don't want you to play Lin Daiyu isn't because your image is unsuitable, but because there's a more important reason!"

"Hmm? What's the reason?"

Liu Yifei and Liu Xiaoli looked over together, searching.

"Classics aren't easy to adapt, especially a drama like 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' which has a long filming period. Just think about the female leads from the 1987 version of 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' how many of them are doing well now!"

Liu Xiaoli was taken aback, then her face darkened: "So, it seems that Qianqian really can't play Lin Daiyu."

"And could you please let go of my daughter?!"

"Oh, Auntie, I'm so sorry."

Over the past week in Berlin, the royalties for "Buried" have been gradually deposited into the company's account.

After the calculation, it was directly converted into 1.6 million RMB.

One hundred million was allocated directly from this fund, and together with the 1.5 million loan from the bank, a total of 2.5 million was used to purchase the 12-story office building that Zhao Yanxi had initially set her sights on, in the company's name.

Zhao Yanxi didn't let the remaining money sit idle. She had Xia Wei register an overseas company through the "small red chip" model and then open a securities trading account in Hong Kong.

Ultimately, the 6000 million RMB was converted into Hong Kong dollars and used to purchase Tencent shares through this account.

Aside from the development of the film and television industry, the stocks that Zhao Yanxi holds for the long term are also an important part of her wealthy family's business empire.

Not only this 6000 million, but after going to Hollywood next month and receiving the royalties for the two volumes of "Fifty Shades," Zhao Yanyue will continue to buy stocks.

No matter how the film and television industry develops in the future, having these stocks that have increased two hundredfold in the past twenty years is enough to make the Zhao family rich for three generations!

After Liu Yifei finished recording "The Chaser of Light" before the Lunar New Year, Ning Hao also completed the dubbing for "Stone".

After both films were completed, Zhao Yanxi called back some of the company's more professional cinematographers and executive directors for a short meeting.

"This is the company's key project this year!"

Zhao Yanxi instructed his assistant to distribute some of the storyboards he had drawn for "Painted Skin" to the people below.

"My budget is $2000 million!"

"1.6 billion?"

"Just like 'The Banquet'?!"

Everyone seemed surprised; they hadn't expected Zhao Yanxi, who usually only made a million or two, to actually go straight for 1.

A massive production costing 6 million!

"Director Zhao, is 160 million the right amount...? Should we start with a mid-sized production costing 10-20 million?"

Ding Lang didn't disbelieve Zhao Yanxi's talent, nor did he doubt Zhao Yanxi's script, but directing a small production worth 1 million and directing a big production worth 100 million are two completely different things.

Just like the Ping An Ge campaign, fighting against a large army is a completely different matter.

It not only requires the director's talent in film and television works, but also tests their organizational and coordination abilities, as well as the tacit cooperation of the entire crew.

In Ding Lang's view, everything is fine at the moment, except that the company has a limited number of employees, limited cooperation, and a lack of mutual understanding, making it difficult to complete the filming of a fantasy blockbuster!

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Zhao Yanxi waved his hand, confident that with his energy and intelligence, he could definitely handle the filming of a large production crew.

"The main reason I called everyone here today is to discuss the pre-production work for the film. I plan to start filming in June, and before that, we need to determine the shooting locations based on the storyboard..."

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