HuaYu: Starting with Photography to Navigate the Entertainment Industry

After they ordered, Xu Lang sat opposite them and introduced the dishes to them.

"Zhu Zhu, a student at Beijing Technology and Business University, is a contracted model for Rayli magazine;

Tang Yan, a student in the acting department of the Central Academy of Drama, was handpicked by Zhang Yimou as an Olympic cheerleader.

"Oh my, that explains why you look so familiar."

Zhu Zhu stared at Tang Yan and greeted her warmly.

Tang Yan, on the other hand, kept smiling and nodding, both polite and somewhat reserved.

Soon, the table was filled with all kinds of meat skewers.

Xu Lang ate while gesturing to the two of them.

"The meat skewers at this shop are especially delicious. I crave them even if I don't have them for a meal. You two, don't be shy, eat up!"

Zhu Zhu and Tang Yan could only pout as they looked at the sizzling, oily meat skewers.

Seeing this, Xu Lang slapped his forehead.

"Oh dear, I forgot you guys need to stay in shape, my bad, my bad."

He quickly called the waiter and ordered all the leafy green vegetables available in the restaurant.

Seeing the two of them only drinking water, Xu Lang felt helpless.

Female celebrities in the entertainment industry really go to great lengths to maintain their figures.

It's alright now, but in later generations, it has evolved to the point where people don't eat rice and only consume "fasting pills."

One pill a day is all it takes to replenish the body's essential nutrients.

As the saying goes, food and sex are human nature.

Not allowing people to eat is practically destroying their desires!

Seeing that neither of them were eating much, Xu Lang's enthusiasm waned, and he began to talk about serious matters.

He first looked at Zhu Zhu,

"By the way, you contacted me saying you wanted to do a photoshoot for 'Men's Health' magazine?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhu immediately became interested.

"Men's Health Magazine just entered the Chinese market this year. It is the first magazine in China specifically targeting men. Both the cover and the internal pictures emphasize a bright and sexy image."

"Right now, top-tier female celebrities are fighting tooth and nail to get on this cover."

As she spoke, she took out a copy of "Men's Health" magazine from her bag and placed it upside down in front of Xu Lang.

Xu Lang looked at the magazine:

This is the August 2004 issue of "Men's Style" magazine, and the person on the cover is Fan Bingbing.

Xu Lang wiped his hands and continued flipping through the Men's Health magazine.

To be honest, Xu Lang is very familiar with this magazine.

Xu Langgan's photography, no matter what, cannot be separated from the circle of magazines.

In his previous life, he had modeled for magazines such as Rayli, Harper's Bazaar, and Men's Style.

However, he only photographed the images used for inserts; the female celebrities on the cover were not something a small-time photographer like Xu Lang would get to do.

Some time ago, he even thought about starting his own magazine with beautiful women as the theme.

To put it bluntly, it's imitating "Men's Health" magazine; they've even come up with a name for it:

Men Have to Pretend!

But now FHM magazine is out, and it's backed by multinational capital, something Xu Lang can't compare to at all.

Flip to Fan Bingbing's special page, where you'll find even more of her sexy photos.

Every picture is very explicit and has strong sexual innuendo.

Just like the picture of her being sandwiched between Jiang Jinfu and Li Zhiting, it strongly suggests a 1v2 situation.

As he was watching, Tang Yan across from him let out a soft "Ah."

"This is way too... obvious!"

Xu Lang looked at Tang Yan, somewhat surprised by her ability to accept this, and thought to himself:

"Can't you even accept this level of risqué content? What are you doing in the film and television industry?!"

Before he could speak, Zhu Zhu spoke first.

"What's so revealing about it? Everyone's covered up completely, aren't they?"

"cocoa..."

Tang Yan blushed slightly and stammered, unable to say anything substantial for a long time.

"Oh, that's perfectly normal."

Zhu Zhu said nonchalantly, appearing quite generous, "Women dress up for those who appreciate them, right? If someone likes to look at you, doesn't that mean you're charming?"

Seeing that Tang Yan still couldn't accept it, Zhu Zhu said again:

"Let me tell you, even top-tier actresses would fight tooth and nail for a cover like this."

As she spoke, she looked at Xu Lang.

"Take Huang Shengyi from your school, for example. Yes, she's the currently popular 'Star Girl.' I heard she lined up for roles three months ago, but it seems like filming only started this month."

"Is it really that exaggerated?"

Tang Yan exclaimed in amazement, covering her mouth with her hand, her face full of surprise.

Zhu Zhu ignored her and looked at Xu Lang instead.

"Teacher Xu, it's definitely not my turn to be a small-time model on the cover. I just wanted to try and see if I could get a spot as an interior illustration, so that's why I came to you."

Xu Lang understood what she meant.

The magazine "Men's Style" is currently very popular. Whether it's the cover or the inserts, as long as you can get in, even a small-time model like Zhu Zhu can see his value increase significantly.

The logic is actually quite simple:

Unlike later generations like iQiyi, Youku, and Tencent Video, where winning over mothers was key to success, and where the focus was on traffic and male attractiveness (young, handsome men), Tencent Video was a different story.

Even female celebrities are portrayed in images that women find appealing, indicating that men's aesthetic preferences are gradually declining.

But 2004 was different; both the film and television industry and the magazine industry were still dominated by a male perspective.

This is definitely an era of female beauty!

In this era, if you want to make money, get endorsements, and earn higher appearance fees, you have to find ways to attract men's attention.

And "Men's Style" is the core platform of this logic.

This is why this magazine was popular in this era, but quickly declined with the advent of the internet age.

In an era dominated by internet traffic, men's aesthetic sense has been ruined, and young, handsome men are rampant.

Hearing Zhu Zhu say this, Xu Lang couldn't help but look at her with new respect.

"Models are definitely different; they're more accepting and express their desires clearly and openly."

He looked at Zhu Zhu curiously, and asked with a smile:

"What, are you planning to go for a sexy image?"

"Ugh!"

Zhu Zhu sighed, "There's no such thing as a route. For small-time models like us, we just take whichever route makes money."

"Um."

Xu Lang nodded, and without further ado, said directly:

"No problem, I can take your photos, but let's make it clear beforehand that my price is 2000 yuan per photo."

"2000?"

This price really shocked Zhu Zhu. In the past, she always charged money for illustrating for magazines.

Now, asking her to pay out of her own pocket, and at such a high price, is really hard to accept.

Xu Lang wasn't in a hurry, and even advised:

"It's okay, think it over. Just let me know whenever you have an idea."

Zhu Zhu glanced at Tang Yan beside him, looking hesitant, as if he felt it was inappropriate to say something in front of her, and could only say "Oh".

Xu Lang had no intention of breaking this principle of accepting money.

Can we make exceptions for something we're just using to earn a living?

Xu Lang then turned his gaze to Tang Yan.

While he was talking to Zhu Zhu, Tang Yan listened quietly, occasionally glancing at the magazine cover, her face flushed.

"I heard from Reyizha that you're also going to audition for 'The Long Ballad of Zhenguan'?"

Seeing Xu Lang turn his gaze to her, Tang Yan quickly sat up straight, like a student being called on by a teacher.

"Yes, the role I auditioned for wasn't as good as Reyizha's. It was a supporting role, a girl named Caiji, who had a tragic life."

"Oh, you're going to shoot mocha too?"

"Yes, I saw the photos you took of Reyizha. Even I think she's perfect for the role of Princess Ashina Yun. She has such a wild and untamed aura."

Tang Yan's words were filled with envy, and after she finished speaking, she added:

"But I'm not only filming this. I also have a role in 'The Wind Rises,' which I'm auditioning for soon. It's for the second female lead, and it's directed by Huang Jianzhong. It's a rare opportunity, and I don't want to miss it, so..."

"The Wind Rises in the Tower?"

Xu Lang recalled the drama, "Hmm, I don't remember much about it."

But suddenly, the director's name caught Xu Lang's attention: "Huang Jianzhong?"

Thinking about the name, Xu Lang suddenly recalled many rumors. He looked at Tang Yan and asked with a smile:

"You dare to act in his movies?"