Huayu: You were supposed to be a top star, but you've become capital?

Gu Man looked at her, offering no comment on the answer, but simply pushed the book back to her side:

"And what about Yi Chen? What kind of person do you think he is?"

Bai Mengyan didn't get stuck this time:

"Yi Chen is a stubborn person," she said, glancing to the side out of the corner of her eye. "His heart is in turmoil, but he keeps a straight face. He clearly cares to death, but he insists on saying, 'I bet you won't come back.'"

Lin Shen put down his teacup and glanced at her slowly, but Bai Mengyan pretended not to see him.

Gu Man suddenly laughed and looked at Lin Shen: "Where did you find this girl?"

"Taobao store".

"..."

Gu Man thought she had misheard.

"She used to be a Taobao model. I acquired the store she was signed to and signed her as well. Only after signing her did I realize that she could act."

Bai Mengyan listened from the side, her face slightly flushed; she had no acting skills whatsoever.

But Lin Shen spoke so matter-of-factly, as if she were truly a hidden gem.

Gu Man glanced at Lin Shen, then at Bai Mengyan, but didn't press the matter.

Having worked as a screenwriter for so many years, she has met all sorts of actors and agents, and some things are best left unsaid.

As the dishes were served one after another, the conversation shifted from the characters in "My Sunshine" to the difficulties of adapting the original work. Gu Man asked detailed questions, but never adopted an assessment-like attitude.

Halfway through the meal, Gu Man suddenly put down her chopsticks and looked at Lin Shen:

"So you brought her here today so I could take a look first, and then in a few days I'd be the one to bring it up?"

Lin Shen poured her tea and did not deny it.

"Sister Man's insight is truly remarkable."

Gu Man chuckled, picking up her teacup: "If you want to push someone, do you need to go through this roundabout way?"

"Yes, it is necessary." Lin Shen put down the teapot. "Because what she deserves is not a role given to her out of charity, but a role that she earns through her own abilities."

"Sister Man is both the author and the script consultant. Your approval is more effective than any investor's words."

Gu Man looked at him, then at Bai Mengyan, who was pretending to drink soup with her head down.

She remained silent for a moment, then withdrew her gaze from Bai Mengyan and returned it to Lin Shen's face:

"But she's still a complete newcomer. How am I supposed to bring it up? Say I've taken a liking to a complete newcomer with absolutely no experience as a leading actress?"

Bai Mengyan's fingers tightened slightly as she gripped the teacup, unable to drink the soup anymore.

Lin Shen smiled and spoke slowly:

"Who said it was an amateur?"

Gu Man raised an eyebrow.

"Dream Research is one of the iconic representatives of our Track brand."

"I've been involved since the brand's inception. You can say that you saw this girl in a gay porn video on the platform and thought her vibe was a good fit, so you asked around. I'll handle the rest."

Gu Man listened without replying. She looked at Lin Shen, then at Bai Mengyan.

After a long pause, Gu Man spoke up, sounding annoyed:

"Do you have to beat around the bush like this?"

Lin Shen chuckled and didn't deny it.

"The clothes seem to be selling quite well lately," Gu Man slammed her teacup on the table. "Trying to do product placement again?"

"Sister Man is truly insightful." Lin Shen smiled and poured her another cup of tea.

Gu Man was amused by his shamelessness and didn't bother to continue the conversation, but she didn't say anything more in objection.

Lin Shen lowered his eyes and poured himself some tea.

The track did sell well, but brand integration was just a side effect.

Lin Shen was really thinking about something else entirely.

"My Sunshine" is undoubtedly a hit drama, unlike those later dramas that relied on platform promotion, trending topics, and fan-controlled comments to achieve "over 10,000 views".

It's the kind of show that truly resonates with all age groups and social circles, making people discuss the plot on the streets and alleys, and even watching it on TV and then watching it two or three times on online platforms.

The target audience of this type of drama highly overlaps with the target users of the trajectory.

A large number of female viewers have aesthetic tastes and are willing to pay for quality and emotional value.

If the characters' outfits can be presented naturally in the drama, and combined with marketing opportunities related to the characters, such as Zhao Mosheng's outfits.

Lin Shen could already foresee the traffic curve of the flagship store at that time.

Selling clothes can earn you far more than investing in movies and TV shows.

But he didn't just want to earn that much.

Juku is the production company, but the real money comes from Croton, the company behind it, and Croton's parent company, Huace.

Lin Shen had just reviewed Huace's financial report a couple of days ago. Cash flow wasn't particularly abundant, several large projects were running simultaneously, and while their debt-to-equity ratio was considered healthy within the industry, it wasn't at a point where they could afford to squander money.

In such situations, if a suitable investor comes in with sincerity, they will not turn them away.

What Lin Shen wanted was not just an implantation site, but a share of the investment.

Even just 10% would be enough.

It's not about how much money you can make—of course you can. The key is that when you have a stake in the project, many things change.

Product placement in clothing can be discussed more deeply, marketing timings can be coordinated more closely, and priority cooperation rights can be granted for subsequent derivative developments, second-round releases, and even spin-off projects...

These are not things that brand partners can obtain.

But co-producers can.

Lin Shen held his teacup, his mind already going through Huace's project schedule, cash flow situation, and list of major partners over the past six months.

"Brother Shen?"

Bai Mengyan's voice pulled him back from his thoughts. Lin Shen turned his head and found her looking at him, looking a little confused.

"It's alright." Lin Shen smiled at her and casually turned the freshly served cod in front of her. "Try this, it'll get fishy when it's cold."

Bai Mengyan said "Oh" and obediently picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks.

Gu Man sat opposite her, taking in the scene without saying a word.

She put down her teacup, took a notebook out of her bag, and pushed it in front of Bai Mengyan.

It's the script for "My Sunshine".

Bai Mengyan was stunned.

"Director Liu Junjie, CEO Zhou from Croton, and the production manager from Juku will all be at the dinner later," Gu Man said, looking at Bai Mengyan. "I'll mention you then."

Bai Mengyan's mind went completely blank.

Gu Man continued, "But there are many people vying for this role, and it's no use if I bring it up alone. Croton's preference has always been their own Qi Wei. You have to make them believe that you are Zhao Mosheng."

"After you go back, thoroughly study the scenes of Mo Sheng returning to China and their reunion at the airport. I will let you try that scene during the audition."

Bai Mengyan looked down at the script, the cover of which read "Silent Separation," and it seemed to glow under the lights of the private room.

Her throat tightened, and she wanted to say something, but found that she couldn't say anything at all.

"Sister Man," Lin Shen said with a smile, "if you keep talking, she'll start to cry."

Gu Man rolled her eyes at him, annoyed: "Can't I even give you a reminder? Even with our support, Meng Yan and Qi Wei's fame is still far behind. What if they mess up the performance?"

Bai Mengyan finally found her voice and nodded solemnly: "Sister Man, I will try my best."

"Mm," Gu Man replied.

Just then, my phone vibrated.

Lin Shen glanced down at the screen, which was lit up; it was a message from Yang Chaoyue.

He didn't rush to open it, and continued to listen to Gu Man talk about some anecdotes from when she wrote about He Yichen. Bai Mengyan listened intently, and her tension had long since dissipated.

My phone vibrated a few more times.

Lin Shen swiped the screen without making a sound.

Yang Chaoyue: "Brother Shen! Have you checked Weibo?!"

Yang Chaoyue: "#OldGuyOfficialAnnouncement# is trending on Weibo, and then Feng Xiaogang posted a Weibo post, not naming names but everyone is saying it's you!"

Yang Chaoyue: "[Image]"

Lin Shen clicked into Weibo and took a look.

Huayi Brothers' official Weibo account posted a message at 8 PM:

The official cast and crew of the film "Mr. Six" have been announced! Directed by Guan Hu, and starring Feng Xiaogang, Zhang Hanyu, and Wu Yifan… they join forces to tell a story of human relationships and morality in Beijing's underworld. Stay tuned!

The accompanying image consists of six stills from the film, in one of which Wu Yifan is standing next to Feng Xiaogang.

His name is not listed.

Of course, it wouldn't have happened in the first place.

Lin Shen scrolled down.

Fans in the comment section continued to control the comments, flood the hashtags, and participate in giveaways as usual.

Not many people paid attention to this official announcement.

The film "Mr. Six" followed a traditional approach from the very beginning, with Guan Hu and Feng Xiaogang as the main actors, a team from the Beijing film circle, and tells the story of the old gangsters' lament.

This kind of movie and the fans of popular celebrities are simply not on the same level.

The reason it trended on Weibo was because Feng Xiaogang posted a Weibo message at 8:17.

Feng Xiaogang V:

Yesterday, I had tea with some old friends and we talked about these young people nowadays. Some of them haven't even figured out their roles yet, but they're already nitpicking.

They promote you in the film industry, then you just quit and leave. What are you after? Do you want to become famous quickly? Or do you think you're a big shot now?

I don't usually like using the term "little fresh meat," but today I think it's quite fitting. Somewhat good-looking, but lacking in bone structure.

Alright, then you can keep making your fortune. Our temple is too small to accommodate a big Buddha.

— 1.7 shares, 2.3 comments, 4.1 likes

Lin Shen stared at it for a moment, and thought, "Well, Feng Kuzi is still the same Feng Kuzi."

He logged out of Weibo and switched back to WeChat.

Yang Chaoyue was still spamming the chat: "Brother Shen, are you going to respond? President Jia already knows and is asking for your attitude!"

Lin Shen twitched his thumb: "Never mind him for now, I'm hungry, let's eat first." Then he put his phone face down on the table.

Bai Mengyan noticed his movement, turned her head, and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

"It's alright." Lin Shen placed a piece of cod on her plate. "It's not a matter at the company; there's no rush."