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

Chen Zhixi paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"What kind of reason is that?"

"Really." Lin Shen smiled as well.

Chen Zhixi shook his head.

Lin Shen didn't say much, only saying, "Anyway, it's not suitable for him to be signed at this stage. But he can participate in projects later."

What he didn't say was that when he actually makes "The Wandering Earth," he will definitely invest money in it.

It's not too late to get involved then.

Even if I don't participate, he'll still come knocking on my door.

Chen Zhixi nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

The two chatted for a few more minutes, and after they had almost finished their tea, Chen Zhixi glanced at the time and stood up:

"Alright, I should go now. I need to finish up the 'Jianbing Man' project these next few days, and then I'll talk to these people."

Lin Shen also stood up: "Thank you for your hard work, Sister Xi."

"What's so hard about it?" Chen Zhixi waved his hand. "You've offered me such good terms, I have to do something worthwhile."

The two walked out together, through the courtyard, and when they reached the gate, Chen Zhixi suddenly turned around:

"By the way, Yuan Shuang, send me his work later. I need to know his style before I can talk to him."

Lin Shen nodded: "I'll have Chaoyue send it to you later."

Chen Zhixi nodded, opened the car door, and glanced at Lin Shen one last time before getting in:

"Your company is quite interesting."

Lin Shen laughed: "This is just the beginning."

The car door closed, and the car slowly drove away.

Lin Shen stood at the door, watching the car's taillights disappear around the street corner, before turning around and walking back.

Yang Chaoyue, carrying the packed food, approached Lin Shen and asked, "Brother Shen, shall we go back?"

Lin Shen nodded and sat in the back seat.

The car started and drove into the night.

Yang Chaoyue asked cautiously, "Brother Shen, how did the talks go?"

"fine."

Yang Chaoyue was relieved and turned back to continue scrolling through his phone.

Lin Shen looked out the window, his mind still replaying what had just happened.

Shen'ao, Hanyan, Cat's Tree.

If these three people can be signed, then Forest Films' content production line will be established.

Shen Ao makes crime films, Han Yan makes heartwarming films, and Cat's Tree makes contemporary idol dramas.

The three lines run in parallel without conflicting with each other, and can even complement each other.

As for Fumino...

It would be best if we could sign, but it's okay if we can't.

Maintaining a good relationship means we can collaborate on future projects.

Lin Shen withdrew his gaze, took out his phone, opened the memo app, and typed a few words:

"The Wandering Earth, 2016".

Meanwhile, at a private club on the East Third Ring Road.

As soon as the door to the private room was pushed open, a wave of heat, mixed with the smell of cigarettes and alcohol, rushed out.

There were already more than a dozen people sitting inside, and the round table was laden with main dishes. A lot of Moutai had been opened, and some bottles were already empty.

Guan Hu sat next to the main seat, leaning to one side as he spoke to Feng Xiaogang beside him.

Seeing Wang Zhonglei enter, he smiled and waved, "Zhonglei, we've been waiting for you. Please have a seat."

Wang Zhonglei smiled and nodded, sat down in the reserved seat, glanced around, lingered on Wu Yifan for a moment, and then looked away.

"Where is Ma Yuan?" he asked.

Guan Hu waved his hand: "I called them, but they didn't come. They're tired of talking, go back and rest."

"Tsk." Feng Xiaogang took a drag of his cigarette and shook his head. "That's just how Ma Yuan is, aloof and arrogant. But he has the right to be aloof; we can't afford to hire him."

Wang Zhonglei nodded without saying anything more. Given Ma Yuan's status, it was indeed unnecessary for him to come here and drink with them.

The waiter began pouring drinks. Guan Hu raised his glass: "Come on, let's have one first. Congratulations on the smooth start of filming for 'Mr. Six'!"

Everyone raised their glasses and drank them down in one gulp.

After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became lively.

Guan Hu patted Wu Yifan on the shoulder, his voice quite loud:

"I really like Fanfan. His acting is great, and his attitude is even better. On his first day on set, he proactively asked the veteran actors for advice—much better than those pretentious ones!"

Wu Yifan quickly bowed, smiling appropriately: "Director Guan, please don't praise me. I'm far from good enough and need to learn more from my seniors."

Feng Xiaogang leaned back in his chair, squinting and smiling: "Did you hear that? That's what it means to know how to behave. Unlike some people, who haven't even finished their act before putting on airs."

There was a moment of silence at the table, then someone spoke up: "Director Feng is talking about Lin Shen, right?"

"I didn't call any names," Feng Xiaogang waved his hand.

"I just can't stand this trend. Young people should know how to be grateful. Back in our day, if an elder mentored you, you should remember it for a lifetime."

Now look what's happened! You go to him full of sincerity, and he ignores you for months, then just says he's not coming. Without any explanation.

Guan Hu chimed in, "The key thing is, while he was stalling us, he turned around and went to work on other projects, and I heard they were having a great time talking about them. What kind of nonsense is that?"

Wang Zhonglei put down his chopsticks, picked up a napkin, and wiped his mouth.

"This matter could have been left behind. But we can't let people think that Huayi people are easy to bully. In future project collaborations, we will carefully evaluate any projects involving him."

Old Wang, who was in charge of publicity, immediately nodded and bowed as he spoke:

"Don't worry, Mr. Wang, I'm keeping an eye on things online. The trending topics are being posted and pushed as needed. The repost numbers for those few Weibo posts are steadily increasing, and the comments section is also keeping things calm."

Feng Xiaogang glanced at him: "Don't make it too deliberate, it'll look like we're bullying a child."

"I understand, I understand." Old Wang smiled broadly. "It's just normal maintenance of popularity, nothing deliberate, nothing deliberate."

Wu Yifan sat there with a well-behaved smile on his face.

He was in a really good mood tonight.

The role was accepted, the filming commencement banquet went smoothly.

The key point is that when he thinks about the interview video that was just released today, he can't help but want to laugh.

Lin Shen, that idiot, just threw away such a good opportunity.

My previous role, Xiao Fei, had few scenes and a flat character.

Now it's Xiao Bo's turn. Although he's still a supporting character, he has more screen time and a more nuanced personality.

If Lin Shen hadn't made a foolish mistake, how would he have gotten this opportunity?

Wu Yifan felt increasingly pleased with himself. He raised his glass, toasted Guan Hu, and then toasted Feng Xiaogang, saying "Thank you for your guidance, director," but what he was really thinking was something else entirely.

While everyone was criticizing Lin Shen, he quietly took out his phone and sent a WeChat message under the table.

"Is everything arranged?"

The assistant replied instantly: "Brother Fan, it's all arranged. She'll be delivered to the room at nine o'clock. She's young and beautiful, and I've sent you her photos."

Wu Yifan clicked on it, glanced at it, and smiled wickedly: "Okay, have her wait in my room. Don't make a fuss."

After sending the message, he put away his phone, picked up his glass, and continued drinking.

Someone nearby chimed in, "Fanfan, I heard you're a pretty good dancer? How about you perform a routine?"

Wu Yifan paused for a moment, then laughed: "Sure, I'll liven things up for everyone."

He stood up and walked to the open space in the middle of the private room. Before the music had even stopped, he did a few moves to a song that was randomly playing on his phone.

As expected of someone trained by Xiao Han, the movements were clean and crisp, the rhythm was precise, and the body control was excellent, which drew applause and cheers from the table.

"good!"

"Fanfan is great!"

"That figure, no one else can compare!"

Wu Yifan smiled and returned to his seat, his gaze sweeping across the table, where he met Xu Qing's gaze.

Xu Qing smiled, full of admiration: "That's great, youth is wonderful."

Wu Yifan was secretly pleased. Although he didn't particularly like older women, he still found it pleasing to be looked at by an actress of Xu Qing's caliber.

He was about to say something modest when he suddenly felt another gaze fall on him.

He turned his head and met Wang Zhonglei's eyes.