Chapter 504: Hengdian

Three days later, the debut night of the Planet Explosion boy group was successfully broadcast. The ratings broke the record set by *Creation Girl Era* a year ago. The livestream popularity of Penguin Video reached an exaggerated 100 million, and 500,000 people were watching online at the same time on YouTube and Twitch, and the traffic was flying high.

Against the background of global sea selection, the strength of male idols from all over the world is indeed outrageously strong. Although the number of male idols participating in China this time is the largest, the proportion of the final group formation has not reached an overwhelming point, only two people.

The remaining six, one

As for the European side, there was one from Russia, one from the UK, and two from the United States, with one of the two Americans being a Chinese-American.

On the night of the group formation, a host of seniors from Girls' Generation also took the stage to perform, which became the time slot with the highest viewership ratings, aside from the announcement of the debut ranking results.

For all fans who love idol groups, tonight's group formation night was almost perfect. Of course, the only regret was that Miss Luo Quan couldn't perform on stage with them, mainly because she was on a plane back to the United States at the time.

However, she participated in it in another way.

The day after the group formation night, the nine-member boy group struck while the iron was hot and released the advance version of their debut album, "Youth Era." The lead songs were naturally the two that Miss Luo Quan had released from the beginning: "Day by Day" and "I Want It That Way."

Then there were the six newly released songs:

"Growl" (Original artist: EXO, has a Chinese version)

"What Makes You Beautiful" (Original artist: One Direction)

"The Only Flower in the World" (Japanese song, original artist: SMAP)

"Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You" (Original artist: Westlife)

"Cotton Candy" (Chinese song, original artist: Top Combine)

There were eight songs in total, covering four languages: Chinese, English, Japanese, and Korean. Originally, Miss Luo Quan thought she could add a Spanish one, since there were quite a few talented and handsome idol contestants from Spanish-speaking regions this time. Unfortunately, they were all eliminated by the fourth episode, so Miss Luo Quan temporarily replaced the Spanish song with an English one.

As for the Vietnamese member who made it through tonight's competition, it was a pity that there was no song in his native language.

After all, he was the least favored before the competition started, but he performed extraordinarily well on tonight's stage, conquering the casual audience with his performance and surpassing the ninth place ahead of him in the final stage of voting to successfully debut.

However, because he wasn't favored, Miss Luo Quan didn't specifically write any songs for this language, which could be considered an oversight.

But if she really had to write one, it would be quite difficult. She only knew one famous Vietnamese song in total: "Ya Tou Mei Nai He Mei Se." She had absolutely no impression of the others, and even if she wanted to write one, she couldn't, so she simply skipped it selectively.

Although there was this small flaw for the group, this album was definitely the strongest idol boy group album since the new century; among their peers, one couldn't find anything better than this.

Once the digital version of the album was released, even without the accompanying music videos, it still sold out in the four regions of China, the US, Japan, and South Korea, topping the sales charts in each respective region.

Especially on the US Billboard charts, after Miss Luo Quan's debut, one musical genius after another emerged like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. The American music market actually showed signs of recovery, and for the past year, this chart has been a battleground for gods.

However, for the past six months, the top three spots on the chart have been quite fixed. Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" has been number one for several consecutive weeks, with over five billion digital streams across the entire internet, and its popularity remains high.

In second place is Miss Luo Quan's "Eternal Love." This graduation song, which Miss Luo Quan sang for her close friend at a Chinese university, has become one of the most popular love songs on the American music charts, even faintly earning the title of "America's Second National Anthem"—though it's hard to say if that's a backhanded compliment.

But setting that aside, the data for "Eternal Love" is still quite explosive. Except for "Old Town Road," the new songs released recently are no match for it. The only one that can be mentioned in the same breath is Miss Luo Quan's newly sung "My Heart Will Go On."

This song has actually been on the charts all along, with a ranking that is neither high nor low, and it briefly surged to second place after the movie was released, which counts as a resurgence in popularity.

Besides these three songs, the next ones are the tracks from the Planet Explosion boy group's new album. The fans used their passion and money to let their idols show their faces properly on the Billboard charts.

Moreover, this wasn't the kind of situation where fans just threw money at their idols to manipulate data; the quality of these songs was solid, and they were quite attractive to casual listeners. Once they hit the charts, they are expected to stay for quite a long time.

And for the members of the boy group, their era has just begun, and the concept of idol survival shows has become the biggest keyword in the entertainment industry this year.

For two consecutive years, Tencent has used idol survival shows to gain massive popularity and revenue. Last year, it was only causing a stir within Asia, but this year, the scope of its influence has expanded directly to the whole world.

The two huge successes have already allowed everyone inside and outside the industry to see the potential of idol survival shows. Not only domestically, but foreign countries have also started to organize idol survival shows with their own national characteristics, and Tencent has also taken this opportunity to collect a hefty sum in copyright fees.

As for Miss Luo Quan, her work was basically all finished. The album was released, the money and goods were settled, and after paying taxes, Miss Luo Quan donated a portion, leaving her with less than 40 million in hand.

Don't look at the fact that more than half is gone; there were no middlemen making a profit here, because the taxes that celebrities need to pay are very high.

According to the tax laws newly customized last year, a celebrity's 100 million in remuneration requires paying about 42 million in taxes. This was Miss Luo Quan's album production fee; there wasn't a big difference, just a different name.

Then, the charitable Miss Luo Quan donated another 10 million or so, so what she finally got in hand was indeed less than 40 million.

"It's still faster to earn US dollars. One song abroad is 10 million US dollars, almost ten times the price in China." Miss Luo Quan looked at the newly earned W in her account and couldn't help but sigh.

At this time, she had already gotten off the plane and returned to her home in Tan Gong. After Ivy went on summer vacation, she went to the UK, where the rock atmosphere is strong, to collect inspiration and perform a few tours. There were only Su Yu and Lan Xuan at home.

Previously, Miss Luo Quan entrusted Zhou Zong to find a few good dramas for Su Yu to play the third or fourth female lead. Zhou Zong's handling of matters was quite steady. From January this year until now, Su Yu's acting offers had never stopped. She had already joined the crews of four TV dramas, three of which had already started airing and received continuous praise.

Su Yu had also started to independently appear on hot searches from being unknown, and her Weibo follower count had gradually risen to around 7 million.

Such a fairy-like girl with such high professional skills—as long as she had exposure, becoming popular was only a matter of time.

Although Miss Luo Quan, as a boss, didn't pay as much attention to the development of artists as other bosses, she wouldn't be perfunctory with the resources she should provide. Moreover, because of her halo, these artists in the company naturally gained favor easily from passersby; as soon as they saw the words "Springwater Entertainment," they felt a sense of intimacy.

However, although Su Yu's career was currently flourishing, she was still quite a distance away from being a first-tier actress. Miss Luo Quan's return this time was also to fulfill her original promise: to help her become an internationally famous big star.

In the artist profession, small fame depends on promotion, while big fame depends on fate. Some people, no matter how they are promoted, no matter how many international big names they collaborate with, or how many Hollywood blockbusters they act in, just won't become popular.

That's just bad luck; they can't become popular.

Miss Luo Quan didn't know if Su Yu had that kind of fate, but she didn't care. Even if Su Yu did, she had plenty of ways to defy the heavens and change her fate.

The situation of not being able to become popular mentioned earlier, in the final analysis, was because the quality of the produced work wasn't up to standard. If it were truly a good work, it would be impossible not to become popular!

"You've read the script, right?" After entering the house, Miss Luo Quan pushed her suitcase to the side of the sofa and asked Su Yu, who was on it.

Su Yu nodded slightly: "I've read it many times. I can recite all the lines for you right now!"

"That's not necessary; that's too exaggerated. This is filming a movie, not performing a stage play. The goal is to interpret the lines of each scene to the extreme; whether you can recite them backward isn't actually important. There's an Oscar-winning actor who never memorizes lines, but every time he acts, he can say very suitable words according to the plot. So, the key is to look at the understanding."

Miss Luo Quan gave a bit of guidance, but suddenly remembered that she was only a novice, while Su Yu was professionally trained. Her talking big here was a bit like showing off one's skills before an expert.

"By the way, we haven't talked about your movie salary yet. I almost forgot." Miss Luo Quan suddenly remembered this and immediately brought it up.

Su Yu hurriedly waved her hand: "Boss, you letting me act in this movie is a huge opportunity for me. Besides, I'm an artist of the company myself, so why would I need a salary?"

Miss Luo Quan said seriously: "That won't do. Even brothers settle accounts clearly. You are an artist, and only secondly an artist of my company. As an artist, you should receive a salary for filming a movie; we can't break the rules."

"Let's go by the current market price in China!"

Hearing the boss's tone so resolute, Su Yu and Lan Xuan looked at each other, smiled helplessly, and said: "My fame isn't particularly big right now, just above the third tier. As for the salary, it's around 2 million."

"That's not expensive either." Miss Luo Quan scratched her head, but thinking about the salaries of the actors when filming "Rurouni Kenshin," except for her and Chunzi, they were basically around a few hundred thousand RMB. By comparison, it seemed a bit outrageous.

Lan Xuan explained: "Su Yu is just starting out; without fame, naturally, there's no confidence to charge high fees. If it were you, Boss, filming a movie would have to be at least 100 million, and people would be fighting to raise the price."

Miss Luo Quan laughed: "That's how it's said, but if I really charged that high, I'd have to apologize to the national audience if it got out. And now the salary cap order has been issued, it's impossible to take such a high salary... engaging in Yin-Yang contracts is a dead end; you must never touch that."

Miss Luo Quan said this in a relatively relaxed tone, mainly to warn Lan Xuan and Su Yu. The two of them understood the boss's good intentions very well and hurriedly said they would absolutely not do anything illegal.

This is actually a characteristic of Springwater Entertainment. Although this company never exploits artists, it actually limits the artists' ways of making money. Compared to those other big companies, it's not easy to make a lot of money in a short time at Springwater Entertainment.

But at least, one can earn and spend money steadily without worrying about the day when things come to light.

Su Yu really liked the current state: she could play the roles she liked, her popularity was improving bit by bit, she had good relations with passersby and few haters, and she didn't have to worry about the boss's unspoken rules. There was no place where the environment could satisfy her more than here...

After resting for a night, the three of them packed their luggage the next day and flew to Hengdian in Jiangnan Province.

Hengdian World Studios, the largest film and television shooting base in China and even Asia, is home to over 200,000 actors all year round.

Professional or unprofessional, newcomers or those who have been acting for a long time, these people are collectively known as "Heng Piao" (Hengdian drifters).

Every Heng Piao has a star dream, hoping to be appreciated by directors, liked by audiences, and become a nationally famous big star.

Such "rags to riches" stories happen every year or two, but relative to the large base of actors in Hengdian, the probability is not even one in ten thousand.

Playing a corpse or a background extra who gets a lunch box in one second is the norm for the vast majority of Heng Piao. Being a star isn't that easy; that kind of good luck isn't something an ordinary person can possess.

For many frustrated ordinary people, Hengdian is also a place to escape reality. Although the income from filming here isn't high, as long as one can film, the three meals a day are basically taken care of, and the filming salary is enough to find a place to stay that shelters from the wind and rain. If one lives frugally, one can save a considerable amount of income over a year, which is much better than working oneself to death at a construction site.

Moreover, if one keeps filming, one can also have the opportunity to become famous overnight, which gives many people an excuse to be willing to waste their lives here.

And the movie Miss Luo Quan was going to film this time happened to be a story about dreams and reality. The world in the movie is one of debauchery and luxury, difficult for ordinary people to reach, just like the entertainment industry people yearn for.

But it's not completely unreachable; if the opportunity comes, even an ordinary person has the possibility of becoming a huge success.

Here, there was once a migrant worker who was spotted by a discerning eye, became famous for playing an impressive role, and subsequently gradually became a Best Actor and even a national-level artist.

This is the fairy tale in the hearts of all Heng Piao, and at the same time, it is a legend that cannot be replicated.

However, after the major cleanup of the entertainment industry this year, many stars have retired, and it is a time for the entertainment industry to renew and replace its blood. Whether it's students from art schools or Heng Piao, the opportunities to become famous are much higher than in the past.

Therefore, there are exceptionally many actors in Hengdian this year, and the staff sent by each crew to recruit temporary actors can fully make their selections.

After Miss Luo Quan first arrived in Hengdian, she didn't immediately start looking for extras, but first observed the market.