Chapter 271

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Main Character:

Shen Yao

Both sides appeared quite patient, not the impulsive type.

Sitting together chatting, after Shen Yao obtained Lu Xian's contact information, her objective was temporarily achieved, and she could finally withdraw with success.

After all, investment was inevitable; because Lu Xian originated as an actor, the proportion of his investments in the entertainment industry had always been high.

Last year, a hit New Year comedy earned him several hundred million.

Shen Yao considered her script decent, and Lu Xian wasn't the talkative investor type; if she could secure his participation, trading that small financial loss for autonomy was quite a bargain.

"Mr. Lu, it's getting late, I'm busy here; I'll invite you again when I return to the capital."

She absolutely couldn't cut ties; in Shen Yao's eyes, Lu Xian was currently a piece of fresh, fragrant, tender meat — no matter what, she had to eat it.

Even if this meat looked chewy and hard on the teeth.

Unaware he was hard on the teeth, Lu Xian watched Shen Yao leave, not refusing her invitation for after her return to the capital; he lowered his head, his pretty fingertips pinching a thin business card with Shen Yao's contact details.

Planet Film and Television, Shen Yao

Perhaps an invitation to invest? Though she didn't say it directly, Lu Xian understood perfectly what he lacked least nowadays.

People from the entertainment industry who approached him wanted either money or connections; Shen Yao, he believed, would be no exception.

The already-departed Shen Yao walked with light steps; if she could hear Lu Xian's thoughts, she'd surely praise his cleverness — she was greedier, grabbing both money and connections.

"Having finally entered the circle, not earning a huge sum would be letting myself down."

Shen Yao crossed her arms, gaze on the paparazzi driving over from not far away, the corner of her mouth curling up slightly.

Her time was tight; she still had to go to Director Zheng to give instructions, and conveniently warn the male and female leads not to cause trouble recently.

"Those paparazzi are here to catch the Film Emperor and Film Empress's cheating scandal; our status isn't enough — getting involved would easily make us cannon fodder."

Having heard a wrapped-up version from the system, Shen Yao quietly reminded Director Zheng to pay more attention to the crew; they couldn't compare to established Film Emperors and Empresses — swept up in the typhoon's tail, light injuries meant torn tendons and broken bones, severe meant death.

Director Zheng: ……

Don't be fooled by Director Zheng's burly, rough appearance; in reality, he had a sensitive, fragile heart and was a baby needing care and protection.

Sure enough, after hearing Shen Yao's words, Director Zheng immediately accelerated the crew's filming schedule.

The originally lackadaisical male and female leads were all summoned by Director Zheng and pressed into service; he was terrified they'd stir up trouble and accidentally bury the whole crew with them.

Shen Yao: …… That wasn't necessary

"President Shen, rest assured, with me, Old Zheng, here, I guarantee this drama won't flop."

Director Zheng slapped his chest in guarantee, and incidentally warned the rest of the crew not to cause trouble; the film base was tense recently, and if they didn't want to lose their jobs, they'd better behave and keep their mouths shut.

Crew members: ……

"The director really — there's a private gathering in two days, now I can't go."

Male lead Li Zekai muttered; he was an idol who debuted through a talent show, always had high traffic thanks to his outstanding face, but never had a work worthy of note, making him increasingly passive as he aged.

Joining Director Zheng's new drama this time was because his agent had connections and learned "Yan Liu Ji" had extraordinary potential; gambling on it, he signed a military pledge before the boss.

Li Zekai joined this new drama almost for free; having invested so much (mainly money) with no returns yet, even without kowtowing for sponsorship he couldn't hold out too long — who asked for this circle to be so hard to survive in.

"Zekai, for this drama to film well, we've suffered plenty; now Director Zheng's 'Yan Liu Ji' broadcasts better each day, the boss has already called specially — as long as this drama wraps safely, your contract profit share can be revised early."

Afraid Li Zekai might act rashly and seek a sugar daddy — not that the agent liked her own artist, but idols from talent shows had high demands; did they really think paying fans were stupid? You dare sell yourself today, tomorrow they'll unfan and trample you.

Li Zekai had kept himself clean for years in the circle; this was also why, despite being an acting vase, he still had fans buying in.

Once Li Zekai crossed that line, the agent dared guarantee he'd be thoroughly finished.

Hearing such appeasement, Li Zekai evaluated internally, decided to temporarily give up that private gathering; the new drama was half-filmed, and with "Yan Liu Ji"'s situation they could learn via phones on set — there was truly no need to go extreme at this time.

"I'll listen to Sister Zhou, skip the gathering; lately I'll stay on set and study the script hard, strive for this drama to become the next 'Yan Liu Ji'."

Li Zekai finished speaking, picked up the script, and went to find the female lead to run lines.

The agent nodded in satisfaction, phew, thank goodness she'd intercepted him.

But recently she couldn't leave; had to stay and watch her own artist; the film base never lacked currently popular idols; she truly feared Li Zekai would act rashly and take a shortcut, ruining his career.

Their company wasn't large; Li Zekai was the most famous one; if he failed too, she'd have to job-hop to keep her rice bowl.

Must never reach that step; Sister Zhou prayed inwardly, hoping this drama would hit — not expecting a massive blockbuster like "Yan Liu Ji", a modest hit would satisfy her.

……

Shen Yao, already back in Jing Shi, completely shook off the film base mess.

The current her sat in Planet Film and Television's office watching "Yan Liu Ji"'s viewership heat.

Oh, precisely speaking, watching money; after all, the plot heat on the website was all fed by members' real gold and silver.

The curve chart in Shen Yao's hand was deliberately sent by Zhou Dan, purpose obvious — make Shen Yao happy while discussing the next drama's signing.

Fingers tapping the tabletop, Shen Yao had Ma Qingjian estimate the profit they could pocket based on the table.

Ma Qingjian pushed his glasses, "The first dividend won't be too high; the plot hasn't finished broadcasting then, roughly twenty million or so," by the time "Yan Liu Ji"'s grand finale arrives, membership and ad revenue will surely climb another higher step.

Factoring in all possibilities, Ma Qingjian exhaled, "President Shen, once this money hits the account, it'll be enough to shoot that shelved drama."

Even without scrimping on hiring actors — even casting Film Emperors and Empresses for the leads would be negotiable.

Shen Yao smiled, "Not that exaggerated; for the next drama I plan a co-production, so casting will be more cautious.

For now, wait for 'Yan Liu Ji' to finish; prepare hot searches to buy in advance, strive for a good viewership heat at the grand finale."

Like breaking a record — these are standard operations in the entertainment industry; she didn't know if they worked, but fans found them useful.

Ma Qingjian nodded, mentioning Tang Yuan wanted to treat Shen Yao to a meal.

Shen Yao shook her head, "She's turned over this time; if she doesn't properly wash clean the troubles on her, she still has the mood to treat me to a meal?"

Shen Yao found this woman Tang Yuan somewhat interesting; if she kept up this attitude, she might one day be dragged down by her opponents.

"Let's skip the meal; if there's a chance to cooperate in the future," Shen Yao exchanged a few polite words, not the slightest bit intending to humor Tang Yuan.

Tang Yuan, on the contrary, was a bit angry; recently, thanks to the hit broadcast of "Yan Liu Ji," she had become popular, and the hot searches that were previously infrequent had become her Moments — even a casually snapped photo could secure a top-ten spot.

Such a scene made the originally honest Tang Yuan continue to cock her tail.

Complaining to her agent that Shen Yao didn't give her face, saying her current pay had multiplied several times over, and with Planet Film and Television's scale, they truly couldn't afford her.

"Forget it, if she has no time, I'm still busy," Tang Yuan said, admiring herself in the floor-length makeup mirror, "Didn't you say there's a gala inviting me? We must borrow a haute couture set this time."

When she was down and out before, let alone haute couture, even ordinary brands wouldn't have her; now that she's popular again, the endorsement offers sent over are already a thick stack.

This is the reality of the entertainment industry; not just Tang Yuan, the other few supporting actors also exploded in popularity to varying degrees, all leveraging this heat to seek benefits for themselves.

The hit broadcast of "Yan Liu Ji" not only made Planet Film and Television and E E Website money, but all the personnel serving it, both on and off screen, would also reap considerable gains.

This is also why so many people want to squeeze into the entertainment industry — it really makes money; just one drama can bring in one hundred percent returns, who wouldn't be jealous?

……

On the day of the grand finale of "Yan Liu Ji," E E Website held a wrap-up livestream.

Several main characters from the plot attended, while Shen Yao appeared in the capacity of Producer, standing in for Zheng Dao who was far away at the Film and Television Base filming.

This was also Shen Yao's second formal public appearance after the press conference.

Not to mention anything else, just Shen Yao's face — which lost nothing to entertainment industry actresses — made her go viral online for a spell.

Afterwards, the university Shen Yao attended was dug up; in short, Shen Yao experienced the feeling of being a celebrity.

Fortunately, Shen Yao doesn't act; she just likes hiding behind the scenes secretly making money, so this heat dissipated cleanly before long.

Time arrived at August; after Zheng Dao finished filming the new drama and handed the unedited footage to Shen Yao, he once again entered closed-door cultivation to ponder the palace intrigue script.

Shen Yao laid it out to Zheng Dao: they had earned a considerable sum from "Yan Liu Ji," so the palace intrigue drama could be done on a grand scale, telling Zheng Dao to go all out, and she would fully support him.

Zheng Dao, hearing this, naturally rubbed his hands in eager anticipation; he didn't even apply for a rest period, directly diving headfirst into the ocean of the script to roam.

From his meaning, he still wanted to keep revising, best to straighten out both main and subplot lines before casting, and he would do his utmost to preserve the novel's original flavor, including costumes and styling restored as much as possible, striving to film a masterpiece that would leave his name in history.

Shen Yao: ……

Shen Yao expressed respect for Zheng Dao's ambition; the separate funds had already been transferred to the new account; what she needed to do now was negotiate the latest web drama contract with E E Film and Television.

With "Yan Liu Ji" as a foundation, this "Huan Xi Ren Jia," which carried quite a light comedy flavor, naturally wouldn't be too bad.

Shen Yao opened by demanding S-tier treatment, and she was confident this drama would sell big.

Zhou Dan: ……

Zhou Dan didn't expect this person to be so ruthless, opening with S-tier treatment — that's something even currently popular young stars might not get.

"Shen Producer, aren't you being a bit too confident?" Zhou Dan felt Shen Yao might have been dizzy from the effective hit of "Yan Liu Ji"; what result "Huan Xi Ren Jia" would have still depended on the situation after release.

"Zhou Director, we still have a palace intrigue drama with quite large investment coming up; that is the top priority among all Planet Film and Television's projects this year."

The implication: wanting priority negotiation rights depends on E E Website's sincerity and attitude.

Zhou Dan: ……

Zhou Dan was left at a loss by Shen Yao's confidence, not understanding why Shen Yao would say this; moreover, no one knows whether a new drama will be good or bad.

Shen Yao smiled faintly, "The new drama is a joint venture, and we plan to invite several veteran stars to join; the entire production will be benchmarked against last year's broadcast 'Xian Suo'; I believe Zhou Director can understand as well."

Zhou Dan's eyes showed surprise; she naturally knew the drama "Xian Suo," touted as the most expensive drama in the entertainment industry — even the supporting actors were loaded with honors — and it aired on the national station, with unexpectedly good results.

"Shen Producer, are you serious?"

Compared to "Xian Suo's" investment, that's at least a figure starting with 'yi'; Planet Film and Television requesting a joint venture isn't wrong either, after all this way pressure can be shared.

"Zhou Director, I know saying this is a bit presumptuous, but you also understand Planet Film and Television's situation; if this drama goes the S-tier route, E E Website won't lose out."

"Huan Xi Ren Jia's" style is stress-relieving, even more suitable for viewing than "Yan Liu Ji," and it's the kind of style suitable for all ages.

The screenwriter's adaptation is also very good; at least Shen Yao feels this drama has more potential to explode big than "Yan Liu Ji."

In the end, "Huan Xi Ren Jia" was still signed by E E Website with S-tier treatment.

And Zhou Dan also guaranteed Shen Yao that if this drama could be processed in time, she would arrange for it to air in the golden time slot — that is, during the Spring Festival period.

"No problem, I'll do my best to arrange it on this end," Shen Yao felt web dramas were much faster than TV dramas; as long as the drama in her hands finished editing, it would definitely air smoothly during Spring Festival.

October, Shen Yao had already finished editing the plot of "Huan Xi Ren Jia."

Forty episodes in total; characters and plot were also quite full.

The necessary procedures are underway, but judging by the Spring Festival timeline, it'll make it in time.

Shen Yao was no longer anxious, instead busying herself with the studies she had thrown aside for so long.

But she's a university student, and she studies management; teachers are lenient, as long as exams are no problem, they won't make things difficult for Shen Yao.

Shen Yao occasionally goes to school; most of the time she's still busy with her own affairs.

The phone rang; it was an unfamiliar number, but it looked somewhat familiar.

She raised an eyebrow; after picking up, Shen Yao laughed and bantered a couple sentences with the other party — didn't expect it to be Lu Xian contacting her; she thought the other party could hold their breath.

Lu Xian spoke directly, "Shen Young Lady's Planet Film and Television is developing excellently; Lu someone feared Shen Young Lady might forget."

This alluded to that time at the Film and Television Base, when Shen Yao said that invitation; as a result, Lu Xian waited left and right but never ran into the other party, so had to take out the saved business card to make contact.