Chapter 262: Signing: The Starry Avenue

On the day of the Lunar New Year's Eve, the three generations of the Wei family gathered together for the reunion dinner, and naturally, the mother of the eldest granddaughter, Ceng Li, was also present.

After the reunion dinner, the group sat on the sofa and began watching the Spring Festival Gala.

To be honest, this year's Spring Festival Gala was unremarkable; apart from some pleasant surprises in the stage lighting and choreography, only the opening song and dance performance were decent, while the rest of the programs were truly hard to describe.

A succession of songs and crosstalk sketches lacked any novelty, especially Feng Gong's crosstalk, which was entirely composed of the previous year's internet buzzwords, lacking any real comedic punchlines.

The two old men also shook their heads frequently and offered critiques, but soon, they stopped talking, as the program playing on the television was Jing Tian's performance, "As You Wish."

Seeing Wei Jin's attitude of not wanting to register his marriage with Ceng Li, the two old men knew what this kid was planning, but they couldn't do anything about him—they couldn't exactly break his third leg, could they? Sensing the atmosphere had turned cold, Ceng Li took the initiative to smooth things over, showing great poise.

"Xiao Jin, Tian Tian really put in the effort; she sang quite well."

"Ahem, Li Jie, that was all lip-syncing."

The Spring Festival Gala faces over a billion viewers, and to ensure the effectiveness of the programs, performers are required to lip-sync in most cases; it has nothing to do with trust, it is simply for the sake of insurance.

"Oh? Is that so? I'll have to listen to her live performance another day."

Hearing this, Wei Jin revealed a look of gratitude; Ceng Li's words were naturally meant for the two old men, and this poise for the sake of family harmony truly moved him deeply.

The two old men were also deeply comforted at this moment; harmony in the family leads to prosperity in all things, and they were quite satisfied with this daughter-in-law—just after the New Year, the entire Beijing was decorated with red and colorful ornaments, full of joy.

But Li Xiaowan's mood was not very good; the Four Dan Actresses she had cultivated single-handedly were about to leave her company.

"Mimi, are you really not planning to renew your contract?"

Hearing this, Yang Mi felt somewhat conflicted; looking at the godmother before her, her mind recalled scene after scene of the past—signing, cultivating, caring, and protecting; from an objective and fair perspective, her company had treated her well.

But Yang Mi was a very rational person; with her current status, the company could no longer provide her with more support. As the saying goes, people move to higher ground, and wise birds choose their trees to nest in; it was nothing more than that.

"Godmother, thank you for your care over all these years. I wish the company better and better in the future, and you should take care of your health."

Yang Mi had high emotional intelligence; she understood the principle of parting on good terms.

"Hmm, it seems you have already made up your mind. Very well, the outside world says that those who leave here develop very well, just like Zhou Xun and the others. I hope you can be the same and go even further."

Listening to Li Xiaowan's slightly self-deprecating words, Yang Mi did not know how to respond, as this was an indisputable fact.

"Can you tell me where you are going next?"

"I haven't signed yet, but it's already confirmed: Starry Sky Culture."

Yang Mi did not hide it; the reason she hadn't signed yet was just waiting for her contract here to expire.

Li Xiaowan realized it upon hearing this, and then gave a self-deprecating smile.

"That's true, Wei Jin is your senior, and Shanhe Media has abundant film and television resources, which is very helpful for your development. It is indeed a good place to go. Then I wish you a bright future and success in everything."

"Thank you, Godmother." — The Berlin International Film Festival had just come to an end, and unsurprisingly, "Kung Fu Hustle" came away empty-handed.

Zhang Yimou clearly understood the meaning of his invitation; he went for the awards ceremony and returned immediately after it ended, never having thought about winning an award. The tacit understanding between the two sides was practically written all over their faces.

Perhaps to cope with the terrible public opinion, Zhang Yimou's team high-profilely announced the audition results for "Hawthorn Tree Forever."

A sophomore student from the acting department of the Beijing Film Academy had incredible luck and landed the male lead.

Many people in the industry joked that the National Master finally remembered his alma mater this time.

The subsequently announced female lead was even more shocking to those in the industry: a high school senior who hadn't even passed the art exam yet.

You have to know that this audition lasted for two months and interviewed thousands of people; this girl named Zhou Dongyu could be called the chosen one.

A large number of students and art examinees who participated in the auditions were jealous to the point of madness; such a stroke of luck that allowed one to reach the sky in a single bound had fallen on someone else, but wasn't the female lead Zhang Yimou chose a bit too ordinary? "She really is very ordinary."

Looking at the photos posted online, Yang Mi muttered to herself; she also couldn't see anything special about this plain-looking girl.

Immediately, Yang Mi closed the webpage, got up to tidy herself up; today was the day she would sign with Starry Sky Culture.

Arriving at the Shanhe Building with Ceng Jia, looking at the tall building in front of her, Yang Mi felt a bit dazed.

When she stepped in here last year, she made a major decision; stepping in here again today meant that the dust had settled.

More than an hour later, Yang Mi and Ceng Jia stood downstairs at the Shanhe Building again; looking at this building, the two seemed to have a sense of belonging.

Holding the brand-new contract in her hand and taking another look at it, a surge of ambition rose in Yang Mi's heart, and she turned to look at Ceng Jia.

"Jia Jie, please take care of me in the future, haha."

This time, the contract signed with Starry Sky Culture was for five years, meaning the two would be partners for a long time to come.

"Why be so polite? Come to think of it, I should be the one thanking you."

If not for Yang Mi's recommendation, Ceng Jia might not have been able to join Starry Sky Culture and continue to serve as her Agent.

"If you really want to thank me, help me stabilize my position as a first-tier star, and become a super first-tier, or even a Top-tier Female Star."

In front of her closest battle partner, Yang Mi did not hide her ambition at all.

"I can't guarantee that, but I can help you get more acting contracts and press releases, haha."

"That's enough. Good works are hard to come by; as long as the quantity is sufficient, I will eventually encounter them."

Yang Mi made up her mind to follow the path of a workaholic in the future; if her luck wasn't enough, she would make up for it with quantity, and she believed Wei Jin wouldn't treat her unfairly.

That afternoon, Yang Mi and Starry Sky Culture simultaneously posted on Weibo to announce the news of their signing.

The outside world might not know the background of Starry Sky Culture, but how could those in the industry not know? For a long time, the threshold for signing with Shanhe Group had been very high, and they were not keen on signing mature artists, so talent agencies in the industry didn't pay much attention.

But the situation was different now; in just two months, they had successively signed Wan Qian and Yang Mi, two artists who had been in the industry for many years. Did this mean that Starry Sky Culture was starting to expand its artist management across the board? For a time, many talent agencies began to worry; after all, in terms of resources and strength, Starry Sky Culture had the backing of Shanhe Media, and its appeal to artists was simply too great.

Far away in Shanghai, Miss Cai looked at the news online, and her heart was not feeling good either.

Yang Mi had rejected the recruitment of her company and had even played her for a fool several times. She had originally planned to find the right time to teach her a lesson, but now it seemed that unless she courted death herself, there would likely be no more opportunities.

In addition, Yang Mi's choice also made Miss Cai worry; as the saying goes, people move to higher ground, so how many artists under her company could actually be kept? What should her company do in the future? — In the Southern Hemisphere, Sydney International Airport. "Brother, are we really leaving?"

A trip of more than ten days not only allowed her to see the scenery of the southern country but also had the constant company of her beloved; now that she was about to leave, a sense of reluctance arose in Jing Tian's heart.

"Tian Tian, the Oscar is about to start; why don't you stay here and continue to play?"

The time had reached late February, and the final voting had begun; Wei Jin had to go to North America to make an appearance.

Hearing Wei Jin's words, Jing Tian hurriedly shook her head; compared to the scenery of Australia, she wanted the man's company more.

"Forget it. But Brother, the air and climate here are really quite good; when will we come back to play?"

"If you like it, I'll buy an island here, and we can come over for vacation every Spring Festival."

Wei Jin was not having a sudden whim; the women around him were becoming increasingly famous, and many times they had to avoid the media when going out. If he had a private island, it would be much more convenient, and more importantly, he could subtly instill the idea of living in harmony and sleeping together in one big bed.

"Ah, won't that be very expensive?"

Jing Tian hesitated upon hearing this. Although she had no concept of money, in the young girl's mind, buying an island shouldn't be cheap, and she didn't want the man to spend money in vain because of her.

"It won't be. Alright, don't worry about this, we should be heading out."

As Wei Jin said this, he pulled Jing Tian onto the private jet; the filed flight time was almost up.

As for islands in the Southern Hemisphere, they really weren't that expensive; the profit from one movie could buy several. What was expensive was the development, construction, and subsequent maintenance.

However, none of this was a problem for Wei Jin. Since he had already transmigrated, why couldn't he enjoy himself? — Back in the country, just as March began, Zhang Yimou took his crew and headed to the filming location in a low-key manner.

But compared to Zhang Yimou, Chen Shiren was far too high-profile. The opening ceremony for *Sacrifice* was held with great fanfare, as if he were afraid outsiders wouldn't know that Director Chen was starting work.

At the same time, China Film Group also announced the latest movie release schedule.

*Brotherhood of Blades 2* was confirmed for release on April 29, aiming for the May Day holiday slot.

However, the one attracting the most attention was *Crossing Hennessy*, an art-house romance film starring the God of Songs and Tang Wei.

Everyone's focus was, of course, on Tang Wei. Having been banned because of *Lust, Caution* less than two years ago, she was already returning to the big screen, and the Mainland China film circle was all waiting to see the joke.

Come to think of it, this move by Jiang Zhiqiang was also quite slick. Through the Quality Talent Scheme, he settled Tang Wei in Hong Kong, and then had the film released in Mainland China as an imported film, completely bypassing the censorship process; it could be considered finding a brand-new path for quite a few people. — Hollywood's awards season lasts from December of each year until the Oscar ballots close.

For over three months, various film crews held cocktail parties in rotation, hoping that the judges attending the parties would cast a vote for them.

During these days in North America, Wei Jin had been cooperating with the public relations team, making high-profile appearances at various cocktail parties; for him, such socializing was truly a bit boring.

Fortunately, it was finally over.

"Boss, *Happy Death Day* has been scheduled for March 12. Do you want to attend the premiere?"

After all, it was a brand-new series, and since Wei Jin was a co-director and the timing was appropriate, Hunter still hoped his boss could show up to support it.

"Hmm, that's fine."

Wei Jin pondered for a moment and agreed. After the Oscar ceremony, regardless of whether he won an award or not, the domestic public opinion would likely be in an uproar, so it would be just right to handle it with a cold-shoulder approach for a while.

"By the way, Hunter, make sure to check the profits of *Inception* carefully. Warner has a track record, you know."

Under different operations, a film's book profit and actual profit could have a large discrepancy. This was his first time collaborating with Warner, so Wei Jin had to be careful.

"Don't worry, Boss. Our people are involved throughout the whole process; they can't pull any tricks."

"Mm, that's good. By the way, how is the situation with *Twilight*?"

Wei Jin was still quite concerned about the most profitable project for Summit Entertainment at the moment.

"Director Catherine is shooting two of them together this time. The post-production isn't finished yet, and it's expected to be released at the end of the year."

After *Twilight 3*, the salaries of the main cast had already risen to the level of ten million dollars. Despite having series contracts, to avoid complications, Summit Entertainment still adopted the method of shooting two films back-to-back to control costs.

"Mm, it seems that next year, we will have to start a new series." — During the final days of waiting for the awards ceremony, Wei Jin took Jing Tian to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which was also a famous Hollywood attraction.

More than 2,500 five-pointed terrazzo and brass "stars" are embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of "Hollywood Boulevard" and 3 blocks of "Vine Street."

Each "star" represents an eternal memorial to someone with outstanding achievements in the entertainment industry, recording the names of actors, musicians, directors, producers, musical groups, theatrical groups, fictional characters, and others.

Does it sound very high-end? But in fact, behind the Walk of Fame is a commercial operation full of the stench of money.

The Walk of Fame was initiated by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber hoped that this place could become a "shrine" for film history; as long as your name is loud enough, they will give you a star, letting tourists from all over the world come to pay their respects to you.

With people coming in and money coming in, for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, it both promoted local tourism and honored the world's shining superstars; it could be called killing two birds with one stone.

If it were just like that, it would be worthy of being a famous site, but any recognition becomes different once it is linked to the economy.

Here, there are quite a few owners of stars who are unknown, and the only thing they can show off is perhaps the high sponsorship fee.

However, despite this, it is still a place many celebrities yearn for, and as the first person from Mainland China to win an Oscar Best Foreign Language Film, Wei Jin certainly had the qualifications to leave his own star here.

"Wow, Brother, I see your star."

Jing Tian quickly found the star belonging to Wei Jin among the countless stars.

It was just that when she walked closer, she saw Ceng Li's star as well. After all, she was the first Chinese Golden Horse Best Actress to win an Oscar, and since she was also groomed by Wei Jin, arranging them together was simply too appropriate.

"Brother, I want to leave a star here in the future, too, right next to yours."

For the first time, Jing Tian had the impulse to make a name for herself in Hollywood, just to turn into a star to accompany the man by his side; she absolutely could not let Ceng Li enjoy this romance alone.

"Uh, Tian Tian, keep it up."

First update of the day.

(End of this chapter)