Chapter 420: Girl Groups Closing In (Seeking Subscriptions)

As the entertainment industry in Huaxia becomes increasingly prosperous, stars from many surrounding countries and regions are quite envious.

In earlier years, SM intended to use the platform of Shanhe Media to enter the Mainland China market, but unfortunately, Wei Jin kept guarding against them and never gave them an opportunity.

It wasn't until last year that Huayi and the South Korean six-major-agency alliance UAM signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Busan, and the two countries officially entered a honeymoon period.

It's just that Wei Jin didn't expect Huayi to be so enthusiastic about this matter, actually taking the initiative to help the boy bands, girl groups, and idol artists from the Korean side with promotions.

Invitation letters were sent to all major film and television companies, entertainment companies, and even television stations within the circle.

This gives people a feeling a bit like that of a collaborator.

Wei Jin naturally had no interest in the performances of those sissy boy bands, but looking at the generations of girl groups marked on the invitation, Wei Jin felt it was worth a look in person; after all, it was right here in Beijing.

Arriving at the venue, it had already been set up to look like a theater, and below the massive stage were the seats for the guests.

The two sides of the theater were covered with posters of the performing groups for the night: second-generation girl groups: Girls' Generation, T-ara, WonderGirls, KARA, f(x). Third-generation girl groups: Sistar, AOA. Boy bands were relatively fewer, and hanging right in the center was Super Junior.

In addition, Wei Jin also saw the newly debuted EXO, with several Huaxia faces being particularly conspicuous among them.

After a bit of sizing up, Wei Jin headed to the guest area and saw quite a few acquaintances from the circle.

"Brother Wang, you have so much free time?"

While speaking, Wei Jin sat down next to Lao Wang.

"Hey, brother, you know me; I would rather be resting at home, but unfortunately, it's hard to refuse such a warm invitation..."

Wei Jin nodded. Lao Wang wasn't lecherous at all, but as a private giant, Fiberhome controlled many gala resources, which indeed made it worth the focused public relations efforts from Huayi and UAM.

After some small talk, Wei Jin looked around the venue. Most of the top companies in the circle had sent people over, but he didn't expect that Xiao Ma's side had actually sent Zhong Lifang.

In addition, many people from major satellite TV stations and television stations had come: Mango TV, Su Province TV, Jiangzhe TV, Modu TV, Anhui Satellite TV. "Tsk tsk, Huayi really spent a fortune."

Hearing Wei Jin's exclamation, Lao Wang shook his head, "Brother, you're wrong about that. Huayi doesn't have that much face; this was a decision from the higher-ups."

Wei Jin pondered for a moment, understood what Lao Wang meant, and couldn't help but nod.

"Hmm, that's true, the honeymoon period has arrived."

During the time Wei Jin and Lao Wang were chatting, Wang Zhonglei and the people from UAM had already started showing off on stage, but they also knew what everyone was there to see, so they didn't talk for too long, and the performances began shortly after.

The boy bands' performances were unremarkable, each one overly effeminate; there weren't many male compatriots at the scene who liked them, but Wei Jin noticed that Zhong Lifang, sitting diagonally behind him, had eyes shining and was watching quite intently.

When the girl groups came out, Wei Jin clearly felt that the atmosphere at the scene was different; the male compatriots all had bright eyes and were full of spirit.

Watching the girl group members, each dressed scantily, performing on stage as if they wished they were stark naked, Wei Jin sighed that the competition for Korean artists was truly too great.

But after today, this group of people would completely enter the domestic market, and by then, these domestic stars and artists would be thoroughly beaten.

Unsurprisingly, after the performances ended, these Korean artists were brought down to socialize; after all, those present today were the top tier of the Mainland China film and entertainment circle.

Fortunately, the domestic scene is not like South Korea, and since it was a gala, those who came were all people of status in the circle who paid attention to their influence, so no restricted-level situations occurred. However, Huayi really understood; they brought scantily-clad girl group members to hover in front of male guests and brought powder-heavy boy band members to introduce to older female guests, which felt a bit like pimping.

Wei Jin was naturally also a key target for attention, and at this moment, he was chatting with the group f(x).

It must be said that Lee Soo-man's title as the godfather of Asian idols is not just for show; the boy bands and girl groups under SM are all taking off one by one.

Compared to their seniors 【Girls' Generation】, the girl group before him that had been formed for three years was slightly immature, but they were considered somewhat famous in the Southeast Asia region.

However, this kind of sweatshop-style exploitation was truly somewhat disgusting.

Take the group f(x), for example; there were five original members in total, and apart from the leader Song Qian, the others were almost all eighteen or nineteen years old, and most had already been trainees for many years before debuting.

For example, this "most famous" one before him, Choi Sulli, became an SM trainee at 11, and only debuted in '09 after four years of bitter training and layers of selection; she is only 18 now.

"Have you never thought about returning to the country to develop?"

Wei Jin had been chatting in Korean, but when he suddenly switched to Chinese, Song Qian naturally knew he was talking to her; she was slightly stunned, then beamed with a smile.

"President Wei, I don't have that plan for now."

To be honest, Song Qian also didn't like the atmosphere in South Korea, but compared to local Korean artists, her living conditions in South Korea were much better; after all, the chaebols just wanted to have fun and didn't want to cause any diplomatic incidents.

Plus, having debuted not long ago, Song Qian still hoped to go further on the path of being in a girl group, and talk about going solo later once she had capital.

Wei Jin could naturally see her thoughts and remained noncommittal.

"Hmm, if you have any needs, you can go to the South Korean branch of Shanhe Media to seek help."

Leaving these words behind, Wei Jin left. He did things based on mutual willingness and never forced others.

As for the tragedies that might occur, the most he could do was provide shelter using his influence in South Korea.

But as long as they were still in the Korean entertainment circle, it would be difficult to escape the covetous eyes of the chaebols. The next day, the media began to report extensively on the previous night's performance.

"Korean girl groups and others have all signed a large number of contracts, with schedules arranged until next year..."

"Mango TV has reached several cooperation agreements with UAM and will provide a platform for Korean artists; cooperation content includes but is not limited to film, television, music, and performance aspects."

"Mainland-born artists, Song Qian, Lu Han, Zhang Yixing, and others, are receiving much attention..."

"Cultural exchange between the two countries will take a big step forward through cooperation in the entertainment industry, making the relationship between the two sides closer!"

Even the official media stepped in to express their stance, praising this as a grand event for the entertainment industry.

Netizens were also overjoyed; after all, there were truly many people who were "pro-Korean."

At the same time, UAM was also frequently wandering among major film and television companies in the Mainland; as the largest entertainment group in the domestic industry, Shanhe Media was no exception.

These matters naturally did not require Wei Jin to come forward, and Chen Zhiming was responsible for the reception.

More than an hour later, Lao Chen returned, holding two exquisite brochures in his hand.

"President Wei, these people are really meticulous in their work; take a look, this is almost catching up to selecting imperial concubines, tsk tsk."

After Wei Jin took them, he flipped through them casually; one was a list of male artists, and the other was a list of female artists, all of whom were somewhat famous.

The one for female artists was much thicker, containing a large amount of artistic portraits and vital statistics; it really was no different from a club menu. "Hehe, this domestic entertainment industry is getting more and more lively."

Now that the Korean entertainment industry is entering in a big way, it is already a settled fact.

This doesn't have much impact on film and entertainment companies in the circle; after all, they are all resource providers and belong to the "Party A" status.

But for the many talent agencies, stars, actors, and artists, the impact is huge.

After all, there are too many monks and too little gruel!

Receiving a call from Jing Tian, Wei Jin went all the way to Dongshanshu, only to find no one in the garden and no one in the living room, so he couldn't help but ask the nanny.

"Where is Tian Tian?"

"President Wei, the young lady has been resting upstairs since she returned."

Wei Jin nodded. These six concerts had lasted for a full forty-plus days; the young girl must be exhausted.

Generally speaking, there is an interval of about 7-10 days between two concerts.

Because after the first concert ends, there is a day or two of wrap-up work and local publicity, and then for the next concert, one must arrive two days early for rehearsals and to adapt to the venue.

So, don't look at it as just performing on stage for a few hours; for a Singer, the time, energy, and even mental effort spent on a concert are by no means trivial.

Walking upstairs, Wei Jin heard Jing Tian's polite voice while still at the doorway; she seemed to be on the phone with someone.

"Mm, okay, I will, goodbye."

Even while on the phone, Jing Tian's good upbringing was fully reflected, and the smile on her face made one feel very warm.

After hanging up the phone, Jing Tian seemed to notice something; she looked up and saw Wei Jin standing at the entryway, a smile appearing on her face.

"Brother, you're here."

As she spoke, she got up from the bed, walked quickly to meet Wei Jin, threw herself into his arms, pressed tightly against his chest, and greedily breathed in the scent on the man.

Wei Jin also wrapped his arms around the girl's slender waist, stroking her head with one hand, and only asked after a while.

"Tian Tian, whose call was that just now?"

Hearing this, the girl raised her head and pressed her little face against Wei Jin's chin, rubbing affectionately.

"Oh, it was Sister Ziyi; she was telling me to get some good rest."

"Heh, she is quite attentive."

"Brother, don't say that. Sister Ziyi is actually quite nice. For that concert in Guangzhou, she even specially came over from the set of *The Grandmaster* to support me."

Regarding this, Wei Jin found it hard to comment; when you are popular, those around you are naturally all "good people."

However, Wei Jin did not argue with the young girl. Not to mention himself, just based on Jing Tian's background, Zhang Ziyi would always have to be a "good person" in front of her.

"Fine, but did she have any other business when she called?"

"Oh, she said *The Grandmaster* has set its release date, and she asked me to help promote it when the time comes."

Wei Jin nodded. The news of *The Grandmaster* setting its release date had already spread far and wide; it was mainly because Zhang Ziyi had posted five or six messages in a row on Weibo, and a large number of celebrities and artists were posting to congratulate her, so it would be hard not to know.

But come to think of it, this move is quite flashy. The movie hasn't even finished filming yet, and they've already set the release date. It would be funny if Wong Kar-wai comes up with some new nonsense by then.

As for why Zhang Ziyi is so proactive about the movie, it is not hard to understand; it has a lot to do with her current situation.

Those years she broke into Hollywood, she was unrivaled in popularity for a time, but her belittling and mockery offended many of the big-name actresses in the circle, and she basically lost the domestic market.

By the time she was kicked out and returned to the country, the big-name actresses had already divided up the domestic base, and there was no place left for her.

Coupled with the "two-door" incident, she almost exhausted all her public goodwill. Even though she started from a very high point, she was destined to be unable to carry the box office, to the point where big projects didn't want to hire her and small projects couldn't afford her, which was very awkward.

Over these years, Zhang Ziyi has almost been living off her past glory. During this time, she has had no shortage of contact with Ceng Li, just to try to pull in a relationship with Wei Jin, but unfortunately, Li Jie is not stupid and won't open her mouth for these matters.

This *The Grandmaster* can be considered the best resource she can access, so her level of concern for the movie even exceeds that of Wong Kar-wai, the director who has been "sharpening a sword for ten years."

After sighing, Wei Jin asked about the young girl's plans for the near future.

"Brother, I plan to rest for a while and go visit Mahua FunAge. I heard that their *Goodbye Mr. Loser* has already been staged, and I haven't seen it live yet."

Wei Jin's heart stirred at these words. Once the word-of-mouth ferments offline, this play could be put on the agenda for next year.

Seeing that Wei Jin was a bit distracted, Jing Tian bit her red lips, thinking to herself why this man was so unromantic today, and then her small hands began to stroke his well-defined abdominal muscles.

"Brother, it's been over a month, don't you miss me?"

Wei Jin instantly returned to his senses, his hands supporting the girl's perky buttocks beneath her pajamas, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile.

"How could I not? Wasn't I thinking that you were exhausted?"

As he spoke, Wei Jin grabbed the girl's hand and slowly moved it downward.

"Look, I can hardly wait."

Even through his pants, Jing Tian still felt the man's heat; her breathing gradually became heavy, her pretty face flushed slightly, and then, under Wei Jin's expectant gaze, she crouched down.

"Hiss."

While feeling the girl's gentleness, Wei Jin stroked her hair.

After a brief moment of encouragement, Wei Jin pulled Jing Tian up and, exercising his skill at "understanding clothes," instantly stripped away the girl's thin pajamas.

Just as he was about to act, Jing Tian stood on tiptoe to wrap her arms around his neck, exhaling like an orchid in his ear.

"Brother, today I want to..."

Kissing the girl's cheek, Wei Jin gave his answer, "Tian Tian, today everything is up to you."

Ten-plus minutes later. (End of chapter)