Chapter 64: Filming a Cheongsam Commercial: Solving Problems Makes One Stronger

Jin Li's popularity these past few days could not be called anything but immense.

After previously becoming the public welfare ambassador for Cat Paw Live, casually picking a scratch card and winning a 520,000 prize, followed by personal hospitality from the lottery officials who cashed out 419,000 for her on the spot, this news had already flooded every screen.

Jin Li's team did not let this momentum go to waste, immediately donating the entire 419,000 to public welfare causes.

This move of donating quickly transformed the popularity gathered over these few days into tangible reputation.

Now, even if another celebrity were to emerge and donate, even donating millions, they would absolutely not achieve the same conversion effect as Jin Li.

In the eyes of industry insiders.

Since Jin Li's first video of burning incense and scratching cards went viral across the entire internet, every step she has taken has been extremely correct.

Along with Jin Li's continued rise to fame, the Dawn Entertainment behind her has also appeared before the industry.

Three years ago, when this company signed Jin Li, everyone was laughing, thinking it ridiculous to spend such a high price to hire a sickly person.

Three years later, through a series of aggressive and successful marketing campaigns, Dawn Entertainment brought Jin Li back into the public eye, refreshing the industry's impression of the company.

Impressive; they are a formidable rival!

Many believed that with Jin Li's popularity reaching this level, possessing both fame and reputation, Dawn Entertainment would have her enter a frenzy of money-making mode.

However, Dawn Entertainment once again proved them wrong.

These past few days, the reason almost all commercial agents could not reach Jin Li was not because her schedule was too busy, but because—

The star herself was in a Daoist temple cultivating her sentiments and refining her nature!

Even industry insiders had to rely on trending searches to learn of Jin Li's whereabouts.

#JinLiStaysInDaoistTempleForFiveDaysCultivatingNature#

This tag parachuted into the top ten trending searches!

When fans and onlookers clicked in to look, all they saw was Jin Li wearing simple clothes, without makeup, quietly meditating and practicing cultivation in the temple.

[I feel a divine radiance shining through her clear and rippling brows.]

[Ahhh, I love it so much; who needs a cold Buddhist monk, we want an unrestrained female Daoist priest who waves her hand and treats money like dirt!]

[Questioning Sister, understanding Sister, learning from Sister, becoming Sister! I also want to study hard, I also want to go to the Daoist temple to burn incense!]

[Sisters, scratching cards in front of the Daoist temple really works; I specifically bought a stack of scratch cards today and won 10,000.]

[To be honest, the scratch card I drew in Jin Li's livestream has already been mailed to my home; I wasn't there, so my parents got itchy hands and opened them all for me, winning 8,000.]

[Begging Sister to act in a drama; I can't wait to see Sister's works T^T]

[Wait, haven't you noticed Sister isn't wearing makeup? No makeup! To possess such fairy-like beauty without makeup, this is exactly the legendary heroine of an art film, isn't it?]

When the trending search appeared, neither Jin Li nor Sui Lingfang paid attention, as they were on the road.

By the time they arrived at the company, Zou Da, who had been working like an ox and horse for them these past few days, handed several freshly printed scripts to the two of them, sporting two huge dark circles under his eyes.

Zou Da said weakly, "Not long after you left the Daoist temple, you hit a trending search, with netizens calling for Jin Li to star in art films."

Those little directors who popped up from who knows where are quite formidable; they sent scripts directly to the email, five in total. I suspect there will be several more coming, and perhaps some famous directors will also seek collaboration with Jin Li.

I haven't audited these scripts yet; now that you are back, I'll leave the auditing to you."

Sui Lingfang took the scripts in a daze and asked, "Okay, and what about you?"

Zou Da, with his eyes half-closed and half-open, said, "I need to take a vacation first, get a good night's sleep; no one is to disturb my rest."

"Ring ring ring!"

The phones in the company kept ringing incessantly, but they were quickly answered by others.

Although Dawn Entertainment is a small company, it is small yet complete, possessing all the necessary departments.

The Artist Department has the most stars, followed by the Agency Department.

Clearly, Jin Li's team could not handle the suddenly expanded workload, so President Xiao ordered other agents to help out, counting it toward their performance metrics.

Therefore, these agents were very attentive in handling Jin Li's commercial notices; if Jin Li happened to choose a notice they selected, they could get a share of the profits.

Although the profit-sharing ratio was only a few percentage points, compared to Jin Li's appearance fees, even a few points amounted to a decent commission.

As for Jin Li.

As soon as she returned to the company, Sister Xiang took her to the conference room to discuss the details of the commercial script with President Nan, who had personally come knocking.

Jin Li had no objections to the revised script, raising only one point: she hoped for more scenes with a bare face or light makeup to deepen the commercial's connotation.

President Nan nodded and said, "That is exactly what we thought; we have newly revised a version, and I happened to bring it for you to see."

He paused, then added, "Actually, there was disagreement at headquarters regarding this commercial. The most important aspect of an advertisement is promotion, but some feel this commercial fails to achieve that promotional attribute and cannot highlight the charm of Duomi Cosmetics."

However, after I communicated with the director filming the commercial, the director is actually very optimistic about this ad, feeling it is special; it looks like an advertisement yet transcends being merely an advertisement."

Plus, your opinion is also very important, so in the meeting, I made the final decision to proceed entirely according to your ideas."

President Nan took a deep breath, his gaze upon Jin Li intense, filled with a determination to burn his boats.

"Jin Li, whether this commercial can be filmed well, whether it will have an effect, and whether it can bring great sales volume to the company—I am betting the latter half of my career entirely on this advertisement!"

Jin Li's expression inevitably became solemn.

It seemed that persuading headquarters to film this commercial was not as simple as President Nan made it sound.

This burden was somewhat heavy; Jin Li did not dare to boast that success was guaranteed.

She thought cautiously for a moment, then asked in return, "President Nan, what is your annual salary?"

President Nan was stunned and said vaguely, "Around two or three million."

Jin Li breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

She extended her hand: "If this commercial filming is unsuccessful, then quit your job and come work for me; I can certainly afford an annual salary of two or three million."

Sui Lingfang also smiled: "Yes, President Nan, here's to a pleasant cooperation!"

President Nan, in a daze, shook hands with Jin Li.

As he walked out of the conference room, his thoughts were floating.

Wait, wasn't I emphasizing the importance of this commercial to Jin Li, hoping she would film it well? How did it turn into me jumping ship if I can't keep going?

No, no. If Jin Li could truly offer him an annual salary of two or three million, then perhaps jumping ship wouldn't be out of the question...

No, no. When did he ever say he intended to change jobs?!

Filming was scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

A commercial lasting less than a minute could basically be finished in two days; Duomi Cosmetics added an extra day solely to ensure absolute safety.

Fortunately, Jin Li's schedule was completely clear, so she had the time and agreed.

When Sui Lingfang signed the contract with Duomi Cosmetics, she stated, "Whether you need three days, four days, or even a week to shoot this commercial, Jin Li can cooperate. There is only one condition: you cannot force the filming.

If Jin Li feels unwell during the shoot, we will halt proceedings immediately; her health takes precedence above all else."

Duomi Cosmetics had collaborated with Jin Li before.

They had long known about Jin Li's poor health, so they were not surprised when Sui Lingfang raised this condition.

The person in charge readily replied, "No problem. We will provide a nutritionist and a private doctor during the shoot. Should Jin Li feel any discomfort, she will receive timely treatment."

Only after hearing this did Sui Lingfang have Jin Li sign the contract.

The contract was signed on Monday, but filming would not begin until Wednesday.

Jin Li was currently at the height of her fame and could not go out casually.

Unable to receive support from the Daoist temple, she stayed cooped up at home, frantically watching videos and grinding through practice problems.

Other celebrities found this rather strange.

How did Jin Li have so much time to study? Did she not need to attend any scheduled events?

To the netizens, however, the primary concern was Jin Li's current progress in her studies.

[I've been grinding problems alongside Jin Li for a month now. I've realized she is truly disciplined; she inevitably starts a live stream to study every night and frequently during the day, seizing every moment to study hard. Doesn't she ever feel tired?]

[To be honest, when I first saw Jin Li start live-streaming her studies, I scoffed, thinking it was just a new form of hype.

But since I happened to be free recently, I started studying along with her. I discovered that although she seems a bit clumsy, her learning efficiency is actually very high. Problems she gets wrong three times are basically never missed a fourth time.

Recently, I've noticed even more that Jin Li's problem-solving techniques have improved; it's as if she suddenly had a breakthrough, and her accuracy rate has increased significantly!]

[I once heard a top student say: 'Studying makes me happy.' I didn't believe it then, but now, seeing Jin Li, I suddenly do, and I'm studying along with her!]

[Question Jin Li, understand Jin Li, study like Jin Li, become Jin Li!]

Night fell.

After grinding through problems continuously for three hours, Jin Li ended her live stream.

In recent days, she hadn't watched any instructional videos, focusing instead on solving problems while contemplating the connections between different knowledge points.

She discovered that this method of learning was no worse than having knowledge directly imparted by a teacher.

Jin Li thought to herself: Solving problems really does make one stronger the more one does it.

After washing up, she lay in bed browsing her phone. Two hours earlier, Gu Cheng had sent her a private message.

Gu Cheng: [You've been live-streaming so diligently these past few days; don't you have any scheduled events to attend?]

Jin Li: [No, I canceled them all. I'm preparing to shoot another commercial for Duomi Cosmetics tomorrow, so I'm grinding problems to conserve my energy.]

Gu Cheng replied quickly; he must have been resting as well.

Gu Cheng: [It seems the more problems you solve, the better your condition becomes?]

Jin Li: [Emmm, more or less. You can think of it that way.]

Gu Cheng: [It seems you are destined to become a grind-dog ^_^]

Jin Li: [Not at all. I still can't compare to you, the grind-dog who finds joy in studying ^_^]

The daily conversation between grind-dogs was just this simple, unadorned, and dull.

Finally, Wednesday arrived.

Early in the morning, Jin Li arrived at the Nancheng branch without makeup to change into a qipao and undergo styling.

Since netizens had praised the qipao styling in the video to the skies, Duomi Cosmetics decided to use that same look for this commercial, though the outfit itself was changed: no longer a red qipao, but a black one adorned with shimmering sequins.

The style of the qipao was simple, exuding an air of sophistication through its minimalism.

This qipao was not borrowed; Duomi had purchased this haute couture piece directly based on Jin Li's measurements. Once Jin Li finished filming, Duomi would gift the dress to her.

After her hair and makeup were done, Jin Li first filmed the indoor scenes of strolling through a large department store.

It did not matter whether these scenes were shot during the day or at night.

For this shoot, Duomi Cosmetics had specifically negotiated with the Nancheng Central Business District, selecting the 8:00 AM time slot.

At that hour, the mall had not yet opened to the public, but individual stores could open early, ensuring both the completeness of the footage and privacy.

All merchants involved in this shoot had signed confidentiality agreements; they could be filmed, but the footage could not be uploaded to the internet.

It could only be released online after their commercial aired.

By 9:30 AM, when the mall officially opened for business, Jin Li had already finished filming the shopping scenes and departed through the back entrance in her manager's van.

Inside the van, Sister Fang asked, "How do you feel?"

Jin Li closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "The filming time was quite long, with many details requiring repeated takes. It felt even more exhausting than a photoshoot."

She was essentially a newcomer when it came to acting.

Since she was working on a commercial rather than a film or television drama, every frame and every second had to convey beauty; there was no room to discuss whether her acting possessed spirit or not.

Fortunately, she had previously built rapport with Duomi's team. Although this collaboration was tiring, everything went smoothly.

Sui Lingfang looked down at the subsequent schedule.

"Once we return, we'll film the indoor makeup-removal scene, which requires you to recreate the plot from the video where you applied eyeshadow."

Speaking of which, Sui Lingfang suddenly remembered, "Can you use cosmetics to draw a koi fish?"

In the video, Jin Li had merely drawn it casually, but for the official commercial, a complete version was required.

Jin Li affirmed confidently, "Rest assured. I dare not guarantee anything else, but drawing a koi fish is no problem for me."

It was just drawing her true form; how difficult could that be?

Back when she was in the Heavenly Realm, she gazed at her reflection in the Jade Pool every day; she had painted herself so many times she could do it with her eyes closed.

The filming proceeded very smoothly.

Returning to the Nancheng branch, Jin Li immediately filmed the indoor makeup-removal scene; carrying no idol baggage, she removed it the moment she was told.

She used Duomi Cosmetics' makeup remover, exposing the entire removal process; many crew members watched closely, eager to see if Jin Li's bare face was truly beautiful.

Naturally, the result did not disappoint anyone.

Jin Li's bare face looked exactly the same as the paparazzi's secret photos of her in the Daoist temple.

Although her lip color was somewhat pale, this was simply how a person naturally looks.

After removing her makeup, Jin Li picked up her eyeshadow to paint a fish, passing the take once again.

After asking Jin Li and receiving her permission, the crew wasted no time filming the indoor dinner party scene.

The original script called for beer, but Sui Lingfang, worried about Jin Li's health, substituted it with a soft drink.

Jin Li had no airs; after exchanging a few words with the several invited "close friends" to break the ice, she slipped back into filming mode.

"Cut!"

Only a few seconds had been filmed before the director quickly called a halt.

"Jin Li, why don't you just dance? Move your lower body to the rhythm, keep your posture casual. Everyone else too—get moving in a relaxed state."

Jin Li had been wondering how to portray a relaxed demeanor during a dinner with close friends; with the director's suggestion, it became even easier to get into character.

As soon as the musical rhythm started, muscle memory took over.

Having debuted in a girl group, she feared nothing less than dancing, especially since this was no high-difficulty routine.

By the time filming ended, evening had arrived.

Jin Li boarded the manager van to rest; shortly after, a crew member came to ask if they should continue filming that night.

Sui Lingfang glanced at Jin Li, who was resting with her eyes closed, and asked with concern, "Should we move this scene to tomorrow night?"

Jin Li opened her eyes and shook her head. "Let's finish it in one go. My condition is fine; I can continue tonight."

Ever since paying respects to the Three Pure Ones at the Tianxuan Temple, her condition had been excellent, and long hours of practicing problems had helped her maintain that good state.

Sui Lingfang had no objections.

"Alright, your body is your own, and you know it best. I'll discuss the filming schedule with them."

After Sister Fang left, Jin Li did not rest further but picked up her problem sets to practice.

She was working on math problems; since her time was too fragmented, she did not start a live stream.

When she encountered a problem she didn't understand, she would photograph it, waiting to discuss it with Gu Cheng next time.

Truth be told, compared to checking answer keys, Gu Cheng's problem-solving approach was far more helpful to her, so she still cherished this study partner very much.

The evening filming proved more difficult than expected.

The main issue was the difficulty in dispersing the crowd; Jin Li alone had waited for an hour.

Seeing that they would have to wait even longer, she called Sui Lingfang to ask Duomi whether they should just film as things stood.

Sui Lingfang frowned. "Are you sure? There are still so many people."

Jin Li nodded. "It's seven o'clock now. If we wait until eight, there will be even more people coming and going. Either we film now, or we wait until ten tonight to shoot."

Without a moment's hesitation, Sui Lingfang said, "If your health is fine, then let's film at ten tonight."

"We haven't leaked your whereabouts, so netizens can't guess where you are. If we film now, they'll realize you're shooting a commercial and might end up waiting with you until dawn."

Just thinking about it was terrifying.

Although Jin Li had never engaged in any fan-doting behavior and did not rely on fans for her livelihood, given the madness people displayed toward her Koi luck, safety measures still had to be taken.

Jin Li returned to the vehicle.

This rest period was quite long, so she decided to start a live stream.

[First time seeing a live stream from inside a car. Has our Baby Li finally started rushing to schedules? Truly heaven-moving and earth-shaking.]

[Sweat drop. First time I've seen fans urging a celebrity to work instead of advising them not to overwork and to rest well.]

[If you knew just how idle Baby Li is, you wouldn't say such things. We're genuinely worried she'll turn into a study streamer.]

Although under the current circumstances, this amateur study streamer was actually online for longer hours than professional study streamers.

At the same moment, within LP Entertainment, Ji Qinglian also began to take action.

Her manager, hearing her decision, was somewhat taken aback.

"What did you just say?" Zhang Ziqiang asked.

Ji Qinglian said in a low voice, "I plan to act. I want to contact a major production crew. This is my first foray into the film and television industry, and I don't want to accept just any role."

Zhang Ziqiang said, "You are a top-tier female star who has never been involved in the acting circle. If you are going to act, given your status, it certainly must be a major production. But the question is, why do you suddenly want to act?"

He was very puzzled. "Before, when we asked you to act, didn't you say you weren't cut out for it and that you shouldn't ruin a production crew?"

Ji Qinglian smiled. "Times change. Is it not allowed for me to suddenly want to act?"

"Besides, always recording variety shows isn't very interesting." She changed her tone. "With so many female stars at LP, every star wants to grab the good variety show resources."

"This time 'PICK~Next Diva' was given to me, so my future variety show resources will likely decline. It's better to switch to film sets."

In large companies, many schedules are assigned by distribution.

Unless a program specifically requests a certain female star, when invitation notices are sent to LP Entertainment, they are distributed by the company itself.

The price offered also differs depending on whether the program sends an invitation directly to the star or to the company.

Appearance fees for direct contact with the star are higher, while fees for contact through the company are somewhat lower.

Beyond that, many events are coordinated through the company, with direct contact with stars being relatively rare.

Otherwise, if every event were coordinated directly with the stars, what role would entertainment companies even play?

Once a star becomes famous, they would surely kick out the company and go solo; who would willingly let the company take an extra share of their earnings for no reason?

Ji Qinglian's reasoning convinced her manager.

Internal competition at LP is fierce.

His salary was tied to Ji Qinglian's earnings; while the film and television industry doesn't offer quick money like variety shows, it provides a steadier, long-term path for a star's overall development.

Besides, good production teams offer substantial remuneration.

Zhang Ziqiang said, "I'll keep an eye out for you recently. If you have any connections or resources on your end, you should also look around, lest someone else snatch the opportunity."

Ji Qinglian felt a slight relief in her heart and said outwardly, "Alright."

Suddenly, she thought of something and asked, "What has Lian Baozhi been up to lately? I've been practicing dance at the company these past few days and haven't seen her."

Zhang Ziqiang harbored no suspicions; LP was a massive enterprise with countless instances of internal strife.

As fellow top-tier stars, Ji Qinglian and Lian Baozhi were competitors, especially since both were participating in the same variety show.

He said, "She's probably running around everywhere with Liu Xuan. Recently, whenever I've bumped into Liu Xuan, Lian Baozhi has been by his side."

Ji Qinglian asked curiously, "Brother Qiang, do you know what kind of person Brother Liu is? Could you ask him if there are any major film crews looking for actors recently?"

Zhang Ziqiang shook his head. "He joined the company long before I did; he's one of the department's founding members. We agents operate with independent resources, so I don't know where he gets his connections."

He paused, then said with some uncertainty, "There are a few rumors, though. They say his methods aren't entirely above board."

Zhang Ziqiang smirked slightly. "Anyway, I've never heard of any trouble coming from it, so there shouldn't be a problem. If I run into Liu Xuan, I'll ask him for you."

Ji Qinglian: "Alright."

After finishing their conversation, she sent messages to both group chats.

Ji Qinglian: [If you've heard any whispers about major productions lately, please recommend them to me. I hereby declare that this young lady is entering the film and television industry!]

NANA: [Great, great! Are you interested in filming an idol drama? I'm currently negotiating something in that genre.]

Ji Qinglian: [I'm nearly thirty; have mercy on me, Nana -_-||]

Pearl: [The gossip-monger is online. Nothing on that front, unfortunately; I haven't heard of any major productions lately. However, I did hear that an art-house director is transitioning to commercial films and is currently seeking investment. The requirements are very strict.]

Ji Qinglian: [That works for me; I actually prefer strict requirements. Send me the details.]

On the other side, March Sky also mentioned a few pieces of news, which Ji Qinglian noted down.

As for Jin Li.

Ji Qinglian glanced at the live stream on her phone screen; Jin Li was diligently working on problems.

Better not disturb her for now; they could chat when she had free time.

Update is here~ Asking for votes! ┗|｀O′|┛ Aow~~

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(End of Chapter)