Chapter 314

The celebration banquet held by Director Zhong was very interesting.

Inviting media reporters and industry insiders is the default rule. Of course, you can also not invite them, just treat it as a celebration banquet within the film crew.

It's just that the achievements obtained by *Dream Builder* were already the second place in the summer slot in July and August of this year, plus Director Zhong's fame, it was destined to be a big event, and he never thought of just doing a small one.

What's interesting is that Director Zhong also invited people from Shenglong Film Industry!

When media reporters saw the representatives of Shenglong Film Industry, they were all taken aback and quietly gathered together to discuss: "What kind of wind is Director Zhong blowing?"

"Why did Director Zhong invite people from Shenglong Film Industry? Isn't he worried that they will smash the venue?" In another private room of the hotel, Xu Wenwen specifically squeezed some time out of her busy appearances today to dress up and attend the celebration banquet.

Not only Xu Wenwen, but other actors also rushed over, all dressed up, and not one person asked for leave.

This is called "The struggle doesn't have to be me, but the victory must have me"!

Xu Wenwen said this, and other actors also heard it, all pricking up their ears to listen to Jin Li's answer.

In their eyes, Jin Li and the director are the same kind of people, one heart, Jin Li is the director's mouthpiece.

Jin Li smiled slightly and asked back: "Why do you think Shenglong Film Industry is here to find fault?"

Xu Wenwen's eyes turned: "Could it be that they are here to seek peace?"

As soon as this was said, she herself was stunned.

Yeah, why couldn't it be seeking peace?

Business is business, there are no eternal enemies in the business world.

Director Zhong has already proven with *Dream Builder* that he also has commercial value, being able to film art films into commercial film results.

Then which cinema would refuse the works of such a director?

So, this time Shenglong Film Industry came, really to seek peace?

Xu Wenwen specifically lowered her voice and asked: "Jin Li, so is there a good show to watch later?"

Jin Li smiled without saying a word.

She could probably guess Director Zhong's thoughts. A gentleman doesn't take revenge for a grudge, just withdrawing the file is nothing. This time Director Zhong also insisted on forcing the person in charge of Shenglong Film Industry to apologize to him in front of so many media reporters!

Famous directors have the dignity and confidence of famous directors. Since when could a cinema person in charge shout at them.

Although Director Zhong didn't live-stream at the celebration banquet, there were so many media reporters present. Whatever news happened at the celebration banquet, the industry would know everything the next day.

Jin Li couldn't help but sigh in her heart: Director Zhong is really vengeful!

She didn't comment on Director Zhong's approach, but she firmly learned the means of how to vent her anger.

Jin Li said in a low voice: "Eat more and talk less later."

Xu Wenwen nodded busily.

As soon as the celebration banquet started, Director Zhong went on stage to give a speech. He only spoke for more than ten minutes before letting everyone pick up their chopsticks.

Picking up chopsticks is when the surprise is about to come.

Director Zhong sat at the main table, and Jin Li and Xu Wenwen were also at this table. Not long after eating, Manager Duan Yucai of Shenglong Film Industry brought two people over.

Three people, each holding a glass of white wine in a normal drinking cup, stood in front of Director Zhong and drank first as a sign of respect.

After one gulp, Duan Yucai's neck and face were already red. He lowered his head and apologized to Director Zhong: "I'm sorry, I have eyes but didn't recognize Mount Tai, unable to judge the achievements of *Dream Builder*. Director Zhong, I apologize to you!"

Zhong Wentai didn't stand up, didn't even sweep his eyes to the side, and said lightly:

"Don't drink, especially white wine. I don't go for this set of forcing drinks here. Drinking too much hurts the body. If you drink into the ICU, I still have to pay your medical expenses."

This sounded quite normal, as if it didn't mean not accepting the apology.

But in fact, the subtext is—

Even if you drink into the ICU here, you can't eliminate the anger in my heart!

Duan Yucai heard these words, his face changed, "Director Zhong, I, I..."

Zhong Wentai said again: "Don't stand here, it makes it look like I'm bullying people."

The gazes of the peers around shot over like blades. Duan Yucai's face changed, and he thought of the military order he had signed in front of the president today.

If he couldn't get Zhong Wentai's forgiveness today, his manager position would be at an end!

Even the relative who recommended him to sit here would be pulled down!

Duan Yucai's forehead was sweating. He had to solve this matter today, otherwise he wouldn't be able to stay in Shenglong. Thinking of the house he bought with a loan last year, the new car he picked up this year, and the one his wife had just conceived...

Duan Yucai's expression was excited, his legs suddenly went soft, and he knelt on the ground with a "bang".

"Director Zhong, I'm sorry, it's my shallow knowledge, unable to see the movie you filmed, it's my eyes that didn't recognize the pearl, I'm sorry, I'll apologize to you right now..."

"Wow—"

Jin Li heard the light exclamations around, and the shutter that flashed when he knelt down. She sighed in her heart, the competition in the business world is so cruel.

This was the first time she felt such a cruel competition rule.

Cooperate well, win-win.

Cooperate poorly, either you die or I live.

Today's incident also made Jin Li more cautious in future investments, preferring "using small to gamble big" rather than just going all-in on big productions.

Director Zhong finally forgave Duan Yucai.

This kneeling seemed to have scared him too. It took several minutes before he stood up and personally helped the person up, saying earnestly:

"Since movie appreciation is not good, then study well, supplement relevant knowledge, and don't arrange files for movies casually."

This remark was also heard by the media reporters around.

Someone hissed and discussed with their own people: "Although Director Zhong forgave, he still pulled the person down from the current position, and he won't be able to sit in this position in the future."

Someone asked: "Is Shenglong Film Industry so spineless?"

Another person sneered: "What kind of spine does a cinema need? If the box office is not good, the movie schedule can be changed the next day, even if you kneel down and beg, it's useless. If the box office is good, it can lift the film to the sky!"

"The cinema and the director are the relationship between fish and water. Neither can leave the other, but neither can do anything to the other. It's just that this idiot Duan Yucai made Shenglong Cinema earn several hundred million less this year!"

Listening to gossip is interesting, but also boring.

Jin Li listened for a while and didn't want to listen anymore. There was no fresh gossip to tell.

But soon, someone found gossip and found her.

After Jin Li finished eating, she wanted to leave the venue directly, but Director Zhong thought highly of her and asked her to wait a while, wanting to introduce some big directors to her.

So she stayed until the end.

At this time, half of the media reporters had left, but all members of the film crew remained in place.

The director was still there, and the most famous actor hadn't left, so these small actors didn't dare to leave even more.

Director Zhong took Jin Li to meet people. What Jin Li held in her hand was Sprite.

Poured into a glass, it looked very much like white wine, but if you look closely, you know it's a drink.

The directors Director Zhong knew were either at the level of big directors, or were middle-to-upper-level directors who already had representative works.

Seeing Director Zhong bring Jin Li over, their eyes flashed slightly, and they knew that Director Zhong wanted to push Jin Li into the film circle.

The core circle of movies is also something you have to be led into to walk in.

There are only so many good films every year, basically all produced by good teams. Occasionally some are grabbed by small teams, but most are produced by the group of people present.

Everyone knows so many actors, among whom there are many actors with acting skills, strength, and cost-effectiveness. Why should they introduce them to Jin Li?

Unless someone is willing to take her in, she can't touch core resources.

So even first-tier stars are divided into three, six, and nine grades.

It's not that as long as the popularity is high enough, you can crush and sweep in the entertainment industry.

Didn't you see that Sanyuetian's popularity is so prosperous, but in the end, they didn't receive any big productions in the film and television circle?

Do these directors not know "fan economy," do they not know "idol effect"?

Of course they know, someone has already tried to test the water.

But the film circle is different from other circles. You can't reach the peak just by relying on popularity and heat. The film circle is a place where connections and strength are supreme.

Without connections and strength, stars basically can't reach big productions.

With connections but no strength, you can be a beautiful vase in big productions.

Without connections but with strength, and with popularity, you can still win step by step by passing five levels and cutting six generals in interviews.

Connections, strength, fame—stars who have all three are really too many in the circle, so many resources simply can't flow out.

And to say something unpleasant, stars without acting skills don't even get bought by their own fans, and the box office is pitifully low.

It's okay to bring goods and be a spokesperson, but if you want to film a movie, you really need some strength.

Originally, everyone knew each other and was happy. Jin Li drinking drinks didn't make anyone say anything, but a small episode appeared.

A big director laughed and pointed at Jin Li in public, purely because he was unhappy with Jin Li taking drinks instead of wine, feeling that he wasn't respected, so he said:

"Why are you still drinking drinks? Do you look down on us?"

Jin Li smiled and said: "No, director, my body is not good, I can't drink. I attend every banquet, even if I go to Fang Fei's international show, I don't drink after it ends."

That big director gave a meaningful "Oh" and said lightly: "If your body is not good, don't film. Filming hurts the body."

Jin Li also smiled and said: "You are right, so I originally planned to accept only one drama a year and rest well for the rest of the time.

But directors are very sincere and come to the door personally, not minding my poor health. Since that's the case, I filmed it."

The subtext is: It's not that I beg you to give me dramas to film, but you beg me to film!

The media couldn't help but prick up their ears, their eyes scanning here frequently, all feeling it was wonderful.

This matter was just treated as a small episode. On the surface, the directors didn't care, and Director Zhong also took her to see the directors behind.

But Jin Li could clearly feel the attitude. The attitude of these directors towards her was not as enthusiastic as at the beginning.

She soon figured it out: not drinking this matter offended people!

Leaving the private room of the celebration banquet, Xu Wenwen specifically found an empty time and pulled Jin Li to the corner to talk.

She was more anxious than Jin Li herself, her voice anxious: "What to do, did you offend those big directors?"

Jin Li was very calm: "It's okay, don't care."

Xu Wenwen stomped her feet: "How can you not care, this concerns your future!"

Jin Li was good to her, so she was naturally good to Jin Li, taking Jin Li's affairs very seriously.

Jin Li patted her arm and said calmly: "I can accept missing out on good movies because of no connections, no strength, or even no popularity, but if I am rejected just because I don't drink, then let them reject me.

Whether an actor can film a drama well depends on whether they can drink? What kind of logic is this?"

Xu Wenwen also understood this logic, but, but...

Jin Li said: "It's okay, don't worry."

Not knowing what she thought of, she also breathed a sigh of relief: "These past few days Sister Fang called me and said that too many movies have come to me, and I can't even pick them all.

After this incident, I guess those movies won't want to find me, and I can catch my breath. I'm not joking with them, my body doesn't support me filming movies every day."

Actually, this incident didn't have as much impact on her as imagined.

At least the movies that found her before didn't care whether she drank or not.

It just so happened that this time all the requirements were stated, and the movies that find her in the future won't let her drink either.

What does drinking mean?

Need to socialize.

What to socialize for?

The biggest possibility is to pull investment!

Or it's to satisfy the director's mind of controlling the film crew, forcing people who don't drink to drink, to show their authority and the actor's obedience.

It's good that Jin Li said it early, establishing the principles from the beginning, so those monsters and ghosts won't come to the door later.

She is a woman, naturally having an advantage in socializing over men, but naturally easy to suffer losses.

And coincidentally, Jin Li just doesn't want to suffer losses.

Xu Wenwen looked at her and sighed, "You, you, sigh—okay!"

She said enviously: "You are still free, saying whatever you want, retiring whenever you are unhappy! Forever young, forever free!"

Director Zhong still had to stay to socialize, and Jin Li left after meeting those big directors.

Sister Fang was close, so she came to pick her up personally.

Although she didn't attend the celebration banquet, she had already learned about what happened inside through mouths from all directions.

Jin Li looked at her, not sure if Sister Fang knew or didn't know.

She didn't speak, but Sister Fang took the initiative to speak: "It's okay, don't worry, at worst we will accept small productions in the future, those small directors won't be so picky."

Jin Li felt relieved in her heart, so she knew.

She asked: "Don't you feel it's a pity, maybe you can't accept big productions in the future."

Sister Fang shook her head: "No, I instead feel you retorted well. Jin Li, you don't have a clear concept of your own commercial value.

That group of old antiques inside is still immersed in the past era, thinking that as long as the script is good and the actor's acting skills are good, it can rise, but now it is the great internet era, even good wine is afraid of deep alleys!

Their set of concepts, applied to young actors, is already unworkable. Whether they want to or not, the young stars who have already gained momentum will teach them how to behave."

Sister Fang had worries at first, but soon felt it didn't matter.

The era is different.

The era when directors could scold and insult stars, and stars had to work diligently to film, has passed. Now is the era of traffic as king.

You must have acting skills, traffic, and a good script to promote a big explosion across the entire network.

These big directors like to use old people to film, steady and steady, without mistakes.

But how many old actors still have appeal?

Didn't you see that international film queens all ran to film TV dramas, but the TV dramas crashed, and in the end, they didn't dare to film movies, and could only go on variety shows?

Still holding onto the past set of experiences to look at the present, it will fall behind.

Today's stars are indeed pampered by "fan economy," unwilling to endure hardship, and not filming seriously.

But everything has two sides.

Under the dominance of star will, some bad habits will also be corrected.

For example, actors must socialize, accompany drinking, accompany eating...

Haha, bye bye you!