Chapter 314: Girl Movie, Sister Yi

Late April, after finishing filming of "Yanzhi Xue" and completing various advertising commitments, Fan Xiaopang returned to Jingcheng.

Last year, she shot numerous films including "Fengshen Bang 2," "Chibi," "Peach Blossom Luck," "Painted Skin," and "Yanzhi Xue," while also juggling many other tasks.

Aside from a few days off during the Spring Festival, Fan Xiaopang barely rested at all.

With so many upcoming films in her portfolio and another one, "Fengsheng," still pending, Fan Xiaopang wasn't in a rush and decided to take a short break.

Her break alone eased the tension across half of Yi'an.

It's too intense!

Yan Li is also intense, but he's not just at Yi'an—he often works at other companies, and as part of decision-making leadership, most employees don't directly feel his pressure.

Fan Xiaopang is different—she's always been at Yi'an, and her work is always visible, creating immense pressure.

What can you do? When the company's top star and half the boss's wife works this hard, how dare you slack off?

Wang Ou, the second-in-command, hasn't taken on many roles lately but has been swamped with advertising commitments, forced by this pressure to keep earning money for the company.

Then again, precisely because Fan Xiaopang works so hard and contributes so much to the company, the Artist Agency, Film Division, Advertising Department, and even some distribution operations have all benefited from her efforts, so her prestige within the company remains high.

Upon returning to Jingcheng, Fan Xiaopang acted like an empress returning to the palace, strongly reasserting her presence at Yi'an.

Yang Mi, who Qin Lan and Dong Xuan had pinned high hopes on, didn't dare utter a word; Wang Ou had already accepted a new role and slipped away before Fan Xiaopang even returned.

"That's it?"

In her office, Fan Xiaopang helplessly spread her hands toward Yang Tianzhen.

Before returning to Jingcheng, Yang Tianzhen had been scheming furiously, even making herself nervous—but it all collapsed instantly.

Yang Tianzhen felt embarrassed; she had seriously underestimated Fan Xiaopang's power and status at Yi'an.

Yi'an was founded by Yan Li alone, and his prestige is unmatched—no need to elaborate.

Although Fan Xiaopang officially joined in the second half of 2005, she had already begun collaborating with Yi'an long before that.

Her rise over the past two years coincided precisely with Yi'an's rapid ascent—our fates are intertwined, and with her fame added, even internally, some believe Yi'an is a "husband-and-wife business."

Yan Li commands from behind the scenes, making decisions, allocating resources; Fan Xiaopang charges ahead, fighting for fame and profit.

Because of this, even though Wang Ou forms cliques, Yan Li has grown increasingly reliant on her, yet he has always avoided confronting Fan Xiaopang.

As for Yang Mi, though she has Qin's support, it's only limited backing—their influence within the company is modest, and besides, Yang Mi is still a newcomer.

"Sis, I didn't expect you to be this powerful. But even a lion takes full effort against a rabbit—we should stay cautious, better safe than sorry."

Yang Tianzhen flattered her, then voiced her own thoughts: Fan Xiaopang may be dominant, but no one should be underestimated.

Throughout history, great figures have fallen at the hands of obscure commoners.

Hearing this, Fan Xiaopang shed her haughty expression—she's bold, not foolish.

Besides, she's well aware of who stands behind Qin Dong.

He's strong in victory, and strong in defeat!

Putting aside those troubling thoughts, Fan Xiaopang asked: "How's the studio doing?"

"The company's position is that the studio will be a wholly-owned subsidiary. Projects led by you will be invested in and profit-sharing under the studio's name; your film fees, advertising, endorsements, and all earnings will flow directly into the studio, and then the company will split profits with the studio according to contract."

As previously mentioned, Yi'an's studio model is roughly divided into three types: affiliated, joint-venture, and wholly-owned.

Both Ning Hao previously and Fan Xiaopang now operate under the wholly-owned subsidiary model.

It's like leading your own team and sharing project performance profits with the company.

Though this wholly-owned studio may not earn as much as a joint-venture one, it's Yi'an's own child and receives more resource support.

Meanwhile, when Yi'an eventually goes public, such wholly-owned studios—key contributors deeply tied to Yi'an—will be entitled to larger allocations of original shares.

Indeed, as Huayi's IPO buzz grows louder, companies like Orange Sky and Hai Run are also making noises.

Yi'an's consideration of an IPO is no secret; at the very least, they must publicly signal their stance to calm nerves.

No matter how great Yan Li's prestige, it can't compete with the real gold and silver of the stock market or the allure of becoming a shareholder-boss.

As is well known, the entertainment industry is highly uncertain; many smart people feel profound insecurity and crave becoming capital that can free them from their predicaments—even pseudo-capital that merely has a voice.

Right now, the IPO is just a pipe dream; many artists are still confused, in a phase of observation and curiosity.

If Huayi and others go public and real people start reaping benefits, and if the success of these public companies draws major capital into the market, competing fiercely for influential stars to fuel capital operations,

Then even if Yi'an manages to retain talent, the cost will be enormous.

This is a major upheaval for the entertainment industry—if Yi'an falls behind or resists the tide, it risks being left behind.

Yan Li is a businessman who seeks maximum profit; if others can reap the benefits from the naive investors, he naturally wants to as well.

Though it's no longer a one-man rule, as long as he controls the company and the majority of shares, Yi'an still bears his name.

Yan Li has only hinted at these ideas to a few senior executives; among artists, only a handful know—Fan Xiaopang, due to her status and position, understands more clearly.

That's why she pushed back against opposition and turned the upcoming "Fan Bingbing Studio" into a wholly-owned studio.

She has no intention of breaking away—why make it a two-family affair? Better to push the company forward and secure more shares later.

After discussing the studio arrangements, Fan Xiaopang stood up and stretched.

"I won't be coming in for the next few days. Take turns on duty. Notify me if anything comes up; otherwise, take some time off."

Fan Xiaopang works hard, and so does her team—especially Yang Tianzhen, her new agent, who didn't even go home for the New Year. Fan Xiaopang felt a bit guilty.

Now that she's taking a break, she wants her people to rest too.

Yang Tianzhen nodded but added: "The novel Yan Zong mentioned—the copyright has been secured, and we're working on the script. I'll finish this first before taking leave."

Fan Xiaopang wanted to persuade her, opened his mouth, but said nothing.

Once the Fan Bingbing Studio is established, Yang Tianzhen won't just be her agent—she'll also be the studio's head, with a higher rank and better benefits.

She hasn't been with Fan Xiaopang long; though capable and trusted, she still needs to prove herself with tangible achievements.

"How's the script coming along?"

Instead of pressing further, Fan Xiaopang asked about the script—this was, in itself, a form of support for Yang Tianzhen's work.

The latter's round face lit up: "I can't say exactly how good it is, but the script was personally chosen by Yan Zong, and we've heard Xu Cai'nu also wants it—she knows the author, but we snatched it through the publisher."

Yan Li personally picked it—and stole it from Xu Cai'nu!

Fan Xiaopang's interest sparked; she planned to check out the novel later—it was called something like "Du La La's Promotion."

As for the script, the current plan is to adapt it into both a TV series and a film—this is the popular trend in the industry.

"Painted Skin" is getting a TV version; "Fengsheng" may also get one in the future.

Even "Assembly" would have gotten a TV version if not for the mishap.

"The Message," however, has been quiet—likely due to its sensitive historical backdrop and massive investment.

Big-name films harvest box office revenue; TV dramas launch new talent and are sold to broadcasters—each IP earns two profits.

Perfect!

Set the TV version aside for now—the film version currently leans toward Fan Xiaopang playing the lead, but it's not finalized.

After all, "Du La La's Promotion" is a female-led story, and Fan Xiaopang is Yi'an's only female star capable of independently carrying a film project.

Li Bingbing is on good terms with Yi'an, but she's not one of them; "Painted Skin" and "Fengsheng" both involved Fan Xiaopang, so she can be brought in too.

But if there's only one female lead, giving it to Li Bingbing instead of Fan Xiaopang would be unthinkable.

If Li Bingbing is this way, others are even less of a consideration.

The reason it's still undecided is that Du La La's character is a mid-range beautiful white-collar worker, and Fan Xiaopang is too gorgeous—there's a character mismatch.

This kind of "girl movie" really suits actresses like Xu Cai'nu—those with enduring, refined beauty.

The actress isn't ugly, ensuring visual appeal.

The actress isn't stunning, enhancing audience identification.

Of course, there are also girl movies with beautiful, glamorous leads—"Du La La's Promotion" could still be adjusted.

Any film's unsuitability is secondary to Yi'an's own interests.

Meanwhile, "Du La La's Promotion" is also a test.