Chapter 314: Girl Movie, Sister Yi

In late April, after finishing filming of "Yanzhi Snow" and completing various advertising commitments, Fan Xiaopang returned to Jingcheng.

Last year, she shot numerous films and TV dramas including "The Investiture of the Gods 2," "Red Cliff," "Peach Blossom Luck," "Painted Skin," and "Yanzhi Snow," while also juggling many other tasks.

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

With so many unreleased films and TV dramas in hand, and another one, "The Wind," still upcoming, Fan Xiaopang wasn't in a rush and decided to take a short break.

Fan Xiaopang's break made half of Yi'an breathe a sigh of relief.

It's too intense!

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

Fan Xiaopang is different—she's always at Yi'an, and her work is out in the open, creating immense pressure.

What can you do? The company's top star and half the boss's wife is this intense—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 earn money for the company.

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

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

Yang Mi, whom Qin Lan and Dong Xuan had high hopes for, didn't dare utter a word; Wang Ou had already accepted a new role and left 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 endlessly and was even a bit nervous herself—only for everything to be flattened outright.

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

Yi'an was founded by Seeing 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 much earlier.

Her rise over the past two years coincided with Yi'an's rapid ascent; we're intertwined, you in me and me in you, and with her fame as added leverage, both outsiders and insiders alike believe Yi'an is a "husband-and-wife shop."

Seeing Yan Li commands from behind the scenes, making decisions, directing strategy, and mobilizing resources, while Fan Xiaopang charges ahead, fighting for fame and profit.

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

As for Yang Mi, although she has Qin Dong's support, it's only limited backing—their influence within the company remains 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 strength 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 others shouldn't be underestimated.

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

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

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

Strong in victory, 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-shared under the studio's name; your acting fees, advertising, endorsements, and other earnings will all flow into the studio, and then the company will split profits with the studio according to contract."

As mentioned earlier, 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 equivalent to leading your own team and sharing performance-based profits with the company.

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

Correct, as Hua Yi's push toward going public grows louder, companies like Orange Sky and Hai Run are also making noises.

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

No matter how great Seeing 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 intense insecurity and crave becoming capital that can escape their own predicaments—even pseudo-capital that merely holds influence.

Right now, they're only being offered the pie of an IPO; many artists are still confused, in a phase of observation and curiosity.

If Hua Yi and others go public and real people actually profit, and if the success of these listed companies draws major capital into the market to compete for influential stars for capital operations,

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

This is a major upheaval for the entertainment industry—if Yi'an fails to keep pace or isolates itself against the tide, it risks falling behind.

Seeing Yan Li is a businessman who seeks maximum profit; if others can cut the grass, he naturally wants to cut it too.

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

Seeing Yan Li has only hinted at these ideas to a few senior executives; among artists, only a handful know, and 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 two separate families? 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 come in for the next few days. Take turns on duty. Notify me if anything comes up; otherwise, take some time off."

Fan Xiaopang is intense, and so is 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 talk her out of it, opened her 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 also a form of affirmation and support for Yang Tianzhen's work.

The latter's round face broke into a smile: "I can't say exactly how good it is, but the script came straight from Yan Zong, and according to our sources, Xu Cai'nv also wants it—she knows the author, but we snatched it through the publisher."

Seeing Yan Li personally called out the name and snatched away Miss Xu!

Fan Xiaopang became interested and planned to go back and read that novel, which seemed to be called something like "Du La La's Promotion."

As for the script, the current plan is one drama per film — this is also the popular approach in the industry.

"Painted Skin" is about to launch a drama version; "The Wind" may also be considered for a drama adaptation in the future.

Even the earlier "Assembly" would have been adapted into a drama, had it not encountered setbacks.

"The Promise" has been quiet, likely due to its sensitive film setting and massive investment.

Big-name films harvest box office revenue, TV dramas promote newcomers, then sell to TV stations — one IP earns two revenues.

Perfect!

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

How to put it? "Du La La's Promotion" is a female-led drama, and Fan Xiaopang is Yi'an's only female star capable of independently carrying a film project.

Li Bingbing has a good relationship with Yi'an, but she is not Yi'an's talent; both "Painted Skin" and "The Wind" involve Fan Xiaopang, so we can bring her in too.

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

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

The reason it's still undecided is that the female lead in "Du La La's Promotion" is a white-collar with average looks, but Fan Xiaopang is too beautiful — there's a character mismatch.

This kind of chick flick really suits actresses like Miss Xu — those with enduring, refined beauty.

The actress isn't ugly, ensuring viewer appeal.

The actress isn't beautiful, enhancing audience immersion.

Of course, there are also chick flicks where the lead is stunningly beautiful — "Du La La's Promotion" could also change its character design.

Any incompatibility in the film is secondary to Yi'an's own interests.

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