Chapter 267

On the way home, Ding Xiaoyu was filled with anticipation.

By the time she arrived at her home in Beijing by plane, it was already the early hours of the morning; her parents had not yet slept, were still waiting for her in the living room, and had already warmed up a glass of milk in advance.

Although Chen Ru did not do well in many aspects, she still paid extra attention to her daughter's physical health and safety.

"Drink the milk first," Chen Ru said to Ding Xiaoyu as soon as she entered the room.

Ding Xiaoyu gulped down the hot milk in one breath and was just about to tell her parents about her master's studio, but thinking that it was already late and not a suitable time to discuss serious matters, she decided to wait until tomorrow morning.

After a simple wash, Ding Xiaoyu went to bed.

The young girl changed into her pajamas, rolled around on the bed, then lay prone, her fair, tender calves and feet lifting gently and falling again, tapping against the mattress.

The tender, smooth flesh of her legs trembled with a faint, subtle vibration as they tapped the bed.

She picked up her phone and sent a WeChat message to Luo Mo: "Master, I've arrived home and am getting ready to rest. Good night."

After Luo Mo replied with a "Good night," the girl placed her phone on the nightstand, turned over on the bed once more, and drifted into a dream filled with anticipation.

That night, Ding Xiaoyu had a very, very long dream.

She dreamed that she had truly signed with Luo Mo Studio and had collaborated with her master several times.

For the sake of work, she had also left Beijing and moved to Shanghai.

She had grown into an adult, fulfilled her master's expectations for her, won her own Best Actress trophy, and become the youngest Best Actress in history.

Then, the contents of the dream became a bit blurry, and she slept very soundly, feeling somewhat reluctant to wake up.

In the end, Ding Xiaoyu opened her eyes to the sound of her parents arguing in the living room.

She was already used to this; after getting up and washing, she sat quietly on the bed, and only when the arguing in the living room stopped did she go out, pretending she had just woken up.

"Are you tired? Why did you get up so late today?" Chen Ru asked.

Ding Xiaoyu nodded without speaking.

The breakfast was nutritionally balanced; Chen Ru never allowed her daughter to eat unhealthy things. From childhood to adulthood, she hadn't even eaten many snacks, and her weight was strictly controlled.

After the meal, Ding Xiaoyu said, "Master said his studio plans to sign a group of actors, and he asked me to pass this on to you."

"Hmm?" Chen Ru paused, her hands, which were peeling an apple for her daughter, stopping in their tracks.

"Doesn't Luo Mo's studio only recruit singers and trainees? He hasn't even appeared in the eyes of the masses as an official actor yet, and he's already starting to sign actors?" Chen Ru was very puzzled.

To tell the truth, she felt this step was too big, and Luo Mo's ambition was too great.

She even felt, from the bottom of her heart, that the *Sword Fairy* drama her daughter was filming would not do well.

She had accompanied her daughter in the entertainment industry for so many years, and she knew deeply how difficult it was to film movies and television dramas.

There were too many ins and outs, and even seasoned, mature directors often had moments where they slipped up.

What did Luo Mo know?

Although Yu often said on the phone that her master had the final say on set and had mature ideas, Chen Ru never took it seriously.

She even wished that Luo Mo had no say, letting Guan Fei, as the Producer, lead everything while he just held a nominal title.

The reason Chen Ru and Ding Xiaoyu's agent so readily agreed to let Yu play Zhao Ling'er was because they valued Luo Mo's own popularity and fan traffic; they were completely pessimistic about the team as a whole.

To put it simply, it was just to make a bad drama and then use this Top Traffic star to gain more fans.

With more fans, the commercial value would be greater. This way, she could earn more money and access better resources.

As long as Yu's acting was up to standard and the character was somewhat likable, even if the drama flopped, it would be Luo Mo—the writer, director, and lead actor—who would take the blame.

"What do you think yourself?" Chen Ru asked for her daughter's opinion, which was rare.

To her surprise, Ding Xiaoyu actually looked up and replied instantly: "I want to sign with Master's studio."

Although the mother and daughter's gazes only met for a second, Ding Xiaoyu lowered her head.

But after lowering her head, she repeated: "I want to sign."

It was the first time her daughter had expressed her wishes so strongly in front of her, which left Chen Ru unable to tell for a moment whether it was because her daughter had grown up or because Luo Mo had fed her some kind of love potion.

"Personally, I don't think Luo Mo Studio is suitable for you," Chen Ru was accustomed to adding the word "personally" when expressing her opinions, but her tone allowed for no rebuttal.

"Not to mention whether Luo Mo is a qualified director, just tell me, what projects does their studio currently have in hand? Does Xinyu, which the studio is affiliated with, have any major resources in film and television?"

"Don't tell me the resources all rely on Luo Mo writing, directing, and acting himself?"

"Their overall strength right now isn't even as good as a mid-tier film and television team in the industry."

"Which large team or company can be supported by just one person?"

"If you sign with his studio, you might end up having to go out and find your own work!"

"Finding your own work is one thing, but you might also have to help bring along other newcomers in the studio, do you understand?"

Listening to her mother's words, Ding Xiaoyu's inner thoughts remained completely unshaken.

She said, "Master said there's no need to rush for an answer; we can wait and see the response after *Sword Fairy* starts airing."

"He's certainly confident in his new drama," Chen Ru said in a flat tone.

"When is it airing?" she asked.

"At the beginning of the year, as the opening drama of the year," Ding Xiaoyu replied.

Chen Ru nodded; whether it was renewing the contract or changing teams, that was indeed a matter for next year.

But she didn't take the matter of Luo Mo Studio recruiting actors to heart at all; it wasn't in her considerations.

If she had that spare time, she might as well find ways to pull strings and contact some top-tier teams and companies to see if there was any possibility of cooperation.

Chen Ru handed the peeled apple to her daughter, and seeing her daughter take it while keeping her head down, she sighed.

"You know how realistic the entertainment industry is; without a strong team, you'll only be bullied. Even if your acting is good and you're hardworking, others will constantly release articles to step on you."

"Don't feel bad about rejecting Luo Mo."

"Mom can tell you that when contacting other teams recently, the boss at Pineapple, Wang Shisong—you should know him, right?"

Upon hearing this name, Ding Xiaoyu immediately looked up.

The conflict between Pineapple and Luo Mo was known to everyone; how could she not know?

"President Wang of Pineapple has extended an olive branch to us, and had one of the Golden Agents in their company come to talk to me," Chen Ru said.

"Do you know how many young starlets this Golden Agent has brought up?" Chen Ru said.

"Just in these past few years, she has produced five!"

"The conditions she offered and the resources she promised rank first among all those I have been in contact with recently."

Ding Xiaoyu looked at her and said, "But... but..."

"Eat your apple." Chen Ru stood up, showing no intention to continue the conversation, only saying, "As for Pineapple, Mother has already explicitly refused them."

But she would not consider Luo Mo Studio at all either.

……….

……….

The news of *Sword Fairy* wrapping up filming spread quickly across the internet these past few days.

The team at Luo Mo Studio didn't even need to engage in excessive marketing, because the discussions on the internet were constantly buzzing and never stopped.

Everyone was looking forward to the premiere of *Sword Fairy*.

It's just that some were looking forward to the handsome men in period costumes, some were looking forward to the Surprise Luo Mo would bring, and others were looking forward to Luo Mo flopping and falling from his pedestal.

Luo Mo himself still occasionally looks at the comments and heated discussions online, but he doesn't really look at his Weibo private messages anymore.

"I'm not nervous, why does everyone think I'm under a lot of pressure?" There were actually many messages of comfort and encouragement in his private messages.

"Comfort and encouragement are one thing, but what the hell is with people sending me sexy photos!" Luo Mo was puzzled.

"And they're all fucking men!"

The Strangers are truly silly enough.

"The internet is not a place outside the law! Warning: chicken coop!" Luo Mo felt deep resentment.

The post-production of *Sword Fairy* had been going on simultaneously since filming began, and the special effects team they found was also among the best in the country.

Luo Mo is not short on money, and he is willing to spend it.

After all, while others worry about sales, he doesn't have to, with the wealthy and powerful Penguin backing him up.

However, many period dramas now crazily accept all sorts of messy product placements, and many things that are clearly very modern are also inserted into the dramas in various bizarre ways.

In the past, audiences would watch them for a laugh and find it interesting, but after seeing too much of it, they got annoyed.

Therefore, Luo Mo didn't accept any inappropriate advertisements at all.

When Penguin Video wanted to add a Contract for Advanced On-Demand, Luo Mo also refused.

Just like on Earth, Advanced On-Demand is 3 yuan per episode.

Luo Mo could get a share of this.

But this money is earned a bit too dirtily, and it looks a bit ugly.

At the same time, he felt that this shitty business had no future, and who knows, it might be banned one day in this world, so he might as well build up his reputation early.

Although major companies and major teams are all doing Advanced On-Demand with video platforms, making audiences grit their teeth while having no other choice.

Sometimes, when you get hooked on a show, you just can't help it.

If this feature didn't exist, then there would be no such choice at all.

However, once Advanced On-Demand is explicitly banned, it will be different.

When everyone else is black and I am white, it becomes different in an instant.

Audience affinity is a very mysterious thing; if maintained well, it might bring even greater returns.

At this time, there wasn't much time left until New Year's Eve, and all the signed members and employees of Luo Mo Studio would have a New Year's holiday.

But before the New Year's holiday, Luo Mo still had one thing to deal with.

"Send a notification, tell them all to come over at two o'clock this afternoon," Luo Mo said over the phone.

(PS: First update, asking for monthly tickets!)

(End of this chapter)