Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 149: New Tricks in the Old Place and Hairun's "Drawing Sword"

A barbecue stall near Beijing Film Academy

"cheers."

Yan Li took a bottle of beer and clinked glasses with Zhou Yiwei, Zhang Songwen and Lin Jiachuan, then gulped down half of the bottle.

After taking a sip of wine, Lin Jiachuan looked at Zhou Yiwei with shining eyes: "Alright, kid, when did you get together with Hairun? The male lead of Haiyan drama, the next Lu Yi and Tong Dawei."

Zhou Yiwei, however, showed no emotion: "They wanted to use a newcomer, so I just casually submitted my resume. I didn't expect to make it all the way and finally get the leading male role."

Zhang Songwen nodded and said, "Hairun has used a lot of newcomers in this drama. The first and second female roles of Yiwei are all relatively young actors."

"Brother, you might know them both."

Zhou Yiwei looked at Yan Li and said, "The leading actress is the one you lined up for in 'Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties'. Her name is Tong... Tong Lei. The second female lead is Wang Luodan, who's a year younger than us. I met her during the interview, and she said she knew you."

"..."

Yan Li chewed two bites of the skewers speechlessly. This world is indeed small. Even this shit can be connected.

However, no matter what, this is Zhou Yiwei's first role as the male lead, and also the first role as the male lead for his four brothers, so it is indeed worth celebrating.

"At school, I said that the two most likely to be the male lead were Li Ge and Yi Wei. Sure enough, I was right.

Lin Jiachuan showed off his foresight, and Zhou Yiwei was right. As for Yan Li, although he has not played the male lead yet, he can decide who will play the male lead, which makes him more awesome than the male lead.

"Brother, when can I be the male lead for once?"

Lin Jiachuan looked at Yan Li eagerly, and the latter stuffed a string of kidneys into his mouth.

"One day I'll make a movie about prisoners trying to turn themselves into good people, and you can be the male lead."

"That's fine too, as long as he's the male lead. I'm not picky."

Lin Jiachuan chuckled and didn't care. He knew his chances of being the male lead in this life were too small. If he really had the opportunity, no matter what the subject matter was, he would be satisfied as long as he could satisfy his desire.

Zhang Songwen watched Yan Li and Lin Jiachuan quarreling with a smile. After they finished, he poured Yan Li some wine and spoke gently.

"It's possible for Yiwei to be the male lead, but there's a difficulty."

Yan Li raised his eyebrows and asked, "Hairun wants to sign him?"

He was not surprised. When "Never Forget You" was a big hit, Lu Yi and Yuan Li became famous and their pay increased greatly. Hairun even thought it was too expensive to hire them to film.

From then on, Hairun began to attach importance to artist management, recruited Chang Jihong, and at the same time trained new talents in various ways.

Later, most of the newcomers hired by Hairun were signed with it or had close relationships with it. If the drama became popular, the benefits would remain within the family.

How could Hairun not sign Zhou Yiwei as the male lead of the Haiyan drama? It is estimated that the female lead Tong Lei and the second female lead Wang Luodan have also been signed.

Zhang Songwen confirmed Yan Li's suspicion: "Could you please come forward and negotiate with Hairun to see if they can cancel the contract?"

"What does Yiwei think?"

Yan Li remained noncommittal and looked at Zhou Yiwei, who said bluntly, "Brother, I don't want to sign with Hairun."

"So where do you want to sign?"

"I want to hang out with you."

Yan Li smiled and said, "My company currently doesn't have any artist agents, and we don't have many resources."

"Then I'll join you and work behind the scenes at the company like Jiachuan."

Zhou Yiwei said categorically that he had no movies to shoot at the beginning and was hanging around in Beijing taking odd jobs. Yan Li took him to act in "Conquer" and taught him to sell braised meat to make money.

Later, Yan Li made money, distributed investment, and put him and Zhang Songwen into various crews.

In "The Seven Fairies", apart from Yan Li, the other five fairy companions are all well-known actors. He is the only newcomer, but he still has to act with the most popular Li Bingbing.

Zhou Yiwei kept all these things or feelings in mind, and he would not forget them just because Hairun gave him the leading male role.

He, Lin Jiachuan, and Zhang Songwen had all agreed that unless Yan Li didn't want to accept them, they would all sign with Yi'an and follow Yan Li.

Zhang Songwen held down Zhou Yiwei, who was a little agitated, and said to Yan Li.

"Yiwei originally heard that he was going to sign with Hairun and was planning to turn down the show. I think this is a rare opportunity, so I wanted to ask for your advice to see if there's a solution that would satisfy both parties."

Zhang Songwen is old, has a steady personality, and can think of a lot of things.

Zhou Yiwei is a small actor, and if he doesn't want to sign with Hairun, he can only turn it down. But just because Zhou Yiwei can't negotiate with Hairun doesn't mean Yan Li can't.

Didn’t Tong Dawei from “Jade Guanyin” also not sign with Hairun? The key still depends on relationships and connections, so that Hairun can see the value of cooperation.

Yan Li nodded: "You're right. It would be a shame to turn it down. I'll go talk to Hairun."

"Brother, forget it. I don't want you to bow your head and beg others because of me."

Zhou Yiwei gritted his teeth and said that it would be a lie to say that he didn't want to play the male lead in Hai Yan's drama, but if it would implicate Yan Li, then he would rather not do it.

"It's not as exaggerated as you think."

Yan Li knew that this was not a bad thing. This was how the circle worked. You helped me, I helped you, and gradually everyone shared their resources and cooperated with each other.

He was planning to build a relationship with Hairun, and Zhou Yiwei's incident was a good breakthrough.

Having said that, looking at Zhou Yiwei who hadn't come to his senses yet, he patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't be so hypocritical. If I make you famous, won't that make me money in the end?"

As I said, it’s boring for one person to be high and mighty. Yan Li is willing to help his brothers make progress together.

Since the brothers have benefited, they will naturally support him more, which will also bring some benefits to Yan Li.

Lin Jiachuan and Zhang Songwen can only play the role of golden supporting actors at best.

Among the three brothers, Zhou Yiwei is the one who has the most value to be trained. The "Rock Man" in Haiyan drama is not a joke.

Not to mention female artists, Hai Yan has a unique and accurate vision for male actors.

Hu Yajie, Lu Yi, Tong Dawei, Liu Huohua, Peter Ho, Chen Kun, etc., some of them may not be particularly handsome, but they all have their own unique characteristics.

Simply put, they are all men with flavor!

The same is true for Zhou Yiwei. Although his appearance is not stunning, he is quite attractive, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a youthful and clean look. His eyebrows and eyes are a bit stubborn and paranoid. In addition, he grew up in an artistic family, so he has a relatively introverted and sensitive personality, and he has a literary and artistic atmosphere.

Yan Li felt that he was very suitable for playing characters with a cold temperament, conflicted and entangled characters, or those who have experienced tragedy.

When he became famous, he was packaged as a literary youth. He didn't even need any packaging, because he was an literary youth to begin with.

Although Yan Li is not very fond of literary youths, there are still many people who like this style.

If things go well, I can’t say whether Zhou Yiwei can be promoted to the top line, but it won’t be a problem for him to become a popular young actor.

What Yan Li is most concerned about at the moment is film and television investment and production. Even if Yi'an Film and Television starts artist brokerage business, it will not sign too many artists for the time being, but will take the boutique route.

A popular star is worth dozens or hundreds of less popular and ordinary artists.

Apart from Zhou Yiwei and a few other relatives, Yan Li prefers ambitious and capable people like Fan Xiaopang.

Of course, this is limited by the current company development and resources. As the company continues to grow, the strategy for artist management can also be adjusted.

"Okay, let's talk about this later. It's been a while since we last got together, so let's have a drink."

Yan Li raised the bottle on his own initiative. There were more women around him, he was busy at work, and some people from his hometown had also dispersed his social circle. He had somewhat neglected some of his roommates recently.

As one's status rises, the kind of pure friendship that existed in the humble days becomes less common.

Apart from those people from his hometown, Yan Li has the best relationships with his roommates in Beijing. He still cherishes this friendship very much and hopes that the brothers can continue to be together for a long time.

"cheers."

Lin Jiachuan, Zhou Yiwei and Zhang Songwen all raised their glasses.

Yan Li has achieved success, but he has not forgotten his old brothers. They are very grateful for their support and help. They are also willing to follow Yan Li and work hard together.

...

Yan Li was woken up by the ringing of his cell phone in the morning. When he opened his eyes, he was startled to see the somewhat unfamiliar room.

After a brief recollection, I remembered that yesterday, after eating skewers, my brothers and I went to sing KTV and played until late at night, and then returned to Jimenli to live together.

Ever since Yan Li started living with Dong Xuan, Qin Lan and others, he rarely returned to Jimenli.

In addition, Zhang and Lin were now either filming or earning salaries, so they were financially well-off and could afford the rent, so Yan Li canceled the lease.

After he left, Zhou Yiwei, who also had an income, didn't want to rely on his parents at home, so he moved to Jimenli to live with his brothers.

When the phone was connected, it was Dong Xuan calling. Her father and mother went to the hospital for a physical check-up today, so there was no one at home.

"..."

Yan Li understood what she meant: "Isn't the risk too great? What if your parents come home and trap us at home?" It would be too embarrassing to be trapped naked on the bed.

Dong Xuan felt that the chances were too small, but after hearing what Yan Li said, she didn't dare to take the risk and said she would come out to find him.

Yan Li went abroad and she was tied up at home by her parents for so many days. The two hadn't seen each other for a while and missed each other very much.

"I'm in Jimen. Come find me first."

Yan Li told him the location, went to the bathroom to run water and wash up, and when he came out, he saw Zhang Songwen sleeping alone on the sofa.

There are only three rooms in this house. Zhou Yiwei drank too much yesterday and slept like a dead pig. Zhang Songwen and Lin Jiachuan live together, and Yan Li lives in Zhang Songwen's room.

"Why are you living in the living room?"

Zhang Songwen was woken up by Yan Li. He rubbed his aching forehead and couldn't help complaining: "Chuan'er is too sloppy. The sheets and blankets haven't been changed in who knows how long. I can't stand the sofa."

"Hard."

Yan Li patted Zhang Songwen sympathetically. Among his brothers, he lived the cleanest and most careful life, so Yan Li was willing to live in his room, but he didn't expect to cheat him.

"Go back to your room and sleep. I'll be out in a while."

Zhang Songwen didn't have the same alcohol tolerance as Yan Li, nor did he have as much energy as him. He was very sleepy and went back to the house with a blanket and pillow.

Yan Li simply washed up and was looking at today's daily intelligence when the doorbell rang. When he opened the door, it was Dong Xuan.

Although Jimenli Community and Beijing Film Academy Community are very close to each other, they arrived too quickly.

Dong Xuan walked in and looked around: "Where are they?"

"I drank too much yesterday and fell asleep."

Dong Xuan felt relieved, turned around and started hugging Yan Li for a kiss: "It must be boring without me by your side, right?"

Actually it’s not bad!

Since the women were not around, Yan Li worked during the day, and his brothers took turns to accompany him at night, eating, drinking and having fun, which felt pretty good.

However, if you say this out loud, you'll be pinched. Yan Li bit Dong Xuan, his tone very aggrieved.

"I have a home but can't go back. Every day I either live in a hotel or live under someone else's roof. What do you think?"

It was just a coincidence that Yan Li stayed in Jimen for a night yesterday and was seen by Dong Xuan.

Dong Xuan had no idea that Yan Li was a cunning person with many burrows, and she actually thought that Yan Li was "wandering around". Feeling a little guilty, she comforted him.

"Don't worry, I'll let my parents go as soon as possible."

"That's not necessary. It's rare for aunt and uncle to come over, so spend some time with them. Besides, I'll be going back to my hometown to film soon."

Yan Li's purpose was not to drive Dong Xuan's parents away, but to ask for compensation from Dong Xuan.

"Okay, okay, I'll listen to you."

Dong Xuan felt that she had been tricked, but it didn't matter. He was her man, so she could just play with him as she pleased.

Yan Li sent a text message, and the two left Jimenli, intending to take a taxi and find a hotel.

As a result, when Yan Li was about to wave to stop a car on the side of the road, he was stopped by Dong Xuan, whose fair and pretty face turned slightly red.

"Let's go to Xizhimen for a stroll."

Yan Li's eyes lit up. Xizhimen was not far from Beijing Film Academy. When Yan Li and Dong Xuan were in school, they often went there to play.

It’s not that this place is so fun, but there is a hotel here that is clean and cheap, and it once became a weekend dating base for Yan Li and his friend.

The two of them haven't been there since graduation or before their last breakup, and it has been more than two years.

Yan Li said firmly, "Let's go to Xizhimen."

Returning to the old place, the old place, new tricks, both nostalgic and romantic.

he likes!
----

Two days later, Yan Li was able to meet with Hairun boss Liu Yanming.

Yan Li has been friends with Boss Liu for a long time and they have spoken on the phone before, but this is the first time they have met in person.

Liu Yanming is a Beijing native. He started out as a journalist and later joined CCTV as a producer. He went into business in the late 80s, mainly engaged in advertising. In the mid-90s, he began to focus on film and television.

The rise of Hairun Pictures is inseparable from Hai Yan and Zhao Baogang.

Together with the boss Liu Yanming, the three of them, a producer, a director, and a screenwriter, have become a kind of iron triangle.

"Never Forget You", "Like Fog, Like Rain and Like Wind" and "What Can I Do to Save You, My Love" are all their collaborative projects, and are also Hairun's sharpest weapons to expand its territory in the film and television industry.

In the current mainland film and television circles, Huayi is the leader in the private film industry, while Hairun is the leader in the TV drama industry.

Of course, although these two companies are in the lead, they have not formed an overwhelming advantage, and many companies are eager to overtake them.

Including Yan Li, even though he is chatting and laughing with Boss Liu now, he is still thinking about snatching the leading position in the TV drama field of Hairun.

In comparison, Liu Yanming was much calmer.

The strength Yan Li has shown so far is not enough for him to be considered an opponent, but rather a junior with good abilities.

The fact that Zhou Yiwei did not sign with Hairun did not cause the two of them much trouble.

Hairun has no shortage of new talents like Zhou Yiwei, and Yan Li, who has not yet started artist management, said that he is willing to open his projects to Hairun artists in the future. Everyone will benefit, and naturally they reached an agreement quickly.

Compared with Zhou Yiwei's agency contract, Liu Yanming is more interested in Yan Li's future project plans.

"The Seven Fairies" sold 3200 million in the first round, which directly broke the investment, and it was estimated that it made some profit, but many film and television companies were deeply impressed by Yan Li.

In addition, there are operations on projects such as "Conquer" and "Water Moon Cave".

Putting aside other things, the industry generally recognizes Yan Li's distribution and commercial operation capabilities. If possible, Liu Yanming does not mind cooperating.

Yan Li did not hide it: "I am currently considering several projects, mainly ancient costumes."

After hearing this, Liu Yanming immediately became much more energetic.

Hairun is indeed strong, but it also has shortcomings. Most of the dramas it can produce are modern dramas and Republican dramas, mainly focusing on love and reality themes.

For a film and television company, this is a serious imbalance. Liu Yanming has always considered entering the costume drama industry to expand the company's development space.

Hairun has filmed several films before, the more well-known one being "The Sword of Three Young Masters" starring Yu Feihong. However, except for this drama, the performance of the others was not ideal.

This also led to Hairun's projects further leaning towards modern times and the Republic of China.

But Liu Yanming still did not give up. He gave up on the main control for the time being, but was still willing to invest and participate in the pie.

He had previously discussed this with the well-known producer Zhang Jizhong, but ultimately failed to reach an agreement and the collaboration fell through.

Yan Li has also proven his abilities to a certain extent. If his project is suitable, Liu Yanming is really interested in cooperating with him.

"Can you tell me what the project is?"

"It's not decided yet, but it will mainly be mythology and historical drama, but martial arts and comedy are not ruled out."

Although Yan Li spoke of his confidence, he was actually worried. He had no shortage of funds, but what he lacked was a project that satisfied him.

Yan Li currently has three or four scripts and six or seven script ideas, including two that have been triggered by monthly intelligence, but he always feels that they are not good enough.

The main control project that Yan Li wants to work on must not only have guaranteed quality, but also be commercial and entertaining.

To put it bluntly, it has to look good and sell.

It's easy to say, but it's hard to find one that's suitable in all aspects.

If Cheng Lidong hadn't given him a heads-up in advance, he would have wanted to snatch the project of "Investiture of the Gods" away.

There are "The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea", "The Legend of White Snake", "The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl", "Classic of Mountains and Seas", "Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains", etc., but none of them are as exciting and interesting as "Investiture of the Gods" with its direct battle between gods.

Even Yan Li came to Hairun today not to seek investment, but because he was thinking about Hairun's project.

He got the news that Hairun was considering investing in a film about the war of resistance, which was the "Drawing Sword" that Yan Li had noticed before.

Yan Li had been thinking about this project for a long time, and even wanted to intercept Hairun and do it himself.

However, after Yan Li did some research, he found that it was quite difficult. The author of "Bright Sword", Du Liang, and Hairun had collaborated to shoot "Blood Romance". Both parties had already had the intention, and it was not something he could cut just by saying so.

Since it is difficult to intercept, then just join. Hairun doesn't attach much importance to this project anyway, so just get some benefits in exchange.

Making money is one aspect. Yan Li needs this kind of hit drama to quickly increase the company's visibility, drive traffic to other businesses, and attract investors.

Yan Li had already tasted a lot of success with "Conquer" before, and "Drawing Sword" was even better, so of course he had to work harder.

(End of this chapter)