Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 59: The distressed Beijing Film Academy roommates
"Sister Hua, see you later."

Yan Li sent Wang Jinghua to the car. The latter was still a little unwilling, and finally did not forget to say a few words to argue.

"Xiao Yan, go back and think about it. If you don't want to be an agent, we can sign artists first. My conditions are definitely the best in Beijing."

"Okay, I'll go back and think about it. Please drive slowly."

Yan Li nodded, said hello to Tong Dawei, and watched the two of them leave in the car.

On the road
Tong Dawei finally couldn't hold back his curiosity anymore: "Sister Hua, why did you think of letting Yan Li be your agent and assign me to him?"

"Because he's capable."

Wang Jinghua rubbed the corners of her tired eyes and said with some emotion, "This kid and I have been talking for such a long time. He appears respectful on the surface, but in fact, every word he says is flawless. I have known everything, but I still don't fully understand his thoughts."

"Before, I more or less thought that you and the others were exaggerating a bit, but now that I've dealt with him, I know he truly lives up to his reputation."

Tong Dawei nodded upon hearing this: "Now that you mention it, I also think Yan Li is quite perceptive."

When he first met Boss Shi by chance, a normal newcomer would want to get close to such a big shot in the circle and curry favor with him. However, Yan Li immediately distanced himself from him after a brief contact.

Tong Dawei now thinks that Yan Li probably figured out some of Boss Shi's situation not long after they met.

Not only is his mind sharp, but his eyes are also vicious!
The more Tong Dawei thought about it, the more he felt that Yan Li was indeed capable. In addition, the two of them had a personal relationship, so it would be nice for them to work together.

"Then Sister Hua, I'll help you persuade him later."

"Ah."

Wang Jinghua nodded, but didn't hold much hope. She didn't get it, so Tong Dawei was even less likely to do so.

After this contact, she felt that Yan Li's ideas were very correct and he would not change them easily.

You are still young, too impulsive, and too confident!

In this world, you can't get ahead just by having good abilities. Well, wait until he hits a wall, then I'll extend an olive branch to recruit him. But by then, the conditions may not be the same as they are now.

----

When they returned to Jimenli Community, only Lin Jiachuan was at home, while Zhang Songwen and Zhou Yiwei were called by a film crew for an interview.

Yan Li took a sip of water and asked curiously, "Jiachuan, they're having an interview, why aren't you going?"

"I submitted my resume, but they didn't accept it."

Lin Jiachuan's tone was lost. Yan Li actually had already guessed it, but he still frowned when he heard it.

This time when he returned to Beijing, he reunited with his roommates and drank and reminisced about the past. Without the hindrance of long-distance call charges, everyone also revealed in detail their recent situation in the past six months since graduation.

Then Yan Li realized that in the past six months, except for his steady improvement, the others were not doing well.

Zhou Yiwei is relatively better off. He lives and eats at home, saving a lot of expenses. He also receives some subsidies every now and then. His life is not easy, but it is far from being embarrassing.

Zhang Songwen and Lin Jiachuan are in a more miserable situation!

My home is not in Beijing, and I feel embarrassed to ask my parents for money after graduation, so I have to support myself.

But it’s not that easy to survive in Beijing.

Rent, transportation, food, clothing and miscellaneous expenses, even if you live frugally, will still cost several hundred yuan a month, or even exceed four digits. If you are a little more generous, a few thousand yuan will be like a piece of cake.

Zhang and Lin had worked behind the scenes for a few months in the Lian City crew and earned some money.

But after returning to Beijing, they couldn't find any decent job and gradually their expenses were not enough to make ends meet. If they could hold on for another two months, they might not even be able to pay the rent for the next quarter.

Before Yan Li came back, Zhang Songwen had already considered returning to Beijing Film Academy to find a job as an assistant teacher. He had been a class monitor and student union president, and had some connections.

Being an assistant teacher, you can get a monthly subsidy of 1,800 yuan, which means you have a fixed income. It is also a good title, and it is easier to find work in other groups.

However, Lin Jiachuan's connections and achievements are not as good as Zhang Songwen's, so it is unlikely that he can become an assistant teacher at the Beijing Film Academy, and he can only take odd jobs here and there.

Seeing that his brothers were in such a miserable state, Yan Li naturally couldn't just sit back and watch.

If you just introduce the crew directly, Yan Li is not that awesome.

You have to wait for the right opportunity, and these are connections that you have worked hard to maintain, so it would be a waste to use them on some small roles.

So, Yan Li tried to use the intelligence system to find out some crews and roles that were suitable for them, and then let Zhou, Zhang, Lin and others try them themselves.

Although it may not be successful, it is at least targeted and much better than their own random attempts at success.

Under Yan Li's guidance, Zhou Yiwei has secured a small role and will join the crew next month, and Zhang Songwen's chances of getting an interview are getting higher and higher.

You know, before, when Zhang Songwen and his colleagues went to visit groups, they basically just said hello, submitted a resume and photo, and then left it to fate. They almost never got any interview opportunities.

Being able to interview now means that you have a certain chance of getting the role. At the very least, it will leave an impression on the casting person, and maybe they will remember you next time there is a suitable role.

Zhou Yiwei was making progress, Zhang Songwen was improving, but Lin Jiachuan hadn't made a breakthrough and received the fewest interviews. Yan Li, Lin Jiachuan, Zhou Yiwei, and Zhang Yiwei had analyzed their situation and ultimately concluded that Lin Jiachuan was simply too... mediocre.

Among them, Yan Li has the best appearance, followed by Zhou Yiwei, and Lin Jiachuan and Zhang Songwen have the worst.

But although Zhang Songwen is plain-looking, he has a fair complexion and a bit of elegance. He also has better acting skills and can speak Cantonese, which can more or less meet the requirements of some roles.

Although Lin Jiachuan is not bad in all aspects, he is not very outstanding and has no obvious characteristics.

This is very troublesome!

Yan Li had previously grumbled about Zhang Weijian's distinctive personal acting style, but he was mainly targeting his laziness, formulaic performances, and largely homogenized roles, which trapped him in a circle and was detrimental to the actor's long-term development.

As for the actor's strong personal style, although Yan Li has some reservations, he still holds a positive attitude overall.

Because if an actor has no personal characteristics, the audience will not remember him, and his death will be even more miserable.

This is where Lin Jiachuan's misfortune lies. "Mediocre" is a polite way of saying it. In fact, he just means ordinary and not competitive enough, so people often ignore him.

"Brother, do you think I'm not suitable to be an actor?"

Lin Jiachuan suffered so many setbacks that he had a serious lack of confidence and even considered changing his career.

"That's ridiculous."

Yan Li hugged Lin Jiachuan and persuaded him, "We know your ability, we just lack an opportunity. Don't be anxious, take your time."

As mentioned before, the four brothers have a good relationship with each other, but there are also differences in status. Zhou and Zhang are the best, and Yan Li and Lin Jiachuan are closer, otherwise Dong Xuan would not have asked him to be an undercover agent.

Right now, Lin Jiachuan is having a hard time, and Yan Li can't just sit there and watch.

Opportunities are hard to come by in a short time, so let’s solve the problem of food first.

Yan Li pondered for a while and gave Lin Jiachuan two choices.

First, Yan Li lent him money promptly and easily.

Second, work for Yan Li and pay him a salary.

Yan Li has always wanted to find an assistant, but since there is no suitable candidate, he can let Lin Jiachuan do it first.

In fact, there is another option, which is for Yan Li to take them to play stocks.

But this business is too risky. If you make money, everything is fine, but if you lose, it will be troublesome.

Since childhood, Yan Li has seen many relatives and friends doing business together, from being as close as family to fighting each other, and finally becoming enemies and never speaking to each other again.

Therefore, he will not do business with friends and relatives easily.

Not to mention that stocks are risky and may expose his "special" business.

There's nothing wrong with helping his brothers, but he doesn't want to be a babysitter, let alone get himself involved.

"I choose the second one."

Lin Jiachuan's choice was not unexpected by Yan Li. If Lin Jiachuan really wanted money, he didn't need to borrow it. He could just grit his teeth and call home.

His father is a professional screenwriter and writer. I wouldn't say he's very wealthy, but he can easily take care of his food and shelter.

Working for Yan Li, although it was still Yan Li who took care of him, at least he had put in the work and it was not like he was getting paid in vain, so he felt better.

Yan Li also said that once he joins the crew, if there is an opportunity, he will recommend him to play a role or something.

This situation has precedents in the circle. Some actors rely on being assistants or agents for their celebrity friends to seize opportunities and step from behind the scenes to the front of the stage.

This was what Wang Jinghua had said to Yan Li before, and he applied it to Lin Jiachuan.

Lin Jiachuan got into work mode very quickly.

He touched the water in front of him and found it was a little cold, so he immediately went to refill it with hot water and gave Yan Li a shoulder massage.

Yan Li was enjoying a massage when Lin Jiachuan raised a new question: "Brother Li, if you don't join the group, I can't be idle every day. How about I help you sell braised meat?"

Before, Yan Li and Zhou Yiwei were in the braised meat business, and Lin and Zhang knew about it. When they came back this time, they tried some and were amazed.

However, Yan Li is doing well in the stock market now, and he doesn't think highly of the profits from selling braised meat at a stall.

"You can't be idle. It's just right that you can go to the Industrial and Commercial Bureau with me tomorrow and help me with the paperwork."

"Brother, are you really going to start a company?"

"Well, there is a company, which makes things easier."

(End of this chapter)