Reborn in the Hong Kong entertainment industry in the 1980s

Philip was absolutely certain that, given Hu Xiaoxiao's temper, if he wasn't appeased, "The Magic Contract" would never be released in China, and Hamlet Company would also be unable to obtain quotas for future films.

Philip was extremely anxious at the thought of the consequences and immediately made an overseas call to explain to Hu Xiaoxiao in person.

However, the person who answered the phone was Hu Xiaoxiao's secretary, who told Philip that Hu Xiaoxiao was on a business trip to the mainland.

Philip had no choice but to ask Hu Xiaoxiao when she would return, and he called her every time the time came. After several unsuccessful attempts, Philip was frantic, almost buying a plane ticket to fly over himself.

Hu Xiaoxiao only answered his call when she felt it was about time.

“Miss Xiaoxiao, I can assure you that the company has never considered a European or American version or an Asian-specific version. There has only ever been one version of ‘The Magic Contract’, and you have always been the female lead.” The news had even reached across the ocean, and Philip knew that Hu Xiaoxiao would not believe that such a thing was absolutely true. He was unusually candid and said, “A new manager did raise this suggestion in a meeting, but most of us rejected it.”

Their rejection of the proposal wasn't due to professional ethics, but rather a matter of interests; first and foremost, it wouldn't pass muster with the sponsors. After the cut of "The Magic Contract" was completed, they all reviewed it carefully. Hu Xiaoxiao's scenes, her clothing and accessories, all bore the imprint of the sponsors. If they dared to cut them, the sponsors wouldn't let them off the hook.

After rumors of two versions of the show surfaced, the sponsors immediately sent someone to inquire about the reason and even said they would send someone to watch the test screening. So, do they dare?

Besides the sponsors, there was another crucial reason they rejected the proposal: Hu Xiaoxiao's role was too outstanding, and her image was too perfect! She practically elevated the entire film to a whole new level. It can be said that, in addition to its stunning special effects, the biggest selling point of the film *The Magic Contract* is Hu Xiaoxiao's performance.

Her beautiful image and temperament could be made into a stunning poster from any angle, exuding an artistic atmosphere. In particular, her powerful aura appears in special effects shots, strangely harmonious, creating a visually stunning effect that is both mysterious and powerful.

After watching the film, Philip couldn't bear to have a single frame cut. He once again felt that casting Hu Xiaoxiao as the female lead was the wisest decision of his career.

With such a large investment, the most important thing for "The Magic Contract" was, of course, to make money. Philippe was willing to guarantee that cutting Hu Xiaoxiao's scenes would cause the film to lose a large audience and suffer heavy box office losses. Emily was completely incomparable to Hu Xiaoxiao in the film; even the male lead, who had the most screen time, was overshadowed. The soul of the entire film was almost entirely embodied in Hu Xiaoxiao.

If such a key character's scenes are cut, it's tantamount to prematurely declaring the failure of "The Magic Contract".

As a producer, Philippe could not allow such a thing to happen.

"Miss Xiaoxiao, your performance was outstanding, especially the scene where you cast spells after transforming. It was perfectly matched with the special effects and background, making the audience feel as if they were really in a magical world, witnessing a powerful wizard in battle..." Philip praised Hu Xiaoxiao lavishly, his admiration overflowing.

After listening, Hu Xiaoxiao said quietly, "What's the use if it's good? You'll still cut my scenes."

"No! I swear to God, I will never cut your scenes!" Philip swore again, and after much persuasion, Hu Xiaoxiao's mood improved.

Hearing Hu Xiaoxiao's voice lighten on the other end of the phone, Philip wiped the sweat from his forehead and chatted with Hu Xiaoxiao about obtaining the mainland quota.

“As long as there’s no hidden agenda and the film complies with mainland laws and values, you don’t need to worry about the quota.” Taking this opportunity, Hu Xiaoxiao said, “Since Hamlet Company is so optimistic about this market, have you considered strengthening and deepening your cooperation?”

"What does Miss Xiaoxiao mean?"

Hu Xiaoxiao first talked about the development momentum of the mainland film market, the data on people's increasing income year by year, and the rapid economic growth, which strengthened Philip's confidence in the mainland market before bringing up the matter of cooperation between the two parties.

Hu Xiaoxiao didn't reveal her full purpose all at once, but slowly piqued Philip's interest, making him crave this market.

Hu Xiaoxiao had enough patience to gradually deepen her connection with the Hamlet Company.

The first thing to do to impress them is to deliver tangible results. Only sufficient profits can win over capitalists whose primary goal is profit.

No amount of talk can be as convincing as the box office performance of "The Magic Contract".

"The Magic Contract" was first released in Europe and America, where it achieved remarkable box office success and received an unprecedentedly positive market response. Dong Peiyu's people there sent over new data almost daily to keep Shengshi informed of the film's excellent performance in the market.

The film "The Magic Contract" broke the Hamlet Company's box office record in less than a month after its release, shocking the entire film industry.

Meanwhile, the film successfully obtained its quota in mainland China and was released on screen.

All cinemas under the Shengshi Cinema Chain were given the best screening times for the film, and it was promoted extensively.

Shengshi Cinemas' cinemas in mainland China are all newly built, equipped with the world's most advanced equipment, boasting unprecedented picture quality and providing viewers with an immersive experience. With such superior equipment, coupled with lavishly produced special effects and Hu Xiaoxiao's influence, "The Magic Contract" became a trend upon its release. The film was the talk of the town.

Special effects movies in this era have brought audiences a shock from digitally produced large-scale scenes, and the extremely realistic visual impact has completely shattered the audience's worldview.

As expected, the film broke box office records again in Asia, making Hamlet Films a fortune. Meanwhile, Shengshi Films also profited immensely; a large portion of the box office revenue went to Shengshi Cinemas alone, not to mention that Shengshi also held the distribution rights for "The Magic Contract" in Baogang. With cinema revenue, distribution revenue, and Hu Xiaoxiao's soaring popularity, her commercial value multiplied several times over.

Today, Hu Xiaoxiao's net worth has reached an astonishing level, making her a true superstar.

Hu Xiaoxiao did not dwell on these achievements. Instead, she struck while the iron was hot. Taking advantage of the success of "Magic Contract" in the mainland market and the fact that Hamlet Company, having tasted the sweetness of success, once again focused its strategic attention on the mainland market, she proposed to her superiors: exchange quotas for resources.

Since there's a fixed quota for imported films every year, why not use that quota to get benefits from it?

Hu Xiaoxiao's suggestion was immediately agreed upon. Instead of giving them money for free every year, it would be better to exchange it for something of greater value.

So, through Hu Xiaoxiao's connections, they sent professionals to negotiate with foreign film companies.

Professional negotiators wouldn't just negotiate with Hamlet's company; they would use a "one-shot-three-warriors" tactic: whoever offers the most resources will receive the annual quota from that film company.

Hamlet Film Company suddenly felt a sense of crisis, fearing that its rival film company would monopolize all the quotas. Philippe came to Hu Xiaoxiao again, willing to give up more profits.

By leveraging the profits from Hamlet's company, the negotiators gained more leverage, making the negotiations go more smoothly.

Hu Xiaoxiao accompanied the negotiators and witnessed the entire negotiation process. All of her previous ideas were discussed and agreed upon, and many benefits that she had not thought of before were also negotiated.

These are just the beginning of their collaborations. It is believed that as the market grows, they will have more initiative in the global film market.

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It's nearing its end. The female protagonist already possesses power and influence; everything she encounters afterward will be positive and beneficial. Everyone will be understanding towards her, so there's not much to write about further. The music scene has always been glossed over because songwriting, unlike film and television, cannot be fictionalized. Fictionalized works allow readers to connect with real-life situations and create a sense of identification. Music cannot be fictionalized; even if it were, readers wouldn't be able to relate. It's better not to elaborate. As for plagiarism, most of the original singers are still around, and many of them are singers I admire. Having the female protagonist plagiarize feels odd. Therefore, the content regarding singers has been very superficial from beginning to end. Political matters will also be avoided; they'll be vaguely touched upon—those who know, know.