The Common Man's Return in Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 137 Ciwen's Tightening Spell

"Snapped!"

With a loud crash, several shards of glass appeared on the ground.

"#!"

Nie Yuan's eyes turned red as he looked at the news in the newspaper.

Xu Ke, investment exceeding 100 million, martial arts blockbuster...

Upon seeing these words, Nie Yuan clenched his fists tightly, but in the end, he couldn't resist kicking over the coffee table in front of him.

"My goodness, Zhuge Liang is amazing!"

Upon seeing the news about Ji Qingxu in the newspaper, Liu Yifei couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

I thought I was already very good, but compared to Ji Qingxu, I don't seem to be that good.

Thinking of this, Liu Yifei immediately walked to the sofa, picked up her phone from the coffee table, and dialed a familiar number.

"Sisi, what are you doing? Time to eat breakfast."

Upon hearing her mother's voice, Liu Yifei immediately loosened her grip, blinked at her mother's curious gaze.

He smiled and said, "I'm sending a message."

"Who should I text this to first thing in the morning?"

"Climb, climb."

"Hehe, you two are really something... hurry up and come have breakfast after you're done posting."

"Okay, Mom."

Liu Yifei glanced at Liu Xiaoli, who was placing plates on the dining table, and quietly sent a text message to Ji Qingxu.

After sending the message, I put my phone on the coffee table and prepared to go have breakfast.

"Ring ring!"

Upon hearing her phone ring, Liu Yifei quickly turned around and picked it up. However, when she saw that the phone displayed Jiang Yiyan's number, Liu Yifei subconsciously puffed out her cheeks.

"Hey, Papa... Oh, really? Wow, that's amazing... I didn't know, I haven't been in touch with him much... Okay, I'll text him later, um, I'm about to have breakfast... Okay, bye-bye."

After hanging up the phone, Liu Yifei thought for a moment, put her phone in her pocket, and walked to the dining table to sit down.

"Did you see the newspaper?"

Hearing her mother's question, Liu Yifei nodded her little head and said with a surprised look, "Mom, Wolong is so amazing, he actually starred in director Tsui Hark's blockbuster."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiaoli glanced at the newspaper on the table and nodded in agreement. "That's impressive. This child is really tight-lipped; he didn't let a word slip."

"Mom, they must have signed a confidentiality agreement."

Liu Xiaoli chuckled, "Can't you even get a little scolding from your mother? You're so protective of him?"

Hearing this, Liu Yifei said embarrassedly, "Mom, that's not what I meant. You misunderstood me."

Faced with her daughter's coquettish behavior, Liu Xiaoli was about to say something when her expression suddenly changed. "Qianqian, has Qingxu told you about 'The Return of the Condor Heroes'?"

Liu Yifei asked in confusion, "Everyone knows I'm going to play Little Dragon Girl."

"No, I meant Yang Guo. Will he play Yang Guo?"

Liu Yifei's eyes widened. "Mom, Director Zhang told you? Wolong is going to play Yang Guo?"

"you do not know?"

"Really?"

Hearing this nonsensical reply and seeing her daughter's surprised expression, Liu Xiaoli shook her head with a smile. "Mom doesn't know either. I just had a feeling that Zhang Jizong would choose him to play Yang Guo."

Liu Yifei paused for a moment upon hearing this, then pointed tentatively to the newspaper on the table and asked, "Because of this news?"

Liu Xiaoli nodded with satisfaction. "Yes, I understand Director Zhang's style quite well. Since Qingxu can star in Tsui Hark's blockbuster, this news will have a significant positive impact on him. Besides, Director Zhang previously told you to find a teacher to train your martial arts skills, which I found a bit strange at the time. Why would Director Zhang mention Ji Qingxu's name? Although he's very skilled, he was just a student before. I suspect Qingxu might have already signed a contract like you, maybe just waiting for this news to come out, and then..."

'

Hearing her mother's story, Liu Yifei's eyes widened. This cunning strategist, he didn't even tell me.

No, I'll call him and yell at him later. He's so disloyal; he kept so many things from me after I told him everything.

Seeing her daughter's stunned expression, Liu Xiaoli was about to tease her when she suddenly froze, frowning slightly. She glanced at the news in the newspaper, sighed softly, and waved with a smile, "Stunned?"

"what?"

"Let's have breakfast."

"oh."

Watching her daughter eat breakfast while glancing at the newspaper on the table every now and then, Liu Xiaoli smiled and tapped the table, "Qianqian!"

Liu Yifei was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then chuckled and said, "Mom, I'm eating right now."

Liu Xiaoli chuckled and said, "Concentrate."

"Okay, Mom!"

Liu Yifei smiled sweetly and then focused on eating her breakfast.

Office of the General Manager of Ciwen Media Company.

"Knock knock!"

"Come in."

Seeing Cheng Qian walk in, Ma Zhongjun raised an eyebrow slightly. "What did Zhang Dahuzi say?"

Cheng Qian smiled helplessly, "What else can I say? We didn't leak this news, but I told him that our publicity efforts will follow immediately."

Upon hearing this, Ma Zhongjun snorted, "That Zhang the Bearded Man, never mind him... How's the investigation going over there?"

Cheng Qian said with a serious expression, "The magazine that first reported on Qingxu News this time is the same one as last time."

Ma Zhongjun asked疑惑地, "Last time?"

Cheng Qian chuckled and said, "It's about the rumors between Qingxu, Fan Xiaopang, and Gao Yuanyuan last time."

Upon hearing this news, Ma Zhongjun couldn't help but chuckle, then asked with a playful expression, "Was this the magazine's own doing, or is someone watching behind the scenes?"

After pondering for a moment, Cheng Qian shook her head. "No one should be watching. I made some inquiries, and that reporter has been working in the media industry for many years. Last year, he became famous in the industry with the news of Liu Xiaoqing's release from prison, and then he made a name for himself with several more news stories. I guess he's keeping an eye on Qingxu."

Have you contacted him?

"I got in touch. He's very smart. He said he'll let me know in advance if there's anything important going on in the future."

Upon hearing this, Ma Zhongjun smiled enigmatically and said, "It seems there are talents in every industry. Have you contacted Qingxu yet?"

""

"Not yet, I'm going to contact him later."

"Hahaha, this brat is in for a rough time."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Qian immediately understood. "Mr. Ma, do you mean we'll have to spend money in the future?"

Ma Zhongjun said with a smile, "We'll have to see just how far this brat Xu will go... Hmm, tell him about this, and also give him the reporter's contact information. Let him handle it himself. Unless it's something extremely important, we won't interfere."

Upon hearing Ma Zhongjun's arrangement, Cheng Qian thoughtfully remarked, "Is President Ma planning to put a tight rein on him?"

Ma Zhongjun nodded slightly upon hearing this. "That's right. Although the atmosphere in our industry is chaotic, we should know what we can and cannot do. In the past, I was too lazy to care. As long as it wasn't illegal, I would let it be. But things will be different in the future. After 'Seven Swords' and 'The Return of the Condor Heroes,' Qing Ke may no longer be as well-known as before. If he does well, he may become a popular young actor."

You know how fierce the competition is in our industry. Male artists of his age are definitely keeping a close eye on him. Besides, other film and television companies and talent agencies are not easy to deal with either. Ciwen Oriental Performing Arts Agency is newly established, and everyone knows that I'm building Qingxu up as my flagship talent. If we eliminate him, wouldn't that remove a powerful competitor?

Cheng Qian hesitated, then asked, "Should we remind him to be more careful around women in the future?"

Ma Zhongjun laughed and waved his hand, "There's nothing wrong with playing around with women, as long as it's not excessive, let him be. I was talking about other things. Besides, with Qingxu's looks and figure, plus his growing fame, more and more women will flock to him in the future. He's not exactly a monogamous man. Besides, I've talked to him about this before."

Seeing the strange expression on Ma Zhongjun's face, Cheng Qian asked curiously, "What did he say?"

Ma Zhongjun chuckled, "He told me that this is his persona."

"Personal image?"

"Yes, it's about the image he presents to the public. He said that other male actors present themselves as good men and devoted lovers, but he does the opposite and establishes a womanizing image from the beginning. If there are any rumors later, people won't be very surprised. They'll just treat it as idle gossip. He also said that by solving his problems with men and women, he has far fewer weaknesses that people can attack him."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Qian couldn't help but chuckle. "This Qingxu... is truly unique."

After a pause, Cheng Qian slowly nodded. "However, what he said makes a lot of sense. Everyone in our industry looks glamorous on the surface, but behind the scenes, they're all morally corrupt. Those celebrities who seemed very positive before, once they had a problem with their relationships, were fiercely criticized by the outside world. Aside from relationships, as long as it's not illegal, it's basically not a weakness. If it's really as Qing Xu said, then we've indeed avoided a lot of trouble, even..."

1

Seeing Cheng Qian's hesitant expression, Ma Zhongjun teased, "You could even use this for publicity?"

Cheng Qian smiled and said, "President Ma is wise. This is what I'm thinking. If, if any of the artists or business people in the company get into trouble in the future, perhaps we can use Qing Xu to cover it up. Anyway, he doesn't care about his reputation in matters of love and sex. This way, we can cover up the problem and maintain his popularity at the same time, killing two birds with one stone."

Ma Zhongjun smiled and praised, "Great, that's a good suggestion. By the way, make it clear to him that I don't care if he plays around with women, but he must contribute if the company needs him in the future."

"Okay, I'll call him and explain later."

"Um.

""

"No problem, Mr. Ma can just send me two boxes of tea from his office... Haha, one box is fine too... Okay, bye-bye."

After hanging up the phone, Ji Qingxu rubbed his chin and thought for a while, then shook his head with a chuckle.

Tsk, indeed, one should not underestimate the people of the world.

Thinking about what Cheng Qian had mentioned on the phone, Ji Qingxu grinned. No wonder the entertainment industry in later generations would occasionally break out with big news. It turned out that this was normal practice in the industry. That's right, although it was a bit early, this method was definitely not something that was conceived in later generations.

Xu Qing didn't care about the company's operation. Ciwen had treated him very well, so using his news to distract the company and cover things up was only right. Besides, the company had specifically informed him in advance. Other companies wouldn't be so accommodating; they would be lucky to even give him a heads-up.

"Ding-dong!"

Looking at the text messages on his phone, Ji Qingxu scratched his brow. He had received dozens of calls and hundreds of text messages today. Many of these messages were from people he had left his contact information with but had never contacted before.

Previously, Ji Qingxu didn't feel much about being able to star in the movie "Seven Swords". At most, he was a little excited because it was his first time acting in a movie. This was because in his previous life, there were countless movies with investments of over 100 million yuan, and Hollywood produced several movies with investments of over 1 billion yuan every year. He never expected that people would value it so much in this era.

Ji Qingxu finally understood why Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, and Feng Xiaogang were so famous. In this day and age, there are only three directors in mainland China who can direct films with investments of over 100 million yuan.

At the same time, he understood why the competition for a film with an investment of over 100 million yuan was so fierce. What was nothing in Ji Qingxu's eyes was a huge pie in the eyes of others in the industry and even outside businesses.