The Common Man's Return in Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 97 The Endorsement Arrives

Three hours later, the recording of the show officially ended.

Seeing that Lu Yu left the recording room without saying goodbye to anyone, and noticing how the show's staff seemed used to it, Ji Qingxu was certain that this woman must have a powerful background; otherwise, it would be impossible for her to have hosted the show for so many years with such an attitude.

Back at the hotel, Sun Feifei couldn't help but say, "This host is really special, even more unconventional than Mr. Zhu Jun, who was in charge of setting up several programs yesterday."

Upon hearing Sun Feifei use such an idiom to describe Lu Yu, Ji Qingxu smiled and said, "Perhaps this is just her personal style."

Han Chae-young, who was standing nearby, asked curiously, "Is this host very impressive? Yesterday, our manager told us that we must be respectful and polite when we participate in the program today."

Upon hearing this, Ji Qingxu raised an eyebrow. Lu Yu was indeed formidable; even the Universe Kingdom knew of her prowess.

"Hehe, I don't know either, it might be very powerful."

Han Chae-young nodded as if she understood, then waved her arms and said, "Go go go, let's go out and have some fun! I'm leaving soon, and I don't know when we'll see each other again. Let's have a blast tonight!"

Sun Feifei quickly said, "Let's make it clear first, no drinking too much. Qingxu has to go back to the film set to shoot tomorrow."

"Don't worry, it won't happen. Let's go, let's hurry, a moment of bliss is worth a thousand pieces of gold."

Upon hearing Han Caiying's last words, Ji Qingxu burst into laughter, while Sun Feifei wore a speechless expression.

Seeing this, Han Chae-young asked in confusion, "Am I wrong?"

Sun Feifei pouted and walked outside. Seeing Han Caiying looking at her again, Ji Qingxu smiled and said, "Well said. Let's go out and have some fun."

"Set off!"

"No, no!"

"Chaeyoung, you..."

Looking at Sun Feifei and Han Caiying hugging each other, Ji Qingxu's expression was a little strange. Was he drunk and revealing his true nature?

"Qingxu, you need to control her!"

Seeing that Sun Feifei had finally broken free from Han Caiying and was acting coquettishly towards him, Ji Qingxu chuckled and moved closer.

"Okay, I'll do it... Sister Feifei, come on."

Hearing Ji Qingxu's signal, Sun Feifei gave him a shy glare, but when she saw Han Caiying staring at her with intense eyes, she quickly squatted down.

Seeing this, Ji Qingxu raised an eyebrow at Han Caiying, who then wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in with a charming expression.

Early the next morning, Ciwen Media Company.

"Mr. Ma, good news! Our 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes' is going to be broadcast on satellite TV."

Upon hearing Cheng Qian's report, Ma Zhongjun raised an eyebrow. "Which TV station?"

"The Capital City TV Station".

Ma Zhongjun smiled upon hearing this, "As expected of the capital city, its information network is excellent. It seems we've benefited from Qingxu's influence this time."

Cheng Qian smiled and said, "Qing Xu certainly deserves credit, but I think you, President Ma, are the biggest contributor. If it weren't for you helping Qing Xu get this role, none of this would have happened."

Ma Zhongjun smiled and took a sip of tea. "I can help you get the role, but whether he performs well and whether he can impress others depends on him. Qingxu has already left the capital, hasn't he?"

"Yes, the first flight in the morning."

Ma Zhongjun nodded slightly upon hearing this, "Give the order to increase publicity. Take advantage of the momentum from the TV station's promotion and make our Ciwen No. 1 brand a success."

"Okay, I'll arrange it right away."

"By the way, how much do you know about the internet?"

Upon hearing this question, Cheng Qian asked doubtfully, "Mr. Ma, do you mean...?"

99

Ma Zhongjun stroked his chin and said, "A few days ago, that kid Qingxu called me and mentioned that we could promote him online, such as his previous sword kicking moves and whether his portrayal of Luo Cheng and Zhang Danfeng was very faithful to the characters. He said that the cost of online promotion is very low. I asked the company's agents, and they all said we could give it a try."

Cheng Qian pondered for a moment, "As for the internet... it seems that the number of people going online is increasing year by year. Since it doesn't require too much cost, we can give it a try first."

"Then let's give it a try and see how it goes. Perhaps he's young and understands young people's thoughts better; maybe it will have a miraculous effect."

"Mr. Ma, you're still so kind to Qingxu."

"Haha, there's no other way. As the top dog of Ciwen, Ciwen Oriental's success depends on him. I hope this kid can live up to my expectations."

"It's definitely possible, Mr. Ma. With your excellent judgment, I believe Qingxu won't let you down."

"You, why do you like to flatter just like them?"

"I'm telling the truth."

"Hahaha!"

"Treat me to a meal."

Why?

"I kept your secret."

Seeing Ji Qingxu's puzzled expression, Gao Yuanyuan snorted, "You came back this morning. If Director Wang finds out, he'll definitely send you to the set to film. You rested all day, shouldn't you thank me?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Qingxu said seriously, "I believe Sister Yuanyuan will keep my secret."

Seeing Ji Qingxu's serious expression, Gao Yuanyuan was stunned for a moment, then blushed and turned her head shyly, "You only know how to say nice things, but you don't take any real action."

"Haha, okay, I'll treat Sister Yuanyuan to dinner."

Seeing Ji Qingxu open the door, Gao Yuanyuan's lips curled up slightly, and she walked straight outside. Ji Qingxu smiled and closed the door, following her out.

"Alright, you should go home and get some rest. You have filming tomorrow."

"Okay, goodnight, Sister Yuanyuan."

"Good night."

Back in the room, Ji Qingxu took out a bottle of mineral water, took a sip, and laughed. Tonight, the two of them found a small restaurant nearby for dinner, and didn't drink any alcohol. After eating, they took a walk outside for a while before returning.

This Yuanyuan sister is quite considerate, I must say. I wonder if this is a gentle trap.

Smiling, Ji Qingxu put down the water bottle and headed towards the bathroom. Whether it was a trap or not, he would find out by trying it. With his exceptional skills, Ji Qingxu had no worries about this.

"Cut!"

"Okay, pass."

Ji Qingxu glanced at Fatty Wang, who was standing behind Director Deng Yancheng, with a satisfied expression on his face, and walked to the side with a smile.

"Qingxu, can you not be so outstanding?"

Seeing Gao Yuanyuan leaning closer and looking at him with a resentful expression, Ji Qingxu chuckled and said, "Is being outstanding my fault?"

"Your excellence makes me look stupid. Look at you, you were away from the crew for a few days, but as soon as you came back, you immediately got into character. Then look at me, I keep making mistakes. Compared to you, I feel like I'm a useless piece of trash."

"It's okay, Sister Yuanyuan, you're different from me. You only need your beauty."

"Hmph, you're saying I'm a bad actor again."

"No, we don't have that."

Seeing Gao Yuanyuan purse her lips in disbelief, Ji Qingxu couldn't help but smile. To be fair, Ji Qingxu thought Gao Yuanyuan's portrayal of Liu Sheng Piaoxu in "The World's Number One" was really good. It could be said that she was no worse than the other actresses in the cast, and even slightly better.

Although the character Liu Sheng Piaoxu she played was very bad, and the character may not have had as many highlight scenes as other female characters, Ji Qingxu felt that Gao Yuanyuan's acting skills had improved a lot compared to when she was in "Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre". Ji Qingxu believed that this "The World's Number One" could completely prove that Gao Yuanyuan was not just a pretty face with no acting skills.

"Let's start filming the next scene immediately. Actors, get in position."

Upon hearing the script supervisor's reminder, Ji Qingxu handed the water glass to Zhang Zhong and headed towards the film set.

Ji Qingxu returned to the film crew and filmed for a few days before May Day arrived.

That morning, Ji Qingxu had just finished her makeup and arrived at the film set when Gao Yuanyuan came over with a stack of newspapers. "Qingxu, look, there are news articles about you everywhere."

Ji Qingxu took the newspaper, glanced at it, and asked with a puzzled look, "Am I about to become famous?"

Seeing the smile on Ji Qingxu's lips, Gao Yuanyuan rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah, you're going to be famous. There will be news about you everywhere, saying you're an international superstar, a period drama heartthrob, a kung fu star. Are you satisfied now?"

Ji Qingxu chuckled. "Satisfied. I'm extremely satisfied to hear Sister Yuanyuan's approval."

Upon hearing this, Gao Yuanyuan's lips curved into a slight smile, and she retorted playfully, "You're just all talk."

"Sister Yuanyuan, have you tried it?"

Upon hearing Ji Qingxu's teasing, Gao Yuanyuan's face instantly turned bright red. She playfully punched Ji Qingxu in embarrassment and then quickly walked away into the distance.

Seeing this, Ji Qingxu chuckled softly. This woman was a bit easily teased. If it were Fan Xiaopang, she would definitely retort. Then Ji Qingxu turned her attention to the newspaper.

Although neither of them were on the front page, seeing such extensive coverage, Ji Qingxu couldn't help but admire the sheer scale of the coverage. For a youth idol drama like this to have so many media resources, the major dramas, period dramas, and patriotic dramas must be even more impressive.

However, when Ji Qingxu saw news reports with titles like "Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties," "The Wandering Swordsman," Luo Cheng, and Zhang Danfeng, he smiled and looked into the distance. Old Ma was making a move; being the company's "number one" was really satisfying.

After quickly glancing through the newspaper articles, Ji Qingxu fell into deep thought. He wondered how much his fame would increase after this round of coverage. A second-tier actor? He should be able to reach that level, right?

As for becoming a top-tier star, that's unrealistic unless Ji Qingxu can land a very popular role in a standout drama, like Sun Wukong in *Journey to the West*, Li Yunlong in *Bright Sword*, Wong Fei-hung in *Once Upon a Time in China*, or Xu Wenqiang in *Shanghai Bund*...

I don't know if my role as Yang Guo in the next drama, "The Return of the Condor Heroes," counts. I remember that Huang Xiaoming became famous in my previous life because of this drama. As for whether he counts as a first-tier actor, I don't know. He may be famous, but he is not experienced.

However, becoming a top-tier actor in terms of fame would be great. There would definitely be no shortage of endorsements and commercial activities, and making money would become much easier.

"Uncle-Master!"

Seeing Zhang Zhong approaching with the phone, Ji Qingxu asked in confusion, "Is something wrong?"

Zhang nodded. "The company just called and said they have offers from businesses and for endorsements. These are the names of the businesses and the amounts mentioned by the company's agent."

Wow, what I wished for came true.

After taking the notebook from Zhang Zhong, Ji Qingxu looked at it carefully and then returned it to Zhang Zhong, saying, "Just tell him I have to film a movie and don't have time for the time being."

"it is good."

Seeing Zhang Chong walk to the side, Ji Qingxu shook his head in disgust. Ji Qingxu had never heard of any of the merchants and products that Zhang Chong had written down in his notebook. As for the endorsement fees, they were pitifully small. Not to mention a million, there was not even half a million. They were all in the tens or hundreds of thousands. Moreover, the contracts were for several years and there were all sorts of requirements.

Ji Qingxu decided to wait until "Beijing, My Love" aired on CCTV-6. Although the drama wasn't particularly outstanding, Ji Qingxu believed that with CCTV-6 as a platform, his fame would definitely be greater than it is now.

As for whether or not to sign endorsement deals and participate in commercial activities at that time, Ji Qingxu had only one standard: it depended on the money and the product.

However, Ji Qingxu has come to understand how much money celebrities can make. Ji Qingxu is currently only a third- or second-tier artist, but because a drama in which he stars is about to air on TVB, those businesses have come to him.

Although Ji Qingxu doesn't think much of these activities and endorsements, if he were to accept them all, his earnings would exceed one million, not counting company profits and taxes.

Back in 04, the average price of a house within the Third Ring Road in Beijing was only around 6000 yuan per square meter. If Ji Qingxu had been more famous, he could easily have earned enough to buy several houses in Beijing in a year.

No wonder most of the actors born in the 60s and 70s have achieved financial freedom in their later years; making money in the entertainment industry is really easy.

Ji Qingxu glanced at Zhang Zhong, who was making a phone call, and smiled. Old Ma really understands me. If it were someone else, as long as they could make money, they wouldn't care about the amount or the products they endorsed. The company's agent might even think that Ji Qingxu was too high-minded and pretentious, not making money that was already in his hands.

Ji Qingxu had seen many stories of celebrity endorsements backfiring in his previous life. Although many people in this era don't care about this, it's better to be safe than sorry. If he encountered a dishonest merchant, he would be in big trouble.

Furthermore, the endorsement fee was still a bit low. If it were a few hundred thousand a year, Ji Qingxu believed Cheng Qian would definitely call him. The company wasn't doing charity by giving so many resources; they were thinking of making it back from Ji Qingxu.

In this day and age, if artists want to make big money, they need to participate in commercial activities and endorsements. Relying on film and television remuneration is not very realistic. Currently, in the mainland entertainment industry, only a handful of people, led by Chen Daomin, have the highest film and television remuneration, earning 100,000 yuan per episode. Very few can earn that kind of remuneration. Even those who earn tens of thousands of yuan are a minority. Most earn only a few thousand, ten thousand, or twenty thousand yuan.

It's definitely better to work with a powerful boss. If it were another small company, the boss would go crazy if he didn't take the money that was right in front of him.

Ji Qingxu guessed that Lao Ma had similar thoughts to his own. Right now, Ji Qingxu didn't want to make money but to make a name for himself. Once he became famous, he could easily earn several million a year, if not tens of millions. Furthermore, Ma Zhongjun knew about Ji Qingxu's plans for the next few films. Ji Qingxu guessed that Lao Ma was waiting, just like him, for a good opportunity to cash in.