Reshaping the landscape of the Chinese entertainment industry

Upon seeing the person who arrived, You Jianming breathed a sigh of relief.

This attitude made Li Dawei immediately guess their identities. He frowned and looked the two of them up and down.

This was also the first time he had met Sisi and her daughter.

However, he only glanced at Liu Xiaoli briefly before looking at Liu Yifei.

He had seen the photos that You Jianming had provided, so he recognized her at a glance as the second female lead he had recommended.

However, seeing him in person now surprised him somewhat.

I thought the photos were all edited and beautified, but I didn't expect that the real person is even more beautiful than in the photos.

With long, flowing hair, she stood tall and graceful!

She's just too young and looks a bit childish; otherwise, she would definitely be a very suitable candidate for the second female lead.

This change in mindset actually lessened his initial resistance to these newly arrived, parachuted-in employees.

At least it's not some weird or deformed thing!

Meanwhile, Chen Jingfei, who had been sitting in the corner by the window, also stood up to greet the mother and daughter when they arrived.

To apologize for the mother and daughter's lateness, the mother and daughter, along with Chen Jingfei and You Jianming, introduced themselves to everyone and politely greeted each investor and crew member.

It's never wrong to be overly polite.

At this moment, He Yi'an also stopped talking to Li Dawei and quietly retreated to a corner, standing quietly by the window, silently watching everything.

Although the mother and daughter greeted everyone warmly, many people did not respond enthusiastically, which made them appear even more reserved.

Liu Yifei's expression remained relatively calm.

As she said in a later interview, the drama had some unexpected elements, and since she was still unaware of how many unconventional things the entertainment industry would do for resources, she didn't pay too much attention to it.

But both she and Liu Xiaoli still had a hint of nervousness in their eyes.

It seems that Chen Jingfei tipped off some incorrect information in advance?

To make them think that their chances of being selected are slim?

Yes, He Yi'an noticed that when the main actors were introduced to the cast, their attitudes towards them were not very friendly, which probably further reinforced their judgment.

While he was still pondering, You Jianming brought over Chen Jingfei and Liu Xiaoli and her daughter.

Chen Jingfei's face was full of smiles, and he took the initiative to extend his hand.

"Hello, Mr. He, I'm Chen Jingfei. I've heard so much about you!"

He Yi'an's gaze swept over You Jianming, and then landed on Chen Jingfei.

He noticed that Chen Jingfei was also looking at him, his eyes filled with a serious expression, but without any malice.

"Hello, Mr. Chen, you are a Forbes billionaire. I have long admired your name!" He Yi'an also extended his hand to shake hands with him.

Chen Jingfei: "Mr. He, you're too kind. Langyuan Media has been making a lot of moves lately and is a rising star in the industry. I've heard about it before."

"The entertainment industry is too small a market; it definitely can't compare to Mr. Chen's real estate!"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Chen Jingfei stepped aside and introduced the two people behind him: "This is Liu Yifei, the second female lead Bai Xiuzhu..."

In fact, as soon as He Yi'an started speaking, Liu Xiaoli and Liu Yifei behind him both felt that the voice was familiar.

However, because the two people were blocking their view, they couldn't see their faces.

Upon seeing the front, Liu Xiaoli was stunned, while Liu Yifei's eyes widened in surprise.

"He..." The tension in Liu Yifei's eyes disappeared, and she almost blurted it out.

He Yi'an then placed her finger to her lips: "Xu~"

Seeing his reaction, Liu Xiaoli immediately understood and greeted him politely, "Mr. He!"

"Hello." He Yi'an smiled, didn't say much, and then sat down next to Li Dawei.

This attitude was viewed differently by Chen Jingfei and You Jianming.

Although his and Liu Yifei's actions were discreet and brief, they were both seasoned veterans in the underworld, so it was obvious that He Yi'an knew the mother and daughter!

After realizing this, a glimmer of hope rose in Chen Jingfei's heart again. Could there still be a chance for things to turn around?

As a result, much of the hidden worries in You Jianming's heart disappeared.

The tension between Liu Xiaoli and her daughter Liu Yifei has also eased considerably.

Although it's not 100% certain yet, the likelihood of Liu Yifei landing the role has greatly increased since Chen Jingfei reminded them of it earlier.

He Yi'an ignored their thoughts.

Now that you've taken the position of investor, you should act like one.

He looked at the young people inside and outside the private room. He had never seen many of them before, and they probably weren't famous. They were probably just there to make up the numbers.

But what do these people have to do with him?

He Yi'an decided to stop paying attention to others and started chatting with Li Dawei again.

He had already roughly figured out from his previous conversation with Li Dawei that the reason Li Dawei recommended someone to play the second female lead was not for any other reason, but because he also wanted a certain degree of influence.

After all, as a new director making his first big-budget production, he felt a bit stifled on set.

Because some people can't control others.

Putting everything else aside, the male lead, Chen Kun, didn't respect him much. If it weren't for his mother being there to keep things in check on the set, things would probably have gotten chaotic long ago.

This is the main reason why he wanted to recommend others to come; he wanted to have a certain say in the matter.

Once He Yi'an understood this, he didn't need to do anything else; he just needed to show his support for Li Dawei when they talked.

Li Dawei also learned about He Yi'an's preferred candidate during his conversation with He Yi'an.

……

Since it's a dinner party, eating, drinking, and toasting are definitely indispensable.

Of course, Liu Yifei was drinking juice and Jiaduobao (a popular herbal tea brand). No one would target a minor who is relatively unknown. Besides her, the other person present who probably received the same treatment was Shu Chang.

Two minors met at a dinner party.

Apart from them, the others present were not so lucky.

Especially the actors, both men and women, began to come up respectfully to offer toasts.

He Yi'an only gave a perfunctory response, at most chatting selectively with a few people he found acceptable.

For example, Qiao Zhenyu...

After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere had become quite lively, and You Jianming cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Everyone, the filming of 'The Story of Gold' has been going on for more than half a month, but the role of the second female lead has not yet been determined, which will affect the filming. So today, we have invited you all here mainly to discuss the selection of the second female lead, Bai Xiuzhu."

"We tried out several people for this role, but we weren't very satisfied with any of them."

"We have a few candidates now, and we'd like to hear everyone's opinions." As he spoke, You Jianming looked at the investors, including He Yi'an.

But he didn't rush to express his opinion; instead, he wanted to hear what others had to say first.

No sooner had You Jianming finished speaking than a middle-aged man wearing glasses spoke up: "Mr. You, as the producer, don't you have any candidates? If you ask me, I think the actor Chen Kun recommended is quite good. He's formally trained, experienced, and his appearance fits the bill..."

Although "The Story of a Noble Family" was primarily controlled by Qiangshi, it was still a small company. At the beginning of the century, these film and television companies didn't have much money.

Therefore, many investments involve a mix of different entities, so in addition to the later-subsidized Langyuan, there are several smaller investors.

They just follow along and get a taste of the benefits; they're only responsible for investing money and not for the crew's affairs.

But since You Jianming has said that, wouldn't it be a waste if they didn't go along with it and exercise their rights as investors?

At this point, a representative from another investor chimed in, "Yes, the second female lead has a significant role, so it's safer to cast an experienced actress."

"I think the person Director Li recommended is also good!"

Since we've let people discuss it, they can just say whatever they want. Most of them are just scattered investors and small companies, and they don't have any fixed choices of actors.

Watching this group of people chatting away, You Jianming began to regret the polite words he had said.

Most of these people just want to make some money from their investments, so their advice can basically be ignored.

The only thing I need to care about is Langyuan.

Because this person is a true insider in the industry, and also owns his own company and actors.

But now that this door has been opened, once the discussion really starts, it's hard to pull it back.

Thinking of this, You Jianming glanced at Li Dawei, then looked at He Yi'an.

At this moment, He Yi'an did not want to speak directly, but instead gestured to Li Dawei, wanting him to speak.

After communicating with He Yi'an, Li Dawei, now more confident, no longer insisted on increasing his influence by recommending actors.

Hearing that someone was actually using him as a raft, he frowned and was about to speak when You Jianming raised his hand to stop him and turned his gaze to He Yi'an.

"Mr. He, Langyuan is also one of the major investors, and even the largest investor besides Qiangshi. What's your opinion?"

This was Yu Jianming's way of getting things done quickly, not wanting these people to continue arguing and bickering.

The room fell silent for a moment, and everyone looked at He Yi'an.

He Yi'an leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table.

He didn't rush to answer, but first glanced at Liu Yifei in the corner.

The girl had obviously noticed him as well. Although Liu Yifei seemed to have a lot of questions for him from the beginning, she knew that the occasion was inappropriate and held back.

But she widened her eyes slightly and moved her lips, as if she wanted to say something.

Liu Xiaoli also saw him, a fleeting look of expectation flashing in her eyes, and she suppressed the urge to say something.

He then glanced at the others, as well as the main actors in the crew.

He Yi'an didn't even want to communicate with them, but there were all sorts of emotions surging in each of their eyes.

Many people looked at him with intense fervor, and He Yi'an had a feeling that he could decide the fate of others with just a wave of his hand.

Is this what investors think and feel?

He then looked away and smiled, "Producer You, I'm also a director, and Qiangshi is a major investor. You have more experience in the television industry, so I won't interfere. But..."

"As a director, I still believe that directors should have a certain say in casting."

After saying that, He Yi'an looked at Li Dawei and said, "I trust Director Li's judgment."

Li Dawei smiled when he heard this.

Although the conversation just now had given her the idea that He Yi'an would support her, knowing it was one thing, but saying it out loud was another.

At this moment, Li Dawei was somewhat excited. He glanced at You Jianming, then at He Yi'an, and decided to reciprocate.

"Thank you for your support, Mr. He. I did want to recommend someone with experience before, but after seeing Ms. Liu Yifei today, I feel that the person I recommended was not suitable. I think Ms. Liu Yifei is the right candidate for Bai Xiuzhu."

He Yi'an glanced at Liu Yifei and smiled in agreement, "I knew the director had a good eye for talent! Director Li is right, I think she's very suitable too!"

Upon hearing this, You Jianming was delighted and quickly nodded.

But the bespectacled middle-aged man persisted: "Mr. He makes it sound so easy. You chose an inexperienced newcomer. If the filming schedule is delayed, who will take responsibility?"

He Yi'an glanced at him, her smile unchanged: "And this is...?"

"I am the vice president of **Film & Television, my surname is Wang."

"Vice President Wang," He Yi'an said in a calm tone, "Bai Xiuzhu is a young lady from a wealthy family, innocent and carefree, yet somewhat willful."

"For this kind of role, experienced veteran actors can't capture the essence. It's better to find a newcomer who can play themselves; that will actually bring out more talent."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the room: "Of all the people here, I think the newcomer Liu Yifei is quite suitable! I support her!"

"If... if your company feels that such a choice is risky to your funds, then you can withdraw your investment, and Langyuan can take over your share."

The gist is: I support her, who agrees? Who disagrees?

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P.S.: The two chapters together contain more than 7300 words. I originally wanted to split them up, but after thinking about it, I decided against it. This book will not include the story of the Golden Powder drama crew; that part will be cut. So, after the conversation with Liu Yifei, the next part will be about Venice.

Also, the double monthly pass bonus is ending soon. If you have any recommendation tickets or monthly passes, feel free to give them to me. I don't mind!