Debuted right after graduating from high school

It's already December.

The Oscar nominations will be announced next month.

Other companies began to busy themselves with various operations, and Fan Wumian's Myth Film Studio was no exception. His film "The Invisible Guest" and "Project Gutenberg" starring Andy Lau and Ng Man-tat were both aiming for several awards and were using Paramount's channels to make connections.

Actors are busy becoming famous in order to increase their status and make it easier to earn more money in the future.

Fan Wumian's purpose in competing for the Oscar was simple: he was purely after the money.

Many Oscar-winning films, thanks to the immense exposure brought by the Oscars, can earn tens of millions of dollars through related channels. It would be a shame not to take advantage of such a money-making opportunity.

As for the honor of winning the award itself, Fan Wumian has long passed the stage of needing an Oscar to satisfy his sense of accomplishment. He feels that it is enough for people to enjoy the works produced by his company and be willing to spend money to contribute to the box office, without necessarily needing the approval of the judges.

It is inherently difficult to balance the commercial appeal and artistic merit of a film, and since the selection is done by people, there is no absolute fairness to speak of.

The Shawshank Redemption received seven Academy Award nominations in 1995, but did not win any awards, mainly because its investor, Castle Rock Entertainment, was not financially strong enough.

In contrast, Forrest Gump, which was invested in by Paramount, was much stronger than the former, winning 6 awards at the same Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor.

From an outsider's perspective, both "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Forrest Gump" are excellent works, and the difference is not so great that one leaves empty-handed while the other wins big.

It's less about competing on the quality of the works and more about competing on who has the stronger abilities and greater influence.

For example, Harvey Weinstein, the former boss of Miramax Films, was associated with a saying in Hollywood: "If you want to be famous, worshiping Harvey is more effective than worshiping God."

This is also largely due to Harvey Weinstein's previous backing by the renowned Disney Group.

Actresses like Gwyneth Paltrow, who starred in "Iron Man," and Jennifer Lawrence, who is poised for future stardom, owe their success and Oscar wins to Harvey Weinstein.

Based on Fan Wumian's understanding of Harvey Weinstein's lifestyle, it's hard for him not to suspect that Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Lawrence might have some "special skill" that could make their boss so infatuated with them that he'd willingly pour resources into them.

In addition, Angelina Jolie, Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, and other A-list Hollywood actresses also had close relationships with Weinstein, providing important support in their careers and helping them obtain multiple award nominations.

It's not that Fan Wumian is making wild guesses or viewing people through a biased lens; it's just that Hollywood's operating system does have significant problems. Directors and producers often tend to choose the people they want most, rather than the most suitable actors.

Gal Gadot, who usually maintains a serious image, was later revealed to have gotten the role of "Wonder Woman," which made her famous worldwide, thanks to her father's influence and the help of others.

In contrast, Alexandra Daddario, with her stunning looks and exaggerated figure, only managed to achieve minor fame around the age of 30 in her previous life, which is enough to show that she is not the type of girl who likes to take shortcuts. Otherwise, it would be hard for anyone to resist her 36-E bust.

D'Addario initially chose to be with Fan Wumian mainly because he was attracted to his body. Even among a group of Westerners, he was considered a charming man who was both exotic and intelligent.

It's obviously a different matter from forcing yourself to serve an older man or woman you don't like at all.

Knowing full well that the Academy Awards were corrupt, Fan Wumian felt it was insignificant and just wanted to throw some money at it to try his luck.

After learning the latest developments via email, he learned that an agreement had been reached with Paramount. Paramount's "No Country for Old Men" would compete for awards such as Best Director and Best Film, while "Project Gutenberg" would strive to win the Best Foreign Language Film award.

As for Fan Wumian's own starring role in "The Invisible Guest," he will compete for the Best Actor award and help Zuo Ziyan try to get a Best Supporting Actress nomination.

Zuo Ziyan's acting skills are indeed not that outstanding. It's already quite good that she received an Oscar nomination. Forcing her to be praised too much will only make her more difficult to criticize.

In contrast, Fan Wumian delivered a 120% performance in "The Invisible Guest," turning complex plot twists dozens of times. His award was well-deserved, and there's little to criticize.

Unfortunately, the Academy Awards judges have always preferred to marginalize suspense films, so unless Fan Wumian spends a lot of money and effort, he has no chance of winning an award.

After replying to the email, Fan Wumian thought of Gal Gadot again.

With a bit of curiosity, he opened his browser to check the other party's information and was surprised to find that this 22-year-old girl had just shot a cover poster for the men's magazine Maxim a few months ago and even made the front page of the New York Post.

Gal Gadot recently appeared at the casting for "Quantum of Solace," but the lead role in the film was ultimately snatched away by a Ukrainian supermodel.

It's probably because Gal Gadot hasn't figured out the rules of Hollywood yet, thinking that being beautiful is enough, and hasn't privately reached out to directors or producers to smooth things over.

Big productions like the James Bond series are highly sought after, even by top-tier Hollywood actresses. Such valuable resources cannot be obtained through luck alone.

Fan Wumian only satisfied his curiosity for a moment, then quickly shut down the computer and went out to find Uncle Da and the others to play mahjong.
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Compared to other down-on-their-luck rich girls, Gong Lingyue was undoubtedly quite reliable.

Even though her father was addicted to futures trading and ultimately failed in his investments, the girl still hoped that one day she could work hard to resolve the trouble so that her father would no longer have to hide and could return home safely from Myanmar.

So after signing with Mandou Model Agency and being able to start earning money, Gong Lingyue discovered that her occasional monthly income could reach 50,000 to 60,000 yuan, making her father's debt no longer an unattainable astronomical figure. She then began to contact several creditors and agreed to repay the money monthly.

The mainland's economy is booming, and behind the tide of the times, countless businessmen have succeeded, while countless others have failed in their investments.

Many people only have enough capital to try once. If they fail to achieve great success, they will be devastated and fall from their social class, never to recover.

Money that comes in a strong wind can also be blown away by the same wind. The current situation is that countless people mistake the benefits of the times for their own abilities, which leads to too many unrealistic ambitions. It is normal to make the wrong choice.

Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt its debtor. Having seen her father abscond, the creditors had long since given up hope of recovering their debts. However, recently, they were surprised to discover that Gong Lingyue had asked her second aunt to repay over 30 RMB. To avoid driving this young woman to desperation, they followed her father's example and agreed to only accept the principal.

The fact that the grain payment was entrusted to Gong Lingyue's father shows that they had a good relationship. Their children also knew each other and often dined together. Everyone admired her for paying off her father's debt and was willing to suffer a loss.

Gong Lingyue's father, not wanting to burden his beloved daughter, is working as a middleman in Myanmar, selling goods such as raw jade, timber, and medicinal herbs. Unfortunately, he lacks start-up capital and is only operating on a small scale, unable to save much money.

It's not that I don't want to pay off the debt, it's just that I've lost too much and no longer have the ability to pay it back.

Knowing her father was in a difficult situation, Gong Lingyue initially prepared herself to spend 10 years as a model until she paid off her family's debts before starting her own life.

While her colleagues were going to bars, buying luxury goods and high-end cosmetics, Gong Lingyue lived frugally, lived in the company dormitory, used a canvas bag, and bought clothes from street stalls. Her quality of life was clearly inconsistent with her income.

Qu Ming'an, the owner of Mandou Model Agency, and his wife were both aware of Gong Lingyue's situation. In addition, she was personally recommended by Fan Wumian, so they took good care of her on a regular basis.

Although Fan Wumian could easily have helped her, he didn't care about Gong Lingyue after sending her to Mandou Model Agency, which shows that their relationship wasn't that deep.

However, even if the relationship wasn't close, it was still someone Fan Wumian had specifically called to give instructions. Who knows when they might remember this little matter? Of course, Mr. and Mrs. Qu were cautious, afraid that they might miss the opportunity to climb into a wealthy family if they weren't careful.

Just because Mandou Model Agency collaborated with Fan Wumian to launch the wildly popular Alluring Girls Group, Mr. Qu and his wife became leading figures in the Hong Kong modeling industry, and were looked up to by many when they went out socially.

Gong Lingyue also knew that the reason she was able to obtain so many good resources was inseparable from Fan Wumian's help, and she always remembered his kindness.

While she was having a photoshoot in Tsim Sha Tsui today, she suddenly received a call from Fan Wumian. She felt as if a heavy stone that had been weighing on her heart for a long time and often made her feel suffocated had been lifted away in an instant.

He put his phone away and continued filming, his smile as bright and sunny as could be.

The owner of Mandou Model Agency is trying to get close to a magazine representative on the shooting set, hoping to make frequent contact and promote her girls.

It was rare to see Gong Lingyue with such a radiant smile, so the proprietress asked in surprise:

"Who called you just now? You were laughing so happily after you answered. Did your deadbeat dad who ran off to Myanmar contact you? You'd better be more careful. Be careful not to get dragged down with you again. Several of my friends are doing well, but they have a bunch of bloodsucking relatives and friends who don't even know what they're doing, constantly finding new ways to ask for money."

Knowing that the proprietress always had a sharp tongue but a kind heart, Gong Lingyue smiled and lowered her voice, saying:
“It was Mr. Fan who contacted me. He wanted me to sign with his agency, to make me a star, and to pay off my family’s debts, which was an advance on my future income.”

The proprietress's eyes widened upon hearing this, then she beamed with joy:

"Then you're sure to have a bright future! Congratulations in advance!"

"Everyone knows that Mr. Fan has a keen eye and is very decisive in his actions. Since he has decided to help you, your family's debts are nothing to worry about."

"Miss Zhuang Muxi and her group have only been working with Mr. Fan for a few years, and they've already bought a mansion on the mountaintop. It's unbelievable."

Gong Lingyue couldn't help but laugh and said, "I also want to thank you and President Qu. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be where I am today."

The proprietress waved her hand and said:

"We can't help you much. We've long thought you should learn from those other colleagues who are obsessed with finding a rich man to marry. They're too complicated, and you're too naive. Otherwise, with your looks and personality, you could easily make 500 million, let alone 5000 million, just by having dinner and drinks with President Fan."

"If anyone marries Mr. Fan, their ancestral graves will be filled with auspicious smoke. People say that the four great families of Hong Kong are about to become the five great families."

"With Mr. Fan's wealth, he's already not much less wealthy than the Guo or Zheng families, not to mention he's only in his twenties. As long as nothing goes wrong, he'll eventually be in charge of Hong Kong. Alas, I've given up hope. You were born more than a decade earlier than him, so you still have a chance. Don't forget that while career is important, Mr. Fan himself is the greatest treasure."

Unexpectedly, even a middle-aged proprietress would openly drool over Fan Wumian. Gong Lingyue was both amused and exasperated upon hearing this, and replied:

“How could I be worthy of him? It’s already incredibly kind of him to bring my dad back.”

The proprietress said indifferently:

“If you can’t be the first wife, you can be the mistress. There was a former Miss Hong Kong in the company who caught the eye of the lame Mr. Lau. She only stayed with him for a few months and then got a 3000-square-foot mansion in Mid-Levels, which is now worth at least HK$4000 million. She just goes shopping and drinks tea all day long and doesn’t have to do anything.”

Having long noticed some issues with the local atmosphere, especially within the modeling industry, to the point that many people had become accustomed to it, Gong Lingyue smiled after hearing this and didn't say anything more.

After finishing the filming, the girl immediately contacted her second aunt and asked her to call several creditors, saying that she would go to Yanjing to collect the money next Monday.

Gong Lingyue's second aunt was terrified after hearing this, fearing that her niece had gone astray, otherwise it would be hard to explain how such a large sum of money could suddenly appear.

Gong Lingyue explained that she was recently spotted by an entertainment company and given a signing fee to switch careers and become a star. Because the company was worried about being dragged down by negative news, they gave her an advance payment to help her settle her debts.

Her second aunt was still skeptical after hearing the story, until she learned that Gong Lingyue would be switching jobs to work under Fan Wumian, at which point she finally believed that Gong Lingyue had not been deceived.

soon.

The public relations department of Sheng Huo Miao Miao Agency also called Gong Lingyue to inquire about her family situation. They planned to promote her with the theme of "Inspirational Girl Pays Off 500 Million Yuan Debt" while also clearing up the potential negative impact of her father's bankruptcy and escape, essentially defusing a potential problem in advance.

Unlike Xue Shiyun, who had been hiding from Fan Wumian for a long time, Gong Lingyue was more worldly-wise.

Feeling she had no way to repay him, she went to the mall that evening and bought a scarf and belt as gifts. She then took a taxi to the entrance of the Repulse Bay mansion, intending to thank Fan Wumian in person. (End of Chapter)