Entertainment: I just want to be the boss behind the scenes

Chapter 17 Who doesn't have a glorious past?
Li Shaohong thought quietly.

I have to say that Li Qin’s last sentence was very convincing.

There are many actors who change their style and acting style. Many of them are successful, but even more fail.

The primary result of failure is the sudden death of the work's performance.

Throughout history, there have been many actors who were once on the rise but suddenly changed their style, but the audience and fans did not buy it and they never recovered.

Those who are lucky and have a strong background may still have a chance, but those who are unlucky and have no capital may lose their glory and gradually become lost in the crowd.

Ultimately, this failure will lead to losses for investors and platforms.

Capital doesn’t care whether you change your style or for any other reason. If you make me lose money and can’t compensate me in other ways, then I will give up on you.

With Rong Xinda as her supporter, Li Qin will not be abandoned just because a drama fails.

But as she herself said, since we are all trying, why not choose one with lower cost?
Li Shaohong was pondering the pros and cons here, while Li Qin was anxiously waiting for the result. The room fell silent for a moment.

After a long silence, Li Shaohong finally said, "Do you have the script?"

"Oh, yes." Li Qin was stunned for a moment, but reacted immediately. She quickly opened the script saved in her mobile phone and handed it to Li Shaohong.

Li Shaohong took the phone and swiped the screen while asking casually: "When did you meet this friend?"

"Ah... it was last year. We met on the set. We weren't that familiar with each other, actually. He's an independent screenwriter, and we'd occasionally talk about scripts or roles. I just happened to know about his project." Li Qin made up a "background story".

"An independent screenwriter..." Li Shaohong looked at the script on the screen, nodded, and said with appreciation: "The script is well written, very creative, and the story is solid."

Li Qin's eyes lit up, and she agreed, "Indeed, although he has no signed works due to his lack of experience, he is really talented. After reading the script, I felt it was very interesting and I really liked it, so I wanted to participate."

"From your tone, he seems quite young."

"Yes, it seems... about the same age as me." Li Qin said uncertainly. She had never asked Meng Bai's age, but judging from his face, he seemed very young.

"Similar to you?" This time, Li Shaohong was surprised for a rare moment. After looking at the script in her hand, she felt a little bit of appreciation for his talent and asked, "What's his name?"

"Meng Bai."

Li Shaohong was stunned: "Meng Bai?"

Li Qin nodded, and seeing that Li Shaohong seemed to be thinking about something, she couldn't help but ask, "Auntie, do you know him?"

"No, I don't think so." Li Shaohong shook her head: "It's just that this name sounds familiar. Meng Bai..."

Li Shaohong frowned. She felt like she had heard this name somewhere.

After thinking for a while, Li Shaohong stood up and returned to her desk, where she found a document from a pile of documents. After reading it for a while, she suddenly paused, as if she had discovered something. Then, she laughed and said, "I know, it was him."

Li Qin on the other side was obviously also surprised. No matter how hard she thought about it, she never expected that Li Shaohong actually knew Meng Bai.

But, I haven’t heard Meng Bai mention it?
"Aunt Li, do you know him?" Li Qin asked carefully.

"Oh, I wouldn't say I know him. But I've heard of him," said Li Shaohong.

Li Qin was even more confused. From Li Shaohong's tone, why did it seem like Meng Bai had a big reputation?
"In a sense, his name is indeed not small. At least in the large and small film and television companies in northern Beijing, there should be many people who have heard of his name." Li Shaohong looked at the confused Li Qin with amusement, pulled her to sit down, and then patiently explained.

"This Meng Bai is indeed a very talented young man. He is from the Department of Drama and Literature of the Central Academy of Drama. He was said to have excellent grades when he was in school. The script of the stage play he wrote in his junior year was adapted into the script of the graduation drama that year. A short story he posted online in his senior year was valued by a film and television company and was adapted into a movie. After it was released, it earned more than 8 million yuan at the box office."

Li Qin was stunned when she heard this. She really didn't expect that the young man who pulled her to discuss how to "cheat investment" actually had such an impressive history.

"Hey, that's not right." Li Qin suddenly discovered a bug: "A movie with a box office of over 8 million should be somewhat well-known, but why can't I find his information?"

"So, this is what makes this young man interesting." Li Shaohong said with some regret: "When the film was being prepared, Meng Bai was directly asked to be the screenwriter. At the beginning, he should have been told that all the plots should follow his script."

Li Shaohong shook his head and said with emotion: "In this industry, there are only a few new screenwriters who can have a say. Investors, producers, directors, star actors, anyone with a little experience can have a say in the script."

"I don't know the details of the filming, but in short, Meng Bai must have had a falling out with the production company. Not only did he quit the crew, he also directly refused to be credited as the screenwriter of the film. The production company also seemed to be unhappy with him. After the film was finished, they spread the word in the circle that they would not use him again, and also told other film and television companies in Beijing about this matter."

"Ah?" Li Qin said nervously, "Then he is banned!"

"It's not that he was banned, because that company doesn't have that much power." Li Shaohong waved his hand and said, "But it did have a big impact on him. After all, investors always like obedient tools, and few like this kind of troublemaker. Other film and television companies will have some thoughts when they see his name."

At this point, Li Shaohong suddenly understood: It seems that this young man's choice to cooperate with video websites like Leshi.com to make online dramas is actually a way out.

Thinking of this, Li Shaohong couldn't help but have an idea: Meng Bai is indeed a talent. I wonder if I can take advantage of this opportunity of Li Qin to bring him to Rong Xinda.

To be honest, Rong Xinda has not had an easy time in the past two years. Of the three founders of the company, Li Xiaowan has lost much of her ambition to work since she became a grandmother, and Zeng Nianping (Li Shaohong's husband) has been on leave for many years due to health reasons.

Even Li Shaohong himself, after being elected as the president of the new Directors Association, has shifted a considerable amount of his energy away from the company.

Rong Xinda’s greatest resources were originally its three founders. Now that their focus has gradually shifted, the company’s situation has naturally become worse and worse.

In the past, Rong Xinda was mainly known for its content output, and it produced many popular works. It was also because of this that Rong Xinda attracted many talented and spiritual actors to join.

However, in recent years, Rong Xinda's output has gradually decreased. Since "New Red Mansion", it has only produced "Blossom Half Summer" in three years.

Today, Rong Xinda is more like a pure artist agency than a film and television production company.

Li Shaohong naturally knew the company's problems, but she did not have much energy and inspiration to ensure the content of Rong Xinda. Therefore, the best way was to bring in someone who could produce high-quality content.

In other words, Rong Xinda lacks a good screenwriter who can carry the flag.

Of course, Meng Bai is still far from reaching this level at the moment, but the talent he has shown is enough to make people look forward to his future.

Thinking of this, Li Shaohong no longer hesitated, and looked at Li Qin who was still curious and said: "Since you have a plan, I won't stop you, just give this web drama project a try."

Li Qin didn't know that Li Shaohong had changed her mind during this time, and was still thinking about what to say next. Suddenly hearing Li Shaohong's permission, she was stunned for a moment before she smiled and said, "Thank you, Aunt Li!"

Li Shaohong looked at Li Qin's happy expression, smiled and shook her head, and then immediately reminded her: "This Meng Bai has talent and gift, you can talk to him more when you are in the crew. In addition, if he has a new script or new project, you can tell him to come to Rong Xinda to take a look, which may also be an option."

"Oh, okay, I understand." Li Qin felt that Li Shaohong's words seemed to be recruiting, but she was not sure, so she responded in a daze.

The two chatted for a while, and then Li Qin was ready to leave. Before leaving, she couldn't help but ask curiously, "Aunt Li, what was the name of the movie that Meng Bai adapted?"

Li Shaohong thought for a few seconds and shook his head, "I forgot the name, it's probably a science fiction movie, and the male lead seems to be played by Cheng Long's son. If you're interested, just look it up yourself."

(End of this chapter)