The battle for traffic in Chinese entertainment

Chapter 502 Worries and Recognition

Thanks to the two-week experience in Beijing, Xu Xing's will is now stronger.

Despite the freezing weather and the bone-chilling cold, nothing could stop Xu Xing from getting up early. She would wake up at seven o'clock every day and be on set before eight-thirty.

His face was full of energy and his whole body was brimming with spirit.

"Look at Xu Xing's face! A strong youth makes a strong nation! However, Wu Wanli is extremely exhausted now. His eyes may be bright because of his unwavering will, but the fatigue in his body and face is undeniable. Or perhaps a numbness. Lying here, before you see his eyes, you get the feeling of exhaustion and numbness. The extreme cold, the death of comrades, and the torment of war can numb people. But once you see his eyes, you are instantly shaken. You feel that no matter how harsh the environment, how great the difficulties, or how powerful the enemy, they cannot defeat him!"

As Director Xu Ke was speaking, he suddenly lay down on the ground to demonstrate for himself.

He's 70 years old, which really startled everyone.

Xu Xing felt a little embarrassed.

This is just the simplest scene. Xu Xing has been acting for so many years, yet she still needs the director to demonstrate it.

After a nearly year-long delay, "The Battle at Lake Changjin" was finally co-directed by Xu Ke, Wu Jing, and Lin Chaoxian, with the three having different roles.

Xu Xinggang mainly started filming scenes directed by Xu.

In this adaptation of "The Battle at Lake Changjin," Xu Xing replaced Yi Yangqianxi, and Wu Wanli's character was also modified.

Wu Wanli is now a character who yearns for peace. He secretly follows his brother Wu Qianli to participate in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea to protect his country. He eventually matures through the trials of war and cherishes peace even more.

Hsu Hsing-chih had never filmed in such an environment before, and was still adapting and not quite in the right state of mind.

After listening to Director Xu's explanation, Xu Xing immediately made a promise.

"I understand, the next one will definitely be fine!"

"Alright, let's do it again!"

Director Xu, who had been helped up, smiled and casually gestured for the filming to begin.

Because it was still snowing, the assistant director next to him wanted him to go back to his room and watch from behind the monitor, but he didn't agree.

They'll make the board again soon.

Half a minute later——

"Stop! Snow is blowing into Xu Xing's eyes!"

A large crowd quickly gathered around.

Filming was interrupted again.

Although it was snowing, the crew still used snow machines and blowers to create the best possible snowy backdrop, adjusting the wind speed before filming officially began.

Unexpectedly, an accident still occurred after filming began.

It was a very small accident, but the crew was extremely nervous.

It wasn't just because Xu Xing was such a big star, but also because this was a war film with many explosions and large-scale scenes, and the crew had to avoid all possible accidents.

The problem is that the direction in which the blower vents are placed has not been taken into account, resulting in wind blowing onto the earthen slope and snow being blown into the eyes of the actors who are lying on the ground.

There may be other safety hazards later.

So this time filming was suspended for quite a while before it resumed.

Fortunately, Xu Xing finally got into the zone, and the subsequent filming went relatively smoothly overall. However, by the time they returned to the hotel, it was almost midnight.

There are many night scenes in "The Battle at Lake Changjin". When you first join the crew, you need to warm up before you start shooting at night.

Xu Xing will be filming on set for nine consecutive days, after which she will fly to Hong Kong to attend the premiere of "Childhood Games".

After a short three-day break, they rejoined the crew.

The only advantage of shooting at night is that we don't have to wait until the morning to talk to the US.

"There's no way around it. While filming, I can't squeeze out much time to work on the album. After I finish filming on this set and move on to another set, I should have about half a month to continue working on the album. At this rate, the album won't be officially released until summer at the earliest."

Xu Xing shrugged.

“John, I also want to get the album to the fans as soon as possible. After the Christmas shock is over, ‘Blinding Lights’ can still get back into the top five of the charts, and should stay in the top ten for several weeks after that. Once it’s out of the top ten, we’ll release a single. We’ll just pick one of the two or three songs we’ve already finished to release, and that should be enough to last until the album is officially released.”

John brought Xu Xing the news that Ariana had accepted the collaboration invitation, and also urged Xu Xing to release her album again.

But Xu Xingzhen wasn't in a hurry.

"Blinding Lights" has been out for six months now, and it only dropped out of the top five due to the Christmas effect. It's even in the top ten this week.

“Are you sure every single you're working on right now will go on the album?” John frowned. “Xing, this is your first album. Based on the demos you've created and the concepts you've explained, I still don't understand what kind of music you want to make—”

“Of course it’s just popular,” Xu Xing said immediately. “To hell with the music critics. After this English album is released, I don’t even know how many years it will be before I release the next one. John, I appreciate your expectation that I create a great album, but I think those great things are pretty boring. The greatness of music is given by musicians, but I don’t feel like I’m anything great.”

“I can invite any producer in the world to collaborate with you! No one in this world can say that a musician with three HOT100 singles that have been number one for ten weeks is not great. Xing, I have never been urging you to release an album as quickly as possible. I just hope that you can devote more time and energy to music.”

John said helplessly.

"Let's talk about it in a few years, when I'm ready to have some free time. Okay, John, I promise you, in a few years, at the latest within five years, I will definitely start producing my second English album, and I will put all my energy into polishing it slowly, trying to make it the best it can be. I really don't have much time to spend on music right now. Otherwise, let's just officially release 'Stay' first."

Xu Xing made the suggestion.

Hsu Hsing has a clear understanding of herself. Even with the best producers, producing a highly acclaimed album still requires a lot of effort, and there's a very high probability that it won't turn out as expected.

"Blinding Lights" has been out for half a year and dominated the American and world music scene for half a year, but it still has not been recognized by American music critics, and no one has rehabilitated the song by the end of the year.

"Blinding Lights" was nowhere to be found in the previously announced Grammy nominations. Hsu Hsing only got a nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Taylor Swift by riding on Taylor Swift's "Exile".

John sighed heavily.

"Okay, okay, this album is purely commercial. Xing, I know they're being unfair to you, but it takes time to change, doesn't it? Many people have changed their perception of Asian musicians because of you, and more and more people are recognizing your music every year. If we keep going down this path, we'll definitely reach the day when everyone applauds you!"

"Maybe."

Xu Xing smiled and didn't seem to care much.

After hanging up the phone, Xu Xing gently patted Zhao's head, signaling her to go back to the bedroom with him to sleep.

Unexpectedly, Zhao refused to get up and went even deeper.

She has really... made great progress.

Hey, those who deserve praise should be praised.

We should also point out our shortcomings; our abilities are still somewhat lacking.

It was getting late, and Xu Xing couldn't keep letting her work hard at her own pace.

Then speed it up.

So... it still feels like a little hamster.

After rewarding her for her progress, Xu Xing picked her up with one hand and carried her back to her bedroom.

She insisted on coming to visit Xu Xing, and Xu Xing couldn't very well stop her.

She was simply not capable enough and didn't want Chen Yuqi to come to her rescue.

The next day, Xu Xing subjected her to an unprecedented level of intensity, causing her to nearly faint several times. When Zhao woke up again, she was still not fully awake, and the words of resistance were already on the tip of her tongue.

She stared blankly, lost in thought for almost half an hour, before finally raising her head and speaking in a hoarse voice.

"Please let Sister Qi save me..."

It's true, when it's time to teach someone a lesson, you have to teach them without any leniency.

Xu Xing doesn't belong to anyone in particular; if you forget that, then emphasize it sternly.

"She might be a little worried. There have been rumors about you and Liu Haocun lately. They're from the same batch of young actresses. You haven't paid much attention to Hu Lianxin. Zhou Ye is a bit older, but she still has that younger sister vibe, though she's a different type. Liu Haocun, on the other hand, is the same pure and innocent type as her. She's a 'Zhang Yimou girl' and has that halo."

Chen Yuqi took a moment to analyze the situation for Xu Xing.

The rumors about Hsu Hsing and Liu Hao-tsun started at the beginning of the month when it was rumored online that Liu Hao-tsun would join the cast of "Sheep Without a Shepherd 4," which Hsu Hsing herself starred in, and then rumors spread that Liu Hao-tsun was Hsu Hsing's new girlfriend.

At that time, Teacher Fan had just joined the cast of "Don't Look Up," and the internet was buzzing about Xu Xingwei being a celebrity with a lot of scandals. Liu Haocun was being repeatedly emphasized by the fan community for his history of being a celebrity who caused serious harm.

In addition, Liu Haocun's identity as the female lead in the original version of "Little Red Flower" and the fact that her Weibo account was exposed, which contained several posts expressing her love for Xu Xing, just like any other fan, have now become evidence.

— Liu Haocun's account was discovered by fans last year.

Fans and other bored netizens firmly believe that Xu Xing is promoting Liu Haocun and that the two must be having an affair.

The "Starry Sky" group responded to the rumor with, "Sheep Without a Shepherd 2 hasn't even been released yet, and suddenly Sheep Without a Shepherd 4 is popping up. Can't the jinx come up with something better?" However, some of the "Starry Sky" members also expressed concern.

After posting in the Super Topic and other communities, Xu Xing asked: What kind of role can a character with a disability play but not Si Ya? It's impossible for Xu Xing to abandon her own company's Si Ya to promote a character with a disability.

Then they rushed to Zhao Jinmai's Weibo and had a team-building activity for a few days.

urge her to work harder and harder, to start early and improve her acting skills quickly, otherwise her roles will be snatched away by outsiders.

Perhaps Zhao Jinmai overthought things after seeing it online?

Speaking of which, "Sheep Without a Shepherd 4: The Tuner" was indeed officially discussed within Zheng Rong. This is the movie that Xu Xing will be making after "The Battle at Lake Changjin".

—The script for "Detective Chinatown 4" is not yet finalized.

No sooner had the discussion ended than news broke that Liu Haocun would be starring in the film, and that the female lead, Sophie, in "The Tuner" was indeed a role that someone her age could play.

When Sun Man reported to Xu Xing, she thought that this was a publicity stunt by Liu Haocun's team to try and get a role after the inside information of Zhengrong leaked. She reminded Xu Xing to be careful, as Liu Haocun might bring up this topic with Xu Xing and ask her for the role, so that Xu Xing should think about whether or not to give it to him.

Sun Man believes that after experiencing the benefits of "desensitization and whitewashing," Liu Haocun's team is likely to become path-dependent and start to get used to this approach.

The scandals that surfaced during the casting of "Little Red Flower" have made many netizens feel that "One Second" is no big deal now that it's being released.

The rumors of being "pre-selected" for "The Tuner" surfaced early on, and now netizens are gossiping about the rumors with Xu Xing, especially allowing Xu Xing's fans to vent their opposition.

In fact, upon closer examination, this rumor seems to be utter nonsense.

This scandal can be dismissed as mere malicious attacks by anti-fans.

If Liu Haocun really does act in "The Tuner", there will inevitably be rumors.

Now that everything is done, once "The Tuner" is officially approved and she's cast as the female lead, the impact of the scandal will be reduced.

Now Liu Haocun can also use this "rumor that popped up online" to test Xu Xing's attitude towards her starring in "The Tuner," and use the comments from netizens who "cyberbullied" her to make Xu Xing feel sorry for her.

Although the rumor that Liu Haocun would star in "Sheep Without a Shepherd 4" was not without basis, Xu Xing also felt that Sun Man was overthinking things.

At least a month has passed since the initial report, and no one online is talking about it anymore. Liu Haocun has also not mentioned "Sheep Without a Shepherd 4" to Xu Xing during their chat.

Now, Chen Yuqi says that Zhao Jinmai is worried about Liu Haocun.

Are they also worried about "Sheep Without a Shepherd 4"?
However, Xu Xing never considered casting Liu Haocun or Zhao Jinmai as Sophie, the female lead in "The Tuner".

That role could be played by the younger sisters or the older sisters. Xu Xing has already awarded the role to Dilraba.

Zhao is making progress, and Reba is also constantly improving.

After half a month in Beijing, Dilraba's alluring charm is almost on par with Tong Liya's. She now knows far better than Gulnazar how to leverage the qualities that Xu Xing likes about her.

In "The Wandering Earth," Xu Xing and Zhao Jinmai play siblings, and they have been marketed as siblings for the past two years, so there is no need for them to play lovers in the movie for the time being.

After five days of rigorous training, Xu Xing had a frank discussion with Zhao Jinmai about this topic.

"……what?"

Zhao Jinmai looked bewildered.

"I... I never thought about acting in 'Sheep Without a Shepherd 4'... I want to be Xing-ge's sister forever."

At the end, she smiled sweetly and rushed over to hug Xu Xing.

Zhao Meimei has been constantly criticized by Xingbaogu for her lack of talent, saying that her acting skills are too formulaic at such a young age and that she definitely doesn't have a bright future.

Her performance this time was still somewhat flawed.

But, Xu Xing had already guaranteed her good younger sister's future!
After another round of rigorous testing, Xu Xingcai fed the little hamster a bunch of carrots before putting her in the car.

The movie "Bad Genius" starring a hamster is about to be released.

Then, on the plane to the port city, Xu Xing also received a WeChat message from Liu Haocun.

Liu: [I went to see "Bad Genius" today, it was so good!!!]

Liu: [Brother Xing, why are you so good at writing scripts! [Pity][Pity][Pity]]

Liu: [Brother Xing, I'm so conflicted! I really want to call you God Xing, but I don't want to give up calling you brother. Can I call you God Xing-ge? The meaning of "God Xing" changes. [Pleading]]

She sent three messages in a row, and seemed very excited.

Xu: [No.]

Liu: 【...Why not? [Pity]】

Liu: [How am I supposed to shout then...? [Pity]]

Xu: [Figure it out yourself. [Laughing and crying emoji]]

Liu: [I'll think about it some more. [Sad]]

Liu: [I think I've got it, but I want to say it in person. [Smirking]]

Liu: [I miss Xing-ge so much! [Sad]]

Xu: [I miss you too. [laughing and crying emoji]]

Liu: [So happy!!! [spinning around]]

Liu: [I really love the female lead in the movie. This kind of character is so rare. She makes mistakes, but ultimately stays true to herself. I've been thinking about what kind of movie I should film next. I've read so many scripts, but none of them are as good as the female lead in 'Bad Genius'.]

Liu: [And this movie's box office is amazing! My previous film, "One Second," only grossed 13 million yuan, but "Bad Genius" surpassed it in just two days. I heard it will eventually gross at least ten times that of "One Second," 1.3 billion yuan... [sad][pity][crying]]

Liu: [I wonder when I'll be able to create something like this...]

Xu: [I heard you're going to act in Han Han's "The Four Seas"? His last film grossed 17 billion yuan, and his reputation has remained consistently high.]

Liu: [It's not confirmed yet. [Sigh]]

Liu: [These days, the internet is flooded with all sorts of news, all kinds of rumors.]

Liu: [There are even rumors that I'll be in Xing Ge's "Sheep Without a Shepherd 4"! [Laughing]]

So innocent and naive.

After Xu Xing finished expressing his feelings, he returned to the past.

Unfortunately, the female lead for "Sheep Without a Shepherd 4" has already been cast.

The message "[typing in progress]" on the other end stopped abruptly.

However, it quickly started again [typing].

It took almost two minutes of typing before Liu Haocun finally replied.

Liu: [I'm so envious of her. [Stunned]]

Liu: [I will continue to work hard and will definitely gain Xing-ge's approval as soon as possible! [Striving]]

Xu: [You actually think I haven't approved yet?]

Liu: [Have I really been accepted by Brother Xing?! [Pity][Pity][Pity]]

Xu: [Looks like I was too gentle.]

Liu: [I'm so happy!!! [Laughing][Laughing][Laughing]]

She didn't say anything more.

The conversation turned to Xu Xing's film "The Battle at Lake Changjin," and when they learned that Xu Xing was on a plane heading to Hong Kong, they chatted for a few more minutes about "Childhood Games."

Xu Xing didn't say anything more.

Xu Xing has already prepared a script for her collaboration, but there's no need to bring it out now.

Liu Haocun is not a formidable person, and Xu Xing has to consider her team when dealing with her. She is a newcomer, and her team still makes the decisions in everything.

Sun Man's suspicions about her also stemmed from the less-than-harmonious interactions she had with her team.

If Xu Xing is too accommodating to a team that's just messing around, they'll only become more unrestrained.

We can give it to you when the time is right.

Besides, Xu Xing and Liu have only slept together once.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The plane landed in the port city.

Erika personally came to the airport to pick up Xu Xing.

After exchanging pleasantries and getting into the car, the first topic she brought up was Xu Xing's recent achievement, "Bad Genius".

"I just arrived in Hong Kong yesterday and went to see this movie as soon as possible. I have to say, I was completely captivated by it. It was interesting, thrilling, and unforgettable. It reminded me of my student days. To be honest, I also cheated, though not as 'grandly' as them, but I still remember it vividly."

"After watching the movie, I thought about it again and realized that I felt guilty rather than proud of cheating back then, which finally put my mind at ease. I can't wait for it to be released on Netflix and share it with everyone. Of course, I have to wait for the movie to leave theaters first."

Erika enthusiastically shared her thoughts after watching the film.

Xu Xing naturally smiled and thanked her for her thoughtfulness.

"Thank you, I'm very happy. Erika, you might not believe it, but countless people have told me how much they love this movie these past few days, even though I haven't seen it yet."

He sighed and shrugged.

Erika laughed heartily.

"How pitiful. I saw the news reports that your film set was freezing cold, and I couldn't stand it for even a second. Fortunately, I have never seen a superstar as energetic and productive as you. You are truly a great legend! But for your fans, your collaborators, and us, this is our good fortune."

Erika was much more flattering than last time.

It's even flattery and fawning.

It seems her situation within Netflix is ​​more tense than expected.

Actually, this month's "Sweet Home" can be considered a success. Although the highly anticipated Blackpink member Kim Jisoo contributed a performance with many flaws, its viewership on Netflix and its popularity on social media in various regions can be said to have continued the trend of Korean zombie dramas.

This is one of Netflix's most outstanding series in December.

Even so, it did not alleviate Erika's situation.

Before coming, Xu Xing asked Sun Man if there was any new progress in the negotiations between Netflix and Tencent regarding the co-production of "The Three-Body Problem".

Last month, Netflix Asia Pacific Vice President Tony flew to China to participate in a series of business meetings.

Therefore, it was Tony, not Erika, who negotiated with Tencent Video about developing a TV series based on "The Three-Body Problem".

During the negotiations, Tony stated firmly that Netflix wanted to gain more control.

Tencent Video, of course, ignored it.

Erika then asked Zheng Rong if Tencent Video could make concessions.

Zheng Rong asked her if she could take the lead in the negotiations.

After receiving negative replies from each other, they went silent.

Such a conflict within a single project in the Asia-Pacific region wouldn't warrant Erika going to headquarters for reinforcements, so the situation simply reached a stalemate.

After discussing "Bad Genius," Erika shifted the topic to "Sweet Home."

She then praised Xu Xing's vision and Zheng Rong's strength. Although the company seemed to be backed by Zheng Rong, SM, Kakao Group and Netflix, it was actually an "outsider" in the Korean film and television industry.

Nowadays, there are many companies with strong backgrounds, but not many that can produce high-quality TV series.

Erika also praised director Park Seo-chang's skills.

Park Seo-chang has no intention of returning to China to develop his career. He is now focused on developing his career in South Korea, which is Netflix's absolute core business. Directors like him are Netflix's moat.

Of course, this is on the premise that Hsu Hsing always stands with Netflix.

Finally, when the topic turned to "Childhood Games," the cars had already driven into the villa area.

As they drove to the entrance of President Qu's villa, chatting about their expectations for the drama, Xu Xing, who was already prepared to get out of the car, was somewhat surprised to see the car drive forward a little further, and the gate of the villa next door opened automatically, allowing the car to drive in.

“I also have great confidence in ‘Childhood Games’, so I rented the villa next door and plan to stay in the port city for a long time.”

Erika explained with a smile.

However, upon entering the living room, Erika's intentions were revealed by the woman sitting on the sofa engrossed in reading.

Hearing someone come in, the woman closed her book, looked up, and a pure and innocent face came over.

It was not Guo Biting.

It was Bae Suzy.

(End of this chapter)