Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 276 Teddy Sisters' Plans, Visiting the New Company
In May, "Struggle" premiered. Although it had not yet been broadcast on satellite TV, it achieved remarkable success on several local channels, prompting Yi An to adjust its distribution plan accordingly.

The popularity of the TV series "Struggle" has brought benefits to several of its main actors to varying degrees.

Qin Lan's Teddy Sisters group seems to be the biggest winner, after all, Li Xiaolu and Ma Yili are both main characters, and Ma can even be considered the female lead.

Ma Yili's boyfriend, Wen Zhang, who is also the second male lead in the drama, has received a lot of exposure.

Not to mention they also have a copy of "The Deer and the Cauldron," starring Huo Siyan, Ying Cai'er, and Liu Yun.

This drama is expected to air during the summer season, and its performance should be quite good. It combines elements of "The Deer and the Cauldron" and "Struggle," and also features Qin Lan, Huo Siyan, Zhao Ke, and others from the previously popular "The Palace of Qing Dynasty."

The already formidable Teddy Sisters group has become even more powerful, leading to a significant increase in related media coverage.

While the Teddy Sisters benefited, Dong Xuan's side wasn't idle either.

With the hit TV series "Struggle", no one can ignore the male lead, Tong Dawei.

Guan Yue's ability to firmly hold the second position on Dong Xuan's side, even suppressing Yang Xue and Jiang Xin, is not only due to her best relationship with Dong Xuan, but also to the support of her boyfriend.

The Teddy Sisters are waiting for the premiere of "The Deer and the Cauldron," while Dong Xuan also has "The Legend of Chu Liuxiang."

Although Dong Xuan's side is not as numerous or powerful as the Teddy Sisters group at present, they are not to be underestimated.

Both sides each led a stall, making quite a show of force, plus there was Wang Ou, who was quietly making a fortune.

Even Fan Xiaopang, who wasn't particularly interested in this, felt a little pressure.

Well, as the saying goes, many ants can kill an elephant, let alone some of them who are also wolves.

Fan Xiaopang wasn't afraid, but he also felt that a one-on-one fight would lower his own standards and be too cost-effective.

Therefore, Fan Xiaopang also began to consciously improve his social circle.

At this moment, Sun Li, who was eager to get close to her, appeared.

Because there were no scenes featuring Sun Shangxiang at the time of filming "Red Cliff", Fan Xiaopang took ten days off to return to Beijing for work. Sun Li seized the opportunity to invite Yan Li and Fan Xiaopang to dinner.

After dinner, it seems the two had another private meeting. Anyway, by the time Fan Xiaopang returned to the "Red Cliff" set, the two had already posted a photo of themselves cheek to cheek on their blogs.

With this level of efficiency, Yan Li even suspected that one of the two had a system.

It's not hard to understand why Sun Li and Deng Chao wanted to team up with Fan Xiaopang to gain a foothold in Yi'an and seek some benefits.

Fan Xiaopang hopes to build a good relationship with Deng Chao, the future top executive of the company, and also intends to make new friends. Sun Li has enough fame and status, and their interests are aligned.

If you have feelings for someone, and I have feelings for someone else, and we each get what we need, but the relationship doesn't go smoothly, it's because both of you have low emotional intelligence.

For Yan Li, it wasn't a bad thing that Fan Xiaopang and Sun Li became friends. It helped him win over the popular couple Deng and Sun, saving him a lot of trouble.

But this matter was somewhat "terrifying" for Qin Lan, Dong Xuan, and others.

...

Fuli City

When Huo Siyan wasn't working, she would sometimes come here more often than she would go home, and Guang Yanli had run into her quite a few times.

As she visited more often, she became more and more casual, simply wearing a shirt and skirt, barefoot, petting Qin Lan's teddy bear dog while reporting the information she had gathered to Qin Lan.

“Sun Li was probably aiming for ‘Painted Skin.’ I heard that her agent, Chang Jihong, had visited Yi’an before.”

“Look, she got involved with that guy surnamed Fan and Deng Chao. With them speaking on her behalf, her popularity skyrocketed.”

"That's shameless. She's supposed to be the top actress at Hairun Media, yet she's sucking up to that guy surnamed Fan for a role. It's disgraceful."

"..."

Li Xiaolu, who was eating snacks nearby, couldn't help but glance at Huo Siyan.

How dare she say that? When it comes to flattery, Sun Li is far inferior to Huo Siyan.

Qin Lan silently stirred the coffee on the table, then handed one of the cups to Li Xiaolu.

"Xiaolu, be mentally prepared for the role in 'Painted Skin'."

Li Xiaolu nodded. She wasn't actually that eager for the role; she was mostly persuaded by Huo Siyan.

In her mind, it would be best if she could get it, but if she couldn't, then so be it.

Huo Siyan, however, was still unwilling to give up: "Sister, you're being too pessimistic. The fourth sister (Li Xiaolu's sister group) is doing well with the broadcast of 'Struggle'. President Yan might consider it."

Qin Lan glanced at her: "Sun Li's 'New Shanghai Bund' is doing poorly?"

Jade Goddess of Mercy, Blood Romance, Happiness Like Flowers, Huo Yuanjia, New Shanghai Bund...

In recent years, Sun Li has produced some good works almost every year.
In terms of fame and status, she is already in the first tier outside of the "Four Dan and Two Bing" (referring to four top actresses and two top actresses in China), only slightly inferior in terms of popularity, exposure, and film experience.

The Teddy Sisters, including Ma Yili and Qin Lan, are all more famous than each other.

Originally, because of the double-soldiers, many people dared not act in "Painted Skin". Sun Li was a hot favorite, and Li Xiaolu would not have been able to compete with her at all if it weren't for Qin Lan's support.

Now, Sun Li and Fan Xiaopang have hooked up. If she can persuade the latter to support her, the outcome is predictable.

It's better to stop now and save face. If you keep fighting and lose, you'll be humiliated by Fan Xiaopang.

"But……"

Huo Siyan wanted to persuade her again, but Qin Lan stopped her: "Listen to me, let's just do it this way."

Liu Yun, who hadn't spoken until now, chimed in, "Don't make things difficult for Sister Lan. Let's wait for another opportunity next time."

Liu Yun neither confirmed nor denied the matter of Li Xiao's performance of "Painted Skin".

If she succeeds in taking the lead, it's a good thing for the Teddy Sisters as a whole. If she doesn't get the role, it will also curb Huo and Li's arrogance within the group. She can accept it either way and just go along with Qin Lan.

Seeing this, Huo Siyan knew that things were hopeless, so she sighed and tried to console herself.

"I'm just so angry. Why does everything good happen to people with the surname Fan?"

Huo Siyan was somewhat jealous of Fan Xiaopang.

With Yan Li's support, the latter became an overnight sensation, rising to fame at breakneck speed. In just a few years, she became one of China's most popular actresses, raking in huge sums of money and enjoying unparalleled success.

At the same time, Fan Xiaopang also monopolized a lot of resources within Yi'an and sometimes even caused them trouble.

Adding to the old grudges from "Happy Seven Fairies," Huo Siyan was sometimes even more proactive than Qin Lan in dealing with Fan Xiaopang.

Yes, the same goes for Dong Xuan.

Well, Huo Siyan's ability to firmly occupy Qin Lan's closest and most trusted sister position owes a great deal to her hatred for Dong and Fan.

Qin Lan worried about Ma Yili's fickle nature, worried about Li Xiaolu's ability to juggle multiple relationships, and even feared that Liu Yun might one day waver in his stance.

Huo Siyan is the only one who would never betray her in this regard. In fact, even if she wanted to betray her, Fan and Dong wouldn't pay any attention to her. In addition, she has also offended Wang Ou and others. Huo Siyan has offended a whole circle of people and can only stick with Qin Lan and the Teddy Sisters.

"It's just a matter of time, it's not like she won, so relax."

Qin Lan comforted Huo Siyan, took her own teddy dog ​​from her, and petted it a couple of times.

"Let's talk about something happy. Yu Zheng called me a couple of days ago and said that Si Yan's role in 'The Last Princess' is confirmed. There are also a few supporting roles, and I'm thinking of seeing if I can recommend a few of my sisters to play them."

When the project "The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty" was launched, Yu Zheng chose to side with Qin Lan.

Although Fan Xiaopang's attitude became somewhat ambiguous due to his strong position in the company and his relationship with Wang Ou and his old classmates, his relationship with Qin Lan remained very close.

Currently, Yu Zheng has two projects in hand, "Rouge Snow" and "The Last Princess", both of which are set in the Republican era.

The former is starring Fan Xiaopang, and the Teddy Sisters don't need to get involved.

The latter, however, was secured the lead role for Huo Siyan by Qin Lan.

Of course, it was also Yu Zheng's idea. He had a lot of say in this project, and if the company didn't arrange it, even if Qin Lan promoted someone, she would still have to get Yu Zheng's approval.

Yu Zheng personally admires Huo Siyan quite a bit; he praised her a lot during the filming of "The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty".

He really likes actresses like Huo Siyan, who can play both innocent little rabbits and wicked, vicious women; she can be pure, alluring, and despicable.

After securing the lead role, Qin Lan wanted to go a step further and get a few supporting roles. Since she was going to use other people anyway, she might as well have a team-building activity with her Teddy Sisters.

This kind of supporting role is neither appreciated nor useful by Li Xiaolu and Ma Yili, but it is still beneficial to Liu Yun, Zhao Ke, Xiong Naijin and others.

"Sis, aren't you going to act?"

Huo Siyan was a little curious, since "Dream Again" Qin Lan had hardly filmed anything.

"Yes, I can act, but I can't act in this movie. I have to act in movies, 'Peach Blossom Luck' and 'Love Transfer 2'."

Qin Lan was also working; both films had a large number of female roles, so she participated in both.

In particular, in "Peach Blossom Luck", she co-starred with Fan Xiaopang, but the movie was more like an episodic film, and the two hardly had any scenes together.

In addition, she was approached by a spy drama series.

Qin Lan originally intended to turn down the role because she thought it was the second female lead, but Yan Li happened to read the script and was quite interested in it, so he persuaded her to take it. Apparently, there was even an investment involved.

With two movies and one TV series, she's considered one of the most hardworking members of the Teddy Sisters group. Take Li Xiaolu, for example; while "Struggle" is expected to boost her popularity, she doesn't have any filming plans. Instead, she's been talking about releasing an EP (mini-album), which can be described as capricious.

Huo Siyan doesn't film frequently, only two or three films a year. Unless there's a rare opportunity, she doesn't film. Instead, she attends various events to make her presence known or organizes fun activities with her friends.

And then there's Ma Yili, who's even more enthusiastic about helping her boyfriend Wen Zhang with his acting than she is about herself.

Qin Lan sometimes felt that it was no wonder Yan Li was so supportive of Fan Xiaopang; aside from anything else, he was genuinely enthusiastic about his work.

While the Teddy Sisters may be numerous and successful individually, their combined ambition is hardly comparable to that of Fan Xiaopang.

Fortunately, Dong Xuan's side was also a bunch of mediocre people, not very presentable, otherwise Qin Lan really wouldn't have been able to be so laid-back.

However, although the Teddy Sisters were a bit less career-driven, they were still reliable at eating, drinking, and relieving boredom. After chatting for a while, Huo Siyan suggested going out to play.

"There's a German restaurant that opened near Dongzhimen. I heard it's pretty authentic. Let's go check it out and then get a facial. It's getting hotter and hotter, and my skin feels a bit dry."

Huo Siyan's words were echoed by Li Xiaolu, and Liu Yun did not object, but Qin Lan frowned slightly.

"Let's skip it today, I have to bring your brother-in-law his food."

"Sending food?"

"Well, your brother-in-law hasn't been feeling well these past couple of days. He hasn't had much of an appetite. His company just moved, and we couldn't find a suitable restaurant nearby, so I made some light porridge, soup, noodles, and the like and sent them to him to help him through this period."

"Is there still this?"

Li Xiaolu's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "Then let's deliver it together, and take a look at my brother-in-law's new company address while we're at it."

"Forget it, it's not good for a large group of people to go by like that."

Qin Lan hesitated for a moment. She said she was delivering food, but she actually delivered it downstairs and then called Yan Li's assistant to pick it up. There was only one time when Yan Li was working overtime at night and there weren't many employees in the company, so she went upstairs to deliver the food herself.

Huo and Li tried to reassure her that it was alright, but Liu Yun noticed Qin Lan's hesitation and thought for a moment before speaking.

"It's actually fine if there are a lot of people. Just treat it as a company visit. I think we still have that much face."

Visiting film sets is a common practice in the entertainment industry, and it's not just about visiting the film crew; it's also common to visit the company.

When Yi An moved to a new house, it was perfectly normal for them, as close artists who had worked together, to go and send flowers, take a stroll around, and chat with acquaintances.

Qin Lan's brows relaxed, but she still took out her phone: "I'll ask him, so he won't be too busy and come to nothing."

"Hey."

Yan Li's voice came from the other end of the phone. Qin Lan asked, "Are you at the company?"

"Yes."

"Um, Siyan and the others heard that your company moved and want to go and see it. I hope it won't interfere with your work."

"Come on, let me take a look. You guys can just come over now. Don't bother making food. Let's go out and eat together after we're done."

"Okay, let's pack up and head over."

Qin Lan hung up the phone, changed her coat, and was about to call everyone to leave when Huo Siyan felt that her clothes were a bit hasty and wanted to go back to change, but Liu Yun stopped her.

Female celebrities have all sorts of personalities in their private lives.

Some people always go out fully made up and dressed, some are carefree and casual, and some dress simply, neither refined nor ordinary.

Yan Li wasn't a stranger; whatever happens, happens. There was no need to overthink it.

Huo Siyan had no choice but to be forcibly taken into the car, but she still managed to touch up her makeup on the way, for which she had a perfectly valid reason.

“Yi An is a director and producer. If I’m sloppy and leave a bad impression, wouldn’t that be digging a hole for my career?”

That makes sense, so Li Xiaolu naturally followed suit and even Liu Yun tidied herself up in front of the mirror.

Yan Lixin's new company is located along the East Third Ring Road, which is very close to Fuli City, only about a ten-minute drive away. This is why Yan Lixin asked Qin Lan to deliver his meals.

Before long, they arrived at their destination, parked the car, and Qin Lan swiped her card to access the building before leading the group to an elevator.

In the elevator, Qin Lan and Huo Siyan had a brief conversation.

Yi An, along with other companies, rented two floors in this building. The 22nd floor was occupied by Yi An, and the 21st floor was occupied by companies such as Yan Ye Capital, Yi An Cinema, and Yi An Media.

It seems that neither of the two floors is fully utilized, and Yan Li intends to leave some room for development.

The elevator arrived quickly. After exiting the elevator lobby and passing through the corridor, we arrived at the reception desk, where a huge Yi'an logo wall looked very impressive.

A young woman in a suit was already waiting there. When she saw Qin Lan and the others, she quickly came over to greet them.

"Ms. Qin, I'm Zhang Qing from the President's Office. President Yan is in his office and asked me to take you there."

"sorry to bother you."

Qin Lan nodded, and the group stepped into the company. The main building was an open-plan office area, divided into several sections. Hundreds of people were either sitting or walking, and the sounds of keyboards, telephones, and conversations rose and fell.

Along the open office area, there is a row of offices, meeting rooms, studios, reception areas, and the like.

Liu Yun looked around and thought it was even bigger than Huayi Brothers, so he couldn't help but ask, "How many square meters is this floor?"

Zhang Qing smiled and said, "This office building is Grade A, which is larger than the average one. As far as I know, it should be 3500 to 4000 square meters. I don't know the exact number, but I can ask a colleague to check for you."

Wow, nearly 4000 square meters, and it's a Grade A office building on the East Third Ring Road. The monthly rent is probably enough to buy an apartment.

Li Xiaolu's family runs a business, so she has a better understanding of this area.

In the past two years, Beijing's economy has continued to grow, and rents have also skyrocketed. This location on the East Third Ring Road is very close to the CBD and belongs to the core area of ​​Chaoyang District, so the prices are even more attractive.

With rent, property management fees, utilities, internet, and other miscellaneous expenses, it's easy to rack up millions a month.

In fact, money is a minor matter. The real skill lies in acquiring two floors of an office building in this location in one go, which requires resources, influence, and connections.

Oh, and courage too.

Tens of millions of yuan in annual rent is no small matter, and it's not even one floor; most business owners can't afford to run this business.

Film and television companies, in particular, are asset-light but risky, so they rarely spend so much money on office space, except for those with special needs.

However, considering Yi'an's development over the past two years, it has been compared to giants like Huayi Brothers and Hairun more and more often, and has already become a new leader in the industry.

It seems reasonable for a large company to have such a grand presence.

Li Xiaolu didn't understand the intricacies of the situation. To put it bluntly, Yi Anxin's new company seemed more like a giant than Orange Sky, where she worked, and several other companies she had visited.

The group continued walking until they reached Yan Li's office. Zhang Qing knocked on the door and then led the group inside.

"President Yan, Teacher Qin and the others have arrived."

Yan Li was standing by the window making a phone call. After gesturing a couple of times, Zhang Qing invited the group to sit down, poured tea, and then turned and left.

The group watched Yan Li make a phone call without saying a word, only staring at his office.

The area is quite large, roughly over a hundred square meters. Not only is it big, but it's also tall, with a ceiling height of three or four meters. The city skyline outside the large floor-to-ceiling windows adds to its magnificent atmosphere.

The office's overall design uses neutral colors such as sophisticated gray, off-white, and dark brown as the background, and is laid with matte gray marble. In the reception area, there are also many carpets, giving people a simple yet comfortable feeling.

The most eye-catching feature is the huge solid wood desk in the core area, with its clean and tidy desktop and floor-to-ceiling windows behind it, showcasing the owner's authority.

There are also some storage and displays around, including ceramics, paintings, calligraphy, sculptures, and so on, which create a refined atmosphere.

(P.S.: Concept art, details omitted)
During this time, they mostly interacted with Yan Li at Qinlan Fuli City. Yan Li was usually very approachable and would even cook for them when he felt like it.

Today, I went to Yan Li's luxurious and grand office. Although it was still the same face, the sense of oppression immediately increased.

Qin Lan was quite at ease, partly because of her relationship with Yan Li, and partly because she had visited before and even offered her opinions during the renovation. She also bought the bronze sculpture.

Seeing that Zhang Qing wasn't there, she strolled over and sat down in Yan Li's boss's chair, glancing at the two photos on his desk.

Without her, there would be neither Dong nor Fan.

One photo is a group photo of most of the employees at the old company site before Yi'an moved, and the other is a photo of Yan Li and Lin Jiachuan at the small storefront where Yi'an first started.

At that time, Yan Li was still a bit green and dressed plainly. He was smiling happily at the camera with his arm around Lin Jiachuan.

The storefront behind them didn't even have a formal sign; it was just a white wooden signboard for Yi'an Film and Television.

The sign wasn't ordered from a private person. Lin Jiachuan found a wooden board, painted it white, bought a calligraphy brush and paint, and had an old man practicing calligraphy on the floor in the park write it. It cost him a total of more than ten yuan.

Later, when they moved, they didn't know where they threw the sign away. When Yan Li remembered it and tried to find it, the intelligence system showed that someone had picked it up, chopped it up, and used it for firewood.

The only traces left from Yi'an's early days are Yan Li, Lin Jiachuan, and this photograph.

On Yan Li's first day at the new company, he specially asked someone to put this photo in a frame and place it on his desk.

It serves as a form of self-reflection and motivation, a way to inspire subordinates, and also a chance to boast and tell stories when meeting suitable guests…

　(102000)

　　
　
(End of this chapter)