Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 375 The Dual Soldiers Trilogy: Saving the Married Woman Liu Tao
Fan Xiaopang went to Sichuan Province to film the last scenes, Li Bingbing went to film "Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame", and Yan Li returned to Beijing with Huang Bo and others.

The two won the Golden Horse Award and their popularity skyrocketed. Even though they're currently filming, they're already in talks for various endorsements and commercial deals. Once filming is over, they'll be rolling in money.

It is said that what many brands want to do most now is to sign both of them and play the "double weapon" card.

But this card is not easy to play. The team with the two pawns is not stupid. They have been consciously controlling the combination of the two pawns.

It's very simple, cards become worthless if you play them too much!
After "Painted Skin" and "The Message," Yi An has not launched a third collaboration project between two soldiers, partly due to this concern.

In the past two years, the two soldiers in "Painted Skin" and "The Message" have teamed up twice and both times were huge hits. However, behind the popularity, many people have also grown tired of seeing the two soldiers collaborate.

After all, the rumors have been hyped up, the competition has been hyped up, and even the CP (couple) pairing has been hyped up. Now they're even winning awards together. Too much of a good thing can happen, and they need to cool things down.

Even in Yan Li's plan, the two soldiers might only collaborate once more, creating a trilogy of two soldiers, and then they could go their separate ways and never see each other again.

Yan Li believed in moderation and didn't want to ruin his double-pawn strategy for money, lest it backfire.

This gives everyone a happy ending: the company profits, the audience is happy, and Shuangbing's career takes another step forward.

At the same time, this is also a life-saving card. If Yi'an encounters difficulties in development several years later, it can allow the two soldiers to merge again after ten years, stirring up emotions and turning danger into safety.

Therefore, Yan Li was quite cautious about the last part of the Shuangbing trilogy.

The original film, "Painted Skin 2," is now in the pending stage because Yan Li is not satisfied with the script quality.

The high praise for "The Message" has put Shuangbing on the spot. I dare not say that it will surpass "The Message", but it cannot be made too badly. It must be on the average level of the trilogy.

Currently, besides "Painted Skin 2", Yi An has also prepared three new scripts, all of which are tailor-made for Shuangbing.

One is an ancient costume mythological blockbuster, which is about the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox (Fan Xiaopang) and Yinglong Girl (Li Bingbing) fighting the big BOSS. It focuses on special effects, the story is so-so, and Fan Xiaopang is a bit irritable with fox spirits.

With the addition of two popular characters, Daji and Xiaowei, along with her captivating oval face and peach blossom eyes, as well as her less-than-respectable romantic history, the words "fox spirit" and "Fan Xiaopang" are now practically inextricably linked.

One is a historical epic that tells the story of Shangguan Wan'er and Princess Taiping struggling in the vortex of history.

This time it was Li Bingbing's turn to object. In "Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame," she played Shangguan Jing'er, who was based on Shangguan Wan'er. Playing the role again would inevitably be repetitive.

The last one is an action movie, with a bit of a Hollywood feel, featuring a standard duo of strong detectives or secret agents, only this time the male is replaced by a female.

Li Bingbing is calm, reserved, and has strong fighting ability, while Fan Xiaopang is shrewd, bright, and full of tricks. In the end, they defeated their opponents and won the victory.

The plot and setting are somewhat conventional, but the commercial elements are good, and the marketing and other aspects are well coordinated, so the box office should not be low.

Both "The Message" and "Painted Skin" take a tragic route, so the third installment is more lighthearted and has a happy ending, which can also bring a fresh perspective.

Each of the three scripts, including "Painted Skin 2," has its own strengths and weaknesses, and none of them are particularly good overall. Therefore, Yi An has not yet made a decision and will see if she can further optimize the script or wait for a better one.

If film and television projects are handled with such care, business projects should be handled even more so.

Even with two films co-produced, as long as they are well-made, making two more films is acceptable.

Businesses want to maximize advertising effectiveness, and brands would prefer to have both pawns to enhance their value and influence. Therefore, the number of times a pawn can be played is limited, and ideally, only one pawn should be played at a time.

Scarcity drives up value; the less common a product is, the more valuable it becomes.

So far, Fan Bingbing's commercial endorsements are the highest among female stars, but only a very few have reached the tens of millions level.

Li Bingbing only started tentatively asking for tens of millions after "The Message" became a huge hit and she won the Golden Horse Award.

For female celebrities, business is actually a separate field.

They not only look at your fame and works, but also at brand fit, personal image, fan commercial conversion, and many other aspects.

Most female celebrities don't have much access to business opportunities. Those who do are often limited to certain areas and paths due to various reasons.

Fan Xiaopang possesses outstanding inherent qualities, and through years of dedicated cultivation and marketing, he has achieved a precipitous lead in the business arena, with not only extremely wide coverage but also excellent results.

As a result, her business opportunities not only increased, but also became increasingly sought after.

In comparison, Li Bingbing is relatively weak in this aspect, and even to get the current price, he still has to benefit from the double soldier synergy.

However, it's a different story when two soldiers join forces.

Fan Xiaopang can negotiate for over 10 million on his own, and Li Bingbing can barely negotiate for 10 million. Together, they can negotiate for at least 30 to 40 million.

If it's an exclusive contract for both players, it would cost at least 5000 million.

Don't worry about the price; it starts at 5000 million. You also need to consider what other benefits and value your brand can bring to them.

If a brand's prestige and influence are insufficient, simply offering money may not be enough to secure a business.

1+1>2
Fan Xiaopang and Li Bingbing's team have now figured it out: two soldiers working together cost the same price, but when they work together, the price doubles.

Top-tier celebrities + a nationally renowned brand + current immense popularity – that's the strength and confidence behind this collaboration.

Including the final installment of the Yi An Project's dual-soldier trilogy, if they were to cast the dual-soldier duo again, even without box office revenue sharing, their salaries would still be an incredible sum, even with a friendly discount.

...

After returning to the capital, Yi'an held a small celebration party.

Shuang Bing was filming but didn't come; he only made a statement via video message, indicating that Huang Bo was the main character.

Compared to the rapid advancement of the Double Soldiers' conquest, Huang Bo, although overshadowed this time, still made a great appearance.

Huang Bo comes from a comedy background, and several of his representative roles are minor characters. Coupled with his appearance, although he has a lower number of fans, he has a very strong public image.

Yi An also positioned him as a capable, inspirational, humorous and approachable person.

This award, including the Best Actor award, has earned Huang Bo the title of "Dark Horse Best Actor".

This "dark horse" doesn't refer to the fact that his award was an upset, but rather to Huang Bo's life story, suggesting that his win represents a remarkable turnaround in his life.

For Huang Bo, "Crazy Racer" made him an instant star, and the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor further solidified his status, making him a representative of the newly emerging film stars in mainland China at the fastest speed.

Even Weibo Entertainment was secretly watching the spectacle, believing that Huang Bo, with the added boost from the Golden Horse Awards, would become the biggest challenger to Deng Chao, the top actor of Yi An.

However, Deng Chao and Huang Bo seemed to get along quite well, and Deng Chao even attended Huang Bo's celebration party to congratulate him on winning the award.

Yan Li even joked that they could consider having Deng Chao and Huang Bo collaborate once to launch the "Ultra-thin" duo.

The idea of ​​a pairing is a joke, but the idea of ​​Huang Bo and Deng Chao acting together is not true. According to Yan Li, Yi An already has a producer looking for scripts.

The project approval criteria for Yi'an are not consistent.

Sometimes, you first have a good script, the script is approved by the company, and then you arrange some producers and directors to start the project.

Some are led by the director, such as Ning Hao, who takes the lead in deciding what kind of film to make, and then finds screenwriters and producers, and it gradually takes shape.

Sometimes, producers identify promising actors or come across suitable scripts, then submit them to the company for approval, and begin assembling a production.

Artists of Fan Xiaopang's and Deng Chao's caliber can also seek collaborations with directors and producers, find suitable scripts or even tailor-make scripts, and then ask companies for investment and support.

Yan Li strongly encourages his subordinates to take the initiative in undertaking projects, especially since Yi'an is about to go public and is expected to raise another large sum of money, so they are bound to make a big splash.

If the subordinates take the initiative to do the work, it will save him the trouble.

However, the expectation that lower levels will proactively undertake more projects does not mean that projects will be approved arbitrarily, or even that the approval process will be extremely strict.

Almost every month, Yi An would reject a dozen or even dozens of projects, with a success rate of less than 10%, and the success rate for movies was even lower than that for TV series.

A producer wants Deng Chao and Huang Bo to collaborate, but the project needs to pass Yi An's review first.

After the celebration party, Yan Li invited some of the company's male artists, directors, screenwriters, and others to a small get-together.

To be fair, Yan Li showed far less concern for the male artists than for the female artists.

Huayi Brothers next door takes good care of Huang Xiaoming and others, especially CEO Wang, who reportedly personally oversees the daily lives of some of the male artists.

Big Dog Brother of Little Horse Galloping, while not as humble as Boss Wang, still frequently goes to a club to invite friends for drinks and parties, sometimes for several days at a time.

Ning Hao visited a few times. Big Dog Brother admired him and specially invited him to dinner to talk about movies.

Then there's President Qin of Xingmei, who's a truly passionate person who readily arranges a night out at Heaven on Earth.

In contrast, Yan Li rarely does that kind of thing; he spends most of his time interacting with those female celebrities.

Yan Li reflected on it and felt that they could get together more often in the future, but that would be all.

He still prefers to hang out with delicate female celebrities.

Yan Li even had a dark thought: many bosses like to invite friends to drinking parties, is it because they really like the atmosphere, or because they are too old to enjoy it anymore?

Anyway, Yan Li just wanted to have some fun with the bosses he usually met.

With the IPO imminent, it would be troublesome if a group of Yi'an artists and key members were exposed for any scandals.

So the gathering was very simple: we ate, took a bath, drank some wine, and chatted.

The gathering was almost over, so it was time to disperse. Yan Li went to the restroom, and when she came out, she saw a man and a woman entangled not far away.

Yan Li frowned, thinking it was some kind of drunken man harassing a woman. After a moment's thought, he gestured to the bodyguard beside him to stop him.

Although he's not a good person, he wouldn't just stand by and do nothing in this situation.

Before the bodyguard could even get there, the other party saw Yan Li and called out.

"President Yan."

As the two of them looked at him, Yan Li saw them clearly, his eyes flickered, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

"Is it you two?"

Wang Ke, reeking of alcohol, came over and shook hands: "President Yan, it's been a long time."

"haven't seen you for a long time."

Yan Li exchanged a few pleasantries, then nodded to the somewhat embarrassed Liu Tao: "What's going on with you two?"

"I'm meeting a friend here."

Wang Ke also took the opportunity to explain what had just happened: "Liu Tao thought I had drunk too much and was a little angry."

It's normal for a wife to act up when a couple goes out and the man has had too much to drink. However, the scene just now didn't seem like that at all.

Yan Li had no intention of meddling. If it was just a matter of righting wrongs, then intervening would be fine, but it was a private matter between the couple, and outsiders shouldn't interfere. "Then you two go ahead with your work, I'll be going now."

Yan Li was about to leave, but Wang Ke wouldn't let him go, implying that he wanted to find an opportunity to visit him.

"Let's schedule a time later."

Yan Li could almost guess what he wanted to talk to him about.

Whether it's industry rumors or future intelligence reports, everyone says that my friend crashed during the financial crisis and is now in a terrible economic situation.

At this point, people will either ask you for money or for help.

After the financial crisis, Yan Li encountered similar situations quite often. He claimed that his relationship with Wang Ke was not yet at the point where he could generously donate money, so he gave an ambiguous reply.

It's hard to say when or how long we'll meet again.

Wang Ke wasn't stupid; he wanted a precise time, but Yan Li was too slippery and brushed it off with a few words. He didn't dare to threaten him and could only accept it, hoping that Yan Li would give him some face.

After saying this, Yan Li started to leave, but Liu Tao, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.

"Mr. Yan, I just went to the restroom and my clothes got dirty. Could you give me a ride?"

Wang Ke's expression changed slightly, and he said lightly, "Stop joking around. It's not like we don't have a car. Why are you bothering President Yan?"

Liu Tao ignored him and continued to plead with Yan Li. Yan Li frowned, his first thought being whether the couple was setting him up.

Don't blame his heart condition. Yan Li has encountered far more outrageous things than anyone else. Considering Wang Ke's situation, his own reputation, and the timing of Yi An's upcoming IPO, this is not an impossible scenario.

Seeing that Yan Li did not respond, Liu Tao became anxious, stepped forward, grabbed Yan Li's arm, tears welling in his eyes, and spoke softly.

"President Yan, please help me."

"What are you doing?"

Wang Ke's expression darkened further. He came over to pull Liu Tao away, but the latter instead hid from Yan Li.

"Ahem, Mr. Wang, isn't it inappropriate to make such a scene in public?"

Yan Li stopped Wang Ke, glanced at Liu Tao, and advised, "She's probably angry, so don't force her. I'll help you see her off. If you're worried, Mr. Wang, you can arrange for someone to follow her, or I can call you when she gets home."

Liu Tao is a professional actor, but Wang Ke's reaction didn't seem like acting.

Given that both of them were intoxicated and that the gathering was a spur-of-the-moment decision, it was probably not a real event that they tried to set a trap for.

Wang Ke was unwilling, but when he looked up at Yan Li's ambiguous smile, he felt a little guilty and hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Yan."

"You're welcome."

Yan Li turned and left, Liu Tao following closely behind. Wang Ke watched their figures, his expression changing several times before finally letting out a sigh.

When they arrived at the parking lot, Liu Tao offered to call a car and leave without Yan Li's trouble of seeing him off.

Her goal was to escape, and this was enough.

"Don't."

Yan Li raised his hand: "I'll help people to the end. I don't need to put in the extra effort. The most important thing is that you called when you got home to make sure I delivered the person home."

He was the one who said he would send the person away, and if the person had a mental breakdown halfway through and caused some tragedy, he would be the one to suffer the consequences.

Even if this person is upset and doesn't call home, causing any misunderstandings, Yan Li might not be able to explain it clearly.

"..."

Liu Tao was taken aback by Yan Li's cautiousness, paused for a moment, and finally nodded.

"Then I'll trouble you, Mr. Yan. But could you please not take me home? I'd like to go to my best friend's place. Don't worry, my best friend is Qin Hailu. She can answer the phone and prove that you've taken me there."

Yan Li thought for a moment and said, "Okay."

After getting in the car, Liu Tao gave the address and then sat in the back seat. Yan Li closed his eyes and rested next to him. About ten minutes later, he heard some sobbing sounds.

Yan Li sat up straight, took two sheets of paper from the storage box, and handed them to Liu Tao. Liu Tao took them, wiped away his tears, calmed down for a while, and then said in a slightly hoarse voice.

Thank you for today.

Yan Li uttered three words, advising, "Try to think positively."

It would have been better if they hadn't tried to persuade him, because once they did, Liu Tao couldn't hold back anymore and poured out his heart to Yan Li with a sob in his voice.

“I can accept that he owes money and goes bankrupt. I’m a woman who follows her husband wherever he goes. This is my fate. I will stay with him to pay off his debts.”

“But what did he take me for? I had just finished my postpartum confinement, and he coaxed and tricked me into having dinner with his creditors and investors, and just watched them ply me with alcohol.”

"I don't believe he doesn't know what these people are up to, but he's just pretending to be stupid. I'm his wife, haha, what a good man."

"..."

Yan Li listened silently, and what he expected was pretty much the same.

Wang Ke went bankrupt and was in debt; all he had to offer was his celebrity wife, Liu Tao.

Whether he wants to postpone his debts or seek help to make a comeback, many people will not help him for free. Some even have low moral character and will try to coerce or entice him to make some compromises.

Yan Li and Wang Ke were acquaintances, so she didn't want to think too badly of him.

He probably had no choice, or he was just thinking about getting Liu Tao to help with the social niceties, without considering anything else.

But the bottom line is crossed step by step. Today it's drinking, tomorrow it's accompanying others for drinks, and who knows what will happen next.

It's not hard to tell from Liu Tao's words that this wasn't the first time she had to help out with social engagements, but her reaction today was so intense that something must have happened that she couldn't tolerate, so she was willing to ask Yan Li, an outsider, for help to leave.

Hey~
Yan Li still remembers attending their wedding. The two looked sweet and happy, and Liu Tao even officially announced his retirement from the entertainment industry to focus on being a wife and mother.

It's only been less than two years, and it's already come to this point. It's truly lamentable.

Yan Li didn't offer any advice; there was no point in trying. If you couldn't stand it, then get a divorce. If you couldn't get a divorce, whatever the reason, it was your own choice.

There was no promise to help the couple get through their difficulties.

You have to understand, Wang Ke's financial hole is worth hundreds of millions. Even if Liu Tao cried, or even hanged herself in front of him, it wouldn't make a difference.

Just kidding. Putting aside Qin, Dong, and Fan, Wang Ou, Yang Rong, Huo Siyan, and Jiang Xin have been following Yan Li for so long, getting whatever they want, and they are obedient and sensible.

Yan Li gave them money, houses, jewelry, and other gifts, but the total amount didn't even exceed 100 million. Why should Liu Tao and his wife get so much?
I helped them out of that predicament and acted as a listener, which was a way of repaying the couple's favor.

At most, Yan Li can introduce a reliable lending institution next time he has time, but whether it works out or not depends on Wang Ke and the others to negotiate themselves.

Upon arriving at the destination, Liu Tao made a phone call, and Qin Hailu rushed over. She looked at Yan Li in surprise, and then noticed Liu Tao's somewhat red and swollen eyes, and her expression changed drastically.

"It has nothing to do with me. I just helped her out and gave her a ride. You can ask her about the details later."

Yan Li was aware of his reputation and had already suspected there might be a misunderstanding, so he made things clear before Qin Hailu could speak.

Liu Tao quickly pulled her best friend aside and explained a few words. Qin Hailu, being straightforward, immediately apologized.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Yan, I misunderstood. Thank you for giving Liu Tao the gift."

"You're welcome. You two call Wang Ke, and I'll be leaving."

As he spoke, Yan Li took out his phone and, in front of Liu Tao, deleted a recording that was several tens of minutes long, stating it directly.

"Sorry, I'm a bit of a con artist, I've taken precautions. Don't worry, I don't have a backup. When you call, I'll leave a record to avoid any trouble."

Liu Tao then realized that Yan Li had been recording the whole time, which explained why he hadn't said a word.

After making the call, Yan Li said goodbye and left. Liu Tao and Qin Hailu returned to the latter's home, where Liu Tao also told her about what had happened that day.

She has many friends in the industry, but the one she trusts the most is Qin Hailu, who is also her bridesmaid. She only tells Qin Hailu about these private matters.

Upon learning of Wang Ke's actions, the hot-tempered Qin Hailu almost got dressed to confront him, but was stopped by Liu Tao. She then proceeded to rant and rave for over half an hour.

After finishing her tirade against Wang Ke, Qin Hailu thought of Yan Li, her expression complicated: "We owe him a lot today, but about his recording..."

"Understandable."

Liu Tao, however, began to speak up for Yan Li. She had initially felt uncomfortable when she learned that Yan Li had been recording the conversation, but after calming down, she realized that Yan Li's actions were not wrong from her perspective.

"I asked him for help, and he helped me. It's only natural to be cautious and keep something in reserve."

"Given his status and wealth, he's probably encountered a lot of schemes. Today's events are somewhat coincidental, so it's normal to be cautious."

Qin Hailu still had some doubts. What Yan Li said was true, but in her opinion, Yan Li's approach was a bit too cautious, even a bit gloomy.

He was very cunning; after helping someone, he would offer words of comfort on the surface, but in reality, he would be recording the conversation on his phone.

"That's probably why their business has grown so big."

Liu Tao thought of her husband and smiled self-deprecatingly: "Wang Ke is so generous, so generous that he went bankrupt, so generous that he forced his wife to accompany him to drinking parties."

"Yan Li is gloomy, but he helped me. He could have deleted or kept the recording privately, and he even deleted it in front of me. I actually think he's quite open and honest."

These days, good people don't last long, and there are too many bad people. People like Yan Li, who have principles and methods, and are neither good nor bad, are rare and precious.

"Since you admire Yan Li so much, why don't you dump Wang Ke and find a way to be with him? I've heard that Boss Yan is incredibly generous to women. If you rise to the top, I might even benefit from it."

Qin Hailu teased her best friend, and Liu Tao pushed her, complaining, "The beauties around other people are fighting over them, how could I, the mother of two children, possibly get a chance?"

There are countless women in the entertainment industry who dream of hooking up with Yan Li, and Liu Tao doesn't think she has any competitive advantage.

Instead of rambling on about this, let's think about how to pay back the money.

A significant portion of the money Wang Ke owes is joint debt of the couple, and she even signed off on some of it. Wang Ke is the primary responsible party, but Liu Tao can't escape responsibility either. Even if she divorces Wang Ke, she still has to repay the money.

Her two children are still young and need to stay with their mother, making it very inconvenient for her to work. Even if she could overcome that, she's been out of the entertainment industry for a while now; where would she find acting roles?

　(2000/241000)

　　
　
(End of this chapter)