Abstract Art Award Winner

After that, Zhou Le stayed in Beijing for a few days. Every day he had a dinner party, all of which were his friends who were currently in Beijing, inviting him out to dinner under the guise of celebrating Zhou Le winning the Best Actor award.

After one game ended, they went to play a second one.

I feel relatively at ease going out with these friends; at least I don't have to worry about the photos from the day before going viral.

"Others who go to the Golden Rooster Awards start controlling their diet and maintaining their figure six months in advance, but you, on the contrary, eat whatever you want, especially at times like these." Su Yingxia said to Zhou Le, who didn't get up until noon, before they started dating.

"It doesn't matter. With my build, it won't make a difference these few days. Personally, I don't like people who are too skinny. Men should be a bit more muscular. Besides, I'm a race car driver. Being too thin would make me look sickly."

"That's true. Many people in the group take pride in being thin. They exercise a lot and eat very little every day, often going hungry until their vision goes black."

"So, if you're not enthusiastic about eating, there's something wrong with your brain."

Seeing Zhou Le get out of bed, Su Yingxia helped him fold the blankets while asking, "What do you want to eat for lunch today?"

Zhou Le thought for a moment and said, "Let's eat noodles."

"Okay, I forgot to tell you, besides being busy with work, I also took some time to learn how to make knife-cut noodles. If you can wait a little while, I'll make you knife-cut noodles for lunch."

"Sure, you can quietly become excellent and then amaze everyone?"

"It will amaze everyone. I'll only cook for you once a year, except when I come home. Besides, you're so busy now, even if you learn it, you'll only cook it once or twice a year at most."

"Hey, aren't you pretty busy too? But I can wait. I just woke up and don't have much of an appetite. Let's wait a bit before we eat."

Su Yingxia then went to the kitchen to get busy, while Zhou Le could occasionally hear the sounds of Douyin (TikTok) coming from inside the living room. It was clear that Su Yingxia was watching Douyin and learning as she went.

Zhou Le took a shower in the bathroom, and then went into the kitchen.

"Do you need any help?"

"No, you go outside and wait. I'll make a mess of you later. You have to talk to Guo Qiling this afternoon."

"It's alright, kids from poor families don't need to be so particular."

But in the end, Zhou Le still left the kitchen.

Several tens of minutes later, Su Yingxia brought out a large bowl of noodles. Zhou Le's eyes lit up, and he began to show off his food.

Su Yingxia served herself a small bowl and said while eating, "We'll head to the teahouse around 3 p.m. You two can chat for three or four hours, which will be just until dinner time."

I'll drive you two to dinner then. You two don't drink, so we should be done by 10 pm. Make sure you get to bed early when you get back tonight, as we have to go to the airport first thing tomorrow morning to pick them up before you catch your flight.

"Are you coming along this time?"

"I actually really want to go, but I have to go to a meeting here tomorrow morning, and then I have to go to the publicity department to deliver some materials for you. I also need to go to the drama theater to get a certificate."

"Sigh, never mind then. You stay here and do your work. I'll take you abroad for a trip when I have time later."

"Okay, which country should we go to?"

"Go wherever you want."

"Hehe, I'll have to think about it carefully."

After dinner, Su Yingxia tidied up the dining room and kitchen, while Zhou Le lay on the sofa to sunbathe.

Zhou Le hasn't been looking at houses much lately, so Su Yingxia helps him take a look whenever she has time, and now he has a lot of photos saved on his phone.

Some of them are indeed quite good; although they are expensive, at least the environment is good and the layout of the houses is also good.

Zhou Le likes houses with large floor-to-ceiling windows because he watched some idol dramas when he was a child. In those dramas, rich people lived in two- or three-story villas, but even poor people's apartments had large floor-to-ceiling windows. The windows were bright and clean, and he could feel the bright sunshine every day when he opened the curtains.

"I'll take another look. If possible, I should still buy one." Zhou Le felt that housing prices would only get more and more expensive, so he figured he should buy early, move in early, and enjoy the benefits sooner.

He lay there until after 2 a.m. before getting up, finding some comfortable clothes in the closet, and then, with Su Yingxia's help, giving him a simple makeover.

"That's cool, shall we set off now?"

"Let's go."

The teahouse isn't far from Zhou Le's place; it's about a 10-minute drive away.

But as soon as they got into the car and set off, Zhou Le received a WeChat message from Guo Qiling.

"I've already arrived."

"Okay, I'll be there in about 10 minutes."

Su Yingxia originally wanted to sit in the car for a while, but Zhou Le eventually called her up.

Actually, Guo Qiling now admires Su Yingxia quite a bit. After all, she's only 25 years old and already capable of standing on her own.

When he was running the company, there were many things he didn't understand, but he was too embarrassed to keep asking Zhou Le for help, so he always bothered Su Yingxia during that time.

Su Yingxia naturally knew that this was a business jointly run by Zhou Le and Guo Qiling, so she would help out and find people when she had time.

"Brother Le, Sister Su, come, come, sit here."

After the two were seated, Guo Qiling continued speaking.

"You have no idea how much Sister Su has helped me during this time. In my eyes, Sister Su is the epitome of all-powerful. She knows everything and is very knowledgeable about everything."

"Of course, Sister Su is my right-hand woman. Without her, I'd probably be too busy to even look myself."

"You two are trying to flatter me to death. I have to thank Brother Le for the fact that I know all this now."

"Haha, Brother Le is good at recognizing and using people, but Sister Su, your skills are enough for me to learn for a lifetime."

The three of them then proceeded to flatter each other for a while.

After that, Guo Qiling started pouring tea while talking about the company's current operating status. As he spoke, he even took out a well-organized financial statement from his bag.

"Here is the company's financial situation for this period of time. Please take a look."

Zhou Le knew that Guo Qiling was an honest person, and even if he saw these things, he wouldn't understand them.

"It's alright, why would we brothers bother with all this? Just do it without worry." But Guo Qiling knew that Zhou Le trusted him, but he couldn't really ignore it completely, so he said, "Then I'll send the electronic version to your email later, so you can take a look when you have time, just to pass the time."

Whether Zhou Le sees it or not, this is something he has to do.

As the saying goes, even close brothers should keep clear accounts. Since Zhou Le trusts him, he naturally wants Zhou Le to know that he is trustworthy.

Perhaps Zhou Le really didn't intend to read it, but if he sent an electronic copy later, even if Zhou Le didn't have time, Su Yingxia could still click to read it. It's just a matter of attitude.

"Why make things so complicated? But how's your negotiation with Saito Asuka going?" Zhou Le clapped his hands and asked.

"very successful!"

It's clear that Guo Qilin is very satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations.

"First, we've secured her economic affairs in China, and we'll put them on the company's radar. I'll also help her make some connections to try and get her on Bilibili's New Year's Eve gala this year."

After all, this is a win-win situation for Bilibili; the second is the business of the short video platform. She provides some materials every week, and then we help her with the operation.

She's even started learning Chinese; otherwise, she could post videos occasionally, but her live streams would easily get blocked.

"There's such a saying?"

"Of course there are. If you use a foreign language for a long time during a live stream, your live stream will be banned unless you report it beforehand. But it's impossible to report it every time you do a regular live stream."

"Too."

"Oh, right, there's one more thing. The first batch of content has already been completed over there, and we've also communicated with the video platforms. It will be broadcast simultaneously on Douyin, Kuaishou, and Bilibili. The money they've given us has already covered our costs, and we've even made a profit."

We'll share revenue based on traffic, meaning we'll keep earning money. We've made a good start, but to gain an early advantage, I plan to take out a loan to do it.

On the one hand, we can reskin existing successful works and continue filming and creating other versions; on the other hand, we can set a schedule for other scripts to ensure uninterrupted filming and continuous output.

Once we've finished filming most of the scripts we have now, we should have some money. Then we can develop a platform and launch a co-creation program, inviting directors and actors who are interested in this industry to join us.

Zhou Le nodded.

"Indeed, we should develop in this direction in the future, but for Qiling, the first priority is to ensure that the company has enough signed directors and actors so that we can maintain our early advantages. Once others enter the market later, we will start to separate these businesses."

Those who create content do content, those who do on-site work do on-site work, those who do post-production do post-production, and those who act as agents specialize in acting.

In this way, if the profit margin of any link in the chain decreases, it can be eliminated and outsourced to an external company.

Another point is that if we're going to continue doing this, we can't just focus on this kind of low-end content. We need to connect with higher-level markets and achieve both high-quality and official positioning.

Guo Qiling now has a thorough understanding of the commercialization of film and television: "High-quality content means creating high-quality content. For example, the runtime can be appropriately extended, from a little over a minute to about 10 minutes, and the cost can be increased accordingly. Officialization should mean connecting with official sources, but how should this be done?"

Su Yingxia thought for a moment: "First, there's the government. Local cultural and tourism sectors need promotion, and there's also content that promotes urban or traditional culture. Once we've done that, we can connect with them. This part is hard to profit from, but it can make the company's structure more stable."

However, if we really want to go in this direction, we could make it into an essay contest and offer prizes for these topics.

At least outwardly, we can present ourselves as a legitimate company with a positive message. In the future, if we really grow big, we can even contact film associations, publicity departments, or literary federations to establish a short drama directors' association.

Another advantage is the ability to connect with brands. Many brands have promotional needs, and we can customize services specifically for their brands.

"Okay, I understand. I'll prepare for it and we'll do it when the time is right."

They chatted in the teahouse until after 7 p.m., then went out for a casual meal before going home.

The next day, Zhou Le went to the airport early in the morning, first picked up Yu Shuxin and Zhou Ye, and then took a plane to Xiamen.

"Ono, what have you been busy with lately?"

"During this period, I mainly attended various events and gave interviews. Because 'Better Days' received a very good response, there were quite a few events."

I went to CCTV the day you called. When I was entering, a reporter greeted me, but he didn't put up his sign, so I thought he was just a passerby. Luckily, I suddenly remembered that you said you should keep smiling in public, so I stopped and greeted him again.

Li Gengxi, who arrived later, didn't see her either. Like me, she thought she was just a passerby, so she didn't look in that direction. Later, something almost happened.

"I got hung up?"

"Not really, it was just a private rant. Luckily, I had an interview afterward, and the reporter brought it up, so I quickly explained it to him. Otherwise, it would have been all over if it had been posted online."

"You're quite kind-hearted; right now, the two of you are purely in competition."

"Hey, it's no big deal. It's always better to have more friends than more enemies. Fans may argue, but we're getting along really well now."

"It's mainly because Brother Le taught us well," Yu Shuxin chimed in from the side.

How's filming going this week?

Zhou Le asked again.

"I feel much better than before. At first, I thought I could only make idol dramas in the future, but now I find that the joy of making good works is much stronger than that of idol dramas that rely on fan culture."

Every day on set, I either practice martial arts moves with Brother Jing or discuss the script with everyone. It feels great.

Seeing his subordinates gradually grow and improve, Zhou Le felt very gratified.

Upon arriving in Xiamen, I was greeted by a large number of fans.

Although Meng Ziyi didn't depart from Beijing, she arrived at the airport around the same time. In the end, everyone's fans mingled together.

"Please keep order and don't cause trouble for the staff. Thank you."

After entering the hall, they each found a place to take photos together, and Zhou Le did the same, distributing the things he brought to his fans.

"Sorry for causing you trouble."

Before leaving, the group apologized to the staff and then left the airport, taking a van to their hotel.

Zhou Le said in the car:

"Remember last year's Golden Horse Awards? If you encounter a similar occasion in the future, be a little more assertive. Although no one will say anything if you don't say anything, there will probably be more such occasions in the future."

As Chinese artists, our premise is that we are Chinese, and also public figures. While we may seem abstract in our daily lives, we must bravely stand up when faced with situations like this. (End of Chapter)