Abstract Art Award Winner

"Brother Le, do we need to trouble Sister Su with this too? Daylight Entertainment is your former employer, and it has a pretty good reputation. I can come here to film, and I'm actually willing to accept a lower salary."

Zhou Le sighed. He had indeed taught Tian Xiwei a lot before, but he hadn't talked much about business matters. After all, he always felt that Tian Xiwei had only been in the industry for a short time and it was too early for her to be exposed to these things.

The most urgent task is to hone my acting skills and strive to get more good scripts so that I can give full play to my strengths.

But now it seems that's not the case. I can't follow the other person all the time. What if I go out and agree to something that is not good for me because I'm soft-hearted? That would cause problems.

Zhou Le feels that he is surrounded by good people now because he was lucky when he entered the industry. In addition, he is quite sensitive to this kind of thing. Although he is young, he can be called an old hand.

More importantly, you must always know your own limitations.

But Tian Xiwei is different. Her personality dictates that she can't be like me, even though we all started from similar points. Zhou Le starred in a blockbuster movie, while Tian Xiwei starred in a blockbuster TV series.

But he didn't think Tian Xiwei could be as adept at navigating life as he was, a seasoned veteran.

"Xiaotian, remember this: when you're not famous, lowering your fee or even acting for free is your stepping stone. But once you've gained some fame, you'll have to consider that."

Daylight Entertainment is my former employer, so it doesn't really have much to do with you. You're lucky to be able to play the second female lead in this drama.

But everyone is equal. I used my connections and owed them a favor to get you this opportunity, so you don't need to do anything else.

"I'll cover the costs afterwards. If you keep lowering my fee, wouldn't that mean my dignity is worthless?"

"Actually, there's a lot of complexity behind this, and I don't want you to get involved in such complicated matters."

Tian Xiwei hadn't experienced much of this kind of verbal back-and-forth, nor had she experienced much of the exchange of favors and benefits. After all, Zhou Le and Su Yingxia usually did everything for her.

Just like when she attended the National Drama Awards in Anhui a few days ago, she felt that she had already done a great job by considering the feelings of the people around her during the interview. But after Zhou Le said that, she realized that those were just the most basic things for Zhou Le, things that he could do subconsciously without even thinking about them.

"Brother Le, won't this cause you trouble? After all, you'll owe them a favor."

"It's alright. If I don't owe them a favor this time, how will they owe me one next time? It's just an exchange of benefits and resources, which is perfectly normal."

In short, the thing you should do most right now is to improve your acting skills and perform well in this drama. You can't always stay in the idol circle. Although your appearance has limited your acting roles a bit, you can still move towards serious dramas if you have the opportunity.

Moreover, as an actress, she still has advantages. You see, the Magnolia Award actually prefers actresses who play independent and self-reliant women, while the Golden Eagle Award is keen on veteran actors. Although Dilraba Dilmurat came out before, didn't you see how much she was criticized online?

If you can bring your acting skills to the level of those young actresses back then, no one will criticize you. This drama is your springboard. If you want to win awards, you have to act in dramas with profound themes like this. Idol dramas are just for making money and boosting fame at best.

"I understand. Then I'll trouble you, Sister Su. I'll treat her to a meal later."

"That's more like it, but now every time you express gratitude, it's always about treating people to a meal, isn't it?"

"Hehe, isn't this what I learned from you? Of course, I can't just eat. I'll go to those shops later and buy Sister Su a bag. She's usually busy and doesn't have much time to go shopping."

"Okay, you can decide for yourself. Just deliver it to her personally. I don't think your current agent is very professional. If it's not working, you can hand it over to Xiao Su. As for the assistant and makeup, you can handle it. Anyway, you're the one who decides their salaries."

"Okay, Brother Le, I'll do whatever you say."

"But tonight."

"Take a break. Go back and look at the script first. We can talk about it again tomorrow, and I'll help you improve it."

On his way back, Zhou Le called Su Yingxia again and told her about Tian Xiwei. Su Yingxia did not refuse, after all, in her opinion, Zhou Ye had now found his acting path.

I'll play the lead role as the villain, and I'll take on other roles when suitable ones come along. Besides, Zhou Ye's agent is doing a pretty good job, so we don't need to worry about him.

Yu Shuxin is currently focused on making movies, and is currently filming "The Wandering Earth" with Guo Fan. She is extremely busy every day.

In contrast, Meng Ziyi's career is also developing very steadily. After all, she was already famous before joining the studio. Although she was criticized a lot in "The Untamed", it also generated a lot of buzz.

At this stage, Zhou Le has devoted the most effort to Tian Xiwei, and she is also the one most worthy of his cultivation.

After all, Tian Xiwei herself didn't have many resources, and her background was also average, unlike the other three whose families could provide some support.

But right now, Tian Xiwei is the most popular one, so naturally we have to pay more attention to her.

"Brother Le, I've already contacted that author, but I'm still in Beijing. This afternoon I'll go to Noon Sunshine to discuss the fee. Anyway, we won't ask for too much; we'll just go with Xiao Tian's market price."

We'll talk to the author again tomorrow about the price and terms for acquiring the copyright. However, I still prefer a one-time buyout, although that would mean a slightly higher upfront cost.

"Well, if we can buy it out, we should. That way, we'll avoid trouble later."

Afterwards, Zhou Le first took Tian Xiwei home. While sitting in the car, he called October Culture to inquire about the current production status of the "Three-Body Problem" animation.

October Culture is very invested in this project. The script is almost finished and they are ready to start production. It is expected to be completed in about a year.

Meanwhile, the dumpling company also began production on the second part of "Ne Zha".

Since the first film was a box office success, there's not too much concern about the second film failing to gain traction in the market, provided that the production quality keeps up.

"Brother Le, I've designed a lot of big scenes this time, and the production difficulty is much higher than the first one. I plan to invest all the money I've earned into it."

"It's okay, just go for it. If you don't have enough money, just tell me. Don't worry about money."

"Understood. Brother Le, you succeeded in investing with me the first time, and I absolutely won't let you lose money this time either."

Dumplings are guaranteed to arrive.

Sitting in the car, Zhou Le put down his phone, sighed, turned on the car stereo, and played a soothing song.

What he didn't tell Tian Xiwei was that Ren Min also had connections; he was signed with Enlight Media.

However, for Daylight Entertainment, Enlight Media and itself were not that different. Its appearance was just a stepping stone for Tian Xiwei.

Otherwise, Tian Xiwei wouldn't have had any connections to get there on her own.

These days, Zhou Le doesn't pay much attention to Weibo voting anymore. It's just that the guys who do live streams always make sure to urge everyone to vote for Zhou Le as soon as they go online and as soon as they go offline.

With a base of casual fans and Zhou Le's own fanbase, plus esports enthusiasts and casual observers who don't care about online buzz, Zhou Le's vote count has reached an unprecedented high. It has even surpassed the combined total of second-place Xiao Zhan and third-place Cai Xukun.

Those streamers love seeing this kind of scene. Since they can't get on the platform themselves, they might as well choose someone they're close to.

This year's Weibo Night will still be in January, but it will be a bit later than Tencent's Star Awards, which will be held on December 28th. It's only a few days away!

Moreover, this year it's less complicated than in previous years, as it will be held in Beijing.

It's practically right outside Zhou Le's house.

In the past few days, many people have contacted Zhou Le, wanting to get together. Among them are Mao Buyi, Song Qian whom he had just met recently, as well as Lu Han, Zhao Liying, and others.

Zhou Le agreed to every single one of them.

Meanwhile, people from Tencent Pictures also came and invited Zhou Le out for a chat that evening. Compared to others, Tencent Pictures' side was more important, and everyone else had to take a backseat.

We entered a private room at the restaurant.

Zhou Le looked around and saw that everyone there was a familiar face.

Then Zhou Le pulled out a chair and sat down by the door. Since everyone there was a leader, it was perfect for him to sit there. But as soon as he sat down, President Cheng waved for Zhou Le to sit next to him.

"Zhou Le has made a lot of money for us this year. The films we invested in, 'The Wandering Earth' and 'Ne Zha,' were huge hits. The two dramas he worked on later also made money. He can be considered a major contributor."

"Mr. Cheng, you're too kind."

"No, no, it's not polite at all. I'm just telling the truth. The Star Awards are in a couple of days. I've talked to Mr. Sun and we're planning to give you some prestigious awards. After all, with your status, you won't get any more ordinary awards."

And not only this year, but we also plan to provide more support for you and your artists next year.

"Thank you, Mr. Cheng and Mr. Sun."

After the two bosses finished speaking, the people below began to explain to Zhou Le.

"Speaking of which, I must congratulate President Zhou. In previous years, it was considered good if an actor could win two awards in the same event at the Star Awards. This year, we plan to give you three."

The first is Film Actor of the Year, the second is Quality Artist of the Year, and the third is Influential Artist of the Year.

Actually, we were considering the artist with the most commercial value of the year, but since you don't accept those foreign luxury brand endorsements, it's not easy to give that to you.

Zhou Le thought for a moment: "I remember there were quite a few popular celebrities this year, like Wu Yifan, Xiao Zhan, Wang Yibo, Cai Xukun, and so on."

"Of course they all have awards too, but everything is still based on you. Once you're on the list, they'll be ranked lower. Besides, Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo have already given them enough face. They can both win two awards this year. But you are our star here, so naturally you'll get preferential treatment. Of course, your personal strength and influence are undeniable."

If we can rank first on Weibo, we can't go home and not get the treatment we deserve, can we? What will outsiders think of us then?

To be fair, Zhou Le has to admit that Tencent has been really good to him, basically treating him like its own son.

"By the way, I heard you're going to make a movie next year. Back then, President Cheng approved more than 1000 million for you. Is that enough money? If not, we can provide more."

"That's enough. It's a low-budget film, it won't cost much. We don't want to make a big investment in our first film, there's no need."

"That's good. Taking things one step at a time is much better than those who are overly ambitious. But do you have any other investment plans for next year that you can tell us about? We can invest with you then, since performance is still very important."

"Next year."

Zhou Le thought for a moment: "I should be making two movies next year. The first one is the one I submitted before, 'Make a Name for Yourself.' The second one will probably have a smaller budget, maybe a few million."

As he spoke, he suddenly thought of the novel "The Beauty in the Glass".

"I also plan to produce an idol drama next year."

"Idol drama?"

"Yes, because I found a book that is quite suitable for Xiaotian, so I plan to help him make a TV series to see if he can become a top star through this series. If you two bosses are interested, you can give it a shot."

"Sure, the idol drama market has been quite hot these past few years, especially novel adaptations. I estimate that President Cheng will be transferred to Yuewen soon. When that time comes, once you have everything prepared, the project evaluation will definitely be no problem. It'll basically be just a formality."

After all, in the film and television industry, who doesn't envy Mr. Zhou's foresight when it comes to investment?

"What, Mr. Zhou? You two are just trying to flatter me to death."

After that, they talked about The Three-Body Problem, and then the two CEOs discussed their goals and strategies for the coming year.

Even though Zhou Le is now a boss and has been exposed to a lot of things in the industry, some things still sound very vague to him.

The main problem is that their topics are too high-level.

But the meal was very fruitful. Later, he also talked about "Serenade of Peaceful Joy". Since Tencent Pictures also invested in this movie, President Cheng directly told his people to tell Daylight Entertainment to make a good film and not to mistreat Tian Xiwei.

For them, it's just a matter of a word, but Noon Sunshine will still listen.

Although Daylight Entertainment is also a giant in China, it is still far behind Tencent.

Furthermore, the client's request wasn't unreasonable, so they had no reason to object to it.

Meanwhile, fans of Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo are debating online whose award this year is more prestigious, comparing the number of endorsements and various data.

However, their statements were made publicly online, and could be seen by passersby in addition to themselves.

While the two sides were arguing fiercely, a passerby suddenly saw the topic and left a comment below.

"Where did you leave Zhou Le? Wasn't Zhou Le in first place this year?"

The fans immediately erupted in anger. No matter which fandom they belonged to, the last thing they wanted to hear was Zhou Le's name.

"So what? What value can Weibo have? It's all just hype. Let's wait and see at the Tencent Video All Star Awards on the 28th!" (End of Chapter)