Who said this top flow is crazy! This top flow is awesome!

Chapter 247 When the time is right, heaven and earth lend their strength; promotion, olive branch.
"Those days are gone forever."

In mid-to-late October, the dispute over the National Day film season finally came to a close. After the initial seven-day rush, there may be minor changes, but they will not affect the overall situation.

"Girl" unexpectedly became the "champion" of this year's competition.

The film industry, which had been holding back its efforts to make Ikeno face reality, has now "faced" reality itself.

Inside a private room at the club.

Director Lu lowered his head and remained silent.

As the saying goes, before the screening, they make grand pronouncements; during the screening, they talk to themselves; and after the screening, they remain silent.

Director Lu is a typical example of the above-mentioned group of people.

At the beginning of the release of "Kunlun Mountain", he repeatedly criticized youth films for making money and exploiting the public, saying that the film market needs real filmmakers like him to save it.

Now, they haven't been able to solve the film market problem... well... the film market has "eliminated" them this time.

"I still don't understand why that youth film could surpass ours. It only had a budget of 100 million! How much money will Ikeno make this time?!"

Director Lu revealed his true feelings: "I'm so upset!"

"Alright, stop talking. You can sit at the kids' table."

Seeing that Director Lu was still nagging, Ling Bingbing waved her hand impatiently, indicating that he should sit at the children's table.

Director Lu was furious: "Bingbing, what do you mean by this?!"

"What do you mean?"

Xu Yingying sneered: "You bragged so much before, it's good enough that we didn't ask you to keep your promises, what kind of attitude did you expect from them?"

Director Lu: "..."

"If you ask me, this time it was alright."

The producer of "Kunlun Mountain" couldn't help but comfort everyone: "At least we broke even this time, and made a small profit. It's good that we didn't lose money... The market environment is not good right now..."

Ling Han, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up: "The strong never complain about their environment."

Everyone paused for a moment.

Ling Bingbing glanced at her sideways: "But Director Lu isn't a strong person."

Director Lu: "???"

"Alright, Bingbing, Hanhan, stop being so sarcastic... We know the market is good right now... This is just a reflection."

Zhang Guowen said something, then looked at everyone and said, "Wu Jing and the others didn't make much either, they didn't make any, only that grandson Chi Ye made money."

"My hands cramped from counting money, it was painful too."

Ling Han: "Not only do you complain about the environment, but you also complain about the strong?"

Zhang Guowen blushed: "Hanhan!"

"Alright, I won't say anything more."

Everyone: "..."

Indeed, Ling Han's words were quite insightful.

Compared to the current "glorious" Ikeno, they do indeed look rather shabby and awkward.

But similarly, so many people lost money, and you were the only one who made money. And not only did you make money, but you made so much…

You're just making yourself hated!

Well... Ikeno has been hated by people for a long time now, so maybe he doesn't even care.

If he knew this idea, he might even say, "If being hated can make money, then hate me all you want!"

This circle, that circle, come on! Come and "ravage" me!

“I think we should pay more attention to Ikeno now… He is indeed quite different from the traffic stars we’ve dealt with before.”

Xu Yingying returned to the main topic, saying bluntly: "He has now starred in several low-budget but hugely successful films, accumulating a lot of capital. Everyone... you need to think carefully about how to deal with him."

Director Lu frowned: "Why do I feel like you're straying from your own perspective... Tell me honestly, have you taken a liking to Chi Ye?"

Xu Yingying: "???"

"Are you stupid? Can't we say something if someone does something well? Everyone already knows Chi Ye's attitude and personality. If you don't take your opponent seriously, how are you going to compete in the future?"

Xu Yingying looked at Director Lu and gave a precise assessment: "Old Lu, you're really not suited for the entertainment industry. You get too easily carried away. You should go back to making your movies."

Ling Han muttered, "It's not suitable for making movies either..."

No one else heard what was said except Ling Bingbing. She tugged at her younger sister, and Ling Han shut up sheepishly.

Director Lu, also feeling bored, waved his hand irritably: "...Fine, fine, I won't say anything, okay? You guys keep talking, I'll listen."

Seeing his expression, the others stopped cricketing at him and instead returned to the topic they had just discussed.

"We definitely need to keep an eye on him. He's not only got some capital now, but just like that marketing account I saw online the other day said, he handles all his projects himself..."

“We don’t care whether his script is good or not, but he can still achieve results.”

Xu Yingying paused for a moment and said, "This project has both money and achievements. In the future, he will form his own system. Most importantly, he is so independent in his work. How will we survive after he grows big?"

"in addition."

Ling Bingbing looked at the group and said, "There's also the issue of Lin Yang Qianrui. 'Girl' has surpassed 'Better Days' at the box office... Qianrui's rival has arrived, and there's now a 'competitor' in the market."

The group exchanged glances, then looked at the four-character actor who hadn't said a word from beginning to end—the most popular and sought-after young actor in their industry.

……

"Yaolin, you have a 'competitor' now."

Elephant Film & Entertainment Group.

Chen Sicheng, who kept a low profile during this year's National Day holiday, rubbed his chin, staring at the reports for "Girl," feeling envious, and at the same time... also feeling that he had always been living in Ikeno's shadow.

Hmm... I actually had this feeling before during the last episode of "The Boss".

But it wasn't obvious that time; this time, "Girl" is particularly jarring.

An investment of 1 million yuan is expected to generate 20 billion yuan in box office revenue…

How much is this?

What Chen loves most is money, and what he likes most is making money through movie marketing!

This Ikeno is a formidable rival, a very formidable rival.

Chen Sicheng made up his mind and turned to Zhu Yaolin, who was sitting on the sofa playing on his phone, and asked, "Zhu~ what are your thoughts?"

Zhu Yaolin raised his head, thought for a moment, and then said, "Didn't we have a conflict before during the Golden Rooster Awards? It's alright... Anyway, we already have one 'four' character, so let's have another one."

"Brilliant."

Chen Sicheng gave a thumbs up, but then smacked his lips: "He's a much bigger threat to you than the four-character one."

“Just look at this face…” He gestured to his dark face before saying, “There aren’t many male stars in the Chinese entertainment industry who can compare to him right now.”

"Four characters won't do, a four-character face won't do, and his acting is just so-so, not as good as yours, but this Ikeno..."

He thought for a moment and muttered, "I can't let him get better... If he gets better, then I'll be at a disadvantage since I just signed you."

Zhu Yaolin: "...You're the boss, so you make the decisions."

Chen Sicheng remained silent, but began to study Chi Ye for the first time. He did not belong to the traditional Beijing circle, the Northwest circle, or any other circle... To be precise, he himself was one of the representatives of a system that formed its own.

However, their system is quite different from Ikeno's.

Because no one is omnipotent, in their team, some are good at screenwriting, some are good at directing, and some are good at acting and have a certain box office appeal.

In short, they belong to the "new generation" of the film industry, which is different from the traditional old circle, yet they have intricate connections with it and often collaborate with it.

There are many similar circles, mostly formed by actors who have become directors, but also including new generation directors.

For example, Bad Monkey Pictures, founded by Ning Hao, Huang Bo, Xu Zheng, and Sun Lei; Happy Twist, founded by Shen Bin and Ma Li; and companies invested in by writers such as Han Han, as well as Wu Jing's company.

These small circles now account for a significant portion of the film industry, and at one point they even became "protagonists" on par with established circles like the Beijing Film Circle.

Zhu Yaolin is a newly recruited member of the circle.

He joined Elephant Entertainment, which was headed by Chen Sicheng and Wang Yingdi.

This industry has produced many hit works in recent years, including the original and popular IP "Detective Chinatown" series. It is one of the most influential industries in the past decade, attracting a large number of big names.

This year's National Day holiday, Han Han's film was rejected as soon as it was scheduled for release, while Chen Sicheng's company had no works. So, they were eyeing the box office, watching as "in times without heroes, even scoundrels can become famous," and they were itching to make money.
"Do you think Chi Ye will reconcile with those old cliques after this?"

In the evening, Chen Sicheng, who had been studying Ikeno all day, returned home. He was divorced and now only had a nanny at home. In addition, his good friend, actor Wang, was also staying at his house.

"Reconcile? No way. I've met this kid before, and he doesn't seem like he's deliberately putting on airs. He seems to really like making money, but... maybe he feels like he's not making money by sticking with those old circles?"

Wang Yingdi did indeed have contact with Chi Ye. He once presented Chi Ye with the Best Supporting Actor award, just recently at the Golden Rooster Awards ceremony, together with Huang Bo.

"Ah, I also think it's unlikely."

Chen Sicheng nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "I looked into his resume and found that he's actually quite cunning... He fucking sent his teammate all the way to Thailand... You remember? When we were filming, he even had to come and be a female extra..."

"...You have an idea?"

Teacher Wang is a very steady person and knows this friend extremely well; he can tell at a glance.

"It's not that I have a problem with it, it's just that with the way he plays, nobody wants to let him in and steal the spoils."

Chen Sicheng was incredibly realistic: "How did we get through that? We all bowed our heads. Now he wants to stand up and come in, and he plays the game so uniquely. If I don't have any issues with him, what about the others?"

Teacher Wang glanced at him but didn't say anything.

What Chen Sicheng said actually reflects the reality within the entertainment industry today.

Why do established circles like the Beijing entertainment circle dislike Ikeno so much?
—He's too "selfish," or at least he's too selfish in his actions. He doesn't share his money with them or let them earn any. How can you expect to make a living in the film industry with that attitude?

In addition, having experienced various "new generation" incidents, and even incidents where actors and directors compete for jobs and markets, how could the old circle allow Ikeno to gain momentum?

Unless... unless he can choose a few of these circles, join them, and become one of them, then he can be considered "one of us".

Otherwise, they can only "fight" their way out on their own, just like the "new generation" of the past.

But then another problem arises: the new generation is a group, and ultimately, they still belong to the category of "bowing down." Warriors can also be dragons. Would Ikeno do that?

"You should have considered cooperation, right?"

Teacher Wang asked.

"Of course I've considered it." Chen Sicheng looked at the other person: "But now that we're cooperating with Zhu Yaolin, do you think these two can work together?"

Teacher Wang: "..."

He sighed, "What a pity."

I don't know whether to feel sorry for Zhu Yaolin or Chi Ye.

"Let's take it slow. I won't provoke him, but if we meet on the big stage, he'll be a competitor. And I don't think Zhu Yaolin's team will let him rise like this... There can only be one young Best Actor. If there's another one, he won't be so special."

Chen Sicheng made a definitive statement.

In fact, this is indeed the case.

When Ikeno proved his ability to carry the box office with "Girl", his status in the film industry had reached a point where he could threaten the likes of Yi Yangqianxi and Zhu Yaolin.

Although he hasn't won any awards yet, and his cumulative box office earnings aren't high enough, but...

The four-character actor rose to fame with the box office of "Better Days," which grossed nearly 16 billion yuan, thus beginning his meteoric rise to become a "Best Actor" in the Chinese entertainment industry.

Zhu Yaolin rose to fame with the 17 billion yuan box office of "Life's Big Events," and even won the Golden Rooster Award for Best Actor, the highest honor for male actors in the film industry.

He is even more terrifying than the four-character actor. He carried the film "Life's Big Events" on his own, while the four-character actor's co-star was an award-winning actress.

Both of these currently dominant young actors in the Chinese film industry started their careers as solo performers before achieving their current status. Chi Ye…

The current box office of "Girl" has already exceeded 17 billion. Although it is already late October and the holiday is over, and the marketing is excessive, it seems that breaking 20 billion is a bit of a stretch, but it is already a sure thing, even higher than Zhu Yaolin's famous work.

Starting from the same point, achieving even greater success... Even a fool could see that Chi Ye's main rivals in the film industry are Yi Yangqianxi and Zhu Yaolin; other young actors are far inferior to him.

Therefore, from that day on, the teams of the four-character team and Zhu Yaolin's team urgently adjusted their counter-strategy, placing Chi Ye's name first.

At the same time, not only in the film industry, but also in the realm of Ikeno's peak popularity, Yue Na, Hong Kong, and some Thai and foreign teams have all launched an "attack" on him.

Of course, where there is an attack, there is also a "recruitment".

For example, the penguin behind Yuena, while Yuena was still struggling to make a living, the penguin turned around and "stabbed" her in the back.

That day, they extended numerous olive branches to Ikeno.

"Tencent wants me to act in S+?"

On her way to the set of "Goblin," Ikeno was very surprised when she heard the news: "What does this mean? They broke up with Yuena?"

Coco, sitting in the passenger seat, turned around and laughed: "I don't know if it'll end or not, but it's not just Tencent, there are three other platforms... The capital behind them all want you to act in their platform projects. In addition, the director has given me a few movie scripts, and there are other people in the film industry..."

"When the time is right, heaven and earth lend their strength."

Chi Ye chuckled and joked, then asked, "You're not trying to scam me for money again, are you?"

“This time it’s not. This time they’re really jealous. They’re offering projects that seem more reliable… well, but Brother Chi.”

Coco looked serious and said earnestly, "Your schedule is too full; you simply can't find the time."

Ikeno didn't even look up: "Send me the doujinshi first, I'll probably not find anything I like."

“Okay, um…” Coco paused, hesitant to speak.

Ikeno looked up: "Speak."

"So... do you still remember Teacher You from back then?"

Chi Ye paused, then remembered: "You mean... Mr. Yu, the spy drama screenwriter? The screenwriter who wrote 'Deep Sea'?"

"Ah."

Coco looked at him hesitantly: "It seems that the script he's been wanting to talk to you about has finally been approved."

You mean "Lurking"?

Ikeno estimated his age: "I'm three years older than before... um... what did he say?"

"The character's age in the show was based on yours."

Ikeno fell into deep thought.

Coco misunderstood him: "Then I'll turn it down. We only have one drama right now, 'Goblin,' and the goal is to maintain our leading position and capitalize on the success of 'My Love from the Star.' As for the others..."

"I haven't even won a Best Actor award."

Chi Ye suddenly asked, "Shouldn't I get the Best Actor award at this year's Golden Eagle Awards?"

(End of this chapter)