Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 295 Too deep into the drama
In the early summer morning, Hengdian resembles an ancient capital sealed by time. The sunlight shines softly through the dappled leaves, illuminating the ancient palace buildings.

The red walls and golden tiles, shimmering with the luster of time under the gentle caress of the sunlight, make one feel as if they have traveled through time and space back to the turbulent Qing Dynasty.

In a corner of the film set, Liu Shishi stood like a proud lotus, dressed in an elegant cheongsam. The light blue silk was embroidered with exquisite patterns, making her look dignified and graceful.

Her hair was carefully styled and adorned with exquisite pearls and jade, swaying gently with her every movement and radiating a soft glow.

At this moment, Tangren's top female star was sitting with Liu Xinyou and Li Chengyuan, talking in hushed tones.

"Shishi, are you alright?"

Looking at the Tangren Media's top female star, whose brows were furrowed with depression, Liu Xinyou couldn't help but feel a little worried.

Filming for "Scarlet Heart" has been underway for some time now, and she has personally witnessed the changes in Liu Shishi.

When the lead actress first started filming, she was always chatting and laughing with everyone, her bright eyes sparkling with a lively light. That cheerful and lively energy was like a flower blooming in spring, making people want to take a second look.

However, as filming progressed, Liu Shishi gradually became immersed in the role, fully embracing the character of Ruoxi. The once cheerful and energetic leading lady disappeared, replaced by a woman shrouded in sorrow within the deep palace.

Li Chengyuan, standing nearby, was also very concerned: "Shishi, do you want to talk to the director and take a couple of days off to slow down? Your current condition is very worrying."

Liu Shishi gently shook her head, a stubborn look on her face: "It's nothing, just filming. I know my own condition. If I really can't take it anymore, I'll talk to the director."

Liu Xinyou and Li Chengyuan exchanged a glance, both seeing worry in each other's eyes; the top star's condition was truly worrying.

Despite their repeated attempts to persuade her, Liu Shishi remained determined and insisted on finishing filming her recent scenes in one go. The two had no choice but to give up and leave with worry and resignation.

After watching her two friends leave, Liu Shishi returned to the rest shed alone, silently flipping through the script, trying to understand Ruoxi's inner world, and feeling her joys and sorrows, her ups and downs.

In recent episodes, as the plot deepens, Ruoxi's situation in the palace becomes increasingly difficult.

Her emotional entanglements with the fourth and eighth princes, and the grudges and grievances she had with the other princes, all weighed heavily on Liu Shishi's mind.

Often, in the quiet of the night, he would feel saddened by Ruoxi's fate.

A moment later, a stagehand rushed into the rest area to announce: "Ms. Liu, it's almost your turn to film. Director Li wants you to touch up your makeup."

Liu Shishi belatedly awoke from her reverie, her eyes still hazy and confused. After a long while, she finally managed to reply, "Okay." Her voice carried a hint of weariness, as if she had just completed a long journey.

Accompanied by her assistant, she went to the dressing room to touch up her makeup. She sat down quietly and looked at herself in ancient costume in the mirror. For a moment, she felt a little dazed.

His eyes were full of melancholy, and he would occasionally mutter to himself, as if he were confiding his inner confusion.

Jiang Yuanyuan felt sorry for her mistress's state: "Shishi, don't get too into the role, you'll hurt yourself doing this."

Liu Shishi smiled bitterly: "I'm fine, Yuanyuan. I just wanted to experience Ruoxi's state of mind more deeply so that the filming would be more realistic and allow the audience to empathize."

After touching up her makeup, Liu Shishi arrived at the film set, perked up, took a deep breath, and began filming her scenes for the day.

This was a monologue scene, and the lead actress almost instantly got into character. Or rather, she has been in a state of being in character lately, whether she is filming or spending her free time in a role, and she can no longer distinguish whether she is Liu Shishi or Ruoxi.

Before the camera, Liu Shishi's eyes revealed sorrow and helplessness, two lines of tears slowly sliding down her cheeks as she murmured softly, "I know everyone's ending, but I don't know my own..."

Its sound was mournful, like a lament, like a yearning, like weeping and a plea!

Her soft, trembling voice seemed to burst forth from the depths of her soul, filled with Ruoxi's loneliness, helplessness, and confusion in the deep palace.

Watching his top sister's performance on the monitor, Li Guoli nodded in approval. Liu Shishi had almost perfectly captured the helplessness and isolation of a woman in the deep palace.

I couldn't help but exclaim, "Shishi is completely immersed in the role! Ruoxi is such a tragic character. Using the method acting approach, it will probably take her some time to get over it after filming."

As time went by, the filming of "Scarlet Heart" proceeded smoothly, and soon it was the end of April.

On the 28th, Forbes magazine released its 2010 Forbes China Celebrity List, the seventh time the magazine has published a comprehensive ranking of Chinese celebrities.

For the first time, the list expands its scope to include Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, covering multiple fields such as actors, singers, and athletes.

The commercial value and social influence of celebrities are comprehensively evaluated based on multiple indicators such as income, exposure, and the impact of their works.

Famous basketball player Yao Ming topped the income list for the second consecutive year with an income of 2.55 million yuan, while entertainment mogul Cheng Long ranked first overall thanks to his global influence and the success of multiple commercial films.

Jay Chou, who has crossed over from singer to film and television and directing, ranked second overall, demonstrating the advantages of multi-faceted development.

Under the blazing midday sun, inside the luxurious RV of the top celebrity, Li Chengyuan and Liu Xinyou were looking at the trending topics on Weibo and having a heated discussion about the Forbes Celebrity List.

"Shishi, you're amazing! You made it onto the list at such a young age."

Liu Shishi rested her chin on one hand, staring blankly through the car window at the magnificent Hengdian Forbidden City in the distance. She seemed oblivious to her best friend's envy, her thoughts seemingly already far away.

Looking back at 2009, the leading lady won an award at the College Student Film Festival at the beginning of the year, became a household name for her role as Long Kui in the summer, and also earned income from investing in "iPartment" and brand endorsements.

With an annual income of 2430 million, he made his debut on the Forbes Celebrity List, ranking 57th overall.

Although her ranking wasn't very high, only in the middle range, it was still an honor for Liu Shishi, leaving many actresses of the same age behind.

"Sigh!" The eldest sister sighed, her voice soft and gentle, filled with sorrow and resentment, "Wouldn't Ruoxi be very envious of me, being able to stand outside and gaze at the Forbidden City?"

Here we go again. Liu Xinyou and Li Chengyuan were used to Liu Shishi talking to herself from time to time, but they felt helpless about it.

These past two days, even the director noticed that something was wrong with the lead actress and intentionally slowed down the pace, hoping that she could adjust her mindset.

Jiang Yuanyuan, who was also in the carriage, silently observed the eldest sister's every move. Even the good news of being on the celebrity list today didn't bring a smile to the young lady's face.

She decided to disregard Liu Shishi's instructions and report the entire situation to Boss Song. If things dragged on and something happened to the leading lady, and the richest man got really angry, the entire crew couldn't handle it.

Jiang Yuanyuan opened the car door and quietly got out of the RV. She immediately took out her phone and dialed Song Ci's number. It took a while for the call to be answered.

"Chairman Song, is it convenient for you to talk now?" Thinking of the young master's condition, Jiang Yuanyuan felt inexplicably nervous, and her palms became sweaty as she gripped her phone tightly.

"Say!"

The tycoon's cold words made Jiang Yuanyuan's heart skip a beat, and she didn't know where to begin. Fortunately, Song Ci on the other end of the phone didn't rush her. After a long pause, Jiang Yuanyuan cautiously spoke: "Chairman Song, I have something to report to you."

Recently, my senior sister has been filming and is deeply immersed in her role as Ruoxi. She's been quite depressed and restless lately, and I'm very worried about her. I want her to take a break, but she refuses.

I really had no other choice. I was afraid that if my senior sister continued in this mental state, something bad would happen if it dragged on any longer, so I had to report this to you.

"Why are you only telling me this now?"

Jiang Yuanyuan stammered, her voice barely audible: "Shishi won't allow it..."

"Does Cai Yi-nong know about this?"

The richest man's calm voice made the assistant even more uneasy, and a sudden sense of fear arose in her heart: "President Cai knows! I talked to President Cai about it a few days ago."

What did she say?

"President Cai said that getting into and out of character is an essential part of an actor's growth. If Sister Shi wants to grow, she has to overcome this hurdle."

The call fell silent again, as if time had stood still.

After a long while, Song Ci sighed and said softly, "I'll be in Hengdian in about an hour. Let's talk about it when I get there."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuanyuan was very surprised: "Chairman Song, you're going to Hengdian?"

"Do you think that just because Shishi only tells me good news and not bad news, I won't notice her abnormality? I am her husband, the person who loves her the most and knows her the most in this world."

I know perfectly well that she's been sullen and depressed these past few days. But Shishi has her own principles, so I'm pretending not to know and want to give her some time to adjust herself.

But things don't seem to be getting better, so I have to make the trip myself to comfort and console her.

Hearing the helplessness and heartache in the richest man's voice, Jiang Yuanyuan couldn't help but sigh. Boss Song was truly an ideal man. His love and care for Sister Yi was heartfelt and undisguised, which made other women envious.

When Jiang Yuanyuan returned to the carriage, her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down. With Boss Song personally taking charge, it seemed that her senior sister would soon be able to get out of the quagmire of the role.

Unable to contain her joy, Jiang Yuanyuan, disregarding the other people in the carriage, excitedly told Sister Yi, "Shishi, I have good news for you."

The eldest sister turned her gaze from the clear blue sky outside the window to her assistant: "What good news?"

"Shishi, Chairman Song is in Hengdian!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Shishi's heart was filled with turmoil. Her long-dormant eyes finally lit up with a glimmer of light as she exclaimed incredulously, "My husband is coming?"

The assistant smiled and said, "It's not that it's coming, it's almost here. It's on its way right now. Chairman Song just informed me that it will be here in about an hour."

"Yuanyuan, quickly bring me my makeup bag!" With her beloved coming to visit the set, Liu Shishi seemed to be injected with vitality, suddenly standing up and completely forgetting about Ruoxi.

Women dress up for those they love. Liu Shishi also knew that she had been feeling anxious and her complexion was dull recently because of her empathy with Ruoxi. She wanted to put on beautiful makeup before her husband arrived.

One reason was to show Mr. Song the most beautiful side of a daughter, and the other was to hide her haggard appearance so that her husband wouldn't worry.

"Husband? Shishi has a boyfriend?" Liu Xinyou, who was standing to the side, was very curious when she heard Liu Shishi's words. She was secretly puzzled, as she had never heard that Tangren's top female star had a boyfriend.

Li Chengyuan's eyes lit up. This wasn't the first time she had heard people mention "Mr. Song," who had a close relationship with the top female star. Cai Yinong and Hu Ge had both mentioned this person before, and they spoke with great respect, so it seemed that he was not of high status.

Liu Shishi took the makeup bag from her assistant and quickly sat down in front of the mirror to start applying makeup. At the same time, she said to her two friends, "Sister Xin, Sister Yuan, my husband is coming soon. He's a bit cold..."

Liu Xinyou and Li Chengyuan could easily understand the unspoken meaning behind the eldest sister's words: she wanted to meet her lover in secret and asked them to leave first.

"Shishi, we're about to start filming, so Cheng Yuan and I will head to the set first."

"Sister Yuan, please tell Director Li that I won't be filming this afternoon. Just say that Mr. Song is coming to the set, and Director Li will understand."

Li Chengyuan was taken aback, not expecting that Liu Shishi, who always insisted on not taking leave, would immediately skip work because of Mr. Song's arrival. She then nodded and said, "Okay."

The two got off the RV together, and Liu Xinyou couldn't help but ask, "Cheng Yuan, is Mr. Song Shishi's boyfriend?"

Lee Sung-won replied uncertainly, "I think so."

"Should? Aren't you an artist under Tangren Media? Don't you know about Shishi's situation?"

Faced with Liu Xinyou's doubts, Li Chengyuan patiently explained: "Shishi is the top female employee in the company and has a very high status in Tangren. I don't usually have much contact with her, and President Cai has given a gag order for her affairs, so we are not allowed to talk about them casually."

Liu Xinyou's beautiful eyes widened in astonishment, and she clicked her tongue in amazement: "Is Shishi really that amazing?"

"You'll understand the value of being number one in the future."

The two chatted as they walked and soon arrived at the film set. As soon as they entered the studio, Ye Zuxin, who played the Tenth Prince, spotted them and shouted, "Hey, Fourth Sister-in-law and Eighth Sister-in-law are here! Everyone come and greet them!"

Sun Yizhou, Lin Gengxin, and the others joined in the commotion, and the studio was filled with laughter and chatter.

Li Chengyuan joked with the male actors and happened to see director Li Guoli there. She quickly stepped forward to ask for leave for Liu Shishi: "Director Li, Shishi asked me to tell you that Mr. Song has arrived and she is taking the afternoon off."

Li Guoli was startled upon hearing this: "Mr. Song is here? Where is he?"

Faced with the director's excited question, Li Chengyuan felt completely confused and shook her head: "Shishi didn't say!"

The others, except for Yuan Hong and Sun Yizhou, were all puzzled by "Mr. Song," but were very curious about his identity.

Lin Gengxin was very good at reading people. He noticed that everyone else looked curious, but Yuan Hong and Sun Yizhou remained calm. He figured that the two of them must know who this "Mr. Song" who had shocked Li Guoli was.

He quietly moved closer to Yuan Hong and asked in a low voice, "Brother, who is Mr. Song?"

Yuan Hong glared at him: "This is Sister Yi's private matter, don't pry."

Although one shouldn't hit a smiling face, Lin Gengxin was very polite and respectful to this old man on set. However, since he would be competing with him for resources in the future, he was still a little annoyed and didn't want to say much.

(End of this chapter)