This top celebrity got drunk and acted crazy, and everyone in the Chinese entertainment industry bur

It's worth noting that Hu Tao is the head of Tencent Video, so it's no exaggeration to say he's extremely busy.

It would be a lie to say that Hu Tao didn't care about Lü Ming and his team's "Candle in the Tomb: The Lost City". During this period, he would call almost every two days to ask about the filming progress and the situation on set, which shows that he was very concerned.

But if someone said that Hu Tao flew thousands of kilometers to Xinjiang Province just to inquire about this situation, then not even a fool, let alone Lü Ming, would believe it.

"Candle in the Tomb: The Lost City" is important to Tencent Video, but not so important that the person in charge of Tencent Video personally came to inquire about its progress.

"of course not!"

Hearing Lü Ming's words, Hu Tao smiled, knowing that Lü Ming would surely understand why he had come. So he said to Lü Ming, "I came here for two reasons. First, I want to inquire about the filming progress of the 'Candle in the Tomb - The Lost City' series. Second, and most importantly, as a representative of the 'Go Fighting!' program, I wanted to ask if you have any free time recently and would like to invite you to participate in the next episode of 'Go Fighting!'"

Seeing that Kiwi Fruit gained a lot of attention through the live broadcast of the episode of "Running Man" featuring Lü Ming, especially after acquiring many more paying users, Hu Tao and his team at Tencent Video instantly became envious.

Hu Tao and his team were well aware that the kiwi fruit's success was not solely due to the live broadcast of "Running Man!", but primarily because of Lü Ming's presence in that episode.

After all, last season, Kiwifruit broadcasted the entire season of "Running Man!", but the final results might not have been as good as the two-day growth of the episode featuring Lü Ming.

Hu Tao knew perfectly well that the key to all of this was Lü Ming.

Therefore, after considering this situation, Hu Tao immediately contacted Shanghai TV. After all, the "Go Fighting!" program is a collaboration between Tencent Video and Shanghai TV, and it's not something that Hu Tao can decide just by saying it.

In addition, for Hu Tao, getting involved with Shanghai TV would increase their chances of inviting Lü Ming.

You have to understand that Lü Ming is not the same person he was when he first started working with Tencent Video. It's not something that can be convinced by just an appearance fee.

If it were said that Lü Ming could be invited simply by offering a price, then all the other well-funded TV stations in China would be waving their checks and inviting him right now.

Judging from the current situation, anyone with a discerning eye can see the influence of Lü Ming, which has caused the ratings of "Running Man," a show that insiders believe is unlikely to see any further increase in popularity and viewership, to skyrocket, even posing a significant challenge to Hunan TV.

If any variety show can invite Lü Ming to participate, the production team can almost never worry about the ratings.

As for the exorbitant appearance fee given to Lü Ming, that was even less of a problem. The checks waved by the sponsors who flocked to him were enough to recoup all of their investments.

Others might not know this, but Hu Tao knew it perfectly well.

Take, for example, their investment in "Candle in the Tomb: The Lost City". Despite the large scale of the investment as advertised, the revenue from various sponsorships and product placements already covered most of the income. It's only because Lü Ming didn't like too many advertisements that Hu Tao and his team estimated that even before filming, the sponsorship fees alone would have allowed them to not only recoup their costs but also make a huge profit.

After hearing Hu Tao's suggestion, the senior management of Shanghai TV naturally did not refuse.

If Hu Tao was envious of the kiwi fruit's achievements, then Shanghai TV was envious of the current success of Zhejiang TV.

It's worth noting that before this, the popularity and ratings of Shanghai TV's "Go Fighting!" were no less than those of Zhejiang TV's "Running Man!". However, Shanghai TV did not expect Zhejiang TV to make such a good start by inviting Lü Ming to participate in this episode.

After seeing what happened on Zhejiang TV, Shanghai TV immediately wanted to follow suit and invited Lü Ming to participate in their "Go Fighting!" program.

Lü Ming had already participated in their "Go Fighting!" program before, and the episode in which Lü Ming participated was the highest-rated episode of "Go Fighting!" to date.

If they could offer Lü Ming an appearance fee to participate in the program, Shanghai TV would not hesitate at all.

In terms of wealth, even Hunan TV, the leading channel, may not be as wealthy as Shanghai TV.

But having money doesn't necessarily mean it will be useful.

Now everyone knows that the reason Lü Ming participated in Zhejiang TV's "Running Man" program was not because of the exorbitant appearance fee, but simply because of Gangzi and Dilraba's influence.

What frustrated the executives at Shanghai TV was that their relationship with Lü Ming was relatively shallow, and they didn't have a middleman like Gangzi who had connections with Lü Ming to help them speak on his behalf. Even his participation in their "Go Fighting!" program was at the invitation of Tencent Video.

Just when the senior executives of Shanghai TV were at a loss, Hu Tao's sudden suggestion made their eyes light up, and they immediately agreed. They even told Hu Tao that as long as they could invite Lü Ming over, any conditions were negotiable.

After discussing with the senior executives of Shanghai TV, Hu Tao immediately flew to Xinjiang Province, where Lü Ming and his crew of "Candle in the Tomb: The Lost City" were filming, to talk to Lü Ming in person.

Upon hearing Hu Tao's words, Lü Ming did not show much surprise. In fact, he had already guessed that Hu Tao had come for this very reason.

However, just because someone guessed it doesn't mean that Lü Ming would agree.

"I really don't have much time lately!"

"I have to attend Hunan TV's Golden Eagle Awards ceremony in a while, I'm so sorry!"

Lu Ming shook his head and said to Hu Tao.

The reason I went to participate in Zhejiang TV's "Running Man" last time was mainly because of Dilraba and Gangzi. Otherwise, with "Candle in the Tomb: The Lost City" still not finished filming, Lü Ming would never have participated in variety shows like "Running Man".

For Lü Ming, participating in too many variety shows this year was already excessive, and given his current popularity and buzz, he no longer needed to gain attention and traffic through appearances on variety shows. "Are you going to attend Hunan TV's Golden Eagle Awards?"

Hu Tao was not surprised by Lü Ming's refusal, but he was still a little curious when he heard that Lü Ming would attend the Golden Eagle Awards. He wondered why Lü Ming would think of attending Hunan TV's Golden Eagle Awards.

Previously, Lu Ming and his agent and assistant had been very resolute in rejecting invitations to award ceremonies and galas. Thinking of this, Hu Tao seemed to remember something and casually said, "Our Tencent Video is also holding a star-studded awards ceremony at the end of the year. Do you have time?"

Upon hearing Hu Tao's 'invitation,' Lü Ming even shook his head in refusal, a rare occurrence for him.

These days, award ceremonies and galas organized by major online video platforms don't have much authority and hardly anyone pays attention. Not to mention them, even Weibo's "Annual Night" doesn't have much influence now. It can't invite top celebrities like Lü Ming, let alone ordinary celebrities. Unlike a future "Annual Night" that can attract half of the entertainment industry's top stars.

Looking at Lü Ming's expression, Hu Tao knew roughly what Lü Ming was thinking, so he didn't say anything more.

That was just a casual remark. Hu Tao knew exactly what their "Starlight Awards" was all about. They only invited some second- or third-tier celebrities from the entertainment industry. The few top-tier celebrities who came were mostly there because of Tencent Video.

Although Lü Ming didn't say it, Hu Tao immediately guessed that Lü Ming's participation in Hunan TV's Golden Eagle Awards must be related to Dilraba. Otherwise, Lü Ming would never have refused all other award ceremonies and galas of the same level and only participated in Hunan TV's Golden Eagle Awards.

After all, even netizens outside the entertainment circle knew about Dilraba and Zhao Liying's competition for the Golden Eagle Goddess award, let alone someone inside the industry like him.

We're all shrewd people; everyone knows what's going on. Hunan TV must have made a deal with Lü Ming using the Golden Eagle Goddess title to get him to agree to attend their Golden Eagle Awards.

However, this also gave Hu Tao more confidence in his next move.

"I know you've been very busy lately, but our 'Go Fighting!' and 'Running Man' are the same, only two days long!"

"Furthermore, I've already discussed with Shanghai TV and the 'Go Fighting!' production team that we can move that episode of 'Go Fighting!' to Xinjiang Province, saving you the trouble of traveling back and forth!"

"Furthermore, if you agree, we will not only give Nazha the same level of star power and appearance fee as when we invited Dilraba for 'Running Man!', but Tencent Video and Shanghai TV will also invest in an A-list production and give Nazha the lead role!"

Compared to Gangzi and his group who relied on Dilraba's connections, Hu Tao and his group clearly placed their hopes on Gulnazar.

Since they couldn't persuade Lü Ming, they had no choice but to resort to a roundabout approach.

Hu Tao knew perfectly well the relationship between Lü Ming and Gulnazar. Since Lü Ming was willing to attend "Running Man" and Hunan TV's Golden Eagle Awards for Dilraba, he might very well agree to their invitations for Gulnazar's sake.

It's worth noting that the conditions they offered were quite good; for Nazha, it was practically a windfall.

Leaving aside the exorbitant appearance fees and the status and treatment of a top-tier actress, the fact that she is the lead actress in an A-list production is enough to make most female celebrities and artists in the industry envious.

It's well known that the entertainment industry is extremely competitive, with far more actors than available roles. There are only a handful of truly A-list productions each year, and the vast majority of leading roles are already filled by top stars in the industry. Even though Dilraba hasn't received a single leading role in an A-list production yet.

And what about Gulnazar?

Although she played the female lead role in "Candle in the Tomb: The Lost City," everyone knows that this role wasn't based on her talent, but simply because of her relationship with Lü Ming. Moreover, "Candle in the Tomb: The Lost City" hasn't been released yet, and its final performance is still unknown.

Giving Nazha the lead role in another A-list big-budget production at this time would be a significant risk, even for Tencent Video and Shanghai TV.

When the executives at Shanghai TV heard Hu Tao's suggestion, they hesitated at first. After all, the investment in an A-list production is considerable, and they were worried about casting Gulnazar as the lead actress.

However, Hu Tao felt much more confident in the face of the concerns and hesitations of the Shanghai leadership.

Hu Tao may not know Nazha well and may not have much confidence in her, but Hu Tao knows Lü Ming!

He had immense confidence in Lü Ming, especially after Lü Ming's miraculous comeback during his participation in "Asian King of Pop." Hu Tao now seemed to have blind faith in Lü Ming. Coupled with the analysis of "Candle in the Tomb: The Lost City" by his professional team, the possibility of it becoming a huge hit was very high, and it even had the potential to become a classic of the year.

Once "Candle in the Tomb: The Lost City" becomes a huge hit, Gulnazar, as the female lead, will inevitably see her popularity skyrocket, and becoming a top-tier actress is almost a certainty. Dilraba is the future Gulnazar.

At this point, it would be extremely wise to give the lead role in their A-list production to Nazha in advance, and it would also help them befriend Nazha.

Even for a leading online video platform like Tencent Video, befriending a top-tier female celebrity is a sure-fire way to make money.

Not to mention, if they could invite Lü Ming to their "Go Fighting!" program, that would be even more profitable.

If Lü Ming can achieve the same results as Kiwi in the last episode of "Go Fighting!", or even just a little less, it would be a very good result for Tencent Video.

"Mr. Hu, you've really put me in a difficult position!"

Upon hearing Hu Tao's words, Lü Ming smiled faintly and said with a hint of helplessness.

If Hu Tao had only offered him these conditions, Lü Ming would have refused without hesitation and wouldn't have cared at all.

Neither their exorbitant appearance fees nor the lead role in what they called a top-tier A-list production held much appeal for Lü Ming. In fact, if Lü Ming wanted, those top-tier A-list movies and TV series in pre-production would be begging him for a piece of their pie. (End of Chapter)