How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 125 Let's Divorce If We Want [10,000-word Update, Please Subscribe]

“This is a good subject matter. If it can be released before ‘Scarlet Heart,’ we can benefit from its popularity for free.” Wang Yao nodded in agreement.

"Mr. Wang, you truly have a discerning eye! Come, let me toast you!" Yu Zheng beamed with joy upon hearing this.

"About how many episodes are there in this show?" Wang Yao asked.

"It should be 30 to 40 episodes." Yu Zheng thought for a moment, since it was his first time trying a time-travel + historical drama theme, so he could give it a try.

“Although I don’t interfere with the creative process and filming, I still have requirements for the lead actors. I generally don’t use big, mature artists; I only use newcomers who have advantages and are easy to mold,” Wang Yao said.

"As long as it doesn't clash with the character or involve poor acting skills or character, it's not a bad thing." Yu Zheng hesitated for a moment. In fact, actors' salaries are a huge source of profit for producers.

"I'll decide on the male and female leads. Let's say the initial investment is 2000 million, which is 50 per episode—quite a bit higher than 'Temptation,' since it's a period drama," Wang Yao said with a smile.

“The cost of props and extras for period dramas is higher, so this price is about right,” Wu Zhuli said, indicating her agreement.

"Excuse me, Mr. Wang, do you have any candidates for the male and female leads? I usually draw inspiration from the characters I write," Yu Zheng asked.

"Let's use Yang Mi as the female lead. She can directly compete with Liu Shishi, and she has an advantage in terms of viewership," Wang Yao suggested.

"Huh? Mr. Wang knows Mimi?" Yu Zheng was surprised; the other party had actually thought of the same thing as him.

Is this fate?

“I don’t know him, but he’s already signed with the company I’m working with.” Wang Yao smiled.

Ji hasn't been fired by Wu Kebo yet, but it feels like it'll be soon. However, she signed Yang Mi to Xinghuo in advance, so she's now considered an artist under Wang Yao's company.

“Oh, I also think she’s suitable. This girl has a lot of talent in her performance in ‘The Beauty’s Plan’. What about the male lead?” Yu Zheng asked with concern.

He signed a lot of male artists in the first batch of his agency, originally intending to use his own people.

“He’s also from my friend’s company. He’s a newcomer named Zhu Yilong. You can look into him. If everything’s alright, I’ll arrange a meeting for you,” Wang Yao said.

Yu Zheng noted down the name, and seeing that Wang Yao hadn't decided on any other roles, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and then resumed exchanging pleasantries.

Wang Yao couldn't stand his constant talking, so he made an excuse to leave early.

"Lili, this Mr. Wang is truly on the same wavelength as me," Yu Zheng said excitedly.

"I'm warning you, don't harass my sugar daddy, or I'll kill you." Wu Zhuli was already regretting introducing Wang Yao to him.

"What a pity." Yu Zheng sighed, then smiled and said, "But it doesn't matter. I have other ways to please him. I recently signed a girl. She has a top-notch figure and looks. She's just a bit too straightforward, but she'll definitely suit President Wang's taste."

“They’ve worked with Wang Jinhua, they’ve seen all kinds of artists. Your methods are useless. You should think about how to make a good film instead of wasting your time on useless things.” Wu Zhuli rolled her eyes.

But she had some thoughts in her mind. Last time, Wang Yao clearly showed interest in Qin Lan. From her best friend's perspective, she felt that Wang Yao definitely had a much greater advantage than Lu Chuan.

"Oh? In that play of yours, you'll have a cameo role with Qin Lan, right?" Wu Zhuli said.

“Sure, Lanlan is quite suitable for period dramas, and she’s of age, so she can still command the stage presence. If she weren’t less famous than Lin Xinru, I would have cast her in ‘The Beauty’s Scheme’.” Yu Zheng said dismissively.

Getting the "Palace" project for free was a pleasant surprise.

This kind of time-travel themed idol drama is almost guaranteed to be a hit right now, so there's no need to worry about losing money. Moreover, this series can be developed into an IP, with TV series and movies being linked together.

There are many points that can be implanted. As a former online novelist, the topic of how one can get rich by traveling back to ancient times has been explored to the extreme.

Clothing can incorporate traditional Chinese jewelry, and food can incorporate donkey-hide gelatin and bird's nest.

Then the female lead invents a way to implant soap, perfume, and even bras—the plot works perfectly, and the sponsorship is great.

After two days of careful consideration and back-and-forth, Mr. Zhao, the general manager of Mofashijia, and his daughter finally succumbed to the temptation of a cameo appearance and signed two contracts.

One contract is a 1:3 guarantee contract with a 400 million upfront investment and a 50% commission split.

One is a 1000 million RMB soft-planting campaign called "Return Temptation," which combines exposure and product placement.

As soon as the money arrived, Wang Yao transferred ten million to Wu Zhuli to begin preparations for filming. He had already secured the lead actress from the Korean branch through their company.

Qiu Cixuan's company entrusted Tianhuo with packaging her business in China. Tianhuo guaranteed Qiu Cixuan's exposure and basic resources in China, with a minimum of 60 episodes of work per year, and she could receive a 50% commission.

Choo Ja-hyun is considered one of the more popular Korean actresses in China, and her salary is generally around 10 yuan (before profit sharing), which is typical for a top-tier TV drama actor.

This means that the female lead alone accounts for one-third of the budget for each episode's salary, and the combined salaries of the other main actors are about the same.

Normally, foreign artists' salaries shouldn't be this high, but there's a reason for it. If foreign actors aren't paid well, agencies won't make a profit, and local companies won't have an excuse to inflate the value of their artists.

However, for Wang Yao, the cost of hiring people was only 5. The drama added several flashback scenes, with Kim Ji-won playing the female lead during her school days. Several classic scenes of the "white moonlight" school beauty were specially designed. While incorporating clothing brands, it also deepened her aloof school beauty persona.

The project is expected to start filming in early April, and if all goes well, it could be broadcast before Singles' Day at the end of the year.

When the news that work could begin was shared with Kim Ji-won, the two of them happily spent another night admiring the Bund's night view.

The pen and cap are now broken in together very smoothly.

The next day, Wang Yao originally planned to visit Xingyou Studio to check on the development progress of the game project. After Chen Qi and his team visited the studio the day before yesterday, they told Wang Yao that they would reply to him about their cooperation intentions this week.

If Chen Qi joins, then Mulan Street will also need some start-up capital.

Halfway there, I received a call from Huang Shengyi saying he wanted to visit the company, so I had to turn back.

It's been over a month since I last saw Huang Shengyi, and he's gotten quite plump.

"Mr. Wang, it's been a long time." Huang Shengyi said with a smile as he entered the room.

"It seems Mr. Huang had a good New Year," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"I'm so bored at home, watching Kanpian.com make waves in the industry every day, I can't sleep because I'm so envious. Look at my dark circles." Huang Shengyi said in a resentful tone, leaning closer across the desk.

"I recently took over a skincare brand, and it's quite effective at reducing dark circles. I'll get you some later," Wang Yao said with a light laugh as he poured her tea.

"Hehe, actually there's nothing much to say. I just came to urge the progress and, by the way, hang around in front of President Wang to see if there are any good projects I can get involved in." Huang Shengyi sat back down.

"With such a huge business like Juli, how come Mr. Huang has so much free time?" Wang Yao asked curiously.

With such a favorable environment for the film and television industry this year, why is Juli just letting its money sit idle in its accounts?

"Thanks to Mr. Wang, I heard that the domestic box office in the first quarter is almost over 30 billion yuan. But as good as it is, the competition is also quite fierce. It is said that the screening schedule for next year has basically been decided."
"To go public, Berna will probably launch more than 20 projects next year. The 'Confucius' project is losing money, which has had a significant impact on the company," Huang Shengyi said, shaking his head.

"It can't be that bad," Wang Yao raised an eyebrow.

"As for our CEO, he's petty, but I only overheard them chatting. After all, they don't let me participate in operations. I noticed that your company has a lot more people this time. It seems that Tianhuo Company is developing really well. Indeed, good development means vitality," Huang Shengyi exclaimed.

"Thanks to Juli, things are still alright." Wang Yao squinted his eyes. If it weren't for the three million from Juli that led to He Ming's loan and absconding incident, things might be very different now.

In some ways, Yang Zi is a hero.

"My movie 'Liu Sanjie' will be released next month. Has Mr. Wang prepared the press releases?" Huang Shengyi asked with a smile.

"Of course, we've already started promoting it. Your Weibo followers and data should increase by the end of the month, but we can't guarantee box office success since there aren't many screenings yet." Wang Yao shook his head.

"What about the others?" Huang Shengyi fiddled with his teacup, looking completely indifferent, clearly not interested.

“I might have a dance-related variety show for Li Man later. Has she been busy these past few months?” Wang Yao asked.

"It seems like 'Lost in Thailand' has finished filming. I probably don't have any work planned afterward, since I don't have any scheduled projects." Huang Shengyi blinked. "A dance variety show? That's such an unpopular resource."

"I voted for it myself," Wang Yao said with a smile.

“Variety shows require a large investment but have a low return. Why would President Wang choose this kind of project?” Huang Shengyi asked, somewhat surprised.

It doesn't seem to have much to do with his current main business.

“That’s traditional variety shows. The characteristic of my batch of variety show projects is that they involve large investments and yield quick results. As for the rate of return, I think it’s acceptable.” Wang Yao waved his hand.

"Really? Then can I come along this time, Mr. Wang?" Huang Shengyi blinked.

"Are you going to invest or Juli?" Wang Yao countered.

“Of course it’s me,” Huang Shengyi replied.

"It's not that I look down on Mr. Huang, it's just that variety show investments start at least at 500 million yuan. There's no need to cooperate if it's too small," Wang Yao frankly stated. He didn't think Huang Shengyi could have accumulated much personal wealth over the years.

"Mr. Wang, you really underestimate me. Although I don't have enough personal savings, you reminded me last time that I have 10% of the shares. I specifically asked during the Chinese New Year, and I can mortgage 1000 million yuan to get them out." Huang Shengyi lowered his voice, and there was a hint of smugness between his eyebrows.

Wang Yao was somewhat surprised, not expecting him to be so quick to understand.

“If President Yang finds out that I’m mortgaging my shares to invest in my project, it might not be good,” Wang Yao said, frowning.

"I also participated in the Women's Welfare Association's charity MV event, right? I was really crying while singing 'Labour'. I don't want to become the kind of woman described in the lyrics."
Zhang Baizhi's words, "What's the point of stealing a man? Stealing a man's livelihood is what's interesting," really shocked me. Coupled with seeing the news about Liang Luoshi recently, I've decided to take control of my own life. Huang Shengyi's already bright eyes were now incredibly resolute.

During the Chinese New Year holiday, she immersed herself in gossip on various platforms, even registering a Myspace account to lurk into members-only posts. The posts from her fellow women seemed to open a new world for her.

Unexpected paths, unheard-of events.

All of this deeply shocked her.

Wang Yao blinked, somewhat surprised.

I never imagined those slogans would have such a big impact on Huang Shengyi.

After a moment of contemplation, he organized his thoughts and said, “Indeed, both men and women should take control of their own lives. Marriage is simply two independent individuals choosing to be together because of love or mutual benefit; it does not mean that one person becomes the other’s appendage.”

If Mr. Huang has already made up his mind, see if he's interested in this project.

Huang Shengyi subconsciously took the project documents, but Wang Yao's words kept echoing in his mind.

Actually, she had several arguments with Yang Zi during the Spring Festival. The reason was that Yang Zi suddenly suggested that she recognize Zhao Benshan as her godfather so that she could take advantage of Zhao Benshan's influence. If she could collaborate with his disciple Xiao Shenyang on a movie, that would be the best.

She could understand recognizing someone else as her godfather if it were an arrangement made by her previous agency, but Yangzi is her husband, so it's a bit strange no matter what her stance is.

In the past, Huang Shengyi might have politely declined or complied, but after seeing so many female stars stand up and show their independent charm during the Lunar New Year, she was truly moved.

Why should my life be arranged by you so carelessly?

Even though Yang Zi repeatedly emphasized how reasonable his considerations were, she still found it strange and even went so far as to ask her mother about it.

Huang's mother, who already held a negative attitude towards Huang Shengyi's marriage, only asked her one question after hearing this.

Whose life are you? Whose marriage are you?

She has been thinking about these two questions for a while now.

Unexpectedly, today, I seem to have gotten the answer from Wang Yao.

They come together for mutual benefit, but each remains independent.

Huang Shengyi finally managed to suppress the unease in her heart and focused her attention on the variety show project proposal in her hand.

This is a fashion styling variety show called "The Fairy's New Clothes".

Each episode features six celebrities and six fashion designers/stylists paired up to create outfits and makeup looks for 18 models. After each episode airs, viewers on 'Mulan Street' vote using their real names, and the rankings are revealed in the second episode.

The show consists of 12 episodes and uses an elimination system. The group with the lowest total votes after two episodes will be eliminated, and a replacement celebrity designer will take their place. In addition, the best-ranked outfit or style in each episode will receive a 5% discount coupon in the sponsored Taobao store. All selected viewers can claim the coupon.

Furthermore, sharing outfit ideas on the Mulan Street platform will give you the chance to win various prizes and even participate in program recordings.

Every girl, especially a pretty girl, has requirements for her appearance and clothing. The more confident she is in her appearance, the more confident she is in her own aesthetic sense.

Although Huang Shengyi has a rather indifferent personality, she is just like most girls when it comes to vanity—full of confidence and a competitive spirit.

So when she saw the concept of this fashion and style show, she was immediately interested.

She looked up with a delighted expression, ready to discuss the program with Wang Yao, only to find him staring intently at the computer screen, sometimes frowning, sometimes lost in thought, completely absorbed in his work.

Huang Shengyi was a little dazed. This atmosphere, where neither side interfered with the other and both were focused on their own work, actually made her heart flutter.

It felt like stepping back into my childhood, seeing the way my parents interacted back then.

This seems to be the kind of marriage she envisioned.

Under the same roof, everyone has their own things to do, without disturbing each other, yet there is no awkwardness or estrangement. But in her relationship with Yangzi, there never seems to be such a 'tranquil' moment; she is always the one bearing the pressure from the other.

Seemingly realizing that his thoughts had crossed the line, he instantly snapped out of it and frantically grabbed a teacup to try and calm the fire, but ended up choking on it.

"Cough cough cough cough." Huang Shengyi almost spat it out.

"So careless." Wang Yao frowned, stood up, and gently patted her back.

Huang Shengyi seemed to be electrocuted, performing a supple, serpentine twist to avoid Wang Yao's hand.

"Wipe it off." Wang Yao didn't mind and handed him a tissue.

"Sorry, cough cough." Huang Shengyi coughed until her face turned red, and she didn't dare to look at Wang Yao. After a while, she finally spoke, "Um, I really like this project. If I invest, can I be considered as bringing my own investment to the project? I'd like to participate too."

"Didn't President Yang tell you to minimize your exposure?" Wang Yao raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Life is mine, and so is the money." Huang Shengyi stared intently at Wang Yao.

“Okay, this is the cooperation agreement. Take it back and check it. If there are no problems, we’ll sign it,” Wang Yao said with a gentle smile.

Huang Shengyi accepted the offer, saying, "Only 10% profit sharing for 5 million? Mr. Wang, your premium is too high! Isn't this a 20 million investment project?"

"If you invest 500 million and can get back more than 600 million in three or even two months, it's normal for a project with a 20% return to have a high premium," Wang Yao said with a warm smile.

Huang Shengyi stared at that handsome face that had just been filtered, and instantly felt that it was extremely treacherous.

For a moment, I was so caught up in the atmosphere that I almost forgot the other person was a shrewd businessman.

"It's not a guaranteed return partnership, this premium is too high, and what if we lose money?" Huang Shengyi frowned.

“You still get 20 yuan per episode, and if you don’t trust me, why did you even bother coming to me?” Wang Yao frowned, his originally gentle features suddenly becoming sharp.

Huang Shengyi panicked for a moment, and her tone softened, with a hint of coquetry, "Why are you being so fierce? Can't you even bargain in business?"

"Who yelled at you?" Wang Yao asked, bewildered.

Isn't this just normal bargaining tone?

And what are you saying in a cutesy tone?

"Hmph, I'll take it back and think about it." Huang Shengyi snorted and put away the contract.

"Give me an answer within a week." Wang Yao handed her a bag containing some skincare samples from Magic Skin.

Yesterday, when Ni Ni returned from signing the contract, General Manager Zhao generously gifted her several boxes of each product as a token of his appreciation.

Huang Shengyi was a little surprised when she saw that it was a skincare product. She thought that Wang Yao was just being polite at first, but she didn't expect that he really cared about her dark circles.

It's a brand I've never seen before, and the packaging looks a bit cheap, but for some reason, it feels warm.

"Okay, bye-bye." Huang Shengyi suppressed a smile, put on her coat, sunglasses, and mask, and happily returned home with her bag.

I happened to run into Yangzi, who had stayed up all night in a meeting and didn't get up until this afternoon.

"Where did you go?" Yangzi asked casually, yawning.

My initial excitement vanished the moment I saw Yangzi, and I don't know why.

Especially looking at Yang Zi's long, narrow face, which she had never found offensive before, Huang Shengyi frowned slightly and spoke indifferently.

"Fine, let's get a divorce."

He turned around and went upstairs to the second floor.

Yangzi's mind wasn't fully clear yet, and he was completely confused by those three words, thinking he was hallucinating.

What kind of pears should I buy? Or what should I get rid of?

"?"

(End of this chapter)