How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 235 Stealing food
People at Jackie Chan's level have a clearer understanding of the importance of cultural export and soft power.

Having spent so many years in Hollywood, I've concluded that the biggest reason is that China's cultural exports are too weak, and most foreigners can't even distinguish between Chinese and Japanese elements.

Moreover, this program combines travel, publicity, and education with entertainment, allowing the host to relax as well.

"Sure, let's see how it goes on the broadcast. If it's good, I'll put together a 'Grandpas Over Flowers' boy band for you," Wang Yao joked.

“Hey, Grandpa’s going a bit too far. How about Uncle Huayang? It’s a bit embarrassing for someone my age to call him Brother Huayang,” Cheng Long laughed, insisting on coming along to visit the set.

When the two arrived at the filming location, Jackie Chan was somewhat surprised to see a crew of over a hundred people: "So many people?"

It's comparable to making a movie.

“The cost of filming variety shows is no lower than that of movies, especially for outdoor variety shows. On average, each guest needs at least 12 people to ensure safety and the amount of footage. This is fine in China, but if it were abroad, various medical personnel and emergency experts would also be needed,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Really filming 24/7? Filming even while sleeping?" Jackie Chan asked curiously.

“Yes, but you can cover the camera when you sleep,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"It must be quite difficult. If there's a difference between your real-life persona and your on-screen image, you have to be in performance mode 24/7, otherwise there's a risk of your career collapsing," Cheng Long said, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"The emergence of this kind of reality show will make all the artists in the film and television industry reflect on their public personas. Of course, editing can hide a lot of things, but a fake is a fake," Wang Yao chuckled.

Apart from Lin Zhiling and Zhang Baizhi, the rest of the "Sister Hua" team are basically ordinary people, including Yang Ying. Even if passersby notice the camera, they just watch and there is no serious crowding.

But if someone of Cheng Long's caliber were to appear, the security force would need to be multiplied by at least 10.

However, since they were already there, it would be a waste not to let Cheng Long show his face and boost the ratings, so Wang Yao arranged for Cheng Long to visit the "Sisters Who Make Waves" group's accommodation as a mystery guest.

However, compared to Cheng Long, they were clearly more interested in Wang Yao.

"Mr. Wang, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Zhang Baizhi." This was Zhang Baizhi's first time meeting Wang Yao.

This person helped him successfully turn his life around and clear his name, and even gained him a lot of fans. It's no exaggeration to call him a great benefactor.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Zhang. Thank you for taking care of them all these days." Wang Yao smiled and nodded.

She was the only native and main guest among the seven guests, and she helped with a lot of the coordination work.

"Mr. Wang, you're too kind. I should thank you for giving me this job opportunity. This is the first proper job I've received since returning to work. Besides, Sister Dan and Nazha are very cooperative, and we get along very well," Zhang Baizhi said with a smile.

She had always been curious about Wang Yao, especially after spending more time with Nazha and the others recently and hearing many rumors about him. Today, seeing him in person, he was even more eye-catching than she had imagined.

"Brother!~" Naza ran over excitedly after finishing the interview.

"How's the variety show filming going?" Wang Yao reached out and patted her head.

Seeing the two behaving intimately, Zhang Baizhi narrowed her eyes slightly.

"It's very interesting. This is my first time traveling. Sister Baizhi took us to many classic movie locations and shared a lot of gossip." Nazha smiled broadly.

At her age, she was full of longing for the prosperity of Hong Kong. Although the filming schedule was quite demanding, she was still very excited.

"Nazha is excellent. She's basically the first one up every day to help make breakfast, and she's also recommended a lot of local restaurants that I've never been to before. She's done her homework," Zhang Baizhi praised from the side.

"Hehe, it's all thanks to Mulan Street. Dilraba and I discussed the strategy for product placement on Mulan Street the whole time, making sure the material got enough exposure." Nazha chuckled.

Besides providing physical strength, she and Dilraba mainly promoted the mobile app of Mulan Street from a young person's perspective, and exposed the travel guide section of Mulan Street through variety shows.

作为华夏旅行明星真人秀综艺的开山鼻祖，这部综艺的生命力最少可以持续10~20年时间，相当于未来覆盖90/00/10后三个时代人群。

"Good evening, Mr. Wang." Reba also came over to greet him during the interview.

"It's perfect that you two are here. We happen to have some new material today. Remember to help promote Brother Cheng Long's parody videos on Bilibili." Wang Yao assigned the task on the spot.

Bilibili currently does not have a mobile app, but it is important to keep up with current events and promote the "ghostly" (parody/meme) format. In fact, the "ghostly" format will be incorporated into variety shows as a distinctive feature of the new era of variety shows.

"Wouldn't that be too presumptuous? We'd get criticized for making fun of Brother Jackie Chan." Naza laughed so hard she almost choked, but she still keenly sensed something was amiss.

"It's okay, you can just play the video in front of your brother later," Wang Yao said with a smile.

It's only fun to use memes when they're actually used in person.

Moreover, their inexperienced background makes them perfect for such impulsive behavior. Although it's a flaw, it's also endearing and a highlight. If it were someone like Yang Ying, who has already entered the entertainment industry, it wouldn't be appropriate.

Dilraba and Gulnazar whispered among themselves as they went to find Jackie Chan.

“Mr. Wang really dotes on those two,” Zhang Baizhi said with a smile.

They've been busy filming lately, and although they know Ba Wang has made big news, they haven't paid much attention. Although they don't know how popular Cheng Long's parody videos are online, the scene of the two girls dancing in front of Cheng Long is definitely a major highlight for the show's promotion.

"The company doesn't have any big-name artists, so we're just hoping to promote them to make money for the company," Wang Yao said with a smile.

“With Tianhuo’s current scale, there must be many people who want to sign with them, right?” Zhang Baizhi was somewhat surprised to hear this.

In terms of scale, Tianhuo Entertainment is definitely one of the top five media companies in China. Recently, there have been rumors that Wang Jinhua will lead the team back, which may even put it in the top three.

Zhang Baizhi initially refused to sign with them as a studio, and now she regrets it immensely. Back then, Tianhuo was just a small agency with only models; who could have imagined that it would grow into such a large-scale operation in the blink of an eye?

She's a seasoned veteran, and she naturally knows that applying to join now would be seen as 'snobbish,' so she's thinking of making a good impression on this variety show to see if there will be any opportunities for collaboration in the future.

Now, when he hears Wang Yao say that his company has no main artists and only newcomers, he is filled with regret.

"The company's rules are quite unique, and many established artists in the industry don't adapt well to them, so we haven't signed many people," Wang Yao shook his head.

"Good evening, Mr. Wang." Yang Ying and Song Qian came over to greet him after the interview.

"How much of KT's software has been implanted?" Wang Yao asked as soon as they met, starting to talk about work.

Yang Ying takes a fashion + overseas exposure route, while Song Qian's base is in Korea. Wang Yao positions the two as 'international friends' and then integrates them into the KT app.

To create a first impression on audiences in Korea, Hong Kong, and overseas that KT is an international high-end trendy social tool, making it easier for later promotion.

“We use KT to communicate at least 80% of the time. I even use KT to call my teammates at night. I wonder if it will be cut out,” Song Qian laughed. “I followed Qianqian’s example and told my colleagues and friends to use KT beforehand so they could ask for directions or chat on the show. I guess it creates that atmosphere where everyone in Hong Kong uses KT,” Yang Ying winked.

"Very smart, Sister Qian has experience in variety shows," Wang Yao praised.

If the members of the "Sisters Who Make Waves" group only use KT (Karaoke Box) to communicate internally, the audience may not pay much attention. However, if it is used to communicate with the outside world, the effect will be significantly different.

Song Qian's method of recommending products could become a regular practice on the show, creating the illusion that "everyone in the world is using KT".

Upon hearing this, Yang Ying also praised Song Qian a few times, her smile somewhat awkward.

Zhang Baizhi clearly sensed the subtle difference in Wang Yao's attitude towards Yang Ying compared to others. The two didn't have any unusual communication, and she even felt that Yang Ying was not as close to Wang Yao as Nazha was.

But her woman's intuition told her something was amiss.

"Mr. Wang, good evening!" Lin Zhiling's unique baby voice joined the conversation.

As the second oldest member of the show after Song Dandan, her persona on the variety show is that of a shrewd and capable leader who can take charge of the overall situation. This is somewhat similar to her own personality. However, this is a side of her that she can't usually show in film and television productions, but she had a lot of fun on the variety show.

This might be the most relaxed program she's recorded in recent years.

Lin Zhiling made an excuse to ask Wang Yao out alone. Seeing the two of them standing shoulder to shoulder, Zhang Baizhi asked curiously, "Lin Zhiling isn't from your company, is she? She seems to know Mr. Wang very well?"

"Sister Zhiling filmed a movie with President Wang and Gulnazar last month, so they probably got to know each other then," Yang Ying said with a smile.

"Tsk, Lin Zhiling has certainly provided me with the best food," Zhang Baizhi thought to herself with a smirk.

"What? Any news about the poaching incident?" Wang Yao asked as he led Lin Zhiling back to the car.

"Does your 'Genesis 101' project need a Taiwanese company to collaborate with?" Lin Zhiling asked with a smile.

“Yes.” Wang Yao nodded.

The 101 Huaxia sub-team has 6 spots, and Wang Yao allocated the spots according to the ratio of Mainland China/Hong Kong/Taiwan: 4:1:1. The news has been out for almost half a month. Hong Kong has sent a lot of entertainment companies to send people over, but Taiwan does not seem to be very enthusiastic.

"Actually, many people are interested, but they're worried it might be a trap and are still observing." Lin Zhiling smiled gently: "Do you have a suitable candidate in mind?"

“In terms of ability, Kemi and Xia Yan would definitely be the first choice, since they are both companies with idol experience. However, I don’t know if they are interested,” Wang Yao said.

Kemi is the film and television company that produced Fahrenheit. Starting with "Meteor Garden," it pioneered the Mary Sue idol drama genre, and at its peak, the "Ultimate" series basically monopolized the talent pool in the Taiwanese idol industry.

Xia Yan is the largest record company in Taiwan, and S.H.E. is a representative in the idol field.

"I personally recommend that you give priority to Kemi. They are not that big, and they have a good talent pool," Lin Zhiling said with a smile.

"What? Someone asked you to act as a mediator?" Wang Yao raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I suppose so. Fahrenheit might be going to undergo some changes. Krishnamurti urgently needs an idol group to fill the market gap. After all, President Wang's 101 is an international project, and the collaboration between the three countries is still very attractive," Lin Zhiling said.

"Then why don't they contact me first?" Wang Yao asked with a smile.

"I was entrusted to come here." Lin Zhiling glared at Wang Yao. "If you're interested, I can have them transfer the information to you."

"Okay, do you have any plans for tomorrow morning?" Wang Yao asked casually.

"What? Mr. Wang wants to take me out for a night tour of Hong Kong?" Lin Zhiling smiled charmingly.

"Dream on," Wang Yao laughed.

"We're going to K11 shopping mall tomorrow, we'll probably leave around 10 a.m.," Lin Zhiling said, checking the itinerary.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be Kemi and Xia Yan. If there are other small companies with enough qualified people, they can also participate in the talent show,” Wang Yao and Lin Zhiling suddenly said as they got out of the car and walked back.

He originally intended to debut Guo Biting, but her singing and dancing skills were too poor. It can be said that she had nothing to offer except for her good looks, and it was impossible for her to be promoted into the so-called "Pride of Taiwan".

Wang Yao wants to leverage the success of Produce 101 to elevate the Taiwanese members to top-tier status. In addition to attracting the attention of Taiwanese fans, the more important goal is to draw Taiwanese idol industry companies and related talents to join Skyfire.

Taiwan's idol industry has really low standards and poor quality. The four members of Fahrenheit rely entirely on their looks and personalities. Among the four, only Yan can sing in tune, and their dancing skills are even worse.

However, the four actors' acting skills were still quite commendable, at least in the realm of idol dramas, they were able to brainwash Taiwanese audiences and fans.

But to be honest, apart from variety shows and art films, Taiwanese fans haven't really had much good entertainment, so they'll soon become colonies of K-pop and J-pop.

If a decent Taiwanese idol can be promoted at this time, it will have a very important impact, because at least there will be something worthwhile to use as a gimmick to protect the local market.

What Wang Yao wanted was the influence he could generate during this period, through indirect infiltration. Therefore, the members selected for Produce 101 had to meet at least two of the three criteria: looks, singing ability, and dancing skills. Most importantly, they had to be ambitious.

As for whether he could get help from the major Taiwanese companies, Wang Yao wasn't too concerned.

Back at the filming location of "Sister Flower", Wang Yao exchanged pleasantries with Song Dandan and discussed the collaboration on "Gangster" and "King of Comedy". He then declined Cheng Long's invitation to relax in Lan Kwai Fong and returned to his hotel to rest.

Zhang Baizhi shared a room with Yang Ying. When she woke up in the morning, she found that Yang Ying was not in bed. The blankets were cold to the touch, which meant that she had been up for some time.

After washing up, I went out to buy breakfast for everyone and bumped into Yang Ying, who was returning with breakfast.

"Oh, good morning, Sister Baizhi." Yang Ying smiled, her face showing signs of fatigue, but she had a radiant glow.

"Getting up so early to buy breakfast?" Zhang Baizhi asked, somewhat surprised.

Yesterday, because of Wang Yao and Cheng Long's visit, everyone chatted until 3 a.m. before going to sleep. It's not even 8 a.m. now, and the breakfast that Yang Ying brought back is at least half an hour away from them by car.

Did you only sleep for three or four hours?

"Oh, I had a bit of insomnia, so I got up early. You eat first, I've already eaten," Yang Ying said somewhat awkwardly, smoothing her hair.

Zhang Baizhi caught a whiff of the unfamiliar shampoo scent on her as she passed by, and smiled knowingly with narrowed eyes.

No wonder you got up so early, you went to sneak some good food.

(End of this chapter)