How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 58 is a slap in the face [Please continue reading]

"The entertainment industry is indeed too competitive. Newcomers emerge every year. Looking at these young, beautiful, and energetic newcomers, I, who already look old, have an even stronger illusion of being an old woman," Zhang Yuqi said with a coquettish smile.

“Miss Zhang is in the prime of her life. She doesn’t look old, but rather mature. You might look like this in your teens or your forties or fifties. Everyone has their own charm. The entertainment industry isn’t about who’s young, but who’s talented,” Wang Yao said with a light laugh.

"Mr. Wang, you must have seen the movies I acted in, right? What do you think of my talent?" Zhang Yuqi stared at Wang Yao with teary eyes.

Wang Yao raised an eyebrow slightly, keeping his eyes straight ahead. "To be honest, apart from 'CJ7,' I haven't seen any of Ms. Zhang's other works."

Zhang Yuqi wasn't embarrassed at all. Instead, she chuckled and said, "Mr. Wang is the most honest guy I've ever met. I'm not popular to begin with."

Over the years, I've only had a few cameo roles and leading roles. The company has always prevented me from taking on other roles, which is why I want to leave Star Returns.

Wang Yao nodded in understanding, after all, because of Huang Shengyi's betrayal, Stephen Chow had become extremely strict in managing his signed artists.

At the time, Starry Night Entertainment invested heavily in packaging Huang Shengyi as a pure and innocent woman, but she never really became popular. Someone from who knows where gave her the idea to accept a photoshoot for the racy magazine "Men's Wear" without her consent, which shattered her pure image and disrupted the company's original plans.

Later, the two sides had disagreements about the development of this matter, and then Huang Shengyi tearfully accused Stephen Chow of five sins of freezing her up, directly betraying her to the end. At that time, it caused a great uproar. Finally, after two years, Huang Shengyi and Yang Zi peacefully terminated their contract before getting married.

As a result, Xinghui suffered considerable losses, and Zhou Xingxing's character was subjected to a period of intense attacks. However, Huang Shengyi, as a victim, gained fame and recognition due to public opinion.

This is considered a fairly typical marketing case in the entertainment industry.

Zhang Yuqi was probably brought in by Star Returns Company to replace Huang Shengyi, but perhaps because he was hurt too deeply, Zhou Xingxing became resistant to nurturing artists, so he almost always suppressed the development of artists.

However, it's better to guide than to block; the more you block, the more likely problems will arise.

"Actually, the company has been quite good to me, but I'm finding it hard to keep going. In the past two years, I've received some really good scripts, and a few of them were even played by newcomers with good results."
But the company won't let me take those jobs. An actor's golden period is only two years. If I miss it, it's just a loss for the company, but for me personally, it could be a lifelong issue.
That's why I'm so eager to terminate the contract, Mr. Wang, can you help me?" Zhang Yuqi's voice was originally a bit hoarse, but in a certain context, it carried a strange allure.

Zhang Yuqi doesn't want to use Huang Shengyi's script, but that doesn't mean she can't.

She got together with Wang Xiaofei to test the company's reaction, but to her surprise, the company tolerated it.

They could tolerate her actively revealing her relationship, but they couldn't tolerate her exploring more shooting opportunities and styles.

This also made her realize that the company was not genuinely nurturing her, but merely using her as a pawn or a tool.

The two were seated almost half a person apart, but Wang Yao could clearly feel the hot, perfume-scented aura emanating from the other person.

Wang Yao, without changing his expression, pressed down on Zhang Yuqi's upper body, which was getting closer and closer, almost causing her to fall over. "Miss Zhang, you overestimate me. It's not that I don't want to help, it's that I don't have the ability."

“If you weren’t capable, Brother Quan wouldn’t have brought me to see you. Let’s be honest with each other. What do you want? What can I give you?”

Zhang Yuqi took a deep breath, sat back down, crossed her arms, and braced herself against the two 170mm mortars to enter a defensive stance.

Wang Yao raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing Zhang Yuqi with interest. He had initially thought she was a foolish woman, but she did indeed display moments of intelligence.

"Ms. Zhang, actually you're in a much better state than most people in the industry right now. The movie resources that Star Returns has given you are something many people can only dream of. Plus, your love life has been going very well lately, so things will only get better and better."

“I come from a single-parent family, and I’ve known since I was little that men are unreliable, and the same goes for companies. Only what I hold in my own hands truly belongs to me.”

In the dimly lit RV, Zhang Yuqi's large eyes shone like two will-o'-the-wisps filled with ambition.

“I understand Miss Zhang’s thoughts, but I also want to advise you that the most important thing in life is to be content. There is no such thing as a perfect and fulfilling life. The more you want, the greater the price you will pay.” Wang Yao sighed softly.

“But as long as the gains are sufficient, the cost is tolerable,” Zhang Yuqi sneered.

"You really want to try?" Wang Yao frowned.

"It seems that President Wang really has an idea?" Zhang Yuqi's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and she licked her bright red lips, suppressing her excitement.

But what awaited her was not a solution or an exchange.

It was a slap in the face.

"Snapped."

A crisp, clear sound suddenly echoed inside the narrow, dimly lit, yet well-insulated RV.

Zhang Yuqi was so shocked by the sound that her mind went blank, and she lost all ability to think.

The pain on her face wasn't intense, which is why she was momentarily confused and couldn't tell whether she had actually been slapped.

"No offense intended, just telling Ms. Zhang that if she wants to change the status quo, she has to accept these unprovoked and inexplicable slaps, because in the future, this will be the norm."

Wang Yao's originally gentle voice now sounded like the howl of a vengeful ghost, pulling at Zhang Yuqi's thoughts, but her body reacted even faster than her mind.

She is trembling.

I don't know if it's anger, fear, or some other complex emotion that I can't quite put my finger on.

"Hey, Yuqi, are you leaving?" Ren Quan had just walked to his nanny van when the door suddenly opened.

He almost bumped into Zhang Yuqi, who was just about to get off the bus.

"Huh? Oh, Quan-ge, I have to go now, something came up. Let's meet up another day." Zhang Yuqi's voice sounded a little strange.

"Do you want me to give you a ride? There are still quite a few reporters outside." Ren Quan saw that she had put on a mask, sunglasses, and even a hat, covering herself up completely, and assumed that she was afraid of being photographed by reporters outside.

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I parked my car at the back door. I'm off." Zhang Yuqi waved her hand, her other hand tightly protecting her coat, as if she were hiding something important inside, and hurriedly left.

"Hmm? Why are you wet?" Ren Quan didn't say much, watched her leave, then got into the car and sat in the seat Zhang Yuqi had just been in, asking in confusion.
"I don't know, maybe someone spilled some water while drinking it earlier." Wang Yao grinned innocently.

"What did she talk to you about? Just so you know, I'm just helping out, I'm not involved." Ren Quan wiped his face with a tissue and then moved to a different seat.

"We didn't talk much. I just asked her if there was any way to terminate the contract peacefully. She's pretty stubborn." Wang Yao smiled dismissively.

“I’m not that familiar with her. She debuted in the Hong Kong entertainment circle, but I’ve heard she’s quite stubborn, but also very courageous. Her involvement in Wang Xiaofei’s matter is a gamble.” Ren Quan smiled.

"Does Brother Quan have a deep entanglement with them?" Wang Yao asked curiously.

"They're all shareholders of my company. You know I started in the restaurant business, and they're considered some of the better ones in China. I'm just learning from their experience."
"These are all minor matters. We didn't have enough time at the dinner table last time, so I'll give you a proper introduction to my ideas today." Ren Quan smiled and began to explain his business plan and lines of business to Wang Yao.

Ren Quan and Wang Jinhua have been working together since they left Huayi Brothers in 05. Later, Wang Jinhua partnered with Wu Kebo to establish a new agency, Chengtian Entertainment, which became the largest agency in China within two years.

The company boasts numerous well-known A-list celebrities such as Chen Daoming, Hu Jun, Liang Jiahui, Tong Dawei, Ma Yili, Wang Yan, and Mei Ting, as well as promising talents like Bai Baihe and Jiang Yiyan.

Wu Kebo initially promised Wang Jinhua that he would capitalize Chengtian Entertainment to make it the first listed entertainment company in China. However, in the process of introducing capital from companies like Jiahe and Li Ka-shing, Wu Kebo unknowingly kicked Wang Jinhua out.

By the time Wang Jinhua discovered this, it was too late. She angrily left, cashed out her stocks, took a group of her trusted celebrities with her, and started a new investment company with Ren Quan. Then she took control of a new economic company, Shiba Culture, and began to pursue a capital route with Ren Quan.

Wang Jinhua had been manipulated by capital while working at Huayi, and then by Wu Kebo again. This made her realize that she could no longer be a complainer and that she had to take control of her own destiny and become a capitalist.

Therefore, during the development process, Wang Jinhua was worried that large capital would take over, so she always attracted small capital with potential and followed the mass line. The cooperation with Zhang Lan started at this stage.

After hearing this, Wang Yao suddenly remembered that Ren Quan and Wang Jinhua had indeed gone bankrupt due to illegal fundraising, but the amount was not large.

Look at this mine; it's already been planted.

Wang Yao wasn't interested in the two men's capital operations because he knew it was too difficult for these two ordinary people to monetize their entertainment industry resources and achieve upward social mobility; in the end, they could only get the chance to sit at the table.

Because people like Wang Jinhua, who rose from humble beginnings to achieve success, easily attribute the benefits of the times to their personal success. It is undeniable that she brought out a number of top artists of an era, but that does not mean that she led this era.

Even if there is no Wang Jinhua, there will be Wang Yinhua or Wang Tonghua, but to get on the table and become a capital, what is needed is not only talent and luck, but more importantly, going with the flow.

But right now, Ren Quan and Wang Jinhua are indeed good pigs—they have money, resources, and ambition, but no reliable projects.

Their company mainly invests in film and television. This is a high-risk, asset-heavy investment. The company's cash flow depends entirely on the commercial revenue sharing from the actors' salaries. It sounds like they can be self-sufficient, but if a big-budget production like "Confucius" fails, it could take them a year or two to recover.

That's why Ren Quan was so anxious when he heard about Wang Yao's online ticketing project. Compared to the investment risks in the film and television industry, online projects are indeed considered low-investment.

A few million is enough to operate for a year, and they can also raise funds and package themselves during the process. They are celebrities themselves, so they can't raise money from capital, but they can easily raise money from local tycoons and coal bosses.

Wang Yao, on the other hand, has no shortage of projects.

Wang Yao pondered for a moment, and finally, looking at Ren Quan's eagerly expectant gaze, he sighed softly, "If Brother Quan really wants to do it, then I am naturally willing to lend a hand."

Unexpectedly, Xinghuo Cooperation Co., Ltd.'s first outsourced operation project is about to open.

　The weather has been hot lately, and food spoils easily. Dear readers, please pay attention to food safety. Yesterday, I accidentally ate a spoiled egg and almost died from food poisoning.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)