Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 142 Premiere, Nazar in Action
Inside the chairman's office of Jiaxing Media.

Zeng Jia was explaining the work arrangements for next year to Yang Mi, her double-flower red stick (a term used to describe high-ranking female employees).

"For the fantasy romance drama we're collaborating on with Juku, Fang Ying is willing to give up 15% of the investment share..."

"so little?"

Yang Mi said with dissatisfaction, her furrowed brows and sharp voice conveying a sense of anxiety.

It has been almost a year since Jiaxing signed the performance-based agreement, and progress has been slow, with the company still far from the 3.1 million yuan net profit required by the agreement.

Since the company itself has virtually no film resources, all Yang Mi and Zeng Jia can do is invest in high-quality TV series projects, then personally participate in the production and wait for dividends.

However, a 15% investment share is really too meager.

Zeng Jia said with a strange expression, "There was nothing we could do. A company suddenly appeared and took 15% of the investment from Fang Ying. Otherwise, we could have gotten a bigger share."

Which company is it?

"...Datang Film and Television".

Upon hearing this, Yang Mi went from being stunned to realizing something, and stared wide-eyed at Zeng Jia: "So the second female lead for this drama, who was confirmed early on, is that little hussy Dilraba?"

"Yeah, I just found out too."

Zeng Jia nodded silently, her expression filled with regret and sighs.

At the beginning of the year, when Dilraba terminated her contract with Jaywalk Studio, they only lamented the loss of a promising talent and didn't have any other thoughts.

Who would have thought that just a few months later, Dilraba would rise to fame so quickly thanks to the broadcast of "Diamond Lover"!
Once a nobody, Kalami has suddenly become a second-tier actress, and a fairly popular one at that, unlike Yang Mi who became famous through controversy...

Second-tier female celebrities can earn tens of millions a year from commercial endorsements and press releases. If they're really ruthless, they can arrange for Dilraba to film 5-6 dramas in rotation, and her salary could reach tens of millions.

Adding these together, it amounts to tens of millions.

According to the brokerage contract signed between Jaywalk Studio and the newcomer, the majority of these tens of millions of yuan were taken by the company... Now that Dilraba is gone, it is equivalent to Jaywalk Studio losing tens of millions of yuan.

How could Zeng Jia not regret giving up on Reba, her cash cow, after experiencing such excruciating pain?

Yang Mi, who knows Zeng Jia very well, can empathize with her thoughts: "If Dilraba hadn't terminated her contract, with her current status, even if she worked hard, she could have made a lot of money for the company in three years!"

"Who says it isn't?"

Zeng Jia said with some regret that second-tier female celebrities are already considered to be able to make money in the industry.

If Reba were still around, the KPIs on his shoulders wouldn't be so heavy.

Yang Mi silently muttered the unspoken sentence, a feeling of resentment towards Reba rising in her heart. Combined with the envy, jealousy, and hatred she had felt earlier, her emotions were incredibly complex, and all sorts of thoughts popped into her mind.

"How did you, a young girl from out of town, become famous just by going out to film a movie?"

"So what if you're popular? How can you betray your former employer and terminate your contract at the exact time before we even start exploiting you?"

"It's one thing to terminate the contract, but how did you manage to snag a young, handsome, rich self-made entrepreneur who's not very bright and has a thing for acting?"

"Why didn't this luck fall on me?"

"..."

Yang Mi, who is used to judging others by her own standards, naturally imagined the scene of Dilraba meeting Chen Xiu as two young people working together on a film, and after spending a lot of time together, sparks flew...

Back then, she went through the same thing herself, but unfortunately, those young actors couldn't even get close to Chen Xiu.

Why are you all so disappointing? If you were even half as good as Chen Xiu, would I still be filming this movie?

While mentally ranting about her ex-boyfriends, Yang Mi, who was in a bad mood, suddenly had an idea.

"Sister Jia, do you think it's okay for some things to be done when our artists from Jiaxing Media are in the same production crew as Dilraba...?"

Yang Mi raised her chin at Zeng Jia, her eyes darting around.

Zeng Jia didn't need to think too much about what she was implying; she instantly understood.

"Don't do anything reckless! We all know who Reba is, even if others don't."

Zeng Jia gave Yang Mi a serious warning.

Although losing Dilraba, a second-tier artist, was a great pity for her, Zeng Jia still felt lingering fear when she thought about Chen Xiu's domineering style.

Compared to others, Jiaxing is really just a tiny thing...

Zeng Jia felt it wasn't necessary to offend Chen Xiu because of Dilraba. The tens of millions of KPIs that were missing could be made up by Yang Mi filming more dramas and doing more variety shows! Anyway, she wasn't tired herself.

Yang Mi bit her lower lip, her face still showing resentment: "Chen Xiu is just an internet capitalist. I don't even know if this movie he's in charge of will be a success!"

"What you're talking about is something that quite a few people in the industry are paying attention to."

Zeng Jia's tone suddenly became melancholic, and her eyes held a deeper meaning.

Seeing her expression, Yang Mi immediately understood and said, "Sister Jia, have you heard something?"

"Yes, there are some rumors."

"what's the situation?"

Yang Mi moved closer to Zeng Jia with bright eyes, her face showing an indescribable expectation.

Zeng Jia glanced at her and said, "It's the Wang brothers and their group. They feel that Chen Xiu came to the film industry without even saying hello to them, and this time, the movie he made only invited Wanda and Tencent, not any of the established film companies. They think he doesn't know the rules." "So, are they planning to target Chen Xiu together?"

"The necessary actions will definitely be taken. All sorts of sarcastic and over-the-top news have already been released! But they can't control the cinemas downstream. In the end, a movie still depends on its box office performance."

Zeng Jia's eyes revealed a hint of shrewdness and admiration as she continued, "The two companies Chen Xiu found, Wanda has a complete distribution and screening channel, and Penguin's publicity capabilities are unmatched by any other company in the industry."

“If Chen Xiu gets things done, the Wang brothers will really be in a panic. Their rules won’t work on Chen Xiu, and they certainly won’t work on others either.”

Yang Mi looked up suddenly, and then quickly began to ask questions.

"You mean, many people in the industry are hoping Chen Xiu's film will fail?"

"At least I don't expect it to be a big seller!"

Zeng Jia gave the qualifier, but her tone was indifferent.

She knew that even if "Detective Chinatown" failed, Chen Xiu would still be a billionaire, the entertainment industry would still be the same entertainment industry, and nothing would change.

If the movie is a big hit...that would be interesting.

"I hope his movie flops!"

Yang Mi leaned back in her seat and said with anticipation.

Chen Xiu poached Dilraba and used his status to bully Jiaxing Media. Based on these two points alone, Yang Mi has every reason to hope that he will fail.

Zeng Jia seemed much more nonchalant about this: "Whether it flops or not, we'll know after the premiere ceremony tomorrow and when the midnight screening results come out."

"Hmph! In this movie, that little slut Dilraba is still the female lead, I don't know what's so great about her..."

Zeng Jia glanced at Yang Mi, who was filled with envy and jealousy, and felt that there was something more to her words.

"Honey, Wei Ye's new drama has been filming in Shanghai for over a month now. Do you want to go visit him on set and maybe even get some trending topics on social media?"

"No need, what trending topics would I have with him that would make me a hot topic!"

Yang Mi waved her hand, clearly unconvinced by the suggestion.

Seeing this, Zeng Jia didn't want to pry into the couple's private affairs.

……

The crew of the TV series "Lemon First Love" in Shanghai.

"You said you wanted to ask for leave?"

Liu Junjie looked at Nezha noncommittally, waiting for her, the female lead of the crew, to give a reasonable reason for taking leave.

When questioned by the director, Nezha nodded firmly: "Yes! I'm not feeling well and need to take three days off."

"Does it really take that long to go to the hospital for a checkup?"

"This is an old problem of mine, and I need to be hospitalized for a few days for observation every time."

To achieve her goal of getting leave, Nazar's acting skills when lying even surpassed her usual acting level.

Liu Junjie frowned, looking at Nezha with some dissatisfaction, clearly unwilling to approve the leave.

This is understandable. The crew had been filming for over a month and the shooting was progressing smoothly. The departure of the female lead disrupted the rhythm instantly, and the director was naturally unhappy about it.

Seeing Nezha's determined expression, Liu Junjie tried to persuade him: "Can you hold on a little longer? Or, don't take so long. The crew has already started filming, and it's very inconvenient to adjust the shooting schedule."

"Director, I really have something very urgent that I have to go on!"

Nezha stubbornly insisted on taking leave and refused to budge.

The reason Nezha has this confidence is not only because of her second-tier status, but also because of the changes in artists within Tangren Media this year, which allowed her to successfully become the new leading lady.

If Liu Junjie is unwilling to approve the leave, Nezha has already prepared to move out of the company to solve the problem for her, since she will definitely have to take the leave anyway.

Faced with Nezha's refusal to back down, Liu Junjie pouted in dissatisfaction, but was also somewhat helpless.

Actors can take leave while filming on set, it's just that the director isn't so willing to let them go.

"Phew, alright! Three days it is. When the time is up, you must return to the film set!"

"Okay, thank you, director!"

Having successfully secured her vacation, Nezha's face broke into a sweet smile once again.

After finishing filming the remaining scenes for the day, she called Tangren's boss, Cai Yinong, again claiming that she was feeling unwell and needed to go to the hospital.

After refusing Cai Yinong's request to visit her, Nezha successfully ditched the assistants arranged for her by Tangren Media, disguised herself as a celebrity, and went straight to the airport.

When her flight landed smoothly at Beijing Capital International Airport, it was just past 1 p.m.

The premiere of "Detective Chinatown" was held at Wanda CBD International Cinema at 3 p.m.

When Nazar arrived at the cinema entrance, the main creative team had just stepped onto the red carpet and were preparing to enter the cinema.

Nezha, mingling in the crowd, kept his eyes fixed on the figure on the red carpet until he disappeared at the entrance.

(End of this chapter)