I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

"Haha, Ah Sheng, I didn't expect you to be so eloquent. I'm over fifty years old," Zhao Yazhi said with a smile.

“Sister Zhi, you don’t look your age at all. Time seems to have only added to your charm. You are truly the envy of other women,” Cheng Sheng said.

"Hehe, Ah Sheng, how many years have you been drinking honey? Your mouth is so sweet. Do you say that to every woman?" Zhao Yazhi said with a slight smile.

"No way! I'm telling the truth. To describe you to a character from Jin Yong's novels, you're like the Child Granny of Tianshan, getting younger and younger with age," Cheng Sheng said.

"Haha."

Zhao Yazhi was amused by Cheng Sheng's words, and felt a slight sweetness in her heart.

Which woman doesn't like a man to compliment her on her youth? Zhao Yazhi is no exception.

For a long time, many people have called her an ageless goddess and said that she is the spokesperson for Eastern beauty.

But compared to those people, Cheng Sheng's praise moved her even more, after all, Cheng Sheng was no ordinary person.

"Cheng Sheng, is everything you said about Hollywood true?"

At this moment, Li Xiaoran, who had been ignored, changed the subject.

"Xiao Ran, you don't believe me? Are you still going to take on that movie?" Cheng Sheng asked, looking at Li Xiao Ran.

Li Xiaoran fell silent. The movie Cheng Sheng was talking about was "The Botanist's Daughter".

Cheng Sheng had previously told her to refuse the role and not to take the film.

But she's still considering it, after all, it's a Hollywood movie.

Moreover, the company also hopes that she can take on this movie.

As an actress, she naturally hopes to develop her career in Hollywood.

So, she still held onto a sliver of hope, thinking that the movie "The Botanist's Daughter" wasn't as serious as Cheng Sheng had described.

Cheng Sheng glanced at Li Xiaoran's expression and shook his head inwardly. It seemed that Li Xiaoran had not listened to his advice and had not immediately turned down the movie "The Botanist's Daughter," still harboring a sliver of hope.

If Li Xiaoran weren't his woman, Cheng Sheng really wouldn't want to get involved in her affairs.

He didn't want his woman to be seen naked by others.

"Do you know Harvey Weinstein?" Cheng Sheng asked.

Few people who haven't been to Hollywood have heard of this person, and the two women shook their heads upon hearing this.

Harvey Weinstein was hailed as the "godfather of Hollywood" and was a top producer. With classic films such as "Pulp Fiction" and "Sex, Lies and Videotape", he once wielded great influence in the film industry and almost monopolized core resources and discourse power.

"But power and fame could not ultimately cover up his evil deeds. Everyone in Hollywood knew that Weinstein was used to coerce actresses with 'transactions'—in order to get roles, they had to give up their bodies and dignity."

“Countless young actresses have to endure this kind of ‘conditional exchange’ in order to gain a foothold in the highly competitive industry, and Harvey Weinstein is the ‘mastermind’ of this dark system.”

"Harvey's affair was later exposed, and he fell from power, but the darkness he 'manipulated' has continued to exist."

As Li Xiaoran listened to Cheng Sheng's account, fear flashed in her eyes. She thought to herself: Although there are unspoken rules in China, compared to Hollywood, those people in China still have some bottom line.

If Cheng Sheng could hear what Li Xiaoran was thinking, he would definitely scoff. The entertainment industry is a small world; the global entertainment industry is basically the same, except that Hollywood goes to extremes, while the domestic industry is just more discreet.

In the Chinese entertainment industry, providing companionship and even sleeping with clients is just the beginning.

Wu Jing even advised pretty girls not to enter the entertainment industry, and he was absolutely right. The brutal rules within this industry are truly mind-blowing.

In the future, some people will reveal that the film set is not for filming, but for using top celebrities as "mute props".

In a big-budget production crew that claims to be S-class, there is a female celebrity backed by capital who can't even remember her basic lines and can only stare and recite numbers throughout the entire film.

To protect this top female star, the entire crew had to act along. All the supporting actors were required to only open their mouths but not make a sound when acting with her.

They claimed it was because they were worried about the sound recording being too bad, but actually they were worried that the supporting actresses' lines would be too good and make the female star look like an idiot as soon as she opened her mouth.

This isn't filming a movie; it's clearly treating people as "human props" and forcing them to undergo this absurd "obedience test."

This kind of thing is reminiscent of the "slave contracts" in Hollywood in the past, where actors were the private property of the studio and had no autonomy whatsoever.

The Chinese entertainment industry has now changed its guise to "traffic is king," but its essence remains the same: domineering. Having professional skills is not only useless, but may even bring trouble.

If your brilliance overshadows those favored by capital, you'll be "silenced" by the system. To survive in this industry, you must first learn to cripple yourself and willingly become a background figure. This distorted rule is truly nauseating.

A drinking party isn't about drinking; it's about testing whether you're willing to abandon your dignity.

If the film set is where talented people are bullied, then drinking parties are where "obedient underlings" are selected.

Here, nobody cares how much you can drink; they only care if you're willing to trample your dignity underfoot.

When Yue Yunpeng was about to cross over from the crosstalk circle to the film and television industry, he almost stumbled on this. At that time, he was led to meet a big investor, supposedly to pay his respects, but in reality, he was going to be put to the test.

Halfway through the drinks, the big investor revealed his true colors, his hands restlessly groping the actress at the same table.

This scenario is known in the industry as a "compliance test," to see if you pretend not to see it or dare to stand up and stop it.

Most people who want to rise to power will choose to play dumb, and may even help the big boss smooth things over, in order to show their loyalty.

But Yue Yunpeng, having come from a life of hardship, was still strong. Using his quick wit from his crosstalk performances, he managed to refuse the big shot's offer of wine and even saved the girl.

He thought he had just done what he was supposed to do, but he didn't expect to be retaliated against the next day. The role he had been assigned was canceled because of "schedule conflict." It was obvious to everyone that he had been blacklisted.

In the eyes of capital, an artist who dares to ruin their plans and has their own principles is an "uncontrollable" risk that must be eliminated as soon as possible.

These kinds of drinking parties are not places to discuss cooperation; they are battlefields where capital manipulates artists. Your bottom line and dignity are worthless in their eyes.

Being sidelined is not a punishment, but a "routine procedure" for disobedience.

Don't think it's just about things like playing games, sleeping with clients, and harassing people at drinking parties. The most ruthless thing in the Chinese entertainment industry is that if you don't listen to them, they'll freeze your career out, regardless of whether you have talent or not.

This tactic of sidelining celebrities was common in the Hong Kong entertainment industry back in the 1990s. No matter how big a star you were, if you dared to disobey the higher-ups, you would be made to disappear immediately.

Jiao Enjun fled overnight to avoid harassment, and Qiwei's scenes were cut down to almost nothing because she refused to go on the so-called "Macau trip." (End of Chapter)