The Rise of Chinese Entertainment in 2008

"Changchang, eat more."

While Gu Ning and Liu Yifei were having a late-night snack, Shu Chang was also picked up from the train station by her aunt and taken to have a late-night snack as well.

"You've lost so much weight in just a few days. Filming must be very tiring, right?" Aunt He asked with concern.

"It's not hard work. Filming movies and filming TV shows are completely different experiences. I find it quite interesting."

Shu Chang was initially resentful that her aunt had signed with GG without informing her beforehand.

But hearing her aunt's concern, her resentment dissipated.

"That's good."

Aunt He put some food on Shu Chang's plate and said, "But hobbies can't put food on the table. Actors have a short career span, so you have to make as much money as possible while you're young, so you won't have to worry about making a living when you can't get any roles in the future."

"I know!" Shu Chang nodded.

Because of her family situation, Shu Chang herself lacked a sense of security.

This is also why she chose to give up her place after being accepted into the Central Academy of Drama.

At that time, she mostly played supporting roles, and actors' salaries were generally not high.

Although it's a pretty good income compared to the average person, it doesn't offer enough security.

Shu Chang truly rose to fame after the broadcast of "The Lotus Lantern".

But by then she had already been admitted to a traditional university and had already started her studies.

In recent years, her aunt has gotten her a lot of acting roles, but apart from a few good ones, most of them have been just average.

Even so, she didn't feel there was anything wrong with it, because she did make a lot of money.

"The pay for acting in movies is too low; it's better to act in TV dramas."

Aunt He said, "The company promised that as long as you are willing to sign the contract, you will be the female lead in their next film."

Of the TV dramas you've filmed, the most popular ones, "Lotus Lantern" and "Magic Phone," were both invested in by the company.

My aunt doesn't need to elaborate on the company's strength. Signing the contract can only bring benefits, not drawbacks.

"Auntie, let's talk about GG instead."

Shu Chang said, "I have a lot of scenes to film recently, so I need to get back as soon as possible."

"GG's matter isn't urgent; signing the contract is the most important thing."

Aunt He earnestly advised, "You used to play supporting roles, so not having a company isn't a big problem."

Now that you're famous, you naturally can't play supporting roles anymore.

If you don't sign a contract, you won't get a chance to work on any good scripts. You're affiliated with Tianxingxing, and the collaboration has always been excellent.

Signing the contract is both an act of gratitude and the best choice!

The reason she strongly urged Shu Chang to sign the contract was because she had already reached an agreement with the company.

When Tianxingji expressed its desire to sign Shuchang, she had talked to her aunt and was more inclined to sign her.

Shu Chang is also aware that with her current fame, she won't get any good resources if she doesn't sign a contract.

Aunt He didn't actually want Shu Chang to sign a contract, because once she did, she might not be able to continue being Shu Chang's manager.

Over the past few years, by holding onto Shu Chang, her cash cow, and helping Shu Chang get a lot of acting roles, she has made a fortune.

After all, agents get commissions.

It wasn't until Tian Xingji contacted her and offered her some conditions that she changed her attitude.

One of the benefits that Tianxingji gave her was that Song Zuer got the role in "The Legend of Nezha".

She hadn't agreed yet because they couldn't reach an agreement on some conditions.

In fact, this is also a big reason why Shu Chang was able to take on Gu Ning's role this time.

Otherwise, with the huge success of "Magic Phone" last year, Shu Chang already had a lot of acting offers. Given her personality, she would have been given a bunch of roles long ago, so she wouldn't have had time to act in movies.

Because she was busy negotiating with Tianxing to get a good price for Shuchang.

A few days ago, she and Tianxingji officially reached an agreement. Shuchang signed a contract, and she will not only continue to serve as his agent and receive a signing bonus, but her daughter will also receive Tianxingji's strong support in the future.

Although Shu Chang expressed her unwillingness to sign with Tianxingji a few days ago, she didn't take it seriously at all.

There was actually no problem this time; she just found an excuse to trick Shu Chang into coming back and signing a contract.

Although she has Shu Chang's authorization to accept acting and film roles, she does not have the right to sign financial contracts on Shu Chang's behalf.

Otherwise, there would be no need for all this trouble; she would have just signed it for Shu Chang directly.

"Auntie, I've already signed with a company," Shu Chang said.

She hadn't figured out how to tell her aunt the news yet, but now that things had come to this point, she couldn't hide it any longer.

"What?"

Aunt He's expression changed upon hearing this, and she said sternly, "When did you sign the contract? Which company did you sign with? Why didn't you tell me?"

She asked three questions in a row, which showed how angry she was.

She always felt that she had a strong control over Shu Chang, but now that her cash cow was about to slip out of her control, how could she sit still?

This was the first time Shu Chang had seen her aunt with such an expression, and she said nervously, "I'm signed with Director Gu's company, and I just signed the contract not long ago."

"That Director Gu only made one movie."

Aunt He's face darkened. "He tricked you into signing the contract just to use you to make money for him. Why didn't you tell me?"

She looked down on Gu Ning, and even less on the movie.

With Shu Chang's current fame, filming a TV series would cost between two and five million, depending on the number of episodes and the role.

He could go and make movies, but the pay was only 1.5 million.

Although a movie is equivalent to two or three episodes of a TV series, the overall shooting period is not much different.

But TV dramas are different from movies; there are very few dramas with an absolute female lead these days.

Furthermore, TV dramas often feature many supporting characters, so even for the female lead, the actual filming period is shorter.

This allows you to work on multiple projects simultaneously, which is perfectly normal.

However, when the female lead has a lot of screen time, she basically has to stay on set for the entire filming period.

The job is less pay and more work. Although it would be better for Shu Chang's career, it is not a good choice for Aunt He, who is eager to make money from Shu Chang and pave the way for her daughter.

"Director Gu didn't lie to me. According to the contract, the company only gets 30%."

Shu Chang said, "The company can not only arrange film resources for me, but also television resources."

"What kind of television resources could a movie actor like him have? Besides, with your current fame, you'd get tons of offers to act in TV dramas, why would you need him to provide resources?"

Aunt He's face darkened. "Contact him right now and request to terminate the contract!"

"Aunt, the contract is already in effect once it's signed."

Shu Chang felt that her aunt was a stranger now; her face was no longer kind, and her words were no longer caring.

Aunt He took a deep breath upon hearing this, her expression softening somewhat, and said, "Changchang, I'm only doing this for your own good. Although the contract has already taken effect, you haven't used any of the company's resources. Let's find a lawyer; maybe there's still a way."

"Auntie, let's talk about this later. Tell me about GG first," Shu Chang said.

Aunt He forced a smile: "It's too late now. Let's have some late-night snack and go back to rest. There's no rush."

She didn't give Shu Chang any GG at all, and it wasn't appropriate to say it at this time.

Shu Chang sensed something was amiss upon hearing this and didn't ask any further questions.

After finishing their late-night snack, Aunt He paid the bill, and the two left the restaurant and got into their car.

"Changchang, you haven't stayed at your aunt's house for a while. Why don't you stay at your aunt's house tonight? Your cousins ​​miss you too," Aunt He said.

"Mm." Shu Chang nodded upon hearing this.