Huayu Entertainment: Starting with Exorcising Evil from a Film Queen

Following Tang Yan, Liu Shishi and Liu Yifei also sent their blessings.

Zhang Ze responded to his friends' congratulations one by one until he saw Li Xiaoran's text message, at which point he stopped, as the content was somewhat unexpected.

"I didn't expect you to be so popular. There's news about you all over the internet now. Filming is going smoothly, and I estimate I can return to Beijing half a month early. Don't forget you said you'd treat me to dinner!"

Half a month in advance?

Zhang Ze looked at the text message with a hint of anticipation; this was truly good news.

As for food, it doesn't matter where you eat. You can just eat whatever you want at home. It's all about eating with your mouth, so there's no difference!

That evening, Zhang Ze also received a call from Zhao Liying.

She was spotted by the production team and went directly to Shanghai to film. She's not in Hengdian right now. She just finished work and saw Zhang Ze's news all over the internet, so she called him immediately.

"Aze! You're famous! My God! The internet is full of compliments on how handsome you are! You gained over 800,000 followers on Weibo in just one day! You're amazing!"

Zhao Liying was very excited on the phone, and even planned to ask the crew for leave to come back and celebrate with Zhang Ze.

Zhang Ze persuaded him to stay.

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Ze couldn't help but shake his head. In his previous life, he only knew that this girl had a workaholic personality, but he didn't know that she had such strong needs.

It's only Zhang Ze who could handle it. Anyone else probably couldn't have done it. No wonder she got divorced right after getting married and having a child in her previous life. After all the kids were born, her married life was disharmonious, and she couldn't even enjoy herself to the fullest.

What else can we do if we don't get a divorce?

……

The next morning, Zhang Ze received another call from Li Guoli.

"Zhang Ze, did I disturb you?"

"No, no, Director Li, why are you calling me all of a sudden? Is there some good news?"

Zhang Ze could already guess the purpose of Director Li's call.

It's probably about running around for a gig.

"Haha, yes! It's great news!"

"Our 'Chinese Paladin 3' broke the year's viewership record in its time slot."

"Although it's not quite on par with 'My Fair Princess,' Mr. Cai and I think we should capitalize on our momentum. So we've secured several variety shows and gigs. By the way, are you available recently?"

Zhang Ze hadn't expected "Chinese Paladin 3" to be so successful. Upon hearing about the opportunity to do promotional work, he immediately agreed, saying, "Of course I have time!"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two hung up the phone.

Li Guoli then sent over the detailed itinerary.

Well, compared to other TV dramas, the number of appearances and variety shows is not much, but the schedule is very tight.

Zhang Ze originally planned to handle it himself, but then he thought that he was no longer a nobody fighting alone. He had an assistant and a manager. So Zhang Ze sent the notice directly to his manager, Sister Sun.

They also asked Sister Sun if she could handle it and if there would be any problems.

A moment later, Sister Sun called, "If I can't handle this little thing, I might as well quit being a manager!"

"And let me tell you, Zhang Ze, you're famous! You're absolutely famous!"

Sister Sun's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement.

She gave a rapid-fire report on the latest developments.

"My phone hasn't stopped ringing since this morning! It's all about you! Script offers, GG endorsements, variety show appearances—my inbox is practically overflowing!"

"Several production teams have specifically requested you to play the male lead, including one that's a key project for a satellite TV network!"

"There's also a sportswear brand that wants you to be their seasonal spokesperson!"

Sister Sun was so excited on the other end of the phone that she was incoherent. This happiness came too suddenly, catching even a seasoned agent like her, who had seen it all, off guard.

Having been in the entertainment industry for so long, this is the first time she has encountered an artist like Zhang Ze who suddenly became popular without her having put in any effort. More often than not, she would work hard for half a day, but the artist would remain lukewarm and not even make a ripple.

This time, she really went all out.

Zhang Ze's voice was as steady as ever, "Compile all the invitations into a document and send it to me. I'll screen them. Remember, better to have fewer but better ones. Don't let short-term gains cloud your judgment."

"Understood! I understand!" Sister Sun took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. "I'll go organize it now, and we'll have a meeting this afternoon to discuss it."

In the afternoon, Zhang Ze arrived at the studio, where Sister Sun was already waiting.

Seeing Zhang Ze enter, Sister Sun quickly stepped forward and placed a thick stack of faxed documents on the table.

"Zhang Ze, you've finally arrived!"

"Look, these are all the acting offers that came in this morning, a total of twenty-seven, and two of them directly invited you to play the male lead!"

She then took out another document.

"And these too, endorsements and commercial activities, the fees they charge aren't low!"

Zhang Ze picked up the list of acting offers, quickly glanced through it, and then tossed it aside.

Sister Sun was stunned. "What's wrong? These scripts..."

"They're all terrible shows," Zhang Ze said succinctly.

He had never heard of any of these production crews, and the production companies were all unknown small workshops.

Sun Jie's expression gradually calmed down, and she looked at Zhang Ze helplessly.

"Zhang Ze, I know you have high standards, but you've only recently become popular and need new works to maintain your popularity."

"I can be selective about endorsements and commercial performances, but I can't refuse to take on any acting roles."

She earnestly advised him.

"An actor's foundation is his work. His current popularity is only temporary. If he doesn't have any new works to show to the audience for a long time, he will soon be brought back to his original state, and it will be difficult to make a comeback."

Zhang Ze certainly understood this principle, but he really didn't care about the film crews that came to him.

Acting in bad movies is one thing, but at least you get some exposure.

What I fear most is that these little-known production teams invest months of time in their work, only to produce something that barely makes a ripple, with audiences unaware that such a show even exists.

If you do it a few more times, it will become burnt even if you don't intend to.

"I'll figure out the acting roles myself," Zhang Ze told Sister Sun. "I'll pick a few commercial performances that pay well, and for endorsements, I'll look into those that will positively enhance my image."

He has his own ideas.

Now that he's famous, he has to be careful when choosing scripts.

Even playing a memorable supporting role in a well-known production is better than being the lead in these small productions.

He doesn't intend to stay in the TV drama industry forever.

The ultimate goal is the big screen.

Once you've accumulated enough capital and fame, you can invest in making your own movies, ideally catching the wave of capitalization in the entertainment industry in the next few years.

At that point, you can do whatever you want.

Thinking of this, Zhang Ze couldn't help but recall what Zhou Xun had said to him when she called him some time ago.

At the time, it was said that the movie "The Message" was about to start filming, and she could give Zhang Ze an audition opportunity. But so much time has passed and there has been no news at all, not even a phone call.

Zhang Ze suspected that the famous actress might have forgotten about him.