A top star in the Chinese entertainment industry, but also a Taoist priest.

Fang Xu put down his cup, noticed his sister's hesitation, thought for a moment, and suddenly leaned forward:

"Sister, I think it would be difficult to force the Taoist priest into Xingzhi's group with these conditions."

Fang Ying glanced at him, signaling him to continue.

"Think about it," Fang Xu continued, "Our Drama Channel launches so many projects every year, like 'Boss & Me,' 'My Sunshine,' and soon 'Love O2O.'"

But how many of the lead actors in these dramas were from Huace Media? They still had to hire from outside. And frankly, very few of the people signed by Xingzhi Media are actually useful.

He got more and more excited as he spoke: "If you ask me, why don't you take this opportunity to set up your own artist incubation center?"

The Taoist priest's contract is listed separately here, with all conditions as discussed earlier. From now on, we can also add our own trained personnel; we can use whomever we want, and we won't have to depend on outside actors anymore.

Fang Ying did not answer immediately after hearing this, and remained silent for a long while, holding her teacup.

Although Fang Xu's words were rough, they did touch on a question she had thought about for a long time.

Juku produces a considerable number of self-produced dramas every year, but it has always been constrained by others when it comes to casting.

Using artists from within the Huace Media Group is indeed not ideal in terms of quality; hiring external actors is subject to numerous limitations in terms of availability and conditions.

If we could establish our own talent pool and incubation system internally.

Not only is Chen Shouyi's special contract easier to handle, but it's also a good move for her own future project operations.

Moreover, this is far more feasible than having Chen Shouyi directly sign with Xingzhi.

Xingzhi is a brokerage firm at the Huace Group level, with a complex internal personnel structure. As a vice president, she faced considerable resistance when trying to insert a privileged contract into the company.

However, if an artist incubation center for self-produced dramas by Juku or Croton is established, it would be a new establishment and would not require any changes to the existing interest structure.

Submitting an establishment proposal to the group in your own capacity ensures a clear and controllable approval process.

"Master," Fang Ying put down his teacup, "I would like to discuss something with you."

Chen Shouyi raised an eyebrow slightly, signaling her to continue.

"I will not go back on my word since I have already agreed to the conditions you just mentioned."

However, to be frank, if these conditions were directly incorporated into Huace's existing brokerage system, there would be considerable internal coordination resistance, and the process would take a very long time.

She leaned forward slightly, her tone steady:

"However, I have a more thorough solution. Since standardized contracts for artists are a constraint, let's try a different approach."

I will submit a proposal to the board of directors to establish a dedicated artist incubation center to serve us.

This is a new structure independent of Huafanxingzhi. I hold the triple roles of Group Vice President, Keton Vice President, and Juku General Manager. I'm pushing this proposal from within, so the chances of it passing are very high.

Fang Xu's eyes lit up: "This is great! Sister, you can manage both sides, which makes things easier for you."

"And we can also provide resources for the Taoist priest, and you can transfer resources from the Huace Group as well, which will make things much more convenient!"

Fang Ying smiled and looked at Chen Shouyi: "So, Daoist, your contract can be placed in this new system, with the terms as we just discussed, and you won't be bound by Hua Fanxing's side anymore."

When Chen Shouyi heard that he would no longer be subject to restrictions, his eyebrows twitched slightly.

To be honest, he was already worried about this.

Huace is a large company with a well-established artist management system. Once you sign someone, the management team has a hundred ways to make you feel powerless in terms of publicity, variety show appearances, and commercial activities.

He wants to build up his influence through film and television works, not to become a cash cow for the company.

If he weren't currently short of money and unable to afford to open his own studio, he wouldn't be negotiating a contract with any company at all.

Fang Ying's plan essentially kept the most troublesome part out for him.

Croton Media's self-produced drama incubation center means that Fang Ying takes the lead, resources come from Juku, and projects come from Croton Media, without having to deal with the brokerage team at Huace headquarters.

More importantly, the Fang siblings know him well and won't use the usual tricks of the entertainment industry to mess with him.

"I think Mr. Fang's plan is quite good."

"About the signing of the contract—" Fang Xu interrupted impatiently.

"No rush." ​​Fang Ying raised her hand to stop her brother. "The proposal needs to go through the group's approval process. Even if I push it forward, it will take several days."

Once the establishment of the incubation center is officially approved, I will come to see the Daoist Master with the new contract as soon as possible. Please bear with me for the next few days.

Chen Shouyi nodded. It was just right; Fang Xu's second acupuncture treatment was also scheduled for a week later, so the timing of the two treatments coincided perfectly.

Seeing this, Fang Ying said no more. She took out the already invalid draft contract from her briefcase, turned to a blank page, and quickly wrote down the core terms that had just been agreed upon in a memorandum.

After she finished writing, she tore off that page and handed it to Chen Shouyi.

"Master, this is a memorandum. Once the incubation center is approved, these terms will be written into the formal contract word for word."

Chen Shouyi took the memorandum, glanced at it, folded it, and put it into his sleeve: "This humble Taoist awaits good news."

The business discussion had come to an end. Fang Ying relaxed completely and regained her usual composed demeanor.

She glanced at Chen Shouyi and suddenly smiled.

"Since we're on the same side now, let's get straight to the point. Master, I have a project I can offer you."

Fang Xu immediately chimed in, "It's Gu Man's 'Love O2O'!"

Fang Ying glanced at her younger brother, annoyed that he interrupted her: "Gu Man's previous work, 'Boss & Me,' was very successful. This drama is our key project this year."

However, Yang Yang has already been cast as the male lead, and the contract has been signed, so the Taoist priest will have to play the second male lead for now.

Fang Xu added from the side, "Yang Yang's role was decided early on, otherwise I think the Taoist priest would have been more suitable for him."

"The second male lead in a big IP is better than the male lead in most dramas." Chen Shouyi waved his hand, indicating that he didn't care.

He knew very well that Weiwei was destined to be a hit. The second male lead in a hugely popular drama was much better than the male lead in a flop. Moreover, after Weiwei aired, everyone's career skyrocketed, and Cao Guang's popularity was also quite high.

Fang Ying thought he was just being modest and didn't pay much attention. She paused, her gaze lingering on Chen Shouyi for a moment, as if deep in thought.

"By the way, Master," she said, placing her hands crossed on the table, "besides 'Love O2O,' we're also preparing a major historical drama. It's also an adaptation of a big IP, and the investment will be much larger than 'Love O2O.'"

Fang Xu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized: "Sis, you mean 'Three Lives Three Worlds'?"

Fang Ying nodded, then looked at Chen Shouyi: "The male lead of this fantasy drama is Ye Hua, the Crown Prince of the Nine Heavens, with a cool and dignified air. I was still hesitating about the casting, but after meeting the Daoist Master today—"

She smiled and said, "I think this role was tailor-made for the Taoist priest."

Fang Xu, standing beside him, blushed with excitement: "Yes, yes, yes! Ye Hua! Daoist Master, just standing there in your ancient costume, you don't even need to act, you are Ye Hua himself!"

Chen Shouyi's fingertips paused for a moment on the edge of the teacup. He had watched both dramas to some extent, and "Eternal Love" was clearly a bigger phenomenon than "Love O2O".

He remembered that the role of Ye Hua was played by Mark Chao, but the script was still in the preparation stage. Fang Ying said that the male lead had not yet been decided, which meant that he could try to get the role.

However, Ye Hua is the male lead in a major historical drama, a role with immense weight. He's currently just a newcomer with no acting experience. Even if Fang Ying strongly recommends him, will the others agree?

Chen Shouyi raised his eyes and asked directly:

"Benefactor Fang, thank you for your high regard. However, I have never acted before and am a complete novice. Since Ye Hua is the male lead in a big-budget production with a very important role, do you think others will agree to recommend him based solely on your recommendation?"