Chinese Entertainment: Top-Tier Boyfriends of Young Actresses

The next day, Huo Xiaolan and Su Yu went together to the BJ office of New Classics Media, one of the producers of "Joy of Life".

The production team attached great importance to Su Yu's arrival. Producer Ping Yongjia personally greeted him. The two sides sat down in the conference room and exchanged pleasantries for a while before getting straight to the point.

"We really hope that Mr. Su Yu can play the role of Yan Bingyun in the drama."

Ping Yongjia said sincerely, "Although this character doesn't have many scenes, his character design is outstanding. He is a very popular 'diamond male supporting character' in the original work."

"Moreover, we have positioned Su Yu as a special guest star, and he will definitely not be treated unfairly in terms of billing."

Su Yu didn't speak immediately. They had an agreement beforehand that Huo Xiaolan usually made the decisions in these kinds of business negotiations.

Sure enough, Huo Xiaolan opened the folder in front of her, glanced at the documents inside, then looked up, her tone indifferent.

"Special appearances are possible, but there are a few conditions."

"Please speak."

"First, the salary is fifteen million." After she finished speaking, she paused for three seconds to give the other person time to process it before continuing.

"Second, Su Yu's photo must be in the first row of promotional materials, posters, trailers, in-site banners, and all core materials. He cannot be placed in a secondary position."

"Third, the role of Yan Bingyun needs to be expanded. In the original drama, this character appeared too late and had too little screen time, which is far from enough exposure for an artist of Su Yu's caliber."

She turned to a page of documents and continued, "Fourth, the production team must give Su Yu the treatment that a top-tier artist deserves—including a private dressing room, a dedicated on-set assistant, priority in coordinating filming schedules, and at least three exclusive interviews with core media outlets during the promotional period."

She then glanced at the other party and said, "These conditions are not unreasonable demands, but Su Yu's current popularity is undeniable. If the production team cannot provide treatment commensurate with his status, we will not be able to explain it to the fans."

The producer's expression visibly stiffened after hearing this.

He turned his head and whispered a few words to his colleague next to him, then looked back at Huo Xiaolan with a somewhat unpleasant expression.

"Mr. Huo, to be honest, we are really happy that Mr. Su Yu can come, but the 15 million yuan fee, plus so many additional conditions, does exceed our budget."

"Furthermore, the character structure for Yan Bingyun is already set. Major changes would involve adjusting the entire script, and... we might not be able to agree to so many requests. How about this, we discuss it internally first, and then give Teacher Su Yu a formal reply later?"

Huo Xiaolan smiled slightly and closed the folder: "Alright, then we'll wait for your news."

As soon as Su Yu got into his car after leaving the New Classics Media office building, he turned to Huo Xiaolan and couldn't help but say, "Sister Huo, with such high demands, this deal is definitely going to fall through."

Huo Xiaolan leaned back in her chair and snorted coldly, "These are high demands? Su Yu, do you really not know your current status?"

"If you don't meet these conditions, do you know that if the news of your participation gets out, you'll be torn to shreds by fans and rivals? What's your market value now? What will your fans think if you go and play a role with only ten minutes of screen time?"

Su Yu opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Huo Xiaolan continued.

"You're a top star now, do you even know what that means? Do you know why so many actors fight over that seemingly meaningless billing order?"

Huo Xiaolan's tone grew increasingly serious. "Because billing order directly determines commercial value. You think it's about where your name appears? No! It's about how brands see you and how the market prices you! You think you're being loyal to a friend, but you're actually ruining your own career!"

"And then there's the salary. Do you know how much a top-tier star gets for a single drama these days? Zhou Xun earned 1.05 million per episode for 'Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace'! You're currently very popular, so your asking price should be at least 10 million. That's the market's positioning for you, not something you can decide on your own. If you take a supporting role and your salary is reduced to a few million, it will be difficult to raise it back up later!"

"In today's industry, billing order and salary are the hard currency of your status. If you lower your pay a little today, someone will dare to make you lower it even more tomorrow. When will it ever end?"

"Also, how are you going to explain this to your fans? Do you think your fans will understand that you're 'helping a friend'? Believe me, the moment the news of your participation is released, the supertopic will explode without even waiting for the broadcast."

"If you lower yourself to play a supporting role, your fans won't understand you; they might even think you don't value your reputation! Your rivals would be thrilled. If it's officially announced, the next day there will be marketing accounts posting: 'Su Yu's top spot is in jeopardy; he's been reduced to playing a supporting role to Zhang Ruoyun'?"

Su Yu leaned back in his seat, speechless after Huo Xiaolan's barrage of words.

Even Xiao Zhou, who was sitting next to him, lowered his head silently, afraid that Huo Xiaolan would discover his presence.

"It's not that I wanted to criticize you." Huo Xiaolan took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down a bit.

"I just want you to know that the entertainment industry isn't that simple. You might think these things aren't important, but in the eyes of fans and others, it's a dereliction of duty."

"You need to be clear about your current position. You are an idol now, not just an actor, understand? You are not just yourself, you are also a brand. Every decision you make now is related to the livelihood of everyone in the studio."

Su Yu nodded obediently.

He didn't expect Huo Xiaolan to get so angry with him over this.

However, he also knew in his heart that Huo Xiaolan was indeed doing it for his own good.

I was indeed too impulsive when I agreed to Zhang Ruoyun's request at the dinner table; my understanding of the rules of the entertainment industry was too shallow.

He thought it was no big deal to help a friend and casually ride the wave of popularity, but in Huo Xiaolan's eyes, it was no longer a matter of helping, but a matter of Su Yu's status and worth.

"Okay, Sister Huo, I understand."

As expected, a few days later, the production team of "Joy of Life" officially replied, politely stating that they could not meet all of Huo Xiaolan's conditions, and that this collaboration had to be cancelled with regret, hoping that there would be an opportunity to work together again in the future.

After receiving the message, Su Yu took the initiative to call Zhang Ruoyun.

"Old Zhang, I'm sorry, it's off this time."

Su Yu got straight to the point, his tone tinged with apology.

Zhang Ruoyun's tone was the same as before, and there was nothing unusual about it.

"It's okay, I know how difficult things are for you. Your status is definitely different now, and there are many things you can't control, I understand."

"But seriously, if we can't work together this time, we can work together next time. The industry is only so big, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. Alright, don't overthink it, this won't affect our relationship."