Back to 17, My Brother is the Cult Leader

"Come on, everyone, let's raise a glass to our great screenwriter, Fang!"

This is Huang Xiaoming's voice.

Also present were Fang Yuan, Yan Danchen, Zeng Li, and Li Xinyu.

Over the weekend, Huang Xiaoming and Yan Danchen went to the Central Academy of Drama to treat Fang Yuan to dinner.

Everyone got together because Chen Hao joined the film crew for "Postmen in the Mountains and Dogs".

No one at the table drank alcohol; they substituted soft drinks.

Fang Yuan waved his hand, smiled, picked up his orange juice, and raised his glass to everyone:

"What great screenwriter? I'm just starting out, I don't deserve all this praise."

If you ask me, we should all clink glasses. Wishing everyone all the best for the future, and hoping your shows will achieve great ratings.

Yan Danchen took a sip of mango juice and replied with a smile, "You're too modest. 'Eighteen-Year-Old Sky' was such a huge hit. Now so many production teams are eyeing your scripts. If you're not a great screenwriter, who is?"

Zeng Li nodded in agreement, "The award-winning screenwriters from Berlin and Venice look down on television dramas?"

The atmosphere at the table immediately became lively.

Li Xinyu put down her chopsticks and looked at Fang Yuan curiously, asking, "Fang Yuan, what new book are you planning to write next?"

Fang Yuan wiped his mouth, thought for a moment, and replied:

"We currently have six projects in hand, which have been given to China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group respectively. If you have suitable roles, you can apply for auditions."

"If you have any ideas, you can contact my agent, Sister Hua, or you can talk to Xiao Mei."

"I'm going to continue writing novels."

The conversation quickly turned to everyone's recent situation, and we chatted for more than two hours without realizing it.

The sun outside the window slowly slanted downwards, and the food on the table was almost finished.

After Huang Xiaoming paid the bill, the group walked out of the restaurant, strolled slowly in the evening breeze, and chatted about the latest happenings on campus. They all felt that this rare gathering was really comfortable.

Li Xinyu moved to the studio for tea, but had to leave early due to other commitments.

Fang Yuan said to Huang Xiaoming, "Director Li Hong contacted you, right?"

"They told me they'd be joining the production team after the New Year."

Director Li Hong plans to start filming "A Little Thing Called First Love" after the New Year. She has already made a lot of preparations in the early stages, taking advantage of the huge success of "Eighteen-Year-Old Sky" and Huang Xiaoming's popularity as the male lead.

Following that, Li Hong chose Yan Danchen as the female lead for "Back to 20".

Both films are scheduled for release next year.

There's also "Flying Colors," and all three films were directed by Li Hong of Shanghai Film Studio.

The other three films were given to China Film Group, so he didn't need to worry about them.

"Senior sister," Fang Yuan said, looking at Zeng Li.

"I don't have any suitable roles for you right now."

"It's okay, I'm busy with classes and rehearsals too," Zeng Li said casually.

"Actually, your image is very selective when it comes to roles. You are tall, have a cool temperament, and a strong presence. Generally, male leads can't overpower you."

"No way, don't talk nonsense," Zeng Li said, a little embarrassed.

The two people next to me were laughing.

Yan Danchen will have a wide range of roles in this film; she has good acting skills and is suitable for most female roles.

"Do you have any ideas on how to approach this from a different angle, Professor Pei?"

"Oh? Tell me about it."

"While you were rehearsing 'The Red-Clad Lady' this time, I suddenly thought, 'Would you like to release an album?'"

"What?" The three were greatly surprised.

"Haha, I'm just saying, you can think about it yourself."

"What do you think of me? Do I have the potential to be a singer?" Huang Xiaoming asked impatiently.

"Um, let's change the subject."

"What do you mean?"

"By the way, what does 'Red-Clad Lament' mean?"

"We just rehearsed a short play, which includes a song."

When is the performance? Let us know!

The four of them chatted and laughed for a while.

Huang Xiaoming's smile faded. "Fang Yuan, Dan Chen and I came here today for another matter."

"We've been getting a lot of offers lately, all sorts of offers, and many companies want to sign contracts with us. We don't know how to handle it all."

Give us an idea.

"That's normal. You're all famous now, so you'll definitely have a lot of opportunities like this."

"However, when faced with opportunities, making the right choices is crucial."

"I can't refuse acting roles, but I can't accept any roles indiscriminately; I can't refuse endorsements and performances, but I can't accept everything that comes my way."

"This is very important for your future development."

Fang Yuan took a sip of water and continued speaking.

"I think the next twenty years will be the best time for the entertainment industry, and we can't miss it."

My plan is to write novels for ten years, then earn money while lying down, aim to retire at thirty-five, and travel the world.

The group burst into laughter, not taking it seriously.

"However, you do need to consider important things right now, such as having a good agent and team to help you with related matters, including finding opportunities, performances, negotiations, and building your own brand."

"Going it alone is not advisable; it's too difficult."

"Don't you have a studio? Sign me, your brother."

"I don't have time to deal with you, and the studio has only one function and is not professional."

"Isn't there Sister Hua?"

"Sister Hua signed a cooperation agreement with me as an agent, not an employee."

"But I'll think about it. Sister Hua is a really nice person; she's very dedicated to her artists."

"But she has a lot of artists on her side, so she might not be able to allocate resources well."

"I'll discuss it with her."

"And you two?" Fang Yuan turned to ask Zeng Li and Yan Danchen.

"You should consider whether I'm with Huang Xiaoming or not."

Zeng Li nodded as well.

Okay, Fang Yuan didn't want to worry too much, so he'll find someone who is willing to take care of things for them.

We agreed to meet again at the studio next weekend at this time to finalize this matter.

Fang Yuan told Zeng Li to go back and ask Li Xinyu if she was willing to come along.

After discussing it with Sister Hua for several days, we finally came up with a relatively feasible plan.

On the afternoon of the last weekend of the year, several people appeared at Fang Yuan's studio at the same time.

Looking around at the people present, Li Xinyu and Sister Hua were also there.

Fang Yuan cleared his throat. "Let me share my thoughts first, and then you can discuss anything you want to say."

"I think now is the best time for our industry."

Firstly, cultural undertakings are a key sector that the country focuses on and develops. Secondly, audience demand is surging, and the industry has great potential for development.

For the few of us, having already gained a certain level of fame and popularity, how to better operate and develop this is of paramount importance.

Personally, I think we will have two identities: one is staff member, and the other is artist. In the past, these two identities were one, but in the future they will be basically separate.

My suggestion is that, if possible, we should try to obtain formal employment in state-owned enterprises after graduation, such as the Beijing People's Art Theatre, the National Theatre of China, or television stations. At the same time, we can sign artist management contracts with professional companies. This model does not conflict with the other two.

We haven't graduated yet, so we don't need to worry about the job security issue for now.

But you can do what I did and sign your management contract with Sister Hua, so that she can handle all your artist-related matters.

We should just focus on doing our professional performance work well.

I've discussed the contract with Sister Hua, and it's relatively lenient. The penalties for breach of contract are quite minor, making it easy for everyone to part ways amicably.

The work pressure isn't high, and artists have the right to choose their jobs.

"Take a look at the contract first."

After saying that, he asked Xiaomei to send the contracts to the four of them first.