Reborn in the Entertainment Industry: This Top Star Has Real Achievements

They didn't have much personal interaction before, and now that Li Xiang has made a leap forward and his status is vastly different, there's even less to talk about.

This resulted in the fact that, apart from Kai and his wife, only Mi Lai, who hadn't yet fallen behind, was willing to actively come over in the huge venue.

However, the person who came over, Mi Lai, was there to interrogate him.

Of course, it wasn't in an aggressive way, but rather she leaned close to Li Xiang and asked him in a pitiful, low voice.

"My leading lady, we'd almost finalized everything, so why did she suddenly show up? What did I do to offend you?"

People were coming and going at the scene, and staff members passed by from time to time.

She didn't dare to speak too loudly, but her eyes were fixed on Li Xiang, eagerly wanting an answer.

Li Xiang was slightly taken aback by her question, but quickly realized what she meant.

She was probably referring to the "Empress of China" series project that she had halted.

This project is a truly unique and whimsical creation.

The first one is Empress Wei Zifu, next is Empress Dugu, and later they plan to make Wu Zetian, Empress Lü...

When the script outline was presented to him, Li Xiang read it and immediately ordered the entire project to be scrapped and development to be halted.

It's not that Huace's production capabilities are lacking; it's just that this subject matter has been overdone in the market.

Take the second installment, "Queen Dugu," for example. There's already a similar work, "The Legend of Dugu," which is a gem among its predecessors. What new tricks can they possibly come up with?

As for Wu Zetian, there's no need to mention her. The previous version, starring Qing Nai, has already achieved legendary status. With actresses like Yin Tao delivering such performances, Fan Xiaopang's big-budget production is also poised to launch.

He simply couldn't understand whether these people had any brains at all, that they were so focused on these IPs that had already been adapted into classic films.

Is it really that difficult to create entirely new story themes?

Why pour large sums of money into projects that are clearly thankless and have high production costs?

This kind of subject matter has been filmed countless times. Not only is it expensive and labor-intensive, but it will also likely be criticized by the audience for being a rehash of old material.

The stock price will plummet. He didn't care before because he was too lazy to care, but now it's different; that's all his money.

This single incident caused the production of "The Virtuous Queen of the Han Dynasty," which was still in the negotiation stage and was about to finalize the cast, to be aborted.

He halted an entire project plan, but Mimi, as an actress from an external agency, was completely unaware of it.

She immediately assumed that Li Xiang had a problem with her and that's why he took away her opportunity.

She thought it over and realized that she had never offended Li Xiang in any way, so she eagerly came over to ask him for clarification.

Li Xiang wasn't annoyed by her at all, and he could completely understand her feelings.

It's understandable that anyone would feel upset if their hard-earned prize disappeared without a trace, and would want to demand an explanation.

After a moment's thought, he decided to tell the truth.

"This has absolutely nothing to do with you personally. I halted the entire series, and it was only targeting the project itself, not you."

Mi Lai immediately frowned, looking puzzled: "Why? The script was written quite well, wasn't it?"

"You're the female lead, so of course your character is given a very good design."

"But from an investor's perspective, it's a completely different story, not to mention you're not suitable for this role at all."

"My acting skills..." Mi Lai hurriedly tried to explain.

Before she could finish speaking, Li Xiang bluntly cut to the chase: "She's not good-looking enough to carry off this kind of classical beauty; it'll take the audience out of the story."

This is why he insisted on cutting the entire project, even if it meant sacrificing some of the initial preparation and investment.

Mi Lai herself doesn't have a clear understanding of her own appearance; simply put, she's bursting with self-confidence.

If she were to actually play Wei Zifu, that would be the beginning of her career decline.

Of course, Milai herself would never think that way.

Especially when someone tells you to your face that you're not good-looking, an embarrassment immediately rises on your face.

Li Xiang certainly didn't intend to humiliate her; he just didn't want her to pursue the role in the film again.

To prevent him from still being persistent and running around trying to persuade others, making people think that Li Xiang is some kind of domineering person.

He didn't want to upset anyone, so he simply explained things clearly, which could be considered as pointing out a way to defy fate.

"If you really want to broaden your acting range, move towards modern dramas and crime dramas. There's no need to stick to period dramas."

He paused, then pointed out another reality: "Don't try to compete with Bai Baihe in the 'girly race,' you can't beat her."

"Besides, the 'girl next door' route is all about youth; how many years can you rely on that? It's better to find your niche early on and go further."

By cutting off her leading lady, Li Xiang actually did a good deed for once, but his method was too direct.

Hearing this, Mi Lai's face turned red and white, her self-esteem severely damaged. She opened her mouth to refute, but couldn't find a reason for it.

Li Xiang didn't care about her feelings. There were already voices coming from near the gate, obviously the guests were arriving one after another.

Therefore, we can only touch on the topic briefly. Whether or not to listen ultimately depends on Mi Lai herself and her management team.

"That's all I have to say. Whether you listen or not is up to you, but forget about Huace..."

After saying that, Li Xiang stopped talking and turned to walk quickly toward Chen Kaige and Chen Hong, preparing to greet them as the host.

The scene was exactly as expected.

The only director in China to win the Palme d'Or is quite prestigious.

He even saw Lan and Tian, ​​two veteran actors who rarely appear in public and can be called true artists.

This is what true industry expertise looks like.

Even at the premieres of Zhang Yimou's "Under the Hawthorn Tree" and "The Flowers of War," he didn't see these people show up.

At this moment, Li Xiang truly realized just how deep the hierarchy and cultural barriers are in the entertainment industry.

As the male lead of the film, Chen Kaige and Chen Hong were very kind in introducing Li Xiang to these veteran actors one by one.

As the saying goes, one who has no desires is invincible.

Li Xiang knew that he might not have much contact with these veteran artists in the future, so he didn't deliberately try to curry favor with them.

They simply shook hands and exchanged pleasantries respectfully, their attitude impeccable, completely unlike the fawning and obsequious manner of some of the people around them.

Ironically, the more humble and unyielding a person is, the more they are appreciated by these senior figures.

During a casual chat, they learned that he also planned to take some time to study drama, and the elderly people were full of praise for him.

Many people in the industry were extremely envious, feeling that Li Xiang had monopolized all the good things in the world.

He didn't even consider how well he was doing at his age.

Who wouldn't like a prodigy? Only competitors would be extremely annoyed by them.

But for these industry giants, they would love for more people like Li Xiang to emerge in China.

After finally getting several senior figures into the venue, Li Xiang's well-practiced professional smile was almost about to give way.

Just then, a commotion arose outside. Turning around, they saw that it was Uncle Wang and Lao Mouzi arriving together.

I quickly glanced at Brother Kai.

Sure enough, the smile on his face vanished instantly.

But it was only for a moment; in the blink of an eye, he put on a proper smile again.

Li Xiang couldn't help but admire the directors' acting skills.