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

Without hesitation, he stepped forward and gave each of them a warm hug.

"You've been riding high lately, haven't you?"

Looking at Li Xiang standing in front of him, Wang Xiaolie was filled with emotion.

He had long known that Li Xiang was no ordinary person, but he never expected that the other party could achieve this much.

In just four years, he went from a newcomer in the industry to a major shareholder of a listed company.

Looking at the entire Chinese entertainment industry, it has become an entity that no one wants to provoke.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he walked the path that others take a lifetime to walk.

If equity and status can be considered as opportunities and good fortune, then they are things external to us.

Those dozen or so international Best Actor awards, plus a bunch of domestic awards, are undeniable testaments to hard-earned talent, something that can't be achieved by luck alone.

The thought that Li Xiang's current situation is essentially a continuation of his own connections in the entertainment industry makes him genuinely happy for himself, knowing he has someone to rely on in his later years.

"That was all thanks to Uncle Wang's good suggestion and recommendation to Huace. Otherwise, I might not have had the chance to get such a good opportunity."

Li Xiang replied with a smile, his attitude even more humble and proper.

"And Uncle Zhang, without your protection and guidance along the way, I wouldn't have had such a smooth journey."

Besides, the group was already close, practically in the same boat, so there was nothing they couldn't tell each other.

Before he could speak, Kai and his wife came to greet him.

With Li Xiang and Wang Xiaolie acting as mediators, the two have long since restored their relationship, and their current personal friendship is considered quite close within the entertainment circle.

Upon meeting, they naturally embraced, a scene captured by nearby media.

The rare appearance of three renowned directors together is already a hot topic, and with the addition of a popular actor and Huace's newly minted major shareholder, the value of the image is instantly maximized.

Seeing that the media had all the footage they needed to shoot was ready, enough for the production team to use for publicity and hype, Li Xiang was too lazy to deal with the remaining guests.

He pulled the two people aside and retreated to a relatively quiet corner next to the gate.

Chen Kaige, who was standing to the side, saw this but did not say anything to stop it.

The most distinguished veteran artists had already arrived, and the guests who arrived later, regardless of their seniority or status, were no match for Yi Mou and Xiao Lie.

Moreover, Li Xiang is no longer a junior whom he can easily control.

He immediately gave Chen Hong a look, and Chen Hong understood instantly, arranging for other celebrities to take over Li Xiang's greeting duties.

"You're really acting recklessly these days."

"What's so capricious about that? The truly capricious one simply isn't coming today."

Only after he pointed it out did the two realize that Da Meiyuan was indeed nowhere to be seen at the scene.

Li Xiang did not comment on Da Meiyuan's choice. His family member was seriously ill, and there was nothing wrong with that, both morally and logically.

He then changed the subject, looking at Zhang Yimou beside him: "Uncle Zhang, how's your film going?"

"It will take another two months to wrap up filming. Fortunately, we don't have to travel around to find locations. We'll be shooting in nearby studios the whole time, so the progress is relatively stable," Zhang Yimou replied.

"Then you'd better do a good job filming, and at least bring back a few big awards for the company."

Zhang Yimou chuckled: "You little rascal, now that you're a shareholder, you dare to put pressure on me?"

"Of course, your perspective depends on your position," Li Xiang replied with a frank smile.

"If you make a good film, you'll definitely win a few awards."

"The Huace headquarters is practically filled with my trophies; it's almost become my personal trophy display area. You'd better step up your game, boss."

"Haha, I knew you'd say that. Don't worry, I'll polish it up carefully and pay attention to the details."

Zhang Yimou verbally agreed, but he knew in his heart that Li Xiang's mention of winning awards was definitely not just a casual joke.

Li Xiang's plans were indeed far more extensive than these.

According to his recollection, "Coming Home" originally had excellent chances of winning awards, but it failed due to LeTV's shortsightedness.

Back then, LeEco was focused on boosting its valuation by capitalizing on the popularity of movies and creating positive news to cover its own shortcomings, completely abandoning the opportunity to win awards at film festivals.

The film was released immediately after production, which resulted in it only being selected for the non-competitive sections of the three major European film festivals.

No matter how authentic and natural Gong Li and Chen Daoming's performances were, they were unable to win any major awards...

Even Zhang Yimou publicly admitted that he felt it was a great pity that Chen Daoming and Gong Li missed the opportunity to win an award.

I find Zhang Zhao's utilitarian statement that "movies are made for audiences, not for film festivals" particularly offensive.

But things are different now; the project is now being taken over by Huace, a company with substantial financial resources.

There's absolutely no need to do something so short-sighted and do something like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs just for a few tens or hundreds of millions in short-term box office revenue.

For listed companies, the brand premium and capital endorsement brought by an international award are hundreds of times more valuable than short-term box office revenue.

That's why he brought it up on his own initiative.

"Don't rush to release the film; prioritize film festivals and send it directly to the main competition at Cannes."

Not rushing to release the film is naturally a good thing for Zhang Yimou himself.

However, the fact that Cannes was specifically mentioned made him suspicious, and he turned to look at Li Xiang.

Noticing the questioning look Zhang Yimou was giving him, Li Xiang glanced around.

The guests present, seeing the three bigwigs having a private conversation, all wisely kept their distance and no one approached to eavesdrop.

After confirming that no one was listening in, he lowered his voice and dropped a bombshell.

"I will be a judge at the Cannes main competition next year."

"If we send this film, 'Coming Home,' over there, even if it's a tough fight, I can help it win a major award."

Such a domineering statement immediately stirred up quite a ripple in the hearts of the two of them.

It wasn't that the two were inexperienced; it was simply that Li Xiang's growth rate was too fast.

In just a few years, he went from a newcomer to a jury member at an international film festival, a height that countless people can only dream of reaching in their entire lives.

Outsiders might think that famous directors and big names are all old artists who have taken a detached view of fame and fortune, but in fact, no one in the industry can refuse a seat on the international jury.

This is a great opportunity to gain both fame and fortune, as it allows you to expand your overseas network and build relationships within the industry.

The most practical problem is that film festivals always choose the participants, not the other way around. Receiving an official invitation is already one in a million.

"Next year's jury chairman is Steven Spielberg."

"When Frémaux approached me, he hoped that I would step in to counterbalance this big Hollywood director. At that time, I would definitely have a lot of influence."

Li Xiang chuckled and joked, "Speaking of which, shouldn't I help Sister Li win a Best Actress award? Just say the word, and I'll do it for you."

Zhang Yimou hadn't recovered from the shock of being a Cannes judge when this teasing remark touched on an old memory, causing him to blush and quickly wave his hand.

"What are you saying! What are you saying? How can award selection be so frivolous? Besides, Daoming's acting skills are equally superb, and he is fully qualified to win the award."

"Oh? Really?" Li Xiang feigned surprise.

"So, you're saying Sister Li doesn't need to try for the award?"

"Alright, that's fine. Anyway, I have a really good relationship with Uncle Daoming. I can help him win the Cannes Best Actor award."

Of course, this was just a joke.

Li Xiang himself has never won the Cannes Best Actor award, so how could he possibly help someone else get an award?

He wasn't stupid; he was already certain that Zhang Yimou would never agree.

As expected, upon hearing this, Zhang Yimou immediately waved his hand to stop him, even more anxious than before.