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

On the other side, Li Xiang and Sister Zhou, sitting in the car, didn't take the earlier incident too seriously.

Sister Zhou has come to understand that, in the end, one's status in the fashion industry is still supported by one's own work and reputation.

Just like Li Xiang today, with over 200 million yuan in box office revenue, his treatment is completely different from when the movie was not released.

Not only did multi-million dollar endorsements come knocking on his door, but even the insurmountable barriers of the fashion industry began to loosen for him.

She was also a person with a long-term vision, and naturally did not want Li Xiang to spend too much energy on these matters.

That's why she advised Li Xiang against it when Wang Ya offered to take full responsibility for Li Xiang's fashion coordination.

"Wang Ya wants to be associated with you, which is a good thing. It means you've gained enough influence now," Sister Zhou said earnestly, looking out the window.

"But we need to prioritize. Filming and polishing the work are the most important things. Let him keep an eye on fashion; you don't need to put too much effort into it."

"Don't worry, these are just icing on the cake; I wouldn't put the cart before the horse. But has there been any progress with the screenwriter I asked you to find?"

He looked at Sister Zhou, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"Found it. When General Manager Zhang heard about it, he thought you had some new ideas, but I made an excuse to change the subject."

She paused, looking hesitant, then added, "But... isn't this story a bit...? Are you thinking of making it into a movie? I doubt the box office will be very good."

"You've seen the company's film resources. I had no choice but to create my own hype."

Li Xiang leaned back in his chair. "As for the plot... box office isn't my biggest concern right now. I'd rather aim for awards."

Sister Zhou was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, since you have an idea, the company will surely cooperate fully."

Besides, you compiled this notebook yourself, so you have the power to control it, and nobody can say anything about it.

"Don't be so nervous. You've seen the plot; it's a typical art film. The scenes are just alleys and streets, so it didn't cost much."

Li Xiang waved his hand, his tone relaxed.

"Moreover, the core of this script has never been the scenes, but the conflicts of human nature. The script itself and the performances are the key to its success or failure."

To be honest, I'm not sure if I can play this role well. If I mess up the whole thing, I'll make a fool of myself.

"What's wrong with that?" Sister Zhou said dismissively. "You wrote this yourself, so you have the right to interpret it."

Besides, I don't think the male lead is a normal person. You must have a mental image of him when you wrote him; just act according to that feeling.

At this point, Sister Zhou suddenly realized, and her gaze towards Li Xiang held a newfound understanding: "So you really are aiming for the awards?"

"Haha," Li Xiang didn't hide anything, "with the male lead's personality and this unconventional plot, the box office performance is probably going to be poor."

I just wanted to try and see if I could make a splash in the awards competition. If I succeeded, things would be much easier for me in the future.

Sister Zhou stared at him for a long time before finally saying, "I'm afraid of people like you who have talent, opportunities, and are willing to put in the effort. You're practically leaving no way for others to survive."

"Isn't that great? Ideally, everyone will only be able to choose what I leave behind." Li Xiang's lips curled up slightly, revealing a confident smile.

A few days later, Li Xiang and the screenwriters at Huace repeatedly communicated and refined the script, which gradually made the original plot more complete.

Only then did the initial idea truly come to fruition and become a complete script.

On the day the script was completed, he called Uncle Wang.

Upon learning that the other party would be returning to Beijing in the next couple of days, he didn't say much, only that he wanted to give the other party a surprise.

Uncle Wang didn't think much of it, assuming that he had just signed a new endorsement deal and was now financially well-off, so he happily agreed.

On the day they returned to Beijing, the two arranged to meet at their usual teahouse.

As soon as he sat down, Li Xiang eagerly took out the bound script and handed it to him: "Uncle Wang, this is the culmination of my hard work over the past few days. What do you think?"

Uncle Wang didn't pay much attention at first and reached out to take it.

I glanced at the enigmatic name on the cover and muttered to myself, "Quite mysterious," before slowly opening it.

What followed was nearly an hour of silence, broken only by the soft rustling of pages turning. Even the wafting aroma of tea inside and the faint sounds of cars outside seemed to fade into the background.

Uncle Wang only breathed a heavy sigh of relief after reading it twice, then looked up at Li Xiang with eyes full of surprise and astonishment:

"Hey kid, tell me, what exactly happened?"

"Uncle, as you know, our company is indeed lacking in the film industry." Li Xiang scratched his head, his tone frank.

"Mr. Zhang introduced me to a few resources, but none of them were quite suitable. So I was thinking, why don't I write my own book and try self-production and self-sales..."

Before he could finish speaking, Uncle Wang interrupted him: "This notebook of yours is no ordinary one; it's not something you can just write on a whim."

He tapped the script cover with his fingertip, his eyes sharp. "Is there something else you're thinking?"

"Haha, you saw right through me." Li Xiang smiled. "Actually, this is just a prize-winning notebook."

When I was writing, I deliberately gave the protagonist several layers of buffs, kind of like the Hollywood movie "Monster"—

Abandoned from childhood, unloved, resulting in a distorted humanity and an unhealthy personality.

"However, there is still love and revenge in the female demon, while the male protagonist in my story is colder and emptier, like an empty shell with a desolate heart."

I find this kind of character, devoid of humanity and almost beast-like, to be more impactful and more likely to stand out in awards.

"No wonder he looked familiar." Uncle Wang nodded in realization.

"This style is similar to the films that our generation loved to make; they all delve deeply into human nature. You're right, these kinds of scripts are indeed more likely to be successful."

"So, you brought it here today because you wanted to...?"

"I'd like you to film it." Li Xiang met his gaze, his tone casual.

Uncle Wang was stunned for a moment. He thought Li Xiang wanted him to be the cinematographer, or at least to act as a go-between and provide support. He never expected that Li Xiang would ask him to be the director.

"You mean, let me... direct?"

"Yes." Li Xiang nodded.

"Many of your peers have become directors. You have both ability and experience, so when I came up with this script, you were the first person I thought of."

These words warmed Uncle Wang's heart.

He could tell that the script was solidly written, clearly aimed at winning awards, and of quite good quality.

The fact that Li Xiang was able to write such a script and immediately think of him as the director shows how precious that trust is.

While touched, he also wanted to confirm something else: "You want to play the male lead, don't you?"

"That's right. When I wrote it, I deliberately set the male protagonist as someone from the bottom of society with a flawed personality."

Moreover, if I can play this role well, I'm sure I'll shine, and maybe even win a few major awards.

He paused, then added, "Moreover, I didn't expand the scenes too much; they were all concentrated in small areas, which made it easier to control costs."

After listening, Uncle Wang lowered his head again to carefully flip through the script, pointing to several key annotations with his fingertip, before finally looking up and nodding:

"Indeed, the characters are well-defined and the scenes are concentrated, so it probably won't cost too much money."

He stroked the script, his eyes shining even brighter. "You really dare to think big, and you really dare to write big."

"What else can we do?" Li Xiang spread his hands and said helplessly, "If we don't produce and sell our own products, we'll always have to be at the mercy of others and be controlled by them."

I also want to win a few awards while I'm still young, even just nominations, so that my future career path will be smoother, and I'll get more scripts and won't have to compete with others for opportunities anymore.

He paused, a hint of helplessness in his voice: "Besides, my age is indeed awkward; there are many roles I can't get. If I don't find a way myself, am I supposed to wait for opportunities to fall into my lap?"

Uncle Wang nodded in deep agreement, as he had also experienced many hardships in his youth and persevered step by step.

Li Xiang had higher aspirations than him, and with his and Zhang Yimou's support, things had already gone much more smoothly for him. However, he never expected Li Xiang to have such great ambitions.

However, this is also a good thing for him, so he is naturally happy to see it happen.

"It's already quite remarkable that you could think of these things." He smiled approvingly, "While others are still waiting for opportunities, you've already started taking the initiative."

Li Xiang waved his hand and shamelessly said, "It's not much trouble. It just requires a few more creative ideas in your head. The rest can be left to the screenwriter to refine."

Then, he changed the subject, his eyes filled with anticipation, and asked, "Uncle, after all this talk, are you going to take this role?"