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

The incident naturally stemmed from the entire process of the Beijing Film Academy's anniversary celebration.

The reporters were incredibly resourceful, uncovering every detail of Li Xiang's interactions, from welcoming his senior colleague to being summoned by Xie Fei.

They even thoroughly investigated the former dean's qualifications and honors.

The final photo, showing the group riding together in a car, became the key to igniting the discussion—don't underestimate the influence of these two directors.

Although people often say that "Chinese films have three driving forces," if you really want to be serious, everyone would tacitly remove Feng Xiaogang from that list.

Even ten years from now, the honors Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige have received will still be unparalleled.

If anyone could stand shoulder to shoulder with him, perhaps only Li An would, but he was ultimately just a "banana" (a person who is culturally Westernized and lacking in cultural refinement).

Therefore, this wave of news has led to a new understanding of Li Xiang's identity among the public.

After all, the ancient saying "No uncultured person should be among your companions" still applies today...

The social class a person occupies and the social class of the people they associate with are one of the standards for measuring their social status.

Just the fact that Li Xiang could chat and laugh with two renowned directors while riding in the same car adds to his standing in the eyes of netizens.

Li Xiang also has some truly outstanding achievements: the magazines he photographed have achieved impressive sales, and the art films he starred in have broken box office records.

This completely overshadowed the "Little Yellow Duck." No matter how much Zhang Weiping promoted it, it couldn't match the impact of the two great directors appearing together.

Moreover, this principle applies universally.

Just like years later, many celebrities spared no expense to attend the Met Gala (Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala).

All they wanted was to be able to take a photo with Anna Wintour and other top-tier celebrities; wasn't that the kind of status boost they were aiming for?

Li Xiang's current situation is exactly the same.

Meanwhile, in the president's office of Huayi Brothers, both CEOs Wang and Wang were browsing online news about Li Xiang.

While tapping the table, Wang Zhonglei said in a complicated tone, "I told you this kid was not to be underestimated. It hasn't been long, and he's already caused such a commotion."

The reporters themselves actively fueled the hype, making it even harder to suppress. "Brother, with his momentum so strong, how is Boran going to get ahead?"

Wang Zhongjun glanced at him and said in a flat tone, "So what if you stand out? So what if you don't?"

Your mind is really wandering now. What? You want to control the entire entertainment industry?

Look at these people in the news, which one are you someone you can mess with? Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, can you control them?

Even if it's Wang Xiaolie, how much influence can you possibly have over him?

He paused briefly, then continued, "Despite the rumors that Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige are at odds, their friendship as classmates is still there."

With others mediating, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they're united against a common enemy. With these people around, this kid's foundation is very solid.

"But with him like this, it'll be difficult for the younger generation in the company to get ahead." Wang Zhonglei frowned deeply.

"We have the older generation, but we're missing a young person who can take up the mantle. Only then will it be complete."

"Perfect?" Wang Zhongjun scoffed.

How much money can a celebrity earn? Even if they become the best in their age group, how much profit can they generate for the company in a year?

What we should be focusing on is the stock market, those green-faced retail investors, and long-term planning, not these trivial matters.

He pointed to a photo of the group on the screen and continued, "Or do you want to offend Brother Chen Kai?"

He's a man who cares a lot about his image. The fact that he was willing to go out laughing and joking with Li Xiang means that this kid has been included in his protection list.

"You try doing it? Do you even want to continue the film studio project collaborations in the future?"

Wang Zhonglei was silent for a moment, then asked, "So... we're just going to watch it like this?"

"What else do you want? Huace is about to go public. Your little tricks last time have already attracted a lot of people to join forces to suppress you. Haven't you learned your lesson yet?"

Why wait for the stock price to drop several points before you're satisfied?

Besides, even if it weren't Huace, it would be someone else. If I really had to choose, I'd rather Huace rise to prominence; it's more pleasing to the eye than Bernard or Guangmang.

"That makes sense." Wang Zhonglei nodded, his tone tinged with disdain.

"Those two companies are the ones with real ambitions. Take Fatty Yu for example, he actually wants to list on NASDAQ."

I wonder how much sweet talk they gave Han Shanping, protecting him both openly and secretly, that emboldened him to have such a huge appetite.

"Hmph, Han Shanping only dares to help in secret." Wang Zhongjun put down his teacup, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

"We control the Beijing social circle and hold the moral high ground, so even if he's unhappy, there's nothing he can do about it."

"However, there are more and more people begging for a living in this industry now, so we need to hurry up and find new ways to make money."

As for Berna, a Nasdaq listing is probably a done deal.

If they really manage to pave the way for internationalization and then publicize news of collaborations with Hollywood, their stock price will soar, which will have a significant impact on us.

So stop focusing on this trivial matter all day long. Also, even if you want to promote someone, tone it down and don't be so blatant about it.

"A company CEO like you, risking your life for a male celebrity, doesn't that lower your standards?"

Wang Zhonglei looked embarrassed by what he was being said, but could only vaguely reply, "I know, I know."

Wang Zhongjun glanced at him again before turning his attention to Li Xiang: "As for that kid, didn't he already agree to let Huace get a share of the investment in several movies?"

I think "Happy Magic" would be a good fit. It's a dual male lead production, and he'd be billed alongside Louis Koo. If someone were really easily swayed, they might have taken it.

"Brother, you don't think this movie is good?" Wang Zhonglei asked, somewhat surprised. "The actors they cast are all quite famous."

"Just look at this lousy name, even a fool could tell what kind of person he is. And who is Huang Baiming?"

Those guys are the kind who'd throw away their last shred of dignity for money; what good could a few of them possibly come up with?

He then took a sip of tea and said slowly, "Haven't you always disliked that kid?"

With just one or two masterpieces like these, he's guaranteed to struggle for three to five years. So what if he has backing?

Everyone needs to eat. If he becomes box office poison, who will keep using him?

"Hey, that's a great idea!" Wang Zhonglei's eyes lit up. "Then I'll have someone add this movie to Huace's investment list."

"Alright, that's settled then." Wang Zhongjun waved his hand. "From now on, you should worry less about these things and focus more on important matters."

Wang Zhonglei responded, still feeling somewhat annoyed, but with this method, he could at least give that kid Li Xiang a little trouble.

He felt that if this rising star really fell into this pit, it would be hard to say whether he could recover.

But as he turned to leave, he couldn't help but glance back at Li Xiang's name on the screen—

For some reason, I always felt that this kid wasn't so easy to hook.

But since things have come to this, we can only try my brother's method for now.