Huayu: We're asking you to act, and you're playing a superhuman?

Chapter 99 Wang Weili's Philosophy for Entering the Entertainment Industry

"Cut! OK, this one's passed."

Watching the crew members start packing up, Wang Weili was finally free from posing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

He plays Feng Teng, the male lead in "Boss & Me," whose identity is that of a rich second-generation heir and a group president.

These qualities, while not 100% compatible with Wang Weili, are about 90% compatible, which is why he brings his life experiences into acting when portraying Feng Teng.

However, this made it seem too realistic, and the director felt it lacked the cool and sophisticated feel that idol dramas have.

Wang Weili compromised on some aspects, but his overall acting style still leaned towards realism, leaving the director with no way to change it.

"Mr. Wang, please wait a moment."

Holding a small notebook, Gu Man jogged over to Wang Weili and said, "We were just talking about the fashion style of people in overseas investment banking circles. Can you give me some more inspiration?"

"inspiration?"

Looking at Gu Man's eyes shining, Wang Weili was slightly speechless.

So, those few casual remarks I just made were used as a resource by her.

Gu Man nodded: "Yes! I want to write a novel about a male protagonist who works in investment banking, but I haven't had much contact with people in the financial industry in my life, and the financial industry in China feels more like sales."

"Your intuition is pretty accurate — newcomers on Wall Street usually wear casual clothes to formal occasions, but they tend to prefer affordable outdoor brands like Patagonia and Arc'teryx."

Wang Weili thought that would be the end of it.

After taking notes, Gu Man asked, "If newcomers wear these, what do the bigwigs in finance usually wear?"

"—Professor Gu, I have a dinner appointment, how about we talk another time?"

"Oh, okay, I'm sorry to have taken up your time."

3

"It's nothing."

Wang Weili smiled and nodded. Gu Man's request for advice was very polite, and he didn't find it offensive.

After saying goodbye to Nazar, Wang Weili left the film set and headed to the hotel he had booked in advance, where he met with Wang Changtian, the CEO of Enlight Media.

"Welcome, welcome! Willie, it's so hard to get an appointment with you!"

Wang Changtian greeted Wang Weili with a smile and welcomed him into the private room, but his opening remarks carried a hint of reproach from the client.

He was a middle-aged man with glasses, a receding hairline, and a build that was neither too fat nor too thin.

He didn't seem to have anything particularly memorable about him, but Wang Changtian's eyes held a shrewdness and indifference typical of a businessman.

After observing the other party, Wang Weili said calmly, "Isn't this all for work? I still have 3.1 million in net profit to achieve, so I have to hurry up and start filming."

"Haha! Let's stop joking around and go inside to sit down and chat."

Wang Changtian took the initiative to lead the way, gesturing with his hand in a gesture of respect, which was a gesture of great courtesy to Wang Weili.

Seeing that he was no longer putting on airs like a client, Wang Weili's attitude softened a bit.

Looking at the velvet armchairs and crystal chandelier in the private room, as well as the 18-year Morgan Stanley and ice bucket on the dining table, Wang Weili clearly realized one fact: dinner was not provided tonight!

Wang Changtian pointed to the wine on the table and said, "You said you wanted some peace and quiet, so I didn't invite anyone else. It's not good to pair whiskey with other things, so let's just have a simple drink today."

"I'm fine with either."

Wang Weili just wanted to finish quickly and go home for dinner.

He had heard that the other party was stingy, but he didn't expect them to be this stingy—they wouldn't even serve ham with their whiskey!

Wang Changtian was unaware that he had been labeled as stingy. He thought it was just being frugal. He said that he would only order this bottle of Morgan Stanley 18-year-old when entertaining guests, and he would only drink 12-year-old bottles for his daily life.

The maple-colored liquor covered the ice and, under the crystal chandelier, took on a beautiful amber hue.

Wang Weili swirled his glass, listening to the clinking of the ice cubes, and said, "Mr. Wang, you've come all this way today, it can't be just for a simple drink invitation, right?"

"Uh...are we just starting right away?"

Wang Changtian was slightly surprised, as he thought the two should exchange pleasantries before getting down to business.

Young people are just so impatient!

If Wang Weili knew what he was thinking, he would definitely say: "Damn it! I only ate a few pieces of barbecue at noon, and I was hoping to eat more tonight, but you make me drink alcohol!"

That's too blunt. A more polite way to put it would be: "The sooner you start, the sooner you finish!"

"Oh, that's true."

Wang Changtian nodded and didn't pour himself a drink.

"Willie, have you ever thought about acting in movies?"

"Um?

'

Wang Weili was taken aback, wondering if the topic had been changed a little too quickly.

Wang Changtian laughed and said, "I think that with your current popularity, there's not much room for improvement in acting in TV dramas. A proper transition to the film industry might be more beneficial for you to raise your status."

If Brother Hu heard this, he would be extremely grateful to Wang Changtian, then down three glasses of whiskey in a row, exclaiming that he had met his mentor.

The entertainment industry has always looked down on those who make TV dramas, especially those who make movies.

In the future, TV dramas will look down on web dramas, web dramas will look down on short dramas—and eventually, movie actors will all have to act in short dramas.

Wang Weili only wanted to watch the fun of this kind of self-entertaining land grabbing; he had no intention of participating at all.

"No! I have absolutely no plans to make movies."

"No plans?"

Wang Changtian looked at Wang Weili with some surprise, wondering if this kid was playing a game of feigned retreat with me?

Let me give him a try!

"Movies are similar to TV series, but the production standards are higher. If you'd like to give it a try, we at Enlight Media have a movie starting filming early next year. Liu Yifei has already been cast as the female lead, and I'd like you to try out for the male lead."

A hint of mockery flashed in Wang Changtian's eyes: How about it? I've already found Liu Yifei for you, don't you have any ideas?

Wang Weili looked at him and said, "I don't want to try."

"Um?

Wang Changtian was taken aback, feeling that Wang Weili's feigned retreat was a bit too much!

He continued to probe: "Although Liu Yifei's popularity has declined a bit in the last two years, your popularity is soaring. If you two were to collaborate—"

"You want her to piggyback on my traffic?"

Wang Weili genuinely has no interest in movies, which is why he speaks so directly.

However, this statement had a significant impact on Wang Changtian.

"Liu Yifei, are you trying to ride on my coattails?"

"Didn't you say her popularity was declining while mine was soaring?"

"This is just a figure of speech —"

"So her popularity hasn't declined."

Wang Weili watched Wang Changtian babbling on and on without being able to get a word in edgewise, and took a sip of wine to moisten his throat out of boredom.

After barely processing his surprise, Wang Changtian felt that Wang Weili was truly a weirdo!

"No, you really have no interest in Liu Yifei?"

"Weren't we talking about movies?"

Wang Weili was also puzzled. They were just talking about movies, so why did Old Deng bring up Liu Yifei?

Wang Changtian finally realized that Wang Weili wasn't faking it: "I misspoke. You really have no interest in making movies?"

Not at all.

"What about the film rights you bought? The Left Ear, The Three-Body Problem, and those short science fiction stories—these are all very valuable intellectual property."

"Invest in the production team, let others work like oxen and horses during filming, and I just need to supervise from behind with a whip — this is also a rhetorical device. In short, let others act while I make money."

Wang Weili revealed the company's strategic development plan that he had long ago devised.

For him, status, salary, and Best Actor titles are meaningless.

He entered the entertainment industry solely to gain popularity, or more precisely, to gain popularity that would be recognized by the system.

Those so-called "10 billion yuan box office kings" who will emerge in the future are not as popular as top celebrities, and their influence is limited to the domestic market.

To put it more bluntly, their influence is limited to a certain type of film. Once they switch genres, they basically flop every film they make.

In Wang Weili's opinion, this level of popularity might not even meet the standard for being a superior person given by the system, so why would he care about it?

Wang Changtian didn't understand this approach: "Are you planning to act in TV dramas forever?"

"I might also act in web series."

"Why is it getting worse and worse?"

"That depends on your definition. If my web series can spread globally and be popular in other countries, does that count as going down or going up?"

Wang Weili gave a fake smile and asked in return.

Once the filming of "Shan Shan Comes" is finished and the series airs, he will, as he told Gong Yu last time, push for the production of a live-action version of "Jackie Chan's Adventures".

The reason for choosing this IP is simple: it has a certain degree of recognition worldwide.

Compared to other IPs, the live-action version of Jackie Chan's Adventures has a higher probability of success.

Wang Weili has another advantage: he doesn't need to worry about the extreme shooting scenes in animated films (what's there to be afraid of when you're already extraordinary), and he can even use these as highlights to film them.

Wang Changtian was unaware of Wang Weili's plan, but he could sense the young man's intentions.

"Willie, that web series you're talking about, which has a global reach, is probably going to be hard to make money, right?"

"It will be quite difficult in the early stages, since the platform and channels are in other people's hands, and I can only gain popularity."

Wang Weili does not deny this point. If he wants to cooperate with Netflix to promote the series globally, he will inevitably have to make a choice between fame and fortune in the early stages.

This puzzled Wang Changtian.

"Why do something so thankless? Capital has already started paying attention to the film and television industry. I believe you can see that. Wouldn't it be better if we worked together to make money?"

"Isn't investing in valuable films also a way to make money?"

Wang Weili glanced at Wang Changtian with a smile, his eyes full of indifference and casualness.

He bought those wildly popular IPs in advance and acquired the rights to Running Man in order to create enough cash cows for himself.

Then, use that money to film something interesting that wasn't filmed or wasn't filmed well in the previous life, in order to gain popularity.

If all you want to do is make money, why come to the entertainment industry? Aren't finance and the internet much faster and more lucrative options?

Wang Changtian couldn't understand Wang Weili's gaze, but he understood what Wang Weili meant.

"You mean, you're not planning to act in movies, but you can invest in and organize the production of one?"

That's what I mean.

"I understand now. Our ideas don't conflict. I should also realize that acting is just your hobby, and your status or anything like that doesn't matter."

"Um...more or less."

Wang Weili went along with the mistake and let Wang Changtian think of him that way.

Wang Changtian, believing that he shouldn't drink the wine for nothing, still wanted to confirm some things.

"Since I'm already here today, let's at least finalize a project!"

"Mr. Wang, what project would you like to start?"

"The Left Ear is pretty good. It requires little investment and has a market. I originally wanted you to star in it, but now it seems you'd rather invest in it."

"This is indeed a good project to make money — let's start preparing for it next year."