When he got home at night and lay on the comfortable big bed, Qi Hao looked at the three options of Gao Yuanyuan, An Feng, and Liu Dehua, and fell into a brief contemplation.
Not that he was struggling with whom to choose.
But he discovered a problem.
The options given by the system were mainly celebrities he had recently interacted with.
A few days ago, he met Liu Dehua at the "Oath of Allegiance" press conference.
This time he met Gao Yuanyuan and An Feng.
As for Xu Jinglei, maybe due to lack of interaction, she didn't become a system option.
It seems in the future, it'd be best to interact more with good actors.
As for the singing performance, Qi Hao planned to toss it to Old Tian to worry about. After all, paying so much every year to hire him was to make him do the dirty work.
Now, it was his training time.
As for choosing between Gao Yuanyuan, An Feng, and Liu Dehua for spending a night with, there was no need for struggle.
Of course, it's — Liu Dehua!
With eight hours of Liu Dehua usage, Qi Hao could train quite a few things.
Moreover, Qi Hao discovered another issue.
That was the previously chosen "Zhou Xun" was still within the selectable range.
It seems that once a card is chosen, it can be reused.
It's like becoming a collectible card game.
Zhou Xun card, Dehua card…
As for choosing which Liu Dehua film, Qi Hao wasn't conflicted, because he found he could briefly exit the training space to reselect the movie.
He first chose the "Infernal Affairs" trilogy.
Anyone who had scenes with Liu Jianming in it, he could play.
According to the system, the training function was still in its initial stage, and once more tasks were completed, the system would upgrade.
For example, being able to film movies in the training space.
Arrange for Zhou Xun, Liu Dehua, and other collected "cards" to let everyone have fun, and Qi Hao could train group scenes then.
Also, there's the "soul possession" feature.
Let the training NPC act, and possess its body to experience the joy of performance.
Hmm, be careful when picking scripts, in case you end up being the passive side in a suggestive scene, it might affect your orientation.
After completing "Infernal Affairs" training, he proceeded to train with "Infernal Affairs" again.
"Infernal Affairs" is Liu Dehua's pinnacle work, and Liu Qingyun's performance in it was also very good, not inferior to Liu Dehua.
Liu Dehua clawed his way to today, indeed having a lot of acting experience.
Qi Hao benefited greatly from acting with him.
Moreover, since he is a system NPC, he doesn't hide any skills at all.
Of course, also because he is a system NPC, Qi Hao couldn't ask him for his bank card PIN.
If money runs out, it can be earned again, but if the conscience is lost, you've earned a lot indeed.
The next day, news broke that Qi Hao took the spicy strips endorsement.
With so many people at the shooting location, keeping it a secret was unrealistic, and it would eventually be officially announced, so there was no need to hide it.
Of course, Ziwen also had a hand in stirring this.
You see, this Qi Hao is courting death, without us he can't manage at all.
Only we can save him.
This matter coming to light made it easier for them to arrange trash endorsements for Qi Hao.
In recent days, they gathered many low-quality and high-priced endorsement projects.
For example, hair growth liquids, fake alcohol, and kidney supplements…
As long as the money is right, even sanitary pads and lipstick can be arranged.
Initially, a lot of criticism of Qi Hao surfaced online, calling him increasingly lowbrow.
Some scolded his manager for being unprofessional.
Others said he drifted after winning Best Actor, starting to take any crappy money jobs.
All of this was developing as expected by the Ziwen people.
As one of the four young actors and now a Best Actor, Qi Hao's weight in the entertainment circle was growing, subtly becoming a thorn in the side to many competing brands.
Rivalry began, eager to kick him when he's down.
However, somehow, the public opinion silently began to shift.
Huanle: I always feel like Qi Hao got screwed over, looking at his development since debut, it's easy to see he's a very clear-headed person, the scripts he picks are never bad, and he's never endorsed such low products.
Pentagram Star: Sigh, now you mention it, I feel the same. Isn't it possible that the spicy strips endorsement wasn't taken willingly by him?
Potato→Favorite: Could someone have forced him? Isn't it all for the money?
Hermit Canglang: I heard his contract with Ziwen is almost up, contract expirations in the entertainment circle rarely end amicably. I think Ziwen is suspicious this time.
Gu Rong: Does anyone remember when Qi Hao had a cameo in "Li Mi's Conjecture" recently?
Amitabha Buddha: Are you talking about the one where he got hit by Deng Zhao driving?
Wind knows: Not only was he hit by the car, but he also jumped off the bridge. The production even said Qi Hao didn't use a stunt double, and the wig on his head was knocked off by Deng Zhao.
Beiyue Demon King: I heard Deng Zhao even advised the director to use a semi-trailer, but the director feared for lives and didn't agree.
Flame Star 1: Holy crap, sending Deng Zhao to hit Qi Hao, someone really wants Qi Hao dead, is Ziwen this ruthless?
Mei Shuibiao: Ahem, we are negotiating a deal with Ziwen, involving Qi Hao's endorsement, our product is a kidney treasure...you know!
Already in his forties, half his life is cold and thin: Damn, the person upstairs is in the know; this time Ziwen has gone too far, right?
Xiaolou has been registered for 20 years: Qi Hao has filmed a lot of hit dramas over the years, and endorsement fees aren't cheap; he's earned Ziwen quite a bit of money. That's not how you retain talent.
The online discussion soon became a hot topic.
Fans also believed that Ziwen was exploiting and making things difficult for Qi Hao, and they all accused Ziwen of being heartless.
Over at Ziwen, they couldn't defend themselves.
If it weren't for you, would a top-tier celebrity be crazy enough to endorse something like spicy strips?
If it weren't for you, who the hell would go jump off a building, and in the moments after falling, find an old rival in love to drive a semi at them?
Soon enough, Ziwen became everyone's target.
This sudden PR crisis was something Ziwen Company never expected.
And they were innocent too.
They may have planned to give Qi Hao a rubbish endorsement, but it was just a thought; they hadn't even started implementing it.
How did this shitbucket get dumped on them directly?
Qi Hao went to make a cameo in "Li Mi's Conjecture," which had nothing to do with them.
The spicy strip endorsement was also Qi Hao and his agent's own doing.
However, no matter how they explained it, netizens simply didn't believe it. Even some of their peers in the industry were subtly taking shots at them.
Some big bosses even called their chairman, asking for leniency on behalf of Qi Hao.
The chairman was also upset upon hearing this.
Qi Hao is not some small nobody in the entertainment industry; how could you treat him like a minor celebrity?
Now, how bad is the impact!
If you need to let go, let go. There might still be opportunities for cooperation in the future.
At this moment, Qi Hao and Old Tian were in his living room, eating spicy strips, along with a cat.
This cat was found by Qi Hao in the neighborhood a year ago.
After posting notices to find its owner for half a month and having no one claim it, he decided to keep it.
The cat's name is Ao Bai.
Judging by the name, you can guess its appearance.
Previously, an assistant took care of its food and cleaned its litter every day.
Now that the assistant is gone, he entrusted it to a neighbor.
"Shall we just throw away what we can't finish eating?" Qi Hao really didn't want to eat anymore; there are better ways not to waste food.
"I agree!" Old Tian decisively stuffed the spicy strips into the trash can.
"Were those online posts our PR pieces?" Qi Hao took a sip of Sprite and comfortably burped.
Despite acting aloof outside all day, he actually likes drinking carbonated drinks in private. However, as a celebrity, he can only indulge occasionally.
"Definitely not. I was even mentally prepared for partial ruin." Old Tian was equally puzzled and had already accepted fate.
No one expected the public opinion to turn out like this.
Ziwen became the big bad guy, and Qi Hao turned into a victim, gaining sympathy from the entire internet.
"Boss Ma from Ziwen is actually quite nice; why don't you issue a statement to explain things?"
Qi Hao didn't want to burn bridges.
Having navigated the entertainment industry for years, he always treated people kindly and managed his relationships well.
"Okay, but the effectiveness is hard to say." Old Tian laughed playfully.
In this situation, issuing a statement saying that the cameo and spicy strip dealings had nothing to do with the company, and it was all Qi Hao's own decision...
Do you think netizens would believe it?
They would definitely think it was a statement made by Qi Hao under company pressure.
"Sigh, we need to show some stance, or else we would be seen as green tea bitches, right?" Qi Hao lamented.
"You..."
You damn well know you're quite tea-like yourself.
"Oh, by the way, could you find me a commercial gig recently, preferably one where I just sing a song and leave?" Qi Hao remembered his third task.
Find a place, hold a guitar, and take the stage to perform a song.
Playing the guitar is no major issue; Qi Hao learned it when he was very young and still plays to relieve stress over the years. He's quite good for a non-singer celebrity.
It's just that the concept of performing for pay is a bit troublesome.
The system requires him to perform a song on any stage with his guitar, but that doesn't mean Qi Hao can just find an empty stage and get away with it.
The system's requirement is to perform for pay.
Since it's for pay, there must be an audience and rewards.
Either street performances or commercial events.
If it were indeed 1997 when the system loaded, it would clearly be the former as more suitable, not only generating some income but possibly boosting fame.
But Qi Hao is already a big star now, and street performing could easily cause stampede incidents.
So he plans to have Old Tian help him find a commercial event.
It's what's known as a "quick gig."
In the past, to maintain a cold persona, Qi Hao rarely participated in such events, but now he's left with no choice to complete tasks.
"I find..." Old Tian widened his eyes at Qi Hao and mumbled, "I find you really are quite devious."
First, there's the cameo and the spicy strips, and now you're going for quick gigs.
Ziwen is really being ruthless with you.