Hu Ge and the others woke up just in time, and had just decided to go out shopping together when they all opened the door and came out.
"What a good night's sleep! It was so comfortable!" Hu Ge said. "If I had known your hypnosis was so effective, I would have had it done by you a long time ago. Why would I have endured the pain of insomnia for so long!"
"Nonsense!" Niu Yichen said, "You guys are just drunk! It's okay if it happens once in a while, but if it happens too often, it will definitely ruin your health!"
Hu Ge laughed and said, "Really! You don't even appreciate it when I'm praising you!"
However, Hu Ge and the others didn't go shopping together. Although they slept very comfortably, they still had a lot of scenes to film, so they all chose to stay home.
Take a break and reflect on your character. To successfully portray a character, it's not enough to just work hard on set. Unless you have some special advantages, you have to be fully committed and not slack off in the slightest.
These girls, on the other hand, seemed to be in incredibly good spirits, perhaps because they had been "nourished" last night.
For an entire afternoon, Niu Yichen took Liu Yifei and the other three girls on a long stroll around the surrounding pedestrian street and bought a lot of things.
Niu Yichen and Liu Yifei wore ordinary hats, while the others walked normally without causing any trouble.
At first, Niu Yichen was very excited, taking four women he had been intimate with shopping together. How many people in the world could do that?
Moreover, these women were all exceptionally beautiful, and each time they changed clothes, they were a sight to behold. But after walking around for a while, you just became numb to them!
Maybe he's just a straight man by nature! When he goes shopping with women, he's really just there to accompany them!
Compared to the shopping experience itself, even the moment of paying is quite pleasant.
If Liu Yifei hadn't stayed with him throughout, and if Liu Pinyan hadn't occasionally given him a flirty look or held his hand as a way to relax, his patience would probably have been completely worn out.
As night fell, Liu Xiaoli forcefully dragged Liu Yifei back to the hotel, indicating that it was impossible to seduce her that night.
An Yixuan and Liu Pinyan were together; they stayed in the same room at the hotel for the film crew, so neither of them had a reason to leave the other out, therefore...
That night, Niu Yichen stared at the empty room for a long time. Last night he was so powerful, battling it out with three beautiful women all night long, and tonight he'd be alone in this empty room?
Niu Yichen let out a long breath, calming himself down. He'd only slept with women a few days ago, yet he already felt like he couldn't live without them! This feeling was awful!
Just as Niu Yichen calmed down, a phone call came in. He looked at the caller ID and saw it was from Wu Shise.
"Hello! Yichen!" As soon as the call connected, Wu Shise's slightly panicked voice came through.
"What's wrong, Se Se?"
Wu Shise said, "Don't you want me anymore?"
"Hmm? What makes you say that?"
"Your scenes are all finished! It's been a whole day, and you haven't even called me once!"
Niu Yichen said with a laugh, "Didn't I specifically tell you this before I left?"
Wu Shise said, feeling wronged, "But...you didn't say you'd take me with you when you left, did you?"
Niu Yichen laughed and said, "But you're a makeup artist on set, and you have work to do. What would it mean if I took you away?"
Wu Shise quickly said, "But you clearly said before that I was your personal makeup artist!"
Did I say that?
"I said it!" Wu Shise said firmly.
"I see..." Niu Yichen thought for a moment, and it seemed that he had indeed mentioned it to her before, so he said, "I do want a personal makeup artist, but the kind of personal makeup artist I want is not just a simple makeup artist!"
"Then what do you want..."
After saying that, Wu Shise seemed to have thought of something, and said somewhat shyly but with a hint of smugness, "If you still want to warm my bed, then I can't..."
"What are you thinking!" Niu Yichen couldn't help but laugh, then said solemnly, "What I want is a head of the styling team!"
"Team leader? Or the styling team?" Wu Shise's mind went blank when she heard this, and she almost cried. "Yichen... I can't do what you're saying!"
"It's okay if you can't do it now, you can learn! And you don't necessarily have to be perfect right away. You need to develop your own aesthetic sense. Within three years, I will have my own film crew, and I hope that you can find your place in my film crew then!"
"Three years?" Wu Shise is only 25 years old and has just graduated from university. In three years, she will only be 28 years old. Being the head of a styling team at 28 years old is definitely a sign of success. However, apart from her current boss Cai Yinong, she has never heard of anyone else who has their own business at this age.
"It's three years!" Niu Yichen thought for a moment and said, "I'll shoot the first one, probably a modern film. You can develop in that direction first! You're the expert in this area, so I won't say much more to you, nor will I give you any further requirements, because I really don't know anything about it. The only support I can give you is money!"
"money?"
"I'll have someone deliver a card to you in a little while. It contains 100,000 yuan as my investment in you. You can learn from it first!"
"Huh?" Wu Shise was shocked! 100,000 yuan in 2004 was no small sum. She was just an ordinary student who had recently graduated from school with a less popular major, and she had only been working for less than a year, yet she could manage 100,000 yuan?
Niu Yichen said, "Don't feel uneasy about taking it. I'm giving it to you for investment purposes. When I start a film crew in the future, every department will be indispensable. Even if you can't learn too much, at least you should know the core content and help me check if someone has cheated me!"
Wu Shise immediately got excited and said, "Yichen! Don't worry! Leave the makeup to me, I definitely won't let you down!"
Niu Yichen said, "Makeup is something you can learn as long as you live. What's popular now may not be popular in the future, but as long as you can learn it, it will definitely be yours! Keep it up!"
Wu Shise's words were not spoken lightly.
Niu Yichen really wanted a styling team. The reason he invested in Wu Shise is because Wu Shise and Niu Yichen share similar aesthetic tastes. At least during their time on the set of "Chinese Paladin," whenever Wu Shise liked a particular style, Niu Yichen ended up looking quite pleasing to the eye. Moreover, Wu Shise truly has talent in makeup and styling; she's a talent worth nurturing.
After finishing the phone call, Wu Shise was energized and began to work hard to improve her styling and makeup skills.
Niu Yichen immediately called his manager and asked him to send someone to deliver money to Wu Shise the next day.
Although most of his investments aren't at the optimal time to be used, taking out 100,000 yuan is still easy for him. Even if Wu Shise can't learn it, he can just throw it away. Investors also have to bear risks.
...
After arranging things for Wu Shise, Niu Yichen's desire to find women diminished even further.
Now that you've decided to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, you definitely have to aim for the top. Now is not the time to enjoy yourself.
Thinking of this, Niu Yichen called his agent.
His agent was originally Wang Jinghua, but after failing to reach an agreement with Huayi Brothers, she was gradually replaced by an unknown person named Fan Qiang. (Using a VPN! Very blatant!)
Fan Qiang received Niu Yichen's call and didn't dare to delay, "Yichen! Is there something wrong on set?"
It's true that Niu Yichen was 'exiled' to him, but Fan Qiang himself was just a newcomer, and even Wang Jinghua judged him to be unsuitable to be an agent. If it weren't for the fact that Niu Yichen was exiled and they wanted to teach him a lesson, it wouldn't have been his turn to do the job.
Niu Yichen said, "It's nothing. My filming for the Legend of Sword and Fairy series has wrapped up early, and I want to go to the Happy Seven Fairies set. Could you help me contact them in advance?"
"Huh?!" Fan Qiang was shocked. Niu Yichen clearly heard a series of clanging sounds coming from the other side.
Niu Yichen's expression darkened, and he asked, "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
"This…" Fan Qiang stammered, unsure of what to say.
Niu Yichen said, "Don't beat around the bush. Whatever it is, just say it!"
Fan Qiang sighed and said, "Your role in 'Happy Seven Fairies' was canceled by the director there..."
"Cancelled? Why was it cancelled? When was it cancelled?" Niu Yichen's heart skipped a beat when he heard this.
There are three directors in the Seven Fairies drama crew. He got into the crew through one of the directors' connections. They met when they were both unknown and had a pretty good relationship. If there were no unexpected events, it would be absolutely impossible for his role to be canceled. And even if it were canceled, it would be impossible for them not to call him.
Fan Qiang said, "It was canceled when you first joined the Legend of Sword and Fairy crew! As for why, I don't know..."
"You don't know?" Niu Yichen sneered and said, "You're my manager. They replaced me, and you're just going to brush me off with a 'I don't know'?"
Fan Qiang remained silent.
Niu Yichen said, "Is it because your superiors are preventing you from telling me this?"
Fan Qiang remained silent.
Niu Yichen sighed and said, "I understand! That's fine!" Then he hung up the phone. No wonder he was deemed unsuitable to be a manager!
To be honest, when Niu Yichen decided on him, he thoroughly tested him and found his professional knowledge to be exceptional, which is why he didn't object on the spot. But now it seems that being a manager requires not only solid professional knowledge but also a strong mind. He has a wealth of theoretical knowledge but can't apply it in practice, so what good is it in the end?
After a moment's thought, Niu Yichen didn't call the Seven Fairies production team, but instead called the Lotus Lantern production team first.
He knows the people on the Seven Fairies' side too well. He can just go over and apologize, and the matter will definitely be resolved. In modern terms, the Seven Fairies is a drama with a strong female lead, and he is just using it as a transitional product, so it won't have a significant impact on his overall career.
On the contrary, he had put in a lot of effort beforehand for the Lotus Lantern project. Moreover, not many of the cast members were familiar faces, and most were from the Hong Kong entertainment circle, especially director Yu Mingsheng. At this time, those people in the Hong Kong entertainment circle had very deep collaborations with Huayi Brothers.
The exact reason why the Wang Jinghua and Wang Zhongjun brothers fell out is unknown, but the trigger was a dispute over roles. Most of the actors under Wang Jinghua's management were from mainland China. Some of these actors, after becoming famous in television dramas, wanted to move into the film industry. When Wang Jinghua merged with Huayi Brothers, he was attracted by Huayi's production capabilities and the ability to promote his own actors.
However, after the merger, Wang Jinghua found that things didn't go as planned. It was true that Huayi Brothers produced a lot of films, but the problem was that, apart from Ge You, most of the male leads in Huayi's films were played by Hong Kong actors, and even the supporting roles were mostly the same. All the artists under Wang Jinghua's management could only follow behind and get scraps.
With Huayi Brothers operating this way, the artists under Wang Jinghua's management have no chance to rise to prominence, especially the popular ones, who almost all want to make a name for themselves and change their careers. As a result, conflicts between them naturally increase.
Niu Yichen didn't know what kind of adjustments they had made, but the result was definitely that they couldn't reach an agreement. In the end, Wang Jinghua left Huayi Brothers and went to Orange Sky Entertainment.
All this talk is just to illustrate one point: Huayi Brothers has a very strong partnership with the Hong Kong entertainment industry. Therefore, it's not impossible that they would threaten to make Niu Yichen lose the role of Chen Xiang. However, if they actually did that, the feud between Niu Yichen and Huayi Brothers would be far more serious than a few words could express.
It wasn't too late yet, and the person on the other end answered the phone quickly. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Niu Yichen asked about his role.
Fortunately, his worries were unnecessary. Huayi Brothers didn't dare to offend them too much, and after all, "Lotus Lantern" was a major production by CCTV. Huayi Brothers might be able to influence those people in the Hong Kong entertainment circle, but they still had to call CCTV "daddy." Stopping "Happy Seven Fairies" was probably just to annoy them.
Niu Yichen breathed a sigh of relief and didn't dare to delay. He immediately took a plane to the set of "Happy Seven Fairies".
The crew of the Seven Fairies TV series is currently in Wuxi, not far from Hengdian. Niu Yichen just managed to catch the last flight.
Before boarding the plane, Niu Yichen also called Chen Yongge, a director he knew well.
Chen Yongge is a martial arts choreographer by training. He has worked with Niu Yichen many times and has no connection with Huayi Brothers. After the audition, Niu Yichen mainly contacted him and was not very familiar with the others.
As soon as Chen Yongge heard Niu Yichen's voice after the call connected, he said, "You little brat! You dare to call me!"
Niu Yichen laughed and said, "You're just a small-time director! Why wouldn't I dare to fight you!"
"Stop joking around with me!" Chen Yongge said. "Why would you want to come to me now when you have a perfectly good leading role to give up?"
"Don't want it? How could I not want it? I really want it!" Niu Yichen said with a wry smile. "To be honest, I only just found out that I was removed from the production team. Can you tell me the details?"
Chen Yongge asked in surprise, "You just found out? You haven't reached an agreement with Huayi Brothers yet!"
Niu Yichen said, "We haven't reached an agreement yet! But others may not know my situation, but you know it yourself, so they wouldn't dare to do anything to me."
"That's true!" Chen Yongge said somewhat embarrassedly after hearing this, "This matter was handled by your previous agent! They said that the salary we offered you was too low! It didn't match your worth, and they insisted on renegotiating. Moreover, the price they offered was outrageously high, which angered the director so much that he impulsively rejected the offer!"
"Damn it! My previous manager!" Niu Yichen cursed, and said, "I've changed my manager now. His name is Fan Qiang, he's a man, but he's unreliable. You can contact me directly from now on, I might kick him out anytime."
Chen Yongge said, "Alright! It's settled then!"
"And another thing, such a big thing, why didn't you contact me directly? You know my phone number!"
"Hey! I'm a director, don't I have any pride? I've been waiting for your call these past few days!"
"Hahaha! Okay, I forgot, your status is different now!" Niu Yichen laughed twice and said, "I won't say any more, I'm taking a plane now, I'll be there around 10 a.m. tomorrow! We'll talk face to face then!"
"Okay! Show some sincerity!"
...
After hanging up the phone, Chen Yongge went to see another director, Jiang Tian.
"Yichen just called!"
Jiang Tian said in surprise, "Why did you only make a call after you've already turned your phone on? Is it still too late?"
Chen Yongge said, "There's definitely enough time! There are still a few male roles that haven't been decided yet! Let him choose!"
Jiang Tian added, "Yi Chen is the biggest star in our crew right now. Do you think he'd be willing to choose what everyone else has left over?"
Chen Yongge laughed and said, "Don't worry! I know Yichen very well! It's just that his manager is difficult to deal with. It was the manager who brought up the issue of asking for more money before! He himself is fine. I'll settle things with him after having a drink with him!"
Jiang Tian was surprised again and said, "It seems you two have a really good relationship. Even though their agent offended you so much, you still care about them."
Chen Yongge said, "That kid Yichen even fired his agent! He's probably really broken up with Huayi Brothers."
"Hey," Jiang Tian said, "Anyway, you know what I mean. I heard that Yichen is filming in other places too. We didn't actively look for Yichen, so Huayi Brothers probably won't be able to find us."
"I'm not worried about Huayi Brothers!" Chen Yongge shook his head. "Huayi Brothers wouldn't dare to do anything to Yichen."
The moment those words left his mouth, Jiang Tian understood, but he didn't say anything more. Those who rise from humble beginnings to become directors are all smart people; he left it at that. After a pause, Jiang Tian asked, "Then... who should go with us tomorrow?"
After pondering for a moment, Chen Yongge said, "I'll take Yang Rui with me. I also heard that Jiang Xin worked on the Legend of Sword and Fairy set, so let's invite her too!"
Jiang Tian said, "Alright! Better safe than sorry. I'll have Huo Siyan go over too!"
"They're all actresses…" Chen Yongge thought for a moment, then said, "You should come along when we eat. Yichen knows a few of the friends in the crew, so bring them along."
Jiang Tian said, puzzled, "Isn't that unnecessary? You're inviting them to dinner! Bringing other people along isn't appropriate!"
"You don't understand!" Chen Yongge laughed. "Yichen is only 17 years old after all. Although he is mentally mature, he is still not very physical! When we had dinner together last year... at Huayi Brothers' annual banquet, I saw Li Bingbing at the dinner party. She was practically throwing herself at Yichen, trying to take advantage of this young man. But what happened? Nothing happened at all!"
Jiang Tian was also surprised and said, "He's 16 years old. At 16, he should know everything he needs to! Do you think he might..."
After saying that, she gave him a knowing look that any man would understand.
"How would I know that!" Chen Yongge didn't shy away from the topic, saying, "Anyway, we'll make two plans. Those actresses aren't pushovers. Needless to say, seeing that we both went to have dinner with Yichen, someone will definitely come looking for us."
"Alright! Let's do it that way!"