Su Ning: …

Why is this person reacting even more intensely than Ji Xue?

Actually, after Ji Xue mentioned breaking up that night, Lü Fei hadn’t made much noise. People like him are always being pampered; he has a strong sense of self-esteem. After Ji Xue said what she did, persisting any further would just make him seem thick-skinned.

Of course, it’s not like he didn’t care at all; he did contact Su Ning during this period. When he learned that Ji Xue had renewed her contract with Guang Ying Entertainment and was preparing to return to acting, he only replied with: “That’s good.”

Then, there was no more contact.

Su Ning knew that the two of them liked each other, but too many relationships in the world are easily worn down by various things. Some people are destined to meet, but not destined to be together.

But he didn’t expect Lü Fei to be so agitated now; he thought this issue had passed, as if it had been well concealed before but couldn’t be hidden anymore.

In a fit of pique, Lü Fei posted a dozen comments online, drawing the attention of people who didn’t care about the matter before.

“LOL, as soon as this came out, a few accounts immediately deleted their posts and even issued an apology statement.”

“I’ll check the verification; could it be that a fan hacked his account?”

Then, Lü Fei posted a selfie to personally verify it was indeed him.

Someone sarcastically commented about his strong backing right from the start, and Lü Fei directly confronted them online.

Ji Xue had signed with the company herself; if it was him throwing money around, there would be plenty of leading roles to choose from. Why would he let her go back to shoot a supporting role and let people talk like that?

Strictly speaking, the affair between Ji Xue and Lü Fei wasn’t really a scandal, just a normal relationship. Speaking negatively about it didn’t seem too negative, and onlookers seemed to enjoy the drama.

Su Ning wondered if he should try to suppress this newfound attention since they had broken up and he didn’t want to affect Ji Xue. But soon after, Lü Fei called him, asking directly and concernedly: “Is Xiaoxue okay?”

“She’s fine,” Su Ning said. “She’s still filming normally without any issues.”

Initially, this issue wasn’t gaining much heat, and Su Ning managed to pull it down from the trending searches soon enough.

Besides, after Jiang Chenfeng got involved, the Langbo platform had been undergoing quite a few reforms. And with the Jiang family having many children, Jiang’s illegitimate children numbered almost eight or ten. Without this child, there would still be another; no child was more important than business.

The replacement was much more rule-abiding, at least beneficial to Su Ning’s side. Helping to suppress a low-ranking trending search suspected of spreading rumors was simple enough.

Relieved by Su Ning’s words, Lü Fei hummed and hawed on the other end, “You’ve been diligent; otherwise, I wouldn’t have let her sign with you so easily.”

While the Lü family is wealthy, entertainment was not Lü Fei’s field, and nowadays, it wasn’t about throwing money around anymore; it was about finding a trustworthy company to support Xiaoxue. Moreover, she had chosen this resource herself.

“Now that it’s mentioned, I might as well ask you directly, Mr. Lü, what are you thinking?” Su Ning asked. “Ji Xue is now an artist, and her personal life will impact her career. From the perspective of both her agent and her friend, I need to know.”

After listening, Lü Fei was silent for a while.

“President Su, you’re married, don’t you understand?” he finally said softly. “I really thought about giving up. She deceived even me; I thought there are so many people in the world, surely I could find someone better than her. Who can’t I find?”

“But now I realize, you can’t control feelings. When I see her being bullied, I get so angry, I just… miss her. I’ve always missed her.”

Su Ning didn’t quite understand.

Putting himself in others’ shoes, he felt his relationship with Shen Mingzheng didn’t have many uncontrollable aspects; they even regulated intimate matters by agreement, so everything was still within his plans. He had no advice to offer on Lü Fei’s uncontrollable emotions.

So he just listened quietly.

“Ah, forget it, you’ll understand when you reach my stage. What does face matter, compared to your wife? Right now, I just want to follow my heart, try to understand her more. If I give up without even trying, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”

Lü Fei added, “Real feelings always go through trials and tribulations, right? She wants to act now, no problem, I’m not pestering her and making her unhappy. I’m spending money on my idol, that should be fine, right?”

Su Ning: …

Well, he indeed can’t stop someone from being a fan.

Ji Xue had never directly responded to this matter, and Lü Fei naturally didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, so the attention soon passed.

A few days later, she began to apply for her own online accounts. Su Ning asked if she wanted to use a stage name, but after some thought, she decided to continue using “Ji Xue.”

She said, “I’m used to this name; it’s good.”

It was both the same as and different from her real name.

Su Ning agreed and then helped her apply for artist verification. The moment her application was successful, Ji Xue’s first fan appeared — it was none other than the gold-V certified, prominent Mr. Lü Fei.

Not long after, Ji Xue’s reshoots were completed successfully, and there were no more objections from Gao Shan Film Industry.

Her next resources were not set so quickly, and while her account gained some new fans and onlookers, she didn’t take a break but went back to classes with her teacher.

This was Ji Xue’s initiative; having been away for so long and realizing her shortcomings after joining a film crew, she immediately started to make up for lost professional lessons.

Su Ning, like her, was always contemplating how to improve further. In this industry, if you don’t advance, you retreat. To some extent, the company was like the artists; no matter how much they fought internally, what they produced in the end was what mattered most.

Having the capability to produce successful film and television works was the foundation of a film and television company.

Currently, the main business of Guang Ying Entertainment was managing idols. Of course, Glory was very successful and was a commendable achievement, but Su Ning had signed Ji Xue and recruited many others, picking up some of the foundations left by the old President Su. At the end of the year, he would present next year’s plan at the meeting, focusing on the film and television projects led by the company.

—“Rooted in works, creating new glories.”

Some veterans of Guang Ying Entertainment couldn’t help but be stirred when they heard this slogan, knowing he intended to pick up the old business.

Su Ning was discussing Glory’s next album with Shen Mingzheng and also planning to co-produce a drama.

Guang Ying Entertainment had many copyrights, which were the company assets Su Ning had firmly refused to sell even during the hardest times. After discussing with Shen Mingzheng, they initially selected a script for a palace drama mixed with political intrigue, based on the novel “The Ambitious Family.”

The story was about a female protagonist who promised her life to the Crown Prince, childhood sweethearts, but was forced to marry the Emperor because of the Emperor’s superstitious beliefs about astrology, to protect herself and her family, thus beginning her struggle in the palace.

Midway through the drama, the old Emperor dies, and after the female protagonist successfully navigates palace intrigue, she becomes the Empress Dowager with her young child by her side.

As the Crown Prince ascends the throne, new faces enter the palace, igniting a fresh round of palace and political intrigue. As Empress Dowager, the female protagonist finds herself in a love-hate relationship with her former lover, now the Emperor, with even her child’s paternity—whether belonging to the old Emperor or the current one—unclear.

In the end, both Emperors die by her hand, and the female protagonist, holding her young son, ascends to become the Regent Dowager Empress, ruling until her peaceful death at eighty.

The original novel was very popular, well-written, with tightly connected plots and bright human struggles, and a solid reader base. The reason for choosing this book was that after old President Su had bought it, he had a script written and revised by the original author several times; the script was roughly ready, just in time to formally organize a production team, but then he fell ill.

This was a clearly substantial drama investment that old President Su had worried about before his death, repeatedly mentioning that it should not be carelessly produced. Su Hongda was obedient in this regard, keeping the script all this while, until Su Ning dug it up.

Compared to other projects, this one already had the influence of the original work and a solid script, making the subsequent process much smoother.

Palace dramas are notably female-centric with many bright female roles, appealing to a broader audience. Su Ning wanted to find a suitable and significant role for Ji Xue in it, slowly building her popularity through supporting roles, providing a solid foundation for leading roles later, and as a means to hone her acting skills.

This drama was a significant investment, and Su Ning chose to collaborate with Shen Mingzheng. Guang Ying Entertainment first went to approach a director, Guo Baomu, a well-known figure in the TV industry with whom they had collaborated years ago. Su Ning had visited him several times, and after seeing the script, he was generally inclined to cooperate but emphasized the selection of the main actors with Su Ning.

The most crucial was the female lead.

This was a classic lead female role. The actors signed with Su Ning and Shen Mingzheng were too young for this role; the female lead needed some experience to carry it off, and many main actors had to be recruited from outside. Zhu Lan mentioned several times that she wanted to place people, but most were blocked by Shen Mingzheng.

Su Ning didn’t care about the smaller roles, considering them as favors, but he steadfastly refused to budge on the main actors; he insisted on keeping this decision in his hands.

Zhu Lan fought over this for a while but eventually quieted down. After New Year’s Day, in January, at the “Audience Choice Awards” ceremony, Su Ning encountered her again.

The “Audience Choice Awards” held significant weight within the industry, especially chosen at the critical point of summarizing a year. Naturally, Glory was also nominated.

This was a semi-official award, now in its ninth year, backed by a major internet company. The main criteria for judging were streaming data, combined with audience votes and jury scores.

Because the data sources were relatively reliable and willing to spend a lot of money on the ceremony, backed officially, the broadcast platform included not only online streaming but also central and several high-viewership local stations. The “Audience Choice Awards” had become one of the most authoritative awards in the entertainment industry, representing public indices and audience approval.

Zhu Lan was one of the judges and also the vice-chair of the Audience Choice Awards, which alone showed her high status in the industry. As soon as she entered, many people greeted her, surrounding her.

But after briefly mingling, she bypassed many people and walked directly to where Su Ning sat alone, sitting beside him and opening with: “Why, Mingzheng didn’t come with you today?”

She still looked glamorous, as if moving slightly would cost money.

Su Ning turned and smiled politely: “Don’t you know? He’s on business.”

It was because of the casting for “The Ambitious Family” that Shen Mingzheng had personally gone to invite an actress recommended by director Guo Baomu.

Zhu Lan knew this and laughed lightly, saying, “Okay, the Film Empress I found for you, you don’t want, just because her asking price was a bit high, right? Actually, what she asked for was just within the normal range, market price, yet you said it wasn’t quite suitable, insisting on finding someone down on their luck.”

The actress Su Ning found wasn’t as downtrodden as she described. The woman was a seasoned actress specializing in period dramas, named Ye Qiuxin. Her looks were of the kind that older generations loved, a “peaceful and prosperous” face, not dazzlingly beautiful but dignified and atmospheric, with a distinct recognition and charisma. Her online presence wasn’t strong, but the TV dramas she starred in had high viewership.

Her last role was a hardworking female entrepreneur from a farming background, familiar to middle-aged audiences, with a high national profile, not inferior to any Film Empress. At thirty years old, she was just right for the age range of the female lead.

What was important was her excellent acting skills; her strong and determined demeanor was suitable for the role in the drama, no wonder director Guo Baomu strongly recommended her, saying that if she was signed, he would come to direct.

“There’s nothing about fame or lack thereof, only suitability,” Su Ning said. “With such a famous original work, I believe the vast number of fans aren’t the kind of people who ‘only want the expensive, not the right’. Right?”

He spoke sincerely.

Zhu Lan waved her hand, seemingly not taking his words to heart, and said, “Su Ning, let’s talk about something practical.”

“I know Shen Mingzheng isn’t here, that’s why I came to find you. He’s impervious to oil and salt, but you can still make some concessions.”

“You should know, the Film Empress I specifically recommended came from the platform wanting to choose, insisting on choosing Ye Qiuxin, going it alone, but where is this drama going to be broadcast? Have you thought about that?”

Regarding the broadcast platform for this drama, Su Ning had been in contact with Hai Cheng TV, and Guang Ying Entertainment was a local enterprise, so the negotiations involved Hai Cheng TV.

But the situation of Guang Ying Entertainment in recent years was evident, having flopped several dramas, and now the TV station wasn’t willing to offer a high price. Moreover, the main and most profitable platform for drama broadcasts nowadays was online video platforms.

For such a large investment in drama, it was usual to consider involving video platform investments, so that the platform could have a slant during the broadcast. Hai Cheng TV’s viewership was average after all.

Su Ning wasn’t filming for self-entertainment; being responsible for the company, he had to at least make the money back, considering these commercial aspects. While Zhu Lan was intervening, she indeed recommended the video website with the highest market share at the moment—Yue Dong Video.

Su Ning was previously more familiar with Chen Yuan’s Orange Video, but truly speaking, it couldn’t compare. Orange Video was fine with variety shows, but their investment in major dramas was very limited, quite restrictive.

But during negotiations, Su Ning first refused Yue Dong Video’s arrangement for the female lead, and he wouldn’t budge on other significant roles either. Director Guo Baomu wanted to audition each role individually, not allowing any placements, which the other party was not too pleased with.

Zhu Lan brought this up here to remind him not to be as stubborn as Shen Mingzheng and to loosen up a bit, giving others some leeway.

Yue Dong Video was powerful because it had a parent company, the nationally famous internet company Yue Dong Technology, supporting today’s Audience Choice Awards, making the event so grand.

“Meet that responsible person later and talk it over,” Zhu Lan said. “I think there’s still room for negotiation in this matter.”

Su Ning also came with this in mind; he understood the other party’s need to make money. If possible, he would try to find a balance in between, all for the sake of the work.

Soon, Zhu Lan brought over Yue Dong Video’s Mr. Sheng.

He seemed very amiable, shaking hands with Su Ning first and offering a few flattering remarks, seemingly aware that Su Ning wouldn’t compromise on production to boost their people. He then waved his hand and said, “Since that’s the case, then let it be, I’ve known and cooperated with your Shen family for so many years, I can give in a bit too.”

It sounded very generous.

But then he changed the subject: “President Su, I actually have a suggestion, just agree to it, and I won’t interfere with ‘The Ambitious Family’ at all. Moreover, I’ll find you the best schedule of the year, give you the best advertising spots, and I’m familiar with the people at the TV station, look, isn’t that them standing over there? The TV station I recommend is definitely better than Hai Cheng TV.”

“Whatever configuration you want, I’ll find it for you,” he promised. “Don’t believe me? Ask President Zhu; I’ve been cooperating with President Zhu for many years, haven’t I always kept my word? Even old Mr. Shen has praised me.”

Zhu Lan nodded: “Indeed.”

His offer was too good, the pie drawn too large, making Su Ning wary, cautiously asking: “So, what is Mr. Sheng’s suggestion?”

“Have Glory come shoot a drama with me, especially Li Chu, I see he’s the most popular one,” the other side smiled slyly. “I have a few idol drama scripts here, I guarantee, let him play the male lead, and Ji Mowei too, both are pretty good, all come, don’t worry, I’ll definitely not skimp on their remuneration.”

“President Su, I’m already giving face with this suggestion, you think… it’s not bad, right?”