Chapter 35: 035 Continued Chaos

Chapter 35: 035 Continued Chaos

Feiyang Entertainment started by managing actors and has deep roots in the entertainment industry. In an era with few agencies and a limited pool of actors, most of the notable actors in the industry were signed under Feiyang Entertainment.

However, nowadays, Feiyang Entertainment feels more like a retirement home. While there are quite a few established actors, there are hardly any young actors making a name for themselves.

Perhaps it's because the overall quality of current TV series is mediocre, and the idea of "being popular" has a bit of a mystical quality. In the past, actors could be thrust into big-budget, star-studded productions, and after two or three projects, they would naturally rise to fame. Nowadays, not only is it harder to promote actors, but those who frequently appear in high-profile productions can even alienate audiences.

Feiyang Entertainment has yet to produce a male lead with significant popularity.

The newcomers do have some popularity and have accumulated a fair amount of filming experience, but they lack that one big break that would solidify their standing, making them seem unstable.

Xu Wen came here with the intention of signing Lu Xu, and after meeting Lu Xu in person, he became even more convinced that Lu Xu was the type of actor he wanted.

Despite his youth, Lu Xu exudes a sense of maturity that belies his age.

He also gives off a different impression from the lively persona he presents online.

Xu Wen presented several conditions, including the signing fee, promises of leading roles in TV series, and collaborations with certain directors. Hearing this, Lu Xu didn't even blink, as if Xu Wen had merely proposed the most ordinary terms.

If it were anyone else, they might have been swayed already.

Xu Wen listed a series of conditions, but Lu Xu remained silent, which made Xu Wen somewhat anxious. He couldn't read Lu Xu's thoughts, and typically, such actors are the hardest to negotiate with.

After about four or five minutes, Lu Xu finally spoke: "None of that matters. I want the freedom to choose my scripts, and the company must not interfere."

"Your company must also have the ability to secure the scripts I want to act in. I don't want to waste too much time."

In terms of profit-sharing, Feiyang Entertainment offers rates slightly above the market average. As far as Lu Xu knows, most companies offer similar rates to young actors. Once an actor becomes a big star, the agency naturally renegotiates the contract, so this point doesn't need emphasis.

As for fashion and commercial resources, a well-established company like Feiyang Entertainment isn't lacking in those. Moreover, actors earn commercial opportunities based on their actual achievements. Once they have enough achievements, commercial and fashion resources will come knocking on their own.

Lu Xu's focus remained on acting.

Xu Wen was observing him, and he was observing Xu Wen as well. They talked about currently airing shows, old series, directors, and scriptwriters. When the time was almost up, Lu Xu stood up and said he would consider it.

He had more than one agent approaching him, so naturally, he needed to carefully evaluate his options.

...

When they left, Xu Wen was sweating a bit.

Cheng Yun, curious, asked, "Was it tough to negotiate, or did Lu Xu propose any harsh conditions?"

From Cheng Yun's understanding of Xu Wen, no matter what type of actor he encountered, Xu Wen was usually the one in control.

Xu Wen shook his head.

"I told you, Lu Xu isn't the type to make things difficult. He's quite easy to talk to."

"He didn't fall for my traps," Xu Wen said. "He's more concerned with how I can help him achieve his goals."

Xu Wen had made many enticing promises to Lu Xu, a basic skill of his as an agent, but Lu Xu wasn't swayed. From start to finish, Lu Xu maintained an equal footing.

Xu Wen had dealt with many actors, but few were as straightforward as Lu Xu.

Moreover, he noticed that Lu Xu valued his ability as an actor's agent more, particularly in selecting scripts. As for public relations and marketing, Feiyang Entertainment, being a large agency, naturally had the necessary capabilities, which Lu Xu didn't seem too concerned about.

It seemed Lu Xu was set on sticking to a pure acting career.

"So it's a no-go?" Cheng Yun asked. "It can't be that bad, right?"

Within Feiyang Entertainment, Xu Wen is a highly capable agent with a discerning eye. He previously managed the acting affairs of a certain leading actress within the company. When she later established her own studio and asked Xu Wen to come over and help, he declined and chose to stay with Feiyang Entertainment.

The company's top brass hoped Xu Wen would help mentor newcomers, which he didn't mind, but he preferred to personally select a collaborator he was satisfied with.

"Let's wait and see," Xu Wen said with a wry smile. "I feel like I've gone back to when I first started in this industry, when actors were tough to deal with."

"Is it the same now?" Cheng Yun asked. "Back then, actors competed based on their hard skills."

Leading actresses vied for ratings, acting prowess, box office numbers, and awards, comparing who had more trophies. Back then, fashion resources were also hard to come by, with brand collaborations signed every few years.

But now, fashion resources are practically handed out like candy, with ambassadors divided into categories like makeup and sunglasses, more detailed than the United Nations.

CP marketing between co-stars, fan manipulation, and inflating minor roles into major achievements are now common.

The entertainment industry back then had a certain wildness to it, but now the system is too mature, with various ways to achieve fame, no longer relying solely on works.

Cheng Yun feels that actors today are too impatient.

However, he was just venting. The film market hasn't been around for long, yet box office records are already approaching 50 billion. In the face of such massive profits, staying calm isn't something everyone can do.

...

Feiyang Entertainment was already within Lu Xu's consideration; it just depended on whether they could meet his requirements.

Lu Xu didn't think he was being overly picky. Choosing an agency is a two-way process, and he didn't feel inferior to the other party. Besides, their approach meant he had value to be signed.

After seeing Xu Wen off, Lu Xu glanced at Weibo and found the situation even more heated.

Ling Ge Entertainment issued a statement condemning Mu Qian, saying his release of the audition video was highly unethical.

Mu Qian claimed his account was compromised.

He also wanted to condemn the Rising Sun crew member who uploaded the video to his computer, accusing them of deliberately framing him.

Regarding the online comparison video between Lu Xu and Li Li, Li Li's agent stated that each actor interprets roles differently, and the performances naturally differ. Art itself is diverse.

Netizens commented: "...Got it, so we can't criticize, huh?"

"I don't really understand your art."

Additionally, Ling Ge Entertainment's blame-shifting angered another group—the screenwriters working behind the scenes.

Who doesn't know how tough a screenwriter's job can be?

Not only is the pay low, but they also have to deal with directors and actors, often staying up late to rewrite scenes. If the script isn't good, it's the screenwriter's fault, but anyone with eyes can see when the actor is the problem. Why is it the screenwriter's fault again?

After Mu Qian's outburst, a well-known industry screenwriter spoke up for Jin Mu. This person is one of the representatives of the screenwriting circle, speaking rationally, emphasizing that a show's failure has multiple factors and shouldn't be blamed on a single person.

Other screenwriters were more scathing.

"Anyone who's worked with Xiao Bo knows—do screenwriters have any say? He even counts the stars on a ladybug and insists cockroach antennae must be symmetrical. If Jin Mu can change his rhythm, I'd bow down to Xiao Bo."

This screenwriter had long disliked Xiao Bo, with deep-seated grievances. When Xiao Bo faced trouble, he was the first to watch.

"I'm curious, why wasn't the screenwriter blamed when Watchmen flopped? Ling Ge Entertainment took the blame themselves."

"With Liu Bian's status, Jin Mu can just bully him, huh?"

"Maybe Ling Ge Entertainment should just issue a statement, declaring that they will no longer collaborate with us screenwriters. They can write their own scripts, since screenwriters can do nothing but take the blame, saving them the trouble of spending money to hire us."

Perhaps Jin Mu's plight had angered these screenwriters too much. The screenwriter who had a grudge against Xiao Bo immediately drafted a proposal, urging fellow screenwriters to cease cooperation with Ling Ge Entertainment in the future, citing the reason—they were beyond our reach.

This proposal was quickly forwarded by numerous screenwriters.

Ling Ge Entertainment immediately backed down.

While Jin Mu was an easy target, a united group of screenwriters was too much for Ling Ge Entertainment to handle.

Without screenwriters to write the scripts, what would Ling Ge Entertainment use to produce dramas?

The screenwriters' proposal had an immediate effect—the article "Whose Fault Is It?" was quickly taken down.

Criticism of Gu Sinian and Xiao Bo on Weibo, previously kept under wraps, suddenly exploded. At this time, a staff member from the "Rising Sun" crew revealed that Xiao Bo had been domineering on set, making life difficult for everyone.

"Whenever Screenwriter Jin Mu pointed out something unreasonable in the filming, Xiao Bo would just ignore it, and others would snicker behind his back."

"+1, I can also testify."

Jin Mu is known for his good nature and gets along with everyone. During the uproar online, he had remained silent, not even opening a Weibo account.

However, this time, Jin Mu also used Mu Qian's account to express that this was a disappointing collaboration for him.

He doubted himself every day; the rights of a screenwriter were already limited, but he didn't even have the most basic dignity.

Once Jin Mu appeared, more signatures were added to the proposal.

Now it was the turn of Ling Ge Entertainment's executives to question their decisions—how had it suddenly come to pass that screenwriters across the entire entertainment industry were boycotting them?

"Because Lu Xu is bad luck for us."—Gu Sinian, who said this, was severely reprimanded by the executives. No one wanted to hear such a foolish answer.

Although the executives themselves thought the same.

How many times had it been that whenever they opposed Lu Xu, it seemed that Ling Ge Entertainment was the one to suffer?

The executives were closely monitoring the situation when they discovered a reporter had interviewed Lu Xu, asking for his opinion on the online comparison between him and Li Li.

In the footage, Lu Xu looked confused, as if he didn't understand the reporter's question: "Shouldn't this be asked to me? I never got the role of Wu Shen from the start. It should be the actor who got the role compared with Li Li, right?"

Lu Xu's words seemed like a reminder, and the reporters' focus shifted back to the issue of biased casting.

Ling Ge Entertainment was criticized once again.

The executives: "..."

Indeed, it's bad luck, and it's hitting hard.

However, the executives of Ling Ge Entertainment did not anticipate that the incident was far from over.

The cause was not Lu Xu, but a conversation between Lu Xu and another person.

As luck would have it, the account of Chen Changyin, the assistant director of the "Rising Sun" crew, was hacked, and the hacker posted his conversation with Lu Xu online.

"The crew prefers obedient actors... If you're too edgy, this circle won't tolerate you."

"Ahhhhh, are they insane? They used underhanded methods to push Lu Xu out!"

"How can there be such despicable people? It really disgusts me."

"You can only imagine how hurt Little Dog Lu must have been—picture him riding a bicycle to escape, jpg."