I Want to Become the King of the Silver Screen [Entertainment Industry] Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Chan Dan managed to secure the role of the second male lead for Jiang Yin in the drama titled “Baili Lian.” Although it was not the most popular IP in recent years, it still had a considerable reader base, especially for the character of the second male lead, who was a typical example of a short-lived romance. If portrayed well, the character could gain a significant fan following, rivaling even the male lead.

While the film and television rights were in the hands of one of the three major online video platforms, Feixun, Jiang Yin’s company, Jia Die, had invested in the project and had the decision-making power for the roles of the second male and third female leads.

Chen Dan had put in some effort to secure the role of the second male lead for Jiang Yin.

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Secondly, Jia Die was at a turning point. The five pillars of the company were all over thirty years old, and the two highest-ranking, oldest employees were practically semi-retired. Moreover, it was the era of traffic, where capital reigned supreme. Although they were well-known, competing with the hot young idols in terms of traffic might prove challenging. In the internet age, the fan economy was becoming a trend.

Especially in recent years, even several major industry awards had fallen into the hands of capital, losing their credibility one by one.

This was a sad but helpless fact in the industry.

The older actors sighed, and although the young ones complained about having to accept awards from these entities in their group chats, they secretly envied the situation, wishing they could be in their shoes.

Therefore, seeking wealthy sponsors became a trend, fueled by the impatient and impulsive nature of society. Actors with patience and dedication in their craft became increasingly rare, as everyone wished to become an overnight sensation and go viral.

Fewer and fewer actors were willing to patiently act and genuinely portray their roles, resulting in a constant stream of bad movies and perpetuating a vicious cycle.

Of course, Jiang Yin had no ability to change these things; he simply made a simple analysis based on his observations. After all, he was now part of this circle.

As he gained a deeper understanding, he began to hesitate about his previous decision to stay in the entertainment industry. However, he hadn’t figured out his future plans yet. He had to continue maintaining the persona of the ambitious young man from the original body to conceal the secret of his time-travel, at least until the end of his contract, which was two and a half years away.

Speaking of which, in recent years, Jia Die Entertainment had been continuously introducing new talents in order to keep up with the times and create breakthrough stars. However, they were somewhat behind in this endeavor, especially in promoting male actors. Out of the five pillars of the company, four were female actors, and this became evident when they were outshined by the sudden rise of popular young male actors.

Among them was the original host.

He was the most promising among the newcomers at Jia Die Entertainment. With his height, looks, and age, he had all the right attributes, especially on screen. However, despite the enthusiastic promotion, he ended up returning with a dejected face.

Because of this incident, there were disagreements within the company. Some believed that they should stick to their original approach, while others thought it was time to be more daring and try something new.

Having been at the company for about a month, Jiang Yi had already gained insight into the different factions and individuals on both sides. He even knew some information that even Chen Dan was unaware of.

Perhaps this was an innate ability of his. Although he hadn’t managed political affairs in his previous life, he wasn’t completely ignorant either. He had always been observing and learning.

Therefore, when he learned that the company was investing in a fantasy idol drama, he had a clear idea that the opportunity had been seized by the progressive faction, preparing to try something different.

After all, Jia Die Entertainment had always focused on serious dramas, investing in historical, military, and slice-of-life dramas, even mother-in-law and daughter-in-law dramas. Fantasy idol dramas were not the favored style of the chairman and his wife.

The change in his role didn’t surprise him either. Over the past few years, there had only been three rising stars in the company. One couldn’t make time for the new drama, and another was reflecting on recent rumors with his fans, leaving only him available.

However, he didn’t expect to receive the news of the change within a day.

In an attempt to apologize, the one who brought him the news was the chairman’s secretary, Wu Zhihua, a very competent woman. Jiang Yi had only caught a glimpse of her a few times during his first month at the company, and he had never had a direct interaction with her, let alone the original host.

However, she spoke in a gentle and soothing manner, making people feel warm and comfortable. “This incident was indeed due to the company’s failure to plan properly. However, Fei Xun [a media company] broke the contract first, and there were other investors involved. It’s not solely the company’s decision. I hope you can understand.”

Chen Dan held back his frustration and didn’t let Jiang Yi speak. He asked with a suppressed voice, “What about Jiang Yi then? Are we just going to leave it at that?”

Wu Zhihua seemed well-prepared for this question. “Of course not. This mistake lies with the company, and we will definitely compensate you. In fact, besides ‘Baili Lian,’ the company has also invested in a new drama, a modern idol drama. I won’t hide it from you; it’s an online drama. However, the script is quite good… A little later, I’ll have my assistant send it over, and you can take a look. Originally, the male lead was supposed to be played by Zhang Heting, who is under contract with Haoli. But some issues arose in the process, and the role is currently vacant. If you are willing to take it, we can finalize it right now.”

Zhang Heting?

Jiang Yi felt the name sounded familiar and searched his memory until he remembered. Zhang Heting was the young actor who was the boyfriend of his senior colleague, Fang Xiao, from the same company. The original host had even been jealous of him and had wished he could switch places with him if their orientations were compatible.

Thinking of something, Jiang Yi asked, “Who is playing the female lead?”

Wu Zhihua replied, “It’s someone from our company, Fang Xiao.”

Jiang Yi raised an eyebrow. Were they trying to avoid suspicion or had they fallen out?

“Alright, I’ll take the role.”

He agreed too quickly, and Chen Dan pinched him secretly, unwilling to let it go. “But what Jiang Yi excels at is historical dramas. His performance in ‘Empress Lu’ has been seen and praised by even Teacher Zhang Ningli. If he could take on the role of ‘Baili Lian,’ he would surely become popular. Jiang Yi’s success would also be beneficial for our company. Wu Jie, consider this: over the years, we haven’t made any unreasonable demands. It’s not easy to come across a suitable role. We can’t just let it go like that…”

Who did they think they were fooling? Could an online drama compare to a primetime TV drama? How many online dramas became popular in a year?

Ignoring everything else, just look at the cast. The female lead of “Baili Lian” was a popular young actress, whereas Fang Xiao, despite her good acting skills, lacked popularity and fanbase. What use was that? Moreover, the drama was a modern one. He had just found the right path for Jiang Yi to excel in modern dramas. Making him switch to online dramas would be a waste of effort!

Wu Zhihua seemed to have anticipated Chen Dan’s reaction and smiled. “We have indeed seen Jiang Yi’s performance in ‘Empress Lu,’ and that’s why we decided to give him the male lead role in ‘Baili Lian.’ President Liang and President Ning both hold Jiang Yi in high regard. Since you have been with the company for so many years, you should be well aware of their characters. They have confidence in Jiang Yi and wouldn’t intentionally hinder his rise to stardom. This incident is truly an accident.”

Her words were both persuasive and dismissive, leaving Chen Dan with no room to vent his anger.

Jiang Yi found her intriguing. Whether it was her tone, demeanor, or what she said, he leaned on his hand and observed her while listening.

Wu Zhihua glanced at him and said, “I haven’t finished mentioning the compensation yet. Apart from the male lead role, as a gesture of apology, the company will provide you with a personal chauffeur-driven car and also assign a personal assistant to you.”

Chen Dan’s eyes instantly lit up, “Really?”

Wu Zhihua nodded with a smile.

Jiang Yi was also somewhat surprised. Not every celebrity had a personal chauffeur-driven car. The cost of such a car was not insignificant; some top luxury ones were comparable to sports cars. The original host, being a relatively unknown actor, certainly didn’t enjoy such treatment. Usually, he traveled in Chen Dan’s small SUV.

He didn’t expect the company to be so generous.

Thinking of the recent rumors circulating within the company, he couldn’t help but ponder.

Chen Dan then discussed a few more details with Wu Zhihua. In his heart, he knew the chances of reclaiming the original role were slim. He was merely trying to see if they could secure another historical drama role. However, with the company showing such sincerity, he couldn’t push his luck further and had no choice but to accept.

After bidding farewell to Wu Zhihua, the worried look on Chen Dan’s face disappeared, replaced by excitement. “You got the male lead role! Did you hear that? You’re playing the male lead!”

Jiang Yi widened his eyes. Were you acting just now?

Chen Dan glanced at him, “What do you know? You have to act pitiful when you need to. If you don’t say it, how would others know? The crying baby gets the milk.”

Jiang Yi thought to himself that she had planned it all along and was just waiting for you to cry so she could give you the milk. He carefully pondered Wu Zhihua’s words. If she didn’t lie, the company did indeed plan to promote him again. However, he didn’t think it was President Liang and his wife behind it. Considering the rumors about Little Liang returning to China to join the company, it seemed the company was about to make significant moves.

However, for now, he didn’t need to worry about it. Whether he was chosen as a pioneer for reform or for something else, he just needed to do his job well.

“By the way,” he asked, “Who did they assign as the male second lead in ‘Baili Lian’?”

In fact, he wanted Chen Dan to inquire about any recent resources the company had acquired to secure the change of the male second lead in “Baili Lian.” The other party must have offered substantial compensation to satisfy the company. However, realizing that this compensation was unrelated to him, he decided not to delve into it and save himself unnecessary trouble.

Chen Dan shook his head, “There’s no news yet. I’ll go ask around later. But let’s not talk about that right now. To celebrate you getting the male lead role, we’ll have a feast tonight, and I’ll ask my wife to cook it herself.”

Jiang Yi’s eyes lit up; the first meal he had after transmigrating was cooked by Chen Dan’s wife, and the taste remained fresh in his memory. However, he hadn’t had the chance to taste her cooking again during the past month. He had eaten some snacks like chicken feet and pork trotters that Chen Dan brought for him, but he hadn’t enjoyed a proper home-cooked meal.

“Let’s pick up Jiang Ai first,” he said. “We’ll go together.”

Jiang Ai’s flight was scheduled to arrive in the afternoon.

They had originally planned to go to the airport, but they were suddenly called back to the company.

On the way to the airport, Chen Dan received a phone call. After hanging up, his expression turned unpleasant. “I found out who got the male second lead in ‘Baili Lian.'”

Jiang Yi asked, “Who is it?”

“Han Lingran.” 

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