Caught in Affairs with Superstar

Chapter 784 - 521: 1/2

Zhou Lan communicated smoothly with Xu Jinbo.

With Xu Jinbo, as long as Zhou Yun agrees to act in the play, everything else was negotiable.

Yuehai has always wanted to repair the relationship with Zhou Yun but never succeeded before, and conversely, Zhou Yun has become more and more popular, her status in the entertainment circle continuously rising. This made Yuehai’s higher-ups somewhat wary, afraid that if things continued this way, Zhou Yun and Yuehai would truly never have the chance to collaborate again.

For video websites, one blockbuster series can have an even greater promotional impact than a hundred series combined.

Xu Jinbo being able to settle matters with Zhou Yun and restarting cooperation with Yuehai, starring in a Yuehai production, made him speak with much more confidence when dealing with Yuehai executives.

Normally when producing a play, Yuehai is always the one with the stiffest back, the one who calls the shots.

But this time, when Zhou Yun’s side mentioned another female lead role for Yuk Chu, Yuehai’s higher-ups agreed without a second word, and they painstakingly found a director whose response was to first ask if Zhou Yun was satisfied.

Xu Jinbo figured it out—how much profit "Deep Sea" could actually make was no longer important; the top priority was now to resolve past conflicts with Zhou Yun, the ’little madam,’ and to reconcile both parties.

Expressing such sincerity to woo an actor was something Yuehai had never done before. Previously, there had been several actors who were either acting like divas or uncooperative, and in the end, Yuehai blacklisted them. But this industry ultimately defers to the audience’s favor, and the one who they approve of is the one who truly holds sway. Zhou Yun is too famous; whether it’s the dramas or movies she leads in, all of them have been hits, and she has the undisputed title of "Queen of Blockbusters" within the circle.

Since her debut, Zhou Yun has never had a single flop; while productions like "Eighth Heartbeat" and "Dingfengbo" might have poor reputation, from a business perspective, they are cash cows that can support a quarter’s KPI.

Xu Jinbo is a smart man; after understanding all the intricate details behind this, he no longer held himself up as a veteran producer but was thoroughly diligent and enthusiastic in his attitude towards Zhou Lan and Zhou Yun.

He originally thought Zhou Yun would highball him, and he was ready to accept it since the attitude from the higher-ups was clear. However, Zhou Yun did not ask for more than the market rate for her salary, and that applied to Yuk Chu, Lu Zhongting, and Huang Zicheng, whose payments were originally low. In terms of investment in this drama, they were almost negligible.

Even Xu Jinbo was considering whether he should take the initiative to send another payment privately?

But Zhou Lan directly refused, saying with a smile, "Director Xu, let’s not beat around the bush. Whatever should be done, we’ll do just that. You are so generous to offer my other actors opportunities, it should be me inviting you to dinner to express my gratitude. It’s just that Xiao Yun is currently filming, and I was thinking of waiting until she finishes before inviting you to a meal as a token of thanks."

Xu Jinbo was extremely surprised.

"Sister Lan, why be so formal? I know that Xiao Yun’s participation in our drama has a lot to do with your good word," Xu Jinbo said, "Speaking of which, I should be thanking you."

Zhou Lan: "Director Xu, please don’t say that. Zhou Yun was moved by the script of ’Deep Sea’, and if it wasn’t for your dedication to ’Deep Sea,’ she definitely wouldn’t have agreed to act. We shall give our all to make this drama successful."

Hearing this, Xu Jinbo somewhat understood Zhou Lan’s intention.

All in all, in the process of promoting "Deep Sea," nearly all departments of Yuehai opened up green channels, providing everything needed.

This was the intention of Yuehai’s higher-ups, and it also made Xu Jinbo the target of envy for other producers.

Among them, Jing Jingcheng, currently advancing a drama called "Stepmother’s Law," was the most jealous. Jing Jingcheng had also sent the script of "Stepmother’s Law" over to Zhou Yun’s team, but Zhou Yun’s team directly refused the offer.

In fact, the script was adapted from an award-winning original novel and was highly anticipated. Jing Jingcheng never imagined Zhou Yun would refuse outright without even discussing it. Jing Jingcheng contacted Zhou Lan, who stated that since Zhou Yun had already accepted "Deep Sea" and had other dramas lined up, there was no availability in the schedule—not that the script was bad, but it was simply a matter of timing.

Jing Jingcheng personally met with Zhou Lan, who still politely declined without budging.