Becoming a Movie Star, System Only Finished Loading After Ten Years

It's not a problem if the share is small. With an investment of 40 million, he only got 10 million, but granting the distribution rights to Huanyi was already giving them enough face.

Not being able to assign actors is also fine.

Huanyi currently has Yu Wenle on its roster, who is doing quite well, so it's unlikely he'd join the crew just to play a minor role.

Lin Jianyue clearly hopes to collaborate with Qi Hao in the mainland.

The Wang Brothers are old foxes, collaborating with them even with a hundred eyes open could still end up being tricky.

Someone like Qi Hao, in his twenties or thirties, appears much more naive.

Lin Jianyue wants to invest in films in the mainland, and Qi Hao certainly wouldn't refuse.

Xiangjiang's film industry might be declining, but it's not like the capital is. The bosses of these film companies are all billionaires, far wealthier than the Wang Brothers in the mainland.

Moreover, if Huanyi moves to develop in the mainland, they'd surely need something to rely on.

It's an easy way to achieve a win-win situation.

The meal ended with everyone happy, and Qi Hao set off home the next day.

An Feng returned a day earlier and was besieged at the airport.

Knowing that she and Qi Hao were both in Xiangjiang was big news for the Inner Entertainment media.

As a result, they weren't just on watch in the mainland; they even had people stationed at the airport in Xiangjiang.

The people stationed in Xiangjiang weren't there to besiege, just to see which flight An Feng was on.

Once they knew the flight, they'd know which airport it landed at and when.

They would then be ready for an accurate block.

Fortunately, the airport had assigned personnel to maintain order upon seeing the media gather.

This was inevitable.

The airport couldn't just allow chaos to occur.

Being passively besieged like this is relatively mild; some shameless celebrities even pay the media for attention and arrange for professional fans to besiege them upon arrival.

An Feng was startled by the bustle at the airport after disembarking from the plane.

Microphones surrounded her, almost pressing against her face.

"Why didn't Qi Hao come back with you?"

The reporter hit her with a big question right away, almost making Ms. Liu beside her roll her eyes in anger.

She slightly shielded her daughter, standing in for her against the media:

"Sorry, this was a personal trip, and we didn't have any business together with Qi Hao. It was just a coincidence that we were both in Xiangjiang, and perhaps there was some misunderstanding."

An Feng held a pink pig in her arms and maintained a polite smile.

Sorry, Mom, I didn't mean to lie to you.

"How could there be such a coincidence in your schedules, and you appeared in the same areas of Xiangjiang multiple times."

The media were getting frustrated to death.

Couldn't these two just disguise themselves a little and come back hand in hand?

That would instantly confirm the relationship.

The romance of two national idols could at least stir up noise for half a month.

Once you officially announce the relationship, we could start rumors about Qi Hao with other actresses, speculate on your breakup, speculate on an out-of-wedlock pregnancy, and speculate on a secret marriage and childbirth...

The annoying thing is that you guys aren't cooperating at all.

"To my knowledge, Qi Hao went to Xiangjiang to prepare for a movie. We went for a shopping trip and weren't traveling with him, nor did we meet him, thank you!"

Ms. Liu responded based on reason.

With a clear conscience, these media outlets wouldn't be able to stir up any waves even if they tried to spread rumors.

"An Feng, you and Qi Hao filmed a new movie together, are there many joint promotional activities coming up?"

The media directly questioned An Feng.

"The movie 'Wind Sound,' releasing at the end of September, we both have roles in it, and I hope everyone will like it."

An Feng took the opportunity to promote the movie 'Wind Sound.'

'Wind Sound' is of great quality, and though her part in it isn't large, her role is quite groundbreaking.

"We're talking about 'First Love, This Little Thing,' where the two of you play a couple."

The media continued trying to find loopholes in An Feng's words.

"As you mentioned, it's just acting, a normal collaboration, so please don't overthink it."

An Feng handled the interview with some expert skills.

"..."

The media reporters found themselves speechless.

"Through this movie's collaboration, what do you think is the biggest difference between the current Qi Hao and the 2004 version when you first worked together?"

They weren't about to give up easily.

"It seems there aren't that many changes. Maybe he's become a bit more composed, as a few years have passed, and everyone grows."

An Feng earnestly answered the media's question.

She couldn't get out immediately, but after satisfying some of the media's interview desires, she'd probably head to the parking lot with the help of the airport security personnel.

"Have you both made progress in terms of mutual understanding?"

"We've always been in sync. Qi Hao's made quite a bit of progress. I guess I've made a small improvement too."

An Feng showed some modesty.

"You starred in 'Chinese Paladin 1,' Qi Hao starred in 'Chinese Paladin 3.' Which of these TV dramas do you think is better?"

The question was rather malicious.

However, today's media didn't come with good intentions, it would be strange if everyone got along.

Moreover, besides well-known media, there were quite a few small workshops on site.

"I'm really sorry, I've always wanted to watch 'Chinese Paladin 3,' but I haven't found the time yet, so I can't comment on the two shows for now. But I think whether a show is good or not depends on the audience's opinion. Both shows were created with effort to present them to everyone, so there's really no need to compare them."

An Feng thought about it and quickly provided her answer.

She's not a fool, and her continually growing experience over the years, along with constant reading, have given her strong adaptability.

If it were an ordinary star without much knowledge, they'd probably just bow their head and squeeze out, saying no comment.

Yet, getting blocked by the media wasn't too bad for An Feng.

Next, all they needed was to block Qi Hao, and they'd be able to manufacture a piece.

Yes, claiming these two deliberately separated to leave the port.

They didn't know Qi Hao's schedule, but with patience, they'd definitely catch him slip.

However, they were destined to be disappointed.

Qi Hao was already openly auditioning little girls in the mainland, and they couldn't wait for him.

Actually, Qi Hao returned the day after An Feng went back.

He was wearing a low-profile hat.

Most people wouldn't notice him.

The day he left, he even noticed some people being sneaky at Xiangjiang airport, seemingly waiting for someone.

When he arrived at the Capital Airport, there were many media present.

Unfortunately, they weren't interested in him at all, seemingly all waiting for a handsome guy named Qi Hao.

Qi Hao arranged the auditions at a hotel near the company.

Primarily because the company had recently recruited many people, making the office space increasingly crowded.

Moreover, with people coming and going for auditions, it's easy for media reporters to sneak in.

"Li Landi... born in '99, the age is quite suitable..."

Qi Hao, Lu Yang, Gao Fei, and Yang Liu formed an audition jury lineup.

They had just auditioned a young actor, taking the opportunity during the entry of the next one for a bit of review.

"Looks a bit like Huang Yi?" Lu Yang commented.

"What kind of eyesight do you have... I don't see how she resembles Huang Yi, I think she resembles Wan Qian more," Qi Hao shook his head. "Anyway, that's not important, the focus is on her acting skills."

"You're the film emperor, you're more professional in this matter, you go ahead and speak first."

Lu Yang felt she was average, but considering she was just a ten-year-old child, making particularly high demands was difficult.

"Average, not particularly talented."

Qi Hao simply commented, as for whether she could work hard to become a real actress later, it was up to her.

"Let's observe more, I'll call in the next one."

Yang Liu quickly brought in another little girl, whom everyone recognized, she had played young Qingcheng in Chen Kaige's 'Wuji.'

Actually, she had some background.

When Qi Hao released the casting audition plan, acquaintances had come looking, wanting the role directly without auditions.

Now that she appeared in auditions, it was evident Qi Hao refused the request.

If you want to act, no problem, we follow the regular audition procedure.

If suitable for the role, she will act, if not, no one can help; Qi Hao is not an unknown in the entertainment circle, unlike regular directors who fear this or that.

"You've been caught by the bad guys..."

Lu Yang was responsible for explaining the scenes and giving the auditionees a short preparation time, answering any questions they might have.

Guan Xiaotong, having acted since childhood—making her debut at four—had been in the industry for eight years, so she quickly began her performance.

After she left, the group began to discuss.

"I remember when she acted in 'Wuji,' she was quite good, better than the neurotic Xie Tingfeng and Zhang Baizhi, now..."

Lu Yang's tone was complex.

"Lost the spirit."

Qi Hao sighed. Media once said Yang Mi's peak performance was 'Martial Arts Champion Su Qie'Er,' perhaps a bit exaggerated, but it shows that her spirit was also fading.

Just not as severely as Guan Xiaotong's.

For child stars, losing the spirit is as fatal as not growing up well.

"Next one, these kids don't seem child-like, too mature, heavy traces of acting."

Gao Fei, only half-baked, also noticed the problem.

"The next one also seems to be a child star, Song Zu'Er, I'll call her in, she played Nezha in this April's 'Prequel to Treasure Lotus Lamp,' which had excellent feedback upon airing."

Yang Liu helped explain.

'Prequel to Treasure Lotus Lamp' wasn't very popular, at least not as much as its predecessor 'Treasure Lotus Lamp,' and Yang Liu guessed Qi Hao wasn't really focused on works like these.

"Let's see, I know, Shu Chang's cousin."

Qi Hao hadn't seen the drama, but Song Zu'Er marketed herself as Shu Chang's cousin quite successfully, and Shu Chang pampered her so much that Qi Hao also knew of this child star.

Song Zu'Er was born in '98, eleven years old, slightly older, but still had a sense of weakness, so Qi Hao and the others discussed treating her as a backup option.

The reason they couldn't make an immediate decision was that Song Zu'Er's acting wasn't particularly impressive either, and the role didn't fit well enough for natural performance.

We'll still have to see the upcoming audition of the little girls.