Full Level Bigshot Only Takes the Career Path

Mr. Lin’s face immediately changed when he heard those words. What does Zhao Yao mean? Is he implying that he secretly blacklists artists?

His expression grew even darker. Isn’t this Zhao Yao just a defeated dog from the Zhao family? He couldn’t beat Zhao Changshuo and had to come out from under Zhao Zhikai’s hands. If he

didn’t want to be suppressed by Zhao Changshuo and Zhao Zhikai in other circles, why did he come to the entertainment industry?

The young man in front of him held a glass of untouched champagne with a calm expression.

But Mr. Lin couldn’t help but feel more displeased. With the vast wealth of the Zhao family, being easily dealt with by Zhao Changshuo using Xingchen must have a narrow vision. Coming into this industry without tucking his tail between his legs 1, and still acting arrogantly, did he really think no one in this industry dared to touch him?

There were many people observing their conversation, and they noticed that despite their recent exchange, Zhao Yao still had the same expression, while Mr. Lin’s expression had become less friendly. Those who were observant realized that something was not right between the two and started to inquire about the situation. They soon learned that Zhang Qi, who had been previously blacklisted by Mr. Lin, had now been signed by Zhao Yao to Huihua and was about to star in a TV drama.

Amazing, Huihua is openly challenging Shiyang Films!

Just as the onlookers thought the tension between the two was about to escalate, the host of the party, the Great Demon King Edith, arrived at that moment.

Seeing this, Mr. Lin took a deep look at Zhao Yao, then turned around with a glass of wine and walked towards Zhao Ruihong.

As for those who had initially wanted to approach Zhao Yao for a conversation, seeing the situation, they didn’t dare to get involved and shifted their attention to the other two members of Huihua. Yao Bai originally wanted to have a longer conversation with his brother, but seeing some people coming over, he could only go up to socialize.

Zhao Yao glanced at Zhao Ruihong, and the surrounding area quieted down. Satisfied, he walked to the window where he had been standing before, enjoying the night breeze to relax his mind.

By the time the party ended, Zhao Ruihong personally escorted him to the door, leaving the guests at the party deep in thought. But these were no longer Zhao Yao’s concerns. After getting into the car, he picked up his phone and realized that Pei Mingzhan had sent him several messages during the party.

During this period, their contact became more frequent. Sometimes they discussed matters related to live streaming platforms, and other times they talked about the entertainment industry. To be honest, Zhao Yao had gotten used to Pei Mingzhan’s daily interruptions, and now whenever he opened WeChat, he would first look at the messages from him. After quickly scanning the messages above, he typed out the issues he noticed and marked them for Pei Mingzhan.

When Yao Bai got into the car, he saw his brother playing with his phone. He had a lot of questions pent up in his mind and had specifically instructed Manager Liao not to mention anything about the Second Miss. No one in this industry talked about it, indicating that the Zhao family didn’t want others to know.

Manager Liao seemed to have discovered a shocking secret and automatically sealed his lips, assuring that no one else would find out.

“Brother, why didn’t you tell me about the Second Miss earlier?” Yao Bai had seen a photo of the Second Miss before, a long time ago when Zhao Yao had shown it to him. After that, no one mentioned Second Miss within the company, so he didn’t pay much attention to it. But he never imagined that the Great Demon King behind RH was the Second Miss of the Zhao family. Wasn’t that outrageous?

“What difference would it make if I told you earlier?” Zhao Yao’s gaze remained fixed on his phone. “I told you from the beginning, there’s no need to be nervous about coming here.”

“I thought you had some kind of relationship with the Great Demon King, scared me for a moment.”

Yao Bai didn’t expect this kind of nonchalance. In the Three Thousand Worlds, truly anything was possible.

Chen Xi had gone through great efforts to have his brother attend the RH party, but it turned out to be a party organized by their own family?

After he finished speaking, Yao Bai asked again, “Since no one in the company mentioned this, why did you tell Manager Liao just now? What if he reveals it?”

“He was sent by Chen Xi, which means Chen Xi trusts him enough to send him to this kind of occasion.” Zhao Yao continued nonchalantly, “Huihua will have to cooperate with RH’s business in the future, and Chen Xi doesn’t have that much time. You also have other things to do, and he is the most suitable candidate. Sometimes, keeping certain things hidden will only lead to suspicion from others, but revealing them can give others the confidence to support you willingly.”

Besides, Zhao Ruihong didn’t intend to keep this a secret either. In the previous life, after Zhao Yao took over the Zhao family, it was already known that the person in control of RH was the second miss of the Zhao family. At the beginning of their development, Zhao Changshuo did protect her, but now she didn’t need his protection anymore.

However, as an older brother, Zhao Changshuo was always worried about her.

Zhao Yao paused his typing at this point. But recently, it seemed like Zhao Changshuo had started to worry about him… How come he hadn’t noticed before that Zhao Changshuo had a hobby of unnecessary worrying?

-*

As the night grew darker, Brother Lao arrived to deliver some documents, and Pei Mingzhan opened the door while engrossed in his phone.

Without even speaking a word, Brother Lao saw Pei Mingzhan seriously playing with his phone and knew that he must be chatting with Mr. Zhao.

After Pei Mingzhan and the others entered, he closed the door. “Is everything almost sorted out?”

Apart from Pei Mingzhan, there were a few other artists in the studio. Since Pei Mingzhan semi-retired, Brother Lao had been paying more attention to the other artists. Fortunately, these artists were easy to manage, and their respective managers were competent. There was just a minor incident a couple of days ago, and he had helped to resolve it.

Bother Lao still had lingering fears about the major mistake that occurred at the oceanarium. He realized how foolish he had been back then. Perhaps because managing an artist like Pei Mingzhan was so easy, his sensitivity to certain matters had decreased significantly. Nowadays, in the era of big data and rampant leaks of information through casual online posts, let alone someone as well-known as Mr. Zhao, the act of being secretly photographed and exposed was simply ridiculous. Ultimately, it was his own personal issue.

“We’re almost done. There are still some netizens discussing you and Mr. Zhao on Weibo, but maybe you two were just too upfront about it. The netizens didn’t dig deeper and mostly made some playful remarks,” Bother Lao said as he walked to the coffee table and poured himself a glass of water. “Your company seems to be on the right track recently. I heard you’re worrying about other things now?”

“Yeah, I mentioned the live streaming platform to you before,” Pei Mingzhan casually replied. “I’ve brought Zhao Yao on board, so we should be getting ready soon.”

Bother Lao’s spirits lifted upon hearing this. “Are you really going to start live streaming? Can you handle the workload?”

“It’s manageable. The main focus will be on Gu Sui. Zhao Yao and I are just giving him some advice during this period,” Pei Mingzhan said, recalling the matter of giving advice. He hadn’t noticed it before, but Zhao Yao’s concentration and execution were remarkable when he set his mind on something. Typically, when Pei Mingzhan raised two points, Zhao Yao would reply with a brief plan within two or three hours.

Pei Mingzhan forwarded those plans to Gu Sui, who was still on a business trip. Upon receiving them, Gu Sui became excited and wanted to fly back immediately. He even asked Pei Mingzhan for Zhao Yao’s personal phone number, showing a strong desire to have a long conversation with him throughout the night.

Of course, Pei Mingzhan didn’t give the number. In fact, he even dismissed the idea of creating a small group chat among the three of them.

Gu Sui was a workaholic, and with Zhao Yao’s astonishing focus would likely reignite his habit of staying up late.

“Have you read the documents I sent to your email recently?” Brother Lao looked at Pei Mingzhan with a touch of resentment. “You promised me last month that you would take part in a variety show.”

Pei Mingzhan had been busy reviewing other materials these days and hadn’t thought about it. Those emails were still accumulating dust in his inbox. “I haven’t read them yet. Just give me a brief summary of what they’re about, and I’ll pick one that catches my eye to take a look.”

Brother Lao initially wanted Pei Mingzhan to relax and participate in a variety show. But hearing Pei Mingzhan’s tone, it seemed as if recording the show was similar to a task. “The way you say it makes me feel like I’m forcing you to work. I’ve also watched those variety shows and selected a few leisure-oriented ones. You can just go there and have some fun, eat, chat, and relax.”

As he said that, he suddenly remembered something. “Oh, by the way, do you know about Huihua’s involvement in variety shows?”

Pei Mingzhan frowned slightly. “Huihua? Did they invest in a variety show project?”

“Yeah,” Brother Lao continued, “It seems that this project was proposed before Mr. Zhao took over. It didn’t pass the approval process initially, but it was approved a couple of months ago, and they started working on it. It’s also a leisure-oriented variety show, and they sent a copy to our studio as well.”

Huihua’s business scope is indeed wide. Chen Xi has particularly strong operational capabilities. Since most of the Xingchen team merged with Huihua, their projects have been smooth sailing. Projects that couldn’t be released before are now being rolled out one by one. Although only a few have aired, they have already generated enough buzz to consistently trend online. But based on his observations, he estimates that next year will be the year of explosive growth for Huihua’s projects.

This variety show falls under the category of leisure-oriented variety shows. In addition to the two artists from Huihua, they have also invited artists from the industry who have a strong sense of variety show presence to join as regular cast members. The regular cast lineup is considered ordinary in the domestic variety show scene, but fortunately, the show’s content is laid-back, refreshing, and free from excessive hype or marketing, so it didn’t create much of a buzz after the first episode.

Brother Lao originally wanted to give this opportunity to the artists from the studio and said, “It’s just that they don’t have a high level of fame, so it may not be suitable.”

Pei Mingzhan, on the other hand, didn’t mind. “Regardless of which variety show it is, it’s all about relaxation. And Huihua knows what they’re doing. They have a sense of balance when it comes to hype and marketing. There shouldn’t be any major issues with joining this variety show.”

Brother Lao glanced at Pei Mingzhan. “The main thing is that it’s a project invested in by your sweetheart’s company. Are you going to give them free advertising?”

Pei Mingzhan chuckled at the comment. “With the ideas he’s given me recently, it’s enough for me to do several advertisements.”

Brother Lao was helpless. Having worked with Pei Mingzhan for so many years, he knew that Pei Mingzhan truly didn’t care about these things. While other actors might worry that appearing on variety shows or web dramas could devalue their worth, Pei Mingzhan followed his own preferences. He only cared about good scripts and good teams for filming, and for variety shows, he relied on his personal preferences.

Interestingly, despite Pei Mingzhan’s seemingly casual approach, every show he acted in and every variety show he participated in became popular.

“Well, you’ve been relatively free with work lately. Taking part in a variety show to relax wouldn’t hurt,” Brother Lao thought to himself. Fortunately, Zhao Yao isn’t an artist. Otherwise, if there were variety shows featuring Zhao Yao in the future, and Pei Mingzhan went there to advertise after retiring from the entertainment industry, no amount of press releases could contain the hype.

-*

On a sunny day, Chen Xi sat in his office, feeling relaxed after hanging up a call with a senior executive.

“I find it amusing. Their tone wasn’t like this before. As soon as they heard about yesterday’s events, they rushed to congratulate me,” Chen Xi rolled his eyes. “These people are experts at changing their tune. They just want to come back to Huihua and reap the benefits. They don’t even have a foot in the door.”

After the party yesterday, companies started calling to inquire about collaborations. Initially, he was puzzled, but then Manager Liao called to deliver some incredible news. Chen Xi never expected that by bringing out Zhao Yao, this influential figure, not only would the collaboration with RH have promising prospects, but it also enhanced Huihua’s prestigious image.

Afterward, he called Zhao Yao to inquire about the situation. Zhao Yao simply mentioned a few words and then told him about Edith.

That revelation shocked him so much that he fell off his bed. He had to repeatedly confirm it. Edith, the Big Boss, was actually Zhao Yao’s sister?! Even dramas don’t dare to have such plot twists!

No wonder the Big Boss favored Zhao Yao at the party. While others attended the party hosted by the Big Boss, Zhao Yao attended a party organized by family members. It may sound the same, but the nature of the events was completely different.

But Zhao Yao, really, he could have just said that RH was a family-owned business. It made Chen Xi anxious for days, worrying about Zhao Yao’s treatment at the party and how Huihua would be received.

The secretary entered and delivered a message, “President Chen, Zhao Yao has arrived at the company. He’ll probably come to your office soon.”

Chen Xi nodded. “By the way, is there any news from Shiyang Films?”

Apart from the matter with Zhao Yao’s sister, he had heard that Zhao Yao confronted the owner of Shiyang Films, Mr. Lin, directly yesterday. The conversation left Mr. Lin speechless. Chen Xi had mixed feelings after hearing it but also felt a bit pleased. It was inevitable that they would clash with Shiyang Films sooner or later. Whether they dealt with the conflict earlier or later, it would be the same. He was just worried that Shiyang Films would cause trouble at a crucial moment.

The secretary had been busy in the morning checking for updates from Shiyang Films and had gathered some information. She said, “I heard that after Mr. Lin returned yesterday, he was in a bad mood for a while. But today, he seems fine and hasn’t mentioned anything about Huihua at the party. They haven’t made a move for now.”

“Make sure you have someone keeping a close eye on them. Prepare contingency plans in advance, not just for the ‘Li Meng’ project but also for our other ongoing and upcoming projects,” Chen Xi instructed carefully. If Shiyang Films went crazy and targeted their other projects, it would be troublesome. They needed to be vigilant across the board.

The secretary nodded. “President Chen, our recently launched variety show ‘Youxian 2’ is currently performing below our initial estimations in terms of online viewership. The discussions about it are positive, but the audience isn’t large. The project team is asking whether we should consider running some advertisements and do early marketing.”

“Youxian?” Chen Xi recalled the project. It was one that Huihua had been struggling with. After it was approved, preparations for recording had already begun.

Huihua had already invested a considerable amount of money into this project, but it was stuck without approval, tying up their funds. ‘Youxian’ was a slow-paced variety show that required careful timing. Instead of airing it on a television station, they chose to collaborate with the largest online platform in the country, Miao Xiong 3 Platform, for streaming. Based on the initial evaluations, the show was expected to be popular. So how did the viewership numbers fall behind?

Chen Xi asked, “What’s going on?”

The secretary explained, “Recently, several other variety shows have ended, and the audience’s enthusiasm for this type of content has decreased. Moreover, our regular cast members aren’t well-known, so they haven’t attracted a high level of popularity. Considering the potential decline in interest later on, the project team has invited a few high-profile celebrities to increase discussion, but the viewership for ‘Youxian’ remains stagnant.”

Chen Xi understood the situation. With the increasing number of online variety shows, it was normal to encounter such challenges. He said, “Let’s air a few episodes and see how it goes. If it doesn’t improve, we might have to consider abandoning this project.”

As he finished discussing, Zhao Yao knocked on the door and walked in.

Chen Xi asked the secretary to leave and busy himself with other tasks. Then he went to the side to boil water and prepare tea. Since he found out that Zhao Yao paid great attention to health, Chen Xi had bought various high-quality tea leaves and kept them in his office. He said, “RH officially sent their invitation this morning. I’ll have Manager Liao continue the discussion regarding this matter.”

“Good,” Zhao Yao touched the side of the cup. The tea was a bit hot. “When it comes to collaborations with our artists, we also need to consider reputation and influence. In the end, RH is just a platform, and we need to assess the positioning and future arrangements for our artists accordingly.”

Chen Xi understood Zhao Yao’s point. RH was willing to collaborate with the still-developing Huihua, but Huihua couldn’t simply recommend any artists. He replied, “Rest assured, Mr. Zhao. We will handle this matter and prepare for the RH invitation. It’s not easy to secure such an opportunity, and the artists who can collaborate with them are all highly successful. We will make the necessary preparations.”

Hearing this, Zhao Yao felt reassured. Chen Xi was someone with ideas. “By the way, when you came in earlier, you didn’t look too well. Did something happen?”

“Ah, it’s nothing,” Chen Xi didn’t expect Zhao Yao to notice, so he could only say, “Before you invested in Huihua, you also looked at the project list. There was a variety show with high expectations, but its broadcasting effect turned out to be average. The company is considering whether to reduce further investment.”

Zhao Yao was a bit surprised to hear this and asked, “Have you evaluated the previous investment amount for this project?”

Chen Xi replied, “Of course, we evaluated it. Although the senior management was not entirely satisfied, some of the project decisions were made reasonably well. We also conducted market research for this project initially, and it had good prospects. Unfortunately, it didn’t catch the right timing during this period, and the regular cast lineup was also average.”

“If it’s just a matter of not catching the right timing, then further investment can be considered after careful deliberation,” Zhao Yao believed that Chen Xi was serious about the projects. He said, “Are you thinking of giving up on this project?”

Chen Xi had managed to thrive in the entertainment industry not only because Huihua flourished under his management, but also due to other reasons. In such a volatile industry, the ups and downs of projects can greatly impact a company’s reputation and future prospects. Zhao Yao remembered that Chen Xi had a good eye for projects. Just by looking at the projects prepared by Huihua over the years, it was evident that Chen Xi had foresight. But now, he seemed to have made a mistake as well?

Chen Xi sighed, “Isn’t the company overwhelmed with good projects lately? In the past few years, when these types of variety shows were popular, we didn’t have to worry about popularity or audience numbers. But now, the better variety shows in the industry are either competition-based or talent shows. If we continue to invest based on the previous project list, the expected returns might not be substantial. Let’s observe the reception and market changes for a couple more episodes. The market dynamics change too quickly, and it’s difficult for us to predict.”

Huihua now had money, and they had many excellent projects in front of them. However, when considering the scale and market of a project, investment decisions also had to consider risks. Huihua had faced financial issues before due to decisions made by the senior management. Even with Zhao Yao’s support, they still needed to consider the potential returns on investment.

Upon hearing Chen Xi’s remarks, Zhao Yao became curious. It seemed like the future prospects of this project were not promising. He asked, “What project is it? Why are you so pessimistic about it?”

“It’s called ‘Youxian’,” Chen Xi replied. “You probably haven’t heard of it. It’s currently airing, but it’s not doing very well. We invested a lot of money in the preparation of this project, including acquiring the rights and so on. The lineup is also quite impressive, and we even hired a renowned director in the variety show industry.”

“Youxian”…?

“Do you have a simple project overview?” Zhao Yao suddenly asked. “I want to take a look at this project.”

Chen Xi was somewhat surprised by Zhao Yao’s request but instructed his secretary to fetch the project materials.

The secretary quickly brought the project documents, and Zhao Yao began to review them while sipping his tea. The more he read, the more certain he became that this was the same project he had noticed in his previous life. The name sounded familiar, and now after going through the materials, he could confirm it.

‘Youxian’ was a project that became popular a few years later. Zhao Yao wasn’t particularly interested in variety shows back then, but he occasionally heard people talk about a certain highly popular variety show or variety show stars.

The reason Zhao Yao had some impression of ‘Youxian’ was because of Uncle Wang. In his previous life, Zhao Yao was busy with work and rarely went home. Occasionally, when he returned home early, he would see Uncle Wang watching variety shows. At that time, Uncle Wang’s health was starting to decline, but he still appeared healthy and robust. He enjoyed watching these simple and leisurely variety shows and would occasionally express nostalgia for the old days, mentioning that he would like to visit the countryside when he had time.

‘Youxian’ is indeed a variety show with a good reputation. Not only in terms of its concept and genre selection but also because it is positioned as a relatively simple and relaxing slow-paced variety show. It doesn’t have the common game segments seen in other variety shows. It took several seasons to accumulate its reputation and form a loyal audience base. However, Zhao Yao remembered that this project was not invested in by Huihua but rather under the banner of another company. So, was ‘Youxian’ originally a variety show invested in by Huihua at that time?

Zhao Yao didn’t pay much attention to these things in the first place. Perhaps Chen Xi later transferred this project to someone else. However, looking at the current domestic market, it is indeed difficult for a slow-paced variety show to achieve significant returns and accumulate a strong reputation in a short period of time. Chen Xi’s decision to reduce investment seems wise. “Overall, the project looks good,” Zhao Yao said after reviewing the project details. “It is indeed lacking popular variety show stars to attract the audience. But its original positioning was not intended for punchlines or game elements, right?”

When Chen Xi heard Zhao Yao’s opening statement, he suddenly understood what Zhao Yao meant. “Mr. Zhao, are you suggesting continuing to invest in this project?”

“It’s not exactly that. Let’s maintain the existing investment,” Zhao Yao replied, examining the project’s funding details and finding them reasonable. He suggested, “In the future, for each episode, you can consider inviting well-known actors as guests on the show…”

Chen Xi felt that continuing to invest wouldn’t yield significant returns, but he couldn’t explicitly say that to Zhao Yao. “Mr. Zhao, the show’s reputation isn’t stable, and the actors may not necessarily accept our invitations. On one hand, there are scheduling issues to consider, and on the other hand, actors also have many considerations when choosing variety shows.”

Spending money might attract some guests, but in reality, it would be an uphill battle without much benefit, a waste of money, so to speak.

Zhao Yao was taken aback. He had overlooked this aspect. ‘Youxian’ was not the highly acclaimed variety show it would become in a few years. Moreover, it hadn’t gained much recognition in the domestic variety show market yet. “Is it currently airing? Have the guests for the new season been confirmed?”

“Not yet,” Chen Xi knew that Zhao Yao wanted to create a well-received variety show. He flipped through the materials the secretary had just brought and said, “We’ve sent out many invitations, but most of the responses we received were from newcomers who wanted to establish their presence through variety shows. Very few actors accepted our invitations. If you want to start with the guest stars, I think the current lineup might be different from what you imagined.”

“Then let’s not treat this project as a money-making venture for now. Pay attention to the audience’s discussions and keep an eye on the stability of the ratings,” Zhao Yao suggested. He felt that perhaps a field visit was needed to assess the situation. It was also possible that he remembered incorrectly, and the previous show he knew as ‘Youxian’ might not be the same as the one under Huihua. “Has the next recording date been confirmed? I’ll take some time to go and have a look.”

Chen Xi was surprised. He didn’t expect Zhao Yao to be so invested in this project. “It has been recording in a small town in H City all along. It should be happening in the next two weeks. The environment there is quite good, but are you really going?”

“It’s fine. I just want to relax a bit,” Zhao Yao replied.

During this period, Zhao Yao had also been discussing live streaming platforms with Pei Mingzhan. Currently, the project’s main responsible person, Gu Sui, had not returned. Since Zhao Yao had some free time and the rural area had good air quality, he could take Uncle Wang for a stroll in the countryside while checking out the recording of ‘Youxian.’ His main objective was to determine if the current team of ‘Youxian’ was the same as the one he had heard of in his previous life, as well as to assess the program’s style and the directorial team.

After all, memory could be unreliable at times. It was necessary to see the specific situation and confirm the investment potential before making a decision.

After discussing this matter, the two of them also talked about their collaboration with RH.

Zhao Yao had come here originally to discuss the details of their cooperation with Chen Xi, so as to ensure that his subordinates wouldn’t mishandle anything. However, in reality, Chen Xi didn’t need him to explain. He understood how to handle this collaboration properly.

Chen Xi reassured him, saying, “You can rest assured that I will instruct Manager Liao to handle the subsequent cooperation cautiously. We will also consider recommendations based on the artists’ situations.”

After a short conversation, Zhao Yao prepared to leave. Before leaving, he took the project materials that Chen Xi’s secretary had brought.

The secretary noticed and asked, “President Chen, should we continue running advertisements for ‘Youxian’?”

Personally, Chen Xi didn’t agree with increasing the investment, but with Zhao Yao showing such interest in the project, and considering his seemingly casual yet determined gaze, Chen Xi suddenly felt that the show might have some potential. “Let’s wait for Zhao Yao’s decision after he reviews the project. If he decides to increase the investment, we can only conduct a thorough evaluation and keep up the promotion accordingly.”

After the secretary left, Chen Xi stood up and took a few steps to stretch his body. As he turned around, he heard a knock on the door.

He called out for the person to come in and saw the secretary returning. He asked, “Is there something else?”

The secretary’s expression was complicated. “President Chen, the project team just called. They said Pei Mingzhan’s studio has accepted the invitation for ‘Youxian’ and will be coming over to discuss the collaboration.”

Pei Mingzhan’s studio had helped Huihua a lot in the past, and they had also sent a few project invitations their way.

Chen Xi remained calm. “Oh, it’s one of their studio’s artists, right?”

The secretary shook their head. “It was personally accepted by Movie Emperor Pei himself…”

Chen Xi: ???

Author’s note: The contract will be discussed later.

Chen Xi: Brother, there’s something we need to handle in advance. We need to prepare for crisis public relations…

Brother Lao: ??? Wait, how did participating in a variety show turn into a crisis PR situation??