Superstar's Development Diary
Chapter 216 - 217: Got it, it’s about taste~

Chapter 216: Chapter 217: Got it, it’s about taste~

"Knock knock!" Zhang Ming opened the door and walked in, bringing dinner for Sheng Yan.

The video on Sheng Yan’s phone was on a continuous loop since the page hadn’t refreshed, and the sound carried through.

As soon as Zhang Ming heard the recurring "Lose weight, lose weight, lose lose weight~ lose weight, lose weight, lose weight ..." he couldn’t help shivering and grimaced, feeling a chill as he touched his skin and remarked, "Tsk."

"Your little girlfriend is quite something, look how versatile she is, acting in a movie and even taking the role of a singer. She’s much better than you, who can’t sing a correct tune to save your life. You’d better strive a bit harder, lest someone overtakes you from behind like swoosh, and then—"

Zhang Ming paused, patted Sheng Yan’s shoulder, and mischievously winked, saying, "And then you’d be a weakened husband!"

Sheng Yan gave him a cold look, expressionless.

Zhang Ming cleared his throat, immediately turned his head away, hastily put down the dinner, and even sang a few lines along with the music playing:

"Lose weight, lose weight, lose lose weight, no snacks, fried chicken, or instant noodles, lose weight, lose weight, lose weight... Hey, I have to say, after listening for a while, this song is quite catchy, though it’s a bit cheesy, but cheesy is good, the so-called universal appeal, right!"

Zhang Ming cheerfully changed the subject and kept moving backward, preparing to leave.

Suddenly, Sheng Yan’s indifferent, cold voice came, "Wait a minute."

Zhang Ming immediately stopped in his tracks and hurriedly said, "Brother Yan, after all these years, my salary is trivial, no need to deduct it, I’m leaving now!"

Without even looking at him, Sheng Yan indifferently said, "Help me investigate something."

Zhang Ming had one foot out the door when he heard it wasn’t about cutting wages, so he quickly retracted his foot and closed the door again, straightened up, and spoke seriously:

"Tell me, whatever it is, climbing a mountain of swords or plunging into a sea of flames, I won’t hesitate!"

Sheng Yan threw him another [cold and ruthless.jpg] look.

He slightly lowered his eyes, furrowed his brows, tapped his slender, jade-like hand lightly on the table, contemplated for a moment, then slowly said, "Investigate why He Jinxia initially left the JY girl group."

Zhang Ming instinctively nodded in agreement, but then he realized something was off, "Wait, wasn’t your little girlfriend actively dismissed by JY? Back then, He Jinxia’s chubby image really didn’t fit with the JY girl group!"

Sheng Yan calmly stated, "It’s impossible for JY girl group to have dismissed Jinxia on their own."

Zhang Ming was stunned, "How so?"

Sheng Yan replied, "When she joined Tonghua Entertainment and formed JY with the other stars, I personally handled her contract. JY had no right to kick Jinxia out."

Zhang Ming’s mouth fell open in shock, his hand trembling as he pointed at Sheng Yan, "Oh my god, she was so young back then, and you already—"

Seeing Sheng Yan’s icy, murderous gaze, Zhang Ming choked on his words, promptly coughed, and changed the subject, "Right, I’ll look into this."

Finally, he added, "You might as well ask He Jinxia directly about this since JY couldn’t have broken the contract, only He Jinxia could have canceled it, but—"

His eyes shifted, he stood up, walked over to Sheng Yan, and patted his shoulder with a grin, "I understand, I get it, the intrigue between lovers. I’ll start investigating right away."

Sheng Yan shot him another icy glare and barely moved his lips, "Your salary..."

"Before I could say ’cut it by half this month,’ the door slammed shut."

Sheng Yan withdrew his gaze, his expression slightly solemn, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, and he was unable to comprehend some matters.

After pondering for a while without any conclusion, he gently shook his head, deciding not to think about it anymore. Then he reached out to touch his face and turned his head to look in the mirror, muttering to himself, "Do I really look that old?"

There’s only a five-year difference after all!!

Meanwhile, He Jinxia had just finished her second flash promotion event at another mall in Imperial City and quickly left the mall, escaping the crowd and getting into a car.

In the car, Cheng Xiaohua and Luo You were already waiting.

The promotional responsibilities of the production moved to Imperial City, so He Jinxia felt more relaxed than when traveling to other places, as both her residence and team were in Imperial City.

Cheng Xiaohua was driving this time, while Luo You sat in the passenger seat, handing over several scripts to He Jinxia.

"Since ’Chen Xiaohui’ crossed the one billion box office mark, scripts for both movies and TV shows have been pouring in, along with many endorsement offers.

However, you are currently not short of money, and your value is still rising, so the team thought it through and decided to put off the endorsements for now until your value is even higher, then you can choose."

An endorsement means a lot for stars who have been endorsed before and those who haven’t, as their value to brands differs. Brands seek the appealing power of stars, so they hire them as endorsers to make others buy their products.

However, if a star endorses too many products, it can lead to a sense of fatigue among the general public; endorsing selectively is better than endorsing abundantly, both for the brands and the stars.

Of course, another crucial point that Luo You didn’t mention is that the brands currently seeking He Jinxia’s endorsement aren’t up to the team’s standards; they are all minor brands. A few of them are large firms, but unfortunately, they do not align with He Jinxia’s image.

Thus, after much consideration, the team decided not to take on any endorsements for her.

He Jinxia flipped through the scripts briefly—it included both period dramas and modern dramas, a balanced selection.

She set the scripts down, pondered for a moment, and said, "I’m resting for the next week. There’s only one promotional event that requires my attendance, so I have ample time. I’ll read through these scripts and try to give you an answer as soon as possible."

Luo You hummed in acknowledgment and said, "I’ve communicated with Director Dong recently. She said ’Chen Xiaohui’ will be extended in major cinemas for another 20 days before being taken down. ’Chen Xiaohui’ is just shy of ten billion from reaching the three billion box office milestone, and the industry is very optimistic.

If we wait for the box office to hit three billion, the offers for TV shows and movies will only increase. However, as promotional duties gradually decrease, and once you’re fully rested and ready to select scripts, you will probably experience a period of inactivity after the current batch of dramas airs.

You’ve already made your mark now, and facing a hiatus isn’t ideal. If the scripts here are decent, pick one to start shooting as soon as possible."

Starting a business is always tough from the beginning.

For stars aiming for fame, the beginning is also tough.

Even if the pay is a little less, continuous quality work that enhances one’s image will steadily increase one’s value.

The current busyness is all in preparation for a better future.

He Jinxia nodded, her crisp, pleasant voice resonating in the car, "Brother Luo, I understand."