That evening, Xiao He and Liu Rulan went to meet with President Song of Jiaxing Entertainment, as well as several other investors who came with President Song.
Among them is producer Ma Qianyou, who has been absent from the public eye for a long time.
From the outset, Ma Qianyou was extremely enthusiastic, shaking Xiao He's hand repeatedly with a gleam in his eyes: "Little Xiao, it's been so long!"
Xiao He hadn't expected Ma Qianyou to be so enthusiastic. He tried to pull his hand away, but couldn't.
Xiao He: "...Hehe, Producer Ma, long time no see!"
It was Liu Rulan who came to the rescue, extending her hand and saying, "Producer Ma, it's been a long time! How have you been lately?"
Ma Qianyou could only let go of Xiao He's hand, then shook hands with Liu Rulan, before immediately letting go and inviting Xiao He to sit on his side.
Xiao He: ? Why is this person so enthusiastic?
However, once he sat down, Xiao He understood why Ma Qianyou was so agitated.
"Xiao Xiao, I had my fortune told again a while ago, and guess what? That person said I'll meet a benefactor this year who will change my fortune for the rest of my life!"
Ma Qian looked at Xiao He with excitement on his face.
Xiao He: "...Ahaha, so that's how it is? Congratulations, Producer Ma!"
Uh, hasn't this guy already been scammed a few times before? He still believes it? What else can he possibly say?
Superstition and metaphysics are not advisable; wealth must be accumulated through hard work.
Thinking of Ma Qianyou's unfortunate past, Xiao He swallowed his words again.
After all, the fact that "Shining Stars" had changed multiple male supporting actors before is indeed a bit mysterious.
He should stop talking.
However, Ma Qianyou clearly had no intention of letting Xiao He off the hook: "So I thought to myself, isn't that benefactor you!"
Xiao He: "Huh? Me?"
Wait, how did he become a benefactor?
"That's right!" Ma Qianyou excitedly patted Xiao He's shoulder. "I also invested in Hidden Stars Shining! But I was really unlucky back then, and I was even thinking of just running away. Then you appeared! Not only did you portray Meng Zetian very well, but you also helped us gain a lot of popularity. Hehe, we can still make money from this. Just thinking about it makes me happy!"
Xiao He: "Haha, not really. This is the result of everyone's joint efforts."
So this guy was already planning to run away back then? Does Director Wen know?
Uh, I probably don't know.
If Director Wen knew, he'd probably cry himself to sleep in a corner.
Ma Qianyou was almost in tears—from being moved.
"Look at me, Lao Ma, I followed the crowd and invested in the Chinese entertainment industry. Everyone else's investments were profitable, but I was the unluckiest. Every investment I made failed, and most of my wealth went down the drain. But I, Lao Ma, refused to give up! I was determined to keep investing and show everyone what I could do! And now, I've finally done it! Xiao Xiao, you're my benefactor!"
Xiao He's lips and eyes twitched this time: "...Haha."
No wonder he managed to snag a bargain on such a huge production project; it turns out this guy was using some kind of mystical power.
If other investors knew that their big projects were almost ruined by this small-time producer Ma Qianyou, they would probably kick him out of the entertainment industry and permanently blacklist him.
Fortunately, Ma Qianyou spoke very softly, and no one else heard him. Liu Rulan was already using her eloquence to chat enthusiastically with several investors.
Ma Qianyou glanced at the several executives over there, coughed lightly, and continued to ask Xiao He in a low voice, "Xiao Xiao, is there any plan for your next drama?"
Let him see if he can get some more investment. If he can't be a producer, he can become a boss.
Xiao He replied, "It's a drama that Director Zhuang invested in."
He might not know about other aspects of Ma Qianyou, but if Zhuang Hongyi is mentioned, he will definitely know.
As expected, Ma Qianyou fell silent.
Zhuang Hongyi belongs to the Beijing circle. His family has a deep financial foundation and abundant wealth, which allows him to be a director and a capitalist at the same time. What is even more enviable is that the money he earns as a director is enough for him to break away from his family background and become an independent capitalist.
Such people are certainly beyond the reach of small investors like Ma Qianyou.
Not to mention becoming an investor in those projects.
Therefore, as soon as Xiao He spoke, Ma Qian immediately chose to give up.
However, he did not give up and continued, "There may not be a chance this year, but the master I consulted said that my fortune will be even better next year. If you have any plans, please let me know."
Xiao He truly admired Ma Qianyou's persistence, but he did not refuse. Instead, he smiled and nodded, "Okay."
Nothing particularly noteworthy happened at the subsequent dinner. The only feeling Xiao He had was: it's really great to be a capitalist.
They can promote whomever they want, and they can blacklist whomever they want. They don't care what others think, they have to put on a smiling face to greet them.
Song Yuanqi is forty years old this year. As the boss of an entertainment company, he has maintained a pretty good physique. He hasn't gone out of shape or gone bald. It's just that he seems to have been immersed in drinking for many years and has the drinking culture ingrained in his bones. He has a whole set of tricks for drinking and urging others to drink, making it impossible for you to refuse.
Although Liu Rulan had privately reminded Xiao He that she would handle the drinking, Xiao He couldn't bear to watch her drink one cup after another, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and drink a few cups with her.
By the time the dinner party ended, Xiao He, a newcomer to the table, was feeling extremely uncomfortable.
On the contrary, Liu Rulan, who had been drinking from beginning to end, was completely unharmed. She called Xiao Chen to drive, helped Xiao He to the back seat to lie down, and then sat in the passenger seat herself.
Actually, Xiao He's drinking etiquette was quite good.
He just gets sleepy more easily after drinking too much.
Although he was still excited, his eyelids were almost closed, and he could only droop them halfway down, barely able to see the roof of the car above him.
Fortunately, Xiao Chen and Liu Rulan were both quite reliable, so Xiao He wasn't too worried. He kept his eyelids open for a while, then simply closed his eyes and forced himself to fall asleep temporarily.
In the front seat, Xiao Chen handed a water bottle from the side of his car door to Liu Rulan while driving: "Sister Liu, have some water. You've worked hard today."
"Thanks."
Liu Rulan opened the water bottle, took a sip, /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ and breathed a sigh of relief.
She turned her head to look at Xiao He, who had instantly fallen asleep in the back seat, and rubbed her temples helplessly: "That brat, I told him not to bother with me."
Xiao Chen smiled and said, "That's just the kind of person Brother Xiao is."
If Xiao He simply watched a group of grown men pour wine for Liu Rulan at the dinner table, then he wouldn't be Xiao He.
Liu Rulan chuckled, "That's true."
She then rolled down the car window, looked out with a deep gaze, and said in a light tone, "And this time, we really owe a lot to Xiao He."
Although on the surface it seems that this incident was all due to their good luck, with one good thing after another, and everyone solved the problem with almost no effort, a closer look reveals that it was actually because of Xiao He that they were able to succeed so smoothly.
Xiao He's personal charisma attracted a group of very powerful fans. Under their leadership, the initially dangerous public opinion was instantly reversed, and even sparked a joint condemnation from other fans in the industry.
It was Xiao He's strength and personal development value that made Song Yuanqi take a step back, choosing to give up the remaining value of Su Shengxi and continue to maintain a good relationship with them, paving the way for the next cooperation.
And isn't the official media's statement a result of Xiao He's impeccable political background and numerous acts of kindness, which has led to a certain bias from the authorities? Otherwise, why would they release it now of all times?
Over the years, Liu Rulan has often heard people in the industry secretly making fun of her, mocking her for being lucky and saying that she can get lucky by randomly grabbing someone.
When Liu Rulan heard these words, she would usually just smile.
—Because she also felt that she was quite lucky.
