Xiao He and Xiao Chen had a very pleasant time in Milan.
However, they did not linger. After celebrating with everyone, they flew directly back to Carlos Island, where they were filming, overnight.
By the time we landed, it was already past midnight.
Xiao He felt sore all over, and his bones seemed to be creaking when he moved.
Fortunately, the resort had everything they needed, and even at two or three in the morning, there were still people to serve them. Xiao He didn't stand on ceremony and asked them to send two massage therapists over to "loosen his muscles" for him and Xiao Chen.
The old master craftsman had a really strong grip; Xiao He lay on the bed, experiencing both pain and pleasure, while also reluctantly opening his system panel to check his points.
Since the release of "Law of the Jungle," his points have seen another small peak. Excluding the previous draws and guaranteed rewards he had used, he now has nearly 300,000 points.
It's a pity that so many things happened before, otherwise we might be very close to reaching a million points by now!
Xiao He was both excited and melancholy.
His physical fitness still needs improvement; I wonder when he'll be able to accumulate a million points and draw from the high-level prize pool...
If I can improve my physical fitness, I won't be as tired from traveling back and forth to these places in the future.
But then, Xiao He discovered a key point—
"Damn, wait a minute, why would I spend points to improve my physical fitness so I can continue being a beast of burden?"
Xiao He, who was about to fall asleep, suddenly sat up.
What's the difference between this and oxen and horses buying themselves coffee to boost their energy for work?!
But then, his exhausted body caused him to collapse heavily.
Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. Anyway, I'm already doing enough to live on, and points are just something external now.
So sleeping is definitely more important after all...
...
In the days that followed, Xiao He continued filming on set, while Liu Rulan remained in Shanghai to handle matters related to her studio.
Before we knew it, it was the end of May.
On that day, the official website and Weibo account of the Shanghai TV Festival simultaneously released the shortlist for the film *Bai Mulan*.
And on the list, there was Xiao He's name in "Shining Stars"!
At the same time, the internet also reacted, starting a new round of hype and competition.
When Xiao He learned of this news, he had just finished filming the scene of repairing the car. He slid out from under the car and looked at Xiao Chen with some surprise.
"Yes, Brother Xiao, he's the best supporting actor!"
Xiao Chen excitedly waved her phone.
"Xiao He, congratulations!"
The actor who plays Zhu Penglin smiled and congratulated Xiao He.
Xiao He quickly waved his hand: "That's still a long way off. Thank you for your kind words, Teacher Zhu."
Coincidentally, the actor who plays Zhu Penglin also has the surname Zhu and is named Zhu Huiwen.
Zhu Huiwen is only 30 years old this year, which is relatively young among the actors in the crew. However, his popularity and fame are now far behind Xiao He's.
"Being shortlisted is already a great achievement; you should have confidence in yourself."
Zhu Huiwen gave Xiao He a thumbs up.
Judging from Xiao He's current abilities, if he can be shortlisted once, he can be shortlisted twice, three times... winning the award is probably just a matter of time.
Those who lack real talent and remain stuck in supporting roles are the ones who have no chance of ever achieving their dreams...
Zhu Huiwen became saddened.
Xiao He was unaware of Zhu Huiwen's sadness. He smiled amicably at him, then took Xiao Chen aside and began to discuss the Magnolia Award.
Who are my competitors? Do I still have a chance?
"Brother Xiao, you can't be so unambitious! You can definitely do it!"
Xiao Chen raised her voice.
Xiao He shrank his neck, raised his hand to lift the towel tied to his overalls to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and then said, "The main problem is that my role as Meng Zetian is really in a bit of a danger. If it were the Best Newcomer Award, I could still try my best, but there's no Best Newcomer Award for Bai Mulan. It's not realistic for me to win the Best Supporting Actor Award in one go."
Besides, if he wants to win an award, one Meng Zetian isn't enough; he'll definitely have other opportunities in the future.
"No, no, no!"
Xiao Chen, however, had already become a die-hard fan of Xiao He, and stubbornly said, "Brother Xiao, you can definitely do it!"
Xiao He rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
He now understands why some celebrities become arrogant after becoming famous. Surrounded by sycophants and hearing their praise every day, how could they not become arrogant?
"Alright, alright, we'll talk about this later. When does Sister Liu plan for us to go back?"
"I'll go back on June 5th."
As Xiao Chen spoke, she rested her chin on her hand, looking somewhat troubled: "But I feel like Sister Liu has been very busy lately. She just told me a time and then hung up—"
Then Xiao Chen's expression changed: "Oh no, Brother Xiao, could it be that Sister Liu has a new girl?"
Xiao He, expressionless, smacked Xiao Chen on the head with a "thud": "Speak properly."
Sister Liu must be busy with her studio, while this brat just sits here day after day, letting his imagination run wild.
"Oops, I was wrong, bro. Watch your image. Don't let anyone take pictures of it. What if they spread rumors that you assaulted your assistant?"
As he spoke, Xiao Chen looked around warily, but his actions always carried a strong sense of stealth.
Xiao He: ...That's very much like the entertainment industry.
Xiao He coughed lightly: "Then I'll call her later and ask her. I haven't been paying much attention to her situation lately."
Logically speaking, given that Sister Liu is a workaholic who handles everything herself, including the artists, and never delegates tasks to others, it's quite strange that she hasn't appeared recently.
Could it be that there's a problem with the studio?
During the rest of the filming, Xiao He was somewhat distracted, but after being scolded by Ning Jiaqi, he readjusted his mindset.
In the evening, after returning to the hotel, Xiao He immediately called Liu Rulan.
...
At this moment, it was around nine o'clock in the morning in China, and Linghui Studio was already busy.
As soon as Liu Rulan hung up the phone, Xiao Zhou from operations walked in: "Sister Liu, it's all taken care of."
"good."
Liu Rulan breathed a sigh of relief, rubbed her temples, and gestured for Xiaozhou to leave.
Another phone call came in.
"Hello? How is it?"
"Yes, I've found out."
He Wenming's voice came from the ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) other end: "It is said that Xingchen Film Industry in Beijing is putting internal pressure on Xiao He, prohibiting any of its film crews from submitting scripts to him."
"It was them—"
Liu Rulan's expression turned serious. "Did you ask why?"
"No, perhaps you can ask Xiao He about this first."
“I’ve already asked my assistant indirectly, but Xiao He has been filming abroad recently and has absolutely no connection with their company,” Liu Rulan sighed. “He’ll be off filming soon, I’ll ask him again, this matter is a bit troublesome.”
Actually, Liu Rulan didn't notice anything amiss at first.
It wasn't until a few days ago, when Xiao Zhou cautiously approached Liu Rulan and told her that Xiao He's online reputation seemed a bit off lately, that she realized someone was up to something behind the scenes.
At first, it was just a vague message circulating in different small groups.
They said that Xiao He had bullied a girl at school, causing her to commit suicide by jumping off a building, but the matter was suppressed because of the power of Xiao He's parents.
These messages were even accompanied by screenshots from campus forums and heavily blurred photos of the scene. They generally circulated only in small groups and were not shared with the public, so the studio did not notice the problem at first.
Then, as these messages accumulated, they began to spread across various platforms, and it was only then that Xiaozhou, the operations manager, noticed this potential public opinion risk.
