Caught in Affairs with Superstar

Chapter 790: Chapter 523: This Conflict

”Why did you also involve Chen Xi in this dispute?”

Zhou Yun asked Song Chi with some surprise while on the phone.

With the resources Song Chi has at his disposal now, there are many options if he wants to negotiate a comeback role for Chen Xi. Why wade into these troubled waters?

Song Chi said, ”I have some plans.”

”Oh, okay, I was just curious, so I asked. If it’s not convenient to talk about, then never mind.”

”There’s nothing inconvenient to say. The role I wanted Chen Xi to compete for was ’Moonlight Lovers’, but they were worried that Chen Xi was completely washed up. I just wanted to use this controversy to let the industry producers see how much attention the news of Chen Xi’s comeback can draw, and that she is not washed up at all.” Song Chi laughed a little and continued, ”Of course, the initial trending searches were bought by me, but there are still many who remember her.”

Zhou Yun thought about the content he had seen when recently searching for Chen Xi’s name, which was not entirely composed of marketing accounts and paid posters; indeed, many people were posting on social media, reminiscing: Chen Xi, who had been gone for so long, was finally making a return.

Chen Xi still had a lot of audience who remembered her; after all, she was once a popular actress loved for her acting skills.

Zhou Yun quickly grasped the intention behind Song Chi’s move. In today’s market, celebrities and personalities are recognized, and since Chen Xi had been labeled as washed up, she was basically out of the running for good roles. Focusing on this weakness of Chen Xi, Song Chi only needed to prove she wasn’t washed up, that her return would still garner attention, and once industry insiders saw this, it would alleviate their doubts.

Song Chi might not necessarily be set on winning ’Stepmother’s Law’, but by using the competitive momentum, he inserted Chen Xi among the names of several top actresses, effectively raising her status in the audience’s hearts and subtly signaling to the industry insiders: Chen Xi is a capable actress who can compete with the likes of Wei Ruxue, Su Yan, and Xu Siyao.

As an ”old actor” who had been in the circle for many years, Zhou Yun was very familiar with the industry’s sensitive spots.

And after Jing Jingcheng saw Chen Xi trending, how could they not understand that they were being used by Song Chi for clout? But Jing Jingcheng wasn’t upset, because it also meant free publicity for ’Stepmother’s Law’, attracting so much attention without spending any money.

This was beneficial for the subsequent funding and platform’s attention alike.

We live in an era of traffic now, where attention equals kingship.

While on the set of ’Under the Grand Dress’, Zhou Yun would occasionally hear some news about ’Stepmother’s Law’.

These women are the hottest, most eye-catching actresses in the industry now, and it’s rare for several of them to compete for the same role at the same time.

Although it’s not unheard of for competitions over roles, it rarely becomes as public as this time. If anyone loses, wouldn’t it be embarrassing?

Xu Siyao originally thought about teaming up with Li Ci to secure the role, believing that having Li Ci in the cast would be enough to influence Jing Jingcheng. Unexpectedly, not only did Li Ci outright reject the idea, but Xu Siyao also got an earful from her agent.

Thinking about it, their previous collaboration on ’Dingfengbo’ already labeled Li Ci with the notorious reputation for being ”expressionless.” So why would Li Ci go on to collaborate with Xu Siyao again and ”invite humiliation upon himself”?

With the fading hopes of partnering with Li Ci, Xu Siyao started considering other strategic alliances.

If she could find someone to team up with her to compete for the role, her standing would be greater than Wei Ruxue’s and Su Yan’s.

Xu Siyao was still oblivious to the fact that Wei Ruxue had already abandoned the role and was just dragged into a public opinion battle by Song Chi.

Speaking of which, Xu Siyao was never really a fool. When she actually started competing against Wei Ruxue and Su Yan, she immediately began assessing her own advantages and what would appeal to Jing Jingcheng. Xu Siyao quickly thought of the salary.

Compared to Wei Ruxue and Su Yan, her salary demands were much lower. The difference could be used to hire another Xu Siyao.

In fact, Xu Siyao’s salary could be high, like for the production she’s currently shooting, ’Half City Rain’. However, she couldn’t demand a high price in front of major productions with serious narratives like ’Stepmother’s Law’ because they aim at different main audience groups. In the latter’s audience, Xu Siyao is an unfamiliar face. Additionally, actresses like Xu Siyao are not favored in serious dramas, which always value real skill and experience. Xu Siyao’s acting wasn’t on the level of Zhou Yun but stood out among the younger actors.