The Joy of Helping Others
Lin Qi is the top choice for most young girls who want to become famous. First of all, he is young enough that he won't make some girls with morals feel disgusted during intimacy.
It's really disgusting. It gives me goosebumps and makes me want to vomit when those... hairy, stubble-faced chins rub against a young girl's skin.
Lin Qi is different; he's very handsome, the kind of guy who could definitely be the male lead in an idol movie.
Secondly, he is very wealthy and has considerable influence in high society. People are eager to get into high society and see what it's like there. Some people can't get in their whole lives, but now, as long as they have some kind of relationship with Lin Qi, they can meet him.
His qualities fulfilled almost every woman's fantasy of the perfect lover, and with people learning about his humor and anecdotes from various sources, girls didn't mind having a romantic encounter with Lin Qi.
Even if it's just a chance encounter, not a permanent one, it's enough to multiply the value of some girls.
This is a very realistic society where everyone has their own price. What's even more cruel is that sometimes a brand-new product can't compare to a second-hand product, such as the second-hand items used by Lin Qi.
Some people go with the flow and persist in certain things, but as they age, their value continues to decrease. Others try to make bold changes, and perhaps their value won't improve, but it won't drop too quickly either.
On the street, under the sunlight, the roadside is bustling with cars and people. In this dynamic environment, there are two people who seem to have been frozen in time.
Lin Qi looked at the girl, who was holding the edge of her sun hat with one hand and looking back at Lin Qi. She knew she should thank Lin Qi, but for some reason she just felt an intense hatred.
"Can you be my boyfriend for a while?" In the end, she still said this without any restraint. Actually, there is nothing difficult about saying this in a social situation.
Compared to those girls who yell "Come at me head-on," simply asking to date is nothing, but she still felt a little... annoyed.
In her past relationships with men, she always took the initiative, whether it was young boys in their estrus cycle, middle-aged men, or elderly men like her parents.
Only in front of Lin Qi did she feel that her appearance, figure, personality, or anything else that could add points to her score were all useless.
She glared at Lin Qi angrily, while Lin Qi nodded slightly, "It's my pleasure..."
"Penny!" the girl shouted angrily.
"It's an honor, Miss Penny!" Lin Qi laughed heartily, his mood as cheerful as the weather.
In a nearby hotel, the girl's agent was pacing back and forth in a panic. The film's production company had invested 450,000 yuan, most of which went to the expenses of the actors and staff, leaving only a few hundred thousand yuan for filming.
Even so, this is still a big-budget production.
In this era, there were no special effects or post-production; at most, there were some props and special effects. The money invested in this was mainly used for renting locations, making props, and the most expensive part: film stock.
Simple filming, especially for feature films that use very few props, places high demands on the actors, and the audience's attention will be focused on these actors who appear frequently throughout the film.
Any performance with even the slightest flaw will be picked out by sharp-eyed film critics and subjected to fierce criticism.
Similarly, if there are no problems with acting skills, the film and the actors will be accepted by the audience and the market.
Every top-tier actor is a survivor who has fought their way through countless battles. That might be an exaggeration, but it's true because in this era, besides the plot and the actors, there's not much else that can attract audiences.
This has led to a very special phenomenon: top-tier actors not only have outstanding acting skills and a formidable fan base, but also unparalleled market appeal.
The influx of capital into the Movie Circle from other places has accelerated the extremism of this phenomenon.
Compared to screenwriters who are readily available and Director who can be found with a little money, good actors are much harder to find. As a result, many production companies are waving their checks around the world looking for suitable actors to work with. Top-tier male actors with box office dominance sometimes have a higher status in the crew than the Director, second only to the investors.
The male lead in this production has appeared in "The Last Bleeding 1", "The Last Bleeding 2", "The Last Bleeding 3" and other action films, becoming a part of a generation's memories and one of the Federal's most successful screen action stars, Shi Long.
The production company spent half of the total budget just to hire this male lead, which is why they chose to film the movie in York State.
The production company is eager to receive some funding from the State Government so that if there is still a funding gap during post-production, they will not need to reapply for a budget.
The girl's agency pulled several strings to secure her the lead role, which is a huge step forward for her in the Movie Circle.
This is her first time playing the lead role in such a big-budget production. If she doesn't receive too much negative feedback, it means she can dominate the leading roles in second-tier projects in the following films, which will be very beneficial to her future development.
The only drawback is Shi Long.
In fact, it wasn't just Penny; her agent and agency were also dealing with a top-tier, dominant actor like Shi Long for the first time. Their previous understanding of him was limited to his work and some reports.
Only after truly getting to know this person can you realize how speechless he can be, and even how ridiculous he can seem.
He's afraid of insects, mice, and injuries. It's said that when he was ordering props a while ago, his knee was injured, and he almost cried because of it.
Besides his effeminate side, he is also a womanizer. He is already fifty-one years old this year, and he actually took the initiative to propose to create a scandal with Penny, who is only eighteen years old, and it is the pink scandal.
In reality, most people know the truth about these kinds of things. All this hype and scandals is just for the sake of a role or some benefit. Entertainment companies or agencies send their artists to sleep with the other party for a period of time.
But this gift was given voluntarily, not under duress, not to mention that Shi Long was three times the age of Penny combined.
Lustful, cowardly, effeminate—that's the impression people have of this "tough guy" lately.
Ignoring everyone else's objections, Shi Long directly told the girl's agent that he had brought in several reporters he was on good terms with to "secretly photograph" the scandal between him and the girl near the pool on the hotel terrace.
He instructed his agent to tell his rumored girlfriend to change into a sexy swimsuit so they could show off their affection to entertainment reporters in the pool.
The girl found out about this and ran away, and hasn't come back since.
The agent told the company about the situation, but the company didn't have any good solutions. They weren't a production company; they were just an agency that trained actors, and they didn't have any top-tier actors.
They may have some connections and networks in this industry, but compared to A-list actors like Shi Long who already have a considerable fan base, they are not quite up to par.
Ultimately, the agency's message was to cooperate with his "performance" as much as possible, but it was just a performance; they should avoid turning against him until the very last step and also be careful to protect themselves.
By this time, several reporters had already swaggered upstairs, and the girl still hadn't returned. What if Shi Long got angry—that effeminate and lecherous old man—who knew if he would become enraged? What if he turned on her and threatened to blacklist Penny? It really could make all the girl's efforts over the years go to waste. After all, he had fame and status. As long as he still had huge commercial value and box office appeal, the Production Company wouldn't offend such a dominant male actor for a relatively unknown young actress.
"I should have known better than to take this role!" The agent gritted her teeth, filled with regret. But who could have imagined that a person's personality could change so drastically? "If all else fails... how about I take it?" She put one hand on her hip and looked down at her waist. Apart from being straight, she didn't seem to have any major flaws.
Just as she was considering whether to go to see Shi Long shirtless or just wear a Shi Long -shirt, the girl returned.
She hurried over to say something, but then she saw the girl's hand holding the other's.
Looking at the owner of that hand, the agent suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, she suddenly felt that it would be better to be ruined by Lin Qi than to be approached by someone like Shi Long, at least the latter was good-looking.
"Let me introduce you, my boyfriend..." the girl said with a smile, raising her eyebrows and winking at her agent.
The agent was both amused and exasperated, but quickly composed himself and gave a slight bow, "Mr. Lin Qi, thank you for your help..."
She knew perfectly well that Penny must have somehow convinced Lin Qi to pretend to be her boyfriend. To put it slightly exaggeratedly, although the girl was very outstanding in the eyes of the agent, she was still far from being Lin Qi's official girlfriend.
The more prestigious and wealthy the family, the stricter the requirements for the woman.
Currently, none of the wives of the wealthy in the entire Federal come from the entertainment industry.
Furthermore, if Lin Qi was interested in Penny, he would have made his move during their first two encounters. Why wait until today?
Ultimately, Mr. Lin Qi is a really good person. He was understanding of the girl's troubles and was willing to help her. It's truly touching!