Once they become famous, they can surround the village and turn it into a paid tourist attraction like Hengdian World Studios. Tsk~ Why would they need to shoot commercials for the rest of their lives?
The director didn't have that kind of financial resources, but Su Yuan was very tempted by the idea.
Despite not being favored by major international fashion brands, the hardworking actress Su has actually amassed a fortune of over a billion yuan after so many years in the industry. If she really wanted to invest in a small film and television base, she certainly wouldn't lack the money.
However… after glancing at the director and the manager of Jinyan Group, Actress Su decided that she should discuss this matter with Jiang Xiaoman alone.
When we left Laoshan Aozi, it was already evening. Every day at this time, the sun is about to set, the temperature is neither too high nor too low, and there is no dew. It is the most comfortable time of day, and it is also the time when Jin Chengjie takes the mountain sparrow out for a walk.
Su Yuan was a little surprised to see a stylishly dressed man helping a pregnant woman dressed in mountain folk clothes take a walk. But when she got closer, she almost burst out laughing.
Oh my~ Isn't this the wealthy boyfriend of "drama queen" Kang Xinyue?
No, judging from this, he should be her ex-boyfriend, right?
Just two days ago, a certain marketing account was still sending out press releases for Kang Xinyue, saying that her relationship with Young Master Jin was stable and that she was suspected of marrying into a wealthy family. Su Yuan suppressed a smile, but the faint crow's feet at the corners of her eyes betrayed her inner joy of gossiping.
Actually, she and Kang Xinyue are from different generations, so there was originally no conflict of interest between them.
The annoying thing is that Kang Xinyue also comes from a poor family. When she first debuted, in order to become famous, she not only paired up with male artists to create scandals, but also released press releases everywhere, implying that she would be "the next Best Actress Su".
What the heck? Su Yuan never had any scandals with male co-stars when she was young. Most of the actresses of her generation were quite self-disciplined. They all treated acting as a job and wanted to find a good family through honest matchmaking. Who would be shameless enough to change boyfriends after filming a drama?
Su Yuan was furious, but she couldn't afford to argue with a junior. So she could only angrily instruct her agent to turn down any movies, TV series, or variety shows that Kang Xinyue was involved in!
Su Yuan is a respectable person, but that doesn't mean she doesn't enjoy watching her enemies suffer.
Seeing that Kang Xinyue's wealthy boyfriend was secretly keeping a village girl in this remote mountain forest, and that the girl was even pregnant, Su Yuan felt even happier than if she had received Jin Yan's 30 million yuan endorsement fee.
"Xiaoman, who is that?" Actress Su, who had become a bystander, couldn't help but ask Jiang Xiaoman.
Ah... Jiang Xiaoman really wanted to pretend she didn't know Jin Chengjie and Shan Que, but this ostrich-like behavior was completely meaningless.
After all, Young Master Jin is no ordinary person. He was recently embroiled in a hot scandal with rising star Kang Xinyue, and his photos are all over the internet. In another sense, he's become a household name... Sigh!
Jiang Xiaoman had no choice but to bite the bullet and explain the relationship between Shan Que and Jin Chengjie in a more tactful way that would be somewhat acceptable to a normal person.
Su Yuan was completely stunned after hearing this.
After the initial surprise came overwhelming envy.
If it weren't for the fact that she finally managed to get her household registration in the capital, she would have liked to move it to Langshan as well.
What a wonderful folk tradition that allows children to not have their fathers!
If only the whole of China were as open as Langshan.
Why must a woman get married before she can have children?
As long as both parties are willing, it doesn't matter to you whether I get married or not!
As long as it increases the number of newborns in the country, isn't that enough?
Su Yuan felt frustrated thinking about this. In fact, she had long passed the best age for childbearing, but due to her profession, the prime of an actress's career was too short. She was also reluctant to give up the career she had worked so hard to build, so she never had time to have children.
She and her husband had been in love for a long time, but back then, once male and female celebrities in the entertainment industry got married, their relationship was doomed. So the two kept their marriage a secret for more than ten years. In recent years, the social environment has become more tolerant of married celebrities, and the two of them have come out openly to admit their relationship.
But she still missed the best age to have children. Su Yuan secretly went abroad to freeze her eggs and has reduced her workload in the past two years to focus on getting pregnant. Seeing that Shan Que was able to have her own child at such a young age, the actress Su couldn't help but feel envious.
I may be envious, but thinking about Kang Xinyue, that little drama queen, if she knew that a girl was pregnant with Young Master Jin's child, she would probably be furious.
But why did she tell her?
Actress Su, who was determined to see Kang Xinyue make a scene, not only did not inform on her, but also asked her agent to go to town to buy some things that pregnant women and children could use, and entrusted Jiang Xiaoman to deliver them to Shan Que.
Jiang Xiaoman was completely bewildered and hesitant to accept such a generous gift on behalf of someone else.
Su Yuan also realized that she had acted impulsively. After thinking about it, she decided to keep the things, but not as a separate gift for Shan Que. Instead, she said that they had been filming an advertisement in Laoshan Aozi and had caused trouble for the villagers, so she wanted to buy some things to give to them.
That's fine. Jiang Xiaoman accepted the gifts on behalf of the villagers and also packed two large bags of Langshan specialties for Su Yuan and her agent.
"Auntie, come visit Langshan again when you're less busy. I'll make sure everything is arranged so no one disturbs your rest," Jiang Xiaoman warmly invited.
For a big star like Su Yuan, just mentioning Langshan on her personal social media account can have a publicity effect that is almost equivalent to spending tens of millions on a TV commercial.
However, we can't just ask someone to advertise for us for free after we've only just met, can we?
Feelings develop gradually, and he always felt that Su Yuan was different from other female celebrities. Her temperament was very comfortable to be around. If it were someone else, he wouldn't dare to call her "Auntie" so casually.
Sure enough, upon hearing him call her "Auntie" with a grin, Su Yuan couldn't help but tap Jiang Xiaoman on the head: "You've called me 'Auntie' so many times, I can't just sit here and do nothing! Just wait! I'll send you a big gift later!"
Jiang Xiaoman thought that the "big gift" Su Yuan mentioned was just a casual mention of Langshan Town when she was doing business promotions with Jin Yan. Unexpectedly, a few days later, Su Yuan's agent called and said that the entertainment company Su Yuan worked for wanted to invest in Langshan Town and build a film and television base in the Laoshan Aozi area.
What? You're just giving me a project?
His calling her "elder aunt" was totally worth it!
Su Yuan's agent is really good at interpersonal relationships.
Or rather, Su Yuan wanted to give him this opportunity to build his reputation. Instead of having the company contact the town government directly, she first spoke to Jiang Xiaoman and asked him to take the initiative to contact the company. In that case, the new project would be considered to have been introduced by Jiang Xiaoman.
"I heard that there are rewards for successful investment projects in townships. Your aunt said that it's better to give this money to you than let others earn it." The agent was trying to win Su Yuan's favor on the phone.
He didn't like Su Yuan bringing up her rural background, but he didn't mind Su Yuan building good relationships with rural entrepreneurs like Jiang Xiaoman, given how popular rural revitalization has been in recent years!
Even if people in the entertainment industry want to get involved in this, it still depends on luck, okay? Just because someone helps farmers sell their unsold agricultural products through a live stream doesn't mean they're contributing to rural development. Anyone who releases a press release like that is brain-dead!
To truly contribute to rural revitalization, one should be like Su Yuan, who integrates with young rural entrepreneurs and actively contributes ideas for the cause. What could be more effective than directly bringing a project there?
The agent has even thought about how to write future press releases, but they can't do it themselves, otherwise it would be too deliberate. It's just right for Xiaoman to handle it.
Firstly, it would allow him to improve his standing with local leaders, and secondly, it would also allow Xiaoman to earn some extra money.
Most importantly, with Xiaoman, a local, handling this matter, the haters can no longer attack Su Yuan for using rural revitalization as a publicity stunt, right?
Sigh, it's really tough to get by in the entertainment industry these days. Even if you want to do something good, you have to be afraid of everything.
Jiang Xiaoman was also a bit confused. He had never been in contact with any film and television bases before, so how was he supposed to talk to them?
"Take lots of videos and photos of the scenery in the old mountain valley in your town. The company will send someone to accompany you back to the village for inspection. The company will handle everything; you just need to accompany them for a walk in the mountains."
"Don't be afraid. Actually, Sister Su has already talked to the company. She will also participate in this project. She's not afraid of investing money, so what are you afraid of?" the agent comforted him.
That's true!
Moreover, when a project is launched, the initial investment promotion is just to attract interest. If the other party really decides to invest in Langshan, they will definitely have to negotiate terms with the town. He is just an intermediary, so there is really nothing to be afraid of.
After figuring this out, Jiang Xiaoman immediately ran to find Shan Yan.
It's great news that a major investor is willing to invest in building a film and television base!
Putting aside the terrifying influence the film and television base has on Langshan's reputation, just consider the relocation of villagers... Shouldn't the film and television base pay relocation fees for the villages and houses in the old mountain valley?
With this relocation fee, even the poorest families in the Laoshan Aozi area can move down the mountain without any pressure.
Shan Yan never expected that cooperating in filming an advertisement would lead to such a good thing. However, he was always cautious and did not agree immediately. Instead, he and Jiang Xiaoman carefully checked the online reputation of the entertainment company that Su Yuan worked for.
Seeing the shareholder list, the two of them breathed a small sigh of relief: Su Yuan and her wealthy husband were both listed as shareholders, although their share was small. But who would joke about their wealth for no reason?
Further investigation revealed that this wasn't the first time this company had invested in film and television bases. They held stakes in almost all of the more well-known film and television bases in China. What's even more astonishing is that the profits from these investments were actually higher than their earnings from investing in film and television productions…
"That's not surprising. Think about how bad the TV dramas and movies have been these past few years. Even my dad hardly ever turns on the TV anymore." Jiang Xiaoman pouted, feeling that the thousands of yuan she had wasted on the TV was not worth it.
Originally, he meant well by being filial. Knowing that his father liked watching TV, he spent several thousand yuan to buy a super-large screen TV after the house was renovated.
Unexpectedly, his dad has now become obsessed with short videos. He keeps his phone on all the time, even just listening to the audio, which he finds more enjoyable than watching TV.
Especially after several well-known domestic opera masters started live streaming on short video platforms, wow! Old man Jiang Youliang wanted to take his phone with him even when he went to work in the fields. Several times, Jiang Xiaoman accidentally touched his phone and the battery got a little hot to the touch!
Even a seasoned TV enthusiast like Jiang Youliang has abandoned his television set, let alone young people like Jiang Xiaoman.
However, I can skip watching TV, but I absolutely must go traveling.
After the "super flu" of a few years ago, the domestic tourism industry once again ushered in a boom period. Major scenic spots, including some film and television bases where you can cosplay characters from different dynasties, are packed with people during holidays!
No wonder Su Yuan's entertainment company has also started to shift its focus and directly invest in film and television bases.
The logic is simple: these film and television bases can not only be rented to various film crews to earn venue fees, but they can also be developed into tourist attractions. Charging entrance fees is secondary; the main money is made from the rental income of the shops inside the tourist attractions!
To put it simply, it's said that in a certain third-tier city in China, the mere existence of a large film and television base has boosted the entire city's GDP...
Jiang Xiaoman had reason to believe that Su Yuan was interested not only in the stone houses in the Laoshan Aozi area, but also in the cooperatives under their name.
The cooperative's offices, supporting factories, and planting bases can all be used as filming locations for rural-themed movies or TV series, without the need for additional money to build outdoor sets... Thinking about it this way, maybe they could actually build a film and television base here?
Chapter 248
When Jiang Cancan left Langshan, Jiang Xiaoman and Shanyan went to City B with them.
This was the first time in his life that he had set foot in the capital of this country. As a country person, no one would be willing to spend several thousand yuan to travel, let alone Jiang Xiaoman who had to save money for Jiang Youliang and Uncle Baichuan's retirement.
However, the reason for coming here with Shan Yan this time was not for fun, but to attend an awards ceremony in City B, and also to meet with Su Yuan's entertainment company to discuss the establishment of a film and television base in Langshan.
There are so many people in the capital. Even though Zhou Mingxing arranged a car to pick them up after they got off the plane, they were stuck in traffic for more than two hours before they finally arrived at the apartment complex where Jiang Cancan rented a place.
"Xiaoman, Shanyan, you can stay here with me for the next few days." Jiang Cancan had the demeanor of an elder; since the younger generation had come to B City, she definitely had to arrange good food and lodging for them!
She even asked her assistant to help her withdraw 10,000 yuan, and gave each of her two "nephews" 5,000 yuan as pocket money.
Jiang Xiaoman accepted it without hesitation.
On the contrary, Shan Yan was a little awkward. He was already so old, why should he accept a red envelope from his aunt?
"Take it, take it! Our little aunt is going to make a lot of money in the future! Once she opens her golden throat, wealth will roll in!" Jiang Xiaoman joked with Jiang Cancan.
This wasn't just something he made up. On the way back, a TV station happened to want to invite Jiang Cancan to some kind of gala. The call went to her agent, and Zhou Mingxing, that money-grubber, immediately quoted a price of 500,000 yuan, and that was for just two songs.
Do you want our CanCan to have more songs?
Sorry, that's a different price...
This person was recommended by a leader through connections.
Jiang Xiaoman had good reason to believe that if other businesses came to discuss commercial performances, the price would probably double.
After all, even some has-been singers can earn tens of millions a year with just one hit song these days. Not to mention Jiang Cancan's heavenly voice, which is extremely rare in the child star circle. With a top agent like Zhou Mingxing personally managing her, it's no wonder that her value is rising steadily.
The next day, Jiang Cancan went to class, while Jiang Xiaoman and Shan Yan were also busy. Since they had come to the capital for the first time, the two rented a car and went to the National Museum of China early in the morning to watch the flag-raising ceremony. Then they climbed the Great Wall. In the evening, after Jiang Cancan finished school, the three of them went to eat the famous Peking duck.
Jiang Cancan, being the clever one, already knew that the most famous roast duck restaurant was actually not very good and was extremely expensive, so she took them to a roast duck restaurant hidden in an alley near her school.
There was a long queue at this shop. Jiang Xiaoman was so clever; she sent Shan Yan to queue for roast duck while she and Jiang Cancan went to a small restaurant next door and ordered a few dishes of old Beijing home-style cooking.
When Shan Yan returned carrying two large boxes of sliced roast duck and side dishes, the ordered dishes were served.