Celebrity PR Chapter 3 Part 1

Chapter 3  

Rong Junxian saw Bai Weiming speak so seriously and asked, "What is it?"  

"The price on the contract only covers ordinary image maintenance. Securing a role counts as an additional service, so extra commission is required. I’ve already coordinated and signed an agreement with your agent, Yu Zhiwu, regarding this matter." Bai Weiming’s tone was mechanical. "This time, the commission is 10% of your acting fee."  

Rong Junxian’s eyes widened. "10%?? My agent takes a cut, fine! But you too?"  

"Yes." Bai Weiming nodded frankly. "But I think this price is very reasonable."  

Rong Junxian was stunned by Bai Weiming’s unapologetic attitude. "You—"  

"After all, if you’re unwilling, we can always let Yang Shuxi play Zeng Fan instead."  

Hearing this, Rong Junxian immediately became displeased and said, "If the agency has already agreed, what can I do?" At the end of the day, Rong Junxian was still an actor who hadn’t landed a role in two years.  

Bai Weiming seemed to have expected Rong Junxian’s compliance and said, "Then I wish you success with this production."  

"Thank you." Rong Junxian nodded, then asked curiously, "But wasn’t the director set on Yang Shuxi? How did he change his mind?"  

Instead of answering directly, Bai Weiming asked him, "Who do you think holds the most authority in the entire The Empress’s Harem: The Legend of Zeng Fan production team?"  

"Generally, isn’t the director the one in charge?"  

"Are you sure? This director is relatively young and not very well-known, so he doesn’t have full control over the production."  

Rong Junxian thought for a moment. "True. Then the producer? The investors?"  

Bai Weiming nodded. "You’re right. The Legend of Zeng Fan’s producer, head screenwriter, and the boss of the production company are the same person. So, this individual holds the most influence."  

A name immediately flashed in Rong Junxian’s mind. "The head screenwriter is… the renowned screenwriter Chen Libing?"  

"Yes. Though he became famous as a screenwriter, he has now established his own production company and is essentially a capitalist. He rarely writes scripts himself these days. Though credited as 'head screenwriter,' he’s just lending his name to this project. Still, as the boss, Chen Libing holds significant sway in all aspects."  

"If that’s the case, why wasn’t he present at the audition?" Rong Junxian asked.  

Bai Weiming had already grasped the situation thoroughly. "Because he isn’t just responsible for The Legend of Zeng Fan, he oversees multiple projects for the company. Recently, he was hospitalized and is stretched thin, so he couldn’t attend the casting session. Even so, the director still sends him the final audition tapes. No role can be confirmed without his approval."  

Rong Junxian found this unbelievable. "That’s ridiculous. Could a tape of Yang Shuxi stumbling repeatedly and fumbling his lines really impress Chen Libing?"  

"Don’t you get it?" Bai Weiming continued to explain. "The director definitely wouldn’t send Chen Libing that tape."  

Rong Junxian finally understood. "So, Yang Shuxi privately recorded multiple takes? And the director sent Chen Libing only his best performance?"  

"Not only that, the director didn’t send Chen Libing your audition tape at all."  

Hearing this, Rong Junxian flew into a rage. "That’s too much!"  

"You should be happy, actually." Bai Weiming spoke in a soothing tone. "It proves you’re too outstanding. A single take of your performance far surpassed Yang Shuxi and the director’s combined efforts after a hundred rehearsals."  

Rong Junxian was somewhat pleased by these words but pretended not to care. "Far surpass him? Why should I be happy about that? Isn’t that just expected?"  

Bai Weiming smiled and nodded. "Indeed."  

Rong Junxian thought of something else and frowned. "Then how did you solve this problem?"  

"It was very simple." Bai Weiming replied. "All I had to do was get your audition tape in front of Chen Libing. I trusted he would make his own judgment."  

Rong Junxian was surprised. "That does sound simple… but how did you know Chen Libing was hospitalized in the first place? How did you find out about the director’s ‘cheating’? And how did you get the video to Chen Libing?"  

"Because I paid close attention to this production. I spent money to gather information and bribed three assistants and one casting director. Once they took the money, they got things done." Bai Weiming answered. "As I said, 99% of problems are money problems."  

Rong Junxian was enlightened. After a pause, he said, "You really don’t mind spending money."  

"You’re welcome." Bai Weiming replied. "This was deducted from the PR budget, meaning it wasn’t my money, so of course I didn’t mind."  

At first, when the agency assigned such an arrogant PR manager, Rong Junxian wasn’t convinced. But now, he was fully persuaded. Bai Weiming was extremely reliable.  

Before long, the production team notified Rong Junxian that he would play Zeng Fan. The following procedures went smoothly: contract signing, scheduling, costume fittings, finalizing the look, joining the crew…  

When Rong Junxian joined the set, Yu Zhiwu and the others were overjoyed, chanting "Amitabha Buddha" repeatedly. Yu Zhiwu hung eight protective charms on Rong Junxian’s luggage.  

Rong Junxian laughed helplessly. "Looks like you’ve visited every temple within a hundred-mile radius! Won’t the Bodhisattva blame you for being fickle?"  

Yu Zhiwu said, "Amitabha! There’s no harm in being extra polite!"  

Rong Junxian’s first scene on set was with Yang Shuxi.  

Though Yang Shuxi lost the role of Zeng Fan, with the director’s help, he still secured a major supporting role. This character was called "Consort Fa," a domineering favorite who bullied others. Rong Junxian’s Zeng Fan suffered under his oppression upon entering the palace.  

Their first scene together was Consort Fa slapping Zeng Fan.  

Before filming, Yang Shuxi cracked his knuckles like a gangster preparing for a fight, smiling as he said, "Ah, the director insists on a real slap! I can’t help it!"  

Though Rong Junxian was angry, considering professionalism, he could only reply, "It’s fine, go ahead. For the sake of the scene, it doesn’t matter."  

The director said, "Let’s do a rehearsal first—Action!"  

At this cue, Rong Junxian immediately got into character, looking pitifully at Yang Shuxi.