On the other side, Qin Yuezhang completely failed to notice that there were other Chinese actors present at the venue.
He lit a cigarette, squinted toward the distant spectator stands, and asked, "Where will Director Tanis be sitting later?"
"That position over there."
The person in charge pointed in a general direction.
"Then arrange a few seats closer to him for me."
"The only positions currently near him are these front row seats right beside him," the person in charge said. "Those seats have already been reserved in advance by them, so there's nothing I can do about it."
"That works too." Qin Yuezhang bit his cigarette carelessly and said, "I'll count on you to help make the introduction later then."
"Mm, that shouldn't be a problem."
The person in charge nodded: "But I can't guarantee who Director Tanis's final choice will be."
"That's fine too."
Qin Yuezhang readily agreed.
After the person in charge left, Qin Yuezhang's agent Wen Qi walked over, his gaze scanning the surroundings of the spectator stands as he said to Qin Yuezhang, "The Old Master came specifically for casting this time and will be paying more attention to the drivers. Are you sure you don't want to appear as a gentleman driver?"
"That last car accident almost injured me, I can't be bothered to participate again."
Qin Yuezhang crossed his arms, speaking very lazily.
"This endurance race lasts three full hours. If Director Tanis gets distracted for even a moment, he might not notice me at all. That would be such a poor return on investment."
Wen Qi frowned slightly but also nodded in agreement: "That's true too. These sports do carry risks after all, and ensuring safety should be the priority."
"Have all the Asian participants in this competition been confirmed?"
Qin Yuezhang adjusted the sunglasses on his face, "Are there any others who might have caught wind of this?"
"None." Wen Qi shook his head, "Don't worry, currently no one else domestically knows about this matter."
"Good then, I won't allow myself to fail."
A confident smile spread across Qin Yuezhang's face.
...
Meanwhile, among domestic fan groups, heated discussions were brewing.
[Rumor has it that Brother Xiao is currently in Italy preparing to participate in a competition there, while also promoting the overseas release of "Law of the Jungle."]
[Ah? Really? What kind of competition? What time does it start? Where can we watch it?]
[I don't know the details either, but their studio posted a message wishing their boss smooth sailing in the competition. If you don't believe me, go check Weibo.]
[It's true! Judging by the helmet in the picture, it might be car racing.]
[Wow, what else about Brother Xiao does Your Majesty not know?]
[Hahaha, I can finally attend an offline event! I'm in Italy! Already planning to go to the venue tomorrow.]
[Hehe, I've already contacted friends studying in Italy and demanded they must go to the venue to take photos.]
[But Brother Xiao is really so low-key about this. He hasn't made a big deal about it at all. If it were anyone else, they'd probably be promoting it like crazy by now.]
[To be honest, Brother Xiao has always been quite low-key.]
[Being low-key is good, but fans are waiting with bated eyes! When can we see Brother Xiao again?]
[It's fine, just wait a bit longer. Next month is the White Magnolia Awards. I think Brother Xiao's Meng Zetian has a high probability of making the nomination list, and he'll definitely return to China for that.]
[Wow, time flies so fast. It's already White Magnolia season again.]
[Yes, last White Magnolia Awards Brother Xiao didn't have any works to participate with, but now he has box office success under his belt! So happy!]
The White Magnolia Awards, also known as the Shanghai Television Festival White Magnolia Awards, are jointly organized by several official bodies. They are China's only internationally recognized television awards and carry significant weight within the entire industry, representing awards with relatively high recognition within the professional community.
Typically held every June, the White Magnolia Awards evaluate outstanding works from the previous full year and cover outstanding personnel across the entire industry chain including directors, screenwriters, and performances. Among these, the evaluation criteria for actors are particularly stringent.
"Starry Radiance" was considered a hit last year and falls under the serious drama genre. This type of television series is most likely to make the nomination list and most likely to win awards.
Many people have already speculated that Zhang Mo, who played the male lead in "Starry Radiance," has a high probability of winning another Best Actor award this time.
As for the other roles in "Starry Radiance," Su Shengxi has already left the industry. The only one who could be nominated for Best Supporting Actor would be Xiao He, since Xiao He's performance in the drama was evident to all, and there wouldn't be much controversy about him making the nomination list.
As for whether he can actually win the award, that's another matter entirely. As a newcomer, fans don't hold such high expectations for him.
Just as fans were researching this matter, Liu Rulan, who had returned to Shanghai, was also discussing it with He Wenming.
Speaking of which, this was the first time the two gold-medal agents had sat down face-to-face to discuss their respective artists' situations.
"If Xiao He only gets nominated for his role as Meng Zetian, there shouldn't be any problem at all. But winning Best Supporting Actor would probably be very difficult."
Liu Rulan analyzed rationally.
"His character's identity is somewhat sensitive after all."
Plus, he lacks seniority.
"If we really want to compete for it, it's not impossible." He Wenming adjusted his glasses, his tone calm, "There are five main judges this time. I know two of them and can help make some connections."
But Liu Rulan immediately shook her head: "I've heard the judges' evaluation standards will be particularly strict this time. I don't think it's necessary to take risks by going against the current."
In recent years, the White Magnolia Awards had encountered several public opinion crises that seriously affected their credibility. It's only in the last few years that they've slowly recovered and reestablished public trust.
Liu Rulan felt that trying to pull strings might backfire.
Moreover, forcibly obtained awards would only attract criticism and suspicion from many people. Xiao He's Meng Zetian had already faced a wave of online criticism before. If he stood out because of this role again, it might seriously affect his reputation.
Currently, Xiao He has quite good public appeal. Liu Rulan felt this award wasn't something he absolutely had to win right now.
"That's true too."
He Wenming agreed with Liu Rulan's thinking, while also feeling somewhat emotional: "Even with these awards now, they're not as useful as they used to be. They still can't make you as famous as traffic artists."
Though ironic, this was reality.
Even if you win awards, if your traffic isn't as good as others and your commercial value isn't as high, most directors and production teams will still turn to choose actors with better traffic rather than truly skilled performers.
Sometimes it's really quite laughable - not only has education been devalued, but even these awards have followed suit in devaluation.
Liu Rulan smiled helplessly: "Are we really discussing such problems now?"
To say something in a Versailles-style humblebrag, they're both considered among the most successful in the industry now, yet they still need to discuss such issues...
"No choice." He Wenming shrugged helplessly, "Recently, while working with Shu Han on his film, I've been having some small reflections."
He Jinnian has been famous for a long time, with both traffic and skill. While Shu Han has acting ability, he went abroad too early and missed the era when traffic rose and monetized. So now that he's returned, others don't treat Shu Han as well as they treat He Jinnian. Consequently, He Wenming hasn't found handling various situations inside and outside the production team as easy as before.
"What? Encountered some young master or little princess?"
Liu Rulan instantly understood He Wenming's troubles immediately.
This was the advantage of both being agents - they could instantly comprehend each other's headaches.
"Just encountered someone trying to steal a role, that's all."
He Wenming sighed.
"Need help?"
"That won't be necessary. The connections I have left in Shanghai should be sufficient." He Wenming looked at Liu Rulan, a hint of envy in his voice, "Your artist really saves you a lot of worry."
Roles keep coming one after another, and he hasn't attracted any troublesome rivals. Even though there was once a targeted Su Shengxi, he's long since disappeared from the entertainment industry.
Liu Rulan also showed a proud smile: "Yes, my artist doesn't really cause trouble."