The spacious conference room was finally full again.
During this period, the artists of Chuxin Culture had been working in an orderly manner under the guidance of their respective managers. Even Lu Lian, who had been out of the spotlight for over a year, gradually returned to public view after attending Vic's fashion show.
This was the second group meeting since they had joined the company.
Before Quan Jiu arrived, the artists chatted amongst themselves.
As the currently popular artist, Xing Di naturally received everyone's admiration.
"Big shot Xing, you must be swamped with endorsements and rushing between schedules, right?" Ding Wei put his arm around Xing Di's shoulder, looking envious.
Xing Di pushed him away and joked, "What kind of behavior is it for grown men to hug each other? Get off me."
Unexpectedly, Ding Wei became more enthusiastic and hugged Xing Di tightly, "I saw your movie and realized you're quite handsome. I might consider it."
Xing Di got goosebumps all over and quickly hid beside Lu Lian, asking about Lu Lian's recent situation.
Lu Lian smiled wryly, "With you and Fu Ji as the company's main pillars, I don't know when it will be my turn. I heard you're joining a new film crew soon."
Xing Di chuckled, neither confirming nor denying, and said, "I wouldn't dare speak for others, but our boss will definitely not favor one over the other."
Seeing that he had misunderstood, Lu Lian explained with a smile, "I only have gratitude for the boss. Whatever she arranges is for the best. I'm just starting out, my popularity has waned, and a comeback will definitely take time."
"You are absolutely a great contributor to Heilong's rise. Don't be anxious, you'll be back on top soon," Xing Di comforted him.
Fu Ji, who had been silent, had a somewhat cold expression and kept glancing at his watch. "What exactly are we here for?"
His manager, Meng Long, knowing his temperament, softly advised, "When the boss summons us, there must be important matters to arrange."
As soon as he finished speaking, the conference room door opened. Quan Jiu walked to the front holding her laptop. While the administrative assistant connected the projector, she explained, "I've called everyone here today to arrange next year's work."
Upon hearing about next year's work and the company's arrangements, everyone immediately perked up.
Quan Jiu sat down and opened the first document. "The directors listed here are those we've contacted and confirmed cooperation with for next year."
Everyone looked closely and was astonished. The names on the list were all prominent figures, with excellent reputations in the directing circle. These directors were willing to collaborate?
The artists became somewhat excited. Having directors to collaborate with meant having projects to film and opportunities to join crews.
Fu Ji, while shocked, also showed a hint of doubt. His expression was somewhat indifferent, yet he directly addressed the core issue, "With so many directors, does this mean there's more than one script?"
Quan Jiu nodded and opened a second document. "These are the novels we currently have available for film and television adaptation. There are sixteen in total. Do you know what this means?"
Everyone looked at Quan Jiu in astonishment. To suddenly have sixteen scripts was like stumbling upon a fortune for actors who struggled to find roles.
Moreover, given the boss "Screenwriter Nine's" discerning eye, these scripts were surely not bad. Thinking of the recently popular Xing Di, everyone was envious. Even the cold Fu Ji couldn't hide the flicker in his eyes.
Quan Jiu smiled slightly. "It means that almost all of you will get to play a leading role."
As soon as she said this, the entire conference room fell silent, as if they hadn't processed it yet. After a few breaths, someone exclaimed, and then more and more people shouted in shock, even discussing excitedly amongst themselves.
Everyone is a protagonist.
For the vast majority of these people, their lives were filled with supporting roles, because the protagonists were always those at the top of the company's pyramid.
They had never imagined that even without standing at the pinnacle of the pyramid, they would have the chance to be a protagonist.
Quan Jiu waited for everyone to calm down before continuing, "You are all good actors, and in my eyes, all good actors deserve good scripts.
I have already assigned roles based on your individual characteristics. These scripts haven't been written yet, but you can read the novels first to understand the characters you will be playing."
Seeing that roles were about to be assigned immediately, the artists, who were still in a dream-like state, applauded enthusiastically. Some even took the lead, and soon, the conference room echoed with a unified chant of "Boss is mighty."
Quan Jiu opened a third document and continued after everyone quieted down, " 'The Small Town' is a business war novel with a rural theme. The story takes place in a small town and is about humanity, power, status, and money."
It was a rural theme! The artists were secretly surprised again, falling silent for a moment.
In recent years, rural themes had become niche genres. Only older audiences watched them. Let alone becoming popular, even making a slight splash was considered good. Why would the boss choose such a theme? The artists were filled with doubts.
Quan Jiu's gaze fell on Fu Ji's face. "For the male lead of this drama, my strongest recommendation is Fu Ji."
Fu Ji, who had previously felt uninvolved, suddenly blinked, looking at Quan Jiu in disbelief.
Meng Long was also bewildered. "President Quan, Fu Ji's image..."
"I know. Fu Ji's previous roles were either domineering CEOs or young masters, and his image was monotonous. You should know better than I do that he's living in his comfort zone."
Fu Ji frowned slightly, his face tense, and remained silent.
Meng Long was also silent, unsure how to refute, as Fu Ji indeed lived in his comfort zone. His past roles involved a degree of playing himself, and his character image was indeed monotonous.
"It's mainly because a certain role became popular, and then the subsequent roles offered were of similar images. I also want him to try different roles, but there aren't many scripts available."
"Now there are," Quan Jiu said, pointing her laser pen at 'The Small Town' on the screen. "Although this novel is a rural theme, its core is about conspiracy and calculation, and it's about resisting local forces. Essentially, it's a business war film, and the protagonist is a low-level character who is patient and extremely intelligent.
The charm of this novel lies in the portrayal of humanity among ordinary people in grassroots society, which greatly tests an actor's professional ability. The reason I suggested Fu Ji for this role was to help him transition, because the protagonist is the complete opposite of his noble young master image.
Fu Ji, you are now twenty-nine. If you don't transition, your acting career will be very difficult to advance further. Now is the best time for your transformation. I hope you won't give up such a good script, but I also respect your personal choice. If you are truly unwilling, then I will give this opportunity to someone else."
Fu Ji frowned slightly but did not refuse. "Alright, I'd like to see the script first."
"The script isn't ready yet. I'll be adapting it soon, but you can take the draft to read. I hope you can give me a reply by tomorrow, as I need to discuss cooperation with directors these two days, and I need to finalize the lead actor first."
Fu Ji responded indifferently and fell into his own contemplation.
He hadn't considered transitioning before, but he was currently popular, and transitioning meant taking a risk. If the transition failed, his existing commercial value would be discounted, and his career would definitely be affected.
But if he didn't transition, how much longer would his acting career last? He wasn't sure either.
With these concerns, Fu Ji picked up the draft of 'The Small Town' after the meeting, and for the next four hours, he didn't even move from his seat.
The novel, only 250,000 characters long, told a story set in a small town, but the plot was tight, the story was full of twists and turns, and the dialogues were brilliant, making him finish it in one sitting.
After finishing it, without a second thought, he immediately sent a message to Quan Jiu, "Thank you, boss. I will carefully study the role of 'Xu An'."
Upon seeing the message, Quan Jiu smiled with satisfaction and called Director Guo Wen.