While strength is indeed important, capital and connections are equally crucial.
Jiang Ling understood that with her own efforts, she could at most curb the rampant chaos caused by celebrity traffic; she could not shake the foundations of capital.
Since she couldn't beat them, she might as well join them.
Jiang Ling did not want to have acted in so many classic dramas only to end up without a single award, which would be a laughingstock.
Signing a contract was necessary, as it was always better to have a strong backing. However, she would not sign just any contract.
Entertainment industry artist contracts were filled with restrictions and all sorts of predatory clauses. A single misstep could lead to falling into a trap.
The artist contract that best met her expectations was a Platinum Deal. When Ge Ying, the vice president of Liuyun Media, had approached her previously, she had also mentioned this super contract. Unfortunately, neither party could persuade the other.
More than a year later, her popularity had soared again, the roles she played were increasingly well-received, and her commercial value had multiplied several times over.
With her current popularity, buzz, and deeply ingrained exquisite acting skills, securing a Platinum Deal should not be particularly difficult.
Huiyao, Miaofeng, Liuyun, and Feixing each sent representatives to contact Sister Sa, wanting to sign Jiang Ling.
Of the five major entertainment giants, only Huohua Media had not made a move.
A flood of netizens and media outlets were speculating whether Huohua Media truly disdained Jiang Ling and refused to swallow their pride to bring her back.
After all, Jiang Ling was a top-tier star initially cultivated by Huohua Media. Their breakup had been so unceremonious; it was not easy to win someone back now.
In fact, it wasn't just the netizens; there was also much debate within Huohua Media.
The senior management was divided into two factions: one advocated for inviting Jiang Ling back, while the other vehemently opposed it.
Among the artists under Huohua Media, apart from a very small number who had conflicts with Jiang Ling, most urged the management to invite her back.
Everyone knew that among the major entertainment agencies, excluding Platinum Deals, the highest tier was reserved for top-tier artists.
However, they were unaware that top-tier artists were also divided into two categories.
One category consisted of top-tier stars who pursued traffic and popularity, while the other comprised dedicated actors who honed their skills with talent and superb acting.
The former had the highest commercial value; a few endorsement deals could bring in hundreds of millions in income. However, their peak popularity was often short-lived, and they were prone to scandals.
The latter generated less revenue, sometimes not even a tenth of that of young traffic idols. However, they benefited from stability and a steady, long-term career, and were not easily involved in scandals.
Traffic stars represented the facade, while skilled actors were the substance. Together, they formed the company's image and foundation.
Traffic stars excessively pursued popularity and were engrossed in traffic hype and quick money, leaving them no time to improve themselves and making it difficult to transition into skilled actors.
Skilled actors often lacked innate advantages or good looks, forcing them to focus more on their acting.
It could be said that these two types of top-tier artists each had their own strengths and weaknesses.
Those who truly possessed excellent looks, popularity, and acting skills were extremely rare, like having the best of both worlds, but being unable to attain both.
Due to their scarcity, such artists were highly valued, and their worth skyrocketed.
These artists possessed an ability that other top-tier stars and skilled actors lacked: the ability to lead multiple others.
This "leading multiple others" was akin to Hermès bags.
Men loved watches, and women loved bags, hence the saying that bags could cure all ailments.
Among Hermès bags, the most precious and difficult to obtain were the "Big Three" kings: BkC.