Chapter 564: Handpicked by the Empress Dowager

With Universal Entertainment’s official announcement, Yang Mi and Reba became artists under its management.

Their fans rushed to spread the news, unable to contain their joy.

For years, the fans of both actresses had been suffering under Jiahang.

Someone had finally stepped in and pulled them out of the deep pit that was Jiahang.

And it was a major company that integrated cinema chains, film and television production, and artist management.

Compared to Universal Entertainment, Jiahang was practically a mom-and-pop operation.

As Reba’s and Yang Mi’s Weibo permissions were transferred from Jiahang to Universal Entertainment, the introductions on their respective Weibo homepages were also updated.

Yang Mi V, Contracted Actress at Universal Entertainment. 113 million followers, 642 following, 1.374 billion total interactions (reposts, comments, and likes).

Notable works: *Gong*, *Chinese Paladin 3*, etc.

Dear-Reba V, Contracted Actress at Universal Entertainment. 80.643 million followers, 292 following, 4.295 billion total interactions (reposts, comments, and likes).

Compared to Yang Mi, Reba’s homepage didn’t even have a single respectable work to show for it.

This was also what many of Reba’s fans were most dissatisfied with about Jiahang.

Even though she was also a top-tier star, Yang Zi, whose popularity was far less than Reba’s, had one hit show after another.

Admittedly, part of the reason was that Yang Zi herself was quite good.

But could one say this had nothing to do with Jiahang at all?

As fans began to dig deeper into Universal Entertainment, it was natural that they would start paying attention to the identity of the company’s “top actress.”

Fans in Chinese Entertainment are very sensitive about billing.

If the company’s top actress was Yang Mi, many Alices wouldn’t dare act up.

At the very least, Yang Mi had given Reba her big break, so it was difficult to pick a fight.

‘But what gives Gu Pan the right?’

‘A newcomer who’s just barely gotten popular dares to be ranked above our Reba?’

Gu Pan’s Weibo was instantly swarmed by Reba’s fans.

“Do yourself a favor and get a clue. Give up the top actress spot, and maybe Reba can give you a boost later on.”

“Exactly, a newcomer who’s not even third-tier. How dare she rank ahead of Reba and Sister Mi?”

“I’m not an Alice, but Sister Mi is definitely more qualified to be the top actress. Girl, you’d better get the hint.”

…

Fan behavior, the idol pays the price.

And so, Yang Mi and Reba both called Gu Pan to apologize.

They also cooperated with the company’s PR department to try and placate their fans.

But the results were mediocre at best.

If fans were rational, there wouldn’t be so many infamous instances of them dragging down their stars.

Gu Pan was, indeed, very unhappy.

But she also knew her popularity couldn’t compare to top-tier actresses like Yang Mi and Reba, who had been famous for years.

“Panpan, just focus on your filming. Since Chairman Qi hasn’t said anything, it means neither of them is qualified to take your top actress position.”

The first artist Lin Meishan ever managed was Gu Pan, so naturally, she felt the strongest connection to her.

“Don’t worry, Sister Meishan. Right now, I just want to do a good job filming my scenes.”

Gu Pan smiled; her mindset was actually quite good.

Just as Lin Meishan said, Qi Sheng still doted on her more.

The chefs from his home even took turns coming over to cook for her.

Even Jiang Shuying, who was on the same set, got to experience the treatment of having a three-star Michelin chef attending to her on set.

In the entire production crew, who didn’t know that Gu Pan had a powerful background?

“Sister Meishan, I want to hurry up and finish filming my remaining scenes. Director Zhang’s crew has almost finished setting up; they’re just waiting on me.”

Gu Pan was full of fighting spirit, not wanting to disappoint Qi Sheng and her fans.

Although her fanbase was small, they were trying their best to go head-to-head with Reba’s and Yang Mi’s fans for her sake.

Even if their fighting power was a bit weak, sooner or later their fan base would be on par with Reba’s and the others’.

In terms of looks, figure, acting skills, and resources, she was superior to both Reba and Yang Mi.

‘What I need to do now is lie low and build up my strength.’

Once a few of her hit dramas aired, her popularity would definitely skyrocket!

Seeing Gu Pan adjust her attitude so quickly, Lin Meishan was quite relieved.

Although Gu Pan’s current popularity was only approaching the level of a third-tier actress, with a powerful sponsor like Qi Sheng backing her, it was only a matter of time before she surpassed Reba and Yang Mi.

However, from the company’s perspective, the addition of Reba and Yang Mi was undoubtedly beneficial, with no downsides.

Especially after the two of them attended acting training classes and received high praise from their acting coach. This was a pleasant surprise for Lin Meishan.

Yang Mi was one thing; she’d had her moments of glory in the past.

It’s just that later on, she got busy with cash grabs, and her acting got worse and worse.

But the sheer scale of improvement in Reba’s acting was truly beyond Lin Meishan’s expectations.

The terrible shows Reba had filmed before were something even her own fans couldn’t bear to watch.

Tencent, on the other hand, had sent an invitation to Reba, hoping she would star in *Long Song*.

After reading the script, Lin Meishan immediately rejected Tencent’s invitation.

Adapting a manhua is a huge test of a screenwriter’s skill.

The script Tencent presented was miles worse than the scripts created by their own company’s screenwriting department.

What’s more, this project had been in development since 2015.

In the process, it was accused of distorting history, which led to a flame war between the screenwriter and the director.

Lin Meishan would naturally not let Reba accept such a terrible show that would damage her reputation.

…

Since their management contracts were transferred, this was the first time Yang Mi and Reba had come to report to Universal Entertainment.

“Sister Mi, now this is what you call a big company! They own a whole building in Qiantan, and the artist management department alone takes up two whole floors. It’s so extravagant!”

Reba exclaimed to Yang Mi as she looked at the floor directory.

“Jiahang really is a long way off from Universal Entertainment.”

Yang Mi nodded with a wry smile.

Although she had founded Jiahang herself, she never dreamed she could bring the company to the level of Universal Entertainment.

Possessing multiple business divisions like film and television production, screenwriting, artist management, cinema chains, and distribution, Universal Entertainment was an aircraft carrier-level giant in the Chinese Entertainment industry.

“Go, go, go! I can’t wait to go pick out a script!”

Reba excitedly pulled Yang Mi along, taking the elevator to the floor where the screenwriting department was located.