Chapter Sixteen: Sohu’s Renewed Invitation

After the master left, the senior brothers gathered around.

“Are you alright, Mingzi? That Huayi really dared to cause trouble for you. We brothers will definitely stand by your side.”

You’d like to lean toward their side, but would they want you?

“Mingzi’s really making it big now, even starting to talk about film investments. If there’s a suitable role later, don’t forget me—I’m willing to do it for free.”

Big brother, even if you pay me, I’d have to think about it.

“Nothing more to say, Bao Ge’s always here if you need anything.”

Song Xiaobao patted Xu Ming on the shoulder. “Though honestly, I can’t really help much.”

True brothers, even their helplessness is spoken with such righteous confidence.

“Thanks to everyone, really nothing serious. If the sky falls, Master’s got the height to hold it up.”

Xu Ming’s lighthearted words made the brothers chuckle. They often got into trouble themselves and had Master to clean up their messes.

Whether their concern was fake or genuine, he thanked them all.

When that was done, a senior brother with a prominent hooked nose stepped forward. “Mingzi, how much more investment does your film need? If it’s just a few million short, I can cover it.”

Who the hell has time to brag? Among the brothers, is there actually a wealthy one?

After recognizing him, Xu Ming swallowed the word “maybe” back.

There really was one. This guy was the only rich second-generation heir in Benshan Media.

His family was in real estate. He had previously played Dazhuang in “Ma Dashuai,” whose catchphrase “Trouble comes!” had Xu Ming worried for several episodes.

When “Wolf Warrior 2” needed funding, this guy generously invested part of it.

“Fei Ge, not short of funds for now. I appreciate the offer. If I really need help, I’ll surely say so,” Xu Ming said.

“That’s good. Can’t help with much else, but got some lousy cash at home,” Wu Yunfei said.

If only I could joke like that, but Xu Ming’s family really owned just a few acres and some pigs, along with a Chinese rural dog—a mutt.

Days slipped by during rehearsals.

Huayi’s blockade against Xu Ming did have an effect; many film and TV offers were quietly canceled.

But overall, it didn’t affect him at all.

He simply had no time to attend those offers. On the contrary, many TV stations and advertisers were eager to have him at events.

Huayi temporarily dropped the issue, but everyone knew with those two brothers’ temperaments, this wasn’t over.

February was calm in the entertainment circle: actress Li Zi retired to marry; actress Dong Jie and husband Pan Yueming joyfully welcomed a child. It was hard to imagine this golden couple would later fall into bitter disputes.

Amid this peace, the online series “Loser Gentleman 2” was released.

Since the Spring Festival Gala, Xu Ming had rarely appeared, so a new work was a rare event.

Even though it was just an online video, it was enough to shift the bored media and public attention.

Trashy!

Lowbrow!

Over the top!

Criticism came flooding in; people inherently looked down on online videos.

Especially the professional media, who reported that Xu Ming acting in this was a sign of self-degradation.

But none of this stopped “Loser Gentleman 2” from soaring in numbers.

The first episode hit over ten million views within 24 hours; ten episodes surpassed 100 million total views. The phrase “Loser Gentleman 2” topped Baidu’s trending search list for three days straight.

Other online companies envied this fiercely. Sohu’s market value even rose slightly due to the show’s popularity.

Remember, Sohu’s worth billions in dollars, so even a small fluctuation counted.

Suddenly, countless interview requests flooded Benshan Media.

The agency staff were overwhelmed. Previously, their work was light, and everyone hoped to quietly take gigs and pay less to the company.

Who’d have thought Xu Ming alone would generate more work than all the company’s other artists combined?

“I’m smiling proudly…”

The ringtone sounded. Xu Ming took out his phone—he’d switched SIM cards since New Year’s.

Calls only came from close contacts or important partners.

“Teacher Xu, are you busy right now?”

“If you don’t get to the point soon, I might be busy soon.”

“Ahem, here’s the thing: our company hopes you’ll star in the next season of ‘Loser Gentleman 3.’ We can negotiate the pay.”

Clearly, the huge viewership of “Loser Gentleman 2” had Sohu Entertainment well fed—and still wanting more.

“I told you—I won’t act in it again. The rights for continuous filming have already been sold to you,” Xu Ming replied casually.

This season was shot before the Spring Festival Gala; if he did more, TV stations and advertisers would think he lacked class.

It was like the divide between internet celebrities and stars: before live-streaming sales, a star earning from streaming meant they were passé.

“A cameo would be fine. The show lacks soul without you. Also, our company reconsidered investing in the film ‘Love Is Not Blind,’ and we think we can cooperate again,” the Sohu representative said.

Big companies usually deepen cooperation after a smooth initial partnership.

More importantly, winners keep winning.

As long as Xu Ming kept bringing them profits, they’d support him. Once he lost that, they’d be the first to leave.

“Well, a cameo is worth considering,” Xu Ming quickly changed tone.

“But I heard your talks with Huayi broke down. Do you have alternatives for a new partner?” they asked.

Sohu Entertainment had some distribution capability but not enough to handle a whole film—more of a supplementary role.

So a company with solid distribution channels was vital.

Huayi’s strength came from the foundation Feng Xiaogang built, especially in the repeatedly successful New Year’s films.

This year’s release, “If You Are the One,” grossed over 300 million despite being sandwiched by blockbusters like “Red Cliff,” “Ip Man,” and “Forever Enthralled.”

That success made many theaters favor Huayi’s resources.

But later, Huayi offended Wanda, which controlled many theaters, and the consequences were clear.

Even Xiao Wang dared mock Feng Xiaogang on Weibo, and Feng could only respond with mild rebukes.

Xu Ming thought it over. There were few entertainment companies with distribution channels in the country; excluding those tied to Huayi, one choice immediately came to mind.

“How about Orange Sky Entertainment?”