Chapter Nine: Today's Conflict, Inevitable

If Xu Ming remembered correctly, this film was a collaboration between the Zhao family troupe and Master Zhang Guoshi. It was the so-called extended version of the two-person comic skit, "Three Guns Shocking the Case."

To be honest, the movie’s box office performance was actually quite good—244 million yuan, ranking third in 2009. The top spot went to "The Founding of a Republic," second was "Red Cliff Part II," and right behind "Three Guns Shocking the Case" in fourth place was the critically acclaimed "The Message."

This clearly shows that sometimes the quality of a film has little to do with its box office success. Otherwise, a film like "Fat Girl’s Weight Loss Journey" wouldn’t have grossed 3.4 billion yuan.

For Master Zhang Guoshi, controversy never seems to be lacking around him. His later work "Man Jiang Hong" was also heavily criticized, but given his stature, such storms were hardly worth mentioning.

Xu Ming, however, was different—he had only just risen to fame. Audiences were familiar with him but didn’t truly understand him. The first year was all about the public labeling him, and every event he attended or project he joined wore down his buzz.

"Three Guns Shocking the Case," frankly, was just a way to capitalize on the popularity of "No Worries." He, Yadan, and even their master were all being exploited for their fame.

But if the audience found the movie unwatchable and immediately blamed Xu Ming, once the label of a bad actor was stuck on him, it would take a long time to pay off that debt.

In a past life, Xiao Shenyang gradually faded into obscurity because he squandered his popularity. Take Dapeng, for example—after filming "Pancake Man," he spent years trying to repair his reputation.

Domestic audiences are extremely forgiving of stars, but once that line is crossed, they can be merciless in abandonment.

Having witnessed the pitfalls his predecessors fell into, Xu Ming naturally wanted to handle every project with utmost caution.

Yet, facing his master’s gaze, he couldn’t refuse. Instead, he wore an excited expression: "Thank you to the media for this opportunity. I will seize it and not embarrass you, Master."

After all, that was Master Zhang Guoshi. Even bad films had plenty of actors clamoring to be involved.

Xu Ming comforted himself that "Three Guns" was not a bad film—at worst, its style was somewhat disjointed. At most, he could give up his scenes, not stand out too much.

That way, the audience wouldn’t focus all their criticism solely on him.

“Listen carefully. This isn’t just about acting for me; you have to perform well for yourself too. The film industry isn’t easy to break into—your master still hasn’t fully made it,” Uncle Benshan said.

Of course, he was speaking from his own position. Compared to his status in the skit world, his achievements in film were modest but not insignificant.

In 1997, "Male and Female Directors" earned him both the Huabiao and Hundred Flowers Best Actor awards, and in 2007, "Falling Leaves Return to Roots" was nominated for Best Actor at the Golden Horse Awards.

Still, his box office appeal was lacking.

Others were full of envy and still had to compete; Xu Ming was practically guaranteed success.

Being popular is truly a thrill.

“There’s one more thing. This year, the media is organizing a nationwide tour for you, tentatively titled ‘2009 Xu Ming’s Comedy Tour Across China.’ The first stop is set for March 6th in the capital. You need to finalize the program in the next few days,” Liu Shuangping said.

He treated it as routine notification, offering no further explanation and intending to move on.

“Wait, I don’t quite understand what this nationwide tour means,” Xu Ming interrupted, raising his hand.

“You might not fully grasp your current popularity. Audiences throughout the country got to know you through the Spring Festival Gala. They’re eager to connect with you, so the media is launching this tour to give back to the fans,” Liu Shuangping explained patiently.

“Plus, part of the ticket revenue from each show will be given to you as a bonus,” he added.

All artists under Benshan Media receive salaries plus bonuses. Performance fees must be handed over to the company, which then redistributes the earnings.

This was why Xiao Shenyang had previously gone on commercial gigs without informing Uncle Benshan.

When you make money, the company takes a large share.

Xu Ming was clearly the media’s new cash cow.

In a past life, the rumors of a fallout between Xiao Shenyang and his master were connected to this nationwide tour alone. The tour’s income reached 260 million yuan, not counting endorsements and commercial performances.

“This isn’t about whether or not I want the bonus. I think the company has problems with how they plan our careers,” Xu Ming said firmly.

He couldn’t just say he disliked the small share of money since there was much to do; he had to find another angle to refuse.

“What problems?” Liu Shuangping’s eyelid twitched.

He suddenly felt that usually obedient and sensible Xu Ming was showing signs of slipping beyond his control.

“Too much focus on offline markets. Your master has so many apprentices but they’re all confined to the Northeast’s three provinces. I think this limits us. How many audiences can two-person comic skits really attract? Nowadays, everyone watches TV and the internet,” Xu Ming said, turning to Uncle Benshan.

“If your master didn’t appear on the Spring Festival Gala, would his influence reach the whole country? Would his fame be so high? Without ‘Country Love,’ would senior brothers Liu Xiaoguang and Wang Xiaoli be as famous as they are now?”

His three questions not only stumped Liu Shuangping but also stirred his fellow brothers.

Who wants to toil miserably on stage all the time?

Who doesn’t want to shine brightly on television?

Xu Ming’s words truly struck a chord; no one wanted to be the company’s cash cow. They had their own ideas too.

They just lacked the courage to speak out before. Now that Xu Ming was leading the charge, they nodded in support.

“Xu Ming’s right. Look at Wei San from Jilin—he became famous through videotapes. We need to keep up with the times.”

“I agree with our junior brother. Society is changing, and so must we.”

“The media surely has its reasons, but I think Xu Ming is simply refusing to obey company orders.”

The room erupted into heated debate, sounding more like a bustling marketplace.

Some even got angry and cursed foully; after all, these two-person skit actors varied widely in manners.

Bang!

“What’s all this noise? Am I invisible?” Uncle Benshan slammed the table, instantly silencing the room.

He shot a sharp, bright gaze at Xu Ming, unreadable in expression: “You think Director Liu’s plan is flawed. Tell me your thoughts.”

Faced with his master’s eyes, Xu Ming’s heart tightened. He knew this was his greatest test today.

Though his master was usually gentle, if he hit a nerve, the “Northeast King” nickname was no joke.

He could have backed down, biding his time to negotiate with the company later, but talent and popularity are perishable.

If he wanted to rise to the top, this battle was unavoidable today.