Chapter 54

Li Boda spent a frenzied period performing at commercial events, raking in a staggering amount of money. By 2003, the figure in his bank account had already hit seven digits. It was only then that he realized that for an actor—or rather, a celebrity—the real money wasn't in acting. Acting fees were fixed and limited; the real money was in commercial appearances. As long as you were thick-skinned enough, it didn't matter if it was a store opening, a wedding, or a funeral—red events or white—as long as you kept at it, the money would flow into your bank account like water. It was far more lucrative than acting. Of course, it was also a form of "quick cash." Initially, Li Boda earned forty or fifty thousand yuan per appearance, but as time went on and he did more, the novelty wore off, and his fee dropped to ten or twenty thousand. Although ten or twenty thousand was still a decent sum, it was a clear decline in his market value. Furthermore, Sister Wang mentioned that the company had a new project in the pipeline, so Li Boda had to regretfully wrap up his streak of commercial appearances. "Sister Wang, what is the company's new project?" Li Boda asked cheerfully. As the balance in his bank account grew, his mood improved right along with it.