Chapter 45 stills released

Zhou Zongyun swallowed the popsicle in his hand in a few bites and said quickly, "President Fang, I told you about this before. When Yan Huai was injured in the car accident, three people came to visit us at the hospital."

“This bald man is one of them. I recognized him as soon as I looked at his eyes. Six or seven years ago, his hair wasn’t this white, but he was almost bald.”

Fang Zhuo looked at the two people who had already reached the corner in the distance, turned around and patted Zhou Zongyun on the shoulder: "Thank you for your hard work, I understand."

"I've transferred one million to you. I've arranged a minor role for you and Yu Yu in the new movie. Take Cen Yanhuai on a tour of the main planet these next couple of days and help him relax."

Zhou Zongyun hadn't expected to achieve such great results with just a few words, so he quickly straightened his back and made a fist-and-palm gesture: "It's no trouble at all, just serving the boss."

Even after Mr. Fang's figure disappeared at the end of the corridor, Zhou Zongyun was still looking at his bank account balance and chuckling to himself.

As expected, what's shown in short videos is true; you really can pick up money by walking next to big bosses. Big platforms really do offer more opportunities.

I will never criticize short video bloggers for their idiotic storylines again, when they are filming such realistic content.

Zhou Zongyun straightened his back. No matter how exaggerated the plot of those videos was, it was just his daily work routine.

The two people in front of him were already standing at the bar of the coffee shop. Fang Zhuo opened his personal terminal and sent a message to Ning Li:

[Has Tian Linzhong visited your studio before?]

Judging from the time he left, Ning Li should have been sleeping, but she replied quickly: [Damn, Mr. Fang, you love gossip too?]

[Just woke up. I drank too many energy drinks and couldn't sleep well. I have to say something. That bald guy in Tian Linzhong has been chasing Sister Liang for over ten years, from before she got married until their divorce.]

[That old man and Sister Liang standing together look like they're from different generations; he makes her look like a stunning beauty. I don't understand why Liang Xinyuan would give him a chance... Maybe that bald old man has some kind of personal charm. We in the studio all guess Sister Liang has a bit of a fetish for ugly people.]

[However, apart from Sister Liang's friends and our studio staff, very few people in the industry know about this gossip. Mr. Fang, how did you find out?]

Liang Xinyuan seemed a little embarrassed by him, and almost never stood next to the old man in public. She was very cautious, afraid of getting involved with the bald old man in public. After each date, she would spray herself with cologne like crazy, afraid of absorbing the smell of an old man.

Fang Zhuo: [...Okay, that's enough. No need to go into so much detail. Go to sleep.]

Perhaps due to her professional skills as a screenwriter, Ning Li's descriptions are very vivid.

When Fang Zhuo looked at Tian Linzhong again, he had to put a lot of effort into controlling his expression.

He's not a professional actor and doesn't have the ability to manage his facial expressions well, so he can only pretend to cough while drinking coffee to cover up his embarrassment.

Just as Tian Lin cast a second questioning glance at him, Zhang Kaigang arrived at the company entrance. Fang Zhuo finally took the opportunity of exchanging pleasantries to leave the coffee table, only to be met with an even more perplexed look from Zhang Kaigang at the doorway:

"What's going on? Why is Tian Linzhong here signing a contract? Is your new project going to have two directors?"

Zhang Kaigang's tone was somewhat sarcastic: "But I have to remind you, Director Tian isn't very good at period dramas. He was famous for directing modern mother-in-law and daughter-in-law dramas before."

As usual, Fang Zhuo sent the shooting contract to the other party and denied it, saying, "It has nothing to do with the new project. He applied for the job at Giant Entertainment on his own initiative... By the way, has he had any scandals before? Even gossip is fine."

Competition among directors at all levels of Xingyu is fierce. The final product is not only a test of professional skills, but also a reflection of each director's network. Some old secrets may only be known to colleagues.

After signing the contract in large sums, Zhang Kaigang stood to one side with his arms crossed.

In psychology, this is a slightly defensive stance.

After a long pause, perhaps considering the value of these three substantial contracts, Zhang Kaigang finally decided to keep it brief:

“Years ago, a new screenwriter posted on his WeChat Moments accusing Director Tian of plagiarizing his script. Later, both sides posted their creation timelines, and the matter gradually faded away.”

"What's strange is that a few months later, the new screenwriter drowned unexpectedly, and then Director Tian signed with Xinghan Media... Isn't that amazing? Director Tian and Ruan Zihan have an amazing eye for choosing dramas, and they make such hit dramas every time."

"Rumors circulate in the industry that they secretly keep unclean things, possibly related to metaphysics, but I can't say for sure."

"Mr. Fang, this is a topic that's not convenient to discuss in detail. If we weren't close, I wouldn't have brought this up with you. If you're also interested in buying something, I can't offer any advice on that."

Fang Zhuo remained silent for a long time after hearing this.

Through different people's perspectives, he gradually pieced together a complete story.

The person who is truly connected to Xinghan Media is not Liang Xinyuan, but Tian Linzhong.

Perhaps Tian Linzhong hadn't been greedy when he was first reborn, but once he started to think about appropriating other people's hard work, it was only a matter of time before Ruan Zihan noticed him and set his sights on him.

Perhaps through threats, or perhaps through tacit understanding, the three of them formed a united front by sharing dirty secrets.

By crushing the flesh and blood of others, these drained and crushed bones eventually form the path to their so-called genius.

As for Liang Xinyuan, she is nothing more than a clever and opportunistic scavenger, whose only similarity to the others is their equally insidious methods.

After talking with Zhang Kaigang, Fang Zhuo did not return to that disgusting coffee table, but went straight back to his office and had the legal department draft a new contract.

Stepping out of the Giant Entertainment headquarters building, the ever-warm sunlight of Star 399 bathed Tian Linzhong. He opened the agency contract in his email, put on his reading glasses, and looked at the compensation section several times, utterly satisfied.

I had heard that Giant Entertainment had a generous revenue-sharing ratio, and seeing it now, it certainly lives up to its reputation.

The contract not only stipulated a 60 million yuan film salary for the domestic drama, but also a guaranteed monthly salary of 100,000 yuan, which is much better than Xinghan's.

However, things didn't go as planned. He originally only wanted to sign a semi-affiliated cooperation contract with Juyu, but the one they sent was almost identical to the one an artist would sign.

The terms and conditions stipulated that Party A had an astonishingly large scope of authority, a contract term of up to ten years, and a very high penalty for breach of contract. It was the kind of unscrupulous contract commonly seen in the industry that targeted artists.

But then again, the offer is indeed tempting.

If he weren't afraid of his relationship with Xinghan being discovered, he would have signed the contract without hesitation.

"Sign it, why wouldn't you sign it? Isn't it just because you're worried about the penalty for breach of contract? If it really gets exposed, I'll pay the penalty for you."

Ruan Zihan took the cold hallucinogen from the refrigerator in the storage room and skillfully injected it into a vein in his neck.

His fingers controlled the syringe, pushing and pulling it back and forth, until the familiar feeling of soaring took over his mind again. Only then did he let out a long, satisfied sigh and collapse onto the sofa.

"The penalty for breach of contract is only 100 million. The contract states that your salary for one movie is 60 million. Earning it back will be a piece of cake."

"Besides, I'm about to join the production team. Even as the second lead, I'll be getting a salary of over 40 million. How could I possibly not be able to afford your breach of contract penalty?"

After hearing Ruan Zihan's confident assurance, Tian Linzhong no longer hesitated.

Looking at the exorbitant salary and attractive benefits stipulated in the contract, he signed his name with practiced ease.

Chi Yingying leaned against the door, took a puff of smoke into her lungs, and then mocked, "Director Tian, ​​you haven't seen Brother Ruan in a long time, have you? He's almost bankrupt. You actually believe what that hallucinogen-infested drug addict says."

Tian Linzhong's face froze instantly. Before he could question Ruan Zihan, a huge roar erupted from inside the room.

The new hallucinogen turned Ruan Zihan's eyes bloodshot, and he almost uncontrollably recalled his experiences over the past few days—

Instead of the expected turnaround, "This Young Master is a Professional" saw its performance decline day by day, eventually settling at 690,000 in revenue, a figure that has almost stopped rising since this morning.

In contrast, Giant Entertainment's short drama even received praise from official media, dominating trending topics from the moment it was released, and the lead actors gained recognition in the mainstream Chinese entertainment industry.

He was not satisfied; he was not satisfied with this outcome.

Why can everyone do it, but he's the only one who can't?

Ruan Zihan closed his eyes, and all that flashed before his eyes were scenes of his past life where the media deliberately placed his photos together with Cen Yanhuai, and the comments below were shocking...

He paid a heavy price and endured countless hardships along the way. Why should someone else's success come so easily?

Cen Yanhuai's face was almost identical to his previous life, only now his timid and submissive expression was laughable.

Ruan Zihan's fingers gradually clenched. If he weren't short of funds, the smear campaign alone would have been enough to send that person back to that remote, desolate planet.

It seems like every time it's just a little short, and this time it's just a matter of a few hundred thousand in online marketing costs... Thinking about the meager balance left in her account, Chi Yingying's few words completely became the focus of the conflict.

Her eyes suddenly became bloodshot, and a whole box of hallucinogenic needles were thrown at the doorway, their sharpness leaving a bloody mark on Chi Yingying's calf.

"Get lost, Chi Yingying. I'm warning you, don't glare at me like that. Who was it that knelt down in the casino's VIP room last time, begging me to help pay off their gambling debts?"

"You think you're the only good person in the whole world, the only one who's clear-headed? Don't dream. We're all in the same boat. If Xinghan explodes, we'll all die."

Ruan Zihan, expressionless, immediately received a second injection of hallucinogens—he still had a chance to turn things around. During the prime time of the Founding of the Nation Festival, he not only starred as the second lead in the film "About Love," but was also the third largest investor in the film.

In his previous life, "About Love" was the box office champion of this period, and Fang Zhuo's new project, which was being prepared in a rush, had Tian Linzhong's reverse support, so it seemed that his side had a greater chance of winning.

Their financial positions have completely reversed, and sometimes all it takes is a movie release date.

By then, he will not only be able to permanently nail Cen Yanhuai to the wedding ceremony on a remote star, but also cause Juyu to suffer a severe financial loss.

Chi Yingying sneered, examining the wound on her leg while holding a cigarette: "Did you get hit where it hurts? What's wrong with admitting you don't have money? What are you pretending for? You're such a hypocrite."

She stared at Ruan Zihan, who was lying on the sofa not far away, enjoying the hallucinogenic high. She casually took off one of her high heels and smashed it hard against the sofa: "If anyone's going to die, it'll be you first."

With a muffled thud, a dent appeared on the sofa.

A thick stack of documents was placed on the sofa. The folders, in different colors, contained basic information and color pictures sent by different film and television stars from the Star Federation.

"Why is it so difficult to choose a location? What's the new script about? Can you forward it to me? I'll take a look too."

Deng Jiaqiang sat casually on the sofa, reading the script and chatting idly: "How come that director signed the contract so quickly at noon? His appearance was not very pleasant. I was originally planning to have a cup of coffee and send him away."

Fang Zhuo didn't even look up, and sent another message to Jiang Yu, asking her to collect information on suitable tourist stars as well.

With no outsiders around, Fang Zhuo said calmly, "Your intuition is very accurate; Director Tian's loyalty is only 15."

"Wow, you still dared to sign? You're so skilled and daring?"

After quickly reviewing the data on his personal terminal, Fang Zhuo selected two tourist destinations, patted Deng Jiaqiang on the shoulder, and explained:

“Give Director Tian a lesson and tell him what a real capitalist is.”

Unlike the film ecosystem on Earth, due to the advanced technology of the Star Federation, the average movie ticket price has been reduced to around 25 yuan, while the number of moviegoers and the overall market have expanded.

The highest-grossing film in history has reached over 30 billion yuan, while the record for the highest-grossing film during the Founding of the People's Republic of China holiday was 23.5 billion yuan seven years ago.

Although the 23.5 billion yuan box office champion of this single period was the result of three re-releases and extended key releases, the film still earned nearly 7 billion yuan during the more than 20-day holiday period.

Fang Zhuo's current tenfold return is purely from consumer spending. If the movie is a minor success, he could easily earn tens of billions in returns within a single release period.

Unlike short dramas, which are often lighthearted and frivolous, movies are the real money-printing machines in this highly developed entertainment society.

Qiao Ankuang's background music for "Card Making" has become a minor hit, and with the copyright fees for the song, Fang Zhuo now has a cash balance of 8.3 billion yuan.

After working on it for over a month, he had finally saved enough to enter the film market, and he certainly wouldn't skimp on small expenses like venue fees.

Star 27 is not among the famous film and television stars of the Star Federation, but it is a top 20 popular tourist destination.

The vegetation here is extremely dense, and the hot and humid environment is ideal for the growth of large tropical plants; the entire planet is covered by tropical rainforests. It boasts a unique ecological environment and many distinctive plant species, with large-leaved plants often reaching heights of over ten meters.

Walking through the rainforest open to tourists often gives one a sensory inversion, as if they have stumbled into a land of giants.

Although Star 27 lacks ancient architectural settings, it fits perfectly with the plant mutation background in the later part of the story.

Having heard that Fang Zhuo was coming, the minister of the cultural and tourism department of Star 27 led a group of dozens of people to wait at the spaceship docking port, praising the natural ecology of this planet to the skies.

They all knew the enormous traffic that the Giant Entertainment brand could bring, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that President Fang's methods were like turning lead into gold.

"Mr. Fang, although our area is less than one-tenth the size of the main star, we have very rich tourism resources. What you are visiting now is a tourist area that we have already fully developed. In addition, we have three other large tourist areas under development."

"If you need to film, we can clear part of the main scenic area for about four hours."

Fang Zhuo glanced at the tall plants nearby—just as the minister had said, the tourism facilities here were very well developed, which might be a good thing for tourists, but it didn't quite meet the needs of filming period dramas.

"Take me to see those undeveloped scenic spots."

The minister was somewhat surprised, but he still personally drove the cloud train to take Fang Zhuo into the air.

Unlike the scenic area we just visited, there are still large open spaces here, and outside the open spaces are clusters of rainforest.

Through the porthole of the cloud-like structure, Fang Zhuo quietly looked down at the landscape below. The three undeveloped scenic areas below had not yet had visitor centers or public toilets installed, and the empty spaces were perfect for setting up scenery.

These scenic areas are separated from the main scenic area by partitions as high as four or five meters, and are also far apart. Normally, film crews can shoot and tourists can visit without disturbing each other, and it will not affect the normal operation of other areas of the 27-star area.

"Minister Wang, how much would it cost to rent these three scenic spots for three months?"

Upon hearing this, Minister Wang scratched his ear in shock.

He had thought that Giant Entertainment would only be rented for a few hours at most, but it turned out that they wanted to rent it for three months, and the amount must be astronomical.

He pulled a crumpled handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Normally, even if a big-budget film crew comes, they would only book the entire venue for a day or two at most. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has never seen such a large order before.

"Mr. Fang, I'm sorry, but I'd like to ask what you're going to do with this site? There's nothing here at all, just some primeval rainforest."

Fang Zhuo replied, "It's for filming movies about plant mutations. We'll send a professional team to build the building modules and set the scenery. You can choose to keep the buildings, or Giant Entertainment will pay for their demolition if you don't want them."

Minister Wang could not hide his surprise, and his forehead was covered in even more sweat from excitement.

In other words, Giant Interactive will leave behind many existing buildings in their scenic area for free. Moreover, after the movie is released, many tourists will come to the filming location to take photos, further boosting their 27-star tourist numbers.

He must keep this deal, otherwise he will lose his position as Minister of Culture and Tourism.

While asking his superiors for instructions, he frantically typed on the calculator in his personal terminal.

"Because none of our three scenic spots are open to the public and the facilities are incomplete, the daily rental fee can be reduced to the same level as that of a single set built by a professional film and television star, which is 600,000 yuan per day for the three venues in total."

"If you want to rent for three months, I can offer you a discounted price of 50 million. Dozens of staff in our department are on standby at any time. Just let me know if you have any needs."

"Mr. Fang, since your background involves plant mutations, you must need to cut down some plants, right? We can provide some common plants that are not rare varieties."

The other party's suggestion did solve some problems for the production team, and the price was also fair and cheap.

Fang Zhuo took the initiative to shake hands with Minister Wang and signed the contract without hesitation.

Minister Wang was a bit bewildered by Fang Zhuo's actions, and he remained stunned until the news of the contract being finalized popped up.

He was prepared to haggle over the price for a while, but he didn't expect Mr. Fang to sign so readily.

As expected, the big boss from the main planet is different. He didn't even blink when signing the contract, and he was able to rent half of their planet with a single move.

The official team behind 27 Star has really made a fortune this time. Although it delayed the construction progress by three months, someone voluntarily built the viewing buildings for them, and they also made tens of millions in revenue. In addition, there will be a continuous stream of tourism resources. How can there be such a win-win business?

In Minister Wang's eyes, General Manager Fang is now a golden goose, and he wants to worship him on the spot.

He had never been this respectful, not even in front of the core leadership of the 27-star organization. Minister Wang bowed slightly, too excited to speak, and after a long pause, finally managed to utter:

"Mr. Fang, would you like to stay for a casual meal?"

"No, I have something to do tonight."

He wasn't just being polite; they really did need to discuss the placement of the building modules that evening.

Fang Zhuo didn't stay on Star 27 for long; he immediately sent the venue's electronic information to the agent he had previously worked with on Star 45.

[What was the total quote for building eight large scenes on this site, as we discussed before?]

The agent replied almost instantly: [Boss, the plot of land you posted is a bit irregular, and according to the documents, it hasn't undergone basic leveling. The price will be a little higher.]

Seeing that Fang Zhuo did not reply, the agent continued:

[The base price I quoted you last time was between five and six million for a single scene. Given this terrain, the total cost would be fifty-five million.]

Seeing that no new messages popped up in the chat box, she sent the online contract while trying her best to persuade him:

[Don't worry, boss. Our 45-star ancient architecture modules are definitely the most abundant in the entire Star Federation's module library. We have dedicated architectural designers who will make adjustments and modifications to the original modules to ensure that every small scene is different from those in other TV series.]

[More than twenty modules in your architectural scene order are custom-designed, so the overall price will be a bit higher.]

She talked on and on for ages, but didn't get any reply. Her fingers were aching from typing, so she switched to another app and saw that Mr. Qian had signed the contract just fifteen minutes later.

Is this really happening?!

How can a boss be so quick to pay? Did she quote too low a price?

She thought that Mr. Fang's ability to rent out the entire 45-star hotel without a word last time was already outrageous enough, but she never expected that there would be something even more outrageous.

That's over 50 million yuan; she even hesitates for a long time before spending 500 yuan.

She quickly switched back to the chat interface and typed out a long string of compliments:

[Boss, I'll only follow your lead.jpg. Your requirements are my standards, your orders are my mission, you are the best and most handsome client I've ever met!!]

The next morning, she diligently accompanied the staff to the site to supervise the construction.

She thought the client's decision to customize eight architectural scenes was already extravagant enough, but when she saw that the site was located on Star 27, she was so shocked that she couldn't stop hiccuping.

Isn't this a famous tourist star? Renting movie stars isn't enough, they even managed to book such an expensive tourist star?

Does making a short drama really require such a huge effort?

The agent's curiosity reached its peak. After a few small thatched huts were set up, she could see from afar that several lead actors had already begun taking costume photos.

By lunchtime, two architectural scenes were already taking shape. She kept refreshing Giant Entertainment's official account, trying to find official announcements for the new short drama.

The timing of this filming was actually quite awkward. First, it definitely wouldn't coincide with the peak season for films celebrating the anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in mid-December, and second, it wouldn't coincide with the peak season for TV dramas airing during the winter break in early January.

Whether it's a TV series or a movie, it's destined to miss the hottest period, and only short dramas can be released regardless of peak or off-peak seasons.

The agent couldn't help but shake his head. Although he was looking forward to seeing Giant Entertainment make movies and the company was indeed rich, it was a bit too late to get involved now.

There are currently twelve films competing for the Confederation of Singapore holiday season, all backed by well-known production and distribution companies. Each live-action film boasts a star-studded cast, making it arguably the most competitive prime-time slot ever.

Even if they manage to produce something crude and barely make it to par, Giant Entertainment has no experience in making movies, and will most likely be squeezed out by other companies during this strongest release period in history.

But when she finished work in the afternoon, she suddenly saw stills from Giant Entertainment's new movie "Shadow" on the StarNet website—

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Author's Note: The script Ning Li wrote in the previous chapter was based on some real-life examples. [Lop-eared rabbit head][Lop-eared rabbit head][Lop-eared rabbit head]

[Pill][Pill] Also, using hallucinogens is not a good thing! We strongly oppose it!