Chapter 54
Until noon the next day, Xu Huan had not passed Su Xingyao's verification.
Instead, more than a dozen strangers tried to add Su Xingyao as a friend.
I don’t know who leaked his phone number in the industry, but all those who added him on WeChat were agents or managers from entertainment companies.
What Su Xingyao didn't know was that ever since he had become so popular in variety shows, several agencies had been vying to extend olive branches to him.
Among them are some of the top three companies in the industry.
After taking a quick look at these contacts, Su Xingyao screened them and approved some of them.
He himself is well aware of his current situation.
The programs I am currently taking are not very complicated, and one person can still cope with them for the time being.
But if you want to keep going in the future, you definitely can't do it alone.
It will be much easier if there is a company to back you up.
but……
To some extent, the agency is also a double-edged sword.
If you make a wrong choice, it is likely to be another abyss.
As soon as the WeChat connection was confirmed, several contacts from brokerage companies began to communicate with Su Xingyao diligently.
After receiving several preliminary proposals, Su Xingyao was not in a hurry to give a final response, but said that he needed to consider it for a while.
*
Xu Huan was at the film festival yesterday distributing materials to investors until after 2 a.m. before returning home.
After dragging his tired body back home, he fell into bed and slept until the afternoon.
The week-long film festival is still going on today, so he should have arrived at the venue early today.
But since the project was finalized, in the nearly one year, he went to almost every place he could to attract investment, and he tried his best to deliver information even to those investors who had only a 1% chance of success.
But it has become increasingly difficult to attract investment this year, especially for new directors like them who have little fame and no complete film works.
The information sent out either falls on deaf ears or attracts scammers.
In the past year, the high-intensity work and continuous setbacks have already made Xu Huan physically and mentally exhausted.
Especially last night, the information he submitted was thrown into the trash can in front of him with disdain.
After picking up the information from the trash can with humiliation and reluctance, Xu Huan felt a little confused.
He began to feel uncertain about how long he could hold on to his dream.
After gritting his teeth and holding on for so long, his savings had been almost used up.
People always have to live, and Xu Huan knows very well that if he can't get any more investment, one day he will have to succumb to reality.
In the small low-rent apartment, the sunlight shone through the window onto Xu Huan's face.
The strong natural light made it difficult for him to open his eyes.
After waking up, even though his mind was not fully clear yet, he had already opened WeChat out of habit.
Although he had given up hope, he still couldn't help squinting his eyes to see if there was any added information in the new friends column.
The sunlight reflected on the screen, and Xu Huan's eyes suddenly widened.
He looked carefully and found that he had received an application during the time he was sleeping!
sssssu: Hello Mr. Xu, would you mind talking about your new movie?
My heart suddenly beat violently after seeing this line of words.
Xu Huan suddenly came to his senses and hurriedly clicked to agree to add the person.
But because he was too excited, his fingers trembled and he drew wrongly on the screen several times, and almost clicked to refuse to add it.
After adding the friend, Xu Huan looked at the lines of text sent by the system and swiped across the screen a few times, a little helpless, wondering how to introduce himself.
Before he could send the word "Hello", the other party sent him a voice message.
sssssu: Hello Mr. Xu, I am Su Xingyao.
sssssu: I watched your short film and promotional materials at the Shanghai-Nanjing International Film Festival yesterday and learned that you are planning to shoot a new movie recently.
sssssu: I am very interested in this project. If you are free, can we find some time to talk about it in detail?
Xu Huan, who was originally so excited that he was at a loss as to what to do because an investor was interested in his project, frowned after reading these paragraphs.
He fixed his eyes on the first paragraph of Su Xingyao's self-introduction and whispered these three words.
"Su Xingyao?"
Su Xingyao has become so popular recently that Xu Huan’s screen has been flooded with videos edited by her.
He didn't specifically follow the other party's variety shows, but through the fragmented information on the Internet, he had a very good impression of Su Xingyao.
An extremely talented, yet low-key and mysterious artist.
But today, this big star suddenly contacted me and introduced himself, saying that he was interested in my project and wanted to discuss it in detail...
After seeing this news, Xu Huan doubted for several seconds whether he was still dreaming.
Because he knew very well that he had never met Su Xingyao yesterday, and had never submitted any information to the other party.
So...how did he know this?
Having experienced several times in the past where scammers pretended to be people in the same industry to defraud him, Xu Huan was much more cautious this time, and his face no longer had the ecstasy he had just now.
He didn't rush to agree to Su Xingyao, but tried to ask him.
Xu Huan: Hello Mr. Su, excuse me, did we meet yesterday?
After typing this line, Xu Huan was afraid of being too presumptuous, so he carefully explained his concerns to the other party.
Xu Huan: If I remember correctly, I don’t think I have ever sent you any information.
Su Xingyao, who had no idea that Xu Huan had mistaken her for a liar, thought these words seemed a bit strange.
But recalling the scene of their encounter yesterday, he still patiently explained the details to the other party.
sssssu: I watched your short film on New Force yesterday.
sssssu: As soon as I walked out of the exhibition hall, your information was scattered
sssssu: I didn't recognize you at the time, but later I remembered who you were and couldn't find you anymore
sssssu: I asked a friend for help overnight to find your contact information
After seeing the message from Su Xingyao, Xu Huan was stunned.
He did bump into someone yesterday, and the other person was very kind and helped him sort out the documents that were scattered around.
However, at that time he heard that there were several investors in the main exhibition hall who liked to invest in new directors, so he hurried over to seize the opportunity.
At that time, his mind was filled with this matter and he had no time to look at the other person's appearance.
It turns out that person is...Su Xingyao? ?
After realizing this coincidence, Xu Huan's concerns were largely dispelled.
The little bit of vigilance that remains is also a subconscious precaution after being deceived many times.
Many things cannot be explained clearly over the phone, so the two of them made an appointment to have dinner together in the evening to discuss the details.
Before going out, Xu Huan put on his most formal clothes, sorted out the documents, put them into a briefcase and tucked it under his arm.
After going out, when the sunset, still with its residual warmth, shines on me.
Xu Huan, who was sweating from the heat, looked at his reflection in the mirrored building, wearing long sleeves and long pants.
From this perspective, why do I look more like the one who is defrauding others?
It wasn't long before Xu Huan arrived at the private room.
Su Xingyao had arrived early.
When Xu Huan saw the person waiting for him in the private room, his first reaction was that this person seemed to be glowing.
Although she was just wearing an ordinary T-shirt, her temperament was outstanding, like a dazzling pearl, noble and beautiful.
Xu Huan had never seen such a beautiful person in his life.
When Xu Huan confirmed that the investor who contacted him was really Su Xingyao himself, he felt as if a pie had fallen from the sky and hit him unconscious.
Even a second before stepping into the private room, he couldn't believe that Su Xingyao would find such an inconspicuous person like him among so many new directors and ask for his contact information overnight.
"Su, hello, Teacher Su..."
Although he has shot several short films, Xu Huan has always worked with amateurs or students and has never formally come into contact with such a big star.
Sitting face to face with Su Xingyao, he seemed extremely reserved, even with a bit of embarrassment on his face.
Su Xingyao noticed his nervousness and did not talk to him about investment immediately. Instead, she chatted with him about many movie-related topics.
Xu Huan is most familiar with movies. He knows all of them, whether domestic or foreign, art films or popcorn movies.
As we talked, he became more relaxed.
Soon, Xu Huan discovered that Su Xingyao was very different.
As a director, he is originally in this line of work, so it is normal for him to understand the film industry.
But the same goes for Su Xingyao.
He has a lot of professional knowledge, which is completely different from that of professionals.
In today's increasingly impetuous entertainment industry, it was beyond his expectation that there would be artists who would study movies so diligently and attentively.
After all, before this, he had heard from his seniors in the industry about too many stars who didn't even know what the movie was about after it was finished.
Seeing Su Xingyao being so professional, Xu Huan couldn't help but feel infinite admiration and respect for him.
His heart gradually became more at ease.
Su Xingyao is not the kind of person who knows nothing and just randomly finds a movie to invest in on a whim for fun.
Based on this understanding, Xu Huan felt even more guilty.
"Teacher Su, I'm ashamed to say that when you added me before, I thought you were a liar..."
Although there was no need to speak out about this matter, Xu Huan still wanted to apologize to the other party in person.
After finally understanding why the other party's previous two sentences seemed so strange.
Su Xingyao smiled gently and was not angry.
With this sentence, he jokingly brought the topic back to the investment in the film and asked Xu Huan.
"Are you willing to be deceived by me?"
Xu Huan immediately understood what he meant and nodded quickly, "Yes, yes."
After saying that, he quickly took out the project information he brought and handed it to Su Xingyao with both hands.
After waiting quietly until the other party finished watching, he explained the concept of the movie to Su Xingyao in great detail.
If it were someone else, Xu Huan would not tell these secrets so easily.
But the person in front of him inexplicably gave him a sense of belief that he was worthy of complete trust and entrustment.
After listening to Xu Huan's extremely sincere introduction, Su Xingyao had a rough idea in her mind.
Just as he expected, the other party was a down-to-earth person who had a very positive attitude towards movies.
After everything was negotiated smoothly, the next step was the most critical part of the funding chain.
Su Xingyao opened the economic feasibility analysis section in the project information and asked Xu Huan.
"Mr. Xu, is your estimated investment five million?"
Hearing Su Xingyao read out the investment amount slowly, Xu Huan nodded, then shook his head.
With the development of the times, the entertainment industry has also experienced inflation.
Nowadays, making a movie requires an investment of tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars.
The low-budget movies of the past have almost become extinct.
But with such high costs, a lot of it was spent on actors and unnecessary expenses, leaving very little money actually spent on the film itself.
Xu Huan is a frugal person, and he does not plan to invite those expensive stars to star in this movie.
Therefore, based on the principle of saving as much as possible and not wasting a penny, he finally set his mental budget at five million.
However, after nearly a year of frustration and rejection, Xu Huan has become a little PTSD about the amount.
So even though the investment amount was already very tight, he was afraid that as a newcomer, his offer would be too high and Su Xingyao would think he was asking for too much.
Glancing at the fees mentioned by the other party, he explained carefully.
"The five million is just an estimate... There are still many places where we can save money during the filming process. If we save a little, the actual cost can probably be reduced to... about four... three or three and a half million."
After Xu Huan finished speaking, he looked at Su Xingyao nervously.
But surprisingly, Su Xingyao did not dislike his high fees like other investors.
Instead, the other party told him bluntly, "Three and a half million is probably not enough."
Xu Huan nodded honestly after hearing this, "It's indeed not enough."
“But I’m very frugal when making movies.”
Su Xingyao nodded without saying anything. She lowered her eyes, took out her cell phone and looked at the bank card balance that she had specially checked today.
"Five million is a bit difficult for me, but is it okay to invest four million and three hundred thousand?"
Su Xingyao laughed. "I'm ashamed to say that I am indeed very interested in this movie. But this is the maximum amount I can offer right now."
Su Xingyao was well aware that the filming budget was too tight and many details would have to be cut, which would affect the completeness and excitement of the entire film.
But he really couldn't come up with so much investment at once.
He used to have very poor resources and didn’t have much money to pay for announcements.
Later, when he went to the Shen family to pack up his things and return the bank card that Shen Liangyu gave him, he also transferred a large sum of money into the card to repay the Shen family for raising him over the years.
So up to now, all his assets are just this amount of money.
Moreover, most of these 4.3 million were not earned by his celebrity status.
It was the copyright fees he earned from working and writing songs over the years, which he saved up over and over again.
So after investing in this movie, he himself will be penniless.
Su Xingyao was so open-hearted, so Xu Huan naturally knew how to be satisfied.
He nodded to Su Xingyao gratefully, "That's enough, that's more than enough."
After saying that, he still asked Su Xingyao in disbelief.
"Teacher Su, do you really want to invest? This may be a high-risk investment for you."
Su Xingyao was amused by Xu Huan's words.
"Of course. High risk, high reward. Besides, we ate together, you can't let me go back empty-handed, right?"
Xu Huan's heart finally settled down at this moment.
He secretly vowed that no matter what happened, he would never let down the person who believed in him wholeheartedly.
After happily discussing the investment, Su Xingyao and Xu Huan went back home.
Seeing Su Xingyao's face full of joy, Lu Jiuxu asked even though he knew the answer.
"How was your conversation with Xu Huan today?"
Su Xingyao raised the corners of her mouth and smiled brightly, "It's quite pleasant."
After saying that, he patted the pockets on both sides of his trousers.
“This place has become empty…”
Su Xingyao was not trying to get sympathy from Lu Jiuxu.
After complaining about his own poverty, he made a gesture of pushing his glasses to show his seriousness.
"From now on, Teacher Su must work twice as hard so that he can support himself and the crew."
Speaking of this, Su Xingyao looked at Lu Jiuxu again.
He had mentioned the issue of his medical expenses and living expenses to the other party several times before.
But every time the other party obviously doesn't want to talk about it.
After being rejected several times, Su Xingyao was too embarrassed to bring it up again.
Although Lu Jiuxu really didn't seem to need this little money from him, it was not good to owe him money.
It was still okay before because he had some property.
But now this favor has not been repaid, and after investing in the movie, I have become penniless again.
Su Xingyao felt that this "debt" to Lu Jiuxu seemed to be getting harder and harder to pay off.
As he was thinking, Lu Jiuxu walked up to him without him noticing.
As usual, after giving him a cup of hot milk, he spoke.
"Then can Teacher Su give up?"
Su Xingyao lowered her head and drank a sip of milk before she asked softly, "Which one do you want to give up?"
Lu Jiuxu curled the corners of his lips.
"Recently I have been planning to develop into the entertainment industry."
He said, "I won't get involved in too many things. I want to invest in a movie first to test the waters."
Su Xingyao's eyes lit up after hearing Lu Jiuxu's words.
"Mr. Lu, do you mean to invest in our little drama?"
After getting a positive answer, Su Xingyao was a little excited.
“To be honest, we are still a little short of our budget.”
The five million yuan that Xu Huan had previously given was already an extremely low budget. In fact, if one wanted to make the movie more perfect, even doubling it would not be enough.
But if Lu Jiuxu also wants to invest, it will be a timely help for their small crew!
After learning about Lu Jiuxu's intention, Su Xingyao put down the cup and ran upstairs.
"I'll get you a list of projects. Take a look at it first."
Lu Jiuxu grabbed his wrist and stopped him from leaving.
"etc."
After stuffing the milk that Su Xingyao had just taken a sip back into his hand and watching him drink it, Lu Jiuxu spoke with a double entendre.
"Teacher Su, even if you want to support the crew, you don't need to work so hard."
*
Lu Jiuxu kept his word and invested 30 million without blinking an eye.
With his investment here, everything becomes simple.
The Lu Group has a very mature team of lawyers and professionals. With their help, the film planning went exceptionally smoothly.
After Su Xingyao and Xu Huan had dealt with the film investment issue, the "Sound of China" program team also sent him a notice.
The third episode of "The Voice of China" is about to begin.
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