Chapter 725 Disdain (7200 words)
Just as Li Zhibai and Wu Chi finished discussing how to film the next scene, they saw Xiao Mo hurrying past in the distance.
He noticed her because when he looked over, she raised her hand and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, as if wiping away tears.
Is this... being bullied by Liu Bai again?
Li Zhibai was definitely not a meddlesome person. Compared to Yan Liang and Lu Yanhe, he was also the least "good" one.
However, there is one thing that has always been a constant throughout Li Zhibai's life of the past twenty years: "protecting his own."
When he was in Fengzhi with Yan Liang and Lu Yanhe, the two of them were unknown. Just because they were his roommates, they received preferential treatment within the team. If Zhou Pingan dared to cut back on their benefits, Li Zhibai would criticize him.
Lin Suyang, as Li Zhibai's agent, had expressed several times that Yan Sui, as his assistant, was not keeping up with Li Zhibai's current career pace, especially his personality flaws, which might even hinder Li Zhibai. However, Li Zhibai had never considered changing his assistant.
But actually, he wasn't "loyal," he was "protective of his own."
He tends to be protective of those he considers his own.
Xiao Mo certainly wouldn't make Li Zhibai feel that she was "protecting her own".
But if Li Zhibai and Xiao Mo didn't know each other, that would be fine. But once they did know each other and started interacting, Xiao Mo would no longer be a stranger to Li Zhibai.
Li Zhi would pay some attention to whatever this person did.
If you can help, then do so.
In particular, Li Zhibai knew that Xiao Mo was being "exploited" by Liu Bai, and that he had even witnessed the unexpected "recording" program last time.
Therefore, Li Zhibai immediately sent Yan Sui to find out what happened to Xiao Mo.
Of course, at this time, Li Zhibai was also worried that Xiao Mo might impulsively use the recording to do something detrimental to the production team.
-
"Xiao Mo quits?" Li Zhibai looked at Yan Sui in shock.
Yan Sui nodded. "She said she's quitting, she can't take it anymore."
Li Zhibai: "This—"
He couldn't help but frown.
Yan Sui: "It seems she's preparing to go back to her hometown."
Li Zhibai: "This is really..."
"Brother Bai, what was it about that you asked me to pass on a message to her last time?" Yan Sui asked.
“I stumbled upon something unexpected, and I don’t really know what it was, but I saw that her phone was recording,” Li Zhibai said. “I don’t know what she was recording, but I was worried that some bad things might be exposed, so I went to remind her.”
Yan Sui paused for two seconds, then said, "If she really did record some evidence of Liu Bai's egregious behavior—"
“Liu Bai deserved it,” Li Zhibai said bluntly. “However, the reason I asked you to talk to her last time was to tell her that if she really intends to take revenge on Liu Bai, she should wait until ‘You Are the Apple of My Eye’ is released, so as not to affect the movie.”
Yan Sui: "But why can't we just change the person to film right now?"
“We don’t know what Liu Bai did. If we had substantial evidence, it would be good to cut our losses in time. But we don’t have any. Besides, if we replace him now, how much money will the production team lose? If Xiao Mo accepts, why doesn’t the production team give Xiao Mo some compensation so that she can postpone her time to expose Liu Bai?”
Yan Sui: "But under normal circumstances, the production team wouldn't handle this kind of thing so gently. Usually, they would forcibly eliminate the person who caused the problem."
“What era are we living in? How can this be resolved?” Li Zhibai said. “Shut her up? If you want to shut someone up these days, you have to use money or other means.”
Yan Sui said, "I was threatened by Zhou Ping'an before. He said that if I dared to reveal certain things, not only would I not be able to develop in this industry, but he also had ways to make my life miserable."
Li Zhibai looked at Yan Sui with some surprise.
"He said something like that to you? Damn." He patted Yan Sui on the shoulder. "This kind of situation definitely exists. If you encounter someone you can beat, fight them. If you can't, you can only compromise for now. That's the lesson I learned from Yan He. Anyway, there's plenty of time. A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years."
Yan Sui looked at Li Zhibai with some surprise.
"If Xiao Mo wanted to become your assistant right now, would you agree?"
"Of course I won't agree," Li Zhibai replied without hesitation.
Yan Sui: "Why?"
“I’m not Liu Bai, I was just an observer about her secretly recording me, and I think she did a pretty good job. But since she became my assistant, I sometimes wonder if she’s secretly recording me too. We can’t build a trusting relationship.” Li Zhibai shrugged. “Either I don’t know about it, or if I do, I feel a bit uneasy.”
Yan Sui: "Sigh."
Li Zhibai looked at Yan Sui with a broad smile.
Why are you sighing?
Yan Sui: "I just suddenly felt that she was having a hard time. She was bullied and wanted to secretly keep some evidence, but this behavior made it impossible for others to trust her anymore. I suddenly felt that the more vulnerable a person is, the harder it is to maintain their dignity, even if it is just to protect themselves."
Li Zhibai was silent for a moment, then nodded. "You're right, but I don't think the logic is so absolute. If you asked me to make Xiao Mo my assistant, I definitely wouldn't be willing. But if you asked me to give Xiao Mo a job opportunity, starting from a different position where she wouldn't have close contact with me, I would be willing. The unfair thing about this is that I don't really know Xiao Mo. I don't know what her strengths are. I only felt sorry for her because Liu Bai treated her badly, but then I learned about the negative aspects that were detrimental to her work. If it were you, I would know you very well and what kind of person you are. Even if someone told me that you had cheated others before, I wouldn't think you would cheat me. Over the years, I've trusted you. No matter how you treat others, you'll definitely be good to me."
Yan Sui: "...What's so touching about this?"
"You know I trust you, isn't that good enough?" Li Zhi said calmly.
Yan Sui hesitated, as if he wanted to speak.
"What's wrong?"
Yan Sui said, "Brother Bai, you're good to me, but I..."
"Just say what you mean, why are you beating around the bush?"
“I also want to make further progress,” Yan Sui said, clenching his fist.
Li Zhi suddenly realized.
Yan Sui: "I want to get involved in some more important work, instead of just being an assistant forever."
Li Zhibai sighed.
"What's wrong?" Yan Sui asked.
"Let me ask you, do you think Su Yang and I have never considered this matter?" Li Zhi asked.
Yan Sui was taken aback, thought for a moment, and shook his head.
“Look, you don’t even realize that we’ve been training you in this area for a long time. How can I entrust you with more important tasks?” Li Zhibai said bluntly. “You are a very reliable person. You will definitely do a solid job when given the task. However, Yan Sui, the job of an agent is not the kind that follows a set routine.”
Yan Sui looked troubled.
“You should learn more from Brother Su Yang,” Li Zhibai said. “At least you need to be able to realize that Brother Su Yang made you do so many things, and which of those things were originally not his responsibility but were given to you to train you.”
Yan Sui was lost in confusion.
-
Lu Yanhe finished work early today. After returning to the hotel, he slept for a while to recover his energy. He woke up around 9 p.m. and sent a message to Chen Ziyan: I'm awake.
A little while later, Chen Ziyan called.
"You're awake at this hour? Are you even going to sleep tonight?"
"Let's go to bed later. Anyway, my filming is at night tomorrow, so I can rest during the day," Lu Yanhe said. "It's okay if I get up later."
“Okay, I’ve finished reading Jiang Yufeng’s script. What are your thoughts?” Chen Ziyan asked.
“I think this story is actually quite… special,” Lu Yanhe said. “Structurally, it’s not very complete, but it’s the kind of very sincere script that I rarely see. It’s clear that this story has been brewing in the author’s mind for a long time.”
"Yes, as soon as I saw it, I felt that you might be interested."
“But there’s basically no chance of it selling at a high box office,” Chen Ziyan said.
"Um."
"So what do you think?"
Lu Yanhe said, "If the production cost is only ten or twenty million, then losing money is fine. But if it's close to one hundred million, we might end up losing everything."
Chen Ziyan laughed.
“Actually, I would suggest that he adapt it into a long-running drama script,” Lu Yanhe said. “There aren’t many people willing to buy tickets to see this kind of subject matter in theaters, but if it’s made into a long-running drama series, this subject matter becomes an advantage.”
“But making a coming-of-age drama would likely be more expensive,” Chen Ziyan said, “if it’s to be produced to movie quality.”
Lu Yanhe said, "For a film of this kind, a cost of 100 million yuan is indeed very high, but for a TV series, it should still be a budget figure that can control the risk, right?"
"It all depends on how this drama turns out," Chen Ziyan said. "To be honest, I don't think this drama will be profitable. Even if it does well in the end and gets a high reputation, its artistic theme means that its viewership is destined to be low. Of course, it might have good business partnerships if it has a star-studded cast."
Lu Yanhe: "If Linghe were to do it, you think the risk would be too high, right?"
"yes."
Lu Yanhe: "How about we partner with several platforms to do this together? That way, even if we lose money, the losses will be smaller and within our tolerance range."
“Yan He, I think that if it’s not to the point where you feel you absolutely have to film it, you don’t have to,” Chen Ziyan said. “Even if it’s a very good story and you really like it, if a project doesn’t have much of a profit prospect, everyone’s enthusiasm for doing it will be greatly reduced.”
Lu Yanhe: "It would be a real shame not to film it."
“Then let him reduce the cost,” Chen Ziyan said. “There’s no such thing as needing 100 million to make this movie. There are ways to make expensive movies and ways to make cheap movies. To be honest, we have no obligation to pay for Jiang Yufeng’s movie dream. We can’t knowingly give him a platform to make a movie if we know it’s very likely to lose money.”
Lu Yanhe was persuaded by Chen Ziyan.
“Okay, I’ll find some time to reply to Jiang Yufeng later,” Lu Yanhe said. “Either we reduce the production budget, or we’ll just have to give up.”
Chen Ziyan: "Look at Wu Chi, when he was making 'You Are the Apple of My Eye,' he was very clear-headed. He would never waste money on something unworthy. He applied for three additional budgets, and the reason for each one was to make the movie better. His arguments were substantial, and everyone felt that the additional budget was necessary. As for Jiang Yufeng's script, the so-called need to spend so much money on production was simply to satisfy his desire to recreate that era one-to-one. Does that mean it can't be made without a one-to-one recreation?"
Lu Yanhe suddenly remembered a news story he had seen before.
When the renowned director of "Farewell My Concubine" was filming a new movie, he wanted to hang red lanterns all over a street to recreate a magnificent scene, but in the movie, it was only presented as a single shot.
His wife, Ms. Chen, who is also a producer, felt that this was a shot that was a waste of money and not very useful, and firmly rejected it.
If you want to spend money on movies, there are plenty of places to do so. The pursuit of quality and art is endless.
But when making movies, you have to do the math.
Chen Ziyan's last words completely extinguished Lu Yanhe's flame of idealism.
"You've worked so hard to control costs in every film you've made, including 'Love Letter,' never spending a penny more than necessary. Why are you so lenient with someone you don't know well, just because he wanted to make a decent film? Don't you think you should be more lenient with yourself?"
Chen Ziyan's words were like a sledgehammer, striking Lu Yanhe hard.
Lu Yanhe suddenly understood.
It's not anything else, but investing knowing that there's a high probability of loss will likely result in regret.
He's not really indifferent. If he really didn't mind, he wouldn't be nagging so much.
-
Jiang Yufeng sighed.
Although he had already guessed this outcome, when Lu Yanhe actually told him that although he really liked the script, he felt that the production budget was too high and there was a high possibility of losses. Therefore, if the budget could not be reduced, he and Linghe did not plan to invest. Jiang Yufeng still felt regret and helplessness from the bottom of his heart.
His smile was somewhat bitter.
Lu Yanhe actually felt a little apologetic at that moment, but he quickly suppressed it.
"Teacher Jiang, have you ever considered turning this story into a feature-length drama script?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Jiang Yufeng looked puzzled.
"Rewrite it as a long-running drama script? Does rewriting it as a long-running drama script really improve the market?"
Lu Yanhe said, "If it is adapted into a TV series, the subject matter will have fewer restrictions on the market. To be honest, we all know how risky the current film market is. I keep the cost of every film I make very low because no one can guarantee that the box office will be a huge hit every time. The risk of TV series is much smaller. I believe that since so many people have read your script, they are not pessimistic about your script itself."
Jiang Yufeng pondered for a few seconds and then nodded.
“If it were adapted into a long-running drama, of course it would still not be the most mainstream genre on the market. However, this is exactly what the current drama market needs most—all platforms hope to obtain high-quality and innovative content,” Lu Yanhe said. “Moreover, such a special historical background is not common in dramas, not to mention that this biographical narrative mode will definitely be very attractive to good actors.”
Jiang Yufeng said, "I don't know how much production budget would be needed if it were made into a TV series."
"Who helped you calculate the budget for the movie before?" Lu Yanhe asked.
"A friend of mine, a producer who has worked with me many times, made a preliminary calculation based on my ideas and the script," Jiang Yufeng said.
Lu Yanhe: "If you can keep the production cost of the series under 100 million yuan and produce more than 12 episodes, I can help you raise funds to produce the series. But if it exceeds that, the problem remains: at the current purchase price of TV series, it will be difficult to break even."
Jiang Yufeng understood.
He nodded.
"Thank you, but I'm not considering making it into a TV series for now; I still want to make a movie."
Lu Yanhe nodded, indicating his understanding.
"good."
Jiang Yufeng asked, "If I can find investors, would you be willing to act in it?"
Lu Yanhe hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.
"Why? Didn't you say you really liked this script?" Jiang Yufeng asked.
Lu Yanhe said with a smile, "This is from the perspective of a screenwriter and producer. As an actor, this role is a bit unsuitable for me."
Jiang Yufeng was somewhat surprised to hear this.
-
"As expected, Lu Yanhe also rejected Jiang Yufeng."
At that moment, someone came over with a form and asked him to sign it.
He waved, signaling the person to come in.
He responded with "uh-huh" while glancing at the amount on the form. After confirming it, he signed his name. As the producer of "Dingfeng No. 1," he had to sign several such forms every day; otherwise, the finance department wouldn't release the funds.
This is also a characteristic of the management system for film crews in Longyan.
The people appointed as producers by Longyan are somewhat different from those appointed as producers in other film and television productions.
After everyone left, Wei Chang continued to speak to Huang Tai: "However, Lu Yanhe's evaluation of his script was quite high, and he suggested that he change it into a feature-length drama script."
Mrs. Wong: "Does Jiang Yufeng have this idea?"
“He still wants to make movies,” Wei Chang said.
Mrs. Wong: "It seems that his project will have to remain shelved."
Wei Chang: "Yes, but he probably hasn't given up."
"Let him be," Huang Tai asked. "Lu Yanhe hasn't made any moves lately. Has Jiang Yufeng relayed the message?"
“Jiang Yufeng said he did,” the guard chuckled. “It seems Lu Yanhe didn’t quite believe him.”
There was a moment of silence on Mrs. Huang's end.
This silence immediately made the guard chief put away his smile.
He realized that he shouldn't have said that so jokingly.
Lu Yanhe's stubbornness, refusing to listen to reason, is probably making things a bit tricky for Huang Tai.
"Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. Have any honest people been in contact with you lately?" Mrs. Huang suddenly changed the subject and asked.
"Shijin?" Wei Chang's tongue tightened, and he immediately said, "No, why would they contact me?"
Mrs. Huang: "They have recently been in contact with several people in Longyan, trying to poach our staff."
"Haha, then I guess I haven't caught their eye yet," the guard said.
“If they contact you, you might as well talk to them first and find out what they’re offering,” Huang Tai said. “These nouveau riche just throw money around wherever they go, disrupting the hard-won order. It’s really shameful.”
The sergeant did not speak.
"After the 'Calming Wind No. 1' project is finished, are you okay with continuing as the on-site producer for the sequel to 'Burning Fire'?" Mrs. Wong suddenly asked.
The ward chief was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Of course it's OK, but won't Lao Huang have any objections?"
Lao Huang was the on-site producer for "Burning Fire".
“He’s going to make a spin-off movie about Shang Yongzhou,” Huang Tai said.
"I see."
-
Mrs. Wong has come to the film set.
She not only came herself, but also brought snacks and drinks, bringing benefits to the entire crew.
Everyone cheered.
Mrs. Wong has a warm, bright, and friendly smile. She greets many people and can call out their names directly to greet them.
This is a common practice of Mrs. Huang.
The era when she and General Manager Huang founded Longyan was not the elite, systematic, and institutionalized company management model of today. It was more like the traditional kind of company built by a group of people working together, with more human touch and a strong emphasis on personal relationships.
As the company gradually expanded and the number of employees increased, the company's systems became more and more standardized, adopting the management model of a large company. However, in many details, the "patriarchal" management style could still be seen.
Lu Yanhe knew that since Huang Tai had come today, she would definitely come to find him.
So, in front of everyone, he and Mrs. Huang were just "acting," greeting each other warmly and exchanging pleasantries, as if they were old friends who had worked together on several projects, without any awkwardness or distance between them.
After all the formalities were settled, Huang Tai went to Lu Yanhe's lounge.
There were only the two of them.
At this point, their conversation truly got down to business.
"Yan He, we've really collaborated many times," Huang Tai began with this statement.
Lu Yanhe nodded, "Yes, Mrs. Huang, among the film companies in China, Longyan is the one I've collaborated with the most."
Mrs. Wong: "Regarding the contract for the sequel to 'Burning Fire,' can you give me a definite answer on what it would take for you to sign?"
Lu Yanhe shook his head, "Mrs. Huang, I don't care about these things. My agent is handling these matters. You should talk to Sister Ziyan or Wang Biao."
Mrs. Huang sighed.
"Yan He, can we reduce the obstacles between us and have an open and honest talk?"
“No.” Lu Yanhe shook his head. “Mrs. Huang, since you only see me as a business partner, I will only see you as business partners. No one is taking advantage of anyone.”
Mrs. Huang: "Who said that? Look, besides you, which other male actor can get such good treatment in Longyan? For your first leading role in a big-budget commercial film, we offered you a salary of over ten million yuan. For a truly big-budget film, this is very rare. We are not the kind of bad film company that makes money, launders money, and writes checks to actors at will."
Lu Yanhe said, "Mrs. Huang, if I wasn't worth this salary, Longyan wouldn't have given me this amount in the first place, right? The facts prove that my salary has brought you at least ten times the return, right? You could even say dozens of times?"
Huang Taiyi was speechless for a moment.
Lu Yanhe looked at her and said, "Up until now, you've still been talking to me as if I want something. How can we talk? I said I don't want to sign the sequel contract right now, which is completely different from what I want to get from the sequel contract. You probably don't believe me, right? So there's nothing to talk about. You can't talk about ice with a summer insect."
Mrs. Wong: "Then tell me, what is the real reason you don't want to sign a sequel contract now?"
"Did you explain to me the negative news about using me for hype and marketing during the promotion of 'Burning Fire'? Don't tell me that this has nothing to do with Longyan. Although I am young, I am not so easily fooled by you in this matter. Don't give me these meaningless explanations."
Lu Yanhe sighed.
"Your publicity director posted a veiled remark about me on WeChat Moments, did you do anything about it? Did you really just dismiss it as a misinterpretation?" Lu Yanhe chuckled lightly. "Especially, using my dissatisfaction with my billing order, my salary, and attempts to sow discord between me and my senior brother to create hype, Mrs. Huang, let me be blunt, why should I sign a contract for your sequel now?"
A cold, sharp light flashed in Lu Yanhe's eyes.
His bluntness shocked Mrs. Wong.
"Since some people in your company think that you can succeed with 'Burning Fire 2' without me, then you can leave me out. I wish you success." Lu Yanhe waved his hand lightly. "After you finish filming 'Dingfeng No. 1,' Longyan, don't send me any more scripts. You can succeed however you want."
Mrs. Huang's face turned extremely ugly at this moment.
She never imagined that Lu Yanhe would dismantle her entire relationship with such arrogance and disregard for her, like a scalpel, leaving it completely mangled and bloody.
Huang Tai: "Yan He, this was absolutely not our intention."
"I don't want to hear explanations," Lu Yanhe interrupted directly. "Once or twice is a misunderstanding, but if we keep ignoring it, is it still a misunderstanding?"
Mrs. Huang's face was extremely pale.
"We may not have done some things well in the early stages of our cooperation, we—"
“Please talk to my agent.” Lu Yanhe looked at her coldly. “I’m not your former subordinate, and you can’t appeal to my emotions.”
Sharp.
Its sharp edge was fully revealed.
It could even be said that they showed no mercy.
The side of Lu Yanhe that he showed today was one he had never shown before.
This not only shattered Huang Tai's perception of Lu Yanhe, but also completely destroyed the psychological assumptions Huang Tai had made at the beginning.
All the preparations were in vain.
-
It seems that people can't always avoid taking a path they never wanted to take before, such as becoming cold-blooded and ruthless.
However, it is only when people reach a certain stage that they realize that if they do not become cold-blooded and ruthless, their true feelings will be used, exploited, or even manipulated by others.
At this moment, Lu Yanhe felt as if he were standing on a vast wilderness, with a strong wind blowing and nothing but desolation as far as the eye could see.
The tributary's ambition made him realize that he had to look down on him with the air of a god, otherwise, the tributary's ambition would be enough to kneel at his feet in the most submissive posture and devour him from his toes.
(End of this chapter)
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