Chapter 901 It's okay, I'll cover for you.
In fact, thanks to the success of "Flypaper," Wan Qingqing is now a relatively well-known producer in Hollywood.
Besides "Flypaper," Wan Qingqing is also a producer for Linghe Fang in "The Notebook," which will be released this June, and "Men in Black," and has participated in some of the film's production.
Her current position is CEO of Linghe North America.
Wan Qingqing is currently doing two main things: first, representing Linghe in producing Lu Yanhe's projects in Hollywood, which she usually participates in; and second, finding good projects in Hollywood.
This makes her current job somewhat like that of a traditional Hollywood producer.
A traditional Hollywood producer first needs to find a good story, a good script, or an idea. Then, they need to secure initial funding so that they can find a screenwriter to adapt it into a script.
Often, the initial funding is paid upfront by the producer themselves.
Once you have a script, you find a suitable director, discuss the possibility of collaboration, and then gradually build a production team.
In this process, the role played by the producer is different from what many people understand.
Wan Qingqing took on the project "Flypaper" herself—a project she practically raised from scratch. She managed every single detail. Lu Yanhe only provided the script and production funds. It could be said that Wan Qingqing successfully nurtured "Flypaper" into a large-scale project, ultimately achieving box office success. It was as if she had undergone a pilgrimage, transforming and maturing in the process.
In her subsequent collaborations with Soren on *The Notebook* and *Men in Black*, Wan Qingqing only represented Linghe. Although she held the title of producer, her role was relatively minor, and her actual involvement in the productions was minimal. Despite this, Wan Qingqing had to focus her main energy on these projects, even though she had very little say in them. For Linghe, both *The Notebook* and *Men in Black* were crucial to the company's development.
For Wan Qingqing, the past period was a time when she wanted to make a big splash and achieve great things, but she was somewhat trapped.
But Wan Qingqing never told Lu Yanhe any of these things.
She knew she had to deal with these things on her own.
She also knew that at her age, she had already obtained resources that others could hardly imagine.
Whether it's a man or a woman.
Because of her position and her status in Linghe, even people in Hollywood are speculating whether she is Lu Yanhe's woman.
In Hollywood, such gender discrimination is even more severe—and more insidious, because once it becomes tangible, it invites condemnation. For a young woman to rise so quickly to such a high position, possessing resources unavailable to most, and not merely a figurehead, she must have her own abilities, but she certainly didn't achieve it solely through her own.
This kind of prejudice, which seems to acknowledge her abilities, is more troublesome for her than the simple and superficial prejudice that she "rose to power through men."
We've already acknowledged your abilities, what more do you want?
In the current public opinion environment, such speculations will not reach her ears in any form of language. However, people's eyes, micro-expressions, and especially the whispers and small gestures that occur whenever she appears in a place, all remind her to some extent how that place views her.
Therefore, Wan Qingqing now increasingly believes in one thing: don't care how others see you, and don't worry about how others perceive how you obtained everything. Your actions cannot change the facts as perceived by others. But as long as you firmly grasp what you have and diligently do what you should do, you will eventually have a place in this world, and that place will not be destroyed by those seemingly harsh, sharp, or even distorted rumors.
Therefore, Wan Qingqing fully understands that this is not an environment where she can act entirely according to her own ideas. Lu Yanhe has given her full trust and resources, and she must repay Lu Yanhe—the best way to repay him is to help him establish himself in the place where he needs him most.
During this period, Wan Qingqing frequently met with Lu Yanhe.
She was also given the opportunity to report to Lu Yanhe on several projects that she had previously accumulated and had her eye on.
These kinds of opportunities to discuss projects on the go, at the dinner table, or even during casual conversation are always better than sitting formally in the office giving a report.
Lu Yanhe listened to Wan Qingqing talk about several projects, and he took it all to heart. However, none of the projects Wan Qingqing mentioned particularly appealed to him. He realized that the projects Wan Qingqing was interested in were almost all remakes of "Flypaper," in short, they were all similar types of suspenseful stories with ensemble casts and constant plot twists.
However, every time Wan Qingqing told him about one of the projects, Lu Yanhe could clearly feel her enthusiasm, focus, and confidence that she could do the project well. Therefore, Lu Yanhe never interrupted her or expressed his own thoughts after she finished speaking. Instead, he told her to study it further and continue the discussion later.
However, at the dinner table where Wan Qingqing was also present, Lu Yanhe would occasionally mention how he decided to make a movie.
"For example, 'The Corpse' and 'Summer Night Villa Horror'. Actually, I just read the script and figured out why the company wanted to make them. They had a very clear purpose: the cost was low, so they could use it to give the team practice. The subject matter was also relatively novel, and there was room for them to play a role in publicity and marketing. They had a very clear judgment on these projects. So I think, indeed, these are good practice opportunities, especially for a company like Linghe that doesn't have much independent production experience."
Lu Yanhe didn't know whether Wan Qingqing had listened to or understood what he was saying.
He didn't doubt Wan Qingqing's abilities; he was just worried that when someone is so passionate about doing something, they often overlook many things because of that impulse.
If Wan Qingqing had simply told him that she wanted to do a project similar to "Flypaper," which would be easier for her to manage and would help her further solidify her experience in film production, Lu Yanhe would have agreed without hesitation. But not now, because Wan Qingqing was describing these projects to Lu Yanhe as something that would "definitely achieve greater success than 'Flypaper.'"
Will it?
Maybe.
However, that must have been just a coincidence.
Wan Qingqing's understanding of the film industry is too "high-level." Even though she made "Flypaper" from scratch.
Lu Yanhe always felt that if Wan Qingqing didn't change these ideas, she was more likely to face failure.
“What about ‘The Fault in Our Stars’?” One day, Lu Yanhe suddenly brought up the script he had brought back from Soren.
Wan Qingqing was taken aback.
Lu Yanhe could tell from her reaction that she didn't really take the script of "The Fault in Our Stars" to heart and push it forward.
Lu Yanhe said, "Love is Not Blind did well at the overseas box office. The romantic comedy starring Li Zhibai and Jiang Yuqian can also sell tens of millions of dollars at the overseas box office, which shows that romantic movies starring Asian faces can also be popular with audiences. I think this should bring good prospects for the production of The Fault in Our Stars?"
Wan Qingqing hesitated for a moment and said, "But I'm actually worried about the box office of this movie. It's too risky. The main box office for 'Love is Not Blind' is in China. Even if the overseas box office is not good, it can still make a profit. But if 'The Fault in Our Stars' does not do well at the box office, such an English film may not be able to achieve good box office results in China."
That reason... is a bit lame.
Lu Yanhe did not expose him.
He said, "You particularly want to work on those projects you mentioned before?"
Wan Qingqing nodded and said, "Yes, I am very confident."
Lu Yanhe said, "How about this, you choose a production with a budget that can be kept under 20 million US dollars and you take it on."
Wan Qingqing was taken aback.
"ah?"
"What? You think it's too low?" Lu Yanhe asked.
"No." Wan Qingqing quickly shook her head, but she herself looked incredulous, as if she were dreaming. "President Lu, you... you just agreed to it like that?"
Lu Yanhe said, “In Hollywood, there’s a common tradition that if you make a successful film, everyone will give you the green light for whatever you want to do next. To be honest, none of the projects you mentioned sounded particularly appealing to me. Of course, I don’t think they were worthless; I just think you have too high hopes for them. The success of *Flypaper* has given you experience and confidence, and you think you can replicate that success, or even surpass it, because you have more experience. You just need to find a similar theme and story, right?”
Wan Qingqing hesitated for a moment and then remained silent.
Lu Yanhe: "However, you have to understand that the genre of *Flypaper* has never been a Hollywood blockbuster. It might be popular on streaming and DVD markets, but its box office potential in theaters is limited, and the probability of it becoming a dark horse is low. Rather than trying to replicate the success of *Flypaper*, I value and cherish your experience in independently managing such a project. Using that experience to create a film that truly has the potential to move audiences and achieve box office success is far better than making a copy. But I understand your desire to do it, and I also understand that some things you'll never get an answer to unless you do them yourself. So, go ahead and do it with twenty million dollars. If you succeed, it means I was wrong; if you fail, it's okay, I'll cover it."
(End of this chapter)
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