Chapter 80

The snow is used to this.

But after handing over the note, Shu Miao still felt a little uneasy. When she followed Ji Xue after the show, she looked at her calmly, as if nothing had happened. She couldn't help but ask her quietly, "Did you see it?"

Jixue turned around and looked at her, and said, "I saw your note. What's the matter?"

"Then do you still want to play He Fan's role?" Shu Miao said, "This, this is very risky."

Even if Su Ning invested because of her and suffered a huge loss later, it would be a very embarrassing situation for the actor.

With the popularity of Jixue right now, she still has a lot to choose from.

Jixue was not panicked, and nodded, "Go ahead and perform."

She and Su Ning agreed that there was no problem with He Fan's directing ability, but the problem was with her script. The lines seemed to be gorgeous, but in fact they were just a pile of words with empty content.

Zhu Lan had noticed this before, but she couldn't change it. The screenwriter He Fan hired was her lover of many years, and their small studio was a husband-and-wife team.

It's not easy to change this script.

But where in the entertainment industry are there any perfect projects waiting for people to perform?

If there hadn't been flaws in He Fan's production, Zhu Lan wouldn't have agreed so readily to let Ji Xue play the role so easily. Otherwise, the artists under her wouldn't have been able to catch up.

Moreover, Su Ning also did background check on this matter.

He Fan and his lover seem to have a very good relationship. In the past, when He Fan attended various activities, the two of them were always together. A quick search on the Internet will show that they are almost inseparable.

But the strange thing is that this time He Fan came alone to invest, and her boyfriend, Han Weirong, was not seen.

Su Ning invited He Fan to dinner that evening, wanting to discuss the script in detail.

When He Fan received Su Ning's invitation, he was not well prepared.

She was indeed not good at socializing, so she deliberately selected the most decent clothes and luxury goods she brought back from home. In short, she brought everything that was presentable, and she also remembered to call herself and her boyfriend.

She and Han Weirong have known each other for many years, since high school. He is the campus idol, very handsome. Although his family background is a bit ordinary, he has achieved some success now. He Fan still pursues him.

Even though their studio is facing setbacks now, their relationship still seems to be good, at least on the surface.

"...I heard that Mr. Su is very generous and values ​​​​Xuejiu very much. This time we will definitely succeed," her boyfriend encouraged her on the other side of the video. "He must be different from Zhu Lan, a businessman who only looks forward to the future. He will appreciate our work."

He Fan nodded and replied seriously: "I will definitely work hard for our future."

But then she thought again, and felt that what her boyfriend said was a bit strange.

Zhu Lan cannot be blamed for this. They have already lost a lot. She still gave money this time, but not enough. No matter how you look at it, she has done her best.

He Fan frowned and said, "Don't talk about me like that."

"Alas, Zhu Lan's reputation in the industry is just like that. She only cares about money and doesn't appreciate art at all. I'm not the only one who says that..." Han Weirong muttered, but when he saw He Fan's unhappy face, he immediately changed his tone and said, "I'm not blaming her. I just feel sorry for you, don't I? Xiaofan, if something didn't happen suddenly at home, I would definitely accompany you."

He was very good at coaxing people, and he said a lot of soft words afterwards. He Fan didn't think much about it. Looking at his lover's face, he felt that he had the courage again, so he hung up the phone and went out.

But when she entered the private room and saw Su Ning for the first time, she almost forgot what she was going to say. She was too nervous.

She has never asked anyone for money like this.

But this Mr. Su Ning was just as rumored, he looked very kind and polite. During the meal, he did not beat around the bush and spoke directly to her about the investment.

This actually made He Fan relax. She was quite willing to talk to someone as straightforward as him.

But when Su Ning mentioned something about the conditions for his investment, and before he finished speaking and just talked about the problem of the script, He Fan suddenly became alert and put down his chopsticks.

"If I heard correctly, President Su wants to change the screenwriter?" He Fan said seriously, "Wei Rong and I have been together for many years, and I know his abilities very well."

"And you can probably tell that he has made a lot of changes to the current script to cater to the market, which is not easy. If this investment comes at his expense, I cannot accept it."

It is common for investors to intervene in works, but for directors, especially people like He Fan, they will not agree to it casually.

She had already compromised, but the issue of scriptwriting seemed to have touched a sore spot for her. Su Ning wanted to explain it in more detail, but she interrupted him before he could finish his words.

"Boss Su," He Fan said, "I know my previous performance was not very good, but the two movies I created were not worthless and unknown rubbish. If I really accept others' random interference, I will definitely not get paid."

She wasn't exaggerating.

He Fan's family background and the school she attended are both very famous. The graduation short film she shot at school even won an award, so when she returned to China, she attracted a lot of attention. She is, to some extent, a "traffic" director.

At the beginning, Zhu Lan had to fight hard to get the investment.

It may be that He Fan's initial standards were too high, and the fact that she failed to win two films in a row was indeed surprising. Even though she is not undeservedly famous, those who know the industry think that many of her shots are very skillful, but without the content to support them, the audience felt that they were deliberately mysterious.

Su Ning had not expected her to react so strongly. He had already said it very tactfully: "I am not saying that Mr. Han Weirong is not good, but Director He, being emotionally compatible does not necessarily mean you have to be tied together in work. Maybe your styles are not suitable for each other."

Han Weirong is indeed not completely useless. He graduated from a prestigious university and is also a blogger. Many of his articles are very famous. Some of his words are so good that even Su Ning can't understand them. The lyrics of several songs he wrote are also good. He is not completely without talent, otherwise He Fan would not have been with him for so long.

But having beautiful words and knowing a lot are two different things from writing stories and scripts.

Su Ning has seen the short film that He Fan won an award for when he graduated from a prestigious foreign university. It seemed to be about "uncommon food", but in fact it started with food and told the story of slums and rich areas, deeply depicting the gap between the rich and the poor.

Her shots at that time were not empty, but extremely artistic and shocking.

Film art is a matter of personal taste, and everyone has their own judgment. If it is an art film that only the author admires, Su Ning will not force her to make changes.

But it is clear that He Fan's approach is not like this.

Her perspective may be more childish, but what she expresses is not childish, and she herself cares about business performance. After being with Han Weirong, she lost this point.

Su Ning just hopes that she can return to her original state.

But He Fan still shook his head stubbornly: "Wei Rong said that some of the content is profound and has hidden meanings. The audience will not appreciate it if they don't have the patience. As long as they put their minds at ease and understand it, they will understand it."

Su Ning:……

He didn't quite agree with this, but he didn't say so. Instead, he persuaded her in a different way, and specifically used his own example.

Su Ning is married and has a serious partner. Even he and Shen Mingzheng are not tied together all the time.

For example, Shen Mingzheng has also invested in some projects recently. There is a comedy club called "Yan Kai", which means smiling and happy. It is a little-known group. Many people in the company don't understand why they spent a lot of money on it. Su Ning knew about it, but did not intervene.

He respected all of Shen Mingzheng's decisions.

The company has been busy lately, and the two of them are not tied together all the time, and they each have their own perspectives on investment.

Work is work, and love is love. Su Ning didn't want to break them up, he just wanted He Fan to learn from his previous failures and make adjustments, just give it a try.

But it was obvious that the other party wouldn't listen.

"Boss Su, maybe you just don't love him enough. Once you reach a certain level, two people are inseparable."

"You don't have to tell me. I will not modify my work for money, nor will I give up the great honor. I believe that one day the audience will appreciate his talent and expression." He Fan said firmly, "But don't worry, President Su, even if we can't reach an agreement, this matter will not affect Ji Xue. I am very happy that she can participate."

"I'll find another way to do this play. Please."

She is very stubborn at heart.

Su Ning was helpless, but He Fan had already walked away, obviously not wanting to talk about investment anymore. Su Ning could only shut up and politely saw her off. He said a few last words to her before getting in the car.

"If Director He is interested, you can always talk to me about this matter again."

"I want to tell you, Director He, don't underestimate the audience's appreciation ability. Even if it is a niche film, as long as it is really good, there will be people who can appreciate it."

"I just want to be responsible for my artist and hope that she can make better works, that's all. Regarding my proposal, please consider it carefully. Moreover, Director He himself, don't you really want to make works that are truly recognized by the audience?"

He Fan was stunned, stared at him for a while, said nothing more, turned around and left.

It is normal to have some disagreements at the beginning of business cooperation. Not everyone thinks in a purely rational way, and it is even more normal for an artistic worker like He Fan to be emotional.

Su Ning is not discouraged.

He knew that given He Fan's situation, he would contact him again sooner or later, but when he returned to the hotel, he found that Zhu Lan had called him.

It's really rare.

His relationship with Zhu Lan is a little bit strained now. Since the last incident with Glory, there has been no communication between them.

But after thinking about it, Su Ning still took it.

However, Zhu Lan did not speak immediately after the call was connected. The two of them were silent for a while, and then Su Ning asked first: "Mr. Zhu, what's going on so late at night?"

He heard Zhu Lan take a deep breath and asked, "Did Ji Xue do something to Shu Miao on the set?"

Su Ning: “…No.”

He felt that this was not much of a achievement.

Jixue is a person like this. He is naturally attractive to people, so you just need to get used to it. Besides, the two of them don't have any deep hatred against each other.

"Shu Miao was asking me about He Fan today for no apparent reason. I thought she wanted to go back to play the role, but I had already found a better one, so I advised her against it, saying that He Fan had a lot of problems and there was no need to go back," Zhu Lan said. "Then she was hesitant and weird, saying that I was the one who arranged for Ji Xue to play this role, and that I had replaced her with Zhao Zhenyue. I couldn't just leave it alone, otherwise it would be irresponsible, and she felt that this was not a good thing."

Young girls tend to have tempers. Zhu Lan was used to dealing with her before, but she didn't expect that she would not give up this time. She insisted that Zhu Lan try to talk to her again, otherwise she would never be able to raise her head in front of the snow again.

It turned out to be because of He Fan.

Su Ning asked another question: "Didn't President Zhu also invest money? Are you really not going to care about her?"

Zhu Lan contributed half of the investment for this play, which was not a small amount. Considering He Fan's previous situation, it was basically all wasted.

"He Fan is a hopeless love-brained person. I've asked her to change the screenwriter a long time ago, preferably to replace Han Weirong, but she just refused to do so. What can I do?" Zhu Lan snorted, "You'll know once you meet her."

Su Ning just saw this and had almost the same experience.

He thought for a moment and then asked, "Why don't I go talk to Han Weirong directly? Everyone has their own specialties. He is not suitable for being a screenwriter. I can find him some other projects."

If you love each other, you should consider each other, at least that's what Su Ning thinks.

Zhu Lan on the other side only had one thing to say: "I advise you not to do that. He is not a good person. Besides, I hate him and don't want to talk to him."

Su Ning was also stunned when he heard this.

In his impression, Zhu Lan rarely gets so emotional, even when her previous investments were not successful.

Zhu Lan took a deep breath and continued, "But Mr. Su, don't think that Han Weirong is a good person. If he had self-knowledge, he should have withdrawn from the first movie. And when He Fan came to see you this time, Han Weirong was not with him, right? He often goes to good occasions to show his face, but he won't come when it's embarrassing like this."

"Forget about the vampire lying on the He family. I hate this kind of person the most. He tricks the daughter of a decent family into suffering with him, and in the end..."

She shut up here, probably thinking she was a little too emotional, but Han Weirong's screenwriting ability cost her a lot of money, and anyone else would get angry if it were him.

But Su Ning felt that there was something else behind her words.

Maybe He Fan reminded her of Shen Rose.

Su Ning knew about this matter of the Shen family, but as far as the situation of the Shen family was concerned, Shen Rose's situation might not be the same as He Fan's. At least she did not leave the Shen family just because of her feelings.

But from Zhu Lan's perspective, she didn't think there was anything wrong with the Shen family. Her loyalty and sense of belonging to the Shen family were stronger than anyone else's, so the person who deceived the rich lady and had no ability must be the one who deserved to die.

Zhu Lan originally didn't want to care about He Fan's affairs anymore. She couldn't get any benefits from him anymore. Even if she had some feelings for him, she would hate him for not fighting for it.

But Shu Miao inexplicably asked her for help, and if she didn't give her a result, she would keep making trouble.

Girls of this age are the most troublesome.

After finishing the phone call with Su Ning and knowing that he was also willing to change the script, Zhu Lan sat there for a long time, the light illuminating her expressionless face.

Afterwards, she called He Fan.

He Fan and Zhu Lan have always been very familiar with each other. They knew each other before they entered the circle. As soon as the phone was picked up, He Fan called out: "Sister Lan, are you still awake so late?"

Zhu Lan got straight to the point: "Su Ning should have come to see you. Did he also tell you that Han Weirong is not capable enough and asked you two to try separately?"

"He Fan, you should know that this matter is not my attempt to sow discord. This is just my personal opinion, right?"

She always spoke like this, straightforward and direct, but He Fan listened silently and replied: "Sister Lan, but you know, without him, there would be no me now. I can't leave him. Weirong means something very different to me."

Zhu Lan knew very well what was going on with He Fan.

The He family is extremely wealthy and owns jewelry. He Fan's father married three wives. She is the daughter of his first wife. He's father was busy traveling around the world for work, and the second wife secretly abused her many times. It was not discovered until several years later, so the He family replaced her with a gentler wife.

But He Fan's inferiority complex was thus developed.

Han Weirong's family background was not bad. After his family fell into poverty, he could barely afford to go to private high school, but it was a world of difference compared to the He family.

He Fan began to try to choreograph stage plays in high school. She found her interest and showed her talent as a director. However, she was a loner and had few friends. Naturally, no one was willing to perform in her stage plays. Only Han Weirong agreed.

At that time, he was still a famous figure in the school because of his good looks. He played the leading role in He Fan's stage play and it was a great success. It was the first time He Fan achieved success. From then on, she had him most of the time.

It was Han Weirong who accompanied her when she went abroad to study, otherwise she felt that she might not be able to pass the exam without the courage to go out. It was also he who helped her run around for the award-winning film. After that, the two of them officially got together, and Han Weirong became the screenwriter she could not give up.

To some extent, her boyfriend has almost become the screenwriter of her life.

"I know what Mr. Su means, and I know what you all mean," He Fan said. "Many of you said the same thing, and you like my previous works more. But without him, I wouldn't be who I am today."

"I understand Weirong's expression, and I don't regret filming his script."

This is what Zhu Lan couldn't understand no matter what.

The Shen family and the He family are friends, so they know each other's family situations very well.

"Don't be silly. Do you think Han Weirong didn't get any benefits? I told you before, don't think too highly of him. Other club activities in school were very expensive at that time. Horse riding and camping easily cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Only your stage play was free! It was your father who paid for all the expenses for Han Weirong to accompany you abroad! If the He family hadn't paid for the filming of that work, could Han Weirong alone have done it all for you?"

He Fan was silent for a while, then said, "Sister Lan, in your eyes, is there no emotion? Weirong is my artistic pillar, don't you really understand?"

Zhu Lan sneered: "No."

"What is love, and what is art? You rely on these things as your support, but you are blinded by the past and cannot get out of it. He Fan, who hasn't suffered in childhood?"

Zhu Lan's childhood background was no secret in their circle. She was the descendant of an old acquaintance of Shen Antang. Her family was originally very wealthy, even richer than the Shen family at the beginning. They were a noble family of artists, but art itself was very expensive. Her father, who was obsessed with art and had no investment vision, squandered the family fortune and even went into debt.

Those paintings bought were not antiques. They were not famous enough to be put up for auction, and no one would take them even if they were pawned. She was so hungry that she became malnourished in front of the paintings that her father had spent tens or even millions to buy. When Shen Antang brought her back, people in the circle secretly laughed at her, saying that the person brought back by the head of the Shen family looked like a skeleton.

As an adopted daughter, it is inevitable that she will be bullied and looked down upon in the circle at the beginning, but Zhu Lan's experience is completely different from He Fan's.

In her eyes, "art" is just something to be exchanged for money and profit. Art that cannot be converted into cash is a scam. She really has no emotional or sentimental needs, and now she doesn't feel sorry for Han Weirong in any way.

His so-called contribution, not to mention the compensation from the He family, even the scriptwriting fee Zhu Lan gave him was enough to buy off his hard work. So, in her eyes, this man was a pure vampire, and she didn't understand why people couldn't leave vampires.

The conversation between the two ended in failure.

Zhu Lan was already a little angry, and she became even angrier after this phone call. In her investment career, there were not many projects that lost money, and even if there was a temporary loss, she could always make it back later.

In her eyes, He Fan was an unbelievable fool. And looking at his appearance, he was still going to lose her money!

She had given up, but now she couldn't calm down the anger in her heart.

Especially when I turned around and looked at the circle of friends, Shu Miao posted a new status. It should be that the crew was shooting a night scene, and she was acting opposite Ji Xue again.

Late in the evening, the agent team on Jixue's side gave her an orange to eat. Fearing that she might not be able to hold it due to excessive energy consumption, Jixue probably saw that she was staring at it, so he broke it in half and gave her half.

So Shu Miao took a photo holding half an orange, and seemed to accidentally take a photo of the snow next to her, and captioned: "Hehe, it's pretty sweet."

Zhu Lan: ...

I really can't stand it. How can this world be filled with such useless idiots?

She would rather talk to Su Ning on the phone, which makes her feel better.