Chapter 80
The snow is used to this.
But Shu Miao was still a little uneasy after handing over the note. When the show ended today, she followed Ji Xue and looked at her calm expression, as if nothing had happened. She couldn't help but ask her quietly: "Did you see it?"
Jixue looked back at her and said, "I saw your note. What's the matter?"
"Then do you still want to act in He Fan's play?" Shu Miao said, "This, this is very risky."
Even if Su Ning invested money because of her and suffered huge losses later, it would be a very embarrassing situation for the actor.
Given Jixue's current popularity, she still has a lot of options to choose from.
Jixue was not panicked, and nodded, "Go ahead and perform."
She and Su Ning agreed that there was nothing wrong with He Fan's directing ability, but the problem was with her script. The lines looked gorgeous, but in fact, it was just a pile of flowery words and the content was very empty.
Zhu Lan had noticed this before, but she couldn't change it. The screenwriter He Fan hired was her lover of many years, and her 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 weren't flaws in He Fan's production, Zhu Lan wouldn't have agreed so readily and let Ji Xue perform 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. When He Fan attended various activities before, the two of them were always together. A quick search on the Internet will show that they are almost inseparable.
But what’s strange is that this time when she came to invest, it was He Fan who came alone, 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 very 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 did not forget to call herself and her boyfriend.
She and Han Weirong have known each other for many years, since high school. He was the campus idol, very handsome. Although his family background was a bit ordinary, he had achieved some success now. He Fan still pursued 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 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 paid a lot of compensation. She did give money this time, but she just didn't give enough. No matter how you look at it, she has done her best.
He Fan frowned and said, "Don't say that about me."
"Alas, Zhu Lan's reputation in the circle 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 seeing that He Fan looked unhappy, he immediately changed his tone and said, "I'm not blaming her. I just feel sorry for you. Xiaofan, if something didn't happen suddenly at home, I would definitely go with you."
He was very good at coaxing people, and he said a lot of soft words afterwards. He Fan didn't care too much about it. Now 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 so nervous.
She had never asked anyone for money like this before.
But Mr. Su Ning looked very kind and polite, just as the rumors said. He did not beat around the bush during the meal and spoke directly about the investment.
This made He Fan relax. She was quite willing to talk to someone as straightforward as him.
But Su Ning mentioned some conditions about his investment. Before he finished speaking and just talked about the script, He Fan became alert and put down his chopsticks.
"If I heard correctly, Mr. 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 should also be able to see that he has made a lot of changes to this script to cater to the market, which is not easy. If this investment has to come at his expense, then I regret not accepting it."
It is common for investors to interfere 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 screenwriting seemed to have touched her sore spot. Su Ning wanted to explain it in 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 films I created were not trash without any merit or reputation. If I really accept others' random interference, I will definitely not get paid."
She wasn't bragging.
He Fan's family background and the school she graduated from 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. To some extent, she is a "traffic" director.
At the beginning, Zhu Lan had to fight hard to get the investment.
It may be that He Fan's initial reputation was too high, and the fact that two films failed in a row was really surprising. Even if she is not undeservedly famous, from the perspective of those who know the industry, many of her shots are very skillful, but without the content to support them, the audience feels that it is a hoax.
Su Ning didn't expect her to react so strongly. He had already said it very tactfully: "I'm not saying that Mr. Han Weirong is not good, but Director He, just because you are emotionally compatible doesn't mean you have to be together in work. Maybe your styles are not suitable."
Han Weirong is indeed not completely useless. He graduated from a prestigious university and is also a text blogger. Many of his articles are very famous. Some of his lyrics are so pretentious that even Su Ning can't understand them. The lyrics of some of his songs are also good. He is not completely without talent, otherwise He Fan would not have been with him for so long.
But having beautiful writing skills and knowing a lot are two different things from writing stories and scripts.
Su Ning has seen the short film that He Fan won when he graduated from a prestigious foreign university. It seems to be about "uncommon diet", but in fact it starts with food and tells 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 people admire, Su Ning will not ask her to make changes.
But it is obvious that He Fan’s approach is not like this.
Her perspective may be niche, but what she expresses is not niche, and she also cares about commercial 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 know 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 recently invested in some projects himself, including a comedy club called "Yan Kai", which means smiling and cheerful. The club is relatively unknown. Many people in the company don't understand why they spent so much money on this. 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 will not be tied together all the time, and they each have their own perspectives on investment.
Work is work, and feelings are feelings. Su Ning didn't want to break them up, he just hoped that He Fan would learn from his previous failures and make adjustments, just to give it a try.
But it was obvious that the other party wouldn't listen no matter what.
"Boss Su, maybe you just don't love him that much. Once you reach a certain level, two people can't be separated no matter what."
"You don't have to say it. I will not modify my work for money, nor will I give up Weirong. 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 Jixue. I am very happy that she can participate."
"I will find another way to do this play. Please forgive me."
She is very stubborn at heart.
Su Ning was also 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 final words to her when she got in the car.
"If Director He is interested, you can talk to me about this matter again at any time."
"I want to tell you, Director He, don't underestimate the audience's appreciation. Even if it's a niche film, as long as it's 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. Please think about my proposal carefully. Besides, Director He himself, doesn't he 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 fail to reach an agreement at the beginning of a business cooperation. Not everyone thinks purely rationally. Moreover, it is even more normal for an artist like He Fan to be emotional.
Su Ning was not discouraged.
He knew that given He Fan's situation, he would contact him 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 bit delicate now. Since the last incident with Glory, there has been no communication between them.
But after thinking about it, Su Ning still accepted it.
However, Zhu Lan didn't 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 thing.
Jixue is a person like this, naturally attractive and you'll get used to him. Besides, the two of them don't have any deep hatred.
"Shu Miao asked me about He Fan today for no apparent reason. I thought she wanted to go back to play the role, but I found someone better, so I advised her, saying that He Fan had many 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 exchanged the role for Zhao Zhenyue. I couldn't just leave it alone, otherwise it would be irresponsible. She felt that this was not a good thing."
Young girls tend to have tempers, and Zhu Lan was used to dealing with her before, but she didn't expect that she wouldn't 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 Mr. 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 about it and asked again, "Why don't I go talk to Han Weirong directly? Everyone has their own expertise. 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 sentence: "I advise you not to do that. He is not a good person. Besides, I hate him and don't want to talk to such a person."
Su Ning was also stunned when he heard this.
In his impression, Zhu Lan was rarely so emotional, even when her previous investments had not been going well.
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 quit after his first movie flopped. And He Fan came to see you this time without Han Weirong, right? He often goes to good occasions to show his face, but not when it's embarrassing like this."
"He's just a vampire lying on the He family. I hate this kind of people the most. He tricked the daughter of a good 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 ability as a screenwriter had 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 Qiangwei.
Su Ning knew about this part of the Shen family, but as far as the Shen family's situation was concerned, Shen Qiangwei'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 guilty of death.
Zhu Lan originally didn't want to care about anything concerning He Fan anymore. She couldn't get any benefits from him anymore. Even if she had some feelings for him, she hated him for not fighting for him.
But Shu Miao inexplicably asked her for help, and if she didn't give her a result, she would make a fuss again.
Girls of this age are the most annoying.
After finishing the call with Su Ning and knowing that the other party also wanted to change the script, Zhu Lan sat there for a long time, the light reflecting her expressionless face.
Then 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 you. Didn't 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 was not instigated by me. This is just one family's opinion, right?"
She always spoke like this, straightforward and direct, but He Fan listened silently and replied: "Sister Lan, but you know that 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 is a jewelry family. 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 his second wife secretly abused her many times. The abuse was not discovered until several years later, so the He family replaced her with a gentler wife.
But He Fan developed an inferiority complex.
Han Weirong's family background is not bad, but after his family fell into poverty, he can barely afford to go to a private high school. However, compared with the He family, it is a world of difference.
He Fan began to try to stage stage plays in high school. She found her interest and showed her talent as a director. However, she was introverted and had few friends. Naturally, no one was willing to perform in her stage plays. Only Han Weirong agreed.
At that time, he was a well-known figure in the school because of his good looks. He played the leading role in He Fan's stage play and it was a huge success. That was He Fan's first success, and from then on, she had him in her mind many times.
It was Han Weirong who accompanied her when she went abroad to study, otherwise she felt that she did not have the courage to go out and might not be able to pass the exam. 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 mean," He Fan said, "Many of you said so, and you liked my previous works more, but without him, there would be no me 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. At that time, other club activities in school were very expensive. Horseback riding and camping easily cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Only your stage play was free! It was your father who paid for Han Weirong to accompany you abroad! When filming that work, if the He family hadn't paid for it, could Han Weirong alone have done all this for you?"
He Fan was silent for a while, then said, "Sister Lan, in your eyes, there is no emotion? Weirong is my artistic pillar, don't you really understand?"
Zhu Lan sneered: "No."
"What is emotion? What is art? You rely on these things as support. You are blinded by the past and cannot get out of it. He Fan, who didn't suffer in childhood?"
Zhu Lan's childhood experience 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 business and even went into debt.
Those paintings bought back were not antiques, and they were not famous enough to be put up for auction. No one would take them if they were put up as collateral. She was starving to the point of malnutrition in front of the paintings that her father had spent tens of millions to buy back. 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 benefits. Art that cannot be realized is a scam. She really does not have any emotional or sentimental needs, and now she does not feel that she has done anything wrong to Han Weirong.
Not to mention the compensation from the He family, even the screenwriter fee Zhu Lan gave him was enough to buy for 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 people ultimately ended in failure.
Zhu Lan was already a little angry, and she became even angrier after making this phone call. In her investment career, there were not many projects where she lost money, and even if she lost money temporarily, she could always make it back later.
In her opinion, people like He Fan are incredibly stupid, and it seems that he will continue to lose her money!
She had almost given up, but now she was so angry that she couldn't calm down.
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, Jixue's management team gave her an orange to eat, fearing that she might not be able to hold on due to excessive energy consumption. Jixue must have seen her staring at it, so she 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. Why is this world full of these unmanageable idiots?
She would rather call Su Ning so that she can feel better.
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