Chapter 72 Chapter 72 I just want to know the one I chose...
Chen Zhuo found time to go to the bank and apply for early repayment of his loan. However, the bank stipulated that early repayments before a full year of repayment would incur a penalty. Chen Zhuo calculated the interest and penalty for the following year's repayments and, choosing the lesser of two options, paid the penalty of over 20,000 yuan.
After all her hassles and the huge amount of money Chen Zhuo had lost, she was heartbroken. She kept blaming herself: "It's over 20,000 yuan. There's nothing else I could do with this money. I just gave it away for nothing. I'm so ashamed of myself."
After Shao Chengzhang found out, he comforted her and said it was nothing, this was already the smallest loss so far.
Chen Zhuo pouted and groaned: "You might as well scold me a few times. I feel even worse if you don't blame me. If only I had listened to you earlier and discussed it with you." After saying that, he sighed again.
Shao Chengzhang smiled and said, "It's okay. Just think of it as spending money to ward off disaster. Besides, you can just sign an artist and come back."
Chen Zhuo shook her head. It had been a week, and she had no idea how to sign artists. She couldn't sign the artists she wanted, and the ones she could sign weren't good enough.
The entire process came to a standstill, and she found that she had no solution at all.
Chen Zhuo was like a headless fly, lost in endless confusion. She often sat by the window, pondering for hours, until darkness gradually darkened and the wind picked up.
The autumn wind blows up long hair and blows away fallen leaves, and City A welcomes the most comfortable October of the year.
During the National Day holiday, Lin Yi asked Chen Zhuo out for dinner. She had been working at Yihua for a month, and the first thing she did after receiving her salary was to treat Chen Zhuo to a meal.
The two of them made an appointment to meet at the restaurant. Chen Zhuo handed Lin Yi an exquisite paper bag and said, "This is for you."
On Lin Yi's last day at Jingxi, she gave Chen Zhuo a bottle of perfume as a parting gift. It was one of Chen Zhuo's favorite scents. In return, Chen Zhuo bought her a set of his favorite perfume brand's shampoo and conditioner set during his island trip, in addition to the local specialty gifts.
Lin Yi didn't refuse and accepted it generously, "Thank you, Sister Chen Zhuo."
While waiting for the food to be served, Shen Zhuo asked Lin Yi how the new company was going, and Lin Yi said that she had learned a lot.
At Yihua, she is mainly responsible for market research and film selection evaluation, focusing on exploring potential projects produced by film festivals such as Cannes and Berlin, as well as some foreign independent film companies. She evaluates whether the film can be introduced into the country based on aspects such as the subject matter, overseas box office performance, award potential, and the reputation of the main creative team.
"Come to think of it, if you hadn't told me to learn how to evaluate scripts from the very beginning, I definitely wouldn't have gotten this offer." Lin Yi said, "By the way, Sister Chen Zhuo, I heard you resigned. What do you want to do in the future?"
Chen Zhuo said, "I'd rather be an artist agent."
Lin Yi said, "Wow, it's great to be your own boss! I wish my boss could be like you."
Shen Zhuo smiled: "What's wrong?"
Lin Yi sighed and said that she had evaluated a film before, and the team leader had already approved it. She tried to contact the other company for the first time and got a very suitable price, but it was rejected after she submitted it.
"I actually thought that movie was pretty good, it's such a shame."
"Lin Yi, is there a big profit margin from importing copyrights?" Although they are both in the film and television industry, Chen Zhuo really doesn't know much about production investment.
"Of course this kind of investment is huge. I only realized this after joining Yihua," said Lin Yi. "In the first half of the year, our company brought in the movie 'Dawn'. We spent 3 million to buy it out, and it ultimately grossed over 30 million. Yihua did all the marketing itself, and we made a net profit of over 7 million. We've now sold the online copyright to a platform, so the total is almost 10 million."
Shen Zhuo thought for a moment and asked, "What's the name of the movie you're interested in? Are there any resources?"
Lin Yi said yes, copied the link and sent it to Chen Zhuo.
"This film did very well at the box office overseas, but there wasn't much publicity in China. Only 4,000 people rated it on Douban."
"I'll go back and take a look."
Lin Yi asked, "Sister Chen Zhuo, do you want to try investing?"
Chen Zhuo smiled and said, "That's not a bad idea. It's hard to do anything right now."
Lin Yi understood: "If you need my help, just come to me."
Shen Zhuo smiled and said yes.
The film Lin Yi recommended was shortlisted for the Cannes Film Festival's main competition last year. The female protagonist wanted to raise money to start a business and escape poverty so her daughter could go to school. However, her vain husband ultimately betrayed her. Just before her daughter was sent to the factory, she escaped with her daughter.
After watching the movie, Shen Zhuo breathed a sigh of relief. It was a good movie, with a strong aftertaste, and it vividly portrayed the poverty of the lower classes and the plight of women.
At night, Chen Zhuo couldn't sleep.
She did a series of analysis to understand the budget for releasing a foreign bought-out film in China. The buyout fee plus translation, publicity, etc. would cost at least 5 million, and the box office would have to reach at least 20 million to break even.
The risk is high, but if the film is a success, the rewards are also extremely high.
Chen Zhuo usually has financial investments, but she is a conservative and stable type, and most of her investments are R1R2 level principal-guaranteed financial investments. Perhaps because of the pressure of 3 million, she actually developed a gambler mentality and wanted to give it a try.
But the problem is that she doesn't have enough funds at the moment.
Chen Zhuo tossed and turned in bed. Although she was very careful every time she turned over, she still woke up Shao Chengzhang.
He opened his eyes and asked hoarsely, "Can't sleep?"
Chen Zhuo said apologetically, "I'm sorry for waking you up."
Shao Chengzhang: "Is there something bothering you?"
"Well, I went out to dinner tonight with Lin Yi, the assistant I recommended to Yihua..." Shen Zhuo mentioned the movie Lin Yi recommended. When talking about buying out the investment, she briefly described the content of the movie. "Do you think that if this movie is introduced to China and released, will anyone go to see it?"
Shao Chengzhang understood her meaning immediately: "Do you want to invest in this film?"
"I don't know." Shen Zhuo put his hand on his forehead, feeling a little lost.
"Wife, money is not a problem." Shao Chengzhang knew what Shen Zhuo was thinking about.
It is not a problem for Shao Chengzhang, but it is the biggest problem for Shen Zhuo. She has already borrowed 3 million yuan, so how can she ask him for another 2 million yuan?
She didn't want to disturb Shao Chengzhang with her own affairs, so she leaned into his arms, patted his back, and coaxed him to sleep. "Yeah, I know. I have you here. Let's not think about it for now. Let's go to sleep."
"Yeah." Shao Chengzhang hugged her tightly, lowered his head to find Chen Zhuo's forehead and kissed him.
*
The next day, Shen Zhuo received a message from Shao Chengzhang. He spent the whole morning writing an investment plan that could not only satisfy Shen Zhuo's desire to invest in imported films, but also alleviate her financial pressure. That was to invest together with Kaleidoscope and share the pressure.
But Shen Zhuo stared at the PDF for a long time, feeling mixed emotions.
Isn't this still his resource, his money? Is this her only choice?
Chen Zhuo fell into anxiety and doubt. She began to wonder if she shouldn't have resigned so impulsively. Or perhaps, she should have accepted the offer from the artist studio and continued to manage artists.
Why did she choose to start a business? She clearly didn't have the skills. She felt like she was stuck in a thick quagmire, unable to move forward.
She rubbed her temples anxiously, but the next second she encouraged herself.
Everything is difficult at the beginning, she kept telling herself. This was just the beginning; every entrepreneur inevitably went through a period of chaos and disarray. She wasn't a failure right now; she just hadn't reached that turning point yet.
She needs to calm down.
She went to the study to find some inspirational books, but put the book down after reading only two pages; she went to the audio-visual room to watch a movie, but not long after watching it she picked up her phone and started browsing social media platforms, and the content pushed to her was also very boring.
She can't do anything now.
Shen Zhuo now desperately wanted to know when she would get better. She desperately needed someone to tell her.
In the evening, Shao Chengzhang came back and asked her about the joint investment. Chen Zhuo did not respond but told him that she wanted to go to Xincheng.
"Then I'll go with you?" Shao Chengzhang had reserved the last two days of the National Day holiday to accompany Chen Zhuo. He asked her doubtfully, "But what are we going to Xincheng for?"
Chen Zhuo said seriously, "I thought about it all afternoon, and suddenly I remembered that I met a fortune teller in Xincheng before. His predictions were really accurate. I think I have to go there."
Shao Chengzhang didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Now you believe in metaphysics?"
Not only does she believe in Eastern metaphysics, she also believes in Western metaphysics. In the afternoon, big data also pushes public divination to her.
Chen Zhuo clicked in for some unknown reason, selected a set of cards, and drew out the Tower and the World. The blogger explained that if reflected in her career, then her current predicament would be the only way for her to succeed.
Chen Zhuo was discouraged: "I just want to know if the path I chose is right."
Shao Chengzhang looked down at her and said, "Wife, this is the first time I've seen you so unconfident."
He reached out his hand and used his thumb and index finger to smooth out Chen Zhuo's frown. "It seems like you haven't been happy lately. You haven't smiled in a long time."
"I don't want to be like this, but I just can't help but feel anxious." Shen Zhuo sighed, with a hint of inexplicable grievance, "Maybe God saw that I was living too comfortably and had to find something to worry about for me."
Chen Zhuo considered herself lucky enough to have never had to endure any hardship in her studies, career, and relationships. Even her husband, whom she blindly chose to marry, was such an outstanding person. Looking back on her life, aside from having an irresponsible father who made her rebellious for two years, she didn't have much to worry about.
“No one can have smooth sailing all the time. Life is about experiencing the ups and downs. No one can always choose to eat the sweet things.”
Shen Zhuo pursed his lips and said nothing, not knowing what he was thinking.
"Besides, you're stepping out of your comfort zone. Before, when you were working at the company, no matter what happened, the company would cover you. Now that you're your own boss, you have to deal with the risks yourself."
Shao Chengzhang paused, then added, "Don't be afraid of failure. It's not that we can't afford to lose. I understand your anxiety, but I don't want you to question yourself because of it."
"What about you? You never get anxious?"
Shao Chengzhang chuckled: "Of course there will be anxiety, but it can't solve any problems. So allow it to exist and then get on with things."
He thought for a moment and said, "Don't go to Xincheng. I'll take you somewhere tomorrow."
"Where are you going?"
Shao Chengzhang kept it a secret: "You'll find out when you get there."
*
Shao Chengzhang was taking her hiking, and their destination was a famous mountain in the western suburbs of City A. However, they were not taking the regular route to the top in the park, but going up from the mountain road on the side.
Shao Chengzhang told Chen Zhuo that he used to go hiking whenever he was in a bad mood, and he had almost walked all the famous hiking routes in the country.
The wild mountain road was not as easy to walk on as the stairs. Shen Zhuo followed him and soon began to pant. Shao Chengzhang reached out to hold her hand, but she pushed him away again.
She snorted, "Who are you looking down on?"
Shao Chengzhang smiled helplessly and continued walking up.
"Look back." Shao Chengzhang stopped beside a big rock and supported Shen Zhuo.
Shen Zhuo turned around and found that she had climbed quite high and could overlook the entire city. She couldn't help but exclaimed and took out her mobile phone to take a photo.
Along the way, Shen Zhuo listened to Shao Chengzhang talk about the interesting things and people he had met during his previous hike. After walking and stopping for nearly three hours, they finally climbed over a mountain.
"Do you want to continue?"
Chen Zhuo had already passed the stage of panting and just felt a little sore in his heels. She nodded and said okay.
By the time the two of them came down, it was already past four o'clock. There was still more than a kilometer of downhill slope from the mountain road to the parking lot. Chen Zhuo felt his legs trembling and he couldn't walk at all.
"I'll carry you." Shao Chengzhang put the backpack in front of him and then squatted in front of her.
"Is this true? Can you do it?" He had also been walking for nearly six hours, and Shen Zhuo was afraid that he couldn't take it either.
Shao Chengzhang snorted and imitated her tone, saying, "Who are you looking down on?"
Chen Zhuo burst out laughing. She looked around and saw that there were not many people on the road, so she leaned over and lay on his back all the way to the parking lot. They didn't go home directly. Chen Zhuo was so hungry that his chest was sticking to his back, so he chose a barbecue restaurant and went straight there.
The moment he ate the sizzling grilled pork belly, Chen Zhuo felt that life was just like that.
Shao Chengzhang looked at her satisfied face and asked with a smile, "Do you know why I like hiking?"
"Why?"
"Because at that moment, my mind was only focused on the road ahead. I didn't look at how far ahead I was, nor did I look back to see how far I had come." Shao Chengzhang flipped the barbecue. "You didn't notice that you didn't mention those unhappy things all day."
"Yeah." Chen Zhuo was surprised to realize that she hadn't thought about the bad things in the studio at all today. Although she was physically tired, she was actually very relaxed and happy.
Shao Chengzhang smiled and put the roasted meat on her plate. "It's all yours. Eat more."
On the way back, Chen Zhuo unexpectedly received a call from Li Yaqi. The other party told her in a heavy tone that Bu Fan had withdrawn from "Fog Lights" because he was dissatisfied with the new director, and asked Chen Zhuo if he had any other recommendations.
She had looked for alternative candidates before. Their status was not as big as Bu Fan, but they also had many film offers and were about to start filming. The alternative actors might not be available, so Chen Zhuo said he could only ask for her.
After hanging up the phone, Shen Zhuo sighed, thinking about how much effort she had put into Bu Fan bringing Guan Siyu to partner with her in "Fog Lights", but now this project has nothing to do with her.
What I feel the most sad about is those hidden models given to Zaizai, which were given away for nothing.
When she got home, she received a text message from Guan Siyu. She didn't know how he knew she had opened a new studio, but he asked for her address. In the previous message, he had replied to her coldly with "OK." Shen Zhuo curled her lips but sent it to him anyway.
Guan Siyu asked her to meet at his studio.
Chen Zhuo finally stopped suffering from insomnia at night and fell into a sound sleep. The next morning, he couldn't help crying in bed.
It hurts! It hurts so much! My whole body hurts! Even though Shao Chengzhang had massaged her whole body the night before, it didn't help much.
Guan Siyu saw her holding her waist and moving forward bit by bit, and couldn't help but shake his head and sighed: "Shao Chengzhang is too cruel to you."
"..." Shen Zhuo gave him a blank look, "I'm going hiking!"
"With Shao Chengzhang?"
"yes."
"Then is there anything wrong with what I said?"
"..." It seems that this is right. Shen Zhuo was a little speechless. She sat down on the sofa and said, "Water, tea or coffee, make it yourself. I won't be polite with you."
Guan Siyu shook his head: "I don't want to drink anymore."
"What do you want from me today?" She raised her chin.
"At Jingxi, you were my first agent, so at Xinghe, I'm your first artist. That's only fair, right?"
Shen Zhuo was stunned: "What did you say?"
"I say," Guan Siyu looked at her and smiled, "Sister Chen Zhuo, I came to you to sign a contract."
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