The teacher shook his head and said seriously, "I don't trust you, I just want to support you. This is also what the academy wants."
After the other party said this, Xu Siming reacted immediately. He opened his mouth and briefly talked about the situation in Xiaoan Village. The other party had originally ignored him, but suddenly there was such a big change in attitude.
"Has An Jingzhi been here?"
The teacher nodded and said, "Do you think our school's equipment is so easy to borrow? Every year, students from the directing department graduate, and everyone is poor. You want to borrow it, and I want to borrow it too. Does the college still have equipment?"
"This time, we're only doing this because of your special intentions. Otherwise, forget it. Even if I lend you the equipment, you still have to take good care of it, or you'll still have to pay for it."
"Don't worry, teacher. I'll keep it well for you."
He borrowed some of the school's equipment, as well as some that the school didn't have or was already in use by others. He was also introduced by the teacher who managed the equipment to someone the teacher knew to rent them.
Overall, it saved him a lot of effort and he didn't have to worry about being cheated.
After seeing all the equipment being borrowed, Xu Siming felt emotional: This is what it means to lean on a big tree for shade.
After all the equipment was ready, he made a phone call.
"Hey, where are you? What are you busy with? I've borrowed all the equipment, and I just need to find a few more people. I originally thought it might take half a month, but now it looks like ten days will be enough."
An Jingzhi's voice came from the other end of the phone: "So efficient? I knew I was right about you."
"When I got to school, wow! I thought I'd have to beg and plead, but the teachers were surprisingly easy to talk to. After testing them, I realized you'd been there beforehand."
"Didn't you assign the job of borrowing equipment to me? Why are you still going to school? Are you looking for extras?"
"The junior students in our school are indeed cheaper, but I guess they wouldn't want to go to such a faraway countryside with me. I went to find Teacher Dou and asked him to introduce me to Senior Brother Hu Chengming."
Xu Siming asked in surprise, "Teacher Dou Songhua who was rehired? What happened with that? Did Senior Brother Hu agree?"
"Didn't you say that we only have that much funding? Even if we gave it all to Senior Brother Hu, it wouldn't be enough."
"What are you thinking? If I were to receive a normal salary, would I still need Teacher Dou's recommendation?"
"Alright, alright, let's stop talking. You'll know later. Hurry up and gather everyone. Let's go back as soon as possible."
After saying that, An Jingzhi hung up the phone.
Returning to the cafe, he apologized to the man sitting in front of him, "Sorry, Senior Brother Hu, I kept you waiting."
Hu Chengming smiled and said, "It's okay."
"I originally agreed to come here to give the teacher a favor," he put down the script in his hand. "I didn't expect that our college would be so full of talented people. A junior who graduated from the photography department could draw such clear storyboards and write such a good script."
An Jingzhi smiled and said, "If I don't have the skills, I wouldn't be able to ask Brother Hu to do it."
"Originally, I wanted to give Teacher Dou a favor and meet you because you wanted to help the village get out of poverty. At most, I wanted to invest some money in you. I didn't expect you to give me such a surprise."
Hu Chengming clasped his hands together and said, "This Zhang Yong in there, is my character, right?"
"Brother Hu's eyes are sharp."
The other party smiled and said, "Don't flatter me. Tell me, what are your conditions?"
An Jingzhi smiled, a little embarrassed, and said, "Brother Hu, I'm sure Teacher Dou has also told you that the funds for our crew's construction are all from the village. Every penny must be spent wisely."
“So this pay…”
Hu Chengming understood: "I see. How about one million?"
Hu Chengming's original offer for the film was 10 million yuan, but he only took 1 million yuan, which was already a huge discount.
An Jingzhi didn't say whether it would work or not, but said with a worried look on his face: "The villagers are willing to put so much money in me and let me make a movie because they trust me."
"To be honest, Brother Hu, our village is very poor. Most of the children are left behind. The younger ones have gone to work at the county construction sites."
"Even working on a construction site doesn't guarantee you'll get paid. Sometimes you'll work all year and still go home empty-handed."
"It's difficult for children to study. They have to get up at five in the morning and walk for almost two hours to get to school. Children who are only seven or eight years old have to walk three hours every day."
"At noon, we can only——"
Seeing that An Jingzhi wanted to continue speaking, Hu Chengming quickly interrupted: "Stop, stop, stop. I know what you mean. If you continue, I will feel like a sinner."
An Jingzhi said apologetically, "Brother Hu, what are you talking about?"
Hu Chengming said angrily, "Aren't you saying this just for me?"
"Okay, I don't want the one million yuan salary anymore. I'll just donate it to your village as a good deed."
An Jingzhi then revealed a satisfied smile and said excitedly, "Brother Hu, you are truly the benefactor of our Xiaoan Village!"
"I don't deserve the title of benefactor," Hu Chengming said, waving his hand. "If you don't know, forget it. If you do know, I can only do what I can."
"It's also because your script is excellent, otherwise I can only donate some money to you."
"Brother Hu, don't worry, you won't regret it."
"Then you have to take a good picture for me." Hu Chengming said with a smile.
…
After finishing the remaining things, Xu Siming had almost organized the crew.
The two agreed on a time and chartered a bus to set off.
In the car, Xu Siming was very excited when he learned that An Jingzhi had persuaded Hu Chengming to agree to act in the film for free.
"Is this true? You can even convince Hu Chengming? Are you really going to act in the film for free?" Several questions in a row.
An Jingzhi nudged Xu Siming. The other party was getting closer and closer, and his saliva almost flew into his face. He said with a look of disgust:
"As excited as you are, stay away from me when you talk."
"Okay, okay, okay." Normally, he would have complained about the other person being too troublesome.
"Tell me quickly." Xu Siming urged.
"What's there to say? I personally took part, and through Teacher Dou's recommendation, is it strange that Senior Brother Hu starred in the film for free? Isn't my script worth it?"
An Jingzhi's expression was so matter-of-fact that it stunned Xu Siming immediately.
"There really are people in this world who are so shameless." He was shocked.
"What do you mean?" An Jingzhi asked dissatisfiedly.
"No," Xu Siming waved his hand. "Are you playing pity on Senior Brother Hu again? Or are you just making empty promises?"
Xu Siming agreed impulsively at first, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.
But the thing has already been agreed upon, and I can't just walk away before I even get there.
"What do you mean by playing the victim?" An Jingzhi denied it all: "I was just telling the truth!"
"As for the empty promises," he squinted at Xu Siming, "check your conscience. You've been busy lately, but have your abilities been exercised?"
"Do you know more about the details of each operation of the crew?"
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