I make a thriller, it's God chasing and feeding

Chapter 379 [No one stayed behind]

It was almost ten o'clock when Zhang Xueming, wearing formal clothes and looking tired, returned home.

In order to gain enough qualifications to take on the highest position, she has been very busy during this period.

Although as Lu Zhengyi and Zhang Chuanxing said, when she reached this position, she had to learn to delegate tasks to her subordinates instead of doing it herself.

But in fact, even if she shared the work, as a vice president who wanted to advance, she had no way to relax.

However, Zhang Xueming only needs to bear the decision-making power.

But as the company grows, more and more decisions need to be made.

Advertising cooperation with some of my actors, business development, public relations...

For many issues, each department will discuss and come up with solutions.

It is her job to choose a suitable option from these options and make a decision.

"Thanks for your hard work."

After dinner, Zhang Xueming went into the study without even washing up.

Lu Zhengyi tidied up downstairs, then made a cup of hot tea and brought it upstairs for her.

"It's not hard at all. If you have to do it, it's normal to be hard."

Zhang Xueming raised her head from behind her laptop, tilted her neck and stretched.

She is now in her thirties. Although this age is no longer young, it is still far from being old.

Of course, given her status, no one would directly object to her direct appointment.

but……

"In a project we collaborated on, the male lead was banned due to some sensitive topics."

Zhang Xueming leaned back in the chair, not so straight, and rubbed his forehead with his fingers. "But this drama is already halfway through filming. Either the entire project should be announced to be over now, or we have to replace the actors and reshoot, but this is not a small amount of money."

"This male lead... forget it, let's not talk about him. It's already happened, and he probably won't have a chance to make a comeback. There's no point in pursuing the past."

"There is a solution now, but several investors are unwilling to step into this trap. After all, investing more means that more returns are needed to recoup the investment."

So the question is, can this play be successful? Can it be a big hit?
Not every director or actor can give investors enough confidence.

Lu Zhengyi did not respond immediately. Instead, he bent down, squatted beside her, picked up the mouse, and looked at the document in the notebook.

Zhang Xueming did not disturb him. She sat quietly beside him, sipping her black tea.

"How about trying to find some traffic?"

"No matter what, the traffic volume can still be guaranteed."

"If it really doesn't work, we can stop the loss in time. Anyway, our main investment is in the publicity and promotion work. Now the drama has not been completed, and the publicity and promotion work has only been carried out for a small part. If we withdraw the investment directly, we can recover much more than other investors."

Lu Zhengyi read very quickly, and he finished reading all the contents in just a short while.

This is a sweet drama, a youth romance drama.

The original male lead's information is also included in these documents. He is a talented actor who started out as a child star. In the public's mind, he has a certain youth filter added to his image.

From the director's perspective, he could see that this script was completely custom-made based on the male protagonist's public image.

Moreover, it is a youth romance script, which can only be taken on by young actors, and it has too many limitations.

The moment the male protagonist committed the crime, the script was ruined.

What we can do now is to hire some traffic and get some money from the traffic fans. If it is managed well, we can make this film more popular by appearing on various variety shows and using some unconventional tricks.

But if you want to win on quality, that is absolutely impossible.

Even if Lu Zhengyi were to shoot or direct the film himself, he would not be sure.

But by doing this, the investment risk increases a lot.

All kinds of financial resources and personal connections have to be put to use.

“… Logically, we should withdraw our investment.”

Zhang Xueming hesitated for a moment, "But withdrawing investment means the failure of this project."

"Also, the crew has been trying to communicate with us, hoping for a chance to reshoot. Both the director and other leading actors have contacted us."

"Our company has cooperated with them many times. If we withdraw directly..."

She could feel that the crew really intended to make this film well.

And it is for this reason that Guangying will cooperate with them.

Since meeting Lu Zhengyi, Zhang Xueming sometimes pays more attention to the crew's passion and seriousness towards drama rather than traffic.

For the former, the income can be realized quickly, but the future development trend is unstable and it is likely to be replaced in one or two years, or even a few months.

But for the latter, as long as they are willing to do something with passion and seriousness, and if they can seize the opportunity and shine, the popularity will definitely be much higher and more stable than some traffic.

The solution that does not require withdrawal of investment is to find a source of traffic to ensure minimum viewership.

Then, the two are in conflict.

If Zhang Xueming wants to accept the crew's request and not withdraw her investment, she needs to interfere with the selection of the male lead and invite a popular actor.

The crew probably couldn't accept it.

"Just a reminder, your performance has affected your judgment." Lu Zhengyi looked at her frowning brows, came behind her, and helped massage her shoulders. "We are not unable to afford to lose. We have the confidence to bear the failure."

"..."

When the problem was pointed out so sharply, Zhang Xueming was stunned at first. Then, her waist became even weaker and even her head tilted back, resting on his abdomen.

"In fact, they all think that I can succeed because of you." She said in a very low voice, "The worst thing is that I almost think so myself. If it weren't for you, Guangying would not be what it is now."

The foundation of Light and Shadow is a family business.

Even though the scale has expanded now, many positions are still held by Zhang's blood relatives.

In addition, Guangying is now expanding almost entirely relying on Lu Zhengyi's fame.

And Lu Zhengyi is her husband.

Therefore, if Zhang Xueming wanted to take over the entire Guangying Group, he actually didn't need to make too much effort. As long as Zhang Chuanxing gave the order, the process would be followed, and all members of the board of directors would approve it, and he would be able to take over naturally.

But this also means that all your so-called efforts, achievements and persistence in the past are in vain.

I didn’t get to this point through hard work alone.

It's because of luck, luck is greater than hard work.

But it is a fact that after I graduated and joined Guangying, I was only in a supervisory position for a few years.

Even though he was the direct descendant of the company, he had not achieved enough results for his father to promote him to a higher position.

After meeting Lu Zhengyi, in just a few years, he was promoted from supervisor to manager, and then to vice president. He even developed Guangying from a single company into a multi-business entertainment group and expanded overseas.

"They all said that I don't need to work hard, I just need to believe in you and pour all the resources in my hands into you, and I will succeed."

"I don't need any thinking, I don't need any judgment, I just need to believe in you."

"Many people in the company have said these things, but I have no way to refute them because they are telling the truth." Zhang Xueming said that he wanted to achieve results and convince others, but these were just empty words.

She was actually competing with herself.

At least, there must be some achievements that are not brought about by the husband.

"..."

Lu Zhengyi remained silent.

"I'm sorry, these words may not be... appropriate."

Zhang Xueming stretched out her hand and held her husband's hand on her shoulder.

These words are her psychological feelings, the most real psychological feelings.

But to be honest, these words feel very distant.

We are obviously a family, why should we separate ourselves?

But when she heard what other people said, her mood couldn't help but be affected, and she felt like all her efforts forward were wiped out.

"There's nothing inappropriate. Just tell me." Lu Zhengyi responded gently, picked her up from the office chair by the waist, and sat her down on the recliner by the window. "No matter what you want to say, you can tell me."

Zhang Xueming didn't say anything and just lay on him silently.

Lu Zhengyi is very big and strong, and she looks petite in comparison.

So lying on him was like lying on a cushion of flesh.

"Do you remember what kind of person I was before?"

After a while, she asked.

“Strong, powerful, a little cold, and very distant.”

Lu Zhengyi recalled how she looked when he first saw her.

"what about now?"

She raised her head and fixed her eyes on him.

“Gentle, patient, and sometimes clingy.”

Lu Zhengyi looked at her and couldn't help rubbing her hair with his palm. "But before, we were not familiar with each other. Now you are my wife, and our status is different. Of course, we will be closer."

"That's true, but other people's impression of me seems to have changed as well."

Zhang Xueming lay down again, leaning against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, and murmured in a low voice, "Of course people change, but in fact, my attitude towards work has never changed. I have only experienced some changes in my life."

"But many people have forgotten what kind of person I used to be. Seriously, I used to be described as 'dignified'."

"In the company, many people are a little afraid to talk to me. I don't want others to be afraid of me. I just hope that this emotion can make employees more solemn, serious and conscientious when treating my orders."

At this point, she paused, "But they seem to have forgotten who I used to be."

"They said I was very happy and that I was lucky to have found a husband like you."

"Especially after I gave birth, some people in the company even started gossiping about me. How dare they? They didn't dare to do that before. It seems that the image I have in their eyes has completely changed to that of a... delicate person."

It's like a person with a weak constitution who doesn't even have the strength to carry their mother downstairs when she falls ill.

He began to work hard on self-discipline and exercise.

It took him a long time to build up his physique.

During this process, I sweated a lot and even forced myself to change my diet and started eating things that I hated before.

And when he truly succeeds, everyone around him admires him very much.

But ever since he got a girlfriend, things started to get weird.

Phrases like "Are you working so hard just to pursue her?", "Love changes people", "A warrior charging for love..." began to appear in his life, and even labels like "suck-up" would occasionally appear.

Everyone gradually forgot that he initially said something like, 'My mother fainted today and the ambulance hasn't arrived yet. I planned to carry her downstairs, but I didn't even have the strength to carry her.'

He even began to doubt whether he started to exercise self-discipline just to have a girlfriend.

It's just a small thing.

Some people may think that this is too pretentious and that as long as the result is good and right, it is enough.

But as the person involved, Zhang Xueming felt very aggrieved.

The former is about a boy who finally grew up and took on responsibilities little by little while working hard.

The moment I realized my parents were getting old and I was growing up,
When you exercise to exhaustion again and again, but continue to persevere the next day,
A boy grows into a man when he truly sees the strong muscles on his body.

And the latter...

"Stick to your own ideas."

Of course, Lu Zhengyi didn't think that she was being hypocritical, and he didn't refute anything, "Don't forget, when I was not famous and everyone doubted me, it was you who took a fancy to me."

"This is not luck, but vision, ability and courage."

"We should achieve mutual success, right? If it weren't for you, I might have wasted some time arguing with various investors, and it might have taken me several more years to achieve such success at such a young age."

As a family member, he supported his wife's choice without any reason.

And it's true.

Rather than adding icing on the cake, she is more like a timely help.

Not everyone has this vision and courage. Who would have thought that a mat weaver and shoe seller could become the ruler of a country? Who would have thought that a beggar could become an emperor? Who could...

They now say that Zhang Xueming is lucky and succeeded on his own.

But they all ignored, or deliberately forgot, that they also had the opportunity to invest in themselves.

"But...what about you?"

Zhang Xueming raised her head again, "Your job..."

"Filming is just a hobby."

Lu Zhengyi looked at her and said, "Right now, I have other things to do than filming."

"Then the others..."

Zhang Xueming hesitated.

"In my life, they are supporting characters."

Lu Zhengyi responded, "But in their respective lives, they are the protagonists."

Will they be unable to live without me?

Of course not.

With the experience of working in the Meilimao crew, they can live and work well even after leaving.

It was just like when Yu Li left after filming "The Old Corpse in the Mountain Village", and Chang Zhengwei and Zhang Yuming left after filming "The First Commandment"... Although everyone left, they are all moving forward and no one stayed where they were.

(End of this chapter)