Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 371 I have never had any personal dealings with you!
The Mechanical Core Research Institute now houses more than sixty people, and it is not as spacious as it was at the beginning.

Of course, the design capacity here is around 200 people, and it is far from reaching its limit.

Half a month has passed since the press conference, but the challenges facing the newly emerged Hongtu project team are far from over. Half of the team is dedicated to system repair and iteration, while the other half is working with other mobile phone manufacturers on hardware optimization and targeted development.

Currently, there are 24 manufacturers of varying sizes queuing to access the Hongtu system. Excluding the smaller ones, there are still seven or eight large manufacturers. The Hongtu system will see a major surge in mobile phones in the second half of the year, as will its software.

In Cheng Mo's office, the two discussed their recent plans.

"The payment commission is only tens of thousands of yuan per day now, but the momentum is very good. Tianyu's E series will be released next month, and there is also HTC. They have a large shipment volume and are considered our first overseas partner."

Zhai Da shook his head: "HTC doesn't count as an overseas company. This is something to be careful about. It needs to be clearly stated in publicity and internal communication."

Cheng Mo was somewhat insensitive to this, but he still nodded.

In business, you can't go wrong by listening to the chairman.

"HTC has bet on both ends; they also have Android models."

Zhai Da said nonchalantly, "The market will make the choice. Android's system intelligence and ecosystem are far inferior to Hongtu's current capabilities."

Looking at Cheng Mo, whose style was becoming increasingly business-like and who exuded the aura of a "golden elite," he felt a deep sense of emotion.

Cheng Mo was one of the first members of "π" to be used and given the stage.

In the early days, he was actually prepared that Cheng Mo wouldn't know anything except how to code, but Cheng Mo proved with his abilities that his growth was all-round.

It's no longer just a matter of programming skills; he can also manage and effectively lead a team of dozens of people and smoothly connect with various companies for business.

For his age, he's really impressive.

If we're talking about who was the second most eye-catching at the press conference, it would undoubtedly be Cheng Mo. In fact, even after the press conference ended, he was constantly being poached by other companies.

Zhai Da was well aware of this, but geniuses all have their own style.

If he doesn't seem to care that his talent was so easily poached, it means that parting ways was inevitable.

At his age, leading such a promising career, Cheng Mo values ​​a sense of accomplishment and mission most, followed by the sense of belonging among the "π" members and his admiration for Zhai Da, and only lastly would he consider "salary and benefits".

Cheng Mo didn't even glance at the 400 million annual salary offered by Lianxiang in private.

Other ordinary employees are in a similar situation, their inboxes are filled with poaching messages from various companies. This is something that every team that becomes an instant success will inevitably face. If they are unlucky, they will start to fall apart the moment they succeed.

But research institutes are different. The compensation here is already quite good. Some headhunters who are not very reliable offer even less compensation than research institutes!

Moreover, the atmosphere is thriving and the environment is superb. Seeing that tree every day on my way to work makes me feel comforted both physically and mentally.

Can you believe that the more overtime you work, the more hair you get?
Just then, someone knocked on the door: "Mr. Zhai, a guest is looking for you."

His face showed shock and confusion, as if he hadn't quite grasped the situation.

A big star has come to the company?
Zhai Da nodded and said, "I will start the motor project next week. Ge Qiaoqiao and Qi Lin will also be involved, making the research institute much more lively."

Cheng Mo smiled and said, "Then I'll have to look forward to it. I'd love to work with them."

He was very confident that every member of "π" would shine as brightly as he did, and that's what "belonging" means.

Just as he was getting up to leave, Cheng Mo suddenly called out to him.

"By the way, President, I want to show you something before I leave."

Zhai Da looked over curiously, and Cheng Mo suddenly raised his hand with a grin and snapped his fingers.

With a snap, a playing card appeared in his hand.

Zhai Da raised an eyebrow: "Not bad."

Cheng Mo thought to himself, "Of course! My hands are cramping from all this practice!"
Since showing off with Zhai Da at the press conference, he has also become interested in close-up magic. Some simple tricks are just too much in line with his show-off personality.

Subconsciously, Cheng Mo began to imitate Zhai Da's style.

Because when it comes to showing off, the president's style is still the most flamboyant!

"Hehe, I wonder how much of a gap there is between me and you."

Zhai Da also raised his hand and snapped his fingers with a "snap".

A pure gold cane, more than a meter long, appeared in his palm.

Zhai Da twirled the stick: "I still need to practice."

Cheng Mo's eyes widened. How did they do that?
Is this reasonable?!
Zhai Da smiled slightly, pushed open the door, and left.

Now the whole country knows he is a highly skilled magician, so he can use some of his abilities openly.

Upon arriving at the research institute's gate, Zhai Da saw the visitors—three to five people, with the two at the front being particularly easy to spot.

Gao Yuanyuan, Brother Hu.

Gao Yuanyuan is at the peak of her beauty, achieving a balance between charm and youthful radiance. Several programmers have already come up to her for autographs.

Upon seeing Zhai Da, Gao Yuanyuan immediately signed her name, bowed to the employee, and then hurried over to greet him.

"Teacher Zhai, I'm sorry to trouble you."

Zhai Da waved his hand: "Let's go, I'll show you around first."

Since last year, Gao Yuanyuan has repeatedly expressed her desire to come to Harbin to find Zhai Da, but Zhai Da has politely declined each time.

He was well aware of the other party's purpose, but he did not think that the other party was a suitable actor for "The Long Road".

After that, the two only communicated by sending text messages during holidays. Gao Yuanyuan was responsible for sending the messages, while Zhai Da was responsible for reading them but not replying.

However, before the press conference, in order to gain exposure, Xinglang suggested that he invite some celebrities. At that time, Hongtu OS was not well-known, and Zhai Da was short of money. In the end, he just asked if this "national goddess" would come.

The main reason is that it's free.

The other party was very accommodating, acting very enthusiastically that night and even taking the initiative to accept many media interviews to generate buzz for the press conference livestream.

Although in hindsight, Gao Yuanyuan's presence did not play a decisive role, and in fact, because the event was so exciting and the guests were so high-end, she, as the only celebrity present, actually benefited a bit, the favor still had to be shown. Her year-long persistence finally made Zhai Da see her sincerity.

Everyone knew the truth, but no one was in a hurry to point it out. Zhai Da led the group around as if it were a normal tour.

The two were stunned by the upside-down canopy of the old elm tree on the first floor, and now, facing the tranquil "Pond of Roots," they were speechless.

Especially Brother Hu, who came with me, seemed refreshed and energetic. Although he had made a comeback after his car accident, his health had never been good. Walking into this place gave him a feeling of physical and mental well-being.

Just then, some employees came to clean up the Root Pond. Standing by the pond, they used a net to scoop up the residue, which was leftover from the solid feed.

He was muttering to himself, "Little White, rub it white."

Zhai Da thought he had misheard and didn't pay attention.

What Zhai Da didn't know was that many employees privately cherished the "Old Elm Tree" and took the initiative to undertake maintenance work, even starting to "personify" it.
Someone made an employee badge for Lao Yu: Employee No. 000: Yu Xiaobai.

Earlier than Zhai Da 001
Design director Wang Qianyu even drew a human-like character, an adorable chibi-style girl with white hair.

The "white" comes from its distinctive white roots.

Zhai Da just hasn't discovered it yet. If he did, he would probably stop this behavior immediately.
If you plant them the right way, you'll all behave!
After walking around, Zhai Da led the two to a rooftop on the second floor of the building and gave each of them a bottle of Coke.

The three sat at one table, while the staff who had come with Gao Yuanyuan sat a little further away. Zhai Da spoke up, "Still want to get involved in this mess?"

Gao Yuanyuan probably didn't expect Zhai Da to be so direct, but after a moment she still gripped her knees with both hands and said firmly, "If Teacher Zhai gives me a chance."

Zhai Da sighed. It was clear that things were going to be discussed openly today, especially since the "pre-determined male lead" had been brought along.

Brother Hu didn't interrupt for the time being, but he listened very attentively.

Zhai Dadao said, "Why are you the one doing all the work? Are you planning to also be the producer?"

Gao Yuanyuan shook her head: "I don't have the energy to be a producer, and I'm not familiar with the business, but I'm willing to be an executive producer."

Zhai Da was stunned, and so was Brother Hu.
In terms of business operations, the three most important roles in filmmaking are the producer, the executive producer, and the director.

The producer refers to the investor, usually a film and television company, but occasionally an individual investor may also invest. Producers are divided into producers and co-producers according to their investment ratio.

The director is responsible for filming.

The producer, on the other hand, is the organizer of the project, responsible to the executive producer and coordinating the work of the production team.

Originally, the producer's job was to target a promising script, attract investment, acquire copyrights, and hire actors, so Zhai Da thought Gao Yuanyuan would be doing this part-time.

A very stupid decision.

But Gao Yuanyuan meant that she would pay for it!
This doesn't align with the current practices of celebrities. After all, movies are extremely risky; investors lose money, and the audience suffers the consequences. Actors earn their salaries, so how could they possibly invest money instead?
Do you think these actors don't know how small the chances are of making money from a movie?
If we disregard the amount of investment and only consider profitability, the probability of making a profit on domestic film investments is a paltry 7%-10%.
Even stock trading isn't this rip-off!
If it weren't for coal mine owners and money laundering gangs supporting the industry in two successive eras, the film industry would have been finished long ago.
Or, to put it another way, it's precisely because of the indulgence of coal bosses and money laundering gangs that there are so many bad movies; otherwise, they might be forced to change.
Therefore, actors rarely invest; at most, they use their salaries to offset the investment amount.

Gao Yuanyuan explained that she was genuinely prepared to invest money.

"I estimate that 'The Long Road to Lu' will require an investment of around 3000 million yuan, and I have already secured 2000 million yuan in funding."

Zhai Da asked in surprise, "You're planning to invest 1000 million personally?"

Celebrities always earn more than ordinary people, but in 09, inflation was far from reaching the level of hundreds of millions of yuan in film salaries that we see today. For someone of Gao Yuanyuan's stature, her film salary would probably only be a few million yuan, and she would be lucky to get one or two films a year.

Even with income from endorsements, 1000 million is equivalent to working for nothing for a year.

Gao Yuanyuan shook her head: "I plan to personally invest 2000 million yuan, with a total investment of around 4000 million yuan. I want to make your work a success."

Well, that's equivalent to working for nothing for two years.

Considering that even popular celebrities have only had small careers before, this 2000 million might be the sum of their savings over the past three or four years. If they lose it all...
It's possible that he dreamt of Zhou Zhiruo one night.

Zhai Da frowned and said, "If it's just to impress me, then there's no need for that."

Taking a desperate gamble may not be a good thing.
Gao Yuanyuan leaned forward slightly and said earnestly, "I have spoken frankly with you before. I am in a transitional period. In all my years in the film industry, I have not yet won any significant awards. It is very important to complete the transition at the age of thirty."

Women are willing to proactively mention their age
That was truly sincere, like a man saying: "Let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart."
"But most importantly, I have read the book 'The Long Road to Lu Xun' nearly six times and I feel more and more that it is suitable to be adapted into a movie."

"Teacher Zhai, I will not let you down. You are welcome to express your opinions during the filming process."

Zhai Da said helplessly, "You may have misunderstood. I didn't have the time to interfere with the filming, and I don't understand it either."

The total investment was only 4000 million. According to industry practice, he would be lucky to get one or two million for the copyright of the original work. It's a small amount of money for him now and not worth spending any effort on.

This is why ambitious writers tend to direct their own films; Guo Jinming and Han Han are examples of this—to maximize profits.

But Zhai Da probably has little desire to make movies in his life, so adapting a film is not really his thing.
The only thing worthwhile is the "thought" of wanting to see one's work adapted into a film or television series.

Zhai Da looked at Brother Hu, who hadn't spoken yet: "So Mr. Hu is Lü Tu?"

Brother Hu said, "I had read this book before I got involved in this project. At that time, I was still in the crew of 'Chinese Paladin 3'. Later, I heard that Sister Gao had this resource, so I took the initiative to contact her."

The claim that Gao Yuanyuan had this resource was simply that industry insiders said she was the only artist who attended the press conference and was closest to the "adaptation rights." Everyone thought that Zhai Da and Gao Yuanyuan had a good personal relationship.

Some people even say that Zhai Da is one of Gao Yuanyuan's sugar daddies, but that's all nonsense.

He had no personal relationship with her!
Zhai Da stroked his chin and pondered for a long time. Now that everyone was here, he had to make things clear.

If the script moves the actors, then the actors must move the original author.

These two people haven't actually achieved that yet.

Her acting skills are decent by today's standards, but her appearance is too good. She is a typical example of an actress whose looks overshadow her acting skills, and she is quite different from the Lin Manman and Lü Tu in Zhai Da's mind.

The male and female leads in that movie from the previous life were only average-looking in the entertainment industry, while these two were on a completely different level.

Those two, standing next to these two, look like a will-o'-the-wisp boy and a spirited young woman.
In the end, Zhai Da was still prepared to refuse, but Gao Yuanyuan seemed to have seen through Zhai Da's concerns and grasped at the last straw.

"Teacher Zhai, perhaps you could take a look at this first."

She pulled two photos out of her bag; they were photos of her and Brother Hu with makeup on.

Lin Manman and Lü Tu's photos with makeup on.

It's obvious that a professional makeup artist did the makeup before the trip, and even the atmosphere was taken into account when taking photos.

The bluish-gray hue conveys a sense of oppression and struggle, yet also a touch of defiance.

Zhai Da stared at it for a long time, especially at Gao Yuanyuan's version of "Lin Manman," whose face was sallow and dry, her lips were chapped, she had a plain ponytail, and she was wearing a cheap plaid shirt.

A teenage girl with uremia struggles and suffers, but refuses to give up.

Hu Ge's version of "Lu Tu" has sparse stubble, a decadent look with a touch of foolishness, a strange hairstyle that looks like a piece of his head is flattened, and an old tracksuit.

Zhai Da closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, and basically perfectly reproduced the detailed descriptions of the two people in the book, even their clothing and expressions.

Why.
For someone who has multiple best-selling works and is still creating, adapting them into film or television is something he will eventually have to go through, unless he is willing to keep it to himself forever.

It's estimated that he'll have a hard time finding a more suitable and sincere combination than these two within the next few years.

“I agree in principle, but I need to know more before I can officially sell the adaptation rights, such as the director, the script, and the supporting actors. In other words, you need to be more specific in your preparations.”

Gao Yuanyuan was so happy she almost jumped for joy!
He even suppressed a shout of "Yes!"

Grabbing Zhai Da's hand and shaking it vigorously, he exclaimed, "Teacher Zhai! Trust me!"

As Zhai Da himself becomes increasingly prominent and his new work remains popular, the adaptation value of "The Long Road to Lu" has not diminished at all after more than a year; on the contrary, it has increased significantly.

Not only are there awards to be won, but box office revenue is also guaranteed, which is one of the reasons why Gao Yuanyuan dares to invest.

After more than a year of planning, she finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel!

Even in Zhai Da's view, this national goddess briefly shone with a "sunlight" hue, which meant that she was indeed very grateful.

Zhai Da smiled and pointed to Gao Yuanyuan's hair: "You've grown your hair long now, that's quite a determination."

Then, pointing to Brother Hu's hat, she asked, "Is Mr. Hu's hairstyle also real?"

Hu Ge smiled and took off his hat, which indeed looked as if a piece had been cut off. The two of them were truly sincere about this trip to Harbin.

Zhai Da thought for a moment, then finally said, "Also..."

"Remember filming my happy ending, the one that was added later."

"Movies are more family-friendly and have a wider audience than physical books. Let's inject some positive energy into everyone and let them see that miracles can happen when fighting against the disease."

　The update is late because I wanted to finish writing about this little thing as soon as possible, but I accidentally wrote almost 5000 words!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)