Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 357 Xiaoming's Troubles
In fact, before introducing Huayi Brothers and Guangxian to cooperate, Wanda had already prepared funds for "Mojin: The Lost Legend".

The production team hasn't done a budget yet; the preliminary plan is based on the two films, "In Time" and "Painted Skin II".

"In Time" cost 1.5 million, and "Painted Skin II" cost 1.2 million.

Wan Da increased the budget for "Mojin: The Lost Legend" to an estimated 1.8 million yuan, with 3D shooting and Li Qiutang's salary being major expenses.

This number isn't high; 1.8 million is a fair price for Li Qiutang to pay, and neither Huayi nor Guangxian have any objections.

Now we're just waiting for the script to be completed and the specific costs to be determined before we can start production.

However, after the Changbai Mountain Conference, Li Qiutang rejected another draft of the script.

But Ye Ning thought the script was already very good and they could start working on it. He urged Li Qiutang, "There is no such thing as a perfect script. Even I, a Virgo, am not this agonizing."

But Li Qiutang ignored Ye Ning's advice and insisted that Zhang Jialu continue to revise the script.

I'm a Virgo.

Instead of arguing with Ye Ning, Li Qiutang simply said that there were still places in the script that needed to be revised, and that the villain Ying Caihong, written by Zhang Jialu, was still too much of a tool.

Li Qiutang pointed out a point that Zhang Jialu and Chen Guofu overlooked when writing the script: "Who says that only Hu Bayi understands the I Ching and Bagua? Only the three tomb raiders can do things like locating burial sites and exploring tombs, but why can't Ying Caihong know the I Ching, Bagua, Qimen Dunjia, and so on?"
"Ying Caihong is a cult leader. Look at what you wrote, all she knows is sleeping pills. What's that? She's too weak. Ying Caihong should be a powerful villain. She has excellent eloquence and speaking skills, enough to bewitch people. That's how she can gather so many rich second-generation followers to work for her. She also knows the I Ching, Bagua, and Qimen Dunjia, which can fool these followers."

Li Qiutang asked Zhang Jialu to write a scene where Ying Caihong breaks the Bagua formation in the tomb in advance, causing trouble for Hu Bayi and his two companions.

"Otherwise, Ying Caihong would be a boring person."

The villains should pose a threat to the protagonist both physically and intellectually. The task of posing a physical threat should be completed by Yoko, while the task of posing an intellectual threat should be completed by Ying Caihong herself.

Li Qiutang discussed the script at Zhang Jialu's studio. After lunch, she invited Ye Ning and script consultant Ba Chang over for a creative meeting.

But Ba Chang didn't seem very enthusiastic, whereas he used to be very passionate about adapting the story of "Mojin: The Lost Legend".

Only after asking did I learn that Bachang had run into a wall with Luchuan.

"I only had one meeting with him, around the time China Film Group approved the project. He made it sound so grand, like we were going to make an authentic tomb raiding movie. I only found out yesterday that Lu Chuan has already held three creative meetings." The meaning couldn't be clearer: Lu Chuan didn't want Ba Chang, the original author, to interfere with his creative process.

In terms of the matter itself, it's really not fair to accuse Lu Chuan of making a mistake. Many directors don't like to involve the original author when adapting a story, as he has his own understanding of it.

Ba Chang was a distinguished guest on the set of "Mojin: The Lost Legend". Whether it was Li Qiutang, Zhang Jialu, or producer Chen Guofu, they all respected his opinions.

But other film crews are different.

"You don't need to be angry, this is normal in the industry."

Ba Chang isn't a three-year-old; he understands industry rules. Once a film company buys the rights, how it adapts and films the story is their business. Not every director has to invite the original author to participate in the creative process.

Lu Chuan secretly held a creative meeting, which made Ba Chang a little resentful, but there was nothing he could do. The copyright had already been sold, and whether or not the other party invited him was their business. Ba Chang could only hope that China Film Group and Lu Chuan could revise the first four books to make them more appealing.

Li Qiutang attended a three-day script meeting in Yanjing, and even missed Wang Zhonglei's invitation to attend the Yanjing premiere of "Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon." Huayi Brothers' intention to promote Yang Ying was obvious; although the female lead was Liu Jialin's Wu Zetian, Yang Ying had the most screen time at the premiere.

Wang Zhonglei's praise of Yang Ying wasn't enough; even Boss Yang from Yinhuang praised her, saying she worked very hard on set and was "a real man."

Yang Ying's career has taken off in the last two years, with a constant stream of film and endorsement deals and plenty of exposure. This year, she was named one of the new generation of four rising actresses, along with Liu Shishi, Yang Mi, and Nini.

Wasn't Yang Mi already one of the Four Little Actresses in 2009? How come she's been named one again after four years?
It is worth noting that Huang Xiaoming, Yang Ying's "boyfriend," did not attend the premiere of "Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon."

After filming wrapped on "The Invisible Guest," rumors of a breakup between Huang Xiaoming and Yang Ying spread like wildfire.

At the premiere, Yang Ying feigned ignorance: "Isn't he filming a movie?"

The two never publicly acknowledged their relationship, and Yang Ying dared not show any excessive enthusiasm or intimacy.

But actually Huang Xiaoming isn't on set; he's drinking with Li Qiutang right now.

The topic of conversation wasn't work, but life.

Huang Xiaoming asked Li Qiutang a question in a very tactful way: "If you help someone, but they don't appreciate it and instead take your help for granted, what would you do?"

Li Qiutang vaguely guessed what Huang Xiaoming was talking about, but it was a private matter, and he couldn't say much.

"That depends on the relationship. If it's just a casual friend, they won't appreciate it and won't help you a second time. But if it's a very close friend, or even a close family member, it's more difficult." Everyone has a mess of debts, and you can't just cut them off like that. Li Qiutang has encountered many such situations.

Furthermore, Li Qiutang subtly pointed out one of Huang Xiaoming's shortcomings: "One should not be too kind-hearted and should know how to refuse."

The movie "Mad 2," which was released this summer, was made by Huang Xiaoming without pay because he couldn't refuse a favor.

Sun Honglei knew to shift the blame to Xingguang Canlan and Jing Tian when he made "The Warring States". And when Liu Dehua was criticized for "Switch", he knew to talk back and say that the production company and director were unprofessional.

After "Mad 2" was released, Huang Xiaoming was criticized so much, but he didn't say a word back.

This is a matter of personality. Huang Xiaoming may not be unaware of this, but knowing it is one thing, and changing it is another.

Huang Xiaoming downed a glass of wine without saying a word.

However, Li Qiutang still offered his advice: "But then again, hesitation will only lead to trouble. Rather than agonizing over what to do now, it's better to make a clean break."

"I don't know what will happen after we cut ties completely, but at least I'm not conflicted anymore. If I help you and you don't appreciate it, then I won't help you anymore. Bring on whatever tricks you have up your sleeve, I'll take them."

Huang Xiaoming figured it out in the time it takes to drink three cups of wine, but it seems he only superficially understood it.

Li Qiutang said, quite inexplicably, "I think no matter what other people say, we still have to live our own lives. Whether it's work or life, we can't care too much about what others think, or it will be exhausting."

Huang Xiaoming seemed to understand, yet also seemed not to understand. He simply opened another bottle of beer for Li Qiutang and ordered the waiter to add half a dozen oysters and a serving of crayfish.

(End of this chapter)