2001 Media Godfather

Chapter 6 Family Affection Triumphs Over Logic
How did you do that?
Chu An pondered for a moment, then decided it would be better to make things clear with Chu Ning.

Chu Ning is good in every other way, but she lacks experience. If she can grow up quickly, it will benefit both her family and Chu An.

Moreover, Chu An did not intend to hide his talents like other transmigrators; he would be who he was.

As for whether the sudden change will frighten others, that's their business.

After organizing his thoughts, he said, "Actually, this matter is not complicated at all."

"Sis, do you think we have to be extremely cautious and humble when we're asking for help?"

It may not sound pleasant, but that seems to be the truth of the matter.

Chu An could tell from Chu Ning's expression that this was exactly what she thought.

"Brother, isn't that right? We were originally borrowing the film crew to rent a storefront!"

"Sigh~!" Chu An sighed inwardly. What Chu Ning lacked was the ability to think about problems from a different perspective.

However, it's not surprising. Based on his conversation with Ma Lan just now, if a third person were present, they would most likely think that Chu An was asking someone for a favor.

But in reality
"It was a transaction! There was no question of one person begging the other."

"Huh?" Chu Ning was stunned. "What kind of transaction?"

Chu An smiled calmly, his aura different from before. It was Chu An from another time and space, confident and resolute after experiencing the vicissitudes of life.

“I gave her a bargaining chip she couldn’t refuse.”

He led his older sister to an old elm tree nearby, and the two siblings found two bricks and sat down in the shade to review the details of what had just happened.

"Let's start from the beginning!" Chu An was being quite serious because he wanted his older sister to understand the logic. But he couldn't help but think with a mischievous grin, "How come I'm talking about game theory after transmigrating?"

"First of all, renting the storefront is impossible for us, and that is our core demand."

"And for the production crew," Chu Ning interrupted before Chu An could finish speaking, "it's too easy!!"

He exclaimed, "They're a famous director's big film crew, staying in a government guesthouse. I heard they're accompanied by county leaders, and people from the province often come to visit them."

Chu An nodded, "What an honor and a great achievement it is for a big director to come to a small county to film a movie! In a small place like Ningyuan, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he has connections everywhere."

"So!" Chu An said, "What we can't do is a piece of cake for them. In other words, the transaction costs they need to pay are very low!"

Chu Ning seemed to understand, but not quite. He felt it was related to the deal his younger brother had mentioned, but he still didn't understand why the other party had agreed to help.

Well, it's still hard for her to change her mindset.

Chu An wasn't in a hurry. "Secondly, it's more advantageous for us to open a shop, have the film crew involved in the construction, and then lend it to them for filming than to find existing small shops for location shooting."

"Moreover, it is very close to the other two main filming locations, Ningyuan No.1 Middle School and our home, which has reduced the filming costs for the crew."

This time, Chu Ning tried to analyze the situation with Chu An, "So, in other words, the production team won't lose out by doing this deal with us?"

Chu An nodded, "Yes, it's worth it!"

"But not losing money doesn't mean you're guaranteed to make a profit, so there's a third point."

"We need to give the production team a reason to make a sure profit, or even a huge profit, before the deal can be finalized."

"Otherwise, why should I help you when we've just met?"

Chu Ning's eyes lit up. "It's like buying cucumbers at the market. They all cost 50 cents, so why should I buy yours?!"

“That’s why!” Chu An followed his older sister’s train of thought, “Our cucumbers have to be fresher than everyone else’s.”

"Or simply, make the buyer trust or have a good impression of the cucumber seller."

Then Chu Ning flashed two rows of white teeth, realizing that this was just like selling vegetables.

"Then you should play the emotional card, bring up our family, and make Sister Lan feel good about you, the vegetable seller?"

"Wrong!" But to his surprise, Chu An shook his head directly, "I'll let her find out that buying cucumbers from me also comes with two pounds of beef!"

Chu Ning: “???”

I'm a bit confused; I don't understand anything at all.

Chu An didn't want to keep them in suspense and immediately revealed the answer.

"Buying cucumbers and getting meat for free is definitely a great deal. She would even actively pursue this cucumber deal just for the sake of the meat."

So I made up a story for her.

"???"

Chu Ning understood the first half of the sentence: if all businesses in the world did things this way, there would be no cucumbers that couldn't be sold.

But I didn't understand a single word of the second half of the sentence.

But Chu An said, "Imagine a child actor temporarily hired by a film crew, who has a troubled and difficult childhood."

"He comes from a single-parent family. His mother died when he was born, and his father was seriously ill, but he raised two children with great difficulty. In the end, he had to leave his hometown to work in another place."

"And the older sister dropped out of school to support the family so that her younger brother could go to university and fulfill his life."

"This family of three is so touching. After learning about their situation, the production team stepped in to help them start a business and get out of their predicament."

"Sister!" Chu An looked over with clear eyes, but Chu Ning felt a little unfamiliar with her. "Tell me, what a great publicity opportunity this is!"

"What a rare and precious opportunity to boost audience favorability! It's a level of buzz that no amount of advertising can buy!!"

Chu Ning: "."

My first reaction was: This isn't just buying cucumbers and getting meat as a free gift, it's giving away a villa and five million!

How did Chu An manage to do that?!

In her moment of surprise, she reflected on the events of the day, realizing how her hesitation in the face of various difficulties was worlds apart from Chu An's calm and composed demeanor.

wrong
Chu Ning suddenly realized that his younger brother wasn't calm at all; rather, he had planned everything from the moment he stepped into the Second Store and woke him up from his slacking off. He knew he would be persuaded, he knew Ma Guoyou would definitely not rent the store to him, which was why he went to the film crew, and he also knew that the film crew could definitely help him resolve the matter.

I never imagined that my seemingly dull and shy younger brother would have such a meticulous mind. How careless I have been!
Okay, so she didn't realize that maybe her little brother had another forty-something old cunt inside him?

It's probably unimaginable, since people can only apply logic within their cognitive framework.

She murmured unconsciously, her eyes filled with tenderness and self-reproach for neglecting her younger brother's growth, "Little brother."

Ga?
Chu An was dumbfounded. What was with that expression on his older sister's face? Shouldn't she be shocked? Shouldn't she be confused? Shouldn't she suspect that her younger brother had been possessed? Why did she look like she owed Chu An money and was apologizing?

Should I say fourth?

Well, originally, Chu An hadn't planned to say fourth, because he was afraid his older sister would be scared.

However, seeing how calm she is, I'll still say it! After all, the first three points are techniques, and the fourth point is the real substance.

"There's one more thing, and it's extremely important!"

Chu Ning felt even more guilty. "There's a fourth one? Just how many things have I been thinking about all day?!"

In a gentle tone, she said, "Brother, you speak, I'm listening."

Chu An: "."

Things are starting to get strange.
With a heavy heart, I said, "Sister, remember, any rational judgment can fail because we are dealing with people."

"Everyone, no matter how calm, has a subjective side, and this is often the key to success or failure!"

“I don’t like this stall owner, and I think this deal is outrageous and there might be a conspiracy. It’s just a matter of subjective judgment.”

"So even if we offer a tempting offer, it's strange to make a deal with a seventeen-year-old boy, and Sister Lan might be subjectively resistant."

"So I kept showing weakness and revealing enough flaws to make Sister Lan mistakenly believe that she had seen through the boy's scheming and had the power to make decisions."

"A transaction thus becomes charity."

“That’s human nature!”

Chu Ning's eyes lit up, "Mmm! Little brother is amazing!"

Chu An: "."

That's what's going on with him.

So, have you learned anything yet? I have to pretend to be young while also showing off in front of others. It's so tiring!

Little did he know that family love triumphs over all logic, which is why it is called family love—it is precisely what he lacked in his previous life.

At this point, Chu Ning was left with only one question: My brother is a genius, he's incredibly talented. But even the most talented person needs a teacher…

"Little brother, who did you learn all this from?"

Who taught you? Chu Anxin replied, "I learned it through hard work and perseverance over half a lifetime."

But unable to tell Chu Ning, he could only joke, "Who did you learn that from? Did you read 'Computer Science' and 'Memorial to the Throne' in school?"

"How can 'Popular Entertainment' and 'Chinese Cinema' be the same thing when I was in school?"

"Your brother knows everything about the entertainment industry!"

Chu Ning habitually stroked Chu An's short hair, "Little brother has grown up, he's even more mature than his sister."

Chu An seized the opportunity to back down, saying, "You're kidding me! You think you're mature?"

Chu Ning raised her eyebrows, her face contorted in an exaggerated grimace: "How am I immature?! I'm two years older than you! I know better than you how to support a family! I give you your allowance!!"

Chu An was unconvinced and launched into a scathing critique: "You impulsively decide to skip university, and all you do is cry and cry when something happens!"

Chu Ning blushed instantly. "Say that again!?"

"Just say it!"

Chu An continued to court disaster, "Don't think I don't know who it is that couldn't sleep for several nights after receiving a love letter!? That guy's surname is Dong, right? The one who walks you home from evening self-study every day!"

Chu Ning: "!!!" His fists started to harden. How did he know?!

Chu An said, "During that time, our dad would hide behind the building gate every day with a pickaxe handle. Whenever that kid did something out of line, he would crack his skull open."

"Ah!" Chu Ning completely lost it, unable to listen anymore, and kicked Chu An, sending him tumbling over. "Shut up!!"

Changing the subject, "Stop joking! If that's the case, the film crew will definitely be able to help us rent a place?"

Chu An hadn't recovered yet, and after laughing for a while, he stopped and sat back down next to his older sister, reassuring her, "It's basically fine."

Chu Ning shifted his position accordingly, because the brick was a bit uncomfortable on his butt.

"Then I'll start preparing to open the shop now, or we can talk about it after we've rented the place."

Chu An thought for a moment, "We can start preparing now."

He instructed Chu Ning, "The film crew will mostly be involved in the decoration, so we don't need to worry about it too much. Just get the goods from the Second Store sorted out, and then make a trip to the provincial capital to get some specialty products."

The Second Store was a collective enterprise, which was actually similar to a state-run store. It had no problem with the supply of basic department store goods.

However, those who lived through the 80s and 90s know that the goods were not fashionable and had no appeal, so you had to go to the provincial capital to get some of the goods yourself.

"I'll handle things with the film crew; we still need them to support us when we open our business!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Ning seized upon one of Chu An's flaws, "Tch, you think you can rely on your pile of lousy pickled vegetables?! People here are from big cities, they look down on that stuff."

Chu An retorted, "You're a computer science major, what would you know about the entertainment industry?"

Don't think that eggs and pickled vegetables are beneath the notice of big stars and directors; they are the hard currency of the film crew.

.

(End of this chapter)