Huayu: This celebrity doesn't follow the rules.

Chapter 19 I Can Forgo Payment

As dawn breaks, the old-established breakfast shop near the entrance of Beijing Film Academy is bustling with activity.

Meng Ziyi was sitting anxiously by the window.

She dressed up specially for today, wearing a light pink knitted cardigan with a white dress, her hair half-tied up, and two small pearl stud earrings on her earlobes, which shimmered with a warm light in the morning light.

Two bowls of tofu pudding, two steamers of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), and two cups of freshly ground soy milk were placed in front of me.

When Jiang Ye pushed the door open and came in, Meng Ziyi immediately stood up and waved: "Junior Brother Jiang... oh no... Director Jiang, over here!"

"Sister Meng, please just call me by my name!" Jiang Ye walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down. "What's the rush that you had to meet at a breakfast shop outside of school? Did the steamed buns in our school cafeteria poison you?"

"No way!" Meng Ziyi pushed a bowl of tofu pudding towards me. "The gravy at this shop is a family secret recipe, and I come here every week."

She even kindly poured some soy sauce into Jiang Ye's tofu pudding...

? ? ? ? ?

Salty?

you……

Meng Ziyi, completely oblivious to Jiang Ye's distressed expression, lowered her voice and continued, "There are too many people at school, what if someone sees me coming to find you..."

"Ok?"

"What if you steal my leading lady role!" she blurted out, then quickly covered her mouth, blinking rapidly.

Jiang Ye almost choked on the soy milk.

"Actually..." Meng Ziyi put down her spoon and got straight to the point, "Jiang Ye, why did you refuse my investment yesterday?"

Jiang Ye sighed: "The production team is short of money, but all investments are risky. We're from the same school, we're family! To be honest, if we lose money, I won't be able to live with myself."

"I'm not afraid!" Meng Ziyi was clearly getting anxious. "I love this role so much, I'd accept any loss!"

God knows how she slept last night; she was anxious and uncertain all night...

"Just say yes..."

"I really love this role, so how about you help me fulfill a dream? I'll do anything for you in my next project!"

"Director Jiang... Professor Jiang..."

"..."

When Jiang Ye refused, Meng Ziyi even resorted to her coquettish charm.

She knew that with her beauty, most guys couldn't resist her!

really……

“How about this,” Jiang Ye said, as if he had been worn down, “I’ll lend you the money. If you lose it, I’ll pay you back in full, and if you make a profit, I’ll share some of the profits with you.”

Meng Ziyi was stunned!

This……

Did I use too much coquettishness just now and make this guy fall in love with me?

He actually thought so much about her!
but……

She hadn't decided yet whether or not to agree to let him have his way with her...

What if he actually brings it up then?
I definitely can't agree; she's still a virgin.

If all else fails, just give him a kiss on the lips, and pretend you got bitten by a dog...

Jiang Ye found it strange that she hadn't responded for a while.

Looking up, I saw her frowning and staring blankly at the soy milk, then she inexplicably pursed her lips and chuckled, and finally she started drawing circles on the table with her finger.

What the hell?
"Ahem..." Jiang Ye cleared his throat and decided to continue with the plan. "Actually, the budget for this film was originally sufficient."

He flipped through his phone's photo album, "But I have a problem; I can't stand settling for less."

The screen displays a detailed image of a bright red traditional Chinese dress, with lifelike cloud and phoenix patterns on the lapel and tiny pearls adorning the cuffs.

“Just this main costume of yours,” Jiang Ye zoomed in on the embroidery details, “was handmade by Suzhou embroiderers for two months, costing 86,000 yuan.”

Meng Ziyi exclaimed "Wow!" as she leaned closer to the screen, completely captivated by the sight. The material, the details—it's clearly a high-end product!

I knew I hadn't misjudged him!

But these clothes look kind of familiar...

Jiang Ye casually scrolled to the next image: "Not just the costumes, we used Arri lighting, and the camera is the latest RED model..."

He suddenly gave a wry smile, "So now the only option is to cut my director's fee."

"You don't want payment?!" Meng Ziyi was shocked!

What is this man taking this picture of?

Was it really to pursue his artistic dream, or to prove himself like her?
“There’s no other way,” Jiang Ye sighed. “I can’t let down my senior brothers and sisters who followed me, can I? And you lead actors too, it’s not easy for anyone…”

Meng Ziyi suddenly slammed her hand on the table and stood up: "Then I don't want any payment either!"

"How can this be done!"

"I'm not short of money... Oh no, I'm willing to dedicate myself to art!"

She was incredibly loyal, saying, "Saving my salary will allow us to make an even better film!"

After struggling for a long time, Jiang Ye finally compromised: "Then I'll give you the title of art director, in charge of the final review of costumes and styling."

"Huh??? Really???"

"Ok!"

"That's great, junior, you're such a kind person..."

"Everything for our film crew!"

"Hmm! Our film crew, junior, is 200 million enough? Or should I add a little more...?"

"That's enough! Sister Meng, you're such a kind person!"

"hey-hey!"

……

No sooner had Meng Ziyi left than Jiang Ye took out his phone, opened the budget sheet in his notes app, and a smile appeared on his lips.

He originally claimed that he needed a budget of 500 million, but after this operation, 200 million is now more than enough.

This low-budget web series rented its venue at a school-partnered rate, borrowed costumes for free, used equipment through a premium program, and completed post-production editing directly in the school's computer lab. The actual production cost was just over 100 million yuan.

This is the benefit of being able to take advantage of school resources!
The real cost of a TV series is the salaries of the director, producer, and lead actors, as well as post-production promotion.

Of course, if you want to set up a venue, then things get even more complicated!

But now the lead actors pay out of pocket, the producers get the benefits for free, and there's no need to build sets, so it really doesn't cost much.

After thinking for a moment, he added a note to the "Accommodation and Transportation" section: "All students will be commuters. Night scenes will be filmed until 10 PM at the latest, and we'll catch the last bus back to school!"

Anyway, there's a direct 916 express bus from Beijing Film Academy to Huairou, and students can get a 50% discount with their student cards.

Accommodation costs are also saved!
As for publicity and promotion, he has other plans...!
Now, all we're missing is a male lead!

……

Dongji Island, the crew of "The Left Ear"

The sea breeze is salty and bitter, and the sun is scorching hot.

Today's filming is a crucial scene between Zhang Yang, played by Ou Hao, and Li Bala, played by Ma Sichun, at the beach.

The scene was intense and the dialogue was dense. The two actors had already filmed it three times, but director Alec Su was still not satisfied and called a pause for adjustments.

During a break, Ou Hao and Ma Sichun sat under a parasol, holding chilled mineral water to cool down.

“Oh right,” Ou Hao suddenly remembered something and turned to Ma Sichun, “Chun Chun, I need to take a few days off. Jiang Ye asked me to be a guest star in his web series.”

"Jiang Ye?" Ma Sichun's expression remained unchanged, but a strange feeling flashed through her heart. "Didn't he just enroll? How come he's already assembling his own film crew so quickly?"

(End of this chapter)