This director is so innocent.

Chapter 166 Rich and Powerful Sweetie

Li Xiang is a very ambitious woman.

In 04, she first met Li Houlin, a wealthy and eligible bachelor jeweler, at a cocktail party and snatched him away from Qin Hailu.

The two got married after knowing each other for only 33 days, and divorced a year later.

There are many theories about the reasons, some say Li Houlin committed domestic violence, others say he went bankrupt.

Li Xiang also had a good relationship with Ouyang Changlin, and always referred to him as her mentor. This was the reason why she was confident in obtaining publicity channels from Hunan TV.

Su Jin knew nothing about these things, and even if she did, she wouldn't care.

Li Xiang has Ouyang Changlin, who has the bandit leader Zuo Shandiao in his hands. With just one film, Ouyang Changlin can crush Li Xiang.

As you can see, the high-quality film *Ip Man* from the previous era went head-to-head with the young and talented *Mei Lanfang*, yet the box office only reached 8847.5.

Million.

The critically panned film "Mei Lanfang" grossed 1.05 million yuan, which is an advantage brought by its higher screen allocation.

Jianmu Media, Office.

Su Jin replied to a few interesting Weibo comments, and then started calling back the people who had called her before.

Half an hour had passed by the time I returned the call.

Most of the messages were congratulatory, but Mansworth asked him what good projects he had, especially those that could win awards at the three major European film festivals.

Of course he said no.

In the past two years, he has not planned to make these kinds of art films anymore, and has focused on blockbusters.

Yang Mi's six phone calls weren't anything major; it was just that Cai Yinong personally persuaded Li Xiaowan to take on multiple projects simultaneously.

Cai Yinong was able to personally take the lead because Tangren launched a poll on the Legend of Sword and Fairy forum and Weibo for "Xuejian," and Yang Mi ranked first in both polls.

That's why Cai Yinong had no choice but to bite the bullet and borrow Yang Mi's money.

Yang Mi's portrayal of Xuejian was excellent. However, when "Chinese Paladin 3" aired, it was criticized by game fans who said that the developers had arbitrarily changed the characters and plot.

But before these people started cursing, there was a rule: they couldn't curse Yang Mi, which shows how good Yang Mi's Xuejian really is.

With the timeline changed, Tangtang was not stripped of Xuejian's clothes; she still played Zixuan.

The actress playing Hua Ying has been changed to Jiao Dabao.

Just as I was about to call Yang Qing over to ask about the preparations for the film "Those Years," my phone rang.

I picked up my phone and saw it was Chung Lai.

"Hey, Sister Fang."

Zhong Li cut to the chase without any preamble: "Su Jin, Sina and Hunan TV & Broadcast Intermediary have agreed to kick out Starlight International and have you direct 'Mulan'."

Su Jin smiled slightly, without any excitement. He had expected that Sina Weibo and Hunan TV & Broadcast Intermediary would agree.

After all, the Cannes Best Director award still has some influence.

Besides, looking at his recent box office figures, every single one of his films has surpassed Ma Chucheng's. It would be foolish not to choose him.

"What about the investment? How much share are you going to give me?"

"Same as Malaysia, 20%."

"This little bit?"

"Hmm, I wonder how Ren Zhonglun from Shanghai Film Studio found out about this and got involved."

"What about my 15% share of the box office?"

"The three companies didn't agree, thinking it was too much. They only agreed to give you 8% of the box office revenue and a director's fee of five million."

However, from what I can tell, the 8% split is still negotiable.

"Let's talk about that later! What about the script?"

"They want you to write the script."

"I can't write it cheap, it'll cost 200 million."

"Two million should be no problem at all; they're very wealthy."

OK.

After exchanging a few more words, the call ended, and then Yang Qing was summoned over.

Yang Qing has been riding high lately.

"Nightclub" grossed 300 million yuan at the box office with a production cost of 6000 million yuan. In terms of box office alone, it was even more impressive than Ning Hao's film, making it a target for investors.

Many people invited him to dinner, drinks, and foot massages—most people would have become arrogant and lost their original intentions, becoming mere playthings of capital.

But he didn't. Instead, he changed his SIM card and focused on studying "You Are the Apple of My Eye".

When Yang Qing arrived at Su Jin's office, he immediately noticed the gleaming gold cigarette case on the desk and exclaimed in surprise, "A giant gold brick?"

"You know about the BRICS?"

"Yeah, I attended a party a long time ago, and the leader of that organization was smoking this kind of cigarette. He was bragging that the 'Big Gold Brick' cigarettes cost 3 yuan a pack."

"It is indeed 30,000 yuan each, but mine is free; I got it from Han Sanping."

The "Big Gold Brick" is actually the Yellow Crane Tower cigarette. It's called that because its outer packaging is entirely gold, resembling a large gold brick, and it's also very expensive. It's the most expensive cigarette brand.

The second is Liqun Fuchun Mountain Residence, 20,000 yuan apiece.

The third is the "He Tianxia Zunxiang Edition," which costs 14,000 per item.

Su Jin picked up the large gold brick, took out two bars, threw one to Yang Qing, lit it, and then threw the lighter to Yang Qing.

After lighting it, Yang Qing took a deep breath and exclaimed, "It still tastes the same. It's smooth on the palate, not irritating, and leaves a faint fragrance in the mouth."

"How's the preparation for 'You Are the Apple of My Eye' going?"

"Everything is ready, we're just waiting for you and Shishi to join the crew. The filming location is Ningbo."

"Where are the actors?!"

"The actors were all chosen according to the ones you had previously selected."

"Um.

""

Besides the male and female leads, there are five other important characters in "You Are the Apple of My Eye": four best friends, Xie Minghe, Xu Bochun, Cao Guosheng, and Liao Yinghong.

There's also the female lead's best friend, Hu Jiawei.

Cao Guosheng is very handsome, calls himself the school heartthrob, likes playing basketball, and likes to act cool. Luo Jin would be a good match for him.

Xu Bochun and Liao Yinghong are both characters related to sex; the former was given to Lu Fangsheng, and the latter to Lei Datou.

Xie Minghe is a fat man with a slightly artistic temperament.

He initially wanted to create a nostalgia trip, with Liao Yinghong for Shi Xiaolong and Xie Minghe for Hao Shaowen.

After thinking about it, I decided against it. First, it's a bit expensive for two people, and second, Hao Shaowen has a heavy accent, and Shi Xiaolong is a bit chubby and looks out of shape.

In the end, Xie Minghe was given to Qiao Shan, the top dog at the foot massage parlor.

If the character is made a little more sleazy, it will fit his persona even better.

Her best friend, Hu Jiawei, gave it to Jiao Dabao.

I originally wanted to give it to Tangtang, but Tangtang is now prettier than Xia Jie and would steal the spotlight, so I didn't consider her.

Of course, making yourself look ugly would be appropriate, but it's unnecessary.

Actually, I considered giving the role to Director Jia, who has 88.74 billion yuan in box office revenue, but then I thought better of it. Director Jia is having a run of bad luck, so I decided not to choose her.

He chatted with Yang Qing for a while, then left, secretly taking the large gold brick with him before he left.

If Su Jin hadn't wanted to smoke, she wouldn't have known the gold brick had been taken.

After sitting in the office for a while, I went to the screenwriting department.

Currently, the screenwriting department has five groups of three people each, with one senior screenwriter leading two junior screenwriters.

Besides writing the outline he provided, my job was to work on the script myself.

After finishing their own scripts, they have to go through three review processes: first, cross-review; second, review by Huang Jiaqiang and Zhao Shan; and third, review by Su Jin.

However, after more than two years, they haven't written a single original work; they've only written outlines provided by him.

Of course, it wasn't that it wasn't written out, but it couldn't even pass the first step of cross-review.

The script for "Mulan," written by Ma Chucheng, was terrible; it was full of melodramatic clichés.

It's one thing that Wen Tai, played by Chen Kun, is actually the seventh prince Tuoba Hong; it's another that he repeatedly cuts his wrists to feed Mulan blood; and yet, he fakes his death to toughen Mulan up—but that's still too much.

But why do they like to make Mulan cry so much?

The joy of lovers reuniting, the sorrow of friends parting, the pain of separation by life and death, the heartache of lovers who must part ways —

There's some justification for crying in these scenes.

But why does Mulan cry every time she gives a speech to boost the morale of her soldiers before going into battle?

This is really ridiculous, showing that Ma Chucheng doesn't understand history at all, and is ridiculously ignorant.

In ancient times, the morale of the two armies was crucial in battle. If a general was crying before a battle, it would be strange if the morale of the entire army was not affected.

In an army, anyone can collapse, but the commander cannot. If he collapses, the soldiers will think that you might still have a brilliant plan, that you will lead them out of the predicament, and that you might even be able to turn the tide of battle.

If you cry and whine, they'll think you're helpless and will definitely want to run away.

Therefore, his version must abandon a large number of crying scenes. Crying is acceptable, but it must be reasonable.

The plot doesn't follow the original at all; it's terrible.

After finishing her story about Mulan, Su Jin suddenly remembered Pinru's clothes.

"How's the writing for 'The Temptation to Go Home' going?"

"Boss, we've got half of it done."

"Why are you only halfway through writing?"

The screenwriters looked at each other, remaining silent.

When Su Jin saw this scene, she knew why they were acting this way.

Because their pretentious, artsy tendencies have resurfaced; when I gave them the outline before, they didn't want to write it.

The reason given was that he disliked "The Temptation to Go Home" for being vulgar, and even took the initiative to request that he not be credited. He was really seriously ill.

"The Temptation to Go Home" may be cheesy, but it's a hit!

Of course, they didn't know about fire, but the pacing of the story in "The Temptation to Go Home" was excellent.

Almost every episode has a story conflict, and the characters are also fully developed.

The female lead transforms from a simple and gentle housewife into a capable and decisive independent woman. Her life trajectory, seemingly blessed with extraordinary success, keeps viewers hooked.

With this kind of subject matter, it's bound to get good ratings. Haven't you seen a ton of family dramas like this in Taiwan?

Moreover, they are all over a hundred episodes long.

"I don't care what you think, you have to get it done by the end of August, and get 'Mulan' done by August."

""

"Those previous projects—"

"Put the previous projects on hold for now, and write these two for now."

"Okay, boss."

Two days later, Jianmu Media announced the casting schedule for the Chinese region of "The Maze Runner".

Immediately, major film and television companies and talent agencies were in an uproar, contacting their top artists to return to Beijing.

Starlight Cinema, 11th floor of a building on Qingnian Road, Chaoyang District.

This company was founded in 2005, and the boss is Lu Zheng.

Many people may not be familiar with him, but they will definitely know Jing Tian, ​​an artist from his company.

Jing Tian is currently a freshman at the Beijing Film Academy. After receiving the news, she immediately returned to the company.

"Uncle Lu, Jianmu Media announced the casting schedule for 'The Maze Runner,' you knew that, right?"

"Yeah, I was just about to contact you! I didn't expect you to come straight to the company."

Is there any way to get a female character in it?

"Disaster."

"They're throwing money around!"

"It depends on how much you smash."

"Two million for introducing a role, and another two million after the job is done."

"Four million?" Lu Zheng was shocked. Even if you have money, you can't play like this!

"Tian Tian, ​​that character in 'The Maze Runner' isn't the female lead, she's just a supporting character, and she probably won't have much screen time."

"I know she's a supporting actress." Jing Tian sighed softly. If she were the female lead instead of a supporting actress, then the unit of measurement would have to be changed to US dollars.

"Alright! I'll ask someone to contact Su Jin." Seeing Jing Tian's resolute attitude, Lu Zheng didn't say anything more.

Ultimately, he was just an employee and couldn't influence Jing Tian's decision.

He took out his phone and started contacting people. As for who to contact, who could be more suitable than that bastard Ning Hao?

Ning Hao readily agreed when he received Lu Zheng's call, after all, the other party's sincerity was evident.

"Su Jin, who are you planning to give that supporting actress role in 'The Maze Runner' to?!"

"Whoever is suitable can have it." Su Jin looked at Ning Hao in surprise and said, "What, you have a recommendation?"

Ning Hao chuckled twice and said, "I filmed a music video for a young girl before! The boss of that company asked me to treat you to a meal."

"Jing Tian?"

"right."

"She's no good, her acting is terrible."

"What kind of acting skills does a supporting actress need? Let me tell you, that boss is very sincere. As long as it works out, he'll give you this amount." Ning Hao said, making an OK sign.

"Three million?"

"Yes, he said he would give Jing Tian 150 million for an audition, and another 150 million if she was selected."

"They really have deep pockets!" Su Jin exclaimed, then said, "No need for dinner. Have him transfer 150 million to my account, and I'll let Jing Tian audition."

Public auditions are open to everyone, and not just anyone can audition.

Take Jing Tian, ​​for example. She's a freshman in college. She has no acting skills and no fame, so she won't even pass the resume screening.

"Aren't you planning to make the other 150 million?"

"I wanted to make money, but her acting was terrible, and I have to take responsibility for the film."

"Then you just made 150 million from someone else for free?"

"This isn't a free lunch; without me, she wouldn't even have had the chance to audition."

"Alright!" Ning Hao stopped dwelling on it; he had the 20 yuan in hand anyway.

He picked up the large gold bar on the table, took one out and tossed it to Su Jin, then casually put the rest into his pocket, even his Zippo lighter.

They didn't even spare the lighters.

Su Jin witnessed all of this.

"Damn it—give me back my gold brick!"

"A big gold brick? What big gold brick?" Ning Hao asked, looking completely bewildered.

Su Jin rolled his eyes. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have really been fooled by that bastard Ning Hao.

From now on, if anyone dares to say that Ning Hao's acting skills are bad, he'll fight them.

"Do you think I'm blind?"

"That's true, you should go to the hospital to get your eyes checked! With just these two pockets, how could I possibly hide a large gold brick? Small gold bars are more likely."

"If you didn't take it, why are you getting up!"

"I've finished talking. I'm going back to play with my son. I'm leaving now."

Ning Hao turned and left without waiting for Su Jin's reply, as if afraid of being stopped.

Su Jin watched Bei Ying flee in disarray, shook her head and smiled. What a scoundrel.

As mentioned before, Ning Hao's wife was pregnant and gave birth to a big, healthy baby boy at the end of last year.

The child looks a lot like Ning Hao; you can tell they're related by blood.

Ning Hao even insisted that his son call him godfather.

He readily agreed.