It's just that they have money.

The water in the hot tub gradually cooled down, and Zhao Xiaole was the first to stand up and wipe the water off her body with a towel.

"Let's go get a scrub."

Fang Chen followed him through a corridor paved with non-slip tiles and into a room that was even hotter. Two scrubbing beds were placed side by side, and the scrubbing master, wrapped in a disposable towel, bowed to greet them as they entered.

Zhang Zhenghao hesitated for a moment and glanced at Fang Chen.

Fang Chen had already lay down.

He had been there several times since his last massage with Luo Shanshan, so he knew the place like the back of his hand.

Zhao Xiaole lay down on the bed next to him and waved to Zhang Zhenghao: "Since we're here, let's experience it. Northeastern body scrubbing is top-notch in the country."

Zhang Zhenghao gritted his teeth and lay down.

The masseur's technique was very strong, and it really hurt, but the comfort that seeped into your bones was also real.

This is an experience you can't get in Jiangcheng.

"Dude, your skin is in great shape," the bathhouse attendant remarked casually.

Fang Chen lay on the bed, his face buried in the hole, not even lifting his head: "First time in Northeast China, first time doing this."

"First time?" The master's grip lightened a bit. "Then I'll be gentler."

Zhang Zhenghao's daily life was already irregular, and he couldn't exert himself. Now, as his master was rubbing him, he started shouting at the top of his lungs.

After scrubbing themselves, the three returned to the private room.

The masseuse was already waiting. Fang Chen was so drowsy from the massage that his mind was a blur of thoughts about the film crew and business.

When he opened his eyes again, Zhao Xiaole had already brewed the tea.

"Feeling good?" Zhao Xiaole handed over a cup of hot tea.

Fang Chen took it, took a sip, and the hot tea warmed him from his throat all the way to his stomach.

"Comfortable."

Zhao Xiaole leaned back on the sofa, crossed his legs, and said with a satisfied look: "Let me tell you, those bathhouses in the South are all show and no substance. They're decorated like palaces, but when it comes to scrubbing, the Northeast is the real deal."

Zhang Zhenghao sat up from the massage bed, stretched his neck, and unusually chimed in, "Indeed, I've never had such a thorough massage in the South."

The three of them sat in the private room for a while longer, drinking tea, chatting, and looking at their phones.

Zhao Xiaole answered a phone call, said a few "uh-huhs" and then hung up. She then told Fang Chen, "I've made an appointment with the film crew for tomorrow morning at ten o'clock. I'll go straight there then."

"Can I go take a look?"

"Sure," Zhao Xiaole said, not minding at all.

It was past 1 a.m. when I got back to the hotel.

Fang Chen lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. He went through the things he needed to do tomorrow in his mind and calculated his recent expenses.

After buying a house and a car, plus investing in Huang Zi'ang, he had a total of about 50 million left.

Say no more, say less.

If you really try to break into the film and television industry, you won't even make a ripple.

However, if you want to be a supplier, following Zhao Xiaole's path will lower the barrier to entry significantly.

He picked up his phone and sent a message to Xu Wen: "Go to the film set with Zhao Xiaole tomorrow. You don't need to come. Take a day off."

Then I put my phone aside and closed my eyes.

This time, I fell asleep very quickly, almost the moment my head hit the pillow.

Zhang Zhenghao had come here as a vacation, and the next day he set off with Fang Chen to visit the film set with Zhao Xiaole.

"What's the situation on the film set?" Fang Chen asked on the way.

As Zhao Xiaole drove, he replied, "It's a period drama. We've been filming for over twenty days, and now that we're back in Fengtian, we'll have to film for another month or so. The crew has over two hundred people, and we only have two meals a day, lunch and dinner."

Which meal are you taking?

"Take them all. I've spoken with the production manager; we need to test supply them for three days first."

Zhang Zhenghao, who was listening nearby, interjected, "What does 'trial confession' mean?"

"They provide it for free for three days initially, without the production crew paying," Zhao Xiaole said. "That's standard practice in the industry."

Fang Chen did a rough mental calculation: the cost of boxed meals for 200 people, two meals a day for three days, would be less than 20,000 yuan.

Zhao Xiaole continued, "That's not all. The key issue is that we also need to advance funds for the vehicles and the extras."

Fang Chen nodded without saying anything more.

Soon, the three arrived at the film set.

The film crew was stationed in a film and television city on the outskirts of Fengtian. Although it was called a film and television city, it was actually a group of ancient-style buildings, complete with city walls, streets, government offices, restaurants, and so on.

Zhao Xiaole, familiar with the place, led the two through a small alley, around to an iron gate, and knocked on it.

The door opened from the inside, and a middle-aged man wearing glasses poked his head out. Seeing Zhao Xiaole, he smiled and said, "You're here?"

"Director Liu, I brought you some tea from the south." Zhao Xiaole took out a beautifully packaged gift box from his bag and handed it over.

Director Liu took it without refusing, casually put it aside, and stepped aside, saying, "Come in, I'm busy right now."

The courtyard was bustling with activity.

The prop crew was moving weapons, the costume crew was ironing costumes, and a few extras were squatting in a corner eating boxed lunches, their makeup still on.

Director Liu led them across the courtyard and into a temporary office.

Several forms were spread out on the desk, and a shooting schedule was posted on the wall, with the daily progress marked with different colored pens.

"Sit down." Director Liu pointed to a few folding chairs, sat down behind his desk, picked up his thermos and took a sip. "Xiao Zhao, I've talked to the producer about that thing you mentioned last time."

"How so?"

"The producer means that you can try the boxed meals, but the price has to be two yuan lower." Director Liu put down his thermos and looked at him. "You quoted twenty-five yuan per meal now, but he hopes to get it down to twenty-three."

Zhao Xiaole frowned: "If it's twenty-three, I'll have to lower my costs."

The meaning is clear: the materials you're given are substandard.

"That's your problem," Director Liu smiled. "The budget for this production wasn't large to begin with, so every little bit saved counts."

Zhao Xiaole thought for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, twenty-three it is, it's not a wasted trip."

Director Liu nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Fang Chen and Zhang Zhenghao: "And who are these two?"

"These are my friends, they came from the south to visit. I brought them here to see the sights and have them look around," Zhao Xiaole casually introduced.

"Then you can wander around for a bit, just don't go into the filming area. They're about to start filming there, and the director has a bad temper."

"Okay, I understand the rules."

The three of them came out of the office, and Zhao Xiaole led Fang Chen and Zhang Zhenghao around the film and television city.

"At 23 per share, how much profit can we expect?" Fang Chen asked.

Zhao Xiaole did the math: "If the volume is large, you can earn five or six yuan per serving. Three hundred servings a day would only amount to a thousand yuan or so, and thirty to forty thousand yuan a month. The real money isn't in the boxed meals."

"What is it?"

"Vehicles and extras," Zhao Xiaole said in a low voice. "The rental fee for a minibus is between 800 and 1,200 yuan a day. The crew needs at least four or five vehicles every day, which adds up to over 100,000 yuan a month. Not to mention the extras, I take 20 yuan from each of them, just to increase the volume."

Fang Chen listened and silently did some mental calculations.

These numbers may not seem like much individually, but when added together, the revenue over a month-long shooting period can reach several hundred thousand.

If the production team were larger or the production period longer, generating millions in revenue wouldn't be a problem.