Huayu: I was immediately ensnared by Jing Tian as soon as I entered the industry.

Wang Ma was very satisfied with the gift, wearing it around her neck and admiring herself over and over. She even took photos and shared them with Liu Shishi.

Under his father's mournful gaze, Wang Xuan quickly promised to bring him a gift next time, thus escaping a predicament.

"Mom, do you and Liu Shishi keep in touch often?" Wang Xuan asked curiously.

"Yes, I wish I had had a daughter, so she could call home more often."

Wang Xuan knew that this was a subtle way of addressing him.

He immediately made a promise, which earned him a smile from his mother.

As the only son in the Wang family, the elderly couple only wanted to know news about Wang Xuan at any time.

···

Outside the media, on major websites, amidst news about female celebrities' red carpet looks, Wang Xuan's remarks about Lu Taro made headlines.

Wang Xuan is a newcomer in the industry, and his willingness to directly expose the shortcomings of Lu Taro, who has been famous for a long time, is something that no one expected.

"Rumor has it that director Lu Chuan belittled newcomer director Wang Xuan, mocking him for overestimating his abilities and wanting to go to Europe to compete for awards..."

"It is reported that director Wang Xuan responded sharply, sarcastically criticizing Lu Chuan for plagiarism in her previous works..."

"..."

The topic remains highly discussed, even surpassing the discussion about Fan Binbin outshining her on the red carpet.

Many people overheard their conversation at the dinner that evening. Wang Xuan didn't care who spread the word; it was something that was generally accepted in the industry, and he was just the first to bring it up publicly.

Some nosy media outlets went to interview Jiang Wen, wanting him to confirm whether he directed "The Missing Gun".

Jiang Wen would certainly not admit it, as he was under a ban on directing at the time, and to say so would be a slap in the face to the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.

He left the reporter with an ambiguous statement: Whoever the audience thinks filmed it, that's who filmed it.

This reignited the controversy surrounding the "Kekexili" lawsuit. At that time, the internet wasn't as developed, and not many people knew about it.

Some netizens have compiled a list of similarities between the two films.

Many plot points, concepts, ideas, scenes, compositions, and even dialogue are almost identical.

They accused Lu Chuan of taking advantage of others to get ahead, yet still had the nerve to attend film festivals, even winning major awards in Tokyo and the Golden Horse Awards.

···

Wang Xuan stayed at home for two days before receiving a call from the department.

Is this a move to intervene and mediate?

The next day, Wang Xuan appeared in Tian Zhuangzhuang's office.

As a student in the performing arts department, he should have been handled by the department leaders. But since Wang Xuan had registered Tian Zhuangzhuang's name, the parents naturally turned to him.

"You sure know how to cause me trouble."

Seeing Wang Xuan's grinning face, Tian Zhuangzhuang pointed his finger in the air.

"Even you approve of this script, yet that guy surnamed Lu dares to belittle it, saying that my going to the film festival is a disgrace. How can I tolerate that?"

Wang Xuan took over the task of making tea and said indignantly, as if he were the one who had been wronged.

"Those who mock my movies for being tasteless, saying I can only make romance films, are clearly just jealous of my movies' box office success..."

Upon hearing Wang Xuan's description, Lao Tian, ​​who was already unaware of what had happened, immediately flared up with a temper:

"The department wants me to talk to you two, but I don't think it's necessary."

First of all, he agreed with what Wang Xuan said; anyone who had seen both films would know what was going on.

As a fifth-generation director, he abhors plagiarism.

Secondly, although it was not publicly stated that Wang Xuan was his student, as a director from the same school, his illogical remarks and mockery are untenable.

It's clearly jealousy at play.

"Yeah, there's really no need. Just don't mess with that guy surnamed Lu. We're not on the same wavelength."

Wang Xuan stated his position.

"Go ahead and get busy. Focus on the film and try to get it listed at the film festival."

Old Tian waved his hand.

After Wang Xuan left, he made a phone call.

"Old Jiang, what's wrong with your students? How did you teach them...?"

Wang Xuan left the office with a smile. It's good to have a teacher to stand up for you, especially one with a stubborn temper.

···

Wang Xuan went back to the company, and the small studio was now full of people due to the job applications during this period.

The logistics department has made a rough budget for the production costs of "The Hunt".

"How many?"

"The initial estimate is 20 million, not including your screenwriting and directing fees, boss."

With the success of "Back to Youth", Wang Xuan's fees as screenwriter and director have increased significantly.

"Then let's notify China Film Group and Enlight Media."

China Film Group was not very interested in investing in Wang Xuan's first art film; they were more interested in investing in him as a person.

The same idea applies to light.

This was exactly what Wang Xuan wanted to hear. He was very confident in the "hunting" theme. Regardless of whether he could win an award, Europe liked this kind of content that explored human nature, and the copyright fee would not be low.

In the afternoon, Shi Dongmin and Wang Changtian arrived at Xuancheng Studio one after the other.

"Director Wang, does your studio accept investment?"

Wang Changtian asked with a smile.

"We have sufficient funds for now; we'll ask Mr. Wang for help when needed."

Wang Xuan politely declined.

In the office, Wang Xuan directly divided the dishes.

"The film's budget is 2 million, I'll invest 3 million, plus the director's, screenwriter's and actors' salaries, I want 50% of the profits."

Wang Xuan offered himself a director's fee of six million and a top screenwriter's fee of one million, even though these were considered low estimates.

Shi Dongmin and Wang Changtian exchanged a glance and did not raise any objections.

As a director in the "100 Million Yuan Club," Wang Xuan is worth the price; at least until he fails, the price will only continue to rise.

"China Film Group, five million, we'll take 3%," Shi Dongmin said without room for argument.

"Lightspeed China Holdings Limited, 2%."

Wang Changtian smiled helplessly. As a newcomer, he was bound to have to pay his dues.

He could only find a way to compensate elsewhere: "Let Enlight Media handle the distribution."

"I don't care about that, you guys figure it out yourselves."

Wang Xuan left the problem to the two of them to solve.

Ultimately, China Film Group and Enlight Media jointly distributed the film, with the latter also responsible for promotion.

Half an hour later, the final details of the cooperation were finalized, and they agreed to officially sign the contract the next day.

Wang Changtian inquired about the actors, as Enlight Media has an artist management company and he wanted to recommend actors for roles.

Wang Xuan declined the offer outright, explaining that he had his own considerations regarding art-house films.

The next morning.

Just as China Film Group and Enlight Media left Xuancheng Film & Television with their contracts, news quickly spread that funding for Wang Xuan's first art film had been secured.

With a realistic theme and a total investment of 20 million yuan, it's considered a mid-to-high budget for an art film.

Wang Xuan called Ge You, but it rang for a long time before being answered; the environment was very noisy.

"Teacher Ge, how long until your filming wraps up?"

"It'll definitely end around the middle of the month, so please save the role for me!"

"Don't worry, I won't do it for anyone else."

After hanging up the phone, Wang Xuan released the message.

There were so many people volunteering themselves, and teachers recommending students.

Those who wanted to recommend themselves immediately fell silent; there are very few male actors in mainland China who can compete with Ge You.

This time, Wang Xuan ignored the department teachers' requests.

Commercial films are out of the question; they don't require high acting skills, so students from the Performance Department of Taipei Film Academy are sufficient.

This is an award-winning script, and it features her acting alongside Ge You, so it can't be taken lightly.

Of course, they didn't completely refuse the teachers' requests; they asked the teachers to recommend girls around ten years old.

They have extensive connections; some even live in the Beijing Film Academy compound, and their children grow up on film sets from a young age, so their acting skills might be better than those of child stars.