Huayu: This producer has no bottom line.

Chapter 128 The Number One Conman

When Wang Li walked into the studio, her steps were still quite steady, but she couldn't hide the smile on her face.

As the general manager of Shengping Shi's talent agency, she has been receiving a lot of calls lately, but most of them are for poorly made web dramas that follow trends, or roles after the fourth billing in low-budget movies.

But today's situation is different.

"Mr. Ren, Yu Zheng just called me and asked if Ya Ya would be interested in playing Lu Xueqi in 'Zhu Xian'."

"Zhu Xian"?

Ren Pingsheng looked up from his computer screen and asked instinctively, "Are you sure you want to film this?"

It's no wonder his first reaction was suspicion.

At this critical juncture in 2010, Yu Zheng's "Zhu Xian" was simply the biggest hoax in the Chinese entertainment industry, no less successful than Liu Cixin's Sino-US co-productions in later years.

Starting in August 2009, this guy passionately declared on his blog that he had acquired the film and television rights to "Zhu Xian" and was about to dedicate his life to its creation.

Not only that, he even seriously interacted with fans on Baidu Tieba.

Today they say Lu Xueqi looks like a young Li Ruotong, tomorrow they say Biyao is none other than Yang Mi, and the day after tomorrow they assure fans that filming can begin as soon as Huang Zongze's schedule becomes available.

He even went so far as to say that he wanted to combine Lu Xueqi and Biyao into one character.

For three long years, he relied on the super IP "Zhu Xian" to attract the fire of the original fans and also gained a lot of attention.

However, until he completely broke up with Huanrui in 13, the "Zhu Xian" that he talked about, which was comparable to the Long March, never came to fruition.

In the end, it was Huanrui that put together the drama "The Legend of Chusen" starring Li Yifeng in 15.

Ren Pingsheng didn't know whether Yu Zheng genuinely wanted to film it but failed to do so for various reasons, or whether he was just using it to create hype from the beginning.

But he had heard a very reliable statement in his previous life within the industry.

During this period, in order to attract actors to film his shows, he often used huge projects like "Zhu Xian" to lure young actresses who wanted to act in fantasy dramas.

In his past life, he used Biyao's cakes to lure Yang Mi into starring in his drama "Palace".

He did the same thing to Tong Liya, publicly announcing on Tieba that she was the best choice for Lu Xueqi, but in reality he wanted to use this opportunity to get Tong Liya to star in his drama "The Beauty of the Country".

As it turned out, Tong Liya and Wang Li from his previous life didn't fall for his trick, which angered him so much that he posted a complaint on Tieba and even asked netizens to recommend a new actress to play Lu Xueqi, causing quite a stir.

Judging by the timeline, "Palace" is indeed about to start filming.

So Ren Pingsheng's first reaction was whether this old scheming person was planning to "use the same old trick" again, using Lu Xueqi's cake to lure Ya Ya to film his Qing Dynasty drama.

(Note: The image is from the original post.)

"It's not completely certain yet."

Wang Li shook her head, but what she said next surprised Ren Pingsheng.

"He said that this time it was a perfect match, and he wanted Huanrui to provide the IP and Tangren to produce it. So whether it will work out in the end depends on how the three parties negotiate. He is just a screenwriter looking for actors in advance."

Ren Pingsheng frowned upon hearing this.

No empty promises?

But why did Perfect World suddenly decide to make a TV series called "Zhu Xian"?

I've never heard of them making a big production like "Zhu Xian" in my previous life.

However, even if it were true, this whole thing seems incredibly bizarre.

Perfect World provided the funding, Huanrui provided the IP, Tangren Media handled the production, and Yu Zheng wrote the script.

What the hell is this?!

Not to mention that Huanrui and Tangren will fight tooth and nail for the title of the top Xianxia (fantasy/martial arts) film, the feud between Yu Zheng and Cai Yinong is well-known to be irreconcilable.

What's worse is that these two companies are about to have a bloody online feud over the sibling rivalry between the Qing Dynasty time-travel dramas "Palace" and "Scarlet Heart".

Why are we suddenly going to sit down and cooperate?

If Tangren Media takes on the role in "Zhu Xian," will they still be able to film "Scarlet Heart"? If they get involved in "Zhu Xian," will they still be able to rush to film "Palace"?

Ren Pingsheng couldn't have predicted these choices, but the ancient style theme was indeed very suitable for Tong Liya and Guo Zhenni.

"Sister Wang," Ren Pingsheng came to his senses, "you should keep in touch with Yu Zheng, but don't rush to make any promises."

He paused for a moment, then emphasized, "You need to pay special attention. If he suddenly veers the topic to other shows while talking about 'Zhu Xian,' you must tell me immediately."

Although Wang Li didn't quite understand why her boss was giving such instructions, she nodded solemnly when she saw Ren Pingsheng's serious expression.

"Understood, Mr. Ren, don't worry."

""

After finishing his business at the company, Ren Pingsheng boarded a flight to Shenzhen.

The evening of July 5.

The inaugural Golden Roc Awards ceremony was held in Shenzhen.

People initially held a sliver of suspense regarding this grand event.

However, the dominance that "Old Boys" has shown across the internet over the past two months has already made the outcome of this award a foregone conclusion.

When jury chairman Feng Xiaogang announced that the Golden Peng Award for Best Short Film was "Old Boys," the entire audience erupted in applause, and no one was surprised.

Ren Pingsheng walked onto the podium wearing a well-tailored black suit.

There were no lengthy speeches, nor any tearful outbursts.

He accepted the trophy and said only one sentence into the microphone.

"Thanks to this era, the stories of ordinary people can be seen by everyone."

Clean and efficient.

After the awards ceremony, Ren Pingsheng avoided the media and went straight to the rest area in the side hall.

There were quite a few people in the rest area, among whom a white man in a suit stood out. He was surrounded by several Chinese colleagues, and they were chatting about something.

Just now, during the ceremony, when the host introduced the judging panel, Ren Pingsheng noticed this person.

Chris Edwards, founder and CEO of The ThirdFloor studio in Hollywood.

TTF Studio is the undisputed leader in the field of pre-visualization technology.

From Star Wars to Avatar, and even the later Avengers, almost all the top blockbusters you can name rely on their pre-release screening services.

In layman's terms, a pre-show is a process that uses motion capture, animation, and real-time rendering technologies to visualize the director's ideas, storyboards, and action scenes before filming begins. It's like giving the film a dress rehearsal in advance, saving time and money while being more intuitive.

Ren Pingsheng didn't stop and walked straight over. His Chinese colleagues nodded politely when they saw him.

Chris saw a young Asian face approaching, his eyes asking a question.

"Mr. Chris?" Ren Pingsheng spoke in English, extending his hand. "I am Ren Pingsheng, a director."

Chris shook hands with him. "Ren, your work is fantastic."

"You flatter me," Ren Pingsheng shook hands with him, "I have come here without asking for your kind request."

"Please speak."

"I have always been very interested in your company's application of pre-visualization technology," Ren Pingsheng said directly, "especially how to use pre-visualization to assist in the planning and communication of complex visual effects shots. I am currently preparing a visual effects blockbuster and have some rather whimsical ideas."

Chris's interest was clearly piqued. "Could you tell me more about it?"

"It's still in the conceptual stage, so I can't reveal too many details right now," Ren Pingsheng smiled, "but I am indeed looking for partners who can understand and implement these concepts."

Chris hesitated for two seconds, then took out a metal business card holder from his suit pocket, pulled out a card, and handed it over.

"Here is my contact information. If your project needs rehearsal support, you can email me."

Ren Pingsheng took the business card, carefully put it away, and handed over his own business card in return.

"I look forward to future opportunities for cooperation, Mr. Chris," Ren Pingsheng said, shaking his hand again.

"Just call me Chris," he smiled, "I look forward to your next work."

After the brief conversation, Ren Pingsheng didn't linger. He nodded in farewell and turned to leave.