A leisurely life starting in a bar after being reborn

Fu Yan stood up from behind the executive desk and greeted them with a smile: "Director Yang, Teacher Xu, you've arrived? Please have a seat."

He pointed to the armchair opposite him—made of mahogany, an old piece from the Republic of China era, uncomfortable to sit on but looking imposing.

Yang Qing sat down carefully, as if afraid of breaking the chair. Xu Zheng, on the other hand, plopped down casually, the chair creaking. He frowned slightly and adjusted his posture.

"Boss Fu, your office..." Yang Qing looked around, "The furniture in this room alone could probably make a movie out of it, right?"

"It'll have to do." Fu Yan poured them some tea. "Da Hong Pao, have a taste."

Xu Zheng picked up his teacup, took a sip, and nodded—he didn't know much about tea, but he knew it wasn't cheap.

Yang Qing didn't drink the tea; his mind wasn't on it. Last night, after he and Xu Zheng returned to their lodgings, they talked until 2 a.m., focusing on one main topic: was this bar owner reliable or not?

Now, the scales in his mind began to tip—a young man who runs a bar, with millions of dollars worth of mahogany furniture in his office, either really has money, or he's pretending to be rich to an unbelievable degree.

"Mr. Fu," Yang Qing put down his teacup and got to the point, "you said last night you wanted to invest in our movie, were you serious?"

"I'm not joking." Fu Yan also put down his teacup. "I've read the script. The story is interesting and worth investing in."

"So what are your conditions?"

"two."

Yang Qing and Xu Zheng tensed up simultaneously—the conditions were the most crucial part. Many investors greeted them with smiles on their faces, but then came a mountain of conditions, making them even more difficult to please than directors.

"First, after filming begins, I need to arrange for a financial auditor to be stationed on set."

Yang Qing breathed a sigh of relief—this was a standard condition that almost all investors would mention. The production team spent money like water, so it was only natural for investors to want to see the accounts.

"No problem, that's the thing to do." Yang Qing nodded.

"Second—" Fu Yan paused for a moment, "arrange for someone to make a cameo appearance in the movie, just to show their face."

Yang Qing and Xu Zheng exchanged a glance.

"Who is it?" Xu Zheng asked.

"One of the singers at my bar is named Qin Manni, a senior student majoring in acting at the Beijing Film Academy."

Yang Qing's mind works very fast—he's a senior in the acting department, a professionally trained actor, so playing a different role shouldn't be a problem for him.

"What kind of role?"

"It's not important, as long as she has a shot. She hasn't graduated yet, so she can't play the lead role. We just want her to join the crew, get a feel for the atmosphere, and learn from the senior actors."

Fu Yan spoke casually, as if he were talking about something trivial. But Yang Qing understood the underlying meaning—this wasn't about giving favors to people with connections; it was about offering an opportunity.

One investor didn't ask for script changes, a female lead, control, or a pre-discussion profit-sharing ratio—he only made two perfectly reasonable requests, and even specifically stated that "just one shot is enough."

Yang Qing has been a director for over a decade and has encountered at least eighty or a hundred investors, but he has never met one who is so understanding.

"Boss Fu," Yang Qing said with a touch of emotion, "you...you've really surprised me."

"What's unexpected?"

"The investors I've encountered before either demanded script revisions that were unrecognizable, or they tried to bring in a bunch of people with connections, or they wanted to take a cut of the production budget—but you, on the other hand, only made two perfectly normal requests. I even suspect that you forgot to mention something more important."

Fu Yan laughed: "I'm here to invest, not to make a movie. Making a movie is your business, I won't get involved."

Xu Zheng looked at Fu Yan from the side, and there was something different in his eyes—not wariness, but curiosity.

This young man spoke and acted with a maturity and insight beyond his years. He didn't seem like a bar owner in his early thirties, but rather like a veteran who had been navigating the business world for decades.

"Okay," Xu Zheng said, "I'll agree on Director Yang's behalf. Qin Manni, right? I'll have her audition later. As for the role... it's a shopkeeper role, not many scenes but a few shots. What do you think?"

"You decide, I don't care."

Xu Zheng nodded, then turned to look at Yang Qing, who also nodded.

"So it's settled then?" Yang Qing was still a little incredulous.

"It's settled." Fu Yan pressed the intercom on the table. "Lin Xiaochen, have the legal department come over."

……

The legal counsel was a female lawyer in her thirties, surnamed Sun, with short, neat hair. She came in and immediately spread out the documents on the table next to her.

The contract was drafted by Lin Xiaochen's legal department last night—she always does things one step ahead.

Fu Yan looked it over and found no problems.

Total investment: Three million.

The filming cost was 2.7 million yuan, with 300,000 yuan reserved for publicity and distribution. Fu Yan owns 100% of the shares, Yang Qing receives the director's fee and a share of the box office revenue, and Xu Zheng receives the actors' salaries and subsequent revenue sharing—the terms are clear, the profit distribution is reasonable, and there are no unfair terms.

Yang Qing spent twenty minutes studying the contract, reading it word by word—as a director, he had been tricked by contracts far too many times, so he had to be cautious. Xu Zheng also looked through it beside him, and the two exchanged a few glances before finally nodding in agreement.

"No problem." Yang Qing closed the contract.

"Then sign it."

Fu Yan picked up the pen and signed his name in the "Party A" column—his handwriting was so messy it looked like scribbles.

Yang Qing and Xu Zheng also signed the document, each keeping a copy.

Attorney Sun took the contract, said "I'm going to get it notarized," and then left briskly.

The whole process took less than forty minutes.

Looking at the stamped contract in his hand, Yang Qing suddenly felt a little unreal—he had been running around with this script for half a year and was rejected six times, but on the seventh time, in a bar, he got it done in half an hour with a young man who was about ten years younger than him.

"Boss Fu," Yang Qing stood up, extended both hands to shake Fu Yan's, "thank you."

"Don't thank me, I'm investing in the story, not you," Fu Yan said. "Just make a good film and don't make me lose money."

Don't worry!

Xu Zheng also stood up and shook hands with Fu Yan. His handshake was a little lighter than last night, but more sincere.

"Boss Fu, about Qin Manni..."

"Just arrange things as you see fit, but don't be too lenient. Be strict when necessary. She's here to learn, not to enjoy herself."

Xu Zheng paused for a moment, then smiled: "Okay, I'll remember that."

The two said their goodbyes and left, with Fu Yan seeing them off at the door.

As Yang Qing walked out, he looked back at the mahogany office, then at the busy employees in the corridor, and his expression finally changed from cautious to genuinely relaxed.

Xu Zheng walked beside him and whispered, "This guy is interesting."

"It's not just 'somewhat interesting'," Yang Qing sighed. "Look at this office, this team, this style—he's definitely more than just a bar owner."

"Who cares who he is?" Xu Zheng rubbed his bald head. "As long as the money is there."

"That's true."

The two disappeared at the end of the corridor.

-

Fu Yan returned to his office, sat behind his mahogany executive desk, and tucked his back against the chair.

Three million.

It wasn't a lot, but it wasn't a small amount either. For him, the money was negligible. But for Yang Qing, it was the fate of a film—if someone invested, the film could be made; if no one invested, the script would remain forever in his briefcase.

He picked up the purple clay teapot, poured himself another cup of tea, and looked out the window at the stretch of Houhai Lake.

In his past life, he had seen that movie.

In this life, he invested in that movie.

From audience to investors, there is an entire span of time and space in between.

Fu Yan picked up the teacup and gently blew on the steam rising from the tea.

"Interesting," he said again.

My phone rang; it was a message from Lin Xiaochen:

"The contract has been notarized. In addition, I have given Zhang Jing the job posting for the secretary position, and she is expected to start within a week. Wang Lei and Zhao Gang will go for vehicle procurement this afternoon."

Fu Yan replied with a single word: "Okay."

Then he put down his phone, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, warming his face.

The office was quiet, with only the occasional sound of cars and birds chirping outside the window.

Fu Yan suddenly felt—

Retirement life is becoming less and less like retirement.

But he didn't seem to mind too much.