HuaYu: The most muscular director in history!

"What makes you think Sony will sign you to a tiered record deal?"

On the 11th floor of Chaoyang Fenglian Building, in the office of the general manager of Sony's China office.

Sony China General Manager Cui Zhendong held a cup of coffee, his sharp eyes scrutinizing the man in front of him.

This morning, Xiang Nan's appearance surprised him for the first time, but his ambition was even more astonishing.

A tiered contract is essentially a gamble; the revenue share increases as sales climb. This kid started with two million albums. If it weren't for the quality of his playlist, Cui Zhendong would have kicked him out long ago.

"President Cui." Xiang Nan sat up straight, his tone sincere.

"Signing me won't hurt Sony. Higher sales will naturally increase Sony's revenue. Even if we don't reach the two million sales target, it will still be a newcomer contract, which won't hurt Sony either, right?"

Cui Zhendong put down his coffee, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table.

Xiang Nan's explanation was indeed good, and the song quality was indeed high. With some marketing, he might even become a mainland singer who can rival Jay Chou.

"Tiered contracts are possible, but there are conditions."

Xiang Nan's eyelids twitched, and for the first time today, he showed a hint of excitement.

"Please go ahead, Mr. Cui."

"At its highest level, 73 points is Sony's maximum tolerance."

"no problem!"

"You need to debut in Japan, after all, you're too young!"

"no problem!"

"For the next seven months, you will participate in intensive training..." Cui Zhendong narrowed his eyes as he said this.

"Behave yourself!"

The last sentence is the key.

Xiang Nan took a deep breath, stood up, and extended his hand: "No problem."

The deal between Xiang Nan and Sony was finalized.

The specific details of the contract are as follows:

Newcomer contracts are tiered, with a signing fee of 500,000 and album revenue sharing gradually increasing with sales, up to a maximum of 73%.

But in reality, Xiang Nan gets 80% because he composed, wrote lyrics, and arranged the music; he doesn't want to give a single penny to anyone else!

Of course, this is on the premise that the album's final sales exceed 200 million copies!

In the days that followed, Xiang Nan received training while also handling the enrollment procedures.

On March 18, the list of successful applicants for the Beijing Film Academy was released, and Xiang Nan unsurprisingly passed all three rounds of auditions.

Two days later, he went to the Beijing Film Academy for a physical examination. As a result, the final result depends on the college entrance examination in June.

Chen Ju returned to Chongqing on March 21, while Xiang Nan will stay in Beijing to pursue further studies at Sony.

Sony offered him housing, but Xiang Nan refused it.

After signing the contract, he received an extra 370,000 yuan (after tax), which made him a little arrogant. He rented a two-bedroom apartment in the Jimenli community for 9,000 yuan for six months, which he was quite satisfied with.

After renting the apartment, I called home thirty times, which shocked my elderly father, who immediately called to inquire.

Fortunately, Chen Ju knew a lot about the inside story. After explaining it clearly, Xiang Nan's father could only sigh: "My son has really grown up!"

On April 1, Sony held a simple press conference to officially announce the signing of Xiang Nan.

Unfortunately, it didn't generate much buzz. Nobody cared about Sony's little Karami. The current music scene belongs to Jay Chou, the "car-bottom god" (a term used to describe singers who are not well-known), and obscure singers.

On that day, he also submitted a demo to a film crew in Beijing and successfully sold his first song, although it only cost 30,000 yuan.

On August 10, the Beijing Film Academy officially announced its admission list, and Xiang Nan unsurprisingly received a phone call. He was so excited that he couldn't sleep all night.

Time flew by and it was August 24th. On this day, Xiang Nan got up early and took a taxi to the BJ Theater.

The theater was packed with people, and Xiang Nan, being tall, quickly found his place to queue.

After another half hour of queuing, it wasn't until 9 a.m. that we finally got into the theater.

"Huh? Haven't we met before?"

A male voice sounded beside him, and Xiang Nan turned his head to look.

Ha... Isn't this so-and-so from my past life?

"I'm an examiner from the Beijing Film Academy, don't you remember me?"

Zhu Yawen across from him rolled his eyes: "Dude, I was already embarrassed enough back then, why are you bringing this up again?"

"Are you here for an audition too?"

"An audition?" Zhu Yawen's eyebrows twitched.

"Isn't this just a preliminary audition? An actual audition?"

Xiang Nan smiled slightly but remained silent.

This is the audition for "Kung Fu" for you, but it's not for me. I've been waiting for this day for a long time!

"Numbers 66 to 86!"

There was a call coming from inside, and Zhu Yawen greeted it before heading into the lobby.

Xiang Nan glanced at his sign.

Number 86? Hey, what a coincidence!

He followed the crowd inside, and the crowd passed through the seats to reach the stage.

"You don't need to do anything, just stand there and don't say a word."

Everyone nodded and squeezed towards the first row, where their height advantage became apparent.

As soon as Xiang Nan stepped onto the stage, he saw Stephen Chow pointing and whispering at him from below the stage.

A few minutes later, the crowd began to disperse, including Zhu Yawen, who was eliminated, but Xiang Nan was left behind. He and two other burly men came to Stephen Chow's side.

"Have any of the three of you ever played gangsters before?"

Stephen Chow's Mandarin is very poor, but everyone could understand him.

The two people beside him nodded repeatedly, but Xiang Nan stared at Stephen Chow without saying a word until Stephen Chow's gaze fell on him...

"Mr. Stephen Chow, I'd like to audition for other roles!"

"What are you doing! Get up!" The assistant stood up on the spot.

"Hey hey hey!" Stephen Chow raised his hand to stop him and turned to look at Xiang Nan.

He saw something in the big man's eyes: longing!

The yearning for the stage, the yearning of an ordinary person to rise above others, the yearning for fame—it's so similar to his own experience back then…

"You want to audition? Have you ever acted before?"

In film auditions, even a minor role with only one line is highly valued and usually doesn't go to extras.

Xiang Nan is now just an extra.

"I don't, but I'm a student at the Beijing Film Academy."

"Hehe..." Upon hearing that Xiang Nan was a student at the Beijing Film Academy, the assistant laughed disdainfully.

So what if you're a student at the Beijing Film Academy? Even graduates from the Beijing Film Academy might not get a supporting role in a Stephen Chow movie, let alone someone like you who's still a student!

"Wait."

Stephen Chow simply said "wait," which neither Xiang Nan nor his assistant understood.

The auditions resumed on site, and soon a group of "gangster" extras were selected.

After selecting all the extras and dispersing everyone queuing outside, Stephen Chow turned to look at Xiang Nan.

"You haven't even read the script, and you want to audition?"

This is a problem. Xiang Nan hasn't read the script, so how can he audition?

This is also why the assistant felt he was causing trouble.

Xiang Nan showed no sign of panic, remaining as fearless as a newborn calf.

"Isn't this what I've been waiting for you to show me the script? I believe that opportunity is like milky white snowflakes; if you don't seize it, you'll never be sure if you can grasp it or not!"

"Uh... hahaha..."

Stephen Chow thought about it for a long time before he understood the key point.

He threw his head back and laughed, patting his assistant's shoulder repeatedly with his right hand.

"Interesting, very interesting! Give him the script!"

Xiang Nan successfully obtained the script and immediately began reading it.

He was actually acting!

He was very familiar with the script; after all, he had seen the finished film in his previous life.

But he has never auditioned in his two lives, let alone acted. Now he can only gamble that Stephen Chow is interested in him as a person, not his acting skills.

That means you get on the train first, and then buy the ticket later!

"Stephen Chow, I'm all better now."

"So fast?"

Xiang Nan nodded.

Which scene did you audition for?

"The first match!"

Stephen Chow frowned. The first scene only had the shot of Brother Chen annihilating the Crocodile Gang, which was a scene he valued highly. Why did this kid choose the difficult one right away?

"You, you give it a try!"

Even Stephen Chow no longer thinks highly of this kid; his initial compassion has been worn away by the kid's arrogance.

"OK!"

Xiang Nan showed no embarrassment whatsoever. He simply rolled up the script and prepared to begin his performance.

"etc!"

Stephen Chow gestured to his assistant beside him with his lip: "You, go and cooperate."

The assistant didn't refuse; on the contrary, he was happy to see Xiang Nan eliminated.

"What do I need to do?"

Xiang Nan pointed to his feet: "Lie down!"

The assistant lay down, and Xiang Nan walked a few steps away to begin his performance.

He held his index fingers pointing to the sky, and in one hand he was holding a rolled-up script, as if he were holding an axe. He swayed and walked towards his assistant with a staggered gait.

"Whoa—"

Boos rose from the crowd, but Xiang Nan remained unmoved.

He danced a comical dance as he approached his assistant, then suddenly raised his hand and chopped down.

"ah--"

The assistant screamed in fright, but the blow landed only on her body with a slight thud.

Xiang Nan remained expressionless, supporting his waist as he pretended to chop someone up. Afterward, he waved his hand, pretending to ask someone to bring him a handkerchief, and calmly wiped his hands.

"Clap clap clap—"

A sudden burst of applause erupted from the audience; it was Stephen Chow.

"This pantomime was good, but the acting felt very forced. Are you a sophomore?"

"yes!"

Xiang Nan stopped what he was doing and nodded obediently.

"You're a sophomore at Beijing Film Academy, there are quite a few talented people here! Okay, come to Hong Kong next March for the second round of auditions."

"clear!"

The audition is over.

It's 8 PM, time to rent a room.

In the living room, Xiang Nan sat on the sofa with a computer in front of him and an enamel mug containing a steaming cup of coffee in his other hand. He was reviewing his performance.

From the initial selection of extras to his self-recommendation, to winning Stephen Chow's appreciation with his captivating dance, every step was meticulously planned by him.

More likely, they'll be kicked out, but what if they are?

As it turns out, he made the right bet!

In this way, he has both money and a role. Not a bad start, right?

"Beep beep beep..."

The Motorola he had just bought sent him a message. Xiang Nan picked it up and saw that it was from the producer who had sent him the song before.

[Xiang Nan, come to the set of "The Story of a Noble Family" tomorrow. The address is ***.]