Huayu: Just started as a stagehand, but the director's comeback system

The negotiations with investors regarding Ninghao's gold heist went very well.

Jing Tian's backer, Starlight Brilliant, readily invested 20 million.

Ning Hao wanted to say more, but the person in charge there had a knowing look on their face, effectively shutting Ning Hao down.

Seeing this, Ning Hao didn't say anything more. Anyway, he was telling the truth, and the contract was clearly written in black and white. How the other party interpreted it was none of his business.

Now that the female lead has been chosen, it's time to find a male lead who fits the image of a street thug.

After hearing that Brother Huai had signed six new actors yesterday, Ning Hao naturally went back to the company to see if there were any suitable ones.

Unfortunately, while Wang Baoqiang, Liao Fan, and Duan Yihong each have their own unique characteristics, they all lack the charisma of street thugs.

Ning Hao still remembers when they were filming "Black Coal, Thin Ice," the extras from Northeast China described the thugs as looking and acting tough.

Ning Hao thought this description made a lot of sense; this was exactly the kind of person he wanted.

Jiang Huai readily agreed to Ning Hao's request for a nationwide interview.

The first commercial film must be done carefully so that it can make more money for Jianghuai later.

Moreover, Jiang Huai didn't have anything else to do recently, so he accompanied Ning Hao to the interview.

A few days after the interviews, the two actually met a few suitable candidates. One was Liu Ye, a fresh-faced Golden Rooster Award winner, and the other was Sun Honglei, the top star of Xinbaoyuan.

Jiang Huai favored Liu Ye more, simply because Sun Honglei's portrayal in "Conquest" was so deeply ingrained in people's minds that Jiang Huai found it hard to imagine that the other party could transform from a petty hoodlum into a revolutionary.

However, Ning Hao had a high opinion of his acting skills, and since the Golden Heist was ultimately Ning Hao's responsibility, Jiang Huai didn't say much.

"Teacher Zhao, what made you think of calling me? I grew up watching your TV dramas."

After the first round of interviews, Zhao Baogang directly called Jianghuai on behalf of Sun Honglei.

When Jiang Huai learned that the person on the other end of the phone was Zhao Baogang, who was known as the godfather of China, he spoke very politely.

Jiang Huai admires the ability of someone to rise from a skilled worker in the last century to a highly sought-after individual.

"I've heard of Director Jiang before, but I've never met him. Today, Honglei described him to me, and he's truly a heroic young man."

Zhao Baogang was delighted by Jiang Huai's praise. Although he was quite famous, he was just a TV drama director. In the directing circle, they implicitly considered him inferior to film directors.

The fact that Jianghuai is willing to give me this face proves that there is a high chance that Sun Honglei will play the male lead.

Although the film was directed by Ning Hao, Jiang Huai's assistant director, he and Sun Honglei read the script together and learned that the film's actual investment was 30 million yuan. Overall, it seemed like a good project.

More importantly, Zhao Baogang wanted to use this film to cleanse Sun Honglei of his bandit-like image. Sun Honglei became a sensation in 03 with "Conquer," and now he naturally has to bear the backlash of that fame.

Outside of television dramas, Sun Honglei finds it difficult to land positive roles, which is why he needs to make the most of his current opportunities.

"Teacher Zhao, I have a good impression of Hong Lei, but as you know, Ning Hao is in charge of this movie. Although I am the boss, I still have to consider his opinion."

How about this, if Teacher Zhao is free tomorrow, let's all have a meal together. Maybe that will change Director Ning Hao's impression of him.

Jiang Huai held the watch Mei Ting had given him in his hand and thought about it carefully. Now, Xinbaoyuan, with Zhao Baogang's name attached, was a real money-making machine for TV dramas.

If we can reach a deeper cooperation with the other party, it will definitely be more beneficial to Jianghuai.

"Great idea, Director Jiang. I know a nice hotel in the capital. I'll arrange it."

"Then I will gladly accept your offer and look forward to meeting Teacher Zhao."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Huai immediately summoned Ning Hao, who was revising the script for Jing Tian.

The other party invested 20 million, and Ning Hao completely overturned most of the originally not very detailed female lead storyline, not only increasing the intensity of the plot, but also making the character more in line with Jing Tian herself.

Even now, when Jiang Huai calls him into his office, Ning Hao doesn't stop working.

"Haozi, what do you think of Sun Honglei?"

"It's pretty good. He has a strong stock market vibe, and his acting is also good. Although he's a bit older, makeup can cover it up."

Ning Hao has always favored Sun Honglei, as he felt that Liu Ye lacked the fierceness characteristic of Northeasterners.

If Jianghuai insists on using Liu Ye, that's not impossible, but right now we definitely need to try to win over Sun Honglei.

"No, you don't think highly of him at all. Boss Sun Honglei is treating us to dinner tomorrow, so you'd better show your attitude."

"Brother Huai, you... sigh... hahaha."

Ning Hao felt that since he was about to become a commercial film director, he should at least have a more upright demeanor.

He was preparing to firmly reject Jiang Huai, but halfway through his sentence, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"I see, this watch is pretty good, Brother Huai."

After understanding Jiang Huai's meaning, Ning Hao had originally planned to leave directly.

But then I noticed the watch Jiang Huai was holding in his hand—a Rolex.

"If you like, you can ask Mei Ting for it too."

Jiang Huai had heard the saying that the poor play with cars and the rich play with watches, but he wasn't particularly interested in watches before. After all, such a small thing could cost hundreds of thousands or even millions, and his social circle wasn't that high.

Anyway, most of the directors in the entertainment industry pretend to be sophisticated, but in essence they are all pretty much the same kind of vulgar people.

However, if someone gives Jiang Huai a watch, he is still very happy to appreciate it.

Although he didn't know what Mei Ting meant, Jiang Huai heard that she didn't intend to divorce her husband yet, so he decided to hold back for the time being.

"Forget it then. They're giving it to you, their big boss. If I go and ask for it back, I'll probably get slapped twice."

Mei Ting is a well-known A-list actress, and Ning Hao is certainly not good enough to ask her for gifts right now.

If they go there, Mei Ting might be too embarrassed to take action, but Xing Aina would definitely not hold back.

Ning Hao chuckled and skipped over the topic.

But as soon as Ning Hao left, Mei Ting went into Jiang Huai's office.

"What's wrong, Sister Ting? Is something the matter?"

"Hey, I'm new here, so I have to pay my respects to the locals first."

There aren't many rumors circulating about Jianghuai in the industry, so Mei Ting isn't sure what her new boss likes. For now, she can only send some gifts to test the waters.

A Rolex worth 300,000 yuan wasn't too expensive for her. Coincidentally, she looked through all the events Jiang Huai had attended and realized he had never worn a watch on his wrist.

"That's very kind of you. In a couple of days, I have a role as the third female lead in my new movie. It's not a lot of screen time, but I think her image is outstanding. You can take a look and then make a decision."

Jiang Huai hadn't originally decided who to give the role of the wealthy wife in the movie Parasite to.

Although she is nominally the third female lead, she has quite a few scenes. After reading the script, Jiang Huai felt that the character had many memorable moments and was a good role.

"Then I'll thank you in advance, Brother Huai."

Mei Ting didn't have any objections to the third female lead, after all, she was a newcomer, and in the years since she got married, she had lost her former glory.

You have to eat one bite at a time and take it slow. There's nothing wrong with starting with the third female lead.

"Oh, and your agents too. I'll have them contact you tomorrow."

The original few agents are definitely not enough. This time, the agents brought out from Huayi Brothers are all first- and second-tier talents, so each of them needs to be assigned a team.

Anyway, it won't cost much in the end. The agent will still use headhunters to recruit talent as before, and the other assistants will just be the same people who work with the artists.

"Then I'll go back and talk to them. If you're free tonight, Brother Huai, I'll treat you to dinner."

"Okay, then you can wait here for a while."

Jiang Huai thought about it for a moment, and since he didn't have anything else to do tonight, he agreed to Mei Ting's invitation.

Jiang Huai carefully reviewed the business contracts with Huayi Brothers and, after confirming there were no problems, affixed the company seal.

After finishing all that, Jiang Huai no longer needed to stay at the company. It was lunchtime, so he went to a roast duck restaurant with Mei Ting.

The boss sells Nanjing roast duck in the capital; he's got business acumen.

"Brother Huai has eaten a lot of Peking duck in Beijing, so he'll also try the flavor of Nanjing."

As a native of Nanjing, Mei Ting's most vivid childhood memory is of Nanjing roast duck.

With its savory, slightly sweet flavor, it has a unique taste compared to Peking duck in Beijing.

After the dishes were served, Mei Ting personally served Jiang Huai, helping him to put the chopped roast duck into the sesame seed cake.

"It is indeed more gentle than in the capital."

Experiencing the different textures, Jiang Huai's first reaction was that it wasn't as crisp as Peking duck from the capital, but with the sauce prepared by the Peking duck chef, the texture was more delicate.

Jiang Huai looked at Mei Ting, who was holding a duck meat with her head down, and felt that only gentleness and gentleness were the most appropriate descriptions.

"This is the first time I've heard 'gentle and graceful' used to describe food; it's quite an eye-opener."

Mei Ting found Jiang Huai's description quite novel; the words used to describe women were being used to describe food, which seemed to imply something more.

"Just something I mentioned, you should try it too."

"Yes, the taste is still the same as when I came last time. If you like Nanjing cuisine, I can recommend other places to you later."

As Mei Ting took a bite of the roast duck, the juices dripped down her chin.

Jiang Huai looked at the other person's careful wiping movements and the slight smile on their lips, and realized that the other person was doing it on purpose.

Even so, Jiang Huai was still somewhat itchy to watch.

Today's female stars each have their own unique characteristics. Tong Liya, relying on her youth, is passionate with just the right amount of coquettishness.

Mei Ting, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. Her gentle nature was tinged with cunning, like a bird lightly touching the surface of calm water, creating a unique effect.

"Why is Brother Huai staring at me? Is there something I'm not doing well in my service?"

Seeing that Mei Ting still had that smile on her lips, Jiang Huai was no longer willing to hold back. If the other party did not agree, he would pretend that nothing had happened.

Jiang Huai didn't reply. He put his hat and mask back on, got up, and grabbed Mei Ting's wrist, leading her out of the private room.

During the process, Mei Ting not only did not resist, but also took the initiative to hold Jiang Huai's left hand.

The JAC car drove very fast, heading straight to the hotel.

After entering the lobby, Jiang Huai was still searching for his ID card when Mei Ting had already booked a room.

Seeing this, Jianghuai no longer hesitated and directly began the integration of the north and south, the South-to-North Water Diversion Project.

Thanks to Jianghuai's proactive response, although the project took a while to complete, everything complied with safety measures and was absolutely flawless.

Mei Ting was now lying on the bed, unable to move. After all, she was thirty years old, and no matter how well she took care of herself, her strength was no match for that of a young person.

"I haven't felt this good in a long time."

Holding Jiang Huai's neck, Mei Ting originally wanted to bite him hard, but in the end it turned into a light kiss.

In comparison, Jianghuai's actions were not so restrained, with their movements being consistently large and sweeping.

In addition, Mei Ting had been rusty for a long time, and at this moment she felt that her body was no longer under her control.

But this also hastened Mei Ting's decision to divorce Yan Po.

The two had been separated for most of their lives and had long since lost any feelings for each other.

They got married in 01, and four years have passed since then. The honeymoon phase between them is long over.

Without the bond of children, the dissatisfaction between the two, whether in daily interactions or in matters of marriage, is now impossible to conceal.

"What are you thinking about?"

Jiang Huai, having regained some strength, saw Mei Ting staring blankly and was unsure what she was struggling with.

However, a moment of pleasure is worth a thousand pieces of gold, and now, even if we calculate it all, it's less than five hundred pieces of gold, so we naturally can't waste it.

"I didn't think... I didn't think about anything, I really can't take it anymore."

Mei Ting was panting heavily, wondering how the two, who were only five years apart in age, could have such a large difference in physical strength.

Unfortunately, Jiang Huai didn't give her much time to think this time. After resting for a while, she started working again.

It can't be entirely blamed on Jiang Huai; he usually doesn't put in this much effort, but Mei Ting's cooperation was so good that he couldn't stop.

Even when Jiang Huai received a phone call, he glanced at it and realized it was from an unrelated person, so he simply threw his phone on the ground.

……

"Damn it, why isn't he answering the phone again?"

After shaking off the reporters surrounding her at the airport, Zhang Ziyi immediately sat in her car and made several phone calls to Jiang Huai.

This time it was even worse than before. In the past, although it would take her a lot of time, at least the call would eventually connect.

This time, Jiang Huai simply turned off his phone, so she couldn't call him even if she wanted to.

Thinking of this, Zhang Ziyi stopped making these futile efforts. She remembered that Jiang Huai had opened a company, and she could find out the address by asking around.

"Hey, where's your boss? I need to talk to him."

After Zhang Ziyi joined Yihuai Media, Ning Hao, who was still with the company, personally came to receive her.

Zhang Ziyi surveyed the layout of Jianghuai's company, which was indeed much better than Zhang Yimou's office hidden in a residential building.

Moreover, this place is more formal than she imagined. She thought it was just a small studio with a few people, but she didn't expect it to have such a large scale.

"Did you make an appointment with Brother Huai?"

Ning Hao knew that Jiang Huai knew Zhang Ziyi, but he had never heard Brother Huai mention their relationship. To be on the safe side, he decided to postpone it until Jiang Huai returned in person.

Zhang Ziyi glanced at Ning Hao, but had no recollection of him. He was probably an unknown person. She snorted and found a sofa to sit down.

"Fine, you can just wait here."

Seeing the other party's attitude, Ning Hao had no choice but to let her leave. After all, she was a big star, and he couldn't just kick her out. So he let her wait there while he called Jiang Huai.