Huayu: You were supposed to be a top star, but you've become capital?

After the meal, the tea in the private room was refilled again.

Chen Zhixi looked up at Lin Shen and found that he was not in a hurry to leave. Instead, he was holding a teacup and leaning back in his chair, as if he still had something to say.

"What's wrong? Is there something else?"

Lin Shen put down his teacup, took out another file folder from his bag, and pushed it directly in front of her.

"Take a look at this."

Chen Zhixi raised an eyebrow, took the document, opened it, and pulled out the files inside.

It is a list.

She scanned the room from top to bottom, her gaze lingering on a few names before looking up at Lin Shen.

"So...you're thinking of assembling a directing team?"

Lin Shen nodded, then shook his head: "It's not really a production team, but the company needs people to produce content. Training them ourselves is too slow; the best way is..."

"Let's include those who have already shown promise," Chen Zhixi continued, glancing down at the list. "Shen Ao, Wen Muye, Han Yan... and one more, Yuan Shuang?"

When Chen Zhixi read out the last name, he was clearly puzzled.

"I haven't heard much about this person."

"He makes web series, he's young, and quite a thoughtful person," Lin Shen explained simply, without saying more.

Yuan Shuang is also the real name of the cat tree.

This name isn't well-known in the industry, at least not yet.

But in a few years, this person's name will be associated with a word: "modern-day couple".

The dramas he directs have clean visuals and a strong atmosphere, which appeals to young people, making them perfect for promoting newcomers.

As for the others on the list...

Apply for Australia.

"All or Nothing" grossed 3.8 billion yuan.

Fumino.

"Dying to Survive" grossed 3.1 billion yuan.

Han Yan.

"A Little Red Flower for You" has a box office of 1.4 billion.

These are all solid achievements, and they are all the work of young directors who are capable of carrying out projects.

And most importantly, apart from Han Yan, none of the others have risen yet.

Some have just finished filming their debut work, some are still waiting for an opportunity, and some haven't even found their direction yet.

Now is the best time to act.

Lin Shen snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Chen Zhixi's fingers as he flipped through the list.

Chen Zhixi finished reading the list, put it down, and looked up at him:

"You want to sign all of these?"

"I'd like to sign, but I'm not forcing it," Lin Shen said. "It would be best if we could sign, but if we can't, maintaining a good relationship is fine too."

Chen Zhixi nodded, then looked down at the list again, and suddenly smiled:

"You have a good eye."

Lin Shen looked at her.

Chen Zhixi pointed to Shen Ao's name: "I've heard of him. Ning Hao contacted him a while ago, trying to recruit him into Bad Monkey."

She paused, then looked up at Lin Shen: "And then, he refused."

Lin Shen raised an eyebrow: "You rejected it?"

"He refused." Chen Zhixi nodded. "I don't know the specific reason, but I heard that he doesn't want to work for someone else and wants to go it alone."

Lin Shen's lips curled up slightly after hearing this.

If you don't want to work for someone else, that's the right thing to do.

Shen Ao is a talented and thoughtful person, but he's also incredibly arrogant at heart.

Ning Hao's mischievous monkey might be an opportunity for others, but for him, it could be a constraint.

What he wanted was not a mentor or a boss, but a free creative environment.

"We can give him what he wants," Lin Shen said.

Chen Zhixi looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"The right to be credited, the right to speak, and control over the project." Lin Shen listed them one by one. "Ning Hao can't give him these things, but we can."

After listening, Chen Zhixi stared at him for a while, then suddenly laughed: "You've figured him out completely."

Lin Shen didn't reply, but picked up his teacup and took a sip.

Chen Zhixi looked down at the list again, his gaze lingering on Wen Muye's name for a moment, before turning to Han Yan.

"I know Han Yan well; we've talked a few times before. But he just signed with Yixin this year, so he's not easy to poach."

She frowned slightly and looked at Lin Shen: "You have feelings for him?"

Lin Shen nodded: "Yes."

He knew the road ahead of Han Yan.

After "Go Away Mr. Tumor" and "Animal World", he will make "A Little Red Flower", and then "Let's Shake the Sun Together", which is the movie with the Best Actress award for pre-production.

Han Yan's style is becoming more and more stable. While his box office performance is not bad, he can also win awards from time to time. He can both make money and cultivate artists.

As for the Milky Way entering my dreams, let's not go into that...

Moreover, this person has a special characteristic: he is serious about projects and doesn't cut corners.

This kind of director is someone you can work with long-term.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Chen Zhixi assumed he was hesitating and spoke again:

"I can speak with Han Yan privately and ask about his wishes. As for Wen Muye..."

"This person must be from your school, right?"

Lin Shen nodded: "Yes, he's still an independent director, and he's shooting a short film right now."

Fumino.

After "Dying to Survive," his name was on every investor's lips. But now, he hasn't filmed that movie yet, and nobody knows how good he is at fighting.

"Let's try to communicate with him first. He's probably short of investment right now, so it shouldn't be difficult to reach an agreement," Lin Shen said.

Chen Zhixi nodded, then looked at the last name on the list.

Yuan Shuang.

She racked her brains for a long time, but still couldn't remember who this person was.

"This..." Chen Zhixi looked up at Lin Shen, "Are you sure?"

Lin Shen smiled: "I'm sure."

He knew Chen Zhixi's doubts: why should someone who makes web dramas be on the same list as Shen Ao and Han Yan?

However, Forest Films needs to produce content, so it can't just focus on movies.

In the realm of television dramas, especially contemporary idol dramas that young people enjoy watching, this is a territory we must conquer.

And the cat's tree is undoubtedly a good gun on this front.

Seeing his resolute attitude, Chen Zhixi didn't press further and put the list away.

"Okay, I'll negotiate with these guys, but let me make this clear beforehand: becoming a director isn't as simple as signing an actor."

"I can only guarantee that I will negotiate, not that I can guarantee that I will secure all of them. These people all have their own ideas, and they won't sign just because you offer them money."

Lin Shen nodded: "I know."

"Especially Shen Ao, he just rejected Ning Hao, and now there are definitely a lot of people watching him. If we're going to make a move, we have to be quick."

"You handle it," Lin Shen said. "Just tell me what resources you need."

Chen Zhixi smiled: "Just hearing that is enough."

She put the list back in the file folder, then suddenly remembered something and looked up again:

"By the way, where's Guo Fan?"

Lin Shen was taken aback.

Chen Zhixi looked at him with a half-smile: "Guo Fan, aren't you going to consider it? I remember you said before that he had some talent."

Lin Shen remained silent for a moment.

Guo Fan.

How could he not consider it?

He knew all too well what kind of film "The Wandering Earth" was.

With a box office of 4.6 billion yuan, it is a milestone for domestic science fiction films and has directly ushered in a new era for Chinese science fiction movies.

Who wouldn't want a director who can make a film like this?

The problem is, this guy is too much of a builder.

The budget for "The Wandering Earth" skyrocketed from tens of millions to hundreds of millions, with countless additional funding rounds along the way.

By the end of filming, Guo Fan couldn't take it anymore and was desperately seeking investment and begging for help.

It would be easy to sign Guo Fan; just tell him you'll provide funding for filming, and he might come running over that very day.

But once they're brought in, raising them will be a real challenge.

Lin Shen didn't want a sum of money sitting on the company's books that could be burned up by Guo Fan at any time.

"He..." Lin Shen hesitated for a moment, "...spends too much money, we can't afford to support him right now."