Chapter 37 Tianyi Noble

When Yuan Yuzhen appeared this time, Xia Chi almost didn't recognize her.

She seemed reborn. Though still plump, she was no longer sluggish, and her complexion had improved considerably. Black-framed glasses perched on her straight nose, and her blazer defined her sharp features. She looked every bit the man of a decisive business elite, and even her hair had a long-lost dash of coolness.

Without the evildoers around me, I feel much more relaxed.

[Tsk tsk tsk…]

[I didn't know Sister Yuzhen was such a beauty.]

"I didn't go to a sanatorium, I went to a beauty salon. I got a set of the 'Give Me Back My Beauty' punch."

Yuan Yuzhen's mouth curled up slightly, and she reached out to tuck her bangs behind her ears.

[Could it be that half of them were missing, and the other half were left at home...]

[That bunch of bastards, Wang Hui, is truly guilty of something. They nearly turned Ao Run, such a beautiful woman, into Taiyi Zhenren.]

[My skin has become loose after losing weight...tsk tsk...]

Yuan Yuzhen choked on her coffee.

Feng Man kicked him under the table.

"What are you thinking about? Listen carefully."

"oh."

Xia Chi's attention was involuntarily drawn to the casting board in the center of the conference room.

Hundreds of headshots were densely packed across the matte lacquer surface, like a giant puzzle. At the very top, a magnet secured the cover of the script for "Heartbeat on the Left," a youth drama adapted from a major IP, with its gold-stamped logo.

Scrolling down the cast list, Lu Ming's ID photo was prominently listed first, next to the male lead, Shen Jiashu. The top-tier actor in the photo wore a white shirt, his signature smirk adorning his lips. A gold paperclip was pinned to the bottom right corner, making it stand out amidst the numerous black-and-white photos.

Casting director Lao Chen tapped the eye-catching number on the information with his cigarette butt, and the ash fell on Lu Ming's photo.

"This guy is incredibly popular right now. He's asking $800,000 per episode, and the entire show is more than three times over budget."

The conference room suddenly became quiet, with only the hum of the air-conditioning vents.

The publicity director pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses, and the blue light from the projector flashed across her lenses.

"But Green Fruit Video promised that as long as Lu Ming stars, they'll give him a featured image on the homepage and guaranteed S-level promotional resources. And..." The publicity director specifically pulled up some data, "His last drama had over 10,000 trending searches on the site."

"But will fans of the original novel accept this?" the screenwriter couldn't help but interject, "Lu Ming's temperament is so different from the character Shen Jiashu. In the original novel, Shen Jiashu is a gentle and kind senior, but Lu Ming..."

Old Chen said, "The young actor from the Central Academy of Drama who auditioned yesterday was pretty good. His name was Lin Peiwen. His image and acting were both excellent, and his salary was only a fraction of Lu Ming's..."

"But Lu Ming has 60 million fans," the publicity director insisted. "Just the official announcement of his appearance alone will save us tens of millions in publicity and promotion costs."

Screenwriter: "But his dialogue skills..."

The arguing in the conference room faded into background noise. Xia Chi's eyes were glued to Lu Ming's photo, unable to move away. The top star in the photo had a bright and sunny smile, but in his eyes, there was something strange about it.

[This face...tsk tsk tsk...]

Yuan Yuzhen pricked up her ears.

[The forehead is full but veins are hidden, clearly indicating a desire for quick success and instant benefits, which can easily backfire. There's also a line on the right cheek that spells loss of wealth, resembling the Chinese character "牢" (prison)].

[Oh my god, he's also a legal expert. At this rate, a shocking scandal is bound to break out within the year. I'm afraid he'll be gone before the series wraps up...]

[Well, it doesn't matter if this male lead isn't in the role. He'll just be cannon fodder if he plays it. He might as well just play a cameo role in another drama and still make a name for himself.]

"But what excuse can I use to turn Sister Yuzhen down? She invited me here out of kindness..."

Xia Chi was in a dilemma.

"Ahem..." Yuan Yuzhen tapped her pen lightly on the budget sheet. "Ahem, I did the math. Don't even consider Lu Ming. Add in his design team and his exclusive RV, and the production costs will increase by at least another 20%."

Publicity Director: “But…”

"No buts," Yuan Yuzhen snapped her pen shut. "I'll go talk to Green Fruit. Let's see if there are any other candidates. Lin Peiwen, right? Where's Lin Peiwen's audition tape?"

Lin Peiwen's audition video was displayed on the big screen.

Xia Chi stared at Lin Peiwen again.

【hiss……】

[He has a broad forehead, beautiful features, and is a good actor.]

He subconsciously touched his chin, "But what's going on with this faint redness in my uterus?"

[Lin Peiwen...his love star moved?]

Xia Chi suddenly remembered something and looked at the column for the second female lead.

[Hey, why is the heroine Li Tang? ]

His eyes moved back and forth between Lin Peiwen and Li Tang.

[Wow, isn't this the real-life version of a crew couple? ]

【It’s still the right fate. 】

[If this works out, Yuan Yuzhen will sit at the head table at the wedding...]

[I heard that the second male lead is obsessed with the female lead in the drama and there are too many emotional scenes. ]

[Hahahaha… Once the relationship is exposed, all I find out is a watermark hahahaha…]

[When the video is edited and goes viral online, the background music will be…]

【Steve, dududududu, Steve, dududududu, Steve…………】

[Whoever takes on the second male lead is an idiot, hahahaha…]

Feng Man looked at him like an idiot.

Xia Chi followed her gaze and turned his head blankly. The moment he looked at the casting board, he was stunned - his ID photo was clearly pasted on the candidate photo for the second male lead.

"The second male lead... could it be... me?" His voice was split.

"Be more confident and remove the word 'difficult'." Feng Man said arrogantly, "Are you satisfied with the resources I've torn off for you?"

[Oh my god, when I first drew the pie, I didn’t say it would be this big!]

[I must have turned on my computer incorrectly this morning...]

【Am I not here just to make some noise? 】

Feng Man saw that he didn't say anything.

"Why? You don't like it? If you don't like it, I'll reject it."

"No, no, no, I like it..."

[Even if I have to be a light bulb, I can bear it...]

[I'm a bit player, but I'm lucky enough to get the second male lead role. I can even play a light box.]

[With lots of money, plenty of drama, and a likable character, wouldn't that mean I'm not far from fame?]

[Is Sister Yuzhen so generous? ]

Feng Man couldn't help but give him a blank look.

Look at how useless you are.

Your blessing is yet to come.

******

The meeting entered a tea break, with people gathering in groups of three or four, whispering to each other. Yuan Yuzhen's assistant stumbled over, carrying a stack of scripts half a person's height. The project proposal for "Long Night" on top was teetering.

"Boss Yuan sent this. It contains all the key projects for the second half of the year for each platform." The assistant, panting, piled the scripts on the conference table, shaking the coffee cup so much that the latte art fell apart. "Sister Man, please review it first. Call me if you need anything."

"Zhenzhen is really..." Feng Man concealed her ecstasy, and suddenly flipped her wrist, spreading a dozen scripts in a fan shape in front of Xia Chi.

"Take your pick." Feng Man raised the corner of her lips in Xia Chi's dull gaze. "Cherish Entertainment is going to form a strategic partnership with Galaxy Culture, and they're worried about not being able to find a suitable project. If you have your eye on any..."

Xia Chi raised his eyelids: "What's going on?"

Feng Man crossed her arms and said, "The company might consider cultivating you as the leading actor."

“!!!”

Xia Chi's pupils were wildly shaken between his agent and the script.

He mechanically turned the title page of "Long Night's Journey" and saw the name of a certain actor on the casting list shining with golden light.

[Is this a script selection or a concubine selection? ]

[I took a big backdoor.]

[Sister Yuzhen, don't say anything, you are my God!]

[I'll help you catch the adultery next time! ]

"puff--"

Yuan Yuzhen started wiping the sweat off her face again.

Thank you. There won't be a next time.

【but……】

Xia Chi tilted his head and looked at the "Tianyao Pictures" logo on the list of investors...

[Isn't Tianyao Films... a Luo family business?]

When Xia Chi thought of Luo Ming, this gentlemanly villain, he paid special attention to him.

The Luo family's pie is truly a big one. This project is arguably the most tempting deal of the year—with a top-tier screenwriter, a top-tier production team, and a budget well into the nine figures. The list of award-winning actors and actresses alone is dazzling. With such top-tier resources, it's no wonder that everyone in the industry is scrambling to get a piece of the action.

It’s a pity——

It’s a pity that the name of a certain “legal expert” is on their invitation list.

Lu Ming has been gaining momentum in recent years, and he has a close relationship with Tianyao Pictures. He's likely to land a supporting role with a significant screen time...

If this is true...

Xia Chi flipped through the project book, as if he had already seen the future hot searches.

#XX crew collectively restricted in height#

#The star's salary is frozen#

#Why did the investor call the police overnight? #

[As high as the champagne towers were at the start of filming, as thick as the court summonses were at the wrap-up. Tsk tsk tsk…]

Why does Yuan Yuzhen keep getting into these dirty collaborations... No wonder the show is always on hold.

Yuan Yuzhen shuddered at the other end of the conference room, and took a pen to cross out the names of "Long Night Journey" and Tianyao Pictures in her small notebook.

Feng Man quickly took the notebook away and handed him another one: "We can't even handle such a big project. How about this book "Running Wildly"? It tells the story of the growth of a gangster boss."

Xia Chi flipped through it and curled his lips.

[Tsk tsk tsk…]

After "The Storm" became a hit, "Run" was immediately released. Has this caught the attention of the authorities? A new round of "blacklist bans" is about to be issued, prohibiting overly three-dimensional villains.

[I joined the Nationalist Army in 1949...]

Feng Man and Yuan Yuzhen looked at each other.

Black ban?

No idea, never heard of it?

In short, Feng Man quickly removed all related notebooks.

[What kind of infringing work is this? You're just waiting to be scolded after filming it.]

Xia Chi looked at the cover of a certain project and was too lazy to open it.

Feng Man handed over the next book.

【hiss……】

The person behind this project is a seasoned broker. He's unreliable. He trades favors for resources, then resources for shares. He'll get the show aired, but the production will be rushed. If the show doesn't turn out well, the actors will be blamed. He's ruining his career by accepting it.

…

[This crossed the red line, and the filming had to be shelved for another three years.]

…

Historical nihilism...

…

Anyway, there were only a few notebooks left in the pile soon.

Yuan Yuzhen and Feng Man leaned back in their chairs dejectedly, staring blankly ahead.

When will this film and television winter end?

Lying down turned out to be the wisest choice.

"Sister Man, this is good."

Xia Chi suddenly said.

Yuan Yuzhen and Feng Man sat up together again.

Feng Man took the notebook that Xia Chi handed over and gently stroked the cover with her fingertips. The slightly rough touch made her frown slightly.

"Yellow Earth..." The last syllable unconsciously dragged out, "College student village official? Getting rich through e-commerce? Are you sure?"

Feng Man never expected that Xia Chi could pick out the most unsatisfactory one from this pile of big cakes, with a budget of less than three million.

Xia Chi's eyes gleamed with determination. "This is based on a real case. Look—" He flipped open the script outline and pointed at the key paragraphs: "The protagonist gave up his high-paying job in the big city and returned to his hometown to start a business, leading his fellow villagers to sell local specialties nationwide. How inspiring!"

"Besides," Xia Chi lowered his voice and leaned forward, "this is a key topic supported by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. You know the policy benefits better than I do. It's quick to file and easy to review. You might even get a special subsidy if you're successful."

[Filming will be finished this year and it will be aired by the end of the year! These days, being able to air is king!!!]

Feng Man: “…”

He really understands the policy thoroughly.

"That's fine." Feng Man sighed softly. "Even though I won't make a lot of money, at least I can make a name for myself. I'll meet them here..."

There must be a reason why the divine beast likes something.

Feng Man thought so and slammed the project book shut. When she looked up, she saw Xia Chi rubbing his hands, his eyes wandering around in front of her.

She raised her eyebrows: "If you have something to say, say it. If you have to fart, fart quickly."

Xia Chi suddenly took a step closer, a flattering smile on his face: "Sister Man, um... can you give me an advance on some money?"

Like a cat begging for food.

Feng Man narrowed her eyes, her tone filled with extreme vigilance: "What are you going to do?"

"Just... invest in a project... one hundred thousand yuan..."

Xia Chi's fingers unconsciously stroked a notebook.

Feng Man was suspicious.

"Are you sure it's 100,000?"

What kind of drama requires an investment of 100,000 yuan?

It feels like a southerner going to a northern vegetable market and only buying two onions.

Aren’t you afraid that the project party will jump up and beat you up after hearing this?

"It's just... a small project, a really small one... a short play..."