The Movie Queen's Silly CEO - Chapter 5

Hearing that Wang Jiancheng was going to withdraw his investment, director Liu Zhi looked gloomy. “Mr. Wang, we’ve already agreed. It’s gotten to this point, and we were just about to sign contracts with the actors. It’s not right for you to suddenly withdraw your investment.”

“About to sign is still not signed. Let’s cancel this contract. I’ll pay the agreed-upon 2% penalty.” Wang Jiancheng’s face didn’t look good. The company’s issues were causing him a huge headache, and he was counting on the 20 million yuan to patch up his capital chain.

“But I already did as you said and terminated the contract with Feng Xi. For you to cast me aside like this is a bit too heartless,” director Liu Zhi said. The money was already in his pocket; there was no way he was going to take it out.

Wang Jiancheng frowned and glanced at Liu Zhi. He didn’t have time to argue. “Director Liu, it’s common for investors to withdraw their capital. Although this is my first time investing in a film, I know the rules. If you insist on anything, then we’ll see each other in court.”

Seeing Wang Jiancheng’s firm attitude, Liu Zhi had no choice but to give up on him. After losing 20 million yuan, he was now worried about the startup funds.

The film he was planning to make was a semi-arthouse film, and he intended to use it to win awards and gain prestige. From a commercial perspective, such a film had a low chance of profitability, most likely just breaking even.

Because of this, Liu Zhi had a hard time finding a major investor. Wang Jiancheng’s 20 million yuan was nearly half of the total investment. For him to take the money away so decisively made it difficult for Liu Zhi to make the film.

“Director, someone wants to contact you,” the assistant director said, jogging over. “They specifically asked to speak with you.”

“Who is it? Someone asking for a role? I’m busy right now, I don’t want to see anyone.” Liu Zhi was annoyed as he looked at the budget, thinking about how he could finish the film with the remaining money.

The biggest expense was the actors, especially He Yanhui, the popular star. Half of the budget was spent on her. If he changed her salary to a share of the profits, he wondered if she would agree.

“Director, it’s not a call from an entertainment company. It seems to be from a private investor,” the assistant director said.

“A private investor?” Liu Zhi’s brow relaxed. “Are they here to invest? Give me the phone!”

The assistant director had already guessed Liu Zhi’s reaction and handed over the phone after unmuting it.

“Hello, you’ve reached Liu Zhi,” Liu Zhi said, licking his lips, full of anticipation for the answer on the other end.

“Hello, Director Liu. This is Chen Ning, the CEO’s assistant at the Mu Group.” Chen Ning spoke at a measured pace, starting with some small talk.

Upon hearing that the person was from the Mu Group, Liu Zhi’s attitude became even more eager. Even though Chen Ning was chatting about topics unrelated to investing, he patiently and carefully responded.

After more than ten minutes of small talk, Chen Ning got to the point. “Director Liu, I heard you’re currently preparing a film, and it seems you’re having some funding issues?”

“It’s not a major issue. I just want to make the film as good as possible, so the budget isn’t quite enough,” Liu Zhi said. Of course, he wouldn’t admit he was short on money. He just kept emphasizing that the budget was insufficient and that he wanted to strive for perfection.

“Mr. Mu is interested in investing, but there’s an additional condition,” Chen Ning said. “Our CEO wants to talk with you personally about the film.”

“That’s no problem at all. How much is Mr. Mu planning to invest this time?” Liu Zhi asked.

There was a slight pause on Chen Ning’s end. “30 million.”

Liu Zhi gasped. “Assistant Chen, I’m free anytime now. When would Mr. Mu like to meet?”

30 million yuan! That was 10 million more than Wang Jiancheng’s investment. If he secured this investment, his film would be stable! He could even add more funds for promotion!

Sun Yan acted quickly, posting a clarification and a lawyer’s letter on Weibo and then hiring internet trolls to whitewash the situation. With this series of moves, the negative rumors about Feng Xi were quickly suppressed on Weibo.

However, even though Sun Yan had cleaned up the rumors, the bad news about Feng Xi had been on Weibo for most of the day, and many bystanders had been misled by the trolls and haters, damaging her public reputation.

“Feng Xi, I’ve already handled the online matters, but you still need to be careful. There should be a lot of paparazzi watching you,” Sun Yan said over the phone, carefully instructing her. “I’ve been arranging work for others, so I won’t be able to stay with you on set. If anything comes up, just tell your assistant to handle it. Don’t do everything yourself…”

“Okay, got it, I will,” Feng Xi said, listening carefully and nodding in agreement to everything Sun Yan said. After all, she wasn’t a newcomer anymore; she understood what she needed to, she just hadn’t learned to compromise with reality.

Feng Xi continued to film as usual, wearing a white surgical coat and holding a scalpel, posing with a stoic expression in front of a model.

“Cut! Let’s do another take. This time, a close-up,” the director said, holding the script and sitting in front of the camera, watching the results. “Camera two, move in closer. Pay attention to the angle.”

Filming a movie is different from filming a TV series. Even if the actor makes no mistakes, the director will reshoot many times due to various issues, and then choose the best angle, distance, and composition.

Feng Xi’s total screen time in the film was less than 20 minutes, yet those 20 minutes required her to be on set for a whole month.

“Cut! Okay, that’s a take. Everyone, take a break.” After filming from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m., the director finally gave the command to rest.

Upon hearing the break was called, Feng Xi also let out a sigh of relief, taking a few sips from the water bottle her new assistant handed her.

“Sister Feng Xi, actress He Yanhui came to the set about half an hour ago. She said she wanted to invite you to lunch and introduce you to a role,” the young assistant reported.

“He Yanhui was here?” Feng Xi paused her drinking. “Did she say anything else?”

The assistant shook her head. “She just asked me to pass along that message.”

Feng Xi nodded. “I understand. In the future, if she comes to invite me to anything, just refuse directly. Don’t accept anything she gives you either.”

“Okay,” the assistant said, nodding her head like a pecking chicken, indicating she’d remember everything.

He Yanhui looking for her was definitely not a good thing. Feng Xi was well aware of this. So she didn’t pay any attention to the lunch invitation, instead asking her assistant to order food nearby, while she continued to read the script and ponder the character’s psychology.

“Feng Xi, are you done with your morning scenes?” If Feng Xi wasn’t going to look for He Yanhui, it didn’t mean He Yanhui wouldn’t come to her.

Wearing a face of exquisite makeup, He Yanhui walked over in high heels and sat down next to Feng Xi, seemingly close. “I’ve already booked a restaurant for lunch. I think the fourth female role in director Liu Zhi’s film is quite suitable for you. Do you want to collaborate?”

The fourth female role? Feng Xi’s brow twitched. She had read director Liu Zhi’s script thoroughly. The character of the fourth female lead was indeed well-written, but she was the female lead’s younger sister. If she took on the role, she would be actively serving as a stepping stone for He Yanhui.

“No, thank you,” Feng Xi said, refusing. She wasn’t an idiot.

“Really? I heard that director Hu Kangshi will be the on-set director for this film. It seems he’s looking for a female lead for his next project. Are you sure you don’t want to go, Feng Xi?” He Yanhui came prepared this time, having already dug the hole.

“Director Hu will be here?” Feng Xi’s brow furrowed, asking half-believingly. “If this news is true, why would you tell me?”

In Feng Xi’s understanding, Hu Kangshi was a rare clean-cut director in the entertainment industry. When casting roles, he only looked at acting skills and nothing else. Even if a film’s investor stepped in, he wouldn’t budge.

Most importantly, every film he directed had never grossed less than 500 million yuan at the box office. Since his debut, he had directed a total of six films, and each one was a success in both critical acclaim and box office. It was because of this that Hu Kangshi had the confidence to kick out people put forward by investors.

“We’re from the same school. Isn’t it normal for schoolmates to help each other?” He Yanhui said with a smile. “Taking this opportunity, I also want to prove to others that my acting skills have never been worse than yours. The only difference between us is that fleeting luck.”

This didn’t sound like something He Yanhui would say. Feng Xi still had her suspicions, but she couldn’t give up the chance to show herself in front of Hu Kangshi.

“How about it? Do you want to go to this lunch with me?” He Yanhui extended the invitation again.

Serving as a supporting role for He Yanhui was acceptable; what was important was being noticed by director Hu Kangshi. After weighing the pros and cons, Feng Xi was about to agree.

“Sister Hui, Sister Hui!” Before Feng Xi could say yes, He Yanhui’s assistant came running over, breathless, and handed her a phone. “Sister Min is calling you, it’s urgent.”

“What’s so urgent? I’m in the middle of an important discussion with Feng Xi,” He Yanhui said with a pout, reluctantly taking the phone from her assistant. “Hello, Sister Min, it’s me.”

“Liu Zhi’s side has a new investor, and they’ve specified that Feng Xi must be the female lead,” Sister Min said succinctly. “Your female lead role is gone, but Liu Zhi promised to give you the role of the fourth female lead.”

“What? Say that again?” He Yanhui was no longer calm and quickly got up and walked away. “Sister Min, didn’t we already agree to sign the contract? The contract was supposed to be signed tomorrow!”

“I just heard about this myself. The new investor seems to have a strong background, so don’t cause any trouble,” Sister Min said.

“I’m not playing a supporting role.” Thinking of what she had just said to Feng Xi, He Yanhui wished she could find a hole to crawl into.

“You have to. Hu Kangshi will be here this time, and he’s not an ordinary director. You must go and show your face.”

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