Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 543 Visit
With the film market booming and plenty of money available, it shouldn't be too difficult for Li Qiutang to secure sponsorships for his project pitching sessions, unless it's a regional awards ceremony like the Hong Kong Film Awards.

Li Qiutang stayed in Xidu for a week.

Money is actually the easiest problem to solve; the real difficulty lies in solving the human element problem.

The saying goes, "It's easier to see the King of Hell than to deal with his underlings." The State Administration of Radio and Television supported him, the provincial government supported him, and Xidu Radio and Television cooperated with his work, but when it came to specific departments and individuals, Li Qiutang encountered countless troubles.

Li Qiutang wanted to hold a project pitching session at the Changchun Film Festival, and there had to be some kind of charter, right? Li Qiutang presented his charter, but no one recognized it, saying it hadn't been approved by the leadership.

Li Qiutang said she was ready to meet with her superiors to discuss the charter at any time, but the reply she received was: "Your superiors are busy, you'll have to wait for further notice."

So what if you're a big director? We'll still ignore you!
When certain individuals from certain departments requested to intervene in the use of venture capital funds, Li Qiutang refused. The response she received was: "Your project is rather difficult to handle; we will study it further."

Li Qiutang's patience was worn thin by them over the course of a week. It seemed that without leveraging her connections, she wouldn't be able to get anything done.

Fortunately, he still has good connections both in official circles and among the common people. He'll go back to Fengtian first and find Uncle Zhao.

Grandpa Zhao now lives in a rural area of ​​Fengtian, but his words still carry weight in Northeast China.

But when Grandpa Zhao heard Li Qiutang explain the situation, he hesitated.

He can now live out his days in Fengtian peacefully, which is not called retirement, but a smooth landing. He really doesn't want to and dares not get involved in official affairs anymore.

He also advised Li Qiutang not to get involved in this burden: "Look at you now, you have plenty of money, your company is doing well, and you've just started a family. Just focus on making your movies, have a baby in a couple of years, and you'll be living the life of a god. Why get involved in this?"

Li Qiutang knew what Grandpa Zhao was worried about: "But this matter is really different from the real thing."

Li Qiutang confessed to Grandpa Zhao, "Honestly, I'm not someone who craves power." But judging from Grandpa Zhao's expression, he didn't believe her at all.

Everyone says they don't love money or power, but once you're hooked on these things, they're harder to quit than heroin.

"This time it wasn't me who volunteered; the organization assigned the task to me."

Grandpa Zhao listened with interest, though he obviously didn't know the specific details.

So Li Qiutang recounted how the directors had spoken to him, how he had prepared detailed reports, and how he had given a two- or three-hour report to the Grand Elder. The Grand Elder liked Li Qiutang's report very much. He then described how he had held a day-and-night meeting in the ministry and what they had discussed.

He explained the whole story to Grandpa Zhao in detail.

"Tell me, can we really not do this?"

Although the organization approached him, Grandpa Zhao was still worried about the risks: "If it succeeds, that's fine, but what if something goes wrong? Have you thought about what the consequences would be?"

Li Qiutang said, "What business can be risk-free? If I run a company, am I supposed to worry about going bankrupt all the time? I should focus on doing things well."

Seeing that he couldn't persuade the young man, Grandpa Zhao sighed and said, "It seems I'm really getting old and can't keep up with you young people anymore."

Li Qiutang said, "Please don't think like that. I still want your help to revive the Changchun Film Festival. On a small scale, it will revitalize Northeast China's film industry; on a larger scale, it will benefit the country, the people, and the industry."

That's true.

Li Qiutang also knew what Grandpa Zhao was worried about: "You don't need to do anything. My procedures are completely reasonable and legal. It's just that some little devils are deliberately blocking me. You just need to say a few words for me."

"You can't just watch such a good thing get ruined by a few brats before it even gets started."

Grandpa Zhao believed that Li Qiutang was not lying to him, but he needed to think about it carefully. So he invited Li Qiutang to stay for dinner and cooked for her himself.

He also said he would introduce his apprentices who were still at home to Li Qiutang.

Li Qiutang wasn't in a hurry for him to make a statement. When he wanted to cook, Li Qiutang sat on the stove to light the fire for him. The two, one old and one young, chatted casually.

The conversation was going well when Li Qiutang suddenly said, "I don't know why, but I feel like laughing at everything you say."

“You’re not the only one who says that; many of my relatives and friends who have known me all my life say the same thing,” said Grandpa Zhao, bending down to cook. “Sometimes when I’m talking about something serious, they laugh.”

"So they laugh when you're teaching your apprentices?"

There are methods to teaching students, which can be both serious and lively.

Li Qiutang chuckled at that one sentence. Just then, her two apprentices arrived.

Before I even came in, I heard people shouting, "Master, Master, what delicious food are you making today?"

Li Qiutang knew who it was as soon as she heard the voice.

Sure enough, a dark-faced man with big white teeth walked in, followed by another person.

Who else could it be but Song Xiaobao and Xiao Shenyang?

Neither of them noticed Li Qiutang tending the fire; they were only looking into the pot.

"You need to come up with two new dishes. Every time we come home for dinner, it's the same old stuff." The apprentice was starting to complain about his master's cooking.

Grandpa Zhao laughed and said, "Aren't you afraid I'll make you sick by learning new dishes?"

Elderly people in Northeast China seem to particularly enjoy cooking for younger generations, even if it's tiring.

"Master, please," before she could finish speaking, Song Xiaobao finally noticed Li Qiutang sitting at the stove, "Who are you?"

Li Qiutang smiled and was about to greet them when Song Xiaobao said, "Don't say anything. You look familiar. I'm sure I can guess who you are. You guys shouldn't say anything either." He told his master and senior brothers not to remind him.

Grandpa Zhao laughed and said, "If you can't guess, you shouldn't be in this business."

Song Xiaobao grinned, showing her bright white teeth: "You're so-and-so, quite famous, but I can't remember you right now."

Little Shenyang reminded him from the side: "His surname is Li."

"Li Yifeng! Are you Li Yifeng?"

Grandpa Zhao didn't know who Li Yifeng was and asked, "When did you go blind?"

"That's Li Chen, the Big Black Bull!"

"Stop eating, go see a doctor right away."

Li Qiutang said, "It seems I really am not popular."

Xiao Shenyang added another reminder: "Become a director."

"A director? There aren't many directors with the surname Li," Song Xiaobao guessed.

Li Qiutang then realized what was happening and turned to Grandpa Zhao, saying, "He did it on purpose, didn't he? He started acting the moment he walked in and saw me."

Song Xiaobao broke down in her composure and stepped forward to shake hands and greet Li Qiutang, as this was the first time the two had met.

"Shen Yang needs no introduction, right?"

“No need, he’s acted in one of my plays,” Li Qiutang said, shaking hands with Xiao Shenyang.

"You even acted in one of his plays? How come I didn't know that?" Grandpa Zhao asked Xiao Shenyang.

Xiao Shenyang said, "Director Li is the producer of 'Detective Chinatown'."

"Master, you said you invited him to dinner today?"

"What? Is it okay?"

"That's great!" Song Xiaobao clapped her hands and said, "Director Li is my idol, I've wanted to meet him for a long time."

Grandpa Zhao quickly prepared the meal, and the master and his apprentices, along with several staff members, filled the table and began to eat in a lively atmosphere.

"Come on, this is Director Li's first time visiting our home, let's toast him."

The glasses clinked together, and everyone chatted and laughed, quite relaxed.

(End of this chapter)