This actor has something

Chapter 340 Identifying Investors

Embarrassment and awkwardness go hand in hand.

He left with great confidence, boasting to his beloved that he would definitely keep his promise. But when he returned dejected, looking at her expectant eyes, he remained silent, feeling only awkwardness.

Especially when the girl you love looks at you with understanding eyes and thoughtfully expresses her willingness to continue to believe in you, but you dare not make any more promises for fear of hurting her, then embarrassment will inevitably follow.

The afterglow of the setting sun turned the villa's courtyard wall orange, and three cars were parked in front of the villa: two minivans and one nanny van.

Yan Jiuyi, standing on the side of the van, took out a pack of cigarettes from her pocket and gave one to each of Lin Jie and Chen Shuangxi. She then lit one for herself, took a wistful puff, and stared blankly at the smoke she exhaled.

When I returned from Haojiang the day before yesterday and faced Li Yixin, my timid and evasive performance was truly embarrassing.

Moreover, Li Yixin acted all understanding, not asking any questions, but casually changing the subject and smilingly discussing with him where to go on vacation, which made Yan Jiu feel even more guilty.

It shouldn't be like this...

"Do you understand what love is?" Yan Jiu, who had been staring at the smoke for a while, suddenly asked Chen Shuangxi and Lin Jie.

"Why bother researching that stuff?" Lin Jie asked indifferently.

Chen Shuangxi remained silent, looking completely dismissive.

Forget it, there's no point in discussing this with these two idiots. They've gotten so fuzzy from practicing martial arts that their brains are completely muddled. Their faces practically scream "Shakespeare."

Yan Jiu sighed and said, "It's nothing."

Then, staring blankly into the distance, he continued to let his mind wander.

Wow!
The villa's gate was opened.

Two little ones peeked out from under the door, but before their short legs could even get going, they were grabbed by the back of their collars and dragged back into the villa.

"He Sheng." X3
The three men leaning against the van smoking greeted He Daqi. He Daqi looked up, smiled, and hummed in response. Then he asked Yan Jiu, "How's it feeling to be an assistant?"

"It's alright, quite easy," Yan Jiu replied.

He Daqi didn't say anything, just smiled and nodded, then picked up one child in each hand and handed the two children to Zhou's mother.

Seeing the two children whining and fussing, Zhou Huimin, who had just come out of the villa, put on a stern face and scolded them: "Mom and Dad have to go to work. You have to listen to Grandma at home and don't be naughty, do you hear me?"

Unfortunately, Vivian Chow had no authority over the two children, who jumped around and pouted as they tried to bargain with her.

"Mommy, if we can't go out to play, can we leave the kitten at home?"

"Mom, I want to go with you."

Vivian Chow maintained her stern face and said fiercely, "No, Mom and Dad have important business to attend to! The kitten can't stay at home either, so you won't mess with it."

Seeing that Vivian Chow wouldn't agree, the two little ones entered the second stage, starting to act up, howling without crying, while secretly observing the reactions of Ho Tai-kai and Vivian Chow.

Children only have a few tricks up their sleeves. If whining and whining don't work, they'll start faking tears. If that still doesn't work, they'll genuinely feel wronged and that their parents don't care about them, and then those little tears will actually fall.

He Daqi and Zhou Huimin exchanged a glance, instantly understanding each other's thoughts. They quickly left the courtyard, got into the van, and then looked at each other and chuckled.

Let Zhou's mother take care of the children's needs. I just need to play with them for a while when they're happy and enjoy the fun myself.

I have to say, this couple is really something else. Their child was crying and making a fuss behind them, but they could still laugh after getting into the car.

The convoy slowly started moving, and as the distance increased, the children's crying gradually subsided.

"Ugh... I'm going to be busy again. There's never a moment of peace all year round," He Daqi complained while chatting on his phone in a QQ group in the van.

“You’ve barely left the house since we came back from Japan. You’ve been resting for over a month now, and you’re saying you never have a moment’s peace all year round. He Daqi, how come I never noticed before that you were willing to lie through your teeth?” Zhou Huimin said bluntly.

He Daqi shamelessly argued, "You don't understand. Playing games at home day and night is quite tiring. I still haven't recovered. I feel like I only need to be busy for one month a year."

"Go away!" Zhou Huimin rolled her eyes, too lazy to pay attention to him, and started interacting with the kitten, calling it "little baby" every now and then, and occasionally picking it up to give it a sniff.

The convoy continued on the road.

Half an hour later, it stopped at the entrance of the Beijing Auditorium.

Today's red carpet was a little different; there were two formations on either side of it, one with people wearing white armor and the other with people wearing red armor.

The couple got out of the car and were stunned by the sight before them. It wasn't the formation that surprised them, but rather the giant gate that had been erected at the end of the red carpet, which looked to be at least three meters high and ten meters wide.

The most outrageous thing is that there is a giant poster in the square. In addition to close-ups of the actors, it also reads: "Open the Gate of Infinity, Ignite the Light of Infinity".

It's just a premiere, why all the fanfare?

The couple is now at a loss for words to complain about.

Fortunately, both of them are actors, so their stiff expressions only lasted a moment before they immediately regained their smiles, waving to fans as they hurried toward the auditorium.

The two of them walked the red carpet very quickly today. Just how fast?

The two walked the 500-meter red carpet in less than four minutes, and even when reporters shouted from both sides, they did not slow down.

The original intention of making the red carpet so long was to give celebrities more time to walk on it, which was meant to increase their exposure. But now it looks like they're being surrounded by people watching them like monkeys.

Once they finally entered the auditorium, they both breathed a sigh of relief; they were finally done.

"This publicity campaign... is a bit abstract," He Daqi muttered to himself.

"I heard it was planned by China Film Group," Zhou Huimin said in a low voice.

At that moment, He Daqi suddenly felt that handing over the publicity and distribution of Crazy Stone to China Film Group might have been a bit hasty.

This isn't about spending money on the back of the knife; it's about spending money on the handle. It's comfortable to hold, but incredibly clunky to use.

Before the two could have much time to talk, Chen Kaige walked over, arm in arm with his wife.

"Welcome! Welcome! Hahahaha, Daqi, you're incredibly famous now!"

"No, no, Director Chen, you're the one who's really on fire today," He Daqi quickly replied.

Upon hearing this, Chen Kaige smiled even more broadly and turned to his wife Chen Hong, saying, "I knew Daqi was an honest kid. I'll definitely work with him on a movie someday."

Am I now a child?
The corner of He Daqi's mouth twitched.

He didn't dare to reply, afraid that Chen Kaige might really do something rash and send him a script. Chen Hong nodded with a smile, indicating that she agreed with Chen Kaige's words, and then looked at Zhou Huimin and said, "Thank you so much for coming to the premiere of The Promise. Ms. Zhou, please sit at our table later. Our table is all women, so let the men sit together and we women sit together."

Zhou Huimin smiled and gently shook her head: "No need, I'll sit with Daqi. If it's not possible, just arrange a mixed table for us. There's no need to make things so complicated."

“…Okay.” Chen Hong hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

She actually wanted to get Zhou Huimin to join the wives' group in Beijing so they could help each other out. Besides, they were all in the industry, so they would be well-informed and could introduce each other to resources. However, seeing that Zhou Huimin was unwilling, Chen Hong didn't want to force her.

"Director Chen, today is your big day. Please go ahead with your work. We'll just go inside and sit wherever we like. Are more people coming? Then we won't take up any more of your time." He Daqi had vaguely heard reporters shouting from the red carpet outside and immediately used it as an excuse.

"Alright, you guys go in first. Daqi, I'll talk to you later."

Chen Kaige nodded happily, his attention already turned to the door, wondering which good friend had come to support him this time.

He Daqi smiled, then took Zhou Huimin's arm and entered the venue.

The first thing he saw was a row of chairs on the stage, presumably for the main creative team to sit on later. He Daqi originally wanted to find an inconspicuous corner to sit down, so that Chen Kaige wouldn't come to talk to him later. However, two people in the front row stood up at the same time and waved to He Daqi.

One is Huang Sanshi, and the other is Feng Kuzi.

The city of Beijing is such a damn small place!

There was no other way but to go over and say hello.

Upon closer inspection, there were quite a few familiar faces, including Xie Tingfeng, Zhang Baizhi, and Zhang Dongjian, who were the main creators of The Promise whom He Daqi knew.

Huang Sanshi and the two teachers from Beijing Film Academy are from the school.

Feng Kuzi and Huang Xiaoming are acquaintances I've worked with before.

He Daqi first greeted Huang Sanshi for a few words, then led Zhou Huimin to sit down next to Huang Xiaoming and Feng Kuzi.

"Daqi, did you walk in on the red carpet?" Huang Xiaoming asked in a low voice with a smile.

Feng Kuzi heard it too and turned to look.

He Daqi was taken aback, not understanding what Huang Xiaoming meant, so he nodded to indicate that it was indeed so.

"That red carpet was reserved for the main creative team. When we arrived and saw this setup, we just came in through the back door. We were too embarrassed to leave," Feng Kuzi said with a mischievous grin.

Damn it! Why didn't I think of that excuse?

No wonder the reporters were so surprised when I walked down the red carpet with Vivian Chow; it turns out they all sneaked in quietly.

These people are really despicable. They went to the premiere and didn't make a fool of themselves, but then they stupidly saw the scene and gritted their teeth and went for it.

"I think I heard someone behind me walk in on the red carpet?" He Daqi smiled helplessly.

"I guess Yin saw you walk the red carpet, so she had no choice but to follow," Huang Xiaoming explained, then, like Feng Kuzi, he started to suppress his laughter.

He Daqi leaned back in his chair, too lazy to pay attention to the two of them.

Let's finish this quickly, I'm tired.

Unfortunately, his wish did not come true. The premiere was so grand that it was impossible for it to end so early.

First, there was a talent show, and then the main creative team was invited up for an interaction.

I wanted to interact with the guests in the audience, but they all waved their hands, indicating that they didn't want to steal the spotlight.

This time, He Daqi had learned his lesson and shook his head with remarkable speed and precision.

The movie had finally started, and He Daqi was about to find an excuse to tell Chen Kaige that he was going to leave first. Just as he was thinking of an excuse, someone patted him on the shoulder.

Turning his head, he saw Han Shanping squatting behind him, putting his index finger to his lips to shush, and then gesturing for He Daqi to follow him outside the hall to chat.

He Daqi raised an eyebrow, said something to Zhou Huimin, and then quietly left the venue with Han Shanping.

As soon as he stepped outside, He Daqi smiled and said, "Chairman Han, you've arrived too?"

"I arrived before you. The movie has started, so I brought you out to chat."

What do you mean by pulling yourself out to chat after the movie starts? So you don't want to watch it a second time, huh?

Before He Daqi could react, Han Shanping continued, "What's going on between you and Zhang Yimou? Why did you have to schedule your dates together? Kaige booked in advance, so it was difficult to change, which is why it was arranged this way. What's your situation?"

"It's a small production, we didn't expect to make money, we just wanted to release it as soon as possible and finish up as soon as possible, we also have other projects to prepare, so the timing just happened to be right."

It would be strange if Han Shanping believed this reason, but he didn't dwell on the issue. Instead, he followed He Daqi's excuse and asked, "A new project? The one that was submitted for review a couple of days ago? I heard that Jackie Chan will also be in it? I did take a look at your script and thought it was alright. So, are you planning to invest in it yourself or bring in other investors?"

I see……

He Daqi understood.

He said with a smile, "Actually, either is fine."

He didn't say it was good or bad, and he didn't know if the movie would make money, so it didn't matter who invested. Besides, even if it made money, how much would it make? Ya Yue and Yong Hui Qi Ming aren't listed companies, so the difference between making more or less money isn't that significant.

"Your words are enough. Actually, I also find Zhang Weiping's constant nagging a bit annoying. It's a pity. Zhang Yimou is a good director, but his partner is a bit unreliable." Han Shanping sighed as he spoke.

He Daqi didn't respond, but smiled and said perfunctorily, "I'm not very familiar with them, I've only heard their names."

"Let's have a good talk about your new project for next year. I see that it doesn't use many scenes. Are you planning to film it in Hengdian or Huairou? Do you have an idea of ​​the approximate investment amount?"

"To be honest with you, the investment amount is quite high. This project is going to explore some new things, so the special effects production may be relatively slow. Also, props and costumes will all be specially customized. The standard ones at the film and television base can't be used. We can't just use Qing Dynasty weapons and clothes to pretend they are from the Ming Dynasty, can we?" He Daqi said with a worried look, frowning as he explained.

If He Daqi said that, Han Shanping would definitely believe him. He said with great interest, "High? The higher the better. I've always thought that our domestic film production is still not bold enough. They don't even understand the principle of high investment and high return, and they're always thinking about making money. That's not advisable. Tell me, how high can it go?"

"The production cost will be approximately 25 million."

"Dollar?"

"Renminbi (RMB)".

Huh? Han Shanping felt himself staggered. He stared at He Daqi's face strangely for a moment, and muttered to himself: Is this little brat trying to avoid watching Wuji by chatting with me?

(End of this chapter)