This actor has something

Chapter 477 Stealing the Money While Standing Up
"I want to play that eight-year-old child."

"Get far away from me!"

“Then I really don’t know what to act. How about I follow Uncle Hu Jun? He can play the fake Zhang Mazi, and I can play his subordinate. It’s just a cameo role, just showing my face.” He Daqi shrugged, ignoring Jiang Wen’s angry glare.

He Daqi didn't care much; he was just here for one day to check on the set. If Jiang Wen didn't quickly arrange a role for him, he would just leave.

When others ask, He Daqi will have an excuse to brush it off. It's not that he's being disrespectful, but Jiang Wen simply doesn't have a suitable role for him, which is why he didn't make a cameo appearance.

The purpose of this trip was to shut Jiang Wen up, so that he wouldn't go around saying that He Daqi owed him a leading role when he filmed "The Bund" back then. This is good enough as it is; he came here just to show his appreciation, and that leaves Jiang Wen with nothing to say.

"Forget about the eight-year-old one, I'm planning to have the investors act in it..."

Before Jiang could finish speaking, He Daqi interrupted with a smile and asked, "Who? Boss Yang?"

In fact, Ho Ta-kei knew who was going to play the role. He had seen the finished film of Let the Bullets Fly in the film library and just thought the role was interesting, so he asked casually. Apart from this role, he really had no interest in playing any other roles.

"...No, it's another investor. Don't try to argue with me. I've figured out how to get you here. You can choose one of the two roles, Hu Qian or Hu Bai. Both roles are quite important, with a lot of solo shots. I'll give you face and let your Uncle Jiang ride on your coattails. You can't just watch your Uncle Jiang lose money on every movie you make, can you?"

He Daqi curled his lips. In just a few words, Jiang Wen had become a senior. He had just called Hu Jun "uncle," and now Jiang Wen was taking advantage of the situation and immediately became "uncle" as well.

"Whatever, I'm fine with any role, but I'm short on time right now, so it would be best if we could wrap up filming within a week."

He Daqi needs to set the time in advance, otherwise, given Jiang Wen's temper, who knows what kind of trouble he might cause. Don't think that He Daqi is judging a gentleman by his own petty standards; Jiang Wen has a history of this. If it's not agreed in advance, Jiang Wen might very well give He Daqi's minor supporting role more screen time and make it a major supporting role.

However, he wasn't making things up. He was indeed quite busy right now. He went to the Beijing Film Academy the day he returned from South Korea, and then rushed to the "Let the Bullets Fly" crew the next day. He also had something to discuss with Ya Yue. He didn't have time to linger with Jiang Wen for too long.

"Okay, it's settled then. Let's talk about something else next."

As Jiang Wen spoke, he chuckled and put his arm around He Daqi's shoulder, leading him to a corner. Clearly, he had something he didn't want others to hear.

He Daqi came over, wanting to hear what Jiang Wen was going to say.

"Look, your uncle here has invested in China Film Group and Mr. Yang from Hong Kong. We're all making a living in Beijing, so how about you do something for us? I'm not asking for anything else, I just want you to put in some effort on publicity and distribution, like with Yabo.com and online ticketing platforms. Don't worry, whatever you ask for, it'll all be included in the total investment."

Jiang Wen's eyes gleamed with shrewd shrewdness, which surprised He Daqi slightly.

No wonder he's suddenly so easy to talk to. He Daqi was just wondering how Jiang Wen, such a stubborn guy, could change so much in such a short time. Turns out he was waiting for this.

It seems Jiang Wen did speak the truth earlier; he doesn't want to lose money with every film he makes. If this movie doesn't make money, Jiang Wen's reputation will be in real danger.

However, He Daqi is now curious about Jiang Wen's ability to grasp the key points so quickly. Not to mention that He Daqi is judging people with old eyes, he really doesn't think Jiang Wen has this ability.

Having not produced a film in so long, how come he knows about current internet marketing methods? It's not that He Daqi looks down on Jiang Wen, but to be honest, Jiang Wen probably doesn't even know how to use a smartphone these days. How could he possibly understand how Yabo.com operates and know about online ticketing platforms?

He Daqi had no intention of using the riddle-solving trick, nor was he suited for it, so he asked directly, "Director Jiang, who gave you this idea?"

"Han, the chairman of China Film Group, and Feng Xiaogang."

really……

"Okay, I've submitted my application. I'll arrange for someone to come and coordinate with you later."

……

……

The red carpet hasn't even started yet.

However, the area behind the red barriers on both sides was already crowded with fans and reporters.

"...on the occasion of the upcoming 60th anniversary of the founding of our motherland..."

"...A tribute film jointly produced by China Film Channel, Hong Kong Universal Pictures, and Hong Kong Yinghuang..."

With over 170 celebrities present, it's clear that the red carpet didn't give everyone much time to linger.

In particular, the arrangement of the various celebrities' routes is also a problem, because the main actors in this movie are all character actors, while most of the high-profile actors are making cameo appearances, which makes it a bit difficult to arrange the order of the red carpet.

Fortunately, the final guest was easy to arrange. He Daqi never expected that he would walk the red carpet with Han Shanping. Old Han really doesn't know how to handle things. Shouldn't he have arranged for a female celebrity to walk hand in hand with him? What's the point of two old men walking the red carpet together?

"Wasn't it supposed to be released on the 17th? Why are they having the premiere so early?"

“When it was someone else’s premiere, I always felt it was unnecessary. But when it was my turn, I realized that this thing really needed to be done. It’s perfect for scheduling it to be broadcast on TV, so of course the earlier the better, so that the publicity effect can be better.”

"So that's the reason for holding it at the Olympic Sports Center? Chairman Han is really generous; all 170-plus actors came without missing a single one."

The two, who had rushed over for the race walking event, started chatting quietly as soon as they entered the venue.

To be honest, He Daqi was quite surprised at this moment. This premiere was obviously different from the premieres of other movies. There was no movie screening, only song and dance performances and movie introductions. The form was more important than the substance, after all, there was a group of high-level executives sitting below.

Regardless of how well Old Han's movie fares at the box office, he's certainly prepared plenty of hype, and there's something to say about it, whether it's good or bad, it will make a good impression.

Once inside the venue, Han Shanping probably didn't have time to chat with He Daqi anymore. As they were about to part, Han Shanping brought up the old topic again: "Daqi, I've taken care of you, now it's your turn to take care of me. Remember to lend a hand to the ticketing platform, and of course, don't neglect the promotion of Yabo.com."

"No problem, Mr. Han, don't worry. I can also contact Qimingxing Cinemas and ask them to schedule the screenings for you."

"That's unnecessary. China Film Group can handle the cinemas. I'd like to see which one doesn't give me face this time. I can't remember the ones with high screenings, but I'll definitely remember the ones with low screenings." He Daqi didn't even want to respond to that. China Film Group is such a large company, and now it's been messed up like this by these people. No one is innocent.

He glanced around, smiling as he responded to the greetings from the others, while trying to find a suitable spot to hide. He was only there to give face and join in the fun; everyone else was here, so he couldn't not come. Just like Han Shanping had said, he couldn't remember who came, but he could definitely remember who didn't.

Soon, He Daqi's eyes lit up. Huang Xiaoming was sitting quite close to Deng Chao. He Daqi might not be able to get into conversations with the others, but with these two around, it shouldn't be too boring.

There happened to be an empty seat between them, so He Daqi didn't care where China Film Group had specifically assigned him and happily squeezed his way over.

"Brother Ming, long time no see! What have you been up to?"

"I just finished filming a movie, which will be released soon. I'm also currently preparing for a record release."

"A record?" He Daqi was taken aback. Huang Xiaoming had also switched from acting to singing? He quickly went into the record library, pulled up Huang Xiaoming's information, and looked at it. He didn't find any good songs of his that were popular. It seemed that this record was doomed.

"Yes, record. I'm currently working hard to improve my singing skills. Daqi, you're a senior in this field, so please remember to share your experience."

"No problem, no problem. I'll definitely support Brother Xiaoming when he releases a record."

"By the way, Daqi, about your new variety show, I heard the guest stars aren't all confirmed yet?" Huang Xiaoming knew He Daqi was just giving a perfunctory answer, so he changed the subject and asked about Infinite Challenge, apparently trying to ride the wave of its popularity.

"You can ask Sister Hua about this."

Just as He Daqi finished speaking, he felt someone throw something at him. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was sunflower seeds. He was instantly amused and looked at Deng Chao without even thinking.

He knew that Deng Chao and Huang Xiaoming had been fiercely competing at Huayi for the past two years, but he didn't expect that after just a few more words with Huang Xiaoming, Deng Chao would interrupt his conversation with Huang Xiaoming in a joking manner.

"Are you bored?"

"I just wanted to ask if you want some sunflower seeds."

"...Eat, give me a handful."

……

……

Asia-Vietnam small conference room.

Liu Ying, Wang Jinghua, Wu Nannan, Lu Yang, and He Daqi.

Yan Min and Cen Junyi were quite nervous when they came in. After all, they had just been recruited and entrusted with important responsibilities. They also knew that it was very likely that one of them would be in charge of the second season of Infinite Challenge. So they were careful and cautious, afraid that they would be squeezed out by the other if something went wrong.

At the same time, the two of them often communicated with each other. Since they were both newcomers and concerned about their job positions, they couldn't interact much with others, so they developed a sense of mutual respect and appreciation for each other.

"After we sent the finished product over, Shanghai TV station praised the first two episodes of Infinite Challenge and kept urging us to finish filming the rest and broadcast it on TV as soon as possible. They even made room for us to schedule Infinite Challenge to air every Saturday night at 8 pm. Whenever we send over the entire first season, they will replace the current program with Infinite Challenge."

As the Infinite Challenge, which He Daqi had personally prepared, was gradually unveiled, Ya Yue also began to pay more and more attention to it. At this moment, Liu Ying's tone was very excited. She could imagine that as soon as Infinite Challenge started airing, Ya Yue's stock should see a surge.

Therefore, her words also implied a sense of urging.

Upon hearing this, He Daqi turned to look at Wang Jinghua and asked, "Sister Hua, how are the schedules of the regular guests going? I didn't expect it to drag on for so long. It's already mid-September, and if it drags on any longer, we probably won't be able to finish filming this year."

"To be honest, it's still a bit of a problem. Daqi, you know how tight Huang Bo and Sun Honglei's schedules are right now. And Tong Liya and Reyizha, they each have two dramas waiting to be filmed. If we postpone it for two months, our Asia-Pacific region will have to delay the filming of at least two dramas."

He Daqi knew that this was not Wang Jinghua's fault, but He Daqi's own. He had done it too suddenly, intervening halfway through to bring all these guests together and adjusting the schedules of so many people all at once. It was really not easy.

He Daqi then turned to Lu Yang and asked, "Lu Yang, if you film continuously without interruption, are you confident that you can finish filming in a month? Change locations every three days, and film ten episodes in thirty days."

"Senior brother, just kill me!" Lu Yang replied speechlessly.

The filming in South Korea went so smoothly because He Daqi borrowed a bunch of experienced people from the South Korean TV station. Even now, Lu Yang and the others are still learning from the production experience they gained from those people. Trying to achieve something so quickly is a bit unrealistic.

"Then it will be a month and a half. Anyway, we must finish filming before November. Then Lu Yang can focus on preparing for the release of 'After the Flowers Bloom, the Hundred Flowers Kill 2'. We'll hand over the post-production to Xiao Yan and Xiao Cen so they can get familiar with each other. When we film the second season next year, we'll be prepared and we can arrange the guests' schedules as early as possible."

Hearing He Daqi say this, Wang Jinghua knew that this was to forcibly postpone the two TV series productions of Ya Yue. Fortunately, they were Ya Yue's own productions, so the losses were not too great. For now, they could only give way to Infinite Challenge. Choosing this priority was not difficult.

“Okay, I’ll arrange it right away.” Wang Jinghua nodded.

Seeing that the matter was settled, Liu Ying spoke to He Daqi again: "Daqi, the novel whose copyright you asked us to buy is almost finalized. However, if it is to be adapted into a movie or TV series, the Taiwanese author has another requirement. He wants to direct it himself."

"He'll direct? That's wishful thinking. Here's what we'll do: Sister Liu, you should tell the person who negotiated the copyright... and remember to be tactful. Tell the author that we'll definitely buy the copyright at market price. If he's willing to sell, great; if not, we'll just adapt it into a film or television series. The copyright fee will be paid to him as compensation. Anyway, we're not going to the Taiwanese market. Let him come to the mainland to file a lawsuit."

Liu Ying was much bolder than He Daqi. As soon as she heard He Daqi's idea, she immediately raised both hands in agreement: "Daqi, your idea is really good! Why don't we just stop talking about it and start preparing? Let the editorial department start revising it now."

"Let's talk if we can. We still need to maintain our reputation. After all, this is a script we bought for Lu Yang. Our Director Lu has a lot of work and responsibilities next year. He's already so busy. We can't afford to ruin his reputation too."

Lu Yang was completely dumbfounded. It turned out they were talking about that youth film He Daqi had mentioned before. Good heavens! After all this time, they hadn't even bought the script yet, and He Daqi was already confidently assigning himself a filming assignment. Was he even human?

"Senior brother, I need to know the title of the novel, right? At least I can buy it and read it first, so that the adaptation can be more faithful to the original work."

"The novel is called 'You Are the Apple of My Eye.' Don't worry too much about the original work. The plot is too cliché. We can easily make it our own. The movie will start filming next year. Zhang Jiashuai will be the male lead and Tian Tian will be the female lead. With the movie and the airing of Infinite Challenge, we'll try to make Zhang Jiashuai a star in one go."

(End of this chapter)