Chinese entertainment starts with Hong Shixian

Chapter 617 "I want to play Qi Tongwei".

A coffee shop in Shanghai
Um... not the kind with a manager, but a cafe with a casual theme.

Even if he were the manager, Li Lu couldn't afford to drink it.

He's so poor he's practically selling his pants; he'd rather split every penny in half.

"In the Name of the People" is a TV series project promoted by the Supreme People's Procuratorate Film and Television Center.

Besides this bigwig, there are also the Jiangsu Provincial Propaganda Department, the Logistics Support Department of the Central Military Commission, and the Public Security Golden Shield Film and Television Center.

They are all big shots whose names start with "national" or "provincial".

The support from these bigwigs comes from other sources; their support cannot be bought with money.

But the problem is—Li Lu has everything, except money!
These bigwigs are a bunch of swindlers; they don't provide any financial support!

In desperation, Li Lu relied on his connections in the industry and the fame of screenwriter Zhou Meisen, begging and pleading everywhere, and managed to raise less than a third of the funding.

Many investment companies lose interest as soon as they hear about anti-corruption dramas.

Around 2005, anti-corruption dramas and crime dramas were removed from prime time slots on major satellite TV channels.

Creation of this type of subject matter has also stagnated.

Zhou Meisen also suffered a great blow at that time, and completely stopped writing and stopped creating.

Investing in this type of drama is a thankless and arduous task.

Whether the investment can be recovered is another matter, not to mention that the investment company wants to make money.

Several companies eventually agreed to invest after his persistent pleading.

The contract was signed, but it's been a month or two since then and the funds haven't arrived.

Finally, the lawyer appeared and demanded that the contract be terminated.

They changed their minds about the investment.

The fact that such things happened in five companies in a row left Li Lu exhausted.

With less than a third of the funds, how could he possibly start filming?
He has no rice to cook!

Now that Qi Hui has spoken up and revealed his intention to invest, Li Lu is overjoyed.

However... this also brings a problem: Qi Hui is known in the industry for his fondness for rewriting scripts.

He was also notorious for favoring his relatives and friends.

He was even willing to film an entire movie to promote his girlfriend.

What Li Lu is worried about now is that Qi Hui is demanding changes to the script and asking to add people to his production team.

Therefore, Li Lu felt extremely uneasy and complicated when facing Qi Hui, like a young girl in her first love waiting for her lover's kiss.

I'm afraid he won't come, and I'm also afraid he'll do something reckless...

With mixed feelings, Li Lu picked up his coffee and took a small sip.

He was thinking about another problem: how to ask Qi Hui to pay the bill.

Prices in Shanghai are quite high, and he didn't want to use the limited funds in his account.

Just as he was pondering, Qi Hui arrived, dressed in a black Zhongshan suit, with a calm, reserved, and gentle demeanor.

However... he had just returned from the desert, his skin was bronze, and his eyes were sharp, as if a powerful force was hidden beneath his Zhongshan suit.

Li Lu was somewhat surprised and couldn't help but glance at Qi Hui.

His thoughts drifted back to the Hundred Flowers Awards ceremony years ago, where he was humble, gentle, and exceptionally heroic.

His image of a young man who achieved fame at a young age and was adept at navigating complex situations suddenly came to mind.

Qi Tongwei? No, too young… Li Lu’s heart stirred.

He suppressed the character of Qi Tongwei in his mind and instead associated Qi Hui with Hou Liangping.

But... there's something strangely off about it.

Hou Liangping is lively, restless, and impulsive, and acts without considering the consequences, but these traits are not seen in Qi Hui.

This Zhongshan suit, combined with that hidden strength, gives people a sense of calm and security.

"Hello, Director Li," Qi Hui said with a smile, "It's been a long time... You look a bit haggard."

"Please excuse my poor performance... It's all because of my worries." Li Lu opened his mouth, but couldn't help but say what was on his mind.

With such a project on his shoulders, how could he not worry?
"But you, Director Qi, look much more energetic and handsome." Li Lu composed himself and chuckled.

He had done his homework before coming and knew what Qi Hui was busy with.

Wow... a 6 million yuan investment in a film, with assistance from the Navy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Moroccan royal family.

Add to that the big companies like Enlight Media, Bona Film Group, and iQiyi; if they just give him a little bit of free stuff, he'll be rolling in money. He's incredibly powerful!
"Director Li is joking," Qi Hui chuckled. "Shall we begin?"

"Did you bring the project proposal and script?"

He wanted to get it done quickly and go home as soon as possible.

In a few days, we will head south to Hong Kong, the location of the South China Sea Fleet.

He went there before to film "Fire Blue Blade," and now he's going to command a warship to film a movie.

So, I'll be busy again and need to spend more time with Jing Tian.

“Uh… okay.” Li Lu was taken aback, not expecting Qi Hui to be so decisive.

This is a good thing.

As he spoke, he took out several documents and handed them to Qi Hui.

In addition to project proposals and scripts, there are also related contracts.

Watching Qi Hui take the documents, he thought for a moment and slowly said, "Director Qi, let me say something unpleasant upfront..."

Qi Hui looked up at him, somewhat surprised: "Go on."

"Regarding the creation of the series, I hope you can offer a few fewer suggestions," Li Lu said, carefully choosing his words.
"Our play is a bit special, so we can't just change the script."

"We will listen to your suggestions, but whether to adopt them requires discussion and consideration."

Qi Hui raised an eyebrow. He understood what he meant. As an investor, Qi Hui only had the right to make suggestions, not the right to make decisions.

"Okay." Qi Hui nodded; he understood on this point.

Because that's exactly what Qi did, investors and producers at the same level didn't dare to supervise me, nor could they.

From extras to leading actors, and then to directors, I, Qi, have been doing this for many years. Basically, every role I play is a success, and every director I direct is a success.

If I don't want to act, no one else can. Have any other investors or producers objected to me?
Yes, but very few, unless they don't want to be involved in my project!
Therefore, Qi Hui understood this very well.

"And another thing is the actors," Li Lu continued. "I already have a blueprint in mind for which actors to choose for the role."

"I hope you won't insist on this anymore."

Upon hearing this, Qi Hui chuckled and said, "Director Li, have you heard something?"

Is Qi that kind of person?

Ahem... Of course, he did have some ideas.

For example, Hou Liangping, the role played by Lu Yi was really... well, not bad, but the effect was quite good.

So, he actually wanted Lao Ling to take the role... even though Lao Ling had already booked a slot for "The Mystic Nine".
There's another thing, which is the storyline of the blond guy.

That storyline was really hard to watch!

Li Lu gave an awkward smile but remained silent.

What do you mean by "I heard"... Never mind, I won't say anything more.

Li Lu composed himself; he didn't want his work to be exploited by capital.

If it doesn't work, he'd rather not invest at all.

After thinking for a moment, Qi Hui pointed to the character Zheng Shengli on the script and asked:

"Director Li, I have a question. How come the actor playing this role is the same person as your B-team director?"

“Ahem, well…” Li Lu coughed lightly: “He has some unusual connections. From his grandparents to his parents, and then to his maternal grandparents and uncles, they are all employed and work on the propaganda front.”

After saying that, he felt guilty.

The two requests from before sounded like a joke after Qi Hui said that.

"So that's how it is..." Qi Hui's eyes held a hint of amusement.

Li Lu felt uneasy under Qi Hui's gaze.

“Alright, I agree to Director Li’s request and am willing to invest,” Qi Hui said with a smile. “However, I also have a request.”

"You...you say it." Li Lu felt uneasy and lacked confidence.

"I want to play Qi Tongwei," Qi Hui said with a smile.

“How can this be…” Li Lu was anxious. Qi Hui was too young to play Qi Tongwei.

"Then what about Zheng Shengli... um?" Qi Hui tapped the script, his unspoken words leaving much unsaid.

Li Lu's chubby face twitched, and for a moment he was unable to refute it.

Oh no, he's in check... He's been checkmated!

(End of this chapter)