Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 184 The Deal with Lu Zheng
On a sweltering summer afternoon, the sun beat down on the asphalt road outside the window, and you could almost smell the scorching heat in the air.

Ning Hao sat in his large studio, a few scattered pages of notes lying on the corner of the table, lazily turning in the breeze.

"Crazy Stone" earned Ning Hao a lot of money. He not only moved out of his old residence, but also moved to a new, much more spacious place to work.

But even though the room was big, my head felt like it was trapped by the stuffy heat of midsummer.

On the other side of the table, Xing Aina was huddled together with Yue Xiaojun and a few others, frowning as they pondered the storyline of the new script.

However, no matter how hard they tried to squeeze in, the group looked annoyed.

Ning Hao twirled the pen in his hand, then finally couldn't help but throw it on the table and sigh.

"I've been holding back for half a month, and all I have is one story idea. Nothing else has even come out yet."

He leaned back in his chair, his forehead slightly damp with sweat, and a hint of impatience in his eyes.

The air seemed stagnant.

Just then, the cell phone on the table vibrated.

"Cluck, cluck, cluck—"

Ning Hao looked down and saw that it was Lu Zheng calling.

He frowned, then answered the call, thinking it was another business opportunity. He was about to refuse outright and go into seclusion to focus on writing his script when Lu Zheng suggested that Ning Hao make a connection with Wu Chen.

Ning Hao held his phone, stunned for a long while, then tapped his fingertips on the table.

He had a decent impression of Lu Zheng.

After a few seconds of silence, Ning Hao spoke up: "President Lu, alright? I'll ask around and get back to you later. I can't guarantee it will work out."

Hearing that Ning Hao didn't directly refuse, Lu Zheng visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

After hanging up the phone, Xing Aina curiously leaned over:

"Looking for Director Wu?"

"Ah."

Ning Hao shrugged, picked up an empty glass from the table and shook it; only a thin layer of ice remained at the bottom.

"It seems like the boss who helped us shoot the music video before has some new ideas."

Xing Aina grinned and shook her head:

"Director Wu's movies can't possibly lack investment, isn't he overthinking it?"

"It might not be about investment. Never mind, let's ask my junior brother first."

As he spoke, Ning Hao casually dialed Wu Chen's number.

The call was quickly answered, and Wu Chen's voice was clear and normal:
"Senior brother, could it be that the script has been written?"

Ning Hao leaned back in his chair with a wry smile: "What am I supposed to write? I've been holding back for half a month and haven't even managed to produce a single thing."

I plan to find two more screenwriters and have them go into seclusion for a few months to slowly polish the script.

"Take your time. There's no rush."

Wu Chen was not surprised. Ning Hao himself is not a prolific director. In fact, there are only two relatively prolific directors in mainland China: Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaogang.

"So, you remember last time I made some money by making a music video for someone, right?"
"That Mr. Lu wants to meet with you. I reckon he probably wants something from you."

Wu Chen was taken aback, and for a moment he thought of what Xu Dong had said.

Lu Zheng certainly has real estate resources, and they're not ordinary resources at all.

Wu Chen replied casually, "Sure, let's meet. How about we meet at your studio?"

Ning Hao was a little confused when Wu Chen agreed so readily. After a while, he realized what was going on and said, "Okay, then I'll tell him."

"Uncle Lu, is Director Wu serious or not? Is he easy to talk to?"

Inside the car, Jing Tian gripped the bag strap tightly, sitting upright with undisguised unease in his eyes.

There are countless directors in the industry, but in terms of status, Wu Chen is already at the top level.

"It's nothing, just a quick meeting. I've been thinking about it, and if you want to debut, making just one music video or a short film won't work."

Lu Zheng spoke calmly, and as he spoke, the car slowly drove into its destination.

Meanwhile, in Ning Hao's studio, Wu Chen casually flipped through some documents.

The air conditioner hummed in the room, and sunlight streamed through the half-drawn curtains, illuminating the cluttered bookshelves and desks in the studio.

A few pages of hastily written story outlines lay spread out on the table, the handwriting jagged and disjointed.

"Quite interesting."

Wu Chen spoke, his voice unhurried, "However, I feel that this story needs to be interconnected, and it will be very complicated. Relying on just Sister Na and a few others might not be enough."

"Find at least four or five more screenwriters."

"Huh? So many people?"

Xing Aina was taken aback.

Ning Hao was also somewhat surprised. He had only planned to find two more screenwriters to help him, but Wu Chen asked for four or five people.

What's wrong with that?
When I first started making Now You See Me, I only provided a framework. Later, I hired an entire team of writers to polish the details for Blumhouse and Lionsgate, which took several months in total.

"For your story idea, getting more people involved will definitely be a good idea; speeding things up and reducing hassle will be much better."

Wu Chen smiled. Ning Hao nodded and glanced at his phone.

"People are coming."

He said something, then got up and walked towards the door.

A short while later, Ning Hao arrived with Lu Zheng and Jing Tian, ​​and introduced them to Wu Chen:

"This is the radiant CEO Lu Zheng, and this is Jing Tian, ​​the female lead in the music video we filmed before."

"I have admired you for a long time."

Lu Zheng smiled and stepped forward to shake hands with Wu Chen.

"Hello, Director Wu"

Jing Tian called out softly, his voice gentle yet tinged with nervousness.

Wu Chen responded to each of them.

After taking their seats, Lu Zheng intentionally or unintentionally steered the conversation.

They started by talking about the music video directed by Ning Hao, and then occasionally discussed Jing Tian's passion for acting. They also tried to find topics for Jing Tian to discuss, and the young girl would chime in from time to time to make the atmosphere less awkward.

Before we knew it, the topic had swung to the hottest topic right now: the "Double J Plan".

Wu Chen listened with a calm expression, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Ning Hao, who was standing to the side, understood what was going on. Lu Zheng was looking for resources for Jing Tian, ​​and he had the ambitious plan to go straight to Hollywood.

"Goodness, you can't spend money like that."

He clicked his tongue inwardly, his gaze falling on Jing Tian's handsome face. Good heavens, this is the power of money paving the way! He even dares to dream of such high-end resources.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lu, I wasn't involved in the Lionsgate project."

Upon hearing Wu Chen's words, Lu Zheng sighed inwardly, but unexpectedly, Wu Chen suddenly changed his tone.

"However, if you are confident, Mr. Lu, I can help you make a connection with Lionsgate."

Lu Zheng was taken aback.

At this moment, even Ning Hao's mouth was slightly open. He couldn't help but glance at Wu Chen, then at the handsome Jing Tian. However, since everyone was still there, he had to suppress his doubts.

Lu Zheng quickly stood up, pulled Jing Tian to his feet, and gratefully shook hands with Wu Chen again:

"Thank you so much, Director Wu, thank you so much!"

Wu Chen smiled faintly and added:

"It's nothing. Whether it works out or not depends on President Lu himself. Besides, I don't think Xiao Tian has any martial arts background. He can't act with Jackie Chan and Jet Li without some skills."

Anyway, he was in charge of making the connection; whether it worked out or not was not up to him, but Lu Zheng would have to accept the favor.

"Understood, understood. I'll hire a martial arts teacher for Tian Tian right away."

Lu Zheng nodded repeatedly in agreement, then glanced at his watch and, seeing that it was almost dinner time, warmly invited Wu Chen and Ning Hao to dine with him.

Xing Aina politely declined, but Wu Chen and Ning Hao did not stand on ceremony.

The dinner was arranged at a quiet Chinese restaurant nearby.

Several home-style dishes were quickly served, and the atmosphere was much more relaxed than when they first met.

Lu Zheng spoke with composure, neither overly enthusiastic nor lacking in manner, which made people feel quite comfortable.

Jing Tian sat to the side, occasionally interjecting a few words, careful yet polite.

During a break from their meal, Wu Chen and Lu Zheng whispered about cinemas in first-tier cities.

Lu Zheng was slightly taken aback, then nodded. "Director Wu, that's easy. Here's what we'll do: give me the contact information of the person in charge of cinema affairs, and I'll arrange for someone to follow up."

This was really not a big deal for him.

It doesn't cost them anything; it's just a matter of using their connections and making a few connections.

Wu Chen nodded with a smile:

"Alright, thank you in advance, Mr. Lu."

As the event ended, a cool night breeze dispelled the summer heat of the day.

Jing Tian got into the car first, at Lu Zheng's invitation.

Just before getting on the bus, the little girl turned around, obediently bowed to the two of them, and sweetly called out:
"Thank you, Director Wu, thank you, Director Ning!"

Wu Chen and Ning Hao stood by the steps, watching the black Alphard slowly drive away.

The streetlights reflected on the road, giving it a soft glow.

Ning Hao grinned and teased:
At first, I really thought you had feelings for that girl.

"Screw you."

Wu Chen raised his leg and kicked, but Ning Hao easily dodged it. He then suppressed his smile and said seriously, "Are you really planning to make a theatrical release?"

"Yeah, domestic cinema chains are too powerful. They can even monopolize film scheduling. If you can't beat them, join them. You can't let them hold you back. Starry Night Pictures should slowly build up its own cinema chain, which can be considered adding a moat to its competitive advantage."

Ning Hao gave a soft "hmm," knowing perfectly well what was going on.

Domestic cinemas hold almost absolute power over the fate of films. They can influence screening schedules and box office revenue, and their long revenue-sharing cycle means they can easily force film producers to back down by manipulating cash flow.

In this situation, offending some people can be very frustrating.
(End of this chapter)