In the entertainment industry, everyone has been reborn, but who will be their servant?

Chapter 88 is ridiculously exaggerated.

After some discussion, Tong Gang had a good idea of ​​what to expect. He asked, "How is this person's eloquence?"

“I don’t know much about him. He only spoke publicly once, and he hasn’t appeared since. I think he’s alright. At least he can say those things, which proves that he has his own logic. Judging from his behavior, his foundation is not in the upper echelons of the film and television industry, but in the very bottom.” Zhang Hongsen said frankly.

Qin Xuan did not rely on traditional film and television capital, but instead built a new grassroots team.

There's a paradox here. People keep saying that Qin Xuan has a problem with Zuo Shandiao, but actually it's not that he has a problem with Zuo Shandiao. It's that he represents the lowest level of the film and television industry. How could he possibly be on the same page as the Beijing or Hong Kong film and television circles?

These few circles control the top-tier resources, yet they don't give a single penny to those at the very bottom of the film and television industry.

Qin Xuan was standing in a different position, so it wasn't appropriate for him to get involved with them. If he moved closer, what would have been the point of his earlier declaration of not being a beast of burden?
If you're making a movie for someone and they want you to use their team, do you use them? If they want you to use their system, do you use it? This undoubtedly means abandoning Qin Xuan's beliefs.

It's important to know that major film and television companies all have their own production teams, which also include signed celebrities.

When you go to make a film for someone else, you'll be assigned a specific cinematographer, lighting technician, art director, and even actors, just like Wang Peter last year, who was appointed by the investors.

Peter Pau was appointed by Hendrik Willem Van Loon; Liu Yifei was chosen by Van Loon and his associates and appointed by Hollywood.

Huayi doesn't even have autonomy, so how can Qin Xuan rely on it?

Does having a director as a director mean you can use your own people? Don't overthink it, unless you reach the level of Zhang Yimou or Chen Daren.

This is the fundamental reason why Qin Xuan didn't associate with them, or even with China Film Group. He couldn't abandon his team; it was the foundation of his existence.

Wanda is different. Wanda's goal is simply to have movies shown in its theaters and to make money; it doesn't care about anything else.

"Then this is the only way. You should submit this document to the leadership group for review first, let them debate it. I estimate that these people will argue for a while. Once they can't reach a conclusion, we'll proceed with the procedure and have this person named Qin Xuan answer the questions."

At this point, Tong Gang leaned forward and lowered his voice: "If possible, give him a copy of the manuscript, and we can push things forward from the back."

"Understood!" Zhang Hongsen nodded emphatically.

This wasn't something they could simply decide to approve, nor could they personally intervene to fight for it. So they could only let Qin Xuan lead the charge, while they voted in favor from behind.

It wouldn't work if they personally participated; there's no logic in being both a player and a referee.

It's as if they've come to speak on Qin Xuan's behalf.

It's because this family doesn't even have any elders. If they had a respected elder, they wouldn't have to play this role.

Anyway, this play is bound to cause controversy. Directors like Zhang Yimou, Lu Taro, and Guan Hu can revise it dozens of times.

It's worth noting that the latter two have very powerful backgrounds.

Because it's Qingming Festival, the script can't be submitted to the leadership team right away. We'll have to wait until after Qingming to discuss it, and it will take at least ten days to half a month to get it approved.

"Twelve Citizens" was released as scheduled. Without Qin Xuan's underhanded tactics, this movie really wouldn't have been able to get any publicity, and it didn't make much of a splash, which is normal. Those who know, know.

There were some promotional posters hanging at the entrance of Wanda Cinema.

Not only did it barely make a splash online, but Qin Xuan himself also got caught in a media storm, being reported for fundraising.

The current financial crisis coincides with the period when the government is cracking down hardest on financial crimes.

The news has even come out, with the headline: "Xuan Zong, Chairman of New Power, Director of the films 'Famous and Prosperous' and 'Nightclub,' illegally raised over one million yuan, with dozens of people victimized!"

The article also stated: "Liu Yifei's mother, Liu Xiaoli, is also a victim..."

Bringing her along caused a huge uproar in public opinion.

"Scumbag, he actually lied to my goddess's mother."

"People like that should be shot."

"Boycott all of his films."

Some people online are stirring up trouble and criticizing Qin Xuan.

Qin Xuan didn't hide the fact that the crowdfunding was a small-scale, voluntary event, which Huayi and the capital firms could easily find out, so they used it to make a big fuss.

Their goal is to ruin Qin Xuan's reputation, incite public boycott against him, and ideally, get him imprisoned. Qin Xuan can't outmaneuver them in the game of public opinion right now.

This matter has had a very negative impact due to public opinion.

Qin Xuan himself was summoned, but since he was not in the capital, only Cai Mei could make the explanation.

Zhang Linke and Shen Ao were also summoned. They were among the most active participants at the time, so they had to make explanations.

The two expressed their bewilderment: "We were just investing in the movie in our own names. There were only a few dozen people, all classmates and friends. How did this become a fundraising effort?"

Cai Mei also hired a lawyer. All the funds were used for production, and there was no squandering or misappropriation. No mass incidents were caused, and the investment is being realized.

She even printed out the transfer records and handed them in. Half of the money has already been paid out, and the other half will be paid out after "12 Citizens" finishes its theatrical run.

All the investment funds have a clear track record of their entire journey and their redemption.

Moreover, none of these investors said they would sue Qin Xuan; it's just all sorts of nonsense circulating online.

Anyway, this matter will be a long time coming. Those people are just trying to disgust Qin Xuan. It was Qin Xuan who gave those three capitalists a good scolding back then, making the two kings lose face.

They couldn't find any dirt on him, so they found this incident to incidentally ruin his movie.

However, Qin Xuan was prepared. He did not sign the agreement in his personal capacity, but in the name of the new force enterprise, and the agreement he signed with them was always an investment contract.

Even Liu Yifei, who was far away in the United States, was surrounded by reporters from China asking her about this.

The reporter asked, "Is it true that your mother was scammed in a fundraising scheme?"

"Where did you hear that? My mom is an investor, and she made money from her investments." Liu Yifei was a little confused; how did Qin Xuan become a fraudster?

Even if he asked his mother to help him short the stock market, he used his own money, not hers.

The reporter persisted: "There are reports that your mother was scammed by a person called 'General Manager Xuan' through a fundraising scheme. What do you think about that?"

"How can I watch it? Can I watch it while lying down?"

Liu Yifei chuckled, then said seriously, "Don't keep saying that they're involved in fundraising fraud. It hasn't been officially classified yet, and my mom is doing just fine."

The reporter then asked, "Is the fundraising by President Xuan true?"

"Go ask him! How would I know?" Liu Yifei was already getting impatient.

People really ask her all sorts of questions.

Since they couldn't find Qin Xuan, and this matter seemed to be related to her, they naturally came to ask her.

Meanwhile, Qin Xuan was in a residential house in Duyun City. The photographer was half-squatting in the corner of the balcony, carrying an ARRI camera on his shoulder, holding the lens with his left hand and fine-tuning the focus with his right hand, and was taking pictures.

The camera assistant next to him squatted on the ground, supporting the camera's arm with both hands to keep the camera stable.

Two lighting technicians stood on a ladder at the apartment entrance, adjusting a large softbox overhead; a sound engineer stood on a chair, extending a long pole over the actors to record sound.

"...I'll get you an AK, and a Rifle, fuck you, let's grow bigger and stronger, and create new glories."

"Okay! Click!"

Qin Xuan sat behind the monitor and shouted into the walkie-talkie, "You've all worked hard. Take a rest. Dinner will be served soon."

The staff on site found places to rest.

Pan Binlong walked over and said to Qin Xuan, "Director, would you like to do another scene?"

"Why is it happening again?" Qin Xuan asked, puzzled.

"I felt so disappointed that Zhang Yu acted so well." Pan Binlong wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Every time he acted opposite Zhang Yu, he felt immense pressure. He never expected that such an unknown person would have such good acting skills.

"It's okay, you acted very well too. Don't look at others, look at yourself."

Qin Xuan patted him on the shoulder, then looked at Ren Suxi and said, "Don't reel in the wires, let them do it themselves. You're an actor, you're supposed to be doing the acting, why are you always doing other people's work? Take a break."

"Oh, okay, director." Ren Suxi said, still helping the sound engineer put away the cable.

She usually helps with odd jobs and treats the film crew like her own home.

"Working so hard, how are others supposed to survive?" Qin Xuan said casually when he saw Zhang Yu reading the script.

This left Zhang Yu somewhat at a loss. He wasn't good with words, so he just grinned foolishly, his eyes revealing his admiration for President Xuan. There was nothing else to it but that President Xuan had put on a good show for him and even made him the lead actor.

This guy is basically a man of few words; Qin Xuan has worked with him for so long and has hardly ever heard him say a word. But when it comes to acting, he'll do whatever you ask him to do and never says no.

"Dinner's ready! Dinner's ready!" Just then, Wu Guoqiang clapped his hands, signaling everyone to go out and eat.

"Uncle Wu, what delicious dishes are there today?" The staff immediately perked up and became very enthusiastic, simply because the food on set was excellent.

"You'll see when you get there. There's not enough room here, everyone should eat outside." Wu Guoqiang waved his hand repeatedly.

The staff got up and went outside to the filming location, which was an open-air plaza where they were filming in a residential area.

A van was parked on the side of the road, containing more than a hundred boxed meals. There were more than a hundred crew members. Each meal was packed in a plastic bag, and each plastic bag contained four lunch boxes.

Some people have already been led to squat by the roadside and are enjoying their meal immensely, eating with great relish.

"Wow, stir-fried chicken breast, pan-fried fish and shrimp, braised pork ribs, scrambled eggs with tomatoes... and soup too, is yours the same?" Li Miao glanced at Liu Yin next to her.

"Three meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a soup—it's a very generous meal."

Liu Yin's face lit up with happiness, but he immediately complained, "The food on this set is really good. The food on the set of 'Red Cliff' that I was on before was simply inedible."

“We didn’t eat well before, it was only after we started eating well on this film set,” Li Miao said.

Previously, I had no money for the "one-click triple combo" feature, so to save money, I didn't eat or stay in good conditions.

"That's fine too. It proves that General Xuan treats us like human beings." Liu Yin looked at the other grassroots staff's meals, which were the same as theirs.

Everyone here is treated the same, there's no discrimination. Anyway, it's not Qin Xuan's own money, so Old Wang won't give him a penny more than he should.

"Everyone, have eaten your fill. There's still bottled water and drinks on the bus. Find a few people to help carry these," Wu Guoqiang called out.

"Don't worry, Uncle Wu, we'll unload it for you right now." As soon as he finished speaking, several shirtless men jumped onto the truck and unloaded cases of mineral water and drinks, piling them up into a small mountain.

Take this freely, there's no limit to the supply.

The weather in Duyun City is quite hot, reaching 25 degrees Celsius today, so I'm not wearing many layers.

Within the filming area, Qin Xuan and Rao Xiaozhi were reviewing the footage they had just shot. Rao Xiaozhi traced a line on the monitor screen: "They should stop at the doorway for three seconds here."

"director."

Just as Qin Xuan was watching intently, he saw a person in front of him. Qin Xuan looked up and saw that it was Ren Suxi.

"Director, I got you some food." Ren Suxi handed him the bag in her hand.

"Thank you." Qin Xuan took the bag.

"Su Xi, you're being biased! You only give the director some, not me. We're alumni, after all," Rao Xiaozhi said, feigning displeasure.

"I'm sorry, assistant director, I'll go right away." Ren Suxi said apologetically.

"No need, no need, I can go by myself." Rao Xiaozhi got up and quickly pulled her back, then went outside to get the food. He was just joking.

Qin Xuan took the lunchbox out of the bag, placed it on a chair, and casually said, "You don't need to do this every day. I'm not interested in women."

This woman does odd jobs on the film set every day, and she also brings him food and such, which makes him have designs on her.

"Huh?!" Ren Suxi was confused.

Qin Xuan, with a shrimp in his mouth, said, "I said I'm not interested in women."

"No...President Xuan, are you mistaken?" Ren Suxi blinked her big, bewildered eyes.

Qin Xuan looked at her: "Is there a misunderstanding?"

"You've misunderstood. I did this to express my gratitude to you. No one else gives me roles or scripts, but you gave me a script and even let me play such an important role. I'm very grateful to you." Ren Suxi said sincerely.

Because of her appearance, the film and television industry basically doesn't offer her any scripts. Even if she sees a role she wants to play, they will replace her.

Therefore, Ren Suxi is not doing well now.

Qin Xuan looked at her donkey-like face, trying to figure out if what she said was true.

“I know what I look like. Because of my face, no one wants me. So I’m grateful and want you to give me more opportunities.” Ren Suxi put her hands together in front of him.

Qin Xuan remained silent, still thinking he was very charming and had Ren Suxi captivated by him.

However, he really wasn't interested in this girl. Later, he was involved in numerous cheating scandals, and it happened again and again. Luckily, his acting skills were superb, and no one could replace her. If it were any other star, they would have been finished long ago.

Ren Suxi, sitting next to him, said, "I admit that you are very charming, President Xuan, and I also admire your talent. But I know I am ugly, so I dare not have any improper thoughts."

"I wouldn't say you're ugly. You have a very unique and distinctive look, and your acting is also excellent. Among all the actresses I've seen, you're the best." Qin Xuan was telling the truth.

Liu Yifei has one-third of the role, and he let Liu Yifei play it. This role is special.

It's an 8 out of 10 movie, no doubt.

"Thank you for the compliment, President Xuan." Ren Suxi pursed her lips, looking very happy.

Just as the two were chatting, Qin Xuan's phone vibrated in his pocket. He put down his chopsticks, took it out, glanced at it, stood up, and walked away to answer the call: "President Ye, congratulations on your promotion to general manager!"

Ren Suxi didn't follow either, knowing that President Xuan had something to do, perhaps it was someone else's business secret.

"President Xuan, things seem to be going badly for you lately. It seems someone is accusing you of fraud." It was Ye Ning's voice.

This person, who took over in March, is now the general manager of Wanda Pictures.

"Hey, they're just jealous because they're too good! There's a saying, 'A mediocre person is never envied,'" Qin Xuan said nonchalantly. Everyone has their share of troubles.

"President Xuan really knows how to boast. I also have some accounts to settle with you." Ye Ning said with a sharp edge.

"What account?" Qin Xuan asked, puzzled.

"You offered yourself a salary of 7 million, and after only a few days of filming, you've already spent 10 million. Now you want us to add another 5 million?" Ye Ning questioned.

They haven't even filmed half the movie, and half the money is gone. What are they going to do next?
Apart from Qin Xuan, everyone else only received a deposit for their pay, but he directly deducted a portion of it from his salary.

"President Ye, let's stick to the facts. I'm the director, screenwriter, and producer. I've done the work of ten people. What's wrong with paying seven million? My crew needs to eat, drink, and take care of their basic needs. What's wrong with spending a little more money?" Qin Xuan retorted.

Ye Ning was speechless. This person even had a point. He wanted to yell, "You're exaggerating! Three meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, four meals a day? What film crew provides meals like that? And you're making those people stay in hotels? I don't object to the main creative team staying in hotels, but the crew members should stay in hotels too!"

Staying in a hotel requires a star-rated hotel, and they even booked the entire hotel – it's outrageous!

He knew about these things, after all, he also held the title of producer, and all the accounts had to be reported to him.

"Tell me, did I pay the actors too much? If I hire a well-known Hong Kong actor, wouldn't you still have to pay more?" Qin Xuan asked.

"That's not how it works. If you hire a famous star, can't you guarantee box office success?" Ye Ning would rather he hire a few famous actors, at least they have a fan base, then the money would be well spent.

It feels like a waste to spend all the money behind the scenes.

"Then you're wrong. A movie's box office is always related to the movie itself and the director, not so much to the actors. I admit that some actors can carry the box office, but most actors can't. If what you say is true, then I won't get my previous 90 million box office."

Qin Xuan paused for a moment, then continued, "I can't just think of them when I need them and then kick them away when I don't. I can't do that."

He meant that those people had suffered with him and invested in him in the past, and now that he had risen to prominence, he should of course provide them with good living conditions.

"No matter what you say, we need to find someone to supervise you and manage your finances." Ye Ning felt that they couldn't let him mess things up like this.

"Sure, you're welcome anytime, but the benefits will remain the same," Qin Xuan said clearly.

You can investigate whether anyone has embezzled funds, but you cannot reduce the salaries of the crew members.

"There's something else I need to tell you. The box office performance of '12 Citizens' is dismal. It only made 270,000 and 280,000 yuan in the first two days." Ye Ning reported the film's box office results to him.

"It's alright, let's see how it goes after it's finished showing. If it's not enough to cover your marketing costs, we'll just give you the film's copyright as collateral." Qin Xuan didn't care; he was making money no matter what, and at this rate, earning two or three million shouldn't be a problem.

Arthouse films like this should have a very stable box office performance, since they have good storylines. Films with good storylines tend to have stable box office performance; it's the kind of steady, long-term success that comes from word-of-mouth.

You see it's about to die, but it just keeps going.

The two chatted for a while and then hung up the phone. Ye Ning actually sent someone over.

However, Wanda still needs to increase its investment, but Ye Ning is reluctant to report this to President Wang, who invested all of it without any prior consideration.

Ye Ning had learned her lesson the hard way that he was bothered by such a small amount of money.

(End of this chapter)