Huayu: Returned Overseas Chinese

Upon hearing this, Chen Jingming understood that Wu Bing was pointing out his blatant trading behavior. The older generation still values ​​honor and face. It won't be until a few years later, especially after the release of "Hero" at the end of the year, when all industries reap huge profits, that public opinion will gradually change.

"Mr. Wu, I'm sorry. I've lived in the United States for too long, and some of my habits are hard to change overnight."

Chen Jingming smiled and bowed his head in apology. Wu Bing nodded slightly; he understood that the United States was a capital-driven environment with a completely different logic of doing things compared to China, and he could understand that.

This little incident was thus resolved. In the days that followed, Chen Jingming spent his time attending classes and taking his final exams as usual, aside from keeping up with the preparations for "Bright Sword." He barely passed.

Final exams are over, and time flies by to the end of the year. After the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, the festive atmosphere of the New Year grows stronger.

The hutongs of the capital were filled with the joyful laughter of children running and playing. Chen Jingming strolled leisurely along the street, taking in the festive atmosphere of the city welcoming the Spring Festival, which lifted his spirits considerably. Just as he was about to find a restaurant for lunch, his cell phone suddenly rang.

Chen Jingming took out his phone and saw that the caller was Ning Hao. He immediately pressed the answer button and said with a smile:

"Who is it?"

On the other end of the phone, Ning Hao said in a restrained tone:

"Hello, are you Mr. Chen Jingming? I'm Ning Hao from the Beijing Film Academy. Do you remember me?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jingming deliberately remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking:

"I remember now, that photography major, right?"

"Yes, it's me! Mr. Chen, do you remember when you said we could work together in the future?"

Ning Hao's tone was full of tension. He was currently filming "Incense," but unexpectedly, funding dried up midway, and the project was completely stalled.

Although his girlfriend, Xing Aina, could help raise some money, as a man, he was unwilling to depend on her for everything.

These past few days, he had been asking around for help and making phone calls, only to be turned away. Suddenly, he remembered Chen Jingming and dialed his number on a whim.

"I remember. What's up? You have a good project you'd like to collaborate on?"

Chen Jingming could sense the other person's anxiety, but instead of urging them, he asked in a relaxed and joking tone.

"I do have something I'd like to ask you. Are you in Beijing right now? If it's convenient, I'd like to invite you to dinner so we can discuss it in person. Would that be alright?"

Hearing Chen Jingming's calm tone, Ning Hao felt a little relieved. As long as they were willing to meet and communicate, there was still a chance; as for whether they could ultimately reach an agreement, he could only let nature take its course.

"Haha," Chen Jingming chuckled and replied.

"I was just about to grab lunch when your call came at the perfect time. It's cold, how about we go get some hot pot?"

"No problem!" Ning Hao immediately agreed.

After agreeing on a restaurant location, the two hung up the phone. The restaurant wasn't far away, so Chen Jingming walked there.

A dozen minutes later, Chen Jingming pushed open the door of the hot pot restaurant, and a wave of warm steam rushed out. The restaurant was packed, bustling with customers. He chose a corner seat, ordered two jin (1 kg) of fresh mutton, and waited quietly.

Not long after, Ning Hao led Xing Aina through the door. The two looked around the store and quickly spotted Chen Jingming in the corner, then hurried over to him.

Chen Jingming was surprised that Xing Aina had come along, so he called the waiter and ordered another pound of mutton. The three of them prepared their dipping sauces and chatted as they ate, creating a relaxed and casual atmosphere.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Ning Hao put down his chopsticks, looked at Chen Jingming seriously, and spoke frankly:

"Producer Chen, I have a script that's mostly finished filming, but we've completely run out of funding. I was wondering if you'd be interested in investing?"

Through their casual conversation, Ning Hao learned that Chen Jingming was the producer of "Bright Sword," so he changed his form of address accordingly.

"Director Ning, please tell me about the content and story of the script first."

Although Chen Jingming knew that the other party was talking about "Incense", he had never seen the script or the finished film and was not clear about the specific plot.

Upon hearing this, Ning Hao briefly recounted the complete story.

After listening, Chen Jingming roughly understood: A monk, desperate to repair a temple after its Buddha statue collapsed, was penniless and unable to raise funds, forcing him to lie and cheat. In the end, the Buddha statue was successfully repaired, but the temple, which had been the source of incense offerings, completely vanished.

The story is filled with absurdity and satire of reality, which also fits the current director's creative style, which is to hide metaphors and thoughts in the plot.

Chen Jingming wasn't concerned with whether this low-budget film would be profitable; what he truly valued was Ning Hao's potential. After a moment's thought, he asked directly:

How much funding is still needed for the project?

"One hundred thousand." Ning Hao blurted out without hesitation.

Chen Jingming nodded, his smile unchanged:

"I'm willing to invest the money. But you need to give me a guarantee: how will my returns be settled?"

Upon hearing this, Ning Hao and Xing Aina exchanged a glance and fell silent. The film and television industry is highly unpredictable; whether a film will be profitable is impossible to foresee. Before the copyright is sold and the film is released, no one dares to make a guarantee. Moreover, this is a VCD film, and it may not even be released in theaters.

Chen Jingming didn't urge them, continuing to eat his meat as if nothing had happened. The atmosphere remained tense for a long time, and seeing that the two remained silent, he slowly put down his chopsticks and broke the silence:

"The reason I was willing to befriend you was because I had seen your photography work, recognized your professional ability, and was convinced that you would eventually become a director."

He paused briefly, and seeing that the two were listening attentively, he continued:

"I can fund you to get through this difficult time, but on the condition that I have priority investment rights in five of your future feature films, with each investment accounting for no less than 30% of your total investment."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ning Hao's expression turned serious. It was certainly a good thing to have someone offer help in his time of need, but the investment tied to five films would inevitably restrict his creative freedom in the future, and he worried about capital interfering with his filming and creative process.

Xing Aina, standing to the side, gently tugged at Ning Hao's sleeve, signaling him to composed himself, then smiled to ease the tension:

"Producer Chen, isn't five slots too many?"

Chen Jingming smiled faintly and responded calmly:

"Sister Xing, is it alright if I address you like this? Five works seem like a lot, but it all depends on how you look at it. Take Director Ning's current project, 'Incense,' for example. The total cost is only tens of thousands of yuan. It's a low-budget trial, and he's probably funded it out of his own pocket. Am I right?"

At this point, he looked at Ning Hao. Ning Hao's expression was somber, and he slowly nodded in agreement.

Chen Jingming continued:

"Director Ke Ning, you can't just make niche short films your whole life. If you want to go further in the industry, you have to try making feature films. Like 'Bright Sword,' which my company is preparing to start filming after the New Year, with a total investment of 20 million."

Even then, you'll still have to scramble to raise funds and beg for help. My willingness to invest in your future and be optimistic about your prospects doesn't mean others in the industry are willing to take the risk to support newcomers, right?

These words are all true rules of survival within the industry.

Before the huge success of "Crazy Stone", Ning Hao was extremely talented in short film and music video shooting, but he never received the favor of capital.

When preparing for "Crazy Stone," they encountered setbacks everywhere and no one would invest. Even Andy Lau's original promised investment was greatly reduced. They barely managed to raise enough funds to complete the filming, which led to Ning Hao's later fame.

Ning Hao was acutely aware of these realities better than anyone. After hearing these words, he sighed helplessly. He desperately wanted to make high-quality feature films, but he lacked the backing of capital, and no one was willing to take the risk for a newcomer. His earlier film, *Thursday, Wednesday*, and now *Incense*, were all barely scraped together by emptying his own savings.

Xing Aina, seeing Ning Hao's bitter expression, instantly understood his predicament and could only try to smooth things over by asking:

"Producer Chen, besides this, isn't there any compromise solution?"