Huayu: Starting with Hijacking from "The Story of a Noble Family"

Chapter 60: Cai Yinong's Meeting – No One Can Take Advantage of the Situation

"Hello, Xu Heng, I'm Cai Yinong."

Cai Yinong pushed open the door to the private room and immediately saw Xu Heng sitting quietly on the sofa, reading a book, with a cup of coffee in front of him.

Today, she originally wanted to meet Xu Heng at the hotel, just like she did with the young girl she met yesterday, but Xu Heng refused.

Later, she realized something was amiss. Yesterday, she had arranged to meet an actress, who was accompanied by her mother and agent.

Xu is not only a male actor, but he also doesn't have an agent.

Meeting her alone at the hotel could easily lead to misunderstandings if paparazzi take photos.

So they arranged to meet near the Beijing Film Academy, and Xu Heng sent her the location of the coffee shop.

At the same time, when Cai Yinong looked at Xu Heng in front of her, her first feeling was amazement.

She was even more stunning than when she met that little girl yesterday!

Xu Heng was indeed just as she had imagined, perfectly suited for the role of Li Xiaoyao, just like that little girl from yesterday was perfectly suited for the role of Zhao Ling'er!

"Hello, Mr. Cai."

Xu Heng looked up at Cai Yinong as she entered the private room, smiled and nodded, then put the book he was holding back on the bookshelf next to him.

Seeing him like this, Cai Yinong couldn't help but frown inwardly.

After all, she was the owner of a film and television company and had some fame and status in the industry.

But upon seeing her, Xu Heng didn't even get up; he remained sitting there calmly.

But she soon felt relieved.

Even if Xu can't be considered a top-tier actor now, he's definitely a very popular one, and he can still afford to spend two or three million to make movies.

There are also rumors in the industry that he doesn't accept any gigs or endorsements, doesn't participate in any commercial activities, and is even quite talented.

It's normal for such people to be a little arrogant; it would be abnormal if they weren't arrogant at all.

Besides, it's her who wants to invite Xu to act, not Xu Heng begging to act in their company's productions.

She couldn't even handle that little girl yesterday, let alone Xu, who is more popular.

Thinking this, she nodded as well, pulled out a chair, and sat down opposite Xu Heng.

"Mr. Cai, you can order whatever you'd like to drink."

Xu Heng then said "politely".

"No."

Cai Yinong shook her head and stared at Xu Heng for a while.

Seeing that Xu Heng was also looking at her without any unusual expression, she finally spoke: "Xu Heng, I heard that Wang Jinghua wanted to sign you before, even though you weren't confirmed to play the male lead in 'The Story of a Noble Family,' but you still refused. Can you tell me why?"

And at this moment, she could already guess that Xu Heng was probably even more difficult to deal with than the little girl from yesterday.

And when she inquired about Xu Heng from Wang Jinghua before, it's no wonder that Wang Jinghua said Xu Heng had his own ideas and it was difficult for others to persuade him.

"There's no particular reason, I just feel that Sister Hua can't give me the resources I want."

Xu Heng smiled again.

Before Cai Yinong could say anything, he continued, "President Cai, you're a very busy person, and I'm also quite direct, so let's not beat around the bush and get straight to the point!"

He knew that Cai Yinong was testing him, wanting to know more about him so that it would be easier to persuade him.

But he had already made up his mind about whether or not to take on the role in "Chinese Paladin".

"Okay!"

Cai Yinong nodded.

After thinking for a moment, I asked directly, "I'd like to invite you to play the male lead in our company's next TV series. This series is adapted from a very popular game called 'The Legend of Sword and Fairy,' which I already mentioned to you on the phone. So, what are your thoughts now? Are you willing to take this role?"

Then, just when she thought Xu would raise various difficulties to increase her bargaining power, or refuse outright, Xu Heng nodded.

"I can take this role!"

"Can you answer it?"

Cai Yinong was stunned for a moment.

There are currently no film or television adaptations of games in China, so the risk of this adaptation is extremely high.

Moreover, the risks come not only from whether the drama can be filmed well, but also from various public opinions.

Tangren Media isn't exactly a big company, so they couldn't afford to spend much money on this drama.

With Xu Heng's current popularity, he could definitely get other male lead roles if he wanted to.

So she thought that with her constant persuasion, Xu might agree to take on the role, or at least ask her more questions about the show.

But she never expected that Xu would agree so readily, without even needing the explanation she had prepared!

But then she saw Xu Heng nod again.

"Yes, I can take this role, but the question is, what about the pay?"

Xu Heng still had a smile on his face.

Regardless of what Tangren will be like in the future, Tangren today is definitely not a big company.

It was founded in 98, which means it has only been established for 5 years.

Over five years, he filmed several TV series, such as "The Legendary Twins," "Heroines of the Yang Family," and "The Book and the Sword," all of which achieved decent viewership ratings.

Even so, Tangren Media can only be considered a relatively well-known up-and-coming company in the industry at best.

He was naturally willing to take on the role in "Chinese Paladin".

Like Liu Yifei's Zhao Ling'er, the character Li Xiaoyao can be considered a kind of retirement insurance, which is very beneficial to him.

However, given his current popularity and fame, a lower salary would definitely not work.

Not to mention that by the time "Chinese Paladin" airs, at least "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," which he has already filmed, will have already been broadcast, and "Our Times" will definitely have been released. At that time, his popularity and fame will definitely be even higher.

Cai Yinong's choice of Liu Yifei to play Zhao Ling'er is definitely not unrelated to Liu Yifei's previous role as Wang Yuyan in "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," at least not in their previous life.

Since Cai Yinong is so good at using an abacus, he naturally is too!

How much do you want?

Cai Yinong grinned; things couldn't possibly be that simple.

Moreover, the budget for this "Chinese Paladin" series is really not large, so the female lead's salary certainly won't be low.

If it weren't for her opinion, Xu's image and temperament were indeed very suitable for the role of Li Xiaoyao.

Acting alongside that young girl, Xu Heng could significantly increase the show's popularity and generate more buzz.

With another drama, "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," about to air, she even considered casting a newcomer as the male lead!

"Mr. Cai, seeing how sincere you are, I won't ask for more. I'll take the role for 5 yuan per episode!"

Xu Heng looked at Cai Yinong and smiled.

"5 per episode?"

Cai Yinong was startled.

However, after calming down and thinking about it carefully, I felt that the salary was not too excessive.

Based on Xu's current popularity and the audience's recognition of him, his salary could reach approximately 3 yuan per episode.

But he also has another drama, "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," to be broadcast soon, and Zhang Dahuzi's martial arts dramas usually have high ratings.

Xu Heng's own qualities and acting skills are undeniable, and he will most likely become even more popular after "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" airs.

She approached Xu Heng to film "Chinese Paladin" again, and it's an idol drama. Xu Heng comes from a background of filming serious dramas for CCTV, so his salary for idol dramas is definitely a bit higher.

As for the movie that Xu Heng directed himself, she certainly didn't think it would make any waves. Being a movie director is definitely not something just anyone can do.

However, the movie theme song that Xu Heng wrote for that little girl is currently very popular.

However, expecting a single song to boost a movie's box office is clearly a pipe dream.

However, Tangren Media can only raise a maximum of 1000 million yuan for this "Chinese Paladin" series, which is expected to have 30 episodes. The salary of 5 yuan per episode is really too high.

And that young girl, if she's willing to take this role, her salary certainly won't be low.

Most importantly, her desire to cast Xu Heng and that young girl in this "Chinese Paladin" series clearly indicates an opportunistic motive.

Whether Xu Heng and that little girl will become even more popular after "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" airs remains to be seen.

In other words, she not only couldn't afford to pay Xu such a high salary, but if she had, it wouldn't have been speculation; it would have been a gamble that Xu Heng would become even more popular.

Moreover, even if she wins the bet, she won't gain anything; it's a sure loss!

5 yuan per episode is definitely the salary of a top-tier mainland star!

"Your asking price is too high. We at Tangren are a small company and really can't afford such a high price."

Cai Yinong hesitated for a moment, but still chose to refuse.

Xu Heng, however, did not pay attention.

"Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils is expected to be broadcast at the end of this year, and my movie will also be released during the Lunar New Year holiday this year. By then, this Legend of Sword and Fairy will probably not have started filming yet, so Mr. Cai, there is no need to be in such a hurry to refuse."

Cai Yinong immediately understood what he meant: no one should try to take advantage of the situation.

His salary will be determined based on his popularity and reputation after the two shows are broadcast and released.

Fortunately, she could tell that Xu Heng was indeed very interested in the drama.

"Okay, we'll see when the time comes."

Cai Yinong readily agreed, since there was no real promise involved.

But if Xu Zhen really became even more popular after "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" aired, his own movies would also make a splash.

So getting investors to invest more shouldn't be too difficult.

What she didn't know was that Xu Heng's salary might be more than 5 yuan per episode by then.

And that little girl's salary might also be higher than it is now!

"Xu Heng, if Tangren Media wants to sign you, what conditions do we need to offer?"

Seeing that the matter had been concluded, Cai Yinong suddenly stared at Xu again; she really wanted to sign Xu now.

Of course, she's definitely not the only one in the entertainment industry who wants to sign Xu.

This time, Xu Heng didn't answer her, but just looked at her with a smile.

Then she realized once again that Xu Heng didn't care about her small company at all.

She didn't even have the right to negotiate the terms of the contract!