Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

"What is the production cost?"

"It's less than 500 million."

Yang Che wasn't just talking nonsense. If calculated according to normal market prices... if people from Hong Kong and Taiwan were to provide the budget, it would be more than 800 million.

Afterwards, Jung Byung-won seized the opportunity of a reporter's question about the Korean market and spoke candidly about the rise of feminism in Korea and how the plot of "My Sassy Girl" fits the bill.

Anyway, there are all sorts of problems, and the conversation always ends up circling back to Yang Che.

Kazuo Fukasawa: "I envy that Chinese cinema has a young man like Yang Che. I invited Yang Che to develop his career in Japan, but he refused. He wants to stay in China."

Reporter: "Yang Che, why is that?"

Yang Che: "I'm a homebody."

Reporter: "Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Ask me some questions about the movie, I'm not an actor."

Reporter: "Fan Bingbing said you based this character on her. What's the story behind that? Did you know each other before?"

"I don't know her. I hadn't been in contact with anyone in the arts and literature world before July of this year. But when I started writing, her face appeared in my mind. You're a writer, you should understand this feeling."

Reporter: "Was the film's investment supported by your family?"

"My family is a dual-income household, but my mom was laid off and is now running a street stall. The money comes from Mr. Fan Zeping from Longcheng. He usually repairs bridges and roads, and seeing that I seemed like a nice person, he asked me what my dreams were..."

Reporter: "Could you elaborate on the process of writing the song for Wang Fei?"

"The song was written when the script was written. Later, when we were preparing for filming, we discussed it and said that it was suitable for Wang Fei and Sun Nan to sing, so we sent it to them. They have good taste and agreed immediately."

reporter:"........"

Reporter: "With so much copyright revenue, how much of it will you get?"

"I've already received 60,000 yuan in payment, and I'm very satisfied."

"......."

They rambled on like this for about ten minutes, asking questions, though most of the content had already been covered earlier.

The fact that the two were praising the movie and Yang Che was not because the technician had provided excellent service last night, but rather it was simply the right thing to do.

Yang Che's performance was also very genuine. He was clearly a promising young talent just starting out in the entertainment industry, full of youthful vigor and confidence.

Well, all the reporters thought he was qualified because everything was about money.

Then the event ended.

Then at least seven media outlets contacted Yang Che for exclusive interviews, including Six Princess and Southern Metropolis Daily.

"Sorry everyone, I really don't have time, I have other things to do. And I have to go back to Beijing later, I have a training course tomorrow. Oh. What kind of course? I'm going to take the entrance exam for the directing program at Beijing Film Academy, I love what I do, right? So please ask the director, the producer, Xiao Fan'er, Hai Bo... Thank you, thank you."

Yang Che cupped his hands in greeting, then left the others, Fukasawa Kazuo, and Zheng Bingyuan outside. Dong Qing, being very sensible, did not follow them but went to the preparation room instead.

Everything that needed to be discussed has been discussed. Now it's time for everyone to get back to their own business and wait for the release date.

Kazuo Fukasawa said his assistant would return to Japan tomorrow to arrange voice-over work. Jung Byung-won, on the other hand, said his team would all return to South Korea tomorrow to work overtime.

So the three parted ways at the gate, each with their own business.

Seeing this, Secretary Zhang, who was not far away, stepped forward and said, "Mr. Yang, the organizer would like to invite you to hold a sharing session on October 30th to talk about overseas copyright issues."

Yang Che felt a surge of impatience, paused, and said, "Please convey my gratitude to Brother Zhang. It was just a lucky guess that I guessed the right question."

Secretary Zhang smiled and said, "Please forgive me for the task assigned by the leader. I've been quite high-profile today, so it's better to keep a low profile."

Yang Che waved his hand: "I know. It's not that, it's that I really don't know what to share. Some leaders just do whatever comes to mind. I'm just a newbie who just started out, what am I supposed to say?"

As for the limelight, brother, this is a world of fame and fortune. Without buzz, how will the media make you famous? And without fame, how will theaters schedule screenings for you?

Secretary Zhang nodded solemnly: "Understood. You're born for this line of work. Now, keep in touch."

"Definitely. I'm counting on you for the box office in the Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai areas."

"Ha ha."

Yang Che is right. Shanghai is a major box office draw, and the Shanghai Film Studio's influence extends far beyond Shanghai.

While he was having Liu Chang and Yu Wenhao cultivate relationships with the media, wasn't he also cultivating relationships himself?

He simply didn't want to associate with someone who was old and had accomplished nothing, no matter how high their position or power they held.

Yang Che didn't go back in, but went straight to the parking lot. Secretary Zhang said he was born to do this job, but he didn't think so. He couldn't do what most celebrities do, talking about the same topic over and over again, talking about it on one show, or talking about it once a year.

He felt awkward repeating it.

I called Dong Qing while I was on the way.

Five minutes later, Dong Qing got into the boxy Mercedes-Benz van that Yang Che was in, while the driver smoked a short distance away...

"Give."

It was a stack of the fifth set of RMB banknotes, issued this month, all in red.

Dong Qing didn't hesitate, took the money, put it in her handbag, and pursed her lips: "Thank you. Will you contact me again in the future?"

Yang Che placed his right hand on her leg; it was cool, smooth, and white.

You still have to come to the premiere in Shanghai.

"Is Fan Bingbing your girlfriend?"

Yang Che withdrew his hand and said seriously, "Yes, girlfriend. You don't need to test me. I said I wanted to be friends with you, not just sleep with you, because I think you have a lot of potential, just like me."

Dong Qing paused for a moment, then smiled gently, instantly exuding an intellectual and elegant air, though she still lacked a dignified and poised demeanor.

"Understood. Let's stay in touch. Goodbye."

Goodbye, I look forward to seeing you in the capital.

"I'm really looking forward to it too."

Dong Qing left briskly, a stark contrast to her demeanor in the morning.

In the blink of an eye, Yang Che, along with Fan Bingbing, Huang Haibo, and Wang Jinhua, returned to the hotel after their interviews.

As for the other two, they went to have dinner with several media outlets they were already familiar with, while Cheng Er went back to the Shanghai Film Studio to oversee the master tapes for Japan and South Korea... Everyone was quite busy.

"Sister Hua, will Bingbing's roadshow in December affect her original work schedule?"

"Tomorrow I'll fly to Guangzhou with Xiao Fan'er to join the cast of 'Justice Bao.' I'll discuss with the director how to adjust our schedules."

Yang Che nodded. The female lead of a movie that's already a hit before its release will have some special privileges.

I glanced at Little Fatty; this was the kind of person truly suited for this line of work. What would be a certain death for others, she could pull through, and multiple times at that...

Huang Haibo, in the passenger seat, turned around and laughed, "Brother Che, after tomorrow, who in the world won't know you!"

Yang Che looked out the window and said slowly, "I've already made my boast; now it's up to you guys to keep up the good work."