Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

Yang Che raised his hand and continued, "Let's sign the agreements in a bit. After all, most of you are just as poor as I am, so I'll pay half the wages today, so that no one will keep suspecting me of being a liar."

"Hahaha."

"Brother Che is awesome!"

"Slap slap slap"

Even Zhao Xiaoding applauded, shouting "Brother Che is awesome!" Relatively speaking, the 5 yuan salary for the nearly two-month work period was very low for him, but he was still very happy. Movies, why wouldn't he be happy to be making movies?

Qin Lan pouted.

Yang Che looked at her and said, "Distribute the agreements to everyone accordingly."

"OK."

Qin Lan laughed again.

Her pay was 1500 for two months' salary plus 3000 for the film, totaling 4500. Yes, it was a short-term job.

Looking at her lively demeanor, Yang Che couldn't help but smile, infected by her cheerfulness.

Qin Lan accompanied her roommate, makeup artist Jin Xiaoman, to the General Political Department Guesthouse two days ago, also to try her luck, just like she had submitted her resume to various film crews and gone to interviews.

Yang Che didn't pay much attention to her at first glance, as she was so different from the glamorous electronic music Dora in his memory that he simply thought of her as a makeup assistant.

When explaining the makeup look needed for the female lead to the makeup artist, she said, "Whether it's eyeshadow or lipstick, please don't use heavy colors, they're too gaudy. I want a natural, bare-faced look, characterized by naturalness, clarity, and refinement."

At this point, she looked at the "makeup assistant" beside her and asked, "What's your name?"

The "makeup assistant" paused for a moment, then blinked her eyes and said, "Qin Lan."

Qin Lan clearly saw the handsome producer with a completely different temperament change his gaze, and there was surprise in his eyes, which made Qin Lan very puzzled.

However, Yang Che almost immediately regained his composure and said, "Look at Qin Lan, she has great facial features, but look at this blush and these false eyelashes, it just looks out of place."

At the time, Qin Lan felt both ashamed and angry at what the producer said. She felt that the producer was deliberately trying to hurt her, just like the boys in junior high school who would deliberately pull her hair to get her attention.

However, what happened next changed Qin Lan's mind. Yang Che picked up a pencil and started drawing her, using her face to specifically express to makeup artist Jin Xiaoman what kind of makeup the characters in the movie should have. Yes, not just the female lead.

According to Yang Che, "Even if it's just an extra, if he's on camera for more than a second, he won't allow any incongruous makeup."

Jin Xiaoman stared wide-eyed at the image of Qin Lan created by Yang Che.

As for Qin Lan herself, her mouth was agape.

Yang Che didn't paint her with the oval face she had completely altered at some point. He painted her in what she looked like in "Princess Pearl 3," but her face was still altered. He didn't need to change her features, just a little bit of her jawline.

Then Yang Che said in a serious tone, "Qin Lan, have you ever considered acting? As I just said, your features are very good, but you're a bit plain. If you dress up properly, you'll have a lot of star quality, which is more promising than being a makeup artist."

For a moment, Qin Lan didn't know whether to laugh or be annoyed. With a hint of grievance in her eyes, she explained, "I'm not a makeup artist, I'm an actress. I've already acted in a play."

"Oh?"

Qin Lan quickly explained that she had already acted in a TV series, and even played the lead role, called "The Story of Promoting Newcomers." It was a "reward" she received after participating in a talent show during her university years. However, she fell in love with acting while studying accounting at Shenyang University of Technology and didn't want to continue her studies. She was determined to enter the entertainment industry, which is why she dropped out of school and came to Beijing to pursue her dreams.

Yang Chezhen thought her debut was "The Love Story of the Tang Dynasty," a drama with many beautiful women and an explosive plot, but she didn't expect there to be another one like this.

However, she soon realized that while it was uncertain whether the plot of "The Story of Promoting Newcomers" was bad or not, what was certain was that she definitely disliked her character in the drama.

Female celebrities don't want to talk about images of themselves before they had plastic surgery.

When Yang Che learned that she studied accounting and didn't have any film offers yet, perhaps due to her "collecting obsession," he said, "Since you studied accounting, would you be interested in helping the crew manage my accounts? You could also make a cameo appearance in roles with a lot of screen time."

Qin Lan blinked and asked tentatively, "Teacher Yang, are there no supporting roles? My acting skills are good."

Ha, at least you're self-aware enough not to immediately ask the female lead...

Yang Che's voice remained gentle: "The female supporting role should be a middle-aged woman, and the rest of the supporting roles are all men. It's alright, don't make things difficult for us."

Qin Lan did not agree at the time. She has always been a very principled person. In this era, college students can drop out of school and plunge into the ranks of those who drift to Beijing. And within two years, they can get an important role. Is this something that a brainless person can do?

After weighing the pros and cons, she decided to follow Yang Che for two months.

Whether it's Jin Xiaoman's opinion or her own judgment, she feels that the crew behind "My Sassy Girl" are all outstanding young talents, and Yang Che is an all-around talent. Their future is self-evident. As long as she gets along well with these people, she will have a strong network of connections in the industry.

So she came to the General Political Department Guesthouse again the next day, and from then on, Yang Che had a sweet and cheerful assistant by his side.

As for romantic relationships, Qin Lan hadn't even considered those things. Her most pressing concern right now was survival and signing with a big company. Besides, she didn't think Yang Che would be interested in her.

Not to mention Yang Che, even the three ugly men she'd been in contact with the most these past two days—Ning Hao, Cheng Er, and Lin Mu—looked at her indifferently, which hurt her deeply, as she always considered herself a "great beauty."

This is normal. They are all from art schools and have seen many beautiful girls. They have also dated quite a few decent girls. At this time, Qin Lan was not really stunning, just a girl from a modest family.

Thankfully, "Brother Che" is very kind, which helped her adapt to her current job quickly.

...........

Returning to the timeline.

Seeing people either flipping through documents or signing quickly with pens, their faces showing excitement or grinning, without any furrowed brows or shifty eyes, Yang Che felt a weight lifted from his heart, and couldn't help but think:

"It seems they weren't lying when they said they were satisfied with their salaries."

Previously, Yang Che and Ning Hao had drafted a personnel compensation standard that was actually aimed at veterans who had already entered the industry. For most people in the meeting room, the standard was lowered, since they were all newcomers.

When Yang Che negotiated his compensation with each of them, he offered a discount, and some of the discounts were quite substantial.

But he also earnestly told everyone, "Don't be shy about talking about money before you start a job. Be bold and say it. The worst thing is to feel dissatisfied but be too embarrassed to say it. You won't do a good job if you do that. A careless mistake can cause losses far greater than the pay."

Hmm... a bit bitchy.