Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

In short, once the cast was finalized, Yang Che wasn't worried that these people wouldn't come because they were new directors and their salaries were too low. As he said before, the script was good, and film resources were extremely scarce.

After finishing their conversation, it was already 12:30, so everyone got up to go eat.

As soon as they stepped outside, Ning Hao seemed to remember something and said, "If, and I mean if, we only chose newcomers, how do we negotiate product placement? Would those brands even accept it?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Er and Wu Shixian seemed to ponder for a moment, while Qin Lan immediately looked at Yang Che.

Yang Che didn't answer immediately, but instead asked, "If you don't admit it, what are you going to do?"

Ning Hao grinned: "If they don't acknowledge it, there's nothing we can do. We'll just focus on making movies. After all, we're not famous yet. Once we become big directors, they'll naturally come."

The two nodded silently, clearly agreeing with Ning Hao's statement, and then looked at Yang Che in unison, like baby birds in a nest eagerly awaiting their food.

By this time, everyone had entered the elevator. Yang Che pressed the button for the first floor and said, "That's not wrong. As a creator, I really can't put too much energy into advertising for GG. So I told Brother Ding to introduce me to a GG company. What I need to do is share the profits and let professionals do what they do best. Besides advertising, they can also provide GG creative ideas."

As for whether or not an agreement can be reached with GG Company, all we can say is to do our best and leave the rest to fate.

Hearing this, everyone felt quite disappointed. The attitude of "do your best and leave the rest to fate" was very unlike Yang Che's.

Yang Che naturally had his own methods. He didn't tell them not because he didn't want to, but because he wasn't sure if he could handle GG Company.

Wu Shixian then said, "Brother Che, did you really study art instead of philosophy at a senior citizens' university?"

The elevator doors opened, and the light from outside shone on Yang Che's back as he turned to face them, making his figure appear somewhat unreal. His voice was full of righteous indignation: "Comrade Wu Shixian, literature and art must serve the people. We oppose art becoming detached from the masses and indulging in self-expression. We must know that true artists are not born in ivory towers, but in the streets."

Wu Shixian grinned, Cheng Er picked at the elevator floor tiles with his toes, and Qin Lan covered her mouth and laughed.

Ning Hao looked at him with disdain: "Give me a break! Your 'My Sassy Girl' is so unrealistic!"

"You know nothing. For a filmmaker, creating a genre, even a commercial one, is commendable."

"I say east, you say west."

"Hehe, what are we going to eat?"

"......."

The group left the guesthouse chatting and laughing, but their expressions suddenly changed. All five of them shared the same feeling, as if they had stepped into a furnace. They could clearly feel the burning sensation on their faces and arms, and for a moment, they even had difficulty breathing.

Qin Lan exclaimed, "It's so hot!"

At noon, with a temperature of 42 degrees Celsius, the ground is absolutely hot enough to fry an egg.

Wu Shixian fiddled with his car keys: "Let's just eat somewhere nearby, I don't want to drive right now."

Yang Che frowned: "Alright, let's have the noodles with soybean paste up ahead. Let's rest this afternoon and get back to work tomorrow."

Qin Lan happily shouted, "Long live the boss!"

Ning Hao said, "I can't take a break. The rental place needs to deliver tables and chairs this afternoon."

Yang Che sighed helplessly, "Alright, let's contact them later, then we can go over there. It's 42 degrees Celsius, one wrong move and you'll get heatstroke."

Ning Hao looked relieved: "Thank goodness you were willing to pay extra to install the air conditioner as soon as possible. You really had foresight."

Cheng Er then said, "Around 11 a.m., I saw workers still working at the construction site ahead."

Wu Shih-hsien casually remarked, "There's a high-temperature allowance, right?"

Ning Hao curled his lip: "That kind of thing is like a ghost, I've heard of it, but I've never seen it."

Yang Che smiled but remained silent.

You three, even Ning Hao, who comes from the worst background, has parents who are employees of Taiyuan Iron and Steel Group. What do you know about the hardships of life? No wonder your film "Mr. Red Carpet" is so unrealistic.

I did teach in the county town, after all...

Seeing that Yang Che wasn't responding to the topic, the three of them tacitly stopped talking about it and instead changed the subject to choosing a location and renting a few vans.

The group chatted as they walked to the restaurant, ordered a few stir-fries, and ate rice.

After agreeing to rent a bread truck first, Cheng Er's phone rang. He glanced at it and answered it.

"Hey, Brother Zheng."

"What?"

After a long while, Cheng Er asked a question in confusion, then looked up at Yang Che, who was serving tofu to Qin Lan.

After a while, Cheng Er glanced at Yang Che again before saying into the phone, "Uh... let me ask. Okay, I'll get back to you as soon as possible."

After hanging up the phone, Cheng Er said, "It's Xu Zheng on the phone."

Yang Che remained noncommittal: "You were the bald guy in your movie 'Criminals,' right? Your acting was very good."

"It's him, he acts in plays, and he even won the Magnolia Award last year."

Seeing that he was stammering and looking uncomfortable, Yang Che said, "What's wrong? Just say it."

Cheng Erqiang smiled and said, "I'm just passing on a message. He acted in a TV series, a mythological one, and while filming was going on, an investor withdrew his investment. He wanted to ask if you would be willing to invest."

Yang Che looked at him strangely: "How did he know about me?"

Cheng Er was a little embarrassed: "Uh, well, I told him before that I was going to be a film director. He laughed and said that the boss who made me a director must have both vision and money..."

Yang Che chuckled and looked at Wu Shixian: "Old Wu, look at how well he flatters me, that's what you call skillful."

Wu Shixian was very dissatisfied: "Brother Che, I don't know how to flatter."

Cheng Er then said, as if trying to make amends, "Brother Che said this drama is very interesting. It's about Zhu Bajie (Pigsy). One of the screenwriters is Wang Yuan, who is in our year and lives in Beijing."

Wu Shixian chimed in, "Wang Yuan is indeed quite remarkable; I heard he's also a poet."

Having said that, Yang Che naturally remembered what the show was: "Spring Bright Pigsy"! But it wasn't finished filming yet? He remembered that the show aired in the early 2000s, and he had watched it. Chang'e was so beautiful!

"How much money is needed?"

"He didn't say, but Xu Zheng said he invested all 25 yuan from his savings account, so he figured he could invest as much as he wanted."

Yang Che pondered for a few seconds, vaguely remembering such a thing, and then said, "Then call back and ask Wang Yuan to bring the script over this afternoon, and we'll take a look and then decide."

Cheng Er visibly breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay."

Yang Che could tell that Cheng Er didn't really want to ask, but he was too embarrassed to refuse Xu Zheng, so he was conflicted and added unnecessary psychological burden to himself. But isn't this also a sign of youth?