Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

"I'm from the Art Department of Shandong Normal University. I wrote an urban romantic comedy and I'm here to buy the label."

Hearing Yang Che's words, Ulan Tana's squinty eyes widened slightly: "You secured investment?"

"Hehe, yes."

"Could you tell me more about it?"

Yang Che gave an unnatural smile: "Uh... elders in the family."

"I see. I envy you."

Ulan Tana's hopeful expression quickly faded. Well, this guy's rich, so he's probably just messing around. She lost interest in the script.

Indeed, in his early twenties, without formal training, and in an urban romantic comedy—these words sound incredibly unreliable.

Urban romance—let's leave that aside; Zhang Yang's *Spicy Love Soup* was quite good. Comedy? Who has that ability?

Yang Che smiled and said, "Sister Tana, I suggest you stay in Longcheng for two days and wait for Director Li. You said that Director Li only recently came here from Beijing to take office. Take a look at the atmosphere in this factory; there are far too many dissenting voices inside."

Ulan Tana narrowed her eyes and smiled, "Speaking so subtly, are you from a family with official connections?"

Yang Che laughed and said, "Hehe, my dad drives a bus. Sister Tana, I'll go upstairs first. Wait for me a bit, I'll treat you to dinner."

"Okay, you're right, I'll wait."

Yang Che went up to the second floor and knocked on the deputy factory director's office door.

A dignified "Please come in" was heard.

Yang Che pushed open the door and entered, smiling before even speaking: "Hello, Director Peng! My name is Yang Che, and I'm here to discuss a business deal with your factory."

Peng Zhengnian is about forty-five or forty-six years old. He has a slicked-back hairstyle, a chubby face, a white shirt, and black-rimmed glasses, giving him a very retro look.

"Oh? Please have a seat. What kind of business are you looking for?"

After his conversation with Ulan Tana, Yang Che had no interest in any deeper cooperation with the Shanxi Provincial Film Studio. Finding it too troublesome, he sat down opposite her with an air of nonchalance: "Buy the studio logo."

A hint of delight flashed in Peng Zheng's eyes: "Oh? What kind of film is this?"

Yang Che smiled and said, "There are no taboos about college students' love stories. This is just the outline of the script."

"Oh? How much money are you planning to give?"

Yang Che was overjoyed; this was truly exhilarating!

"10 yuan. The factory has to be responsible for the project approval and script review. This price is not low."

Peng Zheng shook his head: "Oh? Young man, I can tell you know your stuff. 10 was the market rate two years ago; now it's at least 15...you..."

Yang Che interrupted with a smile, "I'd also like to hire you, Factory Director Wang, as a consultant. How about a consultant fee of 3?"

Peng Zheng's shoulders visibly twitched. Damn it, when has this crappy Shanxi Film Studio ever gotten a 3 yuan bonus all to itself?!

It can only be said that the film and television industry is still underdeveloped and the relevant departments don't have enough money. Otherwise, even a production company that doesn't produce any decent works would purchase a lot of filming equipment every year, and then rent it out and everyone would share the profits.

Someone asked, "Does purchasing mean buying scrap materials?" That's right, you can buy scrap materials from scrap dealers.

Therefore, behind every film and television base or art school in China that rents equipment and facilities are film studios from all over the country...

Peng Zheng coughed lightly, pondered for a moment, and then his face visibly became shiny with oil, just like the eyes behind his black-rimmed glasses: "Hehe, good, good. Back in the day, I even hosted the filming of 'The Generals of the Yang Family'."

"Oh, it's you! My apologies for not recognizing you earlier."

Yang Che wasn't exaggerating; he had genuinely heard of this person's reputation.

After all, Zhang Dahuzi had publicly criticized a certain leader of the Shanxi Province literary and art circles on several occasions, saying that during the filming of "The Generals of the Yang Family", he suppressed director Zhang Shaolin and bullied him, a cinematographer... He thanked Wang Fulin for rescuing them both from the quagmire of Shanxi Province, and so on.

This must be the person standing in front of me.

Peng Zheng replied modestly, quite pleased with himself: "That was all ten years ago, it's rare that you still remember."

However, Yang Che was very happy. He wasn't afraid of people being greedy; what he feared was people who lacked the ability to get things done.

"Director Peng, both payments will arrive this week, and I will pay you a visit then."

The light in Peng Zheng's eyes dimmed slightly, but he still smiled and said, "Oh? No problem, no problem."

"Director Peng, there's something else I need your help with. I'm applying for the directing program at Beijing Film Academy this year. Could you provide me with an internship certificate from the factory showing that I worked as a screenwriter there? Having relevant experience would make the interview easier."

"Oh? No problem, no problem. Please leave your identification information... we can get it done next time you come."

Peng Zheng immediately cheered up again. If he had something to ask for, it meant that his 30,000 yuan was almost certainly his.

The supporting documents are no big deal; a stamp is all it takes. He can handle even the actual onboarding process, let alone just an internship.

Hmm? This is a good opportunity to make another quick buck.

"Xiao Yang, what's your educational background?"

"undergraduate."

Peng Zheng asked in confusion, "Which organization are you from? You've already graduated, haven't you?"

"I just graduated this year and haven't been assigned a job yet."

"Hey, why don't you just officially join the film studio? Just bribe the personnel department with 1 yuan, uh, 5 yuan will do."

Peng Zheng was also helpless. There was nothing he could do; Yang Che had a bachelor's degree and was guaranteed a good job.

Yang Che quickly thought for a moment: "Thank you for your kind words, Director Peng. I do plan to start my own business."

"Okay then, haha, I was also wondering if it would be easier for full-time employees to take the postgraduate entrance exam."

A company recommendation would indeed make things easier, but Yang Che doesn't need that. He wants the internship certificate to cover up his lie, not only to Fan Zeping but also to his parents. All in all, it's killing several birds with one stone.

Of course, if you really want to get into the Beijing Film Academy's graduate program, this interview does have some effect, although not as much as a single work of filmography...

Peng Zheng then warmly escorted Yang Che to the stairwell, where they said goodbye.

Yang Che went down the stairs and saw Ulan Tana still sitting on the steps smoking.

Ulan Tana tilted her head: "All done?"

Yang Che grinned: "Of course, you're here to ask for money, I'm here to pay."

"Ah, that's true."

The two then walked out of the studio together and onto the sidewalk, where they encountered a man selling popsicles on a bicycle.

"Popsicle!"

Yang Che shouted decisively.

Ulan Tana laughed and asked, "Do you have any mung beans?"

So I bought two mung bean popsicles, two cents each.

Yang Che gave the popsicle vendor 5 cents and didn't ask for change.

I popped it into my mouth and sucked on it. Hmm... it does taste like mung beans, but it also tastes like saccharin. To be honest, it's been a long, long time since I've tasted saccharin.

The two of them munched on popsicles as they went to the guesthouse where Ulan Tana was staying. It was in the style of the 80s and 90s, with white walls on top and green walls on the bottom, and old-fashioned steel pipe beds.

One sat on a stool, and the other sat on the bed, each talking about their own scripts.