So what if I work with celebrities?

Congratulations to Director Ding!

Although Li Xing and Bai Jingrui both knew they had voted for Xu Zan, this type of film was not something that a few so-called directors and judges could decide.

There were thirteen judges, but only a few directors; most of them were high-ranking executives from China Film Group.

When the other actors saw that the two judges had said that, they naturally knew that Ding Shanxi had become the director of the film with a multi-million dollar investment.

This is an investment of tens of millions; Taiwan hasn't seen such a large investment in recent years. Previously, Li Han-hsiang was known for his big-budget productions, but after his loss of the Kuo Lien Group, many in the industry believed that Taiwan's cost of living was insufficient to support such large-scale productions.

The Chinese-speaking world can't compare to Japan, let alone Hollywood. Therefore, most of their films only reach the level of high-quality productions, which is less than a million Hong Kong dollars.

"Xianglin, you shouldn't have stood up for Xu Zan," Deng Guangrong whispered to his brother.

"Brother, Xu Zan just asked me to act in a movie. He couldn't possibly be unaware of our relationship. Someone as magnanimous as him will definitely have a bright future. I don't make many patriotic films anyway, so it doesn't matter to me."

Qin Xianglin hasn't thought about changing his acting style yet. He's currently only making art-house romance films, which limits his range. His acting skills have already reached a very comfortable level, and he doesn't need to refine them further.

Unlike his girlfriend Fang Fang, who has recently been busy making movies in Hong Kong, he feels that investing in movies is too risky and could easily lead to financial ruin.

Not everyone is like Xie Xian, who made a fortune of HK$500,000 from making a realistic film.

The seven siblings support each other and have a deep bond. All of them hold positions of influence in the entertainment industry and can speak with powerful figures.

With Xie Xian taking the lead, they also intend to start a film company, but they don't have good scripts yet and are unsure about the market.

However, Xu Zan's appearance showed Deng Guangrong a possibility: if people in the underworld invest money and find a reliable director to make a film, they can most likely make money.

"Do you think I can get Xu Zan to come here?" Deng Guangrong asked.

Qin Xianglin paused for a moment, then lowered his head and pondered for a while before saying, "I think it's difficult. I've heard... he has a deep background in the underworld, he's a member of the Lianzhu Society, and the leaders there generally respect him."

"I have more information than you. He's joined the Grey Duck faction, and I'm currently supporting him wholeheartedly. Sigh, why don't I have a follower like that?" Deng Guangrong sighed.

Not far away, after chatting with Director Ding for a few words, Zhang Aijia ran over to sit next to Xu Zan and nudged him with her elbow, saying, "Hey, don't worry about it. Winning and losing is normal. You can win it back later. You're so young."

"Young and handsome, right?" Xu Zan teased.

"Hmm!" Zhang Aijia nodded, her arm resting on the back of the chair. She turned to look at Xu Zan, carefully examining his features. "He is indeed handsome. You should be an actor; it's a pity he's a director."

"Do you have time later? How about playing pool?"

"I have a dinner appointment with Wang Yu this afternoon, are you going?" Xu Zan asked.

"Okay!" Zhang Aijia agreed without hesitation.

The noisy conference room fell silent as Mei Changling's secretary returned. After a while, officials from China Film Group entered one after another.

They sat there expressionless, their eyes frequently scanning Ding Shanxi's seat in the election, a move that further convinced everyone that the candidate had been decided.

Ming Ji opened his notebook and said in a deep voice, "Next, we will proceed with the rest of the meeting's agenda. On behalf of the China Film Group Corporation board of directors, I will announce the results of this election."

"Following the candidates' excellent presentations, the experts' deliberations and voting, and the board's final show of hands vote,"

"The selected script is 'The Eight Hundred Heroes,' by Xu Zan!"

Upon hearing this, the entire audience gasped in surprise. However, the actors then realized that being selected for this script was already quite good. No wonder Director Ding only recited a couple of lines of poetry; it turned out he had only secured the director's position.

Ding Shanxi's eyelids twitched slightly; she was a little nervous. This shouldn't be happening. Ming Ji had said I was 100% sure I could succeed. He even tried to persuade other big-name directors for me.

China Film Group General Manager Ming Ji turned a page and then read aloud:

"Based on the board's final decision, the director of 'Eight Hundred Heroes' is..."

"Xu Zan!"

Ming Ji breathed a sigh of relief after reading it, and cursed Ding Shanxi for being inhuman. Even though he had made arrangements, he couldn't have done nothing and said nothing, could he?

The meeting room became eerily quiet; you could almost hear people swallowing.

Qin Han was stunned. His lips trembled, and he immediately looked at Lin Qingxia. She looked as if she had been struck by lightning, and her resentful eyes could not be hidden at all.

She gave up on Xu Zan's movies, started practicing some ridiculous swimming, and offended Xu Zan for no reason. She even went so far as to swim with him in a swimsuit and play tennis in super short shorts in an attempt to please him.

Which of these remedial measures is more effective than directly participating in film production?

Lin Qingxia's eyes were misty as she frequently glanced at Xu Zan, who was whispering with Zhang Aijia not far away. She bit her lip, unable to express her unspeakable suffering.

Wang Yu said to Ke Junxiong, "I'll treat you tonight. This kid's got some skills. What kind of woman does he like?"

"I only heard that he seems to be dating the female lead of 'Joyful Encounters'," Ko Chun-hsiung replied.

"Joyful Encounters?" Wang Yu had absolutely no idea what this was about; he would never watch such a film. He'd rather watch an Italian or French erotic film!

Deng Guangrong rubbed his fingers together. "Fifth Brother, let's start a company too! If Lianzhuhui can make money, so can we!"

"Sure! I've noticed a New Wave trend in Hong Kong lately, and Xu Zan's films are also part of that movement." Qin Xianglin was thinking of showing off his company to his girlfriend, and maybe he could even give her a boost.

Director Ding's expression shifted, first turning bright red, then ashen. He abruptly stood up, took a deep breath, and gritted his teeth, saying:

"I think it's really inappropriate to invest such a large amount of money and have a newcomer film it."

As soon as he said this, everyone looked at him, and no one stood up to speak for him, not even the actors who had said they would work with Director Ding from now on.

Ming Ji glanced at Mei Changling, and seeing that he didn't speak, he, as the general manager, had no choice but to say, "Director Ding, this was decided by a vote of the experts and the board of directors, not by one person banging on the table. You have to understand, we are democratic..."

"Old Ji, you should know my abilities. Everyone here knows them. To put it bluntly, no one here knows more about war films than I do."

"Xu Zan is just a newcomer who has only made two films. Yes, I admit his script is excellent, but that doesn't mean he's capable of handling this big-budget production!"

"I think the board of directors has been misled, I..."

Before he could finish speaking, Mei Changling interrupted him, tapping lightly on the table. "Shanxi, sit down. I understand what you mean."

"The rules for this election were published in the newspaper more than a month in advance, and you have all seen them. We at China Film Group will follow the established rules."

"Xu Zan was the best prepared and the most innovative; all the directors present gave her a unanimous vote!"

"Yes, he's a newcomer, he's only filmed two movies, but as far as I know, his first movie, which cost 800,000, earned over 10 million at the box office and sold very well in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Japan. I heard that Japan has already negotiated with him to import the second movie."

"These two films are enough to prove Xu Zan's directing abilities!"

"Furthermore, as everyone knows now, the policy of 'suppressing Taiwanese youth, suppressing Taiwanese youth' is to give young people opportunities; this is a policy set by the higher authorities."

"As China Film Group, I believe we should implement the policies from all aspects. At the same time, we have also found such talented, thoughtful, and capable young people!"

"I think I've explained it clearly enough, haven't I?" Mei Changling looked at everyone present with a cold smile.

"Meeting adjourned!"