Back to 17, My Brother is the Cult Leader

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Ellie

"Has the contract been signed?"

"Signed! Joining the crew next month."

"Sister Hua also came to meet me and told me to let her know when I join the crew."

"Sister Hua is a nice person; you can talk to her if you need anything."

"I'm not confident! No one in my class has taken on a role yet."

"Give me a break, it's just a few shots. All that time spent studying, and it was all for nothing?"

"They have lines too."

"Yeah, just one and a half sentences. It's just to let you experience the atmosphere on set and give you a chance to show your face."

"To put it bluntly, you don't even have a chance to mess up."

This was a role that Fang Yuan specifically requested for Huang Xiaoming.

Ticket inspector (security inspector).

The director readily agreed; it was just a cameo role, especially since the screenwriter and investor had already spoken up.

Is that even a big deal?

Today is the weekend.

Early in the morning, Fang Yuan went to the Beijing Film Academy to call Huang Xiaoming to pick him up from the airport.

It's mid-October now. Last month, Aunt Chen Xia, who lives in the United States, made an appointment to visit Fang Yuan.

There weren't many people at the airport. It wasn't like it would be more than 20 years later, when the Capital Airport hadn't been expanded yet.

"It's time, this is your turn. Hold the sign up higher."

"I've been holding this up for a while now. Why is your girlfriend's aunt making me hold up this sign?"

"I need to compare the photos."

"Besides, I've said it many times, Chen Xia is not my girlfriend!"

"Yes, no, don't be hypocritical."

"You wouldn't understand even if I explained!"

"As if you know everything!"

"Here it comes, here it comes! It looks like it's coming!"

A beautiful woman with a suitcase, wearing sneakers, jeans, and long, golden waves walked through the crowd.

The blonde woman, in her thirties, pointed to the sign in Huang Xiaoming's hand and then said to Fang Yuan:

"Are you Fang Yuan?"

The beautiful woman speaks Mandarin very well, although it's still a little awkward.

"I'm Fang Yuan, and you're Ms. Ellie?"

"Wow! I didn't expect you to be even more handsome than Xia said!"

"Not at all, welcome to Beijing."

"My God, over ten hours! This is the longest flight I've ever taken!"

"You've worked hard. Let us take you to your hotel to rest."

"Okay. Thank you! You can call me Auntie too."

"That's not appropriate, Ms. Ellie. Give me your luggage."

Ellie followed Fang Yuan toward the taxi.

Huang Xiaoming stood there, bewildered, holding the sign.

"Who am I? Where am I?"

"Fang Yuan, you bastard who forgets your friends for a pretty face!"

Fang Yuan arranged for Ai Li to stay at a high-end hotel between Wangfujing and the Central Academy of Drama.

Along the way, Ellie gazed at the unfamiliar scenery outside the window with great curiosity.

He kept pressing the shutter button on his camera.

The hotel's decor and class are also quite good.

Ellie was very satisfied.

I never imagined Beijing had such a great place.

In the evening, Fang Yuan and his companion accompanied Ellie to stroll along Wangfujing Street.

We ate Quanjude roast duck.

I received enthusiastic praise and laughter from Ms. Ellie.

The next morning, Fang Yuan picked up Ellie and went to the Central Academy of Drama campus.

"Wow! So beautiful, Fang! There are so many pretty girls at your school!"

"There are also many handsome young men!"

"Fang, I read the poem you wrote for Xia, it's so romantic!"

"Ms. Allie, I have never written poetry."

"Okay, don't be shy, I've already asked my sister."

"She said the poem meant: You're leaving, I'll wait for you to come back, but if you don't want to come back, find someone better."

"Oh, is that what you mean? I didn't know that!"

"Forget it, how can I explain it to a foreigner?"

A blonde, blue-eyed foreign woman suddenly appeared on campus; she was a stunningly beautiful woman with a strong professional aura, which was quite eye-catching.

"Look, isn't that Fang Yuan? He's with a foreign woman."

"It really is him."

Zeng Li and Yuan Quan were running on the playground early in the morning.

"Good morning, senior sisters!" Fang Yuan greeted them.

"Junior Brother Fang Yuan, who is this?"

"Oh, this is my friend from abroad. She just arrived in Beijing, and I brought her here to show her around."

"Hello! Beautiful classmates, how are you?"

Ellie greeted them as well.

Zeng Li and the others were a little confused and responded mechanically, not expecting Ellie's Chinese to be so good.

"Fang, I have to remind Xia, there are too many pretty girls around you!"

Oh my god, Fang Yuan is a little dizzy!

"Alright, Ellie, come sit in my office. We need to talk about some serious business."

"Okay, whatever you say, dear Fang."

After entering the office, Fang Yuan made a cup of tea for Ellie.

"Will you be able to get used to drinking tea? I don't have coffee here."

"Sure, Fang, I like drinking tea."

After taking a sip of tea, Ellie sat up straight.

"Fang, first of all, let me introduce the publishing house I work for, Random House."

Its Chinese name is Random House.

It is now ranked third in the North American market.

The publisher has just merged with Bantam Doubleday Dell.

It is in a critical period of expansion.

This merger has led the industry to widely predict that our magazine will become the largest children's book publisher in the United States.

With a strong distribution network and brand endorsement, its capabilities are beyond doubt.

The publisher is quite friendly to the authors.

Top authors can receive around 50% of the net profit.

As an emerging author, you can strive for an increasing royalty rate of 10%-15%.

I worked at the magazine for five years.

I am currently an assistant editor and independent agent.

The main role is to recommend and assist the editors of women's columns in magazines and to handle the works of freelance writers.

I think the book "Flying Colors" has a lot of potential.

Although it is a translated work, according to publishing statistics, women buy about 70%-80% of fiction books.

Your work features strong female characters, which is a good selling point.

For new authors, prepaying royalties is usually a more practical option.

It is a sum of money paid to you in advance by the publisher based on their forecast of your work's sales.

The royalty rate may start at 10%, but a $10 upfront payment is far more reliable than a "high royalty rate of 15%" with dismal sales.

This is my suggestion, Fang. Please consider it carefully!

Fang Yuan thought for a moment, then said, "Okay, thank you, Ellie."

"I'll consider it."

"Ellie, I'd like to know, what's the difference between a literary agent like you and a Hollywood film agent?"

"Haha, Fang, you have such a great idea, and you've come to the right person."

"Literary agents in New York primarily serve the 'books' themselves, finding the best publishers for authors;"

Los Angeles-based film and television agents, on the other hand, serve both "projects" and "people," locating job opportunities and project deals in Hollywood for their clients, including screenwriters and directors.

"When a New York literary agent successfully sells the publishing rights to a novel, if the book has the potential to be adapted into a film or television series, the literary agent usually does not personally go to Hollywood to promote the film and television adaptation rights."

They will look for a Hollywood film and television agent as a partner.

If the film and television rights are successfully sold, the two agents will share the total commission of 10%-15%.

"Literary agents and Hollywood agents are more like two closely linked links in the same chain, but with different functions."

For an author aspiring to expand their work across media, the ideal model is to find an agent who can bridge these two worlds, or to collaborate with a trustworthy partner.

"Fang, do you know? I'm someone who simultaneously possesses these two identities!"