Huayu: This producer has no bottom line.

Chapter 118 One Man, One Knife

The next afternoon, at a coffee shop in Yanjing.

Yin Le and Li Yang had been waiting for twenty minutes, and their coffee was almost empty, showing signs of anxiety.

A stack of A4 papers lay on the table; they were prepared documents.

When Ren Pingsheng pushed the door open and came in, the two of them stood up at the same time.

"Director Ren, I'm sorry to trouble you to make this trip in person," Yin Le said warmly, extending her hand.

"Mr. Yin, you're too kind," Ren Pingsheng said, pulling out a chair and sitting down, glancing at the stack of papers on the table.

Li Yang was more talkative than last time and took the initiative to speak, "Director Ren, we've reviewed the plan again and would like to take this opportunity to report to you."

The word "report" puts Ren Pingsheng in the position of the client.

Ren Pingsheng smiled and said, "I brought my ears here to listen to what you have to say first."

Yin Le's eyes lit up instantly when she heard there was hope.

As the owner of the film rights to "Li Xianji," he was eager to bring Ren Pingsheng into the project.

This young man in front of us is not only rich, but also has a strong market appeal. If we can get him to be a producer or co-director, this deal will be done.

"Director Ren, with the reputation of 'Li Xianji', its box office potential is limitless."

He pushed the documents on the table in front of Ren Pingsheng. "Our budget is 15 to 20 million. The cast isn't too demanding; we can hire A-list stars to lead the films and carry the box office. As long as the marketing and distribution are good, given the current box office situation, and considering that 'Go Lala Go!' grossed 46 million in four days, we can guarantee at least 100 million. After deducting the theaters' share, the investors' return on investment will be at least..."

"President Yin."

Ren Pingsheng interrupted him, not looking at the documents on the table, "Let's put the business accounts aside for now."

His gaze passed over Yin Le and landed on Li Yang. "Director Li, I'd like to ask, how are you going to stretch the original 20-minute version to theatrical release length?"

Li Yang scratched his head. This nerdy guy was clearly not used to this kind of pressure. He glanced at Yin Le.

Yin Le quickly chimed in, "That's easy. Although the animated version is only twenty minutes long, its world-building is enormous. Time lag, game challenges, time travel... if all these elements are fully explored, it could easily support a feature film of over ninety minutes."

He flipped through the documents on the table and pointed to a hand-drawn storyboard sketch.

"Our idea is to build upon the original story, complete Li Xianji's backstory, how he contracted time-lapse syndrome, the entire process of his relationship with Wang Qian from their first meeting to their breakup, and add a visual spectacle during the final playthrough..."

'

"That's the problem."

Ren Pingsheng interrupted Yin Le again, staring at Li Yang, "Let me ask you another question, Director Li, what do you think is the reason why your short film makes people's blood boil?"

'

Li Yang chimed in, "Rhythm."

"Yes, the pacing," Ren Pingsheng pointed at him, "You know it perfectly well. In those twenty minutes, every minute is moving forward, not a single frame is superfluous. The time difference setting doesn't need explanation, because the audience doesn't have time to question its rationality in that kind of pacing. But once you stretch it to ninety minutes, the audience has time to think."

Li Yang fell silent.

"And you plan to fill in the backstory, to fill in the love line between Li Xianji and Wang Qian," Ren Pingsheng continued. "But the reason why the audience is moved is precisely because that love story in the animation is left blank. You only know that he loves her madly, but you don't know what they actually went through. This kind of blankness is what makes it so captivating."

"If you fill it up completely, the audience might actually think, 'That's it? You'd sell your kidney for this level of love?'"

Yin Le looked embarrassed; his plan, which he had prepared for two months, was riddled with holes.

"Director Ren, so you mean... this project isn't worth doing?"

"It's not that it's not worth doing, it's that it's not worth doing this."

Ren Pingsheng tapped the documents on the table with his hand. "Look at me. 'Old Boys' is such a hit. Do you know how many people have advised me to quickly adapt it into a feature film and release it in theaters?"

Yin Le and Li Yang both looked at him at the same time.

"From investors to platform operators, from the media to the audience, everyone is saying, Ren Pingsheng, you have such a huge IP, aren't you stupid not to strike while the iron is hot and make it into a movie for theaters?"

"But I didn't go."

He held up one finger, "Because 'Old Boys' is a 40-minute story, its emotional impact is built on a concise structure: two middle-aged people, a song, a memory. If you force it to be 90 minutes long, you have to cram in their marital crisis, workplace difficulties, conflicts with their families... After cramming all that in, it becomes a clichéd midlife crisis movie."

He looked at Yin Le, "The same goes for 'Li Xianji.' It's almost perfect within its twenty-minute runtime, but if you force it to be ninety minutes, it will become distorted, and once distorted, the audience will criticize more than just the film..."

'

Ren Pingsheng shifted his gaze to Li Yang, "They'll still scold you for ruining the original work, even if you are the original author."

Only soft music remained in the café.

Li Yang lowered his head, his fingers unconsciously drawing circles on the table.

As the original author, he had considered these issues, but Yin Le's enthusiasm and the allure of the big screen in theaters led him to selectively ignore them.

"Then what does Director Ren think we should do?" Yin Le swallowed hard, his momentum completely suppressed.

"Don't release it in theaters, make a short film instead."

Yin Le was taken aback. "A short film?"

"Yes, we'll shoot a high-quality short film under 60 minutes," Ren Pingsheng presented his prepared proposal. "Have you heard about China Film Group and iQiyi's Youth Image Project?"

Yin Le nodded; this matter has been the subject of much discussion in the industry recently.

"We can submit the live-action version of 'Li Xianji' as our entry. If we win an award, we can get support from China Film Group for theatrical releases. Then we can think about feature films for theatrical releases. We should take it one step at a time. Taking too big a step can lead to disaster."

Yin Le frowned. "But how do you make money from short films?"

"Does every theatrical film make money? I've been making online videos and I haven't made any money?" Ren Pingsheng retorted. "A new director, making a niche sci-fi romance film, let alone whether anyone will watch it, how many theaters do you think will be willing to screen it? Whether it can even break even is a question."

"But short films are different. They have low production costs, readily available distribution channels, and product placement plus platform purchases can cover the costs. More importantly..."

He emphasized his words.

"Losing money on investments is a minor issue; if you ruin the reputation you've worked so hard to build, it will be much harder to salvage it later."

After he finished speaking, Yin Le and Li Yang's expressions changed.

Yin Le remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, "Director Ren, we need to go back and discuss what you've said."

"Of course," Ren Pingsheng stood up. "This is no small matter. Take your time to think about it, but be aware of the competition schedule for Youth Image. Contact me anytime once you've figured it out. I'm very willing to collaborate on the short film."

He didn't linger and turned to leave.

Watching his retreating figure as he pushed open the door and left, Yin Le and Li Yang looked at each other, speechless for a long time.

Finally, Li Yang spoke first, "What he said... actually makes sense."

Yin Le leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling.

He certainly knew that made sense.

Ren Pingsheng's words today were like stabbing both of them in the back.

One strike is for "profit," the other for "damage to reputation."