A leisurely life starting in a bar after being reborn

Fu Yan sat in the middle, drinking and listening to their conversation, occasionally chiming in. He didn't really engage in investment topics, instead chatting about random things—funny anecdotes from filming, embarrassing moments on set, and gossip about people in the industry. Deng Chao told a story about being kicked by a horse on set, and Wu Jing added insult to injury by saying that he later tamed the horse. Deng Chao retorted that he was just scared, that even horses are afraid of you—the two immediately started teasing each other, and Fu Yan couldn't stop laughing.

Cao Baoping and Liu Jiang were both men of few words, but it was clear they were both hardworking and reliable. Director Cao's eyes behind his glasses were sharp; he liked to stare intently at people when he spoke, as if observing something. Director Liu, on the other hand, always had his eyes lowered, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, as if some image was constantly swirling in his mind.

The drinking session lasted until almost midnight. Xu Zheng was drunk and had to be carried out by Wu Jing. Deng Chao, on the other hand, was sober. Before leaving, he grabbed Fu Yan's hand and said, "Brother Fu, see you tomorrow! You absolutely have to hear about my project, it's really interesting!"

"Okay, we'll talk about it tomorrow."

Everyone had left, and the bar was almost closing. Qiu Kai was tidying up the glasses behind the bar, while Fu Yan remained seated, his whiskey empty.

He couldn't help but chuckle as he recalled Xu Zheng's guilty look earlier.

This bald guy, you'd sell him and he'd even help him count the money.

However, speaking of the people tonight—Fu Yan swirled his glass, silently ranking them in his mind. Wu Jing and Deng Chao were actors, not his main focus. Cao Baoping and Liu Jiang were the key figures, two unknown directors with scripts but no funding—essentially the same situation he had encountered with Yang Qing before.

As for whether or not to invest, we'll discuss that tomorrow.

……

the next day.

Fu Yan was woken up by Cai Yunfei's phone call.

The phone was buzzing on the bedside table. Fu Yan turned over, squinted, and fumbled for it for a while before finally answering, feeling like he had a brick in his throat.

"Mr. Fu, I'm sorry to bother you." Cai Yunfei's voice was cautious. "Manager Lin and Manager He went to Shanghai today. There are some materials that need to be coordinated with General Manager Zhang. I'm the only one here in the office—Mr. Wu Jing has arrived and is waiting for you in the conference room."

Fu Yan took his phone away and glanced at the time: 9:40.

"Tell him to wait, I'll be there in a bit."

After hanging up the phone, Fu Yan lay down for another two minutes before slowly getting up. He had drunk quite a bit last night, and although he hadn't blacked out, his head was still a little heavy. He stood in front of the bathroom mirror and looked at himself—his eyes were swollen, and his face was swollen, just like when he had taken a bath last night; both were puffy, only the cause was different.

Sister Zhou had already heated up breakfast: millet porridge, fried eggs, and a dish of pickles. Fu Yan drank a couple of mouthfuls of porridge and ate half a steamed bun before his stomach felt better.

Zhao Gang was already waiting when Fu Yan left. He opened the car door, got in, said "office," and then leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes to rest.

-

I arrived at the office close to ten o'clock.

Cai Yunfei sat at the office reception desk, wearing a newly bought gray business suit, her hair styled in a simple bun, looking much more capable than during her last interview. Seeing Fu Yan enter, she immediately stood up: "Mr. Fu, Mr. Wu Jing is in conference room number one, and Director Liu Jiang just arrived and is sitting in the lobby."

"Liu Jiang is here too?"

"Yes, he made an appointment for 10:30."

Fu Yan checked the time. Well, they were meeting almost simultaneously. He might as well meet them together; they were probably doing the same thing anyway—attracting investment.

"Call everyone to Conference Room Number One."

Cai Yunfei nodded and turned to make the arrangements. Fu Yan first went into his office, poured himself a glass of water, and then checked his email on his computer—nothing important. Then he got up and went to the conference room.

Wu Jing and Liu Jiang had already sat down, with two empty seats between them, creating a somewhat awkward atmosphere—probably because neither of them expected to meet the boss with another person.

"Brother Fu!" Wu Jingxian stood up.

"Hello, Mr. Fu." Liu Jiang also stood up.

"Sit down, sit down, don't be shy." Fu Yan sat down in the main seat, looked at the two of them, and said, "It's perfect that you're both together, saving me the trouble of meeting you twice. Come on, just get to the point, what's the project?"

Wu Jing and Liu Jiang exchanged a glance. Wu Jing spoke first: "Brother Fu, shall I go first?"

Liu Jiang made a "please" gesture.

Wu Jing took a folder out of his bag and handed it to Fu Yan with both hands: "This is my script, called 'Wolf Fang,' an action film with a military theme."

Fu Yan took it and flipped through it. The script cover had the words "Wolf Fang" printed on it, and below it in smaller print—"Screenwriter/Director: Wu Jing".

He turned to the first page and slowly read on. Wu Jing and Liu Jiang remained silent; one held his teacup, feigning composure, while the other looked down at his folder.

Fu Yan read the script neither quickly nor slowly. He wasn't analyzing the script's artistic value—that was beyond his judgment, the director's job, not the investor's. He was looking at the story framework, character settings, and the number of scenes, which directly affected the budget's reasonableness.

"Wolf Warrior" tells the story of a special forces soldier who infiltrates enemy territory alone to complete a mission. It features numerous action and explosion scenes, but the overall scale is relatively small, with concentrated locations, requiring minimal extras and special effects. It's a typical low-to-medium budget military film.

Fu Yan hadn't seen this movie in his previous life, but he'd heard of it. It was Wu Jing's directorial debut, a military-themed film. Reviews and box office results were mediocre—but it didn't lose money; breaking even was a good possibility. For someone transitioning from actor to director, not losing money on their first film was considered a success.

This project is worth investing in. I'm not looking to make a fortune; I just want to make a friend—I saw Wu Jing clearly last night while we were drinking. He's a man of few words but genuine, and he has real skills. He'll definitely make it in the military action field. Investing now while it's cheap won't hurt.

Fu Yan closed the folder and turned to Liu Jiang: "Director Liu, what about yours?"

Liu Jiang handed over a thinner folder: "President Fu, this is called 'Starting Today,' an urban comedy."

Fu Yan opened it.

"Starting Today" tells the story of a middle-aged man who returns to China after living abroad and encounters a series of unfortunate events. The script is light, the pace is brisk, and there are plenty of laughs. It's not the kind of forced, ticklish humor, but rather the absurdity of life's unexpected twists and turns.

As Fu Yan watched, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

He had seen this in his previous life.

Back then, he was still in school, and in his spare time, he would binge-watch TV series, one of which was "Starting Today." It wasn't a big production, but it was really well-made—no sentimentality, no affectation, just storytelling, about an ordinary person being battered and bruised by life, and then getting back up. It was low-budget, with simple scenes, relying mainly on the plot and acting to carry it.

As for the box office, Fu Yan couldn't remember exactly, but for a film of this size, it wouldn't lose much, at most a hundred or two hundred thousand. What he was investing in wasn't the box office, but Liu Jiang himself—the ability to make a comedy stand out is rare.

"What about the budget?" Fu Yan closed the folder.

Wu Jingxian said, "Eight million, including publicity and distribution."

Liu Jiang followed up: "Four million, including publicity."

Fu Yan nodded; both numbers were within his expected range.

He was silent for about five or six seconds—in fact, he had already made up his mind, but he paused out of habit to appear cautious.

"Okay! I've voted for them all."