Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

Zhuang Huai'an took some time to buy a building.

Of course, it's not an office building; he can't afford that size yet.

It's a six-story building right next to the Beijing Film Studio, about a ten-minute walk away.

The main thing is that his current core team consists of Zhuge Liang, Feng Chu, and the three heroes from the vocational high school class, plus an unofficial member, Ning Hao.

There are about 60 senior brothers and sisters who have followed him in his two film crews.

With so many people, there really wasn't anywhere to put them. He felt that instead of renting an office building, it would be better to buy a small building himself, which could appreciate in value in the future.

Nowadays, film crews typically sign contracts for only one project. Many behind-the-scenes staff may only rely on the salary from one project to make a living, and they won't get paid if they don't work.

Zhuang Huai'an's contract with his senior classmates was that they would receive a fixed salary even if they didn't work. This was unprecedented in the current film and television industry, so they were naturally extremely happy to accept it.

Of course, the only agreement was that they had to follow the company's arrangements and were not allowed to take on jobs without the company's consent.

Zhuang Huai'an did this not because he was kind. As Ge You once said, what is the most important thing in the 21st century?

He'll definitely focus on film in the future, but it would be a shame not to bring out those classic TV series he has in mind.

Now that I've been given a second chance, I have to achieve something, I have to leave a story for future generations to read.

Gathering the three of them, Zhuge Liang, Feng Xiaogang, and others, they arrived at Building 3, Courtyard 14, Garden Road.

"With this base, we guys are no longer just street hustlers; we've finally entered the mainstream."

Zhuang Huai'an looked at the building with satisfaction. Although it only had 6 floors, it covered an area of ​​500 square meters, and the front and back yards together had 120 square meters, which was enough for his current use.

"Wow! How much money did this cost?" Sun Hao exclaimed.

"4500 million." Wang Zhiyong pushed up his glasses; he had personally transferred this money.

To be honest, Zhuang Huai'an really has to thank Han Sanping for being able to buy this location at this price.

This property originally belonged to Beijing Film Studio, but during the reforms in the 90s, it was temporarily lent to China Film Group. As China Film Group's employees increased, they built a tall building next to it.

According to the rules, this building should have been returned to Beijing Film Studio, but the studio is now practically an empty shell, so taking it back would be useless. The studio was hoping that China Film Group could pay for the building.

China Film Group also refused. It's all state-owned assets. It's a matter of changing the authority with just an approval document. Why should I have to pay for it?

Thus, this small building became a legacy issue.

Until that night when Han Sanping came to deliver the good news, after a few more exchanges, the package was sold to Zhuang Huai'an.

The tide of reform and opening up has been sweeping across the country, leaving behind too many of these legacy issues.

"Let's go in and take a look!"

The three walked into the courtyard. Manager Liu from the housekeeping company was giving instructions to the cleaning ladies. When he saw the client arrive, he waved his hand and told the ladies to do their jobs. He greeted them with a smile.

"Director Zhuang, you've arrived."

"Thanks for your hard work, Lao Liu."

"Hey, this is what we do, so thank you for taking care of me, Director Zhuang."

Manager Liu took out a pack of cigarettes and distributed them around; the group lit up and started smoking.

"Director Zhuang, we're cleaning right now and there's nowhere to sit. I know a coffee shop over there; their Blue Mountain coffee is pretty good. How about we go sit there for a bit?"

"No need, I just brought two brothers to familiarize myself with the place."

Zhuang Huai'an introduced them: "Wang Zhiyong, Sun Hao, this is my roommate, and this is Manager Liu. He's very responsible. My family's housekeeping is handled by their company."

"Hey, Director Wang, Director Sun, hello both of you, my name is Liu Lei." Manager Liu was very good at handling things. He was the director's roommate, so addressing the director as such was definitely the right thing to do.

"Hello, Manager Liu."

Just call me Lao Liu.

Once they had gotten to know each other, Zhuang Huai'an decided to become a hands-off manager again. After letting Wang Zhiyong take full responsibility for the decoration and layout, he used the excuse of needing to go into seclusion to write a script and ran away.

"Indeed, it's still better to be at home. I didn't understand those worldly matters in my past life, and I don't want to do them in this one."

Zhuang Huai'an felt no guilt about this; he believed that if he couldn't lead a team, he would just work himself to death, and he only needed to control the overall direction.

Days passed, and the base was quickly cleared up.

Wang Zhiyong is indeed very capable; he organized the company's employees into different areas according to their job types and arranged them in a very orderly manner.

The sixth floor is divided into three sections: Zhuang Huai'an's office, the editing room, and the conference room.

August 16th, the eighth day of the seventh lunar month, is an auspicious day for moving into a new house or opening a business.

Zhuang Huai'an gathered all the employees and held a small unveiling ceremony at 8:08 a.m.

[91st Film Production Co., Ltd.]

In the top left corner is a log, a crescent moon, and two stars.

When asked by his brothers if the company name had any meaning, Zhuang Huai'an simply smiled knowingly and remained silent.

This name is destined to be remembered in history.

After the sign was hung up, it was a pity that firecrackers were not allowed in Beijing. However, in order to increase the sense of ceremony, Wang Zhiyong bought a large number of hand-cranked ceremonial cannons and set them off for everyone, which was considered to be a proper gesture.

Everything was going smoothly at first.

Zhuang Huai'an, however, was somewhat troubled.

With the Venice Film Festival opening ceremony approaching, the visas for the relevant personnel have not yet been processed. Currently, only he and Wang Jingsong, as the director and lead actor, can apply for a Category C short-term visa, also known as a cultural exchange visa.

"Mr. Han, is there nothing we can do about it with China Film Group?"

"This time it's a bit difficult," Han Sanping said gravely, explaining, "Because of the events last month, the neighboring country went too far, causing the entire Italian population to have negative feelings towards Asian faces, so there are visa issues..."

Damn Koreans!

Although they made a fortune through their shady tactics, Zhuang Huai'an couldn't help but curse out loud. This was a completely undeserved disaster!

Han Sanping also said with some helplessness, "Huai'an, I feel that this trip to Venice will not go very smoothly."

"Probably not." Zhuang Huai'an recalled the awards for this year's film festival. The Silver Lion for Best Director was won by Lee Chang-dong from South Korea. This situation indicates that the Venice Film Festival has not been affected by any major incidents.

"Since things have come to this, we can only wait and see. Fortunately, you and Wang Jingsong can use the special passage."

Han Sanping reassured him, "You don't need to worry about the screening. China Film Group has a branch in Venice. I'll have someone connect you with them. If you need anything, just ask them for help."

"Okay." Zhuang Huai'an didn't stand on ceremony with him.

After hanging up the phone, Zhuang Huai'an sighed helplessly as he looked at the somewhat dejected Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Liang, as well as the four powerful figures consisting of the three vocational school students and Ning Hao.

He originally planned for his buddies to go and broaden their horizons, but things didn't go as planned, and they encountered this ridiculous situation.

"It seems we need to prepare for the worst."

Zhuang Huai'an rubbed his temples, somewhat troubled. Although Han Sanping had promised that China Film Group would provide full assistance, outsiders were no match for his own people.

The company's employees, those who know, know.