"He said it, and I believe it."
Just that statement alone made Bai Ze feel that the young man before him was no ordinary person.
"If that’s the case..." Bai Ze stroked his chin and thought hard for a good while, then slammed the table firmly, "I’m in! My sister is so sure about this, I’ll shoot this film for the sake of my sister’s confidence! So, tell me, how much do you plan to invest? Give me a figure."
"One hundred and fifty million," Wang Hao quoted directly, "That’s the baseline."
"That much?" Bai Ze’s eyes widened when he heard the number, "Are you sure?"
Wang Hao nodded, "I’m sure."
"Great!" Bai Ze immediately made a decision, "Then I’ll go contact the investors right now."
In normal circumstances, a movie production usually involves several companies co-investing; it’s rare for a single company to fund the entire project, which is why Bai Ze’s reflex was to think about gathering investors.
But unexpectedly, before he could finish his sentence, Wang Hao was already shaking his head, "No, you bring as much as you can, Mr. Bai, and I’ll take care of the rest."
"This..." Bai Ze felt increasingly that this young man in front of him was quite extraordinary—able to handle the money by himself?
"I don’t want a bunch of messy people coming here and telling me what to do," Wang Hao said with a smile, "Mr. Bai, you just need to put up the money, whatever you can."
Bai Ze frowned and thought for a while, then gritted his teeth firmly, "I’ll put in fifty million! Can you handle the rest?"
"No problem," Wang Hao stood up with a smile, "I’ll notify you when I need your money."
As Wang Hao was about to leave, Bai Ze looked at Bai Yaning and asked quietly, "Little sis, your friend..."
"He’s the screenwriter of ’Domestic Agent,’ and he recently wrote a script named ’Smiling Proudly in the Martial World’," Bai Yaning also stood up and then said, "You just be assured. ’Domestic Agent’ was invested in with only ten million, and it’s already hit seven hundred million views online. ’Smiling Proudly in the Martial World’ hasn’t been released yet but it should be good too. Also, he’s currently updating two books on Fengyun Chinese website, both of which are doing very well. One is called ’Break the Heavens’ and the other ’Devouring the Stars.’ Other..."
"That’s enough, enough!" Bai Ze looked at Wang Hao, his eyes almost falling to the ground, "My god, it’s you! I was wondering which young man nowadays could have such nerve, no wonder, no wonder! Alright, then it’s settled!"
Li Bomming and the others came out of Bai Ze’s company, Liu Qiwen said dejectedly, "Director Li, are we just giving up on such a good opportunity? Although that young man is quite arrogant, there’s no need for us to be angry with him."
"What do you know," Li Bomming stood at the company’s entrance and suddenly laughed, "Let me tell you, a military-themed film has too great a chance to flop, and we won’t make much money. Did you not read the budget? It’s only a total of forty million in projected investment. Even if we bustle around for a year, how much can we earn? It’s actually good that this young man showed up today; we can just use this opportunity to change our crew."
The others nodded in agreement, "That’s right, investing so little in this film, after accounting for actors, props, location, and such, we’ll only split a few million in total. What’s the point?" "Exactly, after all the hustle and bustle of shooting a film, it averages out to maybe a million or so per person, what a joke!"
"Actually, before today, there was something I didn’t tell you," Li Bomming patted his belly and laughed heartily, "Yesterday, an investor approached me. This is what we call a big production. Guess how much the budget is?"
Liu Qiwen took a deep breath, "A hundred million?!"
"Not to criticize you, but you just think too small!" Li Bomming raised two fingers directly, "Two hundred million! A guaranteed blockbuster with special effects!"
Everyone present inhaled sharply in unison, "If we’re investing two hundred million, doesn’t that mean..."
"We could each pocket at least thirty to fifty million," Li Bomming said proudly, "The movie is called ’Three Lives of Love, a Single Peach Blossom Tree’. The story that guy told was so twisted and incredible, a love story entangled across three lifetimes. That’s what you call art, get it?"
"Indeed, Director Li knows what he’s doing!" The crowd exclaimed in admiration, "No wonder he was going head-to-head with that young man earlier. Now it looks like he came just at the right time; otherwise, it wouldn’t be easy for us to leave!"
"Obviously," Li Bomming laughed heartily, "Life is like a play; it’s all about the acting!"
As he said this, he suddenly stroked his chin and added, "However, since he showed up with Miss Ice Princess, it seems he’s not just any ordinary person. Hmm, a young screenwriter with the surname Wang... Can somebody ask around to see if there are any young screenwriters with the surname Wang in the industry?"
"I’ll ask," Liu Qiwen immediately took out his phone to inquire.
Soon, he exclaimed while looking at his phone, "Director Li, found him!" He showed the phone to Li Bomming, "This young man’s name is Wang Hao. He was the screenwriter for that popular online drama ’Domestic Agent.’"
"Oh? ’Domestic Agent’?" Li Bomming took the phone and saw the name, asking, "Meng Zenan? What’s he up to now?"
Li Bomming straight away started to ask, and quickly received a message in response—
Meng Zenan: "You met Wang Hao? That guy’s arrogance knows no limits. It was because of him that I left the crew of ’The Smiling, Proud Wanderer.’ Have you guys left too?"
Li Bomming: "Yeah, this guy came in and started throwing his weight around. It was a great opportunity for us to leave. Old Meng, I’ve got a project on hand right now, an investment of two hundred million. Interested in taking a look?"
Meng Zenan: "Two hundred million! Sounds good, where are you guys? I’m in Zhonghai right now. Can we arrange to meet up? I’m actually with Yu Zhinan at the moment, and he’s got a bone to pick with this kid!"
Li Bomming: "Yu Zhinan! The rising young heartthrob recently? The guy’s got the looks to beat him by a long shot! Bring him along, let’s discuss this together!"
Meng Zenan: "Done, arrange a time, Director Li; let’s meet up and talk!"
Li Bomming: "Let’s meet at 6 p.m. at Shangri-La. I’ll bring the investors with me, and we’ll go over the project thoroughly!"
Bai’s Film and Television Entertainment Company.
"Hey, come on in, quick," Bai Ze ushered Wang Hao and Bai Yaning into his office, eagerly pouring a cup of tea for Wang Hao and saying with a smile, "Your ’Domestic Agent’ screenplay was absolutely classic. I watched it twice, quite outstanding! Since it’s by you, I can rest easy. Oh, by the way, when will ’The Smiling, Proud Wanderer’ be released? I’ve been really looking forward to it!"
"Well," Wang Hao replied sheepishly, scratching his head, "I haven’t actually checked on their progress recently. Let me just..."
But just as he began to say this, his phone rang! Picking it up, he couldn’t help but laugh—it was exactly whom he was thinking of. The number flashing on the screen belonged to Director Yang Shoulin!