Chapter 53

On April 22nd, Teacher Qi Hao attended the Beijing College Student Film Festival.

Li Lianjie and Liu Dehua couldn't come due to their schedules, and the *Warlords* crew couldn't attend without a single lead, so Teacher Qi Hao had to come to accompany Chen Kexin, Ye Weimin, and others.

Moreover, the film festival had already hinted to him that they might give him the Most Popular Actor Award.

On the red carpet, Chen Kexin, Ye Weimin, Teacher Qi Hao, and screenwriter Qin Tiannan walked together.

Qin Tiannan could also be considered an old acquaintance.

Teacher Qi Hao had previously appeared as Han Zhibang in *Seven Swords*, which he wrote.

*The Warlords*, *Protégé*, including *Bodyguards and Assassins* for which Teacher Qi Hao had already signed a letter of intent, all had his participation in the screenwriting work.

To cooperate with the media visit, plus having a headache, Teacher Qi Hao only arrived on the day of the closing ceremony.

Therefore, he didn't have time to fix his hair, which was slightly messy. He wore an off-white shirt on top and a pair of dark blue jeans on the bottom, with the cuffs rolled up casually, exposing his ankles, looking casual yet stylish.

The glasses perched on the bridge of his nose gave the fans and media at the scene a different feeling.

Having good looks means being willful.

Others rack their brains to dress up, but it's not as good as him just tidying up casually.

"What were you busy with last night to be so late today?" Ye Weimin asked with a smile while waving to the audience on both sides.

No need to doubt, this old geezer must be making dirty jokes.

"Big Brother, you know me; I don't even have a girlfriend." Teacher Qi Hao didn't accept such slander.

"Life is meant to be enjoyed; better to have a romance before laying bricks." Qin Tiannan chimed in.

"Alright, you guys, be serious!" Chen Kexin had to interrupt them.

Several people walked quickly to the interview area.

They accepted a simple interview and then went inside.

"Teacher Qi Hao, I have something to tell you." Ye Weimin called out to Teacher Qi Hao, so Teacher Qi Hao had to follow them to find a place to sit and talk.

"What's wrong?"

Could it be that the role promised earlier was going to be taken by someone else?

Since his debut, Teacher Qi Hao had encountered such things many times, and he was already used to it.

Of course, he had also snatched roles from others.

For example, *Wrong Carriage, Right Groom* was snatched from Nie Yuan, and some even felt that Nie Yuan's girlfriend at the time breaking up with him was because Teacher Qi Hao had intervened.

However, those who survive a great disaster are bound to have a next time.

When casting for *The Return of the Condor Heroes*, Nie Yuan became Teacher Qi Hao's opponent once again.

The result was another crushing defeat.

Subsequently, the two film and television dramas he starred in didn't make much of a splash, and he is now at the bottom of the four young actors.

Therefore, although Teacher Qi Hao and Nie Yuan aren't exactly enemies, they don't have any friendship either.

A few days ago, when Tong Dawei held his wedding, Teacher Qi Hao didn't go.

Because Teacher Qi Hao and Tong Dawei only worked together on *Young Justice Bao 2*, while Nie Yuan and Tong Dawei are close friends in the circle; it would be easy to stir up hatred if Teacher Qi Hao went.

Nie Yuan was also here today and even greeted Teacher Qi Hao when he saw him.

The entertainment industry is like this: no matter what conflicts exist, you can only stab in the back; on the surface, everyone is harmonious.

Over here, Teacher Qi Hao followed Ye Weimin, Chen Kexin, and Qin Tiannan to find a place to sit.

"The start of filming in June that we talked about earlier might not happen."

Ye Weimin got straight to the point.

He knew that for a popular young actor like Teacher Qi Hao, freeing up a schedule is very difficult.

It was only with great difficulty that he freed up a schedule for *Bodyguards and Assassins*.

The acting fee requested wasn't high either, definitely belonging to a "friendship price."

Now that he suddenly says the schedule needs to be changed, he must make it clear in person.

"Why?" Teacher Qi Hao was indeed a bit unhappy.

Ever since he won Best Actor, the scripts sent to Lao Tian's side have piled up like a mountain.

Among them, there is no lack of big directors and big productions that everyone fights for, and some pay particularly well.

To save enough schedule for *Bodyguards and Assassins*, he rejected all these resources.

"There are some problems with funding, but don't worry, this movie will definitely be filmed; the city is almost built."

Ye Weimin was very apologetic; he felt sorry for Teacher Qi Hao.

It was obvious that Teacher Qi Hao only agreed to appear in *Bodyguards and Assassins* for his sake.

He and Teacher Qi Hao had a very good relationship during the filming of *The Warlords*, which is why Chen Kexin asked him to invite Teacher Qi Hao instead of coming forward himself.

It wasn't that Chen Kexin, the producer, was being pretentious.

"If you don't want to appear anymore, it doesn't matter; we owe you a favor, and we'll cooperate again when there's a chance."

Chen Kexin added. He was the producer of *Bodyguards and Assassins* and was worried that the movie would lose money like *The Warlords*, so he invited many big names to join as friends this time.

It's okay to film a money-losing movie occasionally, but if you keep losing, even the most awesome person will be abandoned by capital.

"Is the script finished? Can you show me the complete script?"

Now that people are speaking so nicely, Teacher Qi Hao isn't angry anymore; he never had much of a temper to begin with.

However, he thought of another matter and wanted to see the complete script before making a decision.

He had been shown the story outline and character sketches before, but the complete script was still being revised.

"I brought it, but you'll have to wait a while; I'll have someone send it over."

Screenwriter Qin Tiannan is a workaholic; even at the hotel, he would continue working as much as possible.

"Alright!" Teacher Qi Hao nodded.

Several people talked specifically about the problems encountered by the movie.

It is said that several film investors went to visit the "Central City" that was about to be built, but after seeing it, they felt the money spent wasn't worth it.

Some said if you gave them 20 million, they could build one better than this.

Some said there were similar buildings elsewhere, and there was no need to spend so much time and effort building another city.

Others said this city was built in Songjiang Film and Television City, so why shouldn't Songjiang Film and Television City pay the bulk of it?

Plus, with someone stirring up trouble inside, several investors chose to withdraw their capital.

Although they didn't account for much combined, it made the project shaky, and no one knew if anyone else would leave next.

Anyway, it definitely wouldn't start filming in June.

After a while, Qin Tiannan's assistant sent over the script materials, and Teacher Qi Hao didn't stand on ceremony; he took the script and started reading it on the spot.

Ye Weimin and Qin Tiannan looked at each other, both a bit surprised.

Teacher Qi Hao's educational level isn't high; he did a lot of homework and spent a lot of time before appearing in a movie with historical depth like *The Warlords*.

Well, spending a lot of time also had to do with him being semi-illiterate.

Reading on the spot doesn't fit his personal level.

Rather than forcing yourself, it's better to let the opponent off; why don't you take it back and read it slowly?

Unexpectedly, Teacher Qi Hao finished flipping through it before long and even closed his eyes to think for a while.

He had already memorized the script with his photographic memory.

Although some places were still confusing, at least he figured out what kind of story it was.

The plot might not be too novel, and there were some places that could be considered pretentious, but it highlighted the fate of small characters in the torrent of history just right.

In the Hong Kong film circle, which hasn't been praised for its plots in recent years, it's already considered not bad.

The character design is also quite good.

One by one, after reading, their images could emerge in his mind.

One page even marked a list of proposed actors, all big names and powerful actors in the circle.

The lineup is even more awesome than *The Warlords*.

The scripts Teacher Qi Hao has received recently, including Zhang Yimou's *A Simple Noodle Story*, Fan Xuexue's recommended *Sophie's Revenge*, and *Love Rules*, etc., none were better than *Bodyguards and Assassins*.

This was after Lao Tian screened them before they reached him.

Therefore, encountering a script above standard isn't easy, and Teacher Qi Hao doesn't want to give up casually.

After establishing his studio, he shouldered the responsibility of supporting his family.

If they don't work, a dozen people will go hungry.

But he can't just take bad movies casually; it will waste the advantage he fought so hard to gain.

Besides, if you don't film this movie in the second half of the year, what will I use to fill the time?

*New Three Kingdoms* has already been explicitly rejected.

Lu Bu was snatched by He Rundong, Zhao Yun was snatched by Nie Yuan; there are no more tough guys for me to play.

"How much capital was withdrawn?" Teacher Qi Hao pondered for a moment and asked.

"What, you want to invest? Stop messing around; just be a good actor. Investing is risky."

Ye Weimin immediately rejected Teacher Qi Hao.

Stars aren't necessarily rich; even those with high acting fees can potentially be destitute.

No matter how poor you are, don't be poor in showing off.

Once you show off, you're done for.

Gambling and investing are the culprits that lead to stars falling into ruin.

"The key now isn't these few companies withdrawing; they don't have much money combined. It's mainly that other investors have lost confidence. If you invest personally, even if you fill the hole, you can't bring confidence to other capital."

Chen Kexin pointed out the key point.

What the project lacks now isn't just money, but forces that can bring confidence to other investors.

Moreover, Teacher Qi Hao hasn't eaten a single mushroom, but he has all the symptoms.

How much money can you have? In the face of real capital flow, you're just a small fry.

"You might not know, but actually, I have someone behind me."

Teacher Qi Hao knew they had misunderstood.

He decided not to pretend anymore; it was time for a showdown.