Chapter 58: Proposal

“Little Wu, I’ve already heard about this. Two million yuan total—one million went to Beijing Film Studio, seven hundred thousand to August First Film Studio, to make a red-themed film. Xiao Gu has already fought for you; don’t take it personally.”

“No, no, I’m incredibly grateful to Teacher Ruan and Director Gu for this chance to make a feature—I only feel thankfulness!”

“Hehe, then I won’t nag anymore. Cherish this opportunity and make a great film!”

After hanging up, Wu Yuchen thought about the information Teacher Ruan had just given him.

Good heavens—Beijing Film Studio and August First Film Studio? What merit do I, a mere nobody, have to snatch food from their mouths?

To give me thirty thousand yuan? Clearly Director Gu has gone out of his way for me!

“What? Take leave to make a feature film?!”

Xie Xiaojing choked on her goji berry tea, set down her thermos, and exclaimed in shock.

Wu Yuchen nodded with a humble smile and explained the full story to her; Xie Xiaojing couldn’t stop marveling.

He had known when Hou Keming recommended Wu Yuchen to the Wu Zhi Wu production team—it was partly to train him, partly to help him build ties with several veteran colleagues.

But Xie Xiaojing never imagined Wu Yuchen’s connections ran this deep—he’d actually secured an investment opportunity for a feature film from within that circle. If any graduated directing class students heard this, envy, jealousy, and resentment would be too weak to describe their feelings.

Xie Xiaojing stood up immediately: “Alright, skip class. Take your scripts and come with me to see Dean Hou now.”

…

In the office, Hou Keming and Xie Xiaojing each held a script—Lu De Shui and The Night the Comet Came.

As for the script for We Two, they’d already read it together upon his arrival and found no issues with boundaries.

After Hou Keming closed Lu De Shui, he exhaled deeply and smiled at Wu Yuchen:

“I thought you’d changed your ways—why’d you come up with such a wholesome script like We Two? Turns out you saved all your satirical energy for Lu De Shui!”

“Dean Hou, that’s not fair—these three are all my favorites~” Wu Yuchen protested.

Hou Keming shook his head with a smile and said:

“I like your Lu De Shui too. Filming a movie now might be hard, but you can stage it as a play first! Go back and polish the script, then hand it to Teacher Xie—let our Jingying students use it as homework practice.”

“No problem, but Dean Hou, I’ll prioritize We Two first. I’ll refine Lu De Shui when I have time.”

Hou Keming immediately understood he was reminding him, so he said:

“Alright, we approve your leave. We Two is a good story—make your first feature count. Anything else you want to say? Speak now.”

Wu Yuchen immediately said:

“Dean Hou, thirty thousand yuan really isn’t enough—the filming equipment…”

Hou Keming paused thoughtfully, then said:

“Last time you shot Che 44, it was a short film, and since you were a student, we let you use the gear for free.

But now you’re different—you’ve got thirty thousand yuan, you can build your own crew. If Qingying Studio keeps lending you equipment for free, that breaks the rules.”

Wu Yuchen nodded—he knew last time he’d only used it for three days, and no one cared; the outside world even praised the school for generosity. But if he kept using it for free going forward, he’d invite plenty of gossip.

“Here’s the deal: Qingying Studio’s equipment, as long as it doesn’t interfere with our regular teaching, will be rented to you at half price. It’s our way of encouraging student creativity!”

“Thank you, Dean Hou! Thank you, school!” Wu Yuchen bowed deeply—this would save him a fortune.

Wu Yuchen had a rough plan for shooting We Two—he couldn’t possibly spend three years like the original, but six to eight months would be necessary.

The plot of We Two follows the tenant girl and the old woman through all four seasons. Winter alone takes up nearly half the story, and that’s exactly what he can shoot right now.

After finishing the winter scenes, he could shoot spring and autumn scenes in March or April—autumn’s visuals can be achieved through color grading and lighting even in spring. Then shoot summer scenes in June or July, and wrap the film. Send it to the Tokyo Film Festival in September.

According to Wu Yuchen’s plan, the shooting span would be about half a year, with actual effective shooting time around one to two months. Add post-production, and the half-price equipment rental from Qingying Studio would save him a significant sum.

After Wu Yuchen left, Hou Keming sighed: “The younger generation is formidable!”

Beside him, Xie Xiaojing nodded: “I knew he’d achieve something someday, but I never expected it so soon!”

This student not only exceeded expectations in talent, but also in capability. Crucially, he knew when to advance and when to hold back—he wouldn’t abuse his talent to do things he knew were impossible. With a bit of luck, he could ride the wind straight to the clouds.

Therefore, both men now held extremely high hopes for Wu Yuchen’s future.

…

In the afternoon, Wu Yuchen returned to the Film Channel office building and knocked on Director Gu’s door.

“Hehe, Little Wu’s here. It’s settled—come sign the papers this afternoon. Draft a rough shooting plan these next few days, then we’ll process it—it’ll take one or two weeks.”

“Thank you, Director Gu—I truly appreciate your help!”

“It’s your script that fits our needs perfectly, and everyone thinks highly of it. The budget’s tight, though—you’ll still need to be frugal!” Director Gu knew thirty thousand yuan was meager for a feature film, especially in the film-reel era.

“Director Gu, rest assured—I’ll shoot it well. But about the budget, I have an immature proposal.” Wu Yuchen spoke respectfully.

“Oh? Go on.” Director Gu looked curious.

“Director Gu, I personally have twenty thousand yuan, and I’ll add my director’s fee—all of it invested into We Two. Could I exchange that for the overseas rights to We Two?” Wu Yuchen voiced his long-considered idea.

In his past life, The Mountain, the Man, and the Dog had a production cost of over three million yuan and sold its overseas rights for sixty thousand U.S. dollars.

He, Wu Yuchen, was making We Two with thirty thousand yuan, adding twenty thousand of his own money plus his director’s fee—was asking for the overseas rights too much?