Chapter 55: Ning Hao Directs an MV

Wang Jinghua has appeared physically and mentally exhausted these past few days.

Huayi has already cut off some resources, wanting to force her to submit, but she does not want to yield.

She has been planning to set up on her own for a long time; all that remains is to reassure the artists under her.

Zhu Yawen knocks on the door, Wang Jinghua signals for him to enter, and he closes the door.

"Sister Hua."

"Sit."

"Yawen, didn't you say you didn't know Lin Nan's itinerary? Aren't you going to pick him up today?"

Wang Jinghua teased.

"Haha, Sister Hua, you really have wronged me. That guy only sent me the message right before he left to come back."

The smile on Wang Jinghua's face faded. "Let me confirm one more time: if I decide to part ways with the company, are you willing to leave with us?"

During this period, Wang Jinghua has talked seriously about this topic with many artists; some came to Huayi with her initially, and others she brought up in recent years—Zhu Yawen belongs to the latter group.

"I'm willing. Sister Hua has taken great care of me these past two years. I'm not a person with much of an opinion anyway, so following Sister Hua is just right," Zhu Yawen said affirmatively.

Back then, Lin Nan had given him advice: if he didn't want to worry too much, he could follow Wang Jinghua; if he wanted to stay at Huayi, that was actually fine too, but he would have to put in effort regarding socializing and networking.

Zhu Yawen chose to follow Wang Jinghua.

"Good, then I have a bottom line here."

Wang Jinghua changed the subject. "Lin Nan returned from Lionsgate; did he say if he has any new film plans?"

Zhu Yawen knew this topic was unavoidable.

"I really don't know about domestic ones, but he signed a film cooperation agreement with New Line Cinema, and he has to raise investment funds this time he's back."

"What kind of film? Did he say if there's a role suitable for you?"

As a qualified agent, the first thing Wang Jinghua thought of was roles.

Zhu Yawen shook his head. "No, this one is adapted from a novel."

"That's a real pity."

Wang Jinghua said with regret.

"It's nothing, it's not like there won't be opportunities in the future."

"That's true. Based on your relationship with him, a film role won't be a problem."

After sitting for a while longer, Zhu Yawen left Wang Jinghua's office.

He turned his head and saw Li Bingbing coming over. "Sister Bingbing."

"Yawen, I'm going to see Sister Hua first, let's chat in a bit."

"Alright."

Before long, Zhu Yawen saw several familiar faces arrive at the company, all of whom went to Wang Jinghua's office one after another.

Looking at this situation, Wang Jinghua is truly preparing to make a move.

Lin Nan received a call from Ning Hao, asking him to come over for a get-together. Bad Monkey was not far away, so he simply went.

Aside from him and Xing Aina, Ning Hao's studio only had two or three people.

When Lin Nan arrived, the couple was both there, and the desk was cluttered with documents; it looked like they had taken on a job.

"You called me over, but I don't see any food or drinks prepared?"

Lin Nan complained carelessly.

Xing Aina walked over from the side and tossed an apple to Lin Nan. "We'll talk about late-night snacks later."

Lin Nan caught the apple; it was washed, so he took a bite without a word—it was quite sweet.

"Was this trip smooth?"

Ning Hao asked while sitting in his chair.

"It was smooth enough; I negotiated a new film."

"That's great."

Ning Hao gave a thumbs up.

"What are you busy with again? What kind of job did you take?" Lin Nan asked.

"An EP, the MV for one of the songs. The lyrics and music aren't even fully finished yet, but they're busy looking for a director first. Don't you think that's very interesting?"

Lin Nan was stunned for a moment, not quite believing his ears, and looked at Ning Hao.

"You haven't stooped to the level of shooting MVs, have you?"

"Get out of here, how is that possible."

Ning Hao retorted.

Hearing this, Lin Nan understood.

"They're paying a lot?"

Ning Hao did not deny it and nodded with a smile.

"I was just saying, how long has it been since 'Crazy Stone'? A 100-million-club director is shooting MVs. By the way, whose song is it, being so willing to spend money?"

Lin Nan was suddenly a bit curious.

"Don't know her, a newcomer, just a little girl," Ning Hao said.

"I think she studied dance," Xing Aina interjected.

"Right, right, I remember now. They said she used to be a student at the Beijing Dance Academy Affiliated High School. They really are sparing no effort to promote her; the director found me, and the producer found Faye Wong's producer..."

Ning Hao said with a look of admiration.

It sounded a bit familiar, but Lin Nan didn't think much of it. Nowadays, all sorts of wealthy people are drilling into the circle—singers, dancers, drama makers—it's a mixed bag, and there are tons of them.

If someone is backing them, they are bound to have a higher starting point and a smoother path than normal people.

Lin Nan suddenly felt a bit depressed. "Why does no one look for me? I'm a director too. Never mind films or television, even MVs don't look for me."

Regarding Lin Nan's sudden question, Xing Aina and Ning Hao looked at each other and laughed.

"Are you showing off? Do you believe that if you put out a statement right now saying you're taking TV dramas or MVs, your company's threshold would definitely be trampled to pieces?"

"You have both box office and awards now, and you've even gone to cooperate with Lionsgate on a film; who would dare ask you to shoot TV dramas and MVs?"

"Few people ask you to shoot films also because you have your own company, and you've rejected quite a few; others all think you don't take outside projects."

Ning Hao followed up on Xing Aina's complaint.

Lin Nan had received some script offers at the beginning, but they were all very poor. After rejecting them, he received fewer and fewer, and eventually, no one sent film offers at all.

"It seems that really is the case. I hadn't paid attention before; it turns out I blocked my own path."

Ning Hao also saw the news that Lin Nan had returned, which is why he called him over; he could guess that Lin Nan was likely at school.

Lin Nan sat in the chair next to Ning Hao, munching on the apple, and glanced at the shooting plan Ning Hao was working on.

"As expected, the pay is good; you've made quite a detailed plan."

"You get what you pay for; I certainly can't ruin my own reputation."

"By the way, should we call Huang Bo over tonight? It's more lively with more people," Ning Hao suggested.

"Call him. Has he not taken any roles recently?"

Lin Nan asked.

Ever since "Crazy Stone," Huang Bo's acting offers had suddenly increased, and he had announcements too.

"He doesn't seem to have been very busy lately, just doing some performances in the surrounding areas. As for scripts, he's very picky; sometimes he even brings the scripts to me to ask for my opinion."

Ning Hao clearly got along well with Huang Bo.

"Then call him over to join us. It's mid-summer; having a meal and catching a breeze with a few people at night, it's bound to feel great."

"I'll contact him."

Xing Aina, who was on the side, said, and she picked up her phone to dial. Before long, Huang Bo's regional-accented voice came through the speakerphone.

"Sister Na, what's up?"

Although he was older than Xing Aina, Huang Bo liked to pretend to be young when addressing her.

"Hahaha..."

Lin Nan and Ning Hao couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Who's laughing? Haozi?"

Huang Bo's voice came from the phone.

"Asking you to come over for a late-night snack tonight; Lin Nan is here too."

Xing Aina said with annoyance; she had been called old by Huang Bo.

"Oh, that's absolutely no problem, I guarantee I'll be there on time..."

Huang Bo shouted with a full voice, and one could hear some noisy laughter in the background, as if there were quite a few people.

On the other side, Huang Bo was indeed in a large dressing room, and there were other singers and stars who had attended the event with him; everyone was removing their makeup at this time.

"It sounds like someone is asking you to dinner; look at how excited you are. Who is it?"

A third-tier female singer on the side asked.

Huang Bo was very familiar with these people and said with a smile, "No one special, just Ning Hao."

"Stop showing off, 'just Ning Hao'..."

The few artists on the side believed Huang Bo wasn't lying, but his smug tone was unpleasant to hear.

"Haha, my mistake, my mistake. See you all later."

Saying this, Huang Bo walked out of the backstage dressing room in a few steps, leaving the few who hadn't finished removing their makeup chattering away.

After Lin Nan left the China Film Group, Han Sanping told several senior executives about what Lin Nan had said; as for whether to invest or not, it was indeed not something Han Sanping could decide alone, as the group had rules and regulations, and large investments had to follow a process, making a meeting indispensable.

Shanghai Film Group was much like the China Film Group; after receiving Lin Nan's call, they were quite pleased, and Ren Zhonglun, as the acting head, immediately gathered several senior executives to begin discussing the matter.

Shanghai Film Group knew that when it came to such foreign film investments, the China Film Group always held the advantage—after all, they held the import rights—and they figured they certainly wouldn't miss out this time, but they still had to fight for it if they could, and if there was an opportunity, they would fight for the lion's share.

The weather in July had started to turn hot, and by evening, even the wind was dry and sweltering.

Huang Bo was quite carefree, driving over all by himself; upon entering, he took a look around and immediately shouted, "Where is everyone? Sister Na? Rat? Director Lin?"

"What are you shouting for? We're in the workspace."

Xing Aina came out to greet him.

Huang Bo walked into the workspace with a grin, seeing Lin Nan flipping through the scripts Ning Hao had received, while Ning Hao stood to the side giving an introduction.

"Long time no see, Director Lin."

Lin Nan put down the script in his hand and looked at Huang Bo.

"You've been developing quite well lately; I heard from Ning Hao that you've turned down quite a few scripts."

"Just barely making a living, but I have to be conscientious about acting and taking roles; it's not easy to finally have some improvement, so I can't just have eyes for quick money, right, you two?"

Huang Bo said with a straight face.

"Good awareness."

Lin Nan gave him a thumbs up.

"Since everyone is here, let's decide where to go; my treat." Ning Hao patted his chest.

"Rat, did you strike it rich? I've never seen you be this generous." Huang Bo teased.

"Get lost, how many meals have you mooched off me here?"

"He took on a big job." Lin Nan interjected.

Huang Bo understood in a second, grinning as he said, "It's still easier to make money after becoming famous; I almost forgot that Rat is also a member of the 100-million-yuan club."

"Starting with the chatter again."

"Let's go, this weather calls for barbecue, and with beer, it's just refreshing; I know a place, very authentic, I used to go there after I finished singing."

Huang Bo suggested barbecue, and no one had any objections, so the four of them set off in two cars.

Lin Nan rode in Huang Bo's car, while Ning Hao and his wife took the other.

The roads at night were no less crowded than during the day, but fortunately, the distance wasn't particularly far.

"Back then, I often sang at bars, and I'd go there to eat and drink from time to time; that place had good business and was very down-to-earth..."

Along the way, Huang Bo told Lin Nan about his past, the days before he was admitted to the Film Academy, working as a resident singer and dance instructor.

"After acting in one film, I fell in love with it and thought about developing in this direction. Others told me I had to go to the Film Academy, as all the connections were there.

I thought about it, and it made sense, so I went to take the exam; the performance department thought I was ugly and old, but my brain turned, and I went straight to the vocational college, thinking no matter the major, I'd just get in first, and hey, it actually admitted me..."

Huang Bo spoke with great satisfaction, and Lin Nan found it interesting to listen to; before they knew it, they had arrived.