Chapter 45: A Trip to Xiangjiang, Assembling the Crew

It was only after Lu Kuan got off the plane the next day that he received the call from Li Dawei.

This young director, just past thirty, first informed him that he had passed the audition to play Ouyang Yujian, then stammered as he probed into his relationship with Jiang Qinqin.

Upon learning from Boss Lu that Jiang Qinqin took care of him like an older sister, this lovesick director excitedly expressed his welcome, vowing that he would take good care of him on set.

Lu Kuan hung up the phone, speechless. He wasn't shameless enough to mock or make fun of this deeply infatuated director, but he did feel quite awkward...

Awkwardness aside, the 200,000 in payment for the acting role and the sale of the theme song had arrived, and Boss Lu was one step closer to his film dream.

"Mr. Lu! Over here!" Wang Minhui stood on tiptoe in the crowd, her curves looking proud in her short-sleeved top.

The average temperature in Xiangjiang in April was generally above 24 degrees, and with the sun blazing at noon, there was already a slight hint of summer heat.

Wang Minhui drove him toward the luxury mansion at Heng'an Pavilion, chatting incessantly along the way to find topics of conversation.

"Mr. Lu, Sister Mei and I both watched your rock performance. It was so impressive!"

"Really? I even cracked a note; I bet Sister Mei laughed until she couldn't straighten her back when she saw it!"

Wang Minhui pursed her lips and smiled: "Not at all. The lyrics really moved her; she watched it several times online."

"By the way, how are the mother and her two sons at Sister Mei's house doing now?"

Shortly after he had last left the port, Mei Yanfang's second brother, Mei Deming, was diagnosed with throat cancer.

He had accepted his fate; while actively cooperating with treatment, he also followed the self-cultivation advice Lu Kuan had given him, renting a place to practice near the famous Penglai Immortal Pavilion Daoist temple in the New Territories, and was behaving very honestly.

This diagnosis had truly scared the eldest brother, Mei Qiming, out of his wits. He had run a high fever for several days before finally recovering, and now he was more gentle and kind-looking than anyone.

Even the old hag Qin Meijin kept begging Mei Yanfang to contact Lu Kuan to save her two sons, terrified out of her mind, with no spare energy left to stir up trouble.

Mentioning this made Wang Minhui even more excited: "They're doing great. Now the mother is kind and the sons are filial; it's all thanks to your idea, Mr. Lu."

"Ding ding ding ding~" Wang Minhui's phone rang again, and the female driver hung up without even looking at it.

She glanced at Lu Kuan in the passenger seat to her left and probed: "Mr. Lu, could you calculate my love life for me?"

"Oh?" Lu Kuan curiously turned his head to look closely at this beautiful woman of twenty-four or twenty-five: "Does that even need calculating? Just look at your eyes, they're full of spring."

"The call you just hung up was from Xie Tingfeng, right?"

Wang Minhui was shocked: "God! You really can calculate it?!"

Lu Kuan laughed: "I guessed. I heard the flight attendants gossiping about you two on the plane. It's the envy of everyone."

Wang Minhui blushed and didn't speak, making a turn to reach their destination.

Mei Yanfang was already waiting on the second-floor terrace.

"Little brother, is it hot in Xiangjiang?"

Lu Kuan looked up. Mei Yanfang's hair was cut even shorter, but her complexion was rosy and she was full of energy, not at all like a middle-aged woman suffering from a serious illness.

"Sister, you're looking well."

The two hugged gently with smiles. Lu Kuan clearly felt that her body was not as thin as before; as the saying goes, a relaxed mind leads to a healthy body—a good mood is the best nourishment.

"You've been so busy in the mainland, you haven't come to see your sister in two months," Mei Yanfang said, feigning anger as she watched Lu Kuan drink sugar water to cool off.

"Look, let me count for you," Lu Kuan said, counting on his fingers: "I took the art exams, wrote a film script, wrote two songs, and auditioned for a CCTV drama that starts filming next month."

Wang Minhui chimed in with flattery: "Mr. Lu is very ambitious. Sister Mei, you watch his rock video every day, surely you know that?"

"Mind your own business!" Mei Yanfang laughed and scolded.

"No matter how busy you are with work, you must rest. Just look at your sister and you'll know; all these years have left me with a body full of ailments."

Lu Kuan smiled: "Don't worry. By the way, Sister, have you read the script I sent over?"

"Whiplash, right? It's written very well. I'm starting to suspect you're a fake Daoist priest. Are you possessed by some great director?"

That's right, I was possessed by a heavenly demon from beyond the realm.

Mei Yanfang turned to business: "Tell me, what can I help you with?"

Lu Kuan said seriously: "The teacher's image in this film is too dark; it will be hard to pass censorship in the mainland. I want to take the co-production route and hire Xiangjiang actors for the male lead and several supporting roles."

"Which ones?"

"Xie Tingfeng, Chen Guanxi, and Yu Wenle will do, and regarding the pay..."

Mei Yanfang smiled: "If you're short on money, I can invest."

"No need. The current preliminary budget is 6 million. I have 4 million in cash now. With Xie Tingfeng and the others as leads, the product placement for jazz drums and the coffee shop in the film can bring in at least another 1.5 million. There's basically no major shortfall."

Wang Minhui asked: "What is your target price for their pay?"

"Xie Tingfeng 1 million, Chen Guanxi 600,000, Yu Wenle 400,000." (Note 1)

Mei Yanfang and Wang Minhui exchanged a look. This estimate was very accurate; it was a discount on the market price, which was basically the standard "friendship price."

Lu Kuan had, of course, come prepared. Xie Tingfeng was currently the undisputed top young actor in the island, having started in music and possessing a certain level of acting skill.

From his image to his age, he was the most suitable choice for a lead who needed a certain level of musical literacy.

In terms of box office appeal for a co-production, he was also the first choice.

The reason Lu Kuan had dragged it out until now to come to Xiangjiang and ask Mei Yanfang to extend the invitation was that he had timed it perfectly for this awkward moment for Xie Tingfeng.

This involved the scandal he had recently been exposed for.

This incident had directly caused his real-time market value to plummet, with his advertising rates for the same period dropping from 2 million to 1 million.

The black-hearted Boss Lu had precisely seized this moment when Xie Tingfeng was in a very passive position in Xiangjiang to invite him to film in the mainland, and he could even suppress his pay—why wouldn't he do it?

"Minhui, you go invite Xie Tingfeng, and have Little Lu talk to him in person tomorrow."

Chen Guanxi's status at this time was average; once Xie Tingfeng was settled, the rest were just extras and not worth worrying about.

"Yes, Sister Mei."

Mei Yanfang's mood was quite conflicted now. She felt both the gratification of seeing Lu Kuan's ambition and the worry of whether a 20-year-old youth could shoulder the heavy responsibility of a 6 million film production.

After all, he was just a student who had only entered the world from the deep mountains for half a year and was still in the middle of applying for the directing department.

"Little brother, why don't I find you a producer? How about Jiang Zhiqiang?"

Lu Kuan pondered for a few seconds: "I can meet him to talk about distribution, but a producer isn't necessary."

Note 1: The pay refers to their advertising fees during the same period (film pay is often artificially high due to "happy money" and accounting). Both saw a sharp drop due to the scandals. Moreover, the advertising pay for entertainment stars in various industries is generally higher than their compensation for works or salaries.

For example, when Yao Ming's annual salary was 15 million dollars back then, Toyota offered an endorsement fee of 300 million RMB, though he didn't take it.





(End of chapter)