Amusing Ourselves to Death Arc
Agent 14
After Xin Lan asked Qin Yuyan which specific building she lived in, she discovered that they actually lived in the same building.
“This is too coincidental. Could it be that we even live on the same floor?”
Xin Lan joked, given how improbable such a situation was.
“I live on the twenty-seventh floor.”
Xin Lan raised an eyebrow; the coincidence was truly remarkable – same residential complex, same building, and now same floor.
All one could say was that fate has its inexplicable ways.
Qin Yuyan was absolutely thrilled. This apartment was the one she had selected when she was looking at properties. She hadn’t anticipated such a surprise today.
Xin Lan walked Qin Yuyan back to her home and watched as she entered her apartment.
On each floor, there were three residences – Qin Yuyan’s was on the far left, while Xin Lan’s was on the far right.
Qin Yuyan used her fingerprint to unlock the door and then gestured invitingly to Xin Lan.
“No need, I’ll come next time when I’m available. It’s just a short distance, after all. I’m heading back to the office now. If there’s anything, get in touch with me.”
Xin Lan jingled her car keys and shook her head at Qin Yuyan.
She wasn’t here to socialize and have tea; she had to rush back to the company.
She was deliberately trying to secure the female lead role in “Xiao Man” for Shen Yun. As long as no one with connections tried to take it away, her chances were quite good.
Driving out of the residential complex, she sent Shen Yun’s schedule to Zhou Qinqin.
After completing these tasks, she drove back to the company.
After a busy afternoon, Xin Lan returned home.
She didn’t check if Qin Yuyan was at home. After removing her makeup, she took off her suit, showered, changed into casual clothes, tousled her hair, and tied it into a low ponytail.
Her current appearance made her look several years younger than before. After finishing, she applied light makeup in front of the mirror, grabbed a small bag that matched her outfit, packed it with essentials, and left.
Upon arriving at the destination by car, the three individuals were already seated there.
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“Hey there, you’ve arrived! And quite punctually.”
The woman wearing glasses held Xin Lan’s hand and led her inside from outside the private room. Xin Lan greeted them with a smile.
“Lin’er, no wonder you insisted on us having dinner together. Turns out you wanted to introduce a friend.”
The speaker was a middle-aged man with slightly long hair, tied into a small ponytail at the back of his head, exuding an artistic vibe. He smiled at Xin Lan, giving off an assessing gaze.
“You’re making it sound like I’m extremely stingy. I would have invited you two to dinner even without introducing a friend, right, Brother Zhang?”
Lin Xiu pushed her glasses frames and said to the man sitting beside her.
Unlike the man next to her with long hair, the man referred to as Director Zhang had a neatly shaved head, giving him a very composed appearance.
“Let me introduce, this is Xin Lan, the senior talent agent at Star Map Entertainment. This is Director Zhang Haishan, and that’s Song Qing, the scriptwriter.”
Lin Xiu introduced each other briefly and had Xin Lan sit beside her.
When Zhang Haishan and Song Qing heard where Xin Lan came from, they both lifted their heads to appraise her with their gazes stopping on Xin Lan’s face.
“Director Zhang, Professor Song.”
Xin Lan greeted them with a smile.
Lin Xiu had chosen a hotpot restaurant for the meeting. The red oil was bubbling in the pot, and slices of meat were quickly blanched and scooped out in a matter of seconds for eating.
Several bottles of alcohol were placed in front of Xin Lan. She didn’t waste words or engage in other conversations; she began eating and drinking.
After a few rounds of drinks, Zhang Haishan and Song Qing’s complexions had improved significantly compared to earlier.
In many cases, matters among Chinese people were settled at the dining table, and many friendships were formed this way.
Lin Xiu was present this time as an intermediary, to establish connections. Thus, midway through the meal, she made an excuse and left.
After Lin Xiu left, the atmosphere suddenly grew quiet.
Zhang Haishan’s face had turned red from drinking. He squinted his eyes, resting his hand on the table.
“Miss Xin, I’ve always been direct in my speech, and it might not be easy to listen to. Let me be upfront: we can discuss anything, except commercial films and forcing someone into a project. As long as we avoid those topics, we’ll get along just fine.”
Zhang Haishan is a relatively well-known director, and the quality of the films he produces is very high. For a movie directed by someone of his stature, it should be relatively easy to attract investment. However, Director Zhang doesn’t make commercial films.
“Alright, although Lin Xiu introduced me as a representative of Star Map Entertainment, I’m not here on behalf of Star Map this time. Asking you to make commercial films and forcing individuals into projects is something I can’t do either.”
Xin Lan joked with a smile, and the previously tense atmosphere became lively again.
Knowing her own tolerance for alcohol, Xin Lan remained calm as she encouraged Zhang Haishan and Song Qing to drink.
When Zhang Haishan was starting to feel a bit intoxicated from the alcohol, Xin Lan finally broached the main topic for today.
“I heard that Director Zhang is planning to make a new film?”
Zhang Haishan waved his hand, wearing a wry smile.
“To be honest, I’ve had this script in my hands for almost half a year. I wanted to start preparing a long time ago, but the funding simply can’t keep up. Attracting investment isn’t really difficult, but they always want to meddle,” Zhang Haishan’s forehead was creased with lines, “Those with money think the film’s investment value is minimal, and those who don’t mind the money want to insert their people. As for me, I’d rather have a shortage than an excess. I don’t want those who are clueless.”
“Miss Xin seems to be well-informed. Old Zhang is indeed planning to start filming, but as Old Zhang said, there isn’t enough money at the moment.”
Song Qing hadn’t consumed as much alcohol as Zhang Haishan. She held her wine glass and looked at Xin Lan, her expression inscrutable.
He wrote that script, discussed it gradually with Zhang Haishan, and eventually brought it to fruition.
No one was more eager than him to see that play come to life, but like Zhang Haishan, he was careful not to go overboard.
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“Things will come together eventually.”
Zhang Haishan took a gulp of his drink, his face turning red. He was clearly tipsy.
“I’m quite direct in my speech. You surely didn’t arrange this meeting to discuss trivial matters. You know I’m preparing to make a film, and you’ve mentioned that you’re not representing your company. We’ve already come this far in our drinking, so let’s get straight to the point. What do you want?”
“Of course, it’s so that the people under my management can participate.”
“Do you know what kind of film we’re planning to make?”
Zhang Haishan chuckled.
“I don’t know, but I believe that with Director Zhang and Writer Song collaborating, whatever you produce will undoubtedly be high-quality.”
“For the sake of Shen Yun?”
Xin Lan raised an eyebrow in surprise, and Song Qing shook her phone.
Everyone had their networks. After Xin Lan introduced herself, Song Qing had taken the initiative to ask people she knew about her.
Her friends had told her that Xin Lan had a good reputation, and Song Qing found her demeanor likable, so she continued to engage in the conversation.
Her friends had also given her some information about the people under Xin Lan’s management, with a special mention of Shen Yun. Song Qing took note of it and even looked up Shen Yun online. She seemed promising.
If Xin Lan intended to secure a role for Shen Yun in a new project, as long as her acting was reasonable and could be developed, Song Qing felt it was worth considering.
“Not for Shen Yun,” Xin Lan smiled and shook her head, “It’s for a new talent I recently signed, Qin Yuyan.”
Zhang Haishan didn’t know who Shen Yun was, and when Song Qing mentioned her, he appeared puzzled. But when Xin Lan mentioned Qin Yuyan, his confusion escalated.
“I don’t care who she is; her acting needs to be passable.”
Zhang Haishan knocked on the table, slightly inebriated.
“Well, thank you in advance, Director Zhang.”
“Why are you thanking me?”
Zhang Haishan looked utterly puzzled.
“Thank you, Director Zhang, for giving our Yuyan a chance to audition.”
Xin Lan’s eyes curved, and Zhang Haishan suddenly grasped the situation.
“You… Alright, no problem. She can audition. Whether she passes or not, I don’t know.”
From the start of the meal until now, Xin Lan hadn’t explicitly asked Zhang Haishan for an opportunity. After all, such matters were understood without words; everyone was aware of each other’s thoughts.
Initially, Xin Lan had brought up the topic, and Zhang Haishan didn’t want to lose face. Let’s move forward. If it turned out well, it could be a pleasant surprise. If not, canceling wouldn’t be an issue either.
Zhang Haishan briefly explained the nature of the films he made, particularly stressing that there was no female lead.
It was a film centered around a male lead or even dual male leads; there was no absolute standout female protagonist.
“If we decide to go ahead, how much more funding would be required?”
Xin Lan became serious. Money was easy to come by; she had made several gains from stock trading. While it might not be sufficient, she could develop a few software programs to sell for more funds.
In reality, Star Map Entertainment could also invest, but Zhang Haishan wasn’t making the kind of commercially valuable film that investors would favor. Xin Lan thought it was better to handle it herself rather than convince Xu Fang.
“An estimated twenty million.”
When Zhang Haishan said this, there was a touch of anticipation in his tone. If Star Map Entertainment invested, he wouldn’t worry about the money.
However, if he yielded to certain capital sources, he couldn’t imagine what might become of his work.
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Twenty million was a conservative estimate; with some prudent savings, it could be achievable.
“Twenty million…”
Xin Lan contemplated, instructing Zero Nine to calculate the fastest way to acquire these funds through different channels, while also considering diversification of funding sources and creating corresponding virtual accounts.
Zero Nine’s calculation frequency was undoubtedly much higher than the technology of this era; these tasks were a piece of cake for her.
In fact, as long as Xin Lan required it, she could discreetly take out a sum of money from a wealthy merchant’s bank account without leaving a trace and repay it later. However, Xin Lan hadn’t mentioned this, so Zero Nine didn’t dwell on it.
Anyway, the host has the ability to earn this amount of money, so there’s no need to think about such methods.
“How much time do we have?”
“What?” Zhang Haishan paused for a moment, then immediately caught on. “At most, half a month.”
“So urgently?”
“Gu Zhengrong’s schedule only allows me to delay for this long. He’s my perfect male lead. When half a month is up, even if I have to do whatever it takes, I must keep shooting.”
Zhang Haishan poured a glass of alcohol, emanating a sense of unwavering determination.
Xin Lan knew about Gu Zhengrong. He was a well-known powerhouse of a male actor in the industry, with a widely recognized acting ability. Unfortunately, luck hadn’t been on his side. He had won various awards, big and small, but the Best Actor award had eluded him three times, facing formidable competitors each time.
Securing the availability of a favored actor wasn’t easy, especially someone like Gu Zhengrong. Even without the title of “Emperor of Films,” he had the essence of an emperor.
Zhang Haishan had had a bit too much to drink, and his words flowed more freely.
“Zhengrong is aware of our situation. He even said he could waive his fee and act for free. But despite our good relationship, we can’t accept that. We’re not so destitute that we can’t make ends meet, but we also can’t afford to offer too much.”
“This film must be done well, whether it’s for ourselves, for Zhengrong, or for many others.”
Xin Lan understood that with Gu Zhengrong’s involvement, this must be another film intended for awards consideration.
If Qin Yuyan could secure a role in it, even if she didn’t have particularly high popularity among the general public, she would gain recognition within the directorial circles.
Moreover, under the guidance of a capable director like Zhang Haishan, Qin Yuyan’s performance would undoubtedly be refined even further.
“Half a month, I’ll figure something out.”
“Will Star Map Entertainment be participating?”
“If Star Map doesn’t participate, then I’ll invest personally.”
Xin Lan raised her glass, her demeanor while speaking resembling that of a proud and confident queen.