FWTS Chapter 135

 After Teacher Shi Fifteen's last meeting with President Wang in Shanghai, he returned to Xingcheng the next day, but both Boluo and Xiaopang stayed behind. Xiaopang was involved in the preparations for the music studio, while Boluo stayed to help because Teacher Shi Fifteen didn't have many work arrangements recently.

Xiaopang had slimmed down quite a bit during this period and had become much more mature. Although his time as an assistant wasn't long, he had gained a lot of experience being around Boluo. Plus, Boluo was very diligent in guiding him, so Xiaopang was now considered qualified.

Despite his appearance, Xiaopang was extremely diligent and quick-witted, with a remarkably high level of enthusiasm. This wasn't just a passing phase; it was a trait ingrained in his character.

Some people naturally exude warmth and friendliness, and Xiaopang fell into that category. He also appeared quite approachable.

Fei Ning, who hadn't seen Xiaopang for a while, couldn't help but comment, "Xiaopang, what on earth have you been through during this time? When I came to Shanghai last time, you weren't this thin. Is this guy mistreating you? Why don't you come back with me and stop suffering?"

Fei Ning noticed Xiaopang's weight loss and other changes, expressing surprise. Youth was indeed a wonderful thing; a little bit of experience could completely transform a person. Well, this circle was certainly quite demanding.

Xiaopang vigorously shook his head, saying, "I'm fine here; I don't want to go back. Monkey Ge treats me well, and he even promised me a million-yuan annual salary!"

Hou Muyun was pleased to hear the first half of Xiaopang's statement, but the second half made him want to rush out the door. "Who the hell promised you that?!"

Boluo chimed in, "Huh? You didn't agree? I heard you agree to the million-yuan annual salary, so I decided to stay too. I've already resigned from my job with Fifteen!"

This exchange amused Ahui and the others, who burst into laughter.

After the joking subsided, Hou Muyun inquired about the progress of the studio's preparations.

Equipment-wise, Ahui had everything under control, and they could procure excellent goods at relatively low prices. They had almost everything they needed, pending payment from Hou Muyun to finalize the delivery.

However, before the goods could be delivered, they needed to solve one problem: the venue.

The venue had to be in Shanghai. Although Hou Muyun initially considered placing it in Ruicheng for convenience, upon further consideration, it wasn't practical. The studio wasn't for his exclusive use; he couldn't expect everyone else to relocate to Ruicheng. However, he did have Ahui order some basic equipment for Ruicheng.

Ahui had already found a few places for Hou Muyun, and he finally settled on a venue in the same building as Teacher Shi Fifteen's studio. It was convenient in terms of transportation and had other advantages, but most importantly, it was close to Shi Fifteen's studio.

Hou Muyun's studio was new, so a slightly smaller space would suffice for now. If they needed to expand later, they could rent additional space upstairs or downstairs.

"The space isn't small; your studio is just starting out, so you don't need a large area yet. Besides, if you do need to expand, you can always rent more space later."

"Okay, let's go with this one."

Hou Muyun didn't bother looking elsewhere and simply agreed to rent the space.

Ahui negotiated the rent to 70,000 yuan per month, payable in full for a 12-month lease.

Hou Muyun didn't know if this was expensive or not, but he trusted Ahui, and the location was indeed good. Plus, it was convenient, and once the equipment was moved in and set up, they could start using it almost immediately with minimal adjustments.

With the venue and name settled, Hou Muyun instructed Ahui to contact the equipment supplier, make the payment, and arrange for delivery.

After calculating, Hou Muyun realized that he had already invested over three million yuan before finalizing the studio members. The bulk of the expenditure undoubtedly went towards equipment, and there was no way around it. Hou Muyun was ambitious, and he had Ahui purchase the best equipment available at a relatively low price, which still wasn't cheap. Moreover, this was only the beginning; more investment would be needed in the future.

When transferring money to Ahui for payment, Hou Muyun naturally transferred a little extra. He couldn't let others work for free.

However, Ahui declined, speaking very frankly, "You placed a significant order this time. The next time I buy from them, I'll definitely get a low discount, maybe even some items for free. This is akin to a kickback, so it wouldn't be appropriate for you to give me a hard-earned fee. Don't worry, I'm not working for nothing."

"Alright then."

Hou Muyun didn't insist further and said, "Let's go, I'll treat everyone to dinner."

Fei Ning grinned, "At this hour, after dinner, we can hit the nightclub!"

"Sounds good!"

Hou Muyun readily agreed, but after dinner, they didn't actually go. One reason was that he couldn't stand alcohol, and the other was that it wasn't appropriate. Of course, Fei Ning and the others went, and Hou Muyun even pushed Xiaopang to join them, covering the expenses.

The next day, Hou Muyun went to Qingtian Films. This time, Fei Ning volunteered to be the driver, saying, "You're such a big shot now! How can you drive yourself?"

Upon arrival, Fei Ning quickly got out of the car, playfully opened the door for Hou Muyun, and then followed him closely, pretending to be attentive. However, his eyes were darting around, and he muttered, "Wasn't casting supposed to start? Where are all the pretty girls?"

Hou Muyun felt like kicking him, "Is that the reason you followed me here?!"

Fei Ning smirked, "Monkey, wasn't one of your main reasons for becoming an investor related to those actresses? You made a special trip here. As an investor, there's something called... the casting couch, right?"

Hou Muyun was speechless, "Young man, your thoughts are quite dangerous!"

After exchanging a few jokes, they entered the building, and Fei Ning behaved normally.

Since the establishment of the production team, Li Xue's mood had been quite good every day. Firstly, they had a good script, secondly, they didn't have to worry about the investment, and thirdly, there were fewer awkward situations compared to other productions.

For example, casting wasn't constrained by the investors, and there weren't random people being forced into roles, which Li Xue and the assistant directors, especially the casting assistant director, appreciated.

In today's era of blockbuster IPs, the investors often exerted tight control over casting. As long as the investment was substantial, the investors usually demanded specific actors for leading and supporting roles, often limiting the options to a few well-known individuals. This monopolization of roles by a select few actors not only made the audience uncomfortable but also left some directors feeling uneasy.

But what could they do? The investors made the demands, and some directors complied either due to investor pressure or concerns about ratings. They just had to endure it.

However, this time, the investors had completely relaxed their grip on casting.

As long as the actors were currently popular and had good acting skills, regardless of their level of fame, they were considered for roles.

This change in approach greatly pleased Li Xue and the others, as it allowed them more creative freedom.

They quickly identified several main actors and began negotiations.

What excited Li Xue and the others the most was when Chu Qingyuan said that for the main and important roles, as well as the cameo roles, they could freely choose without worrying about the actresses' popularity or difficulty in hiring them. She would handle the negotiations herself!

Soon, Li Xue and the others compiled a list of potential supporting and cameo actors, but when they presented it to Chu Qingyuan, she commented, "You guys still lack courage!"

After refining the list of actors, they themselves felt it was a bit excessive. However, when Chu Qingyuan reviewed it, she remarked, "This is about right!"

When Hou Muyun arrived, he met formally with Chu Qingyuan and the members of the directorial team in the conference room, then discussed some details that required the involvement of the screenwriter, including possible revisions to certain scenes in the script.

Afterwards, Chu Qingyuan showed Hou Muyun the preliminary list of potential actors, as he was the original author, screenwriter, and investor, needing to understand in advance.

Hou Muyun glanced over it, his voice trembling slightly, "How much is this going to cost?!"

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