Becoming a Movie Star, System Only Finished Loading After Ten Years
Chapter 54: Waving the Banner to Borrow Authority (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Waving the Banner to Borrow Authority (Seeking Monthly Votes)

If you want to stand out in front of others, you have to suffer behind the scenes～～

I don’t know why, but when a few people heard Qi Hao say he had someone backing him, they all thought of this phrase.

Ah, ptooey!

Our Qi Hao definitely isn’t that kind of person; it’s all the fault of the media smearing Qi Hao recently, accidentally leading them astray.

"You know capital? No wonder you started your own studio." Ye Weimin realized.

One’s own failure is undoubtedly terrifying, but a friend’s success is even more distressing!

Qi Hao didn’t explain, just nodded and said, "I have a friend who wants to invest in films for fun. He has quite a bit of money, and for movies of big production and subject like ours, he might be interested. How much more money is needed now?"

"What does he do?" Chen Kexin had to ask clearly.

"Coal business..." Qi Hao spoke frankly.

"Oh!!!" Chen Kexin and others exchanged glances and suddenly realized.

Turns out it’s a Coal Boss!

Directors have a love-hate relationship with Coal Bosses.

Coal Bosses rarely interfere with the creation of films and series, apart from finding actresses, they have no other demands and respect professionals.

But they occasionally do slip people in.

The quality of the actresses they bring in is often unspeakable, after all, Coal Bosses have atrocious taste.

"Sure, for now, two million will do, and we’ll see how it goes later." Ye Weimin nodded, acknowledging the Coal Boss’s entry.

Right now, "October Fortress" doesn’t lack big capital; it lacks local tycoons.

"Alright, the film festival is about to start, I’ll make a call to ask."

Qi Hao got up, quickly found a corner where no one was around, and started making a call, naturally contacting Gao Yang.

This Coal Boss is a bit impatient, repeatedly urging Qi Hao to find him a project.

If it weren’t for his daughter being held hostage at Qi Hao’s side, he might have already turned hostile.

Also, since Gao Yang’s daughter Gao Fei is an employee at Qi Hao Studio, Qi Hao is especially attentive to finding a project.

Moreover, Qi Hao is thinking of long-term cooperation.

So he doesn’t want Gao Yang to be conned after entering the game.

Now, with "October Fortress," even if the box office doesn’t explode, it should at least meet award-winning standards.

After all, the films Chen Kexin has produced frequently sweep awards.

"Brother Yang, there’s a project now, the producer is Chen Kexin, the director of "Oath of Allegiance" a while ago, the producer is Ye Weimin, who directed "Triad Society: Sisterhood," and Zhou Xingxing starred in "Hundred-Change Star Monarch." Yeah, the director is Chen Delin, who directed "Mission City" starring Fang Long..."

Qi Hao hadn’t finished speaking when Gao Yang excitedly shouted:

"Invest, invest!"

It felt like wanting to watch a soccer match and directly being taken to the World Cup finals.

He originally thought Qi Hao would first present him with a small cake to taste.

After all, Qi Hao, being an actor himself, had little voice and connections in the capital circles.

Unexpectedly, he started with a king bomb.

"Oath of Allegiance," "Triad," Fang Long... each one is a thunderous name.

"Brother Yang, don’t get too excited; there are a few things I need to clarify with you."

"Actually, those directors and producers don’t matter. I don’t even know what producers and directors do, but I trust you, brother. If you say it’s worth investing, then it surely is..."

Gao Yang remained calm but was still generously spirited.

"First, this project involves Chen Kexin. He has some skills, but his greed is truly greedy. However, he’s just the producer; the director and producer are other people. He can’t do much, and I’ll have Old Tian keep an eye on him for you..."

Nowadays, some people rely on looks to eat, and some rely on shamelessness; evidently, Chen Kexin is the latter.

He is famously known in the circle for loving to make money.

However, "October Fortress" is Chen Delin’s years of hard work, and Ye Weimin is a doer.

On the capital side, there are Yu Dong and Han Sanping.

Chen Kexin can’t really fleece much from this movie, which has a budget of just over one hundred million.

As for the forty-million Central Ring City, that’s a project of Songjiang Film City.

"I understand, who isn’t greedy, haha!"

Gao Yang felt a bit touched; Qi Hao genuinely had his interests at heart.

But the people Qi Hao interacts with and the ones he does are not on the same level when it comes to greed and boldness.

Coal Bosses are never afraid of your greed; they’re afraid you might not take it.

Of course, the film industry is different from his previous industry, with Qi Hao helping to oversee, he can be even more assured.

"Secondly, this film investment is too high, with a total investment of over one hundred million. Now you need to invest twenty million. In my personal judgment, the film might not earn much money, but without big wage earners like Li Lianjie, it won’t lose too much either."

Qi Hao was honest.

He didn’t have a suitable script in hand, so he didn’t want to miss "October Fortress." He wanted to find new investors for October Fortress but wouldn’t deceive recklessly.

"Twenty million, no problem!" Gao Yang agreed without hesitation.

Compared to investing ten million in an art film with no big stars or famous directors, surely it’s better to invest in a blockbuster with a constellation of stars.

Bragging about this in the future is going to feel incredible.

Not every Coal Boss gets an opportunity like this.

As the first investment meant as a learning experience, if even ten million can be recouped from twenty million, Gao Yang feels it’s worth it.

"Uh, you shouldn’t expect too much from this film. At most, it won’t be a complete flop, but calling it a classic might be a stretch."

Qi Hao couldn’t help but remind him.

He was worried Gao Yang had overly high expectations for his first film investment, thinking it might be an iconic movie.

"No worries, it’s fine. As long as it’s entertaining."

That’s how lavish Coal Bosses are, and they truly enjoy a spectacle.

After Qi Hao got the car, Gao Yang planned to find a place to celebrate, saying it’s a tradition in Shanxi to not only hold a banquet but also set off fireworks and firecrackers.

Unfortunately, Qi Hao turned it down.

"Third, the movie probably can’t accommodate new people. Shooting starts in June, and the cast is mostly set."

"Accommodate?"

Gao Yang was puzzled.

"Ahem, some investors like to put relatives or friends into the film to experience acting."

Qi Hao didn’t spell it out bluntly. It really meant putting in mistresses or concubines one, two, three, four, five, six, or seven...

As for Coal Bosses, when poor, they stand alone; when rich, they have wives and concubines in abundance.

"No, of course not. Don’t worry, I’ve said it before, professionals should handle professional things. With you here, I’m at peace; I won’t interfere..."

"Then I have no problem. But before investing, Brother Yang, you’ll need to register a company with film investment capabilities."

Qi Hao wasn’t sure if Gao Yang was prepared.

"Oh, you just register one for me, under Fei’s name. You won’t need to invest any money; I’ll give you... how about 20% equity in name only."

Gao Yang wasn’t worried about such small matters.

He completely trusted Qi Hao.

If Qi Hao intended to cheat him...

Well, do you think he made his billions with just a pickaxe?

"Brother Yang, I can’t accept that."

This money felt too hot to handle, and Qi Hao had high standards.

He wanted to work with Gao Yang mainly to ride on Gao Yang’s coattails into the capital circle, freeing himself from having to rely on drinking and networking to find resources.

Having this opportunity was enough; he really wasn’t looking to profit off Gao Yang.

For example, in "October Fortress," Gao Yang invested twenty million. He might incur a loss, but Qi Hao’s two-million producer fee would be paid regardless of the investment’s outcome.

Taking that 20% would complicate things too much.

If Gao Yang asked him to launder money or something, it would be impossible to escape.

"Just consider it a management fee. I treat you as a brother, so don’t feel like an outsider."

Gao Yang, however, was insistent, even if his direct offer of 20% seemed outrageous and inevitably stirred unease.

Qi Hao wanted to refuse further, but Gao Yang had already hung up the phone.

Plus, the venue was getting crowded, making it unsuitable for calls.

Qi Hao had no choice but to temporarily let it go and went over to share the information with Ye Weimin and Chen Kexin.

There’s no need to be hesitant over those twenty million; hurry and prepare to start filming.

Dammit, for a movie with an investment in the hundreds of millions, having a twenty-million gap forces a schedule change. Is that really necessary?

"Your backer decided to invest without even meeting in person?"

Ye Weimin was taken aback.

Despite how many movies claim investments in the billions,

in reality, apart from the big corporations in the industry, most production studios have investment scales below ten million.

Coming up with twenty million at once definitely makes the financiers’ eyes light up.

"My boss is very easygoing and, indeed, has some money. But it’s his first time investing in a movie, so I’ll need you all to support him a bit, hoping it boosts his confidence in our film investment. Haha..."

Qi Hao’s words were both true and false.

The main purpose was to let Chen Kexin and Ye Weimin know that although the Coal Boss has money, he’s not a fool. If they want future collaborations, they shouldn’t be too greedy.

"Rest assured, does he have this kind of wealth?"

Ye Weimin crossed his index fingers together, representing ten, hinting if the Coal Boss has a billion.

"How would I know that? I have to tread carefully around him, I only know he’s doing quite well and is quite influential..."

Qi Hao was waving a big flag as a shield, definitely playing up Gao Yang’s stature.

However, Qi Hao wasn’t lying either.

For Gao Yang to reach this point, he certainly was quite adept.

Moreover, he’s not like the typical Coal Boss; you can tell he’s the sort who can wield legal weapons but can also set them down to lift real ones.