I am a Big Player
Chapter 539: Life is like a play (First update)_1

Chapter 539: Life is like a play (First update)_1

"Crazy Stone" officially entered the prep stage, and Zhang Ming willingly joined Qinghe Film and Television. Out of the principle "don’t suspect those you employ, don’t employ those you suspect," Ren He greatly relaxed the company’s policies for Zhang Ming in the charter. To ensure smoother collaboration, Zhang Ming didn’t reject a single member of the staff from Qinghe Group that came to work at Qinghe Film and Television; all the financial personnel were Qinghe Group’s own.

Zhang Ming’s attitude actually became a bit clearer, and Ren He could sense that Zhang Ming wanted to integrate into the collective of Qinghe Group.

This was a bit strange; Ren He didn’t know where Zhang Ming’s trust in him came from, but it was for the best. Ren He’s goal was to make a great movie; he didn’t care much about the process.

Ren He was planning to completely hand over the operating rights of Qinghe Film and Television to Zhang Ming. After all, there was only just over ten million yuan in the account; even if Zhang Ming ran off with the money, Ren He wouldn’t bat an eyelid, let alone the idea that the other party would do such a thing.

In his previous life, the budget for "Crazy Stone" was just barely 3 million, but this time, Ren He estimated it to be 8 million for "Crazy Stone," aiming to make the film a bit more refined.

However, Zhang Ming directly opposed Ren He’s idea, believing that 5 million was enough.

Zhang Ming thought that "Crazy Stone," as a movie, shouldn’t be exquisite. Its sets, props, and the like should be closer to real life; that was what could make the film look more realistic and absurd.

You couldn’t just increase the budget and make the factory look nicer, or make the motel next to it seem a bit more stylish.

"Crazy Stone" was a film that used coarseness and life-like qualities to deepen its black humor.

Ren He was amused. He had always heard of directors seeking additional investment; how had it come to be that Zhang Ming was trying to save money for the big boss? The remaining 3 million, though trivial for Qinghe Group, gave Ren He a comfortable feeling with this attitude.

Both parties wanted to create a quality film; only by aiming for the same goal could their boat sail further.

When the deal with Qinghe Film and Television was settled, and the temporary office space for casting and prep work was rented, Ren He headed to the capital suburb base early in the morning, bringing along the three brothers from his dorm. They followed Ren He cluelessly, having no idea where they were going.

When they asked Ren He what this was all about, he simply said they’d know when they got there, keeping an air of mystery.

Zhang Ming had also made it clear to Ren He in advance: no matter if the three met the requirements or not, he would take them. But if they truly weren’t up to par, they couldn’t blame him for giving them a hard time.

What could Ren He say? Of course, he agreed with schadenfreude!

"Are you not playing a role yourself?" Zhang Ming asked curiously. He genuinely didn’t understand if Ren He was really like he claimed, not interested in acting at all.

"No, I’m not," Ren He shook his head. "There’s no need to persuade me. Drama is fun, but when it comes to movies, I feel that working behind the scenes is more enjoyable than acting in front of the camera."

People’s pursuits differ; some find it meaningful to receive applause and cheers on stage, but Ren He had already enjoyed great fame. He didn’t lack applause or cheers; he only lacked a heart at peace to make movies.

When they arrived at the capital suburb, the three dorm brothers still knew nothing about what was to come. Li Shuaizhen, who hung around Hengdian daily, had never actually been in a proper movie. Ren He even consulted Zhang Ming to find out if it would be okay for them to skip classes at the Central Academy of Drama for a while; Zhang Ming said it would be fine and smiled mysteriously.

Then at the base in the capital suburb, the first person Ren He saw turned out to be Chen Da!

Crap! Why is Chen Da here?! Panic instantly set in among the dorm brothers; they were slightly frightened of Chen Da, their department head, on a regular day!

But Ren He thought of some possible scenarios, and Zhang Ming came out laughing, "How about that, I told you not to worry. Your department head is here to act in the movie, playing the role of Bao Shihong."

Ren He suddenly realized that it was indeed as he had imagined. Chen Da unexpectedly showing up here meant he was certainly going to be in the film.

The character of Bao Shihong in the film is a security team captain, a very honest man, fierce when he needs to be fierce, and stubborn when he needs to be stubborn.

Whether Chen Da could bring out that dramatic touch of Bao Shihong, Ren He believed Zhang Ming had his own sense of proportion.

Zhang Ming confided to Ren He, "Chen Da once couldn’t stand the unwritten rules in the industry and blew the whistle to the media, offending a big name in the film and television industry. It resulted in him being completely ruined in the entertainment circle, with nobody daring to hire him for movies, effectively blacklisting him."

Zhang Ming said a lot, the gist of it being that Ren He was one of the few who didn’t need to worry about that bigwig. He had his own funds, his own resources, and both the Qinghe Group and Luohe Group stood above the entertainment industry.

If that bigwig was a local snake, then Qinghe Film and Television was a dragon crossing the river.

With Luohe Group controlling one third of the national cinemas, even if they managed to offend that bigwig, he would have to hold his nose and accept it, or else it would be no different from giving up a third of the domestic market.

Ren He deeply felt how difficult the entertainment industry was, that a magnate could be so easily manipulated by a wealthy outsider...

According to Zhang Ming, the idea was to give Chen Da a hand. There were no doubts about his acting ability, something Zhang Ming felt strongly about. Initially, Zhang Ming was one of those most optimistic about Chen Da, but then that incident happened.

Zhang Ming was a bit worried, what if Ren He didn’t want to offend the bigwig in the industry? But he soon found that Ren He didn’t care in the slightest. When Zhang Ming mentioned that person’s name, Ren He’s first reaction was... Who is that?

Another name he hadn’t heard of!

Helping Chen Da? Was that even a question for Ren He? That was his department head, after all. If the head could act in his company, wouldn’t it make his four years of university life splendid?

No need to worry about failing a class! Was there anyone else who could have a more comfortable university life? Other students had to attend to their teachers—serving tea, giving presents, buying meals, doing various menial tasks—to make their university life a bit more comfortable.

Yet here he was, not having to do anything at all. Instead, the department head would be working for him... Bloody brilliant! At least it felt bloody brilliant psychologically!

Chen Da didn’t feel awkward at all; he already regarded Ren He as the boss of a film and television company, not as his student.

When Ren He unveiled all his identities to Chen Da, except for the Knight, Chen Da no longer treated Ren He as just another student.

Life is like a drama, Chen Da felt like he was dreaming.

...

The ceremony is starting in a while, my wife is doing her makeup, and I am here typing... isn’t this awesome?