My autobiography is definitely not a tragedy!
Chapter 348 - 230 Life Mentor

Chapter 348: Chapter 230 Life Mentor

Capacity issues and the like, of course, are just an excuse.

Whether this movie will be profitable or not, he was clearer about it than Mr. Qu and Han Fei sitting before him.

Of course, Meng Lang’s desire to invest in movies wasn’t entirely about making money.

Movies are an interesting industry.

You can invest tens or even hundreds of millions just for a single piece of shooting prop.

You can also pour in several billion to recreate a realistic live set...

Like a "superfortress" deep in the mountains.

Or say... a "doomsday cruise ship" built with billions of dollars?

Under normal circumstances, were Meng Lang to spend a huge sum on building such an impractical "doomsday cruise ship,"

such a grand move wouldn’t stay hidden, and this peculiar behavior would inevitably draw suspicion.

Military intelligence services and the like could be dealt with.

No matter how much they investigated, they’d find nothing, because only when doomsday arrived would Meng Lang’s creations reveal their true purpose.

But should the Night Demon Clan learn about his grand project, it might set off their sensitive nerves...

While there were many fanatical "doomsday enthusiasts" on Earth, Meng Lang could guarantee that in the future, he would certainly be the most fanatic and conspicuous one of them all!

In this case, finding a plausible excuse for all his bizarre investment activities was necessary.

And what excuse couldn’t "making a movie" cover?

What? Build a "superfortress"?

Yes! I’m planning to shoot a sci-fi drama about Earth’s heroes resisting an alien invasion...

What? You’re creating a "doomsday cruise ship" with a self-sufficient ecological cycle system that can last for decades without docking?

Yes! I’m preparing to shoot a maritime doomsday drama about utopia that explores human nature...

Look, a flawlessly perfect cover-up!

I’m telling you upright what I’m going to do, but all is for the sake of making movies!

Forts, cruise ships, and all that, are just shooting props at most, maybe just a bit costly, a bit realistic...

Whether you believe me or not, I don’t care, as long as the Night Demon Clan believes it, that’s enough!

Being from an Alien Race, you should be immune to human’s bizarre and perplexing behaviors... right?

So, in addition to the fields of medicine, ecological recycling breeding, and financial investment, and the inevitable involvement in the field of Artificial Intelligence in the future, Meng Lang’s next industry venture became quite clear... the film industry!

"Mr. Meng, I’m calling you Brother Meng at the behest of a friend, and I won’t lie to you, the film industry has been in a slump over the past two years.

From film projects to movie companies, and then to the publicly traded companies on the secondary market, everyone needs money!

Small companies are struggling, and big companies aren’t faring much better.

After a few years of wild growth, hot money has massively retreated, and now we’re under heavy content regulation.

Even if we producers spot a good script, attracting investment is no easy feat!

Your friend’s investment is tantamount to sending charcoal in snowy weather!"

Mr. Qu first complained about the industry and expressed gratitude toward Meng Lang’s "friend," but then he suddenly shifted the conversation.

"With a direct investment of 200 million, I certainly don’t doubt your friend’s strength and sincerity, but here’s the thing...

You see, your 200 million, combined with Miss Yan’s 20 million, makes you the major investors in this movie.

I wonder if your friend has any other requests apart from the usual box office share?

Such as details concerning financial accounting and expenditures, major versus minor contracts, or actor recommendations?"

Mr. Qu probed carefully.

His question seemed quite mundane, but only insiders could understand the deeper meaning in his words.

Investing in a movie is just like working on a project; naturally, the more you invest, the greater your say.

Now with Meng Lang and Yan Weiwei together surpassing Mr. Qu as initiators, which meant that for many decisions, even if Mr. Qu was the lead producer, he’d have to respect their opinions.

And with that, he became unsure about many things...

The film industry is notoriously murky.

What he just mentioned—financial accounting, contracts, or actor recommendations—might sound cryptic, but translated by an insider, it essentially meant...

Is the 200 million you’re providing, clean or dirty money? Does it need to be laundered?

Should we use double contracts to evade taxes?

Some big shots make movies just to maintain affairs with stars or to promote a certain mistress. Does your "friend" have any such demands?

Naturally, who would so rashly decide to invest such a large sum of money? That’s simply unscientific!

If there’s an ulterior motive, then it would make more sense.

Of course, to Meng Lang who knew nothing of the industry’s unwritten rules, it was like talking to a duck...

It left him utterly confused.

But no matter, he was always only responsible for strategic decisions; the detailed business operations were naturally handled by "professionals"...

"Cough! I’m just a small company employee, I don’t understand these details too well either. I’ll introduce my friend to you later, you can discuss it yourselves."

A small company employee?

Mr. Qu’s lips twitched.

What kind of small company employee could casually pull out 200 million?

Even if it’s your "friend’s" money, who needs to do the work of a small company employee with such a connection?

"However... regarding the recommendation of actors, my friend might indeed have one small request..."

Meng Lang seemed to think of something, as a sly smile suddenly appeared on his lips.

Seeing Meng Lang’s mischievous smile, Mr. Qu misunderstood the implication.