blueteamnovel Chapter 3: Lu Xueqi must be played by Liu Yifei.
Chapter 3: Lu Xueqi must be played by Liu Yifei.
Moreover, the round-trip transportation and accommodation expenses are reimbursed, which is equivalent to a free trip.
Xiao Ding also wanted to go to the capital, so he immediately bought a ticket and boarded a train heading north.
At this time, he was living in Fuzhou. Of course, Xiao Ding was just his pen name; his real name was Zhang Jian, the same Jian as Yang Jian.
……
Having confirmed Xiao Ding's itinerary, Mu Jing immediately went to report to Ling Yuan.
Ling Yuan: "Book a nice hotel for the handsome guy, a five-star hotel, a deluxe king room."
He had initially offered to reimburse the accommodation costs, but considering Xiao Ding's financial situation, this was still a considerable expense. Therefore, he booked in advance to save trouble and put the other party at ease.
Like I said, once they become successful, they won't even look at me anymore.
Xiao Ding was at the train station when he received a call from Mu Jing. He was deeply moved to hear that the hotel had been booked, and it was even a five-star hotel. He thought to himself, "What a kind boss!"
……
At Xinghan Pictures, the door to Ling Yuan's office was gently pushed open.
Mu Jing, still dressed in a neat and capable manner, led someone in: "President Ling, Teacher Xiao Ding has arrived."
Ling Yuan immediately sprang up from the large boss's chair, his face beaming with a warm smile. Moving with lightning speed, he strode to the door and extended his hand, saying, "Oh, Teacher Xiao! It's been a long time! I'm so glad to see you! You must be tired from your journey!"
Xiao Ding seemed somewhat flustered at this moment.
He was wearing faded jeans and a plain plaid shirt, and carrying a worn-out canvas bag.
He wasn't very tall, with a slightly thin build typical of southerners. He wore a pair of worn-out thin-rimmed glasses on his nose, and behind the lenses, his eyes revealed the weariness of a long journey, but even more so, curiosity and a hint of barely perceptible excitement.
"Mr. Ling, you're too kind. Just call me Xiao Zhang or Xiao Ding." Xiao Ding quickly grasped Ling Yuan's hand and smiled a little embarrassedly.
Xiao Ding was also secretly observing Ling Yuan, thinking to himself, "He's so young and handsome. Is he a rich second-generation?"
"Sit down, sit down! Mu Jing, quick, brew Teacher Xiao some of my treasured top-grade pre-Qingming Longjing tea—yes, the one in the celadon jar!"
Mu Jing smiled and went to prepare efficiently.
Soon, two cups of clear, emerald-green tea with a fragrant aroma were served.
"Thank you, thank you." Xiao Ding was somewhat flattered. Five-star hotel hospitality, and now top-grade pre-Qingming Longjing tea—just the color and aroma of the tea were the best he had ever tasted in his life.
"Come on, have a taste first." Ling Yuan picked up a glass himself, blew on it, and then enthusiastically got to the point, "Teacher Xiao, I've been following your 'Zhu Xian' every day! The scene where Biyao blocked the sword was amazing! I was so moved I wanted to bang my fist on the table!"
Xiao Ding's eyes lit up: "President Ling, you really read it?... "
The topic was a good match, and the distance between them quickly closed, and the two chatted enthusiastically.
Ling Yuan also offered some suggestions regarding the subsequent plot.
"For example, we could have a ghostly rebirth followed by a ten-year period of decline... or we could orchestrate a beast god rebellion and seize treasures from the heavenly treasury..."
"Hmm, especially at the end, when Zhang Xiaofan returned to Grass Temple Village with the monkey, guarding that dilapidated house, guarding that obsession... Tsk, times have changed, things are no longer the same..."
Ling Yuan spoke with great enthusiasm, as if he had written those scenes himself.
He even gestured to describe the scene when a famous beast god appeared in the world: "Ten thousand beasts gallop, and the world loses its color! The sense of oppression must be maximized!"
Xiao Ding was stunned, his mouth slightly agape, and he even forgot to put down his teacup.
Some of the details Ling Yuan described were even clearer and more shocking than his vague conception!
He felt as if his thoughts had been cleaved by lightning, suddenly becoming clear and vivid, the previously vague plot points instantly coming to life. He was so excited his face flushed, and he slapped his thigh hard:
"Oh my! Mr. Ling! You...you're truly my soulmate! You understand me so well! This feeling is so right!" Xiao Ding was so excited he almost stood up, looking at Ling Yuan with eyes full of admiration, even a hint of worship. "Here, take this pen, you write it. This idea is far superior to mine!"
Ling Yuan laughed heartily and waved his hand: "Stop it! I'm good at talking, good at theory but not practice. You really want me to sit there and type every single word? Forget it, I don't have that kind of focus, I can't concentrate."
Xiao Ding laughed and pushed up his glasses: "That's true. With your income of hundreds of thousands every minute, how could you do this kind of tiring, laborious work?"
"Everyone has their own expertise!" Ling Yuan's smile faded as he looked at Xiao Ding seriously. "This job is best left to you. So, Mr. Xiao, what do you think? Come join our Xinghan Literature Network! Become our exclusive top-tier writer! I'll buy out the entire copyright of 'Zhu Xian' for a minimum of 10."
Ling Yuan paused deliberately, noticing Xiao Ding's focused gaze, before throwing out the crucial point: "Furthermore, if there's any subsequent development in film, games, publishing, or anything else, you'll get 10% of the net profit!"
"Huh? So it's just a guaranteed minimum." Xiao Ding was even more tempted! He originally thought the 10 was a one-off deal, but he didn't expect there would be a share of the profits later. Great!
So she immediately agreed: "Okay! Thank you, thank you!"
"Okay! It's a deal!" Ling Yuan was overjoyed, beaming, and slapped the sofa armrest, "Mu Jing!"
He called out towards the door.
Mu Jing entered in response.
"Go, prepare a contract for Teacher Xiao as we just discussed. A minimum guarantee of 100,000, plus a 10% share of any subsequent development profits!"
"Yes, Mr. Ling!" Mu Jing nodded and turned to quickly get to work.
Ling Yuan then turned to the excited Xiao Ding: "Teacher Xiao, you've finally come all this way to Beijing, don't rush off! Enjoy your stay for a few days! Feel free to stay at the hotel as long as you like, all expenses will be covered by the company!"
"Thank you, thank you." Xiao Ding felt as if he had met a wise ruler, and was willing to become his godfather!
……
Although Ling Yuan didn't specify a time, Xiao Ding didn't want to take too much advantage. He stayed for five days, visiting almost all the famous attractions in Beijing. He even took some time to come to the company to sign a contract before heading back.
The 10 yuan buyout fee was transferred to Xiao Ding's account immediately after the contract was signed, which was incredibly fast.
Xiao Ding is very dedicated; even while traveling here, he didn't miss a day of updating his blog.
As for the copyright development of "Zhu Xian," the current focus is naturally on online serialization and novel publishing. These will all be handled by Mu Jing.
Soon, Mu Jing led a team to negotiate with several publishing houses in Beijing and settled the matter.
In the dead of night, Ling Yuan felt a little guilty. Was it too greedy to give him only 10%?
Never mind, I'll make it up to him later when I have the chance.
For example, when adapting the novel into a TV series or movie, he could be hired as a screenwriter with a higher salary. When adapting it into a game, he could be hired as a game design consultant with some compensation.
Yes, Lu Xueqi must be played by Liu Yifei.
Who should play Biyao? Tang Yan? Zhao Liying?
Tang Yan should still be studying in the acting department of the Central Academy of Drama at this time, just like Ling Yuan, and hasn't started his second year yet.
Zhao Liying is a bit younger, the same age as Liu Yifei. She should have just graduated from junior high school and received an admission notice from a lousy vocational school, LF City Electronic Information Engineering School, majoring in flight attendant. She hasn't reported for duty yet.
Of course, both of these beautiful women had to sign.
Tomorrow, let Mu Jing go and search. First come, first served.
……
Early the next morning, Ling Yuan shared his thoughts with Mu Jing, along with relevant information.
Mu Jing: "Boss, where did you hear about these two people?"
"Don't worry about it. They're all great beauties with the potential to be big stars. Just go and do it. Try to get them to sign a ten-year contract."
"Okay, okay, I promise to complete the task for you, boss!" Mu Jing chuckled inwardly at Ling Yuan's eager look.
Actually, Mu Jing also had feelings for Ling Yuan, but with more and more beautiful women around him, she lacked confidence. In terms of looks, she was naturally far from being able to compare with those future stars.
Under Ling Yuan's guidance, Mu Jing also recruited a group of part-time "internet trolls" on the university campus, who were responsible for posting and bumping posts on various forums to carry out online promotion.
These days, there are no short videos or big data algorithms to drive traffic; everything relies on manual operation.
It has to be said that this trick is quite practical.
First, the cost is low. College students can easily make a living by doing part-time work, earning around ten yuan a day, calculated based on the number of posts. At one cent per post, one person can easily post 100 posts a day. 20 people would then post 2000 posts.
They post every day, using different IDs; it's practically overwhelming.
Xinghan Film Studio has dedicated personnel who will keep track of the "promotional bonuses" and distribute them daily.
If a post becomes a popular post in the section or is pinned to the top, there will be additional rewards.
Some college students are very clever; they even set traps and bait people to get them to reply.
In 03, there were only a handful of well-known domestic forums, and their presence was easily captured. Meanwhile, large companies still prioritized offline and traditional media promotion and looked down on this kind of approach.
Secondly, college students themselves enjoy reading novels. When they read "Zhu Xian," they are immediately captivated and spontaneously recommend it to their classmates, relatives, and friends without having to pay.
By this time, Xiao Ding had returned to Fuzhou, with a huge sum of 100,000 yuan in hand, and was able to focus on his writing. He suddenly noticed a surge in popularity for his novel, with many people leaving comments and engaging in discussions every day.
Clearly, Boss Ling has already been secretly making his move.
Xiao Ding has shifted his core work to Xinghan Literature Network, and his other online serializations have been discontinued.
The daily active users of Xinghan Literature Network gradually increased. Some other authors also joined, including some well-known figures from later generations. Ling Yuan asked Mu Jing to negotiate the copyright buyout for them.
……
Meanwhile, Ning Hao's script for "Crazy Stone" has been finalized. Ling Yuan went through it with him in the conference room, made the final decision, signed it, allocated special funds, and let him get started!
It's 2003 now, so money is worth more than it was in 2006. A budget of 150 million should be enough.
Of course, it wasn't particularly well-off, but Ning Hao was already very satisfied!
"Great! We can finally get started!" Ning Hao was so excited he almost jumped up, clenching his fist in the air as if he could already see the film set.
"As for the actors," Ling Yuan put down his pen and counted on his fingers, "I recommend my senior, Wang Luodan, for Bao Shihong's wife. She's from the 01 class of the Beijing Film Academy. She has a down-to-earth temperament and a tenacious spirit. For the role of Qingqing, I'll have my classmate Liu Jing play her. She has a good image and her acting skills are also excellent. She's perfect for playing a factory beauty with a bit of a quirk."
Wang Luodan and Liu Jing are naturally different from the actors in the previous life's "Crazy Stone", but Ling Yuan felt they were more suitable.
Most importantly, these are people close to us.
Ling Yuan favored nepotism.
Wang Luodan was a year ahead of Ling Yuan, and the two met during a student council activity. Liu Jing was a classmate and also quite close to Ling Yuan.
Now that Ling Yuan is "successful," it's natural to sign him first.
In her previous life, Liu Jing played Zhou Zhiruo in "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" in 09, which made her quite popular at the time. Her image and acting skills go without saying.
Wang Luodan only became famous in 06 for her role as Mi Lai in the TV series "Struggle".
Wang Luodan was once one of the "Four Little Actresses".
But Wang Luodan and Liu Jing were both unknown at this time. Not everyone is Liu Yifei, who can have a perfect start.
Ling Yuan had informed them beforehand, and the two were very happy. They immediately came to Xinghan Pictures and met with director Ning Hao. The fee was 2000 yuan.
For a newcomer, that's already pretty good. Yang Mi debuted as a child star, and this year she only filmed one motorcycle movie, for which she was only paid 600 yuan.
As for Liu Yifei, she was also Ling Yuan's classmate, but Ling Yuan didn't call her.
Firstly, the other party is currently in Changsha participating in "Happy Camp," marking the fairy-like girl's first variety show appearance.
In the first half of the year, "The Story of a Noble Family" was a hit, making Bai Xiuzhu a huge star. "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" had also finished filming. Although it had not yet been broadcast, the pre-release hype had already begun, and Miss Wang's popularity was naturally extremely high.
Secondly, there wasn't a suitable role for the "Fairy Sister" in "Crazy Stone." So Ling Yuan decided not to bother her any further.
"Mu Jing, go and contact Xu Zheng, and ask him to play Chairman Feng. Hmm, send the script to his email first," Ling Yuan said.
Mu Jing asked, "How much is the approximate salary?"
Ling Yuan: "Just tell them our production team is strapped for cash and doesn't have a large budget, and ask if we could be honored to invite them to participate for free? We would be extremely honored and grateful. We'll remember them for the rest of our lives!"
Mu Jing and Ning Hao, standing beside him, were immediately shocked. How could this be? Xu Zheng is quite famous now, Li Wei is an official, and "Spring Bright Pigsy" is very popular with audiences. Boss, are you kidding me?
Should I just contact them like that? Send them a script directly, for free? I'd be lucky if they didn't yell at me, let alone respond.
Ling Yuan waved his hand: "Never mind that for now, just listen to me, you won't go wrong!"
There was no other way; the boss had given the order, so Mu Jing did it.
Ning Hao was stunned and asked in a low voice, "How about we give my director's fee to Xu Zheng? I don't want the money."
I thought to myself, Xu Zheng is a big shot, can I really hire him without paying him? I'm just afraid he won't even consider my small fee. Sigh, it's tough.
Ning Hao would naturally be happy if Xu Zheng were to play the role, but he's worried they might not be able to agree on the salary. After all, with only a 150 million yuan investment, they have to be careful with every aspect.
To Ning Hao and Mu Jing's surprise, Xu Zheng quickly replied to the email, saying he didn't want any money and would participate for free!
Ning Hao: "..."
Mu Jing: "..."
The two exchanged a glance, both thinking the same thing: the boss is truly unfathomable! His judgment of people is spot on! How did he know Xu Zheng wouldn't ask for money?
This doesn't make sense.
The two came to Ling Yuan to report on their work and asked about this matter.
Ling Yuan told them that although Xu Zheng is now famous, his previous acting roles have become fixed. He urgently needs a role that will catch people's attention, change his image, and broaden his acting range.
The script for "Crazy Stone" was absolutely outstanding and caught the other party's eye. Given their vision, it became possible for him to participate for free.
"Brilliant, brilliant, boss, you're truly brilliant!"
"But is it really okay for us to scheme against Xu Zheng like this?"
Ling Yuan raised an eyebrow: "How can you call it scheming? This is a win-win situation! It's also a favor! Once our movie becomes a big hit, we'll have many more opportunities to work with Xu Zheng. Xu Zheng doesn't even mind this small fee, so why are you in such a hurry?"
Hearing this, Ning Hao and Mu Jing felt relieved.
Yes, what's this called? The emperor isn't worried, but the eunuch is?