Chapter 778 - 768: The Thicker the Skin, the Smaller the Investment

Chapter 778: Chapter 768: The Thicker the Skin, the Smaller the Investment

The next day, Su Qing sat in his office, grimacing and rubbing his head. The hangover symptoms hadn’t fully worn off; his head hurt, and he felt drained, as though his body was hollowed out.

Last night, it was Hu Xiaoling who drove Tang Nan’s car back, so there was no need to worry. However, even though he had planned to sleep in today, Tang Nan dragged him out of bed.

Since Tang Nan had played a key role in reporting last night, Shen Yi chose to turn a blind eye to her behavior.

According to Tang Nan, the three of them, being close friends, felt everything should be shared without boundaries—quite a bold statement.

Her reasoning was compelling. Why should Qingjie be allowed to borrow it while she couldn’t? Wasn’t that favoritism?

Indeed, although he hadn’t been seeing the landlady much lately, their relationship had grown closer. It had reached a point where they were genuine friends, independent of Shen Yi.

After all, over the course of their long acquaintance, they had been through a lot together and now had connections outside of Shen Yi.

Su Qing’s association with the Wen Family, including business dealings with Wen Laoda, and the landlady’s plans to open a beauty salon—something Shen Yi had informed him about—where Huang was to be invited to oversee and promote, naturally brought Su Qing closer to the landlady.

Even without Shen Yi, their friendship stood on its own merit.

Tang Nan, however, found herself in an awkward position. While everyone was acquainted and Su Qing had once ridden her wave of popularity, they hadn’t really collaborated significantly.

She had once helped set up a studio space on her floor for a company, but Su Qing rarely visited it. Moreover, the credit for this company wasn’t just hers but rather distributed among the three of them, not a personal accomplishment of Tang Nan.

Now, with a chance for collaboration through Su Qing, she had to take it seriously. Today was the day Liao Dong and others would finalize the contract, so as the proposer, Su Qing had to be present.

The main issue was Tang Nan’s insecurity. Given that the project was initiated on Su Qing’s advice, she lacked confidence without him present. Otherwise, the signing could’ve been completed yesterday.

"Seriously? All night passed, and you’re still not over your hangover? Is it possible for someone’s alcohol tolerance to be this bad?" Tang Nan chuckled at his state.

"Mind your own business!"

"Oh, right, right. You don’t need me. But if I hadn’t put in a good word for you last night, would you have had such a peaceful sleep?"

"Thanks a lot for that. By the way, Zhang Hanjing didn’t cause any trouble afterwards, right?" Su Qing asked worriedly.

Strictly speaking, the person was no ordinary individual—a borderline third-tier artist and public figure. Shen Yi had assured there was a way to handle it, but he couldn’t help but worry.

"Oh, are you concerned now? But are you misunderstanding your dear Xiaoyi? You think her company is a pushover? Relax. Xiaoyi has many connections in the capital. Zhang Hanjing lacks both background and influence; she doesn’t have the capability to stir trouble. Plus, we have reason on our side, with video evidence. If she insists on self-destruction, then she can say goodbye to her career. Faced with the choice between venting and her future, she knows what’s wiser." Tang Nan smiled dismissively.

As someone in the industry, she knew some insider secrets unknown to outsiders and was well aware of how appearances often masked reality in the entertainment circle.

There are people, even Shen Yi, whom she wouldn’t dare offend. However, no such people were present at yesterday’s dinner. She had nothing to worry about.

She clearly distinguished who could be offended and who couldn’t.

"So has she just swallowed her anger? Can’t be, right? Taking a slap without any reaction?" Su Qing asked, puzzled.

Upon hearing this, Tang Nan rolled her eyes and spat, "No way. Last night, my and Director Wang’s phones were almost blown up. Lots of people were obliquely probing for information, especially from Director Wang’s side."

"Probing for information?"

"Yeah, since Xiaoyi and Baihua aren’t from the circle, they naturally wanted to find out what’s going on. I didn’t say much, but Director Wang’s side did leak some info. With their capability, they could’ve found out quite a bit overnight. The silence now is either them weighing the pros and cons or dropping it altogether.

Don’t worry. Since I dared let Xiaoyi make a move yesterday, it means I’m confident. You should think more about how to assist me today and give me some feedback."

"Damn, it was you all along!"

Meanwhile, in a movie set in the outskirts of the capital, Liu Yinian was sitting with Zhang Hanjing.

"Xiao Zhang, I admit I hadn’t thought everything through yesterday. Don’t take it to heart. We still need to shoot and can’t delay production progress, right?"

"Director Liu, you were the one who brought me there yesterday, and this happened. You want me to just let it go? How can I continue shooting like this?" Zhang Hanjing replied, clearly dissatisfied.

Obviously, she had received word of Shen Yi’s influential status. She was clever enough to know there were people she couldn’t afford to offend, but she didn’t want to take a slap without gaining something in return. Her response was merely an attempt to extract some benefits.

"Yes, yes, but I’ve done some digging for you. Shen Yi is the key figure at Baihua Creation Company, a company primarily focused on the internet industry with some physical businesses under its wing. Although not publicly listed, it definitely has the potential to go public, and... it’s financially robust, with significant connections in the capital.

This isn’t something I can fix for you. Even if you involve your company, it’ll likely end in nothing.

The most crucial point is..."

As he spoke, Liu Yinian handed over his phone. Zhang Hanjing took it and saw the video of her toasting Su Qing last night.

The way she appeared was a far cry from the image she usually presented to the public on screen.

"How could this be..." Zhang Hanjing gasped in surprise, but quickly realized: "Was it that bitch Tang Nan?"

"The video was indeed given by Tang Nan. Listen to me, Xiao Zhang, sometimes it’s best to let things go. We can’t fight the system. How many entertainers and actors have you seen go head-to-head with capital?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Hanjing’s eyes reddened: "But this is too much bullying. I was brought in here by Director Liu, and not only did I get hit, but I got nothing in return."

"How about this, after this drama wraps, I’ll reserve a role for you in the next script, how does that sound?"

"The lead role?"

"Ahem, the second female lead. Don’t get so agitated. Even though it’s a second female lead, the character is lovable. You’ve watched ’Disguiser,’ haven’t you? Yu Manli was also the second female lead. I..."

After much persuasion and some concessions from Liu Yinian, Zhang Hanjing was finally pacified. Despite last night’s incident not going well—failing to build a closer relationship with Su Qing and instead backfiring—he still had to shoot his film.

However, some news about Tang Nan’s boss and Su Qing’s girlfriend had already been circulating within a small circle.

It’s no secret that someone is backing Tang Nan. It’s just that no one knew before. As for Su Qing’s girlfriend, the ones who care about this news are some directors. After all, Su Qing not only has money but his girlfriend has even more funds. Who wouldn’t want to work with someone like that? However, this also means that the directors Su Qing wants to work with weigh even more heavily in their minds.

At noon, in Su Qing’s office, the director and editor of ’The Suspense’ arrived, looking a bit nervous as they faced him.

"Ahem, why are you looking at me like that? It was President Tang who wanted to invest. I just brought it up!" Su Qing said helplessly.

He could see that the two of them were in an even worse situation than Wang Fan had been before, but he couldn’t overstep his bounds. After all, this time it wasn’t his money.

"Even so, thank you, President Su, for the referral. If it weren’t for you, President Tang wouldn’t have taken an interest in our script!" Liao Dong said appreciatively.

Upon hearing this, Tang Nan spoke up: "Alright, since there are no outsiders here, little brother, help me out. What should I do now?"

Hearing this, Su Qing looked at her with an exasperated expression. You don’t know what to do? I learned from you in the first place, and now you’re asking me?

"Sign the contract and transfer the money. Didn’t you decide to invest already?"

"I know how to transfer money! I’m asking for your advice. Do you have any ideas? Didn’t you say before that I could appropriately add some investment?"

Upon hearing this, both Liao Dong and Xie Xiaoshan’s eyes lit up. They had initially quoted ten million, but they could further negotiate. Their bottom line was six million. It’s a small-budget web series, primarily focused on the storyline. For other aspects, it’s not that they don’t want to do their best; it’s just that they don’t have the money.

The costumes, props, crew, extras, equipment, venue, and food all cost money. With that in mind, he planned to cast newcomers from main roles to supporting roles; otherwise, the funds wouldn’t be sufficient.

Unexpectedly, President Su seemed inclined to add more money. It coincided with the news they’d heard—they were truly someone with a generous spirit.

If that’s the case, he had more confidence in making it well.

"What advice could I give? My advice is to let professionals handle professional matters and not interfere too much. However, since you’re going to play the female lead, although it’s technically a supporting role, to complement the male lead, it’s best to find someone famous to play the role. That’s why I suggested you add some investment. Otherwise, how much would be left over from the actor’s salaries? If I’m not mistaken, Director Liao initially planned on casting newcomers, right?" Su Qing stated.

Hearing this, Liao Dong quickly nodded: "To be frank, that’s what I thought initially, but since President Tang wants to act, it’s best to also find a comparable male lead to generate promotional effects. Of course, rest assured, President Tang, upon learning of your desire to act, Xiao Shan revised some parts of the script overnight to add more scenes to your role. We can ensure your character’s brilliance while maintaining the quality of the storyline."

This opportunity was akin to a windfall for them, and naturally, they had to seize every chance to impress. Furthermore, if Tang Nan were really to participate, it was genuinely necessary to enhance her role. It’s not just about currying favor, but not doing so would waste Tang Nan’s fame.

"Did you hear that? In that case, just add some more money!" Su Qing said, spreading his hands out in a helpless gesture.

Hearing this, Tang Nan rolled her eyes and asked, "Of course I know that. What I’m asking is how much should be added preferably."

As soon as the words fell, an inner narration prompted in Su Qing’s mind:

[Tang Nan’s transition work: Considering actor’s remuneration and the fact that she is the sole investor, to achieve the best effects and maximize benefits, an investment between 35 to 50 million would be optimal. More can be added to have a more luxurious lineup.]

Upon hearing this, Su Qing was momentarily stunned. Wasn’t the investment for a web series supposed to be minimal? How come it’s suddenly up to tens of millions?

Even factoring in Tang Nan’s pay being included in the investment, does it still require that much money?

"It depends on how thick-skinned you are!"

Tang Nan: ???

"What do you mean?"

"I’m saying, if you can, like Director Wang, invite some industry friends to make cameo appearances with either low or zero remuneration based on connections, then I think adding ten million would be enough. The thicker the skin, the smaller the investment."

Upon hearing this, Tang Nan’s eyes lit up: "Why didn’t I think of that!"

...