Chapter 38: Secret Talks with a Renowned Director (2)
“I’ll fund it myself,” Du Juan said.
It was her script. She had selected the female lead herself, and she didn’t want an investor interfering with her movie.
Most importantly, she didn’t want an investor pushing actors into the film who didn’t fit and lowering the movie’s overall quality.
“How are you going to fund it?”
Jin Xin felt that Du Juan had gone a little crazy. This movie had many city scenes in it, which meant it wouldn’t be a cheap movie to film and would need a lot of funding. Furthermore, and this was the single most important point of all, the movie wouldn’t be a box office hit, since the story was about the life of a character who represented only a small segment of the population!
“I plan to mortgage my real estate properties. I already did a rough estimate and expect I’ll be able to raise close to 50 million dollars from my assets.”
Du Juan, after having given it some serious thought, had concluded that the only way she’d be able to have the most control over how the movie was produced was if she herself was the movie’s biggest investor.
“No way, Du Juan. You’re crazy. Don’t you even realize what type of movie this is? It doesn’t matter how great the script is. If no one goes to the cinema to watch the movie, you’ll lose everything.”
Du Juan laughed softly at Jin Xin. “Our life in this world is short, merely a few decades. Money and assets are just material things, stuff that we didn’t have coming into this world and stuff that we won’t be able to take with us when we die, so it doesn’t really matter to me if I lose everything.”
“Well, I still have to think about it.”
Although Jin Xin said that he still needed to think about it, he was already running through a list of potential actors in his head. Which actor would be a good fit for the male lead?
He had met Ye Tianxin at the shop entrance earlier. From what he’d seen of her, he estimated that she was at least 1.7 meters tall. If she was going to be the female lead, then the male lead definitely had to be no shorter than 1.8 meters tall, because they couldn’t possibly make the male lead stand on a box while shooting the scenes he and Ye Tianxin were in together!
“I just knew that you’d agree to do this.”
Du Juan stood up. Although she was no longer a young woman in her early twenties, she still missed the good old days of her youth whenever she thought about them.
“I’m going to head back now. As the director, I have to personally oversee many things pertaining to the film’s production. As for the female lead, are you sure she has the acting skills to pull it off? We need a real actor, not an ornamental vase. On the big screen, a woman who lacks acting skills is like a wooden beauty. It adversely affects the film and makes it bland.”
Jin Xin did some calculations in his head. If he added his assets to Du Juan’s investment, would that be sufficient enough money for them to fund the production of the movie?
Fortunately, the female lead was a newbie and wouldn’t be able to command a huge fee for her role. Because of that, maybe they should only hire newbies for the film.
“Why don’t you stay and have dinner with us and try what Ye Tianxin and her grandmother are cooking for us for dinner tonight.”
“All right, then.”
Jin Xin didn’t think it would make that much of a difference if stayed here with them for a little while longer instead of going back right away.
Returning to the yard, Du Juan noted that Grandma and Ye Tianxin had finished prepping the food and were ready to start steaming it.
“Ma’am, Tianxin. I have a friend who’s going to join us for dinner. Is that okay with you?”
Grandma nodded and replied, “Of course.”
As the sous chef, Ye Tianxin, wearing an apron, stood to the side and awaited instructions, her profile partially lit by the lights above her. There she was, standing to the side, and the lights above her, like an excellent stage prop, covered her in a golden sheen.
Soon, the enticing aroma of food wafted out from the kitchen, causing Jin Xin, who was seated in the bookshop, to salivate involuntarily.
Outside, the sky gradually darkened.
Du Juan walked to a nearby store to buy some beer. As far as she was concerned, today was a day for celebration, so she closed the bookshop earlier than normal.
She and Jin Xin went through the bookshop and into the little house at the back. There, they saw a simple round table covered with a checked tablecloth and four foldable chairs propped around it.