Chapter 104 A sudden whim
The meeting ended in a bad mood. From beginning to end, Teng Wenji and producer Zhang did not say anything specific. They just hesitantly said that they needed to go back and think about it before making a decision about Xu Kun playing the second male lead Yuan Jun.
Du Liang was so angry that his face turned red and his neck became thick, and he shouted that he would go to Hairun to ask for an explanation.
But in the end he did not go. He just assured Xu Kun that he would see to the end about this matter and would never let Hairun take advantage of him.
When Xu Kun walked back, his head was also confused and he couldn't figure out what was going on.
Judging from what Teng Wenji and producer Zhang said, if it was not him who came this time but an unknown newcomer, the contract might have been signed without hesitation.
But is it a sin to be a little famous? !
However, they repeatedly claimed that they had no grudges against Xu Kun or anyone around him, which really made people confused.
It was not until around two o'clock in the afternoon that a phone call from Liu Heng finally resolved Xu Kun's doubts.
"Kun'er, forget about that movie 'Blood Romance'. Let's not get involved in this mess. I'll find you another good job later."
It turned out that Hai Yan, the boss of Hairun and the exclusive screenwriter, had specifically called Liu Heng and gave an indirect explanation.
Hairun didn't look down on Xu Kun, but was worried that once Xu Kun was brought into the crew, it would offend Liu Heng who was behind him.
According to Hai Yan, Hairun Company originally wanted to promote its own artist Lian Yiming as the leading actor, but later gave up the leading role in order to win over Golden Horse Award winner Liu Ye.
But when the contract was signed, the decision-making power for the second male lead, Yuan Jun, was given to Du Liang, which made it difficult for Lian Yiming to make arrangements.
In order to appease Lian Yiming and to prevent its artists from feeling that the company was being treacherous, Hairun quietly asked someone to change the script and gave Yuan Jun's role to another character in the play, Zhang Haiyang.
Now Zhang Haiyang went from male No. N to male No. 2, while Yuan Jun fell from male No. 2 to an ordinary supporting role, with almost no outstanding roles left.
The contract stated that Du Liang would designate Yuan Jun, but it did not say that Yuan Jun had to be the second male lead.
Originally, according to Hairun's idea, Du Liang was a newcomer to the industry and currently had no representative works in the film and television industry, let alone much influence. So if he got screwed, he could just find a way to make up for it later.
In comparison, it is more important to take care of Lian Yiming's emotions.
Unexpectedly, Du Liang brought Xu Kun, and behind him stood Liu Heng, who was about to become the chairman of the Beijing Federation of Literary and Art Circles.
Teng Wenji and Producer Zhang did not dare to offend Liu Heng easily, which led to the puzzling scene at noon.
After hearing the reasons, Xu Kun was speechless.
I thought I could finally play a positive character, but for some reason it was rejected.
Liu Heng was a little embarrassed and promised: "Kun'er, don't worry, it's just the second male lead, right? Even if he gave it to us, we wouldn't be happy to play it. We can play the male lead directly later - but we have to wait until the election is settled at the end of the month. By then, I will definitely find a role suitable for you!"
Hearing this, Xu Kun hurriedly said, "Director Liu, please don't be like Liu Huaqiang. A few days ago, the higher-ups told us, the leading actors, to keep a low profile and be aware of the impact of public opinion."
"Uh~"
Liu Heng was stunned for a moment before agreeing. Apparently, he also felt at the beginning that a role like Liu Huaqiang was most suitable for Xu Kun to play.
Xu Kun asked again: "What about Teacher Du Liang?"
"he?"
Liu Heng said helplessly: "I plan to take him to Hairun Company to have a talk and ask for some compensation - he doesn't want the second male lead anymore, and Yuan Jun's plot doesn't need to be changed. This way, at least the integrity of the script can be guaranteed."
Tsk~
To put it bluntly, they were powerful. If Liu Heng hadn't been behind him, he might have been cheated by Hairun. After hanging up the phone, Xu Kun was unhappy for the whole afternoon.
In the evening, he took Baoqiang and drove straight to Chen Xuebin's house with some wine and food, intending to find Lao Chen to pour out his grievances.
Old Chen was not surprised by such things. Instead, he advised Xu Kun to be more open-minded. That was because Liu Heng was standing behind Xu Kun. Otherwise, if he was tricked into joining the group, not only would he waste several months, but he would also probably lose the fame he had just accumulated.
When Chen Xuebin heard that Liu Heng was about to become the chairman of the Beijing Writers Association, he suddenly had an idea and slammed the table and said, "Why don't we do it ourselves?"
"Do it yourself?"
Xu Kun was puzzled: "How? What should I do?"
"Simple!"
Chen Xuebin's eyes lit up as he said, "Didn't I get to know a few coal bosses from Shanxi last year? Their money is like the wind blowing in. As long as you are famous enough in the circle, they dare to spend a lot of money!
You see, you can first ask Chairman Liu for a script. He doesn't have to write it himself. Just find a script of similar quality. He can then put the title of producer or supervisor in the crew to scare those coal bosses.
We have the script, the funding, the actors, and we know all the other things. All we need is a director. Do you think there is a shortage of directors in the industry these days? We can just find one when the time comes!"
At first Xu Kun thought Chen Xuebin was just joking, but Chen Xuebin obviously took it seriously, and what he said was not completely unfeasible.
It's just that it's not quite appropriate to let Liu Heng be the supervisor and producer. Director Liu is a person who values his reputation, and he's about to become the chairman of the Writers Association.
"Can't we use Chairman Liu's name?"
Chen Xuebin smacked his lips and looked embarrassed. If he used Liu Heng's name, he was 100% sure that he could get those coal bosses to pay. But if he didn't have this big tree, Xu Kun's current fame and connections would not be enough.
But he had been eager to make a big splash, so how could he give up just like that?
Finally, Chen Xuebin gritted his teeth and said, "I'll spread the word first to see if anyone is interested. If someone is willing to invest, we brothers will do our best!"
…………
Although what Chen Xuebin said made sense and Xu Kun praised him in person, he actually didn't take it to heart at all.
The production cost of TV series is rising every year. Even if it is a low-budget production, it would cost at least five or six million. Even if he has some fame and connections in the circle now, if he wants to trick the coal bosses into investing money, I'm afraid he still lacks the market value.
But Chen Xuebin was very enthusiastic and called him every day to report the latest situation, which finally made Xu Kun a little agitated.
After all, who doesn’t want to bring money into the group?
Three days passed like this, and Chen Xuebin still hadn't come to the door, but Du Liang came first.
This guy has lost a lot of weight compared to when I first met him. It's obvious that he was hit hard by the incident in "Blood Romance".
Actually, his family has some background and he has some connections, but there are always stronger people among the strong, and his relationship with Shanghai Run is not enough.
This made Du Liang feel extremely aggrieved, but he couldn't complain to outsiders, so he went to Xu Kun, who knew the inside story.
Seeing Du Liang like this, Xu Kun couldn't help but be moved. He told Chen Xuebin about his proposal at the table and said half-jokingly: "Teacher Yang, do you have any other scripts on hand? If this thing can really be done, why don't you be the producer and ensure that it is filmed according to your script!"
Du Liang thought about it, looked at Xu Kun seriously, and finally shook his head and said, "Yes, there is, but my script tells the story of a middle-aged man's war of resistance. You can't work so hard for so long and then just get a supporting role, right?"
Just when Xu Kun was disappointed, he promised again: "Don't worry, I will help you find out and find a suitable script for you - of course, the premise is that you can really raise the money."
(End of this chapter)
