Chapter Twenty-Nine: I Have a Friend

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Money is saved one penny at a time.

Yu Wei’s top priority right now was saving money—specifically, saving on the production budget.

Even a short film required a tremendous investment of manpower and resources. It was not something that could simply be brushed aside with a few casual words.

During pre-production, the director and his team had to develop the story and create the storyboard script, breaking it down to every individual shot.

Once the shot list was finalized, they had to contact the art department to design the sets. The art director would produce concept images for the entire setting, along with detailed lists of the props required on set, the materials those props would be made from, and a whole host of other things...

And that was only the preparation stage. Once actual filming began, there would be even more work to do, and the expenses would only grow.

Yu Wei had applied for funding under the name of a music video project, so the budget he received was certain to be modest. If he wanted to achieve the effect he had in mind, he had to spend every penny where it mattered.

The production itself could not be skimped on. That meant the only remaining place to save was the cast...

Domestic entertainment celebrities had some of the highest fees in the world. A single production could easily cost several million, even tens of millions, while the acting was hardly anything special. They were practically earning money while lying down.

And those were only the figures that had been exposed. The actual amounts could only be higher. In many productions, the actors’ fees exceeded the entire production budget.

Those people were aiming for a seventy-thirty split of the profits. Naturally, Yu Wei would not dare compare himself to them. He still wanted to make something worthwhile.

As for the actors, if he could get them for free, then free was the way to go.

That was precisely why he had approached Zhang Lingye. If you were helping out a brother, would you really have the nerve to ask for a fee?

Besides, Yu Wei was not truly taking advantage of him. Producing something good was surely better than making those disastrous dramas that destroyed one’s own reputation.

He even had Zhang Lingye to thank him...

Putting everything else aside, Zhang Lingye had always treated him well. Even before Yu Wei had made a name for himself, Zhang Lingye had regarded him as a friend.

When Yu Wei sang “The Wall of the Heart,” Zhang Lingye had been the first person to know about it. If he had harbored ulterior motives, he would have had countless opportunities—but from beginning to end, he had said nothing.

A true friend did not despise you in your lowest moments or flatter you at your peak. Yu Wei recognized that kind of friendship.

He could not offer Zhang Lingye any enormous benefits, but he could at least arrange a few roles for him. Whether Zhang Lingye could seize the opportunity would depend entirely on himself.

Of course, finding only Zhang Lingye was not enough. Both the music video for “Hearing the Sound of Rain” and the short film “The Piano Tuner” required at least four principal actors: three men and one woman.

Ahem. He could count himself as one, and Zhang Lingye as another. The remaining male actor would be easy enough to find. Even a sound-monitoring instructor could be dragged in to fill the spot.

The problem was, where was he supposed to find the last female lead?

The female lead in the music video had to be beautiful. The female lead in the short film, meanwhile, was a ruthless killer who could take a life without batting an eye. Finding an actress who possessed both beauty and acting ability was easier said than done.

And to make matters worse, he wanted her for free...

Among the few female celebrities Yu Wei knew were Chi Leying and the others. Unfortunately, they were still busy recording variety shows, so they probably would not be available.

It was worth mentioning that he had spoken with Chi Leying that very morning. Zhou Mumu’s condition had improved considerably, but the production team had seized the opportunity to pull off an outrageous stunt.

The theme of Episode Eight of “Hello, Roommate” had already been decided: caring for a sick patient. It fit perfectly with Zhou Mumu’s illness...

The script had sensationalism and tenderness in equal measure. All Yu Wei could say was that these people had truly vicious eyes. No matter what happened, they could always spot a way to turn it into money.

“The production team really managed to feast on Mumu’s blood buns.”

Yu Wei had no time to sigh over it. No matter what, he had to bring out the plot of “The Piano Tuner” today. Otherwise, even if he was not anxious, Wei Yu certainly would be.

Previously, the film-reviewing calamity had concealed its dangers; an outsider’s sharp critique had turned into weathered cynicism. Others failed to grasp the meaning, and one performer left the stage only for another to take his place.

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And so, the Wei family’s young hero publicly challenged the film, giving it a score of zero stars. The other side, struck in a tender spot, flew into a rage and retorted:

“How dare you presume to judge me?”

The conflict was now fully set up. The rest of the plot was simple: the team behind the terrible film would fire back with, “If you’re so capable, why don’t you make one yourself?”

That was exactly the line Wei Yu had been waiting for.

“I could make a ten-minute film better than yours!”

Same recipe as before, same familiar flavor. Whenever the protagonist of an entertainment-industry story wanted to show off, nothing in the world could stop him...

Yu Wei briefly introduced the premise of “The Piano Tuner,” but did not elaborate on the actual story.

Songs were easy enough. Even if he quoted a couple of lines of lyrics, no one else could reproduce the entire piece. Films, however, relied on their plots. If he wrote the story out in detail, would that not be a spoiler?

Yu Wei had at least that much sense. Until he had officially registered the project and secured the rights, he had to keep the short film’s content somewhat vague.

“Are you not even going to pretend anymore?”

The moment the new chapter was posted, a private message arrived from An Shile. Clearly, as a veteran reader of entertainment-industry fiction, he had already figured out what Yu Wei was trying to do.

“Our Wei Yu is going to become a dual-career entertainer.”

Qi Luo’an was so furious she nearly laughed. Others might not know, but she certainly did: the person who truly wanted to become a dual-career entertainer was someone else entirely.

She had already grown suspicious when she read yesterday’s new plot about rating the film. Today, seeing this, she realized that the fellow really did intend to write and produce a script of his own.

A short film might not be long, but it still had all the vital organs of a complete work. In the film industry, content and runtime were not directly proportional. The shorter the film, the more meticulously every detail had to be refined.

As long as the story was good, a padded-out film with a sluggish pace could still earn a favorable reputation. Short films were different. If one wanted to stand out, every second of the limited runtime had to be used to its fullest.

This was like dancing in shackles. Qi Luo’an had no idea where Yu Wei got his confidence.

As his reader, did he really think she did not know what level his writing was at?

“Grandmother used to say that long works give you room to build, while short ones leave nowhere to hide your shortcomings.”

“Short-film scripts are rather difficult to write. Are you serious?”

As a veteran failure, Yu Wei naturally knew that short stories were harder to handle than long ones. The problem was that short films were cheap.

Even making a short film required him to pinch every penny and mooch wherever he could. If he tried to make a full-length movie, he would probably have to go to his reader group and sell his body...

When Yu Wei gave no response, Qi Luo’an assumed she had managed to persuade him. She pressed her advantage and continued trying to talk him out of it.

“Everything has advantages and disadvantages. You’ve only noticed the advantages of making a short film. What about the disadvantages?”

“I crashed.”

“?”

Yu Wei had only meant to tease her. He had not expected the little troll to flood the chat with several astonished panda-head stickers, so he hurriedly changed the subject.

“You’ve got connections, don’t you? Help me find a female actress.”

From what she had said last time, it seemed that she really did have some connections in the entertainment industry. Since he had already decided to mooch, he might as well ask about anything he could.

“You’re asking me?”

Qi Luo’an had not expected him to ask her that. They were complete strangers who had never even met, and he was actually being this direct?

“Asking isn’t against the law.”

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Yu Wei felt that he had definitely asked the right person. Most normal people would have been dumbfounded by such a question. Who responded by immediately asking for details?

Qi Luo’an fell silent.

It would have been one thing if she knew no one. The problem was, she actually knew quite a few people...

“Ahem. What are your requirements?”

That sentence carried a remarkable amount of information. He had gone straight to asking about the criteria. Just how many female celebrities did he know to be able to say something like that?

Yu Wei felt as though he had somehow added a truly extraordinary person to his contacts...

Astonishment aside, he still had to state his requirements.

“There aren’t any others. She just needs to be pretty and able to act. Preferably, she shouldn’t charge anything.”

“...”

Was he even speaking like a human being?

How many women in the entertainment industry were both beautiful and talented—and willing to work for free? Why not just take a sack and wait around somewhere to kidnap one?

“She doesn’t have to be famous. A complete newcomer would be fine too.”

He had no choice. A man had to preserve his dignity.

The few actresses in the domestic industry who possessed both looks and acting ability would all demand fees in the seven-figure range. Trying to get one for free was simply unrealistic.

“That’s a good question. How would I know whether an ordinary person can act?”

Qi Luo’an was so furious that her vision darkened. She grabbed the soft pillow beside her and viciously kneaded it.

Was this what it meant to write entertainment-industry fiction? Had he ever even made a film before? He was already hiring actors as though everything would simply fall into place.

Yu Wei genuinely felt too embarrassed to keep asking. It was the same feeling he had whenever readers asked him to write steamy scenes. How could they even bring themselves to ask? Could that sort of thing really be written?

“What about an ordinary person from a family with a strong artistic background?”

All right, apparently he was still shameless enough to ask.

“%(&%*(...%$*&%$#.”

The angrier Qi Luo’an became, the more she wanted to explode. She simply sat upright, wrapped both arms tightly across her chest, and bit her lips until they turned faintly white. Her eyes remained fixed on the phone, as if she meant to pierce through the network and gouge out the person on the other side of the screen.

He was pushing his luck now. Did he really think he was some pampered young master, entitled to make so many demands?

She was becoming increasingly curious about what Yu Wei was actually planning. Just how good was this script for him to have the nerve to ask someone to work for free?

“Sorry, I was being a little presumptuous. Forget the actress. Let’s talk this out—just don’t delete the book.”

Even if he failed to mooch an actress, kindness still mattered. After finally gaining such a devoted reader, Yu Wei did not want to drive her away.

Qi Luo’an glanced at the new message and laughed helplessly.

After getting this far, he was still worried about that lousy book of his?

She continued to keep her head lowered, but her fingers gently smoothed out the pillowcase she had crumpled earlier. The last trace of a smile at the corner of her mouth was quietly concealed by the loose strands of hair at her temple.

“I have a friend who meets your requirements.”