403: Chapter 403 Seven Families

"the mission"?

The name sounds pretty cool.

Besides, Lin Chuyan didn't feel reluctant to take on this project.

On one hand, it was for his own "la la land." The more deeply Lin Chuyan understood the industry, the more he realized that making a movie wasn't a task that could be completed by fighting alone; this thing was far from being something that could be filmed just because the system handed him a script. If he wanted his first feature film to be successfully released, Director Du Qiyu was currently one of his greatest assets.

On the other hand, it was trust. Just by the name, one could tell this film was a gangster genre that Director Du Qiyu excelled at. With "a moment of romance" being so outstanding, "the mission" would likely not go wrong either. Besides, who was Director Du Qiyu? You couldn't just brush off a famous director like that.

And so, the matter was settled.

As for why Director Du Qiyu wanted to find someone like him, who had been soft-banned by the mainland film market, that wasn't his concern.

Director Du Qiyu naturally had his own ideas.

His positioning for this film wasn't some "blockbuster hit," but rather a kind of "exploration."

He had filmed many gangster movies, and the various traditional big scenes could no longer satisfy him; this time, he wanted to film something "small."

To capture the atmosphere, the emotions, and the conflict.

He wanted to create a unique gangster film with a concise and powerful narrative, showcasing a different side of the gangster world.

The film might have a strong cast, but it was destined to have a very small scale—even smaller than "a moment of romance."

To put it bluntly, when he invited Lin Chuyan to play the male lead, what he valued most wasn't his box office appeal, but his temperament and acting skills.

Although Director Du Qiyu didn't have a complete script, he did have a story outline, and he explained a few points to Lin Chuyan right then and there.

"Someone wants to assassinate a gangster boss, so five gang members are sent to protect him, forming a bodyguard team. You are one of those bodyguards."

"And then?"

"Then they successfully thwart several assassination attempts."

"And then?"

"Isn't that enough?"

"There has to be a mole among the five bodyguards, right? Isn't there any conflict?"

"No. In the process of executing the mission, the relationship between the five people gets better and better. They trust each other, their coordination becomes tacit, and they accumulate a deep bond of brotherhood."

"... Damn, that's impressive."

"Anyway, that's the story. We can discuss the details later."

"Discuss later?"

"Ahem, I'm currently still in the process of looking for people."

The topic of "the mission" ended there. Director Du Qiyu stated that as soon as he found the actors, filming would begin immediately, and the shooting time would definitely not exceed one month, so he could rest assured.

...

After meeting with Director Du Qiyu, Lin Chuyan met with Director Chu Dong.

Director Chu Dong also agreed and indicated that he could provide a special effects team for him.

In addition, he gave him some advice—when the two of them returned to Beijing, he would act as a bridge and take Lin Chuyan to meet with the leaders of China Film Group.

Lin Chuyan looked at Director Chu Dong's meaningful gaze and understood instantly: it seemed that the big shots he had offended did not include China Film Group.

And China Film Group had strong independent distribution capabilities; whether he could tear open a gap for domestic screenings would depend on how the talk went after they met.

After meeting with Director Chu Dong, the group set off for Shanghai again.

Brother Yue didn't say a word the whole time; mainly because Lin Chuyan's conversation with the other party had gone quite smoothly, and since it didn't involve investment amounts, there was no rush.

Brother Yue analyzed for Lin Chuyan which companies needed to be brought on board.

"Currently, Director Du Qiyu and Director Chu Dong must be brought in. That's two parties already."

"There's also Sugiura Ran; you'll have to talk to her as well. I guess it shouldn't be a big problem, after all, she is your fan. That way, there will be more screenings in Japan."

"Regarding China Film Group, Director Chu Dong's suggestion is excellent. I've already thought of the reason to persuade them: letting Chinese films and Chinese directors go international, which is something China Film Group has always been doing. So, before bringing them on board, we can meet someone else first—the boss of Emperor Group."

"Director Du Qiyu didn't mention it, maybe he didn't think of it, or maybe he thinks we're just playing around, but I think it's very necessary. Although Emperor Group's independent distribution capability in the mainland is limited, they do internationalization well. They have cooperation with many Hollywood companies and can participate in global distribution."

Lin Chuyan understood immediately: "Got it. First, persuade the boss of Emperor Group, bring him on board, settle the step of going overseas, and then use that as a bargaining chip to talk to the leaders of China Film Group. That way, we get twice the result with half the effort."

Brother Yue nodded, counting on his fingers: "Exactly. If everything goes smoothly, we will definitely need to bring a Hollywood company on board as well. In other words, the investors for this film would be Director Du Qiyu, Director Chu Dong, Sugiura Ran, Emperor Group, China Film Group, a Hollywood company, and our Yanyu Film—a total of seven parties. This basically guarantees a smooth global release, making it foolproof, and we won't have to pay attention to the remaining clowns."

"Seven parties... I don't think Ms. Sugiura will be a problem. She even messaged me the other day, saying she was watching 'the knockout.' I've had two consecutive hits over there, so logically and emotionally, I don't think she would refuse." Lin Chuyan was also calculating, thinking carefully, "Brother Yue, to put it bluntly, we just need to handle Emperor Group."

Brother Yue gave a thumbs up: "You've really been trained by me; your confidence is even greater than mine. Also, you kid really know how to stir things up."

"Just do it, we'll figure it out if it doesn't work. So when are we going?"

"Wait until this Sound of Nature Festival is over... Do you have anything else?"

"Actually, I do." Lin Chuyan remembered that he had agreed with his girlfriend to let their parents meet after this event, and no matter how busy he was, he couldn't forget this, "A private matter, wait for me for two days."

...

Landed in Shanghai at 5 PM.

Lin Chuyan ditched Brother Yue, let him stay in the hotel alone, and took Xia Zhi to his girlfriend's place in Shanghai...

The residential area was in a great location, and the houses were very expensive, though the one Ruan Xingyu bought wasn't considered big. Although it wasn't actually small, in the eyes of the current Lin Chuyan, it seemed a bit "cozy."

He was getting carried away, getting carried away.

When he arrived home, Lin Chuyan punched in the code and walked straight in. Ruan Xingyu and Wen Qi were sitting on the sofa, focused intently on playing a game...

Neither of them even turned their heads, gripping the controllers and staring at the TV, more serious than anyone.

Was their boyfriend not enticing anymore?

Lin Chuyan remained as annoying as ever: "Wen Qi, your girlfriend is here, and you're still playing! Still playing!"

He was poking at Ruan Xingyu.

"Brother-in-law, Xia Zhi, come play with us."

Lin Chuyan walked closer and saw it was "Mario Kart 8" on the Switch.

Good grief, do you two even know how to play?

The next second, he knew the two people in front of him were obviously gaming noobs.

Playing a racing game, and when the car turned, their own bodies would turn with it...

Lin Chuyan started nagging.

"Ruan Xingyu, don't you drift when you turn? Your speed won't pick up like that."

"Be gentle, press it gently, you're going to rub the controller to pieces."

"Your fingers are red; your thumbs are definitely going to hurt after you're done playing."

"Save your items, don't throw them away. Wait until Wen Qi is in front of you, then throw it to hit her!"

...

One round ended. The system's built-in bot players took the top three, Wen Qi was fifth, and Ruan Xingyu was seventh.

"Unwatchable..."

Ruan Xingyu was annoyed, glared at her boyfriend, then tossed a new controller to him and one to Xia Zhi, and only then did she have time to address him: "Then you try!"

The "Sound of Nature Festival" was on the next evening, so at least they could get a good rest today.

"Fine by me." Lin Chuyan took the controller, took the opportunity to stroke his girlfriend's hand, and sat down next to her, "Heard of 'drifting,' right? Seen 'pegasus 2,' right? It's time to let you witness the true value of a professional racer."

Five minutes later.

"Holy crap, Xia Zhi, your salary for this month is gone!"