95: Chapter 95 Wu Yue's Quotation

...

Jianjia Entertainment.

Director Li Li was slumped in the office sofa, her expression unreadable.

With only a week and a half left until the Spring Festival Movie Season, the work that needed to be done was actually finished, and she had done everything within her power, but she was still extremely anxious.

How could she not be anxious? Although she had secured a lot of investment, she had also invested a lot of her own money. Beyond the money, she had staked her reputation on this.

No one knew how much she had suffered to film this movie; in one year, she had gone from a 210-pound fatty to 109 pounds now...

She hadn't lied; she really had lost 100 pounds, so that was how the trending search keyword was written.

But good times don't last, and netizens had already started criticizing her—

"I don't know if the movie is good, but they are certainly good at marketing."

"The last movie played the victim card, and this one is doing it again? I'm sick of it."

But could this blame be shifted to the promotional team? Obviously not, because the final decision-maker for these strategies was herself.

Sigh, this was truly the most exhausting film Director Li Li had ever made.

Director Li Li tried to clear her mind...

The movie had long been edited, and she had watched the content countless times.

If there was any part she still felt unsatisfied with, it was probably the ending theme song.

The current song, "Unwilling to Admit Defeat," was truly the best of a bad bunch...

Just as she was thinking about it.

A knock on the door interrupted her, sounding a bit urgent.

"Director Li, there's an email. Do you want to take a look?"

"What email?"

"From Lin Mo." The man knocking was afraid she wouldn't remember. "That songwriter, the one who writes songs for Lin Chuyan. You even had me send him an email."

"I remember. Wasn't that two months ago?"

"Yes..." The man's expression was also speechless. "The email just arrived today. He provided a song, and I just finished reading the lyrics."

Director Li Li became interested: "How is it?"

"Emmm... I wanted to ask, is it still possible to change our ending theme song?"

"Whether it's possible or not depends on how good the song is." Director Li Li stood up: "Let's go, take me to see it!"

Soon, Director Li Li was sitting in front of the computer.

Clicking on the attachment, the song title popped up—

"the flower that blooms only for itself."

Good title.

Director Li Li's eyes lit up.

"The surroundings are freezing, yet I don't feel the cold. Covered in wounds, yet I feel no pain."

"Still fortunate that I've grown accustomed to the pain."

Director Li Li's heart skipped a beat.

Wasn't this her experience during that period? And wasn't it the life of the female lead, Jin Ying, in the film?

Director Li Li continued reading.

"Back then, I gripped the kite with the broken string, sobbing uncontrollably yet refusing to let go, my tearful eyes lost in the sky."

"Back then, I was obsessed with pleasing indifference, not understanding the contours of the heart, that there was actually so much more."

"Back then, my sorrow flowed upstream into a river, rain falling from the clouds, the shout that woke myself up... was saying..."

No, was this Lin Mo writing the song while watching the script???

She recalled a scene in the film where Jin Ying, with a people-pleasing personality, was betrayed by her boyfriend, best friend, and relatives, ultimately attempting suicide...

The worst part was that the suicide wasn't even successful, so she had to cry like a dog alone in the room.

Director Li Li had given too much for this role; even though filming had wrapped long ago, her nose still stung at the thought of it.

However, it wasn't over yet; she continued reading the lyrics.

"I love my cowardice, I love my clumsiness."

"I love the bitterness of being mocked by others."

"I love my trial and error, I love my hardships."

"With a heart full of solitary courage, asking no 'what ifs'."

Director Li Li sat silently in front of the screen for a long time without speaking.

The man behind her couldn't help but remind her: "Director Li?"

"Oh, sorry." Director Li Li stood up. "The contact information in the email doesn't seem to be Lin Mo's."

"Yes, he left Lin Chuyan's." The man replied, "Lin Mo never shows his face; all the songs were given to Lin Chuyan. Perhaps their relationship is unusual."

"Call him immediately. I want this song... No, it's not enough as it is. I need a version with vocals before I can make a decision. I'll leave this to you... Don't delay, do it immediately, you must be fast."

"Understood."

Lin Chuyan was humming "the flower that blooms only for itself" at home when someone added him on WeChat.

The note read "burning life - Jianjia Entertainment."

Very good, the other party was indeed interested.

Clicked accept.

After a brief pleasantry, the other party called immediately.

"Hello, Teacher Lin Chuyan, I am Music Director Xu Jie. I am the music director for the movie 'burning life', and Director Li Li is my boss."

"Hello, interested in the song?"

"... Yes."

"I know you don't have much time, so let's not waste words. Let's speak directly."

"Straightforward! Director Li Li thinks the lyrics are very good. She has only one request: she needs to hear a version with vocals as soon as possible before she can make a decision. Do you have one ready?"

"No, I'll go record one."

Music Director Xu Jie frowned: "Are you the one singing?"

"Why? Do you have an objection?"

"... Of course not."

Could he say he had one? At a time like this, he didn't dare to cause any complications. He just pressed: "Will there be enough time? We don't have much time left."

"How about this, give me one day, and I will bring the recorded song over personally."

Lin Chuyan was famous for being steady when recording songs, so he wasn't very worried about this issue.

"It's a deal!"

After hanging up the phone, Lin Chuyan called Wu Yue directly and explained the situation.

Unexpectedly, Wu Yue's reaction was surprisingly big.

"Are you sure? 'burning life'? Ending theme song? There's only a week and a half left, and now they want to change to your song?"

"I'm sure. They asked me to record a version. They are also very anxious. I think the opportunity is great. If things go smoothly, we will definitely talk about the price. I was thinking of having you help me keep an eye on things. It would be best if you could come with me."

"Okay, I'll go with you. You talk about the music, and I won't say a word. When it comes to money, don't say anything, I'll handle it."

Hearing his tone, Lin Chuyan couldn't help but ask: "Why? Can it sell for a lot of money?"

"I'm preparing to quote 1 million."

"???"

"What's wrong?"

"..." Lin Chuyan was speechless and asked cautiously, "Isn't that a bit too ruthless?"

"It's fine... Is this price very high?"

Lin Chuyan said honestly: "I was thinking 200,000 before, after all, it's just singing an ending theme song. When Tianxing bought the 10-year copyright for my 'Similar to Love', I only asked for 500,000."

Now it was Wu Yue's turn to be speechless: "That cannot be compared with a Spring Festival Movie Season film. Do you know how much money was invested in 'burning life'?"

"How much?"

"350 million."

"... Understood."

"For Director Li Li, that 1 million is just the tip of the hair on a cow. Now that the movie is finished, she must still have spare money for promotion. Giving this money to anyone is the same, right? For her movie, the promotional company she hired must be top-tier in the industry. The service fee alone is several million, plus material production costs and various marketing account channel fees... So what if you ask for 1 million? Besides, do you think the promotional company is very useful? Sometimes, just not making things worse is something to be thankful for! Maybe their effect isn't even as big as yours!"

What Lin Chuyan admired most about Wu Yue was this: everything became justifiable in his hands, and even Lin Chuyan himself became full of confidence.

However, he still had questions: "This movie doesn't feel like a big production with a lot of special effects. Why is the cost so high?"

Wu Yue spoke again: "350 million, how much do you think Director Li Li wants to take for herself?"

Lin Chuyan really didn't understand these things: "She invested in this movie herself, right? Then she directed and starred in it, and she still wants to take a lot of money?"

"350 million can't all be spent on production, right?" Wu Yue smiled, "She has to take the adaptation screenwriting fee, right? She has to take the directing fee, right? She is also the lead actress, so she has to take a salary, right? I guess... purely guessing, adding these together, she must take at least 50 million, if not more. And that's not all. A lot of the artists in the film are from Jianjia Entertainment, so she earns that money too. Also, if the box office is good enough, she can earn another wave."

"... So ruthless."

What else could Lin Chuyan say? He really felt that 1 million wasn't much now.

He spoke up immediately: "I'll go record the song first. Wait for my news. When the time comes, you drive over to pick me up, and we will go together."

"Okay... Speaking of which, after the endorsement is settled, let's research buying a nanny van. It will indeed be much more comfortable if you are filming."

"Buy! Must buy! Must make money to buy a good one!"

Lin Chuyan was really stimulated by the number "50 million."

This god-forsaken entertainment industry.