Chapter 106

Wang Bolong and the head of Donghuang Company were greatly surprised. They had secretly congratulated themselves, thinking that Zhong Lizhi, for the greater good, had accepted certain unwritten rules.

Little did they expect things to escalate to this point. They wanted to call Zhong Lizhi to understand the situation, but felt guilty and didn’t know how to approach the conversation.

In the end, they decided to gather all the crew members in the conference room and announce that the movie would be temporarily put on hold. They would resume filming when they secured sponsorship, and all actors were to await further instructions at home.

Except for Song Haowen, Zhong Lizhi, and Jenny, the other cast and crew members were not mentally prepared for this outcome. Only the higher-ups, the director, and those directly involved knew about Sato Ichiro’s attempt to sleep with the female actor, and it was kept strictly confidential.

When the company made the announcement, everyone was dumbfounded, and not a single person uttered a word. Although Song Haowen felt a deep sense of regret, he refrained from saying more, knowing the company’s ruthlessness.

Seeing Zhong Lizhi’s pale face without a hint of color, he understood the pressure she was under,  pain struck his heart.

Abandoning the film midway was undoubtedly most challenging for director Tang Bolong. From pre-production to the actual filming, it took him over two years, with immense dedication.

This explained why, even knowing that Zhong Lizhi was walking into a trap, he didn’t intervene and even hoped she would complete the mission. Faced with the reality of disbanding, he sighed deeply and said, “If this film ultimately falls through, it will be a great misfortune, as each one of us here has put in arduous labor. I share the same reluctance as all of you to part ways. If there’s a glimmer of hope, I would persevere with all of you.”

The head coach of the national team, Miao Chong, was also deeply disappointed. Participating in the filming of the movie required special approval from the sports association. If the film didn’t turn out well, he would have a hard time explaining upon returning.

“Wang, the initial investment in this film has already been several hundred thousand yuan. If you cut costs in the later stages, maybe a million yuan will be enough. Can’t Donghuang Company cover this amount?” Miao Chong asked, puzzled.

“If Donghuang could provide the funds, why would we bother pulling in investors for sponsorship?” Wang Bolong explained, “You don’t understand our company. Currently, we are working on a total of five projects, including ours. All the company’s funds are invested in the other four works. Originally, the company didn’t plan to produce our film.

It was only because we found Sato Ichiro, who provided full funding, that the company agreed to shoot this movie. Now this guy has betrayed us and left, leaving us to deal with this mess.

Where can we find investors in such a short time? Besides, the investors we know are from Japan and are associated with Sato Ichiro. They will definitely cause trouble for us. Can your comrades from the national team bring in investments?”

As soon as the topic of money came up, everyone fell silent. Miao Chong shook his head vigorously, indicating he couldn’t help.

Song Haowen realized why, in his previous life, the first successful film shot in the mainland was “Shaolin Temple” and not “Tai Chi Fist.” Both films faced withdrawal of funding and halted production, but the former found new investors and continued filming, while the latter, unable to find a savior, eventually collapsed into obscurity.

Wang Bolong was not ready to give up. “You can try to find someone willing to invest one million yuan. Donghuang Company is offering the same terms as the contract with Sato Ichiro – the investor gets seventy percent of all profits, including box office and advertising. Since we’ve already invested fifty thousand yuan in the initial stages, effectively saving the investor that amount, and now we plan to cut costs by another fifty thousand, it’s a hundred thousand less than Sato Ichiro’s initial contract, with the same profit. This is a very favorable deal.”

After Wang Bolong spoke, there was a murmur of agreement among the crowd. It seemed that investing at this point was indeed more advantageous than at the beginning.

However, most of those present couldn’t even produce ten thousand yuan. Even Wang Bolong couldn’t come up with a hundred thousand in cash all at once.

Suddenly, a clear and gentle female voice sounded in the room. “Mr. Song, you actually have the ability. Why not invest?”

Everyone turned to look at the speaker, realizing it was Jenny, Zhong Lizhi’s assistant. Zhong Lizhi, standing next to Jenny, grabbed her hand, trying to prevent Jenny from saying more.

However, Jenny, recalling how her boss nearly destroyed herself for Song Haowen, Believing in his financial capability, spoke out against Zhong Lizhi’s objections. She knew that if the film failed, the company would retaliate against Zhong Lizhi, completely blocking her, and Jenny would also suffer the consequences, possibly even losing her job.

Only by allowing the film to continue could Zhong Lizhi and Jenny overcome this hurdle.

Upon hearing Jenny’s words, Song Haowen couldn’t help but feel moved. Originally, he held a negative view of Donghuang Company, and even with substantial benefits, he didn’t want to deal with them.

However, after hearing Jenny’s plea, he suddenly realized he shouldn’t be impulsive. Thinking about Zhong Lizhi’s grievances, the efforts of the national team, the hard work of all cast and crew members, and the groundbreaking significance of completing this film, along with the enormous fame and fortune it could bring – an investment of just one million yuan was nothing to him. He had available funds exceeding five million yuan.

Before Song Haowen could express his decision, Wang Bolong, like finding a lifeline, stood up immediately, staring into Song Haowen’s eyes and stammering, “Mr. Song, are you willing to help? If you can help the crew through this difficult situation, you will be the greatest hero of this movie, our savior.”

Even though Miao Chong, He Hu, and Zhao Meng didn’t believe Song Haowen could have so much money, they recognized his influence. With numerous contacts in the entertainment industry, finding a few people to contribute to the one million yuan should not be too difficult. They all advised him to take over the movie.

Initially opposing Jenny’s direct mention of Song Haowen, Zhong Lizhi thought it carried a hint of coercion, distorting her genuine concern.

However, upon hearing the opinions of others, she believed in his capabilities. Moreover, this investment was practically risk-free. Thus, she accepted the idea and genuinely hoped he would be willing to invest, ensuring the continuation of their scenes.

Seeing the hopeful expressions of everyone, Song Haowen smiled and stood up. To avoid overly displaying his financial strength, he said, “Since everyone trusts me so much, and I’m a member of the crew, contributing to the film is my duty. I’ll take responsibility for raising the one million yuan investment. I don’t want to pay in installments; it’s too troublesome. I plan to arrange it in one go tomorrow. I believe that with funds no longer a roadblock and with Director Wang and everyone’s efforts, this movie will surely be successfully filmed on schedule.”

As soon as Song Haowen finished speaking, the room erupted in thunderous applause.

He Hu and Zhao Meng rushed to Song Haowen, lifting him up. Amid his startled cries, what was initially a disbandment meeting turned into an encouragement session.

Zhong Lizhi and Jenny exchanged glances and couldn’t help but hug each other while crying. The pent-up grievances from the night before were finally released.

As Wang Bolong announced the end of the meeting, he also declared news of a lunch gathering. What was initially a melancholic day turned bright and joyful because of Song Haowen.

After lunch, Song Haowen, using the excuse of fundraising, left early to avoid the evening drinking session. He had taken a five-day leave from school for this shoot, and now that four days had passed, he had one day left before returning to campus.

Today, due to unexpected events, he had wasted a day. Tomorrow, he would have to work overtime to finish the planned shots.

Back at the store, Zhu, Ren Hua, Qian You and Wang Li, gathered to discuss recent matters. Afterward, accompanied by Qian You, they went to the warehouse to inspect the antiques that the store had recently acquired.

Seeing no issues, they returned to the room, poured themselves a cup of tea, and joined Zhu Hongyu and Ren Hua in repairing appliances.

While Zhu Hongyu organized circuit boards, she asked, “Have you contacted Miss Gu recently?”

Song Haowen, who had forgotten about Gu Ziwei’s matter, was taken aback. “No. I’ve been too busy these days. I assume she doesn’t have anything urgent and just wants to chat with me.”

Ren Hua, somewhat disdainfully, said, “A beauty looking for you, even if it’s just for a chat, is still a big deal.”

Song Haowen chuckled. “Look at the way you talk. Can’t friends of opposite genders have a pure friendship? Like the three of us?”

This remark made not only Ren Hua blush but also Zhu Hongyu. Ren Hua prevented Zhu Na from delving deeper into this topic and changed the subject, asking, “Little brother, the postgraduate entrance exams are about to begin in a few days. It’s said that the competition is extremely fierce this time. Why haven’t I seen you studying? “

“Yeah.” Ren Hua’s eyes sparkled, and she seemed like a curious baby. “Political science involves a lot of memorizations, and English requires remembering a large number of words. Let’s not even ask about these two for now. But you have to do more practice in advanced mathematics and physics, especially since there’s still a lot of content in these areas that you haven’t learn in the third and fourth years. You can’t be regretting enrolling and thinking of giving up, right?”

“Don’t worry about that. I have a plan, and I’m confident I can pass the written test. As for the interview, the initiative is not in my hands. It’s up to the professors and the school to decide. I won’t make any big claims; I can only do my best,” Song Haowen calmly replied.

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