Chapter 53 1/2

Regarding Qin Guofu’s attempt to “sell” his son, Sheng Quan found it both amusing and exasperating.

After sitting in the base’s meeting room, she had to explain multiple times:

“I want a full-time general manager, and Qin Ge is already busy with work and won’t have much time.”

Only then did the old man reluctantly give up promoting his son.

“Well, Sheng Dong, you can ask him if you have any questions. He used to be involved in this special effects thing, and when he was in college, he even wanted to start a business with his classmates.”

Sheng Quan suddenly became respectful. “Qin Ge went to college… so early?”

Even though she still couldn’t quite grasp the situation, when this young lady, obviously held in high regard by the old man, looked at Qin’s elder brother with admiration, he couldn’t help but straighten up a bit.

“Cough, it’s almost twenty years ago. It was just some small ventures back then, and nothing came of it. But if you want to start a special effects company, it’s not easy in China.

In recent years, there have been bankruptcies among special effects companies; even the once-famous Mirage announced bankruptcy two years ago. I suggest you think carefully.”

From these few sentences, it was clear that he did have some understanding of the domestic special effects industry. Even though Sheng Quan had already researched the information and the company had provided an evaluation, hearing his words immediately made her adopt a posture of attentive listening.

In summary, even though the world was becoming more entertainment-oriented, the rise of the domestic special effects industry had been hindered in various ways.

“I have several friends working in special effects, and their technical skills can reach a very detailed level. However, the time given by the client is often too short, and even working overtime is difficult to complete.”

Speaking of this, Qin’s elder brother’s face showed a hint of helplessness, indicating that he had often heard his friends complain:

“A job that usually takes a year or more to complete gets compressed into three months or even two months. They can’t refuse, though, as the entire film industry in China emphasizes speed. This applies to all movies; if you don’t take it, you won’t have a job.”

“There’s no time to pursue details. Even if the effects produced are not as finely crafted as those painstakingly worked on, even if it is finished on time, the client may still delay the final payment.”

In summary, “The establishment of a special effects company requires substantial financial support for equipment and personnel. Whether domestic or foreign, before gaining recognition, these companies are generally in a loss-making state. Even for those companies that have gained recognition, losses are still not uncommon in China.”

This was similar to what Sheng Quan had found before. In her previous life, she rarely paid attention to special effects companies, but she thought it should be similar, given the entertainment industry’s emphasis on speed rather than quality.

Anyway, as long as there’s a celebrity endorsement and the quality isn’t particularly bad, you can get very good feedback.

This is not friendly to special effects companies that prioritize quality over speed. Despite having top-notch skills, they can only showcase half of their abilities to survive.

For them, facing the high costs of equipment and personnel, this negative cycle will inevitably lead to bankruptcy unless there’s a source of wealth, like having a mine at home.

Although Sheng Quan expressed that she was mentally prepared for all these, Qin’s elder brother was still not very optimistic.

He didn’t pay much attention to entertainment news; his daily schedule was packed with work, and leisure hours were spent either making calls to family and friends, reading books, or having meals and tea with colleagues.

In fact, at the age of just forty, he didn’t even have a Weibo account.

Therefore, he didn’t know Sheng Quan. Qin’s elder brother, who had once been confident in creating a world-renowned special effects company in his early twenties, now believed that the domestic special effects industry was almost a desert that consumed money.

Qin’s elder brother rarely interfered in other people’s affairs, but considering this was his father’s boss, and their relationship seemed quite good, and his father liked her a lot, even if Sheng Quan, after listening to all his advice, was not discouraged, he still persisted in advising:

“Unless you’re extremely wealthy, I really don’t recommend investing in this industry.”

The old man beside him, who had been listening with relish, pulled out his bank alert message:

“I didn’t bother telling you my salary before; here, take a look. This is how much I earn every month.”

Qin’s elder brother: “…”

After putting away the phone, the old man continued at a leisurely pace:

“I had you come over these days because, some time ago, she went to Country A and bought an estate there.”

“Ninety billion, in RMB.”

Qin’s elder brother: “…”

Time seemed to stand still.

Three seconds later, he slowly took out his phone, entered the contact list, and said, “Didn’t you ask me to recommend some talents in this field before?”

“I know several friends… they probably have the intention to switch jobs.”

***

“Is it true? Is the base salary really this amount? The commission is so high.”

Qin’s elder brother’s friends were not young anymore; many had families and mortgages to pay. They couldn’t just resign after receiving one or two phone calls.

They weren’t worried about the base salary, commission, or benefits being falsified; they were concerned that a company maintaining such a state might, like many domestic special effects companies, create some stunning works and then quietly go bankrupt.

Until they heard a name:

“Tang Hongguang from Mirage? Why are they looking for him?”

Qin’s elder brother looked at the passionate “fighting platform” in front of him:

“Because the chairman of this new company wants the position of general manager to be left for him.”

The three words “Tang Hongguang” are currently of little fame. If you asked a hundred passersby on the street if they knew Tang Hongguang, having one or two people answer would be considered good.

However, if you asked these passersby about the popular special effects films from a few years ago, “Red Carp” and “Stars Falling into the Sea,” there would definitely be quite a few people saying they had seen them.

These works showcased the magnificent and exquisite effects produced by Mirage, the company Tang Hongguang worked for. Considering the dazzling box office, they indeed had significant contributions.

Unfortunately, two years ago, while “Stars Falling into the Sea” was raking in box office revenue, Mirage went bankrupt without a sound.

In reality, Sheng Quan had been contemplating starting a special effects company for a long time.

Long enough that, when she parked her car in front of Yan Hui’s snack stall, she was still contemplating.

When shooting “The Cultivator,” she was still contemplating.

When she received a business card from a well-known special effects company in Country A and heard the other party smilingly say, “You can come to me for special effects in the future,” she was still contemplating.

After getting Tang Hongguang’s contact information, Sheng Quan smiled and raised her teacup to Qin’s elder brother.

That’s why they say connections are crucial. Sheng Quan had been searching for Tang Hongguang for so long and still couldn’t find him after the company went bankrupt. Qin’s elder brother, after just two days, managed to locate him.

In between, there were his friends, his friends’ old colleagues, old colleagues’ classmates, and finally, he found Tang Hongguang’s sister.

Like the students in Starlight Security, anyone in this line of work would undoubtedly be the fastest at spreading all kinds of gossip about this profession.

Sheng Quan dared to bet that, regarding “what happened to Tang Hongguang later,” those in the special effects industry must have been very curious. And the answer was quite absurd—he went into seclusion.

Yes, in modern times, he went into seclusion.

He found a secluded small house in the mountains that had long been uninhabited and lived there alone for two years. Of course, it wasn’t a hermit’s life; otherwise, Sheng Quan wouldn’t have been able to contact him through so many people.

Of course, it wasn’t easy either. In the original text, it was mentioned that Tang Hongguang secluded himself, but it didn’t mention which mountain or what his phone number was. It didn’t mention his family members or anything like that.