novelraw Chapter 45 A complete novice crushes a capitalist
Chapter 45 A complete novice crushes a capitalist
Bai Lu froze on the spot.
The brain temporarily loses its ability to process information.
The first row of VIP seats in the audience.
He Qianqian suddenly sat up straight.
She stared at Bai Lu on the stage, a complete novice who wasn't even considered a nobody, with no acting experience and no martial arts instructor.
On her turf, she stole the pre-selected role.
He Qianqian kicked the chair next to her away and stomped her high heels heavily on the floor.
"Walk!"
After shouting to her four assistants behind her, she pushed open the door and rushed out of the audition hall without looking back.
On the judges' panel, the producer held a pen and circled the name "Bai Lu" three times on the list.
Without paying exorbitant salaries, they can still film realistic, visceral action scenes, saving a significant amount on post-production special effects costs.
Zhang Juan rushed up from behind and forcefully slapped Bai Lu's shoulder.
"What are you standing there for! Bow down!"
Bai Lu suddenly came to her senses.
She quickly bent down and bowed three times at a 90-degree angle to the judges' panel.
"Thank you, Director Yu! Thank you, Producer! Thank you, teachers!"
He straightened up, turned around, and prepared to leave the stage.
As soon as I took the first step, the tension in my thigh muscles vanished instantly, replaced by a tingling sensation that shot straight to my knees.
He lost his balance and fell onto the wooden floor in front of him.
Zhang Juan reacted quickly, spreading her arms to support Bai Lu's armpits and carrying most of her weight on her shoulders.
The two dragged and pulled each other out of the hall.
The black van door slid shut heavily.
The hustle and bustle of Hengdian was kept at bay.
Bai Lu took off her ill-fitting prop military boots and shrank barefoot into the corner of the leather seat.
She hugged her knees with both hands and buried her face in her arms.
At first, it was just suppressed sobbing.
A dozen seconds later, she raised her head and burst into tears.
The intense vocal and physical training of the past two weeks, the loneliness of being in a foreign land, and the panic I felt when facing He Qianqian, a rich young lady with an aura of wealth, all exploded in this enclosed space.
Tears and snot covered his face.
Zhang Juan took a tissue from the front row, pulled out more than a dozen, and stuffed them into Bai Lu's hand.
"Alright, wipe your face. Don't drool on the new leather seat cushion the company bought."
He joked, but his eyes were fixed on the girl in front of him.
Ten minutes ago, she unleashed a chilling aura at the audition, smashing a solid wooden stick with a whooshing sound.
Now, however, she's crying like a three-year-old.
This contrast sent chills down Zhang Juan's spine.
She turned her head and looked out the car window.
Bai Lu hastily wiped her face with a tissue, took out her phone, and dialed a number.
Shanghai, top floor of Xingyao Entertainment Building.
Song Ze leaned back in his swivel chair, examining the industry announcements on his computer screen.
My phone vibrated.
He pressed the answer button and casually turned on speakerphone.
"Senior brother!"
A sharp sob filled the entire office.
Song Ze slid the seat back half a meter.
"I got it! Director Yu Zheng chose me! I'm going for my costume fitting tomorrow morning at nine!"
Song Ze put his long legs on the edge of the desk and crossed his hands behind his head.
"Can't you be a little more mature? The project's barely started, and you're already crying?"
"I really thought I was going to die just now. He Qianqian brought four assistants with her, and even their outfits were custom-made."
Song Ze snorted coldly.
"Even a whole battalion of assistants couldn't help her film action scenes. In front of the camera, apart from your own muscle memory, everything else is just an illusion."
He looked out at the Huangpu River through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
"Hurry up and wipe away your tears. I told you on the first day I signed you that you have the potential to win the Huading Award for Best Actress. Remember, on the day you stand on the stage to accept the award, send the trophy back to Xingyao via SF Express with insurance. I just happen to be missing a paperweight on my desk."
A loud sniffling sound came from the other end of the phone, followed by a soft chuckle as he broke into a laugh.
"It's a deal. I'll frame the official certificate and send it to you."
Bai Lu straightened her back in the back seat.
"Senior brother, just wait. Once the crew settles their first payment, I'll treat you to the most expensive seafood feast in all of Shanghai."
"Don't lower your standards. I want Boston lobster, a portion for two. If you try to fool me with crawfish, you'll be cleaning toilets at the company for a year."
hang up the phone.
3 PM.
Zhang Juan pushed open the glass door to the president's office, holding a heavy blue hard-covered folder in her arms.
She slammed the folder onto the mahogany table.
"After working non-stop for a while, we've finally settled the initial profits."
Song Ze sat up straight and opened the folder.
The first page contains transaction records from various music platforms.
Zhang Juan pulled out the swivel chair opposite her and sat down.
"The first one was 'The Actor'." She held up her finger. "It was featured prominently on the homepages of both Tencent and NetEase Cloud Music, and the single's paid downloads exceeded 1.2 million. After deducting 20% channel fees, the net profit was 1.4 million."
Song Ze lowered his gaze.
"The second deal is 'Sorrow'," Zhang Juan said, raising her voice. "Major short video platforms bought it out as a popular background music library, and combined with the revenue from music platforms, it brought in a total of 1.85 million yuan."
Zhang Juan opened the last copy of the remittance slip.
"The biggest part is here. For the final payment of the OST for 'Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms,' Liu Yifei's Red Starwood Studio worked efficiently, guaranteeing a minimum of three million plus the first week's streaming revenue share, directly depositing two million two hundred and twenty thousand into our public account."
Song Ze spread out the three sheets side by side, his eyes scanning over the final summary figures.
The total is 5.27 million.
The monetary returns, accurate to single digits, are extremely impactful on paper.
We are one step closer to our goal of 80 million.
As long as he secures his spot on the "Singer" stage, his earning potential will continue to rise.
Zhang Juan stared at Song Ze.
"I've been in the industry for fifteen years, and I've mentored many popular young actors and even helped some of the best actors win awards."
She pointed to the string of numbers.
"I've never seen anyone make money like you. Others in the entertainment industry are just working, but you've brought in a money-printing machine."
The screen of a pure black personal cell phone on the table lit up, accompanied by a buzzing vibration.
Caller ID: Lin Shishi.
Zhang Juan immediately shut up, leaned back, crossed her arms, and struck a pose like a bystander watching the drama unfold.
Song Ze picked up his phone, swiped right to answer, and didn't avoid Zhang Juan.
After a brief silence, Lin Shishi's clear, cool voice rang out.
"It's all over the industry. Your junior sister has ousted the capitalist's daughter in Hengdian."
Song Ze twirled the pen.
"Of course, who am I? I predict she'll become a huge star within ten years."
Lin Shishi paused for two seconds.
"Would it kill you to stop bragging for a day? The auditions for the first episode of 'Singer' are just around the corner. I just got word that Yoga Lin has prepared a killer weapon this time. If you get eliminated by him in the first round and don't even get a spot in the starting lineup, I'll spray you with a mouthful of salt soda."
Song Ze was so angry he laughed.
"Don't worry, I've been rehearsing 'Left Finger Pointing to the Moon' with Teacher Sa every day lately. You should worry about yourself. What if I get in but you get eliminated?"
I could hear clear, short breaths coming through the receiver.
"You're the one who got eliminated."
After two beeps, the call was disconnected.
Zhang Juan kept shaking her head.
Just then, her phone rang again.
"Hello, this is Zhang Juan from the CEO's Office of Xingyao Entertainment."
A clear female voice could be heard on the other end of the phone.
Zhang Juan straightened her back instantly.
"Yes, we can confirm that."
She raised her head and looked directly at Song Ze.
"Okay, I'll process this suggestion immediately and get back to you later."
After hanging up the call.
Zhang Juan braced her hands on the mahogany table, her chest heaving violently.
"Yanjing, Jiaxing Media."
She swallowed.
"Dilraba wants to be with us..."