My Life with Narration

Chapter 525 - 516: One Hundred Million, Right? Mind If I Play?

When faced with a few beautiful women, Su Qing seemed indifferent, but unexpectedly, when two men appeared, he got excited.

Not only excited, but his eyes were gleaming. To outsiders, it was clearly the kind of look a man has when he sees a beauty!

If Tang Nan didn’t know that Shen Yi was dating Su Qing and that their private life was quite harmonious, she would have suspected her brother might be interested in men.

How could it be that he was so indifferent to several beautiful women but became so enthused at the sight of men? It made no sense!

If he encountered his idol, it would be understandable, since many male entertainers have quite a few male fans. The typical example being Hu Ge, who truly appeals to both men and women.

But from what she learned, Su Qing didn’t have any idols in the entertainment industry. Even if Andy Lau showed up, he would at most glance a few times but would never be as enthusiastic as now.

To the uninitiated, it might seem like he’d transformed into a fanboy.

Then the two sat down, and Su Qing naturally brought them to his side, acting all hospitable, leaving the two a bit at a loss.

Taking advantage of the moments Han Zhuo and the others were talking to someone else, Tang Nan quickly pulled him over and whispered in his ear, asking:

"So what? Are you a fan of Big Brother Han?"

Han Zhuo is an action movie star, known for his skillful action performances. In recent years, he’s been quite popular in Hong Kong and Macau.

Most boys do like such action-packed stuff, so it seemed reasonable for Tang Nan to think that Su Qing was a fan of Han Zhuo.

As for Director Wang who was beside them, although he’s a competent director, he hasn’t made any phenomenal movies. He’s far from a top-tier director, not even considered a well-known director, let alone a great one.

In the director circle, his status is rather awkward — sort of in the middle. The main issue is that he lacks a solid standout work.

Besides, who generally pays attention to directors’ names when watching movies? Only famous directors can raise viewers’ expectations a little, but even then, it’s limited. Tang Nan didn’t even consider including Director Wang.

"Not really. Why do you ask?" Su Qing was startled and softly questioned back.

Tang Nan glanced at him, puzzled, and whispered in his ear: "If you’re not a fan of Big Brother Han, then why are you so enthusiastic? Don’t tell me you’re a fan of Director Wang?"

"Director Wang? He’s pretty good!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Nan was taken aback, shocked, unable to fathom what was going on in Su Qing’s mind.

At that moment, Su Qing just had no idea whom the narrative pointer was prompting towards— whether it was one of them or both, so naturally, he had to be a bit more passionate.

Seeing the two whispering secretly, Li Ranran mischievously giggled and remarked: "Nannan, what are you doing with your best friend’s boyfriend, caught right in the act!"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked over. Luckily, both of them were innocent and felt no guilt.

"Not at all. I was just asking him why he wasn’t interested in beauties like you but was instead so enthusiastic about Brother Han and Director Wang," Tang Nan casually replied.

It’s not like it was a secret; nothing unspeakable about it.

"So did you find out?"

"Nope!"

"Oh~~ you’re lying, brother. That’s not right. You weren’t so enthusiastic with the sisters just now!" Ding Sheng said, covering her mouth with a chuckle.

"Uh... it’s just that I got excited seeing Big Brother Han and Director Wang!" Su Qing rolled his eyes helplessly at Tang Nan and explained.

He was indeed very excited; he could swear he wasn’t lying about that.

"Oh my, looks like all of us together can’t match Big Brother Han’s fame," Xu Jing teased.

In response, Han Zhuo just waved his hand, smiling.

"Now, now, among you, who isn’t more popular than me? Moreover, little Su is a man. But I have heard about the nickname ’Stock God.’ Thanks to that, I earned a tidy sum recently. How do they put it online? Many thanks to the Stock God’s generosity. Haha, come, come, let me toast this little brother!"

"Count me in as well," Director Wang raised his glass alongside him.

Su Qing didn’t refuse because, after all, he still needed to observe as his grand plan for generating income involved these two.

After downing a glass of wine, Han Zhuo asked, "So, how’s the discussion been going before we arrived?"

It was obvious he was in on it too, looking to partner up and make money.

"Big Brother Han, you’re late," Li Ranran laughed and said.

"Oh~~ so it’s all been sorted out, and you’re leaving your older brother out in the cold? Younger brother, you must not be swayed by their beauty!" Han Zhuo feigned heartbreak and exclaimed.

Gao Yuan was the one to clarify, "No, it’s just that little Su mentioned that the stock market hasn’t been doing well lately and suggested we shouldn’t invest, as there’s an eighty percent chance of losing money. But they were trying to convince little Su to join the entertainment industry and become an actor, even proposed to act as his love interest in a movie scene!"

Upon hearing this, Han Zhuo nodded understandingly: "I see. It’s a pity. No worries, there will be opportunities later. If you want to act, you can come to me if you have any questions. I still have some contacts in this field."

Su Qing, of course, took this as a polite gesture and didn’t take it seriously. Resources in the entertainment industry aren’t something an actor can simply distribute. Securing a tiny supporting role would already be an extreme favor, as major roles usually result from company exchanges.

Unless they are a renowned director, who can cast by themselves.

Still, he expressed his thanks, as everyone knows the right things to say for formalities’ sake.

Just then, Director Wang, upon hearing that the collaboration didn’t come through, had a disheartened look and drank quietly alone.

Anyone seeing him knew he was troubled.

"Director Wang, it’s alright. If not this time, next time, there’ll definitely be a chance for you," Tang Nan consoled him from beside him.

Su Qing felt puzzled; he didn’t know why, as he was an outsider among them.

Perhaps sensing his curiosity, Director Wang shot a bitter smile and said, "It’s nothing. I’ve come to terms with it. Last time I got greedy and didn’t heed little Tang’s advice, ended up losing a lot."

Upon realizing it was about a financial loss, Su Qing felt enlightened. But for people like him, shouldn’t this not be a big deal? Did he lose too much?

People there might have known some inside stories or noticed that Director Wang was unhappy, as the atmosphere turned a bit heavy.

After a while, Tang Nan spoke, "Director Wang, isn’t there any progress on your side?"

Director Wang shook his head, "It’s not that easy. After all, the required financing isn’t a small amount. The crew’s funds can’t even last through this week."

Beside him, Han Zhuo added: "Old Wang has had a hard time. He sold off everything—cars and properties—but the financial hole is just too big. Having shot this far, giving up would mean it’s not just about losing money, it’d be letting all that effort go to waste."

Director Wang’s real name is Wang Fan, and he recently took on a sci-fi movie project. The crew is truly impoverished, yet a sci-fi film indeed takes a lot of funds. The initial investments have long been exhausted. For this reason, he’s tried all sorts of ways—connections, favors, asked some friends to help out with cameos, even perform for free, but the financial gap is so wide that he’s close to reaching his limit.

Recently, with the stock market thing, he made a small investment and initially earned some profit, which cheered him up a bit. But thinking that the crew was so short on funds, he decided to try his luck further, only to suffer losses, putting additional strain on his already struggling family.

Seeing his burn rate, especially considering it’s for sci-fi material, the investors started pulling out, leaving him in a desperate situation.

Hearing he was coming this time, Director Wang had initially hoped there might be a partnership, to gather some funding to keep things afloat, but now it seemed truly hopeless.

To this, Ding Sheng pondered and then said, "Director Wang, what sort of movie are you directing? If push comes to shove, maybe with so many of us, we could pitch in together, or at least brainstorm some solutions to help."

Upon hearing this, a spark of hope lit up in Wang Fan’s eyes, but was soon extinguished. He then shook his head, "Heartfelt thanks, but mine is a sci-fi genre."

Hearing this, the women present all fell silent, being well aware of how the sci-fi film market has been over the past few years.

"And the funding gap is quite substantial; conservatively it’s tens of millions, with possibly over a hundred million," Wang Fan continued, totally dispelling their thoughts.

As for small sums, they could help, but with such a sizeable gap—potentially ranging from tens of millions to billions—they truly couldn’t cover that. Even if they could, who could guarantee the box office success? What if it flops?

At this moment, a narrative suggestion was sounding in Su Qing’s mind.

[A film worthy of investment, capable of earning excess returns and even paving the way into the investment industry.]

So it was you, finally found you, Su Qing mused inwardly.

"Uh... Director Wang, may I ask what movie you’re directing? Is it alright to share?" Su Qing asked.

"There’s really no issue in sharing. ’Wandering Earth’ — it’s adapted from a famous sci-fi novel."

[’Wandering Earth’ — a milestone in domestic sci-fi films, assuring quality, stellar acting, gripping story. If released, box office earnings will not fall below five billion.]

Hearing the narrative’s hint, Su Qing’s eyes widened with astonishment — wow, the narrative not only foresees stock trends but even predicts box office revenue. This indeed is a profitable path!

It explains why the narrative would give such a nudge, and if this investment comes to fruition, even setting it aside, the key point is that based on this tactic, I could invest elsewhere. Maybe I won’t be making movies, but there’s no problem with me investing, right?

Thinking of this, he quivered with excitement.

"Well... about that... an investment of one billion, huh? How about I give it a try?"

Director Wang: ???

Everyone else: Σ(⊙▽⊙"a

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