novelraw Chapter 99: A Genius’s Pledge of Loyalty
Chapter 99: A Genius’s Pledge of Loyalty
The call ended.
Wei Song held his phone, standing before the floor-to-ceiling window of his office, motionless for a long time.
There was no anticipated wild joy.
Instead, his heart was filled with an unprecedented calm.
Traffic flowed like water below the building.
Watching this scene, he murmured to himself.
"Jiang Ci... you kid, you really know how to surprise me."
To have Qin Feng, a semi-retired god-tier figure, personally call to request the full script after his agent had already officially declined...
The only explanation Wei Song could think of was that USB drive.
It was the performance Jiang Ci displayed in that audition video, a performance powerful enough to overturn everything.It was a genius's letter of allegiance.
This news, through Wei Song, detonated within an extremely small, core circle.
When the head screenwriter heard the news in his own office, the cigarette he had just lit slipped directly from between his fingers, fell onto the carpet, and burned a small black hole.
He remained completely unaware.
"Crazy..."
"This is really crazy now."
One hour later.
In the highest-specification conference room of Huaxing Pictures, the atmosphere was solemn and tense.
On both sides of the long conference table sat representatives from all investors of *The Legend of Han and Chu*.
These were the same people who, just days ago, had argued fiercely with Wei Song over a budget overrun of a few million.
But now, they sat upright and proper.
The producer from Evergreen Entertainment had the most complex expression, a livid hue tinged with a trace of pallor, and within that pallor lay a desperate, all-or-nothing resolve.
He knew what this emergency meeting meant.
Qin Feng.
Those two words, within the industry, represented absolute quality and immeasurable value.
He couldn't wait for Wei Song to speak first.
That would put him in a passive position.
The moment Wei Song had just settled into his seat, before he could even speak, the producer from Evergreen suddenly stood up from his chair.
"Director Wei."
"On behalf of Evergreen Entertainment, I am willing to add an additional fifty million investment on top of our original commitment."
He finished speaking with a slight bow.
"We only hope to retain our position as a co-producer."
These words were not a negotiation of terms, but a plea.
He was afraid. Afraid that he, that Evergreen Entertainment, would be kicked right off the table of this game destined to be recorded in history.
Because of Qin Feng's verbal agreement, this project was no longer just a simple commercial blockbuster.
It had become a legend with the potential to be recorded in the annals of Chinese cinema.
This alone was enough for him, a producer, to risk being removed by the board of directors and offer exorbitant terms on the spot.
The statement from the Evergreen producer was like pushing over the first domino.
Everyone present was shrewd; who didn't understand the weight of this?
A representative from another major film and television company immediately stood up as well.
"Director Wei, our Yuanda Pictures will also add thirty million! We don't want anything else, just to maintain our current share!"
"Us too! Director Wei, funding is not an issue!"
"Director Wei, what do you think..."
A silent "bidding war" over investment rights quietly unfolded in this conference room.
No one mentioned actor salaries anymore. No one questioned the budget overrun.
Their only thought now was to use money to nail themselves firmly onto this giant ship that had already glimpsed the shores of legend.
Wei Song watched coldly from the sidelines, saying nothing.
He looked at these capital representatives who had previously placed so many constraints on him, now displaying their most humble postures.
Overnight.
Without anyone demanding it, the total investment for *The Legend of Han and Chu* was forcibly increased by one hundred million.
The total pot broke through the six hundred million mark.
Wei Song gained creative freedom and absolute authority unprecedented in his career.
But he did not feel relieved.
Instead, he felt a heavy mountain pressing down on his shoulders.
This film had been pushed by capital and the expectations of the entire industry onto an altar where only success was permitted, and failure was not an option.
...
Seven o'clock in the afternoon.
Wei Song personally sat before his computer, meticulously proofreading the final revised version of the complete script, word by word.
Then, he solemnly placed the script, along with a black, internally encrypted USB drive, into a sturdy kraft paper envelope.
The USB drive contained all the core materials, including that audition video of Jiang Ci, powerful enough to shift the entire industry's landscape.
He fetched sealing wax, melted it over a candle flame, and carefully sealed the envelope's flap.
Finally, he picked up a seal engraved with the characters "Top Secret" and pressed it firmly onto that bright red blob of sealing wax.
After completing all this, he called in his most trusted assistant, who had been with him for over ten years.
He solemnly handed the still-warm envelope to the assistant.
His tone was unprecedentedly serious.
"Leave now. Immediately."
"Deliver it personally. Hand it directly to Jiang Ci himself."
"Remember, don't let it leave your hands for a single second."
The assistant, seeing that bright red wax seal, felt a jolt in his heart and nodded heavily.
"Understood, Director Wei."
...
Jiang Ci was completely unaware of all this.
He didn't even know that his name had already stirred up a storm of monumental proportions within the top circles of the capital.
At this moment, he and Sun Zhou were squatting in an inconspicuous little noodle shop near the hotel they were staying at.
The noodle shop was bustling with noise and filled with cheap, everyday liveliness.
"Slurp..."
Jiang Ci slurped up a large mouthful of noodles, his cheeks bulging.
"This place's beef noodles taste okay, but the beef is a bit tough," he mumbled indistinctly in evaluation.
Sun Zhou sat across from him, looking worried.
"Ci-ge, the audition is passed, but what about the role of Yu Ji? I heard the person the investor forced in has a very solid background."
Jiang Ci picked up another piece of beef with his chopsticks and blew on it.
"What's there to fear?"
"The cart will find its way around the hill when it gets there."
He stuffed the beef into his mouth, chewed a couple of times, then looked at Sun Zhou.
"Nothing's on tomorrow, right? Maybe I'll go back to the university? Visit my teacher, and by the way, go eat at that mala tang place on Back Street."
Sun Zhou: "..."
Right at that moment.
A black Mercedes-Benz business van, in a manner completely out of place with this shabby little street, slowly pulled to a stop right in front of the noodle shop door.
The door opened, and a man in a black suit, meticulous in his appearance, stepped out.
He stood at the noisy entrance of the noodle shop, his gaze sweeping the room. It quickly locked onto the young man in the hoodie in the corner, who was burying his head in his meal.
It was Wei Song's chief assistant.
He walked across the greasy floor, navigated around tables filled with diners, and went straight to stand before Jiang Ci.
The entire noisy clamor of the noodle shop seemed to be cut off by the aura of 'keep your distance' emanating from him.
Jiang Ci, who was in the middle of drinking soup, felt the light dim before him and looked up blankly.
Then, he saw a thick kraft paper document envelope being solemnly presented to him.
And on the sealed flap of that envelope was that glaring, bright red wax seal.
"Mr. Jiang Ci, this is something Director Wei instructed me to personally deliver to you."
The assistant's voice was steady and respectful.
Jiang Ci, still with a noodle dangling from his mouth, was completely stunned.
What was going on?
Food delivery?
But Sun Zhou beside him, upon seeing that envelope and especially that blood-red "Top Secret" seal, nearly spat out his mouthful of soup!