"Many horror movies made use of ghosts, monsters, and mutations. The visual impact of these was very powerful, but there existed another kind of horror movies that contained only ordinary people. The horrific effects are normally more outstanding.
"To put it plainly, horror is an emotion. There's no need to obsess over ghosts, monsters, or mutated living beings to make a strong visual impact.
"Take our company as an example. We just had to close the curtains and immerse everyone in the atmosphere of horror. A single scream was enough to make us all feel terrified.
"That's why the atmosphere is the most important. The human heart can be scarier than ghosts and monsters at times. That's the most important point.
"If we can recreate the same feeling that we felt in the office in the game, wouldn't the game be just as scary?".
Wang Xiaobin strongly agreed with this observation. "That's right, that's right. I wanted to say the same thing.
"How about this? We'll set a scary scene in the game and then throw all the players in, so that the fear can 'infect others' and 'spread'. It'll be just like what happened in our office."
Ye Zhizhou continued, "In other words, our game will not induce fear by creating images of ghosts and monsters. Instead, it will induce fear using the malice of other gamers, the continually-expanding atmosphere of horror, and the surroundings. "Once the fear spreads, players might start fighting
"We cannot expect them to fully cooperate with one another. Otherwise, it would feel like a walk in the park for them because there's strength in numbers. It'll not be sufficiently challenging, and we would achieve the opposite of what we hope to.
"We have to cause infighting and conflict amongst players, so that they can scare one another. It would be precisely these unexpected threats and dangers that would generate fear, right?
"As for how the gamers would fight… Boss Pei had already revealed it to us: the weapon system!"
Ye Zhizhou looked at the third point that Boss Pei had emphasized. "The strongest weapon would be a pistol. Since everyone in the game is an ordinary person, and there would not be any ghosts or monsters, there would be no need for particularly powerful weapons. Those would only cause an imbalance in the players' battles with one another.
"Other weapons could include daggers, stones, and anything that could hurt-but not kill-an ordinary person." As both of them discussed the game, they took down notes.
Lin Wan found an appropriate time to interject. "There's a hidden design in these instructions. Boss Pei did not reveal it to us explicitly, but the design seemed obvious as you were discussing the game. "The fact that fear is to spread among players means that most players should be 'innocents' in the beginning. Yet, the fact that they have to fight later on means that a portion of the players would become 'assailants'.
"What would cause the change?"
Ye Zhizhou frowned as he thought deeply. "I remember Boss Pei saying that… the game should contain insane people at most?"
Lin Wan nodded. "That's right, insane people! The assailants should be people who are mentally ill—in other words, lunatics.
"I think we can include the concept of a 'mental health meter', which already exists in many other games. That's also known as a sanity meter. The elements in the surroundings will pile on the mental stress on players. Once they hit a certain value, the players would become insane. Then, they would become assailants, whose primary aim would be to kill the ordinary players."
As Wang Xiaobin noted these details down, he nodded. "Indeed. Now that we've talked it out, everything looks much clearer. "We're just lacking the finer details.
"For example… many people will be playing this web-based game. Should we add a voice chat function to allow players to communicate while playing the game?
"If we allow players to communicate while playing the game, they might engage in a string of lame behaviors and reduce the game's horror effect. They could also use the voice chat function to discuss how to play tricks on others, find loopholes in the game, and make it less fun overall.
"Yet, if we don't allow players to communicate… it might feel less interesting. Players wouldn't have other ways to communicate, and they might fight everyone instead of trying to work together."
Ye Zhizhou pondered for a moment. "This is easy to resolve. Since 'in-game chatting' is so important, we can think of a way to restrict their chatter.
"Players can communicate, but not at will. Every single sentence they speak would be precious. If they speak too much, they would be punished.
"Maybe… they could become lunatics.
"A good horror game should have an atmosphere similar to the one in our office. Everyone should be trying to advance while groping about in the dark. If someone suddenly speaks, everyone will start screaming. "Speaking of which, I suddenly thought of a good name for the game.
"Be Quiet! In Mandarin, it'll just say 'Shh!'!"
As the three of them brainstormed, they developed more and more ideas for the game.
Basically, Be Quiet would be a multiplayer horror game. Every round would contain eight players and a random number of NPCs. There could be anywhere from four to eight NPCs, which would be controlled by artificial intelligence. Their purpose would be to confuse players. All players and NPCs would first enter a randomly generated map in the game. There, they would have to look for items and the way out. They would also have to interact with other players and NPCs.
There would be different maps in the game. For now, they had come up with a mental institution, a village of lunatics, a hotel in the countryside, an ancient castle, and a school.
These maps would all be highly randomized. At the start of each game, a set algorithm would randomize every room's purpose and the items to be found inside.
In each room, players could find items that they could pick up, as well as stage props. Stage props could not be picked up, but players could interact with them to generate a special effect. For example, a radio could play a designated audio recording and increase the player's mental stress.
Players and NPCs would also spawn on random areas of the map. Once the game began, they would be allowed to roam around to look for clues and items.
Players would find special items around the area as well, such as daggers, bandages, psychotropic drugs, mysterious statues, and the like. These props could be used to attack others or heal oneself. Some could reduce mental stress while others would increase mental stress.
How these props should be used would depend on individual players' game strategies.
At the same time, the eight players would take on different roles at the start of the game. The method of winning the game would in turn depend on their roles.
Among the eight players, one would be a police officer, three would be good guys, three would be mentally-ill, and one would be an ambitious schemer.
The police officer and good guys would have a common goal—to escape. The mentally-ill people's goal would be to either drive everyone crazy or kill them. The ambitious schemer's goal would be to end up as the last one standing.
Half of the NPCs present would also be good guys while the other half would be mentally-ill people.
Anytime a player died, his role would be exposed. There would be weapons and items around the map. Once the police officer spawned, he would have a pistol, which could deal great damage to both good guys and bad guys alike. Other players could collect items from around the map or drop them on the ground for other players to pick up. Daggers and glare flashlights would be common items. Daggers would deal damage to ordinary people while glare flashlights would deal greater damage to lunatics.
Players could also look for rarer items like axes and stun grenades. Of course, these would be more powerful.
The mentally-ill would be different from lunatics. 'Lunatics' was a concept for ordinary people.
At the start of each round, the police officer, the good guys, the mentally ill, and the ambitious schemer would all be considered ordinary people. All of them would have the same stats.
As time passed and under the influence of the surrounding props, players' sanity meter would keep decreasing. When they hit a certain point and fail to consume special pills, they would turn from ordinary people into lunatics.
Lunatics would have higher speed, more health points, and greater power than ordinary people. However, once they became lunatics, the player would lose all ability to communicate. What's more, their muscles would expand and they would look different, so as to allow other players to identify their status.
Voice chat would be allowed in the game, but it would be strictly limited.
Each time they wanted to speak, players would only be given ten seconds to say one sentence. Once they were done, the recording would be edited by the system before being broadcast to other players.
Every time they spoke, the players' sanity meter would decrease.
If they did not speak at all, others could mistake them as enemies or bots. Yet, if they spoke too much, they would be at higher risk of becoming lunatics; and other players could suspect their true motives.
On top of this, in order to prevent trolls from trying to inject humor into the game, Shang Yang Games would get rid of the most meaningless actions.
For example, players would only be allowed to jump when they reach a particular terrain. Otherwise, they would not be allowed to.
The fact that players—especially those playing mentally-ill people or the ambitious schemer-could use different strategies and methods in the game was inspired by board games.
The police officer and good guys had to roam around the map looking for machinery or exits, warn other good guys, and deal with any signs of infection quickly and decisively.
The mentally-ill would have much lower sanity meters than the good guys. Thus, they could use the props around the map to become a lunatic and attack the good guys, or they could act as good guys and mislead the actual good guys and trap them.
The ambitious schemer could also act as a good guy or become a lunatic to achieve his own goal.
Every player in the game would keep guessing other parties' roles while trying to keep to their strategy.
An overall score would be calculated at the end of the round, taking into account every player's difference in stats, game time, and role.
For example, it would be extremely difficult for ambitious schemers to achieve their goal. Thus, even if they did not, only some points would be deducted. On the other hand, if they did, a lot of points would be added. The system would also add points for attacks, kills, solved riddles, and collected items. That would ensure even ambitious schemers would be motivated to play well despite their difficult missions.
In just one short afternoon, the general framework of the game was complete.
They raised problems and resolved them, forming a continuous, virtuous cycle. Soon, they had some details for the game's design set.
As they looked at the nearly-completed first draft of their design manuscript, Ye Zhizhou and Wang Xiaobin could not help but feel moved.
Everything went much smoother than they had imagined!
Before this, they had tried to think of the game's design while playing as many horror games as possible. Even after two weeks, they did not achieve much.
Yet, now, after just one afternoon, they could picture what the game would look like!
What caused the difference between these two attempts?
It was Boss Pei's directions and Director Lin's analysis of Boss Pei's intentions. They only had to follow the directions to solve all the problems easily!
Although nobody knew if the game would succeed, the gameplay was at least set. There was nothing like it in the market, and that meant there would be no competitors. Players would have a novel experience with this game. Moreover, the fact that Boss Pei had pointed them in this direction made them feel more confident.
Ye Zhizhou read the design manuscript, feeling emotional.
"Could it be that this was what Boss Pei imagined the horror game would look like? How exciting!"
Chapter 331 Tengda Spirit Compatibility Test
When he arrived back at Tengda Games, Pei Qian checked on the progress of GOG.
The game was still at the conceptual designing stage. Li Yada was still struggling with the basic design details.
However, they were already more or less ready to buy over some small IPs. They had hired professionals to conduct negotiations with local and foreign companies.
Licenses for these IPs lasted either for a limited period or permanently, both depending on how the many rounds of negotiations went.
The more famous an IP was, the more expensive it would be. The license granted would also tend to be for a limited period. Many games had to be taken off the shelves because their materials' copyrights expired, the fees exponentially increased, and the developers could no longer afford them. That situation often developed terribly.
Thus, Tengda was currently looking for IPs with permanent licenses.
On top of this was the price. At the moment, they had expressed interest in characters that were not that famous. These included characters from old comics, novels, and movies.
Of course, they had also conducted some brief research into the materials they wanted before commencing negotiations. This was to ensure they would be suitable to be used in the game and would not appear out of place.
If the characters were of a different style from the game, they would have more things to discuss. Tengda would have to request permission to edit the character to suit the game's style.
Although it was a troublesome process, the direction was clear. Any characters that did not fit the requirements and could not be bought over would be foregone.
There were many rubbish IPs in the market anyway. They could randomly pick as many as they wanted until they found enough.
At the moment, they did not even have an idea of how the game would look. Thus, Pei Qian could not offer much guidance. He could only see how things went during this period.
Not long after he returned to the office, Hao Yun from the HR department knocked on his door.
"Boss Pei, we've tried to come up with a set of examination questions. Do you want to see if it's alright?
"We've also arranged for the people in charge of TPDb to create an online platform that would help with the final stage, the Tengda Spirit compatibility test. When Tengda's recruitment website is ready, you will get exclusive access. You can edit the questions and answers on the platform and prevent others from seeing them.
Pei Qian took the printed examination questions from Hao Yun and nodded, satisfied. "Alright, leave it. I'll take a look."
Hao Yun went back to work.
Pei Qian then flipped through and studied the questions closely.
There had only been two main preparation tasks for recruitment. First, they had to create a recruitment website. There, applicants would submit their resumes, register, and print out the examination's entry proof.
Once the website was complete, applicants would just have to fill in the necessary fields on the website within a set time period.
They would also have to print the entry proof and physically attend the written examination. Moving all those tedious processes online saved the HR department a lot of trouble.
Apart from that, they also had to set the examination paper itself. That was what Pei Qian would be vetting.
The examination was set for May and November every year.
It was well known in the recruitment industry that March, April, September, and October were golden periods. March and April were considered golden periods for the first half of the year. That was because many people would decide to quit after the Lunar New Year when they would normally receive their end-of-year bonus. They would then start their job search in March.
September and October were the golden periods for the second half of the year. That was because many university graduates would have officially received their certificates and started looking for their first jobs.
Boss Pei was looking to avoid these exact months!
There were likely going to be many talents in the market during these months. Tengda was also going to be selecting employees using written examinations. If most people taking the exam happened to be very intelligent and learned, Pei Qian would achieve the opposite of what he wanted.
Thus, he had to wait patiently!
Once the golden periods were over, Pei Qian could be sure that the more capable talents would have found jobs. Then, he could recruit the leftovers in the market, who would probably be less able.
TPDb had been tasked with creating the recruitment website because it could be called 'Tengda Recruitment Network' or 'Tengda Talent Database' and could attach itself to TPDb's website.
Pei Qian began to look through the questions.
The questions had broadly been split into three separate parts: the written basic skills test, which was to be held in the morning; the written specialized knowledge test, which was to be held in the afternoon, and the interview.
The questions for the basic skills test had been set by the HR department. Pei Qian flipped through them and found that all the questions were similar to the ones found in government officials' recruitment tests. It tested knowledge from all over the place. One probably had to be extremely talented to score highly even without studying beforehand.
The questions for the specialized knowledge test had been set by the various departments. For instance, the games department had set questions on foundational knowledge of the game industry, questions on definitions of certain technical terms, short-structured questions on game systems, and a hypothetical game synopsis.
The interview questions were more open-ended as well, but they were more closely related to the various roles.
After reading these questions, Pei Qian fell into deep thought.
All of a sudden, he realized that his thinking had been too simple. He forgot to think about one very important thing, and that was… exactly how difficult the questions had to be.
At the moment, the questions' difficulty was considered below-average compared to tests that aspiring government officials had to go through. That was to be expected. After all, to the employees in the HR department, Tengda's recruitment was corporate. Naturally, they placed a higher emphasis on the applicants' practical skills and abilities.
That was why the interview was given a higher weightage compared to the other two tests.
Industry experts in their thirties or forties could have in-depth knowledge about the profession and yet do very badly at the basic skills test. Wouldn't the experts be put in a very difficult position, then?
Thus, the HR department had lowered the difficulty of the basic skills test on purpose.
That way, they could guarantee that the shortlisted applicants would be stronger and better-performing in terms of practical work abilities.
On the other hand, Pei Qian thought that this simply would not do.
The recruitment test was a way of selecting employees. If many people fought for the limited slots in Tengda, Boss Pei wanted to make sure that he hired the applicants that matched his requirements.
That meant backward elimination would not work.
If Pei Qian wanted to admit the applicants in ascending order of their scores on the tests, the System might not accept it, and he would have difficulty explaining this to his employees. Moreover, it was simply not practical.
If word got out and everyone handed in blank scripts or purposely kept their scores under a certain mark, what could Pei Qian do about it?
Thus, he could only admit applicants in descending order of their scores. To put it plainly, he only had two choices: he could admit bookworms who were good at exams, or he could admit talents who were good at interviews and working.
At times, the two came hand in hand. However, the two were mutually exclusive most of the time.
All in all, talents with high education records were normally extremely good at academics and pretty good at work as well. People with high in examination scores but had low ability were not common.
However, Pei Qiao also knew of companies that emphasized so much on education records in their employees that the company's achievements slipped.
Many applicants with high education records did not like their jobs and only applied for high salaries. They lacked passion in their work and ended up producing good work but lacking souls.
That was beside the point.
In any case, after much consideration, Pei Qian decided on the former. The latter would only back-stab him like crazy. The former would be extremely good at learning and taking examinations but might not be good at working. It seemed like a much safer option.
At that thought, Pei Qian wrote a comment on the top of the paper: 'Increase the difficulty of the basic skills test-maximize it!'
After that, Pei Qian decided it was finally time to think about questions for the Tengda Spirit compatibility test.
To be frank, this test was meant to uncover applicants' tendency to slack, thus filtering out the hardworking ones.
Of course, Pei Qian had to maintain a level of confusion around this test. The right answer must be kept a secret at all times.
Once the website was ready, the interns who wanted to be converted to full-time employees would be allowed to sit for the test at an allocated time on an allocated computer. They would submit their tests once they were done, and the website would mark them automatically.
Pei Qian would be the only one who would be able to see the scores. He would only notify the interns whether they made it or not and not how much they scored.
At the same time, the company would prohibit any discussion about the questions.
There was no way to prevent people from discussing in private, but there was no way that the applicants would be able to remember all the questions in the test. Even if they ended up discussing some questions, they probably would not be able to guess what the right answers were.
Pei Qian would also edit and replace the questions from time to time, in order to maintain the test's accuracy.
Boss Pei's questions were all going to be extremely confusing.
This was one example.
Question: It's time to get off work. You have an incomplete assignment on your hands. You should:
Work overtime to complete it.Wait until tomorrow.Ask around to see if this task is urgent. If it is, you'll work overtime. If not, you will wait until tomorrow.Work overtime if your superior (not Boss Pei) asks you to. If he doesn't, assume that there is no need to work overtime.Argue with your superior (not Boss Pei) if he tells you to work overtime to complete the assignment.
Those who picked E would get five marks, B would get four, D would get two, C would get one, and A would get zero.
This was another example.
Question: It's time to get off work. You have an incomplete assignment on your hands, and Boss Pei told you earlier that you need to finish it before a particular day. You should:
Work overtime to complete it.Wait until tomorrow.Ask Boss Pei to see if this task is that urgent. If it is, you'll work overtime. If not, you will wait until tomorrow.Work overtime to complete it and ask Boss Pei for double the overtime pay.Finish the assignment at home.
Those who picked D would get five marks, A or E would get four, C would get two, and B would get zero.
As for why the answers for both of these questions were different…
That went without saying. If Boss Pei asked an employee to work overtime, settlement must be approaching. If the release of the product was delayed, Boss Pei would be dealt with by the System.
Of course, the employee could not forget to ask Boss Pei for as many overtime pay as possible after completing the task. All in all, if Boss Pei was the one who was personally assigning tasks, they had to be done. If Boss Pei did not expressly say that the task was urgent, they should not work overtime of their own accord.
On that basis, employees could ask for as much company benefits as they wanted. The more initiative they took, the better.
Pei Qian racked his brains and came up with a few more questions, all circling around the same principles.
The questions involved many hypothetical scenarios. The variety of tangled and complicated scenarios served to hide Boss Pei's true intentions, so that the applicant had no way of guessing them.
Once the website was ready, Pei Qian would upload the questions onto it and set the correct answers. Then, he would wait for applicants to take the test.
He could also consider creating a bigger question bank, from which he could select random questions during each round of recruitment. That way, he could further reduce the chances of applicants guessing the correct answers through discussion of the questions.
Only people who passed this test could be considered talents compatible with Tengda's spirit.
People who did not… would have to study harder to understand Tengda's spirit.
Chapter 332 Finalization of the Script for Tomorrow is Beautiful
November 17th…
Pei Qian received a call from Huang Sibo, telling him that Fei Huang Workspace wanted to confirm the script and other matters related to filming. Two weeks had passed since Pei Qian finished writing the script.
During these two weeks, Zhu Xiaoce and the scriptwriters at Fei Huang Workspace had been working non-stop on Boss Pei's script. At the same time, they prepared for filming to commence.
Now that the script was finally done, they needed Pei Qian – the main sponsor of the movie—to give the final nod of approval. This was a matter of attitude.
Of course, if Pei Qian found out that Zhu Xiaoce had made too many changes to the script and reduced its toxic effect, he would have to say a word or two.
Boss Pei was becoming increasingly laid-back when it came to thinking of ideas and making decisions. This was because he realized that no matter how many decisions he made, people could still be counted on to backstab him!
When they worked on Ocean Stronghold, Pei Qian only gave the team a general direction and allowed his employees to fill in the details. After that, the game became popular.
When they worked on Game Designer, Pei Qian made sure to specify every single detail and turned Lu Mingliang into nothing more than a tool. After that, the game still became popular.
When he asked Ma Yang to make investments, Pei Qian set no requirements for what kind of investments to make. He did not even attempt to limit Old Ma's creativity, and yet…
Ultimately, Boss Pei was miserable.
Pei Qian realized that no matter how much he oversaw projects or got involved in the nitty-gritty, the outcome never seemed to change.
Since that was the case, he saw no point in working so hard.
It was too tiring for Boss Pei to come up with every single detail for every project, just like he did for Game Designer.
Thus, Pei Qian decided to casually check on Fei Huang Workspace's progress. He would walk around and try his best to give some 'opinions'. After symbolically showing some resistance, he would be done for the day.
As the saying went, man proposed and God disposed. There was no point in forcing things.
When Pei Qian arrived at Fei Huang Workspace's office, Huang Sibo and Zhu Xiaoce greeted him and led him into the guest room.
The company had been developing for a long time. Now, the staff composition of Fei Huang Workspace was more or less complete. With the directors, scriptwriters, stage crew, editors, special effects crew, and the like; the entire office looked much livelier. Everyone was working in full swing as they prepared to film the new project.
Pei Qian arrived at the guest room, sipped his tea, and immediately gave instructions to Huang Sibo.
"Fei Huang Workspace is performing exceptionally well now, but don't ever forget Tengda's spirit. It's good to see everyone so passionate and hardworking, but do not let them start working overtime, understand?"
Huang Sibo nodded immediately. "Don't worry, Boss Pei. Fei Huang Workspace sets Tengda as its benchmark for rules, regulations, welfare, and benefits. How could we allow such a disgraceful thing to happen?"
Pei Qian nodded, obviously satisfied with Huang Sibo's attitude.
Zhu Xiaoce handed a thick script over to Boss Pei. "Boss Pei, this is the final script. Please take a look. If you don't like anything in the script, please point it out. We will revise it immediately."
Pei Qian took the thick script and glanced at the movie's title.
Before this, Pei Qian had only written a brief story outline. He had not named the movie.
Yet, not only had Zhu Xiaoce and Fei Huang Workspace's editors added more details to complete the narrative, but they had also come up with a name for the movie.
'Tomorrow is Beautiful'
There was both a Mandarin and an English Title.
Just looking at this script made Pei Qian want to hold up his thumb.
Good! Well done!
This script contained every toxic point in history. Anyone who watched the movie would immediately feel depressed.
Yet, the title of the movie showed no signs of its toxicity. Instead, it sounded extremely confusing
'Tomorrow is Beautiful' sounded like the title of a warm and comforting art piece. It would definitely fool an audience, who would not have guessed any better, into watching the movie. Perhaps even couples in their honeymoon stage of dating would want to watch it.
Wouldn't that almost guarantee criticism of the movie? Its reputation would be in shambles!
Pei Qian nodded subtly and read further.
Zhu Xiaoce, who was sitting across from Boss Pei, could not help but jump upon seeing the latter's subtle nod.
My script has been validated by Boss Pei! My understanding of his script was absolutely right!
Obviously, Boss Pei understood how deep the movie title was. Indeed, a telepathic connection existed between talents!
Pei Qian did not know how excited Zhu Xiaoce was at that moment. He continued flipping through the script casually, picking out some parts to study more closely. The simple story outline from before had been expanded into a detailed script, including explanations on the set-up, the lines, the actions, and the like. Pei Qian could almost see the movie playing inside his head.
He only had one feeling: this was extremely toxic!
The story outline had been toxic before, but it had only been an outline after all. The plot was extremely basic. However, the current script contained the conversations between the protagonists, their expressions, and a lot of other details. One only had to imagine the background music, and the toxicity levels would be…
Through the roof.
Pei Qian could not stand to read any further. It was too miserable!
He continued scanning the script and confirmed that Zhu Xiaoce and the other scriptwriters had not changed the storyline. They had only added more details to the outline and expanded the script.
It was not any less toxic. Instead, the additional details made it look even more toxic!
At that point, Pei Qian began to relax. If they stuck to this, the movie would definitely contain every toxic point in history! "This script is perfect! I'm very happy with?it."
Pei Qian praised Zhu Xiaoce and his script-writing team highly.
Zhu Xiaoce could not help but grin. "You're too kind, Boss Pei. Your story outline was good. We only added in some minor details."
They were both chatting happily when Pei Qian's cell phone rang.
He glanced at it and saw that it was Chang You.
"Hello? Boss Pei, I just wanted to tell you that we're more or less done with the preparations. We've selected a suitable office, and I've recruited all my brothers.
"We want to set a general direction for the first cell phone model today and come up with a plan for the initial stages of production. Could you come over and offer some guidance if you have spare time on your hands?"
Offer some guidance? This was a bad time.
Pei Qian was still discussing the script with Zhu Xiaoce at Fei Huang Workspace; he was afraid he would not have time to spare for the rest of the day.
Should he 'guide' the successful Fei Huang Workspace or the dream team that had experienced failure many times before?
The choice was obvious.
Of course, Pei Qian could also arrange to meet Chang You and the rest the next day. However, on further thought, it seemed meaningless to make everyone waste one entire day waiting. Pei Qian also felt like he could not meddle in Otto Technologies' business. On one hand, he could affect the dream team's performance. On the other hand, if he offered help and the first cell phone model failed, Boss Pei would be taking the blame in place of Lin Wan. It would hinder Lin Wan from leaving the industry, going home, and taking over her family business.
"You can go ahead with the discussions. I am quite busy today, and so I won't be able to come down.
"Don't ask me to give instructions for everything. I'm letting you call the shots."
Chang You answered, "Alright, Boss Pei! Don't worry, we'll finish the task!"
After hanging up, Pei Qian continued discussing the script with Zhu Xiaoce. Zhu Xiaoce hesitated and said, "Boss Pei, there's one more problem.
"You should have noticed by now that the characters' names have not been set. That's because we can't decide if the main characters should be Eastern or Western.
"You seem to hint that these people are from a future age. However, you haven't given us any hints on their nationality."
Pei Qian nodded. That was indeed a problem.
"Since the movie is to be set in the future, the concept of nations has to remain blurry. Furthermore, this story cannot happen in our country.
"The characters and scenes should be in English. The lines should be in English as well.
"Look for foreigners to play the main characters. If you can't find any, look for locals who can speak good English. You don't have to explain their identities. The audience would understand that the characters are only ethnically Chinese."
Pei Qian figured that hiring foreign actors would probably cost more than hiring local ones! He could not forego any chance to spend more money. Zhu Xiaoce quickly nodded. "Yes, Boss Pei, that's what I thought as well.
"However, there might be one difficulty… we'll probably not be able to hire famous foreign actors. We might not even be able to hire moderately-famous foreign actors.
"After all, this is Fei Huang Workspace's first time filming a movie. We are practically unknown overseas. Even if we offer a lot of money, we might not be able to convince them to travel all the way to Jingzhou.
"It'll be easy for us to hire the calefares but much more difficult for us to find the main actors-especially the male protagonist and judge. Those two have many more lines than the others. That means we need to have higher requirements for their acting.
"For that reason, should we try looking for local actors to play those parts?"
After some thought, Pei Qian replied, "Alright.
"However… if we can't hire famous foreign actors, do you think we'll be able to hire famous local ones?"
Zhu Xiaoce smiled helplessly. "It won't be easy either. However, it would at least be easier for us to communicate with local actors. That would increase our chances of hiring them."
Pei Qian had wanted to suggest hiring a few newbie actors from various schools to fill the roles. However, he subsequently realized that they would cost too little. Fei Huang Workspace would not be able to spend much on remuneration.
No matter what, they had to find an actor or two who would request for higher pay. Otherwise, Fei Huang Workspace would not be able to finish spending their budget for remuneration.
Yet, who could they look for? That was another problem.
All of a sudden, a person's name popped into Pei Qian's mind.
I know a local actor, and I've even worked with him before!
Zha Zhuti!
Zhang Zuting had been severely criticized after acting as the spokesperson for Bloody Battle Song back then. However, he also gained a significant following through that episode. Many people started to pay attention to him, so that even he began to accept being referred to as 'Zha Zhuti'.
Of course, Pei Qian still remembered this old friend of his.
old Zhang was a good friend of Tengda. Thus, Tengda could not treat him badly. As the saying went, one could not allow benefits created by one's own work to accrue to others. Since Fei Huang Workspace was ready to offer a high salary, they had to offer the role to Zhang Zuting first.
Even if the movie failed later on, people would only curse at the scriptwriters and not the actors.
Old Zhang just had to act well in the movie to avoid being scolded by the audience. What's more, one particular character in the script suited Old Zhang well—the incorrigible judge.
The more Pei Qian thought about it, the more appropriate the plan seemed. He said, "I'll help to look for actors as well.
"I'll contact Zhang Zuting later and ask him for his availability for filming. If he agrees to star in the movie, we will cast him as the judge.
"As for the male protagonist… We can continue looking around and inform each other if we find suitable actors."
Zhu Xiaoce looked surprised. "Zhang Zuting? It'll be great if we can hire him. He's an old actor, whose acting skills are guaranteed to be good! What's more, his English is not bad. He can probably speak English during the entire filming process.
"Boss Pei, you have a wide network indeed!"
Chapter 333 Director Lin's Responsibilities
In Otto Technologies… Chang You, Lin Wan, and the core members of the company had gathered in the conference room, ready to discuss the general direction for the new cell phone. Lin Wan had just arrived from Shang Yang Games.
Research and development of Be Quiet was underway. Ye Zhizhou, Wang Xiaobin, and the other designers had already produced a design manuscript. At the same time, the other employees were working on foundational tasks like obtaining art resources.
Lin Wan did not have to get involved in such tasks. Thus, she could spare some time to travel down to Otto Technologies and sit in the meeting about the new cell phone.
All the employees sat upright and still with somber expressions. They looked very serious.
At Otto Technologies, they were still employees working on cell phones, just like they had been at Hongcheng Technologies. However, everyone's attitudes seemed slightly different here.
Chang You had been the Vice President when they were at Hongcheng Technologies. However, he had not had much say.
There had been many other Vice Presidents with the same authority as Chang You. What's more, there had still been a CEO above him.
Since those at management level had had different mindsets, there had been a lot of conflict and wrangling. Since even Chang You—as Vice President, had not had much freedom, the friends who had been working under him had had it worse.
Yet, now, Chang You had gained Boss Pei's trust. Thus, he was allowed to decide on the general direction of the new cell phone. He had much more authority now than before.
Naturally, the friends working under him no longer looked so sullen as well.
Furthermore, when the previous company had gone bust, everyone had had to go their separate ways. Now that they were reunited, most of them felt like they could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. As a result, all of them felt grateful to be where they were.
Chang You hung up and addressed everyone. "Boss Pei said that he's busy at the moment, and so he won't be able to come down. He said we can make the necessary decisions.
"Let's begin, then.
"Director Lin, as Tengda's representative, please feel free to raise any opinions you have."
Lin Wan nodded. "Alright."
She did not think that she would have any problems. After all, everyone seated in the room was more experienced than she was. Still, she had to maintain the right attitude as the head.
Chang You commenced the meeting according to the established agenda.
"The new cell phone model will be based on the research and development plan we created for Hongcheng Technologies' flagship model back then. I think all of us likely have plans that we were forced to stop midway. Some of us had probably even negotiated a procurement plan with suppliers in detail. If there are no legal risks, we can make use of them.
"Our company's first cell phone must use Original Design Manufacturing. I don't expect anyone to have questions about that.
"At the moment, we mainly have two things to work on. First, we have to research and develop a system that belongs exclusively to our brand. Second, we have to set a general direction for our products and communicate this with the manufacturers.
"It goes without saying how important the system would be…"
Lin Wan listened quietly by the side, taking down notes from time to time.
Although she had not conducted research on the cell phone industry on purpose, she understood the basic concepts from her observations of her family business.
Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM) and Original Design Manufacturing (ODM) were two common modes of manufacturing in the cell phone industry.
A tech company producing cell phones did not have to take care of everything from designing to manufacturing, branding, and selling. They just had to outsource the various tasks to the relevant producers.
For OEM, the company itself would design the product and outsource the manufacturing. That was what companies like Pineapple did.
On the other hand, for ODM, the company would merely communicate their standards and requirements to the manufacturers. The manufacturers would then design and produce the products. This was more commonly known in the market as 'private labeling'.
Of course, cell phone manufacturers could make custom requests. As long as they were willing to pay more, everything was negotiable.
Otto Technologies had only just been established. It was not possible for it to independently research and develop every part of a cell phone. Thus, ODM was the better option.
Going for 'private labeling' did not mean that the quality would be worse off. There was also nothing embarrassing about it. Most local and foreign cell phones were ODM products. Many cell phone models, including Shenhua, were also completed using ODM. Many Original Design Manufacturers had been designing cell phones on behalf of other companies for a long time. They had good plans for everything from the products themselves to hardware assembly. They also had tons of experience, good quality control, a stable supply chain, and reliable efficiency.
Some cell phone manufacturers even managed to produce low-end models using ODM that were of better quality compared to high-end models produced using OEM. This was a phenomenon that had confused many consumers.
Of course, things were different for large, stable companies like Shenhua or Pineapple. In those cases, taking over the designing work and creating a flagship model using OEM would increase the high-end brand's value. OEM would obviously be the better choice.
However, for Otto Technologies, it was still too early to take this step. ODM was akin to private labeling, but they could still create custom cell phones. Of course, the more custom requests they had, the more money they would have to spend.
At that moment, everyone focused on coming up with a general plan for the new cell phone
-in other words, how to integrate the various existing plans.
They spoke freely, to their heart's content.
"We definitely have to use the latest microchip."
"We also have to use the best screens, right?"
"The camera can't be too bad either. In fact, it looks like many flagship models have two cameras now. We have to follow suit, right?"
"We need to take care of battery life, too. Maintaining a good microchip and screen would require a lot of battery."
"It should have more internal storage as well, and maybe add some RGB?"
"Wait, we'll only be purchasing in small quantities. Can we get good microchips and screens?"
"If we can't, we can always pay more! If we don't use the best microchips for such an expensive model, we'd be criticized upside-down. We have to get them at all costs!"
They all spoke one after another, obviously excited to include the latest hardware in the cell phone.
The original design was intended to be Hongcheng Technologies' flagship model, M9. It was what Hongcheng Technologies was supposed to use to enter the high-end market.
However, M9 was only supposed to cost about four thousand yuan. Now, the current model was to be sold for eight thousand yuan.
How many more good things did they have to
add?
Every time they had worked on cell phones before, they had had to be stingy and try their best to reduce costs as much as possible. They could only daydream about good ideas that had often been too expensive to execute.
In the end, they had often been left with no choice but to reduce costs for things like the motor, charger, and NFC.
However, things were very different now. They could insert as many good parts into the cell phone as they wanted and still not have enough!
What's more, cell phones could be extremely expensive for different reasons. It was not as simple as throwing all the latest hardware and technologies into the design.
Take the unpopular-as-yet full-screen technology for example. Companies could make the top part of the cell phone's frame extremely narrow, but that would require them to find a new place to put the speakers and other hardware that normally occupy that space. This would undoubtedly require them to compromise other parts of the cell phone.
Although such phones would look more interesting, there were huge sacrifices involved. Moreover, practicality could be compromised.
Everyone discussed these considerations for a long time. Ultimately, Chang You decided to give up on pure aesthetics and focus on mature, reliable, and expensive technology instead. They would remain down-to-earth and pile on such resources to increase the cell phone's value.
Soon, discussions about the model's hardware came to a close.
From what Lin Wan could understand, the cell phone's hardware design sounded quite similar to Shenhua's flagship model. However, she was certain that it would not surpass Shenhua's cell phones in terms of the system, custom design, and unique selling points. There was also a world of difference between the two brands' reputations.
Otto Technologies' cell phone design would also make use of new technologies available in the market and look quite impressive. However, it would definitely not be able to overshadow other large companies' flagship models.
What's more, Shenhua's flagship model was only priced at less than six thousand yuan.
From the looks of the current situation, Lin Wan guessed that it would be difficult to sell their cell phone for even 5,500 yuan, much less eight thousand.
Chang You said, "Think of more ideas, everyone. Boss Pei has given orders. We must sell this cell phone at eight thousand yuan.
"When I was talking to Boss Pei earlier, he made some suggestions. For example, we must only replace cell phones and not repair them. If a customer's phone breaks down, we would have to deliver a new set to their doorstep and help them to transfer their data over. Then, we'll have to initialize the old set.
"All in all… We have to think of additional services to add to the cell phones so that they are valued for money."
With this new conversation opening from Chang You, the others began offering suggestions once again.
"What if we intensify the replacement services? We could allow customers to trade in their older models each time we produce a new one. We'll give them five hundred yuan on top of their old models' valuations. This way, we could encourage customers to stick to our brand."
"I think we could make our packaging more exquisite. We'll choose the best factory-installed screen protectors and casings to increase the value of our cell phones."
"We could also partner with various application developers, such as video websites. The application could be pre-installed in the cell phones, and our customers could enjoy members' benefits when they watch videos."
Everyone discussed freely and came up with many ideas. Some were expensive, and others were not so expensive. Still, even if they executed all the ideas, it seemed unlikely that they would be able to increase each cell phone's value to eight thousand yuan. After all, Pei Qian had stipulated that he only wanted a five percent profit margin. If the cost of the cell phone ended up being far less than eight thousand yuan, Chang You would have a hard time explaining himself to Boss Pei.
After some time, everyone reached their wits' end and fell silent.
That was to be expected. The cell phone industry had high barriers to entry. The large companies' flagship models were also all value for money and not lacking in any way.
Even though Chang You and his team could make use of the new technologies that they picked up during their time at Hongcheng Technologies, the team's research and development capabilities were still a far cry from international companies like Shenhua.
Thus, no matter how hard everyone worked, any product they could come up with would be valued at six thousand yuan at the most. The additional benefits could push it up to seven thousand… but not to eight thousand yuan.
Chang You looked around at everyone else and said, "Please continue thinking of ideas. If we still cannot reach eight thousand yuan, we might have to buy expensive, custom-made hardware."
They could push the cell phone's value up if they purchased custom-made hardware, but such hardware had very low price-quality ratios. A small company like Otto Technologies could be seen as a foolish spendthrift.
Just when everyone was feeling helpless, Lin Wan spoke up. "If we work together with other video websites and software companies, the most they could offer is a membership. It would be very difficult to get anything more than that.
"I can talk to the other companies under Tengda. We would probably get better benefits that would increase the value of our cell phones by much more. "For example…
"Fei Huang Workspace could give our customers two tickets to the pre-screening of every new movie they film.
"Fish-Catching Internet Cafe could give our customers lifetime memberships, allowing them to enjoy discounted prices and a free drink every day.
"Once they link their game account to their phones, we could also give them one Tengda game every year.
"Zhongdian Chinese Network could also grant our customers lifetime membership, which could give them discounted subscription fees, additional recommendation votes, and monthly votes.
"Our customers could also become automatic VIPs of Upwind Logistics and enjoy priority delivery services.
"On top of that, they could be distinguished guests at Ming Yun Private Kitchen. If they spend a set minimum amount, they could enjoy one additional free dish.
"That'll probably be all for now. We could add on additional benefits in the future if any suitable ones pop up."
Someone beside Lin Wan raised his hand hesitantly. "Director Lin, are you able to obtain that many benefits?"
Lin Wan nodded confidently. "Of course. I'm very familiar with the people in charge of all those subsidiaries. I'll talk to them. For all we know, they might have better ideas."
Chang You's eyes lit up. "That'll be best! We'll thank you in advance, then, Director Lin!"
Lin Wan waved her hand. "Don't thank me.
"Boss Pei once told me that, as the head, I am integral to Otto Technologies. I'm not supposed to remain out of the picture.
"I think Boss Pei was hinting to me that… since I'm considered an old employee of Tengda, I should act as the bridge between Otto Technologies and the other businesses under Tengda Corporation.
"Count on me to liaise with the other subsidiaries!"
Chapter 334 Toxicity in the Box Office!
"Achoo!"
On the way out of Fei Huang Workspace, Pei Qian sneezed.
"Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling…?
"Did something go wrong with one of the businesses? Should I check?
"…Forget it."
For a split second, Pei Qian wanted to check on the various companies and see if anything had gone wrong. However, it was not long before he pushed the idea out of his mind.
He would not be able to detect any problems anyway! At the moment, Pei Qian had too many businesses to take care of. It would be extremely difficult to check on all of them. After some thought, Pei Qian decided that he had been overthinking. He decided to focus on the tasks on hand instead. It was then that he decided to call Zhang Zuting.
Zhang Zuting picked up almost immediately Both of them exchanged a couple of pleasantries; they were on quite good terms.
Although starring in Bloody Battle Song's advertisement had brought Zhang Zuting many worries, it had also brought him considerable fame.
The success of Bloody Battle Song's mobile game had quashed many people's impression of the game being 'filed with paywalls', 'a scam', and 'meant for stupid, rich folks'. At the same time, many people went from being haters of Zhang Zuting to his fans.
The once-outdated Zhang Zuting was now much more popular!
For that reason, Zhang Zuting still felt grateful towards Boss Pei.
"Mr. Zhang, are you available to film over the next few months? I am producing a movie that I would like to invite you to star in.
"We worked together before. You don't have to worry about the remuneration. We won't shortchange you for sure."
Zhang Zuting was obviously stunned.
Star in a movie? Wasn't Boss Pei's company a games company? Why was he producing a movie?
Was he venturing into another industry?
Zhang Zuting did not ask too many questions. After all, many large companies were now looking to venture into the film industry. Even coal bosses and rich second-generation heirs were trying their hand at it. There was no need for Zhang Zuting to make a mountain out of a molehill.
Furthermore, Boss Pei was already managing a high-end restaurant; there was nothing strange about him wanting to produce a movie, right?
Zhang Zuting answered, "No problem, Boss Pei. Coincidentally, I'll be free over the next few months. We're quite familiar with each other's working style, and we can negotiate further on the remuneration. I can quote you a good price since we're friends, but could you let me read the script first?"
Pei Qian remained silent for a few seconds. "I'll pass on the discount, but could you not ask me for the script?"
Again, Zhang Zuting was stunned. He laughed and said, "Boss Pei, you're really humorous. Has the script not been completed? Let's not talk about it for now, then. In any case, I'll do this on your account. I'll make the necessary arrangements and come down to Jingzhou soon."
"Alright, I'll give you the director's contact details. You can liaise with him directly. Oh, there's another thing. We need to look for a young, male actor to star as the male protagonist in this film. Do you have anyone to recommend?" Pei Qian asked.
Zhang Zuting pondered for a moment and said, "There are many young, male actors out there. Do you have any specific requests?" Without thinking, Pei Qian instantly replied, "The more expensive, the better." Zhang Zuting scoffed. "Expensive? I don't know any expensive actors. I'm just an outdated actor; how would I know the hot, young celebrities? Boss Pei, since that's your only requirement and there aren't many expensive young male actors in Jingzhou, you could just ask them one by one."
Pei Qian nodded. "That's true. I'll look again, then."
Coincidentally, just as Pei Qian hung up, he arrived at Tengda.
Pei Qian alighted from the car and returned to his own office. Then, he searched for young, male actors who were particularly popular at the moment on Qiandu.
Many things were different in this world. For instance, the development of smartphones and the mobile game industry was three or four years faster than Pei Qian remembered.
The filming industry was also different from his memory. As Pei Qian recalled, the first movie that depended purely on the cast's fanbase and not their acting skills premiered in 2011. The trend started picking up in 2013 and reached its peak in 2014 or 2015. After that, they went downhill.
It was slightly different in this world. The trend had started earlier than Pei Qian remembered.
Pei Qian guessed that it was influenced by the earlier development of cell phones and information and communications technology (ICT).
All in all, such movies were already becoming increasingly popular at this time in this world. Many young and popular idols were asking for much higher pay. Their prices were becoming increasingly ridiculous. Of course, apart from those young idols, male superstars did not come cheap either.
Pei Qian felt conflicted.
Who should he hire to star as the male protagonist?
If he hired a relatively unknown actor, he would not be able to spend much.
What if he hired a male superstar? He would be able to spend much more, but the superstar's acting skills would be guaranteed. Furthermore, the latter could influence large crowds that just wanted to watch him perform to buy tickets.
What if Pei Qian hired the younger, popular idols instead?
It would be better in many aspects, but Pei Qian was quite disgusted by such 'idols'. He could spend the money through other means, and choosing younger, popular idols would be giving them an unfair advantage. Furthermore, he would be contributing to the culture of favoring looks over skills.
That did not make Pei Qian feel good.
As Pei Qian tried to suppress his fickle-mindedness, he continued searching the Internet for more resources, hoping that luck would allow him to find a suitable candidate.
All of a sudden, he spotted a key phrase.
Toxicity in the Box Office!'
"En?"
This piqued Pei Qian's interest at once. It was a hot post in one of the forums, which was titled 'Lu Zhiyao is absolute toxicity in the box office!'
The post was quite popular. Many netizens had commented on it.
"Indeed! He could fail even with a cast like that. It's f*cking ridiculous!"
"Even the strong Director Liu could not save him! He can't be saved!" "The two female leads were already considered lucky charms for accompanying male actors, and yet he could still fail so miserably…"
"I was just going to ask why he's still given so many jobs even though he has failed countless times."
"Honestly, his acting skills are quite alright. He's also hardworking and easy to work with. I haven't heard of any scandals involving him thus far. He's quite good-looking, too. Yet, for some reason, nobody wants to see him on the screen…"
"That's right. Every time I see his name in a movie, my first instinct is not to watch it."
"I think there are several reasons. One, he does not have an affinity with the audience. Two, he looks too handsome. It's often hard to believe that he's the character he's playing. He shouldn't act in serious films like that. He should star in movies that appeal more to his fanbase instead."
"It's too bad he entered the market too early. He's way too old to be referred to as 'fresh meat' now. What's more, he's quite a dreamer and doesn't take on cheap work. He only stars in films with good scripts, so that he can work on his acting skills."
"I'm begging you! Stop harming films with good scripts!"
"If he fails again, I don't think any director would want to hire him anymore. He's expensive, and he doesn't sell tickets. The price-quality ratio is horrible."
After reading everyone's comments, Pei Qian's eyes lit up.
This brother, Lu Zhiyao, seemed to fit his requirements perfectly!
Pei Qian quickly looked through his past works.
He realized that Lu Zhiyao was currently among the top five most popular stars. He was quite famous and had starred in some pretty good films. When he just started, he starred in films that had gone for quality over quantity. Although those films didn't sell well, his performance had been quite outstanding. That was why the audience had had high hopes for him.
However, the more movies he starred in, the more things went awry.
Lu Zhiyao's acting skills did not deteriorate. In fact, he was gradually improving. He was also a nice, hardworking man. Yet, his films were becoming lousier and lousier as time went by!
At first, his fans had thought that the films were dragging him down. They felt indignant on his behalf. That was why his pay continued to increase. However, everyone slowly realized that the man was not being dragged down by the movies he was starring in.
Other good actors could single-handedly sell tickets for films they starred in. Yet, not only was Lu Zhiyao failing to sell tickets, but he was turning people away from his films!
The most recent movie he starred in also featured a well-known movie king and two actresses with pretty good audience appeal. In the end, the movie still failed—and miserably at that!
Thus, more and more people were beginning to think that Lu Zhiyao was a 'toxicity in the box office'.
Pei Qian researched a bit more and found that Lu Zhiyao had retained high grades when he was in school. He guessed that the latter's English would not be bad.
That was when Boss Pei made up his mind. He was it!
He was the perfect candidate!
Pei Qian sent Lu Zhiyao's name to Zhu Xiaoce. "Get into contact with him. He's the perfect male protagonist in my eyes!"
The next day…
Not long after Pei Qian woke up, he received a call from Zhu Xiaoce.
"Boss Pei, I have two matters to report. "I've already contacted Zhang Zuting. He'll arrive in Jingzhou in a few days. We're currently preparing his accommodations. You don't have to worry about that.
"As for Lu Zhiyao, whom you mentioned yesterday… I've contacted his manager and spoken to him as well. However, he's been feeling quite depressed. Thus, he turned us down. He said he would not be starring in any movies for now."
Pei Qian paused. "Did you offer him more money?"
Zhu Xiaoce was speechless. "Er… I thought he sounded quite low, and I felt bad being too blunt. I only hinted that I could pay him more. He didn't catch my drift, and I gave up asking any further." Pei Qian could not help but shake his head in silence.
Ai, it took talent to spend money properly.
People like Director Zhu Xiaoce could spend such a long time observing Boss Pei and yet learn nothing about how to spend money.
Offering more money was the trump card for all problems. It was simple to employ this method-one had to be straightforward!
No matter what kind of excuses the other party came up with, offering more money would do the trick. One had to state a clear figure and not speak in vague or ambiguous terms.
However, it would be insincere to do it over the phone. Meeting face-to-face was always the best.
Pei Qian pondered for a while and said, "How about this? Send Lu Zhiyao an invitation on behalf of Tengda, asking him to take a break in Jingzhou. We can sponsor his entire trip. Once he arrives, chat with him and offer him more money face-to-face!"
Zhu Xiaoce answered, "Alright, Boss Pei."
Pei Qian was insistent on hiring this Lu Zhiyao. Since he was toxicity in the box office, Pei Qian had to make sure he starred in his own film!
Of course, his dear friend had had a hard time recently. His new movie failed, and he must have been in low spirits. He could undoubtedly fit the male protagonist's role!
Considering how toxic the script was, Pei Qian thought it was reasonable to offer him a higher pay in order to make up for the mental damage he was bound to suffer.
After about half an hour, just as Pei Qian's Fish-Catching Take-Out was about to arrive, he received another call from Zhu Xiaoce.
"Boss Pei, it's settled. Lu Zhiyao has agreed to come to Jingzhou!"
Pei Qian nodded. "Alright, I'll arrange for someone to host him. Continue preparing for filming. Leave Lu Zhiyao to me." Pei Qian guessed that Lu Zhiyao was still feeling depressed about his movie's failure. Naturally, he would not feel interested in doing anything
Naturally, he would not accept a role in a film that a company he had not even heard of was producing
Now that Pei Qian had invited him to Jingzhou to clear his mind, he could chat with him and persuade him face-to-face. That would be much easier!
Pei Qian did not believe that Lu Zhiyao—the 'toxicity in the box office'-would still be able to turn him down after having a meal at Ming Yun Private Kitchen and being offered a crazy amount of money!