Chapter Twelve: Preparations Completed
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The next day at noon, Zhang Qianjun arrived at a Western restaurant with some trepidation, turning over in his mind how he might tactfully refuse the other party.
Following the waiter’s directions, he came to a table in the corner. At first glance, there were two people: a beautiful, mature woman and a young girl in her early twenties. Looking more closely, he realized that the girl was Ma Sitong. Most of his nervousness immediately melted away.
Jiang Wenli rose first and greeted him. “You must be Qianjun. Come, come, sit down. You’re truly a fine-looking young man. Jin Song told me there was no need to introduce you—he said I’d recognize you the moment I saw you. I was puzzled at the time, but now that I’ve seen you, I realize Jin Song was being far too modest.”
“Sister Wenli, you’re flattering me too much. I’m hardly that outstanding—just a little better than average, that’s all.”
“Oh? Yesterday I was Auntie, and today I’m Sister?” Jiang Wenli pretended to be surprised.
“I hadn’t met you before, had I? But after seeing you today, I simply couldn’t bring myself to call you Auntie anymore. You’re obviously a beautiful, sophisticated older sister. If I’m lucky enough to act opposite you someday, I’ve already thought of the perfect role: a brilliant engineering student who is indifferent to everyone, yet falls in love at first sight with a powerful businesswoman and finds that the whole world loses its color except for her.”
“Hahaha! So you’ve started teasing your sister now.” Jiang Wenli laughed, then introduced the young woman beside her. “This is my niece, Ma Sitong. Sitong, this is Zhang Qianjun, the young man Dean Wang has been talking about nonstop lately. You’re both around the same age, so keep in touch from now on.”
Since it was their first meeting, Ma Sitong was rather shy and barely spoke. After several rounds of food and drink, Jiang Wenli smiled and said, “Qianjun, I asked you here because Jin Song mentioned that you’re about to start filming a movie and still need a female lead. Once Dean Wang told me what you were looking for, I thought Sitong would be a very good fit, so I took the liberty of arranging this meeting. What do you think of her?”
“Sister Wenli, you’re being too polite. I was the one who asked Dean Wang for help in the first place. If Sitong really is suitable, then she’ll be doing me a tremendous favor. It isn’t easy to find a female actress who’s both the right age and capable of acting.”
With that, Zhang Qianjun turned toward Ma Sitong and said solemnly, “This is our first time meeting, and I’m a straightforward person. I don’t like beating around the bush. If anything about me makes you uncomfortable in our work or daily lives, tell me directly. You can call me Qianjun or Zhang Qianjun. I’ll call you Sitong. Is that all right?”
His words immediately left Ma Sitong confused.
Wasn’t she supposed to be meeting him to discuss the female lead in a coming-of-age crime film? Why did this feel so much like a blind date? The guy sitting across from her was undeniably handsome, but this was hardly the right setting!
Zhang Qianjun continued, “Since Sister Wenli has asked, I have nothing else to say. There’s only one matter: the role requires you to shave your head completely. Can you do it?”
Under his unwavering stare, Ma Sitong felt an inexplicable rush of nervousness. But she had already played the lead in a television series. After a brief pause, she replied, “No problem.”
“Good. The female lead is Ma Sitong.”
Zhang Qianjun delivered the verdict with absolute finality.
Even Jiang Wenli looked slightly surprised. “Qianjun, shouldn’t you discuss this with the crew first?”
“I’m paying for the film, so I make the decisions.”
As soon as he said it, Zhang Qianjun felt his inner domineering-CEO spirit blazing triumphantly. No wonder everyone wanted to play an overbearing executive—it really was rather exhilarating.
His domineering-CEO spirit swayed in the breeze for three seconds before he remembered the matter at hand.
“Sister Wenli, the film is still facing some difficulties. We may need your help later on.”
Jiang Wenli raised an eyebrow.
So this was what he had been waiting for.
“What sort of difficulties? Funding?”
“Not that. We have enough money. The main concern is whether we’ll run into trouble getting the film approved after it’s finished.”
“Dean Wang told me there aren’t any particularly excessive scenes of sex or violence.”
“The story does involve school bullying and the police, after all.”
“Oh, I thought it was something serious. That shouldn’t be a major problem.”
“If a senior figure in the industry says it’s fine, then we can consider the matter settled.”
“You’re talking nonsense. I’m hardly some senior figure in the industry.”
After the meal, they exchanged contact information. Zhang Qianjun said that he would have the executive producer contact Ma Sitong’s agent later. He still had classes that afternoon, so he excused himself and left first.
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Zhang Qianjun strode out of the restaurant. Seeing that her niece was still watching him leave, Jiang Wenli teased her, “Handsome, isn’t he?”
“Mm—what? Auntie, what are you talking about?”
Ma Sitong put on an expression of disdain and hurriedly tried to distance herself from the suggestion, making Jiang Wenli laugh.
“What do you think of him?”
“He’s a little contradictory.”
“How so?”
“When we first met, he was incredibly flattering. He was all smiles and even said that if he acted with you, he’d be like a puppy who only followed you around. But when he decided I would be the female lead, he suddenly became so commanding, as if he were some enormously powerful tycoon.
“Most importantly, it was our first meeting, yet he acted as though he and you had been close for years. He kept saying things like ‘Since Sister Wenli asked,’ as if he would support you and save face for you simply because you had spoken. He seems a little too familiar.”
“But he did give you face. He made the decision on the spot and cast you. When have you ever passed an audition so easily?”
“Hmm. That’s true.”
“And didn’t you notice how relieved he looked when he saw the two of us? I didn’t understand it at first, but then I figured it out. He was afraid I might play the female lead. This boy kept talking about how much he wanted to act with me, but if I had said today that I wanted the role, the whole situation would have fallen apart.”
As she spoke, Jiang Wenli wore an exasperated expression.
“Hahaha, Auntie, why not? You’re so young and beautiful. You could play a girl without any trouble.”
“Forget it. I’d never live it down.” Jiang Wenli looked thoroughly disgusted.
Then she grew serious. “You can go ahead and make the film, but don’t come home pregnant afterward. Your uncle would have a heart attack.”
“Auntie, what are you talking about? What does that have to do with anything?” Ma Sitong began to pout coquettishly.
“I’m not joking. Look at Zhang Qianjun’s face and figure. You can feel the strength radiating from him even with a table between you. His family can casually put up several million to make a movie while he’s only a freshman—and from what I hear, money is no issue. Then there’s that commanding, decisive air of his. A young girl like you would be dazzled nine times out of ten.”
“Auntie, it’s not nearly as exaggerated as you make it sound. I’ve seen plenty of the world, you know.”
“Please. How much of the world have you seen? You said he was overly flattering when he arrived, but did his gaze make you uncomfortable?”
“Not really. I watched him the whole time while you two were talking. When he spoke to you, he looked only into your eyes. When he wasn’t speaking, he lowered his head and ate. And when he spoke to me, he stared straight at me too. I actually thought he seemed a little dense.”
“He is a little dense, but there’s another way to understand it: aside from what he intends to do, he doesn’t care about anything else. That also fits with his claim that he likes being direct. From beginning to end, he was communicating solely for the sake of his movie. That’s the mark of someone who genuinely wants to accomplish something.”
Ma Sitong found that strange.
“By that logic, someone like him wouldn’t be considerate, nor would he take the initiative to court a girl. Why do you think women would like him?”
Jiang Wenli glanced at her niece and said meaningfully, “A strong, focused man has a lethal appeal.”
That evening, Zhang Qianjun once again gathered the three-person team to finalize the various arrangements. The crew had already begun to take shape, though many details would only reveal themselves once filming started.
At present, the male lead was Zhang Qianjun; the female lead, Ma Sitong; the second male lead, Zhu Yilong; the second female lead, Kan Qingzi; and the third male lead, Zhang Songwen.
When it came to the third female lead, Zhang Qianjun suddenly faltered.
“What about Zhou Lei—the actress playing Chen Nian’s mother? Have we decided on anyone?”
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“Teacher Tian recommended Hao Lei,” Liu Chang replied.
“Hao Lei? Are you sure? That Hao Lei?” Zhang Qianjun looked incredulous.
“Yes. I was shocked when I heard it too.”
“Has Hao Lei lost her mind? Didn’t The Empire of Silver come out just last year? She played the female lead in a major production and acted opposite Aaron Kwok. She’s been famous for years, and isn’t she only thirty-two? She’s taking the role of the female lead’s mother in our film?”
Little Fatty Li Kai joined in at once. “The Empire of Silver was a catastrophic flop. It cost over a hundred million, took three years to make, and ended up with only twenty-two million at the box office. It lost money on an unimaginable scale. Recently, she’s been playing supporting roles in idol dramas. In a television series earlier this year, she even played opposite Ma Sitong.”
“And last year, it wasn’t just the film that flopped,” Han Qiming added from the side. “She also divorced Li Guangjie. I’d guess she still hasn’t recovered from the emotional turmoil.”
Zhang Qianjun was astonished. “How do you all know so much about her?”
At that, the others put on expressions of people appreciating fine art.
“Because we’ve all seen The Empress Dowager’s Grand Dumplings.”
“Damn it, you say that as if I haven’t seen it.” Zhang Qianjun sneered disdainfully, then turned to Liu Chang. “What did Director Xue Xiaolu say?”
This time, Liu Chang began to stammer. “Director Xue said, well, she just directed a realistic drama called Ocean Heaven, and she’s currently considering an adult romance film. She doesn’t have a schedule available for the time being.”
Zhang Qianjun curled his lip.
No schedule, my foot. She simply didn’t think highly of them. They had said from the beginning that she looked down on their project, but nobody had listened.
Seeing Liu Chang’s miserable expression, however, Zhang Qianjun said nothing. There was no need to embarrass him.
“So what have we decided about the director?”
“I’m honestly worried I won’t be able to control the crew. I don’t feel confident.”
When Zhang Qianjun heard that, he realized that this was all the man had been worried about.
“Then should I direct it?”
Liu Chang froze. “Wait. Do you even know how to direct a movie?”
“No. Isn’t that why I have you? I’ll be the director, and you’ll be the executive director. I’ll be responsible for keeping everyone in line, and you’ll be responsible for doing the actual work.”
Zhang Qianjun looked at Liu Chang mischievously.
Liu Chang’s face immediately displayed four parts frustration, three parts unwillingness, two parts regret, and one part relief. He said nothing, merely lowered his head and stared at the floor as though a ton of money were lying there.
Seeing this, Zhang Qianjun chuckled and stopped teasing him.
“You’ll still direct it. You may be a little timid, but you know your craft. Besides, you guided me through my first project, so there’s some sentiment between us. I’ll put my name down as producer, and if anyone starts making trouble, I’ll deal with them myself.”
Liu Chang immediately looked at Zhang Qianjun with deep emotion.
Zhang Qianjun laughed and cursed him lightly. “Don’t look as if you’re about to offer yourself to me. I’m not into men. And even if you changed your sex, you still wouldn’t fit my taste.”
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