Chapter 54

Chapter 54

It wasn't until noon the next day that Xu Huan still hadn't verified Su Xingyao's friend request.

Instead, over a dozen strangers tried to add Su Xingyao as a friend.

It was unclear who in the industry had leaked his phone number, but those attempting to add him on WeChat were all managers or representatives from entertainment companies.

What Su Xingyao didn't know was that since his recent breakout popularity on variety shows, several talent agencies had been competing to extend olive branches to him.

Among them were even some of the top three companies in the industry.

After glancing through these contacts, Su Xingyao screened them and accepted a portion.

He was well aware of his current situation.

The shows he was currently on weren't too complicated, and he could manage them alone for the time being.

But if he wanted to continue moving forward in the future, it would be impossible to rely solely on himself.

Having a company's support would make things much easier.

However...

In some ways, talent agencies are a double-edged sword.

If not chosen carefully, it could easily lead to another abyss.

As soon as the WeChat requests were approved, several agency representatives eagerly started communicating with Su Xingyao.

After receiving a few initial proposals, Su Xingyao didn't rush to give a final reply, instead saying he needed some time to think it over.

*

Xu Huan had been handing out materials to investors at the film festival until after 2 a.m. yesterday.

Dragging his tired body home, he collapsed into bed and slept straight through to the afternoon.

The week-long film festival was still in progress today, so in theory, he should have gone to the venue early.

But since finalizing the project, for nearly a year, he had been running around everywhere trying to secure funding, even approaching investors with just a one percent chance of success.

However, securing funding had become increasingly difficult, especially for new directors like him who had no reputation or completed film works to their name.

The materials he sent out either disappeared without a trace or attracted scammers.

A year of intense running around and constant rejection had left Xu Huan both physically and mentally exhausted.

Especially last night, when someone had disdainfully tossed his materials into the trash right in front of him.

After humiliatingly picking up the materials from the trash, Xu Huan felt somewhat lost.

He began to doubt how much longer he could hold onto his dream.

After gritting his teeth and persevering for so long, his meager savings were almost depleted.

People always need to make a living, and Xu Huan knew clearly that if he couldn't secure funding soon, he would eventually have to bow to reality.

In his cramped, low-rent apartment, sunlight streamed through the window and onto Xu Huan's face.

The intense natural light made it hard for him to keep his eyes open.

After waking up, still groggy, he automatically opened WeChat first.

Even though he had stopped expecting anything, he still squinted to check if there were any new friend requests in the "New Friends" section.

Sunlight glinted off the screen, and Xu Huan's eyes suddenly widened.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed that during his sleep, he had actually received a request!

sssssu: Hello, Mr. Xu, would you have time to discuss your new movie?

His heart raced when he read this message.

Xu Huan snapped fully awake and quickly tapped to accept the request.

However, due to his excitement, his shaky fingers fumbled on the screen, nearly hitting "Reject" instead.

After adding the friend, Xu Huan, feeling somewhat flustered, swiped on the screen a few times, wondering how to introduce himself.

Before he could type "Hello," the other person sent a voice message first.

sssssu: Hello, Mr. Xu, I am Su Xingyao.

sssssu: Yesterday at the Shanghai International Film Festival, I saw your short film and promotional materials and learned that you are currently preparing a new movie.

sssssu: I'm really interested in this project. If you have time, could we set up a time to discuss it in detail?

Xu Huan, initially thrilled and overwhelmed that an investor was interested in his project, frowned as he read these messages.

He zeroed in on the first part of Su Xingyao's self-introduction and softly repeated the name.

"Su Xingyao?"

Su Xingyao had been all the rage recently, and Xu Huan had also seen countless clips of him.

He hadn't specifically followed Su Xingyao's variety shows, but through fragmented information online, he had a very good impression of Su Xingyao.

A highly talented yet low-key and mysterious artist.

And today, this big star suddenly reached out to him, saying he was interested in his project and wanted to discuss it in detail...

This made Xu Huan wonder for a moment if he was still dreaming.

Because he clearly remembered that he had never met Su Xingyao yesterday, nor had he sent any materials to him.

So... how did he know about this?

Having been scammed several times by people posing as industry insiders, Xu Huan was much more cautious this time, and his initial elation had faded.

He didn't immediately agree with Su Xingyao but instead tried to ask him.

Xu Huan: Hello, Mr. Su, may I ask if we met yesterday?

After typing this, Xu Huan, fearing it might be too presumptuous, carefully explained his concerns to the other party.

Xu Huan: If I remember correctly, I don't think I have ever sent you any materials.

Unaware that Xu Huan thought he might be a scammer, Su Xingyao found these messages a bit strange.

But recalling the encounter from yesterday, he patiently explained the specific situation to Xu Huan.

sssssu: I watched your short film at the New Forces Film Festival yesterday.

sssssu: Just as I walked out of the exhibition hall, I accidentally knocked over your materials.

sssssu: I didn’t recognize you at the time, and by the time I realized who you were, you were gone.

sssssu: I had to ask a friend for help last night to find your contact information.

After seeing the messages from Su Xingyao, Xu Huan froze.

He did bump into someone yesterday, and that person kindly helped him pick up the dropped papers.

However, at that time, he heard that there were several investors in the main exhibition hall who liked to invest in new directors, so he hurried over to seize the opportunity.

He was so preoccupied that he didn’t even notice what the other person looked like.

So that person was... Su Xingyao?!

Realizing the coincidence, Xu Huan’s worries mostly vanished.

The lingering caution was just a reflex from being scammed so many times before.

Since things were hard to explain over the phone, they decided to meet for dinner that evening to talk things through.

Before leaving, Xu Huan put on his most formal suit, organized his materials, and carried them under his arm in a file bag.

As he stepped outside, the warm glow of the sunset hit him.

Sweating, Xu Huan caught his reflection in the mirrored building, dressed in long sleeves and pants.

He thought, "Why do I look more like the scammer here?"

Soon, Xu Huan arrived at the private dining room.

Su Xingyao was already there, waiting.

When Xu Huan saw Su Xingyao waiting in the room, his first thought was that the man seemed to radiate light.

Despite wearing a simple T-shirt, his presence was striking, like a radiant pearl—noble and beautiful.

Xu Huan had never in his life seen someone so stunning.

After confirming it was really Su Xingyao, Xu Huan felt like he’d won the lottery—completely surreal and overwhelming.

Even as he walked in, he couldn’t believe someone like Su Xingyao had noticed him among so many new directors and gone out of his way to find his contact info.

"Mr. Su, uh, hello..."

Though he’d directed a few short films, Xu Huan had only worked with amateurs or students and had never met a star like Su Xingyao.

Sitting across from Su Xingyao, Xu Huan was visibly nervous, his face flushed with embarrassment.

Noticing his nervousness, Su Xingyao avoided talking about the investment and instead steered the conversation toward movies.

Movies were Xu Huan’s specialty—foreign or domestic, art house or blockbuster, he knew them inside and out.

As the conversation flowed, Xu Huan began to loosen up.

It didn’t take long for Xu Huan to realize that Su Xingyao wasn’t like anyone he’d met before.

As a director, it's quite normal for him to be familiar with the film industry.

But Su Xingyao is the same.

He also possesses a vast amount of professional knowledge, no less than any professional.

In today's increasingly superficial entertainment industry, it was quite unexpected to find an artist so dedicated and meticulous in studying films.

After all, he'd heard from industry veterans about too many artists who didn't even know what the movie was about after filming.

Seeing Su Xingyao so professional, Xu Huan couldn't help but feel immense admiration and respect for him.

He also gradually felt more assured.

Su Xingyao isn't the type who knows nothing and just whimsically invests in movies for fun.

With this understanding, Xu Huan felt even more guilty.

"Mr. Su, I feel ashamed to say this, but when you added me earlier, I thought you were a scammer..."

Though it wasn't necessary to bring this up, Xu Huan still wanted to apologize personally.

Finally understanding why the other's two sentences had seemed so strange before.

Su Xingyao chuckled lightly, not taking offense.

He used this statement to jokingly steer the conversation back to the film investment, asking Xu Huan.

"So, are you willing to be scammed by me?"

Xu Huan immediately understood his meaning and nodded eagerly, "Yes, yes, I am."

After saying that, he quickly took out the project materials he had brought and handed them to Su Xingyao with both hands.

After quietly waiting for Su Xingyao to finish reading, he then explained the film's concept very delicately.

If it were someone else, Xu Huan wouldn't have so easily revealed these confidential details.

But the person in front of him inexplicably gave him a sense of complete trust and confidence.

After listening to Xu Huan's very sincere introduction, Su Xingyao also had a rough idea in mind.

As he expected, the other person is down-to-earth and very serious about films.

After everything was smoothly discussed, they came to the most crucial part: the funding chain.

Su Xingyao opened the economic feasibility analysis section in the project materials and asked Xu Huan.

"Mr. Xu, is your estimated investment five million yuan?"

Hearing Su Xingyao slowly read out this investment amount, Xu Huan nodded, then shook his head.

With the times changing, the entertainment industry has also seen inflation.

Nowadays, making a movie often requires investments of tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of yuan.

The once-common low-budget films have almost disappeared.

But such high costs are often spent on actors and unnecessary expenses, with very little actually going into the film itself.

Xu Huan is a thrifty person, and he does not intend to invite highly-paid stars to participate in this movie.

Therefore, sticking to the principle of saving wherever possible and not wasting a single penny, he ultimately set his budget at five million yuan.

However, after nearly a year of setbacks and rejections, Xu Huan has developed a bit of PTSD about this amount.

Even though this investment figure is already very tight, he is afraid that as a newcomer, his quote might be too high, making Su Xingyao think he’s being too greedy.

Glancing at the costs mentioned by the other party, he explained cautiously, "The five million is just an estimate... There are still many areas where we can save during the filming process. If we save, the actual cost can probably be compressed to... four... three, three hundred and fifty million or so."

After speaking, Xu Huan nervously looked at Su Xingyao.

But surprisingly, Su Xingyao did not disdain the amount like other investors.

Instead, he pointed out directly, "Three hundred and fifty million might not be enough."

Xu Huan nodded honestly, "Indeed, it's not quite enough."

"But I can save a lot when making movies."

Su Xingyao nodded without saying anything, lowering his eyes to check the balance on his bank card that he had specifically looked up today.

"Five million is a bit difficult for me, but can I invest four hundred and thirty million?"

Su Xingyao smiled, "Honestly, I’m really interested in this movie. But the most I can currently offer is only this much."

Su Xingyao is well aware that if the budget is too tight, many details will have to be sacrificed, which will affect the overall completeness and brilliance of the movie.

But he really can't come up with more investment at the moment.

He used to have limited opportunities and didn't earn much from gigs.

Later, when he went to the Shen family to pack up and return the bank card Shen Liangyu had given him, he also deposited a large sum of money into that card to repay the Shen family for their upbringing over the years.

So now, all his savings amount to just this much.

And most of this four hundred and thirty million was not earned through his identity as a star.

It was accumulated over the years from his own part-time jobs and royalties from songwriting.

So after investing in this movie, he himself will be left broke.

Su Xingyao being so candid and sincere, Xu Huan naturally understands and is grateful.

He gratefully nodded repeatedly to Su Xingyao, "Enough, enough, it's already plenty."

After speaking, he still couldn't quite believe it and asked Su Xingyao, "Mr. Su, are you... really going to invest in this? This might be a high-risk investment for you, isn’t it?"

Su Xingyao was amused by Xu Huan's words.

"Of course. High risk, high reward, right? And we've already had a meal together, you can’t send me away empty-handed, can you?"

Xu Huan's heart finally eased at this moment.

He secretly vowed that no matter what happens, he must not disappoint this person who believes in him wholeheartedly.

After happily agreeing on the investment terms, Su Xingyao and Xu Huan each went home.

Noticing Su Xingyao's joyful expression, Lu Jiuxu asked knowingly, "How did the talk with Xu Huan go today?"

Su Xingyao smiled brightly, "It went pretty well."

After saying that, he patted the pockets on both sides of his pants.

"Just that they're empty now..."

Su Xingyao wasn't trying to elicit sympathy from Lu Jiuxu.

After complaining about being broke, he made a gesture of pushing up imaginary glasses to show seriousness.

"From now on, Mr. Su has to work twice as hard to support himself and the crew."

Mentioning this, Su Xingyao glanced at Lu Jiuxu again.

He had hinted at his medical and living expenses to the other party several times before.

But each time, the other party clearly avoided the topic.

After being turned down several times, Su Xingyao felt too awkward to bring it up again.

Although Lu Jiuxu clearly didn't need his money, it still didn't feel right to owe him.

In the past, he had some assets to rely on, so it was manageable.

But now, with this debt of gratitude still unpaid and himself broke after investing in the movie, Su Xingyao felt that this 'debt' with Lu Jiuxu was getting harder to pay off.

As he was thinking, Lu Jiuxu walked over to him at some point.

After handing him a cup of hot milk as usual, Lu Jiuxu spoke.

"So, Mr. Su, could you part with something you love?"

Su Xingyao sipped his milk before softly asking, "Part with what?"

Lu Jiuxu curled his lips.

"Lately, I've been thinking about getting into the entertainment industry."

He said, "I won't go too deep, just want to dip my toes in by investing in a movie first."

Hearing this, Su Xingyao's eyes lit up.

"Mr. Lu, are you saying you want to invest in our little project?"

After getting a yes, Su Xingyao was pretty excited.

"Honestly, we're still a bit short on cash."

The five million from Xu Huan was already a very tight budget. In fact, to make the movie perfect, even doubling that wouldn't be enough.

But if Lu Jiuxu also invests, it would be a major boost for our little crew!

Upon learning of Lu Jiuxu's intention, Su Xingyao put down his cup and ran upstairs.

"I'll go get the project list for you to look at first."

Lu Jiuxu grabbed his wrist, preventing him from leaving.

"Wait."

He handed the barely touched milk back to Su Xingyao and insisted he finish it. Only then did Lu Jiuxu speak with a hint of something more.

"Mr. Su, even if you need to support the crew, you don't have to work so hard."

*

True to his word, Lu Jiuxu invested 30 million yuan without hesitation.

Thanks to his investment, everything became much easier.

The Lu Group had a very mature legal team and professional staff. With their help, the movie planning went off without a hitch.

After Su Xingyao and Xu Huan finalized the investment for the movie, the *The Voice of Heaven* program team also sent him a notification.

The third round of the *The Voice of Heaven* competition was just around the corner.