My Life with Narration

Chapter 891: Chapter 881: Forced Buying and Selling

"Hey bro, how’s your inspiration coming along lately?"

At Shen Yi’s home in the capital, Su Qing stood on the balcony holding a phone, with Director Wang Fan prominently on the screen as they chatted cheerfully.

Regarding Wang Fan, the two had a pretty good relationship. When Wang Fan’s crew faced dissolution and didn’t have the money to continue filming, Su Qing funded them.

When the movie became a hit and they were preparing to shoot a sequel, Wang Fan decisively turned to him for investment again. However, this time, it wasn’t Su Qing helping Wang Fan, but Wang Fan giving him the opportunity to make money.

The sequel to a phenomenon-level work, as long as the director doesn’t act crazy or change, there shouldn’t be a big issue. Even if it doesn’t explode like the first one, at least it won’t lose money.

Wang Fan knew this, so he left this guaranteed profitable opportunity for him. If they could shoot a third one, his name would still be on the list of investors.

Moreover, Su Qing already knew through hints that the box office of the second part wouldn’t be inferior to the first, presenting another great money-making chance. So, he invested before Wang Fan had enough money, finalized actors, or an existing screenplay.

"It’s going alright, alright. The screenplay for the second part has already started being written. We even consulted the original author in some outdoor shooting locations which also started being built.

Hey, recently you’ve been pretty high profile. I watched a few of the movies you invested in, and they’re really good!" Wang Fan gave a thumbs-up in the video in admiration.

And it was genuine admiration. Not to mention anything else, just the fact that Su Qing managed to pick a hit with each film investment is something few can compare to.

If the first time Su Qing’s film investment succeeding could still be considered a stroke of luck, then he proved his sharp eye to everyone with his subsequent investments.

"Haha, it’s all thanks to you introducing me to so many director friends. Otherwise, even if I had the money, I wouldn’t know how to find these opportunities"

Wang Fan waved his hand at this: "What are you saying? These days, having money means you aren’t afraid of not being able to spend it?"

Recently, your company released a statement about wanting to invest in a few projects. Quite a few people have been coming to me looking for an introduction. Are you interested?"

"Yes, why wouldn’t I be interested? But I’m even more interested in good screenplays. Director Wang Jiang came to the company today, looking like he wanted to settle the investment for his next project early. I didn’t agree. The screenplay was quite ordinary, so I calculated roughly. If costs are controlled, the movie could be viable, but he asked for an investment of one billion, and the more the better. This clearly means he sought other investors besides me. Such a project holds no interest for me!" Su Qing said with a smile.

Today’s call from Wang Fan was likely to introduce some director projects to him.

But even among brothers, accounts must be settled, and he was there to make money, not to be a sucker. Even if introduced by Wang Fan, it must come with sincerity—screenplay must be qualified and the investment reasonable.

The market domestically is only so big, and the combined costs of promotion, production, and other factors have a cap. If exceeded, even a phenomenal piece like "Wandering Earth" would lose money.

Hearing this, Wang Fan immediately understood Su Qing’s point: "Looks like you’ve caught the eye of some people! If that’s true, he might ask for a front-line director’s salary, in the tens of millions. Others like the producer, cinematographer, guidance, and visual effects could be costly too. If not confident, avoid putting in large investments."

Listening to Wang Fan’s words, Su Qing nodded unwittingly. He wasn’t a professional, naturally unaware of the industry’s intricacies.

By Wang Fan’s estimation, his last investment in a Wang Jiang movie was just 30 million, which wasn’t even enough to cover this time’s director and crew salaries, not to mention the lead actor’s pay.

Historical films, in recent years, haven’t really been selling big. Though there are some that are okay.

Also, he read the screenplay Director Wang Jiang’s assistant sent. The hint said it wouldn’t even hit the ten-billion mark at the box office.

Logically, the performance isn’t bad, but if costs are inflated, it would lose money. The cinema takes half, plus taxes, and it surely leads to losses.

"So could you mention it, with sincerity, please. I need to see the screenplay first!" Su Qing said.

To this, Wang Fan gave an "OK" gesture showing he understood.

Then they chatted a bit more about the progress on "Earth 2" before hanging up.

"Weren’t you saying the directors this time are of high quality, and so are the screenplays? Why have you only picked one project?" Shen Yi asked, looking at the pile of screenplays on the coffee table while sitting on the sofa.

As one was singled out from many, the big chunk remained unread, while the rest ended up in the trash.

Hearing this, Su Qing helplessly replied: "Indeed, the quality of the directors and screenplays is better this time, but the investment required is much more too."

"Are you running out of money? How about I..."

Before Shen Yi could finish, Su Qing cut her off: "It’s not about the money. I still have some funds, plus box office shares coming soon, so I’m quite solid financially. But their asking prices are too high. While the screenplays are decent, with such high costs, even profit becomes limited. Not to mention many would still lose money."

Hearing this, Shen Yi understood, as the essence of the business is to buy low and sell high. High costs restrict profits, even leading to losses.

"You like this one? A web series?"

"Yes, it’s recommended by Director Yang. A low-budget martial arts web series, where most actors are newcomers. Just the leads are slightly known. The cost can be kept around 20 million."

Su Qing knew inviting well-known actors would likely be better, possibly leading the series to become very popular.

With the internet’s development, investments in web dramas are sometimes no less than traditional TV or film, depending on the cast lineup.

Several tens of millions are quite common, and over a hundred million is normal. He just found this promising project, but at least there’s an opportunity.

"Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. How was the venue scouting today? Satisfied?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Yi nodded and smiled: "Pretty good. It’s just a place to eat, nothing extraordinary. It’s formal enough though.

Considering there won’t be many of us—your family of four plus my family of three—just seven people in total, the place isn’t huge."

"Oh, and check this out!"

With that, Shen Yi took out a box from her bag, then pulled out a gold ring and said: "Hold it!"

Upon hearing this, Su Qing reflexively pinched the ring with two fingers, and Shen Yi immediately inserted her ring finger through it, laughing:

"Alright, I agree!"

Su Qing: ???

What does this mean? Forceful buying?

"What are you staring at? Consider it an engagement from you to me, totally getting a bargain here!" Shen Yi said while walking to the side, happily admiring the gold ring on her finger. She took several photos and sent them to Tang Nan and Mrs. Landlord, along with the caption: ’Oh dear, received a ring from little bro, how adorable!’

Su Qing: ...

"Sis, are you forgetting something?" Su Qing cautiously asked.

"Like what?"

"Like my ring?"

"Why would a guy need a gold ring?"

Su Qing: ...

...