novellhall Chapter 25 Overspending? Not approved.
Chapter 25 Overspending? Not approved.
April 26th, Sunday.
2 PM, Tengda Film & Television Investment Company.
Lin Dong sat in a swivel chair, holding a cup of Pu'er tea, listening to Chen Xinjian's report.
Chen Xinjian opened the folder: "Filming for 'The Unemployed Emperor' wrapped up the day before yesterday, and most of the post-production work is done simultaneously. Ma Wai-ho said that the finished film will be available in early May."
Filming for "Hotline of Terror" wrapped yesterday, and Qian Wenqi is already editing it. "The Day and Night of Tin Shui Wai" has two scenes left, which Xu Liang says will be completed this week.
He turned a page and stopped.
"There's a problem with 'Ah Qiang's Last Night'."
Lin Dong raised his eyes.
"Director Chen Yaowen, we've gone over budget by 80,000." Chen Xinjian placed a detailed list on the table. "The item is 'reshooting a car chase scene.' We rented equipment for three more days and hired twenty more extras."
He also submitted a new supplementary application, saying that there was another group fight scene to be filmed, requiring an additional 120,000. That brings the total to 200,000.
Lin Dong didn't look at the detailed list. He blew on the tea foam and took a sip.
What do you think?
Chen Xinjian closed the folder, clearly having already investigated thoroughly. All the information was in his mind: "The 1.2 million plate was over budget by 80,000 halfway through the bidding, and he still needs to pay an additional 120,000."
I checked his scripts from the previous three days—there was a scene in a tea restaurant that, according to the script, should have been filmed in three minutes, but he took a day and a half. It wasn't that he couldn't film; he was deliberately dragging it out.
He paused for a moment.
"He wanted to test your bottom line, Mr. Lin. He started by exceeding 80,000 to see if you would approve it. If you did, then it would be 180,000, 280,000, and 380,000."
Since the initial investment has already been made, he doesn't think you'd let the entire project stall for a few hundred thousand.
Lin Dong leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers twice on the armrest. "What do you think we should do?"
"Go with the contract." Chen Xinjian's tone was cold, clearly this person had angered him. "The overspending will be deducted from his director's fee. The additional 120,000 is not approved."
"Also," Lin Dong held up one finger, "tell him that if he's not satisfied, he can quit right now. I don't mind changing directors at the last minute. I can invest the new budget into the parts that need to be reshot with a new director. I won't approve 200,000, but I'll approve an extra 500,000 for changing directors."
A faint smile appeared on Chen Xinjian's lips.
He had seen too many people who thought themselves clever. In his eyes, Chen Yaowen's little trick was no different from that of a street swindler—gambling on the client's reluctance to part with the money already invested.
Unfortunately, he gambled on the wrong person.
"I'll take care of it right away."
Chen Xinjian stood up, bowed slightly, and turned to leave.
"Also, don't cooperate with this person anymore." Lin Dong's voice came from behind.
Chen Xinjian paused, turned around, and nodded. "Understood!"
The door was then gently closed.
Lin Dong had just picked up his teacup and taken a sip when there was another knock on the door.
"Enter."
Xiang Hailan pushed open the door and came in. She wore a white shirt, a dark blue pencil skirt, and carried a folder. She walked to the desk, stopped, and opened the folder.
"Mr. Lin, the seating arrangements for tonight's Hong Kong Film Awards have been finalized."
She pulled out a printed seating chart and placed it in front of Lin Dong. "Your seat is in the second row, right in the middle. Mr. Xiang Yeqiang is to your left, and Ms. Li Jiaxin is to your right."
Lin Dong glanced at it and nodded. "Okay."
Xiang Hailan turned another page. "The organizing committee has arranged for you to present the 'Best Actor' award. The guest presenting the award with you will be Mr. Chen Long."
Lin Dong raised an eyebrow.
Chenlong.
In 1998, Chen Long was filming "Rush Hour" in Hollywood. The movie was still a few months away from release, but his status was already far beyond that of an ordinary Hong Kong star—he was the second Chinese action superstar after Bruce Lee to truly break into Hollywood.
The Hong Kong Film Awards presented an award to Chen Long alongside him; that's quite a prestigious honor.
"The organizing committee is very accommodating," Lin Dong said with a smile.
"Chairman Wu made the call personally." Xiang Hailan closed the folder. "He said that Mr. Lam's support for the film industry since his return to Hong Kong is evident to all, and he hopes to have a face-to-face exchange with Mr. Lam tonight."
"OK."
At that moment, the door was pushed open from the outside.
Li Jiaxin stood at the door.
She wore a dark green satin evening gown today, with a very narrow waist, a hem that reached her ankles, and a side slit that went up to mid-thigh.
She wore a string of pearls around her neck, two pearls of the same color on her earlobes, and her hair was styled in an updo, revealing her entire face and a neck that was so white it was almost transparent.
She stood at the doorway, waited two seconds, and made sure Lin Dong could see clearly.
Then he stepped inside.
"Miss Li!"
"President Lin, I'll head out now!" Xiang Hailan tactfully withdrew.
Li Jiaxin waited until the door closed before speaking.
"Ah Dong." The voice was soft and gentle, with a hint of coquettishness at the end.
He then walked around the desk, stood beside him, put one hand on his shoulder, picked up the teacup on the desk with the other, and took a sip.
"You moved to Happy Valley?"
Lin Dong leaned back in his chair and glanced at her. "You're quite well-informed."
"All real estate agents in Hong Kong have their mouths on their sleeves, you think you can hide it from me?"
She put down her teacup, bent down, rested her chin on his shoulder, and her lips were almost touching his earlobe. "Why don't you just stay at my place? Happy Valley isn't far from Mid-Levels, why do you have to buy your own place?"
When she said this, there was a hint of grievance and a hint of probing in her tone.
Over the past ten days or so, Lin Dong has done two things.
The first thing he did was move Zhang Baizhi out of the tenement building's small room and rent her an apartment in Happy Valley. It wasn't a purchase, it was a rental. The monthly rent was 20,000 yuan, deducted from her future film fees.
The second thing he did was buy a house in Happy Valley.
2,700 square feet. HK$8.2 million. Full payment. Signed in his own name.
Lin Dong slapped Li Jiaxin's buttocks.
"Snapped!"
It's not heavy, but the sound is crisp.
"I like having my own place."
Li Jiaxin straightened up, covered her buttocks, and pouted, but there was no real dissatisfaction in her eyes.
She knew what those words meant—he didn't belong to any woman.
Where he chooses to live is his business.
She wisely refrained from pressing the issue further, straightened up, and sat down in the chair next to him.
"What's the progress of filming 'Prince Charming'?" Lin Dong asked.
"It went very smoothly." Li Jiaxin straightened her skirt and her tone returned to normal. "Director Wang said filming will wrap up at the end of next month."
"What about the location shooting you mentioned last time?"
"I'll leave right after the Hong Kong Film Awards." She counted on her fingers, "First, I'll go to Shanghai for four days of filming. Then I'll fly to Tokyo for a few scenes in Ginza. After that, I'll wrap up the casino scenes in Macau. All in all, it'll take about half a month."
She looked up at him, her voice softening slightly. "We won't see each other for two weeks. During that time—could we call each other every day?"
There was a hint of moisture in her eyes. Whether it was real or acting, even she probably couldn't tell.
Lin Dong smiled.
"Sure, if you have time."
She was clearly not satisfied with the answer, but she didn't press the matter further. She knew Lin Dong's temperament—saying "okay" was already a concession; if she persisted, he might even take back that "okay."
She took out a stock trading machine from her bag, turned on the screen, and handed it to Lin Dong.
"Ah Dong. It's 136.36 now."
The coquettishness from before was gone from her voice, replaced by a genuine, barely suppressed anxiety.
Starting from the purchase price of 69.5, the share price rose by 66.86 yuan in one month. With a principal of 70 million Hong Kong dollars and leveraged twice, the paper profit has exceeded 17 million US dollars.
That's equivalent to over 130 million Hong Kong dollars.
130 million.
The number was rising every day. Every night when the US stock market opened, her heart would race along with the number on the screen. The higher it rose, the less she could sleep.
It wasn't because of excitement. It was because of fear.
She feared that number might suddenly drop one day. She feared that when Lin Dong said "throw," she wouldn't have time to react. She feared that all of this would ultimately be just a dream.
"When are you going to sell?" She stared at Lin Dong, her fingers gripping the stock trading machine so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
Lin Dong glanced at the screen.
136.36.
He certainly knew Amazon's stock would continue to rise. The dot-com bubble was far from bursting, and the stock would multiply several times over the next year or so.
But that's for later.
"Soon." He pushed the stock trading machine back. "Wait for my news."
Li Jiaxin's lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to ask "when exactly," but she swallowed the question back.
Her experience over the past month had taught her that Lin Dong was a man of his word, and he wouldn't answer a single extra word if she asked too many questions.
"Okay." She stuffed the stock trading machine back into her handbag. "I'll do as you say."
There was another knock on the door.
Xiang Hailan pushed open the door and came in, carrying a red program booklet.
"Mr. Lin, Ms. Li, it's almost time to leave. Registration for the red carpet event starts at 5:30, and it officially begins at 6:00. Qiang has already parked the car downstairs."
Lin Dong stood up and straightened his cuffs.
Today he was wearing a navy blue Zegna suit, a white shirt, and no tie.
This was delivered by Li Jiaxin this morning. She personally picked out the style, saying it would match her dark green dress.
"Let's go."
Li Jiaxin stood up and took his arm.
When the door opened, Chen Xinjian was standing in the corridor.
"Mr. Lin, I've already called Chen Yaowen. He said he'll think about it." He bowed slightly. "I'll follow up after the Hong Kong Film Awards."
"Okay." Lin Dong nodded. "You've worked hard tonight too. Call me if you need anything."