novellhall Chapter 54 The Best Partners in Immortal Cultivation
Chapter 54 The Best Partners in Immortal Cultivation
Chapter 54 The Best Partners in Immortal Cultivation (Seeking First Subscription)
After Jiang Zhiqiang left, Xiang Yeqiang and his wife thought about it for a while, but ultimately did not bring up the stock matter again. Instead, they said goodbye to Lin Dong and then left.
At this moment, Wang Jing took out a script and said, "Mr. Lin, this is the new script for 'New Love Generation.' Miss Fan's role is guaranteed to be outstanding."
Lin Dong was genuinely surprised. He carefully examined Wang Jing. How could this fat man, while filming "Dragon in the Jianghu" and editing "Prince of the Black Horse," still find time to revise the script?
"You're not going to just make some minor changes to fool me, are you?" That was Lin Dong's first reaction, and also the first thing he blurted out.
Wang Jing's reaction was quite interesting. His face showed the grievance of being wronged. "Mr. Lin, I, Wang Jing, am not that kind of person. I do like making money, but I know very well how to make money properly."
"Alright, alright, stop this nonsense." Lin Dong waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down, and asked, "What about your 'Dragon in the Jianghu'?"
Is filming almost finished?
Wang Jing nodded, as if remembering something, and said, "Wah Jai has been wanting to come over in person to thank Mr. Lin for his care."
Lin Dong shook his head and skillfully brewed the tea.
"Compared to coffee, I still prefer tea." He handed a cup of Pu'er tea to Wang Jing, then another cup to Li Jiaxin, before saying, "It's not that I'm taking care of Hua Zai; it's the result of his hard work over the years."
Wang Jing's chubby face beamed like a Maitreya Buddha as he bluntly stated, "If it weren't for the dramas you, Lin Sheng, produced and the top-tier salaries you consistently paid, he might not have been able to pay off all his debts by this year."
"Now he's comfortable. Mr. Lin, he's the male lead in all three of your big-budget films. Everyone's saying that you—" He didn't dare say the rest, but the meaning was completely conveyed.
Lin Dong's face immediately darkened, but after thinking about it, it really was true.
He was the male lead in "Prince of Dark Horse," which had a 3000 million investment; he was also the male lead in "Undercover," which had a 3000 million investment; he was the male lead in "Love Destiny," which had a 1 million investment; and he almost played the male lead in "The Legend of Shushan," which had a 3000 million US dollar investment.
In the TV series "The Legend of Zu Mountain", Xu Ke was in love with Ekin Cheng for the role of the male lead, Xuan Tianzong, but Lin Dong disagreed and recommended Andy Lau instead.
Unfortunately, Andy Lau was unavailable for the entire year. Then he thought of Vincent Chiao and asked Philip Chan to check. They found that he had already joined the cast of "Ximen Wuhen" and his schedule was locked, with a penalty of tens of millions for breach of contract.
When Lin Dong heard the news, he almost burst out laughing. After thinking about it, he decided not to disturb his enjoyment of Ximen Dama, the number one beauty, and instead accepted Xu Ke's other recommendation: Zhang Guorong, with Wang Zuxian as the female lead.
After all, these two are recognized as the best duo in the world of fantasy.
Getting back to the point, seeing Lin Dong's dark expression, Wang Jing gave an awkward smile and quickly stood up. "Mr. Lin, I still need to go back to the set and keep an eye on things. I'll be leaving now!"
"Don't be angry! Don't we know who you are?" Li Jiaxin got up and sat on Lin Dong's lap, comforting him with a smile on her face.
This is so interesting; she's never seen Lin Dong with this expression before.
Lin Dong patted her head, said nothing more, and casually asked, "How's Fan Binbin's learning going?"
Li Jiaxin suppressed her laughter and switched back to a serious tone. "I've had three days of acting classes, and the teacher said my basic skills are more solid than I expected."
Her delivery of lines still needs some work, but her on-screen presence is excellent—her teacher says she was born for this. Also, I've arranged for her Cantonese teacher to give her extra lessons; she's now teaching three hours every afternoon and is learning very quickly.
She paused for a moment, then added, "And she has a sweet tongue; all the teachers like her."
"Sweet talker?" Lin Dong picked up his teacup and took a sip.
She treats everyone like a sister. Ah Ling at the front desk is four years older than her, but she calls Ah Ling "sister" more naturally than anyone else now. On her first day of acting class, she even brought the teacher a box of wife cakes, saying she baked them herself.
As Li Jiaxin spoke, she reached for the script left by Wang Jing on the coffee table, opened the pages for the second female lead, Xue'er, and glanced at the character biography—a popular female star, beautiful, spoiled, and quirky.
She smiled slightly, closed the script, and said, "She's really suitable for the role."
Lin Dong ignored her implied meaning. "I'll be going to Beijing on the 15th. While I'm there, I'll also talk to Han Sanping about 'Prince Charming' entering the mainland market. I'll keep an eye on the stocks. When you're ready to sell, don't hesitate."
Li Jiaxin was already mentally prepared and nodded.
"Are you joining the crew the day after tomorrow?" Lin Dong asked casually.
"Yes. Filming will officially begin on the 13th."
Li Jiaxin didn't ask Lin Dong if he would attend the opening ceremony, because she had already asked him before. She only said, "We're filming on a cruise ship at sea, and most of the scenes are shot in international waters where the signal is bad. If you go to Beijing, you might not be able to make a phone call."
"If we can't get through, we'll wait until we reach the shore before trying again."
"I know." She was silent for a moment, then drew a circle on his chest with her finger. "Ah Dong, don't look for women in the mainland."
Lin Dong looked down at her.
She didn't look up, but buried her face in his shoulder again, speaking in a very low voice, as if she were talking to herself.
"I know I can't control you. I couldn't control you even in Hong Kong. But just one thing," "When did it become your place to control me?"
Li Jiaxin raised her head and met his half-smiling eyes. Her expression twitched between coquettishness and grievance before she finally chose to shut up.
He's right. She knew from the beginning that she couldn't control him; she couldn't even refuse his offer to share a bed with Zhang Baizhi.
"Alright." Lin Dong patted her lower back. "Take good care of yourself on the ship. I won't allow it if you come back thin."
Li Jiaxin stood up from his lap, her lips twitched, but she ultimately said nothing more.
She bent down, picked up the script for "New Love Generation" left by Wang Jing on the coffee table, flipped through a couple of pages, and closed it. "I'm going to Fan Binbin's place. I can take this script with me."
She had just reached the door when there was a knock.
Zhang Baizhi leaned half his body in, his gaze lingering on Li Jiaxin's face for a moment before turning to Lin Dong.
"Brother Dong, Mr. Huang Hongda has arrived."
"Let him in."
Li Jiaxin walked past Zhang Baizhi, their shoulders less than a fist's width apart, neither looking at the other.
Zhang Baizhi opened the door wide and gestured for Huang Hongda, who was waiting in the corridor, to enter.
Huang Hongda walked in slowly.
He was in his early thirties, rather thin, and perhaps due to years of sitting at a desk, he had a slight hunchback.
"Mr. Lin." He stood in front of the desk and bowed slightly.
"Sit down." Lin Dong gestured to the sofa in the reception area and sat down first. The Pu'er tea in the purple clay teapot had just been brewed, and he poured a cup for Huang Hongda and pushed it towards him.
"Has everything been settled on Xiantao's end?"
"Everything is settled." Huang Hongda picked up his teacup, but didn't drink it. He held it with both hands and placed it on his knees. "All three projects on hand have been delivered, and the handover documents were signed last week."
Thirty people completed their resignation procedures simultaneously, and there were no non-compete disputes. Although Xian Tao wasn't entirely happy, he didn't make things difficult for General Manager Chen, as they had clearly discussed the matter beforehand.
"It's normal to be unhappy." Lin Dong picked up his glass. "Anyone would be unhappy if thirty key personnel were poached."
.
Huang Hongda's lips twitched slightly, a smile that was neither humble nor arrogant. "Mr. Lin, to be honest—if it were just a job change, they wouldn't have let you go so readily. They let you go because of the price and prospects you offered; they themselves know they can't keep you."
Lin Dong leaned back on the sofa, his gaze lingering on the man's face for a moment.
There was no fear in Huang Hongda's eyes. It wasn't the kind of composure one would put on in front of a boss, but the unwavering certainty that comes from someone with a technical background—he believed that what he had was worth the price.
"Mr. Huang, President Chen has discussed the plans for Tengda Illusion with you. Over the next two years, the equipment investment will be no less than 100 million yuan. You will hold 10% of the shares."
"Mr. Chen told me everything."
"Then you should also know that this investment is not charity."
Lin Dong's tone was flat, "The opportunity has been given to you. Industrial Light & Magic and the digital field have opened their doors. You can learn from them, from modeling to rendering, from motion capture to compositing, without any restrictions. You are the first in all of Asia to receive this treatment."
Thirty people will be joining the "Legend of Zu" production team in a week, and the Hollywood technical team will arrive at the same time.
How much your team can learn and digest on-site will determine how much additional investment I can make in Tengda Fantasy.
.
He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and looked up at Zi Guang from above the rim. "I have plenty of money. But my patience is limited. If, two years from now, I don't see the results I expect, and I'm just moving things around, you know I can do it."
Huang Hongda placed the teacup on the coffee table very gently, then looked up and stared directly at Lin Dong.
"Mr. Lin, you're right. We're the only ones in all of Asia to have this opportunity. I won't let it slip through my fingers."
He paused, his voice low but his enunciation heavy, "I'll give back exactly what you invested. If, two years from now, Mr. Lin, you feel I'm not worthy of this position, I'll step aside."
Lin Dong looked at him for a moment. Then he picked up the teapot and poured Huang Hongda another cup.
"Alright. Join the crew next week, do your best."
Huang Hongda picked up the refilled cup of tea, drank it all in one gulp, stood up, bowed, and turned to leave.