novellhall Chapter 43, adding more scenes? How dare you?
Chapter 43, adding more scenes? How dare you?
Zheng Taiyuan was stunned for a moment, then his face darkened.
"Li Zhixing, I've given you enough patience. Understand your place; you're just a newcomer!"
Jung Tae-won's voice wasn't loud, but it was incredibly imposing.
However, Li Zhixing remained seated, calmly looking back at him.
After staring at each other for a while, Zheng Taiyuan took a deep breath and said curtly, "Speak, what are your conditions?"
Li Zhixing didn't waste any words and went straight to the point: "The assassin's screen time is too short; I need to increase his screen time."
"What? This is impossible!" Zheng Taiyuan slammed his hand on the table, now completely enraged.
Even Kim Kyu-tae, who was standing next to him, was stunned.
He had previously told this kid to make tough demands, just so he could ask for a higher salary, but he never expected him to dare to ask for more screen time.
For a newcomer to make such a request in a 20 billion won blockbuster starring Lee Byung-hun is simply outrageous.
Kim Kyu-tae frowned, recalling how this kid had just said so magnanimously that he hadn't been wronged, but now he was making such outrageous demands that were impossible to agree to... Could this guy be holding a grudge and deliberately coming back for revenge?
Ignoring Zheng Taiyuan's loss of composure, Li Zhixing calmly said, "Representative Zheng, after all, I did you a great favor, so it's only right that you give me some tangible benefits, isn't it? What we discussed before wasn't sincerity at all; it was just the most basic condition for me to come back and save the day."
Jung Tae-won snorted coldly: "You should understand that I'm giving you a chance. What help can you possibly give me? Do you think you're the only one who can play this role?"
Unexpectedly, Li Zhixing nodded very seriously.
"That's right, only I can."
Li Zhixing looked into Zheng Taiyuan's eyes and said, word by word, "Only I could seamlessly join the crew when the production schedule was severely behind schedule. Only I could completely skip martial arts training and start filming directly for this role that requires extremely heavy action scenes. That is my irreplaceable value."
His tone became somewhat playful: "As for what help I've given you, Representative Zheng, do you really think I don't know why you called me back?"
Zheng Taiyuan frowned: "What do you mean?"
Kim Kyu-tae and Kim Hyun-joon looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Representative Jung probably wanted to kick Choi Seung-hyun out of the production team a long time ago."
"What?" Kim Kyu-tae and Kim Hyun-joon were stunned and turned to look at Jung Tae-won.
Zheng Taiyuan's expression stiffened slightly.
Lee Ji-haeng looked at Kim Kyu-tae and asked confidently, "Director, has the Japanese broadcasting rights for this drama been finalized?"
Kim Kyu-tae nodded subconsciously: "Yes, we just signed a 500 million yen pre-sale contract with Japan's TBS television station last week. How did you...?"
Li Zhixing smiled slightly and turned his gaze back to Zheng Taiyuan: "That's right. Now that the copyright has been sold, Choi Seung-hyun's commercial value has been completely squeezed dry. He is now useless to the production team and has become a burden because of his poor acting skills."
"We didn't kick him out before because we were afraid that the fans would cause trouble and stir up a public opinion storm. In addition, we couldn't find a suitable replacement for the time being, so you had no choice but to keep him. After all, this movie has an investment of 20 billion yuan, and you didn't dare to gamble."
"Oh?" Zheng Taiyuan's stiffness gradually disappeared, and his eyes deepened. "If that's the case, then why did I dare to bring you back?"
Li Zhixing smiled and pointed to himself: "Because I'm different."
"I am not only perfectly suited for this role, but most importantly, I have just experienced a nationwide public opinion storm. The storm has only been over for a few days, and netizens are currently at the peak of their sympathy for me, even with a bit of guilt and a desire to make amends, after all, the whole internet was criticizing me back then."
Li Zhixing leaned forward and said softly, "If I join the production now, even if BIGBANG's fans are dissatisfied and cause trouble online, it will be difficult for ordinary people to follow suit. The public's sympathy and rebellious mentality are at their peak. If idol fans attack me at this time, it will not only fail to stir up any waves, but will also arouse strong resentment from the public."
"Besides, 'IRIS' is a spy drama that relies on an adult audience. Abandoning a small group of teenage idol fans in exchange for the support of viewers of all ages—can you do the math?"
"The little bit of buzz caused by idol fans is negligible. In fact, this controversy might even stimulate viewers' desire to watch the show, killing two birds with one stone, Representative Jung. I've played such a perfect shield in this whole mess, shouldn't I get some benefits and more screen time?"
"what?"
Kim Kyu-tae and Kim Hyun-joon were completely dumbfounded. They subconsciously looked at Jung Tae-won, only to find that the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, as if the kid had really guessed right.
Kim Kyu-tae was even more shocked. He had only briefly explained the crew's predicament before entering the room, but he never expected that this kid would uncover Jung Tae-won's true intentions with just that little bit of information.
No wonder Jung Tae-won refused to fire Choi Seung-hyun, even though he was willing to cut scenes and have to rewrite the script. So that's the root of the problem.
At this moment, Zheng Taiyuan's expression had completely lost its previous anger, and instead revealed an undisguised appreciation.
But then, Zheng Taiyuan shook his head and said, "Your analysis is brilliant, but I still don't intend to agree to your request."
"As you know, there are many main characters in this drama, from Lee Byung-hun to Kim So-yeon. All of them are bigger stars than you, and all of them have higher national recognition than you. Adding more scenes for you will inevitably squeeze out the scenes of other people, which will disrupt the balance of the production team. I think it's not worth it."
Jung Tae-won leaned back in his chair and gave his final bottom line: "Besides, being able to act alongside so many big-name actors and participate in a 20 billion won production will be extremely beneficial to your future development. Young people shouldn't be too greedy, right?"
"Okay, I'll add another two million to your salary per episode, that's the limit."
After hearing these words, Li Zhixing sighed softly.
He stood up, straightened his clothes, and looked at Zheng Taiyuan, saying, "Representative Zheng, I can feel your sincerity, but unfortunately, I still cannot accept it."
"After all, I've basically been cast as the second male lead in 'You're Beautiful.' If I'm not satisfied with the roles here, I'll go to the other side. Sorry to bother you today."
After saying this, Li Zhixing bowed deeply, then opened the door without hesitation and left the office.
This swift and decisive action left the three people in the room completely stunned.
"You're Beautiful, isn't that the Hong sisters' new drama?" Kim Hyun-joon muttered to himself.
Kim Kyu-tae was clearly dissatisfied with Jung Tae-won's stubbornness. He turned to Jung Tae-won and said urgently, "Manager, are we just going to let him go like this? There really isn't anyone more suitable than him now. Choi Seung-hyun has already left the group, who else can we find to fill in?"
Zheng Taiyuan remained silent, leaning back in his chair, his expression shifting as he weighed the pros and cons.
"You're Beautiful, the Hong sisters..." he murmured the two names.
Suddenly, Zheng Taiyuan seemed to realize something, and his expression changed drastically.
"Quickly, call him back to me!"
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