Deal! (Fourth Update, 10,000 Words)

Yu Jianhong, Shen Shanden's advisor, was stunned!

This student had greeted him, then spent the whole time on the phone.

"General Manager Geng" on one end, "Manager" on the other.

The calls never stopped.

Shen Shanden could not help it either. Some calls were simply too difficult to refuse.

From the voices drifting in from the hallway, Yu Jianhong vaguely guessed who was on the other end of the calls.

One was Geng Yuejin, Huayi's head of distribution. The other was Bona's production manager.

What?

What had happened?

Yu Jianhong's eyes were filled with disbelief.

As his advisor, he knew Shen Shanden had a project and had briefly looked into it, but then lost interest.

A hundred-million-yuan film?

Yu Jianhong could only say that his student had guts.

When Shen Shanden published his article, Yu had helped him get it into Chinese Cinema magazine.

After all, Shen Shanden had abilities of his own.

In the summer of 2003, Shen Shanden burst onto the scene and dominated the newly launched Baidu MP3 rankings.

Over a hundred million searches shocked the world.

Gray Avatar, Superfluous Explanation, Lemon, Proud Youth, Give Me The Time of a Song, Chaser of Light, Don't Be Friends Anymore.

This disciple was talented, but that was music.

Was he talented in film too?

Yu Jianhong looked at Zhou Qifeng.

"Teacher, don't look at me like that." Zhou Qifeng jumped in fright.

Old Yu's expression was terrifying.

Curious, Yu Jianhong handed his disciple a glass of water. "Tell me, what happened between you and your senior brother?"

Zhou Qifeng hurriedly explained everything.

"Hm?"

Yu Jianhong found it hard to understand. "You met President Han, introduced the project, then your senior brother played a song. President Han listened to it three times, postponed the rest of his schedule, had lunch with you, and even spoke with you privately in his office."

What was this? It sounded perfectly reasonable, yet the more he thought about it, the less reasonable it became!

In one meeting, they had President Han wrapped around their finger.

Was Shen Shanden Tang Monk?

"Play that song for me."

Yu Jianhong had seized on the key point. What was Shen Shanden best at? Musical talent.

Every turning point had come from that song.

Zhou Qifeng said awkwardly, "President Han's secretary took the song."

"Hiss!"

Yu Jianhong sucked in a sharp breath.

The secretary acted, and the leader paid the bill.

It was clearly requested on Han Sanping's behalf.

There was no need to hear the song anymore. This student of his was incredible!

After finishing his calls, Shen Shanden apologized to his advisor. "Teacher, I'm sorry. I have no idea where Huayi and Bona got the news."

Yu Jianhong told Shen Shanden not to stand on ceremony. "Shanden, you kept your teacher in the dark!"

Shen Shanden hurriedly said, "Teacher, you should still call me Xiao Shen."

Yu Jianhong nodded inwardly. "Xiao Shen, perhaps your teacher will need you to save face for him someday."

Yu Jianhong advised him, "Xiao Shen, you need to focus on your film career. President Han thinks highly of you, so you must work hard and not disappoint his trust."

"There is not much left for your teacher to teach you academically. You have already studied Cultural Industries, Film and Television Industry Management, and Film Production Techniques."

"Your teacher will handle attendance and assignments. You are no longer doing this just for yourself, but for the future of Chinese Cinema as well. Follow President Han's lead closely."

Shen Shanden was deeply moved.

His advisor was giving him his full support.

Not only was he fully supporting him, he was also reminding him of the most important point: follow Han Sanping's lead closely.

Whether it was the Production Department leaders, Huayi, or Bona.

The reason they were so easy to deal with and sought him out was not because he was impressive, but because he had won Director Han's favor.

So even if Han Sanping wanted to cast him aside now, he had to cling tightly to him.

That was truly invaluable advice. It pointed straight at the key.

Having lived two lives, how could Shen Shanden fail to understand it?

Shen Shanden promised, "Teacher, I will remember your words. I will certainly contribute my strength to the film industry and help Director Han with his burdens."

Director Han?

That form of address!

Though surprised, Yu Jianhong was greatly satisfied. Shen Shanden had not gotten carried away. He had taken it to heart.

This student would be extraordinary in the future.

Whether it was his awareness or his talent, he had grasped the key at once.

Yu Jianhong said, "Don't rush. How about this? As the saying goes, theory must be combined with practice. Xiao Zhou."

Zhou Qifeng straightened up. "Yes, Teacher."

Yu Jianhong said, "From now on, follow your senior brother. Leave attendance and assignments to me. Film management must be carried out through practice."

Yu Jianhong had a feeling that he might have to rely on Shen Shanden, this student of his, in the future.

How did that saying go? For the first thirty years, fathers were respected because of their sons; for the next thirty years, sons were respected because of their fathers.

Conversely, if a "filial son" appeared, one would not rest easy even after death.

Those who cared about saving face in life might even end up disgraced if they encountered one.

Students were not sons, of course, but there were exceptions. A student who inherited one's academic legacy and connections was no different from a son, perhaps even closer.

After more than a year of contact, Yu Jianhong had come to understand Shen Shanden's personality fairly well.

A Civil Engineering Major, he had maintained top grades in his field throughout university while teaching himself composition and screenwriting, all while creating a large number of hit songs online.

Then he had shifted into the arts, entering Yu Jianhong's graduate program as a celebrity student.

Besides his major, in a year and a half, he had learned the undergraduate material for directing, cinematography, sound recording, editing, scoring, and even acting.

A giant of action, with exceptionally strong execution.

Today, Shen Shanden had once again refreshed Yu Jianhong's understanding of him.

Whether or not the Brotherhood of Blades project succeeded, his future was absolutely promising.

Therefore, Yu Jianhong formally entrusted Zhou Qifeng to Shen Shanden. Shen Shanden needed to hold tightly to Han Sanping, and Yu Jianhong naturally had to tie his own student down as well.

Yu Jianhong instructed, "Xiao Zhou, from now on, your senior brother's words are your teacher's words. Listen more, do more, speak less."

Shen Shanden patted Zhou Qifeng on the shoulder. "Rest assured, Teacher. I will definitely train my junior brother well."

Zhou Qifeng felt the burden on his shoulders grow heavier!

With his advisor's support, Shen Shanden threw himself wholeheartedly into the project planning for Brotherhood of Blades.

Although that was not his true purpose, he had to keep up appearances properly.

Since it had all started because of Brotherhood of Blades, he naturally had to keep the focus on this project.

When he returned home.

Da Mimi was sprawled across the sofa. The moment she saw Shen Shanden, her lazy expression brightened. "How did it go today? Did you meet Third Master?"

Shen Shanden put on a troubled expression. "What status does President Han have? I only caught a glimpse of him."

The project had only just gotten off the ground, so it definitely had to be kept secret.

As for Huayi and Bona knowing, their circles were on a higher level.

How quickly one learned of meeting news was a small trick for judging a circle's strength.

Shen Shanden had heard a joke in his past life. It was only a joke.

At a rather important meeting in a certain city, the moment a company was named, its boss went to the meeting's presiding leader after the meeting ended to request instructions.

His attitude was humble, and his self-criticism profound, but his methods were forceful.

He was telling the relevant people that he had people among them. Be careful.

Da Mimi did not know the preliminary review had passed, which showed that her company, Rongxinda, occupied the fringes of the film circle—or rather, the theatrical film circle.

If they learned anything, they would certainly send Da Mimi to sound him out.

Da Mimi did not care. "The film circle is very closed off. How could there be a chance to rise in one step? Why don't you make a fan film like Jay Chou?"

Film resources had always belonged exclusively to a few circles, with the leftovers distributed around the edges. Even the company she worked for could not reach many film resources.

Shen Shanden was touched. "Mimi, you're so good to me."

Da Mimi immediately became wary. Shen Shanden's attitude made it obvious he was up to no good.

She shut herself off.

"Don't come over here!"

Shen Shanden was speechless. What did she take him for?

He merely felt a little guilty inside.

It could not be helped. If he wanted to get things done, he had to keep his mouth shut.

January 11.

A week later, China Film Group held an expanded meeting for the project approval review of Brotherhood of Blades.

Compared to the earlier small meeting, which had mostly involved Han Sanping's direct subordinates, more factions participated this time.

Shen Shanden clearly felt the pressure.

Some wanted to interfere, some wanted to replace Shen Shanden outright, and some wanted to skim money.

January 16.

By the time of the second project approval meeting, Shen Shanden said that all the money would be spent on the film and that he would not hire Hong Kong and Taiwan stars.

This stirred up an even greater wave of opposition.

After everyone had fully expressed their opinions, Han Sanping called Shen Shanden into his office. "They mean that since you have not made a theatrical film before, you should start with a small or medium production."

Before he had even finished speaking, Shen Shanden nodded heavily. He had been waiting for those words. "Fine!"

Han Sanping was stunned at first, then his defenses cracked a little.

The recommendation was gone. The previous twenty-odd days had been wasted, so I could only spam updates to catch up on the schedule. Now I've caught the virus too, so I'm really giving it everything. Please keep reading—please, please keep reading. The reread rate has dropped badly since the rewrite.

And thank you all for your votes and tips. Thank you for your support!