After greeting him, Wu Feng smiled and introduced the two of them formally. Then, he walked towards Mr. Mu.
As the only big state-owned enterprise in the film and television industry, Mr. My had a high status. Therefore, even though he was very friendly, he was still used to being surrounded by celebrities.
The three of them entered the private room. Mr. Mu took the main seat, Wu Feng took the main accompanying seat and Su Yang was seated beside Wu Feng. Mr. Mu was the main event of the meal and Wu Feng was the one treating. That was why the three of them were allocated seats as such.
All of them often ate and socialized, so they understood all the social etiquettes involved, so they just sat down naturally without any discussion.
After they sat down, Mr. Mu looked at the two of them and took the initiative to say, “That movie of yours has been doing pretty good recently. Even the president praised it during our meeting.”
Wu Feng smiled and said, “Won’t you feel that it’s not deep enough?”
Mr. Mu waved his hand. “Of course not. We’re all in the industry, so we know what a movie is. We won’t be like some laymen who demand both the public approval and the depth.”
“In our eyes, as long as the values are right, that’s fine. If depth is actually the criteria, why not just film a literary movie?
“Commercial movies and literary movies are two different types of movies. They cannot be mixed together.”
Then, he added, “Of course, there are those movies that have both depth and commercial factors. But, those movies are hard to come by, not even one gets produced in a few years. So. we can’t ask the directors for such a movie. It’s irresponsible.”
His words were honest and comforting.
‘No wonder National Films is one of the top reputable state-owned enterprises, they’ve got him working there.’
After talking about “Wolf Warriors”, the three of them talked about other movies. The three of them were a little heartbroken that the historical box office rankings were now occupied by foreign movies.
‘When can domestic movies reach the top of our country’s box office rankings?’
As they chatted, Su Yang gave Wu Feng a look.
Wu Feng immediately understood and nodded slightly. Then, he said, “Actually, I feel that the film industry in our country is gradually rising as well. Let’s forget everything else and just look at the special effects of “Wolf Warriors”. They’re simply lifelike and not inferior to Hollywood blockbusters.
“Many people in the industry asked me if this special effect was made by a Hollywood team, but I was able to proudly say no and that It was made by our own country.
“Actually, with this kind of special effects foundation, if we have a good movie that can allow us to exhibit the special effects, our dream of setting off on the journey towards the domestically-made movie of the century isn’t too far off.”
At this point, Mr. Mu looked at Su Yang and asked, “Mr. Su, if I remember correctly, the special effects of “Wolf Warriors” were done by your company, wasn’t it?”
Su Yang smiled and nodded. “Yes, it was done by our company.”
At this point, Su Yang got to the main topic. “Actually, our company has been developing as well. We’re doing “Wolf Warriors” to prove our capabilities. Now that the industry has acknowledged our capabilities, we actually want to invest and make a large-scale sci-fi movie, which focuses on special effects.”
Then, Su Yang added, “Of course, it has to be a movie with positive energy as well.”
All three of them were successful and smart people, so Su Yang said that, a look of realization flashed across Mr. Mu’s eyes.
He thought for a while, then smiled and said, “Alright, Mr. Su, let’s cut right to the chase. Which copyrights do you have your eyes on?”
At this point, Su Yang knew that they were about to get to the main topic. Hence, he tightened his grip on his [Unrestricted Driver’s License]. He looked at Mr. Mu and activated his ability without hesitation.
[Are you sure you want to use your Unrestricted Driver’s License on Mu Lei.]
[Yes]
[Affinity System has been successfully activated. Please choose “Kinship”, “Friendship” or “Love”.]
With his previous experience, Su Yang knew that he could only choose one of the three options, so he chose [Friendship] without hesitation.
A notification appeared before him.
[Mu Lei’s Affinity System (Friendship) has been successfully activated.]
As the Affinity System was activated, Su Yang looked at Mr. Mu and noticed an additional heart before him which wrote [Affinity (Friendship): 29 / 100 (Acquaintance)].
‘Whoa, his starting value is already so high!’
Su Yang was surprised.
‘I still remember how pitiful it was when I activated Guo Xiaoying’s Affinity and ended up with single digits.
‘So, it seems like the value differs according to the person.
‘I suspect that there’s no specific standard in terms of the calculation method for each person’s points, but it differs based on the specific person instead.
‘For example, some people like to make friends, so it would be easier to increase their Affinity.
‘On the other hand, some people do not like to make friends. In fact, they’re against getting to know strangers, so it’s very difficult for their Affinity to increase.
‘Furthermore, some people like to be lively and make friends with others, but they did not like to be sincere with their thoughts. Therefore, it’s very likely that their Affinity would increase rapidly in the early stage, but slow down a lot in the later stages.
‘I wonder what Mr. Mu is like.
‘However, with this Affinity System, I know how I’m going to talk next.’
He recalled the conversation he had with Mu Lei after he entered the room. ‘Mu Lei should be a straightforward person and people like him hate beating around the bush the most.’ Hence, Su Yang came up with a plan in an instant. ‘I’ll just come right out and say whatever I want to say.’
Therefore, he said, “”Wandering Planet”.”
Su Yang turned on his [Verbal Cannon] and said honestly, “Mr. Mu, I feel that you’re a straightforward person, so I don’t wish to hide this from you. This time, other than asking Brother Wu to set up this meeting to get to know you, I want to find out more about ‘Wandering Planet’. I want to invest and produce this movie.
“You should have a certain level of understanding of our company’s special effects, so I believe that I can show you the magnificence of this science fiction novel. Apart from that, I can also show everyone the spirit of unity in our country when our country is faced with planetary danger.”
[Affinity +5]
Following the notification, Su Yang knew that he had made the right bet. ‘Mr. Mu is indeed a straightforward person.’
Although Mu Lei’s impression of Su Yang was increasing, he did not show it on his face. Instead, he asked, “You intend to be its director?”
Su Yang shook his head. “No, I just want to invest and make this movie. The director will be someone else, who I’ve been observing all this while.
“Not only is he a professional director, but he has always liked “Wandering Planet’. In fact, you could even say that he entered the field of directing because of “Wandering Planet”.
“I’ve been observing him for a long time and I can see his love for ‘”Wandering Planet”‘, his seriousness towards his career as a director and his capabilities. Therefore, I feel that he is a suitable candidate.
“Of course, we still need to observe once more in more detail to make a final decision.
“As for myself, I will only do what I’m good at, which is special effects and investments.”
[Affinity +3]
Another notification popped up.
Su Yang was stunned for a moment. He did not understand why Mu Lei’s Affinity had increased that time.
However, a moment later, he realized that what he had said earlier sounded like something a director would say. Therefore, Mu Lei suspected that Su Yang wanted to be a director.
On the other hand, it would be presumptuous of Su Yang, who had never been a director before, to make a sci-fi movie that looked like it would cost a lot of money at first glance.
However, when Su Yang made it clear that he did not intend to be a director and had seriously examined the director, Mu Lei finally approved of him and thought that Su Yang was a serious person at his work.
‘To think that such a small detail could actually increase his Affinity… Mr. Mu’s Affinity is way too easy to increase!’
After interacting with Su Yang, Mu Lei nodded his head and said, “Mr. Su, I admire your serious and responsible attitude. I feel that if there are more professional and responsible people like you in the country, our country’s film industry will definitely thrive.”
“If I remember correctly, the movie rights to “Wandering Planet” are in the hands of National Films, aren’t they?”
Su Yang nodded. “That’s right. This is also the reason why I’m here. I want to ask you if you are able to endorse having the copyrights to “Wandering Planet” passed on to me. As long as it’s possible, I guarantee that I can make a good movie.”
Mu Lei looked very hesitant. He said, “The copyrights from National Films… Wouldn’t usually be transferred unless there are special circumstances.”
[Space Traversing Eyes] judged it as. [Embarrassed]…
Since both of his abilities were activated, Su Yang did not mind activating another one. Hence, he activated his [Intermediate Verbal Cannon] and tried to persuade Mu Lei. “Mr. Mu, I know that the copyrights within National Films will almost not be allowed to be transferred out, but isn’t the keyword here “almost”? Hence, that means there are special circumstances.
“We’re all on the same side, so we should be honest and forthcoming with each other. There’s no precedent for such a large sci-fi movie to ever succeed in the country. Furthermore, it requires a huge amount of investment and with it, comes a huge risk. If the copyrights for this movie are kept in National Films, who else in the industry would be willing to film it apart from myself?”
Mu Lei’s expression loosened a little.
Su Yang said, “To put it bluntly, there are so many special effects companies in our country, but they are still developing. So, I don’t think there’s anyone else with such strong special effects skills like our company.
“If we wait until they reach the stage where they can film ‘”Wandering Planet”‘, how long do you think that’s going to take? How much time is going to be wasted then?
“When this movie is done filming, it can actually become a milestone for domestic movies. The earlier it appears, the earlier we can hold our heads high, isn’t that right?”
[Affinity +7]
Su Yang’s words moved Mu Lei.
Mu Lei then gritted his teeth and said, “How about this, Mr. Su? I’ll step out and make a call first to ask for instructions. I’m sure that you know that the internal structure of National Films is complicated, plus I’m not the only one who can have the final say on this copyrights matter. Especially since I don’t know what level the copyrights of this movie have and whether the higher-ups value this movie or not. So, I’ll need to ask first.”
Su Yang knew that his success depended on this. Hence, he nodded and said, “Sure, I’ll wait for your news.”