Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire
Chapter 436 - Chapter 436 425

Chapter 436: 425 Chapter 436: 425 Miss Zheng had already read the script and thought it was very good. Even though the director wasn’t very famous, she was prepared to give it a try. However, considering her status in the industry, that’s why she said she wouldn’t audition.

Now, in Hong Kong, the film industry is mostly male-driven, with the female actors often getting roles that are not substantial, some being mere fillers or adjusters. But this movie, “Legally Blonde,” is centered around the female lead, with even the second female lead having more scenes than the male lead.

After receiving a call from Tian Pengyu, who said that the boss had made it clear they would find someone else if she didn’t audition, she hesitated but eventually relented. The script was solid and had the potential to become a hit; missing out would be too regrettable.

On the day of the auditions, Lu Jiaxin had class and did not attend, leaving the task to Tian Pengyu and Director Qi. In the evening, Tian Pengyu came to report that Director Qi had decided on Miss Zheng for the female lead role, Lan Yinggu for the second female lead, with Miss Wang and Zhou Yunv also participating. As for the male lead, it was directly given to Liu Ren.

Tian Pengyu and Lu Jiaxin recommended someone named Yang Yichang for the role of the second male lead: “Yang Yichang is with our company, and he’s very passionate about acting, with excellent acting skills.”

When Lu Jiaxin heard that the candidate looked average, she rejected the idea without a second thought: “This is a contemporary drama; I need handsome men and beautiful women. The first male lead, Liu Sheng, is a suave and elegantly handsome gentleman, so the second male lead can’t fall too far behind.”

A cameo would be fine, as the audience wouldn’t pay much attention to a minor character’s appearance. But for an important supporting role, it’s a no-go; it would lower the visual standards of the cast.

Tian Pengyu said, “Miss Lu, these are all people from other film and television companies. If the series becomes a hit, our company won’t benefit from it.”

He couldn’t be sure the series would be a hit, but breaking even was absolutely no problem, which is why he wanted people from their company to have more screen time.

Lu Jiaxin said, “I remember that Miss Lan’s contract is almost up, see if she is willing to sign under Wanting Film and Television.”

The demise of such dazzling beauty as Lan, known for outshining everyone on Mount Wutai, truly elicited sympathy. If she were willing to sign with Wanting Film and Television, she definitely wouldn’t have faced those later incidents. Of course, she wouldn’t be forced if she didn’t wish to. Lu Jiaxin wasn’t a compassionate bodhisattva who could save everyone.

Tian Pengyu hesitated before saying, “Miss Lan is unlikely to agree.”

With Nie Jingting’s reputation, aiming to grow in this industry, it’s highly unlikely she would consider Wanting Film and Television. Lu Jiaxin smiled and said, “Tell her that this movie is just the beginning. I will be making films in the future. It’s not about making an immediate decision; she can think about it after the movie is released.”

Here she’s speaking as an individual, not on behalf of Wanting Film and Television, signaling that if “Legally Blonde” succeeded, Miss Lu might very well start her own film company. This could not be allowed to happen; after finally seeing hope, he couldn’t let it slip through his fingers. He planned to find an opportunity to have a serious chat with the third young master.

With the script, director, and actors all in place, and the funds already transferred by Lu Jiaxin to the Wanting Film and Television account, the movie soon started shooting.

Once filming began, the costume designer from Green Forest and the jewelry designer from Five Auspicious Jewelry immediately joined the set, followed by two lawyers from Hongchang entering the crew.

Lu Jiaxin didn’t manage the filming process further. She knew nothing about movie production, so she decided not to meddle. However, Yu Meitong and Shi Xinyu were very curious, and they decided to visit the set together.

Lu Jiaxin agreed that if there were suitable roles, they could make cameo appearances. Director Qi, seeing that both were beauties, immediately arranged for Shi Xinyu to play the female lead’s college friend and Yu Meitong to portray a spoiled rich girl who intentionally makes things difficult for the female lead. Their roles, designed to fit their personalities, turned out quite well.

After having their fill of acting, they went to find Lu Jiaxin and told her that filming was quite fun. They wanted in if she made future films.

Lu Jiaxin laughed and said, “If there are roles that suit you, then of course there’s no problem.”

Yu Meitong said, “Jiaxin, my cousin is a high-level executive at Jiahe. When your movie is finished and ready for release, you’ll definitely need to find theaters. I can ask him for help.”

The films produced by Wanting Film and Television had always been released in Princess Jin’s theater chain. Nie Jingting was childhood friends with Princess Jin’s major shareholder’s younger son, that’s why even though everyone knew his films were duds, they still got screened. There was no way around it, the backing he had was solid. Of course, it would be great if Jiahe was also willing to distribute her film.

Lu Jiaxin smiled and said, “Then I’ll have Manager Tian contact your cousin.”

“I’ll talk to him first, and then let Manager Tian go see him.”

That day, after school, Lu Jiaxin returned to her apartment and saw Xu Yue and Susan waiting for her. She massaged her temples and perked up to listen to their work reports.

Xu Yue took care of internal affairs while Susan handled the external matters. Their cooperation over the last half year had been quite good. And Lu Jiaxin oversaw the broader strategy, expanding the stores using bank loans. She had expanded from the original three stores to twelve, a number that still didn’t satisfy Lu Jiaxin.

After listening to their reports, Lu Jiaxin shared her next step, which was to continue opening more stores with the loans. She planned to use the bank loans to open more branches quickly to seize the market share because once she dominated the market, making money wouldn’t be an issue.

Xu Yue and Susan had no objections, mainly because Lu Jiaxin had money, and they weren’t worried about the high debt-to-equity ratio of Green Forest with such a large real estate company under their belt.

After the reports, Susan brought up the movie “Legally Blonde.” She had visited the set and watched some scenes, finding it very promising, “Boss, I think our movie will definitely be a hit. If the movie takes off, it will boost the sales for Green Forest.”

So she believed it was necessary to get ready now, and they couldn’t wait until the movie was a hit and suddenly find themselves without enough product to fulfill orders.

Xu Yue had the same thought.

Lu Jiaxin, with a smile, said, “So confident, what if the movie doesn’t take off?”

Xu Yue was certain it wouldn’t be the case, “With so many handsome men and beautiful women, it’s simply a feast for the eyes. Although I haven’t seen the entire plot, I was deeply moved by a segment I watched. In this world, if you can’t even rely on your parents, let alone men, you have to depend on yourself.”

Lu Jiaxin agreed to stock up in advance but cut the quantity Susan suggested in half, “If we run out then, we can just let customers pre-order and deliver when the stock is available.”

This approach would communicate to the customers that their clothes were so popular they had sold out. Besides, though everyone was saying that the film would be a hit, she didn’t share the same level of confidence. The movie business is unpredictable, and many well-made films end up failing. Stocking up too much would be risky.

Susan and Xu Yue thought her reasoning made sense.

Filming started in November and was wrapped up by the end of December. By mid-January, editing and dubbing were also completed. Just over two months from start to finish, this was the speed of Hong Kong.

After viewing the final cut, Lu Jiaxin invited Nie Zhan to watch it with her.

After watching, Nie Zhan was very satisfied and commented, “The plot is good, and our clothing and jewelry got good exposure; breaking even shouldn’t be a problem.”

Producing this movie wasn’t about making money but rather advertising their garment factory and jewelry company. So his expectation was simply to break even.

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