Chapter 286: Profit
As for the mocking from fans in the fan circle, Song Zhi Bai’s fans naturally couldn’t stand it, but just like last time, before the situation could escalate, the team quickly intervened and calmed things down.
“Please trust Teacher Song and Director Ou Yang. Teacher Song and Director Ou Yang have worked together several times and have never failed. This time, Director Ou Yang’s transition to filmmaking has been approved by Miss Xu, and Teacher Song himself fully supports it. Rest assured, we will not disappoint everyone.”
Once the staff made their statement, many fans, who were more thoughtful, realized that Song Zhi Bai and Ou Yang Ou Yang had been collaborating since their first project. Almost every time they worked together, it resulted in a big hit. Such a director was someone other actors could only dream of working with, yet their own fans had almost caused trouble. If they had truly disrupted the relationship between Song Zhi Bai and Ou Yang Ou Yang, it would have been a regret they could never undo.
Soon, a major fan stepped in and labeled the situation as an attempt by rival fans to sow discord.
Wu Yue, seeing that Song Zhi Bai’s fans had suddenly quieted down on Weibo, couldn’t help but sigh. “The Song Zhi Bai team’s reaction is really fast. Too bad they didn’t fall into the trap.”
Though Ou Yang Ou Yang had only been in the industry for two years, every project he worked on became a massive hit. Even his version of Dream of the Red Chamber was a huge success. With just a few works under his belt, almost every one of them could be considered historically significant.
The most important thing was that he was still very young—less than 30—so he had at least several decades of directing ahead of him. What company wouldn’t want such a director?
Wu Yue naturally wanted him too. She couldn’t help but imagine that if Ou Yang Ou Yang were in her company, focusing solely on supporting Gu Shuangbo, the current top male star in the country would likely have a new face by now.
She even had a faint feeling that Ou Yang Ou Yang and Gu Shuangbo were destined to collaborate.
Ou Yang Ou Yang didn’t take the incident with Song Zhi Bai’s fans too seriously, but when he returned to Shanghai, both Song Zhi Bai and his manager took time out to personally apologize to him.
“Xiao Song, you’re being too polite. We’ve been working together for two years. Honestly, we’ve spent more time together than many married couples. How could I let a few words from fans bother me? You even came all the way to apologize,” Ou Yang Ou Yang said casually.
Song Zhi Bai remained humble as always. “Brother Ou Yang, since I entered the industry, I’ve been working with you, so I value our friendship greatly. I don’t want these misunderstandings to affect our relationship.”
Hearing this, Ou Yang Ou Yang felt a warm sensation in his heart. He sent Song Zhi Bai’s manager away and placed his hand on his shoulder, speaking in a lowered voice, “I know you’re upset, but don’t be too hard on yourself. You seem to have lost a bit of weight recently.”
Song Zhi Bai froze for a moment upon hearing this, then shook his head. “Brother Ou Yang, it’s just that I missed an opportunity. I’ve come to terms with it.”
Ou Yang Ou Yang, however, still didn’t feel right. Though outsiders might not notice, he knew Song Zhi Bai too well.
Maybe it was because Song Zhi Bai’s career was thriving, but even though he was upset about the setbacks in his love life, his face still looked striking as always. Yet those who were close to him could see the melancholy that seemed to surround him.
Ou Yang Ou Yang felt that while Song Zhi Bai was saying “I’ve come to terms with it,” his demeanor didn’t reflect that at all.
As they were talking, there was a sudden knock on the door.
“Director Ou Yang, Teacher Song, Miss Xu has arrived at the company. She’s here to see you both,” the assistant said.
For a moment, Ou Yang Ou Yang felt his vision blur, and he saw Song Zhi Bai’s eyes light up immediately.
Thinking of Song Zhi Bai’s formidable rival, Ou Yang Ou Yang couldn’t help but sigh for his brother.
Xu Youyou hadn’t planned to visit the company, but since she happened to be passing by, she decided to stop by and ask about the progress of the movie preparations.
“Boss, don’t worry. The crew members we hired are all veterans we’ve worked with for years, so they’re very efficient. The location scouts also have an extensive library of resources, and we’ve already selected most of the scenes. Only a few minor ones are still being finalized.”
Ou Yang Ou Yang cared a lot about this movie, and he was paying close attention to the project’s progress, so when Xu Youyou asked, he was able to provide detailed updates.
Xu Youyou nodded in agreement, but then she glanced at Song Zhi Bai. “Teacher Song, I know you’re a dedicated person and someone who likes to immerse yourself in your roles, but don’t let yourself get too caught up in your emotions. You don’t want to hurt your health.”
Song Zhi Bai’s role in the movie was that of a melancholic and brooding character, and he was now fitting the role perfectly.
Song Zhi Bai forced a smile and said to Xu Youyou, “Miss Xu, don’t worry. I know how to handle it.”
Xu Youyou looked at her cash cow with a touch of concern, and she made sure to leave Ou Yang Ou Yang with a reminder. “Filming is important, but you also need to take care of yourself. Xiao Song tends to overthink things. Once filming starts, keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t get too immersed in the character and cause any problems.”
Ou Yang Ou Yang nodded continuously, feeling sorry for the situation. Both of them clearly cared deeply for each other, but they couldn’t be together.
If Xu Youyou knew his thoughts, she would probably be so embarrassed that her face would turn red. From the beginning to the end, she had never had any romantic feelings for Song Zhi Bai. She only viewed him as her money-making asset. Although Song Zhi Bai’s rise to stardom was relatively easy, top-tier stars like him were rare, and Xu Youyou couldn’t bear the thought of him having any mishaps.
After seeing Ou Yang Ou Yang, Xu Youyou went to find Xie Ran.
“I still don’t know what project Miss Shen and we are working on,” Xu Youyou complained half-heartedly.
Xie Ran handed over the information in silence.
Xu Youyou glanced at it and couldn’t help but let her eyes wander.
“It’s the same whether you tell me or not, because I still don’t understand,” Xu Youyou said.
Xu Youyou felt that some things in the world were just beyond her grasp—like math and cutting-edge technology. Even though she studied hard in training, she still only had a vague understanding of complex knowledge.
Xie Ran, however, was calm as he replied, “I don’t really understand Miss Shen’s technology either, but it doesn’t matter. As long as we know how much we need to invest and how much profit we can expect to make in the given time frame, that’s all we need to focus on.”
Xu Youyou immediately perked up upon hearing this and asked, “So, how much profit have we made?”
Xie Ran smiled. “In the past year, we’ve invested three hundred million, and the profit has been twelve times that.”
