Free Web NovelChapter 113: Chapter 113: Finalizing the Investment
Wu Jing then introduced the three of them to his wife, Xie Nan.
Xie Nan joked, "Please, don’t just stand there—have a seat! We can chat once we’re all settled. Miss, you can start serving the food!"
The server nodded and closed the door behind her.
Seeing celebrities was a common occurrence for the staff here.
After they were all seated at the round table, Wu Jing smiled and began, "President Wu, forgive me for being blunt, but judging by your age, you must still be in school, right?"
Wu Yun knew his age made him an outlier among these older men, so he chuckled. "Yes, I’m a college freshman. What can I do? I need to learn to be self-reliant, so I decided to start my own business."
Aside from Qi Fei, the other three all assumed that Wu Yun’s family had given him start-up funds to teach him independence.
From under the table, Qi Fei reached out and gently took Wu Yun’s hand, intertwining their fingers as if to comfort him.
Wei Feng chimed in with a laugh, "Director Wu, you might not know this, but when President Wu founded Phoenix Entertainment, he also established another internet company. The office space they have is so huge it makes me jealous. I almost wish we could trade places."
"President Wu’s resources are far greater than you might imagine. For instance, here’s a company I’m sure you’ve heard of: Little Red Car!"
Wei Feng went on, showcasing Wu Yun’s accomplishments, all to convince Wu Jing that they had the necessary capital and connections.
The more Wu Jing and Xie Nan listened, the brighter their eyes grew. They shared a look, and both could see the excitement reflected in the other’s eyes.
Having been rejected thirty times, Wu Jing had developed a thick skin. He was no longer afraid of offending people and had long lost the patience for feigning civility with investors. Seizing the moment, he asked directly, "President Wu, President Wei, how much is your company prepared to invest in the filming of *Wolf Warrior*?"
Wei Feng glanced at Wu Yun. Only after Wu Yun nodded did he say, "Director Wu, President Wu and I have discussed this. We’ve also reviewed your script and believe it has the potential to be a massive hit. Therefore, we’ve decided to invest fifty million." fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Hearing the words "fifty million," Wu Jing’s expression remained unchanged, but his hands balled into tight fists under the table. If not for his years of hard-earned composure, he might have cheered aloud.
"But!" Wei Feng’s voice cut in, extinguishing most of Wu Jing’s excitement.
Wu Jing braced himself. ’As long as their conditions aren’t too outrageous, I’ll grit my teeth and accept them.’
"However, Phoenix Entertainment has three conditions," Wei Feng said, looking Wu Jing straight in the eye.
Wu Jing didn’t back down. He met his gaze and smiled. "Go on, President Wei!"
"First, we want to secure the right to make additional investments!"
The first condition alone caused Wu Jing’s taut nerves to relax. ’I can’t believe there are suckers like this... no! These are friends, here to help me in my time of need.’
"Second, President Wu and I are very optimistic about *Wolf Warrior* getting a sequel. Judging from your script, Director Wu, there’s a much larger world that has yet to be explored. So, we want the first right of investment for *Wolf Warrior 2*."
Wu Jing nodded repeatedly, his smile growing wider. He was genuinely overjoyed. Although their goal was to make a profit, the investment itself was a sign of support—a sign that they believed in him.
Beside him, Xie Nan squeezed his left hand tightly.
"President Wei, and the third condition?"
"For the third condition, I’ll let President Wu explain it himself." Wei Feng was incredibly pleased with Qi Fei’s looks; if he hadn’t been, that awkward incident during her first audition would never have happened. ’I don’t know how her acting is,’ he thought, ’but we’ll never find out if we don’t give her a shot.’
Wu Yun sat up straighter, draping his arm around Qi Fei’s shoulders. He smiled and said, "Director Wu, a large part of the reason President Wei and I founded Phoenix Entertainment was because of Qi Fei. So, I’d like to secure a role for her in *Wolf Warrior*."
Before Wu Jing could react, Wu Yun added, "Just a small role. I’ve read your script, and there are only three female characters with a significant number of lines: Long Xiaoyun, and the two female staff officers."
"My request isn’t demanding. I’d just like one of the female staff officer roles for her, one with a decent number of lines. I want to give Qi Fei a chance to gain some experience, and I’m confident her acting won’t disappoint you."
Hearing Wu Yun’s words, Wu Jing let out a sigh of relief. As long as they weren’t asking for the role of Long Xiaoyun, he was fine. His good friend, Yu Nan, had already agreed to play Long Xiaoyun as a favor to him. If someone else snatched the role, he would have no idea how to face her.
Thankfully, Wu Yun’s request was a simple one and easy to accommodate.
Wu Jing looked at Qi Fei’s devastatingly beautiful face. Even for someone who had seen countless beauties in the entertainment industry, he felt she was in the absolute top echelon.
More importantly, Qi Fei possessed the refined elegance of a lady from a prominent family, something those with surgically enhanced faces could never compare to.
"No problem! I agree to all three conditions!" Wu Jing said with a smile. But unlike before, this one was filled with sincerity. Only Xie Nan could sense the genuine joy radiating from her husband.
Xie Nan shook her head and sighed softly. ’Wu Jing is probably going to get drunk again tonight,’ she thought, ’unless the men across from him are complete lightweights. But judging by Wu Yun’s physique and Wei Feng’s slight potbelly, that doesn’t seem likely.’
Wu Jing rarely gave compliments, but today he made an exception. "Miss Qi will have no problem joining the *War Wolf* crew. In fact, she’s too beautiful. We’ll have to use makeup to tone down her looks to make her role as a soldier more convincing."
Qi Fei was filled with emotion. She couldn’t believe she had landed a role so easily. It might be a minor part with little screen time in a male-dominated film, but it was a chance to gain experience—her first role on the silver screen.
Gratitude and love flashed in Qi Fei’s eyes as she glanced at Wu Yun. Then, hearing Wu Jing’s praise, she blushed slightly. "You’re too kind, Director Wu," she said. "Please take care of me on set. If I do anything wrong, please don’t hesitate to correct me. I’m here to learn."
Just then, there was a knock. The server entered with a cart and began placing dishes one by one on the large lazy Susan at the center of the table.
"Braised pufferfish. Please enjoy."
"Drunken crab. Please enjoy."
"Steamed beltfish. Please enjoy."
...
Wu Jing filled the small cups belonging to Wu Yun and Wei Feng with baijiu. Raising his own, he said, "Thank you both for your incredible support. I’d like to propose a toast to you!"
With that, he drained his cup in one go.
Wu Yun and Wei Feng exchanged a look, raised their own cups, and downed the fiery baijiu.
Xie Nan gestured to the food. "Come on, let’s eat. I hear the drunken crab here is amazing. They use select female crabs from Yangcheng Lake, marinate them in a secret sauce made with twenty-year-aged Huadiao wine, and let them soak for three days and nights before serving."
Wu Yun removed the carapace from a crab for Qi Fei before taking a bite himself. The meat was firm yet delicate, and the roe had the rich, grainy texture of a salted duck egg yolk.
Wei Feng, a veteran of the drinking table, raised his glass. "Director Wu, President Wu, here’s to our first collaboration! Let’s all have a drink!"
"Bottoms up!" fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
"Bottoms up!"
One round of drinks was enough to close the distance between them, melting away the initial awkwardness.
Xie Nan, a seasoned hostess, made sure Qi Fei didn’t feel left out, pulling her into a quiet conversation.
A few more rounds later, the three men had their arms slung over each other’s shoulders, already calling each other brothers.
