When the phone rang, Xie Ning was carrying a small basket at the market, buying groceries.
There were actually still ingredients at home, but when he thought of how picky Zhuang Yan is, Xie Ning was afraid that the vegetables weren’t fresh enough. He might as well take some time during the day, when he had nothing to do, to look around the market.
When he got home last night, he searched up the <Changing Heart> movie that Zhuang Yan gave him. There wasn’t a lot of information about it. Forget about not being able to buy it in China; even overseas, not a lot of people had it.
It said online that the disc Zhuang Yan gave him was out of print, so he felt like he owed Zhuang Yan. His skills weren’t as good as Auntie Chen’s, so he could only work hard on procuring good ingredients.
The market was bustling and noisy, so even though Yan Xi yelled loudly from the other end of the line, his voice was still drowned out by the rowdiness that surrounded Xie Ning.
Xie Ning had to squeeze through the crowd and find a quiet, secluded place before he could hear Yan Xi’s voice.
“How is it, living at Lakeside Villa? Are you lonely by yourself in that large house? It’s still a bit far from the city center, are you sure you don’t want to move in with me after all? I can’t stop worrying about you all by yourself.”
Xie Ning was afraid he couldn’t hear him, and increased the volume. “I’m doing pretty well. I can get used to it. It’s nice and quiet, so it’s very appropriate for drawing.”
Yan Xi, hearing this, sighed. “If you’re like this, I’m even more worried. It’s like you’ve detached yourself from the world, closing yourself up somewhere. Humans always have to interact with others, whether it be family, friends, or neighbors. You can’t spend your days alone.”
Xie Ning thought about this for a little, and comforted him by saying, “I do still communicate with people. There’s a neighbor, who’s pretty…”
He mulled over the adjectives, and continued, “Pretty interesting, but he has a weird temperament.”
Yan Xi was surprised. “You’ve already gotten to know a neighbor? Is that person trustworthy? How did you guys meet?”
He continued to ask, “How is his temperament weird? Is it weirder than yours?”
Xie Ning smiled. “How come you have so many questions?”
Yan Xi: “Aren’t I just worrying about you?”
Xie Ning, using a few sentences, told Yan Xi about what happened between him and Zhuang Yan. Yan Xi furrowed his brow as he listened. “What you’re saying is that you don’t even know his name, and will just let him come to eat dinner?”
Xie Ning said, “He doesn’t look like a bad guy.”
Yan Xi replied, sternly, “People with bad intentions wouldn’t let you guess so easily.”
Even though he said that, he wasn’t going to stop Xie Ning from making new friends. He was quite happy that Xie Ning was walking out of his comfort zone and interacting with others.
Yan Xi felt relieved, and started to talk about gossip. “Did you know that everyone’s been talking about Zhuang Yan recently?”
“Zhuang Yan?” Xie Ning blinked. “What’s up with him?”
Yan Xi sighed. “He’s returned to China for a decent amount of time already, and everyone wants to see him at least once, but they were all shot down. Nobody has been able to meet up with him. He seems to be pretty arrogant; he won’t give anyone some face.”
Xie Ning said, “Maybe he’s just kind of busy?”
“Who knows.” Yan Xi gleefully said, “I heard Xu Qing went looking for him too, but guess what? He didn’t even see Zhuang Yan’s face.”
Xu Qing hadn’t bothered Xie Ning after he moved, and Xie Ning had already thrown him to the back of his mind. He was taken aback when Yan Xi mentioned him.
Yan Xi continued, “What do you think this Xu Qing wants? Just a couple days ago, he was still pestering you, but now, he’s giving Zhuang Yan so much attention.”
Xie Ning breathed a sigh of relief instead. “It’s nice if he’s not bothering me.”
“I’m just afraid he’s going to be friendly to Zhuang Yan while also not letting you go.”
Based on what he knew about Xu Qing’s character, he might actually do something like that.
Yan Xi didn’t want to mention Xu Qing too much in front of Xie Ning, as he was afraid Xie Ning would be upset. He didn’t call this time just to talk about random things either, so he got down to business. “Last time, you said you wanted to switch to painting for original films or television. I asked around since then, and found out that the film and television market has risen sharply these past few years. A good amount of artists have switched industries, and the salary is better than working in the game industry.”
Xie Ning laughed: “I’m not doing it for the money.”
“I know. If there’s anything you lack, it wouldn’t be money.”
The Xie family is involved in real economy, and has investments in all sorts of industries. Their background is deep, and is considered the type to make a fortune silently. Their reputation is not well-known, but no one would dare ignore it. Elder Xie is fond of his little grandson, so he transferred 10% of the company shares to him once Xie Ning became an adult. Even though it was not a huge portion, the annual dividends are enough for him to not worry about food and clothes for the rest of his life.
“Even though it’s all original art, there’s still a difference between film art and game art. I’m still considered as someone part of the game industry, and can’t help much when it comes to film art. I can only fumble around by myself.” Yan Xi took Xie Ning seriously when he said he wanted to work in film art, and had acquired a good amount of information after inquiring around.
“When making game art, you stay in the office or at home most of the time. Film and television art is different. Other than the initial conceptual stage, for most of the remaining time, you need to run around with the crew. Anywhere you go, you need to paint. Even though the salary is higher, it’s more tiring.”
When Xie Ning said he wanted to change industries, he wasn’t taking it lightly. He’d already inquired about such things, and said, “I’m not a spoiled young master. I can take at least that much hardship.”
Yan Xi joked, “You might not be a spoiled young master, but you’re uninterested in worldly affairs. The conditions while filming are generally not great, and sometimes you’ll have to hike around on mountains. Even the actors need to go through such hardships; even more so for the staff behind the scenes. You need to be prepared.”
Xie Ning did hesitate after he heard this.
Yan Xi continued, “The conditions problem is secondary, and I believe that you can overcome it. However, there’s so many people in the crew--staff, actors, assistants--there has to be hundreds. I’m not sure if your personality can take it.”
Xie Ning frowned and hesitated. “I’m not the director, so I shouldn’t need to interact with so many people. At most, I’d probably communicate with the art team and creative staff more.”
Yan Xi knew, after hearing this sentence, that he’d already made up his mind, so he stopped trying to persuade him. “I can’t help you with other things, but my friend says that he knows a high-level figure within the industry. He’s said to be knowledgeable in original film and television, so my friend can help you get in contact with him.”
In original film and television, there weren’t many artists who could be considered masters. Xie Ning, his interest piqued, asked, “Who?”
Yan Xi responded with a name. “Yang Rui.”
“Teacher Yang Rui?” This time, Xie Ning was really surprised.
Yang Rui is a revered figure in the field of original art and design. Within China, he had won numerous awards for “Best Art Director”, and abroad, he’d won the Silver Bear Grand Jury award at the Berlin International Film Festival for his movie <Life’s Beautiful Years>.
In recent years, Yang Rui’s health was declining, and was unable to follow the crew when filming, but he would still produce some conceptual art and atmospheric pieces for the team.
Now, he was invited to become an honorary professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, and several of his last students are currently in different teams, each able to bear heavy responsibility as lead artists.
Xie Ning immediately saved his contact information, and planned to personally pay a visit to him when he had time.
Even though Yan Xi was always concerned that he would be taken advantage of, and worried about him like a mother hen, he would never prohibit Xie Ning from doing something that he had set his mind to; in fact, he would go ahead and try to pave the way for him instead.
Xie Ning was extremely grateful to Yan Xi. He wanted to say thank you through the phone, but felt like it would make them sound unfamiliar with one another. So he just said, “Are you still busy these days? I’ll treat you to a meal when you have time.”
Yan Xi sighed. “The year is almost over. Even though my company is not big, there’s still so much to do, so I don’t have much time to rest. I can only listen to gossip to amuse myself.”
Xie Ning was amused by this. “I was wondering where you’d heard so much gossip about Zhuang Yan.”
“Now, you’re wrong about that.” Yan Xi shrugged off the blame. “I didn’t try to find gossip about Zhuang Yan specifically, but he refused too many people. The more generous people were fine with it, but to those who are more narrow-minded, he’s being arrogant with nothing to show for it.”
The market wasn’t a great place to talk on the phone in the first place, so the two of them exchanged a few more words, and hung up.
Yan Xi mulled over their conversation for a little bit, and suddenly felt as if there was something wrong with Mr. Blue Whale.
He and Xie Ning had only met twice. Not only did he take Xie Ning home, but also is trying to get meals at Xie Ning’s house. He may not know Mr. Blue Whale, but he knew that Xie Ning’s personality wouldn’t have allowed him to become fast friends with someone else so quickly.
He decided to take this seriously, but he was too busy, so he could only keep it in mind and observe the situation for a bit longer.
On the other side, Xie Ning put away his phone, thinking that Zhuang Yan’s name had appeared too many times in his life recently.
Before, he had only heard Xu Qing mention him a few times, and didn’t think too much of it.
But these few days, he and Mr. Blue Whale had discussed Zhuang Yan’s movies, and he had gossiped about Zhuang Yan with Yan Xi.
Xie Ning was not a very curious person, but this time, he became somewhat interested in Zhuang Yan.
What kind of person is Zhuang Yan, really?
Zhuang Yan, who was in the minds of these two people, was not in a good mood at the moment.
When he told Qi Rui that he was busy, he wasn’t being polite and making up an excuse, but was actually quite busy.
After returning to China, he didn’t plan to switch industries, and was going to continue filming movies. However, most of his staff was abroad, and not many of them had come to China with him. The new script was still in its initial stages, and a crew had not been formed yet.
It was easy to sort out the lesser positions. He could just recruit people from within China.
However, it was difficult to find art directors and cameramen, some of the most important positions.
The original lead art director is American, and had a different sense of aesthetic than Zhuang Yan did. Several times, Zhuang Yan had to argue and slam the table before he was able to continue with his own ideas.
This time, when he returned to China, the art director happily parted ways with him.
Zhuang Yan wanted to find an art director who had the same thoughts as he did.
The producer, Zhao Yang, knew how nitpicky he was. “Your requirements are too high. The domestic film and television industry can’t be compared to the ones overseas. The process is not standard enough. Many art directors change themselves to fit the team, and there’s a shortage of talent. Anyone with a little skill is targeted by the major crews for recruitment.”
“But that doesn’t mean you can recommend anyone to me!” Zhuang Yan was exasperated after reading the files he was given. Look at this team. Even though the lead art director has some experience, their assistants only took a crash course in original painting before looking for work. What can these people draw?!”
Zhao Yang also found it difficult to explain. In China, the pay for film and television art designers started from 10k RMB (~1,500USD). Newcomers are a bit bolder, and people who start the negotiations at 15k RMB (~2,200USD) are also sizable in number. So, even though there are many people who want to enter this industry, there were not many who were actually capable enough.
However, the art directors who have a bit of talent were already recruited by larger crews.
Zhuang Yan’s standards were also much too high.
Zhao Yang responded, “How about Zheng Jing? He opened an office by himself, and their members are quite good. Other art directors around his level will have found a crew for next year already.”
As soon as he heard this name, Zhuang Yan’s face darkened. “No. He’s creative, but can’t capture the essence of what I want.”
Zhao Yang could only spread his hands out in front of him. “Then who can capture the essence you want? Mr. Director, those in China cannot be compared to those abroad. We can’t just depend on your temperament all the time.”
Zhuang Yan coldly hmphed. “Putting other aspects aside, I can’t compromise on this.”
“You’ve already seen the works of famous art directors in China. Were any of them to your taste?” Zhao Yang sighed. “If you let me choose myself, I can try to poach someone. As it is now, I can’t even catch a glimpse of anyone you’d like. What am I supposed to do?”
Someone to his taste?
Zhuang Yan suddenly thought of Mr. Rabbit for some reason. That painting of <The Monologue> was unexpectedly his style, but he wasn’t sure what direction of art he had studied.
Zhuang Yan was lost in his thoughts for a while.
Zhao Yang asked again, “Are you sure you don’t want Zheng Jing? I remember you were quite satisfied with him in the past.”
Zhuang Yan snapped back to reality, and coldly said, “I had a falling out with him last time. At the time, I was too mad, and said that if I were to ever find him again to cooperate, I’d be a dog!”
Zhao Yang: “...” He knew that they had argued before and were unhappy, but he didn’t know that the falling out was so final.
“Why don’t you become a dog just once?” Zhao Yang asked, trying to probe.
Zhuang Yan refused coldly. “No. Dog or not, let’s put that idea aside. Our thoughts are really too conflicting.”
“Alright, then.” Zhao Yang rubbed his temples. “I’ll help you look around some more. Thankfully, we’re not in too much of a hurry.”
Zhuang Yan pondered for a little, and asked, “Are there any not famous, inexperienced newcomers? As long as they have a solid background, are spirited, and have their own ideas, I can tweak it and teach them myself.”
Zhao Yang: “You really want to make it hard for me, don’t you?”
Zhuang Yan patted his shoulder. “Why don’t you look around some more?”
Zhao Yang helplessly replied, “I’m not an expert, either. I can’t tell if they’re spirited or not from a glance. But, I can help you contact someone who has a wide network in film and television art. Maybe they can help you find a suitable person.”
Zhuang Yan, curious, asked, “Who?”
“Zheng Jing’s teacher.” Zhao Yang replied. “Yang Rui.”
“Mr. Yang?” Zhuang Yan became serious when he heard this name.
“Yes.” Zhao Yang glanced at him, suddenly worried. “You and Old Yang don’t have any grudges, right?”
Zhuang Yan was dumbfounded. “Am I someone who makes enemies wherever I go?”
Zhao Yang didn’t even try to give him some face. “Aren’t you?”
“......”
Zhuang Yan said, “I’m not sure about others, but Mr. Yang, since early on, only worked with more famous directors. When I started making movies, he had already retired. I have conflict with his student, but it has nothing to do with him.”
Zhao Yang was relieved. “Then that’s good.”
Looking at the time, Zhao Yang asked, “Do you have time tonight? Recently, a film and television company contacted me saying that they are very interested in your new movie. If you have time, let’s talk with them face to face.”
Zhuang Yan asked, “What company?”
“WenXin.”
When it came to investors, both Zhuang Yan and Zhao Yang thought it was a headache.
Zhuang Yan filmed niche, artistic movies. Large companies rarely invest in such a project, since it generates too little profit, and small companies can’t invest that much money.
Moreover, Zhuang Yan is as harsh as ever when filming begins. Most of the time, he doesn’t care about the cost, and burns through money as he follows his heart.
As investors increase, so do their demands. For other crews, the largest funder is like their father, so they listen to whoever invests the most. However, Zhuang Yan has a temper.
To him, it doesn’t matter how much a company has invested--they still have to call him daddy.
Therefore, Zhuang Yan angered a good amount of investors, and Zhao Yang was powerless to stop him. In the end, Zhuang Yan created a film company by himself to use its title, and only invested in his own movies so he could run through his money.
Zhao Yang said, “WenXin hasn’t come out with good works in a couple years. Their past few movies have been criticized and attacked as bad movies, so this time, they aren’t trying to make money, but trying to improve by word of mouth.”
Zhuang Yan thought for a moment, and said, “Let’s reschedule it. I can’t make it in the evening, so schedule it for the afternoon.”
Zhao Yang nodded. “Alright, then. I’ll schedule another time with them.”
After he said this, he casually asked, “You have an appointment with someone else at night already?”
Unexpectedly, Zhuang Yan smiled as if he was a peacock showing off his feathers.
“Yes. I have an appointment with a very fun person.”
thanks for the chap~