Song Wenye didn’t know much about film and television production, so he naturally kept a humble attitude and observed from the sidelines. But that didn’t mean his brain wasn't working. He could still tell when he was being taken for a ride. If this were a project by Yuansheng Group, his stance would be completely different. But the founding goal of this crew had been clear from the start, so he didn’t have many demands.
Chu Xiaxing smiled politely and said, “No, what do you mean by an easy mark? President Song is joking.”
Hearing the familiar 'joking' line, Song Wenye blinked and drawled, "It seems like you've dismissed me as 'joking' several times today?"
He’d had his suspicions earlier and felt the schemes piling up, but she had brushed them all off with casual 'joking'.
Chu Xiaxing said leisurely, “Mm, it just proves you have a great sense of humor. Your jokes come naturally.”
Song Wenye: "..."
Song Wenye couldn't help but feel both angry and amused. He earnestly looked at Chu Xiaxing and patiently said, "If you have ideas about the budget, we can communicate properly, but can we have less scheming and more sincerity?"
Song Wenye felt like he had been doused in ecstasy since joining the production team. These people in the crew were truly social to the extreme, offering flattery right to his face, which was completely different from the crowd he dealt with at the company.
Chu Xiaxing righteously said, "But this is just how I am. I only know how to scheme and have no sincerity. And if I were to be sincere, you might not be able to handle it."
Song Wenye decisively said, "No, my psychological endurance is very good."
Chu Xiaxing revealed a thoughtful look, then frankly said, "Alright then, I'll be a little more sincere. I'm a bit short on money right now. How about you give me a hundred million?”
Song Wenye fell silent for a moment, his expression subtle as he said, "...Do I really look like someone who's easy to swindle money from?"
Song Wenye: That was really sincere—she jumped straight to swindle money!
Chu Xiaxing said with dissatisfaction, “You just said you had strong mental endurance, and now you can’t even handle a bit of sincerity without schemes!"
Song Wenye took a deep breath and nodded. “Alright, then maybe a little scheming is okay. Maybe I’m not as mentally strong as I thought.”
Chu Xiaxing: "Then I'll be a little more scheming. I'm a bit short on money right now. How about you give me a hundred million…”
Song Wenye raised his eyes to look at her, "Is there a difference from just now?"
Chu Xiaxing said with righteous confidence, "Let me finish! You give me one hundred million, and if you think that’s too much, then you can bargain with me. That’s the scheming part! If you think it’s unreasonable, you can bargain!”
Song Wenye looked surprised. "...That works too?"
Chu Xiaxing: "Why wouldn't it work? If you’re not used to it, I can help you bargain. If a hundred million is too much, how about fifty million?”
Song Wenye's gaze was deep. He silently looked at the energetic Chu Xiaxing, unsure how to respond.
Seeing that he didn't answer, Chu Xiaxing smiled patiently. “Alright, how about we bargain a little more—ten million?”
Song Wenye continued to quietly look at her.
Chu Xiaxing sighed, "Alright, alright, we can still talk. Is five million alright?"
Song Wenye was silent.
Seeing this, Chu Xiaxing frowned slightly. She showed a complaining look, and said impatiently, "Not even five million? You're going too far. Two million is my final offer, there's no room for negotiation…"
Song Wenye finally responded, "Okay."
Chu Xiaxing's face, which had been full of resentment, instantly changed upon hearing this. She dropped the act, and said lightly, "Great, I made a profit. I didn't actually plan to ask for that much anyway.”
Song Wenye: "???" So it really was all a scheme?
Chu Xiaxing added happily, “You’re the one who asked for scheming.”
Song Wenye pondered for a few seconds, then rubbed his temples and said helplessly, "Never mind, this is about what I estimated anyway. The production manager just did the numbers too…”
Chu Xiaxing couldn't help but raise her eyebrows, "How can it be almost the same? You obviously gave more."
Song Wenye calmly replied, “If you didn’t spend the money on unnecessary things, it doesn’t count as overpaying. The upcoming major scenes plus your directing fee—it all adds up.”
Song Wenye wasn't a fool who only knew how to spend money. He could actually understand the accounts and roughly knew where Chu Xiaxing was spending the money. Last time, she asked for money for the screenwriter and post-production, and Han Chuning's status was indeed worth the price. This time, the production team was reshooting several important scenes, and it wasn't just recklessly spending money.
Although she had many schemes for swindling money, she really wasn't profiting herself, and she hadn't even mentioned her directing fee.
"Director's fee?" Chu Xiaxing was stunned upon hearing this. She said calmly, “You don’t need to pay me a separate directing fee. Just combine it with the previous director’s fee.”
Song Wenye: "Why? But aren't you doing a better job than him?”
Chu Xiaxing: “Because that’s how it works. I don’t have any previous works—I can’t charge such a high directing fee…”
Although Chu Xiaxing used to be a famous director and had received generous remuneration, she wasn't naive enough to think that Chu Xiaxin, a small-name actress, could also earn such an income. In this industry, you still have to work hard to build up your resume and productions. Big directors can sit at home as supervisors and still get high salaries, while small directors work endlessly on set the whole time but might not earn even a fraction of what famous directors make.
Song Wenye looked confused. He didn't quite understand why she had just used various schemes to swindle money but was now refusing the director's fee.
Chu Xianxing sighed and explained, “From script supervisor to assistant director to chief director… each step up the ladder takes several years. Some people never get to be a director their whole life—it’s just not in their fate. But if someone can direct their first work, everything becomes smoother and smoother. That’s when the transformation begins.”
Many film school students spend their entire lives without ever directing a serious production. But if someone gets lucky enough to land their first project and establish their name as a director, the path ahead becomes much smoother. That’s why some people are even willing to lower their asking price to become directors—.just to seize the opportunity to change their fate.
Chu Xiaxing calmly said, "You chose me, who has no experience, to be the director, but I still charge you a high director's fee. That would be very unethical."
Even though she knew she could film it well, Song Wenye didn't know the details. In this industry, if someone places complete trust in you without reservation, they’re a rare benefactor and that kind of thing can’t be measured in money.
"Of course, it'll be different after I finish filming this movie. Then, if you stuff money into my hands, I'll definitely take it without a second thought, but the first movie is different." Chu Xiaxing felt that The Distant You in My Heart was a new starting point, and she was confident in returning to the industry.
After hearing her theory, Song Wenye's eyes flickered slightly, and he said in a low voice, "Hearing it like that, you also have sincerity. You can't say that you only know how to scheme and have no sincerity."
Chu Xiaxing was amused by him, and chuckled, "Little kid, this can't be called sincerity. This is called the rules of the jianghu. People have to have some rules to live by.”
Song Wenye heard this term again, his gaze darkened, and he asked back word by word, "Li-ttle, ki-id?"
Chu Xiaxing: "..."
Chu Xiaxing suddenly remembered something, and she hurriedly changed her words, "President Song, you're joking. Quickly call the production director over. President Song wants to wire the money!”
Chu Xiaxing immediately waved her hand to find the production director. She felt that she had to get the money first. If she accidentally slipped up, the duck that was about to be cooked flew away, it would really be a loss.
Song Wenye: "..." It's so direct and realistic, two different faces depending on whether there's money or not.
Song Wenye's visit to the set soon came to an end. The crew wrapped up early and had dinner with the producer. Everyone happily ate and enjoyed this rare break in the evening. Song Wenye didn't want to disturb them for too long. After he finished dealing with the budget, he quietly prepared to leave. Only Chu Xiaxing and Han Chuning came out to see him off.
In the parking lot, Chu Xiaxing and Han Chuning escorted the producer to the car. She politely said goodbye, "President Song, be careful on the road."
Song Wenye was about to open the door and get into the car, but he hesitated for a moment and turned around, saying, "Chu Xiaxin, I have something I want to say to you, regarding your contract…"
Song Wenye saw Han Chuning next to Chu Xiaxing, and he asked hesitantly, "Can the screenwriter listen?"
Chu Xiaxing calmly said, "Yes, there's nothing she can't hear." After all, Han Chuning was the one handling her contract. In theory, it would be more appropriate for Song Wenye to negotiate with Han Chuning.
Han Chuning obediently shrunk behind Chu Xiaxing, like a little tail following along. She didn't say a word the whole time.
Song Wenye noticed that the two of them had a close relationship, and he then calmly said, "Regarding your contract, Xia Hong has already told me about it. I think if you have a clear idea about your future, then both transferring the contract or peacefully terminating it is fine. Just like you said, there's no need to make things too messy."
Han Chuning was quite surprised to hear President Song being so easy to talk to. Who told her to suspect the other party's identity?
Chu Xiaxing said with emotion, "As expected of President Song, so generous?"
Song Wenye smiled, "I originally thought you wanted to act, but now it doesn't seem like it. You might want to be a director more, so an artist contract really doesn't make sense. I know you've encountered a lot of trouble in the past and might have done some reckless things, but it's not too late to start over now. This movie is a good start…"
Song Wenye couldn’t outright tell Chu Xiaxing to cut off ties with the mysterious patron, so he could only use subtle and euphemistic language to persuade her to return to the right path. “Director Chu Xiaxing has created many great movies. And your name is Chu Xiaxin—maybe one day, you can become a famous and great director like her in the future, so don't do stupid things anymore."
Han Chuning: "?"
Han Chuning: President Song, I'm sorry, but there’s no need for her to be like Chu Xiaxing—she is Chu Xiaxing!
Facing the earnest Song Wenye, Chu Xiaxing pondered for a few seconds and said lightly, “Do you think Chu Xiaxing is amazing? Don’t you think she also did a lot of stupid things?”
Song Wenye looked puzzled, "What?"
Chu Xiaxing gave a teasing smile. “Chu Xiaxing lived her whole life alone, with no children. Other than directing, she didn’t know how to do anything else. Everyone said she was too aggressive to be like a woman. In her old age, even her funeral was handled by her niece. Do you still think she’s amazing? Don’t you think the things she did were pretty foolish too?”
Hearing this, Han Chuning was shocked and broke out in a cold sweat. She quickly tried to stop her: “Cough, cough…”
Han Chuning: Why are you suddenly roasting yourself!?
Song Wenye calmly said, "I don't think so. Although many people discuss Director Chu Xiaxing's family values, I don't think she's incapable of managing a family well, but rather that she chose not to. If she wanted to do it, she could do it well."
"I think you will become a great director. Director Chu just didn’t live in the right era, but you will be able to be more free than her in the future."
These were Song Wenye’s sincere thoughts. He believed it was important for a person to have a career, whether one did well or poorly. He genuinely hoped to guide Chu Xiaxin toward something she could persist in, rather than letting her fall into a decadent spiral. It was also a way to repay the kindness of Chu Xiaxin’s father.
Seeing how serious he was, Chu Xiaxing said softly, “Let’s hope so.”
Not long after, Song Wenye drove away, disappearing into the night. Han Chuning was very frightened. She couldn't help but widen her eyes in surprise, "Auntie, I thought you were about to expose your identity!”
Chu Xiaxing: “What’s there to be afraid of? That whole idea is so outrageous—only a fool would believe it.”
After seeing off President Song, Chu Xiaxing couldn't help but mutter, "Ai, why didn't I meet this kind of man when I was in my thirties or forties? All I met back then were spineless losers. Just thinking about it makes me mad—wrong era…”
Back then, Chu Xiaxing wanted to find someone who understood her work and thoughts, but unfortunately, the environment was really bad. She was decisive and uncompromising on the set, and others would gossip about her having a bad temper and being difficult to get along with. They would say that she would cause unrest in her family after marriage, lording over her husband.
She always had to work hard filming outside, unable to go home for years, and was seen as having no sense of family. Even if her achievements in the industry were great, people would still seize on this point to attack and slander her, causing her much more trouble than male directors.
In her era, people's ideas were much more conservative than now, and female directors were even seen as almost a sin in itself.
Eventually, she simply gave up on the idea. She chose to focus on her work. She could live well on her own!
In the night breeze, Chu Xiaxing walked slowly back with her niece, sighing, "It's a pity, I'm no longer in my thirties and forties. I don't need other people's recognition, nor do I crave understanding of the outside world. I don't have these thoughts anymore…"
Han Chuning didn’t know what was going through her aunt’s mind. She carefully asked, “Then what are you thinking now?”
"Now?" Chu Xiaxing raised her eyebrows, and she said with a faint smile, "Let all family values take a backseat, I have more important things to do!"
She would no longer be affected by the slanders of the world. Her only goal now was to surpass herself.
She would indeed become a director like Chu Xiaxing, and she would also surpass her past self.