Chapter 41 - "Breaking the Ice" to Premiere in Seven Days!

Chapter 41: “Breaking the Ice” to Premiere in Seven Days!

Lu Chen’s expression shifted from surprise to amusement.

Was this… throwing money at him?

Good stuff—I like it!

“So I can fill in any amount I want, Manager Li?”

Li Kai’s smile stiffened slightly.

“Of course… within a reasonable limit.”

“How much?”

“Five million.”

Lu Chen immediately lost interest.

Damn, five million, and you put on such a big show for this?

“Mr. Lu Chen, I believe this offer is quite sincere, isn’t it?”

Li Kai rested his chin on his hands, pretending to be a master negotiator.

“What about the scriptwriter’s royalties?”

Lu Chen countered.

“This amount is the buyout price for all royalties.”

“So besides five million, there’s nothing else?”

“Correct.”

“Alright, I’ll think about it.”

Sure enough, Hua Yi’s bad reputation had its reasons.

“Mr. Lu, if you have any concerns, we can discuss them and resolve them right now.”

“Alright, I’ll be blunt. Others offer a few million plus royalties. While your five million looks impressive at first glance, the total value of their offer is definitely higher. So tell me, what concerns could I possibly have?”

“Mr. Lu, as an emerging scriptwriter, I believe you should focus more on the strength of the production company rather than just a single contract.

You must be aware of Hua Yi’s standing in the film and television industry. Choosing us would be a huge boost to your career development! This is a rare opportunity to build your reputation—isn’t it?”

“I appreciate your kindness, and I do recognize Hua Yi’s strength, but I have my own plans.”

Li Kai was still trying to persuade him.

“Mr. Lu, Hua Yi holds nearly half of the major stars in the industry. If you work with us, we could provide an incredibly star-studded cast.”

“Big-name actors are certainly a selling point, but that doesn’t mean only they can make a good show. Wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Li Kai?”

Hearing this, the smile on Li Kai’s face faded significantly.

“Mr. Lu Chen, even if you don’t care about big-name actors, what about distribution? What about the platforms? I’m not exaggerating—many scriptwriters have risen to fame overnight by working with Hua Yi!

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And let me say something that might sound offensive.

Can you guarantee that your next story will be better than this one? So, an opportunity missed is an opportunity lost forever!”

Hearing this, Lu Chen felt a little irritated.

What’s that supposed to mean?

Trying to strong-arm him?

“Mr. Li Kai, maybe we can work together another time.”

Lu Chen didn’t waste any more words and extended his hand.

Li Kai hesitated for a moment, clearly feeling the overwhelming presence radiating from Lu Chen.

“Alright, since Mr. Lu Chen has made up his mind, I hope we’ll have a chance to collaborate in the future!”

They shook hands briefly. Li Kai picked up the blank check and left the meeting room with his team.

Not long after, Noon Sunshine, who had been given a second chance at negotiations, returned to the meeting room. The two sides hit it off immediately and signed the contract!

Hou Hongliang and his team finally felt a huge weight lifted off their shoulders.

“Mr. Lu Chen, when do you expect to submit the script?” Hou Hongliang asked.

Lu Chen thought for a moment.

“Three days. I’ll have it ready in three days.”

“Three days?” Hou Hongliang asked and the others were visibly shaken. “Will that be enough time?”

“You guys managed to put together an entire project proposal overnight. Finishing the script in three days doesn’t seem that fast in comparison,” Lu Chen replied with a smile.

Hou Hongliang and his team exchanged glances.

“If you can deliver the script in three days, I might be able to complete the first three episodes before your next competition round! Maybe we could even release it before the competition starts!” Kong Sheng said.

That left Lu Chen dumbfounded.

“Premiering Breaking the Ice in about a week?”

“Yes, isn’t that normal?”

Kong Sheng looked at him in confusion.

Hou Hongliang chuckled.

“Mr. Lu Chen, you’re a scriptwriter and a newcomer, so you might not be too familiar with our industry. The production and airing of TV dramas usually happen simultaneously. The typical cycle is about one to two months.”

Lu Chen: “!!!”

It suddenly dawned on him. The filming model in Longguo was quite similar to South Korea’s. Instead of completing the entire production, waiting for approval, and then airing it, most shows followed the process that Hou Hongliang described—writing, filming, and broadcasting simultaneously.

The advantage? It drastically improved efficiency and reduced financial risks!

And shorter filming times didn’t necessarily mean lower quality!

Look at the golden era of Hong Kong cinema.

That was the birthplace of this fast-shooting model.

Many legendary classics were made in short cycles!

Take the famous Young and Dangerous series, for example. Most of them were shot in just a few days or a couple of weeks. Even Infernal Affairs, a cinematic masterpiece in the Chinese film industry, only took one month to film.

Then there’s The Eagle Shooting Heroes, a comedy classic—wrapped up in just two weeks!

And the most extreme case—The Kung Fu Cult Master, the legendary wuxia film with the famous meme-worthy line, “My combat power is 6,000, while his is at least 10,000!”

Seven days!

From set construction to filming, the entire process took only seven days! So, a short production cycle didn’t necessarily mean poor quality.

What really mattered was the director’s skills, the production team’s execution, and the professionalism of the actors!

With that in mind…

Lu Chen finally understood Kong Sheng’s bold claim—filming three episodes in seven days and immediately airing them. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t all that surprising.

It really seemed possible that Breaking the Ice could premiere before his second-round competition began.

“Alright, President Hou, Director Kong, Director Li—I’ll do my best to get the script done as soon as possible!”

If he weren’t deliberately keeping a low profile, he could’ve finished it in an hour, let alone three days.

“Great! We’ll start preparing in the meantime—scouting suitable actors and finalizing the casting after we receive the script. Oh, and Mr. Lu, if you have any recommendations for casting, feel free to let us know.”

Lu Chen thought for a moment.

“Actually, I do have someone in mind for Uncle Dong. I’ll hand you the script when it’s done, and you can reach out to him to see if he’s available.”

“Sounds good!”

Hou Hongliang nodded.

“Oh, by the way, Lu, was your conversation with Hua Yi unpleasant? They looked pretty upset when they left,” Li Xue suddenly chimed in.

“It wasn’t unpleasant—just a standard negotiation.”

Lu Chen smiled. Though, to be fair, he had indeed used his commanding aura towards the end to shut down Li Kai. Otherwise, that guy would’ve kept rambling for another half an hour.

Hou Hongliang scoffed, “That’s just how Hua Yi operates—overbearing and arrogant, like they own the entire film industry.”

“They used to be impressive, but their recent works have been a disaster,” Kong Sheng snorted.

With business settled, Lu Chen returned to his apartment.

Over the next few days, he worked nonstop on the script.bTwo days later, he sent it to Hou Hongliang. Which shocked the latter once again.

At this pace, Breaking the Ice could definitely premiere before the Top 16 tournament!

“Oh, by the way, Lu, I have some good news for you!”

Hou Hongliang’s voice carried clear excitement.

“It’s about the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department!”