Yang Mi moved very quickly.
Just two days later, the twenty million yuan in funding she had promised was ready.
Su Yu had asked her about it.
Of course, out of this twenty million, only five million was her own money; of the remaining fifteen million, six million came from her manager Sister Zeng, and nine million from her good friend Shishi.
"Mimi, aren't you afraid of losing your money?"
"Have you ever lost money when you directed films before?"
Yang Mi's rhetorical question left Su Yu utterly speechless.
It was the same old rule: although the original owner had only ever made terrible films, the box office had never failed once.
"So..."
"So, naturally, I showed them the script first, told them you were directing, and gave them my repeated guarantee that you wouldn't scam anyone—that's why they invested. Otherwise, do you really think my reputation is worth fifteen million?"
A flash of shrewdness showed in Yang Mi's eyes.
Su Yu nodded. "They are really lucky."
Naturally, Su Yu did not forget to properly reward Mimi.
Time was precious,
so Su Yu did not drag his feet.
First, he had Yang Mi set up a company to act as the film's producer.
The company was named Jiaxing Media, with him holding a 51 percent stake and Yang Mi holding 49 percent.
Next came the project setup, censorship review, reporting to the relevant departments, obtaining the filming license, and preparing the shooting schedule.
At the same time, Su Yu publicly announced that the film had a budget of fifty million yuan and featured numerous big-name stars.
The script, he claimed, had been polished for a full three years.
In an instant, the entire industry became curious about the film.
Take the directors' group chat, for instance:
Director Kaige: "The threshold for being a director is really low these days. Anyone can just walk in."
Xiaogang: "A comedy? Fifty million? Who invested? Are they that desperate for a director? Let me do it!"
Director Zhang: "Is there a script? I'm quite curious."
Wong Jing: "I'll shoot anything as long as they pay. It's just commercial cinema, making money is the goal! Let everyone have a full meal."
Or take the actors' group chat, for another example:
Xiaoming: "It's directed by Su Yu? Um... I think I'll pass!"
Hehe: "Hasn't Director Su always specialized in romantic dramas? How did he end up shooting a comedy? Isn't he... afraid of crashing and burning?"
Chao Ge: "Take a guess who invested in this film."
Yifei: "Who is it? I'm so curious."
Shishi: "I'm one of them. I'm the big fool they're talking about, but I've read the script—it's a good one, totally worth it!"
Of course,
unlike those A-list actors who never lacked roles,
many actors who had been out of work for a long time set their sights on Su Yu.
If Su Yu's reputation hadn't genuinely been so terrible right then, some female celebrities probably would have shown up at his door with room keys.
A claimed investment of fifty million yuan
was already quite a lot.
One could even call it a major production.
Maybe it would be an overnight sensation!
Next,
for a full half-month, Su Yu was busy beyond belief.
Cinematographers, prop masters, makeup artists, lighting technicians, and all other professional staff were fully locked in.
The filming equipment was rented by Su Yu.
Thanks to his past connections, it wasn't too expensive either.
*Goodbye Mr. Loser* did not have high demands for locations, nor did it require building any specialized sets; Hengdian could basically provide everything needed.
Finally, and most importantly, came the casting.
Su Yu had originally wanted to see if he could play Xiaoluo himself.
As a result...
"There's no help for it. Sometimes, being ridiculously handsome isn't necessarily a good thing."
As everyone knows, when acting in comedies, being handsome is genuinely a disadvantage sometimes.
And so,
Su Yu had no choice but to recruit actors according to the images in his mind.
And because it was a parallel universe, this world did not have the Mahua FunAge troupe.
Yet actors like Shen Teng, Ma Li, Yin Zheng, Allen, and Tian Yu all existed here—isn't that miraculous?
At first,
when Su Yu approached them, they didn't believe him, nor were they very willing.
After all, Su Yu's reputation...
But when Su Yu handed them the script and they finished reading it, every single one of them showed boundless enthusiasm.
And when they heard what Su Yu was offering them as pay, they became even more enthusiastic.
Shen Teng, in particular, was practically ready to swear a blood oath of brotherhood with Su Yu.
Actors doing stage plays like them were truly, utterly poor.
Three days later,
Hengdian.
Outside a certain hotel.
"Cut!"
Su Yu shouted with a frown, then walked over to Shen Teng, who was dressed in a full feathered outfit.
"What's going on? Why do you seem so stiff..."
"Brother Teng, you're a veteran in this business, shake it off..."
"And you, you're the doorman. Your eyes need to convey confusion, incomprehension, dumbfounding, and speechlessness. How would you feel if you saw someone driving sports cars in circles right outside the hotel entrance?"
"All right, everyone take a ten-minute break. We'll continue in ten minutes."
Precisely because he had the original scenes in his head, Su Yu was all the better able to spot who was having trouble during the filming.
And Shen Teng truly lived up to his many years of acting experience; after adjusting for a moment, he immediately got into the zone. This time, it was noticeably much better.
The filming went surprisingly smoothly.
Those classic running jokes were born in this world one after another.
"My girlfriend is celebrating her sixtieth birthday today..."
"Hey, fellow colleague, did you walk into the wrong room?"
"Back during New Year's that year, my dad gave you a Sony radio... Teacher Wang, the TV my dad gave you... Teacher, the calendar I gave you..."
"What is that idiot Xiaoluo from your class doing these days..."
"Teacher Wang, you're here too? You're still alive?"
"I still have to go with Xiaoluo to sweep his mother's grave. Fancy all these auspicious events falling on the same day!"
"While Qiu Ya's getting married here, you're singing and dancing all over the place, dressed like a feather duster. What are you showing off for?"
It went fine up to that point,
but when Ma Li acted out this part, Su Yu was the first to lose his composure, bursting out laughing on the spot.
Because he suddenly remembered a scene from later times.
While the Celtics won the championship, there you were, Paul Pierce, singing and dancing all over...
With that,
the entire crew broke out laughing.
"My bad, my bad, blame me..."
Su Yu immediately spoke up.
A good film is like that; no matter how many times you watch it, it can stir your emotions.
And after that burst of laughter, the atmosphere on set became noticeably much more cheerful.
As time drifted on into the afternoon, the opening scenes of Qiu Ya's hotel wedding were all wrapped up.
"That's a wrap~~~"
At Su Yu's command, the crowd dispersed.
Back at his hotel room, Su Yu sorted out the entire shooting schedule for the next day, handed it over to his assistant, and finally had some breathing room.
Checking the time,
it was just turning nine in the evening.
Just as he was about to head out to grab a bite to eat,
suddenly, a knock sounded at the door.
Su Yu got up and opened it.
Standing outside was Yang Mi.
"Director Su, actually, I have some questions about my performance that I'd like to consult you about. Are you available right now?"
Yang Mi's mischievous look, paired with her slightly spoiled tone, made Su Yu feel a wave of heat.
It was clear that Yang Mi had carefully dressed up for the occasion.
Su Yu rubbed his nose and replied, "Oh? I wonder if it's verbal or physical?"
As he spoke, he looked Yang Mi up and down.
Just now on set, Yang Mi playing Qiu Ya in her wedding dress had truly been... truly top-tier~~
Even though Su Yu had already had intimate contact with Yang Mi, still...
As everyone knows, changing a skin is equivalent to getting a brand-new hero.
"Cut it out, still staring? I'll let you look your fill in a bit, okay? Hurry and let me in, it'll be trouble if someone sees us!"
"It's fine, aren't celebrities allowed to date?"
As Su Yu spoke, he stepped aside.
Yang Mi walked in, and then...