Mysterious Assistant of the Washed-Up Queen-Chapter 510 - 330: Xu Ruyan? How is she here? _2

But there was another factor to consider—this was the first time Unlimited Entertainment was venturing into movie production. If they were too high-profile, wouldn’t that make them a sitting duck?

The crux of the matter was that they were solely funding the project. To put it bluntly, they were hogging it all to themselves.

Was it just that Chu Tian and his team were unwilling to bring others in? Not likely.

But then, their company was really too young, with a history of less than a year. If you suddenly declared an investment of several hundred million for a blockbuster, who would believe it? Did they take others for fools?

Aren’t you just some shell company here to swindle money?

Moreover, if they really did trumpet their massive investment and ambitious production for a blockbuster, would that necessarily be a good thing?

Even less likely. The market is only so big. What were they implying with all this fuss? A new company stirring up so much noise—was this fearless ignorance or a powerful newcomer making a bold move?

Though it was frustrating, this was reality. Sometimes, when you want to achieve something, things just get twisted, and nothing seems right.

But if you have the capability, the money, the power, the fame, then no matter what you do, you’re doing it right. That’s the damn reality.

Just like Brother Bo said, once you make it, everyone around is your friend, all sweet talk. But when you haven’t made it, not a soul will lend you a hand.

Just as he was about to say something, Xu Qingqiu, who had been curiously watching the crew work, suddenly tugged at his clothes.

"What’s up?"

Chu Tian turned around and saw Xu Qingqiu wasn’t even looking at him, but at a nearby shed instead.

"Chu Tian, is that Ruyan over there?"

"Huh? Who?"

He followed her gaze and saw a group of people under a shed, who seemed to be actors, engrossed in a lively conversation.

There, one of the girls seated on a chair was laughing joyously. She certainly seemed to be Xu Ruyan.

That’s when Wei Chuan also noticed their odd behavior.

"What’s up? Those are just some of the main actors. Do you know them?"

He did recognize some of them. After all, there were always a few familiar faces among actors. Even though Chu Tian rarely watched films from this world, he still found them familiar.

At the very least, it showed that these folks weren’t newcomers or some insignificant little stars.

But he found it strange that Xu Ruyan was here.

"Uncle Wei, that girl is called Xu Ruyan, right?"

"Ah, right, you know her? Oh, speaking of which, she also has the surname Xu; she shares the same surname as your girlfriend. They might be from the same clan."

’Same clan,’ my foot! They *are* from the same immediate family!

However, looking at it, Wei Chuan seemed to be in the dark about their relationship.

"Why is she here, though? What role is she playing? I remember there were supposed to be open auditions, right?"

"Ah, don’t bring that up..."

Speaking of this, Wei Chuan was clearly agitated.

"Well, we did audition someone previously, originally from Huatai Media, an A-list actress named Shen Qian, but she dropped out later due to some issues..."

"Wait a minute, due to some issues? What issues?"

"Sigh, apparently she looked down on it. Plus, it seems she accepted an offer from some big-name director..."

"But isn’t there a contract before shooting starts? Can she just walk out like that? What about the penalty fee, was it paid?"

"Chu, a portion of the penalty was paid, but you don’t really think they’d pay the full amount, do you?"

You see, this movie had cost the company a lot. The investment had already exceeded one hundred million so far, and the penalty fee alone started at five million, precisely to prevent this kind of situation.

But listening to Wei Chuan, could there be some hidden story here?

"Isn’t the penalty fee five million? What do you mean by ’a portion’?"

Wei Chuan gave him a complicated look, having no choice but to tell the truth.

"Shen Qian’s penalty wasn’t five million. She’s an A-list actress, after all. Although the female lead doesn’t have a very dominant role in our film, it’s still the main female lead, so her fee naturally couldn’t be too low. Her salary was over six million, and her penalty fee was eight million."

These actually weren’t secrets. When the crew was being assembled, the director would communicate these matters with the producers, choosing actors based on financial conditions. If there was money, the director could go all out; if not, adjustments would be made accordingly.

"But isn’t that good? Then why did she breach the contract?"

"She probably thought it was too little. The female lead doesn’t have many scenes in our film, nor is the role particularly outstanding. Additionally, the shooting schedule is long and requires travel to many remote places under tough conditions. She probably just didn’t find six million appealing."

Is six million a lot? Honestly, not really, especially when some top stars are reportedly making close to three million for a single project.

But even though she’s an A-list actress, the role itself isn’t very demanding and doesn’t require great acting skills; it’s basically a decorative role. Six million really isn’t a small figure for that.

Even if she found the price low, it’s not like they couldn’t negotiate. The current price was based on market rates, not deliberately undervalued. If she felt it was inappropriate, why not just discuss it? Surely you can’t agree on everything and then back out, right?

Could it be that people under him were causing trouble? Were some of them playing games behind the scenes? Chu Tian wondered.

Wei Chuan quickly explained, "No, no, no, don’t get me wrong. Her fee was already at market rate, if not slightly above. It’s just, I heard that Director Li started a new film, a collaboration with Hollywood, and her agent somehow secured her the second female lead role, so she pulled out."