Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 3, Section 03: The Road Has Widened

With the preliminary agreement reached with Han Sanping in mind, Wang Sheng returned to his apartment building with slightly lighter steps.

The stairwell was filled with the mixed aromas of dinners from various households, the clatter of spatulas, the chatter of family members, and the noise of television programs—all blended together in a lively, bustling atmosphere.

As soon as Wang Sheng reached his front door, the door was opened from the inside.

"You silly child! Your head injury hasn't healed yet, where have you been running off to again?" Wang's mother, wearing an apron and holding a spatula, couldn't help but scold Wang Sheng as soon as she saw him, but her eyes were full of concern and worry: "How many times have I told you, don't move around too much before your injury is fully healed, what if you bump into something again?"

Wang Baoguo, the father, followed behind, his face also somewhat somber. He took off his dusty coat and hung it on the coat rack by the door, his voice tinged with the weariness of a day's work: "He just never lets us have an easy time."

Wang Sheng squeezed into the cramped outer room and casually replied, "Mom, I'm fine. I just took a walk downstairs. I'll go to the clinic to get my stitches removed tomorrow. I'm almost healed."

He walked to the coffee table, picked up a glass, poured himself a glass of cold water, and gulped down a few mouthfuls.

The Queen Mother, with her sharp eyes, noticed the folder in his hand and pressed, "What's that you're holding? Why are you being so mysterious?"

Wang Sheng put down his water glass, turned around to face his parents, and explained as his mother had said, "Dad, Mom, I just went to the apartment building and looked for Director Han."

"Who?"

The Queen Mother didn't react for a moment.

"Director Han? Director Han Sanping?" Wang Baoguo, the father, turned around abruptly, his brows furrowed, his weariness vanishing in favor of surprise and a hint of tension: "Why are you going to see him? Didn't you cause enough trouble last time? Are you going to...?"

He subconsciously assumed that his son had gone to cause trouble again to demand an explanation.

“I’m not trying to cause trouble,” Wang Sheng quickly interrupted his father, handing him the folder in his hand. “Dad, Mom, don’t rush, listen to me. I’m going to see Director Han to report our ideas on how we can make a living on our own. This is a draft plan that I discussed with Director Han. He basically agreed, but we still need the family’s support.”

The mother took the folder with suspicion, and the father also came over.

Under the dim light of the outer room, the two looked through their son's manuscript, which was filled with dense writing and numerous revisions.

The Queen Mother's eyesight wasn't very good, so she could only see the general outline, while the Queen Father looked more carefully, his brows furrowing more and more as he looked.

“Personalized…wedding movie? Nine thousand nine? Nineteen thousand nine?” Wang’s father read out the numbers, his voice rising eight octaves, and glared at Wang Sheng: “Have you lost your mind? This isn’t making money, this is pure fantasy! Who spends so much money on a wedding video?”

"Dad, look how anxious you are. Please let me analyze this first..."

Wang Sheng carefully recounted to his parents the market analysis, target customers, and Beijing Film Studio's resource advantages that he had told Han Sanping. He emphasized Han Sanping's attitude and the support he offered: rent-free office space, rentable equipment, a loan of 50,000 yuan, and opportunities to connect with advertising channels.

"Director Han said this is worth a try. But he's only willing to lend 50,000 yuan as start-up capital, and it requires a joint guarantee from four full-time employees, including you."

After Wang Sheng finished speaking, he looked at his parents.

The room fell silent for a moment, with only the soft bubbling of the soup simmering on the stove.

Mrs. Wang spoke first, her tone filled with unease: "Old Han...did Factory Director Han really say that? Is it reliable? Fifty thousand yuan is no small sum. What if we lose it all..."

In the Wang family, the mother usually makes the decisions on small matters, but when it comes to major family decisions and her son's future, she subconsciously looks to her husband.

Wang Baoguo didn't speak immediately. He took out his cigarette case, shook out a crumpled cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag. His expression was inscrutable amidst the swirling smoke.

He silently took several puffs of his cigarette, his gaze sweeping over the draft again, then looking at the net still covering his son's head and the light in his eyes.

"Are you sure?"

The father's voice was hoarse from smoking.

“Dad, there’s definitely a market, and we have unique advantages. As long as we do a good job with the initial promotion and get our first high-end client, we can establish our brand and things will be much easier after that.” Wang Sheng spoke confidently, but he didn’t say too much: “It’s just that… 50,000 yuan is a bit tight for start-up capital. We have to be careful with many things, and there will inevitably be some setbacks. If we had more funds, our chances of success would be much greater.”

Wang Baoguo took another drag of his cigarette, seemingly weighing something. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he said, "A few days ago, I went on a trip with Lao Liu from the factory's small car fleet. He was talking about how one of his buddies quit his job to drive wedding cars full-time, running errands for those fancy wedding banquets at big restaurants. I heard he made quite a bit of money. It seems that the wedding business is indeed lucrative."

He stubbed out his cigarette and said decisively, "The fact that Director Han agreed means there's some connection to this. Fifty thousand it is, it's better than nothing. As for the guarantee..."

Wang Baoguo looked at his wife: "Go upstairs and invite Old Chen and his wife down. Tell them you have something to discuss. Also, call Chen Liang down; this matter is related to their family as well."

Wang's mother was taken aback for a moment, then realized that they wanted Chen Liang's family to act as guarantors. Although she was still very uneasy, seeing that her husband had made the decision, she wiped her hands, took off her apron, and said, "Okay, I'll go and call them right away."

……

Before long, Chen Liang and his parents came down with the Queen Mother.

The Chen family lived upstairs from the Wang family, in the same two-bedroom apartment, and the two families had always been close.

The small outer room was suddenly filled with people, making it feel even more cramped.

Chen's father was a taciturn and robust man who worked as a set designer in the factory, while Chen's mother worked in the garment workshop and had a more straightforward personality.

"Baoguo, Xiulan, what's the matter that you called us down so urgently?" Chen's mother asked with a smile, her gaze sweeping over the net on Wang Sheng's head with a hint of sympathy.

Wang Baoguo asked them to sit down and then had Wang Sheng recount the entire project plan, his conversation with Factory Director Han, and the fact that the two families needed to jointly guarantee a loan of 50,000 yuan.

After hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Chen looked at each other, their faces showing shock and hesitation.

Fifty thousand yuan is an astronomical figure for any working-class family these days, and even as a guarantee, it represents a huge risk.

Seeing this, Wang Baoguo said sincerely, "Old Chen, sister-in-law, this was Xiao Sheng's idea, and Director Han also agreed. I know there are risks, but the children can't just keep messing around like this. The factory lent them this money, and if they lose money in the end and can't pay it back, our Wang family will pay it back! We will never let your family bear a single penny. The reason I asked you to come down today is to help with the guarantee process, but more importantly, the children need this opportunity."

Wang's mother quickly nodded in agreement: "Yes, it's a good thing that the children have this ambition. As parents, we should help them if we can. Fifty thousand yuan sounds like a lot, but it's not like Lao Wang and I can't earn it. We usually go out with the film crew and earn quite a bit of extra money."

Mr. Chen rubbed his hands together, his brows furrowed, and remained silent.

Chen's mother's face was also full of conflict, looking at her son and then at Wang Sheng.

Just then, Chen Liang, who had been silent all along, suddenly raised his head and shouted, "Dad! Mom! This isn't just Wang Sheng's problem! We went to the training class together, and I was there when the trouble started. Wang Sheng had already mentioned this wedding movie idea to me, and I agreed to go with him! If it really fails, I'll have to pay back the money! Count me in!"

His tone was excited, his face showing a stubborn refusal to admit defeat and an expectation for the future.

Chen Liang's words brought the room back to silence.

They truly are the best buddies who grew up playing together naked.

Wang Sheng cast an admiring glance at Chen Liang.

You've already called me bro, so what else is there to say? We're practically brothers!
As if he could read minds, Chen Liang nodded firmly to Wang Sheng.

See this.

Mr. Chen and Mrs. Chen exchanged glances, and Mr. Chen slowly said, "Since the Wang family has said so, and the children are also willing, alright, we'll act as guarantors."

The mother smiled and said, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? I just bought extra groceries today, so I'll cook a few more dishes and we can have a meal together. Let Old Wang keep your Old Chen company for a couple of drinks."

Chen's mother didn't stand on ceremony: "Sure, I didn't feel like cooking anyway, so I was planning to let Liangzi go hungry. That kid's been hungry this afternoon..."

Listening to his mother's incessant 'complaints,' the burly, dark-skinned Chen Liang shrugged speechlessly at Wang Sheng.

(End of this chapter)