Rebirth: A big star falls in love with me

She knew that Zhang Yu wasn't completely indifferent to her just a moment ago.

That's enough. She can wait.

……

At the same time, the atmosphere in the reception room on the first floor of the villa was not as relaxed as in the banquet hall.

When Zhang Yu followed President Li in, there were already three people sitting in the room—besides President Li, there were two middle-aged men, both of whom looked like typical businessmen, dressed in suits and ties, with shrewd eyes.

"Director Zhang, this is Mr. Wang, who works in real estate and is looking to invest in film and television. This is Mr. Liu, who works in finance and is also interested in the cultural industry," Mr. Li introduced. "Both of you have looked at the information on 'Hua Yu' and are very interested. You would like to talk to them."

Zhang Yu shook hands politely: "President Wang, President Liu, it's a pleasure to meet you."

The four sat down. The waiter brought red wine and cigars, but Zhang Yu only asked for a glass of water.

"Director Zhang is young and promising," Mr. Wang said first. "I watched 'The Longest Day in Chang'an,' and it was very well made. My daughter especially likes Chen Chen and watches it every day."

"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Wang." Zhang Yu smiled. "Chen Chen is indeed an excellent actor."

"But I heard you broke off your engagement?" President Liu suddenly asked, his tone implying that he was probing into your private affairs.

Zhang Yu's expression remained unchanged: "It's a personal matter, so I can't discuss it further. Let's talk about the investment instead."

"Yes, yes, let's get down to business." General Manager Li smoothed things over. "General Manager Wang, General Manager Liu, the project that Director Zhang brought this time is indeed excellent. The training camp model is very innovative, and the trainees are all promising talents. You saw Yang Mi just now; that girl is so talented."

“The terms are good,” Mr. Wang nodded. “But Director Zhang, as you know, Wang Zhongjun has blacklisted you, so investing in you is very risky. We may have money, but it didn’t come from thin air.”

“I understand.” Zhang Yu took out the prepared documents from his briefcase. “This is my risk assessment and response plan. Wang Zhongjun’s ban has indeed had an impact, but ‘Hua Yu’s’ core base is very stable. The training camp already has a mature model, and the quality of the trainees is guaranteed. As long as the funding is in place, I am confident that I can turn the situation around within a year.”

As Mr. Liu flipped through the documents, he suddenly asked, "Director Zhang, what are the penalty clauses for breach of contract for these trainees?"

Zhang Yu's heart tightened, but he remained outwardly calm: "It depends on the situation. One million for ordinary students, and three to five million for those who are given special training."

"If we want to invest, will we also have to transfer a portion of these students' contracts to us?" Mr. Wang asked more directly.

This is a sensitive issue. Zhang Yu paused for a few seconds, then said, "Investment is fine, but the students' contracts cannot be changed. They signed with 'Hua Yu,' not as commodities, and cannot be transferred."

“Director Zhang, you’re mistaken,” Mr. Liu laughed. “In this industry, artists are commodities. When we invest in your company, aren’t we buying the future value of these ‘commodities’?”

“They are people, not commodities.” Zhang Yu’s tone turned cold. “‘Hua Yu’ trains actors and artists, not goods to be bought and sold. If the two bosses hold this view, then we may not be suitable to cooperate.”

The room fell silent. Mr. Li's expression was rather unpleasant. Mr. Wang and Mr. Liu exchanged a glance, both seeing the displeasure in each other's eyes.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door of the reception room.

"Come in," Mr. Li said irritably.

The door opened, and a girl carrying a tray walked in. She was probably around twenty years old, wearing a simple white shirt and black trousers, her hair tied in a neat ponytail, and her face was bare of makeup, yet she possessed a fresh and natural beauty. What was most striking was her temperament—gentle yet resilient, like bamboo in the Jiangnan water towns, seemingly delicate but actually incredibly strong.

"Mr. Li, here's your tea." The girl's voice was soft but clear.

Zhang Yu's gaze fell on her face, and he suddenly felt that she looked familiar. He thought carefully and finally remembered—this was Sun Li, a student he had met at the Beijing Film Academy. He had seen this girl last year when he went to the Beijing Film Academy to cast roles. At that time, she was still a sophomore and had played a part as Sifeng in "Thunderstorm." She played the role very well, but he did not choose her in the end because he felt that she was too gentle and did not have enough explosive power.

I never expected to meet her here.

"Sun Li, put it down." Mr. Li waved his hand casually. "This is my niece. She studies at the Shanghai Theatre Academy and is here to help out today."

Sun Li put down the tray, nodded politely to the guests, and then prepared to leave.

"Wait a minute," Zhang Yu suddenly spoke up, "Are you Sun Li from the Beijing Film Academy?"

Sun Li stopped and looked at Zhang Yu with some surprise: "You are... Director Zhang Yu?"

"It's me." Zhang Yu smiled. "I didn't expect to run into you here. Aren't you at the Beijing Film Academy? What are you doing at the Shanghai Theatre Academy?"

“I…I transferred schools,” Sun Li said softly. “There were some things going on at home, so I transferred to the Shanghai Theatre Academy.”

Her eyes darted around, clearly indicating she had something difficult to say. Zhang Yu noticed this but didn't press her for details.

"Director Zhang knows my niece?" Mr. Li was somewhat surprised.

“I met Sun Li last year when I went to the Beijing Film Academy for casting,” Zhang Yu said. “Sun Li’s performance was very inspired, and I was deeply impressed by it at the time.”

These words brought a blush to Sun Li's face: "Thank you for the compliment, Director Zhang. I... I'll go out now, so as not to disturb your conversation."

She left quickly, her back view somewhat hurried.

This little incident eased the atmosphere in the meeting room somewhat. General Manager Li smiled and said, "It seems Director Zhang is truly a talent scout; he can't help but praise promising young people."

“Good actors deserve to be seen,” Zhang Yu said. “President Li, Sun Li has good potential. If there’s an opportunity, we can let her give it a try at ‘Hua Yu’.”

“We’ll talk about that later,” Mr. Li waved his hand. “Let’s discuss the investment first. Director Zhang, I know you have principles, but business is like war, and sometimes you have to compromise. How about this, we each take a step back—we’ll invest 30 million, taking a 40% stake, and we won’t accept the students’ contracts, but we’ll take the priority investment rights for all of ’Huayu’s’ projects over the next three years. What do you think?”

The terms are much better than before, but the right of first refusal means that all of Huayu's future projects must be shown to these three individuals first. If they don't invest, the projects will be difficult to launch.

Zhang Yu pondered. He knew this was the best offer he could get at the moment, but he was unwilling to accept it—it meant that "Hua Yu" would be bound by capital in the future and lose its autonomy.

“I need time to think about it,” he finally said.

“Okay.” Mr. Li nodded. “Give me your answer by next Monday. But Director Zhang, I must remind you, Wang Zhongjun won’t give you time to consider. I heard he’s already contacting the trainees in your training camp, and he’s offering very generous terms.”

Here we go again. Zhang Yu's heart sank. Wang Zhongjun was trying to undermine the company from the ground up, not only by banning "Hua Yu" but also by destroying its foundation.

"I understand." He stood up. "Thank you, Mr. Li, Mr. Wang, and Mr. Liu. I will seriously consider it."