Traveling through Thailand

After racking his brains for a while, Xiao Yi could only sigh as he came back to his senses. He picked up his coffee, only to find it was already finished. He sighed again inwardly: I guess I'll have to find a way to get Phraphai in front of him and reveal the true relationship between him and Sky. If this really makes Sky lose his official match, Butterfly, then where will he find him a close boyfriend?

Xiao Yi came back to his senses and noticed that Sky, who had been sitting next to him, had switched seats and sat next to Tai. Seeing them chatting happily, Xiao Yi's eyes were filled with confusion: How did their relationship suddenly become so good? Did I miss something?

When the agreed time was about to arrive, they were still reluctant to say goodbye. Xiao Yi, who had been ignored for the whole afternoon, watched in silence as they agreed on a time to chat about gossip next time and added each other's phone number. He opened the door and tapped the watch on his wrist: "If you keep chatting, you'll run out of time."

After a grueling fifteen minutes, they arrived at their destination and, led by their agent, arrived at a private room in a high-end restaurant. But one person here looked familiar. Xiao Yi glanced around and took in everyone in the room. Aside from the novel's author, the director, and his assistant, he didn't seem to have seen the others before.

"Sawadee ka, we're late." The manager started his work the moment he entered the box, apologizing and then introducing his boss and the artist. Ten minutes had already been spent just greeting and getting to know each other.

Sitting at the table, they waited for the waiter to serve all the dishes and fill their glasses with wine. Xiao Yi was well aware of the rules at the table, but as the investor, he had the right to change the rules. So when the director and his friends raised their glasses to toast, Xiao Yi said, "We're still students, so we'll just have drinks instead of wine. Cheers, you guys can do whatever you want."

The scene was a bit awkward, but there was nothing to say, and he immediately finished his drink. Ben, a seasoned entertainer, immediately opened the conversation by saying, "Well, it's okay. You can have whatever you want. Let's go."

A minor crisis was thus averted. After everyone had almost finished their meal, the first person to put down his chopsticks was the director of this film and television series.

"Mr. Xiao invited me to dinner today mainly to help him connect with someone. I know we're just starting out, but he's a friend I've worked with many times, so when he asked me for help, I agreed on my own initiative. If my actions have made you unhappy, please bear with me."

After sitting down and eating half his meal, Xiao Yi suddenly remembered that there was a person on the other side who looked familiar, and he realized where he had seen him before. After the director said this, he knew what was going on.

They had originally decided on this novel, but unexpectedly, he interfered with the decision because of a role, ruining their decision. And now that the director has signed this red line, it means they're still unwilling to give up this piece of the pie and want a piece of the pie. But...

Xiao Yi took a sip of his drink and said, "Nothing, just tell me what you have to say."

"Well, here's the thing. This adapted TV series was originally intended for XXX Company to promote new talent, and the lead roles were almost finalized. However, due to a disagreement over the copyright fees, it ultimately went to your company. Since they've put a lot of thought into this series, could we both collaborate on it?"

Hearing them say this, Xiao Yi's eyes showed as if it was just what he expected. "I understand what you mean, but forget about the cooperation. I'm not very familiar with the photo sets in the entertainment industry, so I don't want to co-produce with others. The director should know that I asked someone to evaluate this drama, and the approximate cost was given in full. If we cooperate with other companies, we will have to discuss these issues again, which is too time-consuming."

After such a long speech, he felt thirsty. He took a sip from the cup to moisten his throat before continuing, "As the saying goes, one step slow leads to another, so I apologize. However, there are three more roles in this film and television drama. If you are willing to let your artists play them, that's fine. After all, my studio only has this one artist, and I can't play all four roles."

The implicit meaning is very clear: joint venture filming is impossible, but if the artists they have want to perform, it is not impossible, as long as they follow the process.

To stop the other party from saying anything else, Xiao Yimo rubbed his index fingers together. "Although this is my first time trying out this film industry, I also know that if I have enough money to invest, why would I need to find a partner for myself? If there are other things that can't be negotiated, wouldn't that be very troublesome? I don't like trouble, so if the actors in their company want to act, they can act, but if they want to get involved in the investment, I won't agree."

"As for which platform to air it on after filming, that's even simpler. My company has a platform-focused community, so we can just find a popular platform. Oh, and there's also the question of promotion. If your company is willing to promote it, I can cooperate, but if not, that's fine too. Ultimately, the reason for making this film is simply my love for the character; I just want to have a good time." All questions are handled in one go, with no need for help from others. This is the confidence that comes from competence; you can handle most things without any external help.

All the options were laid out before them, and the final decision depended on the top management. The dinner ended perfectly, as there wasn't much to discuss. After they finished eating, Xiao Yi and Sky left the restaurant. On the way back, Sky was a little worried: "Yi, if you directly refuse their cooperation, will the director interfere and not film properly? And if we leave early, will they feel embarrassed?"

"Don't worry, that won't happen. This director has a good reputation in the industry and his films are good. His reputation won't be tarnished by this incident. And during the filming, I'll have someone else on set to monitor. If we really want to do something, he'll take action."

"Ah."

"Why are you worried?"

"Yeah, a little bit."

After Xiao Yi and the others left, the expressions of the remaining people were mixed.

"Director, who do you think this guy is? He must have a lot of power behind him."

"I don't know either. But if this negotiation fails, how are you going to explain it to the company when you return?"

"What else can I say? Just tell the truth. Besides, the company didn't say I had to come to discuss it before they asked me to."

"That's it."

"Well, since we can't come to an agreement on the joint venture, let's talk about the actors' compensation. Since he's not short of money, I won't hesitate to pay him."

The director's face turned unhappy when he heard him say that. He frowned and said, "If you find a well-known actor to come here, the remuneration will definitely not be less, but if you decide to set these people, I advise you not to make trouble with the remuneration."

"What do you mean?" Hearing the director's tone, he became even more confused. Based on their years of understanding, he'd done his best to help with this matter, so why was he saying this this time? There must be something behind this that he didn't know about.

"If you still want to stay in this business, you'd better do it according to the contract this time. We've been friends for many years, I won't lie to you."

"I know you wouldn't lie to me, but you should at least explain the reason. This feeling of being stuck in the middle is really uncomfortable."

The director just shook his head in response. As he stood up and left, he said again earnestly, "Anyway, I won't hurt you."

The agent returned to the company and repeated his conversation with the director: "This is what happened."

"I understand. I'll do as he says."

"Yes."