I will be stronger after the remake

Having a good family background is an advantage, so of course he should take advantage of it. He only has conflicts with his adoptive mother's relatives, but he has no ill feelings towards his adoptive mother's family.

Fortunately, Song Tao called him the next day to inform him that the game project had been approved. He didn't know if the company's higher-ups genuinely believed the game could succeed or if they were just giving him preferential treatment because of his status as a psychic.

"Thank you for your support, Mr. Song."

“I was just a messenger, I didn’t do much work, and there’s something I need to tell you in advance,” Song Tao paused, somewhat embarrassed, “the company has approved four million for the project.”

Four million?

Tang Ping tried hard to recall and remembered that the production team of "The Invisible Guardian" in her previous life had revealed that their production cost was ten million.

Considering that exaggerating production costs is common in the entertainment industry, there must be some padding in the figures, since they don't need to disclose detailed tax statements to the public. But he felt that no matter how much padding there was, two or three million was about right. Now that it's been cut in half, how can they play the game?

"Four million is too little. What is the company thinking? Although I plan to shoot a low-budget version of the film and television series like a PPT presentation, the actors' fees, location fees, and costume fees are all real. Not to mention the considerable expenses for post-production retouching and dubbing."

For AVG games like this, voice acting is of paramount importance; if the voice acting is subpar, the whole game is ruined, and you can't skimp on this aspect.

Here's a little-known fact: Chinese voice actors are paid significantly more than their Japanese counterparts.

This is also why many second-time gamers like Japanese voice acting; after all, it's really cheap, even with famous voice actors.

Song Tao quickly explained, "Listen to me, it's like this: our company happens to have a film crew shooting a period drama set in the Republican era, and they're almost finished. The company's idea is to borrow the same cast and crew for the film, including the location and costumes, so that we can save a lot of filming costs."

"Are you sure it's possible?"

As an outsider, Tang Ping was unaware of the inside story and had a vague feeling of being misled.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine."

Chapter 43 Seeking External Aid

I've been fooled!

On her first day on set, Tang Ping realized she had been tricked.

It's not that the company lied; the company told him the truth. They do have a production crew filming a period drama set in the Republican era, and filming is almost finished.

Originally planned to film for five months, it has now been four months, and only one-fifth of the content remains, so it can be considered "almost finished".

The production team was divided into three groups for filming, with varying paces. The three fastest groups had almost finished filming, so the company planned to transfer the third group to film for Tang Ping.

According to the contract, the third group was supposed to continue working for another month, so the labor costs for that month could be saved, with only some overtime pay. Once it exceeded one month, Tang Ping would have to pay all the wages. If he wanted to save costs, he had to finish filming as soon as possible.

"I did plan to complete the filming of the footage in a month, but putting aside whether the crew members are willing to work overtime, I can't just start as soon as I arrive. There has to be some preparation time. Four million probably can't even guarantee the filming costs, let alone turning it into a game. Can't the company add some more?"

Song Tao was prepared. He apologized first, then said, "To be honest, if you are willing to film TV series, the company can let you play the second male lead in a TV series with a budget of 50 million, but if you want to start your own project, you will only have 4 million. The former requires connections, while the latter requires real money."

Tang Ping was speechless and said, "Four million is an investment, not going into my pocket. Investment and return are two different things."

"From the company's perspective, it's the same thing."

"What will the company's stance be if I can find other investors?"

"I'm happy to see it happen."

It seems that Youxing Entertainment has absolutely no confidence in the game project's success.

Tang Ping made up her mind and turned back to borrow money from her adoptive mother.

Problems that can be solved with money aren't really big issues. Tang Ping didn't have a very positive view of Youxing Entertainment to begin with, so she wasn't particularly disappointed at the moment.

However, when he visited the film crew where they were shooting, wanting to get a sense of the future employees' abilities, he couldn't help but frown.

"Is the female lead's makeup for real? Why would a female military officer in the Republican era wear such heavy makeup? Her face looks like it's been coated with putty. Was modern heavy makeup fashionable back then?"

Song Tao explained helplessly, "This is impossible to verify, and we're not filming a historical drama that's supposed to be faithful to the past."

Tang Ping said, "Even if we don't go into historical accuracy, we should at least pay attention to the contrast in appearance. Look at the male officer next to you, his face is so rough that it looks like he's not wearing any makeup at all. When he's with the female officer, the two of them look like they're on different layers."

Song Tao said with difficulty, "There are only a limited number of makeup artists, and it's impossible to do makeup for everyone."

"I can understand the female spies of the Nationalist and Japanese armies wearing makeup, after all, the upper echelons of both sides are rich and don't care about the lives of the lower classes. But why do the actresses playing Eighth Route Army female soldiers also need to wear makeup? Are they still considered 'rustic Eighth Route Army' soldiers? Why not save the money spent on cosmetics and use it to buy food and clothing for the Eighth Route Army soldiers?"

"Don't worry about such details."

Songtao was finding it hard to resist, feeling that if he continued asking, it would become politically incorrect.

Tang Ping lamented, "No wonder TV ratings are declining. It's because one 'don't worry about it' message after another keeps getting out of the way and driving viewers away."

Song Tao quickly surrendered: "I'm just a small-time agent. What good are you saying to me? I also hope the crew can put their heart into making the film, but do you think they'll listen to me?"

"Before I came here, I did some research and I know that actors have to wear makeup to appear on camera because of lighting, shooting angles and other issues. Even if you are naturally beautiful, you may look ugly on camera. But even if you have to wear makeup, you have to consider the character's setting. Can't you make it look more natural?"

"For example, light makeup and no-makeup makeup. I'm not in the industry, so I don't know if these makeup looks can be achieved on camera. But looking at their current makeup, it's not as good as using beauty filters in post-production!"

"Good makeup artists are expensive."

"Save where you can, spend where you can. If you don't spend money on makeup artists, are you going to spend it on celebrities' appearance fees? That's why I'm unwilling to choose a TV series with a budget of 50 million, because its visual effects are likely to be about the same as a 4 million PPT presentation."

Song Tao felt that whatever he said would be wrong, so he simply shut up and remained silent.

After taking a walk around, Tang Ping realized that he had to call in outside help; four million yuan alone would only produce a half-finished product.

He immediately called Yu Saifeng: "Mom, I want to invest."

"How many?"

"Uh, listen to the project details first."

Tang Ping then gave a brief overview of the situation regarding "The Invisible Guardian".

Yu Saifeng was silent for a moment, then said, "I won't ask you why a perfectly good civil servant would go off to make movies and games. How much funding do you have?"

"About four million."

Tang Ping estimated that about two million more would be enough for filming, and the remaining two million could be used for publicity and promotion.

"I'll give you five million."

"So confident?"

"Your project does sound feasible. Of course, there are many projects that sound feasible but end up failing. The main thing is that the funding gap is not large. It doesn't matter if you lose all five million. Just consider it as accumulating entrepreneurial experience. It's not only success that makes people grow. Failure is also possible."

"I will try my best to succeed."

"Then let's work harder. The most painful thing in life is not being destined to fail, but being able to succeed."

After hanging up the phone, Tang Ping hurriedly called her younger sister: "Shu Jiang, come help me with the game."

"Brother, are you still asleep?"

"I'm serious. This is a big production worth nine million, and it's all up to you to take charge of the whole thing."

"Bro, you didn't get scammed, did you? I didn't expect scams to evolve so much these days, they're even using games to lure people in."

"Using games to scam people is too niche. Most people wouldn't even understand what you're saying. I'm not kidding you. Four million has already been deposited, and the remaining five million will be here soon."

"Brother, are you serious?"

"Don't make me repeat myself, I'm not kidding you, and you can come to the site to confirm it yourself. With a cost of nine million, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Do you still want to be a game design master? Don't wait until it's too late to regret not seizing the chance. Remember, the most painful thing in life is not being destined to fail, but being able to succeed."

"Send me the location, and I'll be right there!"

After hanging up the phone, Tang Ping said with some concern, "Is this girl alright? It seems I need to find someone to train her on fraud prevention."

As for Yu Shujiang's game design skills, there's no need to worry. She has already created several visual novel games, but their sales were all very low, none of them exceeding 10,000 copies.

From a game design perspective, "Invisible Guardian" is not much more difficult to design than a hentai game.

"Now we can save on game design costs too. Hmm... since we're going to save costs, let's go all the way. PPT doesn't need any great acting skills anyway, so let's just find people we know to play the main roles."

Chapter Forty-Four First-Class Merit

"You're really low-key, kid. You made a great contribution, but you didn't mention it at all when you came back. I thought you were just going through the motions when you applied for the job, and I didn't want to embarrass you, so I didn't ask you."

Tang Ping received a call from Director Hu, who started by exaggerating, but there was a hint of resentment in his voice.

"Oh dear, there's a confidentiality agreement, and what if people think I'm frivolous if I brag about what I did?"

"When will young people be frivolous if not? Will they be bragging about 'back in the day' when they're seventy or eighty years old?"

Tang Ping changed the subject: "So what's going on? Are they going to give me a commendation and award?"

"Yes, you were awarded a first-class merit. This is something you can only get by risking your life. What exactly did you do? The document from above is vague. It only says that you stayed behind to protect the wounded and the medical team. But I checked all the people who were awarded merits this time. The others who stayed behind only received third-class merits, and the one who sacrificed his life received a second-class merit. Only you and Ling Chong, the deputy director of the armed forces section over there, received first-class merits."

Tang Ping thought for a moment and decided that staying behind to cover the rear would earn him a third-class merit. He and Ling Chong first joined forces to kill the insect demon leader, Toad Bee, and then carried out a decapitation strike again. Although they failed, they managed to hold back the insect swarm led by Mo La for the other personnel on the periphery of the battlefield. With all these merits combined, he was awarded a first-class merit.

"Director, it's not that I don't want to talk about it, but there are confidentiality regulations that prevent me from revealing details."

The details of the battle itself are valuable intelligence, from which one can analyze the abilities possessed by the individuals involved.

For example, this incident reveals that Tang Ping has the ability to identify the leader from the swarm of insects, while Ling Ge, the "fox spirit," clearly does not possess such an ability.

When Lingchong left that day, he promised Tangping that he would keep the details vague and not reveal any specifics when reporting to the emperor.

To this day, no superiors have questioned Tang Ping. It is unknown whether Ling Chong kept his promise or whether the superiors knew but chose to ignore it.

Anyway, Tang Ping was prepared for the secret to be exposed. It wasn't that she didn't trust Ling Chong; she was simply putting herself in the shoes of the investigators. If she carefully reviewed the entire incident report, she would find that the decapitation operation lacked a necessary condition—how to find the leader among hundreds of thousands of insect demons.

Even if the first discovery of the insect demon leader was by luck, what about the second one? Was that also luck?

If the examiners are of sound mind, they won't believe in luck, because the second time it was clearly Tang Ping and Ling Chong who took the initiative. Normally, the two of them would have had considerable confidence to do so. Relying solely on luck is no different from suicide.

Continuing to think further, Ling Chong dared to carry out the decapitation plan because he was highly skilled and daring. "Vajra" is a third-level spirit rank in the martial monk lineage, promoted from "Guardian", and is most adept at dealing with large-sized monsters.

If he hadn't encountered a swarm of insects that relied on sheer numbers, which countered his abilities, he would normally have had the upper hand against second-tier monsters.

But what makes Tang Ping, a mere newcomer, so confident in participating in the operation?

Even if he were a fearless warrior, Ling Chong, a seasoned veteran, would abandon him because he didn't want to carry a burden.

In conclusion, Tang Ping must possess special abilities beyond the "fox spirit" level of Ling Ge, which are most likely related to finding specific targets.

Tang Ping has no regrets about this. Just like his answer when Hu Ze tried to persuade him that day, he was taught from childhood that "natural disasters are merciless, but people are compassionate." He could not choose to protect himself and remain indifferent when he saw his compatriots suffering.

However, the current situation has left him somewhat confused.

He refused to follow the typical path of a celebrity by acting in TV dramas, and insisted on choosing to work on independent game projects. Besides the obvious reasons, there was also a hidden test involved.

If the higher-ups discover his secret, they should at least give him some special treatment, if not special attention.

However, judging from the reaction of Youxing Entertainment, it is clear that the higher-ups did not take him seriously and did not give him any special treatment.

What went wrong?

After much thought, Tang Ping could only come up with two guesses.

Either the examiner didn't read the report carefully, or they lacked the intelligence to see the inside story. After all, examiners are human, and humans can make mistakes. Moreover, makeshift teams are a common phenomenon. It's possible that the other party was assigned to this position because of personal connections.

Don't assume that because the position of inspector is important, relatives won't be placed there. Isn't it common for important positions to be filled by incompetent managers, leading to scandals?

Either the higher-ups discovered Tang Ping's secret but chose to remain inactive for various reasons, or the secret was concealed by someone in the upper echelons.

Regardless, since no one else chose to expose her, Tang Ping was happy to continue hiding.

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you thinking about? Why aren't you saying anything? You're not really thinking of switching jobs over there, are you?"

The anxious voice of Director Hu on the other end of the phone pulled Tang Ping back to reality.

"No, he invited me that day, and I refused on the spot."

"Really?"

"How could this be false? My personality is such that I prefer stability and dislike taking risks, which is why I chose to stay in the Public Security Section in the first place."

"Judging from this first-class merit, you're not as well-behaved as you say... Fine, since you've said so, I'll reject the other party's application. Don't go back on your word in private."

"Reject it, I won't go back on my word. My phone is recording automatically."

Tang Ping's unwavering answer put Hu Ze at ease, and he immediately said with relief, "I knew you were a good comrade, Tang Ping. Don't worry, with this first-class merit, I can also help you apply for special talent treatment. What the other side can give you, we can also give you, and even more. Comparing treatment between inland provinces and coastal provinces is just wishful thinking!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Ping pressed on, saying, "By the way, Director, I need some manpower here. Could you come and help me, and bring Ma Yiming and Yuan Ji with you as well?"

"Weren't you filming? How can I help?"

"Yes, yes, there is even one thing that I can only do without your supervision."

Hu Ze hesitated for a moment, perhaps considering the need to win over his subordinates, but finally agreed: "Alright, anyway, after we arrest Han Lin, the task of the Public Security Section will be over. Let's all take leave and have the Armed Forces Section look after things. Also, along with the First-Class Merit, there will be a list of awards. You'll have to choose one yourself. I'm here to help you with the selection."

"Oh, Director, you're so kind to me."

"Good thing you know that!"

After hanging up the phone, Tang Ping looked at the cast list and filled in Director Hu's name after Lieutenant Colonel Muto Shio of the Japanese Army.