Chapter 33

"Micro-movie?" The girls were stunned. They couldn't possibly be unaware of what a movie was, but a micro-movie was indeed something they had never heard of.

"Yes, a micro-movie." Xiahouchong Ying nodded.

"Brother Zhongying, what is a micro-movie?" Lin Yun'er asked.

Xiahouchong Ying glanced at the girls calmly, then picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip, making the seven girls extremely anxious. Zheng Xiuyan was so angry that she shouted, "Can't you stop teasing us and just say it?"

"Why are you so impatient? You don't even let me have a sip of tea." Xiahouchong Ying chuckled and said.

"Brother Zhongying, you drink, you drink. We're not in a hurry." Since it was related to their own interests, and the term "micro-movie" was indeed something new, Lin Yun'er immediately put on a flattering smile and said, "Is this enough? If not, I have more here. I haven't even touched this cup."

"Micro-movie, as the name suggests, is a short movie, ha ha..." Xiahouchong Ying had thoroughly teased the girls before saying this obvious statement, and then laughed heartily, almost making the girls' noses turn red with anger.

"Xiahouchong Ying, if you keep this up, I'll kick you to death." Zheng Xiuyan, feeling both embarrassed and angry, shouted.

"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore." Xiahouchong Ying said with a smile, "Here's what I'm thinking: movies require a large investment and high costs, and we need facilities like cinemas, which we can't manage. So, we'll put the viewing platform online, not for profit, but as a hobby. The production costs will be minimal, and the cast will be you girls, without any pay, so it will be almost cost-free."

Xiahouchong Ying looked at the girls who were listening intently and continued, "For equipment, we just need a good camera. For the location, we can use the school. Since you are all students, we can make a series of youth campus films, targeting students as the main audience."

"For the shooting schedule, we can use our free time, so it won't interfere with your regular practice. No matter the outcome, your fame will increase, as long as your acting isn't too bad." Xiahouchong Ying took another sip of tea and continued, "If you perform well, you won't just be singers; you might be noticed by directors and become dual stars in both film and music."

Xiahouchong Ying's explanation left the girls speechless, even Zheng Xiuyan, who usually disliked him, was impressed. It was impossible not to admire someone who could come up with such a cost-effective idea.

Those who were excited about a future in the entertainment industry were even more thrilled, feeling their bodies tremble with excitement. For example, Lin Yun'er, after regaining her composure, jumped up and ran to Xiahouchong Ying, hugging him and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Awesome, awesome, Brother Zhongying, you must give me a role, even if it's not the lead, I'll take a supporting role." Lin Yun'er hugged Xiahouchong Ying, laughing and jumping, making him blush.

"Hey, Lin Yun'er, don't go too far. What does that look like?" Zheng Xiuyan, seeing Lin Yun'er hug Xiahouchong Ying, felt annoyed.

"Hehe, Sister Xiuyan, I'm just too excited, I can't control myself." Lin Yun'er let go of Xiahouchong Ying but kept staring at him, like a hungry wolf looking at a gentle sheep, and said admiringly, "Brother Zhongying, how do you come up with such a great idea? I'm really impressed."

"Uh, it's just a coincidence, a coincidence, hehe." Xiahouchong Ying quickly persuaded Lin Yun'er to return to her seat to avoid her jumping on him again.

"Let's start shooting tomorrow." Zheng Xiuyan, captivated by Xiahouchong Ying's novel idea, was already dreaming of becoming a movie star, and without fully understanding what a micro-movie was, she slapped the table and urged Xiahouchong Ying to start shooting as soon as possible.

Xiahouchong Ying rolled his eyes and ignored her.

"Hey, what do you mean? Say something." Zheng Xiuyan glared and said, trying to suppress her anger.

"Even though it's a micro-movie, do you think it's that easy to shoot?" Xiahouchong Ying explained helplessly, "Do you think we don't need a script, props, or to secure a location?"

"Besides, with our current shooting skills, how good can the result be? Do you want to embarrass yourselves online?" Xiahouchong Ying continued, "If we really want to shoot, we need to prepare all these things. And to ensure the micro-movie isn't too bad, I need to learn some directing and shooting techniques."

The girls hadn't realized that shooting a micro-movie would be so complicated, thinking it would be as simple as picking up a camera and shooting. After hearing Xiahouchong Ying's explanation, they looked at each other in surprise.

"What should we do next?" Zheng Xiuyan, who had initially thought it would be as simple as using a DV camera, fell silent after hearing Xiahouchong Ying's explanation. After thinking for a while, she couldn't come up with a good plan and had to suppress her annoyance to ask Xiahouchong Ying for advice.

"Let's do this. It will take some time to prepare everything. We probably won't be able to do it this year, so let's start in the spring next year. In the meantime, you can focus on improving your acting skills." After a pause, Xiahouchong Ying continued, "I'll work on the script, and if you have any good ideas, feel free to share them."

Xiahouchong Ying looked around at the seven girls, seeing that they had no ideas, and felt a bit frustrated. "Do you have any ideas at all?"

The girls laughed awkwardly.

"Never mind, I brought this upon myself. I'll do it myself." Xiahouchong Ying sighed and thought for a moment, "Just you girls won't be enough. We need some male actors to join. A movie can't just have female actors. We might also need some extras. We'll need to communicate with the school, as we'll be using classrooms and scenes involving classes."

After thinking more deeply, Xiahouchong Ying realized that there were many things to prepare, and many aspects to consider, which made him feel frustrated.

At this point, Xiahouchong Ying realized that he had underestimated the difficulty of making a micro-movie. It wasn't easy to make a good one, unless it was just a casual video.

Xiahouchong Ying felt like he had picked up a stone and dropped it on his own foot, but since he had already spoken, he had to keep up the act. He couldn't just say it was too complicated and give up, or he would be in trouble with Zheng Xiuyan.

Thinking about the details and preparations needed, Xiahouchong Ying's headache grew worse, and the seven girls sat quietly, not wanting to disturb his thoughts.

After about five or six minutes, Xiahouchong Ying couldn't help but sigh.

"Brother Zhongying, have you thought it through?" Lin Yun'er, the most enthusiastic, asked in surprise.

"Not that simple. I underestimated it. It's not as easy as I thought." Xiahouchong Ying shook his head and said, "I only have a rough idea. I'll outline it when I get home and create a plan. I'll show it to you when it's ready, and we can see what else needs to be added."

"Okay, okay." The girls nodded.

"Alright, let's not think about it today. I'm so hungry, why hasn't the food come yet?" Xiahouchong Ying frowned, about to press the service bell, but the waiter came in first, asking if they were ready to order.

Xiahouchong Ying was taken aback and couldn't help but laugh inwardly. They had been so engrossed in discussing the micro-movie that they had forgotten about ordering food.

When he came to Pu Yang Garden with his father, Xiahouchong Ying didn't have to worry about such things, as Xiahouchong Shang would take care of it. So, he hadn't thought about ordering this time. The girls, except for Zheng Xiuyan and her sister who had come a couple of times, were all first-timers and didn't know the rules, assuming Xiahouchong Ying had already taken care of it.

The waiter, standing outside the wooden house, saw that the eight children had been inside for about half an hour without pressing the service bell to order food. After waiting for a long time, he couldn't help but go in to remind them.

When asked what they wanted to eat, except for Zheng Xiuyan and Zheng Xiujing, who ordered two dishes they had tried before, the other five girls didn't know how to order, so they all let Xiahouchong Ying decide.

Xiahouchong Ying, not knowing their preferences, thought for a moment and ordered a set of dishes similar to what he had served the Zheng family before, plus a few dishes he liked, as a compromise.

With his mind preoccupied, Xiahouchong Ying was somewhat absent-minded during the meal, thinking about the micro-movie. The girls, on the other hand, ate happily, especially those who had never been to Pu Yang Garden, including the usually polite and composed Xu Zhuxian, who ate faster than usual.

The girls' eating speed was so fast that they were leaning against their chairs, holding their stomachs and groaning after the meal. Xiahouchong Ying found their appearance quite amusing, wondering if they were exaggerating, as if they were starving ghosts. As a result, only Xiahouchong Ying symbolically ate a few pieces of fruit after the meal, while the other girls couldn't eat any.

When Pu Yang Hong entered the room and saw the girls leaning all over the place, he couldn't help but smile, but he didn't want to laugh. The people who came to his restaurant were usually high-status individuals, and he had never seen such a scene of people eating without any decorum.

"Zhongying, I've arranged a car for you to go home. When you leave, just let the waiter outside know, and they will take you to the car." Pu Yang Hong said to Xiahouchong Ying, trying to suppress his laughter.

"Thank you, Uncle. I'll trouble you." Xiahouchong Ying smiled and said, "By the way, put the bill under my father's name."

Xiahouchong Shang always signed the bill when he came to eat, so Xiahouchong Ying didn't hesitate to pass the bill to his father, as his monthly allowance was fixed, and he preferred not to spend his own money.

Pu Yang Hong nodded and chatted with Xiahouchong Ying for a few more minutes before leaving.

The girls rested for a while to digest their food, and then Xiahouchong Ying took them out of the wooden house, letting the waiters lead them to the parking lot.

When they saw the car Pu Yang Hong had arranged, the girls were amazed again. Xiahouchong Ying was also surprised, not expecting Pu Yang Hong to send them in his Lincoln limousine, thinking it would be a tour bus from the restaurant.

---

The page flip ad begins.

The page flip ad ends.