Chapter 41

At noon, Xiahouchong Ying gave a call to Zheng Xiuyan, who had skipped class again, to inform her that they would meet up after school to continue their discussion. The meeting place was set in the school classroom, and this time, there were important matters to be discussed, so he hoped everyone could attend.

Just after finishing the call with Zheng Xiuyan, Xiahouchong Ying looked up and saw Li Lixiu running up to him, which immediately gave him a headache.

Since Xiahouchong Ying told Li Lixiu that he wanted her to participate in the film production, she had been frequently coming to him, asking questions from time to time or offering to help with anything. Although Li Lixiu's enthusiasm was a good thing for Xiahouchong Ying, her frequent visits were becoming a bit too much for him to handle.

Although Li Lixiu was indeed quite beautiful, the kind of woman who could be a decorative presence beside a man, Xiahouchong Ying had no interest in her and couldn't just drive her away, as he hadn't yet achieved his goal. He had to patiently smile and answer all her questions in detail, and even showed her the materials he had prepared to reassure her.

"Xiaochong Ying, why did you suddenly invite me to join your film production?" Li Lixiu asked him one day.

"Because you're beautiful," Xiahouchong Ying naturally wouldn't tell her the real reason, and gave her a shameless answer, almost making Li Lixiu swoon with joy. She was so happy that she couldn't focus on her classes for the rest of the afternoon.

After school, once the students had gone home, Zheng Xiuyan and the others finally arrived. Eight girls, plus three assistants and Xiahouchong Ying, making a total of 12 people, all the confirmed members of the production team were present.

After gathering everyone, Xiahouchong Ying looked at the seven girls who had just arrived, including Zheng Xiuyan and Kim Tae-yeon, and said, "Today, I've already discussed with the school, and they have agreed to lend us various facilities and venues for the filming."

The seven girls from S.M., who hadn't yet heard the news, immediately cheered and jumped with excitement.

After the girls had finished their joyful jumping and hugging, Xiahouchong Ying introduced the new member, Li Lixiu, to the other girls, encouraging them to communicate more and for Zheng Xiuyan and the others to teach Li Lixiu acting skills.

Zheng Xiuyan, though puzzled about why Xiahouchong Ying had suddenly brought Li Lixiu into the team, didn't ask more. She silently wondered if this was the result of a deal he had made with Vice Principal Li when applying for the venue.

After everyone had gotten to know each other, Xiahouchong Ying suddenly changed his demeanor and said seriously, "One of the most important conditions, the venue, has been resolved. This is good news. Now, let's talk about the bad news."

Upon hearing that there was bad news, the girls and the three assistants immediately quieted down.

"The bad news is that we have a problem with our funding," Xiahouchong Ying sighed.

"Brother Xiaochong Ying, what happened?" Lin Yoon-a, who was quick to speak, immediately asked.

Everyone looked at him, hoping for an answer from Xiahouchong Ying.

"Something did happen," Xiahouchong Ying nodded and continued, "Last night, I discussed with my father, and he strongly supports us making our own film."

"Uncle supports you, that's great," Zheng Xiuyan said, puzzled.

"It's great, but it's also a problem," Xiahouchong Ying said with a grim face. "Although my father supports me, he said that since I want to do things on my own, it means I've grown up, and I need to solve my own living expenses. So, he reduced my monthly living allowance from 4 million won to 1 million won, and took away my credit card. I won't have any money to invest, and we'll have to find a way to solve the funding issue ourselves."

Everyone almost fell over. Xiahouchong Ying's father was truly unique, with a mindset that few could match.

"What do we do now?" Lin Yoon-a, who was the most enthusiastic about the film, asked with a worried frown. "Our living allowances are already low, and even if we all contribute, it won't be enough."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Actually, I think my father is right. If we want to make a film, we shouldn't use our family's money. We need to do it on our own," Xiahouchong Ying suddenly said with a confident expression.

"Brother Xiaochong Ying, what do you suggest? Just tell us what we can do, and we'll definitely help," Lin Yoon-a said determinedly, and everyone nodded in support.

"What we need to do now is to seek sponsorships," Xiahouchong Ying looked at everyone.

"Seek sponsorships?" Everyone was taken aback, and then Kim Tae-yeon asked, "How do we do that, and what do we need to do?"

"Right now, you don't need to do anything. Your task is to improve your acting skills. I'll see if I can solve other issues first, and if I need your help, I'll let you know," Xiahouchong Ying said.

"Okay," everyone nodded in agreement.

"Let me tell you another piece of news," Xiahouchong Ying deliberately made it mysterious, piquing everyone's interest, and then whispered, "Today, when I talked to Vice Principal Li, I applied for sponsorship from the school."

"What was the result?" Everyone looked at Xiahouchong Ying nervously.

"Vice Principal Li said he would consider it, and he thinks our chances of getting the sponsorship are quite high, but he can't say how much we'll get," Xiahouchong Ying smiled evilly and secretly glanced at Li Lixiu. He was secretly pleased, thinking, "So, you thought you could get rid of me from the office? I'll find someone who can get it for me, and I'll see if you dare not give it."

Everyone cheered again, especially the girls, who looked at Xiahouchong Ying with admiration. He was truly capable, not only securing the school's agreement to lend the venue but also applying for sponsorship.

"Xiaochong Ying, don't worry. I'll talk to my father tonight and try to get as much sponsorship as possible," Li Lixiu patted her chest several times, making her ample chest tremble, giving a few perverts a visual treat.

Xiahouchong Ying was overjoyed, waiting for this very response. He hadn't wasted his effort by bringing Li Lixiu into the team.

"Having the school's sponsorship is not enough; we need to seek more sponsors," Xiahouchong Ying nodded in satisfaction and continued, "For example, we need to seek sponsorship for the costumes. We should approach clothing companies, especially those that target students as their main consumers. If you know any such companies, provide me with some information, and I'll talk to them. If you know anyone in those companies, it would be even better, making it easier for us to secure the sponsorship."

"No problem, we'll ask around when we get back," everyone said, feeling excited about the prospect of a better life.

"Also, we need to seek sponsorship from camera equipment companies, and so on. If you know any such companies, provide me with the information," Xiahouchong Ying continued.

Now, whatever Xiahouchong Ying said, everyone agreed. There was no choice; he was the most capable, and so far, he had handled everything well, with excellent results.

After discussing everything, Xiahouchong Ying suddenly said, "Although we have established a studio, we don't have an office, which is very inconvenient. I want to ask for your opinions: do we need to rent a place as our office? This would make it easier for us to meet and for you to communicate and learn from each other."

"That's a good idea," everyone agreed, thinking that meeting in the classroom or random places would indeed be inconvenient.

"Okay, let's decide on this. I think the location should be between the school and your company, making it convenient for both sides," Xiahouchong Ying said to Zheng Xiuyan and the others.

Everyone agreed.

"The place doesn't need to be fancy. We don't have the conditions for that right now. We just need a place. I'll cover the rent first, and we can deduct it from the sponsorship funds later," Xiahouchong Ying said.

Everyone had no objections to this, as making the film was a collective effort, and it wouldn't be fair for Xiahouchong Ying to pay for everything.

"By the way, there's one more thing," before ending the meeting, Xiahouchong Ying suddenly remembered the report meeting the next day and told everyone about what had happened at school. He continued, "Tomorrow at noon on the school playground, we need to hold a film preparation report meeting. This is a requirement from the school to calm the students and address the issues caused by our film production. Tae-yeon, Yoon-a, although you're not from our school, I hope you can take a leave and attend. It will be like a meet-and-greet for our production team and the public."

Kim Tae-yeon, Lin Yoon-a, and the others were pleasantly surprised. They hadn't expected the film to cause such a stir that a report meeting was needed. The opportunity to be in the public eye would greatly benefit their fame, so they immediately agreed without hesitation.

"There's one more thing I need your help with," Xiahouchong Ying said, thinking out loud, "Our film is in the preparation stage, and to increase its influence and make it easier to secure sponsorships, we need to let most of the students in Seoul know about it. So, when you get back, spread the news through any means, whether it's family or friends. This way, in a few days, the news will reach various companies, making it easier for us to secure sponsorships."

Everyone was stunned by Xiahouchong Ying's words. His mind was truly remarkable, considering every aspect and utilizing all available resources. This task wouldn't require much effort from them but would be a significant help, and since it concerned everyone's welfare, they all promised to complete it.

After discussing some more topics, the meeting finally ended, and everyone dispersed in groups.

Speaking of Li Lixiu, when she got home, she excitedly told her mother about her upcoming participation in the film production, making her mother very surprised. Vice Principal Li stood by, speechless.

"By the way, Dad, how much sponsorship can the school provide? Can you give us more?" After boasting to her mother for a while and satisfying her vanity, Li Lixiu suddenly asked Vice Principal Li.

"Sponsorship?" Vice Principal Li suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Yes, Xiaochong Ying told me during the meeting," Li Lixiu said happily.

"How did he say it?" Vice Principal Li's face turned grim, and he tried to control his anger.

"Xiaochong Ying said he applied for sponsorship from the school, and you agreed to consider it. He also said our chances of getting support from the school are high, but he doesn't know how much we'll get," Li Lixiu said happily, not noticing her father's expression.

Vice Principal Li almost spat blood, inwardly shouting, "You shameless little rascal..."