Chapter 55

"Although the four positions and the company's bottom line have some differences, it's not impossible to negotiate. I don't think this will be a problem, but the lead role, that's a different story," Li Xiaoli said after some thought.

"Sister, you can just tell your company directly that I won't give up the lead role. If I do, there's no point in me preparing to shoot the movie. In the worst case, we all walk away and it's over. I won't lose anything," Xia Houzhongying said in a shameless manner.

"Brat, you're using my reputation to threaten our company. If we walk away, you won't lose anything, but I'll lose face," Li Xiaoli said with a smile and a scold.

Xia Houzhongying chuckled but didn't respond.

"I'll try my best to help you, but I don't have the final say," Li Xiaoli said after some thought.

"Sister, you should know that I still have to figure out how to console the four who don't get selected," Xia Houzhongying said helplessly. "To be honest, I'm now regretting asking you to join."

"Brat, are you looking for a fight? Without me, could you get Minjeong's sponsorship? When your movie will start shooting is still unknown," Li Xiaoli said with a mock angry expression.

"Ah, Sister, you mentioning the sponsorship makes me even more worried," Xia Houzhongying said with distress. "I got the school's sponsorship through the vice-principal's daughter. Now, it looks like Li Lixiu has a high chance of being eliminated. If that happens, how will I explain it to her?"

Thinking about how Xia Houzhongying got the sponsorship, Li Xiaoli couldn't help but burst out laughing again, scolding, "You deserve it."

Park Minjeong didn't know about this matter. After hearing their conversation, she quickly asked what happened. After Li Xiaoli told her, Park Minjeong couldn't help but laugh at Xia Houzhongying. This kid was really shameless to do such a thing.

"There's another matter," Xia Houzhongying said, looking at Park Minjeong. "Minjeong, this matter concerns you. DSP Company suggested shooting the movie as a regular film, which would increase the investment cost. What do you think about this?"

Park Minjeong thought for a moment. Considering that the actors wouldn't receive salaries, the biggest cost of the movie would be eliminated. Although the overall cost would increase, it wouldn't be too high. Moreover, her mother had hinted that she should build a good relationship with Xia Houzhongying. She said, "For Xiaoli and your sake, and since I've already promised to cover the remaining positions, I will honor my commitment. You don't need to worry; we can afford this amount."

Park Minjeong's words relieved Xia Houzhongying. If the cost increased, it was uncertain whether E-Land would continue to support him as before. Even if they disagreed with the increased cost, it would be reasonable. Now that the situation hadn't worsened, he was grateful to Park Minjeong.

After Xia Houzhongying and Li Xiaoli exchanged their bottom lines, there was nothing left to discuss, and they could only wait for DSP Company's response. If negotiations failed, they would continue to argue, and it was uncertain when it would end, depending on who would give in first.

"Zhongying, I have a question. Among those seven girls, is there anyone you like?" After the discussion, Li Xiaoli couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

Li Xiaoli asked about seven girls, not eight, directly excluding the 10-year-old Jeong Seo-jeong, as she was too young. If Xia Houzhongying liked her, it would be too monstrous.

"No," Xia Houzhongying was taken aback and shook his head.

"No?" Both women couldn't help but look puzzled. They thought there must be someone among the seven girls that Xia Houzhongying liked.

"Then why are you so dedicated to helping them become famous?" Li Xiaoli asked curiously.

"What's wrong with that?" Xia Houzhongying said in confusion. "First, I really want to do something. Second, they are all my friends and sisters. I proposed helping them shoot a short film, but I didn't expect it to be so troublesome. I'm already regretting it. My dad is worried that I'm playing with money, so he took away my living expenses and credit card."

Thinking about this, Xia Houzhongying felt quite depressed. At first, he thought that since others could live happily with a few hundred thousand a month, he could manage with at least a million a month.

Unexpectedly, after getting used to spending lavishly, suddenly having to be frugal in every aspect made him feel extremely uncomfortable. He had to compare prices and choose the cheaper options, which was quite frustrating. To save money, he rarely ate out and went to the Jeong family for meals more often.

"What happened?" Li Xiaoli asked curiously.

"My dad said that I'm grown up and should earn my own living. Now, he only gives me 1 million a month for living expenses, which isn't even enough for food. I have to go to my godmother's house for meals," Xia Houzhongying said, feeling depressed.

Li Xiaoli and Park Minjeong burst out laughing. Xia Houzhongying's father was indeed quite peculiar.

"By the way, Sister, you and Minjeong will pay for the coffee later. I don't have any money now," Xia Houzhongying suddenly said.

The two women almost fell over, feeling both amused and exasperated. It seemed Xia Houzhongying was really broke. Li Xiaoli was a big star who participated in his movie without a salary to help him gain popularity, and Park Minjeong was his sponsor. He still had the nerve to say such a thing.

"Father, I have something I want to ask your opinion about," Xia Houzhongying said to his father, Xia Hou Shang, after returning home in the evening. He explained the situation and asked for his advice.

After listening to his son's report, Xia Hou Shang couldn't help but scold him, "What are you afraid of? You have the upper hand. If negotiations fail, DSP Company should be the one to worry. They are already in a difficult position. Just stick to your conditions."

After scolding him, Xia Hou Shang added, "You have such a good advantage and don't know how to use it. If I were you, I would ask for a higher price. Now, DSP has taken the lion's share. Out of twelve positions, you only have five, and you even gave up the position of chief director. It's embarrassing. What did DSP contribute? Just Li Xiaoli. Most of the costs were sponsored by E-Land Group. They only provided a person and got such a big benefit. How can I have such a stupid son?"

"Father, but I really can't handle the position of chief director yet," Xia Houzhongying said in a low voice, feeling guilty.

"So what if you can't handle it? DSP said they would send people to participate in the production. Let them assist you. Even if you delegate all the director's work to others, the name of the chief director on the movie will still be yours," Xia Hou Shang said, feeling frustrated.

"But, would any director be willing to do that?" Xia Houzhongying asked in a low voice.

"That's DSP's problem, not yours," Xia Hou Shang said, slapping Xia Houzhongying's back of the head. "Even if you have to give it up, you should use this condition to get more actor positions. Do you think you're sacrificing your personal interests for the collective good? What collective good? You're losing your own interests, and what do others' interests have to do with you?"

Xia Houzhongying was in tears, realizing that his father had hit the nail on the head. It wasn't about the collective good; it was about being stupid.

"What should I do now?" Xia Houzhongying asked.

"What can you do? Tough luck," Xia Hou Shang scolded. "Now that you've told Li Xiaoli your bottom line, you have no right to regret it."

After being scolded by his father, Xia Houzhongying felt quite depressed. He was still too inexperienced and had been swayed by DSP's emotional appeal through Li Xiaoli. He had already told Li Xiaoli his conditions and couldn't take them back. He was now at a loss about how to clean up the mess and console the girls who would be eliminated, feeling very frustrated.

"Learn from this experience. If you can't handle it next time, don't say you're my son; I can't afford to lose face," Xia Hou Shang said.

After this setback, Xia Houzhongying should learn from it. Xia Hou Shang scolded him so harshly to make him remember this lesson deeply. As a businessman, one should always maximize their own interests. His son wasn't stupid, but it was his first time dealing with such negotiations and didn't know how to leverage his advantages, leading to a loss, allowing DSP to take the lion's share.

Overall, Xia Hou Shang was quite satisfied with his son's handling of the situation. Although he gave up a few positions, bringing in Li Xiaoli was much more influential than doing it alone. Even he was curious about how far his son would go in the end.