Chapter 20

The power went out at night, and after it came back on, I found that only half of what I had written was saved. I'll only update once today.

I'll make up for it tomorrow, so there will be three updates tomorrow. Thank you, everyone, for reading!

Here is the main text:

Li Chong helplessly turned around and saw a beauty who was only a little shorter than him, wearing a bright yellow evening gown that revealed her white collarbone and a hint of her soft chest, smiling at him.

"Good boy, even though you're so beautiful now, you can't talk to me like that. It makes me seem like I'm irresponsible after having my way with you..." Li Chong felt like he was a piece of meat on a frying pan, being repeatedly tormented!

Cheng Youli glanced at Li Chong, slightly raising her head, "Humph!" She secretly lifted her 10cm high heels and stepped on Li Chong's foot with the heel.

"Ouch," Li Chong felt like his left foot wasn't his own anymore. He looked at the other three people with a grievance, but no one paid attention to him...

Cheng Youli walked over to Li Xiaoli, one in bright yellow and the other in bright red, the two sisters complementing each other, naturally becoming the focus of the entire venue.

Li Zhen, looking at Li Chong who couldn't take his eyes off them, lightly nudged Li Chong with her shoulder, "Which beauty do you like?"

Li Chong had always thought that Cheng Youli was like a bright and cheerful girl next door, and he had never seen her as noble and sexy as she was now.

"Um... they are all very beautiful, but I still think Sister Li Zhen is the most beautiful..." Li Chong said cautiously. He had deep experience with this witch. The lessons from the past were a history of blood and tears... with blood, tears, and history...

"Still, our Li Chong oppa understands me. Look at those two little vixens, attracting bees and butterflies, showing off their thighs and chests..." Li Chong felt black lines all over his forehead...

At this point, most of the guests had arrived. Almost all the major and minor entertainment companies in Seoul had sent representatives, bringing their own artists to broaden their horizons. After all, CJ Media Group controlled the lifelines of the music industry with its TV stations and award ceremonies.

The CEO of CJ-mnetmedia, Kim Jang-soo, stood on the stage, looking at the crowd below with a spirited demeanor, his heart full of ambition. Since Cho Seung-mo left the company, CJ Media had no mainstay, no top-tier stars...

Therefore, when Kim Jang-soo learned that Li Xiaoli wanted to change her agency, he did everything he could to bring Li Xiaoli into his company. In the end, Kim Jang-soo succeeded, defeating other companies interested in Li Xiaoli. Although the cost was significant, Li Xiaoli was worth it. If managed well, Li Xiaoli's value would be even greater. Kim Jang-soo firmly believed that CJ-mnetmedia would turn Li Xiaoli into a forever national fairy.

"Everyone, I am Kim Jang-soo. Welcome to the welcome party for Li Xiaoli joining CJ-mnetmedia. It is an honor for us to have Li Xiaoli xi join our company. Now, please welcome Li Xiaoli xi to say a few words."

Li Xiaoli gracefully walked up to the stage, "I am Li Xiaoli. Thank you all for coming to this party. I hope everyone has a good time." She then walked off the stage. The crowd applauded for Li Xiaoli's brief speech.

Li Chong finally managed to escape the clutches of the three witches. At this moment, many people who knew Li Chong came over to greet him. After all, he had been surrounded by the four beauties, making him very noticeable.

"Li Chong xi, why are you here alone? Didn't you find a beauty to dance with?" A middle-aged man handed Li Chong a glass of red wine.

"Ah, Director Ahn Byung-gi? Hello." Li Chong looked at Ahn Byung-gi with some surprise.

Although this party was hosted by CJ Media, most of the attendees were from the music industry, with a few from the film industry, who were sent by CJ's partner companies to support the event. Someone like Ahn Byung-gi, who was both a director and the owner of a film production company, usually wouldn't attend such a party.

Li Chong was different. He had a good reputation in the music industry and was invited by Li Xiaoli, so he came.

"I? I'm here to talk to someone. He just finished a movie in the first half of the year, and I want to see if he's available," Ahn Byung-gi explained.

"Oh, Director Ahn, you have another movie to shoot?" Li Chong asked curiously.

"Don't worry, I won't compete with you. I think your script is great and will be a big hit. Competing with you would be asking for trouble," Ahn Byung-gi chuckled.

"You flatter me. I'm not sure when I'll finish the movie," Li Chong said with a bitter smile. Recently, Li Chong had been very troubled because he wanted every shot to be perfect, which made everyone very tired. Sometimes, the more he wanted, the less he got. So, many shots took several days to complete.

"Ha ha, you're new to directing, so you want everything to be perfect. But you need to understand that no one is perfect. Today, you might be in the right state, but the actors might not be. Tomorrow, the actors might be in the right state, but you might not be. So, sometimes you need to know how to compromise. You need to know how to make do," Ahn Byung-gi, as a veteran, advised Li Chong.

"Compromise? Make do?" Li Chong was very puzzled.

"Yes, compromise, make do. You need to compromise with the actors' and staff's states. When they are not in the right state, you need to use your skills to make do and achieve the required shots. And compromise means that sometimes you know a certain shot will be very good and perfect, but have you considered your budget? I heard that you used half of your film stock in just one month. This will exceed your budget. Do you have more funds to invest?" Ahn Byung-gi explained.

Li Chong felt a cold sweat all over his body. Previously, he had only thought about how to shoot perfect scenes and hadn't considered the issue of insufficient funds. After hearing Ahn Byung-gi, he was scared cold.

If he continued shooting like this, even 10 billion wouldn't be enough, let alone 3 billion.

Li Chong deeply bowed to Ahn Byung-gi, "Thank you for your advice, Director Ahn Byung-gi."

"Ha ha, no problem. Someone would have reminded you eventually. I just said it casually. Besides, I hope to have the opportunity to work with you in the future," Ahn Byung-gi said with a smile.

"It would be an honor," Li Chong respectfully said to Ahn Byung-gi.

Ahn Byung-gi, seeing that Li Chong had understood his words, said, "I see the person I'm looking for. Go find a beauty to dance with. Young people should act like young people. Oh, and remember to take off your tie, it's too flashy... ha ha..."

Li Chong was instantly embarrassed... and then watched Ahn Byung-gi walk over to national actor Cha Tae-hyun.

Li Chong put down his wine glass and sat on the sofa, carefully pondering Ahn Byung-gi's words. He realized that it was indeed true. With his current shooting method, he was exhausting himself and the crew. Li Chong made a mental decision to change himself from tomorrow, to learn how to compromise and make do.

After thinking through these things, Li Chong felt relieved. He realized that coming here wasn't a bad thing, at least it was still in time. If he realized it later, it would be too late.