Chapter 15

B City is the capital of China, bustling with activity.

The hotel where Bai Xiaofei is currently renting a room is near the Third Ring Road, adjacent to a famous historical site, and naturally, there are no shortage of high-end hotels in the vicinity.

After enduring over two months of hardship in the Wolf Warrior universe, Bai Xiaofei naturally wouldn't be stingy with himself. He now has several ten thousand yuan in Chinese currency, and his dimensional space bank card still holds 560,000 US dollars, which are universally accepted across all universes, so there's no need to save money!

Bai Xiaofei found a high-end hotel and prepared to indulge in delicacies he had never dared to dream of before.

Bai Xiaofei sat alone at a large dining table, where over a dozen famous dishes from the hotel were laid out, including king crabs and Australian lobsters, all available! It's not that Bai Xiaofei was showing off by ordering so many dishes; it's just that the portion sizes at high-end hotels are really disappointing. A dish that costs hundreds or even thousands of yuan has a pitifully small amount of food! If he didn't order more, he wouldn't have enough to eat!

After two months of training in the Wolf Warrior universe, Bai Xiaofei's physical condition improved, and his energy consumption also increased!

He usually eats at least the amount of food for two people in one meal! Moreover, Bai Xiaofei is currently injured, so he needs even more nutrition. He can't afford to eat less!

It must be said, famous delicacies are indeed delicious!

He cleaned the table of all the delicious food, leaving the surrounding diners and waitstaff speechless. Just as he was about to pay, his phone rang.

Taking it out, he saw a familiar beauty's profile.

Xiao Xue?

Bai Xiaofei was taken aback.

Xiao Xue, whose full name is Zhao Yingxue, is from CZ City, which is adjacent to HS City where Bai Xiaofei is from, both in Beihé Province, making them fellow townspeople.

Bai Xiaofei met Xiao Xue during the filming of "War God."

At the time, Xiao Xue was in the costume department, responsible for overseeing the scene, ensuring the actors had the appropriate costumes for each scene. She was a cheerful and optimistic beauty who never gained weight no matter how much she ate, though her skin was a bit dark, which didn't quite match her name!

Being away from home, encountering a fellow townsman naturally made him feel especially close. Plus, Bai Xiaofei was sincere and warm, and Xiao Xue almost stuck to him every day on the set.

Bai Xiaofei could sense that Xiao Xue seemed to have a crush on him, but since he already had a girlfriend at the time, he didn't think much of it.

After the filming of "War God" wrapped up, they went their separate ways. Although they exchanged contact information, they rarely kept in touch.

Strange?

Why would Xiao Xue suddenly call me so late at night?

Bai Xiaofei swiped his finger to answer the call: "Hello, this is Bai Xiaofei. You are... Xiao Xue?"

"Yep! It's me, Xiao Xue! What? After so long without contact, you can't even recognize my number? That's too heartless of you!"

"Ah... I'm just surprised. Why would a beautiful lady like you call me so late at night? Could it be that the long night is making you lonely and you want to..."

"Ugh! Bai Xiaofei, you really haven't changed, always spouting nonsense and being all over the place!"

"Ha ha... A leopard can't change its spots!"

On the other end of the phone, Xiao Xue paused for a moment and then continued: "I just got a new role in a modern drama, which will be filmed in B City for about two months. I'm already on the train and will arrive at the station around 9 AM tomorrow. Since you live in B City, I thought I should let you know, so I called you!"

"Oh, I see. I thought you were missing me... Hehe, I won't tease you anymore. Be careful on the train! When you arrive, call me, and I'll come to pick you up!"

"Okay! Wait, you're not working on a set?"

"No, I took a two-day leave for some personal matters. Now that they're done, I'm just resting. You know how tiring it is on set!"

"Okay, what are you doing now?"

"I'm eating out, just about to pay and leave. Your call came just in time!"

"Ha ha, then go ahead and pay. I'll hang up. See you tomorrow!"

"Okay, see you tomorrow!"

After hanging up, he paid and left.

Back at the hotel, Bai Xiaofei carefully watched "Assassin's League" a few times. Checking the time, he realized it was already 2 AM. Thinking about having to pick up Xiao Xue at the train station the next day, he quickly went to bed.

The next morning, after washing up, Bai Xiaofei checked out and left.

The West Railway Station was quite far from his current location. Bai Xiaofei didn't want to挤地铁 (squeeze into the subway) as it was both troublesome and time-consuming. Since he wasn't short of money, he called a Didi ride, which arrived smoothly and unobstructed, taking him to the train station.

Looking at his watch, it was just a little past 8, still quite early.

Bai Xiaofei had to go into a nearby KFC, order some food and drinks, and wait while eating.

Around 9 AM, Xiao Xue's call came: "Hey, Xiao Fei, I've arrived. I'm at the North Square. Where are you?"

"Stay where you are, I'll find you!"

Bai Xiaofei hung up and headed to the North Square, not forgetting to grab a cold drink from KFC on the way.

A few minutes later.

Bai Xiaofei arrived at the North Square and immediately spotted Zhao Yingxue.

Zhao Yingxue was sitting by a bus stop, using the shelter to block the sun. Two large suitcases, which looked quite heavy, were beside her.

It was early July, and despite it being morning, the temperature was already high, and the sun was scorching. Zhao Yingxue, having just emerged from the crowded West Railway Station, was drenched in sweat and was fanning herself to cool down.

To be fair, Zhao Yingxue was very beautiful, with a good face, height, and a slim figure. Her long, straight legs were a sight to behold, and she never gained weight no matter how much she ate. She was wearing light blue denim shorts and a white T-shirt, with a pair of colored sports shoes on her feet. Her ponytail swayed, exuding a youthful vibe.

The only flaw was her slightly dark skin, but compared to her other qualities, this minor flaw was tolerable. She was definitely one of the dream goddesses for many hopeless romantics!

Bai Xiaofei quickly ran over and said to Zhao Yingxue, "Xiao Xue, it's so hot! Here, have a fresh cold drink to cool down!"

Zhao Yingxue didn't hesitate to take the cold drink and started drinking it right away.

While drinking, she looked at Bai Xiaofei with her bright, black eyes and said in surprise, "Xiao Fei, have you been working out? Your physique is amazing now!"

Bai Xiaofei's physique had indeed improved significantly, with a well-defined, muscular build. Especially with a slightly tight T-shirt, his eight-pack abs were prominently visible, exuding the charm of a fit man to the fullest!

Bai Xiaofei laughed and said, "Just okay! Did the production team send you the address?"

Zhao Yingxue nodded and said, "Yes, it's near Wangjing."

Bai Xiaofei confirmed the address and then took out his phone to call a Didi ride.

The West Railway Station was crowded with people and vehicles. As soon as he placed the order, it was accepted, and the car arrived in just a couple of minutes.

Bai Xiaofei quickly put the two large suitcases in the trunk and got into the back seat, saying, "Driver, could you turn up the air conditioning? It's really hot today!"

The Didi driver laughed and turned the air conditioning to the maximum, then drove smoothly, taking them to Wangjing.

...

Wangjing.

A five-star hotel.

Bai Xiaofei, pulling one of the large suitcases, followed Zhao Yingxue to the room the production team had arranged for her.

Seeing the luxurious interior and facilities, Bai Xiaofei couldn't help but marvel, "This production team is really well-funded! I've never seen a production team provide such good accommodation for staff. This is usually the treatment reserved for stars and actors. I wish I could join such a generous production team!"

While tidying up the bed, Zhao Yingxue smiled and said, "That's right! My boss said this production has an investment of nearly 200 million yuan, titled 'Good Man.' They aim to create a Chinese version of 'Descendants of the Sun.' Whether it's the director, screenwriter, art design, costumes, props, or even our accommodation, everything is top-notch!"

Bai Xiaofei pursed his lips and said noncommittally, "I hope so!"

As someone who had been in the entertainment industry for several years, Bai Xiaofei knew the real situation of production teams very well.

They say the investment is 200 million yuan, but the actual money used for filming is not much! First, the actors' fees are getting higher and higher, especially those popular young actors, whose prices are exorbitant, often in the tens of millions! A TV series or movie usually needs to hire one or two big names to attract audiences and generate buzz. Add in the supporting cast, and before filming even starts, 70 to 80 million yuan has already been spent!

Then there are the set construction, costumes, props, and location fees, which need to be prepared in advance. Altogether, this can cost another 10 to 20 million yuan, depending on the script.

Next is post-production and special effects.

Especially special effects, which are a major expense. In some films, the special effects alone can account for more than half of the total investment!

After deducting these expenses, out of the 200 million yuan investment, only about 30 to 40 million yuan is left, which is not much for a production team!

The director, screenwriter, and producer all have high costs; daily expenses for makeup, hair, and the living expenses of over 100 people on the set, as well as the rental of cars, trucks, cameras, and lighting equipment, all add up over 60 to 70 days. They also need to hire extras from time to time, all of which cost money.

Many big productions claim to have huge investments, star-studded casts, and top-notch art design, screenwriting, photography, post-production, and special effects, but the final product is often a mess, leaving people thoroughly disappointed!

What people don't realize is that it's not that the director and others are incompetent, but that they are underfunded!

Why can Hollywood produce such amazing, globally successful blockbusters? Because they invest a lot of money! A few hundred million US dollars is equivalent to several billion yuan in China. Have you ever seen a domestic production with an investment of several billion yuan?

Thinking about the insider secrets of the domestic film and television industry, Bai Xiaofei couldn't help but shake his head.

Sighing, Bai Xiaofei asked Zhao Yingxue, "Xiao Xue, do you know who the cinematographer for this production is?"

...

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