Chapter 51: The First Work of Entrepreneurship

Xu Ke was instantly stunned and immediately recalled the incident of the robbery at New Art City in Mecca. Could it be that Xiao Ran also intended to use this tactic? He grew wary and asked, “A Ran, what do you mean?”
Xiao Ran didn’t beat around the bush and simply told Xu Ke the story of “The Legend of the Condor Heroes.” After pondering for a moment, Xu Ke concluded that the story was good—based on his experience, he quickly reached this judgment. Moreover, the story captivated him because it was unique and extraordinary.
Xiao Ran was taking a gamble—he believed Xu Ke was inherently a director who loved innovation and novelty. In fact, throughout his directing career up to the 21st century, Xu Ke had tried every possible theme and genre, even cartoons, showing just how much he valued innovation and experimentation.
This tactic tapped into Xu Ke’s mindset, suggesting there was a chance after all. Xu Ke indeed hesitated for a long time before involuntarily beginning to imagine how he would direct this story. After what seemed like an eternity, and only when Xiao Ran thought Xu Ke had hung up, he heard Xu Ke’s eager tone: “A Ran, directing ‘Phantom’ might not be the best idea. I think you’d better sell me the script!”
Silence. Xu Ke heard no sound on the other end. Xiao Ran deliberately stayed silent for a while before speaking slowly in the most sincere tone, “Lao Xu, I truly believe only you can handle this story. So, if you’re unwilling to come to Phantom to help me this time, I’ll definitely give you the script! And it’ll be free!”
Hearing Xiao Ran’s tone, Xu Ke began to feel ashamed of his own greed. He realized Xiao Ran was being so sincere and trusting of him, yet he still took the opportunity to ask for the script. In this emotional turmoil, he almost blurted out, “I agree!” But fortunately, he remembered his identity in time and said, “How about this? Give me some time to think. I’ll get back to you tomorrow!”
Xiao Ran readily agreed. He was already satisfied with having achieved this outcome. He had simply exploited various aspects of Xu Ke’s personality to get what he wanted. Strictly speaking, this wouldn’t have much impact on Xu Ke’s film studio either.
He was certain that, with his directing skills, apart from “The God of Gambling,” he couldn’t control the rest of the films. Therefore, he needed to find the right person, and the most suitable one was undoubtedly the original creators.
“The Fairy Tale of Autumn” was directed by Zhang Wanding and written by Luo Qirui. Interestingly, the two were husband and wife—a rare occurrence in the film industry. “Prison Storm” was directed by Lin Lingdong, with Nan Yan as the screenwriter. These two were brothers, which was also quite interesting.
Since they were all in the same circle, finding them wasn’t difficult at all. Xiao Ran quickly obtained their contact information and went to visit them right away. He first visited Zhang Wanding and Luo Qirui. To his annoyance, he still didn’t have a car, so he had to take a taxi to Zhang Wanding’s residence. Fortunately, they were all at home. It was a bright and clean small villa surrounded by lush greenery, giving it a unique charm.

After making tea for Xiao Ran, Luo Qirui curiously observed the young man who had become a boss at such a young age. Xiao Ran savored the aroma of the tea, closed his eyes, and leaned back on the sofa. After a while, he remarked, “You two really know how to enjoy life. I’m so envious of you!”
Xiao Ran could swear on his integrity that his words were sincere, though we all knew his character wasn’t exactly… trustworthy. Still, what he said was true. He wasn’t someone who liked crowds; he preferred peace and tranquility, as well as traveling. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have wandered across half of China alone in his dreams.
Though envious, work still had to be done. Reluctantly opening his eyes, he glanced at the couple staring at him and smiled slightly. “Here’s the thing—I have a really good script, and I hope you’ll come to Shadow Studios to film it!”
Zhang Wanding hesitated for a moment, glancing at her husband but staying silent. Luo Qirui smiled subtly. “Boss Xiao, since you’re in the film industry, you should know we don’t make commercial films! Maybe you’d better consider someone else—there are many directors who are more suitable than us!”
“Of course, I know that!” Xiao Ran rubbed his nose—a habit he was growing fond of—and smiled even wider. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have bothered to disturb your happy life!”
The clever couple quickly understood Xiao Ran’s implied message. This time, Zhang Wanding didn’t look at her husband but asked in surprise, “Shadow Studios is just starting out. There’s no reason to make an art film! If this is true, Boss Xiao, I suggest you try a commercial theme first. It’s better to make some money before supporting art films.”
Xiao Ran slapped his thigh lightly—a habit from the 21st century that gave it a distinctive feel. “Thank you, Director Zhang, for your advice. Our first project will indeed be a commercial film. But at the same time, we also want to make good films, so we’re planning to shoot an art film as well. That’s why I think you two are the perfect candidates!”
“Before that, though, I have a suggestion!” Xiao Ran nodded and smiled at the puzzled couple. “It feels awkward to call you that. Please just call me Aran.”
Zhang Wanding and her husband immediately smiled. Calling a young man in his early twenties “boss” in person was indeed uncomfortable. By saying this, Xiao Ran clearly understood their feelings. Unconsciously, their attitude toward him became even more friendly.
“Have you brought the script? I’d like to take a look first!” To be honest, Luo Qirui wasn’t confident in Xiao Ran’s literary stories. They both knew of Xiao Ran’s reputation as a top 20 million-yuan scriptwriter, but they also knew he had never written an art film since entering the industry.
“No, not yet!” Xiao Ran shrugged, showing he had nothing with him. “But if necessary, I can have it ready for you within a week! I came here mainly to hear your thoughts. If this story doesn’t include your input, I think it doesn’t need to exist at all!”

Zhang Wanding and Luo Qirui were utterly speechless. They had never met someone like this—showing up so brazenly without even bringing a script. Seeing their expressions, Xiao Ran paused for a moment: “Aren’t you guys working for DeBao right now? I thought you’d signed with DeBao, which is why I came to gauge the situation!”

Luo Qirui suppressed a laugh and waved his hand. “No, our contract with DeBao has ended! We’re currently unemployed at home. How did you know we were still working for DeBao?”

Xiao Ran was suddenly at a loss for words. Could he possibly say he guessed it from information from the future? In his memory, this couple seemed to have been working for DeBao all along, so he thought… But unexpectedly…

However, he quickly set the matter aside, knowing he would soon have two more talents. Thinking of this, he couldn’t help rubbing his nose to hide his joy. “Since that’s the case, let’s settle it this way. I’ll send someone to give you the script in a week. I just hope you won’t accept offers from other companies during that time…”

“Actually, there’s no need to rush!” Luo Qirui grew worried when Xiao Ran agreed to send the script in a week. “It’s already hard for us to shoot one movie a year. The script can be done slowly—what matters is that it’s well-written!”

Suddenly, Xiao Ran realized that Luo Qirui was an exceptionally talented screenwriter. What impressed him most was Luo Qirui’s meticulous attention to script details. Moreover, almost none of the movies made by this couple were failures. Besides their outstanding abilities, they also had excellent taste.

Thinking of this, Xiao Ran smiled. If he could get Luo Qirui to work as a producer at Shadow, it would be a great choice. Acting on his thought, Xiao Ran rubbed his nose again and said with a smile, “I wonder if Mr. Luo is interested in becoming a producer at my company? To help me find scripts and peers worth developing!”

Luo Qirui thought for a moment before giving Xiao Ran a polite but acceptable reply, “Let me give it some thought!”

The next day at the company, Xiao Ran searched through the employee records for a long time before finding someone named Yu Yayu. This Yu Yayu was a full-time employee of Shadow, which surprised Xiao Ran, as he had previously told Wei Dongling to hire as few full-time employees as possible in the early stages of the company.

Since Yu Yayu had managed to get into the company and pass Wei Dongling’s tests, it proved he was quite capable. Poor Xiao Ran didn’t even have an office at the company, so he could only work in Wei Dongling’s room.

However, this made it easier for him to inquire about Yu Yayu. Without hesitation, Wei Dongling answered Xiao Ran’s questions: “Yu Yayu is very eloquent, has sharp insight, strong organizational skills, and has experience in film planning.”

“Perfect! He’s the one!” Xiao Ran nodded and immediately marked him down. He was looking for a producer for *The God of Gambling*.

The producer is actually the one who controls the funds. Yu Yayu isn’t old at all—only thirty years old. Xiao Ran called him to the office, handed him the printed script, and said, “Ayu, go take a look and tell me what this movie needs during filming. Then, based on your requirements, hire the staff. We’re about to start our first project!”
It has to be said that Xiao Ran is really crude; even referring to starting a business, such a sacred endeavor, as if it were a crime. Yu Yayu pondered Xiao Ran’s mention of “first project” and began to suspect that this might be a shell company.
After Yu Yayu left, Wei Dongling started complaining to Xiao Ran, “Is this crazy? I’m now both the manager and the finance director. Just to save money, you don’t have to go this extreme! This time, I’ve hired a very capable finance director and managers from other departments. I think you can promote me to general manager!”
Xiao Ran glared at Wei Dongling and sighed irritably, “It seems you’re crazy about becoming general manager! This guy is hopeless. Someone, call an ambulance!”
During a break from work, Wei Dongling suggested to Xiao Ran again, “Aran, have you noticed? The company seems to have too much masculine energy!”
Huh? That doesn’t make sense! Xiao Ran seemed to realize something and stared at him intently, “Aren’t you trying to say you want a female secretary? You’re really crazy—aren’t you afraid of sexual harassment charges?”
“Hahaha! That wasn’t me who said it; you did. I’ll hire a female secretary tomorrow!” Wei Dongling smiled weirdly before returning to his normal expression. “I meant female actors. Don’t you think the company has too few signed female actors?”