032 Why don't you start your own Fang troupe?

The inaugural pre-production meeting for "Little Big Soldier" was held in the large conference room of Galaxy Film and Television.

Unlike its previously dilapidated state, Galaxy Film and Television now looked brand new. After the film project was approved, and before heading off to receive major awards at various committees, Pei Duoduo had tasked Chen Yuanyuan with overseeing the company's infrastructure renovation project. This round-faced young woman possessed a fair amount of talent. The design firm she hired might not have been widely famous in the industry, but their aesthetic sense and construction quality were impeccable. Pleased, Pei Duoduo added a bonus of one hundred thousand to the design fee. As for the rest of the Galaxy Film family, each received a thousand-yuan bonus, framed as "mental distress compensation" for the previous working environment. It wasn't that Pei Duoduo was stingy, but because she had struggled to find a justification for the bonus, and the "system" imposed a total limit on such expenditures, this was the maximum she could distribute per person. Furthermore, since "Little Big Soldier" had not yet begun filming, the actual costs were still unknown, so she refrained from inventing other excuses to distribute more money. After all, there would be plenty of places to spend money later.

Indeed, the main topic of today's meeting was costumes and props.

"Director Pei, the production of costumes and props isn't a problem, but the preliminary design is quite tricky!" Qian Lang held a piece of paper. On it, based on the images in his mind, he had sketched out ancient soldier uniforms and a general's armor using a pencil. "The story of 'Little Big Soldier' is set in the Warring States period. To present an authentic historical feel to the audience, it would be best to hire professionals in the field to produce all the costumes and props. However, I can provide the overall outline. For instance, the uniforms for the State of Liang soldiers should be relatively crude and simple, primarily made of coarse linen, with earthy yellow and gray tones; they should be tied at the waist with hemp rope to hang simple items. As for the State of Wei general's costume, it should feature exquisite armor, with reinforcement on the shoulders, chest, and waist to reflect the general's imposing posture!"

Everyone was surprised that Qian Lang had such rich historical knowledge. Although they were a bit confused by some of his technical points, it did not stop them from applauding enthusiastically.

"Great! Director Qian speaks so well!" Led by Hao Han, the family at Galaxy Film and Television clapped indiscriminately. The atmosphere suddenly became lively.

Qian Lang lowered his head and smiled. Because the Galaxy Film family would applaud at the drop of a hat, the building's management thought they were a pyramid scheme company. Consequently, whenever the applause grew too loud, the property management would invariably come upstairs to check on them, even alerting the local police on occasion. They had become somewhat accustomed to these incidents, but the property management was reaching its limit.

"Are you holding a rally again?" The property manager was a lean old man named Sun. He held a baton, his eyes full of wariness.

"Yes, sir, we are just holding a preparatory meeting!" Hao Han smiled candidly. They weren't doing anything illegal, so even if the police came, they had nothing to fear. It was just applause! Was it forbidden to applaud during a company meeting? They were simply expressing their admiration.

"Good grief, you lot only know how to clap all day long, and the other companies downstairs have been scared away because of you!"

Old Man Sun finally broke. He knew Galaxy Film wasn't a pyramid scheme—otherwise, the police wouldn't have just ignored them—but others didn't know that. The building had been in disrepair for years and was dilapidated inside and out, making it hard to find tenants. Previously, two companies had rented space because of the low rent, but now they had used the noise as an excuse to terminate their leases. Old Man Sun hadn't even been able to withhold their deposits; the tenants had complained about the noise and were lucky they hadn't demanded mental distress compensation themselves.

"Sir, we'll keep it down later," Qian Lang said, wanting to settle the matter. There were too many details in the pre-production work to waste time on such trifles.

"Even if you keep it down, it's too late!" Old Man Sun leaned against the door, clearly unwilling to leave easily.

"Sir, we'll rent the floors downstairs!" Pei Duoduo declared grandly. Recently, she had been researching strategies for dealing with the system. Project costs were not necessarily limited to film production expenses. In financial terms, these were professional production costs, and general company management costs could also be allocated to the project. There was a lot of room for maneuvering here! For example, the recently completed office renovation costs could be classified as project expenses. If she bought the whole building to establish staff cafeterias and recreation rooms, those employee welfare expenses could also be allocated to the project.

"You really know how to coax an old man like me!" Old Man Sun didn't take Pei Duoduo's words seriously. In his eyes, few companies renting space in this building had any real money. They were all stingy.

"Oh, the old gentleman looks down on us! Bring the manager tomorrow, and we'll sign the contract immediately!" Pei Duoduo waved her hand. Hao Han politely escorted Old Man Sun out of the office.

"Hmph, I'll bring Boss Jia tomorrow!" Old Man Sun was fired up.

With the interlude over, the meeting continued. Qian Lang explained the key points concisely. Pei Duoduo understood the intent.

"Assistant Chen, contact Professor Li from the History Department at Beijing University later. His team is the most suitable for this! His contact information is... just tell him it was introduced by Pei Guodong's granddaughter." She waved her hand decisively. Chen Yuanyuan quickly noted the information.

The costume and prop design for "Little Big Soldier" was now settled. In the following part of the meeting, they finalized several shooting locations, bringing the preparatory meeting to a successful conclusion.

"Director Pei, the design fee won't be too high, right?" After the meeting, Qian Lang asked his boss with some concern. Professor Li from Beijing University was renowned in the Great Xia. Hiring his team probably wouldn't be cheap.

"I don't know," Pei Duoduo blinked her large eyes, looking innocent. "We'll see when the time comes."

Qian Lang was speechless. His boss was really committed to this persona! Spending money without checking the price, and just a moment ago, she had waved her hand to rent the entire building! They were a film company; most of their work was on-location, so why did they need an entire building for office space? *Sigh, forget it.* The boss was a good person and not harsh in any way. One could only say that no one is perfect.

Qian Lang returned to his office silently, thinking about the film's production costs. He decided to uphold the principle of saving wherever possible and resolutely prevent his boss from going bankrupt.

"Heavenly spirits, please! Could you give a sign as to where we can save some money?" Qian Lang silently prayed. Suddenly, the phone on his desk rang. It was an unknown number. Qian Lang tentatively answered, ready to hang up if it were a telemarketing call.

"Director Qian, it's me!" The familiar voice of Jackie Chan came through the phone. He didn't know how he had obtained this number, but it didn't matter; what mattered was that Jackie brought good news. The martial arts superstar was willing to star in "Little Big Soldier" for zero salary!

"Brother Jackie, how can that be? It's not like Galaxy Film can't afford a salary." Qian Lang declined, though he was inwardly grateful for this timely help. However, he had never considered zero salary. "How about you take a percentage of the profits?" Qian Lang felt one shouldn't be too greedy. It was best not to take certain advantages. Of course, he would naturally appreciate Brother Jackie's intentions.

"Percentages aren't important. Actually, I was just wondering if Director Qian could give the Hong Kong film industry some opportunities..." Qian Lang immediately grasped the subtext. It wasn't that he didn't want to give opportunities, but he was just a small, fledgling director. What right did he have to lead those big shots with decades of experience?

"I think you should form a 'Jackie Chan Stunt Team' and establish a long-term partnership with our Galaxy Film," Qian Lang suddenly thought. Jackie had expressed his sincerity, and he could reciprocate. He had no interest in collaborating with those Hong Kong big shots, but collaborating with Jackie was perfectly fine.

"This... I'll need to go back and discuss it," Jackie was clearly taken aback. He had originally made this call under the instruction of Albert Yeung. He hadn't expected Qian Lang to help him find a way out. It would be a lie to say he wasn't moved, but he couldn't bring himself to do something where Boss Yeung provided the money while he personally benefited.