Chapter 279: Script Budget

“I’ll ask President Chen about it tomorrow,” Song Xia chimed in.

Buying rare breeds of cats could definitely attract more customers, but it wouldn’t help the stray cats at all.

Given President Chen’s kind-hearted nature, he probably wouldn’t agree to it.

So she decided it was best to consult him first.

“Alright then, it’s settled. I’ll leave it to you to handle tomorrow,” Su Dan said slowly.

…

Mingri Group,
CEO’s Office

Luo Xiao and Wang Bin knocked and stepped inside.

“President Chen, the basic preparations for Blue Film Studio are pretty much done, and we’ve also finalized a script,” Luo Xiao said as he handed over the script.

Chen Mo took it and glanced at the title.

Demon Extermination Chronicles!

He flipped through a few pages and quickly got the gist of the story.

Set in ancient times, it was about a demon wreaking havoc in the human world, and a few righteous cultivators banding together to slay it.

The plot was simple—no twists or surprises. Just a group of brave warriors discovering a demon and teaming up to take it down.

A story like this? If it didn’t turn out to be a terrible movie, he’d be shocked.

As expected, Luo Xiao had a knack for picking bad scripts. A lousy film was just around the corner.

“Not bad. A solid script,” Chen Mo said, closing it and handing it back.

“President Chen, are you sure this script is okay? If not, I can find another one,” Luo Xiao said, still a bit unsure.

“No need. I think this script is great. Demons and monsters—there’s definitely an audience for that,” Chen Mo waved it off, then looked up at Luo Xiao. “So, tell me, what kind of budget are we looking at for this film?”

High investment for bad scripts—that was his motto.

“Well, since it involves demons, we’ll need special effects and post-production, so the budget might be a bit high,” Luo Xiao said cautiously. “Roughly 30 million. What do you think?”

Thirty million!

Chen Mo tapped his fingers on the desk, his consciousness diving into the System Panel, brows furrowed.

Recently, the renovation and setup of Blue Film Studio’s office, along with equipment rentals, had already cost over ten million.

On the Clothing Factory side, the plan was starting to bear fruit. Half the companies had already found new workshops and left the Industrial Park.

The other half hadn’t terminated their leases yet, but they’d been in contact with Li Maode and said they’d move out once they found suitable locations.

So, it was only a matter of time before the entire Industrial Park was under his control.

Renting out the vacated workshops had already cost him 25 million.

The remaining half would require another 25 million.

So, the total cost for taking over all the workshops in the Clothing Factory came to 50 million.

Then there were next month’s employee salaries and taxes…

Altogether, he still needed to spend over 60 million in System Funds.

If he only invested 30 million in the film, he’d still have over 30 million left. That wouldn’t do.

“President Chen, is there a problem with the investment?” Luo Xiao asked nervously, noticing his frown.

Was the budget too high?

“No, no problem. I just think 30 million is a bit low. If we’re going to make a movie, let’s make it a big production. The quality has to be top-notch,” Chen Mo said, snapping out of his thoughts and tapping the desk. “So I’ve decided—we’ll invest 60 million in this film.”

“What?! Sixty million?!”

Luo Xiao couldn’t help but cry out. He hadn’t expected President Chen to double the budget. That was no small sum.

Even Wang Bin, standing nearby, was stunned speechless.

He already thought the 30 million Luo Xiao asked for was a bit much.

But now President Chen had just casually thrown out 60 million?

Sixty million!

Wang Bin couldn’t help but picture what that much cash would look like.

After a long pause, Luo Xiao took a deep breath.

“President Chen, are you planning to hire some big-name celebrities?”

With a 60 million budget, they could probably afford a couple of second- or third-tier stars. That would at least help draw some attention when the movie was released.

But to his surprise, President Chen shook his head.

“No, no celebrities. Our cast will be made up entirely of newcomers.”

“All newcomers? President Chen, that might not be a good idea. It’s hard to control the acting quality with amateurs,” Luo Xiao said, worried.

Even low-budget films usually hired a few decent actors for key roles. They might not be famous, but at least they had some experience.

But with total newbies? That was a gamble.

Some of them might not be able to act at all, which would make filming a nightmare.

“Acting can be trained. Since we’ve established a film and television company, we need to cultivate our own actors. You can’t rely on big-name stars for every movie. That’s not sustainable. We need our own talent.”

“So we’ll recruit fresh faces, bring them into Blue Film Studio, and train them from the ground up. That way, they’ll feel a sense of belonging to the company.”

“It’s settled.”

“Oh, and the male lead for this film—let’s have Wang Bin play him. Since you want to be an actor, this will be your trial by fire,” Chen Mo said, turning to Wang Bin with a smile.

For a moment, Wang Bin was too stunned to respond. Then he blurted out, “President Chen, I’d be happy with a supporting role! Let someone more capable take the lead.”

He wanted to act, sure—and he definitely wanted to be a lead someday.

But after all, he had only ever been a background actor. Even though he’d read a lot of books and studied acting techniques, jumping straight into the lead role still felt like he hadn’t quite earned it.

Chen Mo listened to Wang Bin’s concerns without batting an eye, then launched straight into his signature persuasion mode.

“Who says you’re not good enough? That you don’t deserve the role? Your passion for acting—that’s your greatest strength.”

“You’ve spent over a year as a background actor. That’s all experience, man—real work experience. With my cast being made up entirely of newcomers, you’re probably the only one fit to carry the lead.”

“……”

“Ah!”

Wang Bin opened his mouth, but his mind was spinning.

A while later,

The two of them left the office.

“It’s lunchtime. Let’s grab something to eat first, and we’ll go over the filming details when we get back.”

“Director Luo, heading out for lunch?”

The elevator stopped at the 22nd floor.

Li Shen and Wu Yu walked up and saw Luo Xiao and Wang Bin already inside. They greeted them with a smile.

“Yeah,” Luo Xiao nodded.

“Let’s go together then. We’re all President Chen’s employees—it’s good to connect and get to know each other.”

Li Shen suggested warmly.

“Sure!”

Luo Xiao agreed right away. He was more than happy to chat with the veteran employees and build some rapport.

Soon, they reached the 20th floor.

Wei Yan, Fang Chang, and Zhao Bowen joined them.

And just like that, the group headed toward the cafeteria together.

“Has the script been finalized yet? Tell us a bit—we’re pretty curious about how movie-making works.”

They chatted casually along the way.

Before long, the conversation naturally shifted to the film.

Li Shen asked with an eager look on his face.