Chapter 59: 59: Meeting Classmates

The next morning.

Xu Yang and Zhao Yuxin, accompanied by their younger cousin Xu Xiaoyu, arrived at the People’s Park.

Before long, two friends of Xu Xiaoyu’s also showed up.

After quick introductions, they got to work filming.

Although Xu Xiaoyu’s acting instantly outshone many young actors and actresses, there were still some shortcomings. They shot take after take until nearly noon, finally wrapping up the shoot.

Xu Yang then sent the footage to the guild’s video editor, asking the editor to make cuts according to his instructions.

Xu Yang said, “The editor will send it to me after finishing the cut, and then I’ll send it to you, so you can post it on Douyin.”

Xu Xiaoyu asked, “When can it be edited?”

Xu Yang replied, “It won’t take long, I’ll definitely send it to you by the afternoon.”

Xu Xiaoyu said, “Okay, I’ll wait.”

Xu Yang continued, “Alright, your sister-in-law and I will get going now, we’re meeting a classmate. You can go have lunch on your own.”

Xu Xiaoyu waved, “Go on, I’ll have lunch with my friends, don’t worry about us.”

Xu Yang added, “Oh, and tell them about the training trip to Jiangcheng.”

Xu Xiaoyu rolled her eyes, “No need for you to say it, I told them last night.”

She couldn’t wait to share such good news with her friends the night before.

Both friends were thrilled, of course, they wanted to seize such an opportunity.

After briefly nodding at Xu Xiaoyu’s friends as a greeting, Xu Yang and Zhao Yuxin left.

They arrived at a restaurant, entered a private room, and called their classmate Han Yanghui to inform him of the location.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

In the morning, Xu Yang had already called Han Yanghui to arrange a lunch together, promising to let him know the venue when the time came.

Twenty minutes later, classmate Han Yanghui arrived.

At first glance, Han Yanghui was even more handsome than Xu Yang.

With such attributes, Han Yanghui had aspired to study acting at the Film Academy and was determined to become a star.

As Han Yanghui put it, it would be a waste not to become a star with such good conditions.

When two good old classmates met, they were naturally extremely happy.

“This is my wife, Zhao Yuxin,” Xu Yang introduced.

Zhao Yuxin and Han Yanghui exchanged greetings.

As the drinks flowed and the dishes changed, the atmosphere grew lively.

“How are you doing now?” Xu Yang inquired.

“Ah, the entertainment industry is tough,” Han Yanghui replied with a face full of bitterness.

Currently, he could only land minor extra roles, and even scoring a small character in some obscure TV series was considered lucky.

“The entertainment industry is too uncertain. If it doesn’t work out, consider changing careers.”

Xu Yang felt that the entertainment industry wasn’t for everyone. Ordinary kids from regular families might as well find a decent job. If they were capable, they could start a business; there was no need to struggle in showbiz.

“I’ll persist a little longer. I recently played a small role in a film by Wu Jing. Despite the size of the role, I think the movie is quite good. It should have a decent box office return once released. If it makes me memorable, then I’ll have the chance to continue acting in other movies or TV series,” Han Yanghui said.

“Wu Jing is making movies now?” Xu Yang was puzzled.

He was out of the loop with entertainment news and unaware of Wu Jing’s venture into filmmaking.

However, he was familiar with Wu Jing. Since childhood, he had often watched TV dramas starring Wu Jing.

Though Wu Jing might not be a red-hot A-list star at present, he was a celebrity well-known to many.

“Yes, he’s currently filming a military action movie—the screenplay, direction, and main role are all his doing. I auditioned and was fortunate enough to catch his eye and land a minor part.” Han Yanghui said this with a good deal of pride.

During the audition, Wu Jing even praised his acting skills.

“So, you’re shooting a movie, but why did you come back to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival? And more than a week early at that?” Xu Yang was somewhat puzzled.

“Ah, don’t even mention it, the production is at a complete standstill right now; who knows when we’ll be able to resume filming. Since Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching and I didn’t make it back for New Year’s last year, I figured I might as well come back and spend some time with my parents.” Han Yanghui sighed.

“The production is at a standstill? What happened?” Xu Yang instinctively asked.

“We ran out of money,” Han Yanghui explained, “The budget has blown up, and the investors are unwilling to put in more money. Right now, Wu Jing is frantically looking for new investors. If he can’t find any, this movie might be scrapped.”

He shook his head and then said, “Enough about me; let’s talk about you. How are things going? Are you still working at that public company you mentioned before?”

Xu Yang shook his head, “Not anymore, I resigned a while back.”

Curiosity piqued, Han Yanghui inquired, “Why did you resign, and where are you working now? What do you do?”

Xu Yang replied, “I acquired a live streaming guild, and now I’m focusing on that.”

“What!” Xu Xiaoyu exclaimed, “You bought a live streaming guild and became the boss?”

He couldn’t help but be startled.

Xu Yang’s family situation was similar to his own, not very wealthy.

Xu Yang was just an office worker, and he had mentioned that his salary was just over twenty thousand yuan a month.

Anxiously, Han Yanghui asked, “Buying a live streaming guild must cost at least several million, right?”

Xu Yang nodded, “Yes, it did require several million. I spent five million to acquire it.”

Looking skeptical, Han Yanghui asked, “Where did you get that much money? Did you rob a bank?”

Xu Yang couldn’t help but give a wry smile, “I used the two million my father-in-law gave me for a house down payment and invested it in futures. I earned more than ten million from that. And then I got extremely lucky—I found two major bargains in the antique street and made 250 million. I thought that live streaming on short video platforms could have potential, and right at that time, a live streaming guild was facing operational funding issues, so I bought it for five million.”

He fully trusted his high school classmate and thus candidly disclosed the specifics of his earnings.

Upon hearing this, Han Yanghui’s eyes widened in shock, and he screamed, “You made so much from investing in futures! And to think you could score 250 million by finding hidden treasures in the antique market. You’re now a billionaire!”

Luckily they were in a private room. If this had been the main dining hall, possibly everyone in the restaurant could have overheard him.

And it was only because they were in a private room that Xu Yang felt comfortable disclosing the exact amounts.

Xu Yang smiled and said, “You could say that.”

Grabbing Xu Yang’s hand in excitement, Han Yanghui blurted out, “Xu Yang, could you potentially invest in Wu Jing’s movie?”

Xu Yang paused for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh, “I don’t know much about this industry.”

It was a polite refusal.

Quickly, Han Yanghui said, “Xu Yang, I really think Wu Jing’s movie could be a hit. I would invest myself if I had the money. You should really consider it. Would you like me to give you the details?”

He genuinely believed that Wu Jing’s movie was good and could achieve a respectable box office return.

He also hoped that the filming of Wu Jing’s movie could continue.

And it wasn’t just Wu Jing’s opportunity; it was his opportunity as well.

After all, this was his first time acting in a movie with a named character, even though it was still a minor role.

Despite being a small character, it had a role in advancing the plot and was quite memorable.

As long as people remembered him, he would have many more opportunities in the future.

If other directors took notice, he might have the chance to take on more significant roles and steadily make his mark in the entertainment industry.

As long as he had roles to play, even if he didn’t become a star and just remained a supporting actor, he would earn far more than the average office worker.

Unless absolutely necessary, he did not wish to change careers.