Chapter 34: Visiting the Little Heiress on Set, Searching for the Taoist Master of Vampires

Thanks to the current era, adaptation rights are truly dirt cheap, so the process of acquiring them for Zhao Ming went quite smoothly.

Take "Ghost Blows Out the Light," for example; many people in the past life often said the author sold it too cheaply. In reality, though, that is not a fair assessment. Back then, the money offered was actually quite substantial. Viewing such things with the benefit of hindsight is inherently unfair. After all, if you buy stocks and sell them too early, you cannot blame the stock market for it, can you?

As for Yu Youde, Chen Mo did not pay much attention to him.

The matter of online movies quickly began to take shape. Sohu, Ku6, and LeTV surprisingly reached an agreement in short order to jointly promote the concept of online movies. Of course, this did not attract much attention initially; after all, this era was not yet the time of the massive market explosion of the future. Even the total annual output of domestic theatrical films was limited. Online movies were still a relatively novel concept, and whether they would succeed was anyone's guess.

In truth, the three video platforms were still quite conservative. While they were interested in the idea proposed by Chen Mo, they were uncertain about market acceptance, the potential scale of the audience, and whether viewers would actually pay for such content. These were all unknown variables. However, they were willing to give it a try and promised that as long as Chen Mo produced the first online movie, they would prioritize promotional resources for it—which was more than enough for Chen Mo.

However, things were not going as smoothly when his father approached peers in other regions. The main reason was that this was something they had never encountered before. Furthermore, since "Yin houses" (burial sites) lacked brand recognition, no one was willing to provide sponsorship through product placement.

Still, a few were willing to experiment with a revenue-sharing model. Yes, hearing that some companies in the funeral business were willing to cooperate—creating artificial Feng Shui sites and sharing the profits if the film was successful—came as a pleasant surprise to Chen Mo. He had initially oversimplified things, overlooking the fact that Feng Shui sites lack brands. Even if he filmed it and it became a hit, these companies could enjoy the beneficial publicity without needing to sponsor the film at all. The ones willing to engage in revenue-sharing were mainly doing so because they were unsure what kind of burial sites Chen Mo intended to feature. If the site was naturally formed, the costs would be different, but for man-made ones, there really wasn't much of a cost to speak of.

Chen Mo was already writing the script for "Mr. Vampire," but the lead role was tricky. After all, the first impression is hard to shake; Uncle Ying’s portrayal of Master Jiu is deeply rooted in people’s hearts and has become almost synonymous with the title of "Zombie Priest." In his past life, when he produced an online zombie movie, he mostly had to find someone to dress up in a way that mimicked Uncle Ying.

But a fake is always a fake; it always lacked that certain something. Although Uncle Ying in this world did not pass away prematurely, he was getting on in years, and it was uncertain if he could still handle the action. Still, Chen Mo wanted to go and see him, especially since, in his previous life, Uncle Ying had long since passed away by the time he started making films.

He had no connections in Hong Kong and felt completely lost. However, it wasn't as if he lacked channels. Didn't the "Little Heiress" mention she was going to film a movie directed by a Hong Kong director? Chen Mo immediately gave her a call.

"Tian Tian, has your film 'The Time Rescue' wrapped up yet?" Chen Mo asked.

"Not yet, we're still shooting. Let me tell you, this film is so much fun..." The Little Heiress happily chattered away, sharing interesting anecdotes from the set with Chen Mo.

"Where are you shooting? I’ll come to visit the set," Chen Mo said with a smile.

"Really? We're filming at the Zhuozhou Film and Television City," the Little Heiress said, pleasantly surprised.

"Of course. What do you want to eat? I’ll bring some over," Chen Mo promised.

"I want to eat..." The Little Heiress didn't stand on ceremony at all, rattling off a long list of snacks that left Chen Mo speechless.

Nevertheless, he agreed. Come to think of it, the Little Heiress was his guardian angel. He felt a pang of guilt, realizing that every time he reached out to her, it was with an ulterior motive.

Zhuozhou Film and Television City was not far from Beijing, only about fifty or sixty kilometers away. Chen Mo had Zhao Ming buy a truckload of fruit to be delivered to the set, while he went to purchase the snacks the Little Heiress had requested before driving over himself. Although Chen Mo hadn't heard much about "The Time Rescue"—he suspected it might be a mediocre film—comedies of this sort usually didn't have massive scales or budgets.

Upon arriving at the studio, he called the Little Heiress and soon saw Jing Tian dressed in an ancient court lady's costume.

"How is it? Does it look pretty?" The Little Heiress clearly loved the costume; seeing Chen Mo, she happily spun around in front of him.

"Very pretty!" Chen Mo nodded. Although it was a slight pity that the "little meat bun" couldn't quite fill out the corset-style dress, her youthful beauty shone through. With her naturally fair skin, she looked lively and adorable, even if she lacked a bit of "sexiness." Chen Mo didn't have the sharp tongue with her that he used on Zhao Xiaodao.

Entering the crew, he realized the scale was small, but the atmosphere was quite good, which made Chen Mo look at the director, Fatty, in a new light. Though the fat guy, Lin Zichong, had a notorious history of abandoning a set halfway through, it had nothing to do with him. As expected, the Little Heiress was the most prominent figure on set; it was highly likely that the Little Heiress had a stake in the film's investment. Chen Mo didn't find this strange at all.

Why did the Little Heiress have such good resources? Those in the know, knew.

Because Chen Mo had brought a truckload of fruit and was there specifically to visit the Little Heiress, everyone on set was incredibly polite, showering him with praise about how great "Let's Watch Meteor Shower Together" was. Perhaps Chen Mo had underestimated the shift in his own status brought about by that hit show. He was now, to some extent, a "renowned" director. Thus, their attitude wasn't solely because of the Little Heiress; Chen Mo’s own identity also played a role.

Lin Zichong was savvy; as soon as Chen Mo arrived, he immediately announced a day off for the Little Heiress. Chen Mo took her around the studio, and she was delighted, showing curiosity about everything. This left Chen Mo somewhat puzzled.

"You've been here for so long, haven't you explored the place?" Chen Mo asked.

"No, I don't have any good friends here, and no one to take me around," Jing Tian shook her head quite naturally.

"What about the people in the crew?" Chen Mo asked.

"They're just colleagues, not friends," Jing Tian replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why is that?" Chen Mo couldn't help but ask.

"Because they aren't real friends. They are all very nice to me, but they are also very polite..." she said nonchalantly, while snacking on the treats Chen Mo had brought.

"Well, you could try to make some new friends," Chen Mo suggested.

"I actually want to, but they seem a bit afraid of me..." Jing Tian said, looking a bit dejected.

Chen Mo understood. He had known all along that while the Little Heiress looked a bit naive, she was actually quite sharp. She had her own way of dealing with people and could sense the attitudes of those around her. Just as she said, their fear of her was natural; after all, her background was mysterious, and someone had surely warned them about how to treat her. Even the director treated her like a treasure, let alone the others.