Chapter 164
"I would like to know what Mr. Mu, who is also an animation director, thinks of the animated film directed by Ji Xinrong?" Guan Junda asked, while clenching the pen in his hand, waiting to hear Mu Xiuxing's sarcastic remarks, This earned me a heavy recommendation from Tomorrow’s Magazine.
"Personally, I appreciate this animated film."
That's right, that's it, it's best to sneer at Ji Xinrong, readers like to watch this kind of drama the most. It just so happens that the other party is an animation director who has recently become popular because of the "Harry Potter" series... Wait, what is he talking about?
Guan Junda raised his head in amazement, and stared blankly at the naturally calm Musu Xing in front of him. After a while, he found his voice and said without giving up: "But I found in the questionnaire survey that the audience was generally not satisfied with "Grass and Trees" and was very disappointed with Director Ji Xinrong. Is this Director Ji Xinrong?" Proof of failure?”
The young man looked up at him.
It was just an ordinary look at each other, but Guan Junda had an inexplicable feeling that all his thoughts were being seen through by the other person. This made him always feel that the other person's eyes seemed to have some unprecedented coldness, but next For a second, Mu Xingxing said gently but firmly: "No, I don't think this can be used as proof of Teacher Ji Xinrong's failure."
Guan Junda noticed that Mu Xiuxing used the word "teacher" when addressing Ji Xinrong.
"Teacher Ji Xinrong has proven his extraordinary talent in animation production with five excellent animated films. What's more, I don't think "Grass and Trees" is a failed work." Mu Xiuxing said, his expression was calm and natural , the tone can even be said to be solemn:
"In my opinion, the animated film "Grass and Trees" is actually an extraordinary attempt by Mr. Ji Xinrong, as an art-school animation director, to target the mass market. It has considerable reference significance for other animators. With only one animation Judging the success of a movie based on its box office is obviously biased."
Guan Junda was dumbfounded for a moment.
But Guan Junda would naturally not be happy to let him give up the big news in front of him like this.
Does Mu Xingxing really have no complaints against Ji Xinrong? Guan Junda didn't believe it. The original matter may not be a big deal or a small matter, but it is true that the two sides were unhappy. Muxiuxing also lost the subsidy from Xingning Art University because of this, and even has an average relationship with his alma mater to this day.
Thinking of this, Guan Junda didn't bother to hide it anymore, he said bluntly: "I heard that Mr. Mu and Director Ji Xinrong had a bad quarrel over the script of "IS". Does Mr. Mu respect Director Ji Xinrong so much? Does it mean that Mr. Mu agrees with Director Ji Xinrong’s original views?”
The malice in the other party's words was too obvious, and she couldn't ignore it even if she wanted to. But if he had a really cold face at the moment, most of the reports the next day would be made up in other directions and duplicity.
Thinking of this, Mu Xingxing finally suppressed the anger in his heart and said calmly: "The lack of integration of concepts will not affect my fair judgment on director Ji Xinrong's works, just like the original Eleanor Award, Ji Xinrong The director did not refuse to vote for "The Gift of the Magi" because of our personal conflicts."
He paused and said coldly: "I'm sorry, I have something else to do, so I won't accompany you next time."
After saying this, Mu Su Xing didn't bother to talk to the reporter who deliberately found fault, and got into the car without looking back.
Here, Guan Junda went back to the editorial department sullenly, facing the interview draft that was completely different from the drama he had planned, but the more he thought about it, the more unhappy he became.
The fact that he didn't get the interview he wanted was partly due to Mu Xing's attitude.
Most of the people who can interview well are individuals, and Guan Junda is certainly no exception. In his opinion, although the Shepherd Xing didn't say anything clearly, the indifference and deepness in his eyes seemed to despise the behavior of the villain he stepped on and praised.
Why are you pretending to be a good guy? He doesn't believe that Mu Xingxing doesn't have any resentment in his heart.
The more Guan Junda thought about it, the more angry he became, but there was nothing he could do. Unlike Ji Xinrong, who is popular with everyone nowadays, Huaying and Musuxing are the treasures in the hearts of the audience. If he really makes any unfavorable remarks according to his own temperament, fans of Guanghuaying will all hate him, let alone The Shepherd Star itself is not a simple background.
etc……
Got it!
His heart moved slightly, and when he looked at the interview script on the table, his originally gloomy face suddenly cleared up, revealing a thoughtful smile. The white light shone on his malicious face, making it look even cooler and colder.
He knows what to do.
*
Of course, Mu Xingxing knew nothing about the resentment caused by the accidental interview. Even if he knew, he probably wouldn't take it to heart.
Having said that, after that day, Mu Xingxing still found the magazine and found the other party's report.
Mu Suxing originally thought that the reporter's personality would probably be explained in the direction of making things worse. He didn't want to add any fuel to the magazine that day, but instead posted his answer honestly, and the author did not smear in the slightest Meaning, on the contrary, he greatly appreciates his behavior:
"I am used to seeing directors in the film industry tit-for-tat, adding insult to injury, and fighting for box office. Director Mu Xing is undoubtedly a clean slate. Thinking of the fact that the "Harry Potter" movie topped the global box office list not long ago, I have to In other words, in terms of performance and magnanimity, Director Mu Xiuxing is worthy of his status as Blue Star’s top animation director!”
As he was scribbling, Mu Xingxing almost thought he had read it wrong. However, after he read the entire article carefully, he could not find any innuendo in it, and he seemed to speak for him sincerely.
Mu Xingxing raised his eyebrows as he remembered the interview that day.
Judging from the interview that day, the reporter didn’t seem to be a broad-minded person...
He thought for a while and read the article in his hand again. He found that there was indeed no mystery hidden in it, so he didn't take it to heart anymore.
It is worth mentioning that when most of the articles were aimed at criticizing Ji Xinrong, this article, which blatantly exaggerated and secretly excused Ji Xinrong, still successfully diverted the attention of some people and reversed the original one-sided public opinion. A little.
"I think what Xing Xing said is very reasonable. In the final analysis, Ji Xinrong is just a failure of commercial animation, and this is only the first one. It is too early to ignore his previous works and sing the bad news to the end, isn't it?"
"The third-rate animation director said that "Grass and Trees" is really not as useless as those people say. Although the script is not very good, director Ji Xinrong's storyboards and colors are still worth mentioning. Anyway, I can't learn it in my whole life. [Lie flat ]"
"To be honest, if you hadn't boasted so harshly before, the deceived passers-by wouldn't have reacted so strongly. Don't say whether Ji Xinrong deserves to be the number one person in animation. If you really want to say it, the number one person should also be Mu Xingxing. Is that right? His previous film is still ranked No. 1 at the global box office."
"Being a fan of Musu Star Road, this is the attitude of the first person!"
...
With the previous opening, the rest of the comments also deviated from the focus and turned to praise Huaying and him. Ji Xinrong, who was the party involved, was instead thrown aside.
Mu Xingxing frowned slightly as he saw the trend of public opinion becoming more and more exaggerated, which could even be said to be exaggerating.
"Could this be the black as a powder in the legend?" Wen Feihang was puzzled.
"No," Mu Xingxue said sharply, throwing the magazine back on the table, "This is flattery."
Muxing Xue said: "The success of "Harry Potter" lies there. Nowadays, talking about pictures and movies is equivalent to political correctness for netizens. It will attract a lot of resonance on any forum platform. In this way, he thinks If I don't agree with you, then the only way left is to praise and kill me."
When he said this, Fang Lian also reacted: "That is to say, once A Mu makes a mistake, Ji Xinrong will be a lesson for us? Fuck, isn't it just an interview, isn't this guy too narrow-minded?!"
"More than that," Wen Feihang added, with an equally ugly look on his face: "This guy has exaggerated too much. It would be better if it was just this time. After a long time..."
If the title of "No. 1 Animation Person" could be determined based solely on box office, that would be easy, but the problem is that there is no such thing in the industry! In the short term, one or two articles like this are nothing. But over time, what will these words make the real big guys in the animation industry think?
At the same time, in the suburbs of Xingning City, on the first floor of an office building.
"Mr. Xu, unfortunately, according to the analysis report of our investment department, we believe that it may be difficult for your animated film to make a profit in today's film market, so we have decided to withdraw the originally planned investment of 5 million."
A sweet but emotionless female voice sounded from the other end of the phone, but it felt cold in Xu An's heart. Thinking of the three years of hard work and less than half of the production progress, he gritted his teeth and said, "Can I talk to the manager of your investment department? This movie is really..."
He wanted to say something else, but the person on the other end of the phone had no interest in listening. The woman's voice was still gentle, but as if she didn't hear what he said, she interrupted him in mid-sentence without any reason: "I hope we will have the opportunity to cooperate in the future." Then there was a "beep".
The phone was hung up.
Xu An took a deep breath, turned his head and rummaged through his files. After searching randomly for a while, he called a series of phone numbers: "Manager Chen, I have an animation movie..."
"Sorry, Tian Ning Group has no idea of investing in animated movies for the time being."
The movement of the man's hand paused, and then he dialed another number: "Manager Ye..."
He responded with a long sigh.
"Old Xu, why are you bothering?"
Xu An's mouth felt astringent and he didn't know what to say.
"It's not that I don't want to help you. You also know the market for animation. It would be better if it was a 3D animation. Taking advantage of the tail end of "Harry Potter", there might be a possibility of making a profit. But 2D... you know I don’t know what’s being said outside now?”
Without waiting for Xu An to answer, Manager Ye continued: "I know, it's silly to sentence a 2D animation movie to death because of its success or failure, but the problem is that if you have money to invest, those who can decide whether to invest are just such a bunch of fools. You know what’s going on with animated movies originally, let alone at this juncture?”
Xu An didn't say anything.
He kept his original posture all the time. When Manager Ye was speaking, he silently looked at the sky outside the window, with an almost trance-like expression on his face.
"You sold the house, you don't want the car, and you quit your job—I heard that you were an old employee when Huaying was doing "IS"?" Manager Ye asked: "You can forget it yourself, you have to Take your family's quality of life into consideration, right? Do you really think it's worth the trouble for a movie?"
Xu An didn't speak.
The phone was disconnected at some point, and the sky outside was gradually getting dark. The lights in the room were not turned on, and the man's face was hidden in the shadow of the evening, and the expression on his face could not be distinguished.
He hung his head and slowly stood up from the chair.
The documents on the table collapsed with his actions, and pieces of paper, large and small, scattered all over the floor. After he stayed for a while, he remembered to clean up the house. Just when he bent down, following his movements, a business card that had been packed up at some point slipped out and landed lightly in front of him.
He blinked slowly.
The orange light of the setting sun fell on the card in front of him, smearing a layer of warm soft light on the slightly immature black handwriting. What was written on it was...
——The Pleiades.
Chapter 165
Until he stood in front of the Huaying headquarters, Xu An felt as if he was in a dream.
It’s not that Mu Su Xing agreed to his investment right away—but every formal company has a specific process for investment decision-making, and because of this, when he had the mentality of trying it out, he mustered up the courage to call When he got the phone call that even he himself was about to forget, Shepherd Xing's reaction was neither a flat-out rejection nor a full-fledged agreement. Instead, he invited him to come to Huaying headquarters for a detailed discussion with relevant materials about the animation film.
Needless to say, this response made him breathe a sigh of relief.
There was no rejection, which shows that Huaying is not like other companies that have doubts and prejudices against 2D animation films; but there is no promise... This is nothing more than normal. If Mu Suxing agreed to invest without even thinking about it, Xu An would have to wonder how the young actual owner of Huaying got to where he is today.
Not only that……
He raised his head and looked at the "new" picture in front of him.
Whether intentionally or not, as an animation producer, it is hard for Xu An not to know that Huaying spent a lot of money to build a new headquarters. Even the rough drawings can be seen on the Internet. However, at this moment when he is really standing in this new and unfamiliar When Huaying was in front of him, his heart was still in shock.
Patchwork ginkgo groves, tree-lined avenues with fallen leaves, open-air swimming pools sparkling in the sun, independent and standardized football pitches... Different from most animation companies that are huddled on a certain floor or even a corner of an office building, the Huaying headquarters in front of you , It is said to be a company residence, but it looks more like a university campus.
Considering the internal restaurant owned by Huaying that he just passed by at this moment, and the words "Xingping" on the signboard of the restaurant, and thinking of the Xingping Restaurant in Xingning City not long ago, and even now, it is still hard to get a meal. The daily catering level of film and television employees is enviable enough.
Thinking of this, Xu An inevitably felt a little complicated.
He doesn't regret his decision to leave Huaying at the beginning—even if this decision made him impoverished and twisted in the end, he returned to this seemingly familiar but actually completely different place to seek investment and hope.
If I must say it, maybe I have some regrets.
At this moment, the file bag that he is holding tightly in his hand contains his half-life dream of being an animation producer. But if I didn't leave Huaying at the beginning, but as an ordinary employee, accompanied by such a company through ups and downs, wouldn't it be another kind of pride?
"Wow, look at this!"
A low exclamation suddenly came from not far away, Xu An was slightly taken aback, and subconsciously looked towards the source of the sound.
At first, his gaze saw dozens of young people, and then quickly shifted to behind them—that is, the corridor filled with various character models and some original paintings of Huaying's past animation works. , from the original "IS" to the recent "Harry Potter" series, the context of Huaying seems to be clearly displayed in this small corridor.
Although it is hard to see why the surrounding figures are from a distance, since they will be placed here in an orderly manner by Huaying, it is by no means an ordinary level that can be bought outside.
Seeming to be misunderstood by Xu An's gaze, the Huaying staff who accompanied and led the way explained with a smile: "This is our fan of Huaying. The headquarters of Huaying is not open to the public. Fans are inevitably a little excited when they come here for the first time... "She said, taking Xu An to another direction: "Mr. Xu, this way."
Xu An responded, but couldn't help but cast a glance towards the corridor.
As an animation producer, he has also studied Huaying's works in private. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is a fan of Huaying. If the timing is not right and he has important things to do, he really wants to be like these ordinary fans. , take a look at the past traces of this huge animation kingdom.
The Huaying employee who led the way didn't know what he was thinking, and just introduced the various buildings of Huaying to him with a smile. Obviously, given Huaying’s current working environment, especially against the backdrop of the sluggishness of most animation companies, it would of course be false to say that they are not proud of being Huaying employees.
"This is Thorns Interactive Entertainment, the game department of Huaying..."
"This is the editorial department of Huaying Comics. The staff dormitories are over there. In addition to the editors, some contracted cartoonists also choose to live in the staff dormitories..." At this point, the receptionist blinked and joked: "Originally, the teachers at the comic book club didn't want to live inside the company. After all, who wants to be chased by editors to bedside to push for manuscripts? I can't stand the fact that the food in our company cafeteria is too good, and we are pushed by editors who live next door every day. The draft is also accepted."
Xu An also smiled.
He himself is considered a person who has run a company, and of course he understands how a comfortable working environment is a big plus for employees. Although the other party's tone is joking, it is not an exaggeration given Huaying's current environmental level.
The two of them made introductions and listened, and soon left the boulevard. The field of vision in front of him suddenly widened, but some doubts filled Xu An's heart.
According to common sense, most conversations should take place indoors, but looking at the direction of the other party, why does it seem like the rhythm of taking him to the playground?
He was confused in his heart. As the two of them walked forward slowly, rhythmic tapping sounds and people's laughter came faintly from not far away, as if they could see his doubts. The painting responsible for guiding the way The film staff laughed and said, "Mr. Mu often said that it is not a problem for everyone to work in the office all day long. We should try our best to take out some time to exercise when there is nothing to do. No, even our pastoral directors are not less attracted by him. Forcibly pulled over to move around."
As she finished speaking, Xu An also saw the source of the sound - it was a tennis court with standard design. The impact he just heard was the sound of tennis balls hitting the ground.
"Please wait a moment, I will inform the pastor immediately."
…
The sunlight passed through the dense branches and leaves, leaving a silhouette the size of a copper coin on the ground. A gust of wind passed by, swaying the shadows of the trees on the ground.
Mu Xingxing sat on the bench next to the tennis court, concentrating on writing in the notebook in his hand.
There hasn't been much action in Huaying recently, and even the employees have had a rare moment of leisure, so they are all clamoring for a long-awaited team building. Mu Xingxing has no objection to this. He has been working on animation and movies for more than half a year, so it would be nice to have a chance to do something.
But this "activity" obviously does not include him.
Fang Lian was speechless about his workaholic habit: "Why did I drag you to the tennis court so hard? What's the difference between this and you staying in the office and working hard?"
Mu Xingxing thought for a while and said matter-of-factly: "Yes, at least the air here is fresher."
Fang Lian glared at him.
Mu Xingxing raised his hands as if surrendering: "Okay, I'll exercise. I promise to exercise and keep fit later, and I won't do anything perfunctory. Is that okay?"
Fang Lian was far from satisfied with this, but he also knew that with Mu Xiu Xing's workaholic temperament, Mu Xiu Xing would not be able to relax until Huaying's next stage goal was determined.
Thinking of this, he stopped saying anything to persuade Mu Xingxing to exercise more, and instead resigned himself to his fate and moved closer to Mu Xingxing, thinking together with him: "As for the TV animation, what do you think about setting up a sports show? ? This theme is quite rare at present, and adults and children can understand it, and it just so happens that comics are also popular recently."
Shepherd star pondered: "Sports Fan..."
He opened his mouth and was about to speak, but the next second someone waved a tennis racket in front of his eyes. Mu Xiuxing raised his head and saw Wen Feihang saying with excitement: "Why are you still sitting here? Come here quickly. , you are the only one left!"
Shepherd Xing: "Why am I missing?" He said and looked at the people behind Wen Feihang.
When he asked this, Wen Feihang became even more proud: "What else can I do? Of course it is to play tennis. I have already told you that I can change my name but not my surname, sir. It's the little prince of tennis. They still don't believe it. It must be said that only those who have defeated everyone in the audience can have this title, humph, I must make them convinced today."
After he finished explaining in one breath, he began to urge Pleiades again: "Stop talking, come quickly, you are the only one missing."
While Wen Feihang was talking on the other side, everyone on the other side also booed.
"Lao Wen, you are a bit shameless. Who doesn't know that our pastors are more dedicated and dedicated to the company than we are. Is it appropriate for you to bully us nerds like this?"
"I'm not happy to hear this," Wen Feihang retorted: "Who said our pastoral directors are the same as you? I can't walk a few rounds in my hands. That's your thing. Let me tell you, we pastors The guide is a real master, the kind who hides everything!"
While he loudly retorted to everyone, he turned around and saw that Mu Xingxing was not moving at all. Wen Feihang thought he was worried about losing too much and losing face, so he quickly lowered his voice to comfort: "It's okay, I know you don't like sports, and I won't cheat you. I'll give you a try." Guaranteed to let you play a few hands, you can play ball by the way, and treat it as an activity, how about it?"
Mu Xingxing raised his eyebrows, a slightly strange expression appeared on his face.
He looked at Wen Feihang, then looked around, with a rather subtle expression: "Looking for me? Are you sure?"