Shu Qingqing's words weren't born out of mere impulse.
Earlier, when she had accompanied Lu Bochuan to an economic forum in Haishi, she overheard several media professionals sitting nearby discussing short dramas.
After two years of development, short dramas had become increasingly standardized, with the market expanding rapidly and gradually entering an era of high-quality production.
A few days ago, while scrolling through short videos, she had even seen a short drama that yielded a return of thirty million on a three-million budget.
In short, short dramas had great potential.
When she was following the serialized novel, she had imagined who should play the roles if it were adapted for the screen. Now that this script had been selected, didn't it prove even more that the novel had great potential?
Actually, the director had long had enough of this Feifei. Seeing Shu Qingqing say this, he immediately sized her up again. Hmm, her bag looked expensive, and she dressed with great taste—she clearly looked like someone who wasn't short on money.
With this in mind, he walked over excitedly, "Beauty, are you saying you plan to invest in our short drama?"
Shu Qingqing nodded.
The director had just mentioned that the total investment for this short drama was two million.
Shu Qingqing's studio had been running for over three months, and she had made about five million. Investing in a short drama was more than within her means.
Currently, the sales in her live stream were stable, earning her nearly a million a month. However, she was still far from paying off her debts, and besides that, she wanted to buy a house of her own.
Therefore, during the days she was injured and bedridden, she occasionally pondered other ways to make money.
By investing in this short drama, she figured she would just be testing the waters.
Seeing her so certain, the director grew even more thrilled. Abandoning the shoot, he pulled her upstairs to a coffee shop.
The investor who brought Feifei in had invested a total of one million, making them the primary financial backer of the short drama, while the director's friend had invested the remaining six hundred thousand.
If they wanted to replace this investor, they would need to pay a twenty percent penalty fee.
In other words, Shu Qingqing only needed to put up 1.2 million to become the new lead investor of the show.
Shu Qingqing only thought about it for a few seconds before agreeing, "Alright, Director, you handle the withdrawal of capital first. Then draft a new contract, and I will transfer the funds."
The director naturally expressed his endless gratitude, added Shu Qingqing on WeChat, and then left.
After Shu Qingqing walked out of the coffee shop, she saw Liu Piaopiao standing to the side, seemingly waiting for her.
"Mrs. Lu," Liu Piaopiao quickly stepped forward to greet her. "Thank you for helping me today, I am truly very grateful. But... do you really intend to invest in this short drama?"
Shu Qingqing nodded. "I quite like the original novel this drama is based on, and I want to see if I can make some money from it."
Hearing this, Liu Piaopiao was so excited her hands trembled. "That's wonderful, Mrs. Lu! Actually, our production team was originally quite good, and the director had great vision. It was only after that Feifei was temporarily swapped in as the female lead that... well, let's not talk about her. Anyway, our drama has a lot of potential and is very likely to help you make a profit!"
Looking at her messy hair, Shu Qingqing felt puzzled for a moment. She remembered Liu Piaopiao being quite feisty before, even daring to hit Feng Xiangdi. Why did she now seem completely drained of her former spirit?
Shu Qingqing couldn't help but ask, "Hasn't the clothing plagiarism incident been cleared up? Why didn't you continue filming TV dramas?"
Liu Piaopiao's eyes dimmed. "I couldn't land any roles in long dramas, and I needed money." Originally, she had also thought that as long as the clothing plagiarism issue was clarified, she could return to the entertainment industry, but she had overestimated herself.
The entertainment industry evolved too quickly. Too many newcomers were being groomed, and she had no background. For two whole months, she couldn't even get a single audition opportunity, and her grandmother's medical bills were a significant expense. Left with no choice, she applied to be an entertainment live streamer.
Coincidentally, on her first day on the job, the company boss invested in a short drama. Knowing she had acted in long dramas, he brought her directly into the crew.
Only then did she step into the circle of short dramas.
However, her first short drama had a low budget and a poorly chosen script, so it didn't make a splash after its release.
Liu Piaopiao auditioned for another month before landing this short drama, so she cherished this opportunity dearly. Out of a sense of responsibility, she gave Feifei some acting guidance a few times, but it was perceived as deliberate harassment, leading to her being constantly bullied.
She knew Feifei was someone brought in by the investors, so she could only endure it in silence.
She just never expected to run into Shu Qingqing today.
And Shu Qingqing even planned to invest in this drama.
This gave Liu Piaopiao, who had previously dared not hold much hope for the drama, a glimmer of optimism.
Shu Qingqing was Lu Bochuan's wife, and she had built up her live-streaming channel so successfully in just a few months; she was undoubtedly very capable. With her involvement, this short drama should be able to shine once again.
Hearing just this one sentence, Shu Qingqing immediately understood.
The entertainment industry was just like that. Capital had no energy to promote a washed-up star who had disappeared from the public eye for half a year.
She didn't say any comforting words, merely patting Liu Piaopiao on the shoulder.
And so, the investment was settled.
Initially, Shu Qingqing harbored thoughts of making a huge profit. But when she went home that night, lay in bed, and scrolled through a few videos about failed short drama investments, she suddenly began to doubt her decision.
That was 1.2 million! If this drama failed to take off in the end, wouldn't her money just go down the drain?
The more Shu Qingqing thought about it, the more anxious she became. She even unlocked her phone, ready to tell the director she was pulling her investment.
But after hesitating for a few seconds, she held back and forced herself to try to sleep.
However, it felt like two little figures were fighting in her head.
One told her she needed to be a person who kept her word.
The other reminded her that making money wasn't easy.
Shu Qingqing struggled for a few moments before finally deciding to seek advice from Lu Bochuan.
Managing such a massive entity as the Lu Group, he would surely have a unique perspective.
Knocking on the study door, she poked her head inside. "Lu Bochuan, you're not asleep yet?"
Seeing it was her, Lu Bochuan stood up and walked over. "Why aren't you asleep either?"
"Well, I was going to sleep, but my mind keeps agonizing over something, so I can't quite fall asleep." Shu Qingqing blinked. "You know a lot. Could you spare some time to help me analyze it?"
"I'd be honored." Lu Bochuan curled his lips into a soft smile, taking her hand and leading her toward the sofa. "Qingqing, tell me what exactly is going on. I'm listening."
"It's about today. I went to the TV station to record a program, right? After eating, I saw a crew filming at the mall..." Shu Qingqing was about to continue when she suddenly felt someone stroking her back.
Taking another look, she realized she was actually sitting on Lu Bochuan's lap!
Lu Bochuan had one arm wrapped around her back, while his other hand held hers, gently kneading it.
When did she sit down?!
Shu Qingqing shot up to her feet in a flash.
