This matter couldn't be allowed to escalate to a point of complete deadlock.
Tao Zidong had already shown great sincerity, and Xiao He wasn't so ungrateful as to not recognize it. He immediately took the offered olive branch and climbed down the ladder.
Although he hadn't managed to swallow the entire pie of "Cangyue Calamity" alongside Jiaxing Entertainment, he had still taken quite a few bites during the chaos. Now that the rightful owner had come knocking, Xiao He felt no guilt. Instead, he used this opportunity to snatch a few more mouthfuls.
Tao Zidong wasn't angry either. In fact, he proactively ceded some shares and had a very pleasant conversation with Xiao He, the two exchanging contact information.
Tao Zidong had returned from studying abroad. Among those wealthy young masters, he wasn't the type who played around wildly with women, but he did play dangerously.
He was especially into various extreme sports and exploration adventures, to the degree that if he posted videos online, people would harshly comment, "Rich people really have a death wish." The reason he had returned to take over the family business was partly due to this. The Tao Family was afraid their "good-for-nothing" second son might one day fail during one of his big adventures abroad, ending up with his body unrecoverable.
Coincidentally, Xiao He was now quite knowledgeable about these extreme sports as well. So, one was interested, the other was willing, and their shared topics of conversation naturally expanded as they chatted.
"Ah, I actually wanted to go to that European circuit event before."
Tao Zidong's face showed unconcealed surprise.
"I only had the chance to experience it on-site because I received an invitation from the Ryder Laura Racing Team. It was mainly my teammates who carried the weight," Xiao He replied modestly.
"Hey, no need to be so humble—"
Tao Zidong immediately laughed and patted Xiao He's shoulder, asking amiably, "How about we find a place to compete someday?"
Xiao He, however, directly refused. "Sorry, President Tao. I'll probably be swamped with work for a very long time."
"Record of Chasing the Wind" and "Cangyue Calamity" basically filled up Xiao He's work schedule for the second half of the year. He truly couldn't spare any time to entertain this young master.
"Is that so? Then let's talk again later."
Tao Zidong was newly appointed, so he probably didn't have much free time either. This matter was brushed aside by them as mere polite conversation.
Only after formally seeing him off did Xiao He finally let out a sigh of relief.
Looking at the few documents left on the desk, he felt quite emotional. "The second half of this year is really going to be busy."
This time, Tao Zidong had shown immense sincerity. He directly brought two of Xingchen Film Industry's relatively important investment projects for the second half of this year and the first half of next year, willing to reserve a spot for Linghui Entertainment.
This was far more sincere than simply handing Xiao He a script and asking him to work on their project.
Liu Rulan also walked over. "Then you'd better brace yourself. 'Cangyue Calamity' will probably resume filming soon. You'll likely be shuttling between both sets."
Although it happened that both production teams were nearby, coordinating according to their respective schedules should still be manageable. It was just that Xiao He would definitely be extremely exhausted.
Xiao He had already anticipated this. He just let out a long sigh, feeling somewhat helpless and self-mocking. "I clearly said before that I wanted to film something light to rest a bit. But now I have two period dramas here, one wuxia and one xianxia, and both roles involve a lot of flying around. This time, I'm truly schedule juggling. It seems I'm just destined for a life of toil."
Liu Rulan shook her head helplessly. "This male supporting role's character setting shouldn't be too difficult for you. I'll discuss it with Deng Lei from 'Record of Chasing the Wind' and try my best to help you adjust the shooting schedule."
Fortunately, they now had a share in "Record of Chasing the Wind," making them one of Deng Lei's "bosses." Making this request to him wouldn't be too excessive.
"And I'll also negotiate with the 'Cangyue Calamity' side to secure the most favorable public opinion trend for you."
Xiao He's schedule juggling was already unavoidable. But luckily, the "Cangyue Calamity" crew was currently deeply mired in a public opinion crisis due to Wang Shaoqi's death-defying group gathering incident. Xiao He coming to the rescue could be considered "having a justifiable reason."
"I understand. I'll leave it to you, Sister Liu."
In such situations, Xiao He trusted Liu Rulan completely.
Liu Rulan picked out the script for "Cangyue Calamity" from the desk and placed it separately on the surface.
"The script is here. Take a look when you have time."
"Alright."
After Liu Rulan left, Xiao He briefly skimmed the script.
Truth be told, Xiao He didn't know much about xianxia dramas and hadn't watched many. He couldn't really discern the quality of this script, only able to judge this work based on his first impression.
To elaborate, besides the xianxia elements, this work also contained a bit of time travel, mystery, and time loop elements.
The female lead, Yu Yue, dies in a modern-day car accident and unexpectedly undergoes a rebirth, transmigrating into the xianxia world. She becomes the beloved daughter of the sect master of the Number One Sect, the little junior sister cherished by the entire sect.
She originally thought this transmigration was heaven's compensation for her, but never expected that on her twentieth birthday, the sect would face an apocalyptic disaster. The sect disciples, from top to bottom, were all slaughtered. Everyone she loved died overnight.
And Yu Yue, while fleeing for her life, is pierced through the heart by a sword—
When she wakes up, she finds herself back one month earlier, the month before the sect's destruction.
The sect's annihilation seems like just a dream.
Yu Yue takes this "dream" as a warning and begins a deep investigation, wanting to warn the sect to prepare in advance. Little did she expect the disaster would instead arrive earlier because of her warning—
It's also from this point that time and space begin to loop continuously. Yu Yue returns again and again to the time before the sect's destruction, investigating the truth, striving to find a solution to break the cycle, and saving the sect members.
Simultaneously, Yu Yue also discovers another person who, like her, is constantly experiencing the cycles of reincarnation...
Overall, filming this script wouldn't be too difficult. The settings are relatively repetitive, and the cast is basically the same batch. The male supporting role Xiao He plays is, in the early stages, the brilliant and noble senior brother, the object of the female lead Yu Yue's secret crush, one of the pillars of faith she repeatedly tries to save through the cycles. In the later stages, however, he is the mastermind behind the sect's destruction, the ancient demon god who brings disaster and evil, personally slaughtering everyone in the sect.
The role seems quite complex, requiring the portrayal of two different characters, but it's actually still very straightforward.
After reading this script, Xiao He felt quite satisfied.
Over there, Song Chenye had his family exterminated. Over here, he exterminates someone else's entire family. How could that not be considered another kind of cycle?
Although modern xianxia dramas can hardly escape romance plots, with love often being the main element, this script's plot isn't particularly brainless or intelligence-lowering. The overall story doesn't completely revolve around romance; it also includes familial love and friendship. That hint of time-loop mystery flavor is pulled off quite well, making people want to keep watching. The final ending is also quite memorable. Although the role he plays is the male supporting character, his highlights are in no way inferior to the male lead's.
It's just that many people in this crew are half-"acquaintances."
Especially the female lead here...
When Xiao He saw the female lead was Yu Xuezheng and the third male lead was Jiang Chifei, he couldn't help but laugh.
He really couldn't imagine how "lively" it would be when he went to this crew.