Mysterious Assistant of the Washed-Up Queen-Chapter 511 - 330: Xu Ruyan? What is she doing here? _3

"Director Li? Li Mingcheng? The director who spent several years knocking around Hollywood?"

"Yes, that’s him. He’s a big-shot director who returned from overseas, involved in international co-productions and large-scale projects. Just his reputation alone sounds grander than ours."

"Damn, really? So there are such pieces of work out there?"

Chu Tian laughed bitterly. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand. After all, this was just how the industry worked: fawning over the successful and trampling on the fallen.

If someone wanted to move to a bigger platform, it was their prerogative; he couldn’t really object.

"Fine. People strive for higher places, fair enough. But what about the breach of contract penalty? How much did they pay? Were the losses to the crew significant?"

"There were definitely losses. Whether it was the makeup test photos or the costumes, nearly everything was wasted. Many elements needed to be changed, and some of the footage we’d already shot had to be scrapped and redone. The loss was probably over three million."

Is three million a lot? Actually, it isn’t. A large production crew’s daily living expenses alone can run into several hundred thousand, not to mention location rentals, equipment depreciation, and so on. Her departure meant re-renting locations and reshooting, which constituted the bulk of the costs. Costumes and the like were just minor expenses in comparison.

"So, how much did she compensate?"

"I heard it was just over five hundred thousand."

"How much?"

They’d lost over three million, and she only compensated five hundred thousand? Chu Tian was about to grab his phone, intending to discuss this with the producers and company personnel. What was this? Were they treating his money like it was worthless? Was the company that much of a pushover, willing to absorb the loss themselves and accept such a pittance for a breach of contract—like tossing a few coins at a beggar to make them go away?!

Then he suddenly remembered Ren Ping was right beside him and quickly turned to call him over.

"What’s wrong, President Chu?"

"Ren Ping, right? Tell me, what’s the deal with this Shen Qian? Who authorized settling for just five hundred thousand? How is the company handling the losses? Is your production team going to pay out of your own pockets to fill this hole?"

Chu Tian wasn’t particularly concerned about the three million itself. What bothered him was the precedent. Today it was three million. What about tomorrow? Thirty million? And the day after that? Three hundred million? How much capital did he have for these people to squander?

"It’s not like that, President Chu. This matter..."

Ren Ping wanted to explain but hesitated, unsure where to begin.

At that moment, Wei Chuan, observing from the side, seemed to understand. He guessed Chu Tian was probably unaware of certain things, and it also appeared he wasn’t too familiar with the dynamics of the entertainment industry.

"Chu, you don’t know who Shen Qian is connected to, do you?"

"Connected to who? Didn’t you just say she’s with some Huatai Entertainment?"

"It’s Huatai Media. You’ve heard of it, haven’t you?"

"Hm? What do you mean? Huatai Media?"

As Chu Tian furrowed his brows in thought, Ren Ping, ever observant, quickly leaned in with a smile. "President Chu," he explained, "Huatai Media is the largest talent agency in the country. The company is part of the Huasheng Group. This group also includes Huayi Entertainment, which is currently the largest film production company in the country, and Huamei Records, the largest record company."

Upon hearing this, Chu Tian immediately grasped the implication of Wei Chuan’s earlier comment. So, the other party was so brazen because they had powerful backing, huh? Huasheng Group... Huamei, Huatai, Huayi... This was one of the giants of the domestic entertainment industry? And it seemed they were a new powerhouse, formed from the merger of the Capital Circle and Beijing Film factions—incredibly strong. No wonder. But why did this still feel so damn frustrating? Just because their company was huge, a minor actor could act so recklessly?

Chu Tian felt a knot of discomfort in his chest, but now wasn’t the right time to say anything. After all, there were so many people around, and he wasn’t some hotheaded youngster.

"Alright, let’s go over and take a look," Wei Chuan, an old hand in the industry who saw things more clearly, said, giving Chu Tian a light pat on the shoulder. It was an offer of an out, a way to defuse the situation.