Chapter 572: Lack Of Budget
Su Muran kicked her shoes off forcefully in a fit of anger, her pretty face distorted by an angry grimace. She was seething. She wanted to kill someone. But there was nothing she could do.
Nothing could take away Yan Huan’s ambassadorial opportunity now, not even Su Muran. Despite her status and wealth, it just wasn’t possible for the Su Family to lay a finger on Yan Huan.
And Yan Huan had taken the offer too. It was a generous offer, no doubt, but fame was the more appealing factor here, rather than sky-high pecuniary gains.
She was going to be the first Eastern face of the brand.
Her face had finally gone international, and in a way, she did her country proud, for this was a position the entire Asian continent vied for. Yan Huan, getting it out of the blues, felt like a stroke of good luck.
The advertisement took Yan Huan an entire month to shoot. By the time it would be released, her fame would once again be at its zenith, and she planned to leverage that fame by shooting a new movie.
She still lacked the funds to give shape to her skyscraper. She wasn’t thinking of getting back the money she invested in the Ye Family either, not when they needed money the most. She wouldn’t backstab anyone. Others might do it, but she wouldn’t.
As she busied herself with the endorsement, the new Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils begun its shooting. At the start of the shoot, Su Muran and Lu Qin wasn’t stingy with the distribution of their “dog fodder”, flirting and flaunting their relationship at every possible opportunity, regardless of whether the romance between them was real or not.
The new Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils wasn’t exactly trending, despite the additional traffic generated from Su Muran and Lu Qin’s stunts. There were upcoming films from other directors, after all, which likely contributed to the waning exposure of the film. But Yan Huan believed it was merely the calm before the storm.
And right she was. Soon, a story of Lu Qin getting injured surfaced, along with how Su Muran had taken care of him meticulously, surfaced on the Internet, along with many photos of her nursing him. Whether it was done out of true love, ulterior motives, or merely a publicity stunt, the new Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils managed to return to public view and enjoyed a spurt in fame.
And who could truly say what was real or fake in the entertainment world?
Yan Huan caressed Little Lei’s buttocks, which were round and tender like a freshly-plucked peach. She almost wanted to take a bite of it.
Little Lei kicked his short, stout legs back and forth in dismay, then rolled over and wriggled forward energetically like a caterpillar.
“Yee-ya…” The little fella bit his finger and beamed at Yan Huan. Maybe he knew her, since Yan Huan brought interesting playthings and tasty food, which unfortunately only consisted of powdered milk, on every visit.
And powdered milk would continue to be his only source of sustenance for the next few years, so he would be better off being content and not covet more refined tastes.
“Are you going to act again?” asked Yi Ling, prodding at her son’s ripe, tender cheeks. She had heard about Yan Huan’s latest designs.
“Yup. It’s a movie that’s going to be aired during the New Year season.”
“This has been in motion for a while already, eh?” asked Yi Ling, extending her legs to block off Little Lei so he couldn’t escape her entrapment
Little Lei didn’t give much of a struggle either. Sucking on one thumb, he fell asleep readily on the bed. His tiny limbs were firm and powerful, as expected from Lei Qingyi’s son. In the future, he will also grow up to resemble a utility pole.
And now back to what Yi Ling said earlier.
She got it right. Yan Huan had been eyeing for the New Year slots for a while already. She needed money. A lot of them. She still had a skyscraper to build.
She made a move.
“If I can make 2 billion with this, there would be no problems raising the Lin Lang skyscraper office.”
“Mhm, it’s a good idea,” said Yi Ling, giving her a pat on the shoulder. “You have my mental support.”
“I don’t need that,” said Yan Huan. To Yan Huan, those things were superficial. Like Lu Yi, she was practical these days.
“What do you need then? Something…physical?” asked Yi Ling playfully.
Yan Huan rolled her eyes. “What good would that serve me?”
“Hmm-hmm…” Yi Ling pinched Yan Huan’s cheeks, forcefully.
“Fine, how about I manage your logistics and bring you packed meals every day after the shooting begins?”
“That’s more like it,” said Yan Huan. She actually needed someone to fill that position. She wasn’t poor and wouldn’t fuss over a few dollars, but during that special phase, she wanted all of their limited budget to go into the expenses of filming and not anywhere else.
There was always the option of looking for sponsors, but she wasn’t planning on doing that at the moment. She knew she had to be patient to lure the big fish. The road she paved before this was for this very purpose.
Another reason behind giving Yi Ling the logistics position was to busy herself with something. They always said that a woman who gives birth once will become dull-witted for the next three years. Yan Huan feared that it might be true and cause Yi Ling to lose touch with society. If that happened, she would forever be only a mother, her own careers and passions forsaken.
She knew Yi Ling’s disposition too well. Besides, self-confidence helps a woman stay young.
When she got home, Lu Yi was still busy with his work. He liked his new laptop a lot. It was a handy laptop, built with the best hardware and boasting ultra-light weight, one of the best in the world.
“Welcome back,” said Lu Yi, standing up as he set the laptop on the table.
Yan Huan tossed her handbag on the sofa and walked up habitually to give him a hug.
“Tired?” asked Lu Yi, realizing that her muscles were tense when he caressed her shoulders.
“I’m fine,” Yan Huan let out a pleased sigh as Lu Yi’s large hands massaged the acupuncture points on her shoulders. Lu Yi knew a little about massaging, and the amount of force he used was just right. Yan Huan liked the feeling of his hands on her shoulders.
It was comfortable, and it put her at ease.
“I’ll be shooting a movie soon. A New Year title.”
“Anything I can do to help?” Lu Yi lifted her up and ensconced her on his lap. A tired woman deserved a good rest.
Yan Huan locked her arms around his waist and pressed her face against his chest.
“I don’t have enough budget,” she complained, pouting. The investment amount needed this time had exceeded her expectations by far. She had been taking on an insane amount of endorsement offers, yet it wasn’t enough.
“I’ll come up with something,” said Lu Yi, massaging her shoulders steadily and rhythmically. She felt as though she was asleep, in the white clouds, where it was soft and light and white and clean.