However, she must first solve Wen Mubai's urgent problem. Just two days ago, Xu Chacha saw Jiang Panpan complaining about being poor on her WeChat Moments. She and Wen Mubai are business partners, so if she is poor, Wen Mubai is probably not much better off.
Xu Chacha looked at Wen Mubai's back. A few yellow leaves were blown down by the north wind and landed right at her feet, instantly giving his slender figure a sense of desolation.
Xu Chacha covered her mouth with heartache, trying not to sob out loud: My poor aunt, she is already living such a hard life, why does she keep enduring it without saying anything?
That evening, Xu Yanshu received a call from her ungrateful sister. At that time, she was working overtime in the lab and was exhausted, but she still answered the phone politely.
"Don't you have enough living expenses? I'll transfer some to you now."
"No, no," Xu Chacha quickly said, "I wanted to ask you, if I had some money..."
"I'll save it and buy myself something nice to eat," Xu Yanshu said without hesitation.
"You're already so old and you're still buying delicious food? I want to invest!"
Even over the phone, Xu Yanshu could imagine Xu Chacha standing tall, replying confidently despite her grievances.
She lowered her head and smiled, saying to the person opposite her, "If you want to manage your finances, I can help you buy a few funds, which are more secure than investing in stocks. If you simply need money, just ask me."
"I've already said I don't lack money, I just want to invest, to invest in a film."
"A play?" Xu Yanshu frowned. "Why are you suddenly interested in this?"
"Please help me out, okay?" Xu Chacha softened her voice and pleaded with Xu Yanshu, "My sister is the best to me, isn't she?"
Xu Yanshu has now developed some resistance to her sweet talk, because this matter is really too strange and reveals something eerie in every way.
In the past, the only things that would make Xu Chacha act like this, begging and pleading, were usually related to that person...
As if suddenly struck by a revelation, she thought of Wen Mubai's recent situation and asked the person on the other end of the phone in a deep voice, "Don't tell me you're rushing to send money to Wen Mubai's movie."
Do you know how much money someone makes for writing a script? Do you think they'd skimp on a few pennies like you?
Chapter 45 Making Money
Xu Chacha insisted on sending her few coins to the film crew, and after sending them, she made demands with a domineering air, just like in the novel.
“I need to use the styling team I specified.” She said, handing over the materials with both hands. “Here’s a portfolio, take a look.”
The producer was a bit dumbfounded. Usually, people who bring their own investment to the production team get roles and more screen time, but this young lady is bringing her own styling team?
However, this matter can be a big or small one. A good costume team can greatly help a film. This requires not only good aesthetic sense, but also attention to the accuracy and degree of realism of the materials used. Ideally, they should have a good understanding of the historical period depicted in the script and be able to create clothing that matches the customs and culture of that era.
But the producer knew about Xu Chacha's background, so he still opened the booklet and carefully flipped through it.
Upon seeing the studio's name on the cover, she exclaimed, "Is this Mu Bai's studio?"
"Hmm, what's wrong?" Xu Chacha stared at her.
"We're using their team right now, that stylist surnamed Jiang is very famous in the industry."
"Oh, I see." Then she can't give away her little copper coin.
"You wouldn't... have changed your mind, would you?"
Xu Chacha tapped her fingers on the table. "Does my investment have a significant impact on the screenwriter?"
"Of course it will have an impact." Although their current investment is in place, and they haven't reached the point where they have to compromise and shorten the filming period due to funding issues, as a producer, she would never complain about having too much investment. "But if the investment is sufficient, we can build more of the realism that the screenwriter wanted to create. Just like the movie 'You Buxi,' from the selection of scenes to the choice of a single earring, everything was carefully selected. You see, it's because of this meticulousness that they ultimately achieved such success. And then look at our film..."
Xu Chacha had heard people make empty promises before, but this was the first time she had ever heard someone so eloquent. She rested her chin on her hand and listened to the person talk slowly, almost falling asleep from the nagging.
This producer is so eloquent, just like the auntie who sells stinky tofu on the back street of their school. Every time the four of them from the dorm pass by, she can persuade everyone to buy a serving.
"You agree, don't you think?" The producer finally finished speaking, his bright eyes flashing at Xu Chacha. If her eyes could speak, they would probably be saying, "Since you're already here, why not leave your money before you go?"
"Alright then, but I won't vote that much, can I just vote half?" It would be a way of supporting Laiqian.
After they got back that day, the two of them added each other on WeChat. Because Lai Qian's personality was so interesting, sometimes Xu Chacha could chat with her until midnight, and they would only stop when the alarm rang and they had to go to sleep. That's how their sisterhood was established.
"Sure, of course."
...
Since this path was blocked, Xu Chacha had to find another way.
She logged into Wen Mubai's studio's official website, found the "Seeking Cooperation" button, scrolled through the product list, and clicked on the most expensive option.
[Exclusive Haute Couture Gowns]
After clicking in, there's a series of finished product displays that can be overwhelming; you have to scroll to the bottom to find the contact information.
Xu Chacha was worried that Wen Mubai or someone else she knew would answer the phone, so she randomly asked Zhu Zhu to grab a friend she knew and tell her to say what she wanted.
"Hello, I'd like to inquire about information regarding haute couture gowns." The young girl was surrounded by four people sitting in a chair, and for some reason, she became nervous, her voice trembling slightly.
The call was put on speakerphone, and a calm female voice came from the other end. It didn't sound like Wen Mubai, and Xu Chacha breathed a sigh of relief.
"Okay, when would you like to wear this dress?"
"When..." The girl looked at Xu Chacha and saw that she had typed something on her phone and handed it to her. She read it aloud, "No rush, take your time."
"Oh, I see. Why don't you come to our studio sometime so we can discuss the styles and other details you need?"
No, no, no! Xu Chacha waved her hands frantically.
"Oh? Can we not go? The style is up to you, whatever your designer likes, just design whatever she likes."
"..." The other person was clearly surprised by this response. After a moment of silence, probably thinking she wasn't really interested in buying and was just joking on the phone, they replied, "Well, custom orders require a deposit first, and then we'll need to take measurements for production. What do you think..."
"We'll send you the size and deposit details along with our contact information. I'm quite busy with work and really don't have time to come to your store, I'm sorry," the girl replied, following Xu Chacha's instructions.
"Oh, is that so? Madam, please wait a moment while I consult our designer and will call you back within half an hour."
"Okay, okay, go ask." She nodded repeatedly.
"Phew—" The phone call ended, and all five of them leaned back, looking as if their souls had been drained.
Xu Chacha was even more nervous than the girl on the phone. She wiped non-existent sweat from her forehead and asked, "Is one enough? Or should I order a few more?"
"People are already suspicious if you only order one item, and you're ordering several more? Are you trying to expose your identity?" Zhu Zhu patted her head. "You usually seem pretty smart, but why are you acting like a fool when it comes to this?"
"Oh." Xu Chacha rubbed her head. "Well, I just wanted to boost her sales performance."
"Rich woman, why don't you consider taking me as your sugar daddy?" Zhu Zhu winked at her.
Xu Chacha pushed her face away, "Get off me, go find your brothers."
They waited for a while, less than ten minutes, before the phone rang back. This time, Xu Chacha's anger immediately subsided.
It's Wen Mubai.
"Hello ma'am, I'm Wen Mubai, a designer from BC. May I ask your name?"
Before anyone in 2062 could utter a sound, the girl timidly gave her surname, "My surname is Wang."
"Okay, Ms. Wang, we understand that you are interested in having a haute couture gown custom-made by BC, is that correct?"
"Yes, yes, yes."
"Okay, then I have a few questions to ask you."
"Go ahead and ask."
"Could you tell me about your usual clothing style, preferences, the occasion in which this dress will be worn, or any other needs?"
The girl looked up at Xu Chacha with a pleading look, but Xu Chacha was also flustered. She hadn't thought about what she was going to do with the clothes, and revealing her clothing preferences might give her away.
"Just say whatever," she mouthed.
"Oh, whatever."
"Perhaps it is a bit presumptuous of me to ask this, but did you voluntarily order this dress? Or is there someone with you?"
"Damn?" Zhu Zhu's mouth gaped open, and she struggled to suppress her voice.
The group exchanged glances, feeling frightened by Wen Mubai's astonishing insight, even though they hadn't uttered a sound.
"No, of course I'm buying it myself."
"Okay, please leave your contact information here. I'll contact you online later for more details."
The girl gave over the number that Xu Chacha had prepared, and the suffocating phone call finally ended.
Xu Chacha always has a lot of spare WeChat accounts. While others use WeChat groups, she uses WeChat account groups. For example, Xu Yanshu even borrowed one from her when he wanted to flirt with his future sister-in-law.
Wen Mubai's friend request came quickly, and she accepted it, nervously holding her phone as she chatted with him.
But to my surprise, she stopped asking so many questions, sent Xu Chacha a copy of the cooperation guidelines, and told her that she could pay the deposit directly if there were no problems.
Xu Chacha scrolled to the bottom to see the deposit price and sent her the payment password.
They were probably busy over there; they didn't confirm anything until late at night.
...
On the weekend, Xu Chacha spent her time with the Dou Ding duo to prevent them from constantly saying that they had found new love and forgotten their old one.
She took Xue Miaomiao, who had a car, to the market early in the morning to buy groceries, and then to the supermarket to replenish the milk in the refrigerator. By the time they got back to their rented room, it was almost ten o'clock.
"Call Chen Qianqian and tell her dinner is almost ready." Xu Chacha collapsed onto the sofa, exhausted.
"I'll go pick her up." Xue Miaomiao put away her phone and picked up her keys. "She's just as bad with directions as you are."
“Okay, then I’ll wait for you guys to come back before we start. It’ll be good to climb for a bit.” Xu Chacha picked up a life-sized teddy bear head and stuffed it into its arms.
"OK."
It only takes half an hour to drive from Xu Chacha's place to Chen Qianqian's campus and back, but Xue Miaomiao took more than an hour to get there. It was almost 11:30 when Xu Chacha finally heard the rustling sound of the door opening.
"Can I have another piece? Just one more." It sounded like Chen Qianqian's voice.
Xue Miaomiao's voice was cool, "We're about to eat, so eat less sweets."
"You nag me even more than my mom, Xue Miaomiao!"
"If you insist on calling me Mom, I don't mind."
The TV was playing a variety show that Xu Chacha had saved before, but the volume was very low. She was wearing thick floor socks, nestled in the arms of a teddy bear, her eyes almost closed in comfort.
"Xu Chacha, wake up, don't sleep." Chen Qianqian slapped her on the bottom. "Call us over for dinner, and you're sleeping here."
Xu Chacha seemed completely unfazed, refusing to budge even after being hit. "It's just hot pot anyway, I can just chop up the vegetables and start eating."
After saying that, she pulled Chen Qianqian along, saying, "Come here, it's so comfortable to lie down like this."