Not just them, even Wang Xiaohua was left dumbfounded. She knew Qi Lin practiced martial arts, but who would have thought his skills were this formidable? His speed was so fast it left afterimages!
After finishing his routine, Qi Lin completed a closing move, stood up straight, and said, "Teachers, this is 'Xiao Pi Gua'!"
Fang Qiong swallowed hard, turned to Hong Tai, and asked, "Old Hong, what do you think?"
Hong Tai chuckled awkwardly, "I think he could beat me to death!"
Fang Qiong: "..."
Guo Wei: "..."
Wang Xiaohua: "..."
Qi Lin quickly said, "Teacher, please don't say that, you're flattering me too much."
Hong Tai smiled bitterly, "Those moves, I couldn't design them even if I tried. Four words: clean and efficient! Who is your master?"
"My Bajiquan master is Mr. Wang Bao! I haven't formally studied Pi Gua, just learned some moves from my teacher."
Hong Tai immediately asked, "Wang Bao? The one from Hebei Province's Bajiquan Martial Arts School?"
Qi Lin looked at Hong Tai, a bit surprised, and asked, "Teacher Hong, do you know my master?"
Hong Tai smiled bitterly, "Know him? I know him very well."
Fang Qiong, curious, asked, "Old Hong, is Qi Lin's master very impressive?"
Hong Tai nodded, with a look of reminiscence, and said, "The old man was almost seventy and still managed to defeat the Muay Thai champion of Sawadika Country in the ring. Impressive, right?"
Fang Qiong gasped!
The saying goes, 'Fists fear the young, staffs fear the old!'
At nearly seventy, his energy and strength had declined significantly, yet he still managed to defeat the notoriously fierce Muay Thai champion of Sawadika Country. What was he like in his younger days?
Seeing Fang Qiong's skeptical expression, Hong Tai continued, "When I was learning from my master, we visited many senior martial artists. Most of them were semi-retired, teaching kids occasionally. But Mr. Wang Bao was still active on the front lines, teaching adults and accepting challenges!"
"There was once a young man who had been learning boxing for two years and came to challenge him live on a webcast. The old man broke his ribs with a single elbow strike! The kid lay in the hospital for over half a month before being discharged."
Fang Qiong looked at Qi Lin with admiration. Who doesn't like martial arts?
Guo Wei also looked at Qi Lin and asked, "Is this true, Qi Lin? Did this really happen?"
Qi Lin nodded awkwardly, "Yes, it happened. My master acted too quickly that time. They hadn't even signed a death waiver, and the broadcaster extorted sixteen thousand from him..."
Fang Qiong: "..."
Guo Wei: "..."
Hong Tai: "..."
Seeing the three of them chatting casually, Wang Xiaohua coughed to interrupt, "Director Fang, what do you think? Can Qi Lin play the role of Erduo?"
Fang Qiong sighed, and Wang Xiaohua's heart sank. What's going on? Qi Lin performed this well, and you're still sighing? Is this role already pre-determined? If my Qi Lin can't pass the audition, who can?
Just as Wang Xiaohua was thinking negatively, she heard Fang Qiong say, "The lead role was decided too early. Otherwise, I think Qi Lin could play Fang Shiyu! He's young and righteous!"
Wang Xiaohua finally breathed a sigh of relief. In the moment Fang Qiong sighed, she had already thought about the exchange of interests among the capital.
Guo Wei also smiled and nodded, "But we aren't losing out! With Qi Lin's skills and looks, he'll definitely become a big star!"
Hong Tai agreed, "Indeed, most of the actors in the industry are like me, just following routines. There aren't many with real talent. Director Fang, it may be presumptuous of me, but I truly believe Qi Lin is the best choice for Erduo!"
Guo Wei nodded, "I also think Qi Lin is suitable."
Fang Qiong rubbed his big belly, rolled his eyes at the two, and said, "Stop pretending to be good guys! Do you think I can't see such a great talent?"
Fang Qiong then walked over to Qi Lin and Wang Xiaohua, extended his right hand, and said, "Congratulations, Qi Lin, the role of Erduo is yours! When can we sign the contract?"
Wang Xiaohua eagerly shook his hand and said, "We can sign right now!"
...
As they walked out of the temporary set, Hong Tai personally escorted them to their car before leaving. Qi Lin, curious, asked, "Sister Hua, how much?"
Wang Xiaohua, still smiling, said while driving, "Guess."
Qi Lin thought for a moment and said, "Didn't you say that a movie could start at two million? It should be this one, right? Two million?"
Wang Xiaohua laughed, "Three million! After taxes, you'll have 1.8 million left. After the company's and my cut, you'll have 900,000 left."
Qi Lin: "..."
Hearing Wang Xiaohua's explanation, Qi Lin suddenly felt unhappy and quickly said, "Sister Hua! Is there a mistake? My three million becomes 900,000?"
Wang Xiaohua laughed, "No mistake. Forty percent tax is 1.2 million, and the rest is split half and half between you and the company. Isn't that 900,000?"
At that moment, Qi Lin felt a bit regretful! Seeing the money slip away like this, who wouldn't be upset?
Seeing Qi Lin's expression in the rearview mirror, Wang Xiaohua laughed, "Of course, if you want to avoid taxes legally, I can help, but..."
"No, paying taxes is necessary. I'm just thinking about the company's cut."
This surprised Wang Xiaohua. She looked at Qi Lin and asked, "You don't want to avoid taxes?"
Qi Lin shook his head, "If everyone avoids taxes, how will the country make bullets? How will it build planes? Besides, since we enjoy the conveniences and protection provided by the state, isn't paying taxes our duty?"
Then Qi Lin added, almost tearfully, "But the company's cut is too much! Sister Hua, I regret it!"
Wang Xiaohua couldn't help but laugh at Qi Lin's expression, "Silly brother, this is small money now. Building your reputation is the most important! Right now, I can only get you three million for a movie! But once you're famous, it'll be ten million, twenty million!"
"By then, we'll be famous and can set up our own studio. Then the money, except for taxes, will all be yours. You can even negotiate net pay after taxes! That will be our time, understand?"
Qi Lin nodded but still felt a bit reluctant. That's 900,000, just taken by the company!
But when he got home and saw the luxurious Mercedes RV parked outside, his dissatisfaction disappeared.
This car alone costs over three million! How does he know? Because Han Xue has the same model!
The RV housed four people: a makeup artist/stylist, a nutritionist, a driver, and an assistant.
When they all called him "boss," Qi Lin felt a little proud.
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