Chapter 1518
I don't believe you!
Zhang Yuan was happy to make an exchange with someone.
But it depends on the person.
The king wants to make an exchange with him...tsk tsk tsk.
Zhang Yuan held back, not showing the same expression as Lu Yu.
Really? I don't believe it.
And these conditions aren't right either.
"Mr. Wang, let's get down to business." Zhang Yuan said calmly.
"You said you gave up the opportunity to work with Legendary Pictures."
"I am giving up the opportunity to cooperate with Chenlong."
"It appears to be a fair trade."
"I was the one who first came into contact with Brother Chenlong's new film."
"I was the one who first went to discuss things with Legendary Pictures."
“Both of these were originally mine; it was you who interfered in my negotiations and business.”
"Why are you using these two issues to negotiate now?"
"That doesn't make sense!"
You can fool others, but you've come to the wrong person if you're trying to argue with me.
After all, I know all the blond guys in the world who are best at this kind of trick.
He pointed at my house and said, "If you give me a million dollars, I won't burn your house down."
This is utter nonsense.
After causing a lot of trouble, they came to talk to me, but this isn't how we should talk.
The king pushed up his glasses, feeling troubled.
He drank a lot of alcohol, but his mind remained perfectly clear.
Most young people would be confused or overwhelmed by now, and wouldn't have such a clear mind.
"Competition is common in business."
"In this situation, we have indeed interfered with your plans."
Zhang Yuan was taken aback; it was the first time he had ever heard them speak so politely.
He even admitted it.
"But overall, it is still a free market."
"In business, everything is meaningless until the contract is finalized."
"Just like a beautiful girl who may have many suitors, it's not until the moment she gets her marriage certificate and the seal is stamped that her future husband's family is confirmed."
"No matter how many boyfriends you've had before, they're just passersby and have no legal effect."
The king gestured with his hands.
"However, even if it's an ex-boyfriend, if the groom isn't you, you should part amicably and send your blessings to the newlyweds."
"The principles of being a good person."
Zhang Yuan nodded with a smile, but cursed inwardly.
Why don't you treat me like this?
So you're only this polite to women you've already slept with?
To be honest, because of Zhang Yuan's presence, Hua Yi's treatment as an artist, especially when she didn't renew her contract, improved a lot.
After all, they didn't want another Zhang Yuan to appear.
Can't stand it.
They will give you benefits after we leave, but that's because we were here... just like Che Guevara said.
"In business, harmony brings wealth." The king raised his small wine cup and twirled it in his hand.
“We’ve had a lot of competition with Stephen Chow’s works before.”
"But in the end, it's just that."
"Calling him 'Master Xing' is a sign of respect."
"If it weren't for Lao Han's intervention back then, he would have almost been unable to make a living in Hong Kong."
"In terms of box office, he was indeed impressive back then."
“But now it’s not just Zhang Yimou, Xiao Gang is on the same level as him.”
"Many rising stars have also emerged, and their box office results are not bad."
Zhang Yuan just listened, thinking to himself, "You still underestimate Stephen Chow and his appeal."
Moreover, if we're talking about being targeted by Hong Kong, the one who truly protected him was Danny Lee. It was physical protection; he found a bunch of people to protect him and prevent him from being shot in the back.
Old Han made his statement publicly within the industry, which silenced the Xiang family for 10 years.
They only started making trouble again after Lao Han retired, trying to mess with Zhou Xingchi.
To be fair, Lao Han is a man of great character and charisma; otherwise, he wouldn't have been the top figure in the industry for so many years.
Zhang Yuan tried his best to suppress his laughter because "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" had already finished filming and would be released in a few months.
Then Hua Yi will know whether Stephen Chow's box office ability is on par with Zhang Yimou and Gangster.
If that were all, why would I risk my life to fight you?
But for now, he was still thinking along the lines of what the other person was saying, listening quietly.
“Stephen Chow is a big brother in the Hong Kong entertainment circle, while Jerry Yan is a big brother. He is more capable and famous than Stephen Chow.”
"But it's not worth repeating the same mistakes over a Hong Kong actor or director."
"I don't want that situation to happen again," the king said sincerely and with good reason.
We're all from the mainland. It's not worth fighting to the death and causing chaos for people in the Hong Kong entertainment circle.
"So what do you mean?"
"I'll say it again, it's inappropriate and unfair." After hearing this, Zhang Yuan deliberately softened his stance.
I can't pretend not to see what you're doing when I'm supposed to be playing along.
No, it's not suitable. As an actor, I'm a professional. We should act together when we're working together.
Whether the play being performed now is "The Reconciliation of General and Minister" or "The Linked Rings" requires careful discernment.
"Actually, there's nothing inappropriate about it."
"That way we can all concentrate our resources on what we really want to do." The king then habitually pushed up his glasses.
"To be honest, the fact that you've set such high prices for Chenlong is just a pretense."
“We can see that, and we can do the math.”
"If we do it this way, this movie won't make any money unless it grosses 4 or 5 million."
"There's no point in doing it this way."
Xiao Wang was furious when he found out about this, while Da Wang had someone do the math and discovered something was wrong.
This is just messing things up!
There are no such conditions; even Hollywood wouldn't be so lenient.
Therefore, it can be inferred that Zhang Yuan was "playing" and setting a trap for them.
I think he has no desire or time to deal with Chenlong's new drama, so he's just using this drama as bait.
It can only be said that they underestimated Zhang Yuan.
The calculations are correct, but as long as the box office exceeds 5 million, there will be a profit.
He can do both; he's not entirely bait, nor is he entirely bluffing.
To be honest, this box office revenue isn't a lot of money for him right now.
His main motivation was the company's performance, which was crucial to the IPO plan.
My vision is much broader than you think!
Anyway, the other party is convinced that he's just making a fuss.
They felt that by confronting him directly, they could use this to control him.
"Brother Chenlong was the one who led me to Hollywood."
"Even when I'm seventy or eighty years old, even when I'm worth billions, I'll always call him 'uncle' or 'elder brother' whenever I see him."
"So I give him more dividends, and I take a loss on my side. I don't think there's a problem with that."
He spoke with such sincerity that the other person found it a little hard to keep up.
You're being way too chivalrous... You're just pretending!
“But…” Zhang Yuan changed the subject.
"If you think it's suitable, I'm not out of the question."
"But how much are you willing to compromise on this collaboration with Legends?"
Words should be clearly stated, but matters can be discussed.
Speaking clearly is to distinguish responsibilities; one cannot act in a murky manner.
"We guarantee that we will withdraw from the plan to invest in Legendary Pictures."
"I will immediately convene a board meeting to propose investing resources in Chenlong's new film."
"Cancel the negotiations with the legend."
"For our company, the investment in actual films and our interest in the mainland market are definitely greater than our interest in overseas markets."
"Alright, it's settled then."
"It's a deal!"
Snapped!
The two of them clinked glasses, splashing wine everywhere.
Zhang Yuan slammed the cup down, looking pleased with himself.
He looked delighted after reaching an agreement.
But he got a little too into his performance, and he smashed it too hard, so he forgot something. Thump!
With a loud crash, Brother Long heard the sound of a glass being smashed and led about ten men to kick open the door and rush in.
Zhang Yuan: ...
Even if Brother Long is smart, he didn't take a look first after coming in.
If it were any other martial arts practitioner, whose fists are faster than their brains, they might already be fighting.
Brother Long noticed that Zhang Yuan and the other person's glasses were empty, while Da Wang was holding up a wine bottle as if he was about to pour some wine.
There was no one else in the room, and the food on the table was quite good.
Most importantly, his boss looked completely bewildered.
It made him feel that something was wrong.
Then, with a "Great Roc Spreads Its Wings" gesture, it stretched out its arms to stop the people behind it from rushing in.
He didn't know what to say.
Zhang Yuan covered his face and quickly made an excuse.
"What a coincidence!"
"You're eating here too?"
"Come, come, let me introduce you to Mr. Wang."
"These are a few of my buddies from my company."
"Did you hear I was here?"
“Is that so?” Brother Long quickly replied.
"I always tell you guys to be careful when you're out and about."
"It's not good to damage the flowers and plants either."
"Have you been drinking too much again, causing such a scene everywhere!" he criticized sternly.
"Ah...we were wrong, we'll leave now."
"Get out of here!" Zhang Yuan waved his hand, signaling them to leave immediately.
The king stared wide-eyed at what he saw.
Someone who's had too much to drink is coming to toast you?
Okay, I believe you... just kidding!
The way they were acting just now clearly meant to mess with me!
Good lad, you even have axemen on hand.
Neither of them said anything.
Because once the truth is revealed, the agreement reached will no longer be valid.
After eating and drinking for a while, they made a perfunctory promise to appreciate art together in the future before parting ways.
Once inside the car, Zhang Yuan patted his thigh.
He's been using that Phaeton lately because it's understated and more comfortable than the Alphard.
The Germans really know how to build machines; the suspension is incredibly stable, unlike island nation cars that wobble terribly over bumps and potholes.
But many celebrities in our industry only recognize the Alphard; they use this car to show off their status.
I drank quite a bit, thankfully the car was stable and didn't sway, otherwise I would have felt terrible.
While driving, Brother Long glanced at the rearview mirror at a traffic light.
He was resting with his eyes closed, so I spoke softly.
"Boss, did we hear that right?"
"Did I ruin your plans?"
“You heard me right,” he said firmly.
When speaking to these roughnecks, you must be straightforward and not beat around the bush.
"Your execution is very strong, excellent."
"It was my oversight, I made a mistake. I'll be more careful next time."
"Just keep it up."
"Okay." Brother Long shook his neck.
"And making a mistake may not necessarily be a bad thing."
He muttered something under his breath and then fell silent.
Brother Long didn't understand what he meant, and didn't dare to ask any more questions.
Nothing was said that night, and the next morning dawned.
I slept alone last night, which recharged my energy, so I woke up quite early.
After finishing a simple breakfast, he went into his study and closed the door.
Last night's conversation is still vivid in my mind, quite clear.
As for whether he believed the other party's "exchange".
I don't believe you for a second, you old geezer, you're a really bad guy!
If you believe this, then any sons you have in the future will belong to someone else.
Especially the fact that Brother Long and his group accidentally rushed in.
The other party's attitude remained unchanged, and they continued to chat and laugh afterwards.
When did these two brothers become so good-natured?
This reaction made him even more certain that the other party definitely had a problem!
So he made a phone call to Director Feng.
"Hey……"
A thieving noise came from the other end of the phone.
How have you been lately?
"I'm busy filming," Director Feng replied frankly.
Slow down or drag out the work?
There's been no reply for so long.
He didn't mince words and stated it directly.
"I have two things I want to know."
"First, how are the negotiations between Huayi and Legend going? Have any foreigners visited the company?"
"Secondly, has Huayi held a board meeting recently?"
"I need to know in the next few days."
That's all.
He hung up the phone after he finished speaking.
Thinking that Yang Tianbao had already signed with Huayi, but probably wouldn't have access to information at this level, I didn't call.
The more people know, the more mouths there are, the more trouble it causes.
Then he thought, Feng Xiaogang is a slippery man, and still not entirely reliable.
One cannot rely on a single source of information, as this can easily lead to misjudgment.
He guessed that the other party's intention in doing this was simply to stabilize himself and regain control of Chenlong's new film.
As for Legendary Pictures...
He made a phone call to Song Jianguo, the president of Air China.
After exchanging pleasantries, ask the other person for a favor.
"I have information on a few foreigners here. Could you please keep an eye on them for me?"
"If you land in China, let me know."
He also has to be wary of the legends; he has to be careful on both sides.
Flight and passenger information are all connected to the network, and airlines can mark them. Once an error occurs, an alert will be triggered in the background.
The other party said it was no problem, it was a minor issue.
"By the way, how's the company doing?"
"It's being processed, we're just waiting for you."
"Haha, I'm not young anymore, it's not appropriate for me."
"That's a nice way of putting it. You are a pillar of white jade that can support the sky, and nothing can be missing."
The other party even played a game of "three refusals and three concessions" with him.
After everything was arranged, his attention was drawn to matters concerning Meituan and Sequoia Capital.
Exchanging shares is a troublesome matter.
He has also received Meituan's IPO prospectus, with a minimum of $1.2 million, which is enough to keep him in a tight spot.
Director Feng secretly called him back.
The other party responded to all the information he wanted to know.
Huayi did indeed convene a board meeting.
This aligns with what the King said about holding a meeting to discuss ending cooperation with Legend.
In addition, no foreigners went to Huayi Company.
Furthermore, sources within Huayi Brothers confirm that they will not invest in the film "Pacific Rim".
The shareholders disagreed with undertaking such a large project because the amount was too high.
Zhang Yuan was quite pleased with himself after hearing this.
Although he is the boss, Huayi is not entirely in charge of the two brothers.
It's different on my side. If I really want to do it, I can force myself on it, and no one can stop me.
The fact that the airline didn't call him reassured him a little, allowing him to focus all his energy on Meituan's affairs.
Until… a bombshell announcement came. (End of Chapter)