Chapter 1569
Adding a Burden
The next day, in a coffee shop in downtown Shanghai.
The group reunited yesterday.
However, Xiao Si, who was at the core of the project, noticed that everyone's attitude had changed.
Yesterday, Mr. Jiang, the owner of Xiangxiang Films, seemed helpless and slightly annoyed.
But today, they've become indifferent, adopting a "not my problem" attitude.
Yesterday, Chai Zhiping, the "godmother of Taiwan," was flushed with frustration, but today she wore a smug expression.
They always crane their necks and look down when they look at people.
Yang Mi, who was chosen as the female lead, behaved very normally yesterday.
Lively, talkative, quick-witted, and knows exactly what she should do in the room, adjusting the atmosphere appropriately while constantly observing the others.
But today she was completely focused on her mind, concentrating her main energy on the man beside her.
And it felt like she was coaxing him, teasing him from time to time, showing intimacy without caring about what others thought.
What Xiao Si didn't notice was that Yang Mi would occasionally, unintentionally, show a hint of dissatisfaction in her eyes towards her godmother.
You upset my man, and now he's not even in the mood to exercise with me anymore.
Zhang Yuan himself was much quieter than yesterday, and his expression was calm.
But Xiao Si could sense that beneath this calm and composed exterior lay a chilling aura that made him tremble.
He would call Zhang Yuan, at this moment, the number one cold-faced king of Shanghai.
After receiving the call last night, Zhang Yuan also communicated with Boss Jiang and Xiao Si, expressing his compromise on the casting.
Xiao Si wasn't sure what exactly happened, but judging from today's situation, something was definitely wrong.
It must have been that the godmother used some powerful connections that forced Zhang Yuan to back down.
The godmother took a sip of tea to moisten her throat, and then spoke slowly in a voice with a local accent.
"You're not as amazing as you think."
These words were clearly directed at him.
Xiao Si didn't dare move his neck, and could only look around with his eyes rolling back and forth.
He was afraid that Zhang Yuan would suddenly explode and overturn the table like a crow.
The chaos that had been expected did not materialize. Zhang Yuan nodded gently with an unusually calm demeanor.
"Correct."
Even Yang Mi was surprised that he actually accepted what the other party said.
"I'm not that strong."
"It's because I still have a lot of room for improvement."
"Every time you see me, I will always be at my weakest."
"Because I will get stronger every day."
He didn't say anything harsh or make any threats.
no need.
Because while he was mentally chanting the wooden fish, he moved his godmother's name from the back of the notebook to the front, added a box around it, and then marked it with a five-pointed star.
Amitabha Buddha, this humble monk does not hold grudges.
He wasn't afraid, but rather troubled.
He took this step back to avoid a major pitfall.
The Godfather portrays the relationship between politicians, gangsters, and celebrities in the United States.
Gangs are politicians' black gloves and dumping grounds, while celebrities are politicians' money bags and toys.
Ms. Tian, who called him, was somewhere in between the three.
This person had a public feud with Bao Lei in the media years ago because of Lu Yi.
The three were classmates, and their relationship was complicated and unclear, with each having their own version of events.
Later, this person dated Wang Zhiwen and Sun Honglei, and even stole Ying's ex-boyfriend.
She is known for being very open-minded within the industry.
She had fun, but eventually she got married.
He took a step back not out of fear.
He was afraid of getting entangled with the other party.
Zhang Yuan didn't want to know the specifics of the deal behind the scenes.
The best course of action is to stop here.
Okay, I'll give you face.
Let you and the yeast be arrogant for a while.
Their arrogance won't last long.
Yang Mi thought he would be very angry, and he also realized that the other party was trying to make him happy.
He wasn't actually that angry, just a little disappointed.
When Yeast realized that her provocation had not aroused any resentment in Zhang Yuan, she felt a sense of emptiness after losing control.
It felt like I punched cotton.
Zhang Yuan quickly got up and left, too lazy to waste words with her.
After leaving, he told Guo Jingming that he would not be involved in the film much anymore and that the company would take over the production.
If other projects come up, just contact me.
After saying goodbye to Yang Mi, he headed straight for Hengdian.
"Chu He, how have you been lately?"
They found the eldest son participating in training at the Sugar Man's little white building.
"Hey, what brings you here?"
"Shishi isn't here." The young master of the Bamboo Union looked surprised when he saw him.
"I didn't come here to see her, I came here specifically to see you."
Zhang Yuan pulled him along as they walked and talked.
The general meaning is...
"Xiaohe, I heard you've made great progress lately."
"The organization has decided to give you more responsibilities."
They traveled all the way from the Little White Building to the Dongyang Huanyu area.
When Yu Zheng heard that he had arrived, he hurriedly ran back from the film set to greet him.
Zhang Yuan was quite satisfied to see that the animals were well tamed.
"How many projects does the company have coming up?"
"Three TV series and one movie are in preparation."
This person quickly showed him the project proposal.
"How is Zhao Liying doing lately?" he asked as he picked up the file.
"Very good, your acting skills have been improving, and you've worked very hard."
"I have two roles that I'm offered as the female lead."
"Okay." Zhang Yuan looked at it carefully for a while.
"Chen Xiao... did you sign a contract with him?" Zhang Yuan noticed that this guy was the male lead in several projects.
"Correct."
"Oh..." He didn't say anything more.
Chen Xiao signed with Huayi Brothers in 09, but the contract was broken up in less than two years.
They said publicly that their ideologies clashed and they didn't have many opportunities.
This statement is both right and wrong.
Not to mention him, even Deng Chao didn't have many opportunities in Huayi Brothers; he had to go out and find other roles to film.
As for what's wrong... it's the wrong gender.
Strictly speaking, it's because individual efforts cannot meet the company's needs.
That sounds better than jumping off a car on an elevated highway.
Since we've already signed a contract with Yu Zheng, it wouldn't be right to forcibly take him away.
"Alright, the male and female leads are both great. I think Chen Xiao and Li Ying are both very capable."
"You should recognize Chu He; he used to get most of his roles with Sugar Man."
"You should take good care of him from now on; he's very capable."
Yu Zheng couldn't see what was so capable about this person, but Zhang Yuan said he was capable, so it couldn't be something that could be easily fooled by playing a minor supporting role.
Without a second or third male lead, a dump truck will be shoving in your face again soon.
"clear."
"That's settled then." After he finished speaking, he turned to look at the young master: "If there are suitable roles for my movies later, I will also consider you."
"After studying for several years, it's time to put my skills to use."
"It might be tough from now on, you'll have to get used to it."
Chen Chuhe felt something was off when he saw him suddenly arrive and become so "enthusiastic" towards him.
Walking back from the pleasure area, after a few hundred meters, the older brother spoke up. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
See, this kid isn't stupid.
Zhang Yuan just chuckled and patted his arm.
"It's nothing, I just received a favor from your father back then, and now I'm repaying him."
"It's not easy for any of us to make a living, so we should help each other."
"Just focus on your acting, and I'll take care of the rest."
He said nothing, because there was no need.
You need to give the other party a good experience first before you can talk about things and achieve twice the result with half the effort.
The Godmother of Taiwan?
I think you're tired of walking on two legs and want to get a wheelchair to sit in.
I don't know what brand of dump trucks are commonly used in Taiwan.
It's alright, she'll find out eventually.
Meanwhile, the newly released film "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" has been a huge hit right from the start.
It grossed 8000 million on its opening day!
This result far exceeded the company's expectations.
It then surpassed 2.5 million in the next three days.
It broke 5 million in just one week.
It broke 7 million on the tenth day!
In just one or two months, it has already broken all the records of Chinese films that were just broken by "Painted Skin 2".
Actually, this movie is a bit of a "cult classic," which is also Stephen Chow's personal preference.
After all, he directed the psychedelic and terrifying film "Out of the Dark".
The piranha scene at the beginning of "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" is quite cute, and it can easily scare children on the big screen, especially in 3D.
When Zhu Bajie first appeared, the "familiar face" in the oven became a childhood nightmare for many.
Is this supposed to be funny?
It's a bit funny, but Stephen Chow is clearly aiming for a blockbuster style, and humor is just one element among many.
The special effects are top-notch, and there are constant grand scenes.
"Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" has proven that audiences today really enjoy special effects blockbusters and find them novel.
It wasn't as cloying as it became later.
To be honest, the audience's weariness isn't the fault of the special effects.
Special effects blockbusters need special effects, but they can't rely solely on special effects.
The plot is a mess, they just throw in some popular celebrities to fill the space, add some cheap special effects, and there's no way the audience will buy it.
Stephen Chow's brand still works well, and his box office appeal is extremely strong.
The company is already preparing a celebration banquet, and they're going to make it a big one.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yuan received numerous calls from securities firms.
Do we need an underwriter?
"We will definitely help you achieve the highest valuation and market price."
"Go public as soon as possible; it would be a shame not to go public with such excellent performance."
While others are facing bankruptcy if they don't go public soon, his performance is so good that a bunch of people are urging him to do it.
Because of my good performance, I am not in a hurry.
Of course, you have to choose a trustworthy partner.
The best time to submit an IPO application is when all the big releases for this year's Lunar New Year film season have been completed.
Now?
It's still early!
The company's shareholders were also eager for him to convene a meeting and approve the final listing plan.
They're just waiting to make a big profit.
Unlike their incredibly excited and joyful atmosphere.
Hua Yi, whose morale had just been rekindled by the successful rope-twisting performance of "The Twelve Zodiacs," has once again fallen silent.
The atmosphere within the company is not very enthusiastic.
The recent rollercoaster-like ups and downs have already damaged everyone's emotional threshold.
Previously, it was said that with 700 million against zero, the advantage lay with me.
Excluding the box office performance of "Painted Skin 2" is not an option.
What now?
We should probably stop making Stephen Chow's films, right?
The film was produced and distributed by film companies from both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Moreover, it has already reached the total box office of "CZ12" in just 10 days, and it is clear that it still has room for growth.
The audience this year is very fortunate.
The Chinese film and television market is thriving, with a vibrant scene of competition and a constant stream of great works.
If this continuous momentum of one show after another could still exist 10 years from now, so many cinema chains wouldn't have gone bankrupt.
But people's joys and sorrows are not shared.
Hua Yi only found them noisy.
It's certainly hateful when your competitors make money, but it's even more painful when you lose money yourself!
This is only level one pain.
The most painful thing is to snatch away a play that allows your opponent to make money from you!
It hurts, it hurts so much!
After going back and forth, I felt like I had lost billions.
If this film were still in their hands, it could at least have driven the company's stock price up by several consecutive daily price limits.
Sorry for the first time!
They not only hate Zhang Yuan, but also those short-sighted shareholders.
It's you guys who are forcing me to give up.
They said the cost was too high
Stephen Chow is difficult to deal with.
They just want to make a quick buck.
But when it came time for the meeting, the shareholders started the trouble first.
Why didn't you insist back then?
"If the company's cash flow wasn't insufficient because of your cash-out scheme, would we have rejected this project?"
"We should reflect on how to avoid the same situation from happening again in the future."
"You said you wanted to take the lead in this year's Lunar New Year film season, how do you explain that now?"
The king was completely bewildered.
It's like you didn't cash out.
Now they're blaming us.
Because small groups whose interests are aligned can only fight when things are going well.
When faced with headwinds, the first thing they'll do is shirk responsibility.
It can't be the responsibility of us investors, can it?
"Since everyone says so, I'll go talk to Stephen Chow again."
Go ask them for it.
Regarding the previous conflict, of course I choose to forgive him.
"As for the box office issue you mentioned during the Lunar New Year season."
The king suddenly straightened his back, and his tone became much more confident.
"Don't forget, we also have films here that haven't been released yet."
"It's too early to judge the outcome now!"
"Oh." One of the shareholders looked up: "You mean?"
The king revealed the same wicked smile as Xiaoming.
"Yes."
"Everything will be alright as long as Xiaogang's film is released!"
"Yes, yes, yes."
"That's right!"
"With Director Feng here, we feel at ease."
"I agree that Mr. Wang's opinion is brilliant!"
As in previous years, the company's hopes and expectations have weighed heavily on Feng Xiaogang's shoulders.
Meanwhile, besides the laughter and cheers on Zhang Yuan's side, a discordant note was also mixed in.
Stephen Chow called him personally, expressing his desire to meet him in person.
Let's discuss the profit-sharing arrangements for the film... (End of Chapter)