Chapter 1571
Those Who Obey Me Prosper
Zhang Yuan believes that it is one-sided to simply describe a person as greedy.
Even now, Stephen Chow's act of asking for extra money at the last minute perfectly fits the traditional definition of greed.
According to the three giants of modern psychology, his condition is an external manifestation of psychological problems.
However, Zhang Yuan disagrees with Freud's view that everything is due to sexual repression, just like Professor Ma Jingwu.
He is more convinced of the "inferiority complex" theory of another master, Adler, the founder of individual psychology.
Adler is the guy who said the famous quote, "A happy childhood heals a lifetime, an unhappy childhood requires a lifetime to heal."
Stephen Chow's parents divorced when he was young, his family was poor, and he was taciturn, which perfectly fits the key elements of childhood inferiority complex.
Inferiority complex often leads to arrogance, which is a psychological compensation mechanism.
Another very obvious characteristic of people affected by childhood inferiority complex is that they have difficulty cooperating.
Because his self-perception and perception of the outside world were distorted by his environment during childhood, he will appear out of place in the world from adolescence until adulthood.
It's not that he can't empathize with other people's feelings; otherwise, how could he make films that so effectively evoke the audience's emotions?
He simply doesn't care about the feelings of those around him; he only cares about himself.
These are all based on theoretical principles; Stephen Chow's personality perfectly aligns with theories of personal psychology.
Because of his impoverished and unhappy childhood, Stephen Chow was haunted by this period throughout his life.
This is also why he can't get married or maintain a long-term relationship.
None of this prevents him from having a genius side. In fact, many people who are insecure, even to the point of being withdrawn, have a higher probability of becoming geniuses than ordinary people.
Therefore, many people in the industry who have worked with him say he is a genius, but at the same time say he is inhuman.
It often feels very disconnected.
Actually, there's no separation at all; it's all him.
Even among emperors, Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Laosi, and Yongzheng Laosi were typical examples of those who suffered from inferiority complexes for various reasons.
They all share the common trait of unpredictable moods and ruthless actions, yet they are also very hardworking and eager to prove themselves through various achievements.
Li Lao Er had absolutely no such symptoms.
The most well-known example in the West is the Napoleon complex, which stems from Napoleon's physical disability—his short stature—and the resulting aggressive compensation.
Zhang Yuan understood that Stephen Chow was that kind of person.
The problem with this kind of person isn't that their thought process is different, but that their underlying code is different from others.
Therefore, conventional methods such as appealing to emotions and reasoning with people are ineffective.
We've known each other for years, and this collaboration went very well, but to them it's all rubbish.
Zhang Yuan knew that there were only two solutions at this point.
The first type is "deception".
I've fooled you for now.
We'll have the money; we can discuss it. You wait, we'll make the arrangements right away.
That's what Huayi did in her previous life.
After luring Stephen Chow away, when they came back to find him again, the two brothers hid and refused to sign anything.
Ultimately, they refused to pay the dividend, citing the board's failure to approve it.
Stephen Chow is really something else; he sued the other party directly, but of course he lost because he didn't have any written evidence.
Zhang Yuan wouldn't fall for that.
There's no point in lying; it only damages your reputation.
So there's only one path left, and that is honesty.
"5000 million is a very large number."
"Putting aside whether I agree or not, the company doesn't belong to me alone. Do you think the other shareholders would agree?"
"I would like to remind you that I reached this cooperation agreement with you despite strong opposition from all the shareholders."
"All these Hong Kong business leaders have a lot of complaints about you."
"Is it possible to get them to agree to come up with such a large sum of money now?"
He stated it clearly and explicitly.
Not only do I disagree, but others also disagree.
If I hadn't stopped them, they would have already kicked you out!
You made yourself a public enemy in the Hong Kong film industry more than ten years ago, you should know better.
"This is an internal matter for your company."
"I don't know either, you should handle it." Stephen Chow's attitude was that he just wanted money and didn't care about anything else.
He's always like this; once he sets his sights on something, he doesn't care about how others feel.
"Yes, that's exactly what I was going to say."
"The previous collaborations were achieved under pressure from everyone."
"Now you want to take a cut, even if others disagree, as long as I'm willing to withstand the pressure, I can still get it done," Zhang Yuan said confidently.
"Well, I knew Yuan Ye was amazing."
"Then it's settled." Stephen Chow got up to leave.
"Wait!" Zhang Yuan quickly stopped him.
They still want to play the "sudden, unexpected hammer drop" game with me.
"There's no such thing as a free lunch." Zhang Yuan calmly got up and grabbed his arm.
Stephen Chow, who claims to have martial arts training, felt as if his arm was being clamped in a pair of pliers, unable to move.
He was forcibly pulled back into the seat, pressed down, and made to sit firmly.
"If you want a share of the profits, that's fine."
"But what you should be asking is, what do you need to give in return?"
"What do you want?" Stephen Chow's tone became much more cautious.
"Hehe." Zhang Yuan chuckled and patted his shoulder.
"The great success of 'Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons' is the result of everyone's joint efforts."
"Everyone was happy, everyone was very pleased."
“I’m not against you wanting more money,” he stated first.
The dividends of tens of millions are a lot of money, a huge sum.
But he wanted more than that.
"As long as you sign a contract with the company, we can continue to work together on the next project."
"I can give you this dividend."
“Of course,” he interrupted when he saw the other person was about to speak.
"The premise is that the collaborative work, in terms of both scale and achievement, must surpass 'Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons'."
"There will be strict requirements for the submitted works."
Don't try to fool me with some cheap, low-quality drama.
Others may not dare to say, but Zhou Xingchi is truly capable of doing this kind of "clever" thing.
If you want money, fine, let's continue making movies together and earn even more.
Seeing that his path was blocked, Stephen Chow said something in a somewhat shameless manner.
"I'm talking about this play now."
"This is a different matter from the scenes that follow."
"We need to discuss this separately."
"You're wrong to lump them together."
Zhang Yuan didn't answer at all, but asked with a smile.
"You must have received quite a few inquiries from large companies recently."
"I guess, Huayi, fiber optics must have contacted you."
"Your plan is to take your share of the profits from me and then partner with others to maximize your own gains."
I'll just point it out to you directly!
They're trying to play tricks on me.
Stephen Chow blinked and realized he had been seen through.
What I'm thinking can be guessed.
He's the kind of person who always steps on his predecessors to find his next job; what he calls cooperation is actually more like job hopping.
Use the conditions from the previous company as a basis to get better offers from the next company.
Not satisfied with that, they wanted to squeeze every last drop out of their supplier.
As long as the market is good and his works perform well, he can continue doing this indefinitely.
And their rivals, in order to poach their players, will definitely offer very generous terms.
Zhang Yuan didn't care, because he didn't care what others gave him.
I will only tell you what I can give and what I can do!
"Mr. Stephen Chow, to be honest, it was very difficult to work with you."
"Whether it's on screen or off screen," he decided to be completely honest. "When you first came to the mainland to develop your career, the Xiang family said they wanted to kill you."
"It was President Han who gave you the opportunity to develop."
"The reason the Xiang family wants to kill you is because you are restless and uncooperative."
"Mainland China is a society governed by the rule of law." Stephen Chow said, as if he wasn't afraid at all.
"And I heard that President Han is retiring."
Even Zhang Yuan almost couldn't hold back his words.
What do you mean?
Old Han is retiring, are you planning to abandon him once he's gone?
Does the fact that he once protected you mean it's all forgotten?
I almost messed up his mood.
“I am not from the Xiang family.” He looked disdainful.
"I won't threaten you like they do, or try to kill you... I'll try my best."
When Stephen Chow heard the words "try his best," the corner of his mouth twitched.
What I want to say is that the company you are in now has not only a group of Hong Kong bosses as shareholders.
"China Film Group and Huaxia Film Distribution Co., Ltd. are also shareholders."
"You can bypass Hong Kong, and even if you can bypass President Han, can you bypass these two companies?"
"So I want to emphasize again, I am not from the Xiang family, because they are nothing in the Chinese film and television industry these days!"
“When you’re facing the Xiang family, you’ll have to rely on Lao Han for protection.”
"Now that Lao Han is retiring, who will protect you?"
Didn't you say that Lao Han wanted to retire?
Guess where he'll work after he retires?
"So my suggestion is that you sign a cooperation agreement and I will give you a share of the profits."
"Of course, you can choose not to receive dividends."
Zhang Yuan shrugged, indicating that he didn't care.
I'm saving money too.
And he had a good grasp of Stephen Chow's personality.
He absolutely can't wait. Money in the future is money in the future. It would be foolish not to take cash when it's available!
After a long silence, Stephen Chow said "Let's talk later" and left in a hurry.
Clearly, he was weighing his options, or rather, he was trying to find a way to "steal a chicken".
They wanted to earn money while standing up.
"Hey, Changchang, do me a favor." He then called Shuchang again.
She was asked to set up a shell company to distribute dividends to the other party.
"The requirement is that it cannot directly involve the company or you and me."
"In addition, it can help the other party avoid taxes by using shell companies overseas."
These days, regulations are looser, and there's much more room for maneuver than in the future.
"But you should also be careful; you must keep a detailed record of every transaction to form a complete transaction chain."
After hearing the details, Changchang hesitated for a while before speaking.
"Logically speaking, it's against the rules to give him so much money."
"And he didn't act like he was begging for money when he received it."
"This kind of person is untrustworthy. Are you sure he will agree to your terms?"
"Yes, he's just waiting for the right price."
"And what I need to do is give him a reason he can't refuse."
……
The next day, he sent an email to all shareholders of the company to explain the matter.
Naturally, this was met with a barrage of criticism.
Of course, I'm not criticizing him, but rather Stephen Chow.
Zhang Yuan had to call them one by one to persuade and comfort them.
He also mentioned a few other things.
He plans to conduct a private placement, distributing shares to some celebrities.
This was done to enhance the company's pre-IPO profile.
After ensuring that Stephen Chow was not among the recipients of the shares and that the proportion was very small, the general public agreed to the plan.
Doing this can increase market value; there's strength in numbers.
Then call over a few more agents.
Because all of his artists are included in this share distribution.
"Those girls I just signed recently don't count."
"Besides, although Baoqiang and Huang Bo have set up their own studios, they are still considered family."
"And both of them are both famous and capable enough."
"Including Zhang Ziyi, I plan to give each of the three of them a maximum of 0.3% of the shares."
"The rest, regardless of how many years they've been here or when they arrived."
"Wan Qian, Zhang Tianai, Jiang Xin, Zhao Liying, Song Jia, Zhu Yawen, Xiao Zi, Sister Tao, and Li Jinming, each have a subscription limit of 0.1%."
"The rest are Deng Chao, Sun Li, Chen Kun, and a few others, who have all opened their own studios."
"I will personally contact them. If there is a long-term cooperation intention, old friends can also be taken care of."
The group listened and took notes, while simultaneously calculating in their minds.
Our current box office performance is better than Huayi's.
Moreover, it's the current Huayi, not the one from a few years ago.
So once it goes public, its market value shouldn't be lower than when Huayi went public, right?
Hmm... not necessarily, after all, the stock market isn't doing well right now.
Regardless of the circumstances, even a 0.1% stake, once the IPO is successful, could yield a profit of at least several million and at most tens of millions.
This is a considerable sum of money for an artist.
"But we have to make it clear to the artist beforehand that they have to pay for it; it's not free."
"Also, you need to sign a priority buyback agreement with me personally, and keep it confidential."
This also makes it easier for him to repurchase shares and maintain his say within the company.
"There is still a two-year lock-up period after the IPO."
"We cannot act prematurely."
After he finished speaking, he noticed that his three subordinates were all looking at him expectantly.
That means... what about us?
"You two get more than Baoqiang and the others, up to a maximum of 0.5%."
"Shikai, you haven't been here long, and you have fewer businesses and artists under your management, so you're on par with Baoqiang and the others, at 0.3%."
Jia Shikai had no complaints about this.
He even felt that the beating he received was worth it!
If I were still a sugar figurine maker, I would never have this opportunity.
"In addition, your job will be transferred."
“In addition to the public opinion control section you are currently in charge of, I plan to transfer you to the performance company for training.”
"My main responsibility is to assist Professor Huang Xiaomao in communicating with the outside world."
Teacher Huang is getting old and has a rather conservative personality, so we still need to rely on capable and energetic young people.
Yang Siwei and Zeng Jia were dissatisfied with his job transfer, as he arrived late and was gradually gaining more power and position than them.
However, the rights issue made up for this.
“Oh right, you didn’t mention Yang Mi,” Zeng Jia said, raising her hand.
"Ahem..." Zhang Yuan cleared his throat.
I didn't forget; I deliberately didn't say it.
Her fame is not as great as Bao Qiang or Zhang Ziyi, but if shares are allocated according to the proportions of Ya Wen and the others, it would be a bit unfair to her.
After all, you can't follow the usual rules when it comes to your partner.
"I will communicate with her privately." He did not issue a public decree.
The amount of rights issues must be carefully controlled. Huayi underestimated its market value potential at the time, so it issued too many rights.
The current stock price plunge is also somewhat related to this.
Furthermore, the Wang brothers' equity has been severely diluted.
The majority of the votes went to those few big-name directors; he gave them the highest percentage.
In short...
Those who obey me will prosper.
As long as you work together with me, there are plenty of benefits to be had.
Choice is more important than personal effort. Being an artist, or doing anything else, the most important thing is to choose the right opportunity.
And I am your lucky break! (End of Chapter)