Inside Huayi Brothers Media Co., Ltd.

The two brothers Wang Zhongjun and Wang Zhonglei sat facing each other on two sofas, but they were silent.

On the coffee table with stainless steel legs and a glass top, there was a report document that had just been delivered by the secretary. It was still hot and had just been spit out of the printer.

Since they had signed a gambling agreement with Zhang Yuan, and the stakes of the agreement were the company's annual revenue, the two brothers naturally had to keep a close eye on the film and television dramas invested and produced by Zhang Yuan.

Before signing the contract, the two brothers had read the company operating documents sent by Zhang Yuan, which he specially asked professionals to do.

It contains detailed records of several TV series invested by Yuanjing Films.

The two Wang brothers took a look at it at that time.

"Drawing Sword"?
Anti-Japanese drama?

Still low cost.

This is just some shoddy stuff that was churned out for broadcast.

Of course, the censorship of anti-Japanese war dramas is indeed looser. At least after filming, the probability of them being broadcast is much greater than that of ordinary TV dramas.

The ratio of TV drama production to broadcasting each year is less than 1/10. Most of the works produced by small crews cannot be broadcast at all. They are piled up in the corner of the warehouse on the day of completion and will never see the light of day.

The broadcast proportion of anti-Japanese war dramas is much larger.

The Wang brothers thought that Zhang Yuan was playing it safe and found a film that had already started production but was short of money and would be easy to pass review, hoping to get off to a good start.

I thought this kid was quite smart and knew how to please others.

It’s a pity that they are too young and don’t understand that high investment will bring high returns.

We are still making the mistake of adopting a small peasant economy and only thinking about reducing inputs.

It's so funny, how can a low-cost anti-Japanese war drama make money?

then……

"Bright Sword"

The first day ratings were 5.2%
Day 7.8, %
Day 9.1, %
Day 11.4, %…

The two brothers of the Wang family looked at the report for a long time and thought that the decimal point was in the wrong place.

This caused Wang Zhongjun to take off his gold-rimmed glasses from his nose and wipe them thoroughly.

11.4%!

You know, the average viewership of "The Inspector General of the Song Dynasty" broadcast in June a few years ago reached 7.85%.

It exceeded the 6.18% of "Xinwen Broadcast".

It was labeled as CCTV's annual drama king in advance by industry insiders.

7.85 is the best drama, then what is 11.4?
Ham?

The king of kings.

And 11.4% is not the limit, there is still an upward trend.

The two brothers smoked one cigarette after another, and it was hard to tell what they were doing.

"Why don't we watch this film and study it at the same time."

Xiao Wang suggested.

After the brother nodded, he turned on the huge plasma TV in the office.

Even though this thing is just a TV, back then, a large plasma TV cost nearly 100,000 yuan, and it was said that one TV was worth one house.

Unfortunately, it will soon be gradually replaced by LCD monitors.

Many analyses in later generations said that plasma has many technical defects and is not as good as LCD.

But in fact, just like the dispute between hydrogen energy and electric vehicles, the problem has never been about the pros and cons of technology.

And when it comes to "eating alone"!

Here we have to mention the peculiar thinking of the nation of this island country.

Whenever they can master a technology, they will definitely hold all the patents firmly in their hands, like wild dogs guarding their food. They will bare their teeth at anyone who looks at them, and they can't wait to bite off a piece of meat as a bribe.

It is precisely because of this national characteristic of not even sharing a sip of soup with others that no matter what technology the islanders develop, they will eventually go in the wrong direction.

The Lighthouse Country destroyed the island country's plasma industry by supporting its LCD industry.

It also promoted electric vehicle technology together with China, strangling the island country's hydrogen-powered vehicles in its cradle.

The experience of the island country tells us that when doing things, we must tie our interests together with the biggest bookmakers, otherwise they can easily change the rules and destroy all your efforts.

The two brothers turned on the TV. Since they watched the news broadcast frequently, there was a faint mark of the word CCTV in the upper left corner of the TV.

This was also one of the common problems of plasma TVs at that time.

"fire!"

"fire!"

"fire!"

As soon as I turned to CCTV-1, I heard teacher Li Youbin's hoarse roar on TV.

The content being played at this moment is the turning point of World War II, the Battle of Pingle...

With one shot, Hidekoto, Yamamoto and the entire city gate tower were reduced to ashes under the attack of the Italian artillery.

The Wang brothers looked at the pictures on the screen and gradually became fascinated.

These two are from a large military compound and understand the image and temperament of Chinese soldiers best.

After all, since I was a child, most of the brothers and sisters, uncles, aunts and grandpas around me are soldiers.

But this soldier named Li Yunlong is very different from the image of a soldier in their minds.

Rough, barbaric, unruly, and even has a bit of banditry.

The two brothers thought to themselves.

If there really were such a troublesome soldier, he would have been taken down long ago and would not have been promoted step by step.

After all, the Chinese army is the most disciplined military organization in the world, bar none.

But it was precisely this "atypical" image of a soldier that gave the two of them an extremely refreshing feeling.

Heroic, unrestrained, and refreshing!

The reason why Li Yunlong has become a classic screen image is largely due to his personal charm.

After watching the movie and turning off the TV, Wang and Dawang realized that more than an hour had passed.

"It's really good, and it's obviously different from the general anti-Japanese war dramas."

"Very cool!" Xiao Wang replied.

"Yes." his brother replied.

"It's fun and refreshing to watch, and the actors' performances are also very good, not a single one is bad."

Wang Zhongjun analyzed.

"I even think that the theme of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression is quite promising."

"Should we at Huayi also consider launching a war-themed movie or TV series?"

"That makes sense." Xiao Wang responded.

The two of them lowered their heads and thought for a while before Xiao Wang spoke.

"Zhang Yuan, this kid, is really lucky!"

"It should be. I just invested in a TV series, but I didn't expect it to be a "drama king" level movie."

"It's just like going to a casino. Newbies always make money when they start gambling."

"Yeah……"

"It's just luck sometimes, it's normal."

The two brothers comforted themselves.

"And I estimated that according to the report sent by Zhang Yuan, he accounted for about 1/3 of the share of this "Drawing Sword"."

"Even if this movie is a hit, the first year's revenue settlement date is still more than half a year away, and we can't complete the contract based solely on the revenue from this movie."

"That's right. After all, TV series are not movies, and the capital recovery rate is much slower." Wang Zhongjun nodded.

After a movie is released, it will most likely be taken off the shelves in more than a month.

If the box office reaches 100 million, the producer's book revenue will reach about 40 million.

Of course, this is just the revenue. After making the net profit, it may not even be 10 million.

But TV series are different. They need to be purchased and broadcasted by TV stations in order to generate revenue.

It is impossible for TV stations to broadcast TV programs in just one month. For a TV series to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue, it may take several years, even if it is a hit.

After this calculation, the two brothers breathed a sigh of relief.

They felt a little jealous after seeing the data report of "Drawing Sword".

After all, just when he was planning to trick Zhang Yuan, the other party got the important role with his own abilities and connections.

The two brothers were afraid that he would "run away".

The reins in their hands are the external force of the Xiang family and the internal force of the gambling agreement.

Now that the results of "Drawing Sword" are in front of them, they are afraid that the internal force of the gambling agreement will be loosened.

"It doesn't matter actually!" Xiao Wang smiled and patted the armrest of the sofa.

"We have shares in this guy's company. If he makes money, it means we make money, right?"

The king raised his eyebrows after hearing this, and then laughed: "That's right!"

"When he makes money, we make money."

"So the ratings for 'Drawing Sword' are high, we should be happy and celebrate!"

The two brothers opened a bottle of whiskey and drank one glass each.

"After all, he desperately fought for the role in The Banquet, but he still had to rely on us, Huayi."

"So don't worry."

"Correct!"

Ding Dang, the two brothers raised their heads and toasted, they were so happy.

Even if Zhang Yuan's investment performance far exceeds their expectations, they will not suppress it. This is the benefit of interest bundling.

……

A few days later, Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.

Congratulations to Ms. Liu Xixi for officially signing with Sony Music!
clap clap clap...

Zhang Yuan sat in the audience, watching Xixi, who was wearing a dress, shaking hands and smiling with the head of Sony Music.

Today is her eighteenth birthday.

It was also on this day that she became the first Chinese artist to sign a contract with Sony Music's island headquarters.

This is Boss Chen’s packaging strategy.

The youngest student at Beijing Film Academy and the first Chinese singer to sign a contract with Sony Music Japan Headquarters.

First, first, and first!

Our goal has never been to create a popular actress, but to create the number one actress!

There was a signing meeting at Sony in the morning.

Sony booked the entire venue and paid for a day.

Boss Chen took advantage of it like a businessman and held a birthday party and fan meeting for Liu Xixi in the afternoon.

Business people are cunning.

People in later generations said that the godfather spent millions to hold a birthday party for his goddaughter, but in fact, Boss Chen didn't pay a penny for it, he just got it for free.

I spent some time at noon to rearrange the venue, replacing the signing background sign with birthday number balloons, and also put up various stills and life photos.

Zhang Yuan was also one of the guests in the afternoon session, but Liu Qianqian called him several times and dragged him over in the morning.

By the afternoon, the venue was packed with hundreds of fans and reporters, creating a grand occasion.

Boss Chen also prepared Li Xiaoyao's ancient costume for Zhang Yuan, and asked him to go on stage to offer his blessings as Xiaoyao's brother.

Zhang Yuan was speechless. Didn't he know that Zhao Linger died tragically... It was so unlucky to have such a thing happen on her birthday.

But he still cooperated out of courtesy.

As soon as he came on stage, there was constant cheering from the audience.

After all, "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" is extremely popular, so naturally there are many of his fans at the scene.

When he was speaking, Liu Qianqian watched him intently with a sweet smile on her face.

This time, not only Li Xiaoyao is here, Boss Chen also invited Lin Zhiying.

Duan Yu and Wang Yuyan sang Lin Zhiying's famous song "Seventeen Years Old Rainy Season" together.

I even deliberately changed the lyrics to "eighteen years old" just to fit the theme.

After a burst of noise, Liu Xiaoli came on stage and raised a glass of bubbling champagne with her daughter to thank everyone.

After signing, shaking hands and taking photos, this lively ceremony finally ended amidst thunderous cheers.

"Thank you for coming today to support Xixi." After everyone left, Liu Xiaoli ran to the backstage dressing room and greeted him while he was removing his makeup.

"It should."

"You guys chat, I'll go greet the others." Liu Xiaoli glanced at her daughter and saw that she looked impatient, so she made an excuse to leave and gave the two of them some space to talk.

"Thank you!" After seeing her mother leave, Liu Qianqian came up and hugged him excitedly.

"Today is my birthday. It means a lot to me that you can come." Then she let go and said with a serious smile on her face.

"Of course I have to come. Besides, I'm not the only one here to show my support. Brother Xiaozhi also came from Taiwan to celebrate your birthday. He even sang with you."

Liu Qianqian leaned over and whispered, "Brother Xiaozhi, we gave him money."

Zhang Yuan: …

what about me?
I didn’t even get a red envelope, and I still spent thirty on a taxi!

Zhang Yuan now wants to find Liu Xiaoli to ask for clarification.

At least I got my car fare reimbursed!
I'm losing thirty dollars for every trip I make. Is that reasonable?
Isn’t this bullying an honest person?

"You don't have to spend any money, so you came here sincerely for me." Liu Qianqian said, handing him a tulip wine glass.

"You said that you would have your first drink with me when I came of age."

"Didn't you drink with your mother on the stage just now?" Zhang Yuan muttered. I saw it clearly.

"That doesn't count!" Xiao Longnu suddenly pulled his arm and started acting coquettishly.

"The one I drink with you counts as the first one." She tilted her head, pursed her lips, and raised the glass in her hand.

"Row."

Ding dong!

The crisp sound of high-end wine glasses clinking together echoed in their ears, and they both drank it all in one gulp.

"Here's a gift for you." Zhang Yuan took out a large black painting tube from behind him.

"what?"

"Open it and you'll see."

Unscrew the lid, take out the scroll inside, untie the rope and slowly spread it out.

There were a few big words written on the white rice paper.

“The reputation has spread far and wide”

“With effort, success will come naturally”

This is the calligraphy that Mr. Jin left for him before leaving the crew of "The Return of the Condor Heroes".

"I saw that you liked it very much at that time, and now I officially give it to you."

"I hope your work in the island country goes smoothly as written here."

Zhang Yuan knew that going to the island country to release an album was actually just a means of gilding his reputation.

But for Liu Qianqian, this is a brand new challenge, as not everyone can sing and dance like a rap chicken.

Xixi gently ran her fingers over each word, and tears seemed to flash in her eyes.

"Well, this is the most meaningful gift I received today." She raised her head and said softly.

"I'm going to miss you when I get there."

"You talk as if you won't be back. You'll only be gone for a few months, and it'll be a long time before you leave." Zhang Yuan helped her put away the calligraphy and paintings.

"Remember to send me the album when the time comes. I will keep it for myself."

"Hey!" She nodded vigorously, then put her hands on her hips and said, "You have to miss me too!"

"Of course, you can call me when you feel lonely or unhappy."

"I will."

As they talked, they slowly leaned forward until they could truly feel each other's breath and their lips were pressed tightly together.

"Ah!" A few minutes later, Liu Qianqian slapped away Zhang Yuan's dishonest right hand.

Then she stepped back, pouted her lips in dissatisfaction and glared at him.

“It’s my birthday, but I’m not even allowed to eat a peach…” Zhang Yuan murmured.

"Xixi, we are going to the restaurant to eat." At this time, Liu Xiaoli knocked on the door and entered.

"Why is your face so red?"

"I... drank." Liu Qianqian raised the glass in her hand.

"Oh, don't drink if it gets on your face." Liu Xiaoli said.

Zhang Yuan thought to himself that he had indeed grown up and his brain reacted much faster than it had in the previous two years.

Liu Qianqian turned her head and wrinkled her nose at him.

You bad guy, what would I do if my mother saw you doing that just now... When Xiao Longnu thought of this, her face turned even redder.

I went to the private room with the mother and daughter to have dinner.

Finally, she didn't have to drink milk today, so Liu Xixi poured herself a full glass of red wine, which was somewhat like a revenge drink.

However, Zhang Yuan discovered that she had a good alcohol tolerance. Apart from a slightly red cheek, she did not get drunk after drinking half a bottle of red wine, and her mind was still clear.

This is not good news for him.

"It's troublesome if you can't get him drunk." Zhang Yuan stroked his chin, "And my mom is always watching, so it's hard to do it."

He was just planning how to transform from Yang Guo into Yin Zhiping when Liu Xiaoli sat down beside him with a glass of wine in her hand.

"I heard that you've been investing in your own film and television dramas recently?"

"Yes, there is a movie being filmed right now, and I have to rush to the set soon."

"You're so busy, but it's better to be busy." Liu Xiaoli clinked glasses with him and continued, "Your contract with Huayi is quite bold."

"Fortunately."

Seeing that he was still calm when talking about the gambling agreement, Liu Xiaoli couldn't help but rethink it.

That's amazing, what a great attitude.

And his vision is indeed big, and his mind is much more flexible than that of ordinary young actors.

Of course, that tall and thin boy now looks noble.

"Just like Lao Chen said, if he wins, he will become a powerful figure in the Chinese entertainment industry, with a net worth of over 100 million."

"By that time..." Liu Xiaoli thought of her daughter and recalled the night when the crew of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" came to Pearl Beach. She was hiding behind a tree and saw her daughter kissing the other person on her own initiative.

As a mother, she thought that if the time came, even she would have no reason to stop her daughter from being with him.

"Mom, what are you talking about?" Liu Qianqian also came over at this moment.

"We are talking about film and television investment." Zhang Yuan continued: "By the way, if I have other projects in the future, you have to come and help me."

"Yes, of course!" Xiao Longnu agreed readily.

"Don't regret it." Zhang Yuan raised his glass and smiled, while thinking in his mind.

There is no rush now. In half a year, he will really need Liu Qianqian's help... (End of this chapter)