Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 952 Cannot Be Kept

It was more than half an hour later when the car entered the Jiangying Film Studio.

Chen Fan suddenly realized that it would be better to leave half an hour later, avoid the rush hour, and drive faster; he would arrive around the same time anyway.

He muttered to himself as he entered Director Wu's office, but took two steps back as soon as he entered, almost bumping into Jiang Lili and Zhou Yali behind him.

The two women looked at him and asked in unison, "What's wrong?"

Director Wu, who was in the office, looked up, adjusted his glasses, and asked, "Oh, you've finally come. Why don't you come in?"

Chen Fan pointed to the doorplate, then strolled inside and chuckled, "Upgraded?"

Factory Director Wu immediately beamed with joy, “Secretary Kang is a capable administrator. He was transferred to the higher-level department, and everything here had to make way for the reform plan. So he made me the secretary and, incidentally, the factory director, so I can handle everything at once.”

Chen Fan walked to the opposite side of him, pulled out a chair and sat down, and said with a smile, "I think you might as well keep Secretary Kang here. Anyway, he has always supported you. This way you can focus on your business and let him take care of the rear for you."

"Look at you now, with your beard and eyebrows all mixed up, it's like taking up extra space. What if someone gets jealous and wants your beard someday? Will you give it to them or not?"

Factory Director Wu was slightly taken aback, then blinked. "You know what, it really is."

He immediately frowned, "But what's done is done, what should we do?"

Chen Fan chuckled, "What's going on? I don't know. But I have some good news to share with you."

Factory Director Wu glanced at him, then at the two people sitting on the sofa next to him, and his eyes lit up instantly. He smiled at Zhou Yali and asked, "Ms. Zhou, are you here to sign a contract?"

Zhou Yali said with a smile, "I'm ready to purchase the overseas film rights to 'Monk Comes Down the Mountain,' and the funds are also ready. As long as the contract is finalized, the initial payment of $300,000 will be disbursed within three days."

Of course, when the money arrives in your company's account, and whether it's in US dollars or local currency, is none of my concern.

Upon hearing this, Director Wu's lips curled into a smile. He had just chuckled and was about to speak.

At this moment, Zhou Yali suddenly raised her voice and said, "However, there is one condition, and I ask Director Wu to grant it."

Then he suddenly changed the subject and said with a smile, "Oh, now we should call him Secretary Wu."

Factory Director Wu first waved his hand, "No, just call me Factory Director Wu, this is a business matter."

He frowned, glanced at Chen Fan, then looked at her, and asked, "What are the conditions?"

Yesterday, Hong Kong's New Union Film Company contacted him and has already paid the last installment of the box office revenue share.

The total box office revenue was HK$10.2 million. After a 3% share of the profits, the total revenue was HK$306,000. With a base payment of US$20,000, and the current exchange rate of HK$ to US$1, the total revenue was US$80,000.

When this result was reported yesterday, the whole province was jubilant.

This is just Hong Kong. If the predetermined goal is achieved, with Qianfan Company contributing a base amount of US$300,000 plus a 2% share of overseas box office revenue, Jiang Film Studio will undoubtedly catch up with the Provincial Writers Association and become one of the top foreign exchange earners in Jiangnan Province.

When has the Jiangxi Film Studio ever been this glorious?!

Just as they were preparing to set off firecrackers to celebrate, Zhou Yali suddenly said she wanted to make a condition, which startled him so much that his heart jumped into his throat, and he stared at her intently.

Just as Zhou Yali was about to speak, Chen Fan waved his hand, took out a cigarette and tossed it to her, laughing, "Don't listen to her nonsense. The film export is a pre-arranged deal, and there's no going back on it. You just need to arrange for someone to prepare the contract now."

Upon hearing this, Director Wu turned his head sharply to look at him. Seeing Chen Fan nod with a smile, he immediately turned his face back to stare at Zhou Yali.

Zhou Yali smiled helplessly and said, "Alright, since my cousin has finalized the terms on behalf of the company, I can't refuse him. So, Director Wu, please prepare the contract. We can discuss the terms separately."

Upon hearing this, Director Wu immediately beamed with joy, "Good, good, I'll arrange it right away."

He immediately picked up the phone, but before he could dial a number, he put it down again, got up, and ran out.

Chen Fan and his colleagues were sitting in their office when they could still hear voices coming from the corridor: "Director Lao, hurry up and prepare the contract. What contract? The export of the movie 'Monk Comes Down the Mountain' will be handled according to the standards signed with Hong Kong: a base payment of $300,000 and a 2% profit share. Hurry up and don't keep the guests waiting."

This single stone stirred up a thousand ripples, and the voices of others immediately echoed in the corridor.

"Factory director, no, Party secretary, it's settled?"

"What do you mean 'finalized'? How could Director Chen's decision be wrong? Should we say that Director Chen brought his cousin over?"

"Not only my cousin, but also my wife. I saw them through the window just now, two women, both as beautiful as fairies..."

Then came Director Wu, "Hey, hey, hey, keep your voices down, the guests are still sitting in the office, the door isn't even closed."

In the office, Zhou Yali and Jiang Lili were laughing together.

Zhou Yali then asked in a low voice, "Are all workplaces here this fun?"

Jiang Lili covered her mouth, her eyes curving into two crescent moons, and nodded gently. "Most of the time it's like this, but there are also times when we bicker and argue. Overall, it's like a big family. There are laughter and conflicts inside, but when it comes to external relations, we are very united."

Zhou Yali blinked. "That's great."

Chen Fan remained seated beside Director Wu's desk, listening to their conversation, but simply smiled and remained silent.

Under the planned economy system, let alone cultural units, even production units did not face much competitive pressure, especially state-owned enterprises. As long as production was carried out in an orderly manner, monthly wages would be automatically received, and at the end of the year, there would be unchanging welfare items, plus an extra ten yuan bonus.

Without pressure or many surprises, this kind of atmosphere makes work feel like just another day.

In another ten years or so, let alone production units, even public institutions and government departments will not be able to find this kind of atmosphere.

Not long after, Director Wu came running back, followed by a little girl.

The young girl came along to make tea. After brewing three cups of tea, she curiously glanced at the three of them before quietly leaving and closing the door from the outside.

Chen Fan withdrew his gaze and looked at Director Wu. "I haven't seen this young comrade before. She doesn't look very old. Is she newly assigned here this year?"

Factory Director Wu took out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from his drawer, opened it, took out one and handed it to him, smiling, "Yes, you just graduated from vocational school this year and were assigned to the factory. You were put in the office and work under Director Lao."

He picked up the cigarette Chen Fan had given him, lit it, and continued, "Thanks to you, the factory has changed a lot in the past year. There are many more people in each department, but the most are in the actors' troupe. In addition to Lao Yang and his group, we have recruited another twenty or thirty people. Now we are a strong and well-equipped force."

Seeing Director Wu's smug look, Chen Fan nodded with satisfaction, "I see. If that's the case, then it's much easier to discuss."

Upon hearing this, Director Wu was first taken aback, then his heart skipped a beat. Thinking back to what Zhou Yali had just said, he seemed to understand something.

He was about to speak when he choked on a puff of smoke, "cough cough cough cough..." He immediately stood up to catch his breath, then grabbed the large tea mug and gulped down several mouthfuls of cold tea before he could catch his breath.

He then looked at Chen Fan, slowly sat down, and asked seriously, "What do you mean?"

Seeing his reaction, Chen Fan knew he had guessed what he meant, so he chuckled and said, "That's right, it's exactly what you're thinking."

Factory Director Wu's expression changed, and his eyes turned extremely unfriendly. "You wouldn't be like those people who came from Hong Kong a few days ago, trying to take Yang Chenfeng away, would you?"

Chen Fan blinked and asked curiously, "Has someone from Hong Kong come looking for Yang Chenfeng?"

"Humph."

Factory Director Wu took a puff of his cigarette, flicked off the ash, and said irritably, "It's not just people who came, it's several groups. I only saw two groups. Old Yang told me that two other groups came to see them separately. I don't know how they managed to find their way to our door."

Chen Fan laughed and said, "You mentioned last time that 'Monk Comes Down the Mountain' was released in Hong Kong and caused a very enthusiastic response. Hong Kong is a capitalist society where money is everything; whoever has the biggest name will have a successful film."

Comrade Yang is quite famous in Hong Kong now. If he could make a new movie, he could make several million at the box office even with his eyes closed. It's a sure-fire way to make money.

To make money, they'd do anything, even throw money at people if given the chance, let alone approach them directly.

Factory Director Wu sighed, “I know what you’re saying. Ever since the first group of people arrived, I’ve been in contact with Comrade Liao from Hong Kong, and what he said is the same as what you just said.”

Moreover, these people have already bribed them with money.

Chen Fan blinked and asked, "How much did they ask for?"

Upon hearing this, Director Wu couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement and made two hand gestures, "The lowest offer is one million Hong Kong dollars, and the highest is two million. They specifically named Yang Chenfeng."

Chen Fan clicked his tongue and said, "That's not much."

When Leonardo DiCaprio first went to Hong Kong, someone offered him six million Hong Kong dollars to make two movies, which tempted him so much that he probably would have agreed on the spot if he hadn't been forced to.

Yang Chenfeng's current offer is even less than Leonardo DiCaprio's back then.

However, it was already 1982, and the Hong Kong film market had grown considerably. The box office champion of that year, "Aces Go Places," grossed over 26 million, more than double that of this year's "Young Master," and that was in Hong Kong.

This time, they took the initiative to approach us, offering a maximum bid of two million. It seems we didn't lose out?
"Isn't that enough?"

Upon hearing Chen Fan's words, Director Wu immediately said, "Two million Hong Kong dollars is just the salary for one actor; the other production costs are even more unpredictable."

How much does one of our actors get paid? One yuan a day! There's no comparison at all.

Factory Director Wu took another deep drag on his cigarette, waving his hand as he spoke, "I immediately reported this to my superiors, and then people came right away to ask them to leave. What they were doing was blatantly undermining morale; how could we let them do that?"

After saying that, he muttered a couple of things, "I don't know how they let this kind of person in. It's just ridiculous."

After a few seconds, once he had calmed down a bit, Chen Fan said with a smile, "The situations are different, so you can't generalize. For example, in Hong Kong and the United States, two million Hong Kong dollars seems like a lot, but it's actually only four hundred thousand US dollars."

As he spoke, he turned to look at Zhou Yali and asked, "Yali, what's the ceiling for celebrity salaries in the US right now?"

Zhou Yali thought for a moment and said, "I haven't paid attention to recent ones, but I saw a news article last year that said Jane Fonda became the highest-paid actress in 1979 with a salary of $200 million. Male actors earn about twice as much as female actors, so it should be around four or five million dollars."

Chen Fan turned to look at Factory Director Wu, who was staring blankly, unable to speak.

An actor's salary can be four or five million US dollars. Last year, the total export earnings of the entire Jiangnan Province were roughly at that level, right?

Is there really that much of a difference?

Chen Fan tossed away his cigarette butt, tapped the table, and seeing that Director Wu had come to his senses, he smiled and said, "Did you hear that, Comrade Wu? To be honest, if you didn't know, that's one thing, but if you were an actor and knew that someone was willing to spend so much money to hire you, could you remain unmoved?"

Director Wu let out a long breath, turned to look at him, and after several seconds said, "So, Yang Chenfeng, Jiangying Studio can't keep him?"

Chen Fan said seriously, "They were never from Jiangying Studio to begin with, so what's the point of talking about whether we can keep them or not?"

Director Wu took a breath, threw away the cigarette butt in his hand, took out another cigarette, lit it, took several puffs, and then said with a wry smile, "You're right. They weren't originally from Jiangying Film Studio. You just brought them out of Beijing to rest temporarily at Jiangying Film Studio."

The Jiangying Studio was already incredibly generous in keeping them on to film a few movies; they couldn't possibly keep them there indefinitely.

Chen Fan pursed his lips, picked up the cigarette that Director Wu had just handed him, lit it, exhaled a puff of smoke, and said, "It's good that you're mentally prepared for this."

Yang Chenfeng is currently only famous in Hong Kong. Once "Monk Comes Down the Mountain" is released in the United States and Europe, if it also generates a significant response, his salary will not be limited to two million Hong Kong dollars according to market prices. It may even be several hundred thousand US dollars, or even a million US dollars.

If we try to talk about it then, we might even lose all the goodwill we have now. It's best to let go when it's time to let go decisively; that way, we can save face and potentially cooperate in the future.

Director Wu nodded slightly, paused for two seconds, then suddenly looked up at Chen Fan and asked, "You brought dozens of people from Beijing, and about twenty of them are left at Jiangying Factory. They are all highly skilled."

When the previous groups of people came, some suggested inviting other actors to film the movie, but I refused them all. Plus, with Grandpa Yang and the other veteran actors there, no one said anything.

He paused for a moment, leaning forward to look at Chen Fan, "Now that you're saying this, you probably won't leave anyone for me, right?"

Chen Fan looked at him and grinned, "You figured it out?"

Factory Director Wu's lips twitched slightly. "Quite obvious."

Otherwise, why did Zhou Yali already propose preconditions? With such a large contract, wouldn't the preconditions be outrageous? After thinking it over, only this group of people are worth that much money.

Chen Fan then asked curiously, "You said they also considered inviting other people, what price did they offer?"

Factory Director Wu shook his head. "Then it can't be compared to Xiao Yang. The highest salary is Xiao Yang's younger sister, Xiao Xiao Yang. She was only paid HK$200,000. As for the others, some were paid HK$100,000 or HK$200,000, while others were paid HK$30,000 or HK$50,000. In short, none of them were very high."

He paused for a moment as he spoke, wondering when 100,000 or 200,000 Hong Kong dollars no longer seemed like a high amount to him.
Chen Fan laughed and said, "The main character of this movie is Yang Chenfeng. He is the most famous, so it's normal that he gets the highest salary. The others are supporting actors, so it's normal that they get a slightly lower salary."

However, their price is clearly a bargaining tactic. For example, given Mr. Yang's role, even if it wasn't a million Hong Kong dollars, six or eight hundred thousand would have been reasonable.

He paused for a moment, then asked curiously, "How much did they pay Old Master Yang?"

Factory Director Wu's expression suddenly turned somewhat strange. "Hmm, 100,000 yuan. It made the old man so angry that he drank two extra ounces of wine that day and gave Xiao Yang a good beating."

Chen Fan initially tried to suppress his laughter, but as he tried, he realized he couldn't hold it in any longer and burst into laughter along with the two people next to him who were already laughing.

Upon seeing this, Director Wu couldn't help but raise his head and burst into laughter.

(End of this chapter)