money player

Gao Dai nestled into Xian Yaowen's arms. "Adam, I plan to leave Hollywood the day after tomorrow."

"Why are you so anxious?"

"I don't know why, I just want to get away from here as soon as possible."

"What are your plans? Fly directly to London?"

Gao Dai smiled slyly, "You can also fly directly to Hong Kong, but it depends on your performance and your itinerary."

"You can rest assured about my performance, but the project plan won't be ready so soon."

"Then I can only wait for your news in London."

"You originally said you wanted to go to Paris."

"Paris is where I plan to stay for a long time, but I intend to stay in London for a few days first."

"You probably know that I have a lover in Paris."

"Daniel Deliho?"

"Hmm, I also have a lover in London, you two can be friends."

Gao Dai chuckled. "So, you've already accepted that I'm your lover?"

"Judy, my lover in London, my relationship with her was more of a partnership based on mutual interests."

"I understand, you want me to become that kind of lover too."

"Yes."

"What if I want to go further?"

"You will not."

Gao Dai said coquettishly, "Maybe."

Xian Yaowen cupped Gao Dai's shapely buttocks with one hand, lifted her up, and then covered her mouth with a few hard kisses. "If... we'll talk about it when it comes true."

Gao Dai smacked her lips and returned the kiss with two quick kisses. "Adam, your lips are so sweet."

"I had crème brûlée for lunch, two servings."

"what."

Gao Dai laughed as she got off Xian Yaowen, took his hand, and walked outside. Instead of joining the others, she led him to an outdoor table and sat him down.

Lighting a cigarette, Gao Dai pointed to the house, "I won't be coming here much in the future. I plan to rent it out and sell the wine in the cellar."

"You can sell me the wine."

“I’ll give you a discount. This is what Charlie gave me when we got divorced.”

Charlie is very generous.

Goddard gestured towards Una, "eager to be with her," and then towards Joan Barry, "and her scandal."

"I heard something."

Looking into Sin Yiu-man's eyes, Gao Dai said, "Burgess and I had a child, but I miscarried. That was my only pregnancy, and I really want a child."

"So, you weren't attracted to my charm, but to my healthy physique?"

Gao Dai nodded. "Part of the reason is that you are young and strong, making it easier for me to get pregnant."

“You don’t deserve it.” Sin Yiu-man pointed at the cigarette in Gao Dai’s hand. “I used to smoke cigars, but I gave them up temporarily to prepare for pregnancy. I believe that having a child is a very sacred thing. Only when you are fully prepared will you consider having a child. You have obviously never been prepared.”

Gao Dai raised the cigarette in her hand. "I can quit for the sake of the child."

"Do it first, then talk about it."

“Okay.” Gao Dai stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray. “Do you have children?”

"He will be born before the first Christmas."

"Great, have you decided on a name yet?"

"Only nicknames were prepared; both the boy and the girl will use Aryeh, which is abbreviated as Ari."

"What do you mean?"

"lion."

"It's a bit strange for a girl to use 'Lion' as a nickname."

"Actually, there's nothing strange about it; it's quite normal among Jews. Have you reconciled with your father?"

"You saw the news from a few years ago?"

"Hmm, I'm more interested in your news."

Gao Dai frowned. "No, the only connection I have with him is the $35 I receive each week for living expenses."

"I don't know who my father is, I only know that he is Jewish."

Gao Dai paused for a moment, then asked, "Could I have a small share of 'Roman Holiday'?"

"It's difficult. It's a project that everyone is optimistic about, unless you offer a premium."

"How much of a premium?"

"At least 50%."

After a moment's thought, Gao Dai asked, "Can I enjoy all the profits?"

"Baolian, you have a very rich imagination."

"Before the box office results are in, who knows whether we'll make a profit or a loss?"

"If everyone is optimistic about it, it won't lose money."

In 1951, the investment in publicity and distribution was crucial for a film to achieve high box office returns. Because there was no social media, word-of-mouth from fans had a very limited effect. Only when the producers and distributors were optimistic about the film would they be willing to spend a lot of money on publicity and distribution.

At that time, entertainment options were not as plentiful as in later generations, and audiences were relatively more tolerant of film content. Unless it was absolutely terrible or challenged their values, few people would give it a bad review; they would only comment that it wasn't as good as they had imagined.

Therefore, the impact of film quality and word-of-mouth is more reflected in audiences watching the film two or three times, which generates extremely high box office revenue, while profitability only requires attracting enough audiences to buy tickets with a relatively low investment.

The fact that everyone is optimistic about it means that the film's quality is at least above average and there is no possibility of it falling apart. It also means that the marketing and distribution are guaranteed. Basically, such a film can make a profit just from box office revenue. Television/radio licensing, home entertainment distribution, merchandise and copyrights, re-releases and restored versions are all steady streams of income.

"Okay, how should the budget be arranged?"

"The production cost is approximately $150 million, and the marketing and distribution cost is tentatively set at $50, with the possibility of increasing investment later depending on the situation."

"Is the marketing and distribution budget such a high percentage?"

"The main reason is that the marketing budget in Europe is high, and I am very optimistic about the box office performance in Europe."

“I will invest $15, and my company’s name will be included in the co-production and distribution.”

"Monterey?"

"No, I'm going to register a new company, and I will use the name of this new company to cooperate with you on projects in Hong Kong."

“No problem.” Xian Yaowen nodded slightly. “Will the new company be named after you?”

"Maybe."

After discussing serious matters, the two chatted about some trivial topics. When it was almost time, they joined Chaplin and his group. Gao Dai, as the hostess, took charge of greeting them, while Xian Yaowen and Sun Shuying chatted alone, not getting involved in Chaplin's muddled affairs.

"These women all had relationships with Chaplin?"

"Deborah Cole probably isn't. She has a good reputation. She's only been involved in one scandal in the newspapers, which was before the movie's release and her affair with the male lead—a publicity stunt."

"She is very pretty."

"It is very beautiful; it can be called an English rose."

“I mean Pauline Goddard.”

"She's very beautiful too."

"You have a relationship with her?"

"It will be available soon."

"My poor mother, I would never marry a philandering man."

"It's a bit difficult. Men are naturally lustful. There are only three types of men who are not lustful: the first is those who are rare and have a strong desire for love; the second is those who are not physically capable of being lustful; and the third is those who are too poor to be able to be lustful."

The third scenario is the most common: Men, the greater their ability, the greater their lust; or perhaps this shouldn't be limited to men, but applies to women as well.

Xian Yaowen looked at Sun Shuying with a half-smile, "When you see a handsome man, do you feel your heart flutter? If you were Wu Zetian, would you only stay with one man for the rest of your life?"

“Your assumption will not hold true.” Sun Shuying turned her face toward the sunset and murmured, “I cannot decide how I am born or how I die, but I can decide how I love, how I live, to grow old with one person, and to choose one city to live out my days. This is my view on love.”

"Don't quote Xiao Hong, it's bad luck." Xian Yaowen patted Sun Shuying's shoulder. "The things you're in charge of will create great value in the future. I'm not a stingy person, you will get what you deserve, a lot, more than you can imagine now."

Baoshu is preparing a dowry for you, a lot of it, more than most families could afford.

Throughout history, many cultural practices have been passed down, most of which have both advantages and disadvantages. Only the principle of "marrying someone of equal social standing" is absolutely correct. Marrying someone of higher or lower social standing can easily lead to problems. Only people with similar circumstances can easily find common ground and resonate with each other.

Think about it carefully, what kind of people are considered your equals in terms of social standing?

Sun Shuying shook her head. "I can't think of anything."

“You have a generous dowry and a promising career. The only person who can match you is an elite. Their abilities can’t be lacking. The greater their abilities, the greater their lust.” Xian Yaowen patted Sun Shuying’s shoulder again. “Don’t be too obsessed with love.”

Sun Shuying looked at Xian Yaowen's face suspiciously, "You seem happy to see this happen."

Xian Yaowen smiled faintly, "You can think of it in a more sinister way. You and Shucheng are both tools I use for political marriages. However, I won't force you into marriage. Instead, I'll make you capable and help you choose your spouses..."

"Only what you need are left?"

"That's pretty much what it means."

Sun Shuying chuckled and said, "You're so wicked."

"This is an open strategy, you don't mind it, do you?"

Sun Shuying shook her head, "Your scheme is too clever for me to resist."

Sin Yiu-man put his arm around Sun Shu-ying's arm and said, "The Sun family has been declining, but it can still guarantee that you will be a young lady of high society. When you come to Hong Kong, Bao-shu can protect you from the wind and rain and provide you with a better life."

What Baoshu gives you is all from me. I'm willing to give it and I don't mind, but I can't guarantee I'll keep giving. In a few years, when my son is in charge, his thoughts won't be the same as mine. To him, who are you?

Why should the Xian family support someone from another family?

I foresaw this problem, so I'm going to help you build the ability to be both dependent and independent, so that you'll have the resources to either continue relying on the Xian family or start your own business in the future.

Furthermore, in my opinion, both external and internal factors are unfavorable to the Sun family. Their complete downfall is only a matter of time, probably within the next couple of years. As the second and eldest sisters, you and Shucheng need to take responsibility. Don't wait until it's time for you to shoulder the burden and then just cry and be unable to do anything.

"Has something changed on the mainland?"

"Things are changing." Xian Yaowen put his arm around Sun Shuying and walked forward. "How is Shucheng now?"

"It's great, I'm quite happy running this coffee shop."

“A few days ago, I had her dig up a batch of treasures that Nazi officers had embezzled from Jews, including famous watches, paintings and gold. She painted one for you and one for her, and the rest will be sold off.”

"Where did you get the information about the treasure?"

"It's not exactly a treasure trove, worth at most $100 million. The information wasn't obtained, it was deduced. Do you know Coco Chanel?"

"How could I not know?"

“You know I’m in the clothing business, and she could very well become my competitor. I spent some time studying her and found direct evidence of Nazi officers embezzling funds back then.”

For every one person who embezzles, countless others will follow. Some officers were transferred to the Eastern Front after only a short stay in France; their treasures certainly wouldn't have had time to be properly stored. Following the clues, we're bound to find something.

"Only one place was found?"

“Hmm.” Sin Yiu-man nodded. “I didn’t look for it very carefully.”

"Now that you've made a discovery, why not look for it more carefully?"

Whether I can find it or not depends on luck. I'm not very interested in such vague things. If I have time in the future, I can spend some time looking for it, just as a leisure activity.

"Oh."

The two walked out of the house and onto the road outside.

"Aren't you tired from running around like this?"

Sun Shuying shook her head, "No, I don't need to rush. I have time to appreciate the scenery of different places, which is quite nice."

"Cherish this time. Once you have more work, this leisurely mood will disappear. You will be so busy that you won't have time to appreciate the scenery."

"I can decide my own work arrangements?"

"of course."

“I can make myself less busy,” Sun Shuying said with a sly smile.

Sin Yiu-man smiled faintly, “That’s not up to you. If you want your subordinates to work hard, you have to share the results with them. People, after eating five grains, think about six more. When they have greater interests to pursue, they will push you forward. You simply can’t slack off.”

"Does 'sharing the results' mean commissions and profit sharing?"

"Ah."

Sun Shuying thought for a moment and said, "I think it's okay not to give them anything. Right now, the company's employees only have salaries, and they are quite serious about their work."

"You're being a bit naive. The parrots are only going out and not coming in right now. The employees see this and are satisfied as long as they can get their wages smoothly, because their labor hasn't created any real benefits."

Once the company becomes profitable, things will be different. The value of the employees' labor will increase accordingly, making it inevitable to raise their salaries and benefits. The truly talented employees will deserve even better treatment, including commissions, profit sharing, and even stock options.

"I haven't heard of any companies in Shanghai that offer high salaries and benefits to ordinary employees. I have heard of companies that give bonuses to senior staff, like Nanyang Brothers Tobacco, while Rong's only gives double pay at the end of the year."

Sun Shuying thought for a moment and added, "And there's Yong'an Department Store, which only provides dormitories and clinics for its employees, but no bonuses. These three are all large enterprises in Shanghai, and their benefits are considered good. The benefits of other small enterprises would only be worse."

Xian Yaowen glanced at Sun Shuying and said, "You look like a nice person with delicate features, but I never expected you to be so vicious."

"You're so annoying," Sun Shuying said coquettishly, "Don't attack me personally."

“Okay, okay, no attack.” Sin Yiu-man waved his hand and said slowly, “Speaking of entrepreneurs in the mainland, they only appeared briefly in the late Qing Dynasty. Merchant groups such as Shanxi merchants and Anhui merchants had silver shares and equity shares. Everyone worked together to do a good job in business. Everyone got a share of the profits. They had both the benevolence of the East and the idea of ​​the shareholding system of the West.”

During the Republic of China era, the "Regulations on Verification of Contracts" promulgated in 1914 promoted the transfer of land rights. The land consolidation in rural areas became more intense than in the late Qing Dynasty, and the number of landless farmers increased. Regardless of whether it was in the south or the north, a large number of farmers could not survive in the countryside and had to go to the cities to make a living.

During that period, a large number of farmers flocked to Shanghai. Their demands were very low; they only wanted to have something to eat.

During the same period, World War I broke out, and China was fortunate to encounter a good opportunity to develop its industry. Landlords and compradors with some knowledge recalled their children who had studied abroad, and factories sprang up one after another.

In Shanghai alone, on one hand, there were European orders that prioritized speed over price, and on the other hand, there were displaced farmers struggling to make ends meet. High profits and low costs meant that anyone who knew a few words of foreign language and could communicate with foreign firms was guaranteed business. Starting a business was relatively easy at that time, and most of the so-called entrepreneurs emerged during that period.

After World War I, descendants of Huizhou merchants and Shanxi merchants' banking families transferred their commercial capital to land, further intensifying land consolidation in Shanxi and Anhui.

Without European orders, some factories faced closure. The landlord's son sent his profits back to the countryside to buy more land, turning the landlord into a large landowner and creating more landless peasants.

As the old landlords grew stronger, new landlords emerged. Zhang Zuolin owned 150 million mu of land in Northeast China, the Rong family of Wuxi you mentioned purchased more than 3 mu of land, and Nankai University owned 1.2 mu of school land.

What do they intend to do with the land they have occupied or bought?

"Growing grain and distributing it free of charge to starving people, an act of helping the needy and needy?"

Sin Yiu-man took a sip of wine to moisten his throat and continued, "In 1929, the phenomenon of 'absent landlords' emerged in the Yangtze River Delta. This meant that landlords did not live or cultivate land in the countryside, but instead lived in towns and cities and earned income by collecting land rent."

In Nantong, Jiangsu, "corporatized land" emerged, with the reclamation and animal husbandry company affiliated with Dasheng Group, founded by Zhang Jian, acquiring a large amount of land.

In the same year, the "second landlord" class in Guangdong expanded, with the scale of subletting increasing by 40%; landlords accounted for 72% of township heads in Zhejiang, and these township heads were landlords who owned between 50 and 200 mu of land; and new gentry landlords emerged under the warlord defense zone system in Sichuan.

In 1933, research data from the Central Agricultural Experiment Station showed that only 61% of tenant farmers were self-sufficient in grain, and the rest of the tenants had to borrow grain to survive the famine.

Then came the War of Resistance against Japan, which displaced countless farmers. The farmers only hoped to avoid living in the occupied areas and to survive.

Taking Chongqing as an example, during the War of Resistance Against Japan, the contracting system was popular. Factories did not directly employ workers, but were indirectly managed through contractors, forming a three-tiered employment chain of 'factory, contractor, worker', or it could be described as an exploitation chain.

In theory, the foreman receives the total wages from the factory, and then keeps a cut at each level, usually taking 30%-50%, and in the case of the Shancheng Arsenal, it even reached 60%, with the remainder being the workers' actual wages.

Workers looking for jobs need to pay the contractor a referral fee, which is usually equivalent to one to three months' wages.

If a worker is injured on the job, the factory may refuse compensation on the grounds that the worker was not directly employed.

Sin Yiu-man chuckled sarcastically, “That’s just in theory. In reality, the contractors or factory owners’ cronies, or gang members, are backed by powerful figures from the Nationalist government. In any case, the factory owner can get a certain kickback, which means achieving low labor costs.”

The contracting system declined after the end of the War of Resistance against Japan, and the deposit system became popular. Taking Shanghai as an example, workers had to pay a deposit to the factory when they joined the company. The deposit was usually equivalent to three months' wages. In theory, it would be refunded when they left the company, but in reality, very few workers could get their deposits back.

According to Shanghai court records from 1948, workers lost every single case involving deposit disputes.

According to information I obtained from members of the Green Gang, starting in 1946, some people were specializing in deposit loans. Workers would borrow money from loan sharks to pay deposits, and then some people in the factory would cooperate with loan sharks to withhold or delay the payment of workers' wages. Workers could not repay the loan sharks' interest on time, and the interest would snowball, with most of the workers' income going to loan sharks, trapping them in a cycle of debt.

Because they are burdened with debt and would have their deposits forfeited if they resigned, workers effectively lose their mobility. Even if they find higher-paying jobs, they have no opportunity to switch jobs, allowing factories to maintain low labor costs.

Looking at the setting sun, Sin Yiu-man sighed and said, "During the entire Republican era, there was only one person in the mainland who could be considered an entrepreneur, namely Lu Zuofu. Minsheng Shipping Company implemented an employee stock ownership plan in 1933, but it was discontinued in 1946 due to inflation. Therefore, he can only be considered half an entrepreneur."

"I don't know a lot of the information you're talking about. Where did you get it from?"

“Three of a kind, a pong, an eight of a kind, a kong.” Xian Yaowen said with a smile, “While you were playing cards in Taipei, I was running around collecting information from various channels. The information I just quoted can be obtained by buying a few packs of cigarettes if you find the right person. It’s not worth anything.”

Sun Shuying chuckled, "I was also working when I was in Taipei."

“I know.” Xian Yaowen nodded and patted Sun Shuying’s shoulder. “In the 18th century, the Industrial Revolution broke out and industry developed rapidly, but the interests of workers were never guaranteed. As a result, the workers’ movement intensified.”

In 1883, in order to maintain social stability and stabilize industrial development, the Bismarck government in Germany successively introduced the Sickness Insurance Law, the Work Injury Insurance Law, and the Old Age and Disability Insurance Law, which mandated that the state, enterprises, and workers jointly contribute to pay social insurance for workers. Thus, the world's first modern social security system was established.

This is also the first nationwide institutional benefit that the workers have fought for, guaranteed by national legislation.

However, although the workers' movement was key to fighting for workers' rights, the main purpose of establishing the social security system in Germany at that time was not to alleviate workers' struggles, but because the more workers' interests were protected, the more people would be willing to become workers.

At that time, German farmers transformed into workers faster than farmers in other countries, making Germany's industrialization, modernization, and urbanization processes faster and more productive than those of its neighbors, which further propelled Germany to become the leading power in continental Europe at that time.

In 1935, during the New Deal, the United States introduced the Social Security Act to combat the Great Depression, provide basic security for the unemployed, and encourage those still employed to spend.

In Britain, the Elizabethan Poor Act was enacted in the 17th century, followed by the National Insurance Act in 1911, the Beveridge Report in 1940, the National Insurance Act again in 1946, and the National Relief Act in 1948. In the same year, the National Health Service was established, making universal free healthcare a core part of social security, thus establishing a modern social security system.

After a pause, Xian Yaowen continued, "In 1943, the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region was in dire financial straits due to the Japanese army's mopping-up operations and the Nationalist government's blockade over the past two years. Public factories were inefficient, and some workers felt that it didn't matter how much they worked or how little they worked. The productivity was only 60% of that in the Nationalist-controlled areas."

In order to motivate workers, the Border Region Government issued the "Instructions on Wage Standards and Profit-Sharing Methods for State-Owned Factories" in 1943, and piloted a profit-sharing system.

The surplus from exceeding the planned output was distributed as dividends, with 30% to 50% allocated to workers collectively, 30% to the factory's reserve fund, and 20% to the border region government.

In the same year, farmers in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region enjoyed a unified progressive tax system. Families with able-bodied laborers had high harvests, and they only needed to pay 35% of their output as tax annually, generally only 12%.

Sin Yiu-man exhaled a breath of stale air. "In fact, in 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, their defeat was inevitable. All the anti-Japanese forces knew this. From that time on, on the surface they were still actively resisting the Japanese, but in their hearts they were already plotting something."

He waved his hand, "We've gone off on a tangent, let's not talk about that. The five Nordic countries—Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Iceland—started their social security systems a little later, but they've made great strides, and the distribution is relatively even, with the wealth gap not being too large. Among them, Sweden has done the best, and the Social Democratic Party has a good chance of realizing their slogan of a high-welfare state."

You can wait and see for a few years. If Sweden's high welfare system performs well, you can choose the right time to immigrate there.

Sun Shuying glanced at Xian Yaowen sideways and said, "I can support myself, I don't need to take advantage of this."

Xian Yaowen chuckled, “We should take advantage of what we can. Sweden’s corporate tax rate is second only to the UK and West Germany. They don’t know how to take it all. I’m going to Sweden in a few days to do some business there. I should find a way to get some of the taxes I have to pay back.”

"You should get multiple citizenships. Wherever my business goes, your social security will be registered there. When you get old, you'll have seven or eight pension payments to collect. Even if you gamble away all your wealth, you won't have to worry."

"Please help me out! I'm a master at cards, how could I possibly lose!" Sun Shuying glared at Xian Yaowen. "Do you think I'm some kind of fool?"

Sin Yiu-man gave a thumbs up, "You're really awesome, I'm impressed."

Sun Shuying chuckled.

Sin Yiu-man glanced at the crowd and said, "It's about time to go back. I'll finish what I need to say quickly."

He took another sip of wine and said slowly, "In the Soviet Union, in 1917, Lenin signed the 'Workers' Insurance Decree,' which declared that the state would be responsible for workers' medical care, work-related injuries, and unemployment benefits."

In 1922, the Soviet Union was formally established, and its social security system initially covered workers and civil servants, but farmers basically did not enjoy it.

In 1929, Stalin abolished the New Economic Policy and shifted to a planned economy, and the social security system began to be fully nationalized.

The 1936 Constitution established universal social security, stipulating that citizens enjoy rights such as free medical care, pensions, disability allowances, and paid leave; they were formally included as members of collective farms, but their actual treatment was lower than that of urban workers.

In 1947, the pension system was restored and expanded to cover more occupational groups.

The Marshall Plan had an additional clause requiring recipient countries, namely Italy and France, to establish social security systems to combat communism.

Looking at communist parties around the world, they share a common thread: their so-called revolutionary struggle programs all include a strategy of inciting the working class to strike. This was a successful experience of the Soviet Revolution, and others were eager to imitate and learn from it.

Xian Yaowen chuckled lightly, "What conclusion can you draw by piecing together what I've said?"

Sun Shuying fell into deep thought.

After a long silence, she said, "The social security system will become a tool in the struggle between the socialist and capitalist camps."

"The word 'tool' is not quite right; 'stage' would be more appropriate. The effective implementation of the social security system can, to some extent, prove the superiority of the social system."

In the future, the world as a whole will generally move in the direction of treating workers better, workers' treatment will become more and more secure, and the proportion of output value distribution will become higher and higher.

For us, it is unwise to treat employees poorly. Although it seems good that we can hire people without paying them high salaries and that the company can maintain low labor costs, we can only raise employee salaries when we have no choice but to do so.

However, everything has inertia, and business operations are no exception. Once accustomed to low-labor-cost operations, it's impossible to switch to high-labor-cost operations overnight.

Xian Yaowen pointed to Sun Shuying's shirt, "For example, if the cost of this shirt is $1, in order to pursue high sales volume, your pricing will be infinitely close to your bottom line price, or what you consider the break-even price."

In this way, the profit margin, customer positioning, and brand positioning are basically finalized.

One day, the cost of a shirt becomes $1.5, or even $2. How would you adjust your sales strategy? If you raise the price, will customers accept it?

Sin Yiu-man clapped his hands. "Alright, I've only told you about the overall situation. Employee compensation involves many aspects, which I won't discuss today. Leave that for you to think about yourself, and we'll talk about it in detail next time. Let's go back." (End of Chapter)