Actor: Thank you.

At the dinner party, people talk nonsense while drinking and talk about food while eating meat.

Zhang Yuan knew that these people were implying something, but he kept quiet.

The current situation is that he knows Ye Weiming wants to see him about something.

Ye Weiming also knew that he knew that Ye Weiming had come to see him for something.

Neither of them spoke.

According to negotiation theory, whoever speaks first is the one who gets anxious.

Just like buying something, whoever calls out to the other first has to give way; this is a basic principle that most people understand.

So Zhang Yuan wasn't in a hurry at all.

He decided that as long as the other party didn't say anything, he would pretend to be stupid.

I'll just eat your food for free and see who gets angry.

Therefore, mindset is very important when navigating society.

As long as you have a good attitude, no one can do anything to you.

Anyway, I'm not paying the bill, I'll just eat and drink.

Seeing that he had such a good appetite, the Hong Kongers were quite helpless.

Sure enough, he's a tough nut to crack!

We deliberately formed cliques, and none of his friends or acquaintances were present, just to put a little pressure on him.

But they didn't take it seriously at all.

They believed that with their superior numbers, Zhang Yuan would be at a psychological disadvantage.

But this was exactly what Zhang Yuan saw as a weakness!

Because this is not the capital, not his territory.

But you only dare to come to me when you form cliques.

And I'm an actor, while you're directors, yet you're all so wary.

That means you're feeling guilty!

If you're already feeling guilty, what am I afraid of?

This is called trying to outsmart someone and making things worse.

Trying to boost my energy only made me weaker.

They just kept going like that until someone arrived, which made Zhang Yuan feel that it was time to get down to business.

"Director Chen, it's been a long time."

Chen Kexin is present!
He is a producer, but he has his own company and other projects to oversee, so he is not on set every day.

Directors Chen Desheng and Ye Weiming invited him over today.

Zhang Yuan took the initiative to stand up and shake hands to greet him.

The others exchanged glances and began to adjust their positions.

In the end, Chen Kexin was seated in the middle, with Zhang Yuan, Chen Deseng, and Ye Weiming on either side.

They did work together on the blockbuster film "The Warlords," so they have a connection.

Zhang Yuan immediately understood that Chen Kexin was the "troublemaker" for today.

"Bai shi" is a term used in the old capital city of Beijing, meaning to settle or resolve a matter.

In the old days, if any problems arose on the streets, a respected (rogue) person would be called out to mediate and help both parties resolve the issue.

Chen Kexin is a suitable candidate for this position because he is familiar with both sides and has sufficient industry standing.

After sitting down and having only had a couple of drinks, Chen Kexin started talking about the movie with a look of astonishment on her face.

"I heard your film was delayed?"

"postpone?"

"No, it's that the screening period has been extended."

"Yes." Only then did he understand; he was referring to "Fast & Furious 4".

Not only Chen Kexin, but directors and industry professionals all over the country also regarded this film as a spectacle.

Because typically, 50% or even 70% of a movie's box office revenue is concentrated in its first week of release.

The box office figures for the first three days are the most important.

Especially for movies featuring celebrities, fans who are drawn to the film will rush to see it immediately.

Just like in the early days when Apple fans would queue overnight to buy an iPhone.

True fans are crazy.

Zhang Yuan has amassed a loyal following over the years, dating back to the era of "Chinese Paladin 1" and "The Return of the Condor Heroes".

These people contributed tens of millions of dollars to the box office after the release of "Fast & Furious 4".

This is all normal.

But what the industry had never seen before was that a film's box office curve gradually declined after the first week, but suddenly rose again in the fourth week!

Originally expected to gross 8000 to 9000 million yuan, the box office has now been raised to 1.5 million yuan!
No one could understand it, and even the theaters were dumbfounded.

How come the theaters were suddenly packed after the film had been playing for several weeks?
But it's a fool not to make money. I don't care about your reasoning. Let's get the filming going first!
This resulted in a strange curve where both screenings and box office revenue increased.

This attracted major film and television companies from all over the country to come and learn from it.

Chen Kexin also has her own company and attends classes.

It wasn't complicated, and everyone quickly figured it out.

idiot!

It was caused by that idiot.

They dare to ban our artists just for promoting the Nanjing Massacre?

It caused a huge uproar online in less than a week.

It's unlikely that many people will genuinely support his film because of this.

Most of them just shout slogans.

Most people only learned about the movie "Fast & Furious 4" through this incident.

The key is to let everyone know.

The so-called publicity and distribution means to widely publicize the message while accurately targeting the customer base.

With a population of over 13 billion, China has a massive audience.

When entering a movie theater, viewers instinctively choose films they have heard of.

If I'm interested, I'll try it.

The increased number of people trying it, especially the difficulty in buying tickets on weekends, has exacerbated this situation.

If everyone's scrambling for tickets, then it must be something really good!

In addition, the Fast and Furious franchise itself is of good quality; it's a standard Hollywood blockbuster.

Popularity and reputation followed.

Many film and television companies and industry peers have now realized this.

Everyone talks about the internet age, the internet age.

But in our industry, the ones who truly understand how to navigate the internet age are young people like Zhang Yuan.

In the internet age, most traditional Chinese food critics are already doing well if they don't embarrass themselves or expose their true nature.

Chen Kexin was also surprised that he dared to do such a thing.

After all, being targeted by an island nation is not a glorious thing.

But he turned it into something glorious.

When his friends talked about this with him, they all said that Zhang Yuan was lucky to have caught this opportunity.

Chen Kexin, however, said it wasn't luck.

Because he understands the other person.

And if it was just luck, how do you explain the fact that the film's release was extended before the box office suddenly surged?

Obviously, he had been prepared!
This is called achieving both fame and fortune.

So when Chen Kexin received Ye Weiming's call, asking him to come and help her with something, she also had a headache.

He's not even afraid of islanders, so he might not listen to me.

But it finally came.

Yip Wai-ming is ultimately a member of the Hong Kong entertainment circle, and also his friend.

Secondly, it was also for the sake of the movie "Bodyguards and Assassins".

Let's not get into the details. With such serious issues involving the lead actor and assistant director, the project is bound to be affected.

So after much hesitation, Chen Kexin finally came.

"congratulations!"

"The box office was a huge success, so you made a lot of money too."

"It's alright, just a tiny bit," Zhang Yuan replied reassuringly.

Making money is certainly good, but it's not just about making money from box office revenue.

The main thing is to let Universal know that I still have a lot of influence in the Asian region, which is my own territory.

“Whether you earn a lot or a little, it’s all the same. As long as you make money, it’s a good thing,” Chen Kexin said, glancing at Ye Weiming again.

"Well, I recently heard something."

"You have a conflict with a film and television company in Wuhan?"

"They even went to court?"

Zhang Yuan pursed his lips, waiting for you to say that!
"Oh, you knew about this?"

“I just heard that because of this matter…” He raised his hand and put his arm on Ye Weiming’s shoulder: “Weiming is also involved.”

"The show that you're having controversy about is the one he's making."

"Ah!" Zhang Yuan almost jumped up from his chair.

Chen Kexin almost covered her ears after hearing that scream.

Chen Desheng watched from the side. His expression, demeanor, temperament, and voice were all impeccable.

As expected of the male lead, his acting was so realistic...

How could you not know?
But it wasn't easy to expose him, so I had no choice but to follow his lead.

None of them realized that despite the large number of people, Zhang Yuan had completely seized control.

"This isn't like the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple; it's like family members not recognizing each other anymore!"

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry."

"I'll drink!"

He feigned deep regret and drank a glass with Ye Weiming.

"This is so bad. If I had known, I would have just told Director Ye directly."

“It’s okay, it’s the same whether we talk about it today,” Chen Kexin quickly replied.

"Everyone is here now, and we get along well. We're also colleagues in the same production crew."

"Why don't we be open and honest about it?"

"I don't think it's necessary to go to court; it's not a good look to end up in court."

"Why don't we discuss everyone's thoughts privately?"

"If possible, let's settle this over drinks today."

"Of course, of course..." Zhang Yuan nodded repeatedly, appearing very compliant.

"Weiming, you go first," Chen Kexin said, giving him the initiative.

"I've spoken with the owner of Wuhan Huaqi."

"Actually, this film was originally the idea of ​​Manfred Wong and me, and we wrote a preliminary script."

"Then, during dinner, someone introduced me to an investor."

"This collaboration came about because it was their first time investing in film and television."

Manfred Wong was the previous chairman of the Hong Kong Film Awards and is quite famous in the industry.

When Yip Wai-ming and Manfred Wong came to China to film a few years ago, they discovered the grand scene of the Spring Festival travel rush.

For the people of Hong Kong, this scene was incredibly impressive.

The migration of hundreds of millions of people within a month is a tremendous shock to people in any country or region of the world.

This behavior embodies the fundamental logic of the Chinese nation's concept of family, country, and the world, and is a miracle of life, much like the Great Migration on the African savanna.

Ye Weiming recounted his personal journey, expressing how difficult it was for him to understand, and how deeply moved he was by mainland culture, which led to this creative idea.

He spoke eloquently and logically, as if an artist had suddenly had a rare and precious inspiration.

But Zhang Yuan silenced him with just one sentence.

"Director Ye, have you seen the movie 'Airplane, Train, Car'?"

Forget about creativity and ideals, just tell me about plagiarism.

I'm listening to your utter nonsense.

"Well..."

"It's good that you've seen it." Zhang Yuan didn't wait for his reply and tacitly agreed when he saw him hesitate.

"We are all legitimate film and television professionals, and we should understand the importance of copyright."

As the saying goes, every country has its laws, and every profession has its rules.

"Huaqi Films is so rude!"

He deliberately only criticized the company and didn't mention Ye Weiming.

"This is a desecration of copyright!" Zhang Yuan exclaimed indignantly.

"Coincidentally, Sohu is currently organizing its nationwide platforms to combat piracy and promote the standardization of film and television copyrights."

"I strongly support Sohu and we should crack down on companies that steal copyrights!"

"Otherwise, it would be the greatest insult to those of us who pay money to buy copyrights."

"Isn't this bullying honest people?!"

Zhang Yuan waved his arms and shouted!

His words made Chen Kexin's heart pound.

The Sohu incident, in particular, is widely known and has recently stirred up a nationwide storm.

If this matter were to merge with the Sohu incident, what would become of us?
Chen Kexin stole a glance at him, then remembered that Zhang Yuan had managed to turn even being blacklisted by the island nation into a situation that was advantageous to him.

They have the legal grounds to do this; if it falls into their hands, it'll become national headline news!
Regardless of what others say, he absolutely has the ability.

That's not all. Zhang Yuan is using Sohu's name to his advantage, and he's going even further.

"This copyright is part of my collaboration with Paramount."

"A small domestic company, venturing into the film and television industry for the first time, dares to disrupt international film and television cooperation!"

"This matter cannot be tolerated; it's too serious."

"This is damaging the image of our country's film and television industry."

"I must report this to the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and let them make the decision."

"Yo yo yo..." Chen Desheng quickly stopped him.

Don't cause any more trouble in Heaven, or we'll attract the Buddha of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television again, and then none of us will get to eat the peaches of immortality.

"It's not that big of a deal."

"They're all friends, let's handle this internally..." Chen Kexin quickly reassured him, knowing that this kid was about to get worked up.

"Weiming, stop talking nonsense and let's talk about how to solve this."

Chen Kexin blinked, "They're not buying my emotional appeal. Let's get down to business."

"The investors at Huaqi told me they're willing to pay for the copyright. What do you think?"

“Great, 300 million US dollars.” Zhang Yuan immediately increased the amount tenfold.

Ye Weiming was so startled he almost dropped his glasses.

300 million US dollars is more than 2000 million Chinese yuan.

My filmmaking budget is only a few million...

"I can't lose money, can I?" Zhang Yuan said, acting like a complete scoundrel.

"But this is too expensive."

"They thought they could buy it for 100 million..."

Before the other person could finish speaking, Zhang Yuan raised his hand.

"No need to discuss."

"Giving me such a small amount of money, do you think I'm a garbage collector?"

“But 300 million US dollars is too much, it’s going to be difficult to handle.” Ye Weiming said with a helpless expression.

"Difficult to handle?" Zhang Yuan smiled and looked at him: "Then let's not do it!"

Chen Kexin dodged to the side, afraid he would overturn the table.

It wasn't as violent, of course, but it still made a statement.

"300 million US dollars is a bit too much."

"How about we discuss a suitable price? You can lower it a little, and they can raise it a little."

Upon hearing that the other party was willing to pay for the copyright, Zhang Yuan understood that they must have consulted with others, and that this lawsuit would be very difficult to win.

Moreover, Zhang Yuan was litigating in the capital, so their relationship was not relevant.

Moreover, he was in a position to wait for the enemy to tire themselves out, while the other side couldn't afford to drag things out.

If it drags on and on, the project will fall through.

He had the copyright and there were no further expenses, but the other party was extremely anxious.

"No way, absolutely impossible."

Not a single cent can be missing.

“This is my bottom line.” Zhang Yuan deliberately set an exorbitant price, intending for the other party to find it unacceptable.

Because his purpose was not to sell copyrights in the first place.

You can make money as a middleman, but not much.

His ambitions are even greater.

Everyone at the table was trying to persuade him.

"Harmony brings wealth, as long as you make money, you can never earn enough money."

"Actually, you've already made a lot of money and gained fame from the movie 'Fast & Furious'."

"Why don't we just consider this a friendship?"

Zhang Yuancai finally understood why Chen Kexin had mentioned the movie "Fast & Furious".

It turns out he was trying to convince himself to be the one to start the conversation.

"Of course, I've worked with Director Ye for a while now, and we feel that we're very compatible and a perfect match."

"Right, so..."

“So how about this!” Zhang Yuan completely ignored Chen Kexin’s words and even bypassed him to grasp Ye Weiming’s hands.

"Since the copyright is in my hands."

"And you can direct, and you have scripts."

"Then let's just leave Huaqi aside and have both parties collaborate on the film, wouldn't that solve the problem!"

Chen Kexin: ...

Ye Weiming: ...

What you said... actually makes a damn good point.

The moment those words were spoken, everyone at the table was stunned.

They never expected there to be such a path... (End of Chapter)