Actor: Thank you.

At this time, spending tens of millions to buy the online rights to a TV series is obviously unacceptable.

What's more, it was originally the cheapest sitcom.

Wang Wei, on the other hand, is a stubborn and headstrong person.

If you're not in a good mood, you can't talk.

He was actually in a good mood today; normally, if it were someone else, he would have already started cursing.

Zhang Yuan was quite polite, only asking for an exorbitant price without mentioning his ex-wife at all.

They didn't even ask him about his current relationship with that ballet queen.

Otherwise, if he wanted to, he could blow up the other party with just one sentence.

There were no problems today; Zhang Yuan treated him fairly well.

"Walk slowly."

"Don't hit your head."

"Let's talk again when we have time."

It was past midnight when everyone finished eating.

After hearing Zhang Yuan's exorbitant price, Wang Wei, whether drowning his sorrows in alcohol or simply getting excited by the sight of a celebrity, drank quite a bit.

When she left, her cheeks were flushed and her legs were trembling as she walked.

Zhang Yuan personally helped him into the car.

An older model Buick LaCrosse.

The car is quite spacious, but the price isn't high.

Zhang Yuan looked at the departing taillights and thought to himself that people really do have many facets.

To be honest, Wang Wei's personality isn't really suited to being a boss.

Being a CEO is difficult.

Because this person is too emotional, they often put their rationality aside when doing things based on their feelings.

He has a stubbornness that is similar to that of an artist, but not quite the same.

It can be said that he is the best representative of the phrase "character determines destiny".

Because in terms of intelligence and ability alone, he is definitely a superior person.

However, his innate personality destined him to never become one of the top tier of people.

On the other hand, he also doesn't have the faults of those petty people who get their way.

For example, building luxury cars and mansions before even achieving success.

He hadn't fought a lifetime of wars, so he just wanted to enjoy life.

And they won't always be thinking about running away with investors' money.

"What are you thinking about?" Fan Bingbing, her cheeks slightly flushed, came to his side and walked with him towards the hotel.

Zhang Yuan glanced at her.

Fan Xiaopang can be considered a heroine among women.

I drank quite a bit, yet I remained completely sober.

And he was very "restrained" tonight.

It's clearly something he's doing for himself.

I was afraid he would resent seeing me dominating at the dinner table.

That's how women are.

When we first started dating, he would eat only a small piece of strawberry cake in front of me and then complain that he couldn't finish it.

As soon as I got home, I took off my socks and boiled water to make snail rice noodles, which was very satisfying.

That's still considered putting on an act.

After getting married, they stopped pretending altogether.

A meal can contain several pounds of large bones.

Strawberry cake?
Just a small piece?

Durian mille-feuille is eaten piece by piece.

That's why they say marriage is the grave of love.

Zhang Yuan felt that his current situation was quite good.

Let's not head towards the grave.

“I think he’s not as good as you.” Fan Bingbing said as she walked.

"Who?"

"That CEO from earlier."

"You have good taste," Zhang Yuan nodded with a smile.

"Your worst trait is your shamelessness," Fan Xiaopang said sarcastically.

“That’s not wrong either,” Zhang Yuan said, disagreeing.

If Wang Wei could put aside his pride and be more shameless, he would definitely do a better job than he is now.

"So...you're planning to break up with him?"

Fan Bingbing started gathering information.

She was as quick-witted as ever, especially in the market and in interpersonal relationships.

Because all of these things ultimately come down to money.

"No, it's just that there are no plans to cooperate this time."

It's impossible to break it, even if we know Wang Wei will lose.

"But you own shares in his company."

"He does own shares, but when Tudou.com held its shareholders' meeting, did he ever invite me?"

"They don't even bother to give us a proper notification, let alone send us a formal invitation."

Zhang Yuan signed a nominee shareholding agreement, which included the right to vote being exercised by Wang Wei. This was one of the conditions at the time.

But not even notifying me makes me feel like an outsider.

Since you treat me like an outsider, I don't need to treat you like an insider either.

"Oh, you're still holding a grudge?" Fan Bingbing suppressed a laugh.

"It's not that I hold grudges... well, it's not that I don't hold grudges at all either."

"But that's not the point."

"It's because I have no say."

"So, you're planning to break up with Potato?" Fan Bingbing asked again.

The question is largely similar to the previous one, with only one word changed.

He turned into a potato.

But this is enough to prove Fan Bingbing's intelligence; she's a woman of experience, and she figured it out in no time.

"Let's not talk about this anymore," Zhang Yuan said, directly avoiding the question.

This, on the contrary, confirmed Fan Bingbing's own thoughts.

As a result, I will cooperate with potatoes less often... Fan Bingbing knew this.

"By the way, how about the matter I asked you to be my advisor before?"

"what's up?"

"Look at you, you don't care about me at all!" Fan Xiaopang complained, "It's all because of Teacher Wang Xueqi."

"Oh, that's good, I think it suits you."

"That's suitable, so you don't have any objections."

"What opinions could I possibly have? It's all up to you," Zhang Yuan replied casually.

"You also have a stake in my studio, shouldn't I ask for your opinion as a shareholder?"

Zhang Yuan shook his head, recalling that he had just complained that Tudou didn't take him, as a shareholder, seriously, when Fan Bingbing immediately put on a "please, sir" attitude.

It's still about finding ways to please him.

The next day, Zhang Yuan first spoke with Wang Yuan by phone about the development of the sequel.

The other party was very enthusiastic and said that they were already working on the script with Wei Zheng.

At the same time, we are also coordinating the schedules with the actors.

Once this movie airs, these celebrities will definitely become famous.

Once you become famous, you'll be busy, so you need to book in advance.

It can be said that "iPartment" made stars of actors including Chen He, Jin Shijia, Wang Chuanjun, Li Jinming, and Hu Yifei.

Almost all of the lead actors became famous.

Just like the main characters in Friends.

Originally, Li Jinming was unable to participate in the second part due to scheduling conflicts.

Now that she's in our hands, we'll help her make arrangements so she can continue performing.

However, Zhao Ji, who was originally cast as the female lead, was still unable to appear in the second installment.

This person has anemia due to health reasons.

Actually, things weren't very good when we were filming one movie, and they got even worse after we finished filming.

He's become skin and bones.

There's nothing you can do when you're sick.

However, Zhang Yuan specifically instructed that Wang Yuan give him a look after finalizing the general cast list.

And we guarantee that the budget for this installment will be significantly increased.

Furthermore, he and Wei Zheng will switch from fixed salaries to a profit-sharing arrangement.

The arrangement was to give their companies a stake in the film.

Actors' salaries will also increase.

As for the film's sales, especially with online platform partners, he told them to hold off for a bit. "Not cooperating with Youku anymore?" Wang Yuan was taken aback when he heard this.

Logically, shouldn't we continue our cooperation?

"Don't tell me about this, I'll talk to them."

"Only by negotiating can we maximize our interests."

“Okay, I believe you.” Wang Yuan had no doubt.

After all, the first one was something they messed up.

Zhang Yuan wanted to see the cast list because there was a Japanese actress from Taiwan in the second film named Makiyo Kawashima.

This person was also discovered by Tetsuya Komuro, the godfather of Japanese music, and debuted very early.

She, along with the S sisters, Aya, Fan Xiaoxuan, Christine Fan, and Pace Wu, were known as the "Seven Fairies of Taiwan".

This is a small group, similar to the Teddy Sisters group formed by Li Xiaolu, Huo Siyan, and others in mainland China.

Yang Mi was once a member of the Teddy Bears group, but they later broke up with it.

It's fair to say that women in the entertainment industry who form cliques rarely get anything good out of it.

The activities were inextricably linked to extravagance and debauchery.

The group from Taiwan is even more heavyweight; in a sense, it can be described as "a gathering of the best and brightest."

Among these women, some are mistresses, some are feuding, several are mentally unstable, and a whole bunch are biased.

In any case, these women are experts at everything from feudal superstition to frequenting nightclubs.

This Ms. Kawashima is the girlfriend that Oudi entrusted to his good friend Show Lo's care when he went to serve in the military.

In the end, she was the one who took care of the patient in bed.

The woman was of average appearance, but had a very good figure, especially her headlights, which were quite bright, probably of the flagship Audi A8 model.

But their manners are terrible!
She's the typical villainous woman in the entertainment industry.

In another year or two, he will be in Taiwan taking a taxi and getting into a conflict with the driver because he refused to wear a seatbelt, and will seriously injure the driver.

This was exactly the same thing that Wang Dalu did later.

I wonder if this is a tradition in the Taiwanese entertainment industry.

People like that shouldn't be on set, lest the film be implicated by her later.

After dealing with this mess, he continued filming while waiting for the other party to contact him.

Potatoes are here, so how far behind can Youku be?
Zhang Yuan's role in "Bodyguards and Assassins" is already quite small.

So he called Stallone and said he could free up some time in the next two months.

When Old Shi saw that he was being so proactive and didn't even want money, he thought to himself, "There are some amazing people in China!"
The younger generation was so perceptive that he felt a little embarrassed.

They said they wanted to add more shots of him.

It was only then that Zhang Yuan realized that Stallone's scripts were all improvised...

If you take a fancy to someone, you find them, then you write a short piece about them and put it in a play.

I don't know whether to call him easygoing or just messing around.

It should be said that this approach would definitely ruin a typical drama film.

But his movies are purely about action scenes; a mindless plot doesn't matter.

Stallone was mainly touched by the fact that it was free.

It's not about taking advantage; my brother earns tens of millions of US dollars a year, so he doesn't really need this little bit.

Instead, Zhang Yuan's two films both grossed over $2 million at the Hollywood box office.

Even if they're just supporting roles, that's considered a step up in Hollywood.

The market value of a young Chinese actor is definitely different from that of an actor proven in the foreign market.

Not long after the agreement was reached with Stallone, the person he had been waiting for finally came to his door.

"Zhang Yuan, how have you been lately?"

Gu Yongqiang's voice was always much gentler than Wang Wei's.

"That's great, I was just about to contact you."

"That's just right."

The reason for contacting him was, of course, related to "iPartment".

The movie is very popular right now, and Youku is making a fortune just from the ads before and after it airs.

The cost is so low, but the returns are so high.

The financial report for this quarter is quite impressive.

With a strong financial report, Gu Yongqiang can better explain things to investors and is more confident about the next round of financing.

Youku was already very strong, and now it has taken it a step further because of this show.

They flattered each other for a while, saying nothing more than the same old things.

"I look forward to further cooperation with you."

"Coincidentally, I just talked to Wang Yuan's team about the sequel."

"That's great! When are you coming to my place? Let's have a creative meeting together."

"On behalf of Youku, I welcome everyone and assure you that you will receive the highest level of promotional resources."

"I am very grateful for Mr. Gu's favor, and based on our past cooperation experience, I believe that I can do what you say."

"Definitely, I always keep my word."

The first movie was such a hit, the second one will definitely be even more profitable.

Moreover, with Youku about to begin its IPO process, announcing the development of a sequel to "iPartment" at this time would undoubtedly be a major boon.

Gu Yongqiang was not about to let this opportunity slip by.

Moreover, the external situation for Youku is currently very bad.

After all, he was singled out by his former employer, Sohu, for a "confrontation".

Good news is urgently needed to dispel the gloom.

And that's when "iPartment" arrived.

The time is just right!
Not too early, not too late, just at the exact moment when Youku was feeling extremely uncomfortable.

It's like eating a super spicy hot pot, and you're so spicy that you're sticking out your tongue and your throat is steaming.

Zhang Yuan then handed over a bottle of chilled cola with a straw.

It's still a glass bottle, the kind with the most gas.

That felt so good.

Just as the two were having a smooth conversation, something unpleasant happened to him.

"What's even more coincidental is that Wang Wei just had dinner with me at Tudou.com," Zhang Yuan said with a smile.

Gu Yongqiang: ...

Old Gu was very shrewd; he could tell immediately why Wang Wei wanted to see him at this time.

But he remained expressionless, and even his tone of voice didn't change as he asked.

"Oh, so what did he talk to you about?"

Zhang Yuan recalled how Wang Wei's expression changed drastically when he heard the price at the dinner table, and then he saw how composed Wang Wei was.

No wonder you can't beat Lao Gu.

"We've been friends for a long time."

"Although I am a shareholder of Tudou.com, I will be frank with you and not hide anything from you."

"Of course, thank you," Mr. Gu said modestly.

"He saw that 'iPartment' was quite popular and wanted to put the second season on the Tudou platform."

“I also offered him a price.”

"How much?"

"50 yuan per episode, just for online copyright, for three years."

Gu Yongqiang remained silent for a few seconds, clearly also shocked by the price.

But he quickly came to his senses.

“It’s not cheap.”

"It's not cheap, but as the saying goes, you get what you pay for."

“You’re right, good stuff isn’t cheap.” Boss Gu stroked his chin.

The moment that price was announced, not only Wang Wei, but even Gu Yongqiang, a shrewd investor, frowned.

too expensive!
Preparing for an IPO requires a lot of money, which is already a heavy burden.

“But if it’s too expensive, I’m afraid Youku will have a hard time affording it, even though I consider myself the most generous platform you can find.” Boss Gu expressed his dissatisfaction in a restrained manner.

Gu Yongqiang and Wang Wei reacted similarly to these words.

After hearing the price, I almost didn't want to buy it anymore.

However, there is a slight difference between not wanting to buy and not wanting to buy.

Wang Wei didn't want to buy, but Zhang Yuan had no intention of selling.

Gu Yongqiang didn't want to buy it because Zhang Yuan didn't intend for him to buy it.

Don't be fooled by the small difference; they're completely different.

"Actually, given my relationship with President Gu, money is a small matter."

"It's cheaper."

"Even cheaper."

"It's not impossible that it could even be done for free."

When Boss Gu heard the words "free of charge," he didn't get excited at all. Instead, he pushed up his glasses and his gaze became a little serious.

"But the premise is..." Zhang Yuan slowly revealed his true purpose.

"Our cooperation can go even deeper!" (End of Chapter)