Actor: Thank you.

Chapter 1118 Maniacal Laughter
Accompanied by an assistant and a bodyguard, he boarded a plane and headed to Hollywood.

The assistant and bodyguards remained quiet throughout the journey.

The flight attendant tried to approach for a photo, but her assistant stopped her.

The crew members of private jets are not permanent; they are drawn from civil aviation.

Zhang Yuan had already given instructions that we could take photos together even in first class when flying commercial airlines.

However, photos cannot be taken while traveling on a private jet.

Because in any era, owning a private jet in the country has always been a very luxurious thing.

One's status is not yet at a certain level.

This so-called status is at least at the level of being a national XX or a king in a certain industry.

Otherwise, the very act of using a private jet could easily provoke dissatisfaction among the audience.

Assistant: My boss is clearly very capable, but he is overly cautious.

Taking advantage of the quiet, he reviewed some reports related to his industry.

The special effects company is doing alright; they barely managed to break even.

Looking at the expenditure items, Zhang Yuan saw that the bulk of the expenses were the salaries of the Hong Kong staff and other costs.

In order to establish his and Nicholas Tse's company in mainland China, he paid these people far more than the norm.

It's higher than the ones in Hong Kong.

The fact that the company has now achieved a balance between income and expenditure indicates that its business has stabilized with its support.

So, the next step is to "increase revenue and reduce expenditure".

After all, we can't rely on these Hong Kong veterans all the time; we also need to cultivate our own people.

The team also sent him an official letter.

With the season nearing its end, it's time to start thinking about personnel and R&D for the next season.

It all boils down to one word: money!

Brown sent him the financial statements, which showed that the company was currently breaking even, just like the animation studio, but not enough to get started next year.

Zhang Yuan knew he wanted to sell the racing team.

This way, he can recoup his investment, pay off the loan he took out when he bought the team, and even make a profit.

This was already part of Zhang Yuan's plan, so it wasn't surprising.

But he did not express his agreement very enthusiastically.

On the contrary, they will raise objections.

Only by opposing can one become someone who needs "united front" efforts, and only then can one offer conditions to gain more benefits.

In addition, he also sent the team's performance report.

It will be very difficult for the team to win the championship in the second half of the season.

In an attempt to deflect blame, the team's engineers attributed the slowdown to the two drivers.

Actually, it didn't get slower; it's just that other teams got faster, while we didn't have the money to develop our own.

Just like when everyone debuted together, after 10 years, the audience says that your acting skills have declined.

Actually, we haven't regressed; it's just that everyone around us has improved.

Brown, as the team manager, acted as a mediator.

Just like a company, once performance is poor, you have to start to focus on attendance.

The incident involving the Brawn FC team was even more ridiculous.

Driver Button is strictly forbidden from meeting his girlfriend.

They say he was too tired from playing games and his mind was all on women, which caused his grades to drop...

Because Patton's girlfriend is Jessica Michibata, a famous Japanese model, who is of mixed Argentine, Spanish, Italian and Japanese descent.

Aside from the island, the other three places are all treasure troves for producing beautiful women.

So this person is quite good-looking, 170cm tall, with legs that are 90cm long.

Brown came up with this seemingly reasonable excuse.

This is actually workplace suppression, deliberately setting rules for drivers.

Because it was clear that the team's two drivers were going to compete for the annual championship.

They were afraid that Button might do something irrational, such as harming his teammates on the field, deliberately crashing into them, or obstructing them.

There's a famous saying in Formula 1: "Your only opponent is your teammate."

Because each team has different cars, some are fast and some are slow, so if you lose, you can't blame it on the car.

But your teammate drives almost the same car as you, except for the different tuning.

Losing means you're not good enough.

You can blame your teammates when you start a team fight, but who can you blame when you lose a one-on-one fight?

Blame the mousepad for being too slippery, or the internet speed for being too slow?
It's like performing crosstalk. Everyone tells the story of "Funeral Service". If you have no audience while others sell out their tickets, everyone will think that you are not good enough.

This is why female celebrities often ask who else will be present when filming or attending award ceremonies.

Not afraid of not knowing the goods, but afraid of comparing goods.

Don't let Brown's status as a foreigner fool you; his balancing act is no different from that of domestic bosses.

Therefore, if your boss makes a ridiculous or absurd request that seems funny, it's most likely that they're targeting you personally and have ulterior motives.

At this point, you need to be careful.

He picked up another sports newspaper, also about F1 racing.

Hamilton, the future seven-time world champion and the first black champion, cheated during the match.

When led by a safety vehicle, no vehicle is allowed to overtake.

He followed the car in front of him, and when the other car slid off the track and lost its position, he slowed down and gave the other car his place.

However, after the race, he denied that he was returning the position, but said that the other driver overtook him during the safety car period, causing Trulli to lose points for the race.

He then profited and became the third-place finisher at that stop.

The FIA ​​later investigated the recordings and clearly heard him say he wanted to return the position.

That's how they were exonerated.

This incident resulted in his McLaren team being fined a large sum of money.

It was dubbed the "perjury scandal" and made headlines in major European newspapers.

This is a major scandal that violates the spirit of sportsmanship.

But when he later won world championships and became the most successful driver of all time, all of this was forgotten.

Because most of the time, the winner is right no matter what they do.

The South Korean baseball team, which was ranked fourth back then, thought the same thing.

Indeed, one of the characteristics of the strong is that they will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

Erfeng murdered his brother at Xuanwu Gate; Zhao Guangyi's Candle Shadow and Axe Sound; Old Zhu secretly harmed Little Ming King.

Victory, victory by any means necessary.

Zhang Yuan put down the newspaper, remaining noncommittal about the future world champion's actions.

After all, in order to achieve their goals, they often need to use some extreme measures.

After getting off the plane, he didn't go straight to Universal Pictures, but instead went to Harvey's place first.

"Haha, my Chinese friends."

The fat man remained the same, and even looked fatter.

She still has that same treacherous smile.

I talked to him about the first "Ip Man" movie.

This guy, smoking a cigar, indicated he was breaking even.

Zhang Yuan gave him a disdainful look.

You can't trust what this guy says.

If they were truly breaking even, they would have been grumbling and complaining that they had lost a lot of money!
If they actually lose money, they'll tell the public that the film made a fortune, and then try to find a sucker to take over.

Judging from his appearance, he must have made a small profit.

"That's good."

"You should treat me to dinner; it has to be the best French restaurant."

“No, no, no, you should be the one treating me,” the old yukzi said, “I’m the one who helped you develop your career in Hollywood.”

See? That's how shameless I am.

They made money off me and then act innocent, trying to occupy the moral high ground.

"That's true, we will have a lot of cooperation in the future."

"I need to talk to you about several things soon."

"Let's start with the first thing."

"Are you interested in the North American rights to 'Ip Man' if a sequel is made?"

Harvey's eyebrows twitched, but he didn't rush to speak, adopting an indifferent attitude.

"It's all right."

"The story and cast will be different this time," Zhang Yuan said to himself, ignoring him.

"We will find Hollywood actors to co-star in it."

“Mickey Rourke, I’ll cast him as my co-star.”

"Oh!"

Upon hearing the name, Harvey, like the other Hong Kong businessmen, immediately perked up.

Who wouldn't perk up when they hear "Best Actor"?
The first film was released in North America, initially relying entirely on the hype surrounding "Bruce Lee's teacher".

Because it was just a gimmick and didn't actually involve Bruce Lee, it avoided some issues.

For example, Bruce Lee's wife and daughter caused trouble.

If the second installment features actors familiar to North American audiences, it will be much easier to promote.

Harvey soon noticed Zhang Yuan looking at him with a smile.

After coughing lightly, the old Jewish man returned to his previous nonchalant demeanor.

One of my purposes in hiring Hollywood actors is to keep you hanging on!
Zhang Yuan pretended not to see him and became interested.

"You and Mickey have already reached an agreement?" Harvey asked, glancing sideways after a few seconds.

"not yet."

The old Jewish man looked at him with disdain.

Then what are you talking about?

"But I'm sure I can get what I want to do done," Zhang Yuan said with considerable confidence.

Harvey nodded.

That's a unique characteristic of this kid; he's much more confident than the average Chinese person.

This attitude works very well in North America.

And it's like how Harvey gets interested when he hears about Mickey Rourke.

Zhang Yuan ultimately decided to approach this person for the sake of publicity.

He calculated the timeline and realized that this guy would have two movies released next year: "The Expendables" and "Iron Man 2".

Both of these dramas are big-budget productions and have a large audience.

In terms of genre, one is an action film and the other is a superhero movie.

Superhero movies can actually be considered science fiction action movies.

So both of these movies are action films.

In other words, it is of the same genre as "Ip Man" and its audience will overlap.

Find him to act in these two films, but not too far apart in terms of availability.

Then they'll run an ad for "Ip Man vs. Whip Lock".

The traffic will come!

Movies of the same genre and with similar audiences are more likely to attract viewers to theaters. He just wanted to ride on this guy's fame.

It's blatant freeloading, and legal and legitimate freeloading at that.

"If I could get Mickey Rourke, what kind of offer would you make this time?" Zhang Yuan asked bluntly.

“Of course I’ll offer a price that will satisfy everyone,” Harvey said, spreading his hands. “But the prerequisite is that you get Mickey Rourke on board.”

"Hehehe..." Zhang Yuan raised his hand and bumped fists with him with a smile.

I knew you'd say that!

"You said there were a few things, what else is there?"

"We'll talk about the rest later; it's not the right time yet," Zhang Yuan said calmly, waving his hand.

After dealing with all of this, he calmly headed to Universal Pictures.

Arrive at the office building on time.

Upon entering the meeting room, I immediately sensed that something was amiss.

The noise stopped the moment he entered.

The producer and director were both present.

Vin Diesel also attended the event as a producer.

Although Paul is the second male lead, he is not qualified to attend this meeting.

"Hello everyone." Zhang Yuan greeted everyone with a warm smile and raised his hand.

"Fan, you look like you've gotten a lot stronger. Have you been working out lately?"

Actually, this guy had a double chin, and Zhang Yuan was being sarcastic.

"Hey buddy, long time no see." Old Fan got up and bumped shoulders with him, looking very friendly.

After exchanging pleasantries, I listened as they continued discussing their previous topic.

Fast & Furious 4 has now grossed nearly $3 million worldwide!

After its release in South America and Southeast Asia, it performed very well in those regions.

This series has officially been revived.

Now that they've made money, they should hurry up and film a sequel.

Hollywood studios are known for exploiting people relentlessly, even to the point of exhaustion.

They won't stop until they've squeezed every last drop of value out of an IP.

Before Zhang Yuan arrived, they were discussing some of Vin Diesel's conditions.

This includes the title of producer, specifically the chief producer.

He even surpasses director Justin Lin!
Vin Diesel's implication was that he saved the series.

You see, I was in the first one, which started the series.

When the film fails, I'll return and it will be brought back to life immediately.

That makes sense; the core of the series is his bald head.

This is serious; there are a whole host of conditions.

Power, I want it.

Pay, go up!

They also set a bunch of demanding requirements.

For example, it was stipulated that his character could not lose any battle in subsequent works.

It should be written into the contract.

This is him maintaining his tough-guy image.

Director Justin Lin was left speechless.

You can't lose?

How can the plot progress, how can it develop, unfold, and conclude?

The characters and plot lacked progression and depth.

Never mind!
Vin Diesel crossed his arms and disagreed.

Anyway, I'm a hero, the soul of the series, so I can do whatever I want.

It's said that popular celebrities in China are demanding and unreasonable on set.

Compared to the people in Hollywood, they're nothing.

Moreover, their outrageous demands are all written into the contract to ensure 100% compliance.

Lin Yibin covered his face, and through his fingers, he saw Zhang Yuan doing the same shoulder-hugging pose as Vin Diesel, looking at him with a smile.

Lin Yibin recalled how he had relied on this kid to slightly suppress the bald man's arrogance before.

Zhang Yuan also gave him a reassuring look.

But Director Lin thought about it.

forget it!
You're barely able to save yourself right now.

You'd be better off relying on yourself than on someone else.

"Fan, please submit these details in the document first, and then we can discuss them."

In the end, even the production manager at Universal couldn't hold back anymore.

These big shots are really good at making a scene.

The decision has been made to temporarily suspend the proceedings and hand the matter over to a lawyer.

"Zhang, let's discuss something about you."

“Okay.” Zhang Yuan leaned back in his chair with great comfort.

"We have already finalized the development plans for the next Fast & Furious film."

"I've summoned you here to discuss this matter."

“I have no objection to developing a new game,” Zhang Yuan stated immediately.

“But…” Universal’s production manager frowned.

Ha... Vin Diesel, standing to the side, also revealed a smug smile.

I couldn't hold back and almost burst out laughing.

“But now we have a problem with you,” the Global representative said.

"Even now, there are still serious problems with the distribution in the island nation."

"Fast & Furious 4 is still unable to be released as scheduled."

"Based on our calculations, we expect to lose more than $1000 million in box office revenue in this single market."

"But didn't we make all of that back in the Chinese market?" Zhang Yuan replied nonchalantly.

He even looked proud.

Because if it can be sold in China, it's all thanks to Lao Tzu.

The Global Times representative paused for a few seconds.

Because Zhang Yuan was right.

Fast & Furious 4 is still showing in China.

It's still playing after the key was renewed.

The box office has already exceeded 100 million.

According to Universal's projections, the final box office is expected to be between $1700 million and $1900 million.

In addition, it's a co-production, so the revenue sharing is relatively high.

Therefore, it's not entirely wrong for Zhang Yuan to say that China has made up for the island nation's deficit.

But the reason it sells well in China is precisely the reason why it can't sell in island nations.

This left Global Times quite helpless.

So this person changed their story again.

“Our concerns at Global Times are not just about the present.”

"It's because of you that all future works in this series will be unable to generate revenue in the island nation."

"This would expose us to long-term, substantial losses."

What can we do if the Japanese won't let your show air?
“If that’s what you’re worried about, then there’s no need to worry.” Zhang Yuan seemed to feel no pressure at all.

It was very quiet, which made others seem somewhat excited.

"Because I have already contacted the relevant parties in the island nation to resolve this matter."

Universal Pictures can rest assured.

"You contacted someone?" The white elite from Global Times frowned.

solve?

We at Global Education have recruited so many people!

Despite contacting numerous cinemas in the island nation, the matter remains unresolved.

Your contact person?

The other party felt that these words made him and Universal Pictures look very foolish.

Our century-old establishment, a Hollywood giant, is no match for a mere Chinese actor like you?
"You mean you contacted relevant parties in the island nation."

"Which side is this?"

The Global Times reporter asked the question with a mixture of curiosity and disdain.

"Is it the Japanese Film Directors Association?"

“No, it’s too small.” Zhang Yuan made a gesture that would drive Koreans crazy.

"Is that the Film Ethics Association?"

This organization is responsible for the rating and censorship of all films shown in the island nation.

Ironically, this organization was originally the cultural office of the Supreme Commander for Allied Powers.

Because after World War II, MacArthur was the leader of the island nation, and the command decided what movies the islanders could watch.

"No, he's too young." Zhang Yuan waved his hand.

"Is that the Cultural Affairs Bureau?"

This is equivalent to the Ministry of Culture in China.

But Zhang Yuan still shook his head: "Too small, not enough."

The Global Times reporter scratched his head.

What, did you try to get connections with the Emperor?

The key is that even the Emperor's word doesn't count.

"So, who did you actually contact?"

Zhang Yuan calmly rested his chin on his hand and uttered three English words in standard British pronunciation, with an aristocratic nasal tone.

"Japanese Prime Minister."

Translated, it means Prime Minister of an island nation.

The entire office felt as if a cold winter wind had swept through; everyone held their breath, stunned by his words.

The room fell silent instantly; you could hear a pin drop.

Haha...haha.

Hahahaha...

Ah ha ha ha ha ha!

After a brief silence, everyone's tightly closed lips involuntarily parted slightly.

A soft chuckle, seemingly coming from nowhere, served as the key, unlocking the laughter of these foreigners.

Then everyone stopped caring and started laughing loudly and without restraint.

For a moment, the Universal Pictures meeting room was filled with a cheerful atmosphere...

(End of this chapter)