Actor: Thank you.

On the plane to Hong Kong, Zhang Yuan tried to detach himself from the role he had just played.

I'm still a little reluctant to part with it.

It's just too "high-end".

This is the first time in my life I've played such a high-ranking character, and it might be the only time.

But thinking about it, perhaps it's not necessary to completely detach oneself from the role.

After all, Zhou Gong was a diplomat, and the purpose of his trip was to negotiate with Stephen Chow.

It's still about Zhang Yuqi.

But it wasn't just because of her.

It was arranged before the Lunar New Year, and we had already contacted Stephen Chow's people in advance.

The other party was willing to meet with him, and Yang Siwei was also eagerly waiting to sign Zhang Yuqi to expand his troop lineup.

But there is one thing that is not so good.

They contacted Stephen Chow, and he arranged a time with them through his staff.

We were not able to get in touch directly.

Logically speaking, any director who has acted in another's film should be able to contact you directly.

But this is no ordinary director!
Leaving aside those who speak ill of him, even those who praise Stephen Chow say he is a genius, extremely demanding of his work, and has high standards for acting, which gives many young artists the opportunity to become famous.

But nobody talks about his temper, his way of doing things, or his way of dealing with people.

Because there's no way to negotiate!
I've worked with Zhang Yuan before, so I know him all too well.

In human society, people in every country and region have their own set of shared values ​​and social customs unique to that region.

This is true both domestically and internationally, just like how Americans generally consider athletes to be superior to scientists.

Hong Kong people generally assume that anyone who crosses the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is from the North.

Regardless of right or wrong, or whether it is the truth, there is always a set of default consensuses.

The problem with Stephen Chow is that his consensus differs from that of others.

It's something you're born with; you can't change it.

However, many geniuses have this problem; as long as you're on the rise, everyone can tolerate it.

He is someone who can control the rhythm of comedy down to the second.

At the same time, he is also someone who will go to any lengths to mess with others in order to maintain his own comedic rhythm.

For example, on the set of "Shaolin Soccer," he pulled down the pants of Huang Yifei, the master of Iron Head Kung Fu, even though he knew Huang Yifei wasn't wearing underwear.

There was also a scene where beer bottles were smashed on someone's head. The scene had already been filmed, but Stephen Chow wanted to see it, so he had them smash the bottle dozens more times.

Anyway, those with bigger tempers, like Sammo Hung, can turn on you on the spot.

However, the scene where the two sang together, also starring Wong Yat-fei, was originally filmed in a different way. But Wong Yat-fei felt that it wouldn't be effective, so he made a bet with Stephen Chow to see who could make the audience laugh.

Ultimately, Stephen Chow accepted his acting style, which led to that classic scene.

Do you feel your personality is very divided?
No, they are united; they all use any means necessary to protect their own work and interests.

This was exactly what Zhang Yuan was worried about, because this person was very strange; he wasn't the kind of person who could be easily fooled by having a drink and becoming sworn brothers.

"Stephen Chow, you're quite busy, aren't you?"

I encountered my first problem as soon as I arrived at his office.

I waited for three whole hours before this person finally showed up.

He was sitting at the office door when the receptionist gave him a paper cup of water.

Because he was positioned right by the door, it was clear that he hadn't rushed back for something, but had been sitting in his room doing something.

So he left himself out in the open.

There was no other way; I needed their help, so I had to put up with it.

"Haven't seen you in years, you've become even more handsome." Zhou Xingchi did offer him a compliment.

"I'm here to talk about Zhang Yuqi." After a few pleasantries after sitting down, he got straight to the point.

“I know, someone told me that.”

"According to the contract, she has to pay HK$1400 million to terminate the contract early."

Are you going to pay for this for her?

The other party was more direct.

“According to the contract and the law, she should indeed pay that much money in compensation,” Zhang Yuanxian acknowledged.

"However, the society we live in is not just about laws and contracts."

"Miss Zhang respects you very much and has always regarded you as her teacher."

"And she has worked for you, her teacher, many times."

"To be honest, she has already made a lot of money for you."

"So it's reasonable for her to pay so much in compensation, but it's not fair."

“Hey, you have your own company now, you should know that training someone costs money, it’s all written in the contract.” Stephen Chow widened his eyes, wrinkles appeared on his forehead, and he spread his hands out to him.

“Yes, yes,” Zhang Yuan agreed with him.

“Training artists is like raising children; it requires a lot of effort.”

"But once you've raised your child, he'll eventually leave you to live on his own."

“At this point, if you ask him for the child support payments you've received over the years, of course there's no problem.”

"But after giving this money, all the feelings we've built up over the years will be wiped out with it."

"Your children will never come home to see you again, and they won't even make a phone call."

"They might even go out and curse you, their old man."

"If everyone followed the rules, this wouldn't happen!" Stephen Chow persisted.

"What's the deal with the Yellow Saint Robe?" Zhang Yuan's question was fatal.

That kid who doesn't go home, that kid who goes out and yells at his dad, isn't that the female celebrity you signed last time?

My daughter was kidnapped by that blond-haired guy, and he's even saying outside that I'm a crazy old man.

Stephen Chow remained silent for a moment.

“Yuqi is still alright. She apologized to you in private, saying that you have helped her a lot. But she also needs to eat and wants to make a lot of money.”

As Zhang Yuan said this, it suddenly occurred to him that he had tasted the flavors of both generations of "Star Girls"...

They may be different styles, but their underlying personalities are actually similar, after all, they were all chosen by Stephen Chow.

"I think it's better to let the kids go out and explore."

“I often bring her back to see you.”

"As for child support, let's just forget about it. It's not easy for a child to grow up."

"Impossible." Stephen Chow waved his hand.

Zhang Yuanming knew that it was wishful thinking for this money-grubber to get all his money for free.

But I still have to say it this way.

Because he had to steer the conversation here!

"Well then, Mr. Stephen Chow, I have another plan."

"I can give you money, but the way I give it to you will be different. You can listen to what I have to say."

"How so?" As long as there's money, this person is willing to have a good chat.

"You know, I co-founded a film and television company with other Hong Kong business owners, so I've been investing in movies all along."

"How about this, you're still filming, and you'll need to invest later."

"I will factor the money that Zhang Yuqi should compensate you into the investment or the profit sharing of future films."

"It's not that I don't want to give it, but I want to give it in a different way, is that alright?" Zhang Yuan said with utmost sincerity.

Actually, that was his real purpose! Of course he was happy to sign Zhang Yuqi, after all, this tough woman is capable.

She has the looks to land big endorsements and the acting skills to be featured in blockbuster films.

Among the artists in his own company, he can be considered one of the most promising top stars.

But more importantly, Zhang Yuqi can be used as "bait" to catch Stephen Chow, this big fish!

Otherwise, I'd be making millions in no time, just sitting here waiting for you for three hours?

I love Zhang Yuqi so much.

The situation, or rather the conditions, he is now presenting are as follows.

We do have money, but we won't give cash.

If you convert it into an investment, you can get the money, but you'll have to wait.

If you don't invest, then we'll have to go to court.

Getting the 1400 million you're claiming is absolutely impossible!
In the end, you'd be lucky to get 400 million in compensation, and that would take several years.

Zhang Yuqi alone is not a threat, but with him, it's a different story.

After all, he had just subdued Huaqi, with whom he had been suing.

With me here, the lawsuit can go on indefinitely until you reach a settlement.

So, they either compromised by cooperating on filming or went to court.

It's either a win-win situation or a lose-lose situation.

A stubborn mind leads to blockage in both ends.

Stephen Chow is eccentric, not stupid.

He knew very well that he would not be able to get the 1400 million yuan penalty for breach of contract.

It's not like he hasn't sued female celebrities before.

And thinking about this made him feel pain, because Huang Shengyi was driving him crazy!
I looked up at the person in front of me.

It seems their drive to cause trouble is no less than Yangzi's.

"Are you dating Yuqi?" Stephen Chow asked after thinking for a while.

“No, I just want to be her boss,” Zhang Yuan replied seriously.

It's okay to be the owner occasionally...

Stephen Chow fell silent again.

He will definitely make a film, there's no doubt about that.

As for who to invest in...

First of all, he doesn't pay for filming himself; he always borrows money to make money.

Although he owns Star Overseas, he also plans to acquire Bigo International, a penny stock that costs less than one cent of Hong Kong dollars.

Through these two companies—one producing the content and the other handling copyright development—and with additional investment from others, he could make a guaranteed profit.

If the film makes money, and Bigo International's stock price soars, he can make another fortune.

Chow Sing-chi is no longer just an "actor"!

But we still have to go back to the question: who will invest?

Zhang Yuan knew very well that the project Stephen Chow was preparing to develop was codenamed "A Chinese Odyssey Prequel".

This was just a code name; his real name would later be "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons"!
Since Stephen Chow established his own company to make films, it's normal for him to prepare for a film for three to five years.

Starting with "Kung Fu Hustle," he has been collaborating with mainland companies on investments.

The director of "Kung Fu Hustle" is Wai Yi.

However, he did not collaborate with Hua Yi again for "CJ7".

The reason is that after "Kung Fu Hustle" became a huge hit, the Wong brothers "renege" on a portion of his share of the profits.

Saying it's "lazy" isn't entirely accurate.

The Wang brothers are the kind of people who discuss business over drinks.

While drinking, Stephen Chow expressed his hope that if the box office exceeded 200 million, his share of the profits would increase.

The Wang brothers did not agree.

This is the first time a disagreement has arisen.

Stephen Chow was unhappy, but there was nothing he could do, since it hadn't been agreed upon beforehand.

So after filming "Kung Fu Hustle", Stephen Chow didn't cast Wai Yi for "CJ7", but instead cast China Film Group and Bona Film Group.

It wasn't until "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" that he collaborated with Alibaba Pictures again, because Huayi Brothers had ample funds after its IPO and was backed by Alibaba Pictures.

He learned from the experience of "Kung Fu Hustle" and was wary of the two brothers, agreeing before investing that the profit sharing would be increased based on box office revenue.

The Wong brothers are cunning; they set a very high box office target, requiring it to exceed 6 million before Stephen Chow could increase his share of the profits.

Back then, very few films could gross over 6 million yuan at the box office.

Even that wasn't enough; they tampered with the contract and didn't sign any supplementary agreements.

The excuse was that the shareholders' meeting did not approve the dividend plan, and they kept avoiding people.

Who knew this film would gross over a billion yuan, far exceeding expectations!

As a result, Huayi's stock price rose by billions, and the two brothers made a fortune.

Then he shirked his responsibilities again.

Do you think this is over?

not at all!
After the huge success of "The Mermaid", Hua Yi approached Stephen Chow again, and the two collaborated on "The Mermaid 2"!
Stephen Chow doesn't care whether you cheat or not; he's always been unpredictable.

Because of his frequent job-hopping, he was able to maneuver among several major companies, and everyone offered him higher prices in order to "buy him off".

He possesses the wisdom of a small country surviving in the cracks between large countries, hedging his bets, skillfully maneuvering, and reaping all the benefits.

Then, because Hua Yi insisted on having Wu sign the lead role, the show couldn't be aired at all.

It is said that Huayi's downfall was due to its failure to pay 8000 million yuan in dividends from "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons".

That's a very one-sided view.

It's not just about money, and it's not just about Stephen Chow.

Of course, Stephen Chow is money-oriented and doesn't care about people; he does ask for a lot.

It's like a miserly old man meeting a stingy man; they've met their match, and neither of them should pretend to be innocent.

Zhang Yuan could tolerate Stephen Chow making money, making a lot of money.

His credibility and tolerance are much higher than Huayi's.

Because he knew that Stephen Chow had several more films that would be very profitable.

Not only "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons", but also "The Mermaid" and "The New King of Comedy".

That's right, "The New King of Comedy" also made a lot of money.

Although the box office did not reach 10 billion, it became the film with the highest return on investment in Stephen Chow's directorial history because of its very low cost!

You're right, right? You don't care if Wong Jing's theory is bad or not, as long as it makes money, it's fine.

He also knew that after Stephen Chow became Master Xing, this man's mindset had actually changed.

The requirements for artwork are not as high as before, but the demand for money is increasing day by day.

"How about this, Mr. Stephen Chow, you think about it."

"Let me treat you to a meal first. I'll invite Yuqi over too, and we can all sit down and chat."

Stephen Chow put his index finger to his lips and thought for a few seconds before silently nodding.

Zhang Yuan wasn't particularly excited when he saw that he agreed to chat; he remained calm.

He couldn't figure out whether the other party was genuinely interested or trying to use him as bait.

Who is Jiang Ziya, and who is Qiaozui? It remains to be seen… (End of Chapter)