Actor: Thank you.

Chapter 1211 People's Hearts Have Changed
Leave the strange office.

After Zhang Yuan went out, he checked his watch and found that they had indeed chatted for less than 15 minutes.

When they escorted him to the door, he deliberately lingered with the receptionist for a while.

Take multiple photos with the other party.

The young woman was overjoyed and even started fantasizing about a "domineering celebrity falling in love with me" scenario.

In fact, Zhang Yuan was just observing through the glass door.

Once he confirmed that General Manager Gong had indeed entered the meeting room, he understood that the other party was just saying what they wanted to say and that it wasn't directed at him.

This is reassuring.

In this way, there will be opportunities to contact each other in the future.

If someone is lying to him and gives him a 15-minute time limit, it's actually because they're too lazy to deal with him, and it will be difficult for you to handle things later.

As for the other party being quite friendly during our conversation... well, everyone in this world makes expressions.

Zhang Yuan is not discouraged by the current lack of results, because Baidu has been making a big splash and is now full of energy.

It wasn't until Alibaba acquired Youku and Tencent's platform took off that they felt the crisis.

Baidu paid to persuade the initial investors in Providence Capital to withdraw, thus freeing up a large number of shares.

However, Baidu monopolized Class B shares, thereby gaining absolute control of 51% of Class A shares and controlling 93% of the voting rights.

The term "dominant player" doesn't even begin to describe Baidu's control over iQiyi; it's basically a one-man show run by Mr. Li.

Baidu has always done things this way, always getting to the "root".

Everyone in the industry knows that apart from the top executive, Baidu's management team, from the second-in-command to the top ten, has basically no veterans, and they have all been purged several times.

Mr. Li never delegates authority, which is one of the reasons why Baidu has gradually fallen behind among the BAT companies.

Therefore, Zhang Yuan's expectations for iQiyi were only for cooperation and financial investment.

Forget about having a voice; they're professionals at manipulating public opinion.

I went home and rested for a while.

"Dandan, help me book a few plane tickets to Shanghai for tomorrow."

"Oh." The assistant didn't ask any questions and just said, "It's done."

When you have free time and nothing much to do, you can enjoy life to the fullest.

I didn't buy spicy duck necks this time. The last few times I ate them, my anus felt like it was on fire the next day, and I couldn't stand it.

It seems I need to find a few more people from Sichuan to learn more about their love of spicy food or their digestive system.

Although Sisi is from Wuhan and the local food is quite spicy, I haven't been able to get any relevant attributes from her.

I suppose it's because they have money that they eat such simple food.

Making spicy dishes with large lobsters and large yellow croakers doesn't seem quite right.

I invited Brother Qian over for dinner; it's been a long time since I've had his cold dishes.

He happened to be playing with Young Master Guo, so he came too.

They drank quite a bit and started talking about the crosstalk club.

"Have things eased up between Teacher Guo and Jinzi recently?" he asked specifically.

"More children have come, and they seem to be doing better."

The key point is the three words "appears," which means that Brother Qian understands that this is all just superficial harmony.

“Recently, He Yunwei and Li Jing have been coming less often,” Brother Qian said, glancing at him.

"Yes, I saw them on the set of 'The Founding of a Republic' before. They were probably busy filming." Zhang Yuan didn't elaborate further.

"Oh, that's how it is."

Brother Qian noticed that his attitude towards Cao Yunjing was different from his attitude towards the other two.

"I recently heard that Mr. Liu Tianli's health is not very good."

"How's your relationship with their youngest daughter... she should be called a young lady now?"

"It's fine," Zhang Yuan replied dismissively.

Liu Shishi is not very bright; she probably wouldn't "rebel" like Yang Mi.

"I'll make time to visit Mr. Liu." He thought for a moment; he felt he should check on him occasionally.

boom!
As he spoke, Brother Qian picked up a bottle of beer with his chopsticks and handed it to Guo Qilin, who had been listening without saying a word.

"Young master, have a drink!"

"Master." The man nodded in acceptance.

"Tsk, Brother Qian, he's not even an adult yet, he's only in junior high, and you're already giving him beer?" Zhang Yuan quickly stopped him.

"Your master didn't slip up."

He then pulled out a bottle of Fenjiu liquor from under the table.

"If you're going to practice, you should practice baijiu (Chinese liquor). What's the point of beer?"

“Yes, yes, yes…” Yu Qian joined in the commotion.

Guo Qilin has a good alcohol tolerance; it's innate, like his father.

When Mr. Guo was young, he would drink a bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor) with every meal.

This was a time of distress; once he had money, he stopped drinking altogether.

"What's wrong? We adults are worried, and you, a little kid, look like you've swallowed a bitter pill," Brother Qian asked, seeing his apprentice's distressed expression.

"You're not like him, worrying because you have several girlfriends, are you?"

Zhang Yuan: …

"Is that so?" he asked after a moment's hesitation.

"No." The chubby boy scratched his head.

He and Qian could tell at a glance that they weren't telling the truth.

I bet he spent a lot of time with female classmates at school.

Junior high school students may not be in a formal relationship or dating.

But there are definitely some who are close to each other.

"It's up to you," Zhang Yuan said first.

Your son was 3 years old and he was already hugging and kissing women one after another. If your apprentice said that he didn't follow your example, no one would believe it.

Young Master Guo's worries still revolve around his studies.

It's simply a matter of whether or not to drop out of school.

For a student with decent grades, deciding not to continue their studies after junior high school is indeed a difficult decision.

If her biological mother were present at this moment, she would definitely refuse outright.

What normal family would let their child not even finish nine years of compulsory education?

But his biological mother wasn't by his side.

Moreover, from a historical perspective, why did Li Shimin relentlessly oppress Crown Prince Li Chengqian and constantly provoke him with various means?

He especially favored Li Tai, and even wanted him to live in such a sensitive location as the Wude Hall.

In the early years of his reign, Li Shimin held court in the Wude Hall.

The key issue was not just dissatisfaction with Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian was the eldest son, and Li Tai was the second son.

Li Jiancheng was the eldest son, and Li Shimin himself was the second son by the legitimate wife!
Aside from political factors, there are also psychological issues at play. In fact, Erfeng has never been able to let go of the day at Xuanwu Gate.

Just like Zhu Di was always fighting, expanding territory, and compiling the Yongle Encyclopedia.

It was all to prove that they were superior and that the Jingnan Campaign was right.

The same thing happened with Guo Qilin.

Teacher Guo projected herself and her past onto her son.

Guo Degang dropped out of school in the second year of junior high.

What about Guo Qilin?
Also in the second year of junior high!

Unfilial descendants; unfilial means unlike.

Parents are happy when they see themselves in their children.

Therefore, Zhang Yuan always believed that this was Wang Hui's fault, but he was blaming the wrong person.

Of course, she didn't stop her.

If it were her own son, she would definitely stop him.

But the main reason still lies with Teacher Guo.

He wanted to mold his son according to his own past and his own ideas, in order to prove that he was right.

Even if he doesn't admit it, that's what he thinks subconsciously.

Fortunately... Zhang Yuan watched as Young Master Guo savored the taste of the wine.

He not only resembles his father, but also half of his mentor.

"Come on, let's have a drink together, the three of us."

"May the Jingxiangsheng Society get better and better."

After drinking, Guo Qilin's cheeks were flushed. He had only had a small glass of baijiu; he wasn't fully developed yet and couldn't drink too much.

They mainly drink beer.

"Uncle-Master, you still watch this kind of movie?"

While resting in the living room, Zhang Yuan turned on the television to watch.

"Which movie?" Brother Qian, who was smoking by the door, poked his head in.

On the screen, several characters in period costumes were rehearsing a scene.

He then turned his head away, feeling disheartened.

What kind of movie did you think I took Guo Qilin to see...? Zhang Yuan was too lazy to even comment.

The female lead in this drama is Ruby Lin, and the male lead is TVB star Ron Ng.

This drama is the famous "Beauty's Rival in Palace".

It is currently premiering on Shanghai TV.

It's the Shanghai TV Drama Channel, not Dragon TV, so it's not considered a satellite channel.

Even without being broadcast on a major television network, this film is still remarkable.

It achieved a viewership rating of over 6 on its first day, directly becoming the top-rated show.

Afterwards, it was broadcast on five satellite channels, and the copyright was sold all the way to Taiwan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia.

With Ruby Lin, who came from "My Fair Princess," her brand is effective throughout Asia.

"The film I invested in," Zhang Yuan said with a smile, pointing to the screen.

"No wonder I found it so special." Young Master Guo immediately changed his tune.

At such a young age, he has demonstrated high emotional intelligence and quick thinking.

There are quite a few celebrities among them, including Wang Likun, Luo Jin, and Yu Zheng's "white moonlight," namely He Shengming.

The actor who plays Zhou Yafu is certainly not as domineering and arrogant as the actor in "The Emperor Wu of Han".

After all, Yu Zheng's dramas are, to put it bluntly, still idol dramas.

This guy debuted as part of an early boy band in mainland China that imitated the "Little Tigers," appeared on the Spring Festival Gala, and later went to the Beijing Film Academy to work on his acting career.

Yu Zheng "loves" him.

It's a kind of love that transcends friendship.

After all, Yu Zheng and Xiao Si not only did similar despicable things, but their sexual orientations were also similar.

But others don't feel the same way about him.

My brother is straight, he always had a girlfriend, and later got married and had a daughter early on.

But he wasn't stupid; he knew Yu Zheng was interested in him, so he kept him hanging on as a friend in order to get more resources.

This kind of thing is not unusual; everyone gets what they need.

Why were Tong Dawei, Liu Ye, and Hu Jun so popular in TV dramas back in the day?
It's not just because there are companies and investors behind it.

And there's a TV station!
Half of the program selection directors at the TV station are older women, and they just love this kind of thing!

Shout it out, hug and have a drink, and the contract is done; the film can be sold.

It's not just female celebrities who need to sacrifice their image; men can too.

It all depends on how you play it and whether you can master it.

Clearly, this guy is quite adept at it.

Yu Zheng originally wanted to cast Huo Siyan in this play, but she was unavailable.

Zhang Yuan sighed that it was fortunate he didn't have the time, otherwise he would have stepped in to intervene.

Aside from these people, Zhang Yuan narrowed his eyes.

He also saw Yang Mi, who had run out of the courtyard just a few days ago.

He remained expressionless, but muttered to himself.

We don't usually pay attention to them, but when problems arise, they always seem to be lurking in front of us.

The film also features Qi Wei, who can be both male and female, and Sun Feifei, who has already had cosmetic surgery.

Zhang Yuan recalled that it seemed to be this year that she was beaten up badly on another film set.

Many people say that she had plastic surgery because her face was damaged by a beating, but that's not true; she started doing it a long time ago.

Zhang Yuan felt it was a pity, as it was originally quite good.

She has a kind of pitiful yet innocent charm, with a hint of mature sexiness.

He was quite charming back then with "The Little Fish and the Flower Without Flaws," but now that he's had facial surgery, his facial balance is disrupted.

Zhang Yuan couldn't bear to see the beauty ruin herself, so he turned off the TV.

He took out his phone and called Yu Zheng.

"Congratulations, Producer Yu."

"The hit drama 'Beauty's Rival in Palace' proves that all the hard work paid off."

A series of loud, hoarse laughs came from the other end of the phone.

"It's very good. The ratings are very high right now. It's the strongest TV series in the country."

He has no concept of humility.

"I took a quick look, the pacing is tight, and the costumes and props are pretty good."

"It seems our investment wasn't in vain."

"Yes, yes," he said, still amused.

This is the first time they've filmed such a large-scale TV series, with a total investment exceeding 3000 million and approaching 4000 million.

However, all of these investments were recouped within a week of the TV series airing.

The phrase "snap up" perfectly describes the situation of this film.

But Yu Zheng didn't expect that Zhang Yuan wasn't calling to congratulate him, but to collect a debt.

"The money earned from the previous film, 'Locking Up Spring,' was all invested in this film."

"Now that the film is a big success, you, Boss Yu, should also get a share of the profits."

"We can't always be without money."

"Well... I have another project coming up soon, and I'll need to invest more money in it."

Zhang Yuan had encountered this before; the character in "The Lotus Lantern" was like that.

Every film makes money, but we just can't recoup our investment.

The answer is to invest in the next film.

He only managed to get it back thanks to his connections with CCTV. He no longer associates with Li Gongda, fearing that one day he might never be able to get it back at all.

Yu Zheng's situation is different. They started the company together and are all shareholders, so theoretically they should receive dividends every year.

"Oh, how much is the investment for the new film? Are you going to throw all the money you earned before, including interest, into it?"

"Your budget, Producer Yu, is too generous."

"Hey, did you just have bad luck with your subordinates and they swindled you out of your money without you noticing?"

"How about this, I'll bring some people over in a few days to help you check the costs and see if the accounts have been tampered with."

Let's check the accounts.

"No need, no need..." the man quickly replied, "The main problem is that the TV station hasn't made the payment yet."

"I will contact you once the payment is received."

"Profits should be distributed as dividends."

"Okay, I'll wait for your message." Zhang Yuan said and put down his phone.

The first part claims "betrayal of the sect," while the second part blatantly admits to plagiarism.

Does Yu Zheng possess such qualities in terms of character?

Zhang Yuan could sense that as his career became more and more successful and his own industry status rose higher and higher, he was showing signs of "running wild."

They must feel it's a loss to get a share of the profits, since they don't really participate in management.

They felt he had taken advantage of their earlier partnership.

This kind of problem is more likely to arise when there is too much investment.

So on the surface, especially to outsiders, his situation seemed excellent and thriving.

In fact, there are still many hidden concerns.

How to rectify the internal situation is a problem.

In particular, his usual image is rather mild, which can easily lead people to have the wrong impression.

"Give him some more time and see what he really thinks." Zhang Yuan didn't press him further but decided to put it aside for now.

We should also give people a chance to adapt to the current situation.

After seeing off the drunken Qian Ge and the sober Guo Qilin in the middle of the night, he went to sleep alone.

The following morning, he traveled to Shanghai with his assistant and bodyguard.

There, the crew of "Love Announcement" is filming, albeit with some hiccups...

(End of this chapter)