Actor: Thank you.

Winning the Best Actor award at the Hundred Flowers Awards added another layer of fulfillment to Zhang Yuan's already busy life.

With the end of the year fast approaching, it's the perfect time for various events and activities to be organized.

Now that he's even more popular, he's naturally become a darling of the market.

A host of magazines, including VOGUE, ELLE, Esquire, GQ China, and Harper's Bazaar Men, sent him interview and photo shoot invitations.

The end of the year is the time when major fashion magazines release their best-of lists.

Everyone says that as long as he goes, he'll get an award like Best Dressed or Male Star of the Year.

For the sake of a hollow reputation, one can simply add more entries to Baidu Baike (Baidu Encyclopedia).

It doesn't help much with actual acting careers, but it greatly boosts commercial value!

"You can't treat a brand like this, you have no manners..."

That day, the actress who played Xiaolongnu, who had already joined the filming crew for "A Chinese Ghost Story," called him to congratulate him on winning the award.

The response was a bit slow; several days have passed.

However, in the closed environment of the film crew, information was indeed not readily available.

Zhang Yuan then chatted with her about his recent situation.

Fashion magazines are all associated with fashion and luxury brands.

First, he personally replied to each of them, saying that he could accept interviews and filming, but only if he brought his own female artist.

We need to bring along actresses like Zhao Liying, Zhang Tianai, Yang Zi, and Wan Qian.

Jiang Xin is out of the question; she's been eating too much lately, and her figure isn't exactly fashionable. She's more suited for actual combat, though…

Arranging short interviews for these artists in the company's internal pages can also help them add some fashion experience to their resumes and get endorsements.

By accepting endorsements, they can also earn a share of the profits.

Endorsements poured in.

Bolon sunglasses, Mentholatum lip balm—it's winter, after all.

Water heaters, water purifiers, air conditioners, home improvement brands, latex paint.

That's already considered good; even domestic sanitary napkin brands are approaching him...

what?
Am I supposed to endorse this product?
Young women and married women meet with me every month when they bleed.

You're good, and I'm good too, right?

That's not all; Jissbon also hired him as their spokesperson.

I can't just throw away all my dignity for money!
When he politely declined, the other party seemed to see through his thoughts and said that these were all family planning products, used to educate the public and promote eugenics, which was a great merit.

Moreover, it had been endorsed by celebrities before.

When Zhang Yuan asked out of curiosity, he was dumbfounded.

The last spokesperson was Li Yuchun... It's true that having a boy or a girl is the same, since they don't allow it anyway.

If you follow this line of thinking, Zhang Yuan thinks it might not be a bad idea for him to be the spokesperson for sanitary napkins.

Jissbon also said they would send him several boxes of their new products to try.

"Why don't you try it with me?" he said to Sisi, who was calling.

Little Dragon Girl: ...

Are you using them by the box?

I still want to live.

However... she didn't think it was a big deal; it was just one of the many ways the two of them communicated.

"I think you'd better not endorse it, I'm afraid it will affect your image."

He ultimately refused.

When Li Ning's endorsement deal expired, Adidas approached him again.

This brand also sponsors the Mercedes F1 team, making them even closer partners.

Montblanc also wanted to renew his contract, but Zhang Yuan hesitated.

The key is that the leather used in their wallets is quite smooth.

Because of the sect's custom, Zhang Yuan always held his wallet with his index and middle fingers... That's how it was in the Iron Thieves' Department.

It's too slippery and easy to slip out of your hand.

But the brand gave him an offer he couldn't refuse... more money.

In addition, a bunch of big brands also came.

Winning an award brings considerable added value.

Even Dior, who had already "blocked" him, came to him.

The men's bespoke department was willing to help him buy a cover photo for a Vogue issue so he could wear their clothes.

Now that you've come looking for me, I have to have something to say to you.

Zhang Yuan said that he's willing to endorse products and appear on magazine covers, so why can't he just carry sunflower seeds in his pocket?
People in Dior's China region saw that he wasn't eating sunflower seeds at the Hundred Flowers Awards a few days ago, and assumed that he had "turned over a new leaf."

I didn't expect the old story to come up again.

Zhang Yuan said that the Chinese-style suit similar to a Zhongshan suit that the Honglu Temple made for him was fine, and he didn't need to wear their clothes.

Unless you make real pockets on all the suits you order for me in the future, not those decorative fake pockets.

I'm going to stuff it with sunflower seeds, peanuts, and White Rabbit milk candy.

I sat for hours at the awards ceremony, and they didn't even provide food. Do you know how hungry I was?

He told Xixi about it, which made her happy and reminded him not to bully her.

It's rare to see celebrities telling big brands not to bully them.

"And then what happened?" she asked curiously.

Filming on set was pretty boring, so I used it to amuse myself.

“I agreed!” Zhang Yuan replied proudly. “Three-legged toads are hard to find, and a star like me is even harder to find.”

"He's handsome, has a great physique, and has a lot of fans."

"Hey hey hey... Don't be so narcissistic." Little Dragon Girl teased him.

"But I saw your photos from the awards ceremony, that's great."

"His remarks were a bit excessive."

“Who points their finger at someone and insults them? Even my mother says that if you do that, people will hold a grudge against you.”

"If I don't curse, they won't hold a grudge against me?" Zhang Yuan remained indifferent.

Just like dealing with Dior, you're not happy about it?

I'm not happy about it!

Either go along with me, or don't go anywhere.

See, it's been tamed now.

However, Dior also had his own ideas and made a bunch of demands on him.

For example, you can choose sunflower seeds based on the color of your clothes: gray clothes can only be paired with sunflower seeds, and black suits can only be paired with soy sauce sunflower seeds.

A white suit must be paired with pumpkin seeds... You're not allowed to bring your own peanuts, because peanuts are too big and will make the clothes stick out, ruining the look.

We were forced into a corner by them, so we could only try our best to find a solution.

I still prefer your previous rebellious self. How about we go back to how you were?
Zhang Yuan thought to himself, "If you guys are going to do this, shouldn't I have a word with Qiaqia melon seeds?"

If I pull out a pair of spicy chicken wings, does KFC have to pay me?

Even the award recipients next door must be drooling with envy.

Unexpectedly, the other party anticipated his prediction and drafted a very detailed contract, eliminating all kinds of random food.

However, Liu Xiaoli felt that it was inappropriate for him to point at someone's nose and curse at them during the awards ceremony, but she didn't think it was vulgar.

Rather, they were afraid he would get into trouble.

Sisi and her mother had different opinions, after all, Sisi was also a member of the victims' alliance.

"I think you've done a great job."

"There was no cursing or outburst of temper; it was just a sarcastic remark, very civilized."

"Besides, what kind of young person isn't hot-blooded?"

"You should watch less of the TV dramas I'm in." Zhang Yuan knew immediately that she had been watching "Conquest."

"Tell your mom not to worry, and you don't need to worry either."

"I have my own explanation."

In the following days, he was constantly on the go, traveling to various filming locations, but he did earn a lot of money from business deals and endorsements.

"I should be quite fat by the time the New Year comes around... but that's not quite right."

"The money I just earned is probably only enough to bail out Ning Hao." Just as I was resting, thinking about this, the phone rang.

“Boss.” Yang Siwei called him, her voice filled with surprise and bewilderment: “Huayi called me back.”

"They said they wanted to discuss the previous proposal with us."

"Very good!" Zhang Yuan sprang up from the recliner with a somersault.

"You follow up and talk to the other party as my agent."

"Have the lawyers follow up as well."

"I will propose some conditions, and you can discuss them with the other party."

"Okay... I only have one question." Yang Siwei was genuinely puzzled: "What methods did you use to get the other party to agree?"

"Hehe!" Zhang Yuan grinned. "I didn't pull any tricks."

"And even now, those two bosses probably wouldn't agree."

"It was simply a matter of necessity."

Just like the day he returned home, Cheng Hao asked the same question.

Aren't you afraid of ruining things by provoking the other party like that at the awards ceremony?

He is not worried at all.

Because Huayi is a listed company, and according to his recent intelligence analysis, the other party is in financial turmoil.

He told Cheng Hao about these two issues, but she still didn't understand.

Even if they're short of money, they don't lack this little bit. What if they grit their teeth and absolutely refuse to agree?
"So you still didn't understand."

“I said, Huayi is a listed company.”

"Listed companies not only have to worry about their stock prices in real time, but their management team is no longer just a few people, but a huge board of directors!"

Going public has many advantages, but also many disadvantages!
There is no such thing as a perfect thing in the world that only has advantages and no disadvantages.

After the IPO, the Wang brothers cashed out aggressively, selling off a significant number of shares, which greatly diminished their control over the company.

Currently, the two of them together own less than 50%, so they cannot achieve absolute control.

Although it exceeds 30%, it is still very dominant, but there is a problem.

Recently, the credibility and investment ability of these two brothers have been questioned.

First, Zhang Yuan distributed the "Sima Yi" information, which damaged their reputation in the industry.

Furthermore, the shelving of Tudou.com's IPO plans caused their previous large-scale investment plans for Tudou to fall through.

In addition, after these two brothers cashed out their assets in a frenzy, they spent lavishly on real estate and antiques, leaving them with very little money in their private accounts to begin with.

The money in the public accounts was all used to buy buildings and pay off financing loans.

They spent recklessly when things were going well, thinking that with the IPO of Tudou and Alibaba's involvement, cash flow wouldn't be a problem at all.

It suddenly exploded.

Now that the year is almost over, shareholders will also have their own ideas.

After a year on the market, not only did it not make money, it actually lost money?
The key issue is that we've already lost money before we've even cashed out?
We can face this together, no problem. You need to give us confidence and let us believe that you can make a profit later.

What if the other shareholders knew that there was a blatant money-making opportunity right in front of them, but they resolutely refused it?

This is why Zhang Yuanming knew the other party wouldn't agree, but still instructed Yang Siwei to make the request in a very formal manner, using written documents instead of communicating by phone.

It needs to be documented and accessible!

He deliberately waited a few days, not in a hurry at all.

Seeing that the time was almost up, he called his former creditor's older sister, who was now one of the nominal shareholders of Huayi after acquiring his shares.

I was simply stating the facts and inquiring about the matter.

The other party was completely dumbfounded after hearing this, having no idea what it was all about.

This company doesn't just belong to you two brothers anymore; it also belongs to us investors!
Such a big thing was rejected without even being notified to us?
So, the Wang brothers were the ones who were completely bewildered next.

Because they received a proposal from the shareholders to hold a general meeting.

The stated reason was to request an explanation regarding the company's recent financial situation.

The king was quite troubled by the sudden attack from his shareholders.

But we can't not turn it on.

You two brothers are big shots in the film and television industry. Not to mention others, Zhang Yuan's former creditors and Jack Ma, these two shareholders, are not people they can mess with.

Not to mention the other domestic and foreign investors, each of whom has a powerful background.

So Zhang Yuan and Cheng Hao said that he didn't need the two brothers' consent at all.

Because they are undignified, someone will make them dignified!

All he had to do was have Yang Siwei deliver the documents, maybe make a phone call to the shareholders, and that was it.

The enemy will take care of everything else themselves!
Clouds in the blue sky, water in the bottle; let heroes check heroes, let good men check good men.

There are no conspiracies or deceptions here, just pure, aboveboard strategies.

Rome wasn't built in a day, and problems don't arise suddenly; they accumulate like a trickle.

Upon investigation, the shareholders confirmed the allegations!

They're willing to spend tens of millions to buy a movie that we wouldn't approve, wouldn't be able to broadcast, and wouldn't be able to recoup our investment within the fiscal year.

You rejected it without even notifying me?
It seems the company's finances aren't strained!

If you're not worried, what about this year's dividends?
If you're short on funds, why not accept the proposal?

If the finances aren't tight, then why aren't there any dividends?

A group of shareholders blocked the two brothers from both sides.

"It seems to me that you're only concerned with personal grudges and completely neglect the company's operations!"

"I now have serious doubts about your management capabilities," one shareholder said angrily at the meeting.

Heroes investigating heroes not only achieve their own goals, but also cause a real rift within Huayi.

The trust between shareholders and management will be strained.

This is how I treat you; don't get involved.

If you had just agreed, this wouldn't have happened.

But Zhang Yuan knew all too well that they would never agree.

In particular, the casting issues for "Qian Xuesen" had already made the shareholders aware that their actions had caused trouble, as well as their feud with Zhang Yuan.

Now that you've acted against the interests of the company and us because of this grudge, it would be strange if the shareholders weren't angry.

Some people immediately started to argue, and some even cursed.

They pressured them to accept Zhang Yuan's proposed purchase plan.

Once Zhang Yuan bought the film, it became profitable, the financial report looked good, market expectations were better than if it hadn't been released, and the stock price stabilized.

This is a major problem and a huge hidden danger after Huayi went public.

They gradually became a financially driven company.

Wang Changtian, the CEO of Fiber Optics, was unwilling to follow the same path as Huayi, and later chose to go public independently.

The same applies to Youku. Gu Yongqiang has always held onto his shares to prevent the company from slipping out of his control.

Mr. Gu knew all too well what these investors were capable of.

All they want is money!
Foresight and long-term investment are factors that affect current profitability and are easily met with opposition.

The founder's will is very important to a company and must be upheld in the long term.

The taste changed after Lao Gan Ma was added.

After Dongzi went in, Gou Dong changed.

Apple's style is vastly different when Steve Jobs is present and when he is not.

Now the Wang brothers are also facing this problem, but they changed it on their own initiative.

Every gift of fate comes with a price already marked in secret.

At the meeting, the shareholders forced the two brothers to negotiate with Zhang Yuan and reach a deal to alleviate the company's cash flow problems.

That's why the other party took the initiative to contact us now.

Yang Siwei's reaction to his explanation was similar to Cheng Hao's.

Scared!
Zhang Yuan saw through his opponent completely and manipulated him at will.

Just like a wolf, once it gets a chance, it bites and won't let go!

"Very good." He stretched and relaxed.

"Now it's your turn to talk to me, so the initiative is in my hands."

"Well then, it's time for me to set some conditions..." (End of Chapter)