Actor: Thank you.

The next morning, Zhang Yuan took a car to Huayi's office building.

"Dandan, park the car. I'll give you a hundred yuan for meals. Keep the receipts and the company will reimburse you."

Zhang Yuan greeted him and walked towards the elevator alone.

Zhao Xunxun, the assistant, parked the car in the parking garage and went to a nearby restaurant to order some meat dumplings.

She is quite sensible. The boss only gives you a budget of 100 yuan, so you can't really spend that much.

Besides, she is already very content.

Most of her brothers and sisters from the martial arts school had become estranged from her because of what happened on the set of The Return of the Condor Heroes.

Think she is a "traitor".

But last time, several sisters from school asked her out for dinner. They knew that she had everything to eat and drink, drove a million-dollar luxury car when she went out, slept on a high bed with a soft pillow, and that her food, clothing, housing and transportation were all reimbursed.

Not only is he well-dressed, but he also goes in and out of high-end places.

Several classmates all lamented that she met a good boss.

And when they learned that she now had a whopping income of 10,000 yuan a month, those female classmates who were still struggling on the poverty line and even had to work on the set during the day and serve dishes at night to earn money all felt as if their hearts were being grabbed.

"Brother Zhang Yuan said he would give me another thousand yuan in salary next month," Zhao Xinxin added.

Those classmates felt heartbroken because their salary increase was higher than our monthly income...

What a waste of time!
Zhang Yuan gave Zhao Xinxin a salary increase to cope with inflation while giving her a sense that she could progress with the company and herself.

Giving her such a high salary is not only because we think she deserves it, but also because it is a role model.

If the person who follows you closely all day long is skinny and pale, and has a very low income, what will other people in the company think and what will outsiders think?
On the contrary, if everyone knows that following you will not only provide you with food and drink and a high income, but also gain enough respect, what will other people in the company and outsiders think?
To win people's hearts and accumulate popularity, you have to start from the little things around you.

After that dinner, news about Zhao Xinxin's work and life quickly spread throughout the Yuncheng Martial Arts School in Shandong Province.

Her reputation in her alma mater also quickly changed from "traitor" to "successful person", "lucky", "my good friend", "my good senior sister", etc.

Alumni who were originally unfamiliar with her also began to come to her and contact her actively.

There are people who borrow money.

"You earn so much a month, give me a few thousand dollars to spend..."

Some people asked her to help find a job.

"Is your boss still short of people? I don't ask for much, I just want the same salary as you..."

There are also people who come to confess.

"Actually, I've liked you for a long time, but I never had the nerve to say it out loud when I was in school..."

This is all normal, there are even more outrageous things.

For example, someone calls and asks to play the leading role in a movie.

what?
You can't do it?

Your boss is very capable, he can definitely do it, but you just don't want to help. Do you look down on me? Yo yo yo... You look down on your old classmates after leaving school.

But in the end, these people are just a minority.

Most of her classmates envy and admire her, and try to please her.

The attitude also changed from cold to extremely enthusiastic.

Zhao Xinxin then understood that as long as you do better and better in life, most people will automatically change their attitude towards you and show their kindness and respect.

Ding!
Accompanied by a crisp prompt sound, Zhang Yuanzi stepped out of the elevator.

Led by Secretary Xiao Wang, they entered the other party's office.

Wang Zhonglei smiled warmly, stood up, walked forward, patted his shoulder, and ushered him to the sofa and coffee table.

"Coffee or tea?"

"Do you have any sparkling water? I got tired of it yesterday."

Yesterday I accompanied Cheng to a delicious French meal, including steak and foie gras. The dessert after the meal was tiramisu, which made him very satisfied.

"Go buy it..." After Xiao Wang gave the order, the secretary immediately went to do it.

Zhang Yuan noticed that Xiao Wang's attitude towards him was slightly different from before.

Just like how the martial arts school classmates treated Zhao Xinxin,
Huayi's change in attitude towards Zhang Yuan is also based on what he has done recently.

He really got the film contract from Zhang Yimou!

That is to say, he doesn't need Hua Yi to star in top blockbusters.

Before, he could only become a first-line director thanks to Hua Yi’s films, but now it is completely different.

Moreover, he took the initiative to invite a large number of Huayi artists to participate in this charity race.

From the two Bing girls to Huang Xiaoming, as well as Zhang Jingying and Zhou Xun who just signed the contract.

It is still unclear who relies on whom and who is supporting whom.

And yesterday, Da Wang called Xiao Wang to his office and talked about two things.

The first thing is the broadcast effect of "The Lotus Lantern".

Judging from the ratings, Zhang Yuan’s investment was once again a success.

What’s more important is, “Bright Sword” plus “Wulin Waijia”, plus the current “The Lotus Lantern”.

The revenue of these three dramas has almost reached the 4000 million revenue standard in the first year of the gambling agreement.

Even if we include "Crazy Stone", which has not yet been released, the overseas copyright fees have sold for more than 8 million.

After adding the copyright share of this film, the goal of the first year of the bet agreement has actually been achieved.

Moreover, these films will provide a lot of follow-up income, which will also be beneficial to the contract in the next two years.

The king asked someone to do the math and found out that although the second year's contract would increase revenue by 10 million, it should be easier for Zhang Yuan to complete it than the first year.

Wang Zhongjun knew that he couldn't stop this kid by force.

After listening to this, Xiao Wang said that Zhang Yuan still needed to rely on Hua Yi's protection to guard against attacks from some opponents.

The king then told Xiang Zuo about Zhang Yuan's invitation to go racing.

Wang Zhonglei was stunned after hearing this.

After pondering for a long time, I finally came to my senses.

"As long as the Xiang family doesn't go crazy, the previous grudges with Zhang Yuan will be written off after this charity race."

"And he took advantage of this racing incident to deliberately disgust Hairun's Changjihong."

"After all, that woman just hacked him online."

The two brothers of the Wang family also discovered that it took Zhang Yuan less than a year to break free from the two chains they had used to tie him up.

Now Hua Yi has no other means to restrict him gently except to threaten him with a full-scale ban.

But there is no hatred or grudge against him, so why ban him?
Besides, banning a person requires resources and costs.

The ultimate skill has a CD, and if you use it carelessly, you may be easily ambushed by the opponent.

Huayi also has many enemies.

As the two brothers talked about this, Xiao Wang thought of something else.

Because of the bet agreement, Huayi and Zhang Yuan's companies exchanged part of their equity.

This means that the two companies have a community of interests to some extent.

This just avoids the possibility of Hua Yi using shady means to suppress him.

Since they have a vested interest in each other, it is even more impossible for Hua Yi to suppress Zhang Yuan for no reason.

So the two brothers discussed it and decided that they might have to adjust their strategy towards Zhang Yuan.

From taking care of a younger brother with outstanding abilities, to becoming more like a partner.

Only tea and coffee, no sparkling water.

Just buy it!
Xiao Wang treated his guest as a treat, not as a younger brother who needed to be "disciplined" as before.

Zhang Yuan saw this.

But he also knew that he had to stay awake and continue dancing on the tightrope.

After all, Huayi still has the ability to get herself out of the circle.

They were polite, they just wanted to ask a favor of me.

After a long exchange of greetings, Xiao Wang finally got to the point.

"Just like I said yesterday, I asked you to come here today because I want to talk to you about a TV series."

Zhang Yuan listened patiently.

"You have previously invested in the military-themed TV series "Drawing Sword", which means you should be quite interested in military themes, right?"

"Of course, I admire the military's heroic spirit."

When Xiao Wang heard this, he became happy.

After all, the two brothers come from a military family.

It's just that what the two brothers did didn't seem like Chinese soldiers, but more like some warlords in Southeast Asia...

"We have a military-themed TV series here at Huayi..."

Zhang Yuan looked as calm as an old dog, but his heart was actually beating wildly.

Because he knows what this movie is.

"Soldier Assault"!
"Kang Honglei has had many successful military-themed works before, such as the most famous "The Passionate Years." Xiao Wang continued.

“Although the focus of this play is on new soldiers, I have read the script and think the content is good.”

Zhang Yuan could tell that Xiao Wang wasn't very confident about the film.

After all, there are not many successful cases of modern military dramas.

"Since you are interested in military themes, I think it would be better for us to have in-depth cooperation." Wang Zhonglei pushed a script in front of him.

"Take a look first, and then we can have dinner together and chat in the evening."

Zhang Yuan pretended to be cautious and took the script calmly.

In the evening, Wang Zhonglei took him to a restaurant near the company for dinner.

They booked a private room, and in addition to the two of them, Kang Honglei and screenwriter Lan Xiaolong were also there.

"What do you think of the script?"

"Very good." Zhang Yuan replied with a smile.

"That's good. In that case, are you interested in the role of the male lead Xu Sanduo?" Xiao Wang asked.

"Of course I'm interested." Zhang Yuan replied deliberately.

Kang Honglei and Lan Xiaolong on the side frowned.

“This character is brave and stubborn, and has a complete growth curve in the story, which shows the character arc very well...but.” After Zhang Yuan praised, he changed the subject.

"But I feel that I am not suitable for this role, whether in terms of image or temperament." "Let alone other things, just the height. A child from a poor family should not have the image on the screen like me. It is not convincing."

Kang Honglei and Lan Xiaolong, who had looked worried just now, nodded after hearing what he said.

"He understood the character in just one afternoon and took into account the details of the image."

"Yes, and I didn't do anything just because I wanted to play the leading role. I still focused on the work and the character, and put myself behind..."

Kang Honglei had met Zhang Yuan once at a drinking party before, but that was several years ago.

This was the first time Lan Xiaolong saw him.

Now that they had met, they both understood why Hua Yi wanted to support him.

"So what you mean is..." Xiao Wang asked while rubbing his fingers.

"The role of the second male lead Chengcai is more suitable for me. After all, he is the child of the village chief. It is understandable that he has a better height and appearance."

Zhang Yuan said this deliberately.

"The actor for this role has already been chosen." Xiao Wang immediately refused.

Of course Zhang Yuan knew that this role had already been promised to Chen Sicheng by Hua Yi.

Chen Sicheng's family is quite powerful, and Huayi can also make use of his family's connections.

Plus, this guy is very smart, the kind of person who dares to "go with the crowd", or maybe he is that kind of person... Anyway, Xiao Wang is very optimistic about him.

It fits Huayi's temperament and style very well.

The second male lead in this drama is a gift for him.

Wang Zhonglei planned to bring Chen Sicheng to Huayi.

"Well... I can't just play a minor supporting role." Zhang Yuan replied.

Xiao Wang thought about it.

Yes, Zhang Yuan has acted in Feng Xiaogang and Zhang Yimou's films, so it is really unreasonable to ask him to play a supporting role to Chen Sicheng.

"Let's put aside the role first." Xiao Wang continued: "Since you are interested in this film, I will tell you directly."

"This film has a funding gap right now. Are you interested in participating?"

This is what Zhang Yuan was waiting for!

Why is there a funding gap?
"The Warring States" and "The Banquet" both cost tens of millions of yuan.

It also attracted many young singers including Zhang Jingying, all of which required resources and money.

As a result, the overseas copyright sales of "The Promise", "A Warring States" and "The Banquet" all encountered difficulties.

Especially "The Banquet" was screwed by Harvey.

This was why Zhang Yuan did not expose Harvey at the time. He needed Huayi to have no money.

There is also the film "Young Generals of the Yang Family" which I collaborated with Tang Ren.

The effect after it was broadcast was not ideal, because the subject matter was too depressing and The Yang Family Generals is a tragic story in itself.

Huayi, who was in charge of overseas channels, did not make any money either.

Now, in order to get rid of the aftermath of Wang Jinhua's departure, Huayi is desperately trying to win over artistes and has spent a lot of money.

They even teamed up with Yahoo to create a talent show called "Yahoo Star Search", and invited Feng Xiaogang to serve as a mentor and judge.

People are going crazy trying to grab people.

Compared with "The Banquet" and "The Warring States", "Soldier Assault" was naturally placed at the back of the sequence.

It will be his turn once the funds for other projects are in place.

So, there is not enough money!

Of course, given Huayi's size, it can certainly raise the money by squeezing it out or through mortgage loans.

But banks and other lending channels are also taking advantage of your situation and asking for exorbitant amounts of money.

The two brothers discussed it.

"The Lotus Lantern" is popular on the air, and Zhang Yuan should have some money recently.

Invite him to cooperate in investment.

If he makes money, we have shares in his company and can make money too.

If we lose money, we can reduce the loss and also make a profit from the bet agreement with Zhang Yuan.

No matter how you calculate it, you won’t suffer any loss.

This is another reason why Xiao Wang was so polite to him today.

At the same time, Huayi has already consulted several familiar TV stations with the script.

As a result, the broadcaster was not optimistic about this project.

"Form is more important than content," the TV station said.

At the same time, very low expectations and prices for film collection were given.

Xiao Wang wanted Zhang Yuan to star in the show because he actually wanted to rely on him to boost the enthusiasm of the TV station.

Because after Huayi's investigation, this film has been listed as a high-risk project.

Then I came to find Zhang Yuan.

They will not share with others a project that they think is a sure way to make money!

They calculated very well, but they didn't know that Zhang Yuan was also calculating against them.

I don't even know the meaning of this film.

The audience's wishes often go against the judgment of capital.

Before "Drawing Sword" was broadcast, no TV station thought that this film would become so popular.

The judgment of the TV station and Huayi is also based on the empiricism of past works.

Empiricism is completely ineffective when it comes to epoch-making works!

"Let me think...how much will it take?"

"The Bayi Film Studio will contact the military to provide most of the filming locations, so the cost can be saved a lot."

"Total budget..." Wang Zhonglei looked at Kang Honglei.

"It will probably cost 1200 million, plus the costs of publicity, distribution, and post-production, another 400 million will be needed," Director Kang replied.

“It’s still halfway.”

"800 million!" Zhang Yuan acted surprised and painful.

"I'm not like Hua Yi. I'm from a small family. 800 million is a large sum... I have to scrape together some assets." Zhang Yuan said vaguely.

"If I were to invest, could you recommend an actor to play the role of Xu Sanduo?"

"Who?"

"Wang Baoqiang."

In his previous life, Wang Baoqiang was from Huayi.

But now he has been pulled to his side. If there is no investment relationship, Huayi has many people available.

They may even use this role as a resource to attract actors.

If Baoqiang was missing from this movie, would it still be so successful?

Zhang Yuan felt that at least half of his soul would be lost.

"Baoqiang's temperament is suitable." Director Kang touched the minibus and thought about it. Lan Xiaolong beside him also nodded in agreement.

"You can consider it. Let him come for the audition." Seeing that they had no objection, Xiao Wang agreed.

At the same time, I thought to myself that Zhang Yuan was so lucky!

He actually got hold of Wang Baoqiang, a talented talent, before he became famous.

The two brothers of the Wang family saw Baoqiang's performance in "A World Without Thieves" and were jealous of him.

"It doesn't matter. His agency is our Huayi's backyard."

"No matter how good his vision is, no matter how many people he can win over."

"As long as Huayi recovers from this crisis and has enough funds, it won't take long for us to recruit new people..."

Although Xiao Wang was smiling on the surface, he was already planning to steal Zhang Yuan's girl.

After the meal, the matter was basically finalized.

Zhang Yuan returned home and called Wang Baoqiang over.

"Big brother!"

This person is still the same as before, not much changed, short and dark with a loud voice.

"How are you doing lately?"

"I'm doing OK. I went back to my hometown and bought some new clothes for my mom and dad."

When he makes money, he thinks of his family first. There is still a simple side to his character.

"There must be a lot of business and film offers looking for you now."

"Hehehe, it's okay."

Baoqiang also earned nearly three million last year, which was a great harvest.

"Hey, take a look at this script. I helped you choose it."

"Give me your answer after you read it."

"Okay!" Wang Baoqiang knew that Zhang Yuan would not cheat him, so he agreed with a smile.

After chatting for a while, seeing that it was getting late, I asked him to go home quickly.

This guy looks simple, but he has a very smart brain.

As soon as he made money, he bought a house in the capital and renovated his parents' house in his hometown.

Now you don't have to rent a house anymore.

"By the way, do you plan to have a girlfriend?" Zhang Yuan suddenly asked before he left.

"Hehehe, brother, there are many girls who are willing to be with me, but I don't like most of them." Baoqiang scratched his head embarrassedly.

"If you have a formal girlfriend, bring her to me to meet her."

"Row!"

He replied loudly and then walked out the door.

Zhang Yuan shook his head helplessly. This really makes me worry.

The next morning, Li Xuelin, the boss of Duowan Games, whom he had met in Guangdong Province, called him... (End of this chapter)