Huayu: From an ordinary person to a happy director

Chapter 118 Disappointment
Without waiting for anyone in the meeting room to reply, Mike pushed Shi Lei out and closed the door. His meaning was obvious: he wanted everyone else to come out later.

Shi Lei struggled a few times and then walked out under Mike's force.

We are still in the honeymoon period with Warner, so we still have to give Mike face.

Eventually he was pushed into a small conference room.

"Shi, wait for me here for ten minutes." Mike said.

"it is good."

Mike was relieved when he got Shi Lei's promise.

"Shi, I'm going out first."

Shi Lei waved his hand and signaled Mike to go out.

Creak, bang, Mike closed and opened the door in one go, and you could see his anxiety.

Shi Lei looked up at the closed door, his mind full of thoughts.

He, the director, was the main controller of "300", and he was a little unsure about this person who suddenly appeared and made sarcastic remarks about him.

First, in North America, Chinese people are at the lowest level of the discrimination chain. Even top directors will be discriminated against by some people.

It’s just that the crews provided by large companies will try their best to screen out these people, but there will always be some that slip through the net. After all, no one will admit that they are discriminatory.

He had encountered this situation before when he was filming, and he was very decisive at that time and just chased the person away.

But he could drive away the people from the crew, but not the people from the headquarters.

He could only express his attitude and wait for Warner's handling results.

Second, in addition to discrimination, he had another guess.

That means someone is trying to sow discord. This publicity team is one of Warner's top teams, and there should be no discriminators in such an elite team.

Therefore, it is very likely that these are spies arranged by other Hollywood companies, who use discrimination as an excuse to sow discord.

The Hollywood company most likely to take action is Columbia, which has invested in Peach Pictures. The two companies are competitors.

Other Hollywood companies are either not qualified or do not have a deep understanding of the company and will not easily acquire shares.

If Shi Lei is the first type, it means that this discriminatory person is hiding very deeply. He has passed the internal evaluation of Warner Group many times, and his favorable impression of Warner has declined.

If it is the second one, then the person hiding in the dark has succeeded and he is already dissatisfied with Warner.

This is an open conspiracy~~
Unfortunately, he has already determined to become a capitalist. Although he is unhappy, it does not affect his acceptance of Warner's investment.

As the saying goes, doing something the enemy doesn't want you to do is also a way of fighting.

……

Mike didn't let Shi Lei in and came back in three minutes later.

"Shi, the management has transferred him out of the publicity team. He will not appear in front of you again."

Shi Lei kept tapping the table with his index finger. After a moment of silence, he asked, "No punishment?"

Transfer is inevitable, but this is not what he needs.

Mike struggled for a moment and finally said truthfully: "The specific punishment has not been decided yet, and it needs to be discussed by the top management.

This publicity group is one of the most powerful teams in the company, and punishment requires a meeting resolution.”

The truth is, most of the employees who can stay at the headquarters have connections, and the internal situation of this large company in South China is complicated.

Letting Shi Lei invest and direct is out of interest, but for Shi Lei's elite employees, it's complicated.

The employee just made a mistake in saying one thing.

Maybe the company can punish or even fire this employee, but it cannot do so because of Shi Lei.

The reasons are complicated, including the company's authority, senior management's protection of their own shortcomings, etc.

The main reason is because of Shi Lei’s identity. Shi Lei’s status cannot be allowed to rise too quickly.

Shi Lei shook his head slightly upon hearing this, very disappointed. No matter what the reason was, it was not triggered, which meant that his status was not high enough and he could not punish a core employee just because of a single sentence.

"I'm not good at publicity. Just make the decision in a meeting. Just make a publicity plan and send it to me."

He didn't wait for Mike to speak, he just pushed the door and walked out.

"Shi......" Mike was anxious.

Shi Lei interrupted Mike directly: "Don't persuade me anymore. If I don't leave, I won't be a great director."

He moved quickly, and in just a few minutes he walked out of the Warner headquarters building.

If it is a discriminator, it is a management problem of Warner. If it is a conspiracy, then the person who carried out the conspiracy succeeded.

After what happened, he wouldn't stay.

Although he was somewhat unhappy, he had no intention of reducing Warner's investment.

The two Hollywood companies had the same shares, and he retained control of Peach and continued to earn foreign exchange.

Mike didn't keep him waiting any longer, and a few days later, the employee was fired.

He also returned to Warner to participate in the formulation of publicity plans.

He was not good at publicity and did not interrupt too much, but just gave a testimony at the meeting.

Others make the specific plans.

After the first meeting was successfully concluded, Mike moved closer to Shi Lei.

"Shi, the company wants to invite you to a dinner party, and a senior executive wants to apologize to you in person."

Shi Lei was stunned. "Apologize? What does an apology have to do with a dinner?"

"Shi, in China, an apology means treating someone to a meal, but in Hollywood, an apology is given at a dinner party," Mike explained.

"Is there such a saying? Don't fool me." Shi Lei was a little unconvinced.

Mike thought about it and realized that Shi Lei might not understand. He lowered his voice beside Shi Lei and said, "The senior management will provide you with two female companions for the dinner."

"Suck~~" Shi Lei understood instantly, what a bullshit dinner, what a messy paty.

Thinking of this, Shi Lei quickly declined politely: "Mike, you know me. I'm from China. There is a tradition in China..."

"Shi, we have taken this into consideration. These two female companions are from South Korea, they conform to the Chinese aesthetic, and they are still virgins. The most important thing is that they will be signed to Shuimitao Films. Whether you support them or make them famous depends entirely on your mood." Mike explained in a low voice.

He was responsible for connecting with Shi Lei, so of course he knew Shi Lei's personality. Shi Lei liked beautiful women very much, and he had quite a few female companions in China.

Shi Lei's expression became serious, and he said loudly: "Since you sincerely invite me, I will reluctantly agree to your request!"

"I will definitely attend this important dinner party. As for the two female companions, it's not important."

Mike followed Shi Lei's lead and said, "Yes, I sincerely invite you to attend the dinner in three days. The two female companions are just to accompany you. They are not important at all."

"Very good." Shi Lei patted Mike on the shoulder, very satisfied.

The two chatted for a while before Shi Lei left Warner.

As soon as he stepped out of Warner's door, his expression changed drastically.

He's been to so many dinner parties and seen all kinds of chaos, and it's well known that he doesn't touch women at dinner parties.

Now Warner executives insist on sending him a female companion, and they carefully selected a Korean who conforms to the Chinese aesthetics.

Female companion.

These people are determined to drag him down!
Could it be that the three major iron relations have the same ticket? This is an international culture.

Only by hanging out with them can we stop considering them as our own?

The Warner executives really put a lot of effort into this!

Does this also mean that the time given to him has been shortened again, and the one-year promise is no longer valid? "Forget it, let's just deal with it as it comes! With my current fame, even if I delay, I can still delay it for a full year."

----

Three days later, in a large villa, a pool party was in full swing.

Dinner party is just a polite way of saying it; pool party and chaos are the real themes.

Shi Lei also received two female companions belonging to her.

"What are your names?" Shi Lei asked as he looked them over.

There is nothing to say about the looks and figures of these two female companions, which are of high standards even in China.

"Lin Yuer."

"Zhang Yiya."

The two women answered one after another.

Shi Lei touched his chin and asked, "Do you know the consequences of being my female companion?"

"I know." The two women said in unison.

"In fact, we have already signed the contract in advance and are already artists of Shuimitao Films," Lin Yuer added.

Shi Lei's gaze stayed on Lin Yuer. The name seemed familiar. After searching for a while, he knew who Lin Yuer was. As for her appearance, it was a little different from what he remembered.

Lin Yuer looks a little immature now, and her eyes are very clear, as if she has just entered the industry.

He was somewhat curious about the ages of the two girls, but in the end he didn't ask because he estimated that they were not very old.

In Korea, the entertainment industry is well developed and many people have a dream of becoming an actress. In other words, entering the entertainment industry is the fastest and easiest way to cross classes. There are countless trainees in Korea, and even many people from China have gone there.

But as the saying goes, the more people there are, the more trouble there is. The Korean entertainment industry is more chaotic than that of any other country. Except for those who are focused on training, the rest are treated as tools.

Being a female companion is commonplace. She may have lost her self before her official debut.

It’s good to be able to debut even if you lose yourself. Most of them are badly treated by others and don’t even get the chance to debut.

So Korean female stars who have just debuted may have lost countless times.

Judging from the looks of these two women, and the fact that they are still intact, they must be the ones being trained with emphasis.

Of course it also has something to do with their ages.

It is estimated that the two were given to Warner executives by an artist company in South Korea, but now they were transferred to him.

Shi Lei wanted to ask about the current situation of the two female Korean trainees and get some gossip.

Before he could speak, Mike urged, "Shi, come with me. I'll take you to meet some people."

"Okay." Shi Lei followed Mike to the center of the dinner.

Everyone who passed by knew Shi Lei, and they would greet him, nod to him, or raise their glasses to toast him. There were many different ways of doing this.

Shi Lei also casually responded with a few greetings.

Under the guidance and introduction of Mike, Shi Lei came to the central area of ​​the dinner.

Mike pointed at a middle-aged man and said, "Mike, this is Fausto Hall, the deputy general manager of Warner's film and television investment department."

"General Manager, this is Director Shi Lei, the director of Million Dollar Baby."

Shi Lei understood that this should be the person who invited him over. He cupped his hands and said, "Hello, General Manager."

Fausto Hall laughed heartily and said in a loud voice: "Director Shi, you are being polite. Just call me Fausto."

Shi Lei's heart moved. He thought he was just trying to resolve the misunderstanding, but now he was asked to call his name directly. There must be some ulterior motive.

"General Manager Fausto can also call me 'Shi'." Shi Lei said calmly.

"Okay, then I'll call you a stone."

……

The topic after that was dominated by Deputy General Manager Fausto, who chatted with him about all sorts of things but refused to tell him the purpose of asking him to come over tonight.

Now the other party has something to ask him, but he is not in a hurry and just waits.

In the end, Fausto still didn't tell the purpose, only saying, "Let's talk alone tomorrow night."

The two separated.

In fact, even if Fausto didn't say it, Shi Lei guessed Fausto's purpose. He said he wanted to apologize, but in fact he wanted to invest in his Shuimitao Film and Television in one go.

It was just an intention and trial before, but tomorrow we will have direct negotiations.

Warner is a little anxious!
Don't you plan to give him a year?

Unfortunately, no matter how anxious Warner is, Shi Lei will have to drag it out for a year.

We all know that after the release of several series of films, the valuation of Shuimitao Film and Television will go to a higher level. We are all adults and will not make any noise about losing money.

"Shi, there is a room in the villa. Can I take you in?" Mike came over with two Korean trainees.

In order to avoid suspicion, the three did not eavesdrop on the conversation between Shi Lei and Fausto.

Shi Lei looked at the time. Wow, Fausto was really good at chatting. He chatted with him for an hour but they didn't get to the point in any sentence.

He finally saw through the bullshit these big guys were capable of.

"No need, I'll take them around here!" Shi Lei politely declined Mike.

"Okay, Shi, you go around and have some fun. I'm going to have my own fun." This dinner was a private one, so Mike certainly couldn't wait.

"Let's go, let's go and socialize." Shi Lei said to the two women in front of him, and then walked towards someone.

The two girls were very well-behaved. They didn't say anything, but just followed quietly, which made people feel very comfortable.

Shi Lei took the two of them around the banquet and chatted with some famous actors and directors.

As for the flat models at the banquet, he avoided them.

There were two women following, and none of them were as tactless as the model.

He just wandered around like this for half an hour, and when he saw that the banquet was becoming more and more chaotic, he took the two women away.

The next night, Shi Lei met with Fausto again.

"Shi, I won't beat around the bush. Warner wants to invest in Peach Films. The price is calculated based on the market valuation, and it is expected to hold a 30% stake. What do you think?" Fausto went straight to the point.

Shi Lei was stunned by these words. Last night he gave a long speech, but today he was going straight to the point?
Is this a study of his character?

"Since you don't beat around the bush, I'll be frank. I want to wait until the financial report comes out at the end of this year before discussing financing."

"You know, this year Shuimitao Films will release several series, and "300 Spartans" will be released soon. Shuimitao Films' financial report will be very good, and its market value will increase accordingly..."

He didn't need to say anything more.

Fausto did not comment and continued, "Shi, you don't have to rush to refuse. You can go back and think about it. Just give me a reply within three months."

Shi Lei looked at Fausto speechlessly. He didn't think he would give in just by giving him two women!

What three months is a trap? He is not stupid.

As the saying goes, one step back, all steps back. If you soften a little, you will be pressed step by step.

The expression on his face changed quickly, and he said in a firm tone: "I said I will wait for the year-end financial report, so I will wait for the annual meeting financial report. I will not change this decision."

After saying that, he stood up and left.

The next day, he went to Warner General as usual to participate in the formulation of the publicity plan.

After only staying for half a month, the publicity plan was formulated.

(End of this chapter)