I'm just trying to ride the wave of popularity!

Chapter 13: Investing in a Cinema!
The summer breeze caressed the streets of Yanjing.

The familiar, gentle melody, accompanied by sunlight, shone through the newly opened door onto Zhou Yang's refined face.

Upon entering the coffee shop, Zhou Yang greeted everyone with impeccable manners and manners.

An Xiaoshi, who was walking ahead wearing a mask, subconsciously turned her head to look at Zhou Yang, who was holding a script behind her.

Zhou Yang, who was following behind in the sunlight, had a unique temperament. In his words and actions, he was like a social elite, a celebrity gentleman, a noble young master... like all the noble and elegant people in TV dramas, but he definitely did not look like a big swindler who could put bricks in his briefcase.

This person seems to have been born with an aura of confidence that cannot be concealed.

Even with an inexpensive suit, shoes with illegible labels, and non-prescription glasses, one can still look incredibly elegant.

………………

"2003 years..."

"This is a very special year."

"Hollywood movies are sweeping the globe. Hong Kong films, once a glorious film island, are gradually fading away, while mainland Chinese films are emerging. With capital and intentional integration, countless small and medium-sized cinemas are beginning to form cinema chains. The great competition among cinema chains is about to begin..."

"In this special era, if we want to control the narrative in the film industry in the future, we must start with the cinemas..."

"The cinema chain is made up of individual cinemas. What I've been doing all along is trying to integrate those cinemas that big capital hasn't yet seen, but which have great potential..."

"And Feihe Cinema is one of them..."

"This is Zhang Muxue, the general manager of Feihe Cinema."

"Mr. Zhang, this is An Xiaoshi, the director of 'Love Ferris Wheel.' Director An is also one of the directors in our copyright cooperation this time."

"..."

The box door opened.

Zhang Muxue saw Zhou Yang following behind a young and beautiful girl, introducing the situation of their [Feihe Cinema].

Zhou Yang's voice was gentle, a gentleness, patience, and meticulousness that Zhang Muxue had never heard before, making her feel as if she were bathed in a spring breeze.

His words were also full of conviction. Although he didn't say them to her, his few words still gave her a glimmer of hope when she was feeling disheartened.

She stood up instinctively and shook hands with An Xiaoshi.

After shaking hands, she looked An Xiaoshi up and down.

An Xiaoshi is too young, only in her early twenties, and she's wearing a mask that only covers her eyes...

Although she looks a bit green, she is actually taller and more slender than in the photos online, and she looks even more beautiful after taking off her mask.

An Xiaoshi was also sizing up Zhang Muxue. Looking at this woman with a slightly aloof expression but extremely beautiful features, she couldn't help but glance at her a few more times, especially when she saw the woman's chest. She couldn't help but linger for a moment. Then, she subconsciously looked at Zhou Yang, who was ordering food from the waiter. Involuntarily, she recalled the scene from a few days ago when Zhou Yang leaned against his Audi A6 at the entrance of Yan Ying School, unmoved and aloof as countless girls tried to flirt with him...

Wow, so the female boss I'm working with is so beautiful, no wonder this guy!

Trying to act aloof!

"Thanks……"

After Zhou Yang finished ordering, he turned to look at the two of them and found that they were both looking at him.

"Mr. Zhang, I've already discussed the details of [Feihe Cinema] with Director An, and he's quite interested in it... Today, I invited Director An here for two reasons. First, to see if our cinema can reach a strategic cooperation agreement with 'Love Ferris Wheel.' Second, as one of the actors in 'Love Ferris Wheel,' I sincerely hope that my film can be shown in our [Feihe Cinema] and seen by more and more people..."

After a brief silence, Zhou Yang smiled and looked at Zhang Muxue.

After listening, Zhang Muxue nodded and looked at An Xiaoshi: "Director An, I heard about the movie 'Ferris Wheel of Love' a long time ago, and I'm really looking forward to it. President Zhou should have conveyed my thoughts as well. If possible, I hope that this time, our [Feihe Cinema] can get the premiere rights to 'Ferris Wheel of Love'..."

[Feihe Cinema] is facing an urgent funding problem.

But more serious than the capital issue is that Feihe Cinema has no decent film copyrights to offer for distribution in this competition for cinema capital.

Without good movies, there are no audiences. Without audiences, cinemas will have a harder time making a profit and will be less attractive to investors, thus failing to sell at a good price.

If we can get a movie that attracts audiences at this time, it may not be able to revitalize the cinema, but it can at least bring more people to the cinema and generate more revenue.

They were completely out of the running for blockbusters. Compared to blockbusters, a small-to-medium-sized production like "Love Ferris Wheel," which had a certain impact on a smaller scale, was indeed Zhang Muxue's best choice.

After Zhang Muxue finished speaking, she looked at An Xiaoshi and handed her a cooperation agreement.

“Director An, as you know, the revenue split between cinemas and film producers is usually around 5/5, or sometimes 6/4, with the cinema taking 6% and the producer 4%... President Zhou called me yesterday and said that you are a very straightforward director and producer, and you also control the film's distribution rights. If we can reach a cooperation agreement, our cinema chain can make concessions on ‘Love Ferris Wheel,’ making it 4/6, with you taking 6% and me taking 4%…”

After An Xiaoshi received the contract, she silently looked at the terms and conditions.

For cinemas that have to cover utilities and rent, 6% is actually the limit of profit margin.

An Xiaoshi looked at the contract for a long time but didn't find any problems. Finally, she turned her attention to Zhou Yang, who was leisurely eating the most expensive steak.

Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the bulging briefcase that Zhou Yang always carried with him.

When An Xiaoshi realized that the bag was stuffed with prop bricks, she couldn't bear to look at the guy who was rubbing against everything!

"Mr. Zhou... please stop eating."

"Ok?"

What do you think of this agreement?

"I've read the agreement, it's okay to sign..."

Could there be a problem with the agreement?
Zhou Yang helped draft all of them...

"Oh."

An Xiaoshi nodded, flipped through the agreement again, and finally signed her name after confirming that there were no problems. When Zhang Muxue saw An Xiaoshi sign the agreement, a weight was finally lifted from her heart.

The process was much simpler than she had imagined.

Just as everything was signed and both parties checked it again, feeling there were no problems, Zhou Yang pushed up his glasses, a grin spreading across his face: "Mr. Zhang, shall we sign another one?"

"besides?"

"Yes, Director An makes movies, and I make movies too..."

"..."

Zhang Muxue stared blankly as Zhou Yang handed her a contract.

When he saw the words "Sun Wukong vs. Superman 2", he stared at Zhou Yang in shock.

"you……"

"Let's sign it together, the terms of the document haven't changed..."

"..."

..............................

The afternoon sun was quite harsh.

As soon as Zhou Yang stepped out of the coffee shop, he felt a wave of heat hit him, making his skin feel burning hot.

An Xiaoshi silently walked into the Audi A6 with the contract in her hand. When she sat in the passenger seat, Zhou Yang coughed lightly and suddenly became a little shy.

"Director An..."

"you say……"

"Can you lend me some money?" An Xiaoshi stared blankly at Zhou Yang, who looked shy. "Don't you have plenty of money? Why do you need to borrow money?"

"We don't lack money, but, as you know, making a movie requires a lot of money..."

“Zhou Yang, I’ve seen the ‘Strategic Cooperation Agreement for Film Crew’ that you signed with me yesterday. Your crew consists of only three people: you, Director Shen Long, and Chen Jianfeng. The rest, including the cameras and even the boxed lunches, all have to mooch off our ‘Love Ferris Wheel’… I just don’t understand, what exactly do you need money for making movies?” An Xiaoshi took a deep breath and stared at Zhou Yang.

"Ahem, Director An, what are you saying? What do you mean by 'profiting'? We have a strategic partnership, exchanging resources. Besides, I'm actually quite aggrieved. I didn't ask for a salary, I acted for free, but I sacrificed quite a bit myself..."

"Alright, alright, Zhou Yang, tell me how much you want to borrow!" An Xiaoshi shook her head at Zhou Yang's serious expression, afraid that this shameless guy would come up with some messy stuff.

"It's not much, just lend me 30,000..."

"Thirty thousand!" An Xiaoshi was deeply stunned: "Thirty thousand isn't much? What are you going to do with it?"

"Director An, to be honest, I'm not short of money, but as you know, I've been integrating cinema chains and dealing with various brands lately, so I'm inevitably having some cash flow problems... How about this, lend me 30,000, and I'll pay you back 35,000 in two months! Director An, look at how beautiful you are, how broad-minded you are, and how talented you are. The first time I saw you, I felt like you were a ray of light in my dark life..." Zhou Yang tucked his briefcase in, and his free flattery poured out incessantly.

"No, I don't have 30,000!" An Xiaoshi was speechless at Zhou Yang's shamelessness.

"Twenty thousand?"

"At most 15,000!" An Xiaoshi stared at Zhou Yang.

"Okay, fifteen thousand it is. Do you have cash on hand?"

"So urgent?"

"Yes."

"Fine, I'll get it for you! But Zhou Yang, don't even think about running off with the money. I have your ID and documents here..."

“Director An, do I look like a conman who runs away with money? I’m an actor in our ‘Love Ferris Wheel’! You picked me out from among countless people at first glance, do you think I’m not even worth 15,000?”

"..."

..............................

In the cafe.

Zhang Muxue sipped her coffee, silently looking at the two contracts.

When I saw the contract for "Monkey King vs. Superman 2", I still couldn't bear to look at it.

This movie title is absolutely mind-blowing!

What is this all about...

This kind of movie is being released...

Will it make a box office?

Just then, there was a knock on the door of the private room.

"Come in, Mr. Zhou?"

Zhang Muxue was somewhat puzzled to see Zhou Yang return.

"Mr. Zhang... After much deliberation, in order to achieve a deeper level of cooperation in the future, I have decided to invest in your [Feihe Cinema]!"

"Ok?"

“This is 15,000. According to the valuation and agreement, I will acquire a 10% stake!”

"..."

(End of this chapter)