Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 374 A Day Trip to a Sweet Dream
At noon that day.

Zhou Tao placed a piece of food on Zhang Yan's plate, her eyes full of seductive charm, and said, "You didn't see how embarrassed Ni Ping was back then—humph, she really thought that just because she can make a good movie, she can do anything!"

As she spoke, she couldn't help but rub against him.

Zhang Yan slapped her on the buttocks and said with a laugh, "Just say what you want to say. Don't make it sound like I came to you just for this."

If we don't care about this, what real feelings do we still have for each other?
Zhou Tao muttered to himself, but still obediently sat up straight and said with a hint of resentment, "That girl in your company named Cao Ying already has two hit shows. If I don't work harder, won't I be sidelined even more?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? That was a project that Shandong TV approached me to collaborate on. Cao Ying was originally just an assistant, but she only managed to take the initiative because of her own abilities."

As Zhang Yan spoke, he subtly rubbed his kidneys. He felt that Liu Xiaoqing must have learned some kind of "Star Absorbing Technique," because he could extract juice in a way that was equivalent to three people.

"I don't care, I'm already..."

“The Chinese Poetry Competition should have a second season; that’s the kind of variety show that truly suits your temperament,” Zhang Yan said, shutting her down with a single sentence.

Actually, the person he most wanted to see this time was Tao Hong.

If someone else had taken the initiative to distance themselves, he probably would have just gone with the flow. But with Tao Hong, there had once been a pure and innocent bond between them...

Well, it wasn't exactly innocent, but it was still much better than other fleeting romances, so Zhang Yan still hoped to salvage the situation.

Unfortunately, Tao Hong wasn't in Beijing; he said he was traveling in Beidaihe with his parents. Only then did Zhang Yan contact Zhou Tao, who had been 'bothering' him.

As expected, it was another deal.

While Zhang Yan was discussing with Zhou Tao how to revamp the second season of "Chinese Poetry Competition", he received a tip from Feng Xiaogang that the acquisition of Dingli might encounter some setbacks because the two Wangs were actively trying to win over Peng Xiaolin.

"Huayi?!"

"They are the children of the compound I told you about before. They said they competed with you for the advertising rights for Kongfu Family Liquor."

"Oh~"

Zhang Yan feigned a sudden realization, but inwardly he became more vigilant. He had seen the name Hua Yi many times in his future dreams, and he estimated that Hua Yi would become a powerful figure in the future.

Since that's the case, we can't take it lightly. So Zhang Yan discussed with Feng Xiaogang: "Have you eaten yet? If not, take a taxi over, and we can eat and chat at the same time."

After hanging up the phone, he called over a waiter and asked them to set up a table in the next private room.

Although he and Feng Xiaogang are like brothers, neither of them are exactly good people in this regard, it's best not to expose his relationship with Zhou Tao since their wedding is imminent.

After half an hour.

Feng Xiaogang arrived at the restaurant, looking travel-worn, and plopped down next to Zhang Yan. He said indignantly, "Wang Shuo still looks down on us poor peasants. He originally agreed to only accept cash, but after Peng Xiaolin swayed him with a few words, he wavered."

By the way, Wang Shuo also said a few sarcastic things about you on the phone, similar to the sarcastic remarks he made about Li Chengru back then.

This is not surprising. Wang Shuo has always been arrogant and looked down on people who were of lower social standing, poor, and powerless than him. He also always felt that if others were richer than him, they must have gotten lucky or used some improper means.

To put it bluntly, it's about being jealous of others' success and laughing at their failures.

"If it doesn't work, then forget it."

Zhang Yan poured Feng Xiaogang a glass of wine and said nonchalantly, "Anyway, the person I value most in Dingli is you, Lao Feng. As long as you join Yuanmeng, we can grow bigger and stronger together, right?"

“You are big and strong enough now, and…”

"And what?"

Seeing the hesitation on Feng Xiaogang's face, Zhang Yan pressed on, "You're not still worried about having a falling out with Beijing and Taiwan, are you?"

"how could be!"

Feng Xiaogang quickly denied it, and he really wasn't worried about it anymore.

The main reason is that the development of Yuanmeng exceeded his expectations.

First, they established a strong foothold nationwide through their music video project, then they amassed a fortune through commercial performances, and this year, their film "The New Dragon and Phoenix" swept the small screen, remaining popular to this day. With such enviable achievements and wealth before them, is their relationship with Beijing and Taiwan less important?

Furthermore, although Beijing and Taiwan had shown him kindness, they clearly treated him like a second-class citizen. People from privileged backgrounds like Zheng Xiaolong and Zhao Baogang easily became directors after just a few practice sessions.

And what about Feng Xiaogang, who comes from an ordinary family?

He wasted several years in the production center, trying every means to prove his ability, but in the end he was still just a co-director.

In the past, we were afraid that Zhang Yan couldn't cover it up, so we didn't dare to offend Beijing and Taiwan. Now that Yuanmeng is so powerful, what's all this nonsense about Beijing and Taiwan? We don't care who they are!
"What I really can't let go of is the script that I polished with Wang Shuo. This script is almost an enhanced version of 'The Troubleshooters,' and I guarantee it will be a hit when it's made into a movie!"

As Feng Xiaogang spoke, he took out a large stack of draft paper from the leather bag placed to the side and handed it to Zhang Yan.

"A Day Trip to a Sweet Dream?"

Zhang Yan asked in bewilderment, "Weren't you guys working on 'I Am Your Father'? How come you've suddenly come up with 'A Day Trip to a Good Dream'?"

“After the script for ‘I Am Your Father’ was rejected several times, Wang Shuo took the lead in producing the script for ‘A Day Trip to a Good Dream’. Before it was even submitted, he received confirmation that they were not going to reject the script, but rather Wang Shuo himself.”

After listening to Feng Xiaogang's explanation, Zhang Yan briefly flipped through the book and found that it could be described as either an evolved and upgraded version of "The Troubleshooters" or a degraded and abridged version of "The Troubleshooters".

The upgrade is in the humor, the downgrade is in the depth.

To be honest, this book is quite to Zhang Yan's liking, and it also fits the strategic direction he set for Yuanmeng. It would be a real pity if it were to fall into the hands of the two kings.

However, since the two Wangs have found Peng Xiaolin to act as their lobbyist, and Wang Shuo is resistant, it won't be easy for them to get the script.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Yan asked, "Why don't you step in and buy this book first?"

Feng Xiaogang's face fell: "Buying it is easy, but what if Wang Shuo doesn't want to sell it to you? If I take the notebook back to Yuanmeng, wouldn't that mean I've completely broken up with him?"

Although Wang Shuo is now in a state of decline, he still has connections and influence. Feng Xiaogang doesn't want to bear the consequences and damage to his reputation for betraying Wang Shuo.

Hearing this, Zhang Yan gave up the idea.

After all, he genuinely believed in Feng Xiaogang and was preparing to cultivate him into a core force for realizing his dream. He couldn't let Feng's heart be discouraged before anything was even finalized.

He flipped through the script again and said, "Then I'll go see Wang Shuo. Let's not talk about the script for now. If he's not willing to sell Dingli to me, we'll find someone with enough influence to buy the script. But then we won't be able to keep it all to ourselves."

"Someone of sufficient importance? Who is it? Could it be Zhang Yimou?"

Why did you think of him?

"Didn't he recently go to Tianjin to film a movie?"

Feng Xiaogang wasn't worried about Zhang Yimou stealing his scripts, since Zhang Yimou only wanted scripts with high artistic value, not those that were primarily meant to amuse the audience.

But he was somewhat worried that Zhang Yimou would enter Yuanmeng.

A year ago, even if Zhang Yimou was filming in Tianjin, he wouldn't have made such a connection, but now, hasn't this fulfilled his dream and made him rich overnight?

From a small company with only a few million, it quickly swelled into a powerful enterprise with assets exceeding 100 million. Even Zhang Yimou would be willing to bow down for a pittance...

"It's not Zhang Yimou."

Sensing Feng Xiaogang's thoughts, Zhang Yan immediately reassured him: "I'm not that close to Zhang Yimou, and I have no interest in making any art films—I'm talking about Han Sanping, the director of Beijing Film Studio."

"Director Han of the Beijing Film Studio?"

Feng Xiaogang's eyes lit up at first, then he frowned: "The Beijing Film Studio is full of talented people. What if they take the script and leave us out?"

"rest assured."

Zhang Yan interrupted him, saying confidently, "I will negotiate the terms with him in advance. After the script is purchased, you must be the director of this movie!"

(End of this chapter)