Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 377 Face Issues
A Volkswagen Santana parked on the side of the street.

Wang Shuo's temples were pressed against the car window, and his gaze outside was even more intense than the light from the streetlights.

He was really indignant. With all his skills and intelligence, how could he have fallen to such a state?
At this moment, Ma Weidu, who was sitting in the driver's seat, suddenly reached out and turned off the air conditioner.

Startled from his daze, Wang Shuo turned around and said irritably, "What are you doing? Trying to kill me with heat?"

"Zhang Yan and Feng Xiaogang have arrived."

Ma Wei pointed to the two people who had just gotten out of the Crown sedan not far ahead, and then said, "If you're on a roll, I suggest you don't even bother talking, so as not to offend people for no reason."

"He's just asking for a beating!"

Wang Shuo gritted his teeth and said, "'Little rascal'? Is that an act he can play? I think this bastard is just not happy being called 'Little Wang Shuo' and is here to challenge us!"

Peng Xiaolin in the back seat chimed in, "Master Ma, what did I tell you? There's no point in discussing this at all. They're just here to embarrass us!"

"Shut the hell up!"

Wang Shuo was now quick to attack anyone who dared to cross him, turning around and yelling at Peng Xiaolin in the back seat, "Are those two surnamed Wang your stepfathers? Why are you taking their side?!"

"屮!"

Peng Xiaolin retorted defiantly, "This lousy company has been advertising for over half a month and only has two buyers. I'm just worried you'll be stuck with this company!"

"Even if it's a loss, it's better than being schemed against and manipulated by others!" Wang Shuo said indignantly, reaching out to turn on the air conditioner again.

After having in-depth contact with the two Wangs from Huayi in the afternoon, Wang Shuo realized that what the two Wangs really valued was not Dingli itself, but the network of contacts that he could provide.

They hoped to postpone payment, partly because they were genuinely short of funds, but also because they wanted to use the opportunity to tie themselves to the cause and leverage their connections to establish themselves in the film and television industry.

This displeased Wang Shuo, since if they wanted him to help them get on their feet and then give them a boost, the price shouldn't be this low.

This was also the main reason why Wang Shuo agreed to see Zhang Yan again after being persuaded by Ma Weidu.

Ma Wei saw that Wang Shuo had turned on the air conditioner again and frowned, asking, "What are you doing now? If you want to break up, I'll call Feng Xiaogang and tell him you twisted your ankle going down the stairs."

Wang Shuo rolled his eyes at him, annoyed: "Why don't you just say I got hit by a car halfway through the journey?"

"nonsense."

Ma Wei patted the steering wheel and said seriously, "It's very unlucky to say this in my car."

Wang Shuo was speechless and turned his head to look out of the car.

Seeing this, Ma Wei pressed further, "So what exactly do you want to do?"

"Nothing, I just want to leave him hanging for a while longer!"

…………

Inside a private room at the restaurant.

Feng Xiaogang kept checking his watch. Ten minutes had passed since the agreed time, and Wang Shuo still hadn't appeared. He asked impatiently, "Should I call Master Shuo?"

"Need not."

Zhang Yan waved his hand and said, "Brother Feng, let's call the waiter in. Let's order first. Whether he comes or not won't delay our meal."

"This……"

Feng Xiaogang hesitated for a moment, then went to the door and called over a waiter.

Zhang Yan ordered eight dishes and a soup, and then handed the menu to Feng Xiaogang.

"I think I'll hold off on ordering for now and wait for Master Shuo and the others..."

"point!"

Zhang Yan insisted on shoving the menu at him, saying, "Brother Feng, being cautious is not wrong, but you're going to be a big director someday. You can't keep acting like a pushover forever. If you keep acting like that for too long, you'll become a real pushover."

Whether Feng Xiaogang was moved by his words or compromised because of his attitude, he ordered four more dishes from the menu.

When the cold dishes were served first, Zhang Yan picked up his chopsticks without hesitation and started eating.

"Mr. Zhang... Mr. Zhang."

Without realizing it, Feng Xiaogang changed his form of address and said awkwardly, "Should we wait a little longer?"

Ordering in advance and eating in advance are two different things. "There's no need for that."

While chewing on peanuts, Zhang Yan asked in return, "Brother Feng, what do you think is the main reason I came here this time?"

"Of course, it's about acquiring Dingli Pictures."

Feng Xiaogang blurted out his answer, but seeing Zhang Yan's expression, he quickly changed his mind and said, "It's to completely erase the influence from back then."

"To put it bluntly, it's all about saving face."

Zhang Yan pointed to the dishes on the table: "If I give him too much face, where will I put my own face? If we can't reach an agreement, I'll just go to Han Sanping to take a roundabout approach and share some benefits with the Beijing Film Studio."

Upon hearing this, Feng Xiaogang remained silent for a moment before picking up his chopsticks and starting to eat. At the same time, he secretly sighed, thinking that Zhang Yan was becoming more and more confident.

When he vaguely mentioned this matter before the New Year, Zhang Yan was not so calm and collected.

Wang Shuo, Ma Weidu, and Peng Xiaolin finally appeared when all twelve dishes had been served and only the last soup was missing.

When he saw that Zhang Yan and Feng Xiaogang had already started eating, Wang Shuo's already unpleasant expression darkened even more. Without sitting down, he looked at Feng Xiaogang and asked, "Old Feng, what's the meaning of this?"

Feng Xiaogang was about to get up to explain when Zhang Yan pushed him back down.

Zhang Yan said slowly and deliberately, "Of course, I mean to be frank and open. You should know perfectly well why I want to buy 'Dingli'. Since I'm here for the sake of face, I can't let you leave me hanging here."

Upon hearing this blunt truth, Peng Xiaolin became displeased and waved his hand, saying, "Then what's there to talk about? Let's just go next door, have a meal, and then go our separate ways."

Wang Shuo made a move to leave with him, but Ma Weidu grabbed him and said, "Since you're already here, let's talk—back when you were all that, you didn't give him any face. Now at least he's brought money with him."

"let go!"

Wang Shuo glared and said, "A man like us would bow down for five pecks of rice?!"

"Master Shuo."

At this point, Feng Xiaogang also advised, "We're talking about a business deal. As the saying goes, 'compare three shops before buying.' We should see what terms Mr. Zhang can offer before deciding whether or not to do this business."

Wang Shuo snorted coldly and didn't say anything. Seeing this, Ma Weidu led him to sit down at the table and then said to Peng Xiaolin, "Old Peng, don't say anything for a while."

Peng Xiaolin pursed his lips and sat down next to Wang Shuo, but because he was in a bad mood, he didn't sit properly. He put one leg on the stool next to him and put his hand on his knee, pretending to be a nonchalant person.

Zhang Yan ignored him and went straight to the point with Wang Shuo: "I have no objection to the price you asked for. The script can be kept, and your name can continue to be on it. Dingli doesn't need to be deregistered or dissolved. Yuanmeng is now focusing on TV dramas, and Dingli can operate as an independent subsidiary with differentiated operations."

This sounds like Dingli is going to focus on making movies in the future. After all, Zhang Yan still hopes to reach a deal, so he didn't mention the children's content.

Wang Shuo was clearly surprised, raising an eyebrow and asking, "Are you sure the script can still have my name on it?"

This is something the two Wangs dared not promise. They even hoped that Wang Shuo could take the lead in writing another TV script, but the screenwriter could not put his name on it either.

As for Dingli Pictures, the two kings were rather vague, and it seems uncertain whether they can stay.

"of course can."

Zhang Yan said confidently, "As you know, I have some connections in the optoelectronics industry. Besides, if your name is removed, how will others know that I bought Dingli?"

Hearing the latter part, Wang Shuo's anger flared up again, but this time he didn't lash out on the spot.

The situation is now quite clear: the two kings are after practical benefits, hoping that he can offer more benefits in exchange, and they will most likely want to erase Dingli's traces.
Zhang Yan cared about his reputation, so apart from the existing businesses of Dingli Company, he didn't care about Zhang Yan's personal connections, nor would he deliberately erase Zhang Yan's existence.

Then one option is deferred payment, and the other is cash payment.

This is such a difficult decision!
In the past, Wang Shuo would definitely have chosen face. After all, a tree lives by its bark and a person lives by their reputation. For men from the capital, face is the most important thing when they are out in the world.

However, because "Forever Lost My Love" flopped, he is now in a lot of debt. Although he is not as desperate as Xu Wei, he feels that he is struggling to make ends meet.

Thinking of this, he turned to look at Ma Weidu.

Ma Wei immediately understood what he meant. While picking up some food, he said, "Give us a few days to think about it. Xiaogang is right. When doing business, you have to compare prices from different vendors."

"That's just right."

Zhang Yan raised his glass and said, "I'm going to Shanghai tomorrow. I hope I'll have some definite news when I get back."

Feng Xiaogang and Ma Wei raised their glasses, but Wang Shuo and Peng Xiaolin remained unmoved.

Seeing this, Ma Wei secretly kicked the two men under the table, and they reluctantly raised their glasses, but only took a sip before putting them down again.

(End of this chapter)