A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 124 True Face

I talked a lot with He Xiuqiong.

"My Fair Princess" is by no means simply a Qiong Yao drama.

Just like Forbidden City Film Studio, it is by no means simply an ordinary film and television company.

Co-production, co-shooting, copyright division, post-production, director selection, crew assembly, actor composition, location scouting, equipment, props, costumes, theme song, soundtrack, post-production broadcasting authorization...

A series of problems.

On the mainland, once Forbidden City Film Studio is officially registered, the process can be pushed forward immediately. Zhang Heping will definitely be in charge of coordinating the work there. It's hard to say who will actually do the work yet, because no matter how the roles are assigned, it will definitely be a combination of the mainland production team and the old team from Qiong Yao's Yi Ren Media. Everyone will work together to produce this film. If Lin Qingxia goes there, at most she will be learning, or she will just lie back and not be able to take control at all.

Moreover, no matter how they collaborate, Qiong Yao dramas are still Qiong Yao dramas!
The person in charge of this drama must be He Xiuqiong, and the person behind the scenes is Qiong Yao.

If we listen to everything you say, why don't you just do it yourself? You're not short of money. To be frank, the reason we bring in Hong Kong and Taiwan production teams is precisely because we can't produce anything that they can do!
However, in this process, Qiong Yao coveted the mainland market, and Lin Jianlu acted as the middleman and collaborator, facilitating the connection. Therefore, he had considerable say in this drama—he only intended to retain this say in the selection of roles, and would only cooperate and not interfere in other aspects.

Only two characters were needed.

Jiang Qinqin and Jia Jingwen must participate.

The rest is up to you.

It seems that Qiong Yao had already tacitly agreed beforehand, so there was no need for any further persuasion on the spot. He Xiuqiong readily agreed. Jiang Qinqin is beautiful and suitable for the female lead, named Ziwei. Jia Jingwen has a lively quality and is suitable for the other female lead, named Xiaoyanzi.

A drama with two female leads—you get both female leads! This is probably the biggest concession Qiong Yao has made in recent years.

Of course, Qiong Yao herself liked both of these girls very much.

They hit it off immediately.

Moreover, it just so happens that one is from mainland China and the other from Taiwan, so when it airs, it can please both sides of the strait.

In exchange, Lin Jianlu can no longer make decisions on casting for any other productions, except in very rare cases where his opinion will be taken into consideration and he will be given veto power.

Production costs are split 50/50.

The ownership of the copyright had been agreed upon long ago, with Yiren Media holding 51% and Forbidden City Pictures holding 49%. However, 60% of the revenue from mainland China goes to Forbidden City Pictures, while Yiren Media only gets 40%. Conversely, outside of mainland China, whether in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Japan, or South Korea, 60% of the revenue from these regions goes to Yiren Media, while Forbidden City Pictures only gets 40%.

Producers: Qiong Yao, Zhang Heping, Lin Jianlu.

Producers: Ho Hsiu-chiung, Lin Ching-hsia.

The director must be from Taiwan, a direct descendant of Chiung Yao, and Sun Shu-pei is currently the tentative choice.

Forbidden City Films provided full support for filming in mainland China, including personnel, equipment, and set rentals.

The rest were just miscellaneous things, and Lin Jianlu was no longer willing to talk about them.

…………

Everyone had already put down their chopsticks, and the meal was almost over, but Chen Hong had barely said a word—she was just a decorative vase sitting there.

She continues to observe the deer in the forest.

This person has a clear mind and speaks precisely and directly; they are obviously very intelligent.

He actually partnered with so many state-owned enterprises, such as Beijing Film Studio, Beijing Television, and Beijing Television Art Center, to establish a film and television company, and he even held the majority stake—this is no longer just about entering the film and television industry; he has directly secured a place at the very top of the entire industry!

No matter how big the director or actor, ultimately it comes down to whoever invests and who has the final say!

Since her debut many years ago, Chen Hong has mainly acted in TV dramas and has participated in many productions. She is very aware of the current state of the domestic film and television industry. Large and small state-owned film studios and TV stations are not really able to afford to produce their own works. They usually invest half of their own money and find other investors to invest the other half.

In this cooperative model, outside investors, being complete laymen, actually had little say. It wasn't until recent years that many private film and television companies in China began to emerge, taking control of projects independently and selling them to television stations after filming, thus gaining supreme authority over the production team!
But whether it was the TV stations that had the final say in the early days or the film and television companies that have the final say now—the core point has always been that whoever pays the money has the final say!
How could he have reached such a high position at such a young age?
A superstar, an Asian superstar, and now he's the boss of a film and television company? He's got connections with state-owned enterprises and can even have affairs with actresses like Qiong Yao?
Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, she seized a suitable opportunity and finally spoke up, "Jianlu, what projects has your Forbidden City Film Company invested in? I haven't been in the country recently, so I don't know much about it."

Lin Jianlu turned to look at her, "The company hasn't been established yet!"

Chen Hong was shocked and turned to look at He Xiuqiong, "They're already talking so deeply before the company is even established?"

He Xiuqiong laughed, "It's your mainland's custom, you're asking me? Many of the companies behind Forbidden City Film Industry are state-owned enterprises in your mainland, so it requires layers of application and approval."

"Oh……"

Chen Hong paused for a moment, then chuckled, "I forgot about that."

Lin Jianlu waved his hand with a smile, "But there are already so many projects! I'm too lazy to manage them all, I've just let others handle them. Actually, I don't own that many shares in Forbidden City Film Industry, I'm just the largest single shareholder. It's mainly state-owned capital, that's what I want, the state-owned status! As for what I do privately, I just mess around!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Hong smiled thoughtfully. "You're not just messing around!" she suddenly addressed him with the formal "you," adding, "Back when I was still in the capital, when I wasn't filming, I'd have small gatherings with friends, and more than one person told me that your connections are top-notch. You're so famous, you're not short of money, and your network is so strong; if you did it, you were guaranteed to succeed!"

"You flatter me!"

…………

Before parting, Chen Hong gave her two mobile phone numbers, one in mainland China and one in America, and also specifically asked for Lin Jianlu's mobile phone number, saying that she wanted to keep in touch in the future.

Finally, at the restaurant entrance, everyone shook hands and said goodbye.

Before parting, He Xiuqiong asked one more question, "Which hotel are you staying at now?"

Lin Jianlu casually replied, "I'm not staying in hotels anymore, I bought a small house." Then she casually mentioned the neighborhood where she lived. He Xiuqiong paused for a moment upon hearing the name, nodded, and didn't say anything more.

The houses there are very expensive!

Qiong Yao's dramas were popular in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia for many years, so Qiong Yao was certainly not short of money. She bought a villa in the 1980s. But as the saying goes, although Taiwanese dramas are profitable and Qiong Yao's dramas are very popular, the overall market size is limited. You can make money, but you can't make a fortune. Qiong Yao's villa is luxurious, but in terms of price and living comfort, it still can't reach the level of a house in the community where Lin Jianlu lives, which costs tens of millions of dollars!
Moreover, Qiong Yao is Qiong Yao; after He Xiuqiong and her husband got married, they did not live with her mother-in-law.

Chen Hong sensed a subtle change in He Xiuqiong's mindset. On the way back, she casually asked her, and He Xiuqiong replied casually, "The houses over there cost at least three or four hundred million NT dollars! Prices have dropped recently because people are afraid of war and many are selling their properties, but even at the lowest price, they still cost two or three hundred million NT dollars! I can't afford them!"

He exclaimed, "Everyone says Lu Han is rich! He really is rich! In just six months since his debut, his album has sold over ten million copies, the only Chinese-language album to be included in the global top 100 records. He's handsome, everyone likes him, so he's getting all sorts of endorsements like crazy. Even his commercial performances are priced like second-tier Western singers, with single performances exceeding $100,000! He's definitely number one in the Chinese music scene! Now everyone's saying that he's earned at least twenty or thirty million US dollars in the last six months!"

He sighed, "No wonder he's the highest-earning entertainer in all of Asia! Many very famous stars might never earn 30 million US dollars in their entire lives! That's over a billion NT dollars!"

Chen Hong was somewhat shocked, and her voice even slightly trembled, "He earned thirty million in half a year? In US dollars?"

"Yes! Everyone says so. I didn't believe it before, but look, a luxurious detached villa worth three or four hundred million NT dollars, bought just like that, tens of millions of US dollars! Tell me, should I believe it or not?"

…………

He Xiuqiong offered to escort Chen Hong to the hotel before taking her leave.

According to Chen Hong's plan, she had already bought her plane ticket and was going to fly directly to the capital via Hong Kong early tomorrow morning. Whether it was visiting Qiong Yao's family before or meeting He Xiuqiong today, the result was somewhat disappointing. Qiong Yao's dramas were still very popular and the production progress was not slow. There were two dramas currently in preparation, but unfortunately, there was no place for her in either of them. Therefore, she thought that this trip to Taiwan would probably be a waste. However, she did not expect that just when she was disappointed, she would suddenly run into Lin Jianlu again.

Back in her hotel room, she immediately started calling back to the capital to inquire with her old friends.

She was a student in the 86 class of the Performance Department at the Shanghai Theatre Academy. Her base of support in the capital wasn't very solid, but there was nothing she could do. Shanghai, in terms of film production, or rather, in all cultural industries—whether film, television, or music—was far inferior to the capital. Therefore, almost every student from the Shanghai Theatre Academy had to go to Beijing to pursue their dreams after graduation, otherwise they would face a lack of acting opportunities. Fortunately, she had been in the industry for many years, and especially because she was so beautiful, even in an industry never short of beautiful women, she was always the object of men's affections. She couldn't get anything important done unless she was willing to sacrifice something, but for small things like inquiring about news, she could just snap her fingers and a whole bunch of people would eagerly report to her!

What's more, it's news about Lin Jianlu!
It's so easy to find out! He was the hottest and most popular figure in the capital's film and television industry throughout 1996!

They have money; they invested in Zhang Yang's "Spicy Love Soup," and later it was said that they agreed to invest in Zhang Guoli's Qing Dynasty drama. A few days ago, I also heard that veteran director Guo Baochang is going to start a new film, which is also funded by them!
The joint venture with Beijing Film Studio, Capital Television, and Capital Television Art Center to develop Forbidden City Film Industry is all old news. He also invested in the Haiyan company that produced "Plainclothes Policeman," and it's said that their debut film, "A Romantic Affair," is already in preparation. It seems he also invested in a company owned by two female directors from Beijing Film Studio, Li Shaohong and Li Xiaowan, called Rong Xinda, which is going to produce a TV series version of "Thunderstorm." I also recently heard that Zhao Baogang also got investment from him, and his shell company, Xinbaoyuan, is now alive!

A top-tier financial backer in the legitimate film and television industry!
He's a really good person, loyal, and generous, but he's a bit... well, probably quite lecherous.

In Hong Kong and Taiwan, he's had numerous rumored affairs with many people, not to mention that some of them might not have been just rumors but were actually true. According to many people, Brigitte Lin made a special trip to the capital to see him, and there were quite a few witnesses. It's said that the two were very intimate, so Brigitte Lin must be his girlfriend. Also, two female singers from Taiwan, Su Huilun and Chen Shuhua, also made a special trip to the capital to meet him privately. It's said that the three of them stayed in one room in a hotel.

You want to go, right...?

Oh, and he also has three girlfriends back in the capital...

But their relationship might not be so sweet. Take Xu Qing, for example. It's said that Lin Jianlu directly named the company that he was working with in Haiyan "Qingkong Film and Television"—like a concubine, giving her a whole business!

Why is Brigitte Lin considered a "honey" (a term used to describe someone who is also a fan of a celebrity)? Because the treatment they receive is similar.

People have talked about this a lot behind the scenes, because it is said that Brigitte Lin was also involved in the investment and establishment of Forbidden City Film Company, and there is a high probability that she will become the vice chairman in the future. In other words, when this company is established, it will actually be a mess left to Brigitte Lin.

They also have two other girls, both still in school, from the Beijing Film Academy, and they're campus beauties!

It's all public, everything is public. People don't hide anything; they bring this today and that tomorrow!

Let me put it this way: in China, no matter what film, television, or music you're in, no matter which circle you're in, she's universally respected—no one can disrespect Lin Jianlu!
Oh, right, you didn't know that? Chen Kaige, who was pursuing you before, got a real dressing-down from you, right to your face! He was insulted so badly that Chen Kaige couldn't even lift his head, and apparently he didn't dare to say a word back!

That's Chen Kaige, the damn guy!
The top director in mainland China!

They said they didn't care, and that's it! They insulted me like I was a grandson!

…………

After making several phone calls, the information was gathered together, and the situation gradually became clear.

He's incredibly famous, incredibly rich, incredibly handsome, incredibly popular, and has an amazing network of connections. He's a big name in the Chinese film and television industry, currently holding multiple projects in his hands. He's connected to state-owned factories and television stations on one hand, and also has connections with Qiong Yao dramas on the other. He's also on very good terms with Zhou Linggang, another big producer in Taiwan. By the way, He Xiuqiong mentioned this morning that he has two agents: one is Zhang Aijia, a prominent figure in the Taiwanese film and arts scene, and the other is the mistress of that media tycoon in Taiwan. He wields immense influence in both Hong Kong and Taiwan.

After hanging up the phone, Chen Hong couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

(End of this chapter)