Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 158 Huayi is not as good as Datang Film Industry!

"If the contract hasn't been signed, then it's not finalized yet!"

Wei Feng maintained a smile on his face, but his mind was racing, trying to figure out how to persuade Wu Jing.

If the boss were to handle this, what would he do?
The question popped into Wei Feng's mind, and he quickly found the answer: adapt to circumstances, cite classical texts, and be realistic!

"President Wei, although I haven't signed a contract with Huayi yet, they are indeed very sincere."

Wu Jing gave an awkward smile, his refusal was very clear.

He and Chen Xiu only met briefly at the celebration banquet last night and exchanged a few words; their relationship was not close.

However, he had already collaborated with Huayi several times...

Given the same conditions, it's only natural that Wu Jing would prefer Huayi, which she has a closer relationship with.

Not to mention, he and Chen Xiu had only verbally discussed the investment in "Wolf Warrior 2" and hadn't even started discussing the specific details. Now that he's turning to Huayi, Wu Jing doesn't think he's breaching the contract.

Sensing his attitude, Wei Feng didn't bother with empty words like "Datang Film Industry is also very sincere." Instead, after a moment of eye contact, he began his negotiations.

"Director Wu, I just saw in your film project proposal that the requirements for the female lead and the second male lead are both young stars with good looks?"

"Correct."

"If Huayi Brothers wanted to put someone in your movie, like a slick-haired young heartthrob playing a supporting male role, would you be willing?"

"This one……"

Wu Jing gave a reluctant smile; he couldn't stand seeing that kind of effeminate behavior in his movies...

After laughing, Wu Jing quickly returned to his expressionless state: "Huayi told me that they would not interfere too much in the film production."

"hehe."

Wei Feng chuckled twice, but didn't continue the debate on this topic.

He reached out and flipped through the "Wolf Warrior 2" movie project proposal spread out on the coffee table, finally stopping at the second page.

"This says that the production cost of 'Wolf Warrior 2' was 2 million yuan. I'll assume that your budget didn't exceed the limit, but the film's publicity expenses must have been at least 1 million yuan, right?"

Wei Feng looked up and met Wu Jing's gaze, waiting for him to confirm.

In recent years, the cost of film promotion has skyrocketed, often reaching a 1:1 ratio or even exceeding it. Wei Feng's calculation of promotion costs at 50% of the production cost is still an underestimate.

Wu Jing nodded and said, "Yes, the total cost is about 3 million."

"For a movie to break even, it needs to gross at least 10 billion yuan. No military-themed movie has ever achieved that yet, not even The Expendables 3. Of course, I think Wolf Warrior 2 has a chance to reach that."

Wei Feng's sudden change of tone left Wu Jing, who had originally wanted to retort, speechless.

Looking at Wu Jing's sullen face, Wei Feng continued, "I say this not only because I acknowledge the popularity that 'Wolf Warrior 1' had already established and because of Director Wu's abilities, but also because President Chen is optimistic about 'Wolf Warrior 2'."

"Does Mr. Chen think highly of 'Wolf Warrior 2'?"

Wu Jing's surprise was obvious, followed by doubt about Wei Feng's words.

He only briefly mentioned the situation of "Wolf Warrior 2" last night. If Chen Xiu is so optimistic about it, wouldn't that be too frivolous?

Noticing the change in Wu Jing's eyes, Wei Feng immediately realized that he needed to offer some emotional support.

"That's right. Besides being optimistic about 'Wolf Warrior 2,' Mr. Chen also highly approves of Director Wu. He believes that you are the key to the film's success!"

"is it?"

Although Wu Jing's words were a question, the suspicion in his eyes had lessened considerably.

He had already heard similar things from Chen Xiu himself at the celebration banquet last night.

Now, hearing Wei Feng repeat what he said, Wu Jing felt that Chen Xiu truly acknowledged him, rather than just being polite.

"Of course!"

Wei Feng looked at Wu Jing with a determined expression: "This was all conveyed by President Chen when he was discussing work with me. He also said that if Datang Pictures invests in 'Wolf Warrior 2,' they will completely trust Director Wu and will not interfere with the filming of the movie in any way!"

"However, I heard that when Datang Pictures invests in films, the producer's opinion is more important, and the director is just an executor."

Wu Jing's casual remark revealed his concerns.

Chen Sicheng's reputation as a "blank slate director" has long been known throughout the entertainment industry.

After everyone learned about the gossip in detail, they also learned about the kind of suppression he suffered on the set of "Detective Chinatown".

With such a precedent in mind, Wu Jing would naturally worry that if he accepted the investment from Datang Pictures, he would also be subject to their control and become a blank-blank director number two.
This outcome is something he absolutely cannot accept, and he won't even consider it!

Realizing that this was the problem, Wei Feng paused for a moment, then both corners of his mouth stretched out in a wide grin.

"Director Wu, what you're describing is actually a misunderstanding."

"What's the misunderstanding?"

“Datang Pictures has always adhered to a creator-centric system. Take ‘Detective Chinatown’ for example. The original creator of this film was Mr. Chen. What’s wrong with letting the director film according to his ideas? Didn’t the final result prove that Mr. Chen’s vision was correct?” “Hmm…”

Seeing Wu Jing speechless, Wei Feng continued to use words to turn his side's "disadvantage" into an advantage.

"Director Wu, you yourself are the screenwriter of 'Wolf Warrior 2,' as well as the director and lead actor. No one in the world understands 'Wolf Warrior 2' better than you, so why should we interfere?"

"That makes perfect sense."

Wu Jing nodded, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.

After laughing for a while, he frowned and said with difficulty, "But I've already made arrangements with Huayi..."

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

Wei Feng's tone suddenly turned serious, his voice echoing in the office, carrying a sense of alertness akin to the ringing of an alarm clock.

Wu looked up in astonishment, while Xiong Ben glanced sideways. Both of these burly men wanted to hear what the slender yet imposing "President Wei" had to say next.

Meeting their gazes, Wei Feng slowly rose from the sofa, then reached out and pulled Wu Jing over, gesturing for him to get up as well.

As Wei Feng pulled Wu Jing along, he said, "If we accept Huayi's investment, Director Wu may face far more restrictions and interference than you imagine."

"how could be?"

"Last year, Huayi Brothers produced 'Mr. Six,' which used two young heartthrobs to boost the film's popularity, right? Huayi only said they wanted to invest, but they haven't learned about your film project in detail yet. If they know about the supporting male role in 'Wolf Warrior 2,' adding young heartthrobs to boost the film's popularity could be quite a big move. In that case, would 'Wolf Warrior 2' still be 'Wolf Warrior 2'?"

Wei Feng turned his head and glanced sideways at Wu Jing. From his furrowed brows and silent expression, he knew that his words of persuasion had worked.

While both sides remained silent, Wei Feng finally led Wu Jing to the wall of the office.

Realizing he had stopped, Wu Jing looked up at the wall in front of him and noticed a chessboard embedded in it. There weren't many black and white pieces on it, so it was probably a mid-game opening. There were also two chess jars on a shelf below.

The chessboard is made of magnetic material. Wei Feng keeps it in his office and often plays chess games on his own in his spare time.

Chen Xiu was taught Go by Wei Feng. In their previous matches, he had won more often than he had lost. However, since returning from South Korea two years ago, Wei Feng has never beaten Chen Xiu again.

He has been working silently, trying to recapture the feeling of evenly matched chess games he used to play, but he has never been able to...

"Director Wu, have you ever played Go?"

"I haven't played it, so I don't know much about it."

Wu Jing told the truth that he had played Go in movies and TV shows before, but those were all staged.

Wei Feng didn't take it seriously, and instead picked up a black stone: "Go is actually about using the fewest stones to occupy the largest possible area. You can't play outside the board, so the four corner areas are the most valuable."

Instead of making a move, Wei Feng pointed to the situation on the chessboard.

"In this game, there's still a large territory in the middle. If Black plays in, they could indeed gain a larger area, but White will also face many obstacles. Huayi Brothers is powerful and produces many films. If they intend to interfere with the release date of 'Wolf Warrior 2' to make way for their own film, what choice should Director Wu make?"

"On the contrary, if you start by managing a seemingly small corner area, you can have more freedom to develop. Just like Datang Pictures, it doesn't produce many films, but it has abundant resources. If 'Wolf Warrior 2' accepts our investment, Wanda, Tencent, Weibo, and Douyin will all be helpful when 'Wolf Warrior 2' is released!"

After saying that, Wei Feng placed the black piece in the lower right corner star point, where there was still a large empty space.

With a click, the chess piece adhered to the chessboard.

"Excuse my bluntness, but in some respects, Huayi Brothers really can't compare to Datang Pictures!"

Even Wu Jing, who doesn't understand Go, could see that this move was indeed brilliant, directly connecting several scattered black stones on the side into one.

He looked at the chessboard with a troubled expression, weighing the gains and losses in his mind, and then gave an uncertain answer.

"I need to think about the investment. I will not accept any investment from Huayi during this period."

"Of course, but I hope this matter can be resolved before President Chen returns, is that alright?"

Wei Feng smiled broadly, taking a step back while simultaneously taking a step forward in another area.

Wu Jing thought for a moment and said, "I will give you an answer in three days."

"Okay, I'll treat Director Wu to dinner in three days."

Wei Feng extended his hand to Wu Jing, but in his mind he was calculating what he should do in the next three days and how to take him down after three days.

……

"Wow~~"

Listening to the sound of the waves and looking at the dark mudflats in front of her, Chen Xiu walked alone to Pengcheng Bay Park, found a good spot, and silently took out her phone to take several photos.

This is where he confessed his feelings to Meng Ziyi 14 years ago, in the summer... In Shenzhen, October is indeed summer.

Chen Xiu's revisit to this old place today can be seen as an opportunity to break the ice between the two sides over the small misunderstanding.

Chen Xiu posted a nine-grid photo on her WeChat Moments with only a very simple caption.

"The last time I came here was in 14..."

(End of this chapter)