HuaYu97: Starting as a Singer

Chapter 182 [182] I've never fought such a satisfying battle in my life!
Wang Jing came to the mainland to film in 1993, and at that time he filmed "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber: The Cult Leader" in Beijing.

Because the box office performance did not meet expectations, the sequel was canceled, which became a regret for many people.

This is one of the few films by Wang Jing that has lost money.

Wang Jing had only received investments from Hong Kong that time, and he didn't know much about mainland investors.

To be precise, tonight was his first time meeting with investors from mainland China.

King Qi Yuanjing entered the arena.

After a few rounds of drinks and several dishes, everyone started discussing cooperation.

Wang Jing showed the script of "Hua Wuque" to the investors present. It was not the complete version, but an abridged version that highlighted the selling points.

As a veteran director and screenwriter, Wang Jing couldn't possibly be unaware of the intricacies involved.

Those investors in the industry were indeed fussy; they started nitpicking after reading the script.

"Director Wang, you've already agreed to remake Gu Long's 'The Legendary Twins,' but your script, aside from piggybacking on Gu Long's IP, doesn't have much to do with the original work. Isn't such a big change too risky?"

It's no exaggeration to describe Wang Jing's script as a radical alteration. Despite being marketed as an adaptation of Gu Long's novel, the plot is vastly different from the original work.

"Were the characters' endings too tragic? Little Fairy, Su Ying, Tie Xinlan... so many characters died. People prefer a more cheerful drama."

"I thought it would be a carefree and exciting martial arts drama, but it turned out to be a complete emotional drama."

The investors took turns speaking.

It's not that they don't think highly of this show.

This show has the potential to be a huge hit. Their nitpicking is simply because they want to invest less money and get more benefits.

This is a common negotiation tactic: apply pressure first to gain the upper hand, and the other party will still vote eventually.

Wang Jing frowned slightly; mainland investors were no easier to deal with than Hong Kong investors.

Seeing that the situation was about to reach a stalemate, Qi Yuan turned his gaze to the two coal mine owners: "Bosses, I wonder what your thoughts are?"

The somewhat obese coal mine owner from Shanxi Province only realized what was happening after Qi Yuan reminded him.

To be honest, he didn't understand it very well. He wasn't very educated and didn't know what kind of script was good.

He only understood one simple principle: leave professional tasks to professionals. In his hometown, mining coal without listening to professionals could lead to death.

He closed the script and said in a cheerful voice, "You professionals know more about making TV dramas than I do. All I know is that one of you is a big star and the other is a big director."

I'll handle the investment; you can arrange the rest yourselves. Oh, and if possible, just give me a respectable position; I won't take a salary.

A coal mine owner from Northwest China chimed in, "Me too. We have money, you have the skills. We'll invest the money, you just bid, it's that simple."

Wang Jing's shocked face: "..."

This was the first time he had experienced such a small shock from a coal mine owner!
The other investors were equally dumbfounded: "..."

They haven't even understood the script and they're already clamoring to invest money? Aren't you just disrupting the market? You're really just a bunch of stupid, rich idiots!
Qi Yuan was the most composed of everyone present, but even so, he was still slightly shocked!

No wonder later directors and screenwriters miss the era of coal bosses. Coal bosses were really straightforward when it came to spending money, and they made very little trouble.

The Shanxi coal mine owner said, "It's settled then. We'll move to another place. It's too stuffy here. Let's go to karaoke and chat while we sing."

"..."

Wang Jing, who has been making films for more than ten or twenty years, was filled with emotion. For the first time, he felt like a greenhorn who had never seen the world.

This guy is more generous with his money than his own father.

No joke, Wang Jing wanted to hug and kiss the two coal bosses a few times. Wang Jing and Qi Yuan exchanged glances, coughed twice and laughed, "Bosses, our project is planned to cost 40 to 50 million, but we still have a funding gap of 20 to 30 million."

"Don't worry about that, karaoke is the important thing. My cousin had something come up and can't come today, but he also wants to invest. I'll invest five million, and my cousin will invest five million, then we'll have ten million, right?"

No sooner had the Shanxi coal boss finished speaking than the Northwest coal boss chimed in: "I can invest six million."

In just a few minutes, sixteen million was earned.

Those investors in the industry were cursing under their breath!

We haven't even gotten on the bus yet, and you two nouveau riche have already divided the cake in half?
What a despicable outsider! He doesn't understand any of the rules of the investment world.

With two wealthy coal mine owners causing trouble, the investors who had originally planned to put pressure on Prince Qi began to panic.

We can't keep putting up such a high shelf; if we do, the cake will be completely gone.

Don't be fooled by their nitpicking and complaints; if they truly thought something was wrong, they wouldn't have come at all.

Anyone with eyes can see that the "Hua Wuque" project is a sure-fire way to make money!
The four investors exchanged a few words in hushed tones and then contributed 14 million to cover the rest.

With the help of the two coal mine owners, the initiative fell into the hands of Prince Qi.

"Everyone, although you contributed 60% of the money, we can only give you a maximum of 45% of the share."

This statement is tantamount to asking the investors present to pay a premium for their shares.

The generosity of the two coal mine owners made Wang Jing very confident. With a famous director, top influencers, and a big IP, he was confident that he would make 100% of his money.

With the initiative in our hands, we're that assertive. If you don't vote, plenty of others will.

The two coal mine owners didn't care about those points; they only asked Wang Jing to give them a title like "producer" so they could show off on social media.

The coal mine owner invested, and the four investors hesitated for a while before Wang Jing agreed to give up 3 percentage points, giving them 48% of the shares.

They felt a little sad, but they accepted it.

Everything was settled, the contract was signed, and the two coal mine owners treated everyone to karaoke at a high-end nightclub.

The coal mine owner from Shanxi province pulled the two girls to his side and said eloquently, "Director, we'll try to make this drama as positive as possible."

“Yes, yes, positive energy.” Wang Jing nodded in agreement.

This isn't an investor, he's a god of wealth! We have to fawn over him.

The two girls who were singing with the coal mine owners looked a little resentful. Didn't they agree to sing? They had already chosen the songs, and their stockings were even pilling, but the two guys hadn't uttered a single note.

In the end, the entire bill was paid by that coal mine owner from Shanxi Province.

……

Outside the clubhouse.

Qi Yuan and Wang Jing watched the two coal mine owners get into their car at the nightclub entrance, and the two even thoughtfully closed the car door for them.

"Goodbye, Mr. Wang and Mr. Guo, see you next time!"

The two stood there waving goodbye to the coal boss.

Once the car had disappeared from sight, the two men, who had been holding back for so long, finally couldn't contain themselves and burst into laughter.

"Hahaha... Ah Yuan, we've struck it rich! We've struck it rich! I can make the drama 'Hua Wuque' without spending 30 million. Do you know what that means?"

Wang Jing's face turned red with excitement.

He made a profit before filming even started; he'd never fought such a satisfying battle in his life!
(End of this chapter)