Chinese entertainment starts with idols

Chapter 132 Everything is going according to plan

Founded in 2003, Happy Twist primarily focuses on offline theatrical performances. By providing free transportation for audiences and offering shuttle buses, they have built a strong reputation and gradually established themselves in the Beijing market.

This year, Happy Twist made its debut on CCTV's Spring Festival Gala with the skit "Today's Happiness." Especially after the Gala was announced, Happy Twist's theater ticket sales soared, with attendance more than doubling compared to before. This made Zhang Chen, the founder and chairman of Happy Twist, very happy. What made him even happier was that for the first time, someone had taken the initiative to invest money. It was unbelievable. What surprised Zhang Chen even more was that the investor was none other than the big star Lin Feng. It was indeed a bit too incredible. He didn't know what was so important about Happy Twist. After all, there are many small teams like them, and quite a few have appeared on the Spring Festival Gala.

What surprised Zhang Chen the most was that Lin Feng not only wanted to invest in Happy Twist, but also wanted to bring Happy Twist to invest in and produce movies. However, he wouldn't say what kind of movies they were until he invested.

Although Zhang Chen was happy, he was still unhappy because Lin Feng's agent, Hu Shan, was too domineering. He had never seen such an arrogant agent before. In fact, this was a strategy that Hu Shan and Lin Feng had agreed upon, with one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop. Hu Shan not only spoke forcefully but also spoke unpleasantly. As soon as they met, she gave Happy Twist a hard time, saying, "To be honest, I really don't know what Lin Feng saw in you. I still don't understand. And I don't think your Spring Festival Gala skit 'Today's Happiness' was funny at all! And what is there to invest in about Happy Twist?"

"But Lin Feng has taken a liking to you guys, so you two should negotiate properly: how much money and how many shares? If it's okay, great; if not, forget it. That way I can go back and finish this quickly."

What's with the arrogance! What's so great about it? It's just because you're Lin Feng's manager, not because of who you are!

Zhang Chen thought to himself, "This is what I'm complaining about."

Although Zhang Chen was full of opinions, he knew this was the best opportunity for Happy Twist to invest, and he didn't want to miss it, nor did his team. He was still very polite, saying, "Mr. Hu, although Happy Twist is still very small, we have huge potential for development. We have many good comedians, especially this year when we appeared on CCTV's Spring Festival Gala. As a result, the attendance rate of our offline drama performances has increased significantly, and it will definitely get better and better in the future."

"I also checked the relevant data before I came. In 2011, the offline box office revenue of the entire Chinese drama market was about 400 to 500 million yuan. Even if your Happy Twist can become the leader, how much can it be?"

You know, last year our Lin Feng's movie "Love is Not Blind" grossed 4.76 million yuan! How much is Happy Twist's annual income?

To be honest, I'm not very optimistic about stage plays. Like theater, very few young people enjoy watching plays or dramas. There's too little room for imagination; it's already a niche cultural phenomenon. Besides, I myself have never seen a stage play in all these years. If Lin Feng hadn't mentioned Happy Twist, I wouldn't even have heard of you. Anyway, I won't say anything more. Even if Lin Feng mentioned it, I'll just go through the motions. You guys should discuss it properly: how much money and how many shares? That way I can report back properly.”

Zhang Chen had never raised funds before and didn't know the tricks of the trade. He had originally wanted to negotiate with Hu Shan, but she wasn't interested at all, so he didn't dare to ask for too much. He directly stated his bottom line: "I think after so many years of development, our Happy Twist brand value, our theaters, and our actors are worth at least 2000 million! In that case, how about 200 million for a 10% stake?"

"It's not good at all. What can you do with this little bit of shares? Now it's our Lin Feng who's going to lead you guys in making a movie, understand? It's a movie, not a stage play. You're giving us 10% of the shares? Is this how you treat beggars?"

If you ask me, let's split it 50/50. Each side takes 50%, you retain the creative rights, and we retain the revenue rights. That way, both sides benefit.

"No way! Our Happy Twist team must hold a controlling stake, at least 51% of the shares," Zhang Chen shook his head and refused.

"Fine! Then you'll have 51% of the shares, and we'll have 49%. You'll have a controlling stake, okay?" Hu Shan said bluntly, picking up where Zhang Chen left off.

"Uh..." Zhang Chen was speechless. That wasn't what he meant. Even 49% of the shares wouldn't work; who raises so much money right off the bat? He hurriedly explained, "President Hu, 49% of the shares won't do either; that's too many shares!"

"Is this what you just said?"

"I said it, but that's not what I meant!"

"Let's agree on the maximum amount you can offer first. Don't try to bargain. If it's too little, I'll just leave. Lin Feng isn't necessarily going to invest."

At this point, Zhang Chen was sweating profusely. Too little, and he would lose control; too much, and he feared scaring away investors. He paused, then finally stated definitively, "A maximum of 30% of the shares, how about that?"

"No, that's too little! Can we increase it?"

"That's the most we can do; we can't add any more." Zhang Chen no longer hesitated.

"Okay, let's leave it at that for now. Then, regarding your claim that Happy Twist is worth 2000 million, I didn't say anything. That needs to be assessed by a professional organization, right? It's not like you can just say it's worth whatever amount you want, is it?"

"Yes, the market value can be reassessed, and we respect professional institutions, but the maximum shareholding is 30%, which is our biggest concession," Zhang Chen said firmly.

"Alright! In that case, I have nothing more to say. I will report the truth to Lin Feng. As for whether it will work out or not, we'll talk about that later."

"Please put in a good word for us, Mr. Hu. Happy Twist has a very promising future."

"Okay! To be honest, I'm really not interested in plays, but I think your team is worth investing in. However, it depends on Lin Feng. Just wait patiently."

After Hu Shan left, Zhang Chen quickly convened another team meeting. If Lin Feng came again, it would mean he really intended to invest. They quickly came up with several financing plans. The initial valuation of Happy Twist was 2000 million yuan, and financing for 30% of the shares would amount to 850 million yuan. Based on this, they came up with two more plans: one with a maximum shareholding of 33%, which would raise 1000 million yuan; the other with a lower initial valuation, raising 30% of the shares, which would raise 600 million yuan. In short, they were doing everything they could to get Lin Feng's investment.

To Zhang Chen's surprise, several days passed without any word from Hu Shan. She neither said yes nor no, as if nothing had happened.

Zhang Chen was getting restless. He was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. At first, he didn't want to make the call because if he did, it would mean he had given up the initiative and had to make concessions.

Zhang Chen waited and waited, but still didn't receive Hu Shan's call. Finally, he had no choice but to call Hu Shan himself. "Ms. Hu, what's the situation? Doesn't Lin Feng have any interest?"

"When I came last time, I told him right away, but he just nodded and didn't say anything. I'll ask him again for you. He's been busy filming lately, so he might not have remembered."

"Then I'll trouble you, Mr. Hu, to ask around again."

"Okay! I'll ask him again."

At this moment, Hu Shan put down the phone and turned to Lin Feng, saying, "Lin Feng, you really are amazing. Everything is going according to your plan. I think it's time for you to step in. You can definitely take down Happy Twist in one fell swoop."

"Well, I think it's about time. Although the conditions could be improved a bit, just in case, we shouldn't lose sight of the bigger picture and delay important matters. But let's wait one more day, and then we can go over and talk in person."

After Zhang Chen's team at Happy Twist hung up the phone, they waited another day without receiving a call from Lin Feng and his team. This time, Zhang Chen started to get restless again.

They thought the matter was over, but to their surprise, Lin Feng brought Hu Shan with him the very next day.

Upon seeing Lin Feng, Zhang Chen was amazed by his looks—he was definitely the most handsome man he had ever seen in real life, far more handsome than Shen Teng, the vain "campus heartthrob" from the PLA Academy of Arts. However, given the crucial matter of Happy Twist's financing, Zhang Chen quickly composed himself and politely said, "Lin Feng, welcome, welcome!"

"Mr. Zhang, I'm sorry I'm late! Sister Hu Shan told me before that I have a very high opinion of Happy Twist, otherwise I wouldn't have come in person this time."

"Lin Feng, we at Happy Twist would very much welcome your investment and shareholding. We are truly very willing to cooperate with you. However, our Happy Twist team also has its own principles, and we hope you can understand."

"Yes, it's mutual. I'm a very straightforward person; I don't like beating around the bush. I prefer things to be clean and efficient, and I also enjoy working with people I can cooperate with!"

Lin Feng exchanged a few pleasantries with Zhang Chen before stating directly, "I won't say anything more. I agree that Happy Twist's pre-valuation is 2000 million, which doesn't need to be reviewed by a professional agency. I can also invest 1200 million, but I want 40% of the shares. What do you think of these conditions? If it's okay, great; if not, I'll leave now and pretend I was never here."

Is Lin Feng an actor/star or a business elite? This offer has Zhang Chen in a real dilemma. If he agrees, the shares are too many; if he doesn't agree, the funds are good, but he's afraid of missing out on this financing opportunity.

The 1200 million yuan was enough to support the company's expansion, but the 40% stake made Lin Feng the second largest shareholder, or even the largest individual shareholder. He was a little worried about losing control of Happy Twist.

"Lin Feng, the financing amount is a bit too high for shares. We can offer less capital, and the maximum share we can give is 35%. How about 35% shares for 1000 million?"

"Mr. Zhang, I'm not here to haggle with you. What happened between you and Sister Hu Shan has nothing to do with me. I'm here to make friends. As I just said, if it's okay, it's okay; if it's not, then forget it. I'm straightforward, that's my style. I've invested in more than just one or two companies; they're all like this. And I can guarantee that I'm just an investor and won't participate in the company's operations later."

Lin Feng doesn't like haggling with others and speaks very directly. After all, he'd rather do something more interesting than waste time haggling!

Zhang Chen was now in a dilemma. Agreeing was one thing, disagreeing was another, and he was in a very passive position. There was nothing he could do about it, since Happy Twist needed to raise funds to develop.

Seeing that the time was right, Lin Feng continued to add to the investment, saying, "I'm planning to invest in a movie that can use actors from Happy Twist. I'm not afraid to tell you this, it's because I think our actors are good that I'm investing in Happy Twist."

To be honest, the market for stage plays is still too small. I think our Happy Twist team has the opportunity to enter the big screen, and many stage play scripts can even be adapted into movies.

"At the same time, if I can invest in Happy Twist, they can also invest in my newly produced film, since we're practically family!"

Now Zhang Chen had no more hesitation. Investing in Lin Feng's film was definitely a very good investment opportunity, and he was so excited that he could hardly speak.

Lin Feng was a little surprised to see Zhang Chen so calm. Had he gone too far? But given the current situation, Lin Feng didn't back down. He simply continued, "Mr. Zhang, why don't you reconsider? If you agree, just call Hu Shan directly. If you don't agree, that's fine. Let's just consider it as us being friends."

Just as Lin Feng reached the conference room door, Zhang Chen grabbed him, so excited he could barely speak, "We...we...agree! We agree!"

Lin Feng was so excited that he thought he had made a wasted trip. The rest would be easy to handle. With Hu Shan handling the specific coordination, these things wouldn't be a problem for Lin Feng. After both parties signed the formal contract, Lin Feng handed the script of "Goodbye Mr. Loser" to Zhang Chen. "I plan to invest in and shoot this comedy film in the second half of the year. In addition to me playing the second male lead and Yang Mi playing the second female lead, I plan to have all the other actors from our Happy Twist team play the roles. I've initially decided on Shen Teng for the male lead and Ma Li for the female lead. I have high hopes for both of them. As for the other actors, they all have a chance. I'll leave that to Happy Twist to arrange. You can even adapt the movie script into a stage play in advance and rehearse it to get a feel for it."

Zhang Chen took the script and looked at it carefully. This script for the movie "Goodbye Mr. Loser" was very interesting and indeed very suitable for adaptation into a stage play. In the end, he couldn't help but slap his thigh and exclaim, "Lin Feng, thank you! We at Happy Twist really didn't misjudge you. I don't know much about movies, but this script is perfect for a stage play. Thank you so much!"

"I just don't understand. With so many people in our Happy Twist team, why did you favor Shen Teng and Ma Li so much? Why did you immediately cast them as the male and female leads, when you and Yang Mi are only supporting actors?"

"Now it should be our Happy Twist. Maybe when 'Goodbye Mr. Loser' is released, you will thank me even more!"

As for Shen Teng and Ma Li, I think they are very popular with audiences. Their comedic performances are more natural than many professional film comedians. I think they have a bright future. Moreover, I am the director of this film. In the future, our Happy Twist team will have directors and screenwriters who can participate. We can adapt suitable stage plays into movies in the future.

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"Okay, thank you! I'll tell the team later, especially Shen Teng and Ma Li. They'll probably go crazy with joy when they find out they'll be playing the male and female leads in your movie!"

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