Seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune, I became a legend in the entertainment industry by avo

Chapter 199 Negotiations Break Down

[Neutral draw, draw]

Wang Lan still wants the absolute lead role and priority cooperation rights. If the other party's conditions are not agreed to, she plans to invest in costumes and props first, and then slowly negotiate.

If the costumes and props are not agreed to after they are made, they will be sealed away until the purpose is achieved before they are used in the play.

(Reward: Clear Stream Mark Fragment +1, Luck Value 4000)

[Winning the lottery, bad luck]

Wang Lan is very interested in the major IP of Qin Liangyu and hopes to gradually gain absolute dominance in the entire project.

If you disagree with the other party's demands, they may threaten to withdraw their investment. In this situation, do not panic; you need to carefully weigh the options before making a decision.

(Reward: Xu Gong's Fate Fragment from the North City +1, Luck Value 6000)

Zhang Qilin was not too surprised to see the two fortune slips.

Wang Lan's consistent stance has been to make Jing Tian the undisputed female lead.

However, Jing Tian's current acting skills are not up to par, and forcing her to play the role would tarnish the reputation of the Beijing People's Art Theatre.

The Beijing People's Art Theatre would never allow such a thing to happen. The fact that Jing Tian was allowed to play the younger version of the role is because she is an investor, which is why they relaxed their standards.

This is really a headache.

There's no point in him telling Jing Tian about this.

I could tell last time I went there that Wang Lan was arranged by Jing Tian's family to look after her.

Wang Lan is only responsible to the Jing family; she doesn't care about Jing Tian's attitude.

It seems he's preparing to find other funding to produce the series.

the next day.

Zhang Qilin visited Jing Tian's company in Kyoto again.

Wang Lan was still dressed in a sharp business suit, and the gleam behind her gold-rimmed glasses carried her usual shrewdness and scrutiny.

Jing Tian sat next to her and gave Zhang Qilin a reassuring look when she saw him come in.

"Mr. Zhang, please have a seat," Wang Lan said with a smile. "Tian Tian told me that you had a great experience at the Beijing People's Art Theatre, and Director Ren and the playwrights also approve of this direction. This gives me even more confidence in the project."

"Mr. Wang, you're too kind. It's because Jing Tian grasps things quickly and is willing to learn," Zhang Qilin said as he sat down.

Wang Lan said with a smile, "Mr. Zhang, it is of great significance to Tian Tian's career to be able to learn from the teachers of Beijing People's Art Theatre and play such an important role. Our company fully supports her."

"That's great. With the support of President Wang and your company, the project will proceed more smoothly." Zhang Qilin pretended not to understand what the other party meant.

"However," Wang Lan changed the subject, "since it's a deep collaboration, there are some things we'd like to clarify more clearly, such as the future development potential of the Qin Liangyu IP—"

Zhang Qilin asked with a smile, "What does Mr. Wang mean?"

"We hope to sign a supplementary agreement," Wang Lan said amicably, "that clearly define Tian Tian as the actress playing Qin Liangyu, and that her core position and rights need to be clearly guaranteed."

Zhang Qilin shook his head: "President Wang, I have no authority to make such a promise, nor am I responsible to other partners."

Wang Lan's smile faded slightly: "Mr. Zhang, the core binding and priority are the basic guarantees for our initial investment and risk-bearing. You can understand it as us hoping to become the most important strategic partner of this IP, not just an investor in the play."

"We welcome strategic cooperation, but I cannot agree to such exclusive terms," ​​Zhang Qilin shook his head. "The image of Qin Liangyu belongs to history. We can agree on Jing Tian's outstanding contributions in the stage play version and her priority in negotiating film and television projects for the appropriate age group, but we cannot monopolize all the future possibilities of this role."

The atmosphere at the scene was somewhat somber.

Jing Tian hesitated, glancing at Wang Lan and then at Zhang Qilin.

Wang Lan pondered for a moment, then softened her tone: "Since the differences between the two sides are too great, let's put that aside for now and resolve the issue of costumes, props, and sets first. This part has a long production cycle, so let's talk about cooperation in that area first."

After listening to Wang Lan's words, Zhang Qilin smiled and said, "The production of a play is a whole. Costumes and props are part of the stage design and need to be coordinated with the director and stage designer. Now that the funds are in place, how to allocate and use them should be arranged by the production company and the Beijing People's Art Theatre according to the artistic requirements. Your company can supervise the use of funds."

Wang Lan's face finally darkened.

She hadn't expected Zhang Qilin to be so stubborn.

Her voice turned cold: "Mr. Zhang, we came here with the utmost sincerity to discuss cooperation. You want us to contribute money but are unwilling to concede any substantial rights. There's no such logic in the world. I think this project needs to be reassessed for investment risks."

Upon hearing this, Jing Tian could no longer hold back: "Sister Lan, didn't you promise me—"

"Sweetie," Wang Lan interrupted her sternly, "this is a business negotiation, concerning the company's interests!"

Jing Tian raised her voice: "Sister Lan, I'll be satisfied if I can play the young Qin Liangyu well with my current abilities. I know you mean well and want to get the best for me, but this role is a learning opportunity for me."

Wang Lan looked at Jing Tian with a complicated expression.

"Sweetie, you're too naive—" Wang Lan sighed.

"Sister Lan, please listen to me this time, okay?" Jing Tian's tone was almost pleading. "Let's do it the way Da Lin and the theater agreed, and put on a good show for the play. We can talk about the rest after the play is performed and we see the audience's reaction, okay?"

Wang Lan remained silent for a long time before finally standing up and saying, "Mr. Zhang, it seems we have a fundamental difference in our cooperation approach. I need to go back and discuss this with my company team. Let's end our conversation here. Tian Tian, ​​please see Mr. Zhang off."

After she finished speaking, she stared at Zhang Qilin, wanting to see how he would respond.

Zhang Qilin stood up and said calmly, "Let's stop here then."

After saying that, Oki Sweets nodded and was about to walk out.

Wang Lan was taken aback. She hadn't expected Zhang Qilin to be so decisive and not care about her investment at all.

She couldn't quite figure out this young man.

At this moment, Jing Tian chased after him, and Wang Lan did not stop her.

She originally intended to threaten the other party, but since they left so decisively, she couldn't chase after them. Jing Tian's visit would be a good way to ease tensions.

"Dalin," she hurried after him, "I'm sorry, I—"

Zhang Qilin turned around, his expression relaxed: "It's nothing, why are you apologizing? It's not your fault."

"But investment—"

"I'll figure out the investment," Zhang Qilin said, pressing the elevator button. "Don't worry."

She knew Zhang Qilin was trying to comfort her.

For a project worth ten million, the shortfall without their investment would be substantial.

"Dalin, don't worry, let me try to persuade Sister Lan again—"

"No need," Zhang Qilin shook his head. "You can't persuade her. I know what's going on. Go back first, don't let things get ugly with President Wang. There will be opportunities to cooperate in the future."

The elevator doors opened, and Zhang Qilin stepped inside.

Inside the elevator, Zhang Qilin silently calculated in his mind.

The Beijing People's Art Theatre has agreed to provide three million yuan in funding to support young actors.

He still has more than two million in his own hands.

The shortfall is nearly five million.

This number isn't particularly large, but it's not insignificant either.

I need to ask around these next few days; the play can't be delayed.

Jing Tian pushed open the door to Wang Lan's office.

Wang Lan was sitting behind her desk, holding a document, when she saw Jing Tian come in: "Did you send her off?"

"Sister Lan, why did you do that?" Jing Tian stood in front of the desk.

"What did I do?" Wang Lan put down the documents.

"You promised me you'd follow the agreement between Da Lin and the Beijing People's Art Theatre, but today you suddenly want some supplementary agreement—and even threatened to withdraw your investment," Jing Tian's voice rose involuntarily, "Do you know how outrageous what you did was?"

Wang Lan said calmly, "Tian Tian, ​​that's how business negotiations are. I state my conditions, and he accepts or doesn't. There's no question of whether it's excessive or not."

"But that's not what you said before!" Jing Tian looked at Wang Lan with dissatisfaction. "You told me to rest assured that you would talk things over properly, but what happened? You never intended to talk things over properly. From the very beginning, you wanted to force him to give in."

Wang Lan said earnestly, "Tian Tian, ​​I have to be responsible for your career. I recognize the value of this project, but precisely because it is valuable, we should try our best to gain more say in it."

Jing Tian looked at her incredulously: "Da Lin was helping me improve my acting skills, but you turned it into a power struggle—"

Wang Lan sneered: "Sweetie, you've been in this industry for a while now. Why is Zhang Qilin looking for you? Because he needs your investment and your fame. This is a collaboration, not charity."

"You—" Jing Tian trembled with anger, "Da Lin isn't that kind of person."

"He's not, but who's behind him?" Wang Lan's tone softened a bit. "Tian Tian, ​​I wanted to help you get a better role. You only played the young Qin Liangyu, and the screen time was shared among three actors, the older, middle-aged, and younger ones. Who will the audience remember? The older artists. And you? You've become a runner-up."

Jing Tian practically shouted, "I'm not as good as those teachers to begin with. I went there to learn. Sister Lan, you weren't like this before. When did you start valuing only these things?"

Wang Lan was silent for a few seconds: "Sweetie, it's not that I've changed, it's just that this industry won't make an exception for you just because you're kind. Your family entrusted you to me, so I have to protect what I should protect for you. I can't see through Zhang Qilin. He's too smart, and I'm afraid you'll suffer."

Jing Tian shook her head: "Sister Lan, you're wrong. If Da Lin really just wanted to use me, he could have agreed to your conditions and gotten the money first. But he's been thinking of me all along, arranging a teacher for me—"

Wang Lan sighed and said, "Tian Tian, ​​I didn't say I wouldn't invest. I'm just letting him wait for a while. Once your 'Warring States' becomes a hit, I'll talk to him again. I believe he'll give in. By then, you'll have a successful project, which will allow you to negotiate better terms for this project, and it will be more beneficial for our company."

Jing Tian looked at Wang Lan, her eyes filled with disappointment: "Sister Lan, you're only making things worse. Da Lin and the others genuinely want to make this play a success, but you're only thinking about profit and control."

Wang Lan rubbed her temples helplessly: "Tian Tian, ​​you're still too young and don't understand the cruelty of the business world. In this industry, if you don't take the initiative, you'll only be trampled underfoot by others. Everything I've done is for you and for our company."

Jing Tian said firmly, "Sister Lan, I know you mean well, but I hope you can respect Da Lin's and my ideas. We want to do a good job with the play, which is the most important thing for my growth."

Knowing she couldn't persuade Jing Tian now, Wang Lan said, "Okay, okay, I'll think about it some more. You go back and rest first. I'll ask for instructions and talk to Zhang Qilin again as soon as possible."

.

Jing Tian realized that Wang Lan was just giving her the runaround, so she stopped talking and left the office.

A few days later, Zhang Qilin, who was rehearsing, received a call from Jing Tian: "Dalin, where are you? Is it convenient for us to meet?"

Half an hour later, the two met in a quiet corner of a coffee shop.

Wearing a hat and mask, Jing Tian's first words to Zhang Qilin were an apology: "I'm sorry, Da Lin, Sister Lan—she's just too professional, sometimes she overlooks other things."

"It's alright, we have different perspectives, I understand," Zhang Qilin said nonchalantly. "But you, did you get scolded when you got back?"

Jing Tian shook her head, took out a card from her bag, and pushed it in front of Zhang Qilin.