Huayu 2011: Starting with Hilarious Men

Now that we've arrived in the capital, who wouldn't try douzhi (fermented mung bean juice)?

Some douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) shops rely on tourists from other places to survive.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Zheng Nan picked up the soy milk and took a sip.

How could Zheng Nan possibly describe the taste?

In Northeast China, people pickle sauerkraut in winter, and the sauerkraut broth smells rotten.

Forcing down the soy milk in her mouth, Zheng Nan had a mischievous idea. She pretended to be nonchalant and said, "It's nothing, is it? Maybe the wrong greenhouse was brought over?"

"Let me try it?" Da Peng wondered, how could it be wrong when he served it himself?

Could it be that today's douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) is substandard, or is Zheng Nan's taste different from others?

Dapeng took a sip, and the familiar awful taste hit him right in the head. Dapeng instinctively wanted to spit it out.

At this moment, Qiao Shan asked from the side, "How is it? Did you serve the wrong thing?"

When people do bad things, their thoughts are all connected.

Feeling uncomfortable under the intense pressure of the greenhouse, he feigned doubt: "It does seem different from what I usually drink. Qiaoshan, you should try it."

"What's going on? Did the restaurant owner know it tasted bad and improve the flavor?" Qiao Shan believed it and picked up the bowl to take a big gulp.

One second later, a human fountain was born!

"Cough cough, isn't this still just fermented mung bean juice?! It has this awful smell!"

"Hahahaha..." Zheng Nan and Da Peng exchanged a glance and finally couldn't hold back their laughter.

Liu Yan and Yu Shasha also realized that Qiao Shan had been tricked.

After dinner, the group took Zheng Nan for a stroll around the Temple of Heaven Park and Shichahai Lake.

We had hot pot with copper pot meat near Shichahai in the evening.

They enjoyed the meal and even had a few bottles of beer.

While drinking, Da Peng remarked, "Zheng Nan is only eighteen years old, right? And she's already drinking with us."

"What good things can you learn by being with us?" Qiao Shan joked.

"Don't drink and drive." Zheng Nan recited a catchy rhyme.

"You can't drive after drinking. Gao Xiaosong was just arrested a couple of days ago." Liu Yan said that everyone should abide by the law. She had just reported the news of Gao Xiaosong's accident a couple of days ago.

"Among us, only Liu Yan has a car, right?" Da Peng looked around.

Of the five people present, Zheng Nan hasn't sold his copyright yet and is still broke.

Qiao Shan, needless to say, was a penniless wretch.

Dapeng only started to have money after becoming an apprentice last year, but he hasn't bought a car yet.

Although Yu Shasha has worked for many years, her career has been lukewarm, and she has never bought a car.

Liu Yan is doing well at Enlight Media, developing her career in both movies and variety shows, and is the only one of the five who owns a car.

"There's only one Camry, do you want to drive it?" Liu Yan asked back.

"I wouldn't drive. I live in Tongzhou. If I drove to and from get off work every day, I would have to get up at five in the morning and leave at six."

Traffic congestion is very serious in Beijing during the morning rush hour.

It's a normal one-hour journey.

If you leave at 6:00, you'll arrive at 6:40.

If you leave at 7:00, you won't arrive until 9:30.

Dapeng turned to Zheng Nan and asked, "What are the plans for tomorrow? Shall we get up early and go watch the flag-raising ceremony?"

Zheng Nan shook his head. He could relax for a day. He still needed to finalize the terms of the contract with Liu Chun on Monday, and he needed to find a professional lawyer for this kind of work tomorrow.

"By the way, do you have any lawyers in this field that I could recommend?"

Dapeng, Qiaoshan, and Yu Shasha all shook their heads; the three of them weren't famous enough to need lawyers.

"I know a law firm that Guangming uses for a lot of legal support," Liu Yan told Zheng Nan, giving him the firm's address.

…………

A certain Heng Law Firm in Beijing.

Zheng Nan spent 800 yuan per hour on legal consultations.

"I understand your situation. The copyright revenue for the first season of 'Hilarious Men' was two million, right?"

"Yes." Zheng Nan nodded.

"That's right. According to Article 8, Paragraph (6) of the Implementing Regulations of the Individual Income Tax Law of my country, ... a 20% individual income tax must be paid."

Two million × (1 − 20%) = one million six hundred thousand.

1.6 million × 20% = 320,000.

"You need to pay 320,000 yuan in personal income tax." The lawyer told Zheng Nan the final conclusion.

"Is there a legitimate way to avoid taxes? It must be legitimate!" With 550 virtual coins on him and a clear understanding of future trends, Zheng Nan was destined to have no shortage of money in the future, so there was no need for him to break the law to avoid taxes.

"If you have long-term copyright income or other income, you can choose to register as a sole proprietorship or establish a sole proprietorship, and go through the business income + assessed taxation process... This way you can save some taxes."

There were just too many terms and conditions; Zheng Nan's head was spinning from listening to them.

However, it can also be concluded that business-to-business tax is more tax-efficient than business-to-person tax.

No wonder celebrities set up studios or companies after they become famous.

"How much does it cost to register a sole proprietorship or establish a single-owner business?" Zheng Nan asked.

"No capital verification required, declaration system, so individuals do not need to actually pay in capital..." and another long list of terms.

"OK! How much would it cost to hire you for eight hours of work tomorrow?" It seemed there were some problems she couldn't solve on her own, so Zheng Nan decided to bring a lawyer.

"Eight hundred a hour, invoices available. I specialize in dealing with the entertainment industry, so you don't need to worry about my professionalism," the middle-aged lawyer replied with a smile. Money in the entertainment industry is definitely easier to make.

"Okay!" Zheng Nan said through gritted teeth, "I'll be a lawyer in my next life!"

…………

Monday, June 16th.

Zheng Nan, accompanied by her lawyer, reviewed the final contract details with Liu Chun's team.

The main terms are as follows:

1. Sohu bought the exclusive rights to the second season of "Hilarious Men" for 400,000 yuan per episode, totaling 3.2 million yuan for eight episodes.

Second, Sohu's advertising department is responsible for coordinating advertising for the second season. Zheng Nan has the right to choose which advertising appears in the main content, but she has no right to choose advertising such as ad placements, title sponsorships, or joint promotions.

Third, Zheng Nan can receive 30% of the revenue from three types of GG income: embedded GG, sponsorship, and joint promotion.

Fourth, Sohu has the priority right to purchase the third season of "Hilarious Men".

There are also many detailed terms, such as Zheng Nan's obligation to cooperate with the publicity, and Sohu's obligation to promote the content, etc.

"No problem, it's a pleasure to cooperate." Zheng Nan signed the contract and pressed his fingerprint on it.

"This is the copyright transfer agreement for the first season of 'Hilarious Men.' Let's sign it together if there are no problems." Liu Chun handed over another agreement.

"This document has a problem; a few lines need to be added."

"We went over this agreement last Friday, didn't we?"

"Don't transfer the money to my personal account yet. I'll transfer it after I go back and set up my sole proprietorship," Zheng Nan explained.

"You're an individual, so your tax rate is high. Forgot about it, forgot about it." All of Liu Chun's partners are companies, except for Zheng Nan, who is an individual.

"I'll remove the first season of 'Hilarious Men' uploaded to other platforms from the backend. Sohu will have to solve the piracy problem." While Zheng Nan was revising the contract, he was discussing future cooperation with Liu Chun.

"We've already started preparations. We'll sue anyone who pirates our content! Especially Youku!" Liu Chun said viciously.