Huayu 16: I Became the Dream-Fulfilling Master for Young Actresses

Bai Mengyan was no longer in the office.

Chen Xingzhou couldn't help but chuckle when he saw the message.

He glanced at the time; an hour had passed since he comforted Bai Mengyan.

That reaction speed is unmatched.

Chen Xingzhou: [I was really angry, very angry.]

[Meng Ziyi! Do you know you almost caused me to lose an artist?]

Meng Ziyi: [Huh?! No way?! Ah Zhou, Ah Zhou... I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I know I was wrong...]

Chen Xingzhou: [Knowing you're wrong isn't enough; you also need to take concrete action.]

Come to my office and check if Xiao is there. If she is, be careful and lock the door when you come in.

Meng Ziyi blushed as she read Chen Xingzhou's message.

She looked up at the few employees walking around outside, then looked down and replied:

【This...this...Ah Zhou, isn't this inappropriate? There are still employees outside...】

Chen Xingzhou: [?]

Meng Ziyi: [Okay, okay...]

Meng Ziyi put her phone away, her cheeks flushed.

This is way too...exciting!

How could you do that kind of thing in the office?

But she didn't dare disobey Chen Xingzhou, so she could only suppress the corners of her mouth that were trying to turn up in uncontrollable way.

She glanced at Zhou Ye, who was working diligently, then quietly went into the office and locked the door.

Then she turned to look at Chen Xingzhou, who was sitting in the main seat. Her face was a little nervous, as if she was afraid of being knocked unconscious like last time.

"A-Zhou... what should I do?"

What do you think?

Chen Xingzhou raised an eyebrow.

Meng Ziyi was secretly delighted, and almost couldn't suppress his smile, but he still said:

"Ah Zhou, isn't this a bad idea?"

"Um?"

"Hmph! Fine, I'll eat it!"

……

"Wear this."

"What is that? Huh?! Why is it a face mask? Ah Zhou, isn't that covering your mouth?"

"Who says masks can only cover the eyes? They cover the eyes."

"What?! Ah Zhou, you're such a pervert!!! How could I have found a boyfriend like you?!"

"Um?"

"Hmph! Fine, I'll wear it then!"

……

"Ah Zhou, you have so many clever ideas... I got to eat dessert so quickly today..."

"Thank you for the treat (*∩_∩*)"

"..."

……

……

……

April 25, iQiyi headquarters.

When Chen Xingzhou arrived, Vice President Dai Ying was already waiting at the elevator entrance.

"Xingzhou, you're here." She smiled and extended her hand, her tone familiar. "Was there traffic on the way?"

"Not bad, I left early." Chen Xingzhou paused for a moment, then reached out and gave her a light handshake.

He really hadn't expected iQiyi to start like this.

Given his current achievements, it seems that this is indeed the case.

It seems he's been making small karaomis for too long and isn't used to this method yet.

"Come on, let's go inside. There aren't many people here today, just a few of us."

Dai Ying led him into the conference room, where two people were already seated.

She closed the door behind her and introduced them: "This is Fang Xu, the director of the copyright acquisition center, Mr. Fang. This is Liu Min, the general manager of the membership business department."

After exchanging pleasantries, Dai Ying got straight to the point:

"Xingzhou, A Love So Beautiful has garnered 9 million views and 110 million new members in just two weeks since its release, and has a Douban rating of 8.0."

"This achievement is the highest in iQiyi's history for youth and campus content."

She pushed a letter of intent in front of him, "So I'm here today for one thing: iQiyi wants 'Go Go Squid!' in the S-series format, as a co-production."

Without even looking at the letter of intent, Chen Xingzhou asked directly, "What about the copyright?"

Dai Ying looked at the copyright director standing to the side.

He said, "Under the standard framework, the copyright belongs to the platform, the studio contributes 30%, iQiyi contributes 70%, the revenue is divided according to the investment ratio, there is permanent attribution rights, and priority cooperation rights for derivative development."

Chen Xingzhou leaned back in his chair and shook his head.

"Mr. Dai, Youku gave me an even better proposal last week."

There was a moment of silence in the conference room.

Dai Ying looked at him and asked, "What conditions did Youku offer?"

"S-level, co-production, investment ratio 40/60, I 40%, copyright shared, decision-making power determined by share."

He didn't mention any other companies; he believed that this one sentence was enough.

"So what brings you here today?" Dai Ying's eyes flickered slightly.

Chen Xingzhou said calmly, "I came to iQiyi because 'A Love So Beautiful' was broadcast on this platform. Emotionally, I hope to continue our cooperation."

Of course, he was just making things up; there was no emotion involved.

He only cares about profit.

He continued, "Copyright is my bottom line, and I will not compromise on it."

Dai Ying was silent for a few seconds. "What conditions do you want?"

"The copyright belongs to the studio, iQiyi will have exclusive broadcasting rights, the term is negotiable, I will contribute 40% of the investment, and the profits will be split proportionally."

The copyright director frowned. "Director Chen, you think you can get all the copyrights by offering only 40%? That won't pass risk control."

"Then let's try another way." Chen Xingzhou didn't press the issue. "The copyright belongs to me, iQiyi gets the exclusive broadcasting rights for 6 years, I'll invest 51%, and iQiyi has priority in cooperating on derivative development."

Dai Ying thought for a moment, then sighed, "Xingzhou, this is going to be very difficult for me. I'll need to put in a lot of effort."

Chen Xingzhou did not reply.

She laughed and then said, "However, you are a very worthwhile partner, but you will need to contribute 55% of the investment."

Chen Xingzhou thought for a moment, then nodded, "Deal."

In his mind, the total investment in this drama would not need to be too large.

He estimated it to be seventy to eighty million.

The production company invested so much in this drama in its previous life, mainly because a large portion of the budget went to the actors' salaries.

However, their studio staff do not require payment for their work.

Based on the current projections of Xiao Meihao's earnings, he is fully capable of coming up with this money.

Dai Ying continued, "Xingzhou, there's another very important question: how will you handle the e-sports drama genre?"

Chen Xingzhou didn't hesitate: "The original work is about e-sports, so let's film an e-sports movie. As long as it's not broadcast on a major network, it can be shown according to the original work."

"Although it may seem like we're at a disadvantage, in the long run, it's well worth it."

"I will send the follow-up plan to Mr. Dai's email address."

Dai Ying pondered for a few seconds, then her eyes lit up.

"Xingzhou, I heard you've been short of money lately, so I've applied to the company for early settlement of your profit sharing."

"Based on this data, the estimated after-tax amount is 7000 million, and it should be in your company's account in the next couple of days."

Chen Xingzhou paused for a moment, then looked at Dai Ying gratefully. "Thank you, President Dai."

He thought he would have to wait two or three months to receive all the money.

Revenue sharing dramas settle accounts monthly, but some revenue cannot be paid out in one lump sum.

iQiyi may have paid in advance to do a favor.

He happened to be looking to make some quick money, and iQiyi solved his immediate problem.

Dai Ying waved her hand: "It's nothing. I hope our 'Go Go Squid!' project will have a smooth broadcast and achieve good results."

"Yes, Mr. Dai."