Reshaping the landscape of the Chinese entertainment industry

"Boss!"

Richard Nowit opened his arms and gave He Yi'an a big hug.

He Yi'an was almost breathless from being hugged so tightly, and patted his back: "Richard, if you don't let go, you're going to strangle me to death in Venice."

"Oh, I'm so sorry!"

Richard quickly released his grip, took a step back, and looked He Yi'an up and down, his eyes filled with disbelief: "Boss, it's been two years, you've finally grown up!"

"And he's even more handsome now! Finally, I can experience all the joy like a real man!"

He Yi'an tugged at his collar speechlessly: "I've always been a man, what do you mean by 'finally grown up'?"

"I mean..."

Richard could speak some simple Chinese, but describing anything complex was clearly beyond his capabilities.

He gestured, but racked his brains for the right words, and finally decided to just say it in English: "Two years ago you only reached my chest, now you're almost up to my eyebrows!"

"And boss, your whole demeanor is different now. You used to be like... what's the saying again? In Chinese, you call it a 'little brat'?"

"Richard, I didn't expect you to have learned quite a few Chinese words." He Yi'an chuckled.

Richard chuckled, then turned his gaze to Yu Feihong beside him, his eyes lighting up immediately: "This beautiful lady..."

He bowed slightly, reached out and shook Yu Feihong's hand, his tone sincere yet exaggerated: "It must be Ms. Yu Feihong, right? The boss has mentioned you to me before; I've heard so much about you."

"I am Richard Nowit, Boss's partner in Hollywood. You are even more elegant and beautiful than in the photos."

If it weren't for his earlier antics, Yu Feihong would probably have been fooled by his serious European gentleman demeanor.

But after the earlier banter, she was just amused.

After politely withdrawing his hand, Yu Feihong introduced himself: "Hello, Mr. Richard. Just call me Yu."

"Yu..." Richard read it out in slightly broken Chinese. He clearly didn't understand the meaning of the name, but that didn't stop him from giving a thumbs up and being an excellent complimenter.

"What a lovely name."

He Yi'an rolled her eyes. "Alright, stop with the awkward small talk. Is everything I arranged ready?"

Upon hearing this, Richard put away his joking expression and said seriously, "Of course, when you sent me the email, I had already prepared everything according to your requirements."

"The car and boat are waiting outside. Let's go to Lido Island to settle down first, and we can talk in detail on the way."

Richard quickly stepped forward to help He Yi'an with his luggage, and the group walked out of the airport.

……

August and September are probably the best months for weather in Venice.

The sky was an almost transparent blue, and the sunlight shimmered like broken gold on the lagoon.

The Campanile of St. Mark in the distance is faintly visible in the mist, gondolas glide slowly along the canal, and the gondoliers' songs drift melodiously over.

He Yi'an took a sniff. Although he had just joked about the smell, the smell wasn't actually that strong yet.

Since there hasn't been a large-scale influx of refugees across Europe, urban governance has been able to continue.

At least the wealth accumulated by generations of Europeans had not been squandered, and the dignity of old Europe was still intact, so Europeans at this time were still full of the superiority of being white.

He Yi'an didn't care about the stares around him. After Richard helped him carry his luggage upstairs, the group didn't linger.

The boat sailed out of the dock, leaving a white trail in the lagoon, and sped towards Lido Island.

"Boss, I've taken care of everything you asked me to do." After He Yi'an beckoned him over, Richard sat down opposite He Yi'an and took out a stack of documents from his briefcase.

"First of all, the house you requested has been rented. It's on the east side of Lido Island, a ten-minute walk from the main venue of the film festival. It's quiet, private, and enough for the few of us and the crew to stay in, and it's also convenient for discussing business."

"Secondly, all the preliminary preparations for 'Paranormal Activity' are complete."

"The equipment, venue, and actors have all been found according to your email requirements. The actors aren't big names; they're just two young people who do bit parts in Hollywood. They're cheap, obedient, and their appearances fit the bill."

"And then..." Richard paused, lowering his voice, "the money you had me bet through dozens of accounts to win in the World Cup has been transferred in batches from different places to seven offshore accounts, totaling $82 million, and is ready to be used at any time."

He Yi'an was quite concerned about his money, but he smiled and asked in return, "You must have made quite a bit this time, right?"

"Hey, Boss, your judgment has never been wrong, so I followed suit with a little, but not too much, just enough to improve my family's life!"

He Yi'an didn't care how much Richard earned; his willingness to share the profits was a testament to his own abilities.

After taking the documents, he carefully flipped through them and nodded with satisfaction: "You've always done a very good job, Richard. I'm very satisfied."

Richard, a capitalist lackey, had absolutely no reaction to such verbal praise.

However, just as He Yi'an said, Richard didn't care about this so-called praise, after all, he had already made a lot of money following He Yi'an.

But thinking about the film He Yi'an had asked him to prepare, he still hesitated: "Boss, these are all things I should do. But... isn't it too rushed for us to prepare this film?"

"It's only been a few years since 'The Blair Witch Project,' will the market still accept this kind of found-footage horror film?"

He Yi'an put down the documents in his hand, leaned back comfortably in his chair, and looked at the coastline that was gradually becoming clearer in the distance, a smile appearing on his lips.

"Richard, the fact that you have such concerns shows that your years of contact with producers and Hollywood have not been in vain."

"The Blair Witch Project did become popular in 1999, and it's only been three years... but you've forgotten something fundamental."

"The fundamental thing? Boss, please enlighten me."

"You mentioned the movie 'The Witch,' but do you know the logic behind its success?"

This was no problem for Richard.

He thought for a moment: "First, the cost is extremely low, and second, the marketing is excellent, capturing the audience's curiosity about 'realistic horror'."

"That's right." He Yi'an nodded. "That's the fundamental reason for the success of 'The Blair Witch Project,' but there's another very important premise: it was the first movie to do this, so its marketing was also fresh."

"Then our movie..." Richard asked, somewhat confused.

"Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project are not exactly the same."

He Yi'an held up two fingers: "First, we need to reduce costs as much as possible, while also making filming simpler. Second, its horror should be more 'everyday'."

"The so-called everyday life is something that can happen to any of us, not the kind of monsters you only encounter when you go deep into the mountains and forests. This makes the sense of fear more accessible to ordinary people."

Richard paused for a moment, then his eyes lit up: "So that's why you chose to film the bedroom, Boss!"

"Yes. Moreover, the Hollywood market is already very mature, and the demand for horror movies has always existed. As long as the marketing is done well and the audience believes that the 'video' they see is real, the movie can make money."

"But..." Richard still hesitated.

His hesitation wasn't about whether their first project together would be profitable, but rather about the cost.

"Boss, we can cut back on filming costs, but considering the witch's investment in promotion, wouldn't it be too much of an investment if we did all that promotion? Wouldn't that create some risks?"

"There is a risk involved, but it's worth doing, and if we can find a suitable partner, we can do it together."

Seeing that he was about to say something, He Yi'an interrupted him directly.

"Richard, think long-term. You can never earn all the dollars in the world. If this project succeeds, then this will be the first shot our Panda Studios has fired in Hollywood."

"Only by leveraging the subsequent development of this project can we possibly move forward with the next one!"

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