Huayu: This producer has no bottom line.

Chapter 110 Let's see what you're capable of.

The atmosphere in the private room suddenly became tense.

Gong Yu and Peng Zhijian exchanged a glance, then looked at Ren Pingsheng at the same time.

The meaning couldn't be clearer: Who did you call this person?

Ren Pingsheng, of course, did not call out.

He glanced at Dapeng at the door, who shrank back and quickly closed the door.

"Mr. Zhang, this gathering was arranged in advance, and you've come uninvited..."

2

"I know, I know," Zhang Chaoyang said with a smile, patting the file bag on the table. "The contract for the customized drama came out, and since I'm in a hurry, I just brought it over for you."

He gestured with his chin toward Gong Yu and Peng Zhijian, "Don't be nervous, you two talk, just pretend I'm not here."

On the way?

Who would believe that!

Peng Zhijian pushed up his glasses and remained silent.

Gong Yu picked up his teacup and took a sip of water.

The scene became awkward at one point.

Zhang Chaoyang seemed quite at ease; he crossed his legs and looked around the private room's decor. "Talking business on Lao Zhao's turf, President Ren certainly knows how to choose a place."

"I can't compare to how well-informed you are, Mr. Zhang."

"People who leave my company turn around and dig for treasures right under my nose. If I'm still kept in the dark, I might as well shut down the company."

Having said all that, the pretense of politeness has been completely severed.

Gong Yu slammed his cup on the table. "Alright, since you're already here, stop beating around the bush. Charles, what exactly do you want?"

"Nothing much?" Zhang Chaoyang shrugged. "Count me in for LifeVision's financing."

Gong Yu laughed angrily, "Charles, Sohu Video and iQiyi are direct competitors. You're getting involved, Robin..."

How am I supposed to explain this to them?

"How you explain things to Robin is your business, what does it have to do with me?" Zhang Chaoyang retorted sharply. "These days, who doesn't want good things? You can afford it, but Sohu can't?"

Gong Yu's face darkened, and he was about to lash out when Ren Pingsheng reached out and pressed down on the table.

"Gentlemen, since Mr. Zhang is here, why don't we have a frank discussion?"

He looked at Zhang Chaoyang and said, "We're all in this for business, let's rely on our own abilities."

Gong Yu frowned and remained silent, but also did not refute.

Ren Pingsheng quickly assessed the situation in his mind.

Zhang Chaoyang's sudden move was not a bad thing for him.

With the number of buyers increasing from two to three, they only gain more initiative.

"Then I'll go first," Peng Zhijian said first. He didn't want Sohu to get the first move. Li Yanhong had claimed that he wouldn't do any external social interactions, but Sohu hadn't.

"For Tencent, we'll take 10% of the 20 million, and at the same time, we'll jointly develop all of LifeView's domain name assets with Tencent."

He didn't mention buying; he used the term "joint development."

Although the wording was gentle, the meaning was clear: Penguin was eyeing those few domain names.

"Oh, only 10%?" Zhang Chaoyang raised an eyebrow. "President Peng, when did Tencent become so stingy?"

Peng Zhijian completely ignored him and only looked at Ren Pingsheng.

Gong Yu then stated his terms: "Qiyi.com will also offer 20 million yuan, taking a 10% stake. We don't want the domain name, but all video content produced by Shengping Vision within the next three years must be exclusively broadcast on Qiyi.com."

Ren Pingsheng's eyebrows twitched.

Exclusive broadcasting means handing over your lifeline entirely to iQiyi.

This is certainly good for iQiyi. With a stable supply of content, iQiyi's competitiveness will rise sharply.

But for him, there was no way out.

Ren Pingsheng shook his head. "President Gong, the condition of exclusive broadcasting is too harsh. I can't possibly put all my eggs in one basket with one platform."

"How about two years?" Gong Yu immediately backed down.

Ren Pingsheng didn't answer, turning to Zhang Chaoyang, "Where's President Zhang?"

Zhang Chaoyang had been leaning back in his chair listening, but now he finally sat up straight, took a pen out of his pocket, wrote a few numbers on the back of the file folder, and pushed it to the center of the table.

Forty million, 15%

Gong Yu and Peng Zhijian both frowned.

"Forty million, 15%?" Gong Yu's voice noticeably deepened. "Charles, are you trying to hog all the profits?"

"Whether you keep it all to yourself is up to you," Zhang Chaoyang said, throwing his pen on the table. "Anyway, here are my terms: 40 million, no domain name, no exclusive content."

He looked at Ren Pingsheng, "Purely financial investment."

The room fell silent after those words were spoken.

Pure financial investment means that I only provide funds, do not interfere with your business decisions, do not bind your content distribution channels, and do not take away any of your assets.

This is what entrepreneurs most want to hear.

Gong Yu's expression darkened; the terms he offered were originally the most cost-effective.

As a result, Zhang Chaoyang simply threw money at the problem without any conditions attached, instantly making him pale in comparison to Tencent.

"Charles," Gong Yu said, suppressing his anger, "you invest in a content company but don't commit to creating content. What are you after?"

"I like him because of who he is."

Zhang Chaoyang pointed at Ren Pingsheng, making no attempt to hide it.

"They produced a blockbuster movie in just six months, achieved a valuation of 200 million, and still hold a domain name worth a fortune. Would I be a fool not to invest in someone like that?"

He shrugged. "As for whether or not to bind content, I don't care. As long as the person is alive, anything will be available. If the person is gone, binding anything will be pointless."

Ren Pingsheng remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was rapidly weighing the situation.

Zhang Chaoyang's conditions are indeed the best, but also the most dangerous.

The person in question may feel comfortable listening to this, but on the other hand, what if their opinion of them changes one day?

"Mr. Zhang, now that you've voted for me, what happens to my future collaborations with iQiyi?"

Gong Yu immediately retorted, "Ping Sheng is right. If you become his shareholder, will iQiyi still get a chance to produce his good films? How can you expect me to trust you not to interfere?"

Zhang Chaoyang actually laughed after hearing this.

"Don't believe me? Then let me put this out there: from now on, Mr. Ren will have complete control over who we cooperate with. It'll all be written in black and white in the contract, isn't that enough?"

Gong Yu was so choked up that he couldn't say a word.

crazy.

That guy is a lunatic!

Ren Pingsheng stared at Zhang Chaoyang.

This person is either truly confident in themselves, or they are playing a game they can't yet understand.

Regardless of the reason, now is not the time to make a decision.

"Alright," Ren Pingsheng interrupted the increasingly absurd tug-of-war at the right time, "I have heard all three of your conditions clearly. My original plan was to merge 15% with Tencent and iQiyi, but now the situation has changed and we have to reconsider."

He looked at the three men and said, "Give me a week."

95

Peng Zhijian nodded; he was the most composed of them all.

Gong Yu's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he swallowed it back in the end.

Zhang Chaoyang stood up, patted his pants, and said, "I'll leave the contract here. Mr. Ren can think about the financing later."

He walked to the door and stopped, turning back to look at Gong Yu and Peng Zhijian.

"Don't be too nervous, you two. I just think Mr. Ren is worth the price; I'm not trying to steal anything from anyone. You can continue negotiating whether you want the content or the domain name. Whether you can reach an agreement is none of my business. Anyway, I don't want anything, so what's the rush?"

The door closed, and the person left.

There was a moment of silence in the private room.

"He's still the same..." Gong Yu shook his head and uttered a harsh curse.

Peng Zhijian calmly took off his glasses and wiped them. "President Ren, Tencent's proposal can be adjusted. There's room for negotiation on the domain name cooperation method and percentage. But one thing is certain: Tencent will not be in the same round as Sohu."

This translates to: You can take Zhang Chaoyang's money, but don't take Penguin's.

Ren Pingsheng knew in his heart that Tencent was the richest of the three, but it was also the most stubborn one.

"Don't worry, Mr. Peng," Ren Pingsheng stood up to see the guest off, "No matter what the final decision is, we will definitely communicate with you in advance."

Peng Zhijian shook hands with him briefly and then left.

Gong Yu walked a little slower. "Ping Sheng, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

"The Youth Image Project," Gong Yu's expression finally softened a bit, "I've basically finalized it with Chairman Han. We'll release the news within the industry in the next couple of days. It's produced by China Film Group, exclusively in partnership with iQiyi, and open to submissions nationwide."

Ren Pingsheng's eyes lit up.

"The official announcement will be released next week. I'll send you the details then," Gong Yu patted him on the shoulder. "Regardless of what you ultimately decide regarding today's financing, I recommend that you participate in this project."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Chairman Han said he wants to see your skills again."

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