HuaYu: Starting with Photography to Navigate the Entertainment Industry

Xu Lang was so eager to acquire the copyright to "Chinese Paladin 3" not only because he snatched it from Tangren Media, but also because of the price!

Since "Chinese Paladin 1" hasn't been released yet, the price is more negotiable.

If it becomes a hit after its release, the price of Chinese Paladin 3 will naturally rise, and it is very likely to double.

He was hesitating whether to call An Yixuan to inquire further.

Just then, An Yixuan called.

"This girl, she really is on the same wavelength!"

Xu Lang thought to himself as he answered the phone.

"Haha, I was just about to call you, but you beat me to it."

Hearing this, An Yixuan was somewhat pleased, but he still said aloud:

"You're just trying to fool me."

Then, she stopped joking with Xu Lang and said directly:

"My dad just got back to me and said he's contacted Li Yongjin, the general manager of Softstar Entertainment, and the price he's asking for for the copyright of 'Chinese Paladin 3' is 1 million."

If we negotiate the price down a bit, we might be able to get it for around 80.

"80 to 100?"

Upon hearing this number, Xu Lang's heart stirred.

According to what he knew, the copyright for the first Legend of Sword and Fairy game was probably around that price.

Very good!

Without the slightest hesitation, Xu Lang directly said to An Yixuan:

"Tell Dad that he doesn't need to force a price down. He can negotiate down as much as he can, and just finalize the contract as soon as possible."

"What do you mean by 'our dad'? Watch your mouth and don't say things like that."

Although An Yixuan verbally scolded him, he was secretly pleased.

"Finalize the contract? Does that mean you'll have to come back to Taipei with me?"

At this point, her face flushed slightly, and she felt inexplicably uneasy. She thought to herself, "..."

"It feels like I'm taking my boyfriend home to meet my parents!"

Going to Taipei?

Xu Lang thought about it and realized he really couldn't leave right now.

"I don't think I need to go. I've checked, and Daewoo has a branch in Beijing. Once their headquarters confirms the details, the contract can be signed at the branch."

"Oh, okay then."

An Yixuan agreed verbally, but a slight disappointment lingered in his heart.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the two hung up the phone.

Xu Lang lay on the bed, rolling around excitedly.

"Haha, with 1 million for the rights to Chinese Paladin 3, everything else is a piece of cake!"

Putting everything else aside, with this one move alone, he can easily outmaneuver Cai Yinong and put her in a difficult position.

"Right now, I'm working with her, isn't it a bit unethical to do this?"

Xu Lang thought to himself, but then he shook his head.

"Cooperation is always based on interests; in business competition, what's the point of talking about sentimentality?"

For example, not long ago, Cai Yinong and Liu Yifei seemed to be on very good terms, but after Liu Yifei refused to join Tangren, Cai Yinong did not hold back at all when it came to dealing with Liu Yifei.

Thinking of this, Xu Lang couldn't help but think of Liu Yifei again.

Recalling his past life, he couldn't help but think to himself:

"Filming for 'The Return of the Condor Heroes' has started, and Liu Yifei's good days are almost over!"

He vaguely remembered that Liu Yifei's godfather, Chen Jinfei, had started to decline in 2005, and it seemed that he had gotten into some trouble and was arrested.

However, Xu Lang was not worried about Liu Yifei.

"This girl is very thick-skinned and won't be affected by anything."

Xu Lang secretly harbored some anticipation.

"Her good days are over, and now my chance comes!"

At the same time that Xu Lang was thinking this, in suite 908 of the same hotel.

Liu Xiaoli was talking to Liu Yifei.

Suddenly, Liu Xiaoli's phone rang. She picked it up and saw that it was Chen Jinfei calling.

"Hey, Fei-ge, what brings you to call so late?"

Liu Xiaoli asked with some curiosity.

"Is Sisi next to you? Let's find a quiet place, I have something to tell you."

Chen Jinfei's voice was somewhat heavy, which made Liu Xiaoli's heart tremble.

"He rarely speaks in this tone; something must be wrong."

Thinking of this, she made a gesture to Liu Yifei, then went into the inner room and closed the door.

Seeing this, Liu Yifei wasn't curious. After all, she wasn't stupid; she could guess the relationship between her mother and godfather.

Inside the room, Liu Xiaoli held the phone with slight nervousness.

"Brother Fei, what happened?"

"Someone's been targeting me lately."

Chen Jinfei's voice was urgent and filled with hatred.

"Huh? How could this happen?"

Liu Xiaoli was somewhat panicked. She and her daughter Liu Yifei relied on Chen Jinfei for support. If Chen Jinfei fell, their support would be gone.

More importantly, Liu Yifei's career is at a crucial stage, a period of rapid growth.

Now, if the support from Chen Jinfei is cut off, then we're finished!

"You don't need to worry. Luckily, I found out early. It won't be so easy for them to mess with me."

Chen Jinfei paused for a moment, then instructed Liu Xiaoli:

"Also, you and Sisi should try to keep a low profile these days, and..."

At this point, Chen Jinfei hesitated for a moment, but finally said:

"The movie I arranged for Sissi might have to be postponed a bit, because we're a bit tight on money right now."

"what?"

Hearing this, Liu Xiaoli felt a chill in her heart.

The filming period for "The Return of the Condor Heroes" was only about 3 months.

Even excluding the Lunar New Year period, the first half of 2005 was already over.

The original plan was that after filming "The Return of the Condor Heroes", Chen Jinfei's other film would follow.

This is also the source of Liu Yifei's previous plan to transition to film.

"If the film's production schedule falls behind, won't Sissi be left with nothing to do after filming 'The Return of the Condor Heroes'?"

In the entertainment industry, having nothing to do means you're on the decline!

Thinking about this problem made Liu Xiaoli feel uncomfortable.

"Don't worry, just hang in there and it'll probably pass."

Chen Jinfei comforted Liu Xiaoli, and at the same time, gave her some instructions:

"Don't let Xixi know about this, so as not to affect his filming."

"Um."

Liu Xiaoli nodded and then hung up the phone.

She plopped down on the edge of the bed, feeling anxious.

After her initial anxiety, she quickly began to think things through.

"No, I can't put all my hopes on one tree. I need to make more preparations and have a backup plan."

If you want to find a new backer, who should you turn to?

Liu Xiaoli has served as Liu Yifei's agent for many years, so she is quite familiar with the power dynamics within the domestic film and television industry.

She was silently calculating in her heart:

"The strongest company in China right now is undoubtedly Huayi Brothers. But there, Li Bingbing is the leading lady in commercial films, Zhou Xun is the leading lady in art films, and even Fan Bingbing can only be in the second tier. Even if Xixi went there, she could only be ranked at the back, which is not reassuring."

Aside from Huayi Brothers, the only other strong domestic company is Zhang Yimou's New Pictures Film Company. However, Zhang Yimou only makes one film a year, and the leading actresses are all "Zhang Yimou Girls" he developed. Given Xixi's situation, it would be difficult for her to get involved.

Besides the mainland, Hong Kong's Media Asia (Lin Jianyue), Emperor Entertainment (Yang Shoucheng), and Edko Films (Jiang Zhiqiang) all have channels to go international, so it's not out of the question.

Liu Xiaoli was plotting her rise to fame in her room, while Liu Yifei, in the living room outside, was hugging a cushion and watching TV.

The program playing on TV was Hunan TV's promotional material for the "Happy Camp" show.

Recalling the process of filming "Happy Camp," Liu Yifei's lips involuntarily curved into a smile.

"These games are really interesting."

Thinking of the game, she naturally thought of Xu Lang again.

"I heard that the revamp of 'Happy Camp' was orchestrated by this guy. He really is unpredictable."

But then, the thought that she couldn't get along normally with Xu Lang made her feel uneasy again.

"Sigh, when will this ever end?"