Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

Zhuang Huai'an had a very simple idea about the matter of purging coal mine owners.

Repay the favor they did for helping you and give them a chance to transform their careers.

However, it cannot be given away for nothing. If some people have other ideas because of Xu Youcai's resignation, he will naturally choose to withdraw. Then what will remain are the real interest groups with a long-term vision. Such people will not cause trouble.

The immense power of coal mine owners who successfully navigated the reforms is self-evident.

Moreover, the move of Hong Kong directors to the mainland is a market necessity and an inevitable trend in the development of the film and television industry. Even without investment from coal mine owners, there are real estate developers and internet companies preparing to enter the market, not to mention major film and television companies and state-owned enterprises such as China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group.

If Zhuang Huai'an hadn't single-handedly held back the market, Han Sanping would have been unable to hold back long ago, since his task was to expand the film market.

After blocking them for three years, all my anger has subsided.

As for the future, whatever. Anyway, he has already seized the initiative. With the current size of 91 Company, there is no one that can compete with it, including Huayi Brothers, which is quietly preparing for its IPO.

Remembering his father's instructions, Zhuang Huai'an arrived in Los Angeles, accompanied by the four powerful brothers of Longhu, Zhang Lu, and Lawyer Yu Jun.

The long-lost sweetheart house,

With the departure of the James Wan brothers, Yang Chen became nothing more than a mascot, merely controlling MGM's investments according to Zhuang Huai'an's instructions.

I had just sat down when Kirk called.

"An, come next door, we have a meeting."

The abrupt words made Zhuang Huai'an's heart tighten. After all, according to traditional Chinese culture, meetings are not a good thing. They are either a trap or a dangerous situation... cough, never mind.

Just kidding.

Zhuang Huai'an wasn't worried at all. He led the four powerful brothers of Longhu, Zhang Lu and Yu Jun, Yang Chen and Lao Feng, along with six burly men from Blackwater Security. With their waists bulging, the group arrived at the MGM Studios building next door with great momentum.

"An... what's wrong with you?"

Kirk was dumbfounded. Was he here for a meeting or to usurp the throne?

"Oh, don't worry about these little details."

Zhuang Huai'an walked into the conference room and breathed a sigh of relief after finding nothing amiss. He waved to signal the security personnel to wait outside. He then sat down in the empty seat for the second-in-command, with Yang Chen, Zhang Lu, and Yu Jun sitting behind him.

"As a billionaire, it's perfectly reasonable for me to bring more people along when I go out, right?"

"Uh...that makes sense."

"Let's get down to business. Today is the board meeting, so let me give you an introduction."

Kirk called on the small fry present to sign up one by one, and Zhuang Huai'an, without any airs, shook hands with each person in a very courteous manner.

After some pleasantries, Kirk began calling roll, "Mister Young, An and I have been away for the past six months, and you've been in charge of company affairs. Give a report to the board of directors."

"Yes, Mr. Kirk, boss, and fellow directors."

Yang Chen was prepared. He asked Zhang Lu for help, distributed a document to everyone, and then took out his notebook and reported in an orderly manner.

"From the second half of 2005 to the first half of 2006, throughout the year, in addition to the production of sequels such as Saw and Insidious, which were produced by the company itself, we also reached share swap investment agreements with Universal Pictures and 20th Century Fox for these two film series. Dear directors, please turn to the second page of the document."

Yang Chen pointed and continued, "Saw 2 and 3 have replaced 20th Century Fox's The Devil Wears Prada and Borat. The Prada movie will be released at the end of the month, and Borat is still in post-production. According to the company's data analysts, the two movies have a 95% chance of breaking 100 million.

In addition, Insidious 2 and 3 replaced Universal Pictures' romantic comedy "Breakup Buddies" and suspense drama "Inside Men." "Breakup Buddies" is currently showing in North America, with a three-day cumulative box office of $3900 million and is expected to break $2 million.

"The Insider" has been completely removed from theaters, grossing $8800 million in North America and $1.84 million worldwide.

After a pause, once everyone had processed the information, Yang Chen turned on the projector and pointed at the screen with a laser pointer.

"Distinguished board members, please take a look. This is the stock price trend of MGM Studios over the past six months. The period with the most significant fluctuations coincides with the time when we announced our cooperation with Fox and Universal. This demonstrates that Director Zhuang's strategic vision is extremely accurate."

As everyone looked around, patches of green light shone on their faces, creating a very festive scene.

"Mr. Mister, I have a question," a director raised his hand.

"Mr. Olga, please speak."

"What about profitability? We can't just look at stock trends; we also need to pay attention to cash flow, right?"

"Good question, that's exactly what I'm going to talk about next," Yang Chen said with a smile. "Please turn to the last page."

Everyone did as instructed.

"The total profit for the first half of 2006 was US$1.4 million. The document details the replacement shares, investment amount, and profit amount. The directors can study it at their leisure."

Zhuang Huai'an looked at Yang Chen, who was speaking eloquently, and a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes. Environment shapes talent. After being tempered, Yang Chen can no longer be called a mascot.

The meeting lasted for two and a half hours, mostly consisting of a question-and-answer session between the junior directors and Yang Chen. Zhuang Huai'an and Ke Ke remained calm and unconcerned, as they were on a different level and were involved in finance.

Afterwards, the two went to Kirk's office.

"An, do you have any plans to stay in Hollywood recently?"

Kirk elegantly toasted his cigar. "MGM's stock price has been rising, but the trend is too slow. Last year's market capitalization was $84 billion, and in the past six months, it has only increased by $5 million. This situation doesn't seem to meet our expectations, does it?"

After the previous negotiation, the two sides reached a consensus that they would not hesitate to abandon MGM Studios as long as the price was right. From another perspective, how can this not be the most solid partnership?

"Can."

Zhuang Huai'an thought about it and realized that there wasn't much going on lately. The movie "Mars" was still more than four months away from being released, so he could make some moves.

"However, there is still one problem,"

He looked at Kirk and said, "As a Chinese person, I have neither citizenship nor a green card. I doubt some people will let me cash out and leave so easily, right?"

The American way of doing things, those who know, know.

To achieve Zhuang Huai'an's desired outcome, he would need a staggering $20 billion in equity. With such a large sum of money, the US authorities certainly wouldn't allow it to flow out of the country so easily.

Moreover, he has a large order to process.

"That is indeed a problem, but it's a minor one."

Kirk laughed. "An, you seem to have forgotten what my main business is. For a casino tycoon, transferring funds is just a matter of lifting a finger."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Huai'an laughed. "You're the one I'm most worried about!"

"Let's sign an agreement, Kirk."

Zhuang Huai'an lit a Jinwan cigarette, his eyes gleaming. "Loan agreement: use my shares as collateral. I don't want more; just $20 billion, part cash, part other. How about that?"

"That won't do."

Kirk flatly refused, "We agreed to run together. Even a minute or a second off means we're not running together anymore. Before 08, I had you wrapped around my little finger!"

Damn it! You forced me to do this!

Zhuang Huai'an's eyes lit up, and he immediately came up with a solution.