1978: Female educated youth, don’t want an illiterate husband

Dixon stared at the crossed-out "seven million" written by Cheng Xuemin, then looked at the newly written "ten million" next to it, and his Adam's apple bobbed violently.

The pen in his hand almost slipped and fell to the ground!

If he had persisted a little longer, he might have actually been able to secure the contract for seven million!
That adds a whopping three million to the cost!

However, after thinking about Cheng Xuemin's analysis of the "three-channel profit model," he swallowed back the doubts that were on the tip of his tongue.

"Happy cooperation!"

Dixon suppressed his shock and signed the contract.

As his fingertips traced the number "ten million US dollars," he suddenly realized that the Chinese man in front of him wasn't selling movie rights, but rather a "formula for future profits in Hollywood"!
If this formula can be validated at Fox and Warner, his status at Columbia will likely rise another level.

Cheng Xuemin took the signed contract, his fingertips lightly brushing over the still-wet ink of his signature, and the weight that had been hanging over him for days finally lifted.

Huang Jianzhong, who was watching closely, dropped his notebook on the ground with a "thud".

He didn't bother to pick them up; he just stared at the numbers on the contract, repeatedly muttering, "Ten million...that's a whole ten million US dollars..."

Gu Qiuna brought over the champagne, her eyes filled with amazement, and said, "Xuemin, you have created a miracle!"

"A miracle: the first time a Chinese film has sold its copyright overseas for tens of millions of US dollars!"

"It's not just my miracle," Cheng Xuemin said with a smile, raising his glass. "It's thanks to the strong support from our old leaders and factory director behind 'Tai Chi,' to Director Huang's excellent directing, and to everyone's outstanding performances!"

"Finally, I want to thank you, Auntie! Without your connections in Bolin, we wouldn't have been able to get out so easily!"

Cheng Xuemin really wants to thank everyone, and he also really wants to thank his aunt.

Otherwise, even if his film "Tai Chi" could be exported overseas and appear at the Bolin Film Festival, it certainly wouldn't have gone so smoothly.

"Xuemin, can we go back now?"

"Even if Director Hu finds out now, the die is cast, and he'll probably just congratulate us, right?"

After a brief celebration, Huang Jianzhong urged Cheng Xuemin if they could go back now.
They sold copyrights for a whopping sixteen million US dollars in one night, generating sixteen million US dollars in foreign exchange for the country. What a brilliant achievement!

I definitely need to get back quickly so I can show off properly!
"Old Huang, don't rush, we need to wait for Brian! Didn't he say he'd give us the contract today?"

"If we don't wait for him, it'll seem like we're not being sincere!"

Cheng Xuemin wasn't in a hurry. There was still a small loose end to clean up, and he would definitely go back only after everything was perfect.

Otherwise, even with so much US dollar foreign exchange, Cheng Xuemin's mind would still be unable to find peace.

"what?!"

Should we wait for him?

"Now that we've already sold the North American rights to Columbia Pictures, shouldn't we be avoiding those foreigners a bit?"

Huang Jianzhong was confused. He heard Xuemin say that they should stay here and wait for that foreigner, Brian.

Why wait for him?

They've already sold the North American rights to someone else. Are they going to turn on Brian when he gets here?

So it's better to hide quickly and book a flight back to China right now.

Huang Jianzhong is now more eager than anyone else to quickly fly back to China and return home in glory.

"Why hide?"

"In business, the highest bidder wins! Columbia has offered a full ten million US dollars, why should we avoid them?"

"The one who should be ashamed is Brian himself, okay?!"

Cheng Xuemin smiled. How could he possibly be willing to hide? He was just waiting for Brian to come and clean up the last little mess!

"Well... I'm just worried about getting back too late! What if Director Hu signs the agreement with the Japanese?" Huang Jianzhong reminded him again.

"Director Hu should be fine. Old Xie hasn't called yet, so we should be able to hold out for now!"

Cheng Xuemin nodded, agreeing with Huang Jianzhong; the last remaining detail was the Japanese devils.
How could Cheng Xuemin achieve his goals without dealing with the Japanese?

I'm not sure if Lao Xie and Deputy Factory Director Zhao from the hotel can hold off Hu Jian.

……

In the conference room of the hotel where he was staying, Hu Jian was actually throwing a tantrum at the representative of the Japanese film company, Yamato.

Xie Jin and Deputy Factory Director Zhao were "mediating" from the sidelines, but in reality, they were just stalling for time.

"Why does it have to be signed today?" Hu Jian said impatiently. "The copy is still being edited. Can't we wait until tomorrow?"

The Japanese representative, his face grim and filled with anxiety, said, "Director Hu, we already agreed on this yesterday!"

"If we can't sign the contract today, we'll have to give up on releasing 'Romance on Lushan Mountain'!"

The Japanese knew perfectly well that the creator of "Tai Chi," a young man named Cheng Xuemin, was already secretly making deals with other countries, and that delaying any longer might lead to unforeseen complications.

They must acquire the global rights to "Tai Chi" before that Cheng Xuemin returns!

As for the regional copyrights that Cheng Xuemin sold?
Hey!

Those foreign filmmakers had no idea about the state of the Chinese film industry, and they didn't know that for any Chinese film to be distributed overseas, it had to be authorized by their China Film Group.

Cheng Xuemin's private deal was clearly done without the approval of China Film Group; he was vying for credit and secretly arranged it on his own.

Whether China Film Group acknowledges it afterward is an internal matter for them in China.

Anyway, as long as the Japanese side gets the authorization agreement from China Film Group, then there's no question that their Yamato Film Company will have the global distribution rights for "Tai Chi".

Whether China recognizes it or not, Japan is sticking to this point.

With the official seal and signature of China Film Group, the lawsuit could be taken to the Global Film Association, suing them for double selling.

Regardless of how many US dollars that young Chinese man named Cheng Xuemin actually earned from selling the copyrights, half of it should be given to the Japanese side to compensate for their losses in the global market.

In this way, not only can they get something for free, but they can also extort an extra sum of money.

Hey, hey, hey!
It shouldn't be considered extortion. We're all civilized people; we should just follow the contract.

So, how could it be possible that Hu Jian, from China Film Group, would delay signing the agreement until tomorrow?

If it hadn't been so sudden last night, and they hadn't had time to prepare the contract, they should have struck while the iron was hot and signed the contract on the spot.

He immediately used a feigned retreat tactic, deliberately saying he was abandoning the release of "Romance on Lushan Mountain" to provoke them.

"This one……"

Sure enough, when Hu Jian heard that the Japanese side was willing to give up rather than wait until tomorrow, he panicked instantly!

To know!
If Japan can help bring "Romance on Lushan Mountain" back to China and assist with its global distribution and promotion, it would be a diplomatic victory and further strengthen Sino-Japanese friendship.

Thus, his first time leading a team onto the international stage ended in failure, with him returning home in disgrace.

If the Japanese side can help promote "Romance on Lushan Mountain," they can then promote it properly back in their country, which would be considered a cultural export achievement for Fujian and China Film Group.

The fact that the Japanese side wanted to back out really panicked Hu Jian, so he stopped talking and just signed the agreement.

Although Cheng Xuemin's copy is still being re-edited, that doesn't stop us from signing the agreement first!

……

Brian didn't actually keep Cheng Xuemin waiting for very long!

"Cheng, sorry I'm late!" Brian, with his round belly, slowly pushed open the glass door and waved to Cheng Xuemin, who was already waiting.

Then, humming an off-key tune, he headed straight for the seat Cheng Xuemin had arranged.

He was still plotting the next step in his "delaying tactic," figuring out how to cleverly continue delaying!
That's how it should be done: first, pretend that "the contract is on its way," and then observe the anxious look on the Chinese man's face.

When the other party is about to lose patience, throw out the bait of "paying a deposit of 50,000 US dollars first" to firmly trap this "lamb from the East".

Just do it!

"Cheng, how did you sleep last night?" Brian pulled out a chair and sat down, his tone deliberately affectionate, but his eyes were fixed on Cheng Xuemin's face like a hawk's.

"Not bad!" Cheng Xuemin said, holding his coffee, his tone as indifferent as if he were talking about the weather.

Brian noticed the anxiety in the Chinese man's eyes and was overjoyed. Sure enough, his trick really worked.

He then added in a more relaxed tone, "Cheng, I've already contacted the head office in New York and told them about Tai Chi. They're very satisfied and say it's the most worthwhile film to invest in this year. They want me to represent the company and make sure we sign Tai Chi!"

"Thank you for recognizing and valuing Tai Chi, Mr. Brian!"

Cheng Xuemin looked up and glanced at the foreigner. He really did lie without even thinking of a draft!

He can guarantee it!

Brian didn't even bother their company headquarters, or perhaps there wasn't even a company headquarters at all.

He, Brian, is the boss!

Talking to Cheng Xuemin like this is simply a way to increase the price of his stalling tactics, so that I can be led by the nose by him.

So next, they'll definitely say that the contract is on its way, drafted personally by the company headquarters, and that we should wait a couple more days.

"That's only right! The main reason is that the film 'Tai Chi' is truly fantastic!"

“Of course, the company also highly values ​​and trusts my personal judgment!” Brian shrugged and continued casually, “The contract is already being prepared, and the official contract will be faxed over tomorrow!”
"Cheng, you guys shouldn't be leaving so soon, right? Your entry should have won an award, so you should be leaving after the closing ceremony, right?" Brian certainly knew that the Chinese entry had flopped and definitely hadn't won an award!

According to the rules of the Bolin Film Festival, those who do not win an award will not receive an invitation to the closing ceremony, meaning they can go home early and do not need to wait for the closing ceremony.

So Brian said that on purpose to lighten the mood and make the Chinese guy think he wasn't intentionally dragging things out!

Uh!
Upon hearing Brian's words, Huang Jianzhong, who was accompanying him, looked as if he had seen a ghost.

Xuemin really saw through their relationship beforehand!
Just like Xuemin said last night, this foreign devil quoted us an exorbitant price that we couldn't refuse, but he's been dragging his feet on us.

So in the end, all the film distributors left, and we were dragged along with no other choice. He then revealed his true colors and tried to drive down the price to us.

These foreign devils are such unscrupulous businessmen!
Wasn't Columbia Pictures, which we just parted ways with, the same thing?
Offering only 800,000 as a starting price, isn't that the epitome of a shrewd businessman?
"Thank you for your kind words!" Cheng Xuemin exchanged a glance with Huang Jianzhong, then nodded to Brian with a smile, and continued, "However, I'm sorry to disappoint Mr. Brian! Our entry seems to be a bit lacking; we haven't received an invitation to the closing ceremony from the organizers yet!"

So we might have to leave tomorrow!

"Huh?! You're going back to China tomorrow?" Brian, who had been so confident, changed his expression instantly upon hearing Cheng Xuemin's words, and asked urgently, "Cheng! Are you in such a hurry? Have you sold the copyrights for all those other regions?"

"You don't actually need to rush back. You can stay in Bolin a little longer and have a good chat with the creators of the award-winning works!"

"So, to make up for the procedural delays, Cheng, we'll cover all your expenses during your stay in Bolin, okay?!"

"It's not too late for you to go back after our formal contract is signed, right?!"

Brian was really panicked!

He didn't expect the Chinese to be in such a hurry to go back, which made it impossible for them to continue their stalling tactics.
So before the Chinese even spoke, they urged him to sign the contract now and take remedial measures as soon as possible.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Mr. Brian!"

Cheng Xuemin nodded and continued slowly, "I don't know if Brian has heard of the old Chinese saying, 'Know when to stop, lest things get complicated.'"

"Huh?! Cheng, what do you mean by that?" Brian didn't quite understand, but he could tell from the Chinese guy's tone, and he asked in a panic.

"What I mean is, Mr. Brian, I'm sorry! The North American rights to our 'Tai Chi' have already been sold!"

"So there's really no need for Mr. Brian to insist that I stay!"

"What? You've already sold the North American rights to Tai Chi? Who did you sell it to? How many US dollars did you get?!" Brian felt like the sky had fallen, asking repeatedly in utter disbelief!
Then, as if remembering something, he protested urgently, "Cheng! I protest! How can you disregard the spirit of the agreement? We had clearly reached a very successful agreement, but why did you sell Taiji to someone else without even giving a heads-up?"

The protest is invalid!

Cheng Xuemin observed the foreigner's reaction and knew that he was genuinely anxious, and that his judgment was indeed excellent and that he truly believed in Tai Chi.

But being too greedy is also being too calculating!
Cheng Xuemin didn't like to cooperate deeply with such a person, so he decided to leave him to the Japanese!
He then shrugged and said, "Columbia Films offered ten million, leaving me no reason to refuse, right, Mr. Brian?"

"How much did you say? Columbia Pictures offered ten million US dollars?" Brian was even more shocked. He had thought that a Hollywood studio might try to poach the deal, but he never imagined that a Hollywood studio would offer such a sky-high price as 'eight million US dollars'!

He immediately shook his head repeatedly, saying in utter disbelief, "NO! NO! NO! The overseas acquisitions director at Columbia Pictures is that guy Dixon!"

"That guy is known in the global film industry for being incredibly stingy and petty. How could he possibly offer ten million for your Tai Chi?!"

"I guess it'll be at most a million US dollars, which is far less than the eight million I offered!"

It can only be said that since we are rivals, only your opponent truly understands you!
Brian was right. Columbia Pictures' overseas acquisitions manager, Dixon, was indeed as stingy and miserly as he said!
A million US dollars at most?

Excuse me!
Dixon, that stingy bastard, was only willing to offer $800,000 at first, not a penny more!
But so what?
In the end, Cheng Xuemin, with his silver tongue, managed to raise the price to ten million US dollars.
Of course, now is not the time to boast!
Now is the time to thank this foreigner in front of us, so Cheng Xuemin continued in a lighthearted and joking manner, "Actually, we should thank you more, Mr. Brian!"

"If Mr. Brian hadn't offered me eight million dollars, I wouldn't have known that your North American film market was this big!"

"What do you mean?" Brian's face twitched violently as he tried his best to control his emotions and asked.

He really wanted to know why the Chinese man in front of him was thanking him.

He used his exorbitant offer of eight million US dollars to blackmail Columbia Pictures.
How is that possible!

Columbia Pictures, which is known as one of the Big Three Hollywood film studios, would never engage in such a clumsy price-gouging competition.
Moreover, given Dixon's stinginess, he'd be lucky to get two million!
Ten million US dollars? That's just a pipe dream, completely impossible.

"Is such that!"

"To be honest, I was also shocked by Brian's eight million offer last night!"

"Based on our initial budget, we would have sold it for two or three million US dollars!"

"But Mr. Brian is asking for eight million, which makes me question his sincerity. If you buy it at such a high price, won't you lose money?"

"But thinking about it again, Mr. Brian wouldn't make an investment that loses money just to gain publicity. Since he can quote such a high price, there must be a reason for it!"

"So I conducted even more in-depth research on your North American market overnight!"

"After this research, I finally understand that we are still frogs in a well, and we have underestimated the size of your North American film market!"

"Cheng, what exactly are you trying to say?" Brian's face was extremely gloomy. Was it because his price was too high that it aroused the suspicion of the Chinese?
He even spent the night conducting in-depth research on their North American film market, and he actually figured it out?
“Mr. Brian, what I want to say is that our research has revealed that your North American videotape market and home television channel market are actually on par with your movie streaming market!”

"Your videotape market and home television channel market are actually quite large!"

"This must be the real source of Mr. Brian's confidence in competing with major Hollywood studios for orders, right?"

"Mr. Brian, you offered seven million dollars, thinking that as long as the theaters gross fifteen or sixteen million, you can break even!"

"The remaining videotape market and home television channel market are pure profit, right?!"

Cheng Xuemin just spouted nonsense, repeating the same rhetoric he used to fool Columbia Pictures to Brian in a different guise.

Upon hearing this, Brian, the foreigner, turned so gloomy his face was practically dripping with water.

Clearly, Cheng Xuemin was right!
American film distributors almost unanimously maintain a consistent stance, remaining completely silent about their domestic videotape market. They never openly discuss it with foreign filmmakers, nor do they release any data.

They will not emphasize the licensing content for the videotape market in the contract.

In short, they kept the videotape market underwater, turning it into their own private market.

Anyway, once they buy the overseas film sources, who would know that they would secretly pirate the videotapes on a large scale and make a fortune in silence?

Ok!

In reality, those big Hollywood studios, despite their vast wealth, didn't really pay attention to the videotape market.

Only small film companies like Brian's, which can't earn as much from film distribution as the big Hollywood studios, can quietly develop the gray market.

The videotape market was quietly built up and strengthened by those small film companies.

So when Brian heard Cheng Xuemin mention the 'videotape market,' his expression changed drastically, and he asked through gritted teeth, "Cheng! What exactly are you trying to say?"

Seeing that he had already provoked the foreigner in front of him to the point of frustration, Cheng Xuemin decided to stop while he was ahead and simply said, "Actually, it's nothing much! I just gave Mr. Dixon a detailed introduction to the size of your North American videotape market and home television video market!"

"Finally, Dixon consulted with Columbia Pictures' New York headquarters and spent ten million to buy the full distribution rights for our 'Tai Chi' in North America!"

"Omnichannel?" Brian, the foreign devil, asked through gritted teeth!

"Omnichannel! That means film, videotapes, home TV channels, and other new media markets that may emerge in the future, all packaged together at once!"

"Good!"

"Cheng, you are the most amazing filmmaker I have ever met!"

"Ten million US dollars, that's an excellent price! I bet you had a really great time persuading Dixon!"

"It's a pity I wasn't there at the time!"

After hearing what the Chinese guy said, Brian really felt an urge to punch him!

That Chinese guy is fucking shrewd!
Surprisingly, they sensed an opportunity in his quoted price of eight million US dollars and went to study the North American film market.

The most outrageous thing is that he actually managed to pinpoint the videotape market from fragmented newspaper information.

Yes!

Brian had actually considered that even if he spent eight million dollars to buy Tai Chi back, he was certain that he wouldn't lose money!

As the Chinese guy said, with the licensed distribution from Light and Shadow Line, as long as there is a box office of 20 million US dollars, he can break even and even make a small profit.

The videotape market, which had already grown large and strong, was his real main market for making profits!
Conservatively estimated, the release of the Tai Chi videotape could bring him at least three to four million US dollars in revenue!
What a pity! All his plans were completely seen through by this Chinese guy in front of him!
Furthermore, they used him as a springboard to buy Columbia Pictures for a good price of ten million US dollars!
to be frank!
At this moment, Brian was extremely angry, truly extremely angry!
Because of this Chinese guy, he sold the videotape market for their small filmmakers, along with his film "Tai Chi," to Columbia Pictures.

One can imagine what would happen if a film giant like Columbia Pictures were to make a major foray into the videotape market, only to discover that the videotape market is just as terrifying!
Will there be any future for small filmmakers like them?
But Brian restrained his anger, because there was no turning back now!

at the moment!

Forced to force a smile, I complimented the Chinese man and said, "I hope to have the opportunity to collaborate with Cheng, and I hope to have the opportunity to collaborate on Cheng's next project!"

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Brian, but Columbia Pictures offered ten million, and I had no choice!"

"To express our apologies, Mr. Brian, would you be interested in the Japanese market?"

Cheng Xuemin then extended his hand to shake hands with Brian, the foreigner, and casually asked a question.

"The Japanese market?"

"Cheng, do you mean that Tai Chi hasn't been sold in the Japanese market yet?" Brian paused upon hearing this, asking with a puzzled expression.
"Actually, besides the Japanese market, there are also the Russian market and the Eastern European market!"

“If Mr. Brian is interested, I can sell them all to you as a package deal!” Cheng Xuemin shrugged and said.
"Good! Good! Cheng, you really know how to surprise me! I'm interested, I'm very interested!" Brian was overjoyed to hear this, he didn't expect this unexpected surprise to come so suddenly!

"Five million US dollars, in the Japanese market, the Russian market, and the Eastern European market, how about omnichannel?"

Cheng Xuemin quoted an exorbitant price!
……

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