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Chapter 521 Using the script as equity

In the afternoon, Stephen Chow's agent, Chen Zhengyu, called Cao Sheng to discuss the script fee and wanted to secure the script for "Crazy Stone" as soon as possible.

but……

Cao Sheng's phone rang, but no one answered.

He didn't know that Cao Sheng's phone was very difficult to reach now; mornings were his writing time, afternoons were his writing time, and evenings were also his writing time.

If you want to make a call and have Cao Sheng answer it, you have to choose a time around mealtimes or between 11:30 pm and midnight. At these times, Cao Sheng will finish writing the last chapter of his manuscript for the day and will unmute his phone, but he will definitely mute it again after midnight before he goes to rest.

Unaware of the situation, Chen Zhengyu stubbornly called Cao Sheng three times in a row, but eventually gave up.

It would be impolite to keep dialing.

He began to wonder if Cao Sheng wasn't high enough in status to answer his calls. If it were Stephen Chow himself calling, wouldn't Cao Sheng answer? If he wouldn't give him face, surely he could at least give Stephen Chow face?

With this in mind, he knocked on Stephen Chow's door and told him what had happened. Stephen Chow almost laughed, took out his phone, and dialed Cao Sheng's number.

again and again.

Soon he stopped laughing.

Because Cao Sheng wouldn't answer his calls either.

This?
Stephen Chow and Chan Ching-yu looked at each other, both feeling a little awkward.

"It seems that Cao Sheng didn't ignore the phone on purpose; he... he probably didn't have his phone with him."

Chen Zhengyu came up with an excuse.

Stephen Chow nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "When we came here this morning, we couldn't get through to him on the phone. His assistant, Ms. Wang Jing, said that mornings are his writing time, and now it seems that afternoons are also his writing time. So, let's contact his assistant, Ms. Wang Jing. She's the one managing this hotel, so you should go talk to her!"

Chen Zhengyu nodded repeatedly.

……

That evening.

Wang Jing made a special trip back to Cao Sheng's villa to have dinner with him.

While eating, he said, "Boss, Stephen Chow's agent, Chen Zhengyu, contacted me this afternoon and said that Stephen Chow has taken a liking to your script and wants to talk to you about the price. Do you have time tonight or tomorrow morning to discuss it?"

Before Cao Sheng went downstairs to eat, he checked his phone's call log and saw that Chen Zhengyu had called him three times that afternoon.

I had already guessed that Stephen Chow probably had his eye on the script for "Crazy Stone".

Therefore, he was not surprised to hear Wang Jing say this.

"Go talk to Chen Zhengyu! I don't have that much time. Once you've reached an agreement, I'll go sign the contract tomorrow or some other day."

Cao Sheng didn't want to waste time negotiating contracts with people.

Who knows if Chen Zhengyu will be meticulous about every detail of the contract? If this guy scrutinizes every single clause, will I have to compromise or not?

If we make concessions, our own interests will be harmed.

If you don't give in, you don't have that much time and patience to argue with the other party.

It would be best to leave the matter to Wang Jing to handle.

Wang Jing chuckled lightly, "Sure! But you have to give me a bottom line. What's the minimum script fee you want?"

Cao Sheng thought for a moment, "If the other party only agrees to pay for the script, then it will be no less than 300 million."

Wang Jing was surprised. "300 million? Boss, are you serious? I know you sell scripts to Hollywood for a lot of money, but the box office ceiling for Chinese films is much lower than that for Hollywood blockbusters. Isn't 300 million for a script too high?"

Cao Sheng smiled and said, "If they think the price is too high, we'll offer them another option."

Wang Jing asked curiously, "What plan?"

Cao Sheng: "We'll include my script fee in the investment of this film. We'll use the script as equity. If they agree to this plan, the script fee can be discounted by at least half."

Wang Jing was shocked again, "Such a big discount? Half price? 150 million?"

Cao Sheng: "150 million is the bottom line. On that basis, you can try to negotiate higher."

Wang Jing nodded, "Understood!"

Nowadays, Cao Sheng's script fee of 150 million yuan is not outrageous.

He has sold more than one or two scripts to domestic film companies for over a million yuan each.

After finishing their business, Wang Jing asked curiously, "Boss, you're very optimistic about this movie's box office performance? So, you'd like to invest in it?"

Cao Sheng hummed in agreement.

Wang Jing thought for a moment and then asked, "Then why don't you invest some more?"

Cao Sheng thought for a moment and said, "You can ask Chen Zhengyu if he needs investment. If he does, we can invest some."

He estimated that if Stephen Chow were to make this movie, there shouldn't be a shortage of investment.

Because this movie doesn't involve any special effects or require any big stars to participate, the total investment won't be very high.

How much was the budget for the movie "Original Timeline"?

Cao Sheng remembers it was around 300 million.

Note! It's not US dollars, it's Chinese yuan.

Of course, if Stephen Chow were to direct this movie, the budget would never be reduced to this level.

The reason why the original version of "Crazy Stone" had such a low budget was not because the director couldn't afford to invest more, but because Ning Hao, who was not well-known at the time, simply couldn't attract more investment. Ning Hao participated in Andy Lau's Asian New Director Project.

This Asian Rising Star Director program is a initiative to support emerging directors.

It's like doing charity.

In this situation, how much investment can the New Star Guide Project provide for Ning Hao?
Giving 300 million is already very generous.

Nobody expected Ning Hao to make any money.

result?

With this meager budget, Ning Hao was extremely frugal, barely managing to make the film. From the actors and cameras to the sets and props, everything was incredibly basic.

The finished film had a poor picture quality.

If it weren't for the film's ingenious structure and excellent comedic effect, a movie with such poor visuals would never have made money.

Therefore, Cao Sheng believes that if Stephen Chow were to direct this movie, the investment would at least increase several times.

If Stephen Chow were to star in it himself, 300 million? That would probably only cover his personal salary plus the director's fee.

The final investment amount will be at least 1000 million.

1000 million might be a lot for others.

For Stephen Chow, this amount of investment is something he can afford on his own.

Therefore, Cao Sheng estimated that the film would not accept his investment.

But if Wang Jing could persuade him to invest a little, he would definitely be happy to.

He reiterated his belief that Stephen Chow's films would not lose money over the next twenty years.

……

After meal.

Wang Jing then returned to the Oriental Sunrise Hotel.

Evenings are the peak time for hotel business, and she has gotten used to keeping an eye on things every night.

Moreover, tonight she was ordered to negotiate the script fee for "Crazy Stone" with Chen Zhengyu.

After dinner, Cao Sheng didn't rush upstairs to start writing.

He writes all day and night, and after a while, he also feels tired, both mentally and physically.

Remembering that it was Friday and tomorrow would be Saturday, Cao Sheng took out his phone and dialed Tan Yu's number.

Do you have time tonight?

Tan Yu: "Yes, I did. Did you miss me?"

Cao Sheng: "Come give me a back massage! My shoulders have been a bit stiff lately."

Tan Yu: "Oh, okay! I'll be right there."

After ending the call, Cao Sheng stretched his neck. He'd been sitting in front of the computer typing all day, constantly looking down at the screen, and over time, his neck and shoulders were starting to feel uncomfortable. He'd felt alright after Tan Yu had stepped on him before, and that'd just made him think of her.

Of course, her beautiful feet are also a reason.

Such beautiful feet, it's such a waste not to give them a back massage.

……

A female dormitory at Huizhou Teachers College.

After finishing the phone call, Tan Yu saw her roommates chatting and eating in the dormitory. She frowned, but still walked to her suitcase. Taking advantage of everyone's inattention, she quietly took a set of sexy lingerie, wrapped it in her coat, grabbed her purse, and left the dormitory.

As she was leaving, one of her roommates asked her, "Tan Yu, where are you going?"

Tan Yu casually said, "I have something to do and I'll be going out for a bit."

There was no further explanation.

When she arrived at the school gate, she waited for almost twenty minutes before a taxi finally arrived.

Sitting in the taxi heading towards Cao Sheng's villa, she clutched her clothes and purse, frowning as she pondered her thoughts.

She didn't know if her current state meant she had already entered Cao Sheng's heart.
Does he really like it when I massage his back?

Does liking me to massage his back mean he likes me?

He hasn't publicly announced who he's dating yet, so I guess I still have a chance?

With these thoughts swirling in her mind, she went to Cao Sheng's residence.

The door to Cao Sheng's villa on the second floor was ajar. She knocked, and Cao Sheng's voice came from the living room, "Come in!"

She pushed open the door and saw Cao Sheng sitting on the sofa, drinking tea and watching TV.

Seeing her arrive, Cao Sheng smiled and said, "You're here? Come on over!"

Tan Yu shook her head with a smile as she changed into her slippers, "Wait a minute! I'm going to take a shower first."

Cao Sheng: "No need! You don't need to shower after a back massage."

Tan Yu: "I brought all my clothes. I'll just borrow your bathroom to take a shower. Wait for me a moment!"

As she spoke, she grabbed her purse and clothes and quickly ran towards the bathroom.

Cao Sheng: "???"

Since she'd already said that, how could Cao Sheng possibly stop her from taking a bath?
Cao Sheng could only sit on the sofa and continue waiting.

……

at the same time.

In Wang Jing's office at the Oriental Sunrise Hotel, Wang Jing was discussing the script fee for "Crazy Stone" with Chen Zhengyu.

Stephen Chow, in his suite, held the script for "Crazy Stone" and frowned, pondering which role in the script would be suitable for him to play.
He currently has no intention of focusing on directing and giving up acting.

He intended to direct and star in the movie "Crazy Stone" from the very beginning.

He is not yet very confident in his directing abilities.

Although his previous film, "Shaolin Soccer," was very successful, he was not only the director but also the lead actor in that film.

He was unsure whether audiences would accept the film if he were only the director and not the lead actor.

This mentality still persists.

only……

The script for "Crazy Stone" seems to be an ensemble film, but the male lead's role is not large and not particularly outstanding.

The male protagonist in the script should be the security captain, Bao Shihong.

This role initially involved security during the gem exhibition.

After the gemstone was stolen, he was tasked with finding it again.

Although his screen time is limited, this character's role is felt throughout the entire film.

Judging from his appearance, he is one of the very few positive characters in this movie.

but……

This character has a hidden ailment; he reveals upon his first appearance that he has a prostate problem and suffers from urinary incontinence.

This……

Stephen Chow doesn't really want to play this kind of role.

It affects the image too much.

But if I don't play this role, which role should I play?
He read the script over and over again, and finally settled on the character of "international thief - Mike".

This character is hilarious.

It wasn't meant to be funny, but it still resulted in quite a few laughs.

For example, as an international thief, Mike initially appears with a high-class and elite demeanor, but his luggage is stolen in the blink of an eye.

In the later part of the story, this guy has even more bad luck.

It never went smoothly.

Even the crucial piece of equipment for stealing the gems—the rope—was shortchanged by the local shopkeeper, who provided him with an insufficiently sized rope. As a result, at the critical moment, the rope was just a tiny bit too short, preventing him from reaching the gems in the display case.

Although this character doesn't have many scenes.

But Stephen Chow thought the character's scenes were very funny.

Moreover, the character is set up with a Hong Kong and Taiwan identity, speaking with a Hong Kong and Taiwan accent, which is perfect for his performance.

In addition, this role doesn't have many scenes, which allows me to focus more on my role as a director.

It was past 10 p.m.

His agent, Chen Zhengyu, knocked on his door to report on the progress of his negotiations with Wang Jing.

Stephen Chow was very surprised after hearing Chen Zhengyu's report.

"300 million for the script? That's expensive?"

Chen Zhengyu nodded with a wry smile, while Stephen Chow frowned deeply.

Although he was rich, he came from a poor family and had long developed the habit of doing everything with the least amount of money.

300 million for a script?
It was too extravagant for him.

How much of a deal do you think you can negotiate?

After a long silence, Stephen Chow asked his agent.

Chen Zhengyu could only manage a wry smile. "Ms. Wang Jing said that 300 million is the lowest price, and it's impossible to go any lower."

Stephen Chow: "???"

"Unless..." Chen Zhengyu hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.

Stephen Chow: "Unless what?"

Chen Zhengyu: "Ms. Wang said that unless we agree to convert the script fee into the investment of this film, so that everyone can share the risks and the profits, then she can give us a discount."

Stephen Chow raised an eyebrow slightly. "Oh?"

After thinking for a moment, Stephen Chow smiled and said, "It seems Mr. Cao is very optimistic about the box office of this movie, which is a good thing! Did Miss Wang say how much of a discount we could offer?"

Chen Zhengyu: "7% off!"

Stephen Chow frowned. "7% off... 300 million at 7% off is 210 million, which is still a bit high. Do you think we can offer an even bigger discount?"

Chen Zhengyu looked helpless. "Maybe we can lower the price a bit more, like 6% off, but even at 6% off, it's still 180 million! Isn't that too high?"

Stephen Chow nodded slightly.

His brows were still furrowed.

After a moment of contemplation, he smiled and said with emotion, "Actually, if we can really offer a 6% discount, it's not unacceptable. Cao Sheng's script has been sold for much higher prices many times, 180 million... that's already a very cheap price for us. Besides, this is an investment, we don't need to give him the script fee now. If we invest, he's also taking on the risk."

He paused, then looked at Chen Zhengyu, "Try to get it down to 5%! If you really can't get it down that much, then try for 6%! 6% is acceptable."

(End of this chapter)