Entertainment: I just want to be the boss behind the scenes

Chapter 464 Internal Conflict
"Yoozu Interactive was founded in 2009. It started out as a web game company and later transformed into a mobile game company. Its products include "2017 Strategies", "The Grandmaster", "League of Goddesses", etc. In , it was rated as one of the top ten game brand companies in China..."

"Let's skip this part. I'm not interested in their growth process or the reskinned web game." Meng Bai interrupted Hua Yan who was reading the information on the other side, "Let's talk about the situation of The Three-Body Problem directly."

"okay."

Hua Yan responded and flipped a few pages. "Lin Qi, the founder and CEO of Youzu Interactive, bought the film and television adaptation rights of The Three-Body Problem in 2014. He continued to repurchase the rights in the following years until he took back all the copyrights of The Three-Body Problem in 2018. At the same time, he established the company 'Three-Body Universe' to be responsible for the development of The Three-Body Problem."

"Since last year, due to the development of its own game business being hindered, Youzu shifted its focus to the 'Three-Body Universe' and began to re-try film and television adaptation. In addition, there is also a rumor that Youzu had contact with Netflix some time ago, and it seems that they want to cooperate with them in the development of English film and television..."

“Netflix?”

Meng Bai frowned, but it was normal to think about it. The major domestic film and television companies were both eager and worried about the development of "The Three-Body Problem", especially the first part involving "Red Shore".

If I don't add this part, I will definitely be criticized by the fans and the audience. But if I add this part, I am afraid that it will not pass the review, so I am in a dilemma.

On the contrary, overseas companies like Netflix have no worries about censorship and can adapt films at will.

But then again, Netflix has no revenue in the domestic market, so when adapting the film, they will certainly not take the domestic audience's acceptance as the standard. It is hard to imagine what their English version will be like.

"Boss, are we planning to shoot "The Three-Body Problem"? " Hua Yan couldn't help but ask.

Meng Bai smiled and said, "Which film and television person wouldn't want to shoot a world-class science fiction masterpiece like this?"

With a sigh, he said in a deep voice: "Let the company contact Youzu and tell them that Arclight is very interested in the film and television adaptation of The Three-Body Problem and would like to have a chat with Mr. Lin."

"Okay, boss, I'll have someone contact them right away."

Watching Hua Yan respond and go out, Meng Bai turned around and looked at the sky outside, thinking about the situation of "The Three-Body Problem".

What he just said was not just a casual remark. As an excellent film and television practitioner, he is indeed very interested in this kind of science fiction masterpiece.

Other film and television companies are worried about the censorship restrictions of "The Three-Body Problem 1", but for ArcLight, it is not a big deal.

Since the establishment of Arclight, they have basically been dancing on the edge of the review line. They have sufficient experience in this kind of difficult "bone".

At worst, he can just make a web drama first. Anyway, he has his own platform now. As long as he gets the copyright, the upstream, midstream and downstream will all be connected, and he can directly carry out one-stop production and sales.

……

Meng Bai originally thought that this matter would take some time. After all, the other party would need some time to discuss it after receiving the news.

Unexpectedly, just one day later, Youzu Interactive contacted us and expressed interest in ArcLight’s cooperation invitation and hoped to discuss it in detail.

In this case, Meng Bai did not act reserved. As he was about to go to Shanghai on a business trip, he made an appointment with Youzu Interactive.

When Lin Qi, the boss of Youzu, heard that Mr. Meng from Arc Light was coming in person, he became very excited. He immediately called and said that Mr. Meng could come anytime he wanted, and Youzu would definitely make a place for him.

It must be said that Mr. Lin is also quite enthusiastic.

In fact, Lin Qi was much more enthusiastic than Meng Bai had expected.

"Hahaha, Mr. Meng, hello, hello."

Downstairs of the Xuhui Huaxin Center Building in Shanghai, a middle-aged man of medium height and chubby figure quickly came to Meng Bai's car, saying non-stop: "I should have gone to Arc Light. I'm sorry to bother you to come here."

"Hello, Mr. Lin." Meng Bai got out of the car and shook hands with the other party with a smile. "No need to be so polite. I just happened to be in Shanghai for something, so it's a good opportunity for us to go together."

"That's good, that's good. Otherwise, I would feel bad for wasting Mr. Meng's time." Lin Qi said with a smile.

Unlike the image of a listed company boss, Lin Qi in front of him looked simple and honest. If it weren't for his formal suit, he would look like a programmer.

However, Meng Bai had met so many people that he could be sure after just a few words that this image was just a disguise of the other party. From the shrewdness that flashed in his eyes from time to time, he knew that he must be a person who was arrogant and ambitious inside.

It was naturally impossible to sit down and talk right away when they met for the first time. Lin Qi first took Meng Bai to visit Youzu's company.

"Hello, Mr. Lin!"

As soon as he entered the door, a charming greeting came from the side, which made Meng Bai stunned for a moment.

At the entrance of Youzu Hall, there were two rows of beautiful girls with slim waists and long legs standing, looking at them with bright smiles on their faces.

If he hadn't seen the office and workstation at the back, Meng Bai almost thought that he was going to be dealt a hand of cards.

"Boss Lin, this is..."

"Haha, sorry to have made Mr. Meng laugh."

Lin Qi smiled and said, "We are a gaming company. We often need to participate in exhibitions or promotions, and we often need models. That's why we set up a separate concierge department."

"Ah, so that's how it is." Meng Bai grinned, "Boss Lin is really enviable."

"Hey, Mr. Meng, you're flattering me. I'm just a small model, a small cosplayer, and a mediocre fan."

Lin Qi clapped his hands and gestured to Meng Bai beside him: "Welcome Mr. Meng to visit Youzu Network."

As soon as these words came out, more than a dozen pairs of eyes full of enthusiasm looked at Meng Bai, and the girls in two rows said tenderly, "Hello, Mr. Meng!"

"Change... Ahem, hello."

Meng Bai gave a polite smile, nodded to the young girls, and then walked in as usual, leaving behind a look of lost hope.

Lin Qi was stunned for a second when he saw this. He thought that in such a scene, any man would have a change of expression, but he didn't expect that Mr. Meng was not affected at all.

But it makes sense when you think about it. He is a big shot in the film and television industry, and is usually surrounded by various actor idols. Any one of them can crush these little models. He must have been used to it.

If that’s the case, the program I’ve arranged for tonight might not be that good enough.

While worrying about what to do in the evening, Lin Qi took Meng Bai on a tour of Youzu and paid special attention to the company's Hall of Fame.

Looking at the other party's hidden sense of complacency, Meng Bai nodded in his heart at his own judgment. This Mr. Lin was indeed quite proud of his own achievements.

But then again, founding a company with a market value of over 10 billion at the age of only 40 does seem to be worthy of such pride.

It was only when facing the younger and more successful Meng Bai that he restrained himself a little.

After walking around, people from both sides came to the conference room together. After a few pleasantries, they finally talked about the main topic of this meeting.

"Mr. Meng, we at Youzu are extremely honored to have you come in person. We won't beat around the bush with you." Lin Qi said, "In fact, as early as last year after The Wandering Earth was released, we have been thinking about whether to contact Arc Light."

Meng Bai raised his eyebrows: "Boss Lin also wants to cooperate?"

"Yes, apart from Arclight, I can't think of any other team that can perfectly present a project of the magnitude of The Three-Body Problem."

As early as ten years ago, when "The Three-Body Problem" was still just a niche work in the science fiction circle, Lin Qi liked this novel very much.

After Youzu Interactive got on track, he had always wanted to buy the adaptation rights of The Three-Body Problem. However, after contacting the original author Liu Cixin, he found out that the copyright had been sold to director Zhang Fanfan for 100,000 yuan two years ago.

Lin Qi contacted the latter, but the other party put forward a dilemma: either pay an astronomical copyright fee, or make "The Three-Body Problem" into a movie and let him be the director.

Obviously, Director Zhang is also very optimistic about the value of "The Three-Body Problem" and hopes to become famous overnight.

The tug-of-war between the two sides lasted for a long time, until around 14, when Lin Qi finally agreed to the second condition, and thus the legendary movie version of "The Three-Body Problem" was made.

The film was actually quite big at the time. In addition to being the director, Liu Cixin was also the screenwriter, and the leading actors included Feng Shaofeng, Zhang Jingchu, Wu Gang, Tang Yan, Zhang Han, etc. Even 360 CEO Zhou Hongyi made a cameo appearance in the film.

The entire film cost as much as 15 million yuan, and Kong Ergou, who was the CEO of Youzu Pictures at the time, also promised to make it into a series, with a total of six films, with a total investment of billion yuan.

However, Zhang Fanfan may be a very visionary film and television practitioner, but he is not a qualified director. The effect of the film was very terrible after it was shot, and it is undoubtedly a bad film.

According to rumors, after the film was completed, a certain national leader happened to be in Shanghai for research. He was also a fan of The Three-Body Problem, so he wanted to watch it in advance. However, after watching the finished film, he was very dissatisfied with the quality and left after watching half of it.

It is hard to say whether this news is true or not, but anyway, there has been no news about the movie version of "The Three-Body Problem" since then. Later, there were personnel changes in Youzu, and a group of original executives such as Kong Ergou left, and there was no further news.

Perhaps after all these years he finally realized his own abilities. In short, a few years later, Director Zhang finally gave in and sold the film and television adaptation rights of "The Three-Body Problem" to Youzu.

Youzu naturally wants to film this big IP. After all, only by adapting it into a film or TV series can the popularity of the IP be maximized, and only then will the rest of the games, theme parks, peripherals, etc. also be valuable.

After the events in the movie version, Lin Qi understood that professional matters should be done by professionals, so he began to select a production team that met the requirements.

Unfortunately, science fiction is a niche within a niche in the domestic film and television industry, and it is difficult to find something that meets the requirements.

It was at this time that "The Wandering Earth" was released, and its box office revenue of over 5 billion immediately struck Lin Qi's heart.

Then, he learned about the key figures behind the film, director Guo Fan and screenwriter Meng Bai, as well as Arclight Pictures, the top film and television team in China.

Isn’t this the most suitable production team for “The Three-Body Problem”?

Lin Qi had thought about contacting Arc Light last year, but he was distracted by company matters and didn't have time to do so. Then he encountered an unprecedented flu. It was not until the relaxation some time ago that Youzu started to restart the plan within the company.

In fact, if Meng Bai had given the order two days later, Youzu would have taken the initiative to contact Huguang.

Of course, now that both sides are sitting together, it doesn’t matter who contacts whom.

The two parties hit it off immediately, so within twenty minutes after they sat down, Lin Qi slammed the table and decided to give the rights to the TV adaptation of "The Three-Body Problem" to ArcLight Pictures for production.

"A TV adaptation?" Meng Bai frowned slightly. "I wonder what Mr. Lin thinks about the movie adaptation? We can actually hand it over to Arclight to produce it together."

"Uh, Mr. Meng, I remember that Arclight seems to specialize in web dramas, right?"

"Arc-Guang is indeed mainly engaged in online drama business, but it is not without film resources." Meng Bai introduced: "Hengten Network, which acquired Ruyi Films last year, can be regarded as the film part of Arc-Guang. Mr. Lin has contact with the film and television industry and should have heard of it. Ruyi has also produced many popular movies in recent years."

"Ruyi? I think I've heard of it." Lin Qi said, "It's not impossible to give the movie version to Arclight, but the prerequisite is that Director Guo Fan will produce it."

"That's... OK, but Director Guo has been focusing on The Wandering Earth series in recent years. If he were to direct it, it would take at least seven or eight years."

"Seven or eight years is a bit too long." Lin Qi said, "Mr. Meng, I won't hide it from you. In fact, we have contacted Guangguang Media about the production of the movie version before, and they are also very interested in this project."

"Light Media?"

"Yes, I talked to Mr. Wang from Guangguang. He thinks that a big production like The Three-Body Problem must be directed by some big-name directors. They have deep roots in the film industry and can be hired. For example, Director Zhang Yimou."

"Zhang Yimou? Filming a sci-fi movie?"

Meng Bai secretly complained in his heart that this matter sounded quite sci-fi in itself.

Lin Qi also heard the hidden meaning in his words and smiled, "Indeed, it is a bit... a bit strange to let Director Zhang shoot a science fiction movie, but it should be okay. At least there is no need to worry about whether those big scenes can be restored."

That's true. With Zhang Yimou's ability, he can probably restore famous scenes like "Artificial Computer" and "Battle against Water Drops" quite well.

As for the plot, if it is filmed according to the novel, there should be no mistakes. But the problem is, it is Zhang Yimou, how can he film it according to the original novel? He must add many of his personal elements.

"What we hope most is definitely to let Director Guo Fan shoot the film, but seven or eight years is indeed too long," said Lin Qi.

Meng Bai nodded: "It's okay, Mr. Lin, let's get this one thing together. We can talk about the movie version later, let's discuss the TV version first."

"No problem, I..."

Lin Qi was about to say something when he was suddenly interrupted by a noise outside the door.

"Wait, Mr. Xu, you can't go in. Mr. Lin is talking to a guest, so it's inconvenient to disturb him..."

"Don't talk to me about this! Do you think I don't know that Mr. Meng from Arc Light is coming today? And you deliberately didn't inform me. Let go and let me pass!"

"I really can't, Mr. Xu, please don't embarrass me..."

"Oh!"

With a crisp sound, the glass door of the conference room was pushed open. Then, a middle-aged man wearing glasses rushed in, followed by his secretary who tried to stop him.

"Sorry, Mr. Lin, Mr. Xu insisted on coming in and we couldn't stop him..." The secretary looked at Lin Qi cautiously.

At this time, Lin Qi's face had already turned dark, and his originally honest expression disappeared. There was a hint of ferocity and disgust in his expression. It was obvious that he was extremely dissatisfied with the man who suddenly broke in.

However, he couldn't get angry in front of Meng Bai, so he could only force a smile and waved to the secretary: "Since Mr. Xu wants to come, just let him come. Why stop him? You can go out first."

"Yes."

The secretary responded and walked out with a bitter face.

The man who entered the room was not affected. After looking around, he looked at Meng Bai who was sitting in the C position.

"This must be Mr. Meng, right? Hello, my name is Xu Yao, and I'm the CEO of Three-Body Universe."

"what……"

Meng Bai suddenly realized, and he said that he felt like there seemed to be someone missing from today's discussion. Why didn't the person in charge of the Three-Body Universe come?

I originally thought that Lin Qi wanted to wait until the cooperation was confirmed before handing over the details, but I didn't expect that he would just separate people directly.

He also had some impression of this Xu Yao. In the information collected by Hua Yan, it was mentioned that this person was originally a lawyer, and was later recruited by Lin Qi to Youzu. With his eloquence, he got the film and television adaptation rights of "The Three-Body Problem" from Director Zhang at a relatively reasonable price.

Afterwards, it cooperated with Youzu to establish the "Three-Body Universe" and began to continuously recover the relevant copyrights of "The Three-Body Problem".

In a sense, it can be said that he deserves at least half of the credit for Youzu's "The Three-Body Problem".

But at the moment, it seems that there is a big conflict between him and Lin Qi.

All sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind, but Meng Bai still said politely, "Hello, Mr. Xu."

"Mr. Meng, I've heard of your great name for a long time, and today I finally get to meet you in person." Xu Yao said, "As the person in charge of the Three-Body Universe, I very much welcome ArcLight to be the producer of the film and television adaptation."

"Ah, thanks."

Until then, Lin Qi on the side finally forced a smile and said, "Haha, I just told President Meng that we all welcome Arc Light taking over the production. Old Xu was out for something today, and I thought it would take quite some time, so I didn't disturb him."

"Haha, what Mr. Lin said is wrong. How can there be anything more important than receiving Mr. Meng?" Xu Yao glanced at him, "Luckily I wasn't too far away. As soon as I heard that Mr. Meng was here, I hurried back."

"Haha, Old Xu is right. I didn't think it through."

Lin Qi laughed dryly twice, and the anger in his eyes grew stronger.

Meng Bai actually wanted to see the excitement, but unfortunately his identity was not appropriate. Seeing the tense atmosphere in the room, he stood up and said, "Boss Xu must be busy. I won't bother you any more. Let's stop here today and discuss the details of the subsequent cooperation later."

(End of this chapter)