Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 612 Talking with the Coal Boss
Also after New Year's Day, Guo Fan and Chen Zhixi spent more than a month finally getting the "Mulan" team to come to China. They invited the two screenwriters, several producers, directors, and Disney staff to China to create a more distinctive "Mulan" and to give them a trip to China.

In Li Qiutang's words, let them taste the sugar-coated bullets of socialism.

The Lunar New Year is at the end of January this year, which will be a good opportunity for these foreigners to experience the enthusiasm of the Spring Festival.

In fact, many of the middle and senior managers of the "Mulan" team were unwilling to come to China. Although they were making a film about a traditional Chinese woman, they had absolutely no interest in Mulan herself, her hometown, or even China.

After finalizing the dates and itinerary, Chen Zhixi came to Huairou to report to Li Qiutang. Based on her current understanding, she said, "They have absolutely no interest in the world outside of the United States. These people are considered elites, but they have very limited horizons. When I confirmed the itinerary with them, one of them even asked to go to Japan for a bath. I said we were going to China for a vacation, not Japan. He said, 'Isn't Japan a part of China?' I was both annoyed and amused."

"Many of them are unwilling to try new things. With passports that can be used all over the world, their most frequent vacation destination is Mexico. They spend a day lying on the beach at a Mexican hotel, drinking a couple of drinks, and that's considered relaxing before returning to the United States."

"The largest group of Asians coming from Thailand is Thailand, but I won't go into why they come."

"What are you here for?" Liu Yifei, who was listening in, asked curiously.

"Don't ask too many questions," Li Qiutang said.

"This trip will last for two weeks. They will arrive next Monday, the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, and leave on the 11th day of the twelfth lunar month. The preliminary itinerary is..."

The itinerary was reasonably arranged, covering food, drinks, entertainment, and work.

"You and Guo Fan keep a close eye on them. Make sure they eat and have fun for two weeks, but the main goal is to get them to accept our 'Mulan' and let them know why we made 'Mulan' this way."

"Adding Phoenix Force and witches is just a joke. They say they hope to succeed in the Chinese market, but they refuse to compromise on Chinese aesthetics."

Finally, Chen Zhixi added, "By the way, several senior executives from Lantern Entertainment will also be coming along."

Li Qiutang laughed and asked, "What are they doing here?"

"Let's join in the fun. Whether it's one person or two, it's the same thing. I agreed."

"Alright, you and Guo Fan will have to work hard during the Spring Festival." He added with a smile, "You just got married and haven't finished your honeymoon yet, you're not blaming the company, are you?" Chen Zhixi registered her marriage with her composer boyfriend on the last day of 16, but they haven't had a wedding yet.

"Where can I go for my honeymoon in the dead of winter? But I'll ask for leave to go out once the weather warms up, and you can't refuse."

"Of course, I'll approve as many days as you want, and I'll cover all the expenses."

After discussing the arrangements for "Mulan," Chen Zhixi reported on some other work and company management matters.

"Did you see the news about Sunac's investment in LeEco a few days ago?" Chen Zhixi asked.

"I know about it, but I haven't looked into it in detail." Li Qiutang runs back and forth between two film crews every day, so she doesn't have time to go online. She can only browse her phone when she goes to the toilet and before going to bed.

"150 billion yuan, the largest investment in the industry." I knew people in real estate were rich, but I didn't know they were this rich.

Chen Zhixi also said, "If this 150 billion were given to us..."

"Don't dream about it," Li Qiutang laughed. "What kind of business of ours would require such a large investment?"

It's not that no institutions have approached Qiutian with requests for private placements or similar arrangements, but Qiutian has always been relatively conservative in this area. Qiutian's business layout is gradually becoming clearer. Apart from Maoyan, which still needs to burn money, other business segments are very stable and do not require investment for the time being. Even if there is external investment, its own funds are sufficient to handle it.

Li Qiutang said, "The more he invests, the bigger the problem is. Think about it, how desperate must LeEco be for money to suddenly invest 150 billion? He asked us for 70 billion right off the bat, there must be something wrong with that."

Li Qiutang's words have a bit of an omniscient perspective. To outsiders, LeEco's operations are vast, encompassing streaming platforms, film production and distribution, smart hardware, cultural tourism, sports, and even car manufacturing—Jia Yueting proposed building cars as early as 2014, showing his keen foresight.

Such a large operation naturally requires a lot of funding. 150 billion is a lot in the film industry, but in the real economy, in manufacturing, it's just a drop in the ocean. Speaking of investment, Chen Zhixi remembered something very confidential and important that she needed to tell Li Qiutang. There were no outsiders present at the moment, only Liu Yifei, but she never interfered in company management, so it wouldn't matter if she overheard.

"I forgot something. This is something I shouldn't be saying; it should be said by Lao Zheng (Autumn CFO)."

"Go ahead and say it."

"The money we receive from Shanxi Province is decreasing year by year. Last year it was less than 5 million, and this year it will probably be cut even further."

Li Qiutang did not rely on coal bosses to make his personal fortune, but Qiutian Company's development did indeed benefit from their financial resources, which is undeniable.

Several coal mine owners who were on good terms with Li Qiutang even set up a special investment management company, becoming the second largest shareholder of Qiutian. Li Qiutang himself was also a shareholder of this investment company.

Other coal mine owners were exploited in the entertainment industry and slunk out after about 12 years. But these coal mine owners who invested in Qiu Tian have made a lot of money from her over the years, and of course, they have also gotten close to female celebrities.

You could say life is wonderful.

However, as the saying goes, "every profession has its own secrets," and the coal mine owners still don't understand the film and media industry, or rather, they cannot fully trust Autumn Pictures and Li Qiutang to a certain extent.

In recent years, the financial support given to Autumn Pictures has been decreasing, and Autumn Pictures has to use its own funds to do many things.

That investment institution manages nearly 10 billion yuan, yet the coal bosses still choose to invest the majority of their money in the coal and new energy industries, which they are more familiar with.

They're not even going to take advantage of this investment in the fall.

This caused dissatisfaction within the company. "You've made at least 800 million to 1 billion from me over the past few years, and now you're giving me less and less money. You're giving me opportunities to make money but not including me. That's really unfair."

This is indeed a rather thorny issue. These coal bosses are quite reckless in their speech and actions. Throughout the entire autumn, there were no more than three people who could speak with them, and the most influential of them was naturally Li Qiutang.

This matter still needs to be handled by Li Qiutang personally.

Li Qiutang thought for a moment and said, "It does need to be dealt with. I'll handle it."

Chen Zhixi's suggestion was to kick out the coal bosses and buy back their shares.

This suggestion was exactly what Li Qiutang wanted to hear. He was loyal and devoted when it was appropriate to show affection, but he was also willing to go all out when it wasn't.

Li Qiutang is capable of calling someone "brother" to their face and then turning around and firing them.

The coal bosses' historical role in the entertainment industry has been played out, and these bosses are only able to survive until now thanks to Qiu Tian.

Although film and television investment is often plagued by drawbacks such as opaque processes and long payback periods, Li Qiutang can confidently say that he has lived up to the expectations of his investors.

"Alright, I'll talk to those bosses after the New Year and see what their attitude is. We don't need their 300 or 500 million now."

After finishing her work, Chen Zhixi left. Liu Yifei mimicked her husband's tone: "'Let's see how they react. We don't need his 300 or 500 million now.' Is this the legendary domineering CEO?"

He actually got out of control when called fat. Li Qiutang said, "Do you think your husband is just a director? I'm a real domineering CEO."

"You're going to die." Liu Yifei rolled her eyes.

(End of this chapter)