Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 637 The Light Building is about to be consecrated, and Ma Xun publicly humiliates Sun Donghai!
The Light Building has just been put into use.

Ma Xun then completed his first business deal.

Of course, the specific details will need to be discussed in the future.

However, Bai Daqing had already agreed without hesitation.

In Ma Xun's view, this guy's performance was perfectly normal; after all, "Lurking" was a pretty good project.

Although it doesn't seem like a very big project.

Take Yan Wang for example, he's not really considered a top-tier star right now.

To put it another way, it was because the TV series "Lurking" was so popular that he suddenly rose to fame.

While it cannot be said that previous works were invalid, such as "Conquer" and last year's "Please Turn Off Your Cellphone Upon Landing".

But these dramas all portrayed him as a 'big hooligan'.

Given this image, it's not appropriate to promote it too much.

The meme about cutting a melon actually became popular in the parody video community about ten years later.

Therefore, the name Sun Honglei is currently only considered to be at the second-tier level.

From today's perspective.

The drama "Lurking" is at best considered to have potential, but as for how much it will generate in revenue, I doubt anyone is optimistic about it.

At most, we'll only make a small profit.

In reality, the money earned in the entertainment industry isn't as astonishing as some people think.

For example, the movie "Painted Skin" seemed to be quite popular, and its box office was quite high at the time, but if you look at it closely later...

In reality, the profit margin is only 25%.

This is already considered a pretty good project.

Of course, the reason why the entertainment industry is so attractive to people and attracts a lot of money is because there are really projects in this industry that can turn a 10,000 investment into a million.

Although such things are rare, they do happen.

Hollywood has the legendary "The Blair Witch Project," which is said to have cost only $10,000 to make but later grossed over $100 million.

Okay, the truth is that the distribution company actually spent tens of millions of dollars on marketing, so when the original owner of "The Blair Witch Project" sued the distribution company, the US court did not support him.

In China, Ma Xun has also undertaken many projects with low investment and high returns.

Therefore, it can also be seen as gambling.

Since our cooperation is essentially a gamble, why not choose a project that's perfect for taking a gamble?

However, this was only Ma Xun's first move; he had more to come.

The new Guangxian Building has been put into use. This building took several years to build and cost Ma Xun a lot of money.

Fortunately, it has been built and is now officially in use.

Of course, it's impossible for us at Enlight Media to use the entire building, so we'll rent out the other floors.

Although the financial crisis is still having an impact, it is no longer at its lowest point, and the government has introduced policies.

Ma Xun knew that the next era of extravagant spending was about to begin.

There's definitely no problem renting it out.

However, if we break down our company, Enlight Media, the top level is held by Ma Xun alone.

This is different from before.

The previous one was actually a bit 'small', this one is much larger.

Moreover, Ma Xun put some thought into this, deciding that the entire floor couldn't be entirely filled with offices.

Let's settle down here.

That's right, it's about decorating a 'home' that suits him.

It's highly likely that Ma Xun will spend many wonderful times in this building in the future.

Anyway, Chen Hong couldn't help but complain as soon as she saw it.

"It will be much easier to play around with women from now on."

That's quite accurate.

Of course, Ma Xun couldn't admit, "I'm that kind of person! I treat the company like my home!"

To be honest, when he said these things, he was indeed righteous and serious, and very earnest.

But our Sister Hong just smiled and didn't say anything.

Putting all that aside, Ma Xun's separate-floor design does indeed make things more convenient for him.

Most of the time, they just don't go downstairs after get off work.

I'll stay here.

It was quite comfortable.

But just then, Jingwen and Xiaoran arrived.

"Brother Ma, this 'Lurking' project... I don't think Bai Daqing is satisfied with it."

Jingwen spoke first, and Xiaoran nodded in agreement.

That's normal; anyone can see that.

Ma Xun said with a smile, "That's exactly what we want to do to make them less satisfied."

What does it mean?
Then, Ma Xun asked Xiao Ran, "How's the matter I asked you to handle?"

Huh? He has other plans?
Xiao Ran said directly, "I've already reached an agreement with Tianyu Entertainment for the marketing of 'Meteor Shower.' In exchange, we'll do the marketing and get 50% of the advertising revenue."

Ma Xun's arrangement is just like that; it's a substitution technique.

We'll do the marketing for this show for you free, but we'll need a certain return.

Yes, you can do it this way. Of course, you need resources, connections, and most importantly, Ma Xun has a very good relationship with Yang Tai.

Tianyu is currently managed by that Long Danny. Interestingly, the production company for this drama, "Meteor Shower," is managed by the Yao family.

She previously played the giant spider in "Journey to the West".

And the most recent project... "Da Ming Dynasty 1566".

Yes, this play was handled by the Yao family. In fact, she was Ouyang Tai's right-hand woman.

However, when "Da Ming Dynasty" was broadcast, it was a disaster.

This is a drama from 07. Hunan TV attached great importance to this drama, but it ended up being a complete flop.

The viewership rating was less than 1%.

It can be said that the situation is extremely bleak.

It's worth noting that a lot of work was done on this show. Director Ouyang dispatched his most elite team, and the plan was to make it a huge hit at the start of the year.

Unfortunately, it completely failed.

It was a huge blunder; the audience was really not buying it.

Yang Yang, the head of the Ouyang branch, was also very helpless and even felt disheartened.

And now... actually, not only did Ma Xun exchange rights with Tianyu, but he also got Li Xiaoran to acquire the copyright to the drama.

Otherwise, how could the conversation have been so easy?

Interestingly, Li Xiaoran felt that Ma Ge's acquisition of the rights to this film was really... kind-hearted.

Yes, it must be because of his good relationship with Director Ouyang that he offered his help.

When Yang Zongyang heard about this, he was very happy.

What they didn't know was that Ma Xun had actually gotten a great deal by securing the role.

Think of how much traffic this will bring to DiliDili!
Putting that aside, the key question is, why did Ma Xun choose this film, "Meteor Shower"?

Although Jingwen and Xiaoran didn't ask the question, their expressions practically screamed it.

Ma Xun laughed and said, "Of course, that's the next step. How could this 'Lurking' possibly satisfy them?"

So, is "Meteor Shower" also a bait?
Huh? Wait a minute, it seems the tables have turned now. Is Ma Xun the one fishing?
Jingwen and Xiaoran both felt this way for a while, but of course, there were still many things they couldn't understand.

So……

"This new sofa looks really comfortable."

"Oh, really?"

Jingwen and Xiaoran then struck a very alluring pose on the sofa.

After reading it, Ma Xun felt somewhat helpless.

"Are you two planning to bless this sofa?"

Goodness, that's a bit of an exaggeration.

This made the expressions on the faces of the two beauties look unnatural.

However, Ma Xun is a straightforward guy.

If it's going to be consecrated, then so be it.

It seems that Sister Hong... has a really good eye for people!
……

"Lurking? This show?"

"What kind of sincerity is this from Ma Xun?"

After Bai Daqing returned, Sun Donghai and Zhang Xinming both complained.

That's understandable, considering this show really doesn't seem very promising.

Many people are not clear about the investment rules in the entertainment industry.

What they actually submitted wasn't the script.

To put it simply, even if there is an excellent script in front of investors, what if the author of the script is not well-known?

I'm sorry, I absolutely will not vote for it.

Investing in the entertainment industry is actually investing in 'people'.

How famous is this person? How many fans do they have? How much box office influence do they have?

Yes, it's the things behind this person that are being voted on!

Therefore, many scenes in these dramas are simply unwatchable.

Investors will put in real money, and even if the plot is bad and the script is terrible, the show will still be a hit.

They're throwing money at it.

The current version of "Lurking" is clearly not very good.

Bai Daqing was a little embarrassed, but he still said, "The most important thing right now is to get the project!"

That's correct.

Sun Donghai and Zhang Xinming exchanged a glance and had no choice but to accept it.

"So, regarding the details of this bet..."

"We can't be taken advantage of."

Okay, they're not stupid.

Bai Daqing nodded. "Don't worry, we'll definitely negotiate a favorable deal for us later. Also, it seems like this project isn't quite enough."

"Indeed, a single film like this is unlikely to make much of a splash in the financial markets."

That's right! That's the key point!
What these three guys really want is 'positive news'!
It's good that the project was obtained from Ma Xun, but only by creating enough positive news can the stock of a shell company like Shengxiang rise!

So...

"I understand, I'll definitely get a few more projects done!"

Bai Daqing knew very well that this was the only way to do it.

However, we still need to discuss the details of the 'bet' first.

……

"If the ratings break 1%, then you'll give me a million shares?"

“That’s right, Brother Ma…”

"Haha! Great! What if the ratings break 2?"

"Then ten million shares!"

"That's too little."

"Brother Ma, how about this? If this movie breaks 3, we'll give you 5 million shares!"

When it came to details, Bai Daqing was surprisingly bold.

However, Ma Xun had already anticipated this.

Because of the TV series "Lurking", how could they necessarily think it's impossible for it to break 3?

Ma Xun laughed and said, "Alright, if the ratings for this show don't break 1, then I will buy your shares at 120% of Shengxiang's stock price!"

A premium acquisition...that's why it's called a performance-based agreement!

In fact, many listed companies negotiate acquisitions at a premium, which is higher than the market price. This is why the stock price tends to rise whenever news of a listed company being acquired comes out.

Bai Daqing was overjoyed by Ma Xun's move, but he immediately realized that this would make it difficult for him to ask for another project!

Because if that happens... Ma Xun isn't stupid. Of course he knows that if there are too many projects 'cooperating' with Shengxiang, it will cause fluctuations in the stock price.

This is how to do?
Bai Daqing hesitated for a long time, but ultimately said nothing.

How was he going to explain this to Sun Donghai and Zhang Xinming after leaving the Guangxian Building?
Unexpectedly, Bai Xiaohang called.

"Brother, I have a project here that needs marketing."

"What is it?"

"A TV series called 'Let's Watch the Meteor Shower Together' is produced by Li Xiaoran and Tianyu Entertainment..."

Before he could finish speaking, Bai Daqing was overjoyed.

Of course, he agreed to everything. After hanging up the phone, Bai Daqing went to talk to Ma Xun again.

This time, let's just add this meteor shower thing!

……

Breaking news: Shengxiang Company is transforming itself and investing in the cultural and entertainment industry!

"Shengxiang is collaborating with Enlight Media, a giant in the mainland entertainment industry!"

"Major good news! Two dramas starring Shengxiang are about to air..."

The information from Hong Kong has already been released.

Needless to say, Shengxiang, a company whose stock price was originally at rock bottom, immediately experienced a surge.

Little did anyone know that at the same time in the capital, two people met.

"Hey Sun, Li Xiaoran is my woman, are you out of your mind?"

Ma Xun's words were just as forceful as they were back then.

Sun Donghai's expression was quite unpleasant, but he couldn't say much at the moment.

On the one hand, he was in the wrong, and on the other hand, he couldn't show any weakness in front of Ma Xun.

However, Ma Xun is ruthless enough.

"You must have lost a lot of money in this financial crisis."

As the saying goes, if you're going to hit someone, hit them in the face! If you're going to hit a monk, call him a bald donkey!

Sun Donghai had never been treated like this before, but today...

"Brother Ma! I was wrong!"

This guy's pretty patient...

(End of this chapter)