Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 196 The Two Palaces Recruit Troops, the King of Film Sales Strikes Again
Yi'an Internet Cafe, Haidian District

Qin Lan looked at the accounts from the past two weeks: "Business has been good this month."

The store manager, Yan Xin, who is also Yan Li's cousin, smiled and said, "It's summer vacation, so all the students on holiday are rushing to internet cafes and sitting there all day. They're basically packed every day."

These days, students only have so many entertainment options. During holidays, those without money watch TV, while those with money go to internet cafes.

Few people can afford to buy a computer for home use, and even then, the configuration and internet speed might not be as comfortable as playing at an internet cafe.

Qin Lan made a note of the accounts and then instructed, "Be careful not to let too young students in. The store in Xuanwu let a twelve-year-old elementary school student use the internet before, and it was reported. The money earned from the internet fees wasn't enough to cover the damages."

Yan Xin nodded: "Understood."

Just then, a fair-skinned young woman brought two bottles of chilled drinks: "Sister-in-law, have some water."

Qin Lan watched the girl leave with a smile, then looked at Yan Xin: "Did you catch up?"

Yan Xin scratched his head and chuckled.

He and his cousin Yan Li have been in the capital for so long, starting as foremen and gradually becoming store managers. Now they manage two stores.

That's right, Yi'an Internet Cafe has expanded again, with six stores in Beijing alone.

The plan is to open ten cinemas, and then stop expanding. Yan Li doesn't intend to stay in this industry for long. He just wants to make some money and arrange some staff. His focus will be on cinema chains from now on.

Yan Xin and his group have accumulated some experience. Those who are capable and ambitious are likely to be transferred to manage cinemas in the future.

In his early twenties, Yan Xin managed two internet cafes and earned a decent income. With his good looks and status, he naturally attracted the attention of many girls.

However, this guy has high standards. He doesn't like the female internet cafe manager who likes him or the female clerk in the shop next door. In the end, he set his sights on a sister who came to the internet cafe to catch her brother. She was the fair-skinned girl from earlier.

He's a local from Beijing, good-looking, a primary school teacher, and comes from a well-off family. One of his parents is apparently a minor official.

Aside from his cousin, Yan Xin's own abilities and education are really not that impressive.

But young people don't care about those things; if they like something, they'll go for it.

Although Yan Xin wasn't as handsome as his cousin Yan Li, he was still a decent-looking young man. Plus, he was from the Yan family and had some talent in the field. He had also spent some time in internet cafes, so he was good at talking and getting things done.

After pursuing her relentlessly for a while, it actually worked out. During her summer vacation, she would come to the internet cafe to date and help out.

Does your brother know?

“I didn’t tell him, but I feel like he knows.”

Putting aside the system and such, these brothers from his hometown are Yan Li's eyes and ears, so it's hard to hide anything from him.

"Just say what you need to say, but you'll have to ask your brother to help you decide."

Qin Lan muttered to herself as she took out her wallet from her bag, pulled out a small wad of bills, and, ignoring Yan Xin's attempts to stop her, stuffed them into his hand.

"Listen to your sister-in-law, when you're dating, take the other person out to have fun more often. You can't do it if you don't have money."

“The store’s public funds cannot be touched. This was given to you privately by your brother and me. Your brother is usually busy and doesn’t have time to take care of you. If there’s anything, just tell your sister-in-law.”

"..."

Yan Xin couldn't refuse, so he accepted the money, and Qin Lan then inquired about it seemingly casually.

"Last time I heard your brother say that Auntie, your second aunt, was going to come to Beijing for a visit, but what happened?"

Yan Xin considered it for a moment: "Then... I'll ask about it later?"

"Okay, just tell your sister-in-law if she asks anything. Auntie is coming, and I need to make arrangements for her, so I need to prepare in advance."

"understood."

After chatting for a few more minutes, Qin Lan grabbed her bag and left, while her girlfriend, who had been watching closely, quickly walked over.

"Didn't you say your sister-in-law was going to treat us to dinner? Why didn't you mention it earlier?"

Yan Xin scratched his head and whispered, "Don't make a fuss, it's not just one person."

The girlfriend obviously knew Yan Xin's cousin's identity, and her eyes lit up when she heard this: "Is it Fan Bingbing? I used to love watching 'Princess Pearl'."

"Uh, it's not her."

"Isn't it said online that Fan is your cousin's girlfriend?"

Yan Xin scratched his head even more vigorously: "I don't know if this person is still here. My brother didn't tell me."

"Then why did you take someone's money and agree to have dinner with another person?"

"What can I do? Who can I afford to offend? My brother says she's my sister-in-law, so I'll just call her sister-in-law. I'll listen to whatever they say. If I'm not sure, I'll ask my brother. You're the same. No matter who you meet, just treat them like your real sister-in-law."

"Tsk."

His girlfriend looked at him with disdain: "You're good at playing both sides, just like your cousin, you're no good either."

Yan Xin was displeased: "Don't talk nonsense. You can scold me, but don't scold my brother."

The girlfriend knew how much Yan Li meant to her boyfriend, so she changed the subject and said threateningly, "Don't let me catch you learning from your cousin, or else..."

"Even if I had the guts, I wouldn't have the ability..."

Yan Xin began to profess his loyalty to his girlfriend again, saying that his cousin was good in every way, except that his conduct somewhat affected the reputation of the men in the Yan family.

He himself gets nagged by his girlfriend every now and then, and he heard that his older cousin back home is also kept very close watch by his sister-in-law.

Even his father and two uncles, who were in their fifties or sixties, were implicated to some extent. Luckily, his grandfather died early, otherwise they wouldn't have escaped either...

...

After checking the accounts, Qin Lan went to the pet store to buy some supplies.

After "The Great Song Dynasty Forensic Examiner" became a hit, she received many offers for roles, but Qin Lan is now quite selective and has turned down many.

Because she's so famous and has powerful backers, her agent and company can't do anything about her.

Fortunately, Qin Lan would cooperate with some business and advertising activities, which allowed the company to make money, so the company tacitly agreed.

Moreover, Qin Lan doesn't turn down every role. For example, she accepted the role in "The Great Song Dynasty Forensic Examiner 2," which is currently in pre-production and is expected to start filming at the end of the year.

However, Qin Lan heard that the lead actor might be changed.

Some say He Bing will be replaced, others say she will be replaced as well. It's unclear what's going on, but there's no definitive answer yet. Anyway, she has reserved her schedule.

Not long ago, Ma Yili recommended a drama to her, namely "The Embroidered Uniform Guard" in which she starred.

The role wasn't large, but she agreed because of director Zhang Li's reputation.

Of course, more than anything, she was considering that Yan Li might be filming "The Legend of Xue Rengui" in Hengdian at that time, and she could go to Hengdian to find him.

She has a lot of scenes to film and hasn't had time to look for Yan Li yet. Having fewer scenes is a good opportunity to spend more time with him.

She had just left the pet store when she received a phone call; a film crew had invited her for an audition.

"interview?"

Qin Lan was a little confused. Why did her agent arrange the interview without informing her?

Thinking it was a scam, Qin Lan was about to hang up when the other party mentioned that the drama was produced by Yi An.

"Uh……"

Qin Lan hesitated. Could it be that Yan Li had arranged this for her? But why hadn't he told her?

I called Yan Li, and she told me to wait a moment. She called back about ten minutes later, and her voice sounded a little strange.

"The producer and screenwriter said they think your image is suitable. If you're free, go check it out. If it's suitable, then take the role."

Qin Lan thought about it. Since it was confirmed to be Yi An's project, she had nothing to say. It didn't matter which role she played, and it would be better to contribute to her own business.

After reconnecting with the previous call, Qin Lan drove her red BMW to Yi'an Film and Television.

Qin Lan had rarely visited the company that her boyfriend had started.

Meanwhile, another woman is about to become the company's top female employee, and even the boss's wife in many people's eyes.

Hmph, with a stinging feeling of resentment towards that despicable couple, Qin Lan strode towards Yi'an Film and Television.

The office seemed much more spacious than when she last visited, and there were more employees. Before she could take a closer look, Qin Lan was led to the meeting room.

A moment later, a young man wearing glasses entered with a fawning smile and an extremely polite attitude.

"Teacher Qin Lan..."

After chatting for a while, Qin Lan learned that this man named Yu Zheng was Yi An's screenwriter and also one of the producers of the TV series "The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty" who had invited her for an interview.

These days, it's common for screenwriters to also become producers or even directors.

Although screenwriters are sometimes undervalued in the industry, they are not to be ignored, as many use them as a springboard to advancement.

Many well-known directors and producers are screenwriters by training, and the renowned Haiyan and Qiong Yao dramas are centered around screenwriters.

However, it is quite rare for someone of Yu Zheng's age to directly take on the role of producer.

"It's all thanks to President Yan's vision and courage in mentoring and supporting us newcomers. Yi'an's rapid development is inseparable from his foresight..."

Yu Zheng went on and on praising her, and Qin Lan couldn't stand it anymore.

She could tell that this guy fawned over her the moment he saw her, showering Yan Li with compliments as if they were free, and he definitely knew about her relationship with Yan Li.

"Producer Yu, how should I conduct the interview?"

"Just call me by my name."

Yu Zheng dared not underestimate Qin Lan; he was counting on her to help him.

Although the project "The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty" has been approved, it is not yet stable enough, and even the funding is not yet in place. The company's level of attention to it is obviously lower than that of other projects.

Yu Zheng, who had just been promoted to producer, was anxious and set his sights on the people around Yan Li.

Everyone knows Mr. Yan's style; his influence through his wife is definitely effective.

He initially wanted to ask Fan Xiaopang for help, but although Fan helped, he was already committed to acting in "The White-Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom" and couldn't offer much assistance.

Fortunately, some people in the company had worked on the TV series "Investiture of the Gods" and "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng," and with Yu Zheng's efforts, they managed to expose Qin Lan.

This is someone even Fan Xiaopang would avoid!

Yu Zheng was very excited. If he could bring Qin Lan to the "The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty" production team, many things would be much more convenient.

To prevent any accidents, he didn't even inform his superiors.

Since he was the producer and had the power to choose the cast, and given that Qin Lan's identity was rather secretive, he pretended not to know and decided to just bring her in based on her image and acting skills.

However, there is one difficulty: Qin Lan does not quite fit his image of the female lead Xilin Chun, but the second or third female lead would be suitable.

But if Qin Lan could put in a good word for him with Yan Li, he felt it was acceptable; he could simply change the character's backstory.

To his surprise, Qin Lan was unexpectedly easy to talk to.

However, some are reluctant to play villains and are only willing to try a second female lead who is redeemed later in the story, and a more tragic female supporting character.

That's it!
Upon discovering that Qin Lan hadn't chosen the female lead, Yu Zheng immediately made the decision.

He had also seen Qin Lan's performances; her acting skills were excellent, and her Qing Dynasty costumes were even better—she debuted in "My Fair Princess III."

You can say Zhihua is bad, but you can't say Zhihua is ugly.

The production team and Qin Lan's agent negotiated the subsequent fees. Now that Yi An has money, although the fees are still somewhat conservative, it's just cost control, and she's not as stingy as she used to be.

After "The Great Song Dynasty Forensic Examiner", Qin Lan's fame is not bad, and she can be considered a second-tier actress, with a salary of about 1 to 3 yuan per episode.

The exact amount depends on the number of episodes, the characters, and the production team. "The Palace of the Qing Dynasty" has 30 episodes, and Yu Zheng will definitely be given appropriate consideration, so his salary will not be less than 60 to 80 yuan.

Any more than that won't do. It's not just about controlling costs; if the salary for a single role is too high, and the news leaks out, it could easily cause resentment among other actors and affect the internal atmosphere.

Film crews are a cutthroat world of fame and fortune, where everyone argues about who comes first and who comes last, not to mention the real money involved in paychecks.

Yu Zheng wanted to invite Qin Lan to dinner to try and get closer to her, but she refused.

Qin Lan's first impression of Zheng was not good.

She wasn't stupid; considering his attitude and the phone call she made to Yan Li, she guessed that she might be being used.

If it weren't for the good script, the fact that it was their own business, and Yan Li's words, Qin Lan would have left long ago.

Yu Zheng realized he had given himself away, but luckily someone had been brought in. He tried to salvage the situation, smiling apologetically as he saw Qin Lan off.

As soon as he arrived at the door, he saw a round-faced girl waiting for him, and Yu Zheng was taken aback.

"Mr. Hu?"

"Producer Yu."

Hu Ya greeted him, then smiled brightly at Qin Lan and said, "Sister Lan, why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

As the Grand Eunuch and Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Hu Ya was mainly responsible for the company, but she sometimes had dealings with Qin and Dong because of certain matters. She knew their importance in the boss's heart and dared not neglect them.

"Great, you've been promoted to General Manager Hu."

Qin Lan chuckled and joked. When she first met Hu Ya, the girl was just a young girl, but now she's a "big shot," the producer of a drama series, whom even she has to address as "General Manager." Hu Ya quickly waved her hand: "It's all just a joke. General Manager Yan isn't here, so I'm just taking advantage of her."

After chatting for a few minutes, Hu Ya learned that Qin Lan was leaving, and quickly took her arm.

"No, it's almost lunchtime. It's rare for you to come to the company, so I have to keep you company. There's a good Hunan restaurant near our company, let me take you to try it."

"This……"

Qin Lan was willing to give Hu Ya face, but she rejected Yu Zheng earlier and now she agreed to Hu Ya's request. Wasn't that a bit like playing favorites?

Yu Zheng, however, didn't take it to heart and shamelessly said, "Gentlemen, could you take me with you? I've been thinking about getting a role and want to talk to Sister Lan about it."

Qin Lan: "..."

It's one thing for Hu Ya to call her "sister" since she is indeed younger than her, but how old is Yu Zheng that he calls her "sister"?
Yu Zheng is indeed older than Qin Lan, but only by one year. Besides, in the circle, you can't address someone as "brother" or "sister" based on age.

Qin Lan didn't want to refuse, but she also didn't really want to have dinner with Yu Zheng. Just as she was hesitating, Yu Zheng gritted his teeth and whispered.

"Sister Lan, it's like this, someone recommended Teacher Dong Xuan to play the female lead in this drama, but I don't think it's quite suitable, and it's not easy to refuse. I would like to ask you to help me put in a word with President Yan."

Qin Lan frowned as she looked at Yu Zheng. Whether this matter was true or not was not important, but the attitude Yu Zheng revealed was very important.

After a moment of silence, Qin Lan smiled and said, "Since you're eating here for free, you have to treat me."

Yu Zheng also showed a simple and honest smile: "That's for sure."

Hu Ya: "..."

She was starting to not want to go anymore; it was just a meal, why did she have to stand in line?

Yu Zheng wanted to curry favor with Dong Xuan, but she didn't want to offend her.

Most importantly, Fan Xiaopang is coming soon. She's the real ruthless one, and she's in the company. If she thinks Fan Xiaopang is on the side of someone else, she might just make an example of her.

But if he tried to slip away now, he would offend Qin Lan terribly. He had no choice but to force a smile and keep going, while cursing Yu Zheng to the core in his heart.

Yu Zheng vaguely sensed Hu Ya's emotions, but didn't take it seriously.

He had been considering betting on Qin Lan for quite some time.

Hu Ya's indecisive behavior is not exactly endearing, but with Yan Li protecting her, it doesn't really matter.

But trying not to offend anyone else is a safe bet, but it also means that you may not get support or favor from any side, making it difficult to stand out.

Find wealth in danger!
Choosing sides may invite some hostility, but it also makes it easier to gain strong support from one side.

Qin Lan is a "cold spot" that hasn't been noticed or bet on by many people yet. The risk may be high, but if you bet on it correctly, the returns will definitely be huge.

Yu Zheng is a gambler. After a brief encounter with Qin Lan, he vaguely discerned some aspects of her personality. Combined with his previous research, he decisively expressed his opinion.

Of course, he played it safe and ignored Fan Xiaopang, who was powerful and had helped him before, and turned his attention to Dong Xuan.

If Qin Lan proves unreliable, he still has a chance to ask Fan Xiaopang for help by kneeling on his knees…

...

Qin Lan and Yu Zheng were very satisfied with the meal, but Hu Ya was a little uneasy.

After hesitating for a long time, she took out her phone and called Yan Li.

"Well, I see."

Yan Li hung up the phone, but remained relatively calm overall.

The main force had already realized this, although Huang Shengyi stepped forward to "take responsibility," causing all parties to cease fighting.

However, Fan Xiaopang's upcoming joining Yi'an will still pose a challenge to Qin and Dong's nerves.

The two, who had originally only focused their attention on Yan Li, began to consciously try to win over some people, and even interfered with Yi An, whom they had never interfered with before.

With Yu Zheng, a "fire-starting expert," as her ally, Qin Lan, along with Dong Xuan, using the guise of being her sister-in-law and brother-in-law, expressed concern for Zhang Songwen, Lin Jiachuan, Zhou Yiwei, and several of Yan Li's hometown brothers working at the company.

Zhang, Lin, Zhou and several other roommates knew Dong Xuan from college and were relatively more accepting of her as Yan Li's sister-in-law.

Those brothers from his hometown also showed great respect to Dong Xuan, the first sister-in-law Yan Li introduced to them.

The roommates didn't have much real power in the company, but given their relationship with Yan Li, they had to give him face in every way.

Those guys from my hometown weren't ordinary employees either; some of the more capable ones had already risen to become heads of the production crew.

Through them, and with her own prestigious status, Dong Xuan was able to influence many things.

Well, these two weren't necessarily fighting for power or anything; they just had one thought: they couldn't let the guy surnamed Fan take over the company.

Don't look back. Fan Xiaopang is the boss lady of Yi'an. She can command a lot of people. If the two of them can't even get a word in edgewise, what kind of life would they have?

Yan Li didn't take it too seriously. Even without Qin Lan and Dong Xuan, there were still quite a few factions in the company.

In a way, they were also his people, and they both understood who was truly in charge.

Of course, we still need to give them a warning to prevent internal strife.

Uh... internal strife is inevitable. No company that has grown up can avoid internal strife. The key is to keep it under control and not let it affect the overall situation of the company.

Ignoring these minor incidents, Yan Li conducted the final negotiations with Hunan TV regarding "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng".

The result was somewhat disappointing, but Yan Li was already mentally prepared.

He has dealt with many satellite TV stations, but Hunan TV is the most difficult to negotiate with. It has platform advantages, is confident, and its staff is quite professional, which puts pressure on the production company's profits.

Selling to them will definitely make you money, but making a fortune depends on luck.

However, although the "Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" project did not progress smoothly, the "Investiture of the Gods" project was discussed quite well.

Hunan TV is quite fond of the battles between immortals in the show, thinking that it might attract a lot of young viewers. They value this market and are showing more sincerity.

Yan Li wasn't obsessed with breaking records in "Investiture of the Gods," and his asking price wasn't that high.

The only problem is that the price hasn't been agreed upon yet!
Yan Li hopes to negotiate a price of around 3000-3200 million, while Hunan TV prefers a maximum of 2800 million.

Hunan TV is negotiating for the exclusive first-run broadcast rights, which is not cheap, but not particularly expensive either.

Yan Li is at least confident that he can get several satellite TV stations to broadcast the show together and sell the first-run ticket for over 3000 million yuan.

However, Hunan TV offered an attractive condition: the final payment would be settled within one month of the broadcast.

This is why, despite Hunan TV being a difficult client, Yan Li always considered it one of his top priorities for cooperation.

They might try to negotiate a lower price, but when it comes to paying, they're really generous!

Many second- and third-tier TV stations offer high contract prices, but delay the final payment for several years or simply don't pay at all. Even if the price is 1 million yuan, Yan Li doesn't want to cooperate with them.

Low prices but quick pay, high prices but high down payment – ​​anyone who's done business knows which to choose.

Money in hand is money!
In other words, Yan Li has a system that allows him to figure out the bottom price and hold out a little longer; anyone else would have agreed immediately.

Finally, after securing some publicity and media resources, and even getting appearances on several variety shows, Yan Li finally spoke up.

The first-run exclusive broadcast rights for "The Legend of the Gods: The Phoenix Cries in Qishan" were acquired by Hunan Satellite TV for 2800 million yuan.

However, since it was sold along with "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng", the show hasn't been broadcast on terrestrial channels yet, but it still earned several million.

The final investment for this drama was around 3500 million yuan, which basically means it has already broken even.

It's hard to say how much it can earn; it depends on subsequent releases and satellite TV performance.

However, as far as Yan Li is concerned, he has already started to recoup his losses.

In the "Investiture of the Gods" project, 3000 million yuan of external investment accounted for 60% of the share, while he and Yongle each accounted for 20%, contributing a total of 500 million yuan.

Of course, coal mine owners aren't stupid, and this ratio is really a bit exaggerated.

Therefore, Yongle calculated the revenue based on production costs, and Yan Li and Yi An's share of distribution was only 8%.

Even so, based on the current profits alone, Yan Li can receive nearly ten million yuan, and after deducting costs, he can earn several million yuan.

Not to mention, there will be a continuous stream of income, all of which will be pure profit.

However, this revenue is not enough compared to that of "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng".

Yan Li, who left Xingcheng in Hunan Province, first went to Shanghai, then to Beijing. With the groundwork laid earlier, he finally finished the first round of reading "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng".

Three satellite TV stations in Beijing, Shanghai, and Anhui province won the first-run broadcasting rights to "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" for 100 million yuan per episode, totaling 4000 million yuan.

Yi An, which invested over 200 million yuan in production, owns 40% of the show and an additional 12% of the distribution revenue.

Because most of Yian's issuance contracts involve deducting issuance fees from the total selling price first, and then distributing profits among investors according to their shareholdings.

Therefore, Yi An's share of the profits was about 2000 million, which, even after deducting the cost of 200 million, was still much more than what she earned from "Investiture of the Gods".

It's important to understand that this is only the first round of revenue for satellite TV channels; revenue from terrestrial channels and many other channels hasn't been factored in yet.

If it's broadcast well enough, it has a good chance of surpassing Yi An's most profitable project, "Happy Seven Fairies".

...

Yan Li made no attempt to hide the fact that "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" had broken records.

He was aiming to break the record; besides making more money, he also had publicity goals.

Yan Li tasted this kind of success back when "Happy Seven Fairies" was airing.

The more expensive you sell it for, the more valuable it seems, and the more people will be eager to buy it, even offering higher prices.

Yi'an hasn't reached the point of quietly making a fortune yet. Right now, even if she's not making money, she has to shout about making money. And if she does make money, she has to shout it out loud, until she's hoarse.

However, unlike the last time when "Happy Seven Fairies" sold for an astronomical price, which simply shocked everyone, this time the situation is different.

This time, while marveling at Yan Li's well-deserved title as the king of film sales, he turned his attention to "The Return of the Condor Heroes".

"The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" has sold for 100 million per episode, while "The Return of the Condor Heroes" is still gaining momentum. How much will it sell for?
wow~
Zhang Dahuzi angrily swept the documents in the conference room onto the floor, glared fiercely at the person in charge of distribution, and began to curse.

"Useless! They've sold a million copies of each episode. What the hell are you doing?"

"If you're so great, why don't you go sell yourself!"

The person in charge was also getting anxious. From the very beginning of the issuance, Zhang Dahuzi had been putting pressure on him every day.

Doesn't he know how troublesome those bastards at the TV station are?!

He led his team all over the country, eating and sleeping poorly, always having to act subservient and smile obsequiously. Several members of his team ended up in the hospital from drinking, and one even suffered a stomach hemorrhage. His own blood pressure hadn't dropped below 180 for over two months.

After going through all sorts of hardships, they finally negotiated a price of 85 per episode.

While it may not be the best in the industry, it's definitely a top-tier distributor. Other production teams would treat it like a cash cow, but this guy gets yelled at and cursed.

"I quit."

The distribution manager kicked a chair away: "You're showing off to others, using me as a scapegoat. You clean up your own mess. All you do is talk nonsense. Go sell it. If you can sell it for 80 a episode, I'll change my surname to yours, fuck."

Someone tried to stop him, but Zhang Dahuzi waved his hand and said, "Let him go. I don't believe that little bastard surnamed Yan can sell for 100 million, but we can't. If he sells for 100 million, we'll sell for 120 million per episode."

Upon hearing this, the members of the two distribution teams, who were still hesitating, also stood up to say goodbye.

This person is truly unbearable to deal with; he's gone mad!

Zhang the Bearded Man was really desperate this time: "Everyone, leave! I'll sell it myself. I don't believe I can't get a million-dollar contract."

Upon hearing this, the representative from the production company, Ciwen Media, frowned.

"Mr. Zhang, I understand your feelings, but we cannot let a little bit of personal grievance harm the interests of all parties."

If Zhang Dahuzi is willing to go all out, a contract worth 100 million per episode isn't impossible.

A contract does not equal profit.

The price was set at 100 million, but the TV station only paid 60 and refused to pay the remaining balance. It's not that there were no TV stations to cooperate with.

However, this could harm the interests of the production team's investors, potentially involve tax issues, and the choice of television station could also affect the broadcast performance, which could in turn affect the operation of the entire series.

For the sake of so-called face, Zhang Dahuzi is willing to spend so much money and take so many risks. He's reckless, but others won't follow suit.

"So you want me to admit defeat to that kid?"

Zhang Dahuzi was unwilling to accept defeat, but the people around him advised him: "The first round doesn't mean everything. We can work hard later and definitely earn more than him."

That being said, everyone has witnessed the power of the king of film sales.

If a single episode can sell for a million dollars during its initial broadcast on satellite TV, how can other terrestrial channels lag behind? Will they pull ahead later? The real fear is that they'll fall further and further behind.

As soon as he finished speaking, an assistant came in nervously to report: "Mr. Zhang, Yi'an announced that the Taiwan copyright of 'The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng' has also been sold."

Everyone stared nervously at Zhang Dahuzi, who let out two heavy breaths and suddenly uttered a sentence.

"What do you think about us entrusting the distribution of 'The Return of the Condor Heroes' to him?"

"???"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: I had something to do today, which took a little longer than usual, so the word count is a bit lower. I'll make up for it tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)