Entertainment: Since 1990

Chapter 340 Making Money from Both Ends
During this period, Lee Boo-jin and Cho Geon not only worked together, but also often ate together, and she had a good impression of this man.

Handsome, charismatic, and humorous.

Such men are naturally attractive to women.

But Cao Jian was, after all, her sister's boyfriend, and no matter how good Li Fuzhen's impression of him was, she couldn't get over this hurdle in her heart.

Hearing that Cao Jian was eyeing her again, Li Fuzhen laughed and said, "Yi Xin is younger and prettier than me. Why do you keep trying to take advantage of a thirty-year-old woman like me?"

"You are an ageless goddess."

Cao Jian had seen this woman in her forties; she was still radiant.

To get the woman to submit to him, he deliberately provoked her, saying, "You wouldn't dare, would you?"

"I"

Lee Boo-jin was actually a little hesitant.

What if you lose?
But was that alien-looking man really that powerful?

That ugly man didn't say much, yet Cao Jian invested thirty million US dollars?

She asked doubtfully, "Can you read faces? Can you tell whether someone will become rich?"

Upon hearing this question, Cao Jian immediately seized the opportunity and laughed, "I can read faces. That Mr. Ma from earlier will definitely achieve great things in the future. The return on my investment should be no less than a thousand times."

"A thousand times?"

Even though Lee Boo-jin comes from a chaebol family, she was still shocked to hear about the potential for a thousandfold return.

If you get a thousand times the return on 30 million US dollars, that's 30 billion US dollars.

Is it really that high?

Cao Jian then laughed and said, "That's why I'm willing to invest in him. And the first time I saw you, I was convinced you would be my woman, which is why I made a bet with you. Do you want to give it a try?"

"I do not believe."

"If you don't believe me, take a bet. If I lose, I won't bother you anymore."

"."

Looking into Cao Jian's confident eyes, Li Fuzhen felt a sense of unease.

To be honest, this man's investment in Ma Yun seems like a hopeless investment.

A half-dead, dilapidated website with only 7,000 members (including inflated numbers) could easily be set up for a few hundred thousand yuan, yet Cao Jian was willing to invest 30 million yuan?
Seeing that the woman remained silent, Cao Jian resorted to his ultimate move: "If you don't speak, I'll take that as a yes."

As he spoke, he suddenly grabbed Lee Boo-jin's shoulder and said, "I guarantee you'll lose. How about I collect some interest first?"

Then, with lightning speed, he kissed the Samsung princess on the cheek.

"what???"

Lee Boo-jin was startled, her heart pounding.

Although she had never been in a relationship, she actually longed for one, and this feeling gave her a sweet sensation.

Could it be that I'm really going to become his woman?
A few days later, the investment in Ma Yun was basically completed, and construction began on the factory site.

Cao Jian didn't need to personally oversee these matters; he had many other things to do.

Lee Boo-jin will return to South Korea temporarily after completing her mission in China, and will only come back once the factory is officially in production.

"I'm going to miss you."

As they parted, Cao Jian dropped another bombshell on Lee Boo-jin, one that would likely take her a long time to recover from.

After saying that, she opened her arms, waiting for the woman to throw herself into her embrace.

After waiting for a while, the woman did not react. Cao Jian knew she was in a dilemma, so he said, "It's just a hug. Consider it a farewell ceremony for our time together."

Lee Boo-jin was initially conflicted, but upon hearing this, she finally took a step forward, intending to give him a perfunctory hug.

But as soon as she reached Cao Jian's side, she was hugged tightly in his arms.

"This feeling."

Li Fuzhen's heart stirred again, fearing that if things continued like this, she would really succumb. She whispered to Cao Jian, "I feel sorry for Third Sister."

"She doesn't know, so it's not a bad thing."

"Shameless!"

"Ha ha."

Cao Jian stopped when he had the chance and released the fragrant woman, but he was confident that she would be his next possession when they met again.

Since we're in Guangzhou, we should definitely go to Shenzhen.

Since Stephen Chow filmed an advertisement for QQ, and with the promotion from Mr. Cao, the number of members of this small chat software has grown exponentially.

Besides college students, many young people in society, including middle school students, will inevitably chat on QQ whenever they go to an internet cafe.

The number of members is about to exceed 100 million.

Such achievements filled Ma Huateng with confidence in the company.

Meanwhile, the TV series "Spring Bright Pigsy" was not only broadcast on CCTV-8, but also on many local TV stations, and had become a hit all over the country.

In particular, the theme song sung by Cao Jian excited fans, while the scene where Xiaolongnu finally turned into a spring brought tears to the eyes of countless viewers.

At the same time, it also made the girl Dong Jie famous.

However, what movie fans and music fans are most looking forward to is "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" starring Cao Jian.

I heard this show will air during the summer vacation, and the audience can't wait.

In May, after spending some time with Yang Yuying, Cao Jian went to Yanjing.

"This is young Ya Ya, she's really beautiful."

In the cast of "Princess Pearl 2", Ya Ya, who was making her film and television debut, was incredibly youthful and radiant, even making Cao Jian a little smitten.

However, he doesn't have time to make a move yet.

After finalizing the "Young Justice Bao" project, Cao Jian first went to Japan, and then flew to the United States.

"Mr. Cao, it's been a long time. Do you have any good scripts coming up lately?"

Upon arriving in Japan, the boss of Toho asked about the script.

He heard that Cao Jian was making movies and TV series in South Korea, which made him very envious.

"There is."

While accompanying Yang Yuying in Guangzhou some time ago, Cao Jian took the time to write a script called "The Mortician".

After reading the plot, the owner of Dongbao immediately fell in love with it and wanted to invest in filming it right away.

Cao Jian remembered that this film not only grossed more than 70 million US dollars at the box office, but also won numerous awards, so it was necessary to invest in it.

The main investment is not large.

To this end, he also established a branch of CL Entertainment in Japan and collaborated with Toho to manage artists.

In a few years, beautiful actresses born in the 1980s, such as Yui Aragaki, Satomi Ishihara, Masami Nagasawa, and Nozomi Sasaki, can be recruited into the company.

With the project finalized, Cao Jian asked Dongbao to advertise and hold a casting call throughout Japan.

Toho is Japan's largest film company, and with Cao Jian's script, almost half of the women in the Japanese entertainment industry came.

During the audition, Cao Jian unexpectedly met the legendary Aoi Sora.

At that time, Ms. Cang had not yet debuted. She was not only young but also beautiful. Naturally, he did not let go of this mentor who was a mentor to many people and accepted her directly.

As for whether the otaku's heart will ache, that's none of his business.

Besides, even if Ms. Cang is gone, there are plenty of other teachers, so it won't make a difference if one more is lost.

Finally, it was confirmed that Ryoko Hirosue will play the female lead in this film, "Departures".

Of course, unspoken rules are also indispensable.

During his two months in Japan, Cao Jian spent almost every night partying, and also collaborated with Izumi Sakai on a song called "MY ALL".

As the new century was about to begin, Cao Jian planned to hold a solo concert at the beginning of the new century.

This song was prepared for the concert, and it may well be my farewell concert.

At that time, I will truly retire behind the scenes, making money while lying down and enjoying life while doing nothing.

This is my last desperate effort.

And thanks to Cao Jian's previous efforts, Izumi Sakai successfully conceived a child.

After enjoying himself in Japan for a while, Cao Jian reluctantly headed to the United States, his first stop being Blizzard.

The Warcraft project has been underway for over two years and is now more than halfway complete. Cao Jian has offered some suggestions, urging his subordinates to complete the project within a year.

After that, he went to the set of "The Matrix". Although James had promised that the film would be shot quickly, a year passed and the movie was still not finished.

"Director James, your style is as slow as ever."

Looking at the movie that was more than halfway through filming, Cao Jian joked with James.

"It's not about being slow, it's about striving for perfection."

James never cares about investors' feelings; he only follows his own pace.

"Ok."

Cao Jian had no choice but to assert his position as an investor and demand, "This movie must be released this Christmas."

"I'll try my best."

Although James felt a little nervous, and the film had a lot of special effects, he still agreed.

Originally, Cao Jian intended to entrust him with the other films he was preparing to shoot in the United States, but it seems he will have to find someone else.

Anyway, I'm too lazy to be a director again.

Since James wasn't an option, Cao Jian had no choice but to approach Warner Bros. and co-invest in Harry Potter.

J.K. Rowling's novel became an instant global phenomenon upon its release.

Cao Jian, who invested in the book, made a considerable profit just from selling the book.

But he believes that the most valuable part of this book is its copyright.

"Mr. Cao, we've always wanted to make this novel into a movie, but the author has always refused to relinquish the copyright."

The owner of Warner Bros. had met Cao Jian once before, at the Oscars ceremony.

He naturally values ​​this collaboration very much, since this person has approached him.

"That's because the money wasn't paid in time."

Cao Jian smiled faintly and said, "If you pay a little more, I'll talk to J.K. Rowling, and it should be fine."

"Really? You can just tell her?"

Warner Bros.' boss Kevin was unaware that the man in front of him was the one who initially invested in the Harry Potter books; in fact, the decision-making power lay with Cao Jianshen.

"Of course, I've met J.K. Rowling before, but how much are you willing to pay for the rights?"

Cao Jian is a real scoundrel. He not only wants to make money from the movies, but also from the copyright fees, ripping off these Japanese devils.

"Five million US dollars should be enough, right?"

Warner Bros. CEO Kevin believes that even if a novel is a bestseller, five million dollars is a considerable sum to buy the film adaptation rights.

"That's too narrow-minded."

Cao Jian sighed inwardly and said, "No wonder J.K. Rowling is unwilling to give you the copyright; what can this little bit of money do?"

"So, Mr. Cao, what price do you think is appropriate?"

"The first film's licensing fee of 30 million, plus a 15% share of box office profits, is a reasonable price in my opinion."

Cao Jian vaguely remembered reading a report that said J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" had earned nearly $800 million in copyright revenue.

Therefore, he believed that what he wanted was not high.

I initially funded the author with $30,000, and now the return is more than 500 times that amount, with even more to come.

"It's a bit high."

But Kevin felt that Cao Jian was asking for an exorbitant amount.

Is it
He immediately asked, "Could it be that you invested in J.K. Rowling to write this novel?"

"Ha ha."

When his secret was exposed, Cao Jian laughed and stopped hiding it: "It was indeed my investment."

"Mr. Cao, you are truly an investment genius."

Kevin's eyes widened; he had actually guessed correctly.

But this man is too wicked. He agreed to invest in the movie together, but you ended up making money from both sides.

The Chinese are indeed cunning.

"You flatter me. My girlfriend likes the story in this book, that's why I submitted it."

Cao Jian modestly smiled and said, "Well? If you agree, I'll talk to the author; if you don't, I'll find another film and television company."

"Mr. Cao, goodbye."

Kevin is a very shrewd businessman. He had heard that the first and second Harry Potter books had sold over 200 million copies.

This is a huge readership; if the movie is made, the box office will definitely be good.

Although Cao Jian asked for a lot, the returns were still quite good.

Thinking of this, he said, "How about a 10% cut?"

"15%, if it's less, I'll find someone else."

Cao Jian had dealt with foreigners and knew that these people could be friendly on the surface, but their attitude could change in an instant.

You should do the same when negotiating with them.

"All right!"

Kevin gritted his teeth and finally agreed.

But in my heart I was thinking, this Chinese man is really ruthless.

Invest 40%, take a small share of the box office revenue, and a substantial copyright fee, while all your hard work turns into working for him.

After discussing it, Cao Jian called J.K. Rowling.

As expected, J.K. Rowling was very pleased with this offer and immediately agreed to come and sign the contract.

"It's done!"

After hanging up the phone, Cao Jian laughed and said, "You should have read this novel. Several of the main characters are children. Now that we have the copyright, what we need to do is to find suitable child actors around the world."

"no problem."

Kevin had obviously read the novel, otherwise he wouldn't have valued this movie so much.

"Then arrange it as soon as possible, and I can help you choose the actors."

Cao Jian did some mental calculations. Emma was not even ten years old yet, but time was passing so quickly, so he could reserve her in advance.
Of course, Mr. Cao's trip to the United States this time was not just for the movie "Harry Potter".

He had already written the screenplays for "Malèna" and "Pirates of the Caribbean," and now it was time to bring them out.

These three films, plus "The Matrix" which is currently in production, and my own Compass Pictures in the US, all have the potential to go public.

In June, countless child stars from all over the world gathered in Los Angeles.

"Is this Jennifer Lawrence?"

"Is this Stuart?"

"This is Megan Fox. She's a little older, but she has a great figure; no wonder she's a model."

Western women don't have a long blooming period, and Cao Jian thought these actresses who would become huge stars in the future were all pretty good.

He still vividly remembers Megan Fox, the woman who climbed onto a car engine in Transformers.

"Yeah, we could make a Transformers movie!"

Recalling that sexy scene in the movie, Cao Jian slapped his thigh and immediately had the idea of ​​making this film series.

The box office and influence of this film series are even greater than those of "Pirates of the Caribbean".

However, I cannot eat this cake alone, nor can I eat it alone.
With this idea in mind, he immediately approached 20th Century Fox, intending to collaborate on the film, and he would write the script in his spare time.

With Cao's script, 20th Century Fox naturally agreed.

That same day, Cao Jian found Megan Fox's contact information.

"Hello, Ms. Megan, I'm Cao Jian. Would you like to grab a coffee sometime?"

"Mr. Cao Jian?"

Megan Fox is indeed a model, and she came to audition for "Harry Potter." However, given her age, and seeing that everyone else was around ten years old, she knew that her chances were slim, as she was already quite sexy.

Just as I was about to head home, I suddenly received a call from a famous film investor. I thought I had misheard.

“Yes, I’m at the Hilton Hotel. Come over and have a waiter let me know.”

Cao Jian, holding Megan's modeling photos, not only planned to cast her in a movie, but also intended for her to model for his "Men's Health" magazine.

(End of this chapter)