It's reasonable for me to be a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning director and an all-around

Chapter 153 Love of Money More Than Lust (6000 words! Requesting monthly votes!)

"Remember, your three tasks tonight are to toast! Get them down to drinks..."

In a private room at the Heaven on Earth, Wang Zhonglei was giving instructions to Shuang Bing and Huo Siyan.

He really went all out tonight, displaying all sorts of high-end products, both red and white, with high alcohol content.

He's gone all out to make it happen!

There is nothing we can do about it.

That wretched woman Wang Jinghua just packed her bags and ran off to Cheng Tian's arms, leaving behind a mess.

If it weren't for Shuang Bing holding up the situation, plus the recruitment of Zhou Xun, Hua Yi would have been severely weakened this time!
Actually, he's in a state of "major injury" right now.

Although there are film and television projects like "The Banquet" and "A Battle of Wits" to support them on the surface, the losses in their talent agency business are simply too difficult to make up for!
After all, that was a powerful leg that propelled Huayi forward.

But now, not only is his leg lame, it's like it's been amputated. How can he take a step?
Therefore, the two brothers went to great lengths to rebuild the brokerage business.

They've poached Zhou Xun, signed Huo Siyan and other key second-tier players, and are still in talks with Zhang Ziyi, Huang Xiaoming, Deng Chao...

The reason they want to cooperate with Lü Rui now is ultimately to boost their brokerage business.

If you want to sign someone, you need to have the resources to back it up, right?
But now, Huayi's own business is simply not enough to cover the costs, and there are widespread complaints from the staff.

For example, Shuangbing was very dissatisfied at this moment.

Such a huge project as "The Banquet" was given to an outsider as the female lead?

Now they've poached Zhou Xun from the company, clearly trying to take a share from them. Isn't this just stirring up trouble?

The two of them were already fiercely competing for the title of "Huayi's Number One Sister," and now, the competition has become even more intense, with the added challenge of Zhou Xun's arrival.

While these "big flowers" are having a hot romance, the backbone of the industry, like Huo Siyan, is also having a tough time.

Resources are already scarce, and everyone is vying to play the leading lady, so conflicts naturally arise one after another.

Huo Siyan even felt like she had been deceived.

Before Mingming joined the company, the boss promised her a lot of conditions and painted countless pie-in-the-sky pictures, making her believe that after joining Huayi, she could rise to prominence, climb the corporate ladder, and reach the top tier.

But once she joined the company and finished filming her first leading role, she realized something was wrong.

Huayi seems to have a bad habit of always giving away its own company's best resources...

She was originally the beneficiary, but now she's the one being betrayed. This is absolutely outrageous!
But the contract has already been signed, so now I have no choice but to grit my teeth and keep going. At least it's better than going it alone.

"Mr. Wang, when will the guests arrive? Should I go downstairs to greet them?" After carefully listening to Wang Zhonglei's instructions, Huo Siyan considerately offered to go downstairs to greet them.

Before Wang Zhonglei could even speak, Shuang Bing was already cursing him inwardly as a "sly fox"!
Fan Bingbing, in particular, was extremely dissatisfied with this little vixen in front of her.

After Huo Siyan joined the company, she acted as if she wanted to replace her and acted as if she was the boss's number one favorite.

"So what if he can drink a few cups of horse piss? What's the big deal?"

Fan Bingbing glanced at Huo Siyan, pursed her lips, and didn't consider her a rival at all.

You really think I got here by being a slut? You're still too naive, you little wench!

However, this only strengthened her resolve to go solo once her contract expired.

Staying at Huayi means competing for resources with Li Bingbing and Zhou Xun, and also having to be wary of scheming bitches like Huo Siyan. Just thinking about it is exhausting. It's better to go out and make a name for yourself!

"No need to go down, the person has already come up."

Wang Zhonglei put away his phone, smiled at Huo Siyan, and got up to greet her at the door.

Wang Zhongjun, who had been silently drinking his tea, also stood up.

The three women dared not delay and quickly got up to follow.

The door to the private room opened quickly, and Lü Rui led Zhao Peng in.

"Huh?!" Huo Siyan's eyes lit up.

Aren't these the two famous directors I met at my audition today?!
In an instant, she changed her mind from secretly trying to avoid drinking to making sure she kept these two company.

She didn't mind drinking with young, handsome directors more than with those fat, middle-aged men.

"Haha, Director Lü, Director Zhao, welcome! We've finally found an opportunity to have a meal together."

Wang Zhonglei stepped forward and greeted them warmly.

"Chairman Wang, President Wang, it's rare to see the two of you appear together."

When discussing business before, Lü Rui usually met with Wang Zhonglei, and the two were quite familiar with each other.

Although Wang Zhongjun had met him a few times, the other party mainly worked in the investment circle, and the film and television business was actually handled by Wang Zhonglei.

"Mr. Lü is a young and promising man. It's a rare opportunity to meet you today. Congratulations!" Wang Zhongjun said in a very polite tone.

"Director Lü, Director Zhao."

At this moment, Shuang Bing and Huo Siyan also quickly stepped forward to greet them.

Fan Bingbing was more familiar with Lü Rui, and she immediately took his arm, her face beaming with smiles.

In contrast, Li Bingbing, whose relationship with him wasn't close enough, could only stand aside and force a smile.

She actually wanted to collaborate with Ruishijie, but several attempts to communicate with them failed.

Including the "Sunny Sisters" project, they were eliminated in the first round of auditions.

The 32-year-old's resume was immediately rejected when it was presented.

Of course, if she's willing to play a middle-aged character, Zhao Peng would definitely be happy to give her that opportunity.

But she herself couldn't accept it; after all, who would want to dress up as if they were old?

There's a rule in the industry: actresses should never play older roles if they can play younger ones; this is the foundation for maintaining their acting career.

Of course, Li Bingbing would be interested in trying to play Fan Bingbing's mother and hear her call her "Mom," but she'd rather skip the others.

"Come, Director Lü, Director Zhao, please take a seat."

Wang Zhonglei was very enthusiastic and invited Lü Rui to the head seat, and specially arranged for Fan Bingbing to sit next to him.

Just as he was about to pour the wine, Lü Rui gently pressed down on the glass: "I won't drink the wine, let's have some tea instead. I got caught in the rain at Babaoshan yesterday, and my head is still spinning. I've taken several cephalosporins, but they're not helping..."

You don't drink alcohol?
Wang Zhonglei's smile froze instantly.

How can you do business without getting drunk?
“Mr. Wang, let me drink for Brother Rui,” Zhao Peng said with a smile as he stood up. “He hasn’t been feeling well these past few days, so he brought me here today specifically to have me drink with you all on his behalf.”

The brothers' plans were completely disrupted.

But things have come to this point, we can't just end things here, can we?

"Haha." Wang Zhonglei's face lit up with a smile again. "Bingbing pours the tea, Siyan pours the wine, fill Director Zhao's cup, and urge him to serve the dishes."

Li Bingbing silently got up, sighing inwardly, realizing she was probably going to be running errands tonight.

When Lü Rui arrived, all the original plans were thrown into chaos.

The dishes were served quickly.

Heaven on Earth is now one of the most upscale banquet venues in the capital, so the food is naturally excellent.

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, you can see many beautiful girls dressed in various outfits dancing on the stage in the lobby on the first floor.

If it weren't for the need to avoid falling into a "pit," Lü Rui would have been quite interested in experiencing the thrill of "listening to music in a brothel."

After several rounds of toasts, the two brothers exchanged a glance and roughly understood the situation.

There's no way I can get Lü Rui drunk tonight, so we'll just have to have a frank talk.

Seeing that the time was right, Wang Zhonglei winked at Shuang Bing and Huo Siyan: "You guys go sit in the lounge over there for a while, I need to talk to Director Lü about something."

Although the three women were somewhat puzzled, they tactfully got up to say goodbye.

Before leaving, Huo Siyan and Fan Bingbing waved to Lü Rui, but he ignored them.

Wang Zhongjun noticed this and his heart stirred slightly. He suddenly realized that the game he had put together tonight was completely useless.

However, he actually felt a greater sense of respect for the young director, Lü Rui.

He doesn't drink alcohol, and he views women as mere skeletons in disguise—that's quite rare in this circle...

At this moment, Zhao Peng smiled and stood up, saying, "I'm going to the restroom. You guys chat first."

After saying that, he turned around and left the private room, carefully closing the door behind him.

The private room fell silent instantly, leaving only Lü Rui, Wang Zhonglei, and Wang Zhongjun.

Lu Rui put down his chopsticks, picked up a tissue to wipe his mouth, looked up at the two brothers opposite him, and waited quietly for them to speak.

Wang Zhonglei cleared his throat and cut to the chase: "Director Lü, the reason I invited you here tonight is actually to discuss the alliance between Huayi and Ruishijie."

Lu Rui didn't reply, but merely raised an eyebrow slightly, signaling him to continue.

"You see, Ruishijie has been very strong in recent years. Films like 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,' 'The Prestige,' and 'Taken' are all more impressive than the last. But ultimately, we are still mainly focused on film production."

Wang Zhonglei counted on his fingers, analyzing with certainty: "But there is a big loophole here. Your side lacks a stable pool of artists and a mature management system."

Making a movie always requires casting; you can't just go out and pick actors every time, can you? It's time-consuming and makes it hard to guarantee a long-term working relationship.

At this point, he changed the subject and brought up Huayi Brothers' situation: "As for Huayi Brothers, conversely, our strength lies in talent management, and we have a lot of artist resources at our disposal. However, in the past two years, we have indeed been somewhat weak in production, lacking good projects and blockbuster hits..."

Sitting to the side, Wang Zhongjun added at the opportune moment: "If you want to grow big in the film and television industry, you definitely can't do it alone. Huayi has channels, connections, and a mature artist management network."

"Ruishijie has top-notch content creation and production capabilities. If our two companies could join forces, it would be a powerful alliance!"

“That’s right.” Wang Zhonglei picked up the conversation and put forward the core proposal, “So I was thinking, how about we do a share swap partnership?”
Huayi holds a portion of Ruishijie's shares, and Ruishijie also holds a portion of Huayi's shares, forming an alliance where they are intertwined.

In this way, resources can be shared, risks can be shared, you can prioritize using our artists in your film productions at lower fees than elsewhere, while our artists can increase their value and receive returns through your good projects, and finally you can profit from your shareholding. Isn't that a win-win situation?

After speaking, he stared intently at Lü Rui, awaiting his reply.

However, Lu Rui suddenly laughed after listening: "President Wang, the alliance you mentioned is not actually an advantage for me, because Rui Vision has never thought about getting involved in artist management since the day it was founded. It's not that we can't, it's that we don't want to."

He looked up at the two brothers, his tone calm yet undeniably firm: "Why am I so determined to become a producer? Because the producer is the core of resources."

As long as I have good projects, I will always be the one choosing people, not the one being chosen.

"I can choose whichever actor I want from the entire domestic entertainment industry, and I can use whichever actor I want. Why tie myself to a few artists?" Wang Zhonglei and Wang Zhongjun's expressions froze, their previously enthusiastic thoughts feeling like they had been doused with cold water.

Lu Rui continued, "You say Huayi's advantage is its talent agency? But in my opinion, that's actually a shackle."

Once you sign an artist, you have to fight for their resources, protect their status, and even accommodate their schedules and temperaments.

But I'm different. I'm the client. If an actor wants to be in my production, they have to follow my rules. If they don't meet the requirements, I'll replace them. There are plenty of people waiting to take their place.

He abruptly changed the subject, his tone suddenly becoming sharper: "Besides, is it difficult for me to become a broker?"
If I were to announce now that I'm going to sign artists, given the popularity of the sequel to "Taken" and "Sunny," plus the new projects I have in hand, how many actors do you think would be scrambling to get in?

Not to mention the channels in Hollywood, how many people are begging for a chance to appear on the international stage?

"The $1.5 million blockbuster 'I Am Legend'—I can name whoever I want to play the role. Do you think Zhang Ziyi would be tempted?"

These words struck the two brothers like a heavy hammer blow.

They finally realized that the artist resources they were so proud of were actually no bargaining chip in Lü Rui's eyes.

The other side has the ability to "create the pie," while they only have the ability to "steal the pie."

Even if Lü Rui were to enter the brokerage business, it would be hard to say whether Huayi could even maintain its existing scale, let alone have any advantages.

The air in the private room suddenly became heavy. Wang Zhonglei opened his mouth to refute, but found his throat tight and he couldn't say a word.

Lu Rui was telling the truth, and it was the truth they were most unwilling to admit.

The situation has completely reversed, and the rhythm has been reversed as well!
Seeing the two brothers remain silent, Lü Rui picked up his teacup and leisurely began to drink.

Why bother with artist management? It's too complicated.
If you want to invest in the future, find a few artist studios like Hongxingwu, exchange resources for shares, and you can still make money continuously. Why give up Ruishijie's equity?

Moreover, Hua Yi is not worthy of exchanging with him.

He wouldn't even look down on their meager profits.

The negotiations have reached a stalemate.

Tonight's dinner party seems to have been a complete waste of time.

Wang Zhonglei clenched his fists, then loosened them again, feeling utterly powerless.

What Lu Rui thought were the key to victory turned out to be utterly worthless in his eyes.

It makes sense, really. Resource providers are already at the upstream in the production business, while artist management can only be secondary. Moreover, Ruishijie is currently thriving, and Huayi in its current state doesn't seem to be worthy of a share swap with them...

But at that moment, Wang Zhongjun, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

His tone was as calm as if he were talking about something insignificant: "Since Director Lü doesn't agree to the share swap, how about we try a different approach, with Ruishijie holding shares in Huayi?"

Wang Zhonglei suddenly turned to look at his older brother, his eyes filled with astonishment.

But Wang Zhongjun ignored his brother's reaction and continued to say to Lü Rui, "Director Lü is somewhat aware of Huayi's current situation."

To retain artists and restore their former glory, what's lacking is a compelling project.

We can offer equity to Ruishijie, on the simple condition that Ruishijie projects provide more opportunities for Huayi artists. Remuneration is negotiable. If we're looking for partners, we also hope Huayi will be given a chance to contribute.

Lu Rui raised an eyebrow, quickly calculating the cost in his mind.

By holding shares in Huayi Brothers, one can receive dividends and have their artists' fees reduced to half price, thus significantly increasing their profit margin.

More importantly, he clearly remembered the path Huayi would take next.

Going public is absolutely a done deal. When the time comes, I can cash out my shares and make a huge profit!

As he was pondering this, Wang Zhonglei couldn't hold back any longer and was about to retort, but was stopped by a look from Wang Zhongjun.

Wang Zhongjun was well aware that the company was in crisis and that stabilizing the situation as soon as possible was the key; temporary profits and losses were insignificant.

As long as we can hold our ground, there will be plenty of opportunities to turn things around in the future!
"How many shares does Chairman Wang plan to give?" Lu Rui asked, raising his eyes, his tone softening slightly.

“5%,” Wang Zhongjun announced the figure.

Lu Rui shook his head and demanded an exorbitant 20%.

"20%?!" Wang Zhonglei could no longer contain himself, his voice trembling. "That's impossible, that's too much."

Keep in mind that the share they negotiated with Ma Yun was only 13.5%! They were eyeing Alibaba's resources.

If we give Lü Rui 20% now, what's the difference between that and handing the company over to someone else?
Wang Zhongjun remained calm, knowing that Lü Rui was deliberately inflating the price, and shook his head with a smile: "Director Lü, this joke is a bit too much, at most 8%."

Lu Rui silently began to calculate again.

8%, based on the previous peak stock price of over 60 yuan, the market value was nearly 900 billion yuan, and this portion of equity was worth 72 billion yuan.

Even if it gets diluted later, making 4-50 billion is no problem.

All he gave up was a few roles for Huayi artists, and they might not even be leading roles.

As for new project investment, it doesn't matter who it's invested in, right? Besides, Huayi can indeed be of great help.

After much deliberation, this deal seems quite worthwhile.

With this thought in mind, a smile appeared on his face, and he picked up his teacup and gently clinked it against Wang Zhongjun's: "Then I wish Huayi greater and greater success."

The meaning of this statement couldn't be clearer.

He agreed!

A hint of relief finally appeared in Wang Zhongjun's eyes: "The cooperation needs to be announced to the public. Director Lü should have no problem with it, right?"

"Of course, no problem." Lu Rui knew they wanted to use this opportunity to create hype and suppress the voices outside who were pessimistic about Huayi.

Since they have already benefited, it's fine for them to use this as a pretext.

Moreover, compared to Orange Sky, Lü Rui actually had a better impression of Huayi.

The main reason is that Wu Kebo is entirely supported by Japanese capital; he's just working for a small company.

Imagine this: the financial backer of a leading Chinese entertainment film and television company is actually a Japanese man?

How many traitors will this subtly create?
In contrast, even if Huayi continues to make questionable moves in the future, at least it is still a local company.

Besides, things are relatively stable now, with not too many unexpected problems. At worst, we can just wait until the timing isn't right, make a quick buck, and then back out.

It's worth billions; why not take it?

Watching Lü Rui chatting happily with his older brother, Wang Zhonglei stood aside, feeling as if his heart was bleeding.

However, he didn't hate Lü Rui for asking for an exorbitant price; instead, he vented all his resentment on Cheng Tian and Wang Jinghua.

If they hadn't pulled the rug out from under us, how could Huayi have ended up having to sell shares to get quick and stable?

A few minutes later, Shuang Bing, Huo Siyan, and Zhao Peng returned to the private room one after another.

Seeing that Lü Rui was chatting happily with the Wang brothers and the atmosphere was exceptionally harmonious, the group secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but a question mark remained in their minds.

What exactly did they achieve in that short time?
Just as he was wondering, Lü Rui suddenly looked at Zhao Peng and asked, "Didn't Bingbing and Siyan go to audition for 'Sunny Sisters' today?"

Zhao Peng immediately understood and nodded in response: "Yes, the audition results were all quite good."

"Then let's just finalize it," Lü Rui said casually, offering a return gift.

The Wang brothers gave him such a generous gift, so arranging two supporting roles is nothing; it's a good opportunity to demonstrate their sincerity and strength.

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhonglei immediately burst into laughter: "Bingbing, Siyan, why don't you quickly toast Director Lü and Director Zhao?"

Fan Bingbing and Huo Siyan quickly stood up, raised their wine glasses, and toasted with beaming smiles, their eyes revealing their joy.

Li Bingbing watched from the side, her heart filled with envy, yet she could do nothing about it.

She simply cannot accept playing middle-aged female roles, unless it's for her to play Fan Bingbing's mother, she would never agree to it.

But just then, Lü Rui suddenly looked at her and casually said, "I'm preparing for a new project recently, and there's a role in it that would suit you quite well. Are you interested in giving it a try?"

Li Bingbing's eyes lit up, and she quickly asked tentatively, "What movie?"

"An award-contending film."

"Awards?" Li Bingbing was overjoyed and quickly flattered, "The size of the role doesn't matter. It's an honor to work with Director Lü. I'm happy as long as I get to show my face!"

She knew in her heart that with Lü Rui's abilities, getting nominated or shortlisted would be a piece of cake if he wanted to win an award.

This opportunity is absolutely rare and hard to come by!

Lu Rui added, "Just letting you know in advance, the role isn't high-ranking. There's another role that's prepared for Liu Yifei. You two will be listed together, is that alright?"

"No problem!" Li Bingbing agreed without even thinking.

These words, however, stirred something within Fan Bingbing.

She has always been sensitive about the order of billing in the credits.

In "Sunny Sisters", Liu Yifei is the female lead, and although I am also listed in the same billing, I am actually a supporting character.

In the award-contending film that Lü Rui mentioned, Li Bingbing's role is actually the same as Liu Yifei's.

This shows what?
It's clearly a move to heavily promote them!
Considering Ruishijie's investment in Hongxingwu, Liu Yifei, as a "Ruishijie Girl," has a constant stream of resources, and her treatment is vastly different from that of other female stars...

This made her even more determined.

Once my contract with Huayi expires, I must find a way to join Lü Rui!
Since Ruishijie doesn't do artist management, it can simply open its own separate company and invite Ruishijie to invest in it.

We've had a meal and the deal has been finalized.

After chatting for half an hour, the drinking party naturally came to an end.

Zhao Peng drank quite a bit, but Lü Rui didn't touch a drop.

When Fan Bingbing and Huo Siyan offered to give him a ride, he refused as usual, leaving the women with a hint of resentment in their eyes…

However, the two Wang brothers saw this scene as conveying a different message.

This guy is different from most directors and representatives of capital in the industry; he's not interested in women!

However, it is not without its "flaws".

From the conversation just now, it's clear that Lü Rui loves money more than women.

So, if we want to achieve more cooperation in the future, we need to start from this aspect...

(End of this chapter)