Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 209 The situation is tense
The phone wasn't answered, and the person was already at the company. The problem was that Chen Shouzhe hadn't gone to the company either; he was at the horse farm.

The Lunar New Year is almost here, and the atmosphere is festive. The children are the happiest because they've received so many gifts lately.

"Mom bought this."

"what about this?"

"Grandma bought it."

"what about this?"

"My aunt bought it."

A whole bunch of festive clothes. Everyone knows he has a daughter, and he's become a doting father. It's better to please his daughter than him. Before the New Year, many people had already bought things and sent them to the horse farm, noting their names on them, or saying so in advance on WeChat.

Otherwise, Chen Shouzhe would not have accepted the package from an unknown sender; he would have simply refused to accept it.

"There are too many clothes, and these too. Tell them not to send any more." Chen Shou looked at the huge pile of things, dozens of outfits in total, including princess dresses and red, festive tiger-head clothes.

They were all washed and dried before being taken out, because so many people were giving them gifts, even to people who weren't even close to me.

Since the film "Operation Northern Myanmar" was approved, many people in the film and television industry have been eyeing it. In just half a day, quite a few acquaintances have already started calling.

"Your phone is so hard to get through to."

"I'm really impressed with you, how come you have time to come?"

“I knew you must be at the horse farm, Xiao Caiyu, hurry up and call her aunt.”

Zhou Xun rushed over, bringing her husband with her. Regardless of whether the child wanted to or not, she grabbed him and hugged him tightly.

"dad!!!"

Chen Caiyu mistook her for a bad person and hurriedly called for Chen Shouzhe.

"Don't scare my daughter." Chen Shou went up and took his daughter. The daughter clung tightly to his neck, looking at this wicked aunt with suspicion.

"It's only been a blink of an eye, and the child has grown up so much."

Why don't you want one?

"Forget it, I'm too old for that kind of spirit."

"If you have the ability, it's better to have one."

How many have you had?

"I want you to manage."

"How come I never realized you were this kind of person before?"

"I'm too lazy to talk to you. We don't have any roles, but you can have dinner here."

"Wow, the script just passed the review and you've already decided on the roles?"

"Yes, it's basically settled, but the second male lead is still undecided and we're still hesitating."

Who is the male lead?

"Zhang Hanyu".

Where's the female lead?

"What do you think?"

"Damn it, forget it, I can't beat them." Zhou Xun cursed.

They stayed for a meal and then started a mahjong battle, with the master and apprentice teaming up to take down the couple, while the master's wife watched the fun with several children.

The couple went home that evening, and the next day Chen went to the company to prepare for the meeting. Representatives from China Film Group, Shanghai Film Group, Wanda Film Group, and Xi'an Film Group were present.

The agreed-upon seven companies are no longer needed; the share has already been agreed upon. As for Daqian World and Deyun Society, he will act as their agent.

Chairman La came in person this time. With a mainstream commercial film like The Great Wall flopping so badly, if he doesn't take action, he doesn't know how much criticism he'll receive.

Ren Zhonglun from Shanghai Film Group also came in person, Liu Xiaobing from Wanda Film Group, and the deputy general manager from Xi'an Film Group who had previously contacted Chen Shouzhe was there.

The four people looked at each other in the meeting room.

"Why are you here?" Ren Zhonglun asked.

"Xi'an Film Studio has joined this time too?" Director La's expression was rather unpleasant.

"Chen Shouzhe is one of our own family in Northwest China. I heard there were some hiccups during this review process, haha." Xi'an Film Studio's deputy general manager chuckled.

Director La and Director Ren didn't look too good. They knew that Chen Shouzhe's script had been submitted, but they hadn't informed him. Obviously, Xiying knew and even helped, which was why Xiying was able to participate. They started to worry about their share. After all, besides Xiying, Jincheng was also there this time. Jincheng's absence meant that their share had already been determined. Chen Shouzhe's side was definitely going to take the lion's share, leaving them with very little. Moreover, Chen Shouzhe was obviously going to leave it for Wanda and his elders.

"It can't be less than last time," Ren Zhonglun muttered to himself. Last time, the percentage was 10% for the "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy" operation. If it's less this time, it will be hard to explain to the higher-ups.

Liu Xiaobing watched the three state-owned enterprises clash, remaining calm and composed. He sighed inwardly, noting that Wanda Pictures' stock price had been falling due to the stock market, and that its business, apart from cinemas, was already struggling. However, Wanda's financial reports consistently featured one noteworthy piece of information: its partnership with Shou Zhe Films.

Many financial institutions are saying that Wanda Pictures is only able to survive because Chen Shou is keeping them afloat, forcibly supporting them and providing them with business.

Now that Enlight Media and Chen Shouzhe have fallen out over shareholding issues, Wanda has taken over the distribution business that originally belonged to Enlight Media. With this film project being approved, Wanda will be able to recoup some of its losses.

Chen Shouzhe pushed open the door and came in. The four people looked at him, but only Liu Xiaobing stood up and shook hands with him. The other three sat down and smiled and nodded.

"Enough with the small talk. You are all high-ranking leaders with many official duties to attend to, so I won't go into details. The film budget is 200 million. Shouying Film Studio will take 30%, Golden Shield 15%, Daqian World and Deyun Society 10%, and the remaining 45%. How will you four divide it?"

“China Film Group can cover the entire cost,” Director La said confidently.

"Nobody's short of 100 million, and Shanghai Film Group could take it all." Chairman Ren said irritably.

"Xiying Film Studio isn't greedy; this time we want 20%."

"Wanda can invest 20%."

"Does it mean they want 5% of China Film Group's revenue?"

He had already seen the benefits of patriotic films during the movie "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy," and he was determined not to miss out this time. His bottom line was that he had to be at least 30% as much as Chen Shouzhe.

That's why he came in person. Although China Film Group has been struggling in recent years, it's still a leading state-owned enterprise, so how could it possibly give in?

Chen Shouzhe's project is always the biggest piece of the pie in the domestic film and television industry. Now, countless people outside are eager to get in. Those internet tycoons are waving their money around. Who is short of money?
What they lack are projects, and good projects.

Anyone with eyes can see that Chen Shouzhe is capable of creating great projects, and everyone wants to get on board.

The four argued their case, but Liu Xiaobing didn't care whether they were from state-owned enterprises or not. He worked for the largest cinema chain in China, and with a guarantee of screenings, he had already secured a share of the market.

Watching the four of them argue, Chen Shou picked up his phone and started looking at the movies. There were quite a few competitors during the Spring Festival season, including Wang Baoqiang's India, Jackie Chan's Yoga, Korean Air's Ride, Boonie Bears, and many more.

They are all rivals, all formidable opponents. Last year, Wang Baoqiang's wife cheated on him, and now everyone is feeling sorry for the child. Jackie Chan goes without saying; he's over sixty and still fighting. Han Hang has already left another tall giant behind, and the movie still has a certain fan base.

However, they all knew that their biggest enemy was Chen Shouzhe, and very few companies could beat Chen Shouzhe at the box office.

The four of them discussed it but couldn't come to a conclusion.

With four companies each holding 45%, no matter how they divided it, it wouldn't work; there was an extra 5%. In the end, Chen made the final decision.

"Xi'an Film Group will take 15%, and the remaining three will each take 10%. Wanda, China Film Group, and Shanghai Film Group will jointly distribute the film."

"Why?" The three were puzzled, but the deputy general manager of Xi'an Film Studio smiled.

(End of this chapter)