Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 238 Five times, should the theater chain be sold?
Wanda is naturally the first to be affected, after all, they have been cooperating for so long that they are already intertwined.

After Liu Xiaobing took over Ye Ning's work, he maintained a good relationship with Chen Shouzhe, and the two sides helped each other.

But Chen Shou chose to cooperate with Emperor Entertainment without any prior notice, which naturally made him anxious. Was this a move to ditch Wanda?

That won't do. Chen Shouzhe's films have almost never failed. What will happen if Wanda falls behind?

Liu Xiaobing personally went to Shouzhe Film Studio, where Chen Shouzhe was on the phone at that moment.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ren, it's just a co-production. The investment isn't high. It's just the two of us, that's enough. The main thing is that we need Emperor Entertainment's background in Hong Kong, hahaha. The movie isn't produced by my side, it's being produced by the Hong Kong side." Chen Shou was chatting with Ren Zhonglun on his phone.

Ren Zhonglun, who was in Shanghai, called to inquire as soon as he received the news. It's hard to keep a project a secret in the industry, especially after it has been approved.

Therefore, he did not submit the script for "The Divine Doctor" under the name of Shouye Film Company, but registered another company and submitted it under that company's name.

This is a common occurrence. In the entertainment industry, many big-name celebrities have several registered companies, and they often choose regions with low tax rates.

For example, many large international companies choose the Cayman Islands, which is practically a tax haven. You can see that many large companies choose to register there.

Chen Shouzhe's Blue Star Film Industry is also registered there for legitimate tax avoidance.

Ren Zhonglun couldn't come over immediately, but the moment he received the news, he was the first to call and inquire.

Nobody's a fool; Chen's project is very well-hidden.

If it were a project by Emperor Entertainment, they wouldn't care so much. Chen Shouzhe's script, plus Emperor Entertainment, reminded them of the previous Kung Fu project, which was a good one.

Chen Shouzhe wouldn't let himself lose money. Emperor Entertainment could do it, so why couldn't Shanghai Film Group? Could Shanghai Film Group be inferior to Emperor Entertainment?

"Is there really no chance? What does Emperor Entertainment have that Shanghai Film Group has? They have everything Shanghai Film Group has. If it's a censorship issue, Shanghai Film Group can also help you sort it out," Ren Zhonglun said, still unwilling to give up.

"The script is set in Hong Kong, which is indeed not a good place to film in mainland China. However, filming is now permitted, and the specifics can only be handled by Emperor Entertainment. I'm just providing the script," Chen Shou said dismissively.

In the end, Ren Zhonglun had no choice but to give up. After hanging up Ren Zhonglun's phone, the phone rang again. Chen Shou saw that it was Wang Changtian calling and immediately hung up. He had already rejected Shanghai Film Studio, let alone Enlight Media.

After hanging up the phone with Guangxian, Yu Dong from Bona also called. I answered it briefly and handed it over for the same reason.

Yu Dong sighed as he looked at the phone that had just been hung up. Ever since Kung Fu, Bona had never been able to establish any relationship with Chen Shouzhe's side again; Chen Shouzhe simply wouldn't give him a chance.

Many people in the industry laughed at him, saying that after being stabbed in the back, how could he possibly have a chance?

"What, you want to invest too?"

Chen Shou answered the third phone call and couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes, do you have tickets?"

"Dare you offer a five-fold premium?" Chen Shouzhe teased.

"Then forget it. I can consider it if it's double, but even if I agree to five times, the brothers won't agree," Ye Ning said with a wry smile on the other end of the phone.

If they can get on the ship, it will be a major positive development for Huayi. It will repair their relationship with Chen Shouzhe and be a shot in the arm for Huayi, allowing them to come back to life.

Without a doubt, Chen Shou really has the ability to help them out. Unfortunately, the premium is so high that even if Ye Ning agreed, it would be difficult for the brothers to break even; they would need even more box office revenue to recoup their costs.

The fact that Chen Shouzhe chose to cooperate with Emperor Entertainment Group suggests that the returns will not be as high as they expected. They may have even seen the movie script, which is set in Hong Kong. Nobody knows if it will be well-received in mainland China.

"Haha, the project is almost approved, and there are already no slots available. I told you long ago that there can be no more cooperation between me and Huayi, unless Huayi sells the cinema chain to me," Chen Shou said, spreading his hands.

"Hiss, you're going to buy Huayi?" Ye Ning exclaimed in surprise.

Huayi Brothers' stock has now fallen below ten yuan, leaving them with only a little over 20 billion yuan. And believe it or not, Chen Shouzhe really has the ability to take it all.

"Haha, you're overthinking it. I'm not interested in Huayi, but I would be open to it if Huayi were willing to buy the cinema chain," Chen Shou said, shrugging.

"Come on, that's grave robbing. Forget it, I'm just asking on their behalf. The price is too high, I can't afford it," Ye Ning said, shaking her head.

"Hmm, it seems being a general manager isn't easy for you," Chen Shou said.

"It's not easy to do, but things aren't going well on Wanda's end either," Ye Ning said with a wry smile.

"Although Lao Wang has run into some problems, Wanda Pictures is fine."

“Yeah, back then… never mind, I won’t talk about it. I’ll come to the horse farm to have a drink with you another day. The kids really enjoyed it after we went last time, and my wife even said she wants to take him there a few more times. It’s good for him to learn horseback riding,” Ye Ning said.

"No problem, just let me know when the time comes, and remember to bring some good wine," Chen Shou said.

"It's natural."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Shou shook his head. He and Ye Ning had a very good relationship. Ye Ning had helped him with his first movie, both financially and in terms of effort, so she was his benefactor.

Over the years, he had never mistreated Ye Ning. Unfortunately, everyone has their own ambitions. Ye Ning led a group of people away from Wanda, ultimately following the same path that Deyun Society had taken.

Those people felt they had made great contributions and wanted shares, but unfortunately, Guo didn't give them any.

Similarly, Ye Ning built Wanda Pictures from scratch, but Boss Wang refused to give him shares, letting him continue being a high-earning employee. Who would want to work for someone else their whole life?

Although Zhong Lifan doesn't own any shares, Chen Shouzhe gives her a lot, so she's naturally not dissatisfied. In fact, she'll do her best to make money for Chen Shouzhe so that she can be worthy of the money she receives.

To put it bluntly, Ye Ning's treatment is not as good as Zhong Lifan's. Wanda is a large and powerful company, but they don't pay him as much. Ye Ning's abilities deserve more.

It's normal to part ways. The subsequent Pan Jinlian incident was also related to Ye Ning's departure. Although Xiao Wang said it wasn't, who knows the specifics?

After receiving several phone calls, Liu Xiaobing came to the company in person. Chen Shouzhe's phone was still ringing, and Wang Changtian called again, clearly still unwilling to give up.

Chen Shou ignored him and hung up again.

Wang Changtian, who was in the light, looked at the phone that had been hung up and sighed deeply.

"Are you really not giving us any chance at all? Are you going to cut ties completely? That's too heartless."

(End of this chapter)