America: My Time

Chapter 574 Zou Daheng

Chapter 564 Zou Daheng
"What's wrong with you two? Just say what you have to say!" Seeing the two acting a bit strangely, John couldn't help but frown slightly. This wasn't the normal behavior of Cherie Chung and Ye Qianwen.

"Don't be angry when we tell you, our stock investments are stuck!" In the end, it was Cherie Chung who spoke up and said what was on their minds. It turned out that being stuck with stocks was a very common thing in Hong Kong, because 99% of the people in Hong Kong are in the same situation nowadays.

"I thought something serious had happened, but this is nothing. How much money have you been scammed out of?"

“Thirty million Hong Kong dollars! All of our funds are tied up in the stock market!” Ye Qianwen said, revealing their current predicament. It wasn’t a problem for Ye Qianwen and Zhong Chuhong alone, but the key issue was that it wasn’t just the two of them; there were others as well. They didn’t care about making a living, but the other girls were in a different situation.

"The stock market isn't for you. You'd be better off buying a house; at least you won't have to worry about it falling for years. Tell me, whose idea was this time?" Thirty million—that's not the savings of two or three people, but the savings of several. Needless to say, Wang Zuxian and the others are also trapped in the stock market, and now they're heartbroken to cut their losses.

"It was my idea!" At this moment, Chung Chu-hung and Yeh Sin-wen spoke up at the same time, indicating that they had a good relationship.

"Alright, I won't ask whose idea it was. I'll transfer 40 million to you tomorrow. Don't easily step into the stock market again. This is not something you can handle!" John shook his head slightly, not taking it to heart. He knew that there were many similar cases, countless in Hong Kong and even more worldwide. The stock market crash had dragged many people into this quagmire. Those who didn't use leverage were still okay, only their assets shrank. Those who used leverage were completely wiped out.

"Alright, I don't have to worry anymore. Just thinking about what those girls look like makes my scalp tingle. I'll never touch stocks again!" After letting out a sigh of relief, a look of distress appeared on Chung Chu-hung's face.

Thirty million is not a small amount. These women have put up their life savings, and they would be heartbroken if they lost it all.

"Good to know. The situation in Hong Kong is a bit chaotic right now, so you all need to be extra careful. Follow the advice of the security personnel and don't make decisions on your own. Life is precious and not something to be taken lightly! Let them out. I know they must be here too. Don't hide!" For John, this was just a minor accident and nothing serious, but for these beautiful women, it was a different story. They were under considerable pressure.

Soon there was movement upstairs. To John's surprise, Sonny also appeared in Hong Kong, seemingly involved in this investment. Seeing the cautious expressions of the women, John gently shook his head. Although there were only these women present, the 30 million didn't belong to them; it belonged to the other women as well, otherwise they wouldn't be so nervous.

After the stock market crash, security became a priority. As his reputation grew, he needed to pay even more attention to security. John was never careless in this regard, so security was always a focus of his training. He needed to increase security around himself, and his family also needed to increase the number of security personnel.

John didn't say anything more about the failed stock market investments, but he did emphasize the importance of safety. He also mentioned that he didn't have much time to stay in Hong Kong, as he needed to resolve issues in Europe before the end of the year. Once he could sit down with these bigwigs in Hong Kong for tea and a chat, he would have to leave.

"Ouch, my back! Looks like I need to take better care of it. I can't be too careless, or this wonderful life will be shortened considerably!" The next day, John felt a sharp pain in his back and a sense of unease. He didn't want to become one of those future Hong Kong tycoons who had completely lost interest in women. What use would all that money be if he became that kind of person?

John, who had originally planned to rest in Hong Kong for a few days, did not expect to receive a phone invitation from Zou Daheng. Although he did not know what the other party was thinking, John eventually agreed. After all, since the other party had asked Ye Qianwen to speak on his behalf, he had to give him face.

"Mr. Zou, you've gone to so much trouble!" Although he wasn't familiar with this tycoon, John spoke first. Upon seeing the tycoon, John instantly understood his intention, because Jackie Chan was sitting next to him. It seemed that Jackie Chan was still unwilling to accept his failure to break into Hollywood and wanted to try again.

"Mr. John, do you have any dietary restrictions?" This Mr. Zou was somewhat familiar with the American situation; after all, Jackie Chan had several Hollywood ventures and had some experience. American cuisine is relatively simple, but some Chinese dishes are unacceptable to them, such as roast suckling pig, which is a bit of a challenge for them. "Speaking of which, life here is much better. There aren't so many troubles. No animal rights activists coming knocking on our door. In America, it's almost impossible to eat these things!" One thing about Hong Kong is that it's much better than Europe and America: they don't care much about table manners and have a strong drinking culture. They're willing to discuss everything over drinks, so John was very relaxed and didn't mind at all.

"I'm glad Mr. John is satisfied. Please don't stand on ceremony!"

"Mr. Zou, you're here this time because of your attempt to break into Hollywood, right? You've failed several times, but you're still not giving up, are you?"

"Indeed, we are still somewhat unwilling to give up, and no film company in the world can resist the allure of Hollywood. We still want to give it another try, so we would like to hear your opinion."

“Mr. Zou, times have changed. If you look at Hollywood with old eyes, you will never succeed. Besides, you haven’t figured out the preferences of the North American market, so no matter how hard you try, you will only fail.” Of course, John didn’t say anything about the racial issue. Everyone actually knew how self-righteous those Americans were.

Zou Daheng had collaborated with Hollywood several times and naturally knew how arrogant those guys were, but he didn't see that in John, this big shot. It was precisely because he gradually understood this big shot's preferences that Zou Daheng took such initiative.

In reality, Hollywood doesn't care about national identity or art; it's all about profit. Just look at how those Hollywood giants behave under the pressure from Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media. Without enough profit, all art is fake and can be discarded. If you can't make money, even if you make something spectacular, it's useless.

"We know, and that's precisely why we're asking you for advice!"

"I wouldn't presume to offer my advice; I can only offer my opinion, since I don't know anything about filming sky shadows!"

"Please enlighten me. Everyone in the industry knows your name. You are the best screenwriter in Hollywood!" This wasn't entirely untrue. John's novels and screenplays have never failed, which is why Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media have expanded so rapidly—because they have sufficient funds.

"You're exaggerating. I do not understand filmmaking, but I do understand what the market needs and what the audience thinks. In Hollywood, Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media have been criticized as an art wasteland because we hardly invest in art films and only make commercial films. All we want is commercial success and audience recognition. Heroes and individual heroism are the roles that the North American market likes the most."

Although it's just a sentence, those outside the industry won't understand the secrets behind it. As for the issue of cooperation, that's not John's business. It's up to Zou Daheng to negotiate with Legendary Entertainment or Phoenix Group. Whether it succeeds depends on their capabilities and the costs they invest.

After a conversation with Zou Daheng, John was also struck by a thought: perhaps he should also set up a presence in the Chinese market. After all, it was a huge market with a massive population. Even if only one percent of them went to the movies, it would still be the largest box office market. And indeed, it became the largest box office market in the future.

Planning ahead isn't difficult, since no one has realized this yet. If Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media could take the initiative to speak out, perhaps things would turn out differently in the future. Not only the Chinese-language market, but also Japan should plan ahead. They should learn from Sony in this regard. They gained acceptance and dominated the Japanese film market by continuously adding Japanese elements to their movies.
Never doubt Hollywood's integrity; they have none. For them, anything is permissible as long as there is profit. They even dare to swindle money from Wall Street. Therefore, Hollywood is merely a commercial market and never cares about art. So-called art is all fake; everything is about profit.

However, such a transformation cannot be achieved overnight; it requires gradual and persistent effort. The two major media groups will need to make gradual changes, increasing the number of Asian faces to first capture the large Japanese market. If this step is successful, everything will be possible, since Japan is currently the largest film market in Asia.

Internal cooperation within Phoenix Media Group alone is insufficient; Hollywood's involvement is also necessary. Only in this way can they firmly grasp this market and transform Japan into a box office stronghold for both media giants. However, this requires time and significant effort. Unfortunately, I don't have much time this time and can only put it aside for now, offering only a brief reminder. Detailed solutions will have to wait for the right opportunity. Without good timing and good actors, there will be no gains. Phoenix Media Group's strength is still insufficient; it needs to advance further!
(End of this chapter)