My teacher is Bruce Lee, who dominated Hollywood.

Chapter 174 Project Initiation Negotiation

Sunset Tower, Los Angeles.

The afternoon sun shone through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, making the Han's Film Studio office steamy hot.

The atmosphere in the office was equally vibrant.

"I'm very sorry, Mr. Walker, this is absolutely not an excuse—"

Michael Ovitz loosened his tie with one hand and gripped the phone receiver with the other, a fine layer of sweat beading on his forehead.

This super agent, destined to dominate Hollywood in the future, was bowing and nodding repeatedly at the air, his voice filled with extreme caution.

"Yes, yes! I assure you, the boss really is only away on a business trip for two days. As you know, Han's Film Studio puts its all into every project, especially when working with a great studio like Disney—"

Just then, footsteps echoed down the corridor.

The solid wood door was pushed open, and Qin Han strode into the office carrying a heavy black combination lock leather suitcase.

Upon seeing that familiar figure, Michael, as if granted a reprieve, quickly spoke into the receiver, "Mr. Walker, please wait a moment. Our boss has just walked into the office. I'll hand the phone over to him immediately."

Having said that, he rushed forward as if holding a hot potato, handed the receiver to Qin Han, and mouthed silently, "Disney president, Card Walker! He's pressing for the script!"

Qin Han casually tossed the black briefcase he was carrying onto the large mahogany desk. The briefcase struck the solid wood with a dull thud, causing the stacks of documents on the desk to vibrate slightly.

He unbuttoned his trench coat with one hand, took the phone receiver, and instantly his calm eyes were filled with the passion and determination unique to a producer.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Walker. I am Qin Han."

On the other end of the phone, Card Walker was clearly annoyed by Hans Films' "loss of contact" over the past few days. The collaboration on "The Little Mermaid," which had just been agreed upon, hadn't even received an outline, which made Walker, who was eager to save Disney's animation division, feel somewhat anxious.

"Qin! You've finally shown up. If Ted Ashley hadn't assured me you weren't some con artist making empty promises, I would have thought you were going to quit!" Walker's tone was somewhat sarcastic. "The Disney artists are getting impatient. When exactly will that idea for the red-haired mermaid be put on paper?"

"Mr. Walker, I think Disney will be more patient in waiting for a blockbuster that breaks box office records."

Before the other party could object, he gave a precise deadline: "Three days. At 10 a.m. three days from now, I will personally visit Disney headquarters with the complete script outline and the core music producer we just recruited."

Silence fell on the other end of the phone. Walker's pent-up anger ultimately failed to surface in the face of Qin Han's confident tone.

"Okay, it's a deal. I'll be waiting for you in my office in three days." Having received a definite promise, Card Walker finally hung up the phone.

Michael let out a long sigh of relief, took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and then reported on his work: "Boss, those two musicians you brought back from New York," he said, "I've done as you instructed and rented a quiet apartment for them."

At this point, Michael's expression became extremely strange, even revealing a hint of undisguised resentment.

"But boss—forgive my bluntness, those two don't really seem like the kind of people who can write music worthy of Disney's A-list productions."

Michael still finds it somewhat unbelievable when he recalls picking someone up at the airport last night.

The young man named Alan Menken was wearing a faded, cheap jacket and had messy hair.

And the lyricist, Howard Ashman, exuded a pungent odor.

The two men standing in the glamorous Los Angeles airport terminal looked more like hippies begging for change on Hollywood Boulevard than music producers!

"You think they're trash?" Qin Han pulled out a chair and sat down, looking at his CEO with amusement.

Michael saw through his thoughts, coughed twice, and tried to make his words sound more tactful: "I just feel that it's too risky to hand over the core of an animated film that concerns the reputation of Hans Films to two off-Broadway fringe people."

Qin Han stood up, walked to his desk, and tapped the black leather suitcase lightly twice with his fingers: "Do you remember the homeless man I picked up at the drive-in theater in the San Fernando Valley?"

The name Paul Schrader immediately popped into Michael's mind.

"Boss, you mean—" Michael swallowed hard, realizing he had once again made the grave mistake of judging a book by its cover.

Yes, my boss seems to have a terrible magic, always liking to "pick up trash" in the mud at the bottom.

But every time the indescribable thing was picked up, it would eventually be transformed from mud into dazzling gold through the Han family's manipulation!

"Since I promised Walker, I'm going to lock myself in my office for the next three days, and no one is allowed to disturb me." Qin Han said, pointing to the black leather suitcase on the desk. "Keep this suitcase safe. As agreed, transfer the two sums of money immediately as required. One into my super account; the other to the escrow account at the University of Utah."

After saying that, Qin Han picked up the pen and a stack of blank manuscript paper on the table, turned around and walked to the office, slamming the door shut.

Michael looked at the closed door and reached out to unlock the black combination lock suitcase.

With a crisp "click," the lid of the box popped open.

When a full million US dollars in cash was neatly stacked before his eyes, the emerald green light made his heart clench violently, and he almost bit his tongue.

He clearly remembered that his boss had flown to Salt Lake City a few days ago to scout out some so-called "computer graphics talent".

In that dilapidated underground laboratory, the boss waved his hand and threw out half a million US dollars.

When Michael heard the news, his heart was bleeding.

Hans Pictures' cash flow was already extremely tight, and it really shouldn't have been so recklessly squandered on a virtual technology that couldn't even be seen!

But now?

The boss only went to Las Vegas for a short time, which was only about a day.

When he came back, he was carrying a million yuan in cash?!

This is even more unbelievable than robbing a bank!

What exactly happened in the Nevada desert? Who willingly handed over this huge box of cash?

He suddenly felt incredibly grateful that he had signed the employment contract with Hans Pictures without hesitation.

With such a powerful and influential boss by your side, Han's Film Industry will become your most dazzling stage!

For the next 72 hours, the door to the boss's office on the top floor of the Sunset Tower remained tightly shut.

Unbeknownst to those outside, a legendary script that would save an animation empire was about to be born in this room.

Three days later, Qin Han's black Dodge came to a smooth stop in front of the administration building on the morning of the third day.

The car door opened, and he, wearing a light gray suit, got out first, followed by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman.

After three days of rest, and with Michael specially hiring someone to do a makeover for them, these two "outsiders" of Off-Broadway finally shed their homeless aura.

He changed into well-fitting clothes, his eyes burning with a fervent, almost fanatical light.

-

Over the course of those three days, they witnessed firsthand what true genius ideas are in this young Asian boss.

When the script, which combined the underwater world with Broadway soul music, was presented to them, they felt that their aesthetic sense had been overturned.

Led by a senior Disney assistant, the three walked through a corridor filled with classic animation manuscripts and arrived at the president's conference room on the top floor.

Kad Walker had been waiting for a long time.

Besides him, two key executives from Disney's animation division were also in the meeting room.

When they saw the two completely unfamiliar young men following behind Qin Han, a hint of contempt involuntarily showed in their eyes.

Is this the "trump card" brought by the big producer who claims to be able to save Disney? I've never even heard of these two people in Hollywood.

Qin Han ignored the questioning looks, walked straight to the conference table, pulled out a chair and sat down.

He simply untied the binding of the brown paper bag, pushed the several stacks of printed script outlines inside in front of Card Walker and the two animation supervisors.

"The Little Mermaid, the script outline."

"This is not a princess in the traditional sense. In this story, the protagonist Ariel is rebellious, independent, and full of longing for the unknown human world."

The three quickly flipped through the script and were soon captivated by the core of the story:

A modern story disguised as a fairy tale, yet hitting the nail on the head regarding the rebellious psychology of contemporary American teenagers!

The underwater concert depicted in the script, the evil and dramatic octopus sea witch Ursula, and the narrative pace that was completely different from Disney animation, showed them a door to a new world.

"This concept is absolutely brilliant." Card Walker looked up, his gaze fixed intently on Qin Han. "But Qin, the soul of an animated film is music. Without a soundtrack strong enough to support this grand story, all of this is just empty talk."

He glanced at Allen and Howard standing behind Qin Han, clearly harboring suspicion towards these two unknown individuals.

Qin Han turned his head slightly and gestured to the two people behind him, "Mr. Walker, music is never just about talking."

In the conference room, there is a Steinway grand piano used for daily sound testing.

Alan Menken took a deep breath, glanced at Qin Han's encouraging gaze, strode towards the piano, and sat down on the piano bench.

Howard Ashman walked over to the piano, unbuttoned his suit jacket, and cleared his throat slightly.

The next moment, Allen's fingers pounded on the piano keys like a torrential downpour.

A string of extremely light, lively, and cheerful chords with a strong Caribbean island vibe!

Then, Howard Ashman took to the air.

He didn't use traditional bel canto, but instead used a somewhat comical voice to match the character of the red crab named Sebastian in the script.

"The seaweed is always greener, In somebody else's lake! You dream

about going up there, But that is a big mistake——.——

This is the initial demo of "Under the Sea".

Howard's lyrics are exquisite, with every syllable perfectly timed to the vibrant beat of reggae music.

He wasn't just singing; he was performing with his voice, showcasing the unrestrained and joyous atmosphere of the underwater world without reservation.

The two animation supervisors unconsciously started tapping their toes to the rhythm, their minds already conjuring up a magnificent image of countless marine creatures dancing gracefully to the music.

As the last chord fell in the conference room, its lingering sound echoed far and wide.

Those two previously unknown Off-Broadway youths now seemed to be shining brightly in the eyes of Disney executives.

Calder Walker took a deep breath, suppressing the surging excitement within him. He finally understood why this young man dared to boast that he would create a masterpiece that would break the curse.

This music, this rhythm, this vitality in the lyrics and melody—it's infusing Disney animation with a new soul!

"A stunning talent." Walker didn't hold back his praise, but his businessman's instincts kicked in, and he still tried to maintain control at the negotiating table: "However, a cheerful tune alone isn't enough—"

"This is just an appetizer; this song is not the main theme."

"Regarding Ariel's core solo song about longing for the human world, I have sent the complete demo master to Hawaii via FedEx."

"Elvis Presley is currently personally auditioning and arranging the theme song. If all goes well, you will be able to hear the first demo of his rendition of 'The Little Mermaid' next week."

Elvis Presley really got involved!

It's important to understand that in this era, top pop stars would never stoop to singing animated film soundtracks.

Once this cross-industry collaboration is achieved, the social sensation and box office appeal it can generate are simply immeasurable!

The last shred of composure in Card Walker's eyes was utterly shattered: "Six million!"

"Qin! Disney has approved a production budget of six million US dollars for this movie!" His voice carried a desperate, almost reckless madness: "That's a full million dollars more than the budget for our recently released 'Robin Hood'! This is the highest animation production budget Disney has ever had!"

When Allen and Howard, who were standing by the piano, heard this astronomical figure, their legs went weak and they almost lost their balance. They looked at each other, and both saw extreme excitement in each other's eyes.

Just a few days ago, they were living in a moldy basement in New York, being verbally abused like dogs for a mere ten dollars a week.

Now, simply because they sang a song, they stand at the center of power in this Hollywood animation empire, witnessing the birth of a six-million-dollar mega-project!

The two Disney animation executives were also taken aback by the president's madness. One of them instinctively tried to dissuade him: "Mr. Walker, with a budget of six million, if there are reworks along the way, it's easy to go over budget. And what about the board of directors—"

"Overspending?" Qin Han sneered. "Tell all the animators in Disney's animation department to unleash their pent-up imaginations, which have been suppressed for years, without reservation!"

"The interplay of light and shadow on the seabed, the refraction of bubbles, the red hair dancing with the waves—all must be perfected to the extreme!"

"Six million isn't enough, seven million it is! If the final production cost exceeds the budget, Han's Film Studio will make up the difference in full!"

"What I want is an absolute masterpiece that will go down in film history!"

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