Huayu: Returned Overseas Chinese

"Mr. Chen, where are we going now?" Xu Hu asked in a low voice from the driver's seat.

"East Third Ring Road, China World Trade Center," Chen Jingming said casually without looking up, preparing to go and see the company headquarters.

Sitting in the back seat, staring at his phone, Chen Jingming hesitated whether to call Liu Yifei. The timing was right; it was a little after seven in the US.

After hesitating for a moment, Chen Jingming put his phone away and looked out the window at the rushing scenery. His decision to return to China to invest in cinemas and the film industry was, arguably, largely driven by personal motives. In his previous life, Liu Yifei was known as a "blood bank" in the entertainment industry, primarily remembered for her television roles, with consistently poor film performances.

I don't know if it's due to my acting skills or something else, but no matter what I do make, my fame doesn't increase. When I was in the United States, I considered whether I should study directing, but I just don't have the talent. I can't even handle basic composition, so I have to find another way.

This was Chen Jingming's original intention in returning to China to invest in cinemas and the film and television industry. As long as he became a part of the industry, he could help Liu Yifei get the most suitable role for her and help her go further. After all, this girl had lent a helping hand to Chen Jingming several times when he was most desperate when he was successful in his previous life. She was definitely his white moonlight.

The car slowly stopped in front of the China World Trade Center. Chen Jingming opened the car door, and Lin Dan was already waiting outside.

"President Chen." Lin Dan stepped forward and called out softly, then turned around and introduced to the people behind her, "This is Mr. Chen Jingming, the boss of our Hongyuan Investment Company."

"Good morning, Mr. Chen," the crowd behind him called out in unison. Chen Jingming smiled and nodded, then walked into the building side by side with Lin Dan, saying in a low voice, "Mr. Lin, is this kind of grand entrance appropriate?"

"Suitable? Why not? After all, how much year-end bonus everyone gets depends on your attitude, doesn't it?" Lin Dan replied cheerfully.

Upon hearing this, Chen Jingming raised his hand and gave Lin Dan a light tap. Then, the group entered the elevator and stopped on the sixteenth floor.

As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, Lin Dan introduced the buildings to Chen Jingming: "Mr. Chen, the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth floors all belong to our Hongyuan Investment Company. It cost a total of about 65 million."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jingming looked around and found the space to be quite large, so he asked, "Approximately how many square meters is one floor?"

"Around 1200," Lin Dan replied with a smile. Chen Jingming glanced at the list casually, then smiled and said, "Let's go, let's find a meeting room to talk about something. Oh, and let's get the senior executives over too, I want to introduce them."

Lin Dan nodded, turned around and said a few words to his secretary, then led Chen Jingming toward the main conference room.

Pushing open the door, Chen Jingming glanced around and saw that there were about thirty people who could sit down. He then handed the documents in his hand to Lin Dan and said with a smile, "These are coordination documents from the foreign company. They are the key to getting in touch with the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and China Film Group. Please keep them safe."

Lin Dan took the document, glanced at it, then closed it. He gestured for Chen Jingming to sit in the main seat, and sat in the first seat to Chen's left. He said softly, "Mr. Chen, I looked into the market this morning, and there are a few projects that seem quite promising. Should we invest?"

Hearing this, Chen Jingming raised an eyebrow and smiled, saying, "Tell me, what projects have piqued your interest?"

"Mr. Chen, I've heard that several films will start filming next year and are currently in the preparation stage, including 'Hero,' 'Warriors of Heaven and Earth,' 'Big Shot's Funeral,' 'Looking for a Gun,' 'Infernal Affairs,' and 'Together,' a total of six films," Lin Dan blurted out. This CEO, who only arrived yesterday, is already in work mode.

Of these six films, Chen Jingming was most impressed by Zhang Yimou's "Hero," which was hailed as China's first commercial blockbuster and officially ushered in the era of blockbusters.

"You want to invest, but have you considered whether others will accept it?" Chen Jingming thought for a moment before asking.

"Why not?" Lin Dan looked at Chen Jingming curiously, not understanding why he said that. After a pause, he continued, "Having someone help share the risk, isn't that the most normal choice in the investment world?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Jingming smiled, stood up, walked to the window, looked at the people coming and going below, and said with his back to Lin Dan, "President Lin, I'm glad you're starting work now, but before you decide to invest, you should first understand the situation of the film project initiator. Take Zhang Weiping, the initiator of 'Hero,' for example. He doesn't have a good reputation in the industry. He's very selfish and won't even give face to Han Sanping, the vice chairman of China Film Group."

"Zhang Weiping?" Lin Dan murmured. He wasn't doubting Chen Jingming's words, but rather curious why, as an investor, he didn't even have the awareness to share investment risks.

"Mr. Chen, what about the others?" Lin Dan walked to Chen Jingming's side and continued to ask.

Upon hearing this, Chen Jingming shook his head and explained, "Warriors of Heaven and Earth, Big Shot's Funeral, and The Missing Gun should all be produced by Huayi Brothers. The Wang brothers aren't easy to deal with; they're a bit unscrupulous. As for Infernal Affairs, I also have high hopes for it, but the Hong Kong film industry is xenophobic. Let alone us, even China Film Group wouldn't have a chance. Whose project is 'Together'?"

"Chen Kaige, the director who made 'Farewell My Concubine,' is very famous," Lin Dan recalled for a moment and said.

Chen Jingming nodded upon hearing this, saying nothing more. This great poet Chen, it seems, apart from "Farewell My Concubine," hasn't made much money from his other films. However, he himself is a top-tier investor; he makes a film, builds a film studio, and collects rent as long-term property, making him a sort of semi-industrialist.

"No rush. Let's set up the stage first, then we can consider investment. We'll invest if there are opportunities in the next two years, but we're not in a hurry if there aren't," Chen Jingming said after thinking for a moment.

Lin Dan nodded, then turned to look at Chen Jingming and said with a wry smile, "Mr. Chen, did you already anticipate this, which is why you started with the cinemas?"

"I guess so. After all, China has been a society based on personal connections for thousands of years. Although we are also descendants of the Chinese nation, we are not in the same circle, so they won't easily let us in," Chen Jingming said cheerfully. He wasn't discouraged at all that he didn't get the chance to invest in several potentially lucrative films.

"Knock, knock, knock." A knocking sound rang out. Chen Jingming and Lin Dan returned to their seats, and a moment later, the door was pushed open, and a large group of people entered one after another.

Everyone took their seats according to their departments. Lin Dan stood up and smiled at the company executives, saying, "Let's have a meeting today so everyone can get to know each other. This is our company's boss, Mr. Chen Jingming. Be warm and welcoming when you see him. After all, whether everyone can have a good New Year depends entirely on Mr. Chen's mood."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter. Chen Jingming knew that Lin Dan was joking; after all, it was the first meeting, and there was no need to be too serious.

Chen Jingming raised his hand to signal everyone to quiet down. He smiled and said, "Don't listen to your General Manager Lin's nonsense. I'm just a hands-off manager. General Manager Lin handles all the big and small matters in the company. I don't usually come here much. Today, I'm just here to introduce myself to everyone and, by the way, to get a sense of how far our company's development has progressed."

Lin Dan nodded upon hearing this, then turned on the projector, took the pointer, walked to the front, and began to explain: "President Chen, the first project of our Hongyuan Investment is to build or acquire properties to create a chain of cinemas. Everyone, look here."