Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

Yang Che thought to himself: If it's released uniformly and piracy and cover-ups are strictly controlled, 5000 million yuan can be made without even lifting a finger, and doubling it is not impossible.

Of course, he only thought about it for a moment. Han Sanping's appearance clearly showed that he had seriously considered it. But too much of a good thing can be bad, so he withdrew.

Yang Che then asked Han Sanping to help contact the Shanghai Film Festival, as he wanted to talk to the Korean importers who were still in Shanghai.

Han Sanping readily agreed.

Today was truly a fruitful day!

Then Yu Dong was called in, and he had no objection to the joint issuance.

As a result, Yang Che's share as the production company will definitely not reach the original 37%, and he will have to give up another 5%, which is 32%.

The cost of the film copy is paid by China Film Group Corporation (CFGC). It is not included in the investment amount but is counted as distribution expenses. This part is calculated first when the box office is settled.

It is tentatively scheduled to be released on December 24.

The conversation was very simple, because it all depended on the outcome of Yang Che's trip to Shanghai.

After saying goodbye to the old Japanese man, Yang Che hurriedly left, calling Liu Chang to meet him at the studio.

When the guy arrived, he was accompanied by a girl who looked a bit rustic, but had very nice features, especially her beautiful eyes. With a fawning expression, she took the initiative to say, "Hello, Brother Che, my name is Ma Shu, Liu Chang's girlfriend."

Yang Che looked at Liu Chang, then at Ma Shu, and asked, "How old are you?"

Ma Shu was a little confused: "18, born in '81."

Liu Chang quickly explained, "Brother Che, she was born in February and just graduated from the dance department of the PLA Academy of Arts."

Yang Che nodded and smiled, "Sorry, I was thinking about something else and was a bit stubborn. Make yourself at home, there's ice cream or something in the fridge, we need to talk about something."

Ma Shu flashed eight teeth, her eyes filled with admiration: "Thank you, Brother Che."

Liu Chang turned on the computer and let her play with it before going into the reception room to find Yang Che.

Yang Che, who was making tea, asked, "What's going on?"

"It's my girlfriend. I was just finding her a tutor because she's preparing for the entrance exam for the Performance Department at the Taipei Film Academy."

"Didn't she graduate from the PLA Academy of Arts? Wasn't she assigned to a unit?"

"This year there's military reform, bro, no more divisions. Anyway, what's up?"

Yang Che raised an eyebrow and didn't bring it up again; he wasn't qualified.

"You don't need to participate in the Saw project anymore. I'm planning to release 'My Sassy Girl' this Christmas."

"What?"

"Sit down, is your butt made of springs?"

Then Yang Che briefly explained what had just happened.

Liu Chang was much calmer than Han Sanping, and simply asked, "How confident are you?"

Yang Che waved his hand and said, "50%."

Liu Chang almost coughed himself to death.

Yang Che continued, "The reason I put you in Beijing is to cooperate with Yu Dong's side and provide promotional materials for his media. And most importantly, the studio needs to add nine more computers."

"You want to open an internet cafe?"

"Yarn Internet Cafe, I need you to hire people to form an online marketing team. Have them talk about this movie in all the chat rooms and forums online at the right time—the plot, the actors, the events, anything goes. The key is to get a wide reach. Before that, have them learn computers, practice typing, and register accounts on every forum imaginable."

Liu Chang's eyes widened: "This is...this is...isn't this just an internet scam?"

"That's right, the early stages were just rehearsals, and after the release, it was a constant barrage of activity."

Liu Chang quickly figured it out: the internet is instantaneous, so he should take action during the movie screening.

"You need to do user research first. Fine, I'll tell you, I've already done it. Look."

As Yang Che spoke, he pulled out a piece of paper, which contained statistical analysis of current internet users in China.

Among internet users, 85% are male and 15% are female; the age distribution is most concentrated between 21 and 30 years old, accounting for 62%; and the highest level of education is undergraduate, accounting for 75% of the total respondents.

The main locations for internet access are: 47% at work, approximately 44% at home, and 9% elsewhere; 28% are paid for by their employers, 46% are self-funded, and 26% are both; the primary purpose of internet access is to obtain information from various sources, with 56.8% choosing this option, followed by learning new computer technologies, work-related needs, leisure and entertainment, accessing free resources, and convenient external communication…

"What conclusions can you draw from this data?"

"They are all highly educated people, and they should all be quite wealthy."

"So our little one was supposed to be the villain from the start, spouting all sorts of idiotic remarks."

"I understand, the art of thick-skinned ruthlessness. We have to do it the other way around. Once most people on the internet become semi-illiterate, we'll have something meaningful to say."

"Wrong, they're practically illiterate. Even if you have something to say, do you think they can understand it? They'll just call it garbage. Okay, let me explain the steps to you in detail."

The two chatted for a long time, and Yang Che even gave Liu Chang some examples.

These are things that Yang Che never told Dong and Han Sanping. Although this matter will inevitably be exposed sooner or later, he will not admit it even if it is exposed. A cat teaches a tiger, and the skill of climbing trees must be kept to oneself.

Until Ma Su knocked on the door.

"Liu Chang, Che-ge, I've bought some food. You guys can eat and chat."

It's already 12:30.

Liu Chang laughed heartily, looking at Yang Che with a hint of smugness.

Yang Che gave him a thumbs up, satisfying the child's vanity.

During the meal, Yang Che asked about it.

Ma Shu then spilled the beans, saying that after graduation she had nowhere to go, but she didn't want to go back to her hometown, so she went to Beijing to work. Before meeting Liu Chang, she lived in a red brick tenement building in the northwest of the Beijing Film Studio. She had worked as an extra and as an emcee. One night, she was followed on her way home, so she rushed into the Beijing Film Studio and bumped into Liu Chang.

Then the two met, and then Ma Shu fell in love with Liu Chang at first sight.

Yang Che subtly sensed that Ma Shu was lying, but he didn't say anything, only giving her a meaningful look.

Ma Shu seemed to be burned and immediately dodged away.

Yang Che's guess was correct. Ma Shu did see Liu Chang surrounded by a large entourage in front of the Beijing Film Studio, and she also heard people calling him "Producer Liu." Seeing that Liu Chang was quite handsome, and being alone and vulnerable, she naturally had her eye on him. So Ma Shu began to stake out the area, and after a long time, she finally managed to bump into him by chance, then devised a plan...

At this moment, Ma Shu was very flustered. She could tell that Liu Chang, who was particularly kind to her, trusted Yang Che very much, and Yang Che was indeed an extremely capable person, just as Liu Chang had said.

However, Yang Che didn't let her panic for long. After finishing his meal, he chatted with Liu Chang for a few more minutes before leaving. Before leaving, he kindly told Liu Chang to take Ma Shu with him often and let her get to know people, saying that she might find some resources.

Ma Shu was so moved she almost cried...