Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

Yang Che just called Secretary Zhang out to discuss business, specifically the evening's entertainment arrangements.

As the saying goes, Sino-Japanese friendship depends on South Korea, and Sino-Korean friendship depends on Japan.

But finding Korean women who can speak Chinese, and Japanese women who can speak Chinese, is indeed quite difficult. Fortunately, this is Shanghai after all.

After some effort, Secretary Zhang finally managed to find it.

Korean women ask for $3000, and Japanese women ask for $5000.

Yang Che personally instructed the two men over the phone that they must say they were third-tier actors from South Korea/Japan when serving customers, otherwise they would be penalized, but they would be rewarded with 500 if they performed well.

After the matter was settled, Secretary Zhang looked at Yang Che with an expression that was simply infuriating. If someone like him couldn't succeed, who could?

Indeed, later at the Osmanthus Pavilion of the Shangri-La Hotel, Yang Che led Cheng Er and the two sides had a very pleasant conversation.

Cheng Er tried to sound sophisticated by talking about the plot, while Yang Che realistically discussed the distribution, with Secretary Zhang accompanying them.

Zhao Bingyuan and Fukasawa Kazuo both agreed with the idea of ​​releasing the film on Christmas Day. Yang Che didn't discuss the specifics further, saying they would talk about it in detail tomorrow morning and that they should go back and think about it, since Yang Che only accepts revenue-sharing distribution.

Outside the hotel, Yang Che pointed to a Mercedes-Benz not far away and whispered a few words to Zhao Bingyuan.

Slightly drunk, Zhao Bingyuan shook his head repeatedly: "Thank you for your kindness, but I am not interested in women."

Yang Che said seriously, "President Zhao has misunderstood. She is a Japanese actress who is proficient in acupressure therapy. It's just for relaxation, nothing more."

Zhao Bingyuan glanced at Fukasawa Kazuo, who was chatting happily with Cheng Er not far away, and his eyes lit up with an alarming gleam: "A Japanese woman?"

Yang Che smiled and nodded.

A hint of awkwardness flashed across Zhao Bingyuan's face: "Then I shall accept your offer."

"Don't be so polite. Even without any cooperation, we are still friends who get along very well."

"Yes, friend."

"Please, President Zhao, go back and rest early."

Yang Che escorted Zhao Bingyuan to the Mercedes-Benz. In the back seat sat a woman in a kimono. When the car door opened, she bowed. Hmm, she looked like she was doing very well in her career.

At that moment, Zhao Bingyuan felt that Yang Che was his benefactor... However, he had no time to think about his benefactor; as soon as he got into the car, he gave the driver the hotel address...

On the other side, Kazuo Fukasawa and Yang Che followed the same method.

"Yang Chejun, thank you for your kindness, but I am old and really can't do it."

Yang Che inwardly scoffed: "Come on, in that other timeline, he was a sponsor of the Bilibili UP master 'Eating Poor Dao.' He'd seen their documentaries and knew that the majority of Japanese AV disc consumers were over 60..."

"Mr. Fukasawa, please don't misunderstand. She is a Korean actress who is proficient in Korean-style bone-setting massage. You've been working so hard lately, so please relax."

Fukasawa Kazuo glanced subconsciously in the direction Zheng Bingyuan had left, then suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. Then I thank Mr. Yang Che for his hospitality."

Yang Che smiled gently: "No need to be so polite."

After another Mercedes drove away, Yang Che's smile vanished, he let out a long sigh, and plopped down on the steps.

Cheng Er hesitated, it was the first time he had seen Yang Che so tired. Based on his understanding of Yang Che, this was not physical fatigue, but mental exhaustion.

"Our movie is already very good, why bother with this?"

"Because we're not famous, and because everyone else is doing it this way. Alright, Lao Cheng, you've gotten so thin you're practically an oval face, I'm not going to arrange anything for you."

Cheng Er sat down next to him on the steps, expressionless: "No way, I'm waiting for you to treat me."

Yang Che smiled and patted his arm: "You've worked hard, Lao Cheng."

Cheng Er twitched the corner of her mouth and looked away at the sky.

"It's getting late, let's get some rest, Che-ge."

"I can't sleep. Let's go sit by the river for a while. You don't need to keep me company."

As Yang Che spoke, he stood up and waved his hand. It was only about 300 meters to the riverside walkway. Although it was already 10 o'clock, there were still quite a few people walking or jogging.

If early autumn is the best season in Beijing, then late autumn is the best season in Shanghai. Almost every day is sunny, the air is crisp and clear, and a gentle breeze blows along the river. Yang Che, who is only wearing a shirt, can still feel a slight chill, but he likes this chill.

He didn't know what was wrong with him. Perhaps it was the sentimentality unique to reborn individuals, or perhaps he simply couldn't decide whether to sell the copyright readily or insist on revenue sharing.

When Lao Fan said in front of everyone that the domestic profits of this film would be shared, the nature of the matter had already changed.

So he insisted on splitting the profits, because that way everyone would get a bigger share. But it would be very tiring, and he couldn't just do whatever he wanted, because he knew he wasn't just doing his own thing.

But deep down he was extremely unwilling to expend so much energy for money.

Someone asked, "What about the profits from overseas sales? They have nothing to do with other people." You can't say that. The impact of exporting and then reselling domestically is enormous in today's world, especially in the cultural industry.

As he walked slowly, pondering, Yang Che suddenly turned around when he passed a tall woman with an oval face wearing a red jacket.

"Hello, are you Dong Qing?"

"Hello there."

The woman turned around with a professional smile, and her eyes lit up when she saw the person in front of her.

Yang Che raised an eyebrow. This woman was very different from the "CCTV First Sister" that people would later see. Her jawline had definitely been surgically altered, and her eyes had also been opened. Because now her face was very round, and her eyes were a bit small.

Seeing her stop and turn around, Yang Che, who hadn't been thinking much about it, suddenly became interested. Her legs were really long.

"You're here for the film festival too?"

Dong Qing paused for a moment, then said, "No, I was just taking a walk. Is there something you need?"

Yang Che gave a friendly smile: "Is CCTV so free?"

Dong Qing paused for a moment, then said, "I'm not from CCTV."

Yang Che still didn't understand, but he wasn't embarrassed at all. He said in a serious tone, "I'm sorry, I haven't watched many of your programs. I always thought you were from CCTV because your demeanor didn't seem like that of someone from a local station, so I remembered your name."

Dong Qing smiled and said, "Thank you for the compliment, but are you saying my program isn't good?"

"I'm a film producer and screenwriter, so I don't watch TV very often. Please understand."

"Who are you?"

"Hello Dong Qing, my name is Yang Che, nice to meet you."

"Hello Yang Che, nice to meet you. Uh... I think I've heard your name before."

Yang Che smiled and said, "I wrote Wang Fei's new song 'Fleeting Years' and Sun Nan's 'I Believe'."

Dong Qing's mouth opened slightly, her eyes lighting up with delight: "Yes, yes, one of our entertainment news programs mentioned it. I was wondering why. Hello, um? Didn't you say you're a screenwriter and producer?"

"Yes, those two songs were written by me for the movie. Hmm... it's a bit chilly. May I invite you into the Shangri-La for a seat? I heard from the receptionist that the Zijing Lounge is quite nice."