Huayu 1999: Starting with nothing but getting something for nothing

Yang Che remained calm: "If you don't agree to this supplementary agreement, I'll have to withdraw my investment. President Fan, after all, this isn't a joint venture between you and me, and the other two investors aren't individuals either. Please consider my situation. If my proposal is used, that's fine, but if it's not, that won't do. I still need to deal with those two TV stations in the future."

Having said all that, Fan Xiaotian simply nodded silently. He couldn't deny that he was overjoyed to have regained his 5%, but the more overjoyed he was, the more he admired the young man in front of him who was a full twelve years younger than him.

Hey, Yang Che's loss is actually a blessing in disguise.

Afterwards, Fan Xiaotian said that people from seven TV stations had arrived in Nanjing, and they would talk to each of them one by one in the afternoon.

Yang Che was annoyed as soon as he heard this: "President Fan, you should know about CCTV's GG bidding king, right?"

"You mean sealed bid auction?"

"Yes, we won't talk to each station individually. We'll have a closed-door meeting tomorrow and just discuss one thing: a guaranteed 15% viewership rating. Then we'll set a floor price, like 25 per episode for a four-channel broadcast and 17 per episode for an exclusive broadcast. Then we'll have them write down the list."

So the two of them talked about this issue from the restaurant back to their company on Changjiang Road. Finally, they communicated with two TV stations from Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. Since the two stations were both sellers and buyers, they finalized the deal.

Before we knew it, it was 10:30 a.m. the next day.

In a hotel conference room, Fan Xiaotian, sitting at the host's table, held a quarter-sized A4 sheet of paper, swallowed almost imperceptibly, coughed lightly, and spoke into the microphone:

"Thank you all for your support. I hereby announce that 'Spring Bright Pigsy' will be broadcast first-run on four satellite TV channels: Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Sichuan, and Dragon TV, and will also enjoy second-run broadcast rights. The four channels have jointly offered 28 yuan per episode. Thank you."

A quiet round of applause broke out in the meeting room; everyone knew what was going on.

The four companies whose names were called bowed to the people from their respective stations, looking quite pleased with themselves.

Yang Che thought to himself: Just enough to break even.

At this moment, he was sitting between Yang Wenyong from Dragon TV and Xiao Yi, the deputy manager of the import department of Hunan TV. These were the two people he talked to the most. He initiated the conversation with the former, while the latter approached him to talk.

Hmm... Xiao Yi is a woman, about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, with a round face, high nose, bright eyes, and wearing gold-rimmed glasses. Her women's suit makes her look very mature and sophisticated.

The other party was sending a very clear signal, and they were doing so right now, as their pointed leather shoes were rubbing against Yang Che's calves.

Yang Che felt very aggrieved. If the other party didn't have this identity, he would have been happy to have sex with her, since she looked so plump.

But just thinking about the other person's identity made Yang Che feel humiliated. Even touching her thigh felt humiliating. Hmm... it felt really good.

Hmm? Why did you ask me to touch it? It's to build a good relationship with the TV stations, just like how he tried to leave a good impression on each of the sixteen TV stations present.

If I don't touch it, wouldn't I offend them?

After the bidding process ended, there was a press interview session, which was naturally attended by local and surrounding reporters.

Fan Xiaotian and director Meng Ji talked at length about the significance of "Spring Bright Pigsy" and how hard the director and actors worked, and then Fan Xiaotian said:

Halfway through filming, one of the investors withdrew their funding. Actually, we were already 80% done. I approached many people, but none would agree to invest. Just when I was about to take out a loan, Yang Che invested. I only found out later; he decided to invest half an hour after receiving the script.

When he invested, he told me that China is currently lacking in films and television dramas that combine entertainment and intellectual depth.

The TV series "Spring Bright Pigsy" can completely appeal to all age groups. The mythological and humorous plot can attract children and teenagers, while the exploration of human nature and the love story can attract adult audiences... It is a family-friendly TV series.

To be honest, I didn't have as much confidence in "Pigsy" as he did, but after listening to him talk about it, I was deeply impressed.

At the time, I felt that it was a blessing for China's literary and artistic circles to have Yang Che.

The 26% average viewership rating of Tianjin Cable TV also proves his vision and judgment.

The fact that his film "My Sassy Girl" sold tens of millions of dollars in copyright fees before its release proves his ability.

I admire him greatly and am extremely grateful.

After he finished speaking, the TV station buyers who were listening in applauded, especially the four stations that were broadcasting the first episode. They looked at each other and realized that the "age coverage" part could be perfectly worded for the trailer if modified.

The reporters were also very excited; the more interesting the story, the better, especially stories of helping someone in need and ultimately receiving a good reward.

So the reporters pulled Yang Che aside for another interview.

"I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it. Mr. Fan is a scholar, so it's normal for him to use some rhetoric in his speech."

"The money for the investment was borrowed from a boss, really, it was for Fan Zeping, the director of 'My Sassy Girl'. I knew Fan Xiaotian when I was in school, and Zhongshan Magazine was a must-read for me."

"Yes, I heard he was short of money for filming, so I thought this was an opportunity. When I looked at the script, it was indeed true. Boss Fan trusts me quite a bit, haha."

"What? Fan Bingbing? Tianya? I don't know, I haven't been online. I've been filming a new movie in Hong Kong for a while."

"They're both pretty... but I prefer Fan Bingbing. Why? Because she calls me 'brother'."

"I'm not an actor, I'm a screenwriter. The director is Wu Shih-hsien, finally not someone with the surname Fan, haha. The movie is a secret for now, everyone will find out later."

As the conversation drew to a close, a female journalist asked, "Yang Che, you said you were in Hong Kong a few days ago. Was the guy in the photo Wang Fei's new love interest, as mentioned by the Hong Kong media, you?"

Yang Che's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly regained his composure. In today's media environment, it's perfectly acceptable to be involved in two film crews simultaneously in Hengdian, and to have girlfriends on each crew, all without any consequences...

Unfortunately, the object of his affections was Wang Fei, so Yang Che could only say:

"You know that? Oh, online. I saw those Hong Kong media reports. The guy in the photo is indeed me. I just happened to run into him and we talked for a bit. You guys don't know Hong Kong entertainment reporters? They just start with a picture and make up the rest."

"Okay, thank you everyone for your support of 'Spring Bright Pigsy' and for supporting me. Thank you."

"........."

Having finally shaken off the reporters, the group of film purchasing managers began discussing the afternoon and evening's activities.

Yang Che naturally couldn't participate.

Yang Wenyong said, "No way, how can we go on a night cruise on the Qinhuai River without you?"

Yang Che looked regretful: "It's not that I'm making excuses, but I have to go back to Beijing to register for graduate school at the Beijing Film Academy. There are only one or two days left."

"I see, that's the important thing. Oh, by the way, are you coming to the Shanghai Theatre Academy?"

"Brother, I'm studying directing."

"......"

Hearing this, Xiao Yi gritted his teeth. "You damn bastard, if you can't do it, why are you messing with me?"

Clearly, Xiao Yi, in his state of unsatisfied desire, had selectively forgotten that she was the one who made the first move—or rather, the first move with her feet.

When Yang Che looked at her, he saw the undisguised resentment in her eyes and was speechless. Sister, you're a respectable person, after all.

However, he didn't say anything and instead went to socialize with other people.

After the hotel's lunch service at noon, Yang Che bid farewell to Fan Xiaotian and many people from the TV station's purchasing department, and then sent a text message to Xiao Yi.

"1618."