Back to 17, My Brother is the Cult Leader

"Understood." Hao Wei paused for a moment, then said...

"Mr. Fang, I have something to say. The reason I'm not going to Huayi Brothers with Sister Hua is not because I have a problem with her, but because I feel that the business model there is not suitable for me."

I didn't come here just to fill a temporary position; I genuinely want to get things done.

Fang Yuan looked into her eyes and said, "Okay. Senior sister, I believe you."

Hao Wei nodded, turned and left.

The sound of high heels clicking on the concrete floor of the corridor was short and forceful, gradually fading away at the end of the corridor.

Li Xinyu arrived the next morning.

She resigned from her job at Shanghai Film Studio to come here.

She stood in Fang Yuan's office, wearing a white dress, with a hint of nervousness on her face, but her tone was firm when she spoke.

"Mr. Fang, I've thought it through. I've already completed the formalities with Shanghai Film Studio, and I want to switch to producing."

Fang Yuan sighed, "How can I possibly see President Zhu again? Besides, you've only been there for a few months, it's too short a time."

"I've already worked on two projects, one TV series and one movie. Although I'm in the position of production assistant, I'm doing all the work. For this position, a sense of responsibility and confidence are the most important. The rest is just communication and coordination."

Fang Yuan scratched his head, picked up a folder from his desk, which contained preparation materials for "Crazy Stone".

He turned to the page with the project team and pointed to a blank cell.

"Production assistant. Let's start with this film, directed by Ning Hao, with a budget of six million and a production cycle of two months. It's your responsibility."

Li Xinyu took the folder, flipped through a few pages, looked up at him and asked, "Don't worry, I'll do my best."

Fang Yuan didn't look up, continuing to flip through the documents on the table.

"Although the time was short, you still came from the Shanghai Film Studio system, so you know the ins and outs of film crew operations better than most people here."

Producing a film is half about budgeting and half about personal relationships. Take your time, we have time.

Li Xinyu hugged the folder to her chest and said, "Okay."

Fang Yuan then looked up at her, his voice softening slightly:

"How can you live with yourself regarding Wang Jinghua's situation?"

Li Xinyu was quiet for a while, then said, "Sister Hua came to see me before she left."

I told her about my desire to work behind the scenes, and she felt that such an opportunity only came from working with you, and that Huayi Brothers wouldn't be a good fit.

Fang Yuan said, "She's a sensible person."

"Me too," Li Xinyu smiled.

In the afternoon, Zeng Li and Yan Danchen came over together.

Both of them had just rushed back from the film set. Zeng Li was still wearing the cheongsam from the movie, with a sun-protective jacket over it, while Yan Danchen was in sportswear and had no makeup on.

Hao Wei had already met with them beforehand, and was now standing beside Fang Yuan's desk, holding two new brokerage contracts in his hands.

Zeng Li glanced at the contract, then at Hao Wei, and turned to Fang Yuan, saying, "Junior brother, I have no problem."

Yan Danchen sat on the sofa, flipped through the contract, nodded, and then suddenly blurted out, "Xiao Ming really left?"

Fang Yuan didn't hide anything from them: "I'm leaving. I'm going to Huayi Brothers with Wang Jinghua."

Yan Danchen paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "I wonder what he's thinking."

The room was silent for a few seconds.

Fang Yuan broke the silence and said, "Alright, don't think too much about it. You've changed your agents now, and Senior Sister Hao will be working with you on set from now on."

"Whatever your ideas, what roles you want to take, how your schedule is, just talk to her directly. She's the one who decides."

Hao Wei, standing to the side, chimed in: "No rush today, let me sort out your schedule for the second half of the year first."

"I'll turn down any non-urgent roles for you, and I'll handle the necessary negotiations. You can focus on filming."

Zeng Li glanced at Hao Wei, then said to Fang Yuan, "Junior brother, you go ahead with your work, we're fine."

Fang Yuan watched the three of them walk away, their backs cast long shadows in the light and shadow of the corridor.

Zeng Li's cheongsam hem swayed gently with her steps. Yan Danchen put her hand on Hao Wei's shoulder and said something. Hao Wei turned his head and replied. The three of them laughed together. Their voices were not loud, but they carried far in the empty corridor.

He returned to his desk, sat down, and opened the calendar on it.

September 2000. With several months to go before the year-end holiday season release of "Big Shot's Funeral," Ning Hao's "Crazy Stone" was still in the pre-production stage and would have to start filming by the end of October at the latest in order to make it in time for the Spring Festival next year.

Xiao Mei knocked and came in. "President Fang, will the funding for Ning Hao's project be approved today?"

Fang Yuan removed the pen cap and signed the approval form. "Approved today. Also, notify the production team that the first preparatory meeting will be held tomorrow at 3 PM."

Xiaomei responded and turned to leave. The door closed softly.

Fang Yuan leaned back in his chair, looking at the fluorescent light tubes on the ceiling, the light so bright it was dazzling.

The crew for "Crazy Stone" has been assembled. Ning Hao is still scouting locations, and Guo Tao has been confirmed to play the lead role.

He took out a pack of cigarettes from the drawer, pulled one out, and lit it.

The smoke rose under the fluorescent lights and dissipated quickly.

Central, Hong Kong.

Ma Huateng sat alone in the coffee shop of the Four Seasons Hotel, opposite Wang Shu, a partner of IDG.

There were no flashbulbs, no media, just two businessmen calculating their own interests.

"Mr. Wang," Ma Huateng pushed a document over.

"This is a letter of intent from Qihang Capital. They want to take over your existing shares."

Wang Shu didn't take the document, but stared at Ma Huateng: "Pony, just who is your screenwriter boss?"

"Mr. Wang, I can't go into the specifics of the background, but you can verify the proof of funds with the bank."

Ma Huateng frankly stated, "Professor Fang is in the cultural industry; his money comes entirely from overseas copyright revenue, so it's all clean."

He just wants to focus on film and television content right now, not on navigating the world of finance, so he's entrusted me with handling everything.

Wang Shu remained silent for a moment.

Of course he checked; the creditworthiness certificate of that Cayman company couldn't be faked.

In the autumn of 2000, the fact that someone was willing to take over the property with real money was itself a rare commodity.

"What about the price?" Wang Shu asked.

"Based on our previous post-investment valuation of $5500 million, your 20% stake would be worth $1100 million."

The figures provided by Ma Huateng are accurate: "The funds will arrive in 3 business days (T+3) and go directly into your Hong Kong account."

Wang Shu picked up his coffee, took a sip, and the bitterness spread across his tongue.

There had long been disagreements within IDG regarding the Tencent project, and after the Nasdaq crash, the pressure on limited partners (LPs) was immense.

If one can exit gracefully at this point, even without any financial return, it would still be a good outcome.

"What about Yingke?" Wang Shu asked.

"I've also spoken with General Manager Li Haixiang, and his attitude is roughly the same."

Ma Huateng said, "Everyone wants to save face, and now is the opportunity."