Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

"Why don't you two have some tea first? It's making me uncomfortable just looking at you!"

Zhuang Huai'an felt somewhat helpless; Han Sanping and Professor Ren had been staring at each other for over half an hour.

Staring for so long, won't your eyes get dry?

Old Ren is something else. If you're going to come for tea, fine, but he made a point of passing by the entrance of China Film Group. Isn't that just deliberately provoking Han Sanping?

91 and China Film Group are right next to each other. Old Han caught a whiff of the opportunity and rushed over, probably afraid that if he was a step too late, his achievements would slip away.

"Old Ren, do you guys at Shanghai Film Studio have any shame? You've only just finished a few bites of your meal, and you're already trying to steal food from my plate?"

"Is what you're saying, Mr. Han, that Director Zhuang is your prey?"

When it comes to verbal sparring, Professor Ren, a scholar by training, is not afraid of him and will respond with a subtle but sharp retort.

Han Sanping didn't dare to accept this. Although that was what he thought, how could he possibly make such a damn thing public?

"Stop, stop!"

Seeing that Han Sanping had lost his temper, Zhuang Huai'an stepped in to mediate, "We're all brothers, a few words are fine, but don't let it escalate into a fight, I'm still here!"

"Director Zhuang, I'm not trying to cause trouble, but Han Sanping's words were really too harsh. It's one thing that he mentions your name every three sentences during meetings at the bureau, but now I'm here to visit you. This isn't his China Film Studio, so there's no reason for him to kick me out, is there?"

Professor Ren was somewhat indignant. China Film Group was their own son, and Shanghai Film Group wasn't their stepmother's child. Since neither parent cared for them, they shouldn't blame the children for finding their own way to survive!

Seeing this, Han Sanping was also a little embarrassed. He had indeed overstepped his bounds today, after all, this was not his home turf.

Old Han is quite a character; he immediately launched cigarette diplomacy and personally lit a cigarette for Professor Ren.

"Old Ren, I misspoke. Please don't mind. You know my temper, I just couldn't stop myself."

"Alright then." Professor Ren exhaled a puff of smoke, thus letting the matter drop.

Zhuang Huai'an looked at the two of them, who seemed to be in perfect harmony, and sneered inwardly. They were both old foxes, what kind of happy ending were they trying to pull?

That's why they say top actors are in politics... cough, let's not talk about it.

Because of Han Sanping's presence, Professor Ren's purpose for visiting was not achieved, and he could only leave with a sense of resentment. Seeing that his opponent had slipped away, Lao Han also returned to China Film Group to continue his work.

Zhuang Huai'an stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, watching Professor Ren's car drive away, shaking his head and chuckling.

Zhuang Huai'an was not angry at Han Sanping's domineering behavior; in fact, he wished the two of them would fight, as that would be most advantageous to him.

However, Professor Ren should indeed be given some incentives; making more friends will broaden his options.

China Film Group has a similar name, while Shanghai Film Group prioritizes profit. Since Shanghai Film Group missed out on "The Martian," they'll have to give Professor Ren a hand in the next film. Sharing the spoils is in line with his "timely helper" persona.

What should we film?

This question troubled Zhuang Huai'an for several days, and he still couldn't find the answer even after he landed in Los Angeles.

Half a year later, Yang Chen looked a bit chubby, and he exuded a kind of capitalist corruption about him. It seemed that he had been living a very comfortable life during this time.

Zhuang Huai'an didn't mind. He had been using people like cattle and horses for so long, couldn't he at least let them enjoy themselves a little?

If the water is too clear, there will be no fish. If you do things well, everything else is fine. But if someone dares to mess around, in the United States, the Power Brothers have a hundred ways to teach them to see the world anew.

Do you even understand the value of a lottery?

"Boss, Wen Ziren is about to lose control."

Yang Chen smiled happily, "Universal offered $1 million, and Columbia went even further with $1.2 million for three films in five years. The James Wan brothers are already eager to get involved and have expressed their willingness to accept the offer in several interviews."

"That's normal."

Zhuang Huai'an laughed too, "Even after deducting the $6000 million penalty for breach of contract, they can still get half. Who could resist such a temptation?"

Hollywood directors and actors dream of joining the $20 million club.

"So, should we respond?"

"No rush, let the bullets fly for a while."

Zhuang Huai'an sneered, "The hype hasn't peaked yet. $6000 million isn't enough. Spread the word that I'm interested in selling the development rights to a series of sequels, including Saw, for a total price of $2.5 million. The condition is that James Wan must be included in the deal, and the penalty for breach of contract will be calculated separately."

Yang Chen clicked his tongue in amazement; this was clearly an attempt to completely exploit Wen Ziren's value.

"This price...I'm afraid..."

"Like Master Zhuang fishing, those who are willing will take the bait." Zhuang Huai'an smiled meaningfully.

Hollywood has no shortage of screenwriters or directors, but it lacks talent who can perfectly integrate screenwriting and directing.

James Wan was a talent during his time making horror films like "Saw," but most of his works were produced in advance by John Chong. If he only directed "Fast & Furious," James Wan wouldn't be worth $6000 million.

The news shocked the entire Hollywood community as soon as it was released.

It's worth noting that these horror films played a significant role in MGM's turnaround.

Kirk panicked and rushed over from Las Vegas immediately.

"An, can I take this as a sign that you want to cash out and leave MGM?"

"Relax, Kirk."

Zhuang Huai'an poured a glass of whiskey and handed it over. "This is just a strategic adjustment by Sugar Heart Company. Wen is my man, and I have the right to control him."

"But he also talked about MGM's strategic development."

Kirk's eyes sharpened. "Besides, I'm also one of the shareholders of Sugar Heart Company. You can't bypass me on this kind of decision."

"But you only have the right to profit sharing, don't you?"

Zhuang Huai'an smiled easily, "The responsibility for Sugar Heart Company and MGM rests on my shoulders. You have no right to make Sugar Heart's decisions."

"I'm the president of Comic Glam! Not you!"

Kirk was somewhat indignant. "I can easily exercise my rights as a major shareholder. With just a few Wall Street tricks, you'll be kicked out and sent back to China penniless!"

"You can try? I'm barefoot, why would I be afraid of you wearing shoes?"

Zhuang Huai'an didn't mince words. "Thirty-sixth on the Forbes rich list, what a prestigious title! Get this straight, in your current business empire, is the casino more important, or is MGM more important?"

Kirk was speechless, his face darkening.

After a long silence, seeing that he couldn't intimidate Zhuang Huai'an, Old Kirk softened his tone considerably, "Don't you want to give me an explanation?"

"We're all in this together, who the hell am I supposed to explain this to?"

Zhuang Huai'an loosened the buttons on his collar, finally revealing a hint of the arrogance of a second-generation mine owner.

"Kirk, you and I are essentially the same kind of people. Neither of us loves movies; we just treat them as a business. So, theoretically, our goals are aligned."

"Screw your movie dreams! When you were thinking of selling your shares to Sony, I knew that sooner or later we'd both leave MGM. So why not join forces and grow this business together?"

Upon hearing this, Kirk fell silent again, and Zhuang Huai'an ignored him, continuing to smoke.

In fact, both of them knew that this argument was just an act. The core issue was that Kirk wanted to take control of the deal and profit from it.

This is because James Wan's personal contract is not with Sugar Company, but with his personal employment contract with Chong Wai-On. The copyrights for "Saw" and other films are held by another shell company, which is simply affiliated with MGM.

Moreover, Zhuang Huai'an was well aware that Kirk's purpose in coming was to lower the price.

It wasn't about pressuring James Wan, but rather the derivative rights to those horror films. Kirk would never allow these films to leave the MGM system, so the best solution was to acquire them under the MGM name.

But Zhuang Huai'an had anticipated this, which is why he added the condition of packing up Wen Ziren. Kirk arrived impatiently as soon as the fishing hook was lowered and the bait was not even attached.

The two thousand-year-old foxes were tired after putting on a show, so Kirk lit a cigar and regained his casino tycoon demeanor.

"An, you won again. I'll give you a number: $3 million in cash, James Wan plus the series rights, and it will be integrated into the MGM Studios system."

"No, I want 3.2 million."

Zhuang Huai'an offered, "And I will remove the restrictions on my shares. After this transaction, I will be free to buy and sell MGM shares."

"impossible,"

Kirk shook his head. "In fact, you and I both know that as long as you're still at MGM, the market value won't collapse. You're at the core of everything. With you behind us, there will be countless James Wans. That's my bottom line."

"Kirk, we always seem to have so many arguments. Partners shouldn't be like this."

Zhuang Huai'an laughed and said, "You should know that even without MGM, I can still dominate Hollywood. Perhaps I could try accepting Universal's terms?"

Hearing the somewhat threatening tone, Kirk remained unmoved; it was just a routine business negotiation tactic.

"An, but you don't have that much freedom."

Kirk continued to shake his head. "I'll give you a bottom line: $350 million in cash, with the equity frozen for three years. You can leave at any time after three years."

"Two years, 320 million, that's my bottom line."

Seeing Kirk deep in thought, Zhuang Huai'an continued, "Two years is enough time for MGM to break the $2 billion market value mark. By then, you will also leave. That is our common goal, Kirk."

"make a deal!"

Kirk picked up the whiskey on the table and drank it all in one gulp, as if trying to swallow his resentment.

"You won again, An!"

"Yes, Kirk, I always win!"