Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

the next day,

Company 91 Office

Seeing Liu Lei enter alone, Zhuang Huai'an was a little surprised and asked, "Brother Liu, didn't you say you were bringing people with you?"

"I arranged to meet him at 9:30, but it's only 9 o'clock now. I'll go pick him up later. His home is right next to the Beijing Film Studio."

Seeing Zhuang Huai'an's confusion, Liu Lei handed him a Zhongnanhai cigarette and explained, "Isn't his father a long-time client of mine? I heard some information that might be useful to you."

"What news?"

"Before retiring, Mr. Yang was a leader in the Film Bureau."

Liu Lei exhaled a puff of smoke and said in a low voice, "Moreover, I heard that his brother-in-law is now a high-ranking executive in the optoelectronics industry. I don't know his exact position, but he must be very influential. During the Dragon Boat Festival a while ago, people lined up to give gifts to their family, but the old man didn't accept any of them."

Wow, Zhuang Huai'an was a little surprised. If he had that kind of background, even if the old man's son was a complete idiot, he would still find a way to get him in and treat him to good food and drink.

"Alright," Liu Lei glanced at his watch, stood up, and said, "I've given you the bottom line. You can think about the specifics yourself. I'm going to pick him up now."

"Okay, thank you for your help, Brother Liu." Zhuang Huai'an saw him to the door.

Tsk, see? This is the benefit of making friends, isn't it?

Not long after,

Liu Lei led a refined-looking middle-aged man into the room.

"Hello Director Zhuang, I've heard so much about you. My name is Yang Chen."

Yang Chen was dressed in a sophisticated royal blue suit, his hair was slicked back, and he wore gold-rimmed glasses, looking every bit the pragmatic elite.

"Hello Mr. Yang, please have a seat."

Zhuang Huai'an shook hands with him and sat down in the main seat to start making tea.

"Mr. Yang, I heard from Brother Liu that you just returned from Hollywood? Would you mind telling me about your experience?" Zhuang Huai'an brought the two of them a cup of tea.

"Of course it's convenient," Yang Chen said politely, tapping the table and then taking a resume out of his bag and placing it on the table.

"I graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts. After graduation, my professor recommended me to MGM Studios, where I was mainly responsible for the production of low-budget films. I only returned to the United States this July."

MGM?

Zhuang Huai'an casually flipped through the resume. It was very well written. In a place like Hollywood, for a Chinese person to become a producer was already quite impressive.

"A veteran Hollywood mogul, it seems your professor values ​​you highly. With such a bright future, why are you considering returning to China?"

"It was a last resort."

Yang Chen shook his head and said with a wry smile, "My father fell seriously ill at the beginning of the year, and the old man refused to go to the United States with me. I am the only son in the family, so I can only bring my wife and children back to take care of my parents."

Reflecting on MGM's development, Zhuang Huai'an smiled and thought to himself, "Your filial piety saved you; you're lucky you ran fast."

MGM has been losing money since the 90s, and Wu Baige will deliver the final blow next year, followed by continuous bankruptcies and restructurings. Under such circumstances, Yang Chen, who is of Chinese descent, will definitely be among the first employees to be abandoned.

Zhuang Huai'an lit a cigarette and smiled, "Mr. Yang's resume is excellent, but China isn't Hollywood. I'd like to hear your views on the mainland market?"

Although the decision to hire Yang Chen has been made, his answer will determine which position Zhuang Huai'an will place him in.

"A vast blue ocean with unlimited potential!"

Yang Chen took a deep drag on his cigarette and said seriously, "To be honest, I've always considered returning to China to develop my career, but my original plan was to first establish myself in Hollywood and then return as an investor. However, plans don't always go as expected."

Putting aside my father's illness, just considering that for a Chinese person like me to want to become a producer on an A-list production in Hollywood is as difficult as climbing to the sky.

Yang Chen shook his head with a gloomy expression and continued, "After I returned to China, it wasn't that no company wanted to hire me, but I never said yes because, in my opinion, those companies were really... too amateurish."

Zhuang Huai'an nodded in understanding. After all, a great white shark that has fought in the ocean would not go to a small stream to keep company with shrimp.

Elites are allowed to have their own arrogance.

"But you are different. Five Cannes Film Festival awards at 18 and a Golden Lion at Venice at 19. This honor has even made Hollywood take notice of you. Your future is limitless."

Frankly speaking, with your current achievements, even top Hollywood producers would be willing to work for you.

Yang Chen's words made Zhuang Huai'an very happy.

"So, do you have any ideas about 91 Company's development path?"

"some."

As if he had expected it, Yang Chen took out another document from his bag and handed it over.

The steps written out above are quite clear, but there's only one key point.

While centering on Zhuang Huai'an, the organization also needs to invest in high-quality projects and build its own screenwriting team.

Zhuang Huai'an nodded; this idea coincided with his own.

Normally, it's unhealthy for a company to rely on just one person for long-term development, but he has a cheat code!

As long as he can continuously produce various excellent works, 91 Company will inevitably become a film and television giant.

Yang Chen certainly has the ability, and his ideas are good, but the most important thing he has is the network of connections that Zhuang Huai'an currently lacks the most!

Although he had the protection of the Beijing Film Academy and connections with people like Jiang Wen and Han Sanping, it was still far from enough. Yang Chen's arrival could fill the last gap in this network.

Zhuang Huai'an closed the document, smiled, and extended his hand. "Mr. Yang, I am formally inviting you to join 91 as the General Manager, responsible for all company operations."

Mr. Yang (91)

Yang Chen shivered inexplicably. He quickly stood up, smiled, and extended his hand, "It's my honor. Thank you for your trust, Director Zhuang. I will live up to your expectations."

Zhuang Huai'an found it somewhat amusing that he agreed without even asking about the terms.

"Mr. Yang, your compensation may not be comparable to Hollywood, but it is definitely top-tier in China. In addition to your salary and bonuses from the company, I will give you 5% of my personal annual profit as a bonus."

The reason I use "individual" instead of "company" is because Zhuang Huai'an clearly knows how much money 91 Company will make in the future, and he's patching things up now just in case.

Yang Chen was also somewhat surprised. Although it wasn't a company profit dividend, considering Zhuang Huai'an's personal wealth, this dividend was quite substantial.

"Director Zhuang, it's a pleasure working with you!"

"It's a pleasure working with you!"

After the two shook hands, Zhuang Huai'an called Wang Zhiyong over and asked him to take Yang Chen for a tour of the company so that he could get to know him.

Wang Zhiyong was quite happy. He had long wanted to quit managing the company, but out of brotherhood, he was too embarrassed to tell Zhuang Huai'an, so he could only persevere silently.

Now that Yang Chen has arrived, he can be completely free.

After the two left, Zhuang Huai'an and Liu Lei exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly.

He and Liu Lei have gotten along very well since they met.

Besides the housekeeping and the plump auntie at home, he was also in charge of the canteen at Company 91, which provided meals for more than 100 people every day. The monthly profit was quite good.

But Liu Lei is a very reliable person. He has never cheated on the food arrangements, and the meals prepared by the aunties have received unanimous praise from everyone in the company.

People who don't play tricks are always favored.

For this reason alone, Zhuang Huai'an was willing to be with him.