Hong Kong Entertainment 1979: A Beating Up the Manager at the Start

As soon as Li Jiangbo entered the hotel lobby, he saw He Guanchang walking over with Cheng Long, Hong Jinbao, and others.

Upon meeting, the two clasped hands tightly like old friends who hadn't seen each other for years.

He kept showering her with compliments.

The two people talking didn't think anything of it, but those around them got goosebumps listening to their conversation.

When Li Jiangbo arrived at the private room, he saw a foreigner with red hair, and Zou Wenhuai was sitting next to him.

After another round of pleasantries, everyone took their seats.

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes,

Zou Wenhuai coughed twice and began to get down to business.

"Director Li! I'm a few years older than you, so I'll call you Bo-zai today."

"This is Mr. Reagan from Warner Bros. He's here to discuss the distribution of 'A Better Tomorrow' in the US. What are your thoughts, Bo-zai?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jiangbo narrowed his eyes, but he began to make plans in his mind.

Of the three stars from the 80s – Chow Yun-fat, Stephen Chow, and Jackie Chan – only Jackie Chan made it into Hollywood; the others couldn't.

Why? Because Jackie Chan is a man of principle and refused to be someone's lackey. He entered Hollywood, but unwilling to be a mere tool, he returned home.

He only gained a voice on the third and fourth occasions.

As for other people, you just do whatever they say. They think you're obedient, so they'll give you a chance, and then you become their dog.

All of this shows that you can't be too nice to barbarians; if you are, you'll be slaughtered.

Li Jiangbo saw things very clearly, so he was prepared to rip him off. If that didn't work, he would wait for the next movie to come out and see if he was still so arrogant.

Thinking of this, Li Jiangbo asked, "Mr. Reagan, please state your terms."

"Li, I'll offer two million dollars to buy out the theatrical and video distribution rights of 'A Better Tomorrow' in the United States and Europe."

Li Jiangbo picked up the teacup in front of him, blew on it, took a sip of tea, and didn't speak immediately.

Rosamund Kwan's eyes lit up. You have to know that two million dollars is equivalent to ten million Hong Kong dollars!

This is free money, and Li Jiangbo isn't tempted; she doesn't believe it.

Seeing that Li Jiangbo remained silent, Reagan added, "Li, two million dollars is no small sum. You know, we only contributed one million two hundred thousand dollars to Jackie Chan's 'The Young Master'."

Li Jiangbo toyed with the teacup lid in his hand, asking without looking up, "Mr. Reagan, a two million dollar buyout?"

"Yes! This is industry practice in the US, where publishers take on too much risk. You, on the other hand, don't have to give anything to get this money, which seems fair to me."

Li Jiangbo laughed. This foreigner actually talked to him about fairness?

This is really taking advantage of Director Li's ignorance! He just opened his mouth and wanted to buy out all the copyrights for two million, leaving him not even a drop of soup.

He remembered that in later years, Jet Li suffered a lot in Hollywood. Films like "Black Mask" and "Fist of Legend" didn't do well in theaters, but they made a lot of money on video, earning forty or fifty million dollars!

Although "A Better Tomorrow" is an all-Chinese version, it may not be well-received by the local audience, and these people may not understand the romance between men, but that doesn't stop director Lee from negotiating with them.

This coward is really bullying people.

Thinking of this, Li Jiangbo put down the teacup lid. "Two million dollars is fine, but I want a share."

Reagan's expression changed. "Lee, this is against the rules."

"How about this then? You pay five million to buy it out!"

Everyone present was dumbfounded, speechless.

They thought they could do business with foreigners like this? In their minds, it would be a miracle if foreigners agreed.

"Li, I'll compromise. Three million, I'll buy out everything."

Reagan's statement overturned everyone's understanding.

Jackie Chan is in a slightly better position. He was paid one million dollars per film when he went to the United States to make a movie.

Hong Jinbao's eyes turned red. If he were Li Jiangbo, he would have agreed immediately.

Miss Guan gasped in surprise. When did money become so easy to earn?

Li Jiangbo ignored their reactions and insisted that without five million, they couldn't take the copyright.

Although his tone was firm, Li Jiangbo pretended to be hesitant.

The two were frozen in place for a moment, and Reagan quickly gave Zou Wenhuai a look, asking him to put in a good word for them.

This got a little lively. First, He Guanchang came to persuade them, and then Zou Wenhuai followed suit.

Li Jiangbo was overjoyed! He knew this guy was getting anxious.

Seeing Reagan jumping around and acting like a monkey, and seeing him drink three or four glasses of baijiu, Li Jiangbo was happy.

Li Jiangbo only spoke after Reagan finished a bottle of baijiu.

"It seems Mr. Reagan is quite sincere!"

He paused for a moment, then added, "How about this, I'll compromise further: four and a half million?"

Reagan's face turned pale and then red. He thought to himself, "Don't Chinese people like to discuss business over drinks? I drank so much, and I only got a discount of 500,000?"

He believed that he hadn't drunk Director Li properly.

So the tug-of-war continued.

Half an hour later, Reagan collapsed, and he got the price he wanted.

It wasn't that Li Jiangbo was soft-hearted; it was that he knew "A Better Tomorrow" had virtually no market in the United States.

In his memory, although the 86 film "A Better Tomorrow" was also released in the United States, it did not perform well. Warner Bros. bought the rights, but only made money from the videotapes.

Even so, they could make a considerable profit. Considering the size of the Chinese community in the US, the videotapes could probably earn them at most twenty to thirty million dollars.

Four million dollars is enough.

Reagan was slumped over the table, his face deathly pale, muttering something under his breath.

When Warner's men came in and tried to help Reagan up, he waved them away.

"I'm fine! Where's Li... Li?"

Li Jiangbo picked up his teacup and raised it to him with a smile.

Hong Jinbao burst out laughing, then quickly covered her mouth in fright.

Cheng Long's lips twitched involuntarily, showing how hard he was trying to hold it in.

Zou Wenhuai smiled and shook his head, then whispered to He Guanchang, "This is the first time in all these years that I've seen a foreigner drink like this."

Rosamund Kwan secretly glanced at Li Jiangbo beside her, and seeing how calm Director Li was, she was filled with excitement.

Four million dollars, twenty million Hong Kong dollars! And that's how it was settled?

The other people at Time Film and Television looked at Director Li like he was a monster. They had seen people who could drink, but they had never seen anyone who could drink so much.

It wasn't that Director Li could drink a lot; it was mainly because the system was good. Those celebration banquets had worn him out quite a bit, so in the subsequent simulation rewards, he chose the unlimited drinking reward.

With the help of his men, Reagan straightened up. "Lee... four million. Sign the contract tomorrow."

Li Jiangbo waved his hand, "Alright! Take care, Mr. Reagan."

After everyone left, Hung Kam-po was the first to slam his fist on the table, exclaiming, "Holy crap! Director Lee, that was brilliant! Four million dollars!"

Jackie Chan also stood up, holding his wine glass, "Director Li, I admire you. I'll drink this, you can drink as you like."

Li Jiangbo clinked glasses with him. "When are we going to the US?"

"I'll be leaving in a couple of days."

"Yeah! Don't be too timid when you go, or you'll suffer."

Cheng Long nodded and drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.

Zou Wenhuai stood up, patted Li Jiangbo on the shoulder, and said, "Bo-zai, the doors of Golden Harvest are always open for you."

Li Jiangbo smiled without saying a word. Sure enough, in business, there are no permanent friends, only permanent interests.

In short, if you have a lot of money, then go ahead and flaunt it!