novellhall Chapter 59 Digging the pit a little deeper
Chapter 59 Digging the pit a little deeper
Victory celebrations often serve more than just celebrating achievements; they can also be used for networking, building relationships, promoting new shows, making private deals, setting traps, and so on.
For example, right now, Lin Yu is greeting Nazha and the various invited guests.
Today's celebration banquet was organized by Han Sanping, so regardless of whether they think highly of the film that grossed tens of millions at the box office, these bigwigs from film companies have to give them face and come.
Lin Yu can't stay by Nazha's side every day, so introducing her to more people isn't a bad thing. That way, wherever she goes in the entertainment industry in the future, she'll have someone to look after her.
After walking around for a while, Lin Yu finally led Nazha back to the dining table, where they could finally sit down and eat something.
It was quite a day, even though many procedures had been omitted, Lin Yu was still exhausted.
"These people are really good at talking," Lin Yu complained to Nazha as he put cakes on his plate. "I bet none of these people knew me before today, but as soon as they met me, they all said, 'Director Lin, it's an honor to meet you!'"
"Brother Xiaoyu." Nazha was carefully dealing with the bread roll in front of her when she heard this and looked up. "This means you've become famous. You've heard of me before you've even seen me."
She dared not eat as casually as Lin Yu, so she could only eat something filling to fill her stomach. She had to maintain her figure and prevent food from accidentally falling onto her clothes, which was a troublesome situation to handle.
"Wow, you've really changed a lot in just a few days," Lin Yu raised an eyebrow. "You've got a whole repertoire of witty phrases. When did you become so cultured?"
"Hmph." Naza tilted her head back at Lin Yu, looking smug and proud, her eyes full of smugness.
Lin Yu shook his head. He had overestimated her. Her brain capacity hadn't changed much; she probably thought he was praising her.
Just as he was about to say a few more flirty words to her, a middle-aged man with a big smile walked over with a wine glass in his hand.
"Director Lin, hello, I'm Wang Zhonglei from Huayi Brothers." The man pulled up a chair and sat down next to Lin Yu. "I haven't had a chance to congratulate you on the success of your film yet."
Lin Yu glanced at him.
Huayi Brothers is one of the giants in the industry, but Lin Yu doesn't have a good impression of them.
Most importantly, Wang Jinghua, one of his subordinates, had some past conflicts with Huayi Brothers. The enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend, but the enemy of my friend is definitely not my friend.
"Mr. Wang, you're too kind," Lin Yu replied politely, then lowered his head to continue eating the cake on his plate.
Seeing Lin Yu politely say a few words and then go about eating, Wang Zhonglei wasn't annoyed. After all, Lin Yu was a favorite of Master Han, so it was understandable that he was a little arrogant.
There was just one thing he didn't quite understand. Why would Master Han, who had always promoted the industrialization of film and advocated for big-budget productions, go to such lengths to support a low-budget art film? He even invited a large number of guests and made it such a grand affair. Even if it was to promote his own junior, was it really necessary to go to such lengths?
Could it be that Master Han is really getting old and starting to care about family ties?
Wang Zhonglei thought to himself, but his smile became even more gentle: "I heard from Director Lin earlier that there are already plans for the next film? I wonder if there's still a shortfall in investment? Huayi Brothers is quite well-funded."
Lin Yu shook his head. These past few years have been Huayi Brothers' peak period. No domestic film company could compete with them, and they were indeed very well-funded.
"What we're preparing is a TV series, and Huayi probably isn't very interested."
Lin Yu casually picked up a can of cola, opened it, and took a sip. He had eaten the cake a little too quickly, so a sip of water helped him relax.
It's not icy, bad review.
"TV dramas are also one of our main businesses," Wang Zhonglei said with a smile. "We also have a professional team and rich experience in this area. If Director Lin is interested, we can discuss it in more detail."
"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Wang." Lin Yu leaned back in his chair, his tone calm. "However, the investment shares have already been distributed, and there is no shortfall for the time being."
Upon hearing this answer, he was already thinking of leaving. To rush into giving someone money would be beneath the dignity of the CEO of China's first listed film company.
But considering the script and the requirements of the person behind it, we still need to talk about it again. "When making a TV series, the more funding the better."
"The more money there is, the more people will share it." Lin Yu shook his head again. "There's no need for that."
"You can't say that," Wang Zhonglei frowned, a hint of impatience finally creeping into his voice. "Having more friends means having more options. Besides, we're not taking advantage of anyone. Fifty million for a twenty-five percent share—that's not a unreasonable condition, is it?"
The can of cola in Lin Yu's hand stopped in mid-air. Would any fool really be willing to jump into a pit?
As soon as this ratio was revealed, Lin Yu understood that Han Sanping had cast his bait, and the Huayi Brothers had indeed taken the bait.
Lin Yu glanced at Wang Zhonglei with interest. "Mr. Wang, you're really well-informed. But why are you so eager to send money? Is there some other purpose behind it?"
Seeing that Lin Yu had relented, Wang Zhonglei smiled again, "I heard that there are some ancient scenes in the drama. Fortunately, we also have a team in this field, with professional insights into costumes, props, and historical research."
He paused, then looked at Lin Yu and continued, "While Director Lin is filming, our team can also help out on set, which will save us a lot of trouble. It's beneficial for both sides, isn't it?"
This map of Yan is way too short. It's a pity I haven't had a chance to discuss the progress of the plan with Uncle Han yet. Right now, I can only react to whatever comes my way and pass the buck.
"That's such a pity, Mr. Wang." Lin Yu's face showed regret. "One of the investors in this drama has already sent a team of experts to guide the costumes, makeup and props for the period drama. It seems that Mr. Wang and I are not destined to work together."
Wang Zhonglei was stunned by these words. How come he didn't know that besides the group behind him, there were other people so eager to promote Qing culture?
"We're probably more professional in terms of Qing culture," Wang Zhonglei blurted out without much thought.
"What Qing Dynasty culture?" Lin Yu asked Wang Zhonglei, feigning curiosity. "The historical drama parts are mainly set in the Ming Dynasty."
Wang Zhonglei's expression changed slightly, realizing that something seemed off.
He paused before continuing, tentatively saying, "Wait a minute, Third Master showed me a Qing Dynasty setting."
"Uncle Han," Lin Yu said, feigning sudden realization, "the manuscript I left there is the previous version, which has been scrapped. The investors have demanded that it be changed to a Ming Dynasty setting."
Seeing that Lin Yu didn't seem to be lying, Wang Zhonglei was unsure what to do and could only politely say, "Is that so? Then it really is a misunderstanding. It's alright, there will always be opportunities to cooperate."
After saying his goodbyes, he hurriedly left the banquet hall.
Watching Wang Zhonglei's departing figure, Nazha leaned closer and whispered, "Brother Xiaoyu, were you setting him up?"
Lin Yu looked at Nazha in surprise. Could this girl have really become smarter?