Chapter 154: Reactions from All Sides, Golden Harvest Changes Hands

Domestically, at the Huayi Brothers headquarters building.

The Wang Brothers were watching the news about Qingtian Capital's acquisition of Golden Harvest.

"That kid really has huge guts. That's Golden Harvest, after all; it must cost several hundred million, right?"

Wang's facial expression was somewhat ferocious; Wei Jin had only debuted for a few years, yet he already possessed such massive capital.

"The profitability of Wei Jin Company is too strong. It's said that *My Love from the Star* netted at least a hundred million, and his other TV dramas and films are about the same. Plus, he has investment shares in projects in North America, not to mention his game company. His cash flow is far too abundant."

Unlike his own brother, who only knows how to chase women every day, Wang was clearly much more informed about the relevant data of their industry competitors.

"That's true. Previously, *Taken* only had a ten percent profit share, yet it reached tens of millions. He's done quite a few North American projects over these years. It seems we still need to produce more co-productions, distribute them in North America, or even globally. Earning US dollars is the true path to success."

Wang mentioned the projects he had previously collaborated on with Wei Jin, feeling a bit jealous; the profits from earning US dollars were indeed too high.

"Our foundation is too small right now, and we can't handle many big projects. I think we need to accelerate our pace toward going public."

His brother's words made Wang's eyes light up, filled with anticipation:

"Right, once we go public, we can raise funds. Using the shareholders' money to do our own business—that's when we'll be true capital."

Currently, private enterprises in the country generally share this mentality, believing that a company is always just playing small if it doesn't go public; only by going public can it be called a big company.

"Do you think that kid Wei Jin intends to use Golden Harvest's shell to go public and raise funds?"

"It's possible. It's a pity we don't have that kind of strength, otherwise..." — At the same time, inside Cheng Tian Entertainment in Beijing.

Wu Kebo was watching the news on television about Qingtian Capital's acquisition of Golden Harvest, furious beyond measure.

You old Zou, I showed all the sincerity I should have, and gave all the respect I should have. So you were already hooking up with that kid Wei Jin, and kept me on the hook the whole time. You old scoundrel, you've gone too far! And that little brat Wei Jin, it was clearly me who set my sights on it first, yet he plays dirty and launches a sneak attack from behind. Utterly shameless! The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and in a rage, he smashed the teacup in his hand. Hearing the commotion, Chen Hao walked in with a look of surprise and asked: "What's wrong?"

"Golden Harvest is changing hands. The matter I've painstakingly planned for over half a year has gone down the drain."

At this moment, Wu Kebo also sobered up. Getting angry wouldn't solve the problem; the key was how to handle the subsequent developments, as the capital behind it was not easy to deal with.

Thinking of this, he took out his phone, dialed an overseas number, and began chattering away in Japanese to report the situation. — Hong Kong, inside the Emperor Group headquarters building.

"Boss, did Wei really not leak any word of this before?"

Huo Wenxi still found it hard to believe; one moment they were partners, and the next, they might very well become competitors.

"No. I didn't expect him to take a casual mention of news so seriously. It seems his contact with Zou Laotou hasn't been just for a day or two."

Rubbing his temples, the expression on Yang Lao Ban's face was as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly.

"This little fox must have been guarding against me from the start. No wonder he wasn't in a hurry to start the sequel to *Ip Man*. The copyright is in his hands; this is going to be difficult."

"Boss, why don't we test the waters first? I don't think Wei necessarily means that."

Although Huo Wenxi hadn't had much contact with Wei Jin, she felt he wasn't a person of deep schemes; perhaps he wouldn't necessarily be an enemy.

"Hmm, you're right. Let's not panic and lose our footing first. Arrange for someone to test him."

"Alright, I'll arrange it right away."

Huo Wenxi turned and left, already having a candidate in mind for the test; Wei Jin still liked those who were obedient and well-behaved.

Yang Lao Ban watched Huo Wenxi's departing back and fell into deep thought. The benefits brought by *Ip Man* and *New World* were too great; he couldn't bear to let go. Although he had long known that Wei Jin was not a person to be contained in a small pond, the speed of his rise was still too fast.

Thinking of this, even the news of having a grandson-in-law couldn't make Yang Lao Ban happy. — "Wei, are you really going to acquire Golden Harvest?"

Wen Yongshan asked with some curiosity while massaging Wei Jin's temples.

Yang Ying, who was working hard with her head down, slowed her rhythm upon hearing this and began to slack off.

"Hmm, don't stop. The news is already out, what do you think?"

Wei Jin pressed down on the head of the woman beneath him, his movements somewhat rough:

"What about you? Bringing your little sister along, surely you aren't here just to help me relax? Do you have any arrangements?"

Having just returned to the hotel today, Wen Yongshan had brought Yang Ying to knock on his door. If anyone said this wasn't an arrangement by Emperor Group, Wei Jin wouldn't believe it even if he died.

Wen Yongshan felt a bit annoyed at this. If she had come alone, she could have claimed she missed Wei Jin's body and was testing the waters on the side. Who knew that Yang Ying would overhear the call and insist on following along to cling to the big shot's leg? The intent to curry favor was far too obvious.

"Wei, don't be angry. Mani asked me to come and test the waters; the company is a bit worried about the follow-up development of *Ip Man*." "Hmm, I understand."

The cooperation with Emperor Group had been quite pleasant, and Wei Jin had no ill feelings toward the refined Yang Lao Ban. He had an idea in mind: "You can tell Mani that the cooperation will continue as usual, everything remains unchanged. I need an ally in Hong Kong, and I hope it will be Emperor Group."

Wei Jin did not intend to confront Emperor Group head-on right now, and he didn't have that much energy to engage in internal strife in a place like Hong Kong. Cooperation and mutual benefit were always the best choices; it was just a matter of a film series, after all.

"Mm, thank you, Wei. You're so kind."

There wasn't a hint of hypocrisy in Wen Yongshan's words. Wei Jin had allowed her to complete her task, and she would inevitably be favored by the higher-ups. In fact, the level of cultivation the company had invested in her during this period had clearly increased; they were treating her as a bridge to communicate with Wei Jin.

"Since you want to thank me, you should show some sincerity..."

"Mm, Wei, I'll tell you a secret: Yang Ying has a boyfriend now. If I make a call later, will that make you even more excited?"

"..."

Wei Jin was somewhat shocked. Do best friends play this wildly? But just thinking about it felt stimulating, and his body reacted accordingly. — During these days in Hong Kong, Wei Jin hadn't just been doing bed exercises; he had already settled on the future management team for Golden Harvest.

Golden Harvest was currently a mess; without Hong Kong locals familiar with the relevant affairs, it would be very difficult to revive this game.

Wei Jin thought of one person: Xu Laoguai's better half, the former chief manager of the New City Seven Freaks—Shi Nansheng.

Ever since the dissolution of New City, she and her husband Xu Laoguai had been running their film studio together.

However, after entering the new millennium, Xu Laoguai's film output had decreased, and with the successive box office failures of *Shu* and *Seven Swords*, it had become very difficult for Xu Laoguai to pull in large investments to make blockbusters.

In view of this, besides working as a husband-and-wife team with Xu Laoguai, Shi Nansheng had also participated in the production of many films, never letting herself stay idle, which showed that she was a woman with a very strong sense of career.

Moreover, she had been grinding away in this industry for over twenty years, had a very good reputation, and was smooth in handling affairs; in every aspect, she met Wei Jin's requirements.

The process of persuading Shi Nansheng was not complicated either; Wei Jin offered very generous conditions that the former could not refuse.

First, Wei Jin would invest 20 million to acquire a 40% stake in Xu Laoguai Studio. As long as Wei Jin nodded, Xu Laoguai's scripts would receive investment. Additionally, Xu Laoguai could also participate in the investment of high-quality scripts from Wei Jin Company's library if he wished to film them.

Second, Golden Harvest would be handed over to Shi Nansheng to manage. Wei Jin would give her maximum autonomy, with the only requirement being to cooperate with Wei Jin Company to handle distribution work in the Nanyang region.

The day after their meeting and discussion, Shi Nansheng, with Xu Laoguai's support, called Wei Jin to pledge her allegiance. — The acquisition of a listed company is not that simple. Fortunately, Golden Harvest's current equity structure is not complex; the Zou family remains the largest shareholder, Li Huanggua is the second-largest, and there are others like EMI.

Overall, there were not many shareholders, and their willingness to hold onto their shares was not strong; the reason they had invested in the first place was out of respect for Zou.

Now, the largest shareholder, Zou, intended to withdraw, and the others were happy to shed this burden; it was merely a question of the price. The current market value was only a little over a hundred million, so even with a premium, Wei Jin wouldn't spend much money.

The only troublesome part was the shares in Li Huanggua's hands. The person who came forward to negotiate with Wei Jin was Li Ershao, and the other party was unwilling to engage in a direct cash transaction, instead setting their sights on the shares of some of Wei Jin's internet companies in North America.

Seeing that the financial Storm was coming, Li Ershao took the initiative to help bear the damage; Wei Jin appeared very resistant on the surface, but was very welcoming inside, even shouting that his brother was a stand-up guy.

Thanks to the running around done by Boss Zou, in just one week, almost all the shares scattered outside were acquired by Qingtian Capital.

The cost was not high; for less than 500 million, Wei Jin had secured 76% of Golden Harvest's shares.

As for the shares in the secondary circulation market, Wei Jin did not increase his holdings, and his previous layout was merely a backup plan for a last resort.

Wei Jin even arranged for his trading team to quietly sell off quite a lot while the stock price was rising during this period; he knew that a massive avalanche was coming. — At the Tsim Sha Tsui Peninsula Centre, Wei Jin stepped into the interior of the Golden Harvest company for the first time, and also officially announced to the industry that Golden Harvest had changed owners.

Wei Jin brought Shi Nansheng along, on one hand to declare his sovereignty, and on the other to conduct a work handover with Boss Zou.

Boss Zou had two sons and one daughter; both sons had their own careers, while his daughter Zou Zhongyan and her husband had some involvement in the film and television industry.

However, neither of the couple had any management talent; during the time Zou Zhongyan was in charge of Golden Harvest, she made frequent mistakes, and the company's market value reached its lowest point since going public, nor did she have the confidence to revitalize Golden Harvest's former glory.

Being able to sell at a premium this time, Zou Zhongyan actually felt a sense of relief inside, so her attitude toward Wei Jin was very good.

After meeting, both sides exchanged pleasantries, and Wei Jin noticed that Boss Zou's complexion looked a bit better; perhaps it was because the burden weighing on his heart had finally been lifted.

"Mr. Zou, please offer your guidance over the next three months."

Shi Nansheng's attitude was very respectful; he did not look down on Boss Zou just because they had once been rivals.

"You are too kind; I also hope that under Wei Sheng's leadership and your management, Golden Harvest will get better and better."

Boss Zou had already agreed that he would continue to serve as a consultant for Golden Harvest for the next three months to help Wei Jin's team transition smoothly.

Entering the interior of the company, Wei Jin saw dense rows of movie posters arranged in chronological order, and felt a wave of emotion inside.

Golden Harvest, which had dominated the Hong Kong film and television circle for nearly 40 years, was surnamed Wei from today on. Today's second update, I implore all book friends to reward me with subscriptions, follow-up readings, and collections. Please flip to the last page for the follow-up reading, thank you everyone! (End of this chapter)