Chapter 259: Am I as rich as Old Ma from Hangzhou? Setting my sights on the twisty dough

The policy discussed at the General Administration meeting had already spread for over half a month, and the top-tier companies were the first to start taking action.

High-quality film companies are absolutely the number one choice for the financial industry.

Huayi has already gone public and holds a large amount of cash, so they are indifferent to this; after all, the big and small Wangs do not intend to continue diluting the shares in their hands.

Many struggling small companies are eagerly waiting for the favor of capital, but unfortunately, the more they need money, the more they are ignored; despising the poor and fawning over the rich is the true face of capital.

As the premier large-scale entertainment group in the country, Shanhe Media is naturally also a target that capital is desperately chasing.

During this period, many people from outside the circle have come to visit, but Chen Zhiming has stepped forward to refuse them all.

However, what Wei Jin did not expect was that there were actually people who would not give up.

In the chairman's office at Shanhe Building, Wei Jin is currently receiving an uninvited guest.

"So, President Ma's intention is to exchange 2 billion for a 20% stake in Shanhe Media?"

"Yes, President Wei. Ali is very sincere. An initial valuation of 10 billion is several times higher than what Huayi had back then."

Although the person in front of him spoke very politely, Wei Jin did not like the high-and-mighty attitude that inadvertently leaked out.

"I appreciate Ali's recognition and thank President Ma for his kindness, but Shanhe Media currently has no need for financing. I'm afraid you've made a wasted trip."

"President Wei, will you really not reconsider? With the addition of Ali, Shanhe Media will definitely develop even faster; this is a good thing for both parties. If you are dissatisfied with the valuation, you can certainly propose one. Ali is not short of money."

This phrase "not short of money" completely caused Wei Jin to lose his patience. Is Boss Ma too confident? "Heh, Ali is not short of money, but am I short of money? Before making an investment next time, I suggest you get the situation straight. I have things to do, so I won't keep you. Zixuan, see the guest out."

Wei Jin directly issued an order to leave, and Wang Zixuan walked in very nimbly.

"Mr. Zhang, please."

Ali's people could only leave with unwillingness—after a long while, Wang Zixuan returned to the office and found that the boss's expression was still not very good.

"Boss, don't be angry. These internet people just like to throw money at people without looking at their own weight."

Although she didn't know exactly how much money Wei Jin had, she knew clearly about the hundreds of millions of dollars in shares he gave to Ceng Li; compared to her own boss, Boss Ma was probably still a long way off.

"Zixuan, tell me, am I too low-key? But the old saying goes well, 'wealth should not be flaunted'—is this actually correct?"

Wei Jin believes in making a fortune in silence, but this way, it seems he is often looked down upon.

"Boss, I don't understand these things very well, but no matter what, being happy is the most important thing. Don't be unhappy because of these unreliable people."

"Hmm, not bad, but your boss is very fired up right now."

Wei Jin moved slightly aside in his boss chair, and the Assistant immediately understood the boss's instruction, unbuttoned the front of her shirt, lifted her already very short tight skirt, and slowly squatted down.

Enjoying the Assistant's service, Wei Jin distracted himself by looking at the data submitted by various departments, feeling increasingly disdainful of Ali's valuation in his heart.

The Film Production Department stood out alone last year, with total revenue reaching a terrifying 1.3 billion.

Among them, *The Martian* and *Ip Man 2* brought in a total profit of over 500 million.

The production cost of *Lucy* was 80 million, with a global box office of 303 million USD. After deducting promotion and other expenses, the net profit was over 80 million USD, equivalent to 550 million RMB.

*Eye for an Eye* had a profit of over 100 million, and *Painted Skin 2* had a profit of over 150 million.

The TV Drama Production Department's revenue was not bad either; two TV dramas brought in a total of 210 million from several rounds of broadcasts and online platforms.

Among them, *Snow Leopard* had a net profit of over 50 million, and *Ghost Blows Out the Light: Jingjue City* had a net profit as high as 60 million.

Adding in some previous copyright income and external investments, the miscellaneous items added up to about 100 million.

The Artist Management Department performed very brightly last year.

Benefiting from the arrival of the era of sky-high salaries, on average, one second-tier artist could easily generate over 10 million in revenue, and top-tier artists were even more terrifying; anything less than 50 million was considered not working hard. The dozen or so artists under the group created a total net profit of over 280 million.

In terms of special effects, Shanhe Ink undertook over 50 films and TV dramas last year, with a cumulative revenue of 310 million and a net profit of 90 million.

In terms of variety shows, *I Love Remembering Lyrics* has already been cut, *Boys and Girls Rush Forward* had stable ratings and brought in 30 million in profit, and the second season of *The Voice* continued to be a hit, with a net profit as high as 200 million.

The newly launched *Keep Running* also performed extremely well, with revenue exceeding 150 million; *Masked Singer* had a revenue of 80 million; although *If You Are The One* had lower ratings than the others, it benefited from being broadcast weekly throughout the year, so its revenue was actually higher, reaching 180 million.

The entire variety department created a revenue of as high as 640 million last year.

The Distribution Department continued to develop steadily; last year, Shanhe Media distributed over 40 films, with distribution fees as high as 110 million.

The Animation Production Department has also become increasingly mature; last year, it adapted many best-selling novels into animations, all of which achieved impressive results. Just the three animations *Coiling Dragon*, *Divine Tree*, and *Soul Land* brought in over 80 million in revenue.

The Music Production Department finally made an effort last year, achieving a revenue of over 50 million.

In addition to the direct departments, the group's subsidiaries also handed in perfect answer sheets.

In terms of cinema lines, the Shanhe Cinema Alliance continued to expand, currently controlling a total of 288 cinemas and over 1,100 screens, with a market share of over 22%. Last year, total revenue reached 1.55 billion, with a net profit as high as 310 million.

In terms of Shanhe Technology, *Zhu Xian* had a revenue of over 2 billion, *CrossFire* had a revenue as high as 2.5 billion, and *League of Legends* had a revenue of over 1 billion in less than a year since its launch. The other few self-developed games that were testing the waters also brought in several hundred million in revenue.

Seeing this, Wei Jin couldn't help but sigh that games are still the most profitable.

After years of development, Yinxiang Net has found a profit channel, achieving a revenue of 30 million last year.

Roughly estimating, Shanhe Media's revenue last year exceeded 10 billion, and after deducting various expenses and taxes, the net profit was nearly 3.5 billion.

This does not even count the profits of Jiahe, as well as the revenue from some films and TV dramas that have not yet been collected.

Looking at the data in front of him, Wei Jin was full of a sense of accomplishment; a towering entertainment empire was rising strongly in his hands.

Wei Jin believes that once Shanhe Media chooses to go public, its valuation will definitely exceed 100 billion. Even without calculating overseas assets, in terms of domestic net worth alone, Boss Ma at this time is far from being able to compare with him. — Xing Aina suddenly called and invited Wei Jin to have dinner at her home, which was quite sudden.

However, thinking there must be something, Wei Jin did not refuse, but he did bring Jing Tian along.

The young girl was embarrassed to eat for free and specifically brought some desserts and things for the child, which made Wei Jin sigh that Jing Tian really has a way of conducting herself.

When the two arrived at Ning Hao's villa, the latter was holding his big chubby boy and strolling in the yard.

"Senior brother, that big gold chain of yours is quite flashy. It's a good thing the environment is better now; in earlier years, you wouldn't even have a place to cry."

Wei Jin looked at the big gold chain on Ning Hao's neck, which was shining in the sun, and couldn't help but make a snide remark.

"Hey, I was poor when I was a kid, so I liked things that were shiny. Now that I've finally earned some money, are you not going to let me fulfill a dream?"

Ning Hao retorted. Having spent so many years together, he also knew Wei Jin's temperament, and bickering was quite nice.

Jing Tian on the side was also not surprised; she just focused on looking at the little baby in Ning Hao's arms, her eyes glowing.

She stretched out her finger and gently touched the child's delicate little face, "Call me Auntie."

The little guy was almost a year old, staring at Jing Tian with his dark eyes, just smiling, but he wouldn't speak.

"Tian Tian, if you like it, let Wei Jin buy you one, haha."

With a single sentence, Ning Hao made Jing Tian blush deeply. Amidst the laughter, the group entered the house, where Xing Aina had already placed the dishes on the table.

"Tian Tian, look at Na Jie; this table full of dishes, she is so capable, you still have a lot to learn."

"Hmph, I've cooked so many times, why don't you ever eat it?"

Jing Tian felt quite aggrieved; if the talent isn't there, diligence cannot make up for it, so what could she do? "Alright, Wei Jin, stop teasing Tian Tian. This is just home-cooked food, don't be polite, let's eat."

Xing Aina smiled as she interjected, inviting everyone to eat.

Wei Jin had guessed correctly; the invitation to dinner was genuine, but there was indeed a matter at hand.

"No Man's Land is likely a lost cause, so I've come up with another script. This time, I need you to help me vet it."

Ning Hao felt a bit embarrassed; not listening to advice before and ending up in this current state was, after all, his own fault.

"Wei Jin, after dinner, please help him take a look."

Xing Aina also added with a smile. This matter was indeed because her own husband was too stubborn, and it even dragged the Studio's funds into it; although it wasn't much, it was ultimately letting Wei Jin down.

"Hey, I was wondering what it was about; no problem, let's eat first."

The sentimentality of the couple made Wei Jin feel a bit unaccustomed, but Jing Tian was eating with great relish.

More than half an hour later, Wei Jin followed Ning Hao to the study, while the two women stayed in the living room chatting while looking after the baby.

"Senior Brother, what kind of script is it this time?"

Just as Wei Jin finished asking, Ning Hao handed the script over.

"Take a look and give me some feedback."

Wei Jin could tell that Ning Hao's tone lacked confidence; the blow from No Man's Land had truly been too great.

Without saying much more, Wei Jin began to flip through the script. Although it had no title, he quickly had the answer in his mind: this was that film, Golden Robbery.

"There shouldn't be any problem with the script passing censorship, and the content is also good. Polish it a bit more; it's still a little rough."

Wei Jin had seen this film in his past life. How should he put it? It was standard and unremarkable, with no real highlights, but it would definitely make money. It could also be considered a way to help Ning Hao regain some confidence.

"That's good, I will continue to polish it. This is currently only the third draft; the general plot won't change, but the dialogue will be refined further. Once I finish the budget, will you invest some?"

Wei Jin understood what Ning Hao meant; whether Shanhe Media invested or not concerned the expectations for this project, and the latter cared very much about it.

"Sure, regardless of the budget, reserve thirty percent for me. But Senior Brother, are you not planning to aim for awards next?"

This script completely abandoned the dark side, resulting in a lack of depth; it was clearly not an award-seeking film, which is why Wei Jin asked.

"It's difficult. The path I was good at has been cut off by the old stubborn ones. I can't think of any good scripts, so I'll just take it slow for now."

The incident with No Man's Land had severely damaged Ning Hao's reputation. What he urgently hoped for now was to re-establish his brand as a commercial blockbuster director.

"You're just too stubborn. The company has saved up quite a few good scripts; don't you want to come and take a look?"

"The path isn't right; I can't film that flavor of yours."

Everyone has a different style they excel at, and Ning Hao didn't think he could master different styles like Wei Jin.

"There is one path similar to yours. If you're interested, come to my office and we can talk."

It was impossible for Wei Jin to film all the art-house films in his mind by himself. Helping directors under the group earn some awards was also the proper thing to do, and this could further attract other directors to join; it could be called killing many birds with one stone.

"Really?"

Ning Hao looked pleasantly surprised. If there really was such a script, what more could he ask for?

"Heh, you'll know when you see it then."

Upon hearing this, Ning Hao nodded; he had already decided to start the project in his hands as soon as possible.

The two left the study and saw Xing Aina and Jing Tian sitting on the sofa, teasing the child.

It must be said, a child under one year old is truly very cute; Wei Jin also often teased Dudu at home.

"How was it?"

Seeing the two come out, Xing Aina asked with concern.

"No problem, but Junior Brother has given me another big pie. We have to speed up our progress, hahaha."

"I don't have a problem with it, I'm just afraid of your mood swings every few days."

Xing Aina rolled her eyes at Ning Hao. During the time No Man's Land was under censorship, he had been acting like his life was over at home.

"Hehe, that won't happen; I'm full of energy now." — Leaving Ning Hao's house, Wei Jin and Jing Tian returned to Dongshanshu.

After a bout of entanglement, Wei Jin held the young girl's waist with one hand and held a cigarette with the other, beginning to puff away.

"Tian Tian, looking at you, you really like children?"

"The baby is so cute, of course I like them."

Seemingly thinking of the child at Ning Hao's house again, a smile actually appeared on Jing Tian's face.

"Then how about we have one?"

Wei Jin's words made Jing Tian pause for a moment. Seeming to think about it seriously, the young girl spoke up.

"Let's not for now; I'm afraid I won't be able to take good care of the baby."

After all, she was still a young girl in her twenties, and she was completely unprepared psychologically for becoming a mother.

"Haha, I'm just teasing you. But Tian Tian, you're graduating soon; what are your plans for the future?"

After Jing Tian finished the Spring Festival Gala, she would enter a period of being a "salted fish." But given her current status, there really weren't any suitable projects for her, so Wei Jin could only see if the young girl had any ideas herself.

"Brother, I want to rest for a while, or find a drama troupe to get some practice."

Although the reason Zhang Yimou gave for refusing was very tactful, Jing Tian also knew that she still needed to hone her acting skills, and she was willing to put in the effort for that.

Jing Tian's words reminded Wei Jin of something. Wasn't Mahua FunAge a drama troupe? Shouldn't he buy it? "Tian Tian, this idea is great. I support you. After you graduate, I'll introduce you to a good drama troupe."

"Mm, Brother, you're so kind."

"Tian Tian, you need to be sincere."

"Bad person, mm..."

The second update for today. (End of this chapter)