Chapter 283: The Worker Who Delivered Himself: Huayi's Public Relations

Wei Jin did not expect that just as the co-production project was launched, someone would volunteer themselves, and a big shot at that.

"Are you saying you want to join the *Pacific Rim* project to learn?"

"Yes, President Wei, I have been very interested in science fiction films since I was a child."

Guo Fan sat on the guest sofa with a very natural expression; as an adult in his 30s, he knew exactly what he wanted.

"Then what do you plan to do in the crew? Management?"

Looking at the resume in his hand, Wei Jin truly could not imagine that the famous sci-fi director Guo Fan was actually a graduate student in management at the Beijing Film Academy.

"Ahem, President Wei, although I studied management, I have always had a dream of being a director, so this time I want to join the crew to learn about all the preparatory work, shooting-related matters, and the post-production process."

"We can talk about that later. I am curious, since you have a dream of being a director, why did you apply for a management major?"

"President Wei, my undergraduate major was law, and the Beijing Film Academy's director department graduate program is notoriously difficult to get into, so..."

Speaking of his own maneuvering, Guo Fan was uncharacteristically embarrassed.

"Haha, so you chose a roundabout tactic? That is actually a very smart choice. Back then, Huang Bai also failed the entrance exam several times before finally choosing the vocational dubbing major. Not bad."

Laughing with a quip, Wei Jin changed the subject.

"But why should I give you this opportunity?"

With a worker delivering himself to his doorstep, Wei Jin felt he would be doing a disservice to this great gift if he didn't sign him.

To be honest, Wei Jin had never been particularly keen on collecting celebrities, but Guo Fan was different; a director capable of shooting a sci-fi film like *Wandering Earth* could at least help him shoulder a lot of things.

"President Wei, whatever conditions you have, feel free to state them."

"Become a signed director for Shanhe Media."

"... Okay."

After pondering for a moment, Guo Fan gave his answer.

Shanhe Media was famously generous; Lu Yang received a 6 million investment when he was just starting out, and Wu Ershan was able to direct a blockbuster sequel like *Painted Skin 2* as soon as he arrived. Guo Fan also wanted to fulfill his director dream as soon as possible.

"Congratulations on making a wise choice. Then... welcome to Shanhe Media." — "We common folk, are truly happy today."

After signing Guo Fan, Wei Jin was in a great mood, humming a little tune in his office while browsing movie news online.

The few movies from August still had a while before leaving theaters, but those planning to release in September had already begun their publicity campaigns impatiently.

The highly anticipated art-house film *Hawthorn Tree* by Zhang Yimou had already started its promotion, and a large number of stills had been released.

However, Zhang Weiping really had a big mouth, directly shouting online: Zhang Yimou is a master, and this film is a masterpiece! Perhaps because he was in the limelight recently, Feng Dapao did not give him any face, sarcastically remarking: There are no masters in this era; everyone is just a vulgar person.

*Reign of Assassins*, invested in by Xiaoma Pentium, was not to be outdone, releasing several promotional clips that attracted a great deal of attention.

Wu Baige even high-profilely announced that *Reign of Assassins* would take over the mantle of the *Brotherhood of Blades* series to create a new peak for martial arts films.

But what surprised Wei Jin most was Zhen Zidan's *Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen*; it was a bit arrogant.

It directly shouted the slogan "Zhen Kung Fu + Number One Action Star + Superhero," with a box office target of 500 million.

Wei Jin couldn't help but shake his head; Hong Kong productions were still so high-profile. The louder the slogans were shouted, the more painful the slap in the face would be when the time came.

However, thinking of the thick-skinned nature of the Hong Kong circle, Wei Jin felt that these people probably wouldn't care at all.

But it was clear that Zhen Zidan was getting carried away; did he really think he was the successor to Cheng Long and Li Lianjie? Amidst the chaotic information, many people were still discussing why there was no movement from *Passengers*.

After all, it was a 250 million investment space sci-fi film, and a fully domestic production at that, so everyone's expectations were quite high, to the point where many die-hard fans went to Wei Jin's Weibo to ask.

However, Wei Jin felt it wasn't time for promotion yet; he would wait until Yao Beina finished recording the promotional song *Beyond the Light Years* first.

This song was also the promotional song for the original film, and it fit the movie's theme quite well; it should attract a wave of heat.

Wei Jin was just about to shut down his computer and leave when he received a call from the front desk that a guest had arrived—Wang Zhonglei had come to visit in person with Dong Xuan, which caught Wei Jin off guard.

But a guest at the door is a guest, so Wei Jin could only welcome them with a smile, instruct his secretary to brew some tea, and go to the reception area to sit opposite Wang Zhonglei. As for Dong Xuan, she sat obediently by his side.

"I wonder why President Wang is visiting today..."

"Oh, it's like this, *If You Are The One 2* has already started filming, and we would like to have the post-production done at Shanhe Ink."

Shanhe Media also had an investment in this film, and Wang Zhonglei thought it was perfectly appropriate to bring it up as a topic.

"No problem, but for such a small matter, I'm afraid it wasn't necessary for President Wang to come in person, right?"

Wei Jin toyed with Dong Xuan's fair, tender thigh without any avoidance; after this film, the cooperation with Huayi would be over.

"President Wei, speaking of which, the bond between our two companies started back when we purchased the shares for *Taken*. Over these years, we have successively cooperated on *If You Are The One*, *The Message*, *If You Are The One 2*..."

Wang Zhonglei first went through a roundabout trip down memory lane before stating his purpose.

"Over these years, our cooperation has been quite pleasant. I wonder if this time, for *Pacific Rim*, we could transfer a little bit to Huayi, just like before?"

Hearing this, Wei Jin understood in his heart; so this was the idea. However, since Wang Zhonglei played the emotional card, it wasn't easy to refuse immediately. After pondering for a moment, he asked: "Last time, Huayi did it to quell the public opinion crisis caused by Wang Jinhua's departure. What is the reason this time?"

"Well... President Wei is also a shareholder of Huayi, so I won't hide it from you. Firstly, Huayi doesn't have a very good profit point this year..."

"President Wang, we shouldn't be telling lies with our eyes open. With the 650 million box office of *Aftershock*, you still call that having no profit point?"

Wei Jin directly interrupted Wang Zhonglei; for heaven's sake, find a better reason to spout nonsense.

"President Wei, you also know that this is a project where local finance takes the lion's share; Huayi just follows along to drink some soup, it's not as profitable as you'd imagine..."

Wang Zhonglei was telling the truth; this film was more of a boost to their reputation, and at most, a rise in stock price; the pure profit was indeed not high.

"Besides, you also know that Huayi invested quite a lot in the project *Shanghai*, but the box office..."

Speaking of this, Wang Zhonglei felt a bit of heartache; a single film loss of over 20 million US dollars was equivalent to a year's profit for Huayi before it went public.

If *Aftershock* hadn't brought back a wave of blood in time, Huayi's stock price would have likely collapsed.

"Investment is like that; there are losses and gains. Just learn the lesson."

Seeing that Wei Jin wasn't buying it, Wang Zhonglei could only lay out the company's plan. "President Wei, to be honest, Huayi intends to enter peripheral industries, such as cultural real estate, mobile games, internet entertainment, hotel investment, etc. After all, relying solely on the film industry carries too much risk."

Wei Jin nodded; film is ultimately content production, and from the beginning of a project, it is full of uncertainties. Except for himself, no one could guarantee that a film would make a steady profit. Huayi's decision was very wise, and this was also the path taken by major Hollywood studios.

In fact, Shanhe Media was also following this path, but the core areas covered were always the cultural and entertainment industries, unlike Huayi Brothers, which placed its focus on the cultural tourism industry.

Seeing that Wei Jin was listening carefully, Wang Zhonglei continued: "But all these plans require a large amount of cash, and with the lock-up period ending soon, so..."

As soon as Wei Jin heard this, he understood; it was nothing more than using the news of participating in *Pacific Rim* to drive up the stock price, cash out, issue additional shares, buy back, etc. There were too many ways and means to make money in the financial market.

However, this plan was destined to fall through. The reason he agreed to transfer shares for *Taken* back then was, firstly, to build goodwill with Huayi, and secondly, to show the industry that he was not someone who hogged all the profits for himself, but the situation now was different.

Seeing Wei Jin remain silent, Wang Zhonglei grew a bit anxious and continued to persuade him.

"President Wei, a rise in the stock price is a good thing for you too. It's a mutually beneficial matter for us, what do you think?"

"President Wang, it's not that I don't agree, it's that the projects are different. This time it's a co-production, the Huaxia side is already heavily involved, and the North American share is not high, so there is a specific clause in the cooperation agreement: for share transfers, the other producing parties have the right of first refusal."

Wei Jin was not lying to him; this was an additional clause proposed by Warner, and the other parties had all agreed to it.

Upon hearing this, a flash of disappointment crossed Wang Zhonglei's face, but then another idea surfaced in his mind.

"Then, I wonder if President Wei has considered transferring shares for *Mojin: The Lost Legend*?"

Huayi was very optimistic about this project; if it weren't for the fact that all the novel copyrights were in the hands of Shanhe Media, they probably would have followed the trend and plagiarized it long ago.

"Hmm?"

Wei Jin was a bit surprised; Wang Zhonglei really had some ideas. But that was fair enough; for Huayi, the specific project didn't matter, the rise in stock price was the priority.

After pondering for a moment, Wei Jin gave his answer: "That could be considered, but President Wang should understand the rules."

Since *Painted Skin 2* and *Brotherhood of Blades 2*, Shanhe Media had already made it public: for film series, they only accepted investment in individual projects, not copyright investment, so as to ensure the group's independent decision-making power and interests.

"Understood. I wonder how many shares Huayi can get this time?"

Wang Zhonglei was ecstatic inside; he didn't even ask about the premium price. As long as he could get the shares, compared to the rise in stock price, this little premium was simply not worth mentioning.

"Hmm, 20%, 50 million."

Wei Jin's tone allowed for no refusal. He didn't care whether he sold off Huayi's stock or not, so he didn't care about whether he could drive up the stock price.

"Good, but can we keep it confidential for now?"

Wang Zhonglei had no objections to the price; he was more concerned about whether he could raise the stock price at the right time.

"My side will not announce it proactively; as for other things, I cannot control them."

Such share transfers could not be hidden in the circle, and Wei Jin dared not guarantee anything.

"Fine, President Wei is straightforward. Happy cooperation."

Wang Zhonglei didn't mind; the lock-up period was only a little over a month away, and at worst, they could sign the contract later. He believed Wei Jin would not go back on his word.

"Hehe, happy cooperation."

"Since that is the case, I shall take my leave."

Seeing that his goal was achieved, Wang Zhonglei took the initiative to leave. As for Dong Xuan, it was as if he had forgotten her. Early in the morning, Wei Jin was woken up by the ringing of his phone. Perhaps because the movement to answer the phone was too large, Dong Xuan, who was sleeping beside him, also opened her eyes in a daze, her face still carrying satisfaction; last night was truly too happy.

"Hello?"

After picking up the phone, Wei Jin patted the woman's perky buttocks. Dong Xuan immediately understood and obediently burrowed under the quilt.

"Boss, Warner has finished the plan."

On the phone, Hunter's voice sounded a bit exhausted.

"Hiss... what? So fast?"

Wei Jin was incredibly surprised. It had been less than two weeks, right? Was Hollywood's efficiency really this fast? This was probably leaving Shanhe Media in the dust, right? The project initiation for *Passengers* didn't take this little time, did it? "Boss, it's not that Warner's efficiency is fast, it's that your people don't act like humans."

Seeming to recall the experiences of these past few days, Hunter began to complain over the phone.

"Their energy is simply too abundant; they don't even need to rest."

Following Hunter's rambling explanation, Wei Jin understood.

This group of people from China Film Group were truly tough; they were like they had been injected with chicken blood, working over a dozen hours a day and often working overtime until midnight, which even led to quite a few complaints.

However, the efficiency was also top-notch. In just over a week, they had worked overtime to produce dozens of Huaxia-style mecha designs and monster catalogs.

Perhaps to highlight Chinese elements, these mecha styles were truly heaven-defying: Heavenly Soldier types, Erlang Shen types, Terracotta Warrior types... The weapons and equipment they were paired with were also quite awesome: Green Dragon Crescent Blade, Ruyi Golden Cudgel, Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear, Zhu Xian Sword, and various ancient martial weapons... The names they took were also very flashy, all of them mythical figures: Chiyou, Xingtian, Houyi, Three Pure Ones... "Ahem, Hunter, don't worry about these details, at least the efficiency has improved, hasn't it?"

Wei Jin was also a bit speechless; these people were trying to reach the heavens, but he still had to help smooth things over.

"By the way, how is the specific plan arranged?"

"Warner's plan: 2 months of early preparation, 4 months of filming time, and for post-production and special effects, because it is split among multiple companies, it will take about 5 months."

Wei Jin estimated in his heart; if Shanhe Media were solely responsible, it would be about three or four months slower, so there was still a gap.

"Fine, I know."

Pondering the start date in his heart, Wei Jin was even less anxious about the roles, and instead asked about another matter.

"Has the release date for *Twilight 4* been set?"

"It has been confirmed, Boss, November 26th. Also, *Source Code* has wrapped up filming and is currently in post-production."

"Since that's the case, the early preparation for *The Hunger Games* can begin."

This was the next cash cow Wei Jin had prepared for Summit Entertainment, completely on par with *Twilight*.

"Alright, Boss."

Hanging up the phone, Wei Jin lifted the quilt, and Dong Xuan turned over and lay down.

Soon, the quiet morning was broken by a loud singing voice. Today's second update (End of chapter)