Chapter 300: Dividends, Exiting Early, and the Boss

The post-production for *Whiplash* is very simple; there are almost no parts that require special effects processing, so the production is running very smoothly.

"General Manager Wei, the post-production for *Mojin: The Lost Legend* is estimated to take about another two months."

Wei Jin nods. This film has nearly two thousand special effects shots and has taken six months; this efficiency is considered quite good.

"What about *The Piano Tuner* and *Snow Sword Stride*?"

Both of these films wrapped up at the end of last month. Wei Jin was filming on set at the time, so he didn't pay much attention to them.

"The special effects portion for *The Piano Tuner* is relatively small, and it is expected to be completed within this month. *Sword Snow Stride* has only just begun post-production, and it is estimated to take about four months."

Wei Jin mentally estimated the completion times for the several films; it seems the matter of release schedules needs to be considered as soon as possible.

"By the way, General Manager Wei, the colleagues who were with the *The Sorcerer and the White Snake* crew have returned."

Upon hearing this, Wei Jin remembered that the company still had a few outsourced projects. However, this *The Sorcerer and the White Snake* was filmed way too fast, wasn't it? Counting it all up, it was only a little over a month. Can a period drama really have this kind of efficiency? And with just this, they have the nerve to claim it's a blockbuster with a 200 million investment?

"Oh? I remember they chose the lowest tier?"

"Yes, the total cost was 30 million, but the client made a request, hoping we would keep the price confidential."

Wei Jin shook his head upon hearing this. Yang Zi is really puffing up his cheeks to look fat; he's so stingy even when trying to promote a woman, he won't achieve anything great.

"Heh, since the client has a request, we'll just cooperate. How is that film from Enlight Media doing?"

"*Painted Wall* has a small volume; it can be finished in these two days."

"Fine, I know. Just notify the client to come for the acceptance check when the time comes." — As a listed company, especially a listed company in the entertainment industry, every move Huayi makes is sought after by the media, so putting on a good show is extremely important. The venue for today's annual meeting is decorated with particular extravagance.

Wei Jin arrived at the scene and felt a bit curious; after all, this is his first time attending another company's annual meeting.

However, as an outsider, he only cares about the shareholder dividends today; he wants to know how many shares Huayi will allocate to him.

"Old Wei, with your net worth, do you still have your eye on these scraps from Huayi?"

Young Master Zhou walked over in a carefree manner and poked Wei Jin with an elbow, which counted as a greeting.

"Too many women, don't I need to get some pocket money?"

Having finally met someone he could chat with, Wei Jin started shooting the breeze with Young Master Zhou.

"How is the situation on the set now?"

Xu Laoguai had reported earlier that Li Lianjie appeared on set on time the next morning. It could be considered that they didn't completely tear their faces off, but there probably won't be any chance for cooperation in the future.

"Hi, don't mention it. After Li Lianjie came back, that aura was simply terrifyingly low. However, the filming progress is actually quite good. You really showed your might this time; that is the Kung Fu Emperor, after all..."

The ultimatum Wei Jin issued this time has already spread throughout the circle, and Young Master Zhou called it domineering.

"No matter who it is, there should be a spirit of contract."

Wei Jin acted coolly and faintly. As long as he stands on solid ground regarding principles, he truly doesn't need to give anyone face in the entertainment industry.

"But I'm telling you, is your emotional intelligence too low? Look at Huang Xiaoming and Bingbing, aren't they both hovering around the Wang Brothers?"

Wei Jin pursed his lips toward the side. These two people are indeed good at handling people; even though they have left, their relationship with Huayi remains very good.

Speaking of which, neither side took the original joke with Huang Xiaoming seriously. The latter is also someone who refuses to be subservient; having finally had the chance to set up his own shop, would he work for Wei Jin?

"You say that, but aren't I sucking up to my boss right now?"

Young Master Zhou rolled her eyes, then whispered.

"In a few days, I plan to sell all my stocks and completely draw a line with Huayi. I really can't stand the character of those two brothers."

"Oh? Have you thought it through? There's a high probability it will continue to rise; you could wait for a higher price."

Young Master Zhou shook her head: "No, I don't understand these things. Earning this much until now is already thanks to your blessing; a person shouldn't be too greedy."

"You certainly see things clearly."

Wei Jin nods. Young Master Zhou has figured out how to live; she will be fine in this life.

The two chatted off and on, and from time to time, familiar actors came over to greet them, such as Wang Baoqiang, Zhang Hanyu, and Feng Yuanzheng. Come to think of it, it's not without reason that Huayi is called the private sector leader of domestic entertainment. At the very least, the artists under its banner are quite numerous, encompassing the two shores and three regions. At this very moment, it is truly at its zenith.

Before long, it was the artist lucky draw segment. Everything prepared was cash, with prizes ranging from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands, which really aroused the anticipation of many people.

But these two brothers at Huayi are indeed too snobbish in their actions. Those who won the big prizes were all popular artists, while those who drew the few thousand yuan consolation prizes were all minor, transparent artists.

There was even an artist with a round face who didn't draw anything, and Wang Zhongjun gave her a consolation red envelope of one thousand yuan.

Wei Jin also recognized her; the round-faced one is the famous Zhao Xiaodao.

"Tsk tsk."

Hearing Wei Jin's mocking voice, Young Master Zhou also chimed in.

"So, Old Wei, this is another reason why I don't want to stay here..."

Seeing Young Master Zhou feeling a bit emotional, Wei Jin teased: "Yo, Young Master Zhou, are you pointing at me? Fine, for this year's company annual meeting, it seems I have to give you a big red envelope, haha."

Young Master Zhou also climbed up the pole and teased back:

"Yo, that sounds great. Thank you, Boss Wei, for being so generous, haha."

After the two finished joking around, Huayi's internal celebration activities were declared over. The main event of the night had arrived.

"Everyone also knows that when the company first went public, only internal artists were eligible for stock allocation. Now, they have all become millionaires, multi-millionaires, or even billionaires following Huayi's listing. In the future, everyone here will also have that..."

Wang Zhongjun is very good at the art of managing subordinates. The artists who joined Huayi in the past two years haven't received any stock allocation. Doesn't he have to paint a big picture first to stabilize them? Subsequently, Wang Zhongjun began to increase the shares for individual celebrity shareholders, with an additional issuance ratio of 15%.

The 10 million shares held by Wei Jin turned into 11.5 million shares, and the stocks of the four women including Jing Tian also increased by over a million shares out of thin air, but this is of no use; the stock price will fall tomorrow.

But many small artists offstage were extremely envious; those who were named for stock allocation were all big shots in the circle.

These people also know in their hearts that they probably won't last until the qualification for the next stock allocation. Some quick-witted people have already noticed Wei Jin, who was present.

"Perhaps when the contract expires, going to Starry Sky Culture is also a good choice." — Inside the Chairman's office at Shanhe Building.

"Chairman Wang, I really only earned a bit of hard-earned money for this film of yours..."

Wei Jin picked up his teacup and took a sip, teasing. The special effects for *Painted Wall* have been completed, but he didn't expect Wang Changtian to personally bring Chen Jiashang over for the acceptance check.

"Brother Wei, this old brother of yours accepts the favor. In the future, if you need any of Enlight's television station resources, just speak up."

Wang Changtian also knew he had taken advantage and gave a promise, but he also knew in his heart that with the current scale of Shanhe Media, Enlight's resources might not necessarily have much of an advantage. "General Manager Wei, is it convenient to go take a look now?"

Chen Jiashang, who was on the side, watched the two start reminiscing and couldn't help but ask.

"Of course, Zixuan, accompany Director Chen to Shanhe Ink for the inspection."

Wei Jin gave the instruction to his Assistant, then immediately turned to Wang Changtian.

"Chairman Wang, will you be coming along? Or would you rather chat here for a while?"

Wei Jin naturally couldn't accompany him personally for such a minor inspection, but since Wang Changtian had come, he couldn't very well not host him, so he asked about the other's intentions.

"Forget it, I won't go. Director Chen, you go take a look."

"Very well, Chairman Wang."

Following Chen Jiashang's departure, Wei Jin and Wang Changtian began to chat idly; both were heads of film and television companies, and the topic soon turned to the recent film market.

"I never imagined Jiang Wen would be so formidable; Emperor has really struck gold this time."

Wang Changtian's tone was somewhat emotional; *Let the Bullets Fly* had been released for two days and had already raked in 78 million at the box office. As far as he knew, this was even with an insufficient number of prints; otherwise, the box office would have been even higher—truly terrifying.

Most importantly, the word-of-mouth was also good. Looking at this trend, the goal of a 500 million floor was genuinely within reach. Including investment and marketing, Emperor held over 70% of the shares in this film; they were absolutely going to make a killing.

"That's because Boss Yang has a good eye. Who else could do it, willing to continue investing after losing so much?"

Wei Jin didn't think much of it; many people only see the thief eating meat, not the thief getting beaten.

"That's true, but tell me, how is Chen Shiren such a failure? He collapsed before Jiang Wen even made a move."

Seemingly recalling the time Chen Shiren called to blacklist Liu Yan, Wang Changtian's tone was somewhat mocking.

The industry had originally thought this year's New Year Slot would be a battle between the three great directors—Chen, Feng, and Jiang—but before *Let the Bullets Fly* had even been released, the box office for *Sacrifice* had already run out of steam.

Less than two weeks after its release, the box office reported 170 million, with the single-day box office falling below one million, already declaring Chen Shiren out of the game early.

With the release of *Let the Bullets Fly*, the single-day box office for *Sacrifice* fell even further, below 100,000. The theater chains even unilaterally pulled the film from release, practically rubbing Chen Shiren's face in the dirt. The last director to be unilaterally pulled from theaters was named Lu Chuan.

"Heh, haven't you seen what the netizens are saying? Chen Shiren has already exhausted his talent; I'm afraid it will be very hard for him to make a comeback."

Thinking of Chen Shiren's miserable state, Wei Jin also chuckled; *Sacrifice* must be the biggest Waterloo Chen Shiren has ever encountered.

Most importantly, Wei Jin remembered very clearly that even up to 2023, Chen Shiren never climbed back up. What a tragedy.

Looking at the domestic film market as a whole, there has never been a great director who ended up in this situation: in half a month, the film's potential was exhausted, its reputation completely lost, and Chen Shiren was once again nailed to the pillar of shame.

By comparison, both *Now You See Me 2* and *Laughing Jianghu* were performing much better than *Sacrifice*.

The former had been released for three weeks and the box office had already broken 300 million; although it couldn't compare to its predecessor, for a purely imported film, it was already dazzling enough.

The latter had been released for two weeks and the box office reached 150 million, truly fulfilling the Zhao Family Troupe's expected goal.

"However, Chen Shiren's mental fortitude is actually quite good. Even after being scolded so miserably, he still has the heart to work on a new script, hehe."

"Normal. A great director still has to maintain his composure. Chen Shiren has always been a man who wants to be strong his whole life."

"But I have a feeling that his *Sand Sea Empty Gate* is going to flop again."

"Hehe, Chairman Wang, your feeling is probably not wrong."

"Haha." — Wei Jin was busy with the post-production of *Whiplash*, and time passed very quickly; in the blink of an eye, it was late December.

News came from Chen Xi's side that *Pacific Rim* had finished filming its Hong Kong segments, and the crew was about to move to Hollywood.

"Then according to this plan, won't the crew have to spend the Spring Festival in North America?"

"That's right. Zhang Yi is even shouting for you to send out Spring Festival red envelopes."

"Tell him to go to sleep early; he can have them in his dreams, haha."

Hanging up the phone, Wei Jin collected his thoughts. The post-production for *Whiplash* was finished, and he was currently doing a final review to check for any omissions.

After a morning passed, Wei Jin stretched and said to the staff in the editing room:

"There are no problems. Arrange for someone to send it for review this afternoon."

"Very well, President Wei."

Waving his hand, Wei Jin went straight to his office and opened his computer to browse the news online. He had been too busy editing these past few days to watch the fun.

The media's efficiency was high; Chen Xi had only reported the work in the morning, and already news about *Pacific Rim* had appeared online.

"*Pacific Rim* has completed location shooting; the crew will move to Warner Bros. Studio to complete the filming of special effects shots."

After a two-month hiatus, this large-scale Sino-American co-production had once again entered the public eye, accompanied by a promotional photo of the entire main cast.

In the photo, Zhang Yi and those Huaxia faces in the ensemble all had expressions of determination.

Only Fan Bingbing, despite trying hard to look heroic and fearless, had a figure that looked curvaceous in her mecha suit, giving one the urge to pin her down and teach her a lesson. She was truly a woman who could bring disaster to a country and its people.

At a time like this, Wei Jin wouldn't wrong himself; he summoned Zixuan, and the latter obediently knelt under the desk and began to warm up.

Soon, Wei Jin saw a piece of the latest film news.

Perhaps because the results of *Let the Bullets Fly* were too good, Jiang Wen had gotten a bit carried away and actually started bombarding the entire film industry in front of a crowd of media.

"In my view, more than half of the filmmakers in this country don't even have as much aesthetic sense as the average audience member. And yet, they think about making movies every single day? Are they just making things to fool ghosts?"

Once these words were out, the industry exploded. Now that you, Jiang Wen, have achieved success, are you starting to smash the rice bowls of your peers? A large number of filmmakers and association members jumped out to accuse and criticize Jiang Wen for being arrogant and Eye for an Eye.

That wasn't all; Boss Yang also seemed to have gotten carried away and actually invested in that film of Lu Chuan's, *The Last Supper*, and the key was that her investment share was as high as 70%.

Wei Jin shook his head. Lu Chuan didn't even have the experience of training for a period piece; Boss Yang's investment this time was likely going to go down the drain again.

Just as he was planning to continue browsing, Wei Jin felt a bite and looked down to see his Assistant looking at him with a flushed face.

"Boss, I want it."

"Come, stand still, I'll feed you until you're full."

Soon, cheerful singing and applause rang out in the office. First update of the day.

(End of chapter)