Chapter 397: The Goddess's Charm, Huayi's Intentions

Inside the chairman's office at Shanhe Building.

Wei Jin, Han Sanping, and Wang Changtian sat quietly in the office drinking tea.

Today was a meeting between the three parties regarding *Shendu Longwang*, but it seemed no one wanted to be the first to speak.

Wei Jin naturally relied on his status as the lead controller; no matter what, Shanhe Media's share would not be small.

Old Wang had the advantage of having invested in the previous installment, and since China Film Group was jumping on the bandwagon halfway through, he was in no rush.

Sure enough, Han Sanping could not hold back in the end and took the initiative to start the topic.

"Ahem, Old Wang, Enlightened Media has already made a profit from the last one. This time China Film Group is participating; I'm older, Old Wang, so give me a break—I'll just take forty percent."

With Zuoshandiao opening his mouth like a lion, Old Wang's face turned black.

As the lead controller, Shanhe Media was guaranteed a significant share; that was a prerequisite.

If China Film Group swallowed forty percent in one gulp, then Enlightened Media wouldn't even get to drink the soup.

When it came to interests, Old Wang didn't stand on ceremony with Han Sanping.

"Han Dong, China Film Group is jumping on the bandwagon halfway through, so it's better to be a bit self-aware. Last time Enlightened Media had thirty percent; surely it can't be less this time, right?"

Han Sanping picked up his teacup and took a sip with a calm, unruffled expression.

"Old Wang, Enlightened Media invested 30 million last time. How about this: why not invest 30 million again this time?"

How could Wang Changtian agree? This time the production cost was 120 million. Including the premium, 30 million would barely even cover a 20% share.

"That won't do, Han Dong. I think China Film Group..."

"Old Wang, Enlightened Media's foundation is weak; if you make too big a move, you'll pull a muscle."

"Han Dong, everything has an order of precedence..."

The two big shots argued like people in a wet market, shouting back and forth at each other.

Wei Jin watched the spectacle for a long time, but in the end, fearing that these two might cause some incident in his office, he had to step in to mediate.

After some tug-of-war, the three parties reached an agreement and finalized the investment shares.

*Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings* was calculated at a total investment of 180 million, including promotion and production costs.

Shanhe Media contributed 70 million for a 50% stake, while China Film Group and Enlightened Media each contributed 55 million for a 25% stake respectively.

As for distribution, the three companies would be jointly responsible.

To be honest, this premium margin was not high, only a little over 20%. One must know that the first installment achieved a profit of nearly 100 million, a return rate of over 70%.

Coupled with Xu Laoguai's fame as a director about to enter the 1-billion-yuan club, the box office and copyright of *Shendu Longwang*, as well as related on-screen advertisements, the profit space would definitely be more advantageous than the first one.

Han Sanping and Wang Changtian naturally knew they had taken advantage; after all, during *Flying Swords of Dragon Gate*, the premium ratio was 50%, which was much higher than this.

Therefore, Wang Changtian also reciprocated, offering a gift in return immediately.

"Brother Wei, previously because of scheduling issues, Liu Shishi didn't participate in *Heartbroken Fairy Tale*. Plus, it was the New Year, so the project was shelved. Now the company plans to start it; as for the female lead, are you interested?"

Wang Changtian knew well that his "younger brother" was a philanderer. It was impossible for Enlightened Media's artists to handle public relations the way Huayi did, but if he wanted to build a good relationship with him, sending over some female roles was the most appropriate thing to do.

What's more, Enlightened Media's own artists likely couldn't carry a film on their own.

"Oh? Sure, then many thanks, Brother Wang."

To be honest, Wei Jin really didn't think much of Enlightened Media's projects.

The investment for *Heartbroken Fairy Tale* was only two or three million, and the male lead was Hu Sha, a newly signed artist at Enlightened Media; there would almost certainly be no good results at the box office.

But regardless, this was still a female lead role in a movie, which was perfectly sufficient for boosting a newcomer in the company.

However, Wei Jin's address of "Brother" made Wang Changtian feel very respected; his face was almost creased with smiles, and he hurriedly waved his hands.

"Hey, why are we brothers being so polite? It's all a small matter, haha..."

Han Sanping, standing to the side, saw the two chatting happily and felt a bit jealous, like a third party intruding, even though he was technically the "third party" in this project.

But as the head of China Film Group, Han Sanping didn't want to lose face or momentum, so he pondered what he had in his pocket that he could use for a trade. On the day of the Lantern Festival, Wei Jin gave himself a day off and accompanied Gao Yuanyuan to watch a performance at Deyun Society.

They were lucky; Xiao Hei Pang Zi was performing on stage in person.

To be honest, Wei Jin didn't have any good feelings toward the fat man, but he couldn't say he had any ill will either.

It was just that after this person became famous, he became a bit conceited, and his words and actions were somewhat arrogant, acting as if he were the titan of the crosstalk world, which made people somewhat dislike him.

After the incident in August the year before last, the crosstalk troupe was given a stern warning, and Xiao Hei Pang Zi had kept a much lower profile.

But as the crosstalk troupe's business became more and more prosperous, the fat man's true nature began to reveal itself again.

Just look, some time ago he caused trouble again; he beat up a reporter from the Fengxing Studio at the airport, and three of his disciples were locked up, fined, and given half a month.

People in the industry were sighing that Guo Degang and his group didn't even need bodyguards; when they encountered problems, they could just roll up their sleeves and go at it themselves.

But to be honest, this had already planted the seeds of disaster.

What is Fengxing Studio? The number one paparazzo, Zhuo Mou, is the boss of this studio.

Back then, Dou Wei was so enraged by Zhuo Mou's exposé that he burned his own car, and the affair between Gu Changwei and Zhang Jingchu was also exposed by him.

Since Guo Degang and his group beat up their employee, wouldn't they be targeted for years?

Speaking of which, Wei Jin had also dealt with Fengxing Studio before.

The incident with the "7 Golden Flowers" of the Central Academy of Drama was exposed by Fengxing. Wei Jin was different from other stars; if Zhuo Mou dared to make groundless accusations, he had better be prepared to face a lawsuit.

Wei Jin had released word at the time: 20 million in funds, no upper limit, and all sorts of connections were mobilized.

There was only one demand: to bankrupt Fengxing and send Zhuo Mou inside.

During that time, Fengxing Studio was in a state of utter chaos, and it finally ended with Zhuo Mou backing down; after all, he was just looking for money, not insane.

Since then, gossip about Wei Jin and related actresses had never been leaked from Fengxing again.

However, Guo Pangzi did not have the energy and connections of Shanhe Media; it was foreseeable that there would be no shortage of scandals for Deyun Society in the future.

After the crosstalk show ended, Wei Jin and Gao Yuanyuan rushed back to Yanjiao Villa. Along the way, Da Meiyuan seemed to still be immersed in the jokes, laughing somewhat exaggeratedly.

"Yuan Yuanjie, you're getting wrinkles," Wei Jin teased with a smile.

Sure enough, wrinkles were a woman's natural enemy, let alone a woman in her thirties. Gao Yuanyuan immediately took out her makeup mirror and examined herself carefully, her expression quite nervous.

After a good long while, looking at her delicate skin, Gao Yuanyuan revealed a satisfied smile, then turned her head to look at Wei Jin, her tone carrying a touch of coquettishness.

"You're hateful, you really scared me to death."

The charm of the Hupu Goddess was truly hard to resist; Wei Jin cupped Da Meiyuan's face and kissed her.

"Mmm~~"

A woman in her thirties is all too easily stirred, but it wasn't easy to perform in the car, so the two could only briefly quench their thirst.

So much so that the moment they arrived home, Wei Jin discovered that a rosy glow had already appeared on Da Meiyuan's face, and the tenderness in her eyes was enough to melt him. "Little rascal, what are you still waiting for?"

Facing such a scene, how could Wei Jin hold back? He fiercely pressed the beauty beneath him to ravish her. After the clouds cleared and the rain stopped, Yuan Yuanjie was as docile as a little kitten, lazily leaning against Wei Jin's shoulder, her face still carrying an alluring flush.

"Little Jin, it seems like Guo Degang and the others have a movie; shall we go see it when the time comes?"

Reaching out to pinch Gao Yuanyuan's handful of snow-white breasts, Wei Jin glanced at her.

"Yuan Yuanjie, have you forgotten about *A Journey to the West*? You still want to go and get poisoned?"

The movie Gao Yuanyuan was talking about was *The Journey of the Car*, starring Guo Pangzi and Yu Qian. Wei Jin naturally knew about it; after all, he had just seen it at China Film Group a few days ago.

This movie was scheduled for April 1st, and he didn't know where the producers got the confidence to challenge his movie.

"Then we can wait for the reviews to come out before we go see it. I think Guo Degang and Yu Qian are quite funny."

Watching Gao Yuanyuan still holding onto her expectations, Wei Jin couldn't help but shake his head.

"Yuan Yuanjie, you have to know that this kind of bandwagon-jumping, clout-chasing movie is basically destined to be a piece of trash from the moment it's greenlit."

It must be said that the Deyun Society's determination to cross over is very firm; from *The Three Smiles* to the current *The Journey of the Car*, there will be more movies in the future that are trashy to the extreme.

But these people, apart from Yu Qian who has a bit of talent, the rest are neither professionally trained actors lacking systematic training, nor are they exceptionally talented with outstanding acting skills, and they lack professionalism, fooling the audience.

Just like this, what kind of good movie could they possibly make? They rely entirely on cashing in on their fame.

"Well, alright then."

Gao Yuanyuan trusted Wei Jin's judgment very much; anyway, if the word-of-mouth turned out to be good, she could just go see it then.

"By the way, Little Jin, when does that *Lost in Thailand* start filming?"

"In these next few days."

Thanks to the reputation and influence of Shanhe Media, communication with Thailand had gone very smoothly. Currently, all preparations for *Lost in Thailand* were complete, the actors' schedules had been finalized, and since the Lantern Festival had passed, it was time to start filming.

"But you're only making a cameo; I'm afraid it won't even take a day, so why are you so concerned?"

As he spoke, Wei Jin adjusted the beauty's position; in just this short while, he was aroused again.

"Oh, I'm just curious. You have to admit, that Xu Guangtou really has an eye for things."

Gao Yuanyuan's face was full of smiles; she was very happy about this cameo.

"That's true, north of the Yangtze, Yuanyuan is the most beautiful."

Da Meiyuan was very receptive to the man's sweet talk, but she still had to act a bit proud.

"You only know how to coax me into being happy."

Wei Jin pulled the beauty onto his abdomen, his hands circling and kneading her perky buttocks.

"Yuan Yuanjie, didn't you feel it?"

Gao Yuanyuan naturally noticed that burning heat. She lightly bit her red lips and kissed the man's lips with infinite charm, then moved down—chin, neck, chest, abdominal muscles, lower abdomen—all the way down, finally gently enveloping Wei Jin.

"Oh."

That night, Wei Jin tasted the full charm of the Hupu Goddess. Just after the Lantern Festival, the administrative efficiency of China Film Group suddenly accelerated, and several new films scheduled for this year were announced.

Among them, several works attracted widespread attention in the industry.

"Produced by Golden Harvest, directed by Xu Anhua, *A Simple Life* is scheduled for March 1st."

"Produced by Shanhe Media, directed by Guo Fan, *Ex Machina* is scheduled for March 15th."

"Jointly produced by Shanhe Media, China Film Group, Wanda, Warner Bros., and Summit Entertainment, the Sino-US co-production *Pacific Rim* is scheduled for June 15th."

"Produced by Shanhe Media, directed by Wei Jin, *Bottom-tier Girl* is scheduled for September 29th."

"Produced by Shanhe Media, directed by Wei Jin, *Dixing Yinxing* is scheduled for December 7th."

As expected, once the news broke, the industry began to feel uneasy again.

Counting the previous movies, Shanhe Media had movies being released almost every month, and the key was that these movies could not be taken lightly.

Especially the sci-fi disaster film *Dixing Yinxing*, with an investment of 450 million, written and directed by Wei Jin, and featuring Cheng Long and Ceng Li.

Wei Jin's drawing power was simply too strong; no one in the industry questioned this point.

In addition, the sci-fi blockbuster *Pacific Rim*, with an investment of 150 million USD and a Sino-US co-production, was also quite intimidating.

Although they knew it was a popcorn movie about mechs fighting monsters, who could be sure that during the super-long Summer Slot, it couldn't replicate the miracle of last year's *Transformers 3*?

What's more, as a co-production, *Pacific Rim* fully enjoyed the treatment of a domestic film; if it were to get another extension, the entire Summer Slot might be eaten up by it.

After all, the current domestic extension policy is: the strong stay strong, and the winner takes all!

Therefore, many producers aiming for the Summer Slot and the New Year Slot had already begun to ponder how to adjust.

At this moment, Lu Chuan was feeling very troubled.

You have to know, he had long since announced that *The Last Supper* was scheduled for November 29th.

Calculating it, it was only 8 days apart from *Dixing Yinxing*.

Without a doubt, the box office would definitely be affected.

"Damn it, is that dog Wei Jin targeting me?"

After complaining, Lu Chuan hesitated for a long time before finally making up his mind.

"Whatever, if Xingmei and Emperor want to change it, then let them."

On the other side, Chen Guofu of Huayi was also worrying about the scheduling.

"President Wang, what should we do about *Tai Chi* now?"

Chen Guofu was a bit worried; as the producer who pushed for this project, his pressure was immense.

The two-part *Tai Chi* series is Huayi's key investment project this year, employing the new director Feng Delun with a cumulative budget of 220 million.

Although the films are still in production, he had long planned to release them in the National Day Slot and the New Year Slot respectively, creating a synergistic effect to seize the release windows as much as possible and reap the box office.

But right now, all of his plans have been disrupted.

"Guofu, don't be anxious, let me think of a way, think of a way."

After kindly persuading Chen Guofu to leave, Wang Zhonglei's expression instantly turned gloomy; he felt as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly.

Although Huayi had made a lot of money following Wei Jin with *Mojin: The Lost Legend* and *Flying Swords of Dragon Gate* before, drinking soup after others is never as satisfying as eating meat at one's own table.

Honestly speaking, according to the production speed of Shanhe Media, the two companies would clash sooner or later, and Wang Zhonglei had long had a premonition about this.

But just thinking of Wei Jin's track record made Wang Zhonglei feel somewhat alarmed; it was truly difficult to resist.

However, a thought soon emerged in Wang Zhonglei's mind, and it immediately became unstoppable. (End of chapter)