Chapter 40: First Arrival in North America

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Wei Jin returned to Beijing. During the day, he "visited relatives and friends" to consolidate his connections, and at night, he returned to 501 to enjoy the tenderness of Gao Yuanyuan.

On the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, Ceng Li returned to Beijing.

Seeing Ceng Li before him, full of a rustic, rural simplicity, Wei Jin felt a bit emotional; Li Jie still had very high standards for her own work.

Having not seen each other for a long time, the two were naturally like dry tinder meeting a raging fire. Plus, since Ceng Li had to join a film crew in a few days, they naturally seized every moment to be intimate.

After the clouds dispersed and the rain ceased, Ceng Li was very satisfied. She lay on Wei Jin, her fingers sliding back and forth over his abdominal muscles.

"Have you missed me during this time?"

"Of course, didn't you feel it just now?"

Wei Jin answered with a laugh.

"You're always as strong as an ox; who knows if you've been cheating on the outside."

Ceng Li had always been curious about Wei Jin's physical constitution; there was no other reason, his energy was simply too vigorous.

"It's a good thing I let Jingjing keep an eye on you, otherwise who knows how many female demons would have pounced on you."

Hearing this, Wei Jin was speechless. My dear Li Jie, your best friend has already committed an inside job and gone all the way, yet you're still here naively trusting others; your IQ is truly worrying.

On the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, Tangren sent Wei Jin a list regarding the overall earnings of *Chinese Paladin*.

The Taiwan version of *Chinese Paladin* had 34 episodes, priced at 120,000 per episode, totaling 4.08 million.

The Mainland China version of *Chinese Paladin* had 38 episodes, purchased jointly by multiple stations. Including the first, second, and third rounds, the cumulative price per episode was 900,000, totaling 34.2 million.

The revenue from selling the drama was 38.28 million, which counted as a small profit.

On the eleventh day of the Lunar New Year, Xiang Wenlong called to say that the game studio had already recruited staff and asked if Wei Jin wanted to meet. Wei Jin indicated that they would talk after he returned from North America.

On the twelfth day of the Lunar New Year, Ceng Li officially joined the crew of *Lurking*, and Wei Jin also embarked on his journey to North America. This time, he was going to pull off something big.

After more than ten hours of flying, Wei Jin finally set foot on the land of North America.

Coming to greet him was Hunter, the film and television director of Summit Entertainment, a somewhat portly middle-aged white man.

"Hey, Wei, it's really been a long time. Oh, God, you really are strong."

Hunter came up and gave Wei Jin a bear hug.

His acquaintance with Hunter could be traced back to the Berlin International Film Festival, where the North American rights were sold to Summit Entertainment.

Summit Entertainment was founded in 1993, with its headquarters in Santa Monica, California, North America. It was an independent Hollywood film production company.

However, since its inception, the company had been lukewarm, its development path very bumpy, always spinning its wheels in low-budget productions and never able to break through the limitations of the Hollywood Six Majors.

The Hollywood Six Majors refers to the six large film companies that occupy the absolute market share of North American films, including Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Columbia Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal Pictures, and Disney.

The films produced by these six companies each year occupy at least 80% of the North American box office market share; calling them film oligarchs is no exaggeration.

It is very difficult for independent film companies to survive in Hollywood because without capital, it is hard to undertake big productions, and without big productions, it is hard to open up market recognition.

At the same time, good scripts are basically all submitted to the Six Majors; only after being screened do they flow into the hands of independent film companies. Therefore, there are thousands of independent film companies in Hollywood, but very few make a profit each year, while those that go bankrupt are too numerous to mention.

Therefore, overseas film selection has also become an important way for Summit Entertainment to develop, which allows them to break through limitations and come into contact with excellent films and scripts from other regions around the world.

After Hunter brought the film back to North America, Summit Entertainment did not choose to release it in theaters, but instead produced it as a DVD and sold it across the United States, and the market response was quite good.

Seeing this, Summit Entertainment had the idea of a remake. In May of last year, after communicating with Wei Jin, they paid three million dollars to obtain the remake rights and began filming that same month.

The remade film was released in North America in July 2004, achieving a total box office of 63 million. This made the top management of Summit Entertainment overjoyed; this was already the highest-grossing self-produced film since the founding of Summit Entertainment.

Immediately, several executives realized that one hit could not change the situation of Summit Entertainment, and seeking long-term cooperation with Wei Jin became a top priority.

Therefore, since August 2004, the executives of Summit Entertainment had repeatedly invited Wei Jin to North America for inspection, and their attitude was very enthusiastic.

"Hunter, that's enough. You know I don't like men. Can you swap in a lady next time?"

Wei Jin was known in Berlin for his humor and wit.

"Oh, Wei, you really are a realist. But are you sure you want our company's two-hundred-plus-pound female colleague to pick you up?"

Hunter pretended to look hurt.

"Hurry up. I can't wait to know how you plan to entertain me. After all, I have brought tens of millions in profits to your company."

Previously, Wei Jin had already learned that the production cost of the North American version of *Buried* was no more than 2 million dollars; it really made a fortune for Summit Entertainment.

"Don't worry, the boss has already arranged it, guaranteed to let you feel the enthusiasm of Hollywood ladies, hehe."

Hunter had an expression that every man understands. He was also a bit emotional; this was the first time the company had received an Asian person with such high specifications. But who told him he could bring profits to the company? Perhaps even if he asked that stingy boss to offer up his wife, he would probably be willing.

After more than an hour's drive, Wei Jin finally arrived in front of an office building in downtown Santa Monica; this was the headquarters of Summit Entertainment.

In the conference room, Wei Jin finally met the current president of Summit Entertainment—Friedman, a somewhat thin and small white old man, though it was also possible he just looked old.

"Welcome, Wei. Our Summit has been looking forward to this meeting for a long time." As the president of a film company, Friedman personally coming to meet Wei Jin showed how much he valued this meeting.

There was no other reason; Summit Entertainment was about to be unable to hold on.

"Hello, Mr. Friedman. I also believe our cooperation will bring a new chapter to Summit."

After sitting down, Wei Jin appeared very easygoing and spoke with a double entendre.

"Of course, I have no doubt. You have genius ideas, and our Summit has perfect production capabilities and distribution channels. Our cooperation is a strong alliance."

Friedman said with some excitement.

"By the way, Wei, what kind of new script did you bring this time?"

"Of course, I have been preparing for a long time for this meeting."

Wei Jin then took two scripts out of his bag and placed them on the table, casually taking out a cigarette and lighting it.

"You can take a look first, no need to rush."

For a time, in the entire conference room, only the sound of "swish, swish" flipping through the scripts remained.

Half an hour later, Friedman, a screenwriter from Summit, and Hunter had finished reading the scripts. "Whew, Wei, I wasn't wrong, you really are a genius. These two scripts are simply too brilliant."

Friedman said with some excitement.

"Sell both scripts to Summit, five million dollars, how about that?"

Friedman offered a very high price. In fact, for many senior screenwriters in the North American Writers Guild, one script would only fetch 200,000 to 300,000 dollars.

"No, no, no, Mr. Friedman, I think you don't understand what I mean; I don't want money."

Once these words were spoken, the atmosphere at the table suddenly became tense.

"You want a share?" Friedman widened his eyes, and Hunter also looked at Wei Jin in shock, wearing an expression of disbelief.

Wei Jin, however, did not care at all; his true goal had not yet been revealed, and this was only the beginning.

"Wei, movies are risky; believe me, this is not a good choice."

Hunter also spoke up to persuade him; in his view, money in the pocket is safe, and he was very much considering things for Wei Jin.

"No, I think I need to be more direct: what I want is shares in Summit Entertainment."

Wei Jin finally showed his true colors; this was a negotiation tactic—first bring out what the other party wants, then launch a strike from an angle they cannot anticipate.

"Oh, God, your idea is truly too arrogant, Wei; Summit has no intention of selling shares."

Friedman was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on; his whole person bristled.

"No, buddy, don't be anxious; listen to my thoughts, okay? Summit's current situation is not good, and even with last year's *Buried*, this is very likely just a flash in the pan."

"At least up until now, Summit has not found a new profit point, am I right?"

"And I, your friend, a Silver Bear Director from across the ocean, bring capital, bring projects, and am willing to grow together with Summit through thick and thin; I don't know why you would refuse such a thing? Or are you saying you think my script couldn't find a company to take it over if it left Summit?"

"You should know that Shimeng Pictures is in this city; do you think they might be interested?"

In fact, if he hadn't had contact with Summit in Berlin, Wei Jin would have preferred to cooperate with Shimeng, as Shimeng is famous in Hollywood for low-budget horror films after all.

After hearing Wei Jin's words, the three from Summit were silent for a long time, and Wei Jin did not urge them.

"Wei, it's clear you know a lot about Summit; then next, let's talk about your proposal."

Seeing the negotiation enter his own rhythm, Wei Jin felt more confident; in fact, if Hollywood weren't so exclusionary, why wouldn't Wei Jin want to go it alone? Isn't it better to keep all the profits for himself? After a moment of contemplation, Wei Jin informed the three of his proposal.

Wei Jin proposed to invest 100 million USD to acquire 70% of Summit Entertainment's equity; it could be an acquisition through capital injection or an equity transfer.

At the same time, all of Wei Jin's scripts would be open to Summit Entertainment for free, and he promised that for his future films, whether for distribution or investment, Summit would have priority participation.

"You can discuss it with the other shareholders first; believe me, I am full of sincerity."

Wei Jin then picked up the script on the table and put it into his briefcase.

"So now, can you take me to experience the unique features of Hollywood?"

Friedman was somewhat absent-minded and left in a hurry without even attending the prepared dinner, leaving only Hunter and another executive to accompany him.

That night, Wei Jin experienced the customs of North America; it had to be said that the two female models had truly hot figures and were truly very open.

A newbie author writing a book for the first time, begging for collections, follows, reading, and recommendations, thank you everyone. A newbie author writing a book for the first time, begging for collections, follows, reading, and recommendations, thank you everyone.

(End of this chapter)