Chapter 545: Wanting Copyright? The Price of Mischief

Shanhe Building, in the Chairman's office.

"It's been a few months, and you've become quite round, haha, sit."

Wei Jin smiled and greeted Xu Zheng, who was obviously a circle fatter, to sit down.

This guy was too active. He called on the first day he returned to the country, and then sent WeChat greetings every few days, fully displaying his ambition to move up.

However, Wei Jin had been busy with editing and didn't have time to pay attention to him. Now that he was free, he agreed to meet him.

"President Wei, still the same sentence, I have to thank you for giving me the opportunity."

Xu Zheng's words were slightly sincere. In the past few months, he had been treated as a guest of honor by major film and television companies, with many social engagements, eating and drinking, which only strengthened his determination to become a director and even capital.

"Hehe, no need to say polite words, but..."

Wei Jin had no time to pay attention to Xu Zheng's rainbow farts, looking at him with a smile that was not a smile. "I heard that you have been walking very close to Boss Ma of Alibaba recently?"

Xu Zheng adjusted the bridge of his nose glasses, looking a bit unnatural on his face. "Hehe, President Wei is joking. What status does Boss Ma have? I'm just meeting by chance, social engagement..."

Wei Jin was too lazy to expose him, and went straight to the point: "You came here today, presumably you have some ideas for the sequel?"

"Yes, President Wei, after a few months of thinking, I have some new feelings. I think comedy films don't have to be purely funny. They can completely add some meaningful things, some things that are more connotative and can trigger the audience's deep thinking, for example..."

Xu Guangtou opened his mouth and talked endlessly, very excitedly saying his ideas, and then looked at Wei Jin with some expectation: "President Wei, what do you think?"

"Uh... the idea is good, but I think..."

Wei Jin first gave affirmation to Xu Guangtou's ideas, and then expressed his own views.

Generally speaking, comedy films can be divided into three categories.

The first category is purely funny, without any self-expression, just let the audience laugh, no need to bring a brain to think about life.

Typical representatives are those Hong Kong shit-and-piss comedy films, such as *Sixty Million Dollar Man*, *The Eagle Shooting Heroes*, etc.

The second category is to tell a simple big truth while being funny.

For example, *Lost on Journey*, while being funny, tells a big truth that the audience understands at a glance: no matter how beautiful the mistress is, it's not as good as family warmth, and no matter how romantic the wild flowers are, it's not as good as the family flowers being gentle and beautiful. At the same time, it mentions the problem of arrears of migrant workers' wages.

The third category is to tell a complex story while being funny, which may involve life, family, love, kinship, etc.

For example, *Breakup Buddies*, not only brings up complex marriage problems but also uses the narrative method of space-time dislocation.

After the audience laughs, they savor it carefully and feel that the story is good. As for the big truth of marriage and love, you tell yours, and the audience can listen if they want, or it doesn't matter if they don't.

What Xu Zheng wants to do now is the third category, but his ideas are too deliberate, as if he is sublimating the theme for the sake of sublimation.

To describe it hard, it's like a Spring Festival Gala sketch, having to go up to value, and it's inexplicable, with a feeling of being neither fish nor fowl.

"So, my meaning is, we can continue to polish it. Anyway, there is no need to be too anxious..."

"This..."

Xu Zheng was stuck

But Shanhe Media could afford to wait; he couldn't afford to wait.

After seeing the scenery at the top of the mountain, who would be willing to continue looking up from the foot of the mountain?

It was just that the copyright was with Shanhe Media, and when the project would start was entirely up to Wei Jin. What could he do about it? Copyright? Copyright! A thought suddenly flashed through Xu Guangtou's mind, and it became unstoppable.

"Then, President Wei, do you think it's possible to transfer the copyright to me?"

"Hm?"

Wei Jin looked surprised, then looked deeply at Xu Zheng. The latter seemed to have opened up his train of thought, and his smooth-talking skills instantly returned.

"President Wei, look, you're not too optimistic about the current plan, but movies are all about making money. Sell the copyright to me, I'll handle the operation, and you can still get a large copyright fee..."

"Heh, how much is a 'large' amount? This isn't ordinary copyright; you should be clear about the weight of a 1-billion-box-office film."

Hearing this number, Xu Guangtou instantly came back to his senses and swallowed his saliva. "President Wei, I know it's not cheap, but if you're willing to transfer it, I... I will definitely show the greatest sincerity."

Wei Jin understood; Xu Zheng had come up with this on the spur of the moment, and he hadn't even thought about what price he could offer.

To be honest, Wei Jin could understand Xu Zheng's urgency; a director with only one big-selling work couldn't establish a foothold in the circle.

But the *Lost* series wasn't a panacea; it wasn't something you could just keep filming forever by changing the map.

The one with the most depth, or rather the best reputation, was still *Lost on Journey*. Even *Lost in Thailand*, which had a much more eye-catching box office, actually just happened to catch a good time.

If he really wanted to make a sequel, Wei Jin hoped to polish it carefully and not let down this IP.

However, selling the copyright outright did provide him with another solution.

For a time, the office fell silent, leaving only the "da-da" sound of Wei Jin's fingers tapping on the desk, each one sounding like it was tapping on Xu Zheng's hairless head.

Just as Xu Guangtou's heart couldn't take it anymore, Wei Jin's voice rang out.

"Fine, in principle, I agree to this matter."

Without waiting for Xu Zheng to answer, Wei Jin looked at him with a half-smile and continued: "However, I hope you bring enough sincerity; there's only one chance."

"Okay, President Wei, I will provide a quote as soon as possible. I will definitely, definitely make you satisfied."

"President Wei, what's wrong with Xu Zheng? Just now in the hallway, I heard him muttering about copyright, capital, circles, and class. He was acting all mystical; it was like he didn't even see me when I greeted him."

Jiang Xuerou, dressed in professional attire, complained to Wei Jin as soon as she walked into the office.

She considered herself to have known Xu Zheng for many years; even if they weren't that close, they could at least nod at each other when they met, right? Was he getting so arrogant just because he was popular? "Heh, it's nothing. You don't need to worry about him. Did you get things done on your end?"

Seeing that Wei Jin wouldn't explain, Jiang Xuerou didn't pursue it further and immediately began reporting on her work.

By the middle of this month, *Longling Labyrinth* had already concluded.

The peak viewership rating broke 4, the peak viewership share reached as high as 14.83, the average viewership rating remained at around 3.3, and the average viewership share broke 10.

This result was slightly worse than *Ghost Blows Out the Light: Jingjue City* from a few years ago, but in the current era, it was definitely a super blockbuster.

One could even say it had already locked in this year's viewership championship ahead of time.

So much so that the second and third-round broadcast rights were snatched up by numerous TV stations, selling for a high price of 3.2 million from 8 local TV stations, which was not inferior to the first-round premiere rights.

Adding in the online copyright aspect, the cumulative price per episode for this TV series reached as high as 7.7 million.

Calculating it, this drama achieved a cumulative revenue of 185 million. Adding in advertising placements and such, even after deducting production and promotional costs, the net profit was at least over 130 million. It was simply a massive profit.

In addition, the casting for *Love O2O* had already been completed.

Except for the previously decided female lead, the male lead was handed to company artist Li Xian, and the other roles were also basically company actors.

It's worth mentioning that perhaps due to the friendship formed during *Bottom-tier Gal*, Bai Yu and Li Xian had a particularly good relationship, and the former took the initiative to mention playing the second male lead, wanting to collaborate again. Regarding this, neither director Su Lun nor producer Jiang Xuerou refused, and Wei Jin naturally had no objections.

"When is it expected to start filming?"

"Expected mid-May."

"Good."

Wei Jin nodded, then asked about the situation with *Red Sorghum*.

"President Wei, the auditions have ended, but Director Zheng Xiaolong is still considering the specific roles comprehensively. I estimate there will be results after the holiday."

"Fine, let's leave it at that for now."

Beijing, a private club.

The candlelight flickered, reflecting the superior silhouettes of Wei Jin and Jing Tian.

The melodious violin Beethoven Serenade sounded so gentle and beautiful.

But what didn't fit the high-end environment was that on the table covered with a white tablecloth, there was steaming hot spicy hot pot.

Wei Jin rested his chin in his hand, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, appreciating the way Jing Tian was eating across from him.

He still remembered when the two first met; the young girl still showed good upbringing, eating in small bites and paying special attention to her image.

But now, the two were inseparable, and the young girl never deliberately hid her awkwardness in front of Wei Jin.

For example, at this moment, Jing Tian was eating the spicy hot pot full of "technological content," and fine beads of sweat had already appeared on her fragrant cheeks and forehead, and her little tongue poked out from time to time, looking like a husky that had been overheated in the summer.

"I told you not to order it so spicy; are you stupid now?"

Looking at the playful smile on Wei Jin's face, Jing Tian took the drink he handed her and took a sip, tucked a few mischievous strands of hair behind her ear, and feigned calmness: "It's okay, it's just average..."

"..."

Wei Jin shook his head with a smile, too lazy to expose her, just handed her a tissue. "Wipe it off; your lips are red from the spice."

Jing Tian wasn't polite; her lips were bright red after wiping, making one want to take a bite.

Suddenly, Wei Jin's phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, he raised an eyebrow.

A few minutes later, seeing the smile on Wei Jin's face, Jing Tian was slightly curious. "What's wrong, brother?"

"Nothing, someone invited us to dinner the night after tomorrow. You come with me..."

The young girl didn't ask much and nodded obediently: "Mm, okay."

The place for dinner tonight wasn't far from Dongshanshu, so Wei Jin and Jing Tian weren't in a hurry, taking a leisurely walk home as a way to digest.

Old Zhu and the female bodyguard were trailing not far behind.

On one hand, it was for safety, and on the other, it was to deal with any paparazzi that might appear by chance.

Although with Wei Jin's current status, there were very few paparazzi following him, one couldn't rule out some hot-headed newcomers wanting to become famous.

But usually, such people didn't last two episodes; after all, the resources and connections Wei Jin could mobilize were simply not on the same level. Often, before the news could spread, it had already been discovered by the company's public opinion monitoring system and directly suppressed through various authorities.

Along the way, Jing Tian held Wei Jin's arm, sharing her recent work and life.

"By the way, brother, I went back to the company this afternoon. Uncle Lu received a very good invitation; you help me refer to it."

"Oh? What's the content?"

Wei Jin wasn't surprised. Although with his escort, Starlight Splendid was basically an empty shell, Jing Tian's status was there, and she often received invitations from the industry.

Usually, she wouldn't consider small productions, and only when she was tempted would she ask for Wei Jin's opinion.

"They said Wong Jing wants to reboot the *God of Gamblers* series."

Once Wei Jin heard this, he had a rough idea; it should be *From Vegas to Macau*.

Although this drama hadn't been released yet, at the previous celebration banquet, Shi Nansheng had mentioned this project.

Boss Yang of Macau's Sun Entertainment had pulled in Uncle Pang of Bona, who had deep ties to the Hong Kong circle, and joined forces with Wong Jing, planning to make a big move.

This drama claimed an investment of 100 million and planned to pull in Chow Yun-fat to continue the glory of the *God of Gamblers*.

The reason Shi Nansheng knew about this project wasn't because the other party wanted to pull in Golden Harvest for investment, but because they needed to coordinate Chow Yun-fat's schedule.

After all, *Cold War 2* was going to start filming in the second half of the year, and there was some conflict in time with *From Vegas to Macau*.

It's just that Wei Jin didn't expect them to have designs on Jing Tian, so he squeezed the girl's little hand and explained: "Tiantian, the 'reheating leftovers' vibe of this project is too obvious. Even if the box office is good, the final reputation will likely be shattered. It won't do you any good."

"Is that so? I thought it would be good if Wong Jing and Chow Yun-fat collaborated again. Okay, I'll send Uncle Lu a message."

Jing Tian trusted Wei Jin's judgment very much and didn't hesitate at all, directly taking out her phone to send Lu Zheng a WeChat message.

After all, nowadays, she was a Golden Horse Best Actress and an internationally renowned female star; she had to cherish her feathers.

Just like that, walking and chatting, the two soon returned to Dongshanshu, and a reunion after a long separation was imminent.

It's just that Wei Jin didn't expect that he would almost flip the car at Dongshanshu. Inside the spacious villa, Wei Jin, who had already finished washing up, was fiercely teaching Jing Tian a lesson.

He was really teaching her a lesson; Jing Tian was supporting herself against the wall with both hands, her legs held high in a split.

As Wei Jin continuously played his cards, red clouds appeared on the young girl's exquisite face, her forehead and temples were covered with fine beads of sweat, her brows were slightly furrowed, and the supporting leg had already started to tremble.

There was no helping it; although she had exercised since she was young and had a dance background, after maintaining this posture for half an hour and losing a few points, Jing Tian couldn't hold on anymore and couldn't help but beg for mercy.

"Brother, I can't do it anymore; my feet can't stand anymore..."

"Hmph, who told you not to listen when you were taking a bath just now? I told you not to eat, but you still wanted to eat. You're burning me up with spice..."

Wei Jin said, his card-playing force not decreasing at all.

"I was wrong; I was just curious. I won't dare to do it again~~"

"Really know you were wrong?"

"Really~~ brother~~"

"Fine, I'll spare you this time."

Wei Jin was ultimately heartbroken for the girl, slowly lowering her raised beautiful legs and carrying her to the bed.

But he soon pressed on top of her; after all, the anger was gone, but the fire was still very big.

That night, Jing Tian was filled in all three ways, which could be considered paying a huge price for her naughtiness. (End of chapter)