Chapter 39: Don't Look Down on Him Without Warning

Wang Changtian had quite forward-looking eyesight.

Later, many new directors and producers were discovered by him, such as Chen Zhixi and Xu Guangtou.

He gave many people opportunities!

He was also the first to see the potential of animated films, and though he missed out on The Monkey King: Hero Is Back, he quickly made up for this shortcoming.

On the other side, Chen Guo, the deputy, also noticed the situation in the film market, but he didn't care—what could one film prove?

It's just plagiarism that got them ahead!

Xiao Wang and Da Wang felt somewhat annoyed: without a co-production agreement, how dare this guy called "Principal" cast Liu Tianxian as the female lead?

Could this guy really be a naive fool, unaware of the situation?

Lei Zong from China Film Group was also surprised by the box office performance—he'd only given a casual yes, since it was a low-budget film, never expecting much success.

Who would have thought that kid would actually pull it off through hard work!

"Old Lei, where did you find this movie? The box office is doing great!" Zuoshandiao had also taken notice of recent developments in the film market.

You couldn't ignore it—the plagiarism scandal had become too big!

"I didn't find it; it came to me on its own," said Manager Lei.

"Oh, do you know who the Principal is?" asked Zuoshandiao.

"I know."

Manager Lei had asked Fang Hong who directed the film, and Fang Hong said it was himself.

That self-proclaimed Principal was none other than Fang Hong!

Although he knew, he had no intention of revealing it to the media or outsiders—it wasn't his business.

He deliberately hid his name, clearly not wanting to become a target; why should he be the one to make himself the villain?

As for plagiarism? Which film doesn't plagiarize?

As long as it passed review, the film was fine.

Determining plagiarism is the court's job!

Zuoshandiao learned the situation and said nothing, then asked: "Has piracy started yet?"

"Not yet, but it's coming soon," said Manager Lei.

Any big hit movie will have pirated copies within a week—Aftershock was just like that.

In this era, piracy isn't about camcorder recordings—it's about digital keys being cracked.

Once cracked, whenever the film plays in theaters, pirated distributors use capture cards to copy the high-definition video source, then produce pirated discs or upload them online.

This method has no digital watermarking, and the quality is extremely high—there's no way to trace it.

Fang Hong had no way to stop piracy; he'd done all he could, and the rest—how much box office he'd earn—was up to fate.

At least he'd already made money!

Outside, the storm was raging with endless criticism, so Fang Hong hid himself at Liu Tianxian's set filming A Chinese Ghost Story.

He called it a visit, but in truth he was clinging to her—after all, she hadn't paid him.

Fang Hong realized he was acting like a husband begging for allowance—begging, flattering, chasing after her constantly.

"Alright, alright, I'm busy—do you have anything else to say?"

Fang Hong was on the phone with Chen Zhixi, growing impatient.

Perhaps Chen Zhixi was so delighted by the box office numbers that she talked nonstop—this call had lasted nearly an hour.

The phone was warm from talking—just a few hundred million in box office? He'd seen tens of billions; was this really worth it?

He himself was also excited, but kept a calm exterior—after all, this was his first time on the big screen, in both past and present lives, and he'd succeeded!

Chen Zhixi hadn't slept well these past few days, watching the box office numbers constantly; when they suddenly spiked to over sixty million, her emotions were hard to control.

Like having an orgasm that wouldn't end.

"Why are you always hanging around Liu Tianxian? Come back!"

"She's my backer—I'm not with her, so I should go to you? Will you give me money?"

Fang Hong teased: "Why not sell your car and reinvest?"

"Why are you always after my car?" Chen Zhixi complained.

"We don't have any cars, only you do—doesn't that feel unfair? You should share the hardship too," Fang Hong said.

"My car has done a ton of work! I'm running around all day—do you want me to take the bus?"

Chen Zhixi continued complaining: "Don't even get me started—you won't even reimburse me for gas! When the box office comes in, first pay me back for gas and my salary."

"Alright, alright, stop!"

Fang Hong cut her off—every time it was either salary or gas reimbursement; the debt kept piling up!

Chen Zhixi chuckled on the phone—she was in a great mood; she'd invested one million and made a fortune, so she wouldn't quarrel with this man.

She said seriously: "With this movie as a foundation, we can attract more investment—we won't need to borrow money from Liu Tianxian anymore."

She hadn't known before, but now she knew exactly where the man's three million came from.

Impressive—he actually managed to borrow that much.

No ordinary person could do that!

"I borrow from Liu Tianxian—I pay back exactly what I borrow. Borrow three million from someone else? I'd have to pay back six million—who gets the better deal?" Fang Hong retorted.

Chen Zhixi paused, then said: "But others have resources—will you keep using students to make films forever?"

"What resources? This is an era of explosive growth in entertainment, at the tipping point of change—everyone has a chance, and no one can monopolize this cake."

Fang Hong added: "Young people are the most mentally agile—they adopt new things fastest."

Over the past few years, the entertainment industry has been in transition—no one could predict the future direction; if they could, the old film studios wouldn't have been crushed by new forces.

In his past life, many new film and media companies emerged during these years.

And those old-timers are still clinging to the old ways!

Anyway, no matter how you put it, Fang Hong simply doesn't want to split the cake.

When he was down and out, no one invested in him; now that he's made it, on what grounds should he share?

Chen Zhixi isn't that inflexible either—she just wants to find more professional, more experienced partners to make films with.

There's nothing wrong with that idea—using other people's resources to rise quickly.

But Fang Hong has other plans of his own. Besides, he's always run things as a small workshop, and film and television production these years is precisely an era of constant iteration of new technology.

Just recently Avatar came out!

How many directors know how to shoot in 3D? They all have to relearn from scratch—it's just that they have the capital to learn and the ability to practice!

It's normal to have differences of opinion. No one has Fang Hong's forward-thinking mindset, nor do they have his cheat.

Everyone is playing the game within the existing rules.

But Fang Hong is bound to jump out of the existing rules and play the game by his own.

If, as a reborn person, he still has to abide by someone else's rules, then what's the point of being reborn, and where's the freedom?

Seeing Chen Zhixi fall silent, Fang Hong set the issue aside for the moment. You can't convince someone in a short chat—you can only convince them by seeing him keep succeeding.

He instructed, "Let me tell you something. Keep an eye on piracy, especially online. The moment you spot any signs, send a lawyer's letter demanding they take it down. We're not really suing—just scaring them. Stamp it out wherever you can."

Suing costs money too!

This is the internet age—Wangyi watching pirated copies don't even need a disc; they can watch it directly online.

As for offline pirated discs, there's no controlling that!

"I don't have the resources to monitor it. I can only do my best," Chen Zhixi said.

She's just one person, with no team—how could she possibly monitor online piracy?

"You can ask China Film Group for help!" Fang Hong said.

"Alright, got it."

Chen Zhixi brought up another matter: "Jiu Ba Dao wants to sue us. How do we respond?"

"Then let him sue. If he doesn't, I'd actually look down on him," Fang Hong said forcefully.

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(End of chapter)