Chapter 103: Producer Liu

Lin Nan took care to pay attention to yesterday's fundraising figures.

Bazaar announced them on Weibo.

31 million! This number is truly neat!

Among them, Jackie Chan alone contributed 15.92 million, accounting for "half the sky."

"With hundreds of celebrities and stars, more than half of them really just went to crash the red carpet and leech off the media exposure!"

This matter cannot be criticized, because donations and auctions are indeed voluntary; one cannot force others to pay.

But it is just very glaring to look at.

That multi-colored printed evening gown, after being sent over, went straight into Liu Yifei's wardrobe.

Who knows how long it will be until it appears again.

Lin Nan had never seen other female stars' wardrobes, but in any case, Liu Yifei's was quite large; with the fitting room, it was worth three of his bedrooms.

"Director Lin, 'Ip Man 2' has wrapped up."

When Yang Shoucheng called Lin Nan to tell him about this, there was anger in his voice.

Because of the explosive popularity of "Ip Man 1," Donnie Yen had one foot in the A-list.

There were not many well-known action stars to begin with, and because Donnie Yen was a Hong Kong actor, he was sought after by many people in the mainland.

His popularity, commercial appearances, endorsements, and film offers all skyrocketed.

During filming, he frequently asked for leave, juggled multiple roles, and ran to commercial events; this situation led to "Ip Man 2" dragging on until now to wrap up.

Lin Nan admired Yang Shoucheng's businessman mentality of putting the project first, only telling him after it wrapped.

"Does that mean this guy is very full of himself now?"

"Heh, success has gone to his head, something like that..." Yang Shoucheng sneered.

"Chairman Yang, let's do the post-production first to ensure there are no problems before the film's promotion and release."

Lin Nan thought for a moment and replied.

On the other end of the phone, Yang Shoucheng paused, clearly understanding what Lin Nan meant.

"Don't worry, Director Lin, there won't be any problems before this film is released."

The crew dragged on for so long before wrapping, so the previous budget must have been exceeded.

Lin Nan hadn't received any notification, and his share wouldn't change. The part that went over budget must have been paid for by Emperor Motion Pictures.

Don't look at how generous Yang Shoucheng is when giving jewelry and accessories to female stars, but in this matter, Donnie Yen will definitely be "remembered."

The latest box office summary for "The Founding of a Republic" has already exceeded 300 million.

It looks like reaching 400 million should be no problem.

In the film and television industry news, interviews with Han Sanping can be seen everywhere.

In the photos, he looks radiant.

Thinking about it, the cost of this film was only 30 million, and now the box office is over 300 million.

There isn't a single film company in the industry that doesn't envy this profit.

It's just that I don't know how much "The Message" can get.

Chen Guofu specifically notified Lin Nan that they were preparing to hold the premiere at the Beijing Film Academy.

In terms of scale, it certainly cannot compare to "The Founding of a Republic."

Almost all of Huayi's artists came. Many actors and directors in the industry were also invited to show their support.

Lin Nan sat with Tian Zhuangzhuang.

"Do you have any new films planned?"

"Yes."

Lin Nan won the Golden Lion, and as his mentor, Tian Zhuangzhuang also shared in the honor.

"Is it a realistic subject again?"

"A commercial film; the script is almost done, and I can start casting soon."

Within a year or two, Lin Nan does not intend to film any more award-chasing films. The golden age of the film and television industry is coming.

"Hmm, that's good.

I'm just afraid that like some of us, once you win a major award from the Big Three, you'll lose yourself; that would be bad."

Tian Zhuangzhuang rambled on.

Not only was it hard for Lin Nan to respond, but Gu Changwei, Zhang Jingchu, and others nearby also pretended not to hear.

In the last two days, Director Chen has taken "Forever Enthralled" to apply for the Oscars again...

On the screen, the main feature of "The Message" began to play, produced by: Lin Nan Film, Huayi Brothers...

This film is much more oppressive than "The Founding of a Republic," but it is also a fine tribute film.

Starlight International held a screening for "The Art of War," and invitations were sent to film and television companies throughout the industry.

Yue Jun went on behalf of Lin Nan Film.

"How was it?"

"The visuals and sound effects were quite good, but the plot..."

"Did they add a lot of fictional characters and fictional plot points, and is the historical research extremely imprecise?"

Lin Nan asked tentatively. Historical subjects meant to promote people always have these shortcomings.

"Yes, but I heard the copyright has already been sold to Japan."

That is true; Japan likes this type of domestic film and television work, the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the Eastern Han and Three Kingdoms...

Lin Nan began to speed up and perfect his own script.

On the other side, Huayi picked a good day and officially submitted its listing application to the Growth Enterprise Market.

At the same time, the prospectus also announced the list of existing shareholders, involving a large number of celebrities and stars in the industry.

Lin Nan also paid attention to it.

Huayi artists were limited to 1.8 million shares, which obviously did not include Feng Xiaogang and Zhang Jizhong.

These two had 2.88 million shares and 2.16 million shares respectively.

Lin Nan's figure of 8 million shares was very conspicuous hanging there.

Among the artists, the only one who bought the full 1.8 million shares was Huang Xiaoming; sometimes you have to admit that the "Cult Leader" really has that kind of fate.

Ranked second was Zhou Xun, who had been given pointers by Lin Nan several times, with 1 million shares.

Li Bingbing and Ren Quan only had a few hundred thousand shares...

The media was unanimously optimistic about Huayi.

"Huayi is expected to become the first domestic film and entertainment company to be listed domestically..."

"In its main business sector, Huayi's profits are extremely dependent on Feng Xiaogang..."

"Director Lin Nan holds a large amount of Huayi's original shares!"

The act of "tricking" Lin Nan into buying Huayi stock was, in Wang Zhonglei's view, very wise.

Now the benefits are already obvious.

"Director Lin, the audit has been passed, and we will be fully listed in the latter part of next month."

Wang Zhonglei even came to greet Lin Nan specifically; the latter's bonus as a Golden Lion-winning director only benefits the stock price.

"Good, I look forward to Huayi's stock soaring."

"Haha, I'll take your auspicious words, Director Lin..."

Although at the beginning, the two had their own agendas, at this moment, their goals were the same.

The box office growth of "The Founding of a Republic" had reached its final stage, but looking at the situation, it still had some impact on the opening day box office of "The Message."

The latter reported 12 million on its first day, which for a medium-investment scale film like "The Message" is already a very dazzling figure, as long as you don't compare it to "The Founding of a Republic."

With the box office plus copyright, this film will have no problem making money.

Driving his car, Lin Nan returned to the villa.

He found the gate was open, and sure enough, he saw Liu Yifei sitting in the living room.

A group of cats and dogs were gathered around the girl, quite harmonious; they were all used to having two "homes" now.

"I was just released, and you found me."

Lin Nan looked at the script in Liu Yifei's hand and said with a smile.

"Is this the movie you're going to film next?"

"That's right, this film is among the company's upcoming projects."

Liu Yifei must have just started reading it and hadn't finished flipping through it.

"Then I have to take a good look to see if there's a role suitable for me..."

"Hmm, as you wish.

But why only look at the roles; won't you consider the producer?"

Hearing Lin Nan's words, Liu Yifei instantly raised her head to look at him.

Her face showed joy first, then she furrowed her brows, looking somewhat hesitant.

"But I've only just started learning; what if I mess it up?"

"With me backing you, what are you afraid of? Being an actor and a producer aren't mutually exclusive. No matter how much you study on your own, can it compare to directly producing a film?"

Liu Yifei nodded; she felt that everything Lin Nan said made sense.

"Then, then I'll give it a try? Hehe..."

"Mm, just use this film to practice. When Lu Yang returns, I'll introduce you."

Liu Yifei nodded. If it were a film directed by Lin Nan, she would absolutely not be the producer; if she messed it up, she would feel very guilty.

Of course, if the director were someone else, then it wouldn't matter...

Liu Yifei recalled the "words of experience" Xing Aina had given her at the beginning of the year, and her gaze instantly became firm.

"This producer role, I'm definitely taking it!"

Lin Nan was startled; why was she suddenly so imposing, and her gaze even a bit cold? He didn't seem to have said anything wrong, did he?

…………

The National Day holiday had begun.

The daily box office for *The Message* broke through twenty million, and the total box office for *The Founding of a Republic* reached 380 million.

The latter was only a little over sixty million away from breaking the record set by *The Martian*.

Han Sanping was even more excited and even called Lin Nan.

"Haha, after the National Day holiday ends, this box office record might just belong to *The Founding of a Republic*."

"Then I must congratulate you..."

Han Sanping never hid his love for grand achievements, but this love for grand achievements was of the complimentary kind, not derogatory.

"When the celebration party is held, you should come too; after all, it was obtained from your hands."

Lin Nan was speechless inside; so certain?

If it fell just a little short, the slap to the face would be very painful!

……

Quite a few people called over, leaving Lin Nan a bit bewildered.

"Director Lin, is Yifei going to be a producer? What kind of film is it?"

"Are you two starting a husband-and-wife act? Are you still short on actors?"

"Director Lin, are you starting a new film?"

……

Lin Nan went to check Liu Yifei's Weibo and couldn't help but want to laugh.

"Looking forward to the feeling of being a producer for the first time. From now on, please call me Producer Liu. Hehe."

The entire Weibo post only had these two sentences. Mm, and it was accompanied by a photo of her smiling while holding a kitten.

To those who came to ask Lin Nan, his standard reply was that it would be announced once the project was officially launched later.

The news of Liu Yifei becoming a producer was considered confirmed from Lin Nan's side.

For a group of actresses born in the eighties, this was a bit of a blow.

Many were still wandering outside the film circle, while Liu Yifei was already going to try her hand at being a film producer.

"Different people, different fates; we can only be envious..."

"Isn't it just..."

……

Many companies in the industry were clear that the only film Liu Yifei could use to "practice" on would be one produced by Lin Nan Film Industry.

And it was a new, unannounced film at that!

Those who had designs on it all popped up at once.

When Lin Nan called Liu Yifei, she was actually with Xing Aina.

Listening to what was said, Xing Aina had also been self-studying production for the past six months to a year; now that was good, she finally had a companion.