Chapter 106: Acquiring Zhouyi, Huayi Goes Public

Back then, at the celebration banquet for *Space-Time Cruise*, Lin Nan saw Jiang Xuerou for the first time.

At that time, he already had the idea of acquiring Zhouyi.

Up until now, more than three years have passed.

A few days ago, Lin Nan had Yue Jun make one final contact with Jiang Xuerou...

Today, a reply came from their side.

"How is it?" Lin Nan asked, looking at Yue Jun as he walked into the office.

"She invited us to visit Zhouyi."

No particular expression could be seen on Yue Jun's face.

"Still stalling?" Lin Nan frowned slightly.

"No, Jiang Xuerou said she hopes we can come over to see the Zhouyi company, and then have a face-to-face talk.

Whether it succeeds or not, she will definitely give us a definitive answer."

Hearing this, Lin Nan understood.

"Heh, the final bargaining! Then bring a few professional staff members, and we'll go over together..."

"Understood, I'll go book the tickets now."

Lin Nan told Liu Yifei about his upcoming business trip, to save her from calling him again if she didn't see him in the evening.

Lin Nan and Yue Jun appearing at the airport with a few people was quite eye-catching to reporters.

But they just couldn't guess what Lin Nan and the others were going to do, so they could only publish news reports directly.

"Director Lin Nan and his party have boarded the plane, destination unknown..."

After three in the afternoon, the group landed in Yecheng.

The weather here was much hotter than in the capital.

Lin Nan's thoughts drifted involuntarily back to 2005.

That time he came here, it was to attend the Golden Rooster Awards with *Bringing Into the Dust*, and to start filming *Space-Time Cruise* while he was at it.

As it turned out, at the awards ceremony, he had foolishly carried the sedan chair for someone else.

But it was also that time that Liu Yifei boldly took the first step.

The girl had snuck over from Hollywood alone ahead of time to visit him on set, which had made Liu Xiaoli furious.

"Director Lin, what are you smiling at?"

Yue Jun asked suspiciously.

"Nothing, just thought of some very unforgettable things." Lin Nan couldn't help but smile.

Although Zhouyi's financial situation was poor now, there were still cars to pick them up.

"Director Lin, Director Yue, shall we head back to the company?"

The few people from Zhouyi who came to pick them up were very cautious.

It wasn't just because Lin Nan was a rare big director in the industry, but also because the future boss of the company was very likely to be this person.

There was nervousness, and there was excitement too!

"Alright, let's go."

Several cars sped along the highway, driving all the way toward the Zhouyi headquarters.

At this moment, except for the signed actors and those on the *Peacock Feather* crew, all other employees were at the Zhouyi company.

"They really are impatient." Jiang Xuerou sighed.

She had only replied to Yue Jun in the morning, and by the afternoon, they had arrived.

Jiang Xuerou walked around between the various departments of the company, over and over again.

It had been over ten years; many people were veterans who had stayed at Zhouyi since they entered the industry, and she was very reluctant to let go.

But, what could she do if she was reluctant?

Selling to Lin Nan might be the best ending; at the very least, everyone could continue to work in this industry.

"General Manager Jiang, are we really going to sell the company to Lin Nan Film?"

The head of the screenwriting department asked. He was asking on behalf of all the screenwriters.

Jiang Xuerou smiled helplessly.

"Yes, when they arrive, we will discuss this matter. Perhaps we can still work together, but don't call me General Manager Jiang in the future..."

Everyone knew full well that the company had been getting worse year by year, just barely holding on, and now it couldn't hold on anymore.

"General Manager Jiang, Director Lin and the others are about to arrive."

An administrative staff member took a call and ran over to report.

In an instant, the surroundings went quiet; one could even hear the breathing.

"Mm, I know."

…………

Lin Nan had arrived at the location.

He heard that this office location for Zhouyi hadn't changed in so many years.

In this area, there were quite a few smaller film and media companies, and some people recognized Lin Nan.

"Director Lin Nan! Why did he come here?"

It wasn't until Jiang Xuerou's figure appeared that many people realized Lin Nan was here for Zhouyi.

"Director Lin, Director Yue, welcome. Please follow me into the company."

"General Manager Jiang, please."

The news of Lin Nan appearing at Zhouyi was posted on Weibo and spread rapidly.

Jiang Xuerou took Lin Nan and his party to tour the company.

Zhouyi was quite large, not just this office location, but also its age and credentials.

In the exhibition room for their works, Lin Nan saw the achievements Zhouyi had made over so many years.

Starting from *Love in the Green River*, *Wulin Waishi*, *Li Wei Dang Guan*, *Young King*, *Xiao Shilang*, *Water Moon Cave Heaven*...

"Director Lin, shall we go to the conference room?"

"I'll listen to General Manager Jiang."

Lin Nan was very curious, why did he only see Jiang Xuerou today, where was her husband?

In the conference room, at the long table, on one side was Lin Nan's party, and on the other was Jiang Xuerou and Zhouyi's financial director and others.

Lin Nan had originally thought the face-to-face talk would be a very drawn-out bargaining process, but it turned out not to be at all; Zhouyi really couldn't hold on anymore.

And what surprised him was that even with their financial situation being this rotten, they were still stubbornly filming *Peacock Feather*.

The outside world was very lively at this moment.

Everyone in the circle knew that Lin Nan had taken Yue Jun to Zhouyi, and all sorts of speculations appeared online.

"Is there a project collaboration?"

"Did Director Lin Nan agree to invest?"

Cai Yinong also saw this news; she understood the extent of Zhouyi's former glory.

That was a company that could settle down and produce good dramas...

"A big company with a big director at the helm, why would they invest in the dying Zhouyi? What a joke..."

Cai Yinong scoffed, but suddenly, she thought of another possibility.

"It couldn't be, could it?"

Lin Nan and Yue Jun listened to Jiang Xuerou's "offer."

"Assume all of Zhouyi's debts."

"Support the smooth completion of *Peacock Feather*."

"Accept all of Zhouyi's employees. I know that what Director Lin values are these departments: screenwriting, lighting, and cinematography."

"Give me a sum of money..."

Bit by bit, Jiang Xuerou said a lot.

When she looked at Lin Nan with an inquiring gaze, the latter appeared very indifferent.

"I agree to all these conditions; from now on, we are all on the same team. Tonight, I will treat all the company's employees to a meal..."

In Lin Nan's view, the most valuable things about Zhouyi were those people, and the small portion of copyrights they still held in their hands.

Jiang Xuerou revealed a relaxed expression; letting go was truly very relaxing.

"From now on, I will focus on working for Director Lin."

"Haha, you're too kind."

In the evening, Yue Jun booked a star-rated hotel to host a banquet for everyone at Zhouyi.

In a while, there will be no more Zhouyi.

Lin Nan, Yue Jun, and Jiang Xuerou, along with several Zhouyi executives, sat at one table.

He finally knew why he hadn't seen Jiang Xuerou's husband today.

Not everyone has dreams, and not everyone can persist in them.

The extra money Jiang Xuerou asked for was the signing fee for the divorce; the husband no longer wanted to work in this industry, and since both had problems, they would go their separate ways from now on.

The next day, Jiang Xuerou personally saw Lin Nan and his group off at the airport.

"Director Lin, we will get everything packed up as soon as possible."

"Mm, I'll hold a welcome banquet for you all when the time comes."

Arrived yesterday, returning today.

Lin Nan's mood was completely different.

As soon as the group exited the Capital Airport, they were instantly surrounded by reporters who had been lying in wait.

"Director Lin, may I ask if this trip to Zhouyi was to discuss a collaboration?"

"Is it for a television series or a film?"

"We did discuss a collaboration; everyone will know in a few days."

Without saying more, the group quickly got into their cars.

Upon returning to the company, Lin Nan instructed Yue Jun to break up the Zhouyi staff when the time came.

"Establish a new Screenwriting Department and Production Department, and have Jiang Xuerou serve as the Director of the Production Department."

"Understood, I will arrange it shortly."

Lin Nan had essentially bought *Peacock Feather*, and if possible, he would support filming the entirety of *Seven Weapons*.

……

Three days later, Jiang Xuerou was the first to report to the company, followed immediately by all the original Zhouyi personnel.

It was just that, from now on, they were all people of Lin Nan Pictures; there was no more Zhouyi.

Yue Jun used the company's official Weibo to post two messages.

"Welcome Ms. Jiang Xuerou to Lin Nan Pictures, serving as Director of the Production Department."

"Welcome our colleagues from the original Zhouyi to Lin Nan Pictures..."

After these two messages were posted, the film and television industry was shaken.

Zhouyi, which had existed for over a decade, had been swallowed by Lin Nan!

"With this, he has completely filled the gap in his television series portfolio..."

Many film and television companies realized this problem.

Unknowingly, Lin Nan Pictures had already grown to this extent!

Congratulatory messages kept pouring in.

Han Sanping, Wang Changtian, and others even called directly.

"You always do big things quietly, giving people a shock at the critical moment!"

"Haha, Director Han, you flatter me. Developing on my own takes too much time; this way is faster..."

……

Cai Yinong did not expect that she had actually guessed correctly.

Having swallowed Zhouyi, Lin Nan would likely not collaborate with Tang Ren again in the future.

Now, only the investment relationship for one television series remained.

Just as the industry was fiercely discussing Lin Nan's acquisition of Zhouyi, an even bigger piece of news arrived.

Huayi successfully listed on the Growth Enterprise Market!

The first film and entertainment company in the mainland to list on the local Growth Enterprise Market was born.

The Wang brothers had successfully eaten the crab!

With an issue price of 28.58 yuan, the stock price soared to a high of 91 yuan on the day of listing...

Huayi had originally intended to raise 700 million through the additional stock issuance, but the actual result was several times that.

For a time, China Film, Shanghai Film, Bona, Enlight...

These groups or companies that had long planned to go public all turned green with envy.

People in the industry, as if injected with adrenaline, once again pulled out the shareholder list previously released by Huayi.

Calculating based on that day's highest stock price.

Feng Xiaogang, Zhang Jizhong, and Huang Xiaoming's net worth successfully exceeded 100 million; Zhou Xun's was over 90 million, and Ren Quan, Li Bingbing, and others were all worth over 30 million.

Although these stocks could not be traded within one year and the stock price would fluctuate, that did not affect their current value at all.

A massive amount of attention turned toward Lin Nan, simply because he held eight million shares!

……

"Lin Nan, you are truly amazing, hee hee..."

Liu Yifei hugged Lin Nan's neck and kissed him vigorously, looking incredibly excited, completely unaware of Liu Xiaoli in the distance.

"Alright, alright, Mother is watching."

Lin Nan said softly, and Liu Yifei instantly let go, glanced in the direction of Mother Liu, her cheeks turning bright red, looking very cute...

At this moment, the phone vibrated.

The caller ID was Zhou Xun.

"Brother Xun, she must be calling to thank me, haha."

Lin Nan said with a smile. In front of Liu Yifei, he turned on the speakerphone directly.

A bold laugh came from the phone, "Lin Nan, I love you to death, haha..."