Chapter 1089: Only two choices; Exposed?

When he arrived, he was a leader with a smile on his face, giving people a feeling like a spring breeze; when he left, he had completely changed, his face covered in frost, his expression cold and terrifying.

In just one morning, the inside story that Chairman La had visited Lin Nan Film in person but had parted on bad terms within just an hour had spread throughout the small circle of the industry.

After hearing the news, many peers couldn't help but eat melons and watch the show with relish, speculating and whispering with great interest.

"Haven't the two companies stopped cooperating long ago? Then what was the reason for the cold face today?"

"What was this morning? Was the leader taking the initiative to lower his status to ease the relationship? Then Lin Nan is too unappreciative, right? Hahaha..."

"That person from Western Film Group seems to be retiring; he's currently in the transition period."

"It seems Shanghai Film Group is also before June next year, right? It must be admitted that in the nearly twenty years that Director Ren has been in charge of work, he has indeed turned the tide and supported the building from collapsing."

"Tsk tsk tsk, analyzing it this way, Chairman La's motive is instantly very obvious. He's aiming for a seamless transition!"

"Hehe, see that? I said this person's heart is not dead yet, right? And given Lin Nan's character, he will absolutely not pay attention to China Film Group.

Yeah, he doesn't need to pay attention to anyone now, including Shanghai Film Group... 'The Captain' is the last film of cooperation between Shanghai Film Group and Lin Nan Film."

Just off the plane, Ren Zhonglun heard the news in the circle; and so, upon seeing Han Sanping, he teased the other party gloatingly.

"It's quite good. After Wang Yong and you both retire, the cooperation will be completely cut off, and the favors will end with your retirement;

This can effectively avoid the situation of 'a measure of rice creates gratitude, a bushel of rice creates enmity,' after all, when it comes down to it, neither side owes the other anything.

And all along, it was basically Lin Nan's projects that were carrying your two companies... If you keep entangling, it will only be harder to cut in the future, and you'll keep giving away cakes.

I didn't let go of this point back then, which led to the problems between China Film Group and Lin Nan later; it can also be considered a problem of 'a measure of rice creates gratitude, a bushel of rice creates enmity.'"

Han Sanping rarely criticized himself; the things spreading in the small circle today also made him feel very touched.

Sure enough, he saw Chairman Ren looking at Han Sanping as if he had seen a ghost, teasing him with a smile: "Rare, rare to see you admit your own big mistake."

"Alright, let's talk about the internal meeting at the bureau tomorrow morning. Starting to talk about the Golden Rooster more than half a year in advance, the higher-ups are clearly taking it extremely seriously this time."

Han Sanping changed the topic, his expression serious; he, Ren Zhonglun, and Wang Yong were the ones named to attend the meeting. As for the reason? Nothing else, they attended the Golden Horse Awards ceremony last year!

"According to the inside information I heard, this time the film and television industry is not allowed to have fence-sitters.

Anyone with a bit of status and position has only two choices: either you come to the Golden Rooster, or you go to the Golden Horse.

Unless you are seriously ill and lying in a hospital bed! Other than that, any other excuses and reasons are all treated as perfunctory and avoiding the stance issue..." Ren Zhonglun lowered his voice.

"In other words, this Golden Rooster Awards will be very fair and have gold content compared to previous sessions?"

"Hmm, it should be. After all, the situation is special this time, and many leaders are watching; those people in the association probably don't dare to mess around, unless they are seeking death."

Speaking of this, Ren Zhonglun glanced at Han Sanping, who had a slightly furrowed brow and a thoughtful look, and reminded him:

"Don't think about it, Lin Nan will at most agree to be a guest; he won't register his two films.

The higher-ups probably won't force it either; after all, even without the support of 'Dying to Survive' and 'The Wandering Earth,' isn't there still 'Operation Red Sea'?"

Near noon, Lin Nan was originally reporting dishes to his assistant; but a phone call from Liu Yifei directly dispelled his idea of having lunch at the company.

When he drove his car to the restaurant, sure enough, he saw Liu Xixi and Shu Chang had already ordered a table full of dishes, and the two assistants were also waiting eagerly.

Because only when Lin Dao arrived could they feel embarrassed to pick up their chopsticks together and eat to their heart's content.

"I heard Chairman La went to the company this morning?" As soon as Lin Nan sat down, Liu Yifei asked with concern.

"Inviting us to invest in China Film Group's project, directed by Guan Hu!"

"Well, that's clear and understandable." Shu Chang was holding a lion's head meatball in front of her and adding it to her bowl, laughing and joking:

"Our Lin Dao must have refused without mercy, and it was the kind of attitude where there was no room for discussion, which is why Chairman La walked out of the company building with a cold face."

"Eat your lion's head; this should be enough to block your mouth." Lin Nan glared at her speechlessly.

"Chairman La was clearly hurt in his face, burning with anger, hehe." After Shu Chang muttered this last sentence, she decisively started to eat.

"Won't it offend people too much?" At this time, Liu Yifei also asked Lin Nan worriedly. The two assistants were completely deaf, forcing their eyes to only see the feast.

"It's fine, let's eat." Lin Nan shook his head while holding his chopsticks, a calm smile on his face.

"That's good." Hearing this, Miss Liu felt relieved.

While Lin Nan and the others were eating lunch happily, China Film Group was in another situation.

A cold voice rang out in the office: "Notify Guan Hu, he can start the project 'Jin Gang Chuan' immediately."

"Chairman La, really not inviting other producers? That's a cost of several hundred million..."

"No need. Mainstream commercial films, we can eat them ourselves. And this time it's not those people from the Hong Kong circle in charge!" Chairman La emphasized sternly.

The secretary decisively stopped speaking and changed the topic, "Then should I let the cafeteria send your lunch to the office?"

"Hmm." Spitting out the stuffiness in his chest heavily, Chairman La nodded.

To be fair, regarding the morning's events, he was still full of fire right now.

Although he knew very well that the two sides were in an equal relationship, this feeling of being "slighted" and not given face still made him very uncomfortable.

"You haven't eaten lunch either, hurry up and go."

"Okay, Chairman La. I'll have the cafeteria send it over within ten minutes..."

After the secretary left the office, Chairman La finally calmed down alone. Various thoughts flashed through his mind; could it be that his own mindset had a problem?

But he also admitted a fact, which was that the Lin Nan Film system was indeed already a true behemoth in the entire industry ecosystem; it was fully qualified to say "no" to any giant in the industry, including several state-owned enterprises!

"At 8 AM, China Film Group and Seven Impressions Film jointly released the project casting announcement for the mainstream commercial film:

Jointly produced by China Film Group and Seven Impressions Film, directed by Guan Hu, the mainstream film 'Jin Gang Chuan' is officially launched, and casting is open to the film and television industry starting today."

"Media learned from Seven Impressions Film that the film 'Jin Gang Chuan' is based on the final decisive battle of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in 1953—the Battle of Jincheng; the film's preliminary investment budget is as high as 400 million RMB, and it is expected to be in preparation for about 5 months..."

"Starring Lei Jiayin, Jing Tian, Zhang Ruoyun, Yu Hewei, Guo Jingfei, and others, the large-scale ancient fantasy action martial arts film 'Assassin in Red' wrapped up grandly at Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis this morning;

Director Lu Yang said in an interview at the scene that the post-production and special effects shots of the film will take about 6-8 months. It is tentatively planned to meet with the audience and fans in the summer slot next year..."

"'The Wandering Earth,' a sci-fi blockbuster by Lin Dao Nan, saw its box office continue to rise yesterday, closing at 80.57 million..."

"Marvel superhero series film 'Avengers: Endgame' officially announced its release date in the Chinese film market on April 24, two days earlier than the North American film market..."

On the 3rd, for the film and television circle, the news of "Jin Gang Chuan" was undoubtedly the most eye-catching.

It can be said without doubt that just looking at the released news, this was undoubtedly another big cake, a top-tier resource.

But for a small number of industry insiders like Lin Nan, there was only surprise—surprise at China Film Group's project launch speed, surprise that there were only two producers.

It was

obvious that this was absolutely Chairman La's intention; China Film Group was trying its best to control the largest share.

And from this situation, it wasn't hard to see how big his appetite was; China Film Group, or Chairman La, wanted to recover all his losses in one breath, directly and completely making up for what was lost before!

"Tomorrow noon? Good, I'll go pick you up at the airport, you just wait at home." Lin Nan received a call from Liu Yifei at Tiangong Color; the mother-in-law's flight back to Beijing was tomorrow noon.

"Lu Yang and the others can come back this afternoon, right?" After hanging up the phone, Lin Nan looked at Yue Jun again.

"That's right, all the main creators are on the afternoon train, and they should be able to get out of the station around four o'clock. Even the wrap-up banquet is arranged for this evening, over at Guomao. Lin Dao, are you and Yifei going?"

"The two of us won't go; you go. Does that mean now only Director Cao's 'Sheep Without a Shepherd' is left? If the script is finished, it should be these two days; after that, we can directly launch the project and start auditioning for supporting roles..."

Speaking of this, Lin Nan hesitated; should he go to the Literature Department to take a look?

However, after a moment, he dismissed this thought; mainly because the bad luck of the Performance Academy hadn't dissipated yet, and it wouldn't be good to get involved, even if it was just passing by...

In the morning, Lin Nan continued to bury his head in work, completely ignoring the various gossip and scandals in the circle outside.

It must be admitted that the post-production editing of "Mulan" could be said to be the most serious and careful one he had done in so many years. The reason for this was twofold.

First, this film was his first film to be released globally and simultaneously;

Second, this was Liu Yifei's big-heroine film, and it was also the film with the highest investment cost she had starred in to date.

So, adding these two points together, it was impossible for Lin Nan, the director of the film and the husband of the female lead, not to take it seriously!

Shunyi, at home in the manor villa.

Han Jia had been idle for these two days, just waiting to be an examiner for the third round of art exams tomorrow, so today, having nothing to do, she wandered over to play with Liu Yifei and Shu Chang.

Before she even entered the front door of the villa, she heard Shu Chang shouting something about 71.3 billion US dollars inside.

"What 71.3 billion US dollars? Who is so rich?" Classmate Han Jia's eyes lit up, and she asked loudly with curiosity.

"The news just came back from Hollywood; the case of Disney acquiring Fox has been officially finalized, with a total price of 71.3 billion USD!"

Shu Chang poked her head out from the stairs on the second floor, carrying a box of snacks, and answered Han Jia.

"My goodness..." Han Jia directly blurted out a provincial dialect.

"Hurry up, we're going to the family giant screen theater on the third floor!" Shu Chang urged with a pout.

"

71.3 billion dollars, nearly 12 Crystal Films..." Han Jia exclaimed in wonder while chasing after her.

At this moment, Liu Yifei, leaning on the large sofa in the family theater on the third floor, was answering a call from Red Star Dock, chattering about work matters.

Advertising shoots, magazine covers, brand activities, and press releases—as long as she needed to show her face, she tried her best to negotiate with the other party and move everything to within 3 months. Starting June 1st, she would no longer attend any public business activities...

"New business? Not in a rush for these few months. Hmm, that's it."

"Although it's not the first time I've entered your family's family giant screen theater, every time I come in, I can't help but want to curse: 'Rich dog!'"

While Liu Yifei hung up the phone, Han Jia also walked in, muttering.

"If you like it, then change to a bigger villa and do it like Xixi's family." Shu Chang put the snacks on the table in the middle and raised her eyebrows at Han Jia.

"That's right, you aren't without money now." Liu Yifei nodded with a smile.

"But I can't bear to. And I really don't have that much money to buy... one as big as yours!" Drooping her eyebrows, Han Jia huddled into the single sofa. Yeah, comfortable.

"You, haha."

"Stop laughing at me, tell me what movie we're watching today?"

"Watching 'The Whistleblower,' the version returned by the censorship..." Liu Yifei blinked.

"What? You say this, then I'm interested. Start!"

The three of them were lying on the sofa, their eyes on the movie, but their mouths were chatting about other things.

"I heard that the casting for 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' officially started today. You two guess where Marvel's casting location for Asian actors is?" Han Jia said, sharing the inside information she had just heard this morning.

"Shanghai?" Liu Yifei and Shu Chang asked in unison, because the casting location for "Mulan" for Asia back then was Shanghai.

"Wrong, it's Hong Kong. When Uncle Ren and my dad went to a meeting, they mentioned it."

At the same time, Hong Kong.

Many big-name actors in the Hong Kong circle, including several well-known talent agencies and several big directors in Hong Kong, were in contact with the Marvel casting team.

The former were purely for themselves, while the latter two were for recommending actors.

"Even Tony Leung went." After returning to the company, Huo Wenxi mentioned the audition for "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" outside to Boss Yang.

"Since his contract with Wong Kar-wai and Jeff Lau's Jet Tone Films expired last June and wasn't renewed, he has been working independently. So, who accompanied him?"

Although showing signs of age, Boss Yang's eyes still revealed spirit, and he asked with full breath.

"It was Carina Lau!"

"Hmm, that's right; his wife is a very capable person. I think the probability of success should be quite high." Boss Yang nodded.

"Yang Dong, are we really not sending anyone to try?"

Hearing Huo Wenxi's words, Boss Yang shook his head decisively without the slightest hesitation:

"This film is destined to be boycotted by many mainland audiences and netizens; the background characters are too sensitive, and whether it can successfully enter the mainland film market is hard to say;

Once it can't enter the world's second-largest film market, its value and importance will undoubtedly be greatly discounted...

We won't get involved, and you go and warn all the artists under the group, telling them not to have any ideas about this film. It's fine if they don't succeed, but once they do, they will easily be backlashed..."

Huo Wenxi's face had already become serious; she understood the meaning in Boss Yang's words.

Backlashed? Backlashed by what? Naturally, backlashed by the mainland market, at least hated and boycotted by many people!

"Understood, I'll go warn them later."

"Wait a moment." Just as Huo Wenxi turned to leave the chairman's office, Boss Yang called out to her again.

"Notify the production department, if anyone from the Golden Horse committee invites films we control or invest in to register for this year's Golden Horse Awards, don't give a promise like in previous years. Also include the artists' schedule; warn them similarly, don't give any promises, such as for guests..."

"Yang Dong, this is?"

"Just do as I say. Also, make sure they are low-key and keep this confidential. Tell them, I said so!"

"Understood." Huo Wenxi heard the seriousness and nodded immediately.

"Days are getting harder and harder." Boss Yang muttered in a low voice.

Working seriously, time always feels like it's flying.

Just like Lin Nan, he didn't feel it was long at all burying his head in work on the 3rd; he was just a bit tired. After washing up and finishing at home, he could fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Don't say, sleeping in a big bed alone is indeed comfortable; you can roll however you want.

When you wake up in the morning, there's no fair, tender arm pressing on your chest, and no big white leg pressing on your body... and you don't have to worry about disturbing someone.

Sigh, I used to complain that Shu Chang was a lightbulb, but only in these two months did I deeply realize the benefits of a lightbulb. When necessary, it can really save your life!

"Chairman Wang, you're calling early in the morning again! Speak, what's the matter?" Lying on the bed, Lin Nan answered Wang Changtian's call.

"Lin Nan, you're something; doing big things without a sound, right?" Old Wang's yin-yang tone carried thick resentment.

"What do you mean? I don't understand; what are you talking about?" Lin Nan sat up in a daze.

He was taking a day off today because he had to go pick up his mother-in-law in the morning.

"Pretend, keep pretending! The application information is already on the official website of the Film Bureau this morning, and you're still playing dumb with me here..."

"What are you talking about?"

In an instant, Lin Nan reacted slowly. Outside, the film and television industry and the capital circle... the internet was probably going to explode because of this! ===== CHAPTER 1090 =====