Chapter 383: The Changing of the Guard

China Film Group, Chairman's office.

"Did you think I'd even changed the office? Haha..."

Han Sanping laughed quite heartily, his tone carrying a hint of playfulness.

But was this a forced smile, or the joy and relief of someone truly about to lay down a heavy burden? Lin Nan couldn't tell at a glance.

He subconsciously scanned the office and noticed that compared to when he had come to lobby Han Sanping before filming *The Taking of Tiger Mountain*, there were obvious changes.

There were far fewer books and documents, and some of the ornaments were gone.

Those must have been Han Sanping's personal belongings, right? He had already started clearing out...

"Han Dong, how many tables are you planning to set for the banquet?" Wang Changtian joked.

"Just set a few tables, whatever."

Unlike his usual perfunctory manner, this time Han Sanping actually took the bait.

In front of the tea table, Han Sanping rarely took the initiative to pour tea for everyone himself. At this moment, his imposing aura seemed to have softened a bit.

"They say that after a person retires, they shouldn't really start living a retired life, otherwise they'll age very quickly. I think, with my temperament, I'd definitely get sick from boredom."

Hearing this, Lin Nan, Wang Changtian, and Ye Ning looked at each other.

"Besides the identity of Chairman of China Film Group, you are also a director, producer, executive producer, and actor. There is no such thing as retirement for these roles."

In the end, it was Lin Nan who spoke these words.

"Then when I'm looking for re-employment, I'll come find you guys. Haha..."

Han Sanping didn't stand on ceremony either, looking at the three people beside him with a smile, then raised his teacup.

"Of course, you can speak up at any time, just like Junior Sister Han."

After chatting like old friends for a while, Han Sanping began to discuss serious business.

"This position basically represents the top chair in the domestic film circle."

Hearing this, Lin Nan even wondered if Han Sanping hadn't yet walked out of *The Taking of Tiger Mountain*.

You are an official, after all; is it really appropriate to use the term "top chair"? It has a strong "Liangshan" flavor!

"There have never been fewer than a handful of people holding the title of Vice Chairman at China Film Group, and at most, there have been over ten. The one taking over for me this time is La Peikang."

Lin Nan and the others noticed something amiss; looking at Han Sanping's expression and tone, it seemed he was somewhat surprised by the person taking over his position.

"At the lunch banquet, I'll introduce you to Chairman La. Hehe, he has wanted to meet Lin Nan for a long time."

The tone Han Sanping used for the second half of the sentence was a bit complex.

Wang Changtian and Ye Ning could understand the meaning of this sentence, as well as Han Sanping's emotions.

Among the many domestic directors, especially the big-name ones, Lin Nan was very special.

Looking at the films Lin Nan had directed, one could discover a fact.

Except for *Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind*, where he was the nominal director when he was just starting out, China Film Group had either participated in the investment or taken over the distribution for all his other films.

Even for releases in places like Japan and South Korea, China Film Group was the one handling the connections; the two were deeply bound. Or to put it more bluntly, over the years, Lin Nan and Han Sanping's relationship had been very good.

Moreover, Lin Nan was truly capable; this was recognized by the industry. The incoming Chairman La didn't want to let go and didn't want to be taken advantage of by companies like Shanghai Film Group; this was completely understandable!

"I have a feeling of being poached, haha..." Han Sanping self-deprecatingly remarked.

Lin Nan also smiled speechlessly; before *The Taking of Tiger Mountain* started filming, he had already been poached by Ren Zhonglun once.

It might be hard for people to believe, but the four of them really did drink tea in Han Sanping's office for over an hour.

It wasn't until nearly noon that the secretary came to knock on the door.

"Han Dong, Chairman La's secretary says the small auditorium is ready."

"Hmm, we'll head over now."

Lin Nan glanced at the secretary; this person was also an acquaintance, but he didn't know which position he would be transferred to after Han Sanping retired.

To a certain extent, Lin Nan, Wang Changtian, Ye Ning, and Han Sanping represented an interest group, with Lin Nan at the core.

Ten years ago, Lin Nan was a newcomer just starting out; the friendship cultivated from that time until now was very deep.

Therefore, in the eyes of Wang Changtian and Ye Ning, it wasn't La Peikang who was replacing Han Sanping, but China Film Group itself.

Because leaving China Film Group aside, everyone had absolutely no friendship with this Chairman La.

And Lin Nan's cooperation with Enlight Media and Wanda was very close; the three companies also had Tudou as a link, which was the actual controlling party.

The group followed Han Sanping into the small auditorium.

"Han Dong, please take your seat."

"Sorry to have kept Chairman La waiting."

"Not a long wait, we arrived one after the other. Director Lin Nan, Chairman Wang, President Ye, please sit."

"Thank you, Chairman La."

"Call me Vice Chairman La, don't get it wrong, haha..."

These words were said to Lin Nan and the others, but who would take them seriously?

Lin Nan sized up this man who would be taking office as Chairman of China Film Group starting in October.

Lin Nan felt he didn't have as much spirit as Han Sanping, but relatively speaking, he appeared refined, yet not as refined as Ren Zhonglun.

In short, during their first interaction, he felt quite amiable; after all, he was the soon-to-be person in charge of China Film Group.

In the small auditorium, only five people were sitting.

"Lin Nan Film Industry, China Film Group, Enlight Media, and Wanda have maintained cooperation for a long time, all of which are high-quality projects, and there have never been any losses.

I also hope that the cooperation established by Han Dong can continue. How Han Dong did things in the past will not change in the future; the support China Film Group can provide will only increase, not decrease..."

When it came to serious business, this Chairman La was not ambiguous, directly opening up and stating his attitude.

This instantly increased the favorability Lin Nan and the others had for him.

Han Sanping also added at the right time: "Professional people do professional things. Lin Nan is very strong in film, and China Film Group is just hitching a ride."

It was obvious that Han Sanping was singing Lin Nan's praises in front of La Peikang; Wang Changtian and Ye Ning were both stunned for a moment.

"Han Dong, I dare not accept such praise, haha..." Lin Nan hurriedly waved his hand.

"Han Dong is right. China Film Group's participation in Lin Nan Film Industry's films has been highly profitable so far. In the future, projects initiated by Lin Nan Film Industry will still be placed at the forefront by China Film Group, and the level of importance will only be higher."

La Peikang raised a glass of wine, smiling, and said earnestly. Everyone raised their glasses to follow suit.

Although there were explicit regulations that drinking was not allowed during work hours, both bosses of China Film Group were here; who would dare to interfere?

The meal lasted for over two hours, which Lin Nan hadn't expected.

When he left, La Peikang's private phone number had been added to his contact list.

Outside China Film Group, three cars were parked.

"This Chairman La's style is different from Han Dong's, but it won't affect our future cooperation."

Wang Changtian, being the oldest, gave his own judgment.

"There's nothing to worry about; there are performance records and political achievements, and the risks are low, so it definitely won't affect our future film cooperation." Ye Ning joked.

"Could it be that Han Dong was too decisive, so we got this more refined Chairman La?" Lin Nan also joked.

"By the way, Tudou's current market share is already on par with Youku, and it's even dominant on the mobile side. Quite a few institutions have started to have ideas."

Ye Ning suddenly brought up this matter.

"Enlight Media is the same."

Lin Nan was no different; during this period, he had been harassed quite a bit by banks, investment banks, and internet companies.

That Chairman Ma from Alibaba had already sent word several times.

"Wait another year or two, wait for the policies... then we'll start the listing process."

Internet companies hadn't officially entered the field yet; why? They were waiting for the policies from above to clear the obstacles for them.

That would be the best period for the film and television industry, and of course, the worst period!

"Wait? That's fine, anyway, the three of us combined lack nothing." Ye Ning said with full confidence.

"The matter of Tudou hoarding film and television copyrights and exclusive online streaming rights cannot stop..."

Lin Nan repeated this matter once again.

"It hasn't stopped, money is being spent like water."

The film market is truly unpredictable.

A day later, the box office data for the co-production invested in by China Film Group and Wanda came out.

Lin Nan could imagine the expressions of Han Sanping and Ye Ning at home; they must be liver-colored.

"The Sino-US co-production *Man of Tai Chi*, jointly produced by China Film Group and Wanda with an investment of 150 million, had a first-day box office of 4.89 million. It failed before it even started, suffering a crushing defeat!"

"Sino-US co-productions are once again suffering from culture shock; domestic producers should learn from *Pacific Rim* and draw on its experience."

"The 120 million investment *Blind Detective* had a second-day box office of 17 million; Andy Lau's apology was useless, and the film is feared to have no hope of breaking even."

"*Tiny Times* has been released for 10 days, with a total box office of 380 million, and the daily box office has fallen to 8 million..."

Lin Nan was staying at Tiangong Color and heard the news from the circle.

Jia Zhangke's *A Touch of Sin*, which won the Best Screenplay award at the Cannes Film Festival, had been banned.

One must know that this film had already passed censorship, received the Dragon Mark, and its release date had already been set for National Day.

It was banned just like that? Were the authorities slapping their own faces again?

"It's nothing more than reflecting reality, then finding some reasons related to violence and gore."

Lin Nan still believed in the level of the realistic subject matter starring Jiang Wu and Wang Baoqiang.

"When Director Jia Zhangke returned from Cannes, he publicly shouted that he believed this film would definitely be his highest-grossing theatrical film. Who could have imagined such a thing would happen? I heard he is still lobbying the authorities."

Han Jia was sighing with emotion on the side and handed several documents to Lin Nan.

"People and equipment, Senior Brother Yue Jun has already approved them for me. It's just missing your and Yifei's signatures."

Lin Nan flipped through the things Han Jia handed over:

"Film—*The Taking of Tiger Mountain* Assistant Director Practice Report," which requires the signatures of the director and producer;

A blank page of the "Graduation Work Shooting Log" Executive Producer Information Confirmation Form, which requires Lin Nan's signature;

A blank page for the "Graduation Thesis Advisor Signature," which was still left for Lin Nan...

Lin Nan smiled and looked at Han Jia, who hurriedly handed over a signature pen:

"Senior Brother Lin, I'm counting on you. This is a fair trade. Sign quickly, I still have to go find Yifei later."

"That won't be necessary."

"Ah? Why?"

Under Han Jia's puzzled gaze, Lin Nan signed four names in a flurry, three of which were his own.

"Now do you know why?"

Han Jia subconsciously nodded, "Can it be done like this?"

"Of course."

"Doesn't that mean it's the same if I find Yifei?"

"Hmm, you can understand it that way!" Lin Nan said with a smile.

(End of chapter)