Chapter 529: The Guaranteed-Distribution Trend, A Warning

Ning Hao was quite the show-off. When he landed at the capital airport that morning, faced with questions from media reporters, he simply held nothing back — answered everything he knew, poured out everything he had to say.

The news spread like wildfire both inside and outside the industry. All over the internet were reports of *Breakup Buddies* raking in big bucks at the Venice Film Festival's film market.

The goal of building hype for the film's theatrical release was thus achieved naturally.

"Co-produced by Bad Monkey and Lin Nan Pictures, directed by Ning Hao, produced by Lin Nan, the film *Breakup Buddies* has scored a massive copyright deal at the Venice Film Festival!"

"According to Director Ning Hao, this film's copyright transaction amounts to as much as $21.58 million, with nearly half of the buyers coming for Director Lin Nan!"

"*Breakup Buddies* had an investment cost of fifty million and has already turned a pure profit. This film will be the most box-office-pulling movie of this year's National Day window!"

Lin Nan never expected that Ning Hao, that guy, would actually drag him out to do publicity.

Although plenty of buyers really did come for his name, doing it this way would cause Lin Nan a lot of trouble down the line.

If every acquaintance and friend in the industry asked him to slap a "producer" credit on their film, should he refuse or agree?

"What a rarity! I had barely gotten back to the company when Huayi, Enlight, Bona, and Wanda all came knocking — guess what?"

The moment the call to Ning Hao connected, before Lin Nan could even start complaining, the other end started rambling first.

"What, they want you to do a guaranteed distribution deal?"

"Oh damn, you even guessed that!"

Lin Nan laughed helplessly. He'd just been shooting his mouth off — he hadn't actually expected to hit the mark.

But it made sense — *Breakup Buddies* met every basic condition for a guaranteed distribution deal:

The producers, director, producer, screenwriter, and core leads were all top-tier lineups, and the film had already sold its copyrights for a hefty sum!

"The film market changes every year. Guaranteed distribution will become an industry trend. Of course, if the production company and director have absolute confidence, then they go for a gamble;

if they don't have absolute confidence, then negotiate a high guaranteed-distribution price — that way it's safe and you still make something, while shifting the risk onto the distributor."

After Lin Nan finished speaking, he couldn't help but ask about the prices those companies had offered Ning Hao.

"Speaking of which, that pisses me off! Just because my last film's box office was only 260 million, while Jiang Wen's was 700 million, and *Breakup Buddies*' cost is only one-sixth of his, the guaranteed box-office price they offered me is way lower than Jiang Wen's?"

Ignoring Ning Hao's sulky, passive-aggressive tone, Lin Nan laughed and urged him on: "Spit it out, how much?"

"Enlight is willing to guarantee 600 million at the box office for distribution, Bona 650 million, Wanda and Huayi both 700 million. None of the others exceeded 700 million.

If the two of us agree and pick 700 million, we can get the corresponding producer's share of the box office in the next few days!" Ning Hao said concisely.

"Nothing more to negotiate? I was thinking, if they guaranteed a box office of over a billion, we could take our 43 and exit early — that'd still be fine, right? Haha."

"Dream on! I asked for a billion, and they all flat-out refused."

"What about a gamble, then?" Lin Nan asked with a light laugh.

"Your uncle's sarcasm is aimed at me, right? That kind of gamble of yours — I don't qualify for it. The other two kinds of gamble I don't want either, the risk is too damn big!"

Lin Nan could tell that Ning Hao was still dying for that kind of gamble of his, but the theater chains wouldn't bite; and for a guaranteed deal, he felt the prices the distributors offered were too low.

"Then turn them down. *Breakup Buddies* releases normally.

Whatever the share comes out to, that's what it is. That way we won't end up earning more or less because of the final guaranteed-distribution result, and it won't mess with our heads as filmmakers."

Lin Nan suggested. Although he held half the investment in *Breakup Buddies*, the lead party was Ning Hao, and the decision-maker was Bad Monkey.

The other end of the line went quiet for a moment, then said heavily: "Mm, I'll go with you. I'll go notify them later — no guaranteed box-office distribution.

This time I'm gonna see if I can actually break a billion! You predicted I'd climb several steps higher before — don't end up slapping yourself in the face, haha."

August, just like—ended like that.

In the morning, while Lin Nan was still dreaming, headlines about him had already been pinned in the most prominent spot of the entertainment-news section.

Weibo's trending searches were no different — the number one slot was him.

"The Film Academy's official website posted at five in the morning the list of newly hired faculty for the academic year. Director Lin Nan is prominently featured on the list, ranked first in the public-notice document!"

"The document shows that Director Lin Nan is on the Film Academy's active payroll, with the title of Associate Professor, and will participate in teaching work."

"The Beijing Film Academy official Weibo posted: Welcome Lin Nan back to the Film Academy, and welcome all art-exam candidates to actively apply for the BFA Class of 2015 entrance exam. Professor Lin Nan will officially begin teaching next year."

Although the entertainment circle had long known about this, actually seeing the news released by BFA, everyone was still unavoidably a bit stunned.

For schools like the Central Academy of Drama, Shanghai Theatre Academy, and Beijing Dance Academy, BFA's move this time was a bit underhanded.

They actually used Lin Nan directly as a recruitment ad — and there's no denying it, this ad really is unbeatable!

Right now, the most excited people online were the Film Academy's students, followed by the countless freshmen eager to take the 2015 art-exam. Lin Nan returning to BFA to teach — wasn't this just "resources"?

Congratulatory texts and Weibo posts from the industry flooded in, and people joking and teasing were endless. And Lin Nan? Still asleep — too exhausted.

"They refused?"

"Bad Monkey's side replied: *Breakup Buddies* will release normally, no gamble, and no guaranteed box-office distribution. This is Director Ning and Director Lin's decision after discussing."

This scene played out almost simultaneously at Huayi, Bona, Wanda, and Enlight.

"Looks like they've got some confidence. Then forget it. What about Director Guan Hu's side?"

"The script has already been sent in for review."

"Then announce it publicly, and start the project and casting."

"Understood, Wang Zong."

A little after nine, nearing ten, Lin Nan finally lazily got out of bed. Miss Liu, unusually, had woken even earlier.

Liu Liu Xiaoli was a regular at the theater and had already left, but before leaving she'd also prepared breakfast for her daughter and son-in-law.

The moment Lin Nan stepped inside, he saw Liu Liu Yifei holding a spoon, leisurely eating the silver-ear porridge in front of her, her other hand holding a phone, chatting with someone unknown.

"Come look, they're all messages congratulating you. I'm replying to them one by one, Professor Lin."

Hearing that, Lin Nan finally realized — BFA must have published the public-notice document.

"Crap, the opening ceremony?"

The next second, Lin Nan exclaimed — he was supposed to give a speech.

"Are you still half-asleep? It doesn't start until the afternoon."

Liu Liu Yifei tossed him a pretty little eye-roll, then laughed and cooed a reproach.

Lin Nan patted his forehead, sat down beside Liu Liu Yifei, and joked, "Liu Qianqian, you've got to pace yourself these past two days—you're messing with my memory."

"You're gonna die, haha."

Liu Liu Yifei lunged at him with flailing arms, ready to crush him by force.

In the morning, the premiere of A Lifetime Together, co-produced by Yinghuang and Wanda, was held in Beijing.

Although Lin Nan received an invitation, he couldn't be bothered to attend and went to the company instead.

"Tomorrow, several top satellite channels will come to Guangxian to watch the first few episodes of Run for Money. Represent the company and go with them for negotiations and bidding."

This reality variety show is a key project for the company; sending Yue Jun to oversee it is perfect.

"No problem. The paperwork for Shiyue Culture's changes will be fully settled in the next couple of days, and Xun Long Jue is going smoothly—I've got nothing else on my plate."

As he spoke, a call came in. Lin Nan glanced at the caller ID—it was from Kai Xin Ma Hua.

"Lin Dao, I'll head out first," Yue Jun said with a smile, then turned to leave.

Lin Nan nodded and picked up the call. "Yan Dao, what's up?"

"Lin Dao, I've told you so many times—just call me by my name, haha."

"Here's the thing—I'm calling to let you know that Xia Luo's Troubles is wrapping up."

"That's fast—it's still a week short of two months."

"It's because this was our first film. Next time, efficiency will only get better."

Yan Fei's call was simple enough.

They planned a wrap party and a wrap-up press conference, but unfortunately, Lin Nan couldn't make it—the location was still in Dalian.

But he promised that post-production could be handled by Tiangong Se Cai, and if there were issues with the final cut's review, he'd help.

At around one in the afternoon, when Lin Nan arrived at Beijing Film Academy, he heard gossip about Jiang Wen.

This guy either had insane confidence or was genuinely getting carried away.

He reportedly declared at the press conference for One Step Away that he would personally recommend it to the Administration to represent mainland China in this year's Oscar Best Foreign Language Film category.

And Director Jiang Da had even boasted that if he didn't go, who else had the qualifications?

Whether or not the recommendation succeeded, Jiang Wen had already stolen the spotlight.

Hearing "Professor Lin," "Teacher Lin," over and over, Lin Nan felt a little embarrassed—but he couldn't stop these students from addressing him that way.

At 2:30 p. m., the opening ceremony began on schedule.

Lin Nan had assumed only first-year freshmen would attend, but when he followed Lao Jiang and others to the outdoor venue, he saw many second-, third-, and fourth-year students had come to join the buzz.

"Look—they're all here for you. Even those who are already famous came back."

Lin Nan glanced around and indeed spotted several familiar faces.

"Who's the freshman representative? Not another child star, right?"

Watching the first-year student speaking up front, Lin Nan asked curiously. He knew past representatives were mostly child stars.

"Don't play dumb—it's not a child star, so it's gotta be someone with connections," Lao Jiang grumbled.

「

"Your damn uncle, are you gonna improvise again?"

Seeing Lin Nan stand up casually with nothing in his hands, Lao Jiang hissed under his breath—he'd been burned before.

"Relax, it's all positive energy."

Lin Nan walked up to the microphone and shook hands with the school leaders.

"I'm thrilled to return to my alma mater as a teacher. You all know that when I was here, I spent three days fishing and two days sunbathing."

Thousands of students burst into laughter. Behind him, the leaders and professors chuckled heartily—only Lao Jiang covered his face in shame.

"Teacher Zhou, Teacher Jiang, and my advisor Professor Tian Tian Zhuangzhuang can all vouch for me—I was always busy outside making films, and I won Best Director Golden Bear and Best Picture Golden Lion while still in school!"

"Lin Dao, you were busy dating too! Liu Liu Yifei was dating in high school!"

A senior student from the Fine Arts Department shouted from the crowd, and laughter erupted again.

"Yeah, that's right," Lin Nan laughed and admitted it.

"I don't have any flashy advice to share with you, but I can tell you about this industry—consider it a warning."

Lin Nan's tone turned serious. The crowd fell silent.

"The film and entertainment industry is full of temptations. After graduating from Beijing Film Academy, you won't struggle to find work—even the worst-off among you will earn more than ordinary white-collar workers."

"For acting majors, even running extras lands you minor or guest roles right away—that's the circle, your advantage. Behind-the-scenes professionals are even more fiercely fought over by every film studio."

"But one thing I can sincerely warn you: this industry has many temptations; technical skill matters, but character matters more, and obeying laws and discipline matters most."

"The Administration is currently holding a meeting to deal with disgraced artists. So today, here, I sincerely warn you—especially acting majors and others who slipped in through backdoors to become actors:"

"Don't cheat on your spouses, don't solicit prostitutes, don't use drugs, don't get arrogant in the high-pay era. When you become famous, remember: never evade taxes—that's a dead end."

When Lin Nan finished, the leaders led the applause, followed by the audience.

Whether these students would remember the most important things Lin Nan had just said—that wasn't his concern anymore.

"Not bad—you scared them with blacklisting before they've even entered the industry!" Lao Jiang clicked his tongue in amazement.

The opening ceremony continued, but Lin Nan slipped away from the backstage early.

But he hadn't gone far when a voice called out to him.

Lin Nan turned around—it was someone he never expected.

"Zhou Zhou Dongyu, what do you want?"

The person chasing after him? It was none other than the "Mao Girl."

"Director Lin, oh no—Teacher Lin."

Lin Nan was curious—what did Zhou Zhou Dongyu want?

"Just say it—I'm in a hurry to get home."

"Teacher Lin, I'd like to ask—does Shanhai Media still sign new artists?" Zhou Zhou Dongyu asked with a perfectly sincere smile.

But as far as Lin Nan was concerned, after more than four years, the "tactful girl" Zhang Zhang Yimou had once picked was now quite the schemer.

That harmless, innocent smile—

Lin Nan asked with keen interest, "I remember you're an artist at Eighteen Culture, right? Your contract hasn't expired, has it?"

Hearing Lin Nan say that, Zhou Zhou Dongyu thought she had a chance and hurriedly answered, "Less than a year left."

At that moment, Lin Nan actually felt a bit of sympathy for Wang Wang Jinghua—two-plus years of nurturing, and she still couldn't keep her!

Looking Zhou Zhou Dongyu over again, he had to admit this was a very calculating girl. She'd only signed with Wang Wang Jinghua for three years, yet here she was, nearly a full ten months early, looking for her next home and ready to bolt!

By all rights, Wang Wang Jinghua hadn't treated her badly, but perhaps she still couldn't give her what she truly wanted inside. An ambitious one, this!

"Sorry, I have to be clear with you—Shanhai Media won't be signing anyone else going forward."

Hearing Lin Nan say that, Zhou Zhou Dongyu was stunned for a moment, but recovered quickly.

"Then sorry to bother you, Teacher Lin. Just pretend you never saw me today?"

The meaning behind those words, Lin Nan understood perfectly well.

Another Zhang-Zhang Ziyi-type character—no wonder she once dared to proclaim she was no worse than Zhang Zhang Ziyi or Gong Li.

"Mm, I won't tell Wang Zong."

"Thank you, Teacher Lin."