Chapter 728: Soothing

As Zhang Zhang Yimou's questioning voice fell silent, the phone that had just connected suddenly went dead again, as if it had never been connected at all.

"President Zhang, you should answer my question."

A moment later, when Zhang Zhang Yimou pressed again, Zhang Zhao finally laughed, but did not address the issue directly: "Director Zhang, as of today, you have been signed with LeEco for three years and two months.

During this period, has LeEco Pictures or LeEco. com ever treated you poorly? It should be no! I originally thought that given our three years of pleasant cooperation, you would choose to trust us.

But now it seems LeEco still has not given you absolute security, nor earned your absolute trust."

Zhang Zhao paused here, and after noticing that Zhang Zhang Yimou on the other end did not respond, he spoke again:

"I have been taking calls all morning. Guo Guo Jingming, Deng Chao, Sun Sun Honglei, Huang Huang Xiaoming, Li Xue Xiaolu, Li Chen, Su Mang... To be honest, none of them spoke with the tone Director Zhang you have, um, so, perhaps they were just anxious out of concern, hehe..."

This slightly dissatisfied remark left Zhang Zhang Yimou momentarily speechless. Outsiders might not know his situation, but it was impossible for Zhang Zhao not to have heard of it.

As an internationally renowned director, he did not even have as much savings as a domestic second-tier actor... His entire fortune of over a decade was all invested in LeEco. com!

"So what, President Zhang? Do I not have the right to ask? I am a shareholder!" Zhang Zhang Yimou's tone did not soften; it was exceptionally firm and resolute.

Zhang Zhao was momentarily stuck; he truly did not expect Zhang Zhang Yimou to hold such an attitude. It seemed the other party had indeed bet everything on LeEco. com!

"Director Zhang certainly has the right. Since you keep pressing, I will lay my cards on the table for you."

At this moment, both Zhang Zhang Yimou and Chen Ting straightened their bodies, instinctively focusing their attention.

"President Zhang, go ahead, I am listening."

Zhang Zhao adjusted his mood and tone, then said with a very "light and casual" smile:

"There is a small problem within the group, mainly an operational issue; buying dramas inevitably brings profit and loss issues. However, the problem is not big; Director Zhang can rest assured on this point.

After all, our LeEco. com is a large listed company with a market value of tens of billions on the A-share market. With the stock market as a backing, even if there are small problems, what can happen? Director Zhang, think about it, isn't that the logic?

Furthermore, when you first received shares in LeEco Pictures, it was one yuan per share; later, when you increased your holdings in LeEco. com, you also purchased at the lowest internal price. Once the previous agreement period expires, you can cash out and leave anytime.

Even in the worst, worst-case scenario, if the stock price drops a bit low then, could you still lose? Could the stock price drop to one yuan per share? Impossible, right?

So, Director Zhang, you can completely rest easy. There is no problem that a listed company as large as our LeEco. com cannot solve..."

Zhang Zhang Yimou looked up at Chen Ting. It seemed Zhang Zhao made a lot of sense; as long as the stock market existed, his millions of shares would not lose value, since he had acquired them at the lowest price!

Chen Ting nodded, also finding it reasonable.

"President Zhang, I was overly worried. My apologies. I also hope the group can resolve these issues as soon as possible, so we people don't have to live in constant fear."

"Director Zhang, rest assured. We are cooperating with the relevant departments to handle this, and everything will pass. Even if the stock price might fall due to public opinion for a while, it will eventually rise again.

Additionally, Director Zhang should pay more attention to 'The Great Wall'. This time, publicity work will likely start three or four months in advance... After all, it still needs to launch in North America..."

"Mm, I will participate in the publicity throughout. LeEco and China Film can rest assured on this point."

After a few more minutes of small talk, Zhang Zhang Yimou's worries and anxieties were all "soothed" away by Zhang Zhao, and finally, they hung up the phone while laughing and talking.

At the same time, here at the LeEco building.

Sitting in the office, Zhang Zhao's face no longer held the smile from just now; it was replaced by cold, yellowed cheeks, and obvious worry was piled between his brows.

"President Zhang?"

At this moment, someone suddenly knocked and entered the door; it was the Group's Board Secretary.

"What is it?"

"President Zhang, Chairman Jia has convened an emergency executive meeting and asked me to invite you."

Seeing the "hurried" expression on the Board Secretary's face, Zhang Zhao said nothing, only nodding. In the nearly one month, the group's senior management had been in a state of panic, becoming increasingly uneasy...

The higher the rank within the group, the more they knew how big the situation was; when necessary, someone needed to make a "sacrifice"!

Because they had rested all morning, the main cast arrived at the film set early at 1 PM in the afternoon.

Although the filming start time had not yet arrived, it did not stop everyone from eating fruits and snacks while gossiping about matters in the entertainment circle.

That film "The Legend of the Demon Cat" was a huge hot topic in movie news; promotional clips featuring so many big-name actors were being released one after another, and the internet was buzzing with heated discussion.

"To be honest, I didn't see Fan Li Bingbing's Daji as a fox spirit; she looked more like a robot. Hmm, a 'golden-armored' robot Daji, completely overshadowed by her own Daji from ten years ago."

"The one from ten years ago, 'Fengshen Bang: Phoenix Singing at Qishan'?" Guo Guo Jingming replied to Ning Hao.

"Mm, in that series, Fan Li Bingbing's Daji was indeed excellent; she had brightness, purity, and enchantment, and in the end, she even portrayed true love with King Zhou.

Look at this promotional clip again. Tsk tsk, not only can Hong Kong destroy historical themes, but the makeup and styling for traditional mythological scripts are also unbearable." Xing Ai commented.

"Heh, look at Huang Huang Xiaoming's Erlang Shen again. Tsk tsk tsk... Hey, never mind. Anyway, everyone is wearing gold; it's blinding to the eyes." Shen Teng made his signature head-tilt gesture, full of comedic effect.

"Just like that fat lady, right? Every time she appears on screen, she's decked out in huge jewelry, as if she's afraid people won't know she's a tycoon, hehe..."

Lin Nan turned off the mobile news page and casually made a joke. Liu Liu Yifei was immediately amused by him, leaning against him and laughing until she bent forward and backward. "How can you describe people like that?"

"It is just like that." Director Lin Da smiled.

"Mm, correct. Director Lin's description is spot on."

"Isn't she just like the wife of a landlord?"

"Petty-mindedness is just like that."

The group's flattery rose and fell one after another, making Lin Nan feel a bit embarrassed. Is this how you flatter someone? Can't you be more tactful?

At 3 PM in the afternoon, everyone finished their makeup and styling one after another. The shooting team took their positions, ready to start filming at any moment.

With Ning Hao's "Action," the special effects shot of Lin Nan riding the "fox" under the green screen began...

Mm, the shot without special effects did look a bit awkward, but for Liu Liu Yifei to sit behind the monitor and laugh at her own husband along with a group of people was a bit much!

While the "Second Generation of Fairies" film set was filming with great enthusiasm, Wang Wang Changtian at Guangxian had just signed a "bill."

In the office, he handed the signed rectangular "bill" to his secretary: "Go ahead. Book it. I want to see the goods within one month."

The secretary took the "bill," glanced at the numbers on it, couldn't help swallowing hard, and quickly nodded: "No problem, President Wang. I will take people to handle it shortly."

A few minutes after the secretary left, the production department ran over.

"President Wang, Producer Chen has arrived with her son. President Li is receiving them in the production department. She asked me to ask you if you would like to go take a look?"

"Chen Hong really does have time on her hands? That 'Legend of the Demon Cat' hasn't started filming yet?"

Wang Wang Changtian muttered to himself as he sat up, and said to the visitor, "Let's go, let's go take a look at Director Chen's young son, see if he has any talent for acting.

Of course, even if he has no talent, with his old man's connections, he's still destined to be surrounded by adoring stars! A fate ten thousand times better than that actor Yang Ying is trying to blacklist these days…"

That's right, Enlight Media also received a favor from "Huang Huang Xiaoming"; this face, Wang Wang Changtian gave without a second thought.

In his view, a third-tier actor is nothing special — there are plenty of them all over the industry, completely dispensable; as long as Huang Huang Xiaoming doesn't nod his head, this actor will never make it big in the industry again, won't get any good resources…

But all of the above hinges on one premise — that the "blacklist" was personally announced by Huang Huang Xiaoming himself to the many capital players in the industry… So, Wang Wang Changtian did give Yang Ying face, but only gave half of it!

Enlight Media, the production department floor.

This was the first time Chen Hong had brought Chen Chen Feiyu to visit Wang Wang Changtian, a major capital figure in the industry; she was paving the way for him.

Afterward, she and Chen Chen Kaige would bring their young son to meet all the capital figures in the film and television industry, as well as all the major directors and major producers.

When Wang Wang Changtian stepped through the door of the reception room, Li Li Xiaoping immediately rose to her feet and greeted him.

Chen Hong quickly smiled and introduced, "Chen Feiyu, this is Wang Dong, you may call him Uncle Wang."

"Hello, Uncle Wang. I'm Chen Chen Feiyu."

Big Lao Wang looked at the young man in front of him, well over six feet tall, and for a moment truly didn't quite know what to say, so he could only nod with a smile:

"Young people are indeed quite suitable for youth films. After the schedule adjustment for 'Secret Fruit', what's the current timeline?" Wang Wang Changtian looked toward Li Li Xiaoping and asked.

"Preparations begin in September, filming starts no later than December. Mainly because we have several films coming up soon, and the company's main focus is on those."

"Filming starts in December? Then there's plenty of time. Director Chen and I will take him to the 'Legend of the Demon Cat' set for a few months first, let him observe and learn some more. By the time he comes back, it'll be just right to join the production…"

Chen Hong chimed in with a smile. The reason she'd brought her son over today was to have him meet Wang Wang Changtian before joining the production, just to get acquainted. Preparing for what comes later.

"'Legend of the Demon Cat' is about to start filming?" Wang Wang Changtian picked up the thread, asking curiously. This film had been in preparation for quite a while since casting wrapped up.

"Mm, we're planning to start filming on August 1st. Same day as China Film's 'The Founding of an Army' — consider it an auspicious date, no?" Chen Hong said frankly with a smile.

…………