Chapter 733: Tipping the Table—The Favor Is Over

Someone suddenly called out "Teacher Lin" from behind, and for a moment Lin Nan didn't react; only when he turned around did he realize it was Guan Guan Xiaotong.

Well, it's not wrong for current students and incoming freshmen at Beijing Film Academy to call him "Teacher Lin."

Besides, this title actually brings them closer, giving these students a genuine shortcut.

"You're also in this movie?" Lin Nan blurted out.

Mainly because the cast of "The Founding of an Army" is just as huge as the first two films—he couldn't possibly remember them all, even if there had been reports.

"Yeah, I play Zhu Zhu Yawen's lover."

Holy cow, Lin Nan immediately glanced at Old Zhu beside him, who chuckled and nodded—so in the movie, the old ox was paired with the young grass?

"Then do your best. His face is kind of ugly—just don't crack up during your scenes together, haha…"

Looking at the still-very-young 19-year-old Guan Guan Xiaotong, Lin Nan teased him, and everyone around burst into laughter.

"Fine, I'm not as handsome as you, but I've got thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a respectable appearance… I don't ask for praise, but please don't put me down. Deal, Lin Dao?"

Zhu Zhu Yawen complained with a resentful expression, further heating up the lively atmosphere.

"Sure, no problem—playing Premier Zhou requires a dignified appearance."

As they chatted and laughed, Lin Nan suddenly realized there were quite a few familiar faces in this "The Founding of an Army"—many had collaborated with Lin Nan Pictures and were here now:

Liu Ye, Zhu Zhu Yawen, Zhang Zhang Hanyu, Yu Yu Hewei, Liu Liu Haoran, Zhou Zhou Yiwei…

Sure, there were many familiar faces, but even more were inserted here—these were all the producers' and director's connections! And they all got core roles: Li Li Yifeng, Han Geng, Ou Hao, Zhang Zhang Yixing… including Lu Han and Guan Guan Xiaotong.

At around ten, the launch ceremony for "The Founding of an Army" was halfway through, entering the middle segment;

Clearly, higher-ups were placing increasing emphasis on main-theme and tribute films—leaders from the General Administration, Publicity Department, and others took turns speaking, forcing Beside La La Peikang and others to wait their turn.

As the final installment of the tribute trilogy, the leaders' expectations were high: one phrase—"The film's reputation must not fall below the first two"—heaped immense pressure onto China Film Group.

When Lin Nan heard this demand, he genuinely couldn't help laughing. The actor quality was already a chasmic gap—what were they going to use to match the first two? Their heads?

"It's almost eleven—are you leaving now?" Liu Liu Yifei leaned in, whispering near Lin Nan's ear, reminding him he had another dinner appointment.

Looking at the watch Liu Miss had bought him yesterday, Lin Dao nodded. "Yeah, time to head out. What about you for lunch—go home or?"

"Don't worry about me—I'll tag along with Liu Yifei for some free eats."

Before Liu Liu Yifei could respond, Han Jia had already patted her chest and chimed in softly, her face radiating confident assurance.

"Yeah, I'm going with her," Liu Miss added with a smile.

"Alright, call me if anything comes up—I'm off now. Oh, and say hello to Director Song and the others for me."

After speaking, Lin Nan immediately ducked out of the venue, paying no mind to the glances from guests and media present.

…

At Guomao, Song Ge's assistant had double-checked the menu multiple times.

Meanwhile, Song Dong and Wu Wu Ershan stood before the floor-to-ceiling window of the private banquet hall, gazing out at the view.

"The development trend of China's film and television industry is becoming increasingly clear—capital will hold absolute power and dominance, even more 'domineering' than Hollywood's big studios."

"So, Director Wu, seize this opportunity—I'll help you become capital; though I can't match Ning Hao or Xu Zheng in terms of financial clout, I can guarantee you a seat at the capital table!"

Song Ge dared not mention Lin Nan, because the latter couldn't be summed up as merely "top-tier capital in film and television."

Production, visual effects, Tudou and Weibo, Hollywood companies, investments… his allies were few but all top-tier capital, and he himself was listed on high-level records—he was a globally recognized Chinese face in the international film circle!

"I know. So I rely on your support this time. I'll cooperate with your moves, and I ask you to support my project—mutual benefit."

"Director Song, Director Wu, Lin Dao Nan has entered the elevator," the assistant announced as the banquet hall door opened.

"Director Wu, let's go greet him. Lin Dao came straight from 'The Founding of an Army,' heh…"

Song Ge stepped forward with a beaming smile; Wu Wu Ershan nodded and followed closely behind.

Honestly, if not for the lingering goodwill with Wu Wu Ershan, Lin Nan wouldn't have come.

His social circle had always been small, so he was unfamiliar with most industry and cross-industry capital—he never interacted with them.

On his way to Guomao today, he'd carefully conducted a "background check" on Song Ge—he'd called Wang Wang Changtian.

Big Lao Wang knew plenty, given his extensive Lightline operations and wide network. According to him, Song Ge was a venomous snake in the capital circle.

His earlier film company was worthless, but somehow—through connections or methods—he got Jingxi Culture, a Shangshi Company, to acquire it, and he himself joined Jingxi Culture as an employee;

Within just two or three years, this guy seemed to have unlocked a cheat code—he slowly devoured Jingxi Culture from within, eventually ousting the original chairman and major shareholder, completing the "feat" of a snake swallowing an elephant and usurping the nest;

Now, Jingxi Culture, this Shangshi Company, was Song Ge's one-man rule; his greatest strength wasn't film production, but using partial investments in films for financial manipulation… the water was deep, extremely deep.

After being "grandly" ushered into the private banquet hall, Song Ge immediately ordered his assistant: "It's past twelve—serve the dishes. As for alcohol, open the bottle I brought…"

Inside the banquet hall, lush greenery with blooming flowers decorated the space, creating a refreshing, natural atmosphere.

"Lin Dao, thank you for traveling all the way from 'The Founding of an Army.'" Wu Wu Ershan said politely.

"I rarely break promises I've made. Besides, my schedule for 'The Founding of an Army' was set after yours."

Suddenly, the banquet hall door opened again, and a line of servers entered, the deep red wine in the decanter catching the eye.

When only the three of them remained, Song Ge gestured "after you": "Lin Dao, let's begin. Eat and talk. Director Wu, your…"

"Oh, right. Lin Dao, just a moment." As he spoke, Wu Wu Ershan rose and picked up a thick folder from a side table beside a vase.

Lin Nan glanced at it—he knew the "main course" was coming. He was curious too: what was the real purpose behind this long invitation?

As Wu Wu Ershan sat back down and opened the folder, Song Ge spoke at the same time:

"Lin Dao, I've known Wu Wu Ershan far less time than you—we only met last year—but I have great confidence in his project;

Director Wu has collaborated with Lin Nan Pictures several times, and I hope through this project we can invite you to join forces, get to know each other, and formally become friends…"

Lin Nan didn't respond to Song Ge's words—he took the three screenplays Wu Wu Ershan handed him.

"The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Part One—The Winds of Chaoge!"

As he flipped open the first screenplay and saw those words on the first page, Lin Nan involuntarily read them aloud—his heart jolted, as if mist had parted and clarity burst forth!

He looked at Song Ge, then at Wu Wu Ershan: "The Legend of the Condor Heroes… trilogy?"

"Haha… Lin Dao, you're not that shocked, are you? Director Wu's 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes' trilogy won't be as trashy as Star China's 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes'—they had a terrible director, a terrible script, terrible costumes, and zero authentic Chinese mythological elements…"

Song Ge clearly didn't notice Lin Nan's unusual expression, still smiling as he put down The Legend of Fengshen, while Wu Wu Ershan nodded in agreement, also smiling.

"Lin Dao, I plan to turn the entire The Legend of Fengshen into three big-budget special effects films; we're budgeting a total investment of 3 billion to complete these three movies, plus two years to hold global auditions for new talent, train new actors, and supplement them with veteran performers from the industry—all shot together in one go…"

Wu Wu Ershan followed right behind, introducing his "grand vision" to Lin Nan.

But Lin Dao Da was now distracted, because in the deepest corner of his heart, the "dream" he carried had never shown him this film—more precisely, he had never seen the finished product…

Yet, based on his decades of film experience, 3 billion for three films? Hah!

"Each film is over two hours—planning to use CG for the whole thing?"

Lin Nan asked with "sincere" curiosity; these two clearly wanted to trick him into co-investing in this film, hoping to ride on his fame to stir up trouble!

Indeed, seeing Lin Nan's "off" expression, Wu Wu Ershan momentarily fell silent. "Lin Dao, these three films will require massive special effects shots, high-quality effects… We also plan to run training camps, which are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly… but all for the sake of the film."

"The Legend of Fengshen, like Journey to the West, has its plot fixed in place—no matter how you shoot it or how much special effects you add, its ceiling is set, rigid, formulaic!"

Unless you, for The Legend of Fengshen, can do what Zhou Zhou Xingchi did for Journey to the West—except it'd have to be the current Zhou Zhou Xingchi coming out of retirement to star in the A Chinese Odyssey series himself!

Otherwise, spending 1 billion on one film? Hah! To recoup 3 billion? It's not a particularly rich subject matter—why would I waste two years playing this game with you? Our relationship doesn't seem to have reached that level, does it?"

Lin Nan smiled on his face, but every word dripped with disdain; even if Wang Wang Changtian brought up a similar project to him one day, he'd still tear into it without mercy.

Who in their right mind would waste time, energy, and money on a project so hard to turn a high profit? Unless from the very start, it wasn't meant to be a film at all, and profit from box office wasn't even the goal—especially not massive profit!

Thinking of this, Lin Nan unconsciously glanced at Song Ge, who showed none of Wu Wu Ershan's awkwardness—instead, he remained calm, composed.

"Lin Dao, a single film—a super IP special effects epic rooted in Eastern traditional mythology, and a trilogy! Once made, once the audience is satisfied, it won't lose money—it will only profit!"

"The meaning behind my words, Lin Dao, should be clear—you're a top-tier capital tycoon, after all. Weibo is a Nasdaq-listed company, and Tudou is about to list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange."

Wu Wu Ershan fell silent, yielding the floor to Song Ge, while Lin Nan watched him with keen interest, signaling him to continue—this speech was utterly naked!

"Lin Dao, you possess unparalleled influence in the film industry, among audiences and fans, and across the film market; Wu and I want you to join us as producer on this film—just lend your name."

"As for investment? You won't need to put in a single cent and still get a share of box office revenue—we'll pay you a fee 50% above your market rate… and furthermore, I can offer you shares in Jingxi Culture…"

"Lin Dao, Jingxi Culture is a listed company and will control this film; if we reach an agreement, you know what kind of reaction the financial market will have… I can handle the sale of your shares for you, guaranteeing a flawless exit—even offer you a guaranteed minimum of 500 million. What do you think, Lin Dao? Of course, our goal is naturally to harvest as much as possible…"

Song Ge spoke fluently, persuasively; Wu Wu Ershan said nothing, but his expression radiated full agreement and approval.

Lin Nan glanced at the two of them and couldn't hold back—he immediately interrupted Song Ge:

"Hey, Song Dong, you're being straight-up now? No beating around the bush?"

"Do you really just want to ruthlessly squeeze the little investors? Or is there a chance that during the making of these so-called 1-billion-cost super-IP special effects epics, some dirty things might sneak in that need cleaning up?"

"After all, in my view, squeezing retail investors carries huge risks—it's complicated, time-consuming, labor-intensive, and the film industry's pool of retail investors isn't that big—how much can you really squeeze?"

Huayi is the highest-valued listed company in the film industry, but I can confidently say they'd never dare spend 3 billion on three films just to squeeze retail investors!"

"So, Song Dong, when you talk about squeezing retail investors, it's probably just a front—or a secondary maneuver, isn't it?"

Lin Nan's single sentence overturned the table—he did it on purpose.

In the banquet hall, not a sound could be heard; the atmosphere was dead silent, chilling to the extreme.

Song Ge's face turned dark and pale, almost frightening; Wu Wu Ershan bowed his head, silent.

"Lin Dao, you're joking, right? Such jokes aren't to be taken lightly." His smile was strained, his voice lacking its earlier confidence.

Lin Nan shook his head with a smile, picked up his tea cup, but after a moment's thought, put it down again:

"Since officially entering film production in 2003, it's been thirteen years. In terms of film production and operation, I have more experience than you. Even in the stock market, I held shares in Huayi; now I'm a shareholder of Weibo, and Tudou is about to list…"

"Song Dong, your roundabout tricks might fool other directors, but with me, the holes are too big! And as for your intentions—we're definitely not on the same path!"

After speaking, Lin Nan stood up.

He'd been seated here for barely half an hour at most; he hadn't touched a single bite or sip from the table, and had no intention to.

Now he was ready to leave—to return and meet Liu Liu Yifei; after all, these two weren't his kind, and they had nothing to say to each other.

The two men before him clearly understood Lin Nan's intent—but made no effort to stop him, for Lin Nan's words had already torn the mask off; cooperation was impossible.

Moreover, they couldn't afford to offend Lin Nan…

"Director Wu Wu Ershan." As he reached the door, Lin Nan turned back and called out.

"Lin Dao?"

"Your previous collaboration with Lin Nan Pictures was smooth, and now it's properly concluded. This thread of goodwill ends here—after the Hundred Flowers Awards, let's each go our own way."

Before the other could respond, Lin Nan strode out the banquet hall's door, vanishing from their sight.

For the first time today, Wu Wu Ershan's expression turned unusual—but he felt no regret.

"Song Dong, I already told you—I had no confidence in this."

"If he's so arrogant, so self-righteous, then we'll just do it ourselves!"

"But what if Lin Dao…?"

"Don't worry—the industry's unwritten rules are clear—how many companies are clean? If he dares, he'll become the target of everyone; not just in film, but everywhere! Also, from what I know, Huayi isn't exactly clean either!"

…

When Liu Liu Yifei received Lin Nan's call, she was still dazed—how so fast?

"Then hurry over—we're at the private kitchen restaurant, saving you some leftovers, hehe…"

"Didn't she drag you along to mooch meals? Why are you there?" Lin Nan asked, driving and teasing.

"We are mooching meals—mooching off your producer Liu," came Han Jia's voice, laced with obvious fluster and arrogance.

…