Chapter 187: Yan Li: I

In May, "Railway Guerrillas" began promoting on terrestrial channels, with plans to air on satellite channels during the summer season.

Currently, Shandong TV and Henan TV have largely confirmed purchases; Inner Mongolia TV is also interested, but due to insufficient funds and low bids, it is likely to be moved to a second-run slot.

Based on already signed contracts and those under negotiation, Yi An made a rough estimate.

The total revenue for "Railway Guerrillas" is projected at 22 to 26 million yuan.

Of course, this is only a rough estimate; specifics still depend on broadcast performance and subsequent operations.

But considering the limitations of red-themed content, production costs, and current market conditions, unless ratings explode and surge to 30 million, the possibility is extremely low; however, the floor is guaranteed, with a basic minimum of 20 million yuan.

"Railway Guerrillas" was publicly stated to have cost 18 million yuan to produce, but the actual cost was under 15 million yuan.

Due to its theme, it received substantial subsidies and support, so the actual investment from all production companies was under 10 million yuan.

Many small and medium-sized companies prefer producing main melody content for exactly this reason.

If they can secure subsidy quotas and operate well, they can produce a drama by paying only a small portion of the cost, then sell it for profit.

Some go even further: they don't even sell it, simply profiting directly from the subsidies.

First, set up a project, find ways to secure several million yuan in subsidies, then recruit a few investors to chip in some money—or find investors first, then apply for subsidies; depending on circumstances, it's all about double-dealing.

Finally, use half the money to film the drama, pocket the other half; if the drama sells, fine; if not, store it in a warehouse to gather dust.

Thus, although "Railway Guerrillas" doesn't generate high revenue, after deducting subsidies, each production company's profit remains quite substantial.

Yi An secured a 30% share of the drama through a deal of 3 million yuan plus free distribution.

However, distribution is primarily handled by Shandong Film & TV, with Yi An only participating lightly and contributing little effort.

Therefore, returns are mainly based on share dividends, estimated at around 6 to 8 million yuan—more than doubling the investment, which is quite good.

Yan Li didn't invest in this drama solely for profit.

Compared to a few million yuan in returns, the greater benefit is that Yi An now has one more outstanding red-themed drama, and has significantly strengthened ties with Shandong Province, Shandong TV, and his hometown of Zao City.

Taking this opportunity, he can later have the media praise Yan Li's devotion to his hometown and spirit of heritage, and make some donations.

Without surprise, this year Yan Li should receive several awards from his hometown of Shandong and Zao City.

Such as provincial or municipal honors like "Outstanding Youth," "Excellent Cultural Worker," "Person of the Year," "Charity Role Model," and similar titles.

At Yan Li's current level, national-level honors are still hard to reach, and competition in Jingcheng is fierce, so hometown honors and titles offer exceptional value.

It's hard to say how much actual support these titles will bring, but they're sufficient to impress.

Whether black or white, everyone will give at least some face—better than nothing at all.

They also serve as groundwork, making it easier for Yan Li to further strengthen ties with his hometown and continue pursuing national-level honors.

One "Railway Guerrillas" is followed by another "Sword of Light," and this year Yi An has several other main melody projects in distribution.

Yan Li feels he's now sufficiently "red," and with the company's rapid growth and next year's plans, he estimates he's about to "enter the hall and ascend the chamber"…

…

Besides "Railway Guerrillas" airing and preparing for satellite broadcast, "Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies" and "Chinese Paladin" are both currently in heavy rotation.

The former needs no elaboration—it was one of the hottest dramas of the year's beginning; although later episodes weren't as explosive as the premiere, its influence remained consistently high.

Especially with the added drama of two men vying for Yan Li and Dong Xuan as his "ex-girlfriend," the gossip has been widely circulated.

Actors like Jiang Xin, Yang Xue, and Hu Siyan, whose fame is lesser or whose roles are less distinct, are now externally labeled with titles like "Fourth Fairy," "Sixth Fairy," "Seventh Fairy," etc.

Even Dong Xuan and Li Lin are alternately called "First Fairy," "Third Fairy," "Goddess Dragon," and "Du Bingyan."

There's no help for it: since the actors themselves aren't that famous, leveraging the popularity of breakout drama roles to gain public recognition is a decent strategy.

Fan Xiaopang now turns cold at the mention of Jin Suo, but back then he also heavily rode the coattails of "Huan Zhu Ge Ge."

Even today, when many mention her, their first impression is still that little maid.

Among the actresses of "Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies," Hu Siyan is the one who jumped the most and became the most entangled.

On one hand, she's the lead actress and one of the biggest beneficiaries of the drama; on the other, she was sidelined by Dong and Fan, unable to access Yan Li's subsequent resources, and could only rely on "Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies."

Although the constant bundling and overexposure sparked some controversy, it must be admitted that Hu Siyan's current fame is now second only to Shuang Bing and Dong Xuan.

Had Dong Xuan not been exposed as Yan Li's "ex-girlfriend" and dragged into the scandal, thereby boosting her visibility, Hu might have broken into the top three.

Hu is not yet a top-tier rising star, but she is certainly a notable figure in the entertainment circle.

The latter, "Chinese Paladin," although it didn't explode in satellite ratings, still performed remarkably well thanks to Yi An's distribution boost.

Under intense bombardment by TV stations in major cities and strong online popularity, it ranked among the hottest dramas of the first half of 2005.

The male and female leads, Hu Ge and Liu Tianxian, saw their fame surge.

Hu Ge nearly transformed overnight from a newcomer to a rising male star; Liu Tianxian became the leader of the new generation of female stars, and with her appealing image and positioning, her popularity soared.

It's rumored she's planning to sign with Sony and enter the music industry, even traveling to Japan for training.

Yan Li doesn't understand this approach: multi-platform development in film, TV, and music isn't wrong—everyone does it—but while at peak popularity, there's no need to halt filming and travel abroad for training.

Perhaps there are other arrangements, and with Zhang Dahu's "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" still unreleased, she has the leeway to be willful.

Other supporting actors from "Chinese Paladin," such as Peng Yuyan and An Yixuan, have also gained significant recognition.

Recently, during the media open day for "Lu Xiaofeng Legend," the number of reporters interviewing An Yixuan was nearly catching up to Jiang Xin and Yang Xue, who rose to fame via "Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies" and the Spring Festival Gala.

However, due to its inability to air on satellite channels, revenue is limited to terrestrial broadcasts, and Yi An has yet to recoup its costs from this drama.

But the hidden benefits are also substantial.

"Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies" and "Chinese Paladin"—both of this year's first-half blockbusters feature Yi An's involvement.

Yan Li's reputation as the "Genius Producer" grows louder, and public attention toward his involvement in "Fengshen Bang" and "Lu Xiaofeng Legend" has also increased.

Another contributor to Yan Li's rising reputation is "Survival: The Migrant Workers."

This drama was a minor setback for Yan Li.

Aside from "Chinese Paladin," which failed to air on satellite due to policy reasons, this is the only "normal TV drama" he has ever produced that failed to secure satellite broadcast.

No help for it—the theme is too sensitive, and the media has been pushing various narratives; just not being banned is already fortunate.

Yan Li plans to lie low, wait until next year or the year after, change the title, and see if satellite broadcast becomes possible then.

Setting aside the sensitivity issue, the drama's data is still solid, and its reputation is surprisingly excellent, receiving much praise; under little public pressure, a satellite TV channel should be willing to buy it.

Although it didn't air on satellite TV, the drama had low investment and, combined with its strong reputation, still generated considerable discussion.

Local and county-level channels have fewer constraints and some are still willing to buy it; recovering costs won't be a problem, and they might even make a small profit of one or two million.

Yan Li had already anticipated this—he'd be satisfied as long as he broke even.

The key is the high reputation, which has added another prestigious brand to Yi'an Production; unfortunately, the subject matter is a bit weak, otherwise it might have won some awards.

Yi'an Production or co-production: "Conquest," "Detective Di Renjie," "Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies," "Xian Jian Qi Xia Zhuan," "Survival: The Migrant Workers."

These dramas produced or co-produced by Yi'an Production have achieved success, popularity, and reputation.

They have long since shed their amateur roots and transformed into a well-known company in the industry.

Right now, no capital has yet entered the film and television companies, no valuation or IPO yet.

Otherwise, Yi'an Film & Television would be worth at least 100 million at minimum, and Boss Yan's "net worth" could rise further.

…

Yi'an Film & Television has grown rapidly, and as its boss, Yan Li is a public figure, naturally drawing attention and discussion.

The most straightforward and curious question—how much money does Yan Li have?

Two years ago, when Yan Li first made his fortune with "Conquest," he publicly claimed a net worth of ten million.

Now, his companies have consistently released hit dramas, managed several projects worth tens of millions, and even gifted Fan Xiaopang a million-yuan luxury car—his net worth is definitely over twenty million.

Conservatively estimated, Yan Li's net worth is at least 50 million.

Some speculate it's over a hundred million, but this claim has believers and skeptics alike.

These days, money still holds great value—a million can be called "minor wealth," ten million qualifies one as a millionaire, and a hundred-million scale is hard for ordinary people to imagine.

However, when reporters came to the set to ask this question, Yan Li didn't deny the speculation—he gave an ambiguous reply.

"Something like that."

These four words caused quite a stir outside—twenty-four-year-old billionaire, self-made, the credibility is undeniable.

Wealth dazzles the eyes; some call him a business legend of the post-80s generation, and even his previously negative image has begun to turn around.

Even Fan Xiaopang got a whitewash—stealing a man makes her a homewrecker, but stealing a super diamond daddy is brave love pursuit, perfectly understandable.

Of course, many also believe Yan Li is deliberately hyping himself.

The public isn't stupid—there are plenty of smart people; the "Two Women Fighting Over Yan" and "Phoenix vs. Feng" feuds have clear signs of manipulation, and online, some have already dubbed Yan Li the 【Hype Master】.

So they suspect he's marketing himself as a billionaire to boost attention and attract investment for his projects or company.

This is actually true—Yan Li flaunted his wealth precisely to hype and package himself.

But unlike what outsiders guessed, he really is a billionaire—both hype and fact.

Thinking this over, Yan Li felt slightly wronged—he shouldn't be called a Hype Master, but a Truth Prince.

The hype over "Two Women Fighting Over Yan" did indeed get both of them into bed.

The hype over "billionaire" status—he really does have that much money.

The hype over "Phoenix vs. Feng"—who wins or loses aside, at least they genuinely prepared to fight.

The external commotion has also somewhat affected the two productions: "Fengshen Bang" and "Lu Xiaofeng Legend."

Sometimes when Yan Li passed the set, he sensed certain women staring at him with unusually fiery eyes, and even a few men did the same.

For this reason, he now always brings several people with him to prevent anyone from lunging at him or kidnapping him.

The several women connected to him are each in different emotional states.

Wang Ou's eyes shine constantly, Wu Jiani blushes shyly, and Qin Lan is a mix of emotions—happy yet conflicted.

Ten million was already hard to guard against; now that he's a billionaire, his enemies won't just be reinforced platoons—they'll become reinforced companies, even reinforced battalions.

How can she possibly hold them off?!

Fan Xiaopang is relatively the most calm, having witnessed firsthand Yan Li's lavish spending.

Back then, she already suspected this bastard was richer than outsiders thought, and she signed with Yi'an because she trusted Yan Li's ability and financial strength.

But upon learning Yan Li had truly admitted to being a billionaire, she was still slightly stunned.

Compared to his billion-net-worth, what truly draws attention is Yan Li's youth and the astonishingly short time it took him to rise.

He's barely twenty-five, and from "Conquest" to now, barely two years have passed—he rose from a fresh graduate actor to this status; if she hadn't seen it herself, she'd suspect it was hype.

Thinking of how her mother had called specifically to ask about her relationship with Yan Li, Fan Xiaopang couldn't help feeling irritated.

Can she really hold onto this bastard? He's fickle and heartless—can she really hold him?!

After wrap, Fan Xiaopang walked grim-faced back to the hotel with Wei Xiaobao, just as Wang Ou and Wu Jiani returned from outside. Wang Ou couldn't resist glancing at her, and she snapped back immediately.

"What are you staring at? Who told you to look?"

"Hey!"

Even though Wang Ou didn't want to fight with Fan Xiaopang, she couldn't tolerate her so domineering.

"Did you rent out this entire hotel? I can't even glance as I walk by?"

"No, you're not allowed to look."

Wu Jiani feared they'd start fighting and quickly pulled Wang Ou away: "Don't provoke her—she's in a bad mood."

"Like I'm in a good mood."

Wang Ou's face was dark—she knew why Fan Xiaopang was acting like a bomb right now.

Although Yan Li had sealed his lips, there were still rumors on set: Qin Lan and Fan Xiaopang had clashed during filming.

And from Yan Li's subsequent attitude, Fan Xiaopang lost that argument.

At first, Wang Ou was gleeful—Fan had bullied her, now she was getting bullied—but later, she couldn't laugh anymore.

Previously, although Fan Xiaopang often monopolized Yan Li, he didn't stick solely to her—Wang Ou could still get a sip.

Now that Qin Lan has arrived, she can't even see a bone.

To prevent ambushes, Qin Lan even persuaded Yan Li to move out of their current hotel and switch residences with him; since she had few shooting scenes, she wasn't tied down by filming and could accompany Yan Li day and night.

Fan Xiaopang went from heaven to hell, while she fell from hell to the eighteenth layer of hell.

Without Yan Li's mediation to soothe tensions, resentment festered; Fan Xiaopang became a powder keg, and Wang Ou was no less filled with rage inside.

Wang Ou hated Fan Xiaopang, but now she hated Qin Lan even more.

On the surface gentle and smiling at everyone, yet in truth cruel and venomous, with two faces—Fan Xiaopang was absolutely right: she was a living Zhihua.

The boss was foolish, blinded by this kind of woman.

Wang Ou, reeling from repeated blows, lost her composure and couldn't help glancing at Wu Jiani.

She could no longer hesitate; if things continued like this, she'd be kicked out sooner or later—she had to add more leverage for herself.

On the other side, Fan Xiaopang stormed back to her room, about to grab a pillow and vent her anger, when her phone suddenly rang.

Seeing the familiar caller ID, Fan Xiaopang's face lit up with delight—she knew this bastard couldn't hold out any longer.

Just as she was about to answer directly, she paused, silently counted over twenty seconds, then picked up, her voice cold.

"Hello."

Yan Li's voice came through: "The company secured a new endorsement for you—run it past Hua Jie, and make sure there are no disputes later."

"Oh, is there anything else?"

"No, I'll have my people inform your team about the rest. You've got a lot of shooting these days—rest up."

"..."

Listening to the dial tone, Fan Xiaopang was stunned, then hugged the pillow and pounded it again.

Yan Li hung up, glanced at Qin Lan pretending to watch TV on the sofa, shook his head, and raised his voice.

"What? You want me to come over to yours?"

Qin Lan sat up straight, staring at him intently; Yan Li hesitated a moment: "I'm busy—I have to stay with my wife."

Satisfied, Qin Lan came over, hugged Yan Li, and kissed him as a reward; Yan Li seized the chance to make demands.

Although having many women is troublesome, introducing competition brings greater gains.

Qin Lan had exerted great effort these past days to keep Yan Li tied to her side...

(End of Chapter)