Chapter 52: Gradual Encroachment

"This matter cannot be rushed; with her current level, she can barely handle a television role, let alone a film."

Just as Liu Xiao and Cheng Jing were about to argue a point, Lu Kuan waved his hand to interrupt them:

"I have prepared a script, the cast is mostly found, and in a few days, I will ask the crew for leave to start filming."

Lu Kuan paused, then revealed his true intent: "Now, I'm just missing a female lead."

Having experienced the bizarre event of a young Daoist priest from the deep mountains of the mainland suddenly befriending a big sister from Xiangjiang, Cheng Jing and Liu Xiao were now somewhat immune to his astonishing feats.

"Little Lu, tell us the specifics."

Liu Xiao’s eyes were eager, just as they would be in the future when she sought the female lead role in *The Forbidden Kingdom* for her daughter, though the outcome was unfortunately poor.

"It's a feature film; the female lead doesn't have many scenes and the difficulty is low, which suits Little Liu's current acting level."

"The investment is 10 million, and the male leads are Yu Wenle, Chen Guanxi, and Xie Tingfeng from Xiangjiang, and Feng Yuan from the mainland. Ms. Mei Yanfang will also make a guest appearance."

That’s right, the Xie Tingfeng substitute case, which Lu Kuan had easily predicted with his Great Prophecy Art, had already reached its finale.

He personally complied with the verdict, ending with 240 hours of community service for the Xiangjiang starlet.

Huo Wenxi immediately contacted Mei Yanfang to agree to the aforementioned cooperation terms; the contract was officially signed, and they were preparing to head to the mainland with Chen Guanxi and Yu Wenle to start work soon.

Me! A little immortal from Maoshan, came down the mountain at 19, a top-tier player in the Xiangjiang entertainment scene at 20, my battle record is verifiable!

As the names were spoken one by one, the sallow complexion of Cheng Jing also began to flush with color.

The entertainment industry is a jungle; if you have the strength, everything is negotiable, and what follows is merely a discussion on how to make an equivalent exchange.

He and Liu Xiao did not doubt the authenticity of Lu Kuan's words; there was no point in faking such things.

At the very least, one would need to see the signed documents before processing equity changes and filing with the industrial and commercial authorities; lies are easily exposed.

Now, we enter the MVP settlement phase for Boss Lu.

"Currently, I hold 62% of Red Star Dock, Zhang Dao has 8%, and Xiao has 30%."

"How about Xiao and I each give up 5%?"

Lu Kuan asked for an exorbitant price and waited for the counter-offer: "I want 25%!"

Cheng Jing nearly spat out a mouthful of blood; he had never seen anyone negotiate like this—what kind of person was this!

"Impossible, Xiao is Yifei's mother, and Zhang Dao's shares are already very few."

He didn't mention himself; no cautious businessman would easily hand over controlling interest, as he had to ensure at least a 51% stake.

Lu Kuan used both coercion and inducement: "Otherwise, let me make a bet with Mr. Cheng!"

Damn it, here he goes again!

It was fortunate that Mei Yanfang and Wang Minhui were not present, otherwise, they would have witnessed the little immortal’s hat trick of Great Prophecy Art!

Cheng Jing hesitated and remained silent; he was now starting to believe that this little immortal truly possessed real skills.

Not to say he knew everything under the sun, but he certainly had some confidence if he dared to make a bet.

He didn't speak, but Liu Xiao was eager to reach a cooperation, even if it meant she had to give up a few more shares.

If the company made money, Liu Yifei would get a share, and she, as a shareholder, would get a share; it was a win-win either way.

The key was that it wasn't easy to encounter such resources when her daughter was just starting out; she had to seize it!

Plus, she could get an acting teacher for Xixi for free; Lu Kuan wouldn't charge extra to coach her acting, would he?

"Our film has a low cost and a very short cycle; we are preparing to make a last-minute entry into this year's Venice Film Festival."

"If we can enter the main competition section, Little Liu can follow the crew to Venice to make an appearance and walk the red carpet; as for whether we win an award, let's not talk about that for now."

Actually, even if we don't enter the main competition, we could still walk if we enter other sections like Horizons, or even through sponsor invitations.

It’s just that those seem a bit less legitimate, and the attention given by reporters and media is also different.

Cheng Jing admitted he was tempted; the allure of the red carpet these days was not insignificant—even as late as 2012, Fan Bingbing and Yang Mi were still crashing Cannes!

Lu Kuan gave Cheng Jing and Liu Xiao an ultimatum: "I'll take one more step back; if the aforementioned goal is achieved, I want 20% of the shares, and if it isn't, we'll do it your way."

Cheng Jing habitually wanted to haggle further, but he noticed Liu Xiao beside him looking at Lu Kuan with sparkling eyes, as if she were looking at a son-in-law.

As for Zhang Jizhong, who had been silent the whole time, he threw in the final straw that broke the camel's back: "Jing, it's about enough, let's just do it!"

The real estate businessman felt a bit stifled, but he had to face reality.

But he couldn't be considered at a loss in any case; this was originally just a shell company he had set up in 1995.

The current registered capital is 5 million, and now he gets cash for transferring the shares, even if it isn't much. (Note 1)

Cheng Jing looked left and right; his two allies had already defected, and as a lone man, what was the point of arguing?

He lifted his glass with a carefree air: "Welcome, Boss Lu, to Red Star Dock; I hope we can work together to create brilliance in the future!"

"Cheers!", "Cheers."

Little Liu, who did not yet know that 10% of her future life already belonged to Boss Lu, was lying in her hotel room with the crew at this time.

Su Chang had also joined the crew recently, and the two little sisters' rapport soared, gradually becoming inseparable.

"Xixi, say something!"

Liu Yifei was listless: "Say what? I'm not in the mood; I NG'd more than twenty times this afternoon."

Su Chang lay on the bed, resting her chin in her hands, looking whimsical: "Xixi, are you familiar with that Lu Kuan?"

"Why?"

"Nothing, just asking."

Liu Yifei glanced at her friend and said earnestly: "Changchang, he is not a good person."

Su Chang was somewhat amused: "What are you saying! I'm just curious; how can he, an actor, command the director now? Even Director Li follows his every word."

Little Liu curled her lip: "Who knows with him? He's just playing god and acting like a ghost; he loves to deceive people the most."

Note 1: Red Star Dock currently has a paid-in capital of 50 million, with Chen holding 95% and his real estate company holding 5%.

But in 1995, it was still a small subscribed amount; it wasn't until early 2000 that capital was increased and shares expanded, introducing Zhang and Liu (historical shareholders are verifiable).

Because there is no data, the registered capital for 2002 has been modified to 5 million here.





(End of this chapter)