Chapter 90: The Lurker Zhang Ruoyun

In an office building in the West City, Zhang Ruoyun was excitedly telling his father about his two weeks of crew life in his father's office.

"Dad, you don't know, the last skull light hit from the top of Teacher Feng's head, it's simply amazing! So that's how movies are filmed!"

Zhang Jian laughed and said: "As long as you can learn something, I heard you found a teacher."

"Yes, his name is Huang Bo. Although Teacher Huang's appearance is a bit individual, his acting is very good. Director Lu has been praising him."

Zhang Jian was quite satisfied with this matter facilitated by his "ex-wife".

The trade of learning art has a rule of "teaching children by changing sons". No matter how the child flutters his wings within the parent's sphere of influence, he cannot become a soaring eagle.

He looked at his watch and said to his son: "I have a guest later, you go to the second floor first to see how the TV series is edited, and learn."

Zhang Ruoyun had been exhausted by the crew these days, rubbed his eyes: "Dad, I got up too early in the morning, I'll sleep in the bedroom inside for a while, it's too tiring to be on the crew during this time."

Don't ask why the boss's office comes with a bedroom. It's normal for leaders in the system and corporate bosses to be busy, to have a secret bedroom with a double bed, dragon and phoenix chairs, etc.

"Hmm, you go, don't make a sound."

After about two minutes, Zhang Jian looked at Liu Zeyu who pushed the door and entered, and stood up with a smile.

"Mr. Liu! A pleasure to meet you. I've lost my welcome."

The visitor was Liu Zeyu, wearing a well-fitting high-end Brioni suit. Regardless of anything else, his style and appearance as an entertainment company boss could be considered the best among people.

Zhang Jian was not deceived by his dashing, capable temperament and unruly smile. This kind of official's Yanei was the most difficult to deal with.

Unlike the children from the compound in the four-nine city, their roots were at the root of the imperial city, and they could still discuss the path and reason when they had conflicts and needs.

Liu Zeyu's kind of Yanei didn't have the stable idea of settling down and planning for the long term. He ate one side when he was in office, and he never left empty-handed, and he usually didn't care about the consequences.

"Mr. Zhang! Long time no see!" Liu Yanei sat on the single sofa with a big grin, crossed his legs, and shook the watch chain that slipped from his wrist.

"Mr. Zhang, I have long heard that your Mengzhou Club is a good place for exercise. If it is welcome, I will bring a few friends of my father to join in the fun next time."

Zhang Jian had a kind face, and said politely: "I can't ask for it, Young Master Liu! This is called building a nest to attract a phoenix. If you and the leaders and comrades don't come to visit, this club won't be worthy of its name!"

"Hahaha, Director Zhang is so good at speaking."

Liu Zeyu thanked the secretary who handed the teacup very gentlemanly, swept his eyes over her round little buttocks, and blew the floating leaves in the boiling water lightly.

Zhang Jian heard his address to him from Mr. Zhang to Director Zhang, knowing that the meat of the play was about to come.

Liu Zeyu put down the teacup leisurely, sighed and said: "To tell you the truth, Director Zhang, this time I came to do a business with you."

"Young Master Liu, please speak." Zhang Jian pretended not to know.

"If this is to be said, it is still a bit shameful, but you are an insider, so I won't avoid it." Liu Zeyu laughed at himself pretentiously.

"I have a little sister from my uncle's family who just got admitted to the Beijing Film Academy this year. I want to do my best to pave the way for her. After all, you know how difficult it is for new actors in this line to mix out."

Zhang Jian heard the subtext and smiled, giving a thumbs up: "Mr. Liu, a beautiful lady, a gentleman is good to pursue. It seems to be a story of a son's deep love, haha!"

"Mr. Zhang, I'll be straightforward. Please hand over the adaptation rights of *Chinese Paladin* to me. The price is easy to talk about."

Liu Zeyu's tone was not like doing business at all. Yanei, who was used to buying and selling by force, was mostly like this.

Zhang Ruoyun in the room was startled and sat up in fear.

*Chinese Paladin*? Wasn't that the reward promised by his stepmother to Director Lu?

He tiptoed off the bed, bird-stealthily eavesdropping on the conversation outside with his ears pressed against the door.

Zhang Ruoyun, a high school boy who was not yet involved in the world, had a simple sense of right and wrong. He had been taken care of by Seeing Lu Kuan on the crew, and he felt that he was a member of the team, sparing no effort to participate in everything from odd jobs to guest roles, gaining a certain sense of participation and recognition.

Zhang Jian was also secretly calculating the joints of this matter.

After the deal between Liu Bei and Seeing Lu Kuan was reached, Yongyule requested a valuation of 1 million for the *Chinese Paladin* adaptation rights to offset part of the debt to Zhang Jian.

In all fairness, the price requested by Yongyule was very high.

*Chinese Paladin* was the first game-adapted TV series work in the industry. Before this, no one knew the huge profit prospects of this kind of IP, nor did they know whether such a new Xianxia genre could be accepted by the market.

Liu Bei thought about selling it at a flat price to give Seeing Lu Kuan face, but Zhang Jian didn't think so.

He was a qualified businessman, who felt uncomfortable when he suffered a loss, and never had enough when he took advantage!

He had no interest in this too alternative and breakthrough script theme, and he did not let go of asking Yongyule company to lower the valuation.

After all, the lower his purchase price, the higher his profit from selling to Seeing Lu Kuan.

It seems that this is the difference between a literary actor and a businessman director.

The situation was deadlocked for a while. Wang Yongle was an old gambler, and now he was not afraid of wearing shoes barefoot, preferring to be auctioned rather than agree to sell the *Chinese Paladin* adaptation rights cheaply.

Zhang Jian heard Liu Zeyu's tone, obviously not knowing that the adaptation rights of Yongyule had not yet changed hands.

He immediately decided to reach a transfer agreement with Wang Yongle to offset part of the debt with the *Chinese Paladin* adaptation rights first, and then "choose the best" from Liu Zeyu and Seeing Lu Kuan.

"Mr. Liu, I'm going to the restroom, please sit for a while."

Zhang Jian asked the female secretary to add tea, turned and walked into the bedroom.

Looking at his sleeping son on the bed, Zhang Jian quickly dialed the phone: "Contact Wang Yongle, promise him the asking price of 1 million, and sign the contract quickly."

The toilet flushing sound rang out, and Zhang Jian walked out wiping his hands.

"Mr. Liu, as far as I know, your company has just been established, right? Is this adaptation right bought to be done by yourself or?"

Liu Zeyu smiled: "That doesn't bother Director Zhang. I contacted a film and television company in Shanghai, which is the producer of *The Book and the Sword*."

Zhang Jian nodded clearly. He was also a TV series director, immersed in the industry for a long time, and knew that Liu Zeyu was talking about Tangren Film and Television.

The theme and tone of *Chinese Paladin* after adaptation were indeed in line with the consistent style of Tangren's works.

In the first ten years of the new millennium, the leading power of most film and television project establishment was still in the hands of screenwriters who turned from writers and film and television companies. Different TV series producers had different themes they were good at because of the differences in their main directors, screenwriters, and actor teams.

Film and television companies in the Beijing circle such as Yanda Huayi and Mengzhou Film and Television produced TV series mainly based on military themes. Later generations' *Soldiers Sortie* and *My Chief and My Regiment* were deep cooperation between Yanda Huayi and screenwriter Lan Xiaolong.

Zhang Jian's Mengzhou Film and Television Media had representative works such as *Snow Leopard*, *Black Fox*, and *Sharp Sword*.

Hai Run Film and Television, founded by Liu Yanming and Hai Yan, mainly based on novel adaptations by Beijing circle writers Hai Yan, Wang Shuo, Ma Weidu, etc., from the earliest *Stories of the Editorial Department* and *Yearning* to later *Never Close Your Eyes* and *Jade Goddess of Mercy*.

In the 90s and the beginning of the new century, "Hai Yan Drama" was an absolute star-making machine, which made a group of stars such as Lu Yi, Sun Li, Xu Jinglei, and Tong Dawei popular.

Apart from the Beijing circle, there were two TV series production companies that 90s children were most familiar with in the current domestic market: Zhou Yi and Tangren.

Zhou Yi's style was good at martial arts, while Tangren established the path of ancient idol fantasy starting from *Chinese Paladin*.

Liu Zeyu established contact with Tangren under the matchmaking of Wang Xiaolei, and the latter couldn't wait to start planning the project. For the full confidence of this local little official's son, Cai Yinong didn't have to worry about the acquisition of adaptation rights at all.

Zhang Jian decided to see how much sincerity Liu Zeyu had first, and pretended to be difficult: "Mr. Liu, if you had spoken a day earlier, we would definitely have handed over the adaptation rights with both hands, but it is indeed promised to others first, this..."

Liu Zeyu sneered in his heart. You didn't promise Seeing Lu Kuan's Wenjie Culture, I wouldn't come to intercept the Hu!

His first conspiracy against Seeing Lu Kuan with Zhang Jianting was broken at the last minute, and he watched Seeing Lu Kuan take a step ahead of him, coveting his "forbidden luan".

When did the little Yanei suffer such anger, and decided to listen to Wang Xiaolei's suggestion to approach Seeing Lu Kuan, who was one step ahead, through multiple channels.

The action of finding someone to let out the wind to Zhang Tianshuo's younger brothers in society had been going on for several days, but anyone with a hot brain would definitely go straight to Seeing Lu Kuan for revenge.

Hearing his tone of evasion, Liu Zeyu raised his eyebrows: "Mr. Zhang, everything else is easy to talk about, you still have to give me face for this matter."

Zhang Jian's face rose with a touch of anger just right. He talked about letting others give face, but he didn't think about whether his words gave others face.

The little Yanei's previous graceful disguise was instantly unloaded, revealing his ferocious true face.

Liu Zeyu was not a master who only suppressed people with power. Zhang Jian's father's generation were experts in the domestic geological environment field, and there was no lack of university professors and senior government consultants who received State Council allowances. It was troublesome if he was anxious.

"Director Zhang, how about this? I have some friendship with the two Wangs of Yanda Huayi."

Liu Zeyu gave a stick not lightly or heavily, and offered honey dates.

"Feng Dao has a commercial film *Cell Phone* that will start filming after the New Year, and it is currently in the planning stage. When the time comes, I will pull a line to see if you can participate in a share."

Zhang Jian's eyes lit up when he heard this. Since the amazing masterpiece *Hero* was born, industry insiders and social hot money have begun to show interest in the domestic film market that is about to move.

Investors naturally want to minimize risks as much as possible, so the targets for film investment are very limited. At present, the domestic box office guarantee is those few big directors.

And at this time node, Feng Xiaogang's box office guarantee even exceeds other first-line ones.

In 1997, his *The Dream Factory* broke out of the Hollywood blockbusters of the year with a box office of 36 million, becoming a rescue work for the domestic film market and creating the concept of "New Year's File".

Zhang Jian's ex-wife Liu Bei was the heroine of *The Dream Factory*. How could he not know the strength of Xiaogang Cannon and the Beijing circle crowd behind him?

Liu Zeyu saw his eyebrows twisted, and secretly proud in his heart, this family-passed stick and honey date combination skill is always effective.

The world is bustling for profit. He couldn't think of any reason for Zhang Jian to refuse.

Zhang Jian was ecstatic inwardly. This wave was going to kill three birds with one stone. Not only could *Chinese Paladin* earn a considerable price difference, but he also had the opportunity to participate in Yanda Huayi's film project, and even more to harvest the friendship of the little Yanei.

As for whether he would offend Seeing Lu Kuan, he didn't even consider it.

Zhang Ruoyun heard half-understood inside, only hearing from the other party's tone that this was the condition Liu Zeyu gave to his father, and for a time he couldn't see his expression.

But at this time Zhang Jian's silence was deafening, and it seemed that the balance of victory was inevitably going to fall to Seeing Lu Kuan's enemy side.

Zhang Ruoyun knew he couldn't wait any longer, covered his head in the quilt, and dialed Seeing Lu Kuan's phone.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 91 =====