1979: My fiancée is a goddess

Chapter 416 The only task is to acquire the film rights for the female lead!
The next morning at seven o'clock.

"Woooooooo..."

The thin morning light slanted across the floor, leaving slats of light, while a cool, moist morning breeze blew in through the huge French windows, causing the white sheets to sway incessantly.

"Ah che..."

A tall, slender young man lay peacefully asleep on the bed by the window.

The sudden cold wind made his nose sting, he sneezed, and sat up straight in bed.

"I slept so well. It's definitely up to five-star hotel standards. I haven't slept in such a comfortable bed in a long time. All the beds at home are hard boards."

Cheng Kaiyan rubbed her face sleepily, feeling relaxed and refreshed after waking up. She couldn't help but marvel at the high-end mattress she was lying on.

He sat quietly on the bed for a while, and the confusion from just waking up subsided. Cheng Kaiyan picked up his clothes and went to the bathroom to take a shower. He also washed the clothes he had changed out of yesterday and earlier and put them on the balcony to dry.

Spring clothes are relatively thin, and with a little wind and sunshine, they should be dry by the afternoon.

While it was still early, Cheng Kaiyan did some exercises on the balcony to loosen up her muscles and bones.

After three treatments, Liang Xiaosheng had already woken up.

He leaned against the headboard, yawning, and ran his fingers through his hair, saying with a grin, "Kaiyan, what are you doing? You look quite professional."

"How about learning this unparalleled qigong for health and wellness?"

"I see you have extraordinary talent and a remarkable physique. I'll charge you ten dollars and teach you this kung fu. From now on, maintaining world peace will depend on you."

Cheng Kaiyan didn't even turn her head, spouting nonsense with a straight face.

"Isn't this just elementary and middle school students' broadcast gymnastics? And you're talking about maintaining world peace?"

Okay, fine, you can practice on your own. Don't turn yourself into a primary school student. I'm going to wash my face.

Liang Xiaosheng stared at it for a moment, then laughed even harder.

In the past few days, he and Cheng Kaiyan have become quite familiar with each other, and he is now the person who has had the most contact with Cheng Kaiyan besides Teacher Shuihua.

He knew this man seemed serious, but was actually a fun-loving person.

After finishing work, Cheng Kaiyan felt refreshed and invigorated after a moment of cool air.

Liang Xiaosheng had finished washing up, and the two of them went out of the room to the second-floor restaurant for breakfast.

Many people had already gotten up in the corridor, and the room doors were wide open for ventilation. You could vaguely see the sounds of people washing up in the rooms, making it quite lively.

As soon as I came out, I heard a series of curses coming from the corridor.

"Guoqiang, get me a pair of underwear..."

"Don't you have hands? Fatty Wang, your underwear is all ripped off, how dare you wear it?"

"What's the big deal? We're thrifty and frugal; we can patch things up and it'll last another year. Nobody can see the underwear if we wear it underneath. It's fine if men see it, and it doesn't hurt if women do! Hahaha!"

"You fatso, you'll get arrested and thrown in jail sooner or later, charged with hooliganism."

"Pah! How shameless!"

Two women passing by heard it and blushed as they scolded.

"Good morning, Mingming-jie, Huifen-jie..."

Cheng Kaiyan greeted the two of them with a smile. Mingming was a translator in the foreign affairs department and a top student majoring in foreign languages, while Huifen was in the logistics team. The two shared a room.

Good morning, great writer!

"Let's go eat together, Comrade Kaiyan. I'll peel an egg for you in a bit."

"Which egg are you peeling, Mingming?!"

"What are you thinking? Acting wildly first thing in the morning!"

"Pah! I wonder who took a shower for over an hour last night? What were you doing in there! Were you secretly thinking about..."

Ugh! You're so annoying!

The two women started bickering as they talked, one covering her mouth while the other continued to argue.

They were all in their late twenties, almost thirty, and spoke very boldly.

"Tsk, tsk."

Liang Xiaosheng clicked his tongue in amazement. Just a moment ago, he was blushing and scolding others for being shameless, but now, in front of Cheng Kaiyan, he immediately changed his attitude.

"Let's go see what's for breakfast today."

Cheng Kaiyan quickly slipped away ahead.

The mansion restaurant offers a wide variety of breakfast options, including steamed buns, rice balls, rice cakes, congee, bread, sushi, and more, covering a range of styles.

There were quite a lot of people, mostly foreigners living in the mansion.

Cheng Kaiyan served herself a bowl of vegetable and white porridge, along with two eggs and a little ham, eating a rather light meal.

"These fried shrimp with flour are quite delicious; they're crispy and have a lot of meat."

Liang Xiaosheng and many of his comrades had never seen such a generous buffet breakfast where everyone could take and eat as much as they wanted.

They were all rushing to eat big meals of fish and meat, eating as much as they could.

"This is tempura... well, you could also call it fried shrimp."

Cheng Kaiyan was speechless.

At this moment, Teacher Shuihua and Teacher Chen Huaikai brought over the food and announced:

"Secretary Kobayashi and I just spoke on the phone. Our partner for this film is Shochiku Co., Ltd. of Japan. The film is an art film, a romance."

The filming crew from the Cultural Affairs Bureau and Songzhu will arrive at nine o'clock in a little while.

We'll hold a big meeting then to collaborate on the filming and actively prepare for the project.

I'll also assign everyone specific tasks; we can't be idle during this time.

"Yes!"

Everyone responded in unison, and then began to discuss this Songzhu Company.

"This Shochiku company seems to be one of the five major film companies in Japan. I wonder which famous director they will send?"

"Could it be Yoji Yamada? I remember he directed the internal reference film 'The Yellow Handkerchief of Happiness' that our factory showed. It was incredibly moving!"

"It's possible. Both Shuihua and Yamada are master directors, and their styles are very compatible. Our 'Love Letter' is going to be amazing!"

……

Breakfast ended amidst the chatter.

Government agencies usually have meeting rooms in their residences for entertaining staff. The group asked a staff member to open the meeting room at the end of the corridor and held a small meeting on their own first.

Teacher Shuihua assigned tasks to the cast and crew members for the week. For example, the actors were to thoroughly study the script and explore the characters' inner thoughts. There was also a script reading session, which was held every evening after dinner.

"Comrade Cheng Kaiyan, your task is similar to theirs, but your most important task from now on is to play the female lead!"

Teacher Shuihua called out Cheng Kaiyan's name and said with a smile.

"Ha ha!"

Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing Teacher Shui's words.

The preparations have been going on for a long time. Everyone in the crew actually knows that the male and female leads of Love Letter are Cheng Kaiyan and his childhood sweetheart Zhao Ruixue, who is said to be studying at Waseda University now.

"I see."

Cheng Kaiyan pursed her lips and nodded to indicate that she understood; this was indeed a difficult task.

“I’ll give you a week… no, two weeks at most. If that doesn’t work, we’ll have to find someone else,” Shuihua said.

"Ah."

……

At nine o'clock, footsteps sounded outside the conference room door. Everyone perked up, and Shuihua got up to open the door herself.

A group of about seven or eight people in suits and ties, exuding an air of sophistication, appeared at the entrance.

The one leading them was Tachibana Chiai, whom I met yesterday.

A woman in a purplish-red blazer and black high-waisted trousers, with long, wavy hair flowing down her back, exudes an air of intellectual elegance.

He immediately turned his gaze to Cheng Kaiyan and waved to him.

Next was a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, wearing thick-rimmed black glasses. He greeted us with a smile in Chinese as soon as he entered:

"Mr. Shuihua, I've heard so much about you. I am Yoji Yamada, the director of 'Love Letter,' which is a collaboration between Shochiku Corporation and Beijing Film Studio."

"Director Yamada, I've heard so much about you. I've seen all your works, and they are all incredibly nuanced in their portrayal of emotions."

Teacher Shuihua's expression turned serious. She reached out and shook hands with him. This was an internationally renowned director.

Everyone in the conference room was astonished upon hearing this.

Although someone had mentioned wanting him to collaborate and provide guidance, that was just a thought.

Is this director very talented?

Cheng Kaiyan asked casually.

"of course."

Liang Xiaosheng nodded and whispered, "Yoji Yamada is currently a national-level director in Japan, known as the master of warmth and the standard-bearer of pure love."

"The Yellow Handkerchief of Happiness", "The Call of the Distant Mountains", and "Tora-san's Story" are all his famous works.

While it's somewhat surprising that the film *Love Letter* caught the eye of this renowned director, it's also quite understandable.

"Oh, I see. That puts my mind at ease."

Cheng Kaiyan nodded. As the original author, he certainly hoped that the movie "Love Letter" would be well made.

With three great directors—Shui Hua, Chen Huaikai, and Yamada Yoji—directing this film, it's bound to be good.

After some pleasantries, the meeting began.

"The first thing we need to do is discuss and determine the respective shares of both parties in terms of copyright, box office revenue, and other aspects..."

Mr. Yamada waved his hand, instructing the lawyers from Shochiku Corporation to fetch the legal documents and contracts and distribute them.

The meeting room quieted down, and Ms. Shuihua handed the contract documents to the accompanying legal advisor.

About half an hour later, the legal counsel replied in a deep voice: "In China, our film production is entirely funded by the state, and the significance of the production lies entirely in enriching the spirit of the people."

Therefore, any profits generated by the Chinese version of "Love Letter" within my country belong to the state.

As for the revenue generated by the Japanese version in Japan, Director Yamada can discuss it with Comrade Cheng Kaiyan on their own..."

"Really?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Kaiyan was pleasantly surprised.

He's used to being taken advantage of for free in China; he doesn't even get novel royalties, let alone movie rights. He's never even heard of them.

Now that we're on capitalist soil in other countries, is the concept of copyright even relevant?
Heaven have mercy, even Cheng is going to make money from movie copyrights.

"We'll discuss this with Teacher Cheng Kaiyan separately later."

Yoji Yamada looked at Cheng Kaiyan, his tone very gentle.

Copyright fees and box office revenue sharing are not small sums, often amounting to hundreds of millions of yen.

Moreover, this is an enormous sum in China, so we must be careful and not reveal it to anyone other than Teacher Cheng Kaiyan.

"This couldn't be better."

Cheng Kaiyan nodded, thinking, "Keep a low profile and make a fortune."

Many people in the conference room who overheard the conversation between the two cast envious and jealous glances their way.

Everyone understands that when it comes to copyright, it means Cheng Kaiyan is about to make a fortune.

Not only the crew members, but even the officials from the Agency for Cultural Affairs and the employees of Shochiku Corporation were envious. Although their salaries were also very high, often five or six million yen, they could make money just by sitting back and doing nothing with the copyrights.

Moreover, all the authors whose novels have been adapted into films are renowned bestselling authors in Japan.

In just one minute, many people developed genuine respect for Cheng Kaiyan, the rumored genius.

"Love Letters...could they be published in China?"

At the top of the right side of the conference table, holding a copy of "Love Letter," Tachibana Chiai gazed at the young man with a serene yet joyful expression not far away, pondering the feasibility of discussing it with Cheng Kaiyan later.

"Alright, let's continue our discussion. Our company, Shochiku Co., Ltd., will contribute 80 million yen to the filming of 'Love Letter,' which is equivalent to 600,000 RMB at the current exchange rate, accounting for one-third of the total investment..."

We've been in meetings all morning, but we're still not done.

In the morning, the two sides reached a series of cooperation agreements.

The investment shares and related responsibilities of Beijing Film Studio and Shochiku Company in "Love Letter" were clearly defined.

For example, Beijing Film Studio is responsible for filming, while Shochiku Corporation is responsible for supervising and assisting with the filming. Any opinions raised during the filming process can be raised and the film can be reshot.

Both sides are equal, but the decision-making is made by the Beijing Film Studio.

They then discussed the allocation of roles, with Shochiku stating that they would send new actors to audition for and perform in the relevant roles.

However, after learning that the male lead was Cheng Kaiyan, they had no objections.

Then the post-production work, dubbing, theatrical release arrangements, and other processes were initially finalized...

Everyone had lunch together at noon, and then continued the meeting in the afternoon to make detailed filming arrangements.

They discussed everything, including when to depart, when to start filming, the approximate budget for filming, and the construction and renovation of the film location.

"The meeting is dismissed!"

At 4 p.m., Teacher Shuihua slammed her hand on the table and adjourned the meeting, marking the successful conclusion of the collaborative project.

The meetings lasted all day and left everyone dizzy and disoriented, with all sorts of bickering and smoking...

Now that it's all over, everyone can breathe a sigh of relief and focus on preparing for filming.

"You go back first, I have something to do."

Liang Xiaosheng was about to invite Cheng Kaiyan to dinner, but Cheng Kaiyan shook her head and declined.

"Okay, I understand. Go ahead."

Liang Xiaosheng suddenly remembered that Songzhu wanted to talk to Cheng Kaiyan about copyright matters, and immediately understood. He left with an envious look and went to have dinner with everyone.

The only people left in the conference room were Cheng Kaiyan and the people from Songzhu Company. Teacher Shuihua had originally asked a colleague who was proficient in law to stay and help him, but Tachibana Chiai directly kicked him out and followed him in.

"If it weren't for our company's thorough investigation of you, Professor Cheng Kaiyan, we probably wouldn't know your true achievements until now!"

Yoji Yamada looked at the documents in his hand, which displayed his works, honors, academic papers, and academic achievements.

He even saw the People's Daily news from March 24th.

This young man has won five major literary awards, which is truly astonishing. He is definitely a national-level writer and a great talent in China!

In the Japanese literary world, they are among the most prominent figures, so how could Yamada Yoji not feel respect for them?

"It's just five awards. This achievement is nothing more than a few wisps of smoke rising in my life. What does it amount to?"

Cheng Kaiyan leaned back in her chair, crossed her legs, and smiled noncommittally, seemingly not taking it to heart at all.

The Japanese admire strength, and superficial humility will not be of any use in negotiations.

Given the enormous personal interests involved, Cheng Kaiyan had to be cautious and adopt the demeanor of a literary master, making sure to act appropriately.

Otherwise, given his age and background, he would probably have been devoured by these capitalists, leaving not even bones behind.

(End of this chapter)