After all of them were reborn, who would still be an actor?

Chapter 650: Profit First, Integrity Zero!
Seohyun and Im Yoon-a definitely have movie resources, and a lot of them.

A low-budget film with two female leads became a huge hit.

The two actors' images are particularly suitable for Korean romance films.

However, Seohyun didn't want to make bad movies that would drain her talent; she wanted to make well-made Chungmuro ​​movies, so she encouraged Im Yoona to refuse as well.

Unexpectedly, Im Yoona thought the same thing as her.
She even went so far as to tell Seohyun things she didn't know.

SM Entertainment and Bouquet Technology are embroiled in a bitter dispute over management rights of Girls' Generation... Kim Go-eun keeps urging her to leave SM Entertainment and join Bouquet Technology.

Kim Go-eun was working so hard; it must have been Lee Myung-yang who instructed her.

The pinnacle of girl groups... they were at their peak, but I didn't really think they were that great.

No money, no freedom, no status...

Taking vitamin pills like meals, dedication is a responsibility, practicing synchronized dance all night, getting injections more than ten times a week...

Forget all that, as an idol, you should be self-aware.

What's most frustrating is that the agent constantly uses psychological manipulation tactics, telling you to be obedient, work hard, and be grateful.

They also kept scaring them, saying which girl group was really popular lately, trying to put pressure on them...

Whether you're in a girl group, a variety show, or an actor, it's not easy.

Everyone has their own pressures.

But being an actor brings status and is a lifelong career.

Girl groups are products of an assembly line. When the company feels that you are too old and have completed your mission, they will promote younger idols.

Past glories... do not guarantee future glories.

Girl groups that primarily focus on singing and dancing inevitably experience injuries due to their demanding and challenging routines. All members of Girls' Generation suffered from injuries, including sprains, back injuries, strains, lacerations, and varicose veins.

The more famous they become, the busier they get. Neither she nor Im Yoon-ah knows how much longer they can keep dancing in high heels...

One wrong step and you could be out of a job...

Fear of the future led the two women to form an alliance.

I will definitely participate in girl group activities to maintain my popularity.

My acting career is temporarily on hold; I can't let the company benefit from it.

They have to wait!

Li Mingyang will talk to them about the management rights of the girl group.

As the visual and maknae (youngest member) of Girls' Generation, they are still able to negotiate with SM Entertainment!
They refused all the notebooks the company offered, and even the president couldn't do anything about it.

Seeing that the women were getting more and more outrageous and about to take off their clothes, Seohyun finally remembered that Im Yoona was her ally.

I went to the bathroom and filled a basin with water.

"Let go of Yoona unnie, or I'll splash water on you..."

Xu Xian's words received no response; the seven women were already having a blast.

Seohyun nodded, as if to say, "You forced me to do this!"

Wow!
A large curtain of water accurately covered all the girls, ensuring everyone was covered!

Yoona got splashed the most!
"Ah! Xiaoxian, are you crazy?!"

"My hair."

"The floor is all wet, Xiaoxian, look what you've done! Clean it up quickly or the manager will yell at you again!"

"This is too reckless, the water is very cold."

Lin Yoona, barely clothed, wiped her face, *pfft*...

He spat out a mouthful of water, looked at Seohyun who was fleeing in panic, and shouted, "Seohyun, even you are bullying me! You stop right there!"

Nine girls caused a ruckus in their dormitory when they were young; it was a bit erotic.

After they'd had their fill of fun, the nine girls went to the practice room to rehearse their new dance, and that was when things got even more erotic.

Touching legs, patting buttocks, rubbing against a bear, two people touching, thighs opening and closing...

They rolled around on the ground, using all their hands and feet to touch each other from top to bottom, with the older and younger sisters touching each other together.

The daily dance practice routine of girl groups is so casual, and sometimes it even reveals some nudity.

Sometimes props are used, such as batons, feathers, light tubes, chairs, etc.

To learn how to make sexy expressions, the members also had to watch Japanese adult films together.

Sometimes, when they get really into it, the nine girls come up with so many amazing tricks that they can make the fans' eyes pop out.

Girl group dances are inherently suggestive and provocative, skirting the line of acceptable behavior.

It's just that some are large in scale and some are small in scale.

Those with large-scale content sell their bodies, while those with small-scale content are called 'pure'.

The "Thigh Era" (referring to the period around the thighs) followed a "pure" image.

Around 5 PM...

Girls' Generation's manager came to the dormitory and informed the nine girls that tonight, executives from Flower Bouquet CJ would be at SM headquarters for strategic negotiations, and Lee Myung-yang would also be present.

"You guys have a lot of contact with Director Li, so you'll be in charge of receiving him this time, is that alright?" the agent said coldly.

"No problem! Unnie! When is Director Lee arriving? We'll still have a chance to buy clothes, right?"

"Ah! I'm meeting Director Li today, and I haven't even started putting on makeup yet!"

"I request to go home!"

Upon hearing that Li Mingyang was coming, the nine women were overjoyed and had no objection to the reception at all.

"Quiet down, all of you. This isn't a PR dinner party. This is a high-level meeting. You all need to be familiar with each other!" the agent said speechlessly.

"Unnie, can I wear a blazer?" Im Yoona asked with a smile.

"Do whatever you want, but don't act like a hostess and embarrass SM."

"..."*9
……

Around 9 PM, after finishing filming Running Man, Lee Myung-yang and Lee Soo-sung arrived at SM headquarters.

The two sides argued over the issue of management rights during their childhood for almost half a year.

Li Mingyang knew that FX's dormitory was under surveillance, but he still dared to go in and have sex with Shirley, just to give Li Xiuman an excuse.

The raid on SM girl group f(x)'s dorm at night deserves an explanation.

Lee Soo-man, a cunning old fox, fell right into the trap.

In China, the only company that could pave the way for Girls' Generation, overcome numerous obstacles, and provide a large number of events is Enlight Media, the leading private company in the Chinese entertainment industry!
Lost in Thailand has been a runaway success, grossing over 16 billion yuan in just 25 days. It has not only broken the box office records of Your Name and Weathering With You, but also topped the list of highest-grossing Chinese films.

It's still aiming for the record set by Transformers 3. The key extension has been obtained, and it's highly likely to become the first movie in mainland China to break the 2 billion yuan mark!

Enlight Media's stock price has plummeted, with its market value approaching 30 billion!

Lee Soo-man took this negotiation very seriously, not only waiting for her at the door in person but also bringing Girls' Generation along.

A large number of reporters were stationed at the entrance.

"Director Lee, it's great to see you." Lee Soo-man greeted him warmly at the door and shook hands with Lee Myung-yang.

"Sorry, something came up."

"understand."

Lee Myung-yang nodded and walked into SM headquarters side by side with Lee Soo-man.

Along the way, the two of them exchanged words, testing each other.

We arrived at the large conference room on the top floor.

Besides SM executives, Girls' Generation members were also allowed into the main conference room.

Li Mingyang talked with the old fox Li Xiuman for more than two hours.

Lee Soo-man was the one doing the talking. The initial talks went well, but Lee Soo-man probably ran into a wall with Mango (a Taiwanese business partner), and then expressed his willingness to abide by the contract.

He changes his mind faster than a woman!

Li Mingyang is also willing to cooperate, after all, Girls' Generation is really valuable.

However, when it came to labor fees and profit sharing, Li Mingyang was not happy, as SM Entertainment made the decisions themselves.

And the profit-sharing ratio is not 50/50, but 30/70!

SM 7, bouquet 3.

In addition, it does not bear operating costs and public relations expenses.

This demand was too much for the other directors at SM Entertainment to bear. Two directors suggested that they could discuss it, but Lee Soo-man kicked them out immediately.

"Are you out of your mind?" Li Mingyang chuckled and said.

"Director Lee, I sincerely and earnestly want to work with you." Lee Soo-man paused and said in Chinese, "With this profit-sharing ratio, you won't earn less than me."

This sentence... doesn't refer to a company, it just means you and me.

This reminds me of what Park Jung-hyung said about Lee Soo-man's various financial operations.

Li Mingyang immediately understood that Li Xiuman was planning to line his own pockets.

"What if I refuse."

"You have no reason to refuse."

"You've got to be kidding me! With your kind of cooperation, I'd have to be crazy to agree to it!"

Lee Soo-man stood up, clapped his hands, and shooed everyone else away.

Once it was just him and Li Mingyang in the conference room, he said, "Director Li is a master at playing the traffic game. Nobody cares about the money from commercial performances. The real business is to combine the popularity of girl groups with movies, create traffic-driven movies, and boost stock prices."

Li Mingyang frowned inwardly; Li Xiuman was too damn shrewd.

He really wanted to make a blockbuster movie, and that was it. His main target wasn't South Korea, but the University of Tokyo!

The demographic that saw them rise to fame at Tokyo University perfectly aligns with the future main consumer group for movies. Ticket subsidies go live! Online traffic explodes! Box office revenue is guaranteed to reach hundreds of millions!

And the cost is only two or three million!

They bombarded the mainland film industry with low-budget, high-traffic movies from South Korea.

Using real money and high returns to tell a story, Enlight Media's market value will continue to rise!

With a market value exceeding 300 billion, he holds as much as 20% of Enlight Media's shares according to the performance-based agreement!
When Enlight Media completes its three-year listing cycle and its shares become tradable, Wang Changtian will repurchase the remaining 15% of the shares based on their market value.

400 billion, 15%, that's 60 billion!
20% personal income tax will be deducted.

That's 48 billion!
Wang Changtian can't afford it? No problem, there's always Baidu!
Sold half of the price to Baidu at a premium, bringing together BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent).

Enlight Media's stock price will explode even more!

Then Wang Changtian will have money, and he can buy up shares based on the rising stock price!

Earn more!
It could be as high as 60 billion after tax.

After analyzing for more than half a year, Li Xiuman finally understood what Li Mingyang had done.

The two major shareholders of Enlight Media, Wang Changtian, have no interest in Girls' Generation, while Li Mingyang is determined to acquire it.

This stark contrast made Lee Soo-man suspicious until recently, when Huayi Brothers specifically requested that Girls' Generation make a movie, and he finally understood.

Li Mingyang doesn't intend to use Girls' Generation or follow FX's commercial performance route; instead, he wants to pursue a stock market strategy.

The stock price + box office strategy!
"Director Li, what are you still hesitating for? If you and I join forces, Girls' Generation will be yours from now on! Buy one get one free, FX is yours too!"

Lee Soo-man, the "financial bigwig" of the Korean entertainment industry, was so happy that his eyes were almost slits.

“I refuse!” Li Mingyang shook his head and said, “You have no integrity whatsoever.”

Lee Soo-man did not defend himself, but said, "And what about you, Director Lee? In my opinion, you are also a person with little credibility."

"..."

“I entered the industry at 19 and have been in it for 41 years. I’ve dealt with many people: tycoons, peers, Hollywood capital, TV stations, mainland film and television companies, producers… and the three heads of iQiyi, Youku, and Tencent Video. I can quickly figure out what these people want because they are easy to satisfy. But you are different… We are the same kind of people…” Li Xiu looked at Li Mingyang with a deep expression. Until this moment of the showdown, he had not really seen through Li Mingyang.

No need to see things clearly, as long as the profits are big enough!
"It's just a lousy girl group. How many more years can they stay popular? Even if the entire SM Entertainment group were combined, they wouldn't be qualified to talk to me... Besides, do you think you can make decisions for SM?"

Li Xiuman understood the unspoken message: Li Mingyang didn't mind the 30/70 profit split.

That kid is really cunning!

That's far too conservative! We should have opened the door to 19!

"Without me, there would be no SM. If I can't be the mastermind behind SM, then SM has no reason to exist." Lee Soo-man put away his fake smile and said confidently.

"how to prove?"

"How do I prove it... It's very simple. I've eaten up almost all of SM's operating profits over the years... But everyone still supports my work because they don't care about these small amounts of money. Clothing and cosmetics are the real money."

"Heh, you'll get your comeuppance sooner or later."

"We're all the same..."

After careful consideration, Li Mingyang and Li Xiuman reached a verbal agreement.

For people with little credibility, only profit matters as the best contract.

Profit above all else, integrity nonexistent!
……

"Director Li, you are truly an outstanding person. You know how to have fun. No wonder President Gong speaks highly of you."

"Each other..."

"Director Lee, you've never been to an SM nightclub before, have you? Tonight, we're drinking until we drop!" Lee Soo-man was so excited that his face turned red from laughing.

He had been envious of the financial film industry at Dongda University for a long time.

Compared to commercial performances, a small bite into the financial film market can double your assets!

"What do you mean by 'drink until you drop'? Get back to work! Do you really think this job is so easy?" Li Mingyang said, taking out his phone and calling Zhang Wei.

"Where are you... at the company... wait for me at the company, I'll bring Lee Soo-man over later... it's settled... don't ask how it was settled... about half an hour... umm."

After making the call, Li Mingyang gave Li Xiuman ten minutes to bring the necessary people and documents. He told him he would meet Li Xiuman at the Dongyang Building in half an hour.

"Director Lee, I'm all ready. We can leave now," Lee Soo-man said with a sly smile.

"Girls' Generation is here, and so is f(x)."

"Right away, right away."

Half an hour later, SM Entertainment executives, along with all members of Girls' Generation and f(x), arrived at the Dongyang Building.

The group took the elevator to the top-floor cloud reception room, where the large glass canopy design was a favorite of Lee Soo-man.

He himself loves blue skies and white clouds.

Senior executives from both sides held a virtual meeting to finalize the management of Girls' Generation and FX.

The others were unaware of Li Mingyang and Li Xiuman's plans, so when it came to the management rights, the atmosphere was extremely tense, with neither side willing to back down.

Then, Li Mingyang and Li Xiuman had to step in and force a balance to ensure the work proceeded smoothly.

The employee argued his case, but the boss sided with the employee.

The meeting was quite distorted, but precisely because of this distortion, it made it clear to everyone that the two companies' big bosses had reached an agreement.

The two companies are really going to collaborate!

The meeting continued into the following day.

As the night passed and the morning glow filled the sky outside the window, CJ and SM Entertainment finalized the details of the management rights for Girls' Generation and FX.

SM Entertainment is responsible for the management and production of Girls' Generation and FX, while CJ Entertainment is responsible for marketing.

This is not a typical Sino-Korean agency split contract, nor is it a management rights sharing arrangement.

It is a collaboration where everyone performs their respective duties.

Bouquet is responsible for what the girl group needs to do.

SM Entertainment is responsible for the girl group's training, image packaging, music production, promotional materials, labor costs, and so on.

SM Entertainment is responsible for all upstream links in the girl group industry chain, while CJ Entertainment is responsible for the downstream market.

This end market is within Asia; in fact, both Lee Myung-yang and Lee Soo-man are targeting the Dongdae market!

"Happy cooperation! Let's make a fortune together!" Li Mingyang raised his glass and said to everyone present.

"It's hard to have an unpleasant experience working with Chairman Lee! Cheers!" Lee Soo-man said energetically.

"cheers!"

"cheers!"

The clinking of wine glasses echoed in the cloud-top reception room.

Li Mingyang's long-awaited era of thighs has finally arrived.

The most important part of the Chinese-Korean twin version is done!
Li Mingyang invited Li Xiucheng to take the SM people downstairs to the restaurant for morning tea, and then left the reception room with Zhang Wei.

“Why do I feel like… Lee Soo-man wants to cooperate even more than you do?” Zhang Wei asked.

"This guy is unreliable; he changes his mind faster than turning the pages of a book."

"He's serious this time. How did you talk to him?"

Li Mingyang pointed ahead, indicating that they would talk in the office.

Before entering the president's office, Li Mingyang asked the secretary at the door to prepare two cups of black coffee.

Pushing open the office door, Li Mingyang quickly took out a document from the bookshelf and handed it to Zhang Wei.

Zhang Wei opened the document, which was about the China-Korea Bouquet Project.

"Is it related to the China-Korea flower bouquet project? SM recently acquired Happy Hawaii Travel Agency, renamed it SM Town Travel, and started to get involved in the tourism industry," Zhang Wei said.

"He wants to eat everything, isn't he afraid of stuffing himself to death?" Li Mingyang complained, took off his coat, put it on the sofa, and leaned back on the sofa, looking somewhat tired.

"Lee Soo-man is very ambitious and not a person who can settle down."

"So he changes very quickly, our cooperation won't last long, maybe a year, at most no more than two years."

As Zhang Wei flipped through the Sino-Korean bouquet project, her keen insight revealed that this project was quite different from hers.

"You've come up with another new plan?"

"It's still the same plan, just with a different focus. The old version focused on tourism promotion, while the new version focuses on the movie."

Li Mingyang took out his phone to check the messages, while Zhang Wei looked at the new version of the China-Korea flower arrangement project.

After his secretary brought two cups of coffee and left, Li Mingyang put down his phone.

He told Zhang Wei the whole plan for the first time.

Financial film market, Sino-Korean twin versions, fan films, FBTV reform, CJ listing, CJ vice chairman, FBTV and TVing merger, Sino-Korean cultural tourism planning, animated films, the Little Days streaming market...

Ultimately, it points to the Asian streaming ecosystem!

As Li Mingyang's closest assistant in South Korea, Zhang Wei participated in all of Li Mingyang's plans and had a vague idea that the Asian streaming ecosystem was entirely feasible.

"So, the CJ vice chairman is the center? And the core interest lies in the Sino-Korean twin versions of finance?"

"You reacted quite quickly..."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"Lee Soo-man is truly cunning and shrewd. I hid myself so well, yet he still figured out my intentions..."

"Doesn't he know that your movie can't be released in the country?"

"Of course I know." Li Mingyang took a sip of black coffee, his brows furrowing slightly. It was too strong, too bitter. "It's just that I'm restricted, but Han Ying isn't. He has confidence in Han Ying."

"So, if a Korean film doesn't meet box office expectations in mainland China, he'll change his mind?"

“If he achieves his expectations, he will change his mind... Girls’ Generation and FX are not a bouquet, but an SM group. Once successful, he will hold out for a higher price.”

Zhang Wei remained silent for a while before saying, "What if it exceeds expectations?"

"If it exceeds expectations, then we can naturally continue our friendly cooperation."

(End of this chapter)