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

Chapter 672 Film Finance: Terrifyingly Powerful!
The group messages were plentiful because Jing Tian's Police Story 2013 had finally wrapped up filming.

July and An Sheng can finally continue.

The group chat was full of praise for Jing Tian.

However, Jing Tian wasn't in a hurry to film "July and Ansheng." They talked a lot, but didn't say when filming would start.

Just as Zhang Wei was about to turn off her phone and go back to the lounge to rest.

Jing Tian called her.

"Hey, Sister Zhang, I'll be arriving in Bangzi around 3 PM tomorrow. Could you send a car to pick me up?"

"Director Lee isn't in Korea; he's in Nagoya."

"I'm not looking for him, I'm looking for you."

"what's up?"

"It's a bit complicated, let's talk about it when we meet tomorrow."

"Ah."

The next day, around 4 PM.

Zhang Wei met Jing Tian in the office. Accompanying her were Wu Jing and Li Lianjie, the radiant Lu Zhen, Ye Ning and Li Xue from Wanda Cinemas... a group of more than ten people.

After Jing Tian and Li Mingyang had a big argument over their political stances, Jing Tian returned to China.

In Zhang Wei's view, Li Mingyang's stance was precisely his biggest shield.

Li Mingyang was also very good at using this protective umbrella.

Because of the ambiguous issue of political stance, I have to return to my home country.

This is practically sending them into a fire pit...

Jing Tian's naive way of thinking left Zhang Wei speechless...

Fortunately, Li Mingyang didn't let his emotions get the better of him and insisted on staying in the country.

Otherwise, she wouldn't be dealing with various capital groups at the Dongyang Building right now; instead, she would be liquidating her Korean assets and preparing to flee.

"Sweetie, you brought quite a few people with you this time. My office can't hold them all. Let's go to the reception room."

"There are a lot of people," Jing Tian said awkwardly.

Zhang Wei smiled, pulled Jing Tian away from the office, and led everyone to the Cloud Meeting Room.

The cloud-based meeting room is already prepared with alcoholic beverages, drinks, and some snacks.

Several other senior executives from the flower arrangement company were also waiting there.

Zhang Wei, unlike her previous aloofness, warmly welcomed everyone and was very talkative.

When someone is talkative, no one can get a word in edgewise or change the subject.

Lu Zhen and his group came from afar not to chat, but with a mission.

Zhang Wei knew their purpose perfectly well, but she avoided talking about it, which made them very uncomfortable.

“Manager Zhang, I’ve booked a dinner at the Shilla Hotel. It’s about time, let’s head over there,” Lu Zhen said.

"No need for that. The restaurant at Bouquet Hall is just as good as the Shilla Hotel. Let's go downstairs to eat. This way, please."

Zhang Wei didn't give anyone a chance to refuse. After speaking, she stood up and pulled Jing Tian to take the elevator to the restaurant on the 14th floor.

The largest private room at CJ Restaurant can accommodate 20 people, which is more than enough to host Jing Tian and her entourage.

"I'm not feeling well and can't drink alcohol, so I'll toast everyone with tea instead." After saying that, Zhang Wei took the tea and drank half of it.

"Manager Zhang isn't feeling well, so how about some juice?"

"Come, let's toast Manager Zhang to thank him for his hospitality."

"These dishes are very Sichuan cuisine, and the taste is authentic. I didn't expect to be able to eat such authentic Sichuan food in Korea."

"I heard this building was a gift from CJ, is that true?"

Zhang Wei said what she wanted to say, and said nothing about what she didn't want to say.

After a few rounds of drinks, Ye Ning felt that things couldn't continue like this, so he said directly, "Manager Zhang, you probably already know why we're here. We're all very curious: is Director Li going back to China this year?"

"Next month, Director Li will return to China to rush the filming of One-Punch Man."

"That was not what I meant."

"what does that mean?"

"..."

Zhang Wei clearly doesn't want to talk about it.

Jing Tian had already figured it out, but she didn't intend to help.

"Sister Zhang, this chopped chili fish head smells so good! It's delicious!"

Is this juice freshly squeezed?

"The pork kidney is so tender and spicy."

"The food at this company is so much better than what you get at a villa!"

Jing Tian had just finished filming and was at the point where she couldn't resist delicious food. She ate and drank to her heart's content, thoroughly enjoying herself.

He doesn't fit in with other people.

Of the people at the table, only Wu Jing was as carefree as him, eating and drinking.

Many people didn't even touch their chopsticks.

"Oh dear, I'm late. They've already started eating." Zhang Daniu walked in with an apologetic look on his face.

Zhang Daniu arrived dressed in a suit, but his ferocious appearance and the conspicuous scar on his bald head immediately revealed his identity as a gang member.

Just when everyone was quite surprised.

Zhang Wei took the initiative to introduce Zhang Daniu to everyone, and then asked Zhang Daniu to drink with everyone.

Zhang Daniu's way of warming up the crowd was unique. He would brag while demonstrating to everyone what a fist the size of a clay pot was, what iron head kung fu was, what a Yanbian swordsman was, and what a huge capacity for alcohol was.

It's unclear whether the crowd was frightened or found it amusing.

The private room became lively.

After a hearty meal, Zhang Daniu, wanting to show hospitality as the host, took everyone to the Spider Cave for a visit.

Not going? That's disrespectful!

Intimidated by Zhang Daniu's terrifying fighting prowess, everyone readily agreed.

"You guys go have fun, I'm not going."

Just as everyone was about to get up and leave, a discordant voice rang out.

Zhang Daniu turned to look at the girl who was playing on her phone, sipping juice, and crossing her legs, completely ignoring him.

He strode past Lu Zhen and Ye Ning and came to Jing Tian.

A sharp dagger fell from Zhang Daniu's waist. Zhang Daniu picked it up naturally and twirled the gleaming dagger in his hand.

A flash of light streaked across Jing Tian's eyes. She felt uncomfortable and looked up to see a terrifying bald man standing next to her, holding a knife in his hand.

"What are you doing?" Jing Tian blinked innocently and asked subconsciously.

Zhang Daniu was about to speak.

Zhang Wei spoke first, "He came over to help you cut the coconut. The coconut meat is still very fragrant... let's cut it."

Zhang Daniu silently took the coconut and quickly cut it in two.

Sheathed the knife and placed the two halves of the coconut in front of Jing Tian.

"Sister Zhang, do you want some?" Jing Tian handed half a coconut to Zhang Wei.

Zhang Wei waved her hand.

“I can’t eat that much by myself.” Jing Tian shook the half coconut in her hand.

Zhang Wei took the coconut and asked the waiter to bring two clean, new spoons.

Zhang Daniu may have a rugged and unrestrained appearance, but he is actually quite thoughtful.

He noticed that Zhang Wei's attitude towards this young girl was different from her attitude towards others, and cautiously asked, "President Zhang, who is this?"

"Director Li's girlfriend."

"Oh, so it's the boss lady!" Zhang Daniu changed his expression and smiled innocently.

“I have nothing to do with him, don’t call me that,” Jing Tian said unhappily.

Zhang Daniu understood; the young couple was arguing.

He gave a simple, honest smile and then left with the others.

Stepping out of the private room, Li Lianjie took off his sunglasses and struck up a conversation with Zhang Daniu, "Daniu, have you ever studied martial arts?"

"No, that thing is just for show, it can't be used for fighting." Zhang Daniu glanced at Kung Fu Emperor and said with great disdain.

"Haha, I only practice fancy moves, but I do have real skills. My skills are incredible; one palm strike can split a stone tablet."

"Oh, I've seen this kind before. I killed it with one stab. More than ten years of training is no match for one stab."

Li Lianjie silently put on his glasses. He had originally thought Zhang Daniu was a promising talent, but he turned out to be a hopeless case who spoke without any restraint.

He stabbed me to death with one blow, and he bragged without thinking.

"Da Niu, you're in great shape, and you're good with a knife. People who have practiced martial arts for over ten years can't get close to you."

"When I was young, I liked to use a knife; now I prefer to use my fists." Zhang Daniu raised his left hand and clenched it tightly. His fist, as big as a clay pot, was covered in wounds and calluses.

"That's really impressive." Wu Jing glanced at his own small fists, which were not in the same league. "Have you ever fought with Director Li? That kid probably has."

The moment Li Mingyang was mentioned, Zhang Daniu's arrogant demeanor immediately deflated.

Wu Jing grinned mischievously, "Never fought before?"

Zhang Daniu also cared about his reputation, so he naturally refused to admit that he hadn't fought, but Wu Jing was cheeky and insisted on getting to the bottom of it.

Once in the car, Zhang Daniu, annoyed by Wu Jing, said sullenly that it wasn't that he hadn't fought back, but that Li Mingyang had ambushed him, punching him squarely in the chin. What a joke!

Wu Jing laughed even harder at this, immediately conjuring up a scene in his mind: a sneak attack? Li Mingyang is really capable of doing that!

Li Lianjie also laughed in the back seat; the image of Li Mingyang's sneak attack was very vivid!
More than an hour later, Zhang Daniu led everyone to the Spider Cave. At first, Wu Jing and Li Lianjie thought Zhang Daniu was Li Mingyang's bodyguard, but they realized they were wrong when they arrived at the Spider Cave.

When Li Lianjie was young, he had met them; they were all people who risked their lives, no less so than those in the underworld.

There is nothing worse than it is.

Li Lianjie was again interested in befriending Wu Jing, who immediately chickened out and dared not joke around anymore.

"Is this the red-light district?" Lu Zhen asked Zhang Daniu, looking at the glass room.

"You just discovered it now?"

Lu Zhen smiled, sensing that Zhang Daniu's words were quite provocative.

At that moment, his gaze was drawn to the two people sitting at the entrance of the small bar.

It was none other than Wang Changtian, who made a fortune last year, and Zhao, a bigwig from the Zhejiang clique.

Ye Ning also saw the two and took the initiative to go up and greet them.

After exchanging pleasantries, they sat down in the small bar.

"President Wang, President Zhao, you've come to Korea because of Li Mingyang, haven't you?" Lin asked with a sneer.

"What did you find out?" Boss Zhao asked with a smile.

"We didn't find out anything. Zhang Wei wouldn't say anything, but she treated us to a meal and then brought us here."

"Director Li is getting more and more reckless. I don't even want to think about what will happen if this gets back to China... His reputation is already ruined."

“This is a legitimate business, protected by law.”

"Every country has its own national conditions; it's fine to have some fun."

"You can't make much money in the red-light district. Working for tycoons is less profitable than going back to China to make movies."

A group of people scoffed at the red-light district.

They felt that Li Mingyang was not doing his job properly.

However, when they learned that this red-light district made tens of millions in net profit every day, they were so shocked that their eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

Net profit and revenue are two different things.

The monthly profit of this red-light district is more terrifying than the annual profit of most listed companies in China!
The most important thing is cash! No debt!
This cash flow must be terrifying.

Lu Zhen, Lin Ning, Li Xue, and the others immediately understood that Li Mingyang would not be returning to China.

The Korean film market is small, and you can't make much money from it.

It's worlds apart from what we have in China.

The Seoul Spring Festival attracted 20 million visitors, which was a huge success, but Lee Myung-yang donated all of his profits.

Losing money to gain publicity.

But it's different now.

Night falls, and gold abounds!
Why go back to China?!
The higher-ups would definitely not allow Li Mingyang to run a red-light district in South Korea.

Giving up a multi-billion dollar business to return to China and dance in shackles?

Isn't that stupid?!

"It's such a pity that Director Li is unwilling to return to China..." Ye Ning sighed.

“Who says otherwise?” Wang Changtian said.

The small bar fell silent for a moment.

Why are you all sitting here?

A crisp sound broke the silence.

Wearing sunglasses, a lollipop in her mouth, and dressed in a thick white down jacket, Jing Tian appeared at the entrance of the bar, her eyes full of curiosity as she looked at the brightly lit, bustling Spider Cave.

Not far behind her was Zhang Wei, who was wearing a black long coat.

It was obvious that Zhang Wei brought her here.

……

Once they realized Li Mingyang wouldn't be returning to China, Ye Ning and Lu Zhen instantly lost interest. They said goodbye and left without even going back to their hotel, immediately booking tickets to return home early.

Li Lianjie and Wu Jing did not leave; the two are now partners.

Li Lianjie was originally too lazy to care about Wu Jing's new movie, but he wanted his junior brother to suffer and gain experience.

Upon learning that Li Mingyang was very optimistic about his junior's military action film, he said that ten million was just the minimum investment, and he would continue to invest if it exceeded the budget.

Their attitude immediately changed drastically; they wanted to invest in their junior's new film, immediately giving him 20 million yuan as a stake! All in cash!

The money has arrived.

The distributor needs to make proper arrangements, the actors need to be well-connected, and connections need to be made to make the film's production team bigger.

It would be best to bring Li Mingyang in for a cameo role.

The two fellow students had the same idea: win over Jing Tian, ​​and they'll have Wanda! And Li Mingyang too!

Live together!

As for casting Jing Tian as the female lead, that's pure nonsense.

The two fellow students had the same idea again: they'd just have Jing Tian invest and be a producer, but acting was out of the question... Neither of them wanted a cameo role...

Whether Li Mingyang returns to China or not has no impact on them.

It was purely by chance that I came with Ye Ning and the others.

Jing Tian didn't come to the Spider Cave to visit the red-light district; she didn't even know it was a red-light district.

She came to the Spider Cave to see Wang Changtian and Boss Zhao.

These two old men are avoiding her.

She wanted to talk to Wang Changtian about the promotion of her new film, July and Ansheng.

She didn't want to use Wanda's marketing strategy anymore; she wanted to use Guangming's black marketing approach instead.

Although Enlight Media's methods were a bit crude, the box office was high!

She wanted to talk to Mr. Zhao about the TV series project.

After "Your Name," she was pursued by three men in quick succession: Sengoku, Time Traveler, and Shadow Lover, leaving her questioning the meaning of life.
The movie he made a cameo appearance in, "The Village Gala," was released on the same day as "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons," and its box office performance was abysmal...

She's not even famous yet, and she's already starting to fade into obscurity...

The benefits of your name are almost exhausted!
So she wanted to follow the path of Mimi, Shishi, and Liu Yifei.

Make a hugely popular TV series to boost your fame!

Returning to Running Man would be fine; this popular variety show is perfect for boosting brand awareness.

Jing Tian's idea is quite good.

But neither Wang Changtian nor Boss Zhao had any intention of helping others...

Even Li Mingyang couldn't make it big, so they don't have the ability or the resources to waste.

If it weren't for Li Mingyang, they wouldn't even bother with Jing Tian.

Wang Jianlin, the founder of Wanda Group, has been making frequent big moves, establishing new territories and aiming to become the next generation of powerful figures.

The two of them now dislike Lao Wang the most.

Of course, things had to look good on the surface. The two of them treated Jing Tian very well, so well that Jing Tian thought she had it all figured out and left happily.

"Mr. Wang, I have a feeling that Director Li will definitely not return to China." Mr. Zhao said, standing at the entrance of the bar, watching Jing Tian and Zhang Wei's departing figures.

“This red-light district is doing too well; it won’t last long,” Wang Changtian said, adjusting his glasses.

"I'm not talking about the red-light district. This business may not last long, but he'll still get a share; he's still the major shareholder." Mr. Zhao frowned slightly, saying meaningfully, "The biggest problem Director Li faces returning to China is Wang Jianlin of Wanda Group. And Wang Jianlin isn't some bandit leader..."

Wang Changtian realized what was happening and said with a wry smile, "I've always felt that Jing Tian is not suitable for Li Mingyang."

Wang Jianlin, the founder of Wanda Group, has the ambition to dominate the film industry!
Wanda owns the largest cinema chain in China, and with the support of higher authorities, basically no one can control Wanda once the powerful leader Zuo Shandiao is removed from power.

Despite the fact that the leaders of BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) are Jack Ma, Pony Ma, and Li Keqiang, and have a good relationship with Wang Jianlin, they actually don't want to see a second Zuo Shandiao (a notorious bandit leader).

People would rather see Li Mingyang and Wanda fall out and start a war than see them maintain a peaceful and harmonious relationship.

Once Wanda, a behemoth supported by government policies, gains momentum, even BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) will have to tuck their tails between their legs; they simply can't compete with it!
If Li Mingyang goes back to China!
China Film Group, Huayi Brothers Media Group, the Beijing Film Circle, and the Hong Kong Film Circle all have to take a backseat; they first have to face the behemoth that is Wanda.

How much influence did Jing Tian have on Li Mingyang?

Nobody dares to gamble...

If you gamble wrong, prepare to face the next bandit leader!

……

On February 14, 2013, Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons topped the list of the highest-grossing films in Chinese film history for a single day, with a box office of 1.88 million RMB.

In two days, the box office exceeded 3 million yuan, and in four days it reached 5 million yuan! In six days, it easily surpassed 6 million yuan!
It became the fastest Chinese-language film to break 500 million and 600 million yuan in history!
Multiple authoritative film websites and mainstream media predict that Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons will become the first film in mainland China to break the 20 billion yuan box office mark!

The film "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" broke records and achieved phenomenal box office success, benefiting from this success.

Huayi Brothers, which is responsible for distribution in mainland China, saw its stock price rise by more than 40% within a week.

Chow Sing-sing holds a 67% stake in Bingo Group and Cultural East Group, both of which are listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

The stock price rose by as much as 55% and 48% respectively in the month before the premiere. After the release, it continued to surge, and the stock price nearly doubled compared to a little over a month ago!
Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons grossed 600 million yuan in six days, and the stock prices of the three listed production companies soared!
The combined share price of the three listed companies has increased by more than 150 billion compared to their lowest point!
Horror!
The explosive financial returns of Dongda Film make Hollywood look like a junior!
While a host of listed film companies were feasting and raking in the profits,

There is a listed film company in mainland China that is "unique" despite being one of the top five film companies in mainland China.

Dongda Film Finance has absolutely nothing to do with it.

This company is Bernanke, listed on the US stock market!
Seeing the news of Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons' box office and stock price boom, Yu Dong angrily swept all the documents off his desk.

"Damn it, everyone else is eating meat, but I'm the only one who can't eat it!"

Yu Dong was shouting, his anger so intense he wanted to bury Zuo Shandiao alive!
Without the support of Zuo Shandiao, Bernard would not have received investment from Poly, nor would he have achieved his current status as one of the top five publishing companies.

But Bernard's current predicament is also caused by Zuo Shandiao!

Back then, there were two listing slots in China: one for overseas listing and one for domestic listing.

Zuo Shandiao is pushing for Berna's US stock listing and Huayi's mainland listing!
He felt like he'd made a profit at the time, but looking back now, he realizes he was being made a fool of!

(End of this chapter)