Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 111 Ignite the Fuse

Yanjing, Huayi headquarters building.

Wang Zhonglei presides over the weekly executive meeting. This week, he took out Li Qiutang's "Time Planning Bureau" for discussion at the meeting.

Should I invest? How much should I invest? How should I invest?
Wang Zhonglei originally thought that the first problem was not a problem. The money Li Qiutang earned for Huayi had already made the company have no doubts about whether to invest in his project.

But Wang Zhonglei still overestimated Li Qiutang's contribution to Huayi, or overestimated Li Qiutang's influence on this group of executives.

Surprisingly, nearly half of the executives were unwilling to invest in "In Time".

Wang Zhonglei is in charge of production. He wants to invest and he can make the decision, but the specific things still need to be done by his subordinates. He has to try to reduce the phenomenon of one-man rule. If he wants to invest, he must also provide sufficient reasons to convince the people below to agree with his point of view.

"I don't think I need to say much about the profits that Director Qiu Tang has brought to the company. He is a great contributor to our company, and everyone knows this." A vice president who opposed "In Time" said, "But since it is a project discussion, we will only look at this project. Domestic films have not made science fiction blockbusters, and there are great risks involved. Qiu Tang's "Comet" was a tricky work, and the cost was low enough to create a box office myth. But commercial blockbusters with investments of over 100 million yuan and "Comet" can be said to be two completely different movies.

"Domestic films have not yet pioneered science fiction blockbusters. We still don't know whether domestic audiences will watch science fiction blockbusters, especially domestic science fiction blockbusters."

支持李秋棠者说：“去年《变形金刚》2亿6快2亿7了，《蜘蛛侠》也有1亿4，今年《钢铁侠》有9000万，我觉得受众不需要太担心。观众对科幻肯定是买账的。”

Opponents say: "But can we achieve the same level as Transformers? The technology is not feasible."

The responder added: "Painted Skin originally wanted to be a special effects blockbuster and a fantasy world like Harry Potter, but domestic technology is not up to the task, and using foreign technology would result in serious overspending."

"Putting aside the cost and technical issues, just talking about the film itself, I think not only I can see it, but everyone here should also be able to see what Director Qiu Tang wants to express and criticize. If he wants to make an art film to criticize these things, I will definitely pay for it without hesitation, and I can afford the loss, but he wants to play this with a blockbuster with an investment of 100 million yuan, I think he should consider the risks."

The above views are not without reason, but movies are never just movies.

"If we don't invest, what will Qiu Tang think? The situation with "Famous" was already very ugly. In the end, they had to pay a cash premium and original shares. We finally settled the matter. If we don't invest in "In Time", he will dare to leave. Do you think he has any feelings for the company? There are a lot of bosses outside waiting to give him money."

The person who just opposed "In Time" said: "I'm not saying I won't invest, we can invest less. He wants 100 million, we can invest 10 or 20 million, and just get a share."

Wang Zhonglei, who had been silent the whole time, smiled and said, "You want to get him with this little money?"

Someone followed up Wang Zhonglei's words and said, "I think we should invest, and invest more, because we still have to renew our contract with him. It's clear that he used this film to test us. If we invest, he can say anything. If we don't invest, he will have a reason to leave."

Someone asked: "What is his attitude? Does he want to renew his contract or leave?"

"I don't know. No one knows whether he wants to leave or renew his contract, but if we don't invest in In Time, there's an 80% chance that he will leave."

Someone reminded: "According to Li Qiutang, it is still unknown whether this "In Time" can be made. He just has this idea. Isn't it too early for us to discuss whether to invest or not?"

"It's a little early, but let's prepare first. Maybe he suddenly wants to do it and asks us for money. We may or may not give it to him."

Someone raised the question from another angle: "Xiaogang's side..."

When this is mentioned, everyone in Huayi has a headache.

No one could have expected that Feng Xiaogang would look down on "Famous" and Li Qiutang, and the two of them were very aggressive and cursed each other online. The internal fight between the two directors of Huayi was a joke to their peers.

Wang Zhonglei was also troubled by this. The two were not at loggerheads, but they certainly did not get along. Feng Xiaogang somehow found out that Huayi had given Li Qiutang a 500 million signing fee. You know, when Feng Xiaogang renewed his contract with Huayi, the signing fee was only 400 million!
People inside Huayi felt that the shortfall of 100 million was a trigger.

What kind of person is Li Qiutang? Why is her signing fee higher than Feng Xiaogang's!

At the meeting, no one asked whether Feng Xiaogang would stop Li Qiutang from renewing her contract, but this question was on everyone's mind.

If this kind of thing really happened, what would Huayi do?
Today's meeting did not produce any substantial results, but a consensus was reached: "Li Qiutang should finish the script of "In Time" as soon as possible. Once it is confirmed that it can be filmed, the company can discuss whether to invest or not."

Wang Zhonglei dismissed the meeting with a heavy heart.

Yes, what if Feng Xiaogang interferes with Li Qiutang’s contract renewal?
At the same time, Li Qiutang and others have returned to Yanjing.

After staying at home for a few days and in Japan for a few days, Li Qiutang treated it as a vacation. After returning to Yanjing, he would supervise the post-production of "The Sound of Wind" and improve "In Time".

Fan Bingbing walked out of the airport with him. She has been very proud of herself recently and has received many film offers. She thinks this is all due to the movie "No One".

She said that she currently has three films in her hands and is in talks for two more big productions, and she is very happy. Combined with other activities, she should not have any worries about work in the next two to three years.

Yes, now Fan Bingbing is still worried about not having a job. She has not established a firm foothold in the film industry, and her road to capital has not yet begun. She can only earn income by working continuously.

Li Qiutang smiled and said, "You will have work in the next two or three years. If I have a play, I won't look for you."

Fan Bingbing said, "I will definitely come if you ask me to. Who wouldn't want to be in your drama now?" He also joked, "The Sound of Wind has been filmed, what's next?"

Li Qiutang said with a smile: "I'm not a film-making machine. After filming "The Sound of Wind", I will take a good rest for a while."

Fan Bingbing saw reporters taking pictures at the airport and said with a smile, "What do you think they will write if they take pictures of us coming out together?"

Li Qiutang said: "No matter how you write it, it won't affect me."

Fan Bingbing smiled, but thought of another topic: "Yes, you are not like us actors, and falling in love will affect our work. You are a director, why don't you have a relationship?"

"I just haven't found the right one. What else could it be?"

"There are so many pretty girls, and you don't like any of them?" Fan Bingbing had no doubt that Li Qiutang was a romantic figure. As a young director, there were probably countless girls who wanted to get into his bed.

"Aren't I waiting for you to introduce me?" Everyone can talk nonsense.

Fan Bingbing was happy: "That's great, I haven't done matchmaking before, I have a lot of girls around me, all kinds of people, just tell me what kind you want to find, I promise to find you one."

Li Qiutang said immediately: "It's OK if she's prettier than you. It's OK if she's as pretty as you."

Fan Bingbing was so angry that she laughed: "Go away." She knew that Li Qiutang had no interest in her and they were just ordinary friends.

The two chatted and laughed, then got into their respective cars and left.

(End of this chapter)