Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 32 I Have a Relative and the Cornucopia

It was not until evening that Cheng Lidong walked out of the General Administration compound, feeling somewhat tired.

He didn't expect that the new crew had all the funds in place and was making intensive preparations in the early stages, but the review materials were rejected.

After two consecutive revisions that failed to pass, even Cheng Lidong knew there was something wrong, no matter how dumb he was.

So he rushed to the capital in person, asking people to inquire about the news and personally investigating the situation, but it was of little use.

Cheng Lidong was a little confused.

He started out as a host at Zhejiang TV Station, and later began working at the Zhejiang TV Production Center as a director or producer. Although he has become semi-independent, he has not resigned, and many of his projects still rely on his old unit.

Therefore, Cheng Lidong's network of contacts is basically maintained in Zhejiang Province, and it is hard to say how much influence he can have in Beijing.

But no matter what, it's better than him worrying here alone.

Cheng Lidong took out his cell phone, wondering which friend or even old leader he should ask for help. At this moment, the phone in his hand suddenly rang.

Unfamiliar number?

Cheng Lidong frowned, but as someone in his line of work, he knew a lot of people, so it was common to receive unfamiliar calls, so he pressed the button to answer.

"Hey."

"Director Cheng? I'm Yan Li. We met just after noon."

Cheng Lidong frowned even more tightly. He was not surprised that Yan Li knew his phone number. Since they were having dinner together, it was natural for him to ask for the phone number.

He thought Yan Li was trying to curry favor with him and invite him to social events. It would be fine at other times, but Cheng Lidong was really not in the mood right now.

Just as he was about to say a few words, he hung up the phone, and Yan Li's next sentence made his pupils dilate.

"...At the time, I saw that you seemed to be busy, so I took the initiative to inquire about it. I have some information. I wonder if you can use it?"

...

A private room in a restaurant near the West Second Ring Road

Cheng Lidong took the initiative to stand up and pour wine for Yan Li, but the latter would not accept it. He came to curry favor, not to show off. Putting on airs would do more harm than good.

The two argued for a while, and Yan Li couldn't persuade Cheng Lidong, but he still stood up and held the cup with both hands, showing proper courtesy.

After a few rounds of drinking, the atmosphere became lively. Seeing that they were already calling each other brothers, Cheng Lidong finally brought up the business.

"Brother Yan said before that he knew something about our crew. Would you mind telling me the source?"

Yan Li put down his chopsticks and said sincerely, "Brother Cheng, I'm not hiding anything from you. There are many tricks in the organization. They helped me, so I can't sell them out."

"If you insist, I can only tell you that there's a relative in there. I can't say more. You can believe it if you want to, but I can't help it if you don't."

"Yes, that's right."

Cheng Lidong nodded in understanding. He had also worked in the unit before, and knew that there were some things that could be done but not said. Since everyone was not familiar with each other, it was right to be cautious.

Besides, the source of the information is not important, the key is whether it can solve the problem!

Yan Li didn't keep anyone in suspense and directly told the information he had compiled based on the system intelligence.

In fact, Cheng Lidong’s case was not complicated, and no one was targeting him. It was just bad luck.

So it is not difficult to solve the problem. The key is to find the right person and get the right materials, then you can easily solve it.
This is easy to say, but if you don't know the inside story, you are bound to hit a few walls and take a few detours, and in the end things may not be successful.

Therefore, some intelligence is valuable only because of this.
Cheng Lidong was extremely worried and couldn't solve the problem no matter how hard he tried. Yan Li explained it to him in just two sentences. As long as he wasn't stupid, everything would go smoothly.

"Good brother, thank you so much."

Cheng Lidong was overjoyed. He didn't think Yan Li was fooling him.

Cheng Lidong, who came from the system, was an expert in the field. What Yan Li said matched his own cause, process, and logic. He also spoke clearly about the people involved and the solutions. It was obvious that it was inside information, some of which was still confidential.

Cheng Lidong offered another toast to Yan Li and asked in a low voice, "Brother, let me ask you something. What's the rank of your relative?"

Yan Li smiled and said, "Brother Cheng, you're overthinking it. I have a relative who's a high-ranking official, but I'm still struggling to run around and wait for the show. He's just an errand boy, and the only thing he can show off is that he's well-informed."

Before this, Yan Li had also thought about using the tiger's skin as a banner, but he felt it was a bit sensitive, so he suppressed the idea.

It's okay to praise yourself a little, but overdoing it is not good. Even if you are not targeted by certain units, if someone comes to you and asks you to do something, it will be easy to get caught. Besides, Yan Li is unwilling to get involved in such matters. The risk is too high.

It's fine now. At most, he can help to find out some information, and let them handle the rest on their own. If anything goes wrong, no one can blame him.

"You're too modest, bro."

Yan Li spoke cautiously, but Cheng Lidong did not believe it completely. How could he find out the truth and provide a solution in such a short time? Could he be a simple person?
Even if he is really just an errand boy, this kind of busybody from the higher-level department is worth making friends with and paying attention to.

Of course, the real owner cannot be contacted for the time being, but isn’t there still a relative?

More friends mean more paths, which may come in handy in the future.

Cheng Lidong's attitude became more and more enthusiastic. Yan Li understood it, but did not press for explanation.

It is not good to be too vague and cause misunderstandings, and it is not good to be too thorough and let people know the whole truth.

Mixing truth and falsehood, maintaining a sense of mystery, avoiding major events, but taking advantage of opportunities to gain some small benefits when appropriate, is the safest way to play and is in line with his current status.

During the meal, Cheng Lidong made an excuse to go out for a while. When he came back, he had already paid the bill and stuffed a bulging envelope into his hand.

"Brother, thanks to your help this time, I can't let your hard work be in vain. I don't have much cash on hand, so take it first. When we're done, I'll give you the difference."

Yan Li estimated the thickness of the envelope and returned it.

"Brother Cheng, I'm sincerely trying to be friends with you, but you're being unfaithful."

If he took the money, the nature of the matter would change. Yan Li didn't want to be an intelligence broker.

Cheng Lidong originally thought that Yan Li thought it was too little, so he raised the price. However, Yan Li still refused to accept it. After several attempts, he realized that Yan Li really didn't want it.

"Good brother, I, Cheng Lidong, have made friends with you."

Cheng Lidong was deeply moved. Yan Li raised his glass and said, "The last time I met Brother Cheng, I had a very good impression of you. I've always wanted to get close to you. I'm honored to have the opportunity to help you this time."

The two of them chatted with each other, their arms around each other's shoulders, just like a pair of close brothers with a common purpose.

After a few rounds of drinking, Cheng Lidong took the initiative to ask Yan Li if he had any schedule recently.

Obviously, Cheng Lidong was not stupid enough to really ask Yan Libai for help. If he didn't accept money, he would naturally give other compensation.

Yan Li also became excited. Wasn't this what he had been busy doing for so long?

"I recently accepted a role and am preparing for it. Filming will start in August and it will probably be finished in a little over a month. After that, I have no plans for anything."

"What a coincidence."

Cheng Lidong clapped his hands and said, "Come to my brother's crew. Our crew will start filming around September or October, just in time."

Then, Cheng Lidong introduced his crew to Yan Li. Their play was called "Cornucopia", which was about the story of Shen Wansan, a wealthy businessman in the Ming Dynasty.

Cheng Lidong is not a director, but a producer, and has more say in the crew than the director.

However, Cheng Lidong also explained that the male lead has been decided, and it is Zhang Weijian from Hong Kong.

There is no way to change this process because the investors only invested money because of Dicky Cheung, and the subsequent crew is counting on him to distribute and sell the drama.

But Cheng Lidong also guaranteed that except for the male lead Shen Wansan, Yan Li could choose any other male character and the remuneration would satisfy him.

...

While both the host and the guests were enjoying the meal, Yan Li did not take a taxi after they parted ways. He enjoyed the cool evening breeze and slowly thought about the gains and losses of the dinner.

Getting the role in "Cornucopia" is certainly gratifying, but what Yan Li values more is the opportunity to connect with Cheng Lidong.

Cheng Lidong has developed well in the future, and the key is that Yan Li can continue to expand his network of contacts in the film and television industry through him.

If you want to get ahead in today’s society, you need help from information, connections, money, background, etc.

Yan Li has an intelligence system, and information is his strong point, so he cares more about managing his network of contacts, which can better help him accumulate money.

Once these three points become established, the background will naturally follow. It can even be said that Yan Li himself is the background...

(End of this chapter)