2001 Media Godfather

Chapter 15 Chu An's True Colors Revealed

Director Lu's naiveté is truly infuriating.

Li Chunhua's words, seemingly considerate of him in every way, seemingly incredibly righteous, actually had a hidden meaning:
Tiandu withdrew its investment, and this terrible film has nothing to do with Tiandu anymore.

Lu Mingze handled all the subsequent filming himself, including both funding and personnel.

He got two films from Lu Mingze and lost all his wealth, but in the end, Lu Mingze still tried to shirk responsibility for producing such terrible films.

What's even more outrageous is that Li Chunhua only talked about the filming part. What about post-production? Distribution? Promotion?

Not a single word was mentioned!

Well, perhaps in Li Chunhua's eyes, even if this film were made, it wouldn't reach the post-production stage, let alone promotion and distribution.

Even so, Lu Mingze thought that the other party agreed quite readily and was truly righteous!
He was still calculating in his mind, "The company should be able to return more than three million."

“I have two houses in Shengjing, in pretty good locations, which should be able to sell for three or four million.”

Lu Mingze owns two villas in Beijing, but that's about all they're worth in this day and age.

Thinking that this already amounts to six or seven million, and that the actors' salaries and equipment rental fees have already been paid, I realized that the total cost was already six or seven million.

That means if we spend money sparingly, this matter will be settled.

He thought to himself, "Chu An has really saved my life this time. He used a script to completely pull me back from the brink of despair."

After seeing Li Chunhua off, I rushed back to my room. Chu An, Ma Lan, and Tong Meng were all waiting for news in the room!

He walked in shouting, "It's a deal!"

Ma Lan is Lu Mingze's long-term partner, with whom he has absolute trust; Tong Meng, on the other hand, is both gossipy and indignant at Tian Du's almost cold-blooded behavior, so she naturally sided with Director Lu.

As a result, Tong Meng even had an argument with Jia Chenglin and Li Chunhua during the day.

As for Ma Lan and Tong Meng's opinions on Chu An...

Already numb.

There's no way around it; people have to know their own limitations. Some people and some things are beyond their comprehension and are not something they can judge.

In Ma Lan's eyes, Chu An's sunny and handsome boyish appearance was obviously an act.

Being forced into this deal by her family is clearly just the tip of the iceberg. Yes, Sister Lan finally realized that renting a shop wasn't charity, it was a damn transaction!

Later, she revised the play, offered creative ideas, wrote scripts... and now she's become a strategist, she doesn't even know how to evaluate this anymore.

Even doubt:
"Is this kid possessed by some kind of ghost?"

Tong Meng's answer was, "Even if it's a ghost, it's not an ordinary ghost; it's at least at the level of a high-ranking official."

Otherwise, it doesn't make sense!

By now, they've become numb. Whatever, they're tired.

Besides, who cares? Whether he's possessed by a ghost or a peerless genius, as long as he can have a chance with the heavens, he's a good kid.

At this moment, Director Lu was still immersed in the joy of the successful negotiation and told everyone about the negotiation process.

Ma Lan and Tong Meng both breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

Chu An remained calm, pondering, "Only by stopping the audit and completely severing ties with Tiandu can we have room to proceed."

Lu Mingze thought he was saying to him, "Yes, that way we can focus on filming the new drama."

Chu An: "..."

As a result, Lu Mingze was still a little regretful, "I was a little unwilling to give them the two roles I promised them!"

Chu An: "."

Feeling a little reluctant to discourage him, I said, "This is already pretty good."

Within the trap of Tiandu Culture, the only weakness that isn't exactly a weakness is—

If word gets out, my reputation will be ruined!!
Lu Mingze is also a stubborn person. What Li Chunhua fears most is that the great director Lu will fight to the death and go head-to-head with Tiandu.

At that time, the media will definitely flock to the scene and report on it extensively.

Tian can use industry resources to suppress it, but the impact will eventually be felt.

To put it bluntly, reputation isn't worth much, but it's also very valuable. Even the heavens don't care, but if you can cultivate a good reputation, why not?

Chu An took this step precisely by exploiting Li Chunhua's psychology, and thus achieved the current result.

In Li Chunhua's eyes, this was like someone handing her a pillow when she wanted to sleep.

Lu Mingze actually gave in so quickly.

Attention! Not a moment's delay is not acceptable! If the audit results are delayed, Lu Mingze won't even have a chance to back down.

Now that everything has been achieved, what are we waiting for if not to cut ties?!

The crew had only been filming for a few days when Tiandu handed over the reins.

Moreover, it was Lu Mingze himself who suggested putting the film under his personal studio. He wanted to take on too much and take more than his share. So, no matter what happens in the future, whether it's a bad film or media exposure, it's impossible to blame Tian Du.

What's even more disheartening is that Li Chunhua's next step is to give all of Tian Du's investment in "My High School Days" to Lu Mingze.

Isn't that loyal enough?

Who can find fault with Tiandu?

As for whether Lu Mingze can turn the tables? How could we possibly give him that chance?

Chu An poured a bucket of cold water on Lu Mingze, shattering all his illusions and almost making him want to hang himself.

"Being able to make cuts is indeed a good thing, but if you want to film it, it's too early!"

"Huh?" Director Lu was confused again.

Chu An, "Do you believe it or not? The shares that Tiandu gave you are losing money. All you'll get back from your investment is debt. You still want money? Don't dream about it."

"How is that possible?!" Lu Mingze looked at Chu An as if he were an idiot. "Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand!"

The total investment for "My High School Days" was 1500 million.

Tiandu Investment invested 1000 million yuan, holding a 60% stake.

Lu Mingze paid 500 million in cash, plus the director's fee, accounting for 40%.

This 1500 million is real cash.

Based on Director Lu's experience, from initial preparation to filming, the maximum budget is around 500 million yuan.

Even if Tian takes a few deductions, he can still get back more than three hundred.

Chu An simply smiled at this; you can't teach a naive person a lesson.

Even if you keep falling into one pitfall after another, and suffer losses more often than you eat, it won't help.

Ugh.
My dear Director Lu, you need me so much!

"Director Lu," he said, looking at Lu Mingze with a hint of pity, "fire your agent!" Pointing to his own nose, he added, "Hire me at a high price! I'll consider it."

Lu Mingze: "I'm planning to fire my manager! The Tiandu management contract!"

Chu An, "."

I don’t want to talk anymore.

Perhaps to prove Chu An right, the withdrawal and settlement process in Tiandu was handled very quickly.

They were well prepared; they had already made all the contingency plans before coming to Ningyuan.

Lu Mingze looked at the settlement statement, but didn't touch it for a long time, his face indifferent.

"Hehe! Chu An is mistaken!"

The sky wasn't as dark as he made it out to be; what he got back was debt, and the calculations showed losses.

That's just petty thinking!

The report clearly stated:

As of February 17, 2016.

The production team paid the actors 6,847,392 yuan in remuneration.
Other personnel salary expenses: 943,682 yuan.

The initial publicity expenses amounted to 230 million yuan.

The script adaptation cost 80 yuan.

The initial setup cost 119 million.
The cost of venue supplies is 35 yuan.
Equipment leasing: 97.
Food, lodging, and travel expenses totaled 27.
Other miscellaneous expenses: 1,327,869
Account balance: 1056.84 yuan!

have a look!!
Show me!
Chu An is wrong, there was no loss, no debt, and Tian Du even gave him more than a thousand yuan!

Lu Mingze was so angry he cried. "You guys can't do this! Aren't you bullying an honest person?"

They wanted to fight Li Chunhua to the death.

It was Chu An, Sister Lan, and Tong Meng who together stopped Director Lu.

Chu An's words were even more hurtful: "Not bad, much more conscientious than I expected."

To be honest, Chu An was quite relieved. He was really afraid that Tian Du would offer an exorbitant sponsorship contract.

The penalty for breach of contract is something Lu Mingze couldn't afford even if he sold his blood.

He urged, "Sign it quickly."

Tong Meng was indignant, "I swear, I'll never film a movie in Tiandu again!" But then she said, "Director Lu, we're doomed this time. Let's listen to Brother Chu and sign it."

Compared to the current losses, Tong Meng is more optimistic about "With You". She wants Chu An to change the male director of the disciplinary office to a woman and let her play the role, so that she can completely break free from the curse of being a mother.

"I still have some savings. If all else fails, we can pool our money and make the movie!"

Sister Lan then added, "Director Lu, a small act of impatience can ruin a great plan."

Sister Lan was speechless, as Chu An had once again hit the nail on the head.

Now I'd rather believe Chu An than Director Lu.

"Sign it, don't hesitate!"

Director Lu is really suffering!

How desolate!
Lu Mingze spent half his life in the entertainment industry, once a powerful figure, but today he has fallen to such a state. It's truly a cruel twist of fate!
In the end, all that was by his side was a temporary assistant director, a third-rate actor, and one other person.
What kind of monster is this?!

"I'll sign! I'll sign, okay?!"

The transaction with Tiandu was completed very quickly.

This includes signing a share withdrawal agreement with Tiandu, expressing the intention to collaborate on two future Qing Dynasty dramas, and accepting the handover of equipment and venue rentals, etc.

Tian Du readily agreed and, as stipulated, transferred all the labor contracts of the actors, camera crew, costume and prop staff, and other personnel to Lu Mingze.

Although the money wasn't recovered, at least Director Lu didn't have to spend any more money on all the main and supporting characters, including the female lead Xu Shu and the male lead Qu Lang.

The new film can use it, which saves a lot of money.

Next, Director Lu plans to return to Shengjing to sell his house to raise funds.

Tong Meng kept her word and donated 500,000 yuan to support Director Lu.

Although she has received a constant stream of film and television offers since her debut, she has only played minor roles, so she hasn't accumulated much wealth and can only do her part.

Those who remained were mostly Lu Mingze's old team, all eager to prove themselves to Tiandu.

As a result, Chu An was once again met with a bucket of cold water.

Looking at Lu Mingze, "I'm relying on you to sell houses."

Then, looking at Tong Meng, he said, "I'm counting on you to bring out my dowry."

Then, looking at Sister Lan, I asked, "How much are you planning to contribute this time?"

The three of them were stunned by what he said; they had finally managed to catch their breath.

Chu An showed no mercy, "Don't dream about it, you can't afford this much money."

Lu Mingze glared, "I've calculated it, if we spend it sparingly, it won't make much difference!"

It's not that much different, after all, the actors' salaries and staff wages have all been settled.

Chu An: "It's way too bad!!"

"You think you can just finish filming?"

"Should we do post-production? Should we do advertising? How about distribution? All of these things cost money! Even selling eight more houses wouldn't be enough!"

Everyone: "..."

Chu An: "And this isn't over yet!"

Sister Lan was a little desperate, "What else is there?"

"Have you seen the actor's contract?" Chu An tossed her an actor's contract, which was Xu Shu's participation contract. After Tian Du transferred the contract to Lu Mingze, this person just haphazardly left it in the hotel room.

"The three-month schedule has already passed by more than half a month."

"Now we have to reshoot a new script. Can we finish filming it in three months?"

"If we can't finish filming, then we'll charge double the pay for the overtime portion. Where will that money come from?"

Sister Lan: "..."

Lu Mingze, “???”

There's a double penalty for overdue payments? They didn't even tell me that!
Tong Meng was jolted awake, "I remember now, it's double!"

"However, I don't need mine!"

This time, Lu Mingze was so angry he laughed. "How much is your paycheck?!"

The main actors are Xu Shu and Qu Lang!

He immediately deflated, "According to you, we can't film this movie!"

Chu An was blunt: "Strictly speaking, it's impossible to film this!"

"If there had been even the slightest possibility of filming it, Tiandu wouldn't have withdrawn so readily."

“I’ve calculated it for you; the filming cost will start at least at 1000 million.”

"The later stage costs 100 million, and if the publicity is less, it'll be 5 to 8."

"Prepare twenty million!" Chu An said casually, but his words were anything but understated.

"And don't forget, this is just a matter of funding."

"After filming begins, will Tian Du try to intercept us again?"

"Do you have distribution capabilities? Who will you sell the tickets to after the auction?"

"Do you have enough connections in the industry to support the entire promotional period for a TV series?"

"These are all problems!"

In summary, Lu Mingze now faces the following challenges:
There is a funding gap of 2000 million.

Tian Du is in a difficult position once again.

And a series of difficulties such as post-production and publicity.

"Oh, right!" Chu An suddenly remembered something, "I forgot something, the script hasn't been approved yet, and approval will cost a lot of money, right?"

This is a matter of national character, so the script's approval process needs to be considered. Even without considering extra-legal means, hiring a specialized screenwriter for approval would incur a significant expense, which I won't elaborate on here.

Anyway, with Chu An saying that, the filming can't be done.

Now, Lu Mingze strongly suspects that Chu An was sent by Tiandu.

This is a damn elaborate scheme, isn't it?!
They tricked me into falling into their trap! They tricked me into not being able to continue filming!
They lied to me again, saying they had a new script. I'd already signed the contract, and now you're telling me there's a new script but we can't film it?
Are you kidding me?!
You're going to kill me!?
Chu An smiled slightly at this, and cheekily pushed a file folder in front of Lu Mingze. "Don't rush me, I've already thought of everything for you!!"

Lu Mingze: "???"

Chu An's playful smile vanished instantly, replaced by a serious expression, making him look like a charlatan.

"Director Lu! You haven't escaped the trap of capital yet. We still have a long way to go."

That's true. Chu An's past life experiences made him very clear that the battle with Tian Du was not over, but had just begun.

Chu An glanced at the file folder, giving a strong psychological suggestion, "So, what you need to do now is not to prepare for filming 'The Best of Us,' but to get this project going!"

Lu Mingze was completely bewildered. "You're going to kill me with all this up and down!" he thought, feeling utterly hopeless. "What's inside?" he asked.

Chu An, once again possessed by a charlatan, exclaimed, "It's funds!"

"It's our only hope in dealing with Tian Du!!"

"This is also the foundation upon which we stand after breaking free from Tiandu!"

Lu Mingze wants to kill him, but he's just trying to fool me again, isn't he?
He reached out to take it, but Chu An grabbed him and held him down firmly.

"Let's make this clear first, I can sell you 'The Best of Us,' even for free."

"But this..."

The true colors are revealed!
He grinned, showing his big teeth, and said, "I want the script as a stake in the business."

Lu Mingze was stunned. Looking at his blank eyes, he thought to himself, "His acting is just like his mother's!"
I almost believed it.

He snatched it away, saying, "If it really is like you say, with funds and confidence, then whatever you want, I'll give you!"

The rope was a bit tight, so I just ripped the file folder open with a ripping sound.

Then I saw another sheet of manuscript paper.
[Script: You Are My Glory]

Another script? He's quite a talented writer!

But we don't even know how to start "With You," so what's the use of having a script?

Little did anyone know, Chu An wasn't just pulling out a script this time. He suddenly asked, "Director Lu, who is the most important person you know in the broadcasting system? Or do you know anyone at the space agency?"

Lu Mingze: "..."

Ma Lan: "???"

Tong Meng: "!!!"

What is he going to do?

Why are we talking about the space agency again?
……

.

The next chapter will be after midnight.

(End of this chapter)