OBS Chapter 73 This guy is a big fat sheep
Chapter 73 This guy is a big fat sheep
"Director, you've forgotten, he's the one who's been all over the news lately with 'A prodigal son returns, but it's a dead end,'" Wang Baoqiang said excitedly.
This was the first time he had ever met a live fan.
"Hey! I knew you looked familiar, it's you!" Little Cannon finally realized.
Huang Yiliang's quote, "A prodigal son who returns is doomed," which he said during an interview with a girl with a mushroom-shaped haircut, went viral online, inexplicably boosting the popularity of the film "A World Without Thieves."
Many members of the "A World Without Thieves" publicity team were deeply impressed by the interview video, since very few people would buy tickets to see the movie because of Sha Gen.
"You've seen 'A World Without Thieves,' right? Our movie turned out pretty well, didn't it?" Little Cannon said with a smug smile.
This guy is really good at making commercial films. The key is that he's not your average commercial film director. He always manages to incorporate his own personal expression into his films, not just to please the audience.
However, Huang Yiliang knew that Xiao Gangpao wouldn't last long. In a few years, when capital entered the entertainment industry, Xiao Gangpao would also make movies like "If You Are the One" that were purely for making money. Ideals and such were all bullshit in the face of money.
This is also a key reason why Huang Yiliang prioritizes making money.
Only by having money can one realize their ultimate ideal of having both a mother and daughter.
"The movie was alright, I guess!"
Huang Yiliang's words made Xiao Gangpao's face turn somewhat awkward.
But his next words made Little Cannon sneer and reveal his buck teeth.
"Reaching 100 million at the box office should be a piece of cake."
"??"
The entire publicity team for "A World Without Thieves" looked at Huang Yiliang in surprise.
Box office exceeding 100 million? That's wishful thinking.
It's worth noting that the highest-grossing film directed by Xiao Gangpao was last year's "Cellphone".
With a box office of 4500 million, it was already the highest-grossing domestic film last year.
There was one movie this year that grossed over 100 million yuan.
The domestic box office of "House of Flying Daggers" was 1.5 million yuan, but what level of investment was it? It was an investment of 3600 million US dollars, which is equivalent to 2.8 million yuan.
"Young man, you're making too many promises. This puts a lot of pressure on us!" A guy in the front row turned around.
Huang Yiliang glanced at it and didn't recognize it.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Brother Lei.
At that time, Huayi Brothers was not yet the first listed entertainment giant in China, and Lei Zi was not yet the famous godfather of the Chinese entertainment industry.
This guy is quite ambitious now, personally leading the crew to various major cities for promotion.
Unlike Feng Xiaogang, who lacks discernment, Mr. Wang immediately recognized that Huang Yiliang was no ordinary student.
It's not like an ordinary student would wear a Cartier watch worth 100,000 or 200,000 yuan and clothes worth tens of thousands of yuan.
The most impressive thing is that he also has an adorable little girl with him to serve him.
These young people either come from wealthy families or have families with both power and wealth.
I have to praise Sister Yuanyuan for this; she's such a thoughtful older sister.
Huang Yiliang originally didn't pay much attention to his clothes and appearance.
This guy buys his clothes and shoes casually at the farmers' market on the street corner. For him, as long as the clothes are not tight or constricting, they are good clothes.
The outfit he's wearing now was carefully put together by Sister Yuanyuan, and it cost her tens of thousands of yuan from head to toe.
No wonder Huang Yiliang was willing to give his most precious virginity to Sister Yuanyuan.
Huang Yiliang's heart skipped a beat when he saw Lei Zi. He knew that this guy really liked to gamble with people.
"Is Mr. Wang really that lacking in confidence in his own film?" Huang Yiliang asked with a smile.
"No, that's not it. I have a lot of confidence in Xiaogang and the creative team. It's just that a box office of 100 million is a bit exaggerated," Lei said modestly.
The crew of "A World Without Thieves" all nodded in agreement.
They also have high expectations for the box office of "A World Without Thieves", but definitely not 100 million.
In the entire history of Chinese cinema, only two films have ever grossed over 100 million yuan at the box office.
Zhang Yimou's "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers".
No one would think that Xiaogangpao has reached Zhang Yimou's level, especially since the investment is not equal.
"You still lack confidence!" Huang Yiliang directly exposed Lei Zi's lack of confidence.
Lei waved his hand somewhat awkwardly.
"How about this, Mr. Wang, let's make a bet."
As soon as Huang Yiliang finished saying the word "gamble," Lei Zi's eyes lit up, and he seemed to have been rejuvenated.
"What kind of bet?" Little Cannon asked with great interest.
It seems that gambling is in the nature of all men.
Andy Lau and Zhang Hangyu had already turned around.
Uncle Ge remained quite calm, unless he had been eavesdropping on Huang Yiliang's conversation.
"Just to clarify, a little gambling is harmless fun!"
Huang Yiliang held up one finger and said, "We'll just play around a little, one million!"
After Huang Yiliang finished speaking, everyone around him fell silent.
A bet of one million, and you call it a small bet?
Only Brother Lei was somewhat excited.
"I think the final box office of 'A World Without Thieves' will definitely exceed 100 million. If it doesn't, I'll lose one million." Huang Yiliang first assumed that he would lose.
After snapping his fingers, the guy continued:
"Conversely, if 'A World Without Thieves' ultimately grosses over 100 million, Mr. Wang, you wouldn't be unhappy about spending one million, would you?"
Behind the backs of his crew, Wang Baoqiang frantically tried to signal to Huang Yiliang.
It's clear that Xiao Wang is still quite kind-hearted.
The total box office for the first three days of "A World Without Thieves" has been released, totaling 2100 million.
But yesterday was Monday, and the box office dropped to 400 million.
Based on the usual box office trends, breaking 100 million is almost impossible.
"You're really gambling?"
The crew of "A World Without Thieves" looked left and right at Lei Zi and Huang Yiliang.
Lei hesitated for a moment, not because he was afraid of losing.
As Huang Yiliang said, if "A World Without Thieves" ultimately grosses over 100 million yuan, it will be a huge gain for Huayi Brothers in terms of both reputation and box office revenue.
Regardless of winning or losing, Brother Lei always comes out on top in this kind of bet.
He was just worried that if he won, this guy who seemed to be a rich second-generation would deny it, which would be disgusting.
"One million? Can you make that decision?" Zhang Hanyu noticed Lei Zi's concerns and asked him.
"It's only one million. The chairman gives our boss a car for two or three million at a time," Little Potato said irritably.
She can't stand anyone looking down on her boss.
Huang Yiliang gave Little Potato a fake glare.
"The little girl is naive and hasn't seen much of the world, so please don't take it to heart."
While he was talking, his hands were quick and efficient, writing out a check for one million.
He actually had a million in cash in his account that he hadn't touched; it was given to him by Uncle Zhang Xianzong.
"Mr. Wang, to show our sincerity, I'll pay you this million upfront as an investment in 'A World Without Thieves'."
"If the final box office of 'A World Without Thieves' does not break 100 million, then naturally I will consider my investment a failure, and the one million is yours."
"On the contrary, that means my investment was successful, Mr. Wang, and you need to pay me two million."
"Have your company's legal department draft an investment contract for me later, since gambling is illegal in our country!"
"Great! This is great!" As soon as Huang Yiliang finished speaking, Brother Lei immediately clapped and cheered.
This completely solved all his worries!
It wasn't until Brother Lei accepted Huang Yiliang's check that everyone realized the bet was settled.
A bet of one million.
Bingbing's gaze towards Huang Yiliang was no longer cold.
At that time, the salaries of domestic actors were generally not high, let alone female actors.
The highest paid actors in "A World Without Thieves" were Andy Lau and Rene Liu, who received 700 million and 300 million respectively, while Bingbing only received a pitiful 70.
After exchanging a few casual words with Brother Lei, Huang Yiliang pulled out a million to gamble.
Of course, the million isn't the point. The point is what Little Potato just said unintentionally. None of these people are fools, including Wang Baoqiang who is squatting on the ground. They all understand what this means.
Clearly, this guy is a second-generation rich kid, and a second-generation rich kid who's willing to invest in the film industry, which is very important.
Wang Baoqiang quickly had the flight attendant send him back to economy class.
"Huang Yiliang, I'll call you Brother Huang," Brother Lei said, taking Huang Yiliang's name from the check.
"Of course, no problem!" Huang Yiliang nodded with a smile.
"Brother Huang, don't you like 'A World Without Thieves'? Let me introduce you to the creative team!" Brother Lei said in a great mood.
In his view, Huang Yiliang was practically giving him money.
Of course, it would be even more fun if you lost money.
Although it sounds weird, he really does prefer to lose, especially losing a million dollars, which is really unbelievable.
Lei Zi suddenly noticed that the main cast members in the first-class cabin all looked like they hoped he would lose.
Damn it, these traitors, doesn't one of them want me to win?
Lei Zi could certainly guess what these people were thinking: the higher the box office of "A World Without Thieves," the higher their net worth would naturally be.
Forget it, I forgive them. I even wish I had lost.
"This is director Xiao Gang, you should know him, right?"
"Let's get to know each other. I've been a fan of director Xiaogang's movies since 'The Dream Factory'," Huang Yiliang greeted him in a friendly manner.
"This is Ge You, Uncle Ge!"
"Hello, Uncle Ge!"
"Heavenly King Andy Lau".
Leizi enthusiastically introduced Huang Yiliang to everyone.
His main motivation was that he wanted Wong Yat-leung, this sucker, to gamble with him like this on every movie; it was just too exciting.
"Hello, Sister Bingbing!"
"Liangzi, have you ever invested in movies before? You seem quite experienced." Sister Bingbing asked curiously.
The way Huang Yiliang signed the "betting agreement" with Brother Lei just now certainly didn't seem like the first time he'd done something like this.
"I invested in a small production, which is still being filmed in Chongqing. The director insisted that I come and check on the filming progress," Huang Yiliang said, shrugging his shoulders.
Showing off! Anyone can do that.
"Would it be convenient to disclose how much money you invested?" Sister Bingbing was even more curious.
The guys next to them also pricked up their ears, wanting to find out what was going on.
They've seen plenty of rich people, but none as young as Huang Yiliang who spends money so lavishly.
"He got five million!"
"They all cast minor actors, none of whom I'd ever heard of. The director brought them in himself; it was his first time directing a film."
After Huang Yiliang finished speaking...
The people in first class were all numb.
It's over.
The child has been scammed.
Five million to make a movie is certainly not a big production.
But if you hire a director who has never made a film before, and add a group of unknown actors, what's the difference between that and throwing money into the sea?
"Brother Huang, take my advice: invest less in movies in the future. The waters here are very deep, and you can't handle it."
"Of course, if you're interested, you can invest in our Huayi Brothers' films. We're a legitimate, large company, absolutely reliable!" Brother Lei said enthusiastically.
"Great! Let's get together again if there's a chance to collaborate in the future. But when it comes to investments, it's normal to make or lose money," Huang Yiliang said with a wave of his hand and a smile.
Lei Zi was shocked again.
Hey hey hey, this is a very qualified sucker, no, a very qualified investor.
Look at their character. It's normal to make and lose money in investing, unlike some low-quality investors who act like they're bleeding someone dry when they lose even a little money.
"This director is almost certainly a fraud, Mr. Wang. We Beijingers can't let ourselves be bullied," Zhang Hanyu said righteously.
However, his sense of loyalty stemmed from wanting Lei Zi to help him.
Lei Zi gave him a disgruntled look, but now that he was being held hostage, he couldn't remain silent.
"By the way, what's the director's name?" Lei asked.
"His name is Ning Hao. He said he graduated from the Beijing Film Academy. He's dark-skinned, thin, and short." Huang Yiliang found it amusing and immediately gave Ning Hao's name.
"Ning Hao? That name seems familiar?" Brother Lei really thought about it seriously.
"Mr. Wang, it seems that Ning Hao submitted a script to our Huayi, saying he wanted an investment of seven million, and that we couldn't interfere with his filming," Lei's assistant whispered a reminder.
Lei Zi's lips curled into a smirk: "Is this guy crazy? He's never even made a movie, yet he dares to ask for seven million, and he won't even interfere with your filming?"
Needless to say, he was rejected.
"Have you read the script?" Brother Lei asked.
The assistant immediately nodded: "I've seen it!"
"Is the script called 'The Big Diamond'?" the assistant asked Huang Yiliang.
"That's right!" Huang Yiliang nodded.
"That's Ning Hao. He's dark-skinned and short, with a pointed face and monkey-like features. He doesn't look like a good person at all. His script was so convoluted. It was a very simple little story about a thief, but he deliberately made it all so complicated that it made my head spin."
The assistant looked at Huang Yiliang with a pitiful expression.
This second-generation rich kid is really pitiful; everyone tries to scam him.
"Brother Huang, you haven't spent all the money, have you?" Brother Lei asked hurriedly.
"They said they'd spent half, so why didn't they call me to check on the progress?" Huang Yiliang said with a relaxed smile.
The people in first class were all very anxious.
Half the money has already been spent, and you haven't even come to visit the film crew.
You're a genius investor!
"Then call a halt immediately! At least we can save 2.5 million," Sister Bingbing said anxiously.
"This isn't right! These grown men are all talk and no action. They've already invested; at most, they won't invest any more."
"It's very unethical to withdraw investment halfway through, and I don't like giving up halfway either. At worst, I'll just lose all five million."
"You're this one!" Grandpa Ge, who had been silent all along, gave Huang Yiliang a thumbs up.
"Yi Liang, let's add each other's contact information!" Andy Lau said proactively.
Although his company invests in movies, it also accepts investments. He likes investors like Huang Yiliang who are discerning.
"Brother Hua, this isn't right. Brother Huang is from Beijing." Brother Lei quickly stopped Liu Dehua.
We at Huayi also need investment!