If what Director Sang said was true, and the entire movie required special effects for the female lead’s role, then not only would the budget easily exceed 70 million, but it might even surpass a hundred million without necessarily achieving any significant results.
After all, the challenges that arise during pre-production are unpredictable. How to make adjustments, and how much expense those adjustments would entail – all of these variables are unknown.
This was why, when Ye Zhou mentioned this matter, the investor’s representative didn’t leave any room for negotiation and directly stated the impossibility of the situation.
The investor’s representative’s words were harsh, and his attitude was unpleasant, but he was right about one thing – it’s not easy for a commercial film to secure such high investments, let alone for a documentary like “The Most Beautiful.”
While 70 million might not be a significant amount in other film productions, it was quite substantial for a documentary.
If he had approached the situation differently, Ye Zhou could have explained calmly, and they could have found a solution together. However, the investor’s representative’s attitude implied not just a question of the film’s worthiness but also a clear indication that he believed Director Sang was not valuable. Ye Zhou found this attitude quite amusing.
The investor’s representative had never believed that Ye Zhou could secure significant investment. After all, it wasn’t just about talking; real money needed to be put on the table.
Even though Ye Zhou had a couple of successful works and a few familiar investors, their company had collaborated with Director Sang for many years, yet they were only willing to invest 70 million. As for Ye Zhou, a small director with mixed reviews, which investor would be bored enough to play around with 70 million just for fun?
It was no joke!
Therefore, when Ye Zhou questioned him, the representative didn’t need to think much and immediately replied with a smug expression on his face, as if waiting to see Ye Zhou’s embarrassment.
Ye Zhou smiled and took out his phone, making a call to his financial advisor, casually mentioning that he needed 70 million in investment now.
He put the call on speaker, and the advisor’s voice floated lightly into the room, “Of course, if you need it, I can send it over at any time.”
The representative’s expression froze for a moment, then he burst into laughter, looking at Ye Zhou with a mocking gleam in his eyes. “Young man, it’s not embarrassing to fail. What’s embarrassing is failing and still trying to deceive others. That’s just being a big talker.”
Ye Zhou tilted his head and thought for a moment, then wholeheartedly agreed, “You’re right, that makes sense. Hopefully, this statement applies to you as well.”
Upon hearing this, the representative’s smile faded, his expression turned serious, and he leaned in closer to Ye Zhou, lowering his voice, “70 million is not a small sum. You still have time to apologize. I can overlook this if you apologize now, considering Director Sang’s reputation.”
“If you insist on acting like a big shot, be prepared to face the consequences.” The representative picked up a small teacup from the table, poured himself a cup of tea, savored the aroma, and with a blissful expression, he uttered harsh words.
“Or how about this, why don’t you give Director Sang a call first? After all, Director Sang is the chief director of this film. You are still young, and everyone has their moments of youthful arrogance. It would be best to discuss with Director Sang at this time, listen to the advice of your elders, and put away your childish ideas. It would benefit everyone.”
Ye Zhou could clearly sense the sarcasm in his words, but he remained unfazed, maintaining a calm demeanor and responding calmly.
“Well, isn’t that a coincidence? I was thinking the same thing. Perhaps you should contact your company leader now. Given your age, it’s understandable if your thoughts are not clear. I sympathize and understand you. It might be best to report to a more alert and clear-headed leader. It would benefit everyone.”
Ye Zhou was not one to mince words, and the representative felt a pang in his heart from being outwitted.
As the two continued their verbal sparring, Ye Zhou’s phone on the table suddenly vibrated. He picked up his phone, glanced at it, and then chuckled as he pushed the phone towards the representative.
It was a text message from the bank, confirming three incoming transactions to Ye Zhou’s account – two transactions of 20 million each, and one of 30 million, totaling exactly 70 million.
The representative was genuinely surprised by Ye Zhou’s ability to secure funds. Seeing the message, he could no longer maintain his composure, and beads of sweat began to form on his forehead and nose.
Ye Zhou touched his earlobe, leaned forward slightly, tapped his head, and asked, “What did you say before? If I could find a higher investment than your company’s, your company would not only withdraw but also cover the breach of contract, right?”
The representative’s face turned beet red, and after a moment of silence, he managed to say, “This is just an equal amount, it’s still seventy million, how is it higher?”
Ye Zhou clapped his hands, nodded in agreement, and said, “You’re absolutely right. You’re truly a meticulous businessman.”
“In that case, let’s add a bit more, shall we?”
“As you know, our film requires a significant amount of special effects throughout the entire production. Where do the special effects come from? Of course, they require a lot of money. And where does the money come from? Your 70 million won’t be enough, and clearly, my 70 million won’t be sufficient either.”
Ye Zhou stood up and was about to make a phone call when his phone rang before he could decide who to call.
Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was the financial advisor who had transferred the funds earlier. Ye Zhou felt puzzled, wondering if he had asked for too much money, causing a strain on the company’s cash flow. It couldn’t be, right? It would be embarrassing if that were the case.
Lost in his thoughts, Ye Zhou answered the phone, asking, “What’s up?”
The financial advisor on the other end spoke calmly, “The money has been transferred. Have you received it?”
“I’ve received it, thank you,” Ye Zhou replied with a sigh of relief, smiling.
The financial advisor didn’t hang up but instead changed the subject, “I heard that you are currently working on a film project. Can we invest in your movie?”
“Huh?” Ye Zhou was a bit taken aback by the suggestion. It seemed quite audacious for his own people to invest in his project with his own money.
The financial advisor chuckled awkwardly but was transparent, saying, “Mr. Ye, after the tremendous box office success of your films ‘A Farce’ and ‘Thriller Circus,’ we have been considering investing in your projects.”
“With some funds currently available in the company and the volatile stock market conditions, the entertainment industry is thriving. After several internal team meetings, we unanimously believe that investing in your movie could bring unexpected benefits.”
“So, I took the liberty to propose this idea to you. Of course, you shouldn’t feel pressured. If this is not feasible, we can continue to invest this money in the stock market.”
What the financial advisor didn’t mention was that after numerous discussions, their team concluded that given the current market volatility, the risks and potential returns of investing in stocks were far less favorable compared to investing in Ye Zhou’s film.
Despite the ongoing controversies surrounding Ye Zhou’s directorial skills, his box office success was undeniable, and his ability to generate revenue was considered a miracle in the industry.
As their boss, instead of letting other investors take advantage of this opportunity, they decided to invest themselves. This way, the boss wouldn’t need to share profits with external funders, and all box office earnings would go directly into their own pockets.
This decision was influenced by the profit-sharing model and funding structure of “Thriller Circus,” a film largely financed by Ye Zhou himself. This meant that, apart from the portion allocated to theaters and taxes, the rest belonged solely to Ye Zhou.
Just from the movie “Thriller Circus,” Ye Zhou earned nearly over a billion. The initial investment for this film was only a simple 20 million, although it later increased by another 10 million, totaling only 30 million. To make over a billion from 30 million, one could say it was an enormous profit.
After hearing the advisor’s plan, Ye Zhou remained silent for a while before speaking up, “This movie is a documentary, with limited commercial value. It holds more artistic and commemorative significance, yet the required investment is quite high.”
The implication was clear. Even with Director Sang overseeing the project, Ye Zhou knew deep down that the movie’s box office performance wouldn’t be impressive. When the input didn’t match the output, attracting investments became as difficult as it was today.
Expecting the other side to retreat, Ye Zhou was surprised when the financial advisor, after a few seconds of silence, tentatively asked, “Roughly, how much do you need?”
Ye Zhou hesitated for a moment, then cautiously replied, “Seven…five hundred million?”
He had initially thought to say seven hundred million but considering his limited assets, he changed his mind at the last moment.
Ye Zhou was prepared for rejection. Even though it was his own money, once handed over to the financial side, he didn’t want to disrupt their planned strategy due to his momentary impulse.
To his surprise, when he mentioned five hundred million, the tense atmosphere on the other end of the phone suddenly relaxed. The financial advisor breathed a sigh of relief and said cheerfully, “You scared me for a moment. I thought you were going to ask for tens of billions, which would have been harder to come up with.”
“But with just five hundred million, our funds here are more than sufficient. No problem at all.” After saying this, the financial advisor thought for a moment and added very considerately, “Actually, if you need more, it’s also not a problem.”
Ye Zhou: ???
Each word the financial advisor said made sense to Ye Zhou individually, but when combined, he seemed to have trouble understanding the whole context.
Confused, Ye Zhou asked, “When did I become so rich?”
A light laughter followed by a cough was heard on the other end of the line. The financial advisor cleared his throat to mask his slip and dutifully explained to Ye Zhou, “Mr. Ye, the initial amount you entrusted to us was 703 million. Mr. Jiang added a bit more to round off the figure for you.”
“Over the past three months, we diversified this amount by purchasing various stocks and acquiring several promising companies. Although not all were profitable, there were occasional misjudgments. Overall, the profits outweighed the losses.”
“The recent stock market volatility has been severe, but luckily, the stocks we favored happened to soar. About two weeks ago, after selling off a portion, we had this idle amount that could be used for further investments.”
At this point, the financial advisor’s voice couldn’t contain a hint of amusement as he rarely joked with Ye Zhou, asking, “Do you know how much your current wealth is?”
Ye Zhou’s mind was a bit muddled, subconsciously following his question, “How much?”
The financial advisor smiled faintly and stated a number, “Not much, just about doubled.”
“T… two billion???” Ye Zhou’s voice changed in surprise.
The financial advisor quickly denied, “No, no.”
Finally regaining his composure, Ye Zhou wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling a sense of relief as his tense heart finally relaxed.
He had thought, it hadn’t been that long. Even if they could print money, they couldn’t just print so much all at once. How could he suddenly be so wealthy? If money was so easy to come by, how did he end up so poor in his past life?
However, he relaxed too soon. Just as Ye Zhou was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he unexpectedly heard the financial advisor speak again.
“Mr. Ye, it’s actually four billion.”
Ye Zhou: ???
It may sound unbelievable, but even Ye Zhou himself didn’t know he was this wealthy before receiving this phone call!
Since we’re down to the less than 10 chapters before KMCF is completed, please help me decide what series to work on next. You can check the poll posted on my kofi page. It is open for everyone, and will be open until July 3.
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