Chapter 61

Hong Jinbao was taken aback for a moment, then he came to his senses and laughed, "You've got me all fired up!"

Pausing for a moment, he turned serious and said, "Acheng, since you've put it this way, I won't back down either. However, I can't keep taking advantage of you. I know your earning ability is many times greater than mine. For the cinema chain, whatever amount I invest, you give me the same percentage of shares. If there's other capital coming in later, it's fine to dilute the shares, just let me know."

In the end, he laughed again, "Actually, if it's really as you say, even one percent of the shares would be enough for me to live on for several lifetimes. What do I need so much money for!"

Wu Cheng smiled and said, "I'm just being honest with you. Our investment in the cinema chain and distribution will definitely not be small. It's still manageable in Asia, but it's harder to say in the West, as they have anti-monopoly laws waiting for us! But these are all things that can be worked around, there's no need to rush now."

...

Hong Jinbao left, carrying a heart full of surging emotions.

Zhao Yazhi, on the other hand, came back to her senses from her daze, her face slightly flushed, but she looked at Wu Cheng with concern and whispered, "Xiaocheng, your ambitions have grown, and I'm a bit worried!"

Wu Cheng glanced at Zhao Yazhi, smiled slightly, and gave her a reassuring look.

He knew that the woman in front of him was a traditional woman, a virtuous wife and mother, with no great ambitions. She only hoped that the people she cared about would be safe and sound, without the need to do anything earth-shattering. A happy family was enough for her.

Wu Cheng walked over and embraced her. Their heights were similar, so there was no awkwardness. Zhao Yazhi blushed slightly and struggled a bit, but feeling that Wu Cheng had no intention of letting go, she gave up and leaned into him.

After a quiet embrace, Wu Cheng's mood gradually calmed down, and he said, "I originally just wanted to start a film company so that you could make movies if you liked, or rest if you didn't. But who would have thought that you would become busier and busier..."

"I'm willing!" Zhao Yazhi rubbed her face against Wu Cheng's cheek and then looked into his eyes, saying, "It's not that I'm willing to be so busy for you..."

"Sister Zhi, if you're so eager to defend yourself, I'll be heartbroken!"

Zhao Yazhi pinched his side and rolled her eyes, then whispered, "Don't think I was always so confident. Actually, before I did these things, I had no confidence at all, except for doing some minor behind-the-scenes work... But now I realize that you don't know if you can do something until you try. You made me rediscover myself and made my life more fulfilling. Even if it's tiring, I'm still very happy!"

Wu Cheng looked at her beautiful face and gently kissed her forehead, saying, "You can rest assured. I know what I'm doing. As I said before, losing isn't scary. What's scary is winning the whole world but losing you all..."

Before Wu Cheng could finish speaking, he felt a sharp pain in his side again.

He knew he had made a mistake by saying "you all" at this moment. He really wasn't being careful.

"Cough, cough... Actually, what I meant is, losing isn't a big deal. As long as you're by my side, I still have the whole world." Wu Cheng smiled bitterly and said, "People are often pushed to their limits. If it weren't for the fact that Film Asia always tried to take advantage of me, I wouldn't have thought about acquiring a cinema chain! But I just bought a chain, and he wants to teach me a lesson. Faced with such a domineering person, what else can I do but resist? If I surrendered to them, why would I start my own film company? Since that's not an option, I have to carve out my own path!"

Pausing for a moment, he laughed and said, "As for what I said to Brother Sanmao, it's just an ideal, an ideal worth striving for all my life."

Wu Cheng looked into her starry eyes and said softly, "Sister Zhi, will you help me?"

Hearing his uncertain words, Zhao Yazhi nodded without hesitation.

Seeing her determination, Wu Cheng no longer hesitated and kissed her.

Feeling Wu Cheng's advances, Zhao Yazhi struggled a bit but eventually gave in.

Just as the two were getting lost in each other's embrace, the door to the meeting room suddenly opened, and they jumped apart as if electrocuted.

Wang Wenxi, the general manager's secretary, appeared at the door, seemingly unaware of what had just happened, and looked at Wu Cheng, saying, "Boss, the owners of the eight theaters want to see you!"

Wu Cheng nodded and followed Wang Wenxi out.

When he saw the eight middle-aged men again, Wu Cheng noticed that they seemed to have made a decision, so he smiled and said, "It seems you've all made your choices. Since you're all still here, it means we can continue to cooperate, right? Please, have a seat!"

"Mr. Wu, I've thought it over. Although East Dragon International is still small, the films you produce are unique and have a lot of appeal. I agree to continue our cooperation!"

Wu Cheng gestured to Cen Jianxun, who was sitting nearby, and smiled, saying, "Mr. Wang's decision is very wise. I wish us a pleasant cooperation. As for the details, you can discuss them with Manager Cen."

"Mr. Wu, I've also decided to continue our cooperation. You're right; Hong Kong produces so many films each year, and even Film Asia can't screen them all..."

"Mr. Wu, are you really willing to buy my theater at a ten percent premium over market price?"

...

Wu Cheng didn't expect that three of the eight theaters would be willing to sell.

Fortunately, these three theaters were not large, with the largest having only six hundred seats and the smallest around three hundred.

Wu Cheng nodded without hesitation, saying, "You don't need to doubt my words. I can come up with the money even if we sign the contract now!"

The three men thought about it and realized that if East Dragon International could come up with 38 million in cash to buy the Lisheng cinema chain, buying their three small theaters would be no problem.

Seeing that the matter was basically decided, Wu Cheng stood up and said, "Whatever choice you make, I respect it! Manager Cen, I'll leave the rest to you."

"Please rest assured, boss, I'll handle it well!"

Wu Cheng nodded and said, "Not only do we need to handle the cinema chain well, but you also need to help out with the publicity department. Although Susan is highly educated and learns quickly, she's not as experienced as you."

Cen Jianxun said seriously, "Please rest assured, boss, I'll handle it well! I understand how crucial this battle is for me and for East Dragon."

"I'll leave it to you, then!"

...

After handling the cinema chain matter, Wu Cheng returned to his office and called Shao Dahan.

Shao Dahan laughed when he answered, "You little monkey, are you trying to trick your Uncle Six again? Let me tell you, I can't help you with the trailer this time!"

"It seems Uncle Six is preparing to nurture a tiger to your own detriment! Compared to East Dragon, is Film Asia more merciful to Shaw Brothers?" Wu Cheng raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"You can talk until you're blue in the face, but it won't change anything. This time, Shaw Brothers has many films waiting to be screened, so we can't spare any slots for East Dragon."

Wu Cheng joked, "Uncle Six, you're joking. Time is like water in a sponge; if you squeeze hard enough, you'll get some. It's just a matter of how hard you squeeze." As he spoke, he quickly organized his thoughts and said seriously, "Uncle Six, you must have read 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms.' The current Film Asia is like the powerful Cao Wei, and we are like the weaker Shu and Wu. If we don't unite, Cao Wei will grow stronger, and the day when the Three Kingdoms reunite under Cao will not be far off!"

"You're just exaggerating!" Shao Dahan chuckled.

"Whether it's exaggeration or not, I think with Uncle Six's wisdom, which rivals Zhuge Liang's, you can see through it, right?" Wu Cheng smiled bitterly and said, "I hope Uncle Six will consider it carefully. Helping in a time of need is more touching than adding flowers to a brocade, isn't it?"

"You little monkey, why does your request sound so uncomfortable?" Shao Dahan teased, "Are you planning to cooperate with Lihua if I don't help you? I forgot to tell you, Zou Wenhui has already contacted Lihua's CEO. Do you think Lihua will give up their cooperation with Film Asia for you? You're in a tough spot now!"

Hearing this, Wu Cheng's brows furrowed slightly. If it was true, the situation would be quite dire, though not as severe as Shao Dahan made it sound, but it wouldn't be much better.

With the quality of the two films being similar, it would come down to publicity. Now that Film Asia's publicity was catching up, if he fell behind, the result was predictable.

Moreover, Film Asia's cinema chain had many more theaters than Feilong's. If the box office numbers were compared, the result would be even worse. Ordinary citizens wouldn't care about the number of theaters, only the box office numbers. If the difference was too large, it would be a big problem.

With the publicity lagging and the cinema chain being inferior, the outcome was already clear.

Wu Cheng thought for a moment and said, "I wonder if Uncle Six is interested in cooperating with me?"

"Ha ha, at this point, what kind of trick are you trying to pull?" Shao Dahan chuckled, "Strength overcomes all. In this situation, no matter how clever you are, what can you do?"

Wu Cheng didn't back down and maintained his smile, "Uncle Six, I'll be honest with you. Actually, I never intended to win this battle..."

"You can't win, can you? Stubborn to the end!"

Wu Cheng didn't expect Shao Dahan to be so sarcastic, and he was taken aback for a moment before laughing, "No matter what Uncle Six says, I understand the gap between East Dragon and Film Asia. Without your help, we will definitely lose this battle. But I'm not worried because I'm still young and can afford to lose. But what about you, Uncle Six?"

"..."

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