Chapter 62

As the saying goes, don't hit a person in the face, and don't reveal a person's weaknesses when scolding them. However, Wu Cheng particularly enjoyed adding salt to Shao Dahan's wounds, making Shao Dahan hate him with a passion, yet feel utterly helpless!

Wu Cheng had indeed hit Shao Dahan's soft spot. Every confrontation with Jiahe left Shao Dahan feeling as if he had swallowed a hundred flies, utterly disgusted.

From the betrayal of Zou Wenhui to the sudden rise of Li Xiaolong, and then to the departure of Xu Guanwen, each event had left the Shao family bruised and battered, in great pain.

For so many years, Jiahe had been like a thorn in Shao Dahan's throat, causing him discomfort!

Sensing Shao Dahan's hesitation, Wu Cheng said, "I know that in the past two years, you have co-produced some films overseas and earned a considerable amount of foreign currency. But do you really have no intention of surpassing Jiahe in the local box office in Hong Kong? If not, consider this call as if it never happened!"

"Don't try to provoke me, boy. How do we cooperate? Speak up. If it doesn't satisfy me, I won't agree. No matter how big the conflict, it's insignificant in the face of interests!"

This was a typical business mindset. Although Shao Dahan's contributions to the film industry were undeniable, he was, at the end of the day, a businessman.

Hearing this, the corners of Wu Cheng's lips curled slightly, knowing that his words had at least touched the tycoon. He then put on a serious face and said, "Feilong and Shao family will co-release the films, targeting Jiahe. The box office will be split 60-40, with 60% for me and 40% for you..."

"You boy, you really have the nerve! At most, it's 70-30, with 70% for me and 30% for you..."

"Then forget it!"

"..." Shao Dahan was speechless, feeling that this boy was not playing by the rules. Even at this point, he still dared to be picky. He gritted his teeth and said, "At most, it's 60-40, with 60% for me and 40% for you. Additionally, the overseas distribution must be handled by us, the Shao family. No less than that!"

Hearing this, Wu Cheng couldn't help but smile and said, "Uncle Six, you're overthinking it. The Hong Kong box office can be split 60-40, but the overseas distribution will be handled by us, Donglong. Of course, if Uncle Six is willing to share a slice of the overseas box office, we can continue to cooperate, but it can't be the full distribution rights!"

After a long silence, Shao Dahan said, "Alright, we'll discuss the other details privately!"

"Great cooperation!" Wu Cheng smiled and said, "I hope Uncle Six can give me a good time slot for the TV trailer. I would be very grateful!"

"Your gratitude is worth nothing! You just want to take advantage of me!"

"..."

...

Wu Cheng was speechless, listening to the dial tone on the phone, and helplessly shrugged his shoulders.

To be honest, if it weren't for Jiahe's excessive pressure this time, he wouldn't have wanted to cooperate with the Shao family. The Shao family's share of the box office was always very low, and sometimes getting a 20% share was already considered a good deal. Therefore, many people were unwilling to entrust their films to them for distribution.

Thus, a 40% share of the box office with the Shao family was considered very high.

Once again, Wu Cheng clearly felt the awkwardness of having too few theaters, which made him even more determined to develop his own theater network. You need to be strong to stand on your own!

"Wen, call Manager Shi and Manager Su to come over!"

After a while, Shi Nansheng and Su Shan hurried over. Wu Cheng gestured for them to sit down and said, "I just had a call with Shao Dahan. They have agreed to air our trailer. Manager Su, you will follow up on this. Additionally, for distribution, we will cooperate with the Shao family this time. Since Jiahe wants to fight, we have to respond. Manager Shi, you will handle this. When you go to talk, bring the legal team to avoid any loopholes."

The two women exchanged glances and smiled, "Boss, you can rest assured!"

Wu Cheng smiled and said, "Yes, you are both future businesswomen. Work hard! Girls!"

Hearing this, the two women couldn't help but giggle.

...

After work, Wu Cheng and Zhao Yazhi were leaving the company when they were stopped by two young girls.

The security guard, seeing them, couldn't help but approach with a look of anger, "Why are you two here again? We've already told you not to cause trouble here..."

"Mr. Wu, Mr. Wu..."

Hearing the girls' calls, Wu Cheng looked over in confusion. When he saw the two girls, he was somewhat surprised. Why had they come here?

Wu Cheng waved away the security guard and walked over with Zhao Yazhi, smiling and asking, "It's you two! What brings you here? Don't you have classes?"

Zhao Yazhi looked at the sisters with some suspicion. They had similar features, but the younger sister seemed more spirited and bolder.

However, upon hearing Wu Cheng's words, the sisters both lowered their heads in embarrassment. The older sister even fidgeted with the hem of her dress, too nervous to speak.

After Wu Cheng asked, he also felt awkward, as he remembered that this versatile diva had once dropped out of school due to family reasons and started singing to make a living early on.

Wu Cheng cleared his throat and said, "Haven't you eaten yet? Let me treat you, how about that?"

"No, no, Mr. Wu, we'll treat you!" The younger sister quickly said, "We just wanted to invite you for a meal to thank you for the tickets to Miss Deng's concert."

"Let me treat you! You work hard to earn money!" Wu Cheng smiled and then turned to Zhao Yazhi, saying, "Sis Zhi, let me introduce you. These two are..."

"Miss Zhao, hello, I'm Mei Aifang..."

"Hello, Sis Zhao, I'm Mei Yanfang, she's my sister, and I'm the younger one!"

Wu Cheng shrugged and smiled, "Sis Zhi, let's eat out tonight!"

Zhao Yazhi, though curious about how Wu Cheng knew these sisters, nodded and smiled, "You decide!"

They chose a restaurant near the company, and the four of them sat down. Wu Cheng said, "You don't need to call us 'Mr. Wu' and 'Miss Zhao.' Just call me Cheng or Big Cheng, and you can call her Sis Zhi. Sis Zhi is very nice and won't think you're impolite."

After Wu Cheng's explanation, Zhao Yazhi understood that Wu Cheng had given the sisters tickets to Deng Lijun's concert, a small act that had left a deep impression on them, leading them to seek him out personally, which she found quite unusual.

Zhao Yazhi smiled and said, "It's just a small thing, no need to go to such lengths..."

Mei Yanfang said, "Sis Zhi, for Mr. Wu... Big Cheng, it was just a small favor, but for us, it was a big deal. We actually came to see Big Cheng half a month ago, but the security guard wouldn't let us in. Big Cheng is so busy, and we rarely see him at the company entrance..."

Wu Cheng smiled wryly, acknowledging that he had indeed been busy lately, mostly on set.

After a bit of conversation, the food arrived, and Wu Cheng said, "Alright, let's eat first! If you want to find me in the future, just tell the security guard that you're my sisters."

Actually, the sisters were older than Wu Cheng, even with his fake age, but from their appearance and demeanor, Wu Cheng still seemed like the older brother.

As they ate and chatted, Wu Cheng learned about their current situation. The Mei family had four siblings, from a single-parent household, living with their mother. They had once run a small nightclub, but a fire forced the sisters to drop out of school and start singing to make a living.

Their tragic story made Zhao Yazhi's heart overflow with sympathy, and tears streamed down her face.

Seeing the emotional Sis Zhi, Wu Cheng felt somewhat helpless. She didn't know the full story of this family. If she knew that these two girls would both pass away in a few decades, she would probably cry even more. However, thinking about how their mother would argue over Mei Yanfang's inheritance in the future, he couldn't help but sigh at the insatiable nature of human desires.

"Waiter, bring us four more of these!"

"Big Cheng, we're already full!" Mei Yanfang saw Wu Cheng ordering more food and said, "It's wasteful!"

Wu Cheng smiled and said, "Don't worry about me, I'm ordering for myself. You two keep talking!"

Zhao Yazhi also smiled and said, "Little Cheng has a big appetite, don't be surprised!"

The sisters exchanged glances, and Mei Yanfang stuck out her tongue, saying, "Big Cheng is really amazing!"

This almost made Wu Cheng choke. Was she calling him a glutton?

After finishing the meal, Wu Cheng felt only 70% full and wiped his mouth with a napkin, saying, "You two have been so persistent in finding me, there must be something you want, right?"

"Um..." Mei Aifang didn't know how to start.

Mei Yanfang, however, said straightforwardly, "Big Cheng, we want you to write a song for us..."

Wu Cheng looked at the sisters with a strange expression, making them feel awkward and lower their heads. Seeing their reaction, Wu Cheng couldn't help but laugh and said, "What? You want to release an album?"

"No, no!" Mei Aifang quickly explained, "We just want, want..."

Wu Cheng waved his hand and said seriously, "This isn't a solution. At your age, you should learn more. I know that with your current family situation, going to school is a luxury. How about this: I'll fund a bar, and your mother and two brothers can manage it. You two can go to school, and when you're ready, we can talk about singing. What do you think?"

"Can we really do that?" Mei Yanfang's eyes lit up with hope, clearly longing to go to school.

Wu Cheng stroked his chin and thought for a moment, saying, "I'll find a teacher for you two to learn music. You can go to school and learn music at the same time... but after you graduate, you'll have to sign with me. Interested?"

"Really?" The sisters were excited.

Wu Cheng smiled and said, "Do you think Big Cheng is a liar?"

The sisters quickly shook their heads.

"Then it's settled. Come to the company tomorrow!"

...