Chapter 93

On Monday, I ask for your support with a vote, thank you.

The next morning, Wu Cheng woke up feeling refreshed and clear-headed. Seeing Zhao Yazhi sleeping, the corners of his lips curved into a gentle smile. He couldn't help but lean down and kiss her.

Although their relationship hadn't progressed further, in reality, both of them had already considered each other as their significant other. If not, how could a traditional woman like Zhao Yazhi possibly allow Wu Cheng to sleep next to her? It was unthinkable.

Last night, to cheer her up, Wu Cheng had said many kind words.

Wu Cheng had originally thought about taking advantage of the situation to get closer to her, but seeing the hint of hesitation in her eyes and considering that she still had to go to work at the studio today, he had to give up this very tempting idea, looking forward to the day when everything would naturally fall into place.

Wu Cheng was very clear about what she was hesitating over, and this was something that couldn't be helped. He couldn't possibly give up Deng Lijun, Lin Qingxia, or even Zhong Zuhong.

His heart was vast, especially his ambition for these goddesses.

Although Wu Cheng didn't want to make them sad, he knew that what he was doing would inevitably bring them sorrow and pain, an irreconcilable contradiction.

All he could do was to take even better care of them and love them more.

Of course, their only options were to accept or reject. If they didn't want to leave him, they had to accept. Zhao Yazhi had thought about leaving him, but she couldn't make up her mind. Especially during the days when Wu Cheng was away on Ri Island, she almost couldn't sleep every night.

Not only because she missed him, but also because she was worried that his defenses would be broken by Deng and Lin, and he would ultimately choose to leave her. The thought of possibly having to leave him forever made her heart ache as if she couldn't breathe, so she quickly dismissed this thought.

Carefully tucking the blanket around her, Wu Cheng leaned down and kissed her forehead again, then quietly left the room, as usual, going to the beach outside to exercise for a while.

When he returned, he found that Zhou Huimin was already holding a book, reading aloud in the backyard by the pool, her voice soft and cute, sounding quite pleasant.

After lunch, Zhang Guorong, Wu Shulan, and others left. Zhao Yazhi drove the car, taking Wu Cheng, Zhong Zuhong, the Mei sisters, and Lan Jieying to work, and on the way, she dropped these women off at their homes. Deng Lijun and Lin Qingxia stayed at the villa.

Of course, there were cars at the villa, so if they wanted to go out, it wasn't a problem.

However, the traffic in Hong Kong was different from that in Taiwan and Ri Island, as it was on the left side of the road. If you hadn't driven before, it could be a bit unfamiliar.

When Wu Cheng returned to the company, it was already around ten o'clock. Secretary Wang Wenxi brought over all the documents that had accumulated over the past few days, which needed Wu Cheng's personal signature, for him to handle.

Ma Xinlian from the finance department also brought over many reports that needed Wu Cheng's signature.

With Wu Cheng's superhuman memory, it took him only about two hours to finish reading and signing all the documents. Everything else was fine, but he was more meticulous with the financial part.

The company's finances included the box office revenue from the local area and the buyout fees from Nanyang, totaling about six million. The films in Taiwan and Korea had just finished screening, and the revenue splits hadn't been settled yet. As for the four million borrowed from Wu Shulan to buy the remaining two million for the cinema chain, Wu Cheng didn't transfer it to East Dragon but kept it in the Fei Long Cinema Chain.

Therefore, the company had only about nine million left in total.

Of course, nine million in working capital wasn't a small amount for a film company at this time. With one million, you could produce a movie, and it would be a mid-to-high budget film.

But in Wu Cheng's view, it was a bit tight. Because for the investment in "A Better Tomorrow," he had allocated three million, leaving only six million. For the promotion of "A Better Tomorrow," he had already allocated 500,000, plus the remaining 400,000 to 500,000 from the previous shooting, making the total promotion cost nearly one million, a significant investment.

After all, the production cost of "A Better Tomorrow" was only about 1.5 million, even with the involvement of the entire Yuan family troupe.

Compared to the production cost, the promotion cost was indeed unbelievable.

However, the company's upper management didn't say much about this decision because they had already tasted the benefits of increased promotion for the film.

But as a result, the company's working capital was down to only 5.5 million.

And out of this 5.5 million, 1.5 million had to be allocated for the upcoming production of "The Prodigal Son" and the bonuses and salaries of the company's employees.

After such a detailed calculation, the company's account balance was down to only about 2.5 million, which made Wu Cheng feel a bit pressured.

The money was still not enough.

With such a small amount, it would be difficult to produce "A Better Tomorrow."

Wu Yushen had just finished "Shaolin Gate" and would naturally have time next. It all depended on whether嘉禾 (Golden Harvest) was willing to let him go. Even if Golden Harvest was willing, East Dragon would probably have to pay a price.

If it weren't for not wanting to take away Wu Yushen's breakthrough work, Wu Cheng would have just asked someone else to direct it.

He felt that if Golden Harvest was determined not to let him go, he would have to apologize to Wu Yushen, but "A Better Tomorrow" had to be produced; it was a money-making project.

After signing these documents, Wu Cheng had a general understanding of the company's recent situation and then asked Wang Wenxi to notify the company's upper management for a meeting in the afternoon.

Wu Cheng had lunch with Wang Wenxi at the company and didn't choose to take a nap because he didn't have the habit. So, out of boredom, he continued writing his novel.

Next month, he would be going to Taiwan for a while, so he needed to write more this month.

At 2 PM, the company's upper management meeting was held. Wu Cheng affirmed everyone's efforts over the past period and then made plans for the second half of the year.

"The company will simultaneously produce three works. One is 'A Better Tomorrow,' which will start shooting in Taiwan in August. This is a drama that requires careful refinement, and I estimate it will take two to three months to complete. The release date is set for the Spring Festival. Manager Cen, please coordinate and reserve the release slot."

Cen Jianxun nodded and said, "Boss, rest assured, I will adjust accordingly."

Jokingly, for a film directed by the boss, even if it's a drama with poor box office, even if the cinema doesn't have a slot, a good slot must be reserved.

Although his temper is bad, he understands the principles of doing business.

"Another one is 'The Prodigal Son,' directed by Brother Sanmao. The production team can start forming now. Brother Sanmao, how long do you think it will take to complete?" Wu Cheng looked at Hong Jinbao.

Hong Jinbao smiled and said, "The plot of 'The Prodigal Son' is not complicated. The time-consuming part is mainly the action scenes and set design. However, I estimate that with one to two months, it can be completed. Including post-production, it will take about three months at most."

Wu Cheng nodded, feeling that his insistence on excellence was not in vain. In his previous life, a film taking two months to shoot in Hong Kong would have been considered a waste of money.

After all, in Hong Kong, making movies was like making money, and everyone emphasized efficiency. Wang Jing, known for his fast shooting speed, once completed a film in just over a week. This would be a joke in the future.

Such a fast pace inevitably led to a neglect of film quality.

Wu Cheng did not advocate this. If you're going to do something, do it to the best of your ability. Even if it's a bad film, it should be bad in a spectacular way. Otherwise, how can you face the audience?

"Let's release 'The Prodigal Son' during the Christmas and New Year's slots." Wu Cheng said, looking at Cen Jianxun, who smiled and said, "Boss, rest assured, I will arrange it."

Wu Cheng nodded and said, "The third film is 'A Better Tomorrow,' which I had planned to have Wu Yushen direct. Deputy Manager Chen, please contact Ms. Chen Shufen from Tiancheng Entertainment to help us contact Director Wu Yushen. If Director Wu is really unavailable, we can change the director. The lead role can be played by Wu Yaohan, and the female lead by Miss Zhao Yazhi, who is also our company's finance manager. Other actors can be selected by Tiancheng Entertainment based on the script and director's requirements."

Deputy Manager Chen, who recently joined East Dragon, is Chen Xunqi. Wu Cheng knew this person, who had distinctive mustaches.

Moreover, he was a versatile talent, skilled in writing, directing, acting, producing, and composing. Although he was just starting out and hadn't shown his true abilities yet, Wu Cheng didn't拘泥于常规 (stick to conventional methods) in using talent and directly appointed him as Deputy Manager of Production.

Wu Cheng's recognition made Chen Xunqi feel a bit elated.

Of course, his enthusiasm was also high, and he was eager to achieve something impressive. Therefore, he didn't hesitate to take on the task Wu Cheng gave him and immediately agreed.

Chen Xunqi joined the company after "A Better Tomorrow" became a hit. After he joined, another talented person, Huang Baiming, was also recruited by East Dragon.

Of course, when these two joined the company, Wu Cheng was on Ri Island. After receiving a call from Wang Wenxi, Wu Cheng directly promoted Chen Xunqi to a high position and placed Huang Baiming in the company's scriptwriting team, even appointing him as Deputy Head of the scriptwriting team.

This time, Wu Cheng planned to take Huang Baiming to Taiwan.

Wu Cheng was not averse to giving talented people opportunities, even if some found his unconventional approach to using talent a bit strange.

Wu Cheng gestured for Chen Xunqi to sit down and continued, "The company's publicity and distribution departments need to work together. Publicity can start now. As for the finance department, they can urge the Japanese and Korean sides to quickly transfer our revenue splits."

"Understood, boss."

...

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends