1990: Starting from Baojia Street

Zhou Yan wanted to test Li Qiu a few more times, but he heard Li Qiu say, "You're back. Zhou Yan called."

Then Zhou Hong answered the phone, "Hello."

Zhou Yan turned on the hands-free phone and asked, "Brother, have you eaten?"

Huo Siqi beside him joked, "Didn't he just come back from the toilet? He must be full."

Zhou Hong didn't respond, but just asked, "Why are you two together today?"

"I'm here to drink with the third brother. Are you jealous?"

"Why are you drinking in the middle of the day? Is it about the electronics factory? Didn't I say that I'll take care of the electronics factory's affairs and you don't need to worry about them?"

"It's not about the electronics factory. It's about something else. The third brother wants to invest in a movie, but he doesn't have enough money."

"Do you want to use Qizi's money?" Zhou Hong asked in a deep voice, "What kind of investment is it necessary to use Qizi's money?"

Zhou Hong knew that Zhou Yan had money, so he was wondering why Zhou Yan would want to touch Qizi's money.

Even if Zhou Yan didn't have enough money, he should have contacted him first.

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "It would cost about 50 million US dollars to invest in Titanic. I think it's a good opportunity."

On the other end of the phone, Zhou Hong sighed slightly, secretly lamenting that his younger brother was still too rash. Regarding matters such as investing in a movie, he actually went directly to Huo Siqi.

If it is a small investment, an investment of millions or even tens of millions of RMB, just look for it.

But an investment of 50 million US dollars has such a high cost and the risks are definitely difficult to estimate.

It would be fine if I could make money with Qizi, but it would be hard to explain if I lost a lot of money in the end.

Although Huo Siqi felt a little resentful because he was not brought along for the last project of "The Sixth Sense", Zhou Hong still did not change his mind. Huo Siqi really could not be brought along for such a risky project, at least not in the next few years.

Huo Siqi's purpose of this line is not to make money, but to maintain the Zhou family's network of contacts in Yanjing, so he has to be cautious.

But at this point, Zhou Hong couldn't say anything to stop it. He thought for a moment and said, "Fifty million US dollars, Xiaoyan, can you pay ten million yourself?"

"Yes, I can."

"Well, you personally contribute 10 million US dollars, Qizhi contributes 5 million US dollars, and Zhou Entertainment contributes the remaining 35 million US dollars."

When Huo Siqi heard Zhou Hong cut Qizhi's share to 5 million US dollars, he immediately refused to accept it. "5 million US dollars is too little, it's only one tenth, and of this one tenth, I only have 35%. No, no."

Zhou Hong advised, "Qizhi should keep some money in his account. It would be too risky to take all the money out."

"Of course I won't empty Qizhi's account. I'll leave 10 million RMB in the account and invest the rest of the money. I'll have more than 20 million US dollars."

"Brother Qi, this money invested may not be recovered. Even if it can be recovered, it will take at least one or two years. Can you accept this time?"

Before Huo Siqi could answer, Zhou Hong continued, "Also, I have to tell you about Titanic. The production cost of this movie is very high. If we invest another 50 million US dollars in it, the total cost will exceed 200 million US dollars. If we want to make a profit, the box office must exceed 400 million US dollars. To be safe, let's say 500 million US dollars. In the history of global cinema, there have been only 11 movies that have grossed more than 500 million US dollars over the years, including this year's Independence Day and The Sixth Sense. Think about it, how big the risk is."

The data listed by Zhou Hong did make Huo Siqi a little shaken.

He also didn't expect that it would be so difficult for this movie to make a profit. Over the years, only eleven movies in the world have box office exceeding 500 million US dollars, and this year's two are included.

The reason why Zhou Hong is so clear about this data is because of "The Sixth Sense".

Originally, "The Sixth Sense" not only topped this year's box office charts, but also made it into the top ten in global box office history.

It’s just that "Independence Day" was so popular that it successfully pushed "The Sixth Sense" from the tenth place in the box office history to the eleventh place.

There seems to be only one place difference between the tenth and the eleventh, but when many people make a list, they only list ten, and there will be no "The Sixth Sense".

So this matter is very regrettable for them.

Hearing that Huo Siqi didn't say anything on the other end of the phone, Zhou Hong smiled. He thought that what he had just said should be able to make Huo Siqi back off.

After all, no matter how you look at it, it's very difficult for this movie to make a profit.

Even if they can eventually make their money back, it is not worth it for them to invest so much money and spend so much time on it.

If this money is invested elsewhere, it can make a lot of money in a year or two. Investing it in a movie with an extremely high risk factor is not cost-effective.

But what Zhou Hong didn't expect was that Huo Siqi was silent for a while, then said firmly, "Do it, we must do it, anyway we won't lose money. As long as the third brother is optimistic, I, as the elder brother, will definitely support it. Besides, what you said are all past data, and history is constantly changing. If we can release two movies with a box office of more than 500 million US dollars this year, why can't we release one next year, and why can't this one be "Titanic"? "

Zhou Yan, who was listening to Huo Siqi say this, actually felt his blood boiling.

I have to say, Huo Siqi is a really courageous guy.

Zhou Yan dared to invest money in it because he knew that if nothing unexpected happened, "Titanic" would make a lot of money.

But from Huo Siqi's perspective, he could only choose to believe Zhou Yan.

After hearing what Huo Siqi said, Zhou Hong knew that there was no need for him to persuade him anymore.

"In that case, let's do this. Qizhi will contribute 25 million US dollars, Xiaoyan will contribute 10 million US dollars, and Zhou Entertainment will contribute 15 million US dollars."

Huo Siqi smiled and said, "That's right. Don't be too cautious. Even if we lose this money, it won't be a devastating blow to us. Qizi Company is making money every day now. It's just that we are a little slow in the later stages."

"This is the right mentality. In fact, it's okay to invest in Titanic. Even if we can't make money, it can help our company gain exposure in the United States."

They had previously invested in "The Sixth Sense", which had attracted a lot of attention.

However, their investment in "The Sixth Sense" was not high, and although they made a lot of money, the response was not very great.

"What stage have we reached with the investment?" Zhou Hong asked again.

"We've just started, and there hasn't been any substantial progress. I just want to settle the money issue first." Zhou Yan replied.

"Well, this idea is correct. Then I'll wait for your news. Once you have reached an agreement, the money will be in place. That's it for today. You two should drink less at noon."

"It's over. I'm having tea now."

"That's good. You don't have to worry about the electronics factory. We will have news soon." Zhou Hong mentioned the electronics factory again.

"Okay." Zhou Yan nodded, and then smiled meaningfully, "Give my regards to Sister Qiu." On the other end of the phone, Zhou Hong was silent for a while before speaking, "Okay, got it."

……

After the money issue was confirmed, Zhou Yan told Zhang Youan to talk with confidence, and that they would invest as long as the amount was less than 50 million US dollars.

This time Zhang Youan's efficiency was not as high. He kept negotiating with Fox but there was no progress.

Zhang Youan guessed that Fox must be waiting for news from several other large companies. Relatively speaking, they naturally prefer to cooperate with the other eight major companies. After all, these large companies have extensive resources.

Apart from money, Zhou Yan and his people can only give very limited things.

Zhang Youan was not in a hurry because Zhou Yan had already told him to keep calm. It would be best if he could get it, but it didn't matter if he couldn't.

As time goes by, it should be Fox that should be anxious.

Although Fox has not given in these days, its attitude is still very positive, which shows that they have not received good news from other companies.

Of course, this is normal. In the eyes of other companies, Fox is now looking for a buyer to help them share the losses.

It’s such a big pit that few people dare to jump into it.

……

About a week had passed since I had a drink with Huo Siqi.

The post-production of "Time Traveler" has entered the final stage. Zhou Yan has been in the studio these days, and most of his time is in the editing room. He doesn't even spend much time in his own office.

He spent the entire afternoon in the editing room that day. When he walked out of Building No. 3 dizzy and dazed, he saw Li Xiuhai walking out of the music studio building opposite.

When he saw Zhou Yan, a smile appeared on Li Xuhai's face. He walked towards Zhou Yan quickly with a teacup in his arms.

"Director Li, are you looking for me?" Zhou Yan asked in surprise.

"Well, I went to your office twice to look for you."

"I'm over there in the editing room."

"I know, but I didn't want to disturb you at work, so I didn't go. It's almost time to get off work, so I had to go look for you. I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence that I ran into you just outside."

At this time, a cold wind blew by. Zhou Yangang had just come out of the building and felt a little chilly. He quickly tightened his collar and asked, "Director, what do you want to talk to me about? Why don't you come to my office and sit down?"

The smile on Li Xuhai's face turned awkward, "I really don't know how to start this conversation."

Seeing the embarrassment on his face, Zhou Yan smiled and said, "Director, if you have anything to say, just tell me."

Li Xiuhai sighed slightly and said, "That's right. Didn't we agree before that we would rent the three buildings and the open space in the middle to you? But now something unexpected has happened. A private electronics factory has taken a fancy to our place and wants to invest in acquiring our factory. The conditions they offer are very good, and the key is that they promise to arrange for our workers."

At this point, Li Xiuhai's expression became even more embarrassed. "Originally, I took the initiative to propose the lease, but now I regret it. It's really embarrassing. But you also know that given our factory's current situation, it's really rare to meet a company that is willing to acquire and arrange employees. We can't miss such an opportunity..."

"So, we have to give up on renting the building?"

"Yes." Li Xiuhai nodded, "Not only can the three buildings we agreed on last time not be rented, but the two buildings we have rented before can also not be rented to you."

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "Director, the sale cannot break the lease. We have rented these two buildings for a long time, and the renovation cost me a lot of money. Not to mention Building No. 3, the warehouse and several recording studios cost me a lot of money. These renovations, if not tens of millions, must be several million."

"So many?" Li Xuhai asked in surprise.

He knew that Zhou Yan had spent a lot of money on decoration, but he didn't expect it to be so much. Several million was enough to build a building.

His first reaction was that Zhou Yan must be exaggerating, but then he thought about Zhou Yan's usual style of doing things and found it credible.

"Not only that, although the equipment inside can be moved, the cost of moving is not low. Just the pianos alone will cost a lot of money. The piano in the big recording studio costs more than one million. Most people don't dare to move it."

"Hiss~" Li Xuhai took a breath of cold air. He really didn't expect that a piano would cost more than one million.

The money from this piano is enough for their factory to pay one month's salary.

Hearing Zhou Yan say this, Li Xiuhai felt very disappointed and was speechless for a moment.

On the one hand, they were indeed in the wrong in this matter, and there was nothing they could do since Zhou Yan insisted on being right.

On the other hand, Zhou Yan's background is not something that ordinary people can change, so even if they want to use force, they can't do anything.

Li Xiuhai could only say in a gentle voice, "Teacher Zhou, can you make some concessions on this matter? So many workers in our factory are counting on this acquisition. I will definitely return all the rent you have already paid, and we can also subsidize part of the renovation and moving costs... It may not be much, but we really can't come up with that much money right now."

Zhou Yan looked at Li Xuhai and suddenly laughed, "Director, you haven't had dinner yet, right?"

"Ah?" Li Xiuhai was stunned.

Zhou Yan changed the topic too quickly and he couldn't keep up for a while.

Aren’t we talking about subsidies? How did it get to the point of eating?
And Zhou Yan's expression was a little strange. Why was he still smiling?

"Teacher Zhou, if you have any ideas, just tell me directly. I also..."

"What is the name of the private enterprise that acquired your factory?"

"It's called Jinhong Electronics, and it was only opened in the past two years."

"What's their boss' name?"

"Well... I only know that their general manager is Li Yaohua, and he shouldn't be the boss. Why are you asking this?"

Zhou Yan laughed, "That's right, you don't have to worry about these two buildings. Jinhong Electronics won't care."

Li Xiuhai's eyes widened. "Teacher Zhou, what do you mean..."

"Let's go to the cafeteria to eat. Just go and coordinate the acquisition. Don't worry about the other things. There won't be any problems."

After saying that, Zhou Yan walked towards the cafeteria first.

Li Xiuhai hesitated for a while, but finally followed. (End of this chapter)