yournovel Chapter 34 Takeoff
Chapter 34 Takeoff
The contract included resource terms, the registration number was issued, and the system was launched and deployed. This fulfilled the terms and is what should have happened. There's nothing to make a fuss about.
On the other end, Xu Wen forwarded a confirmation message from Dilireba's agent. The agent's wording was: "Received. Teacher Dilireba will arrive at 10:00 AM sharp on December 5th. Please arrange for her reception."
The agent spoke politely, but the meaning was clear: this resource was agreed upon in the contract, not something that fell from the sky, and the other party knew their position.
Zeng Hao scrolled past the message without replying.
He flipped the memo to the Dilireba section and wrote a single word next to the resource terms: Exchange.
That same evening, Xu Wen sent over Yang Shanshan's weekly status report.
Five announcements were completed this week, all within the contract limit, and none were turned down. In the emotional state section, Xu Wen wrote: "Quiet, cooperative level is normal, spends a lot of time alone in the dressing room, and initiates less communication with the assistant."
In the section for abnormal records, Xu Wen wrote two entries this time.
Article 1: On the way back after the announcement on Wednesday, Yang Shanshan made a private phone call in the car. The call lasted about fifteen minutes. Her assistant was sitting in the front seat and did not hear the specific content, but only heard that Yang Shanshan's tone was low.
Second: On Friday's filming set, while other artists were chatting in the rest area, Yang Shanshan sat alone in a corner looking at her phone. When someone came over to talk to her, she gave a brief response and then continued looking at her phone, appearing rather withdrawn.
After reading these two points, Zeng Hao wrote three words next to them: "Dependency Reduction".
Then I sent a message to Xu Wen: Starting next week, the schedule will remain the same, but have your assistant ask Yang Shanshan if she has eaten after each schedule. Just ask her that one question and see her reaction. Write down her reaction and send it to me.
Xu Wen: Okay, I'll talk to my assistant.
Zeng Hao put down his phone, flipped back to Yang Shanshan's entry in the notes app, and reread the small print he had written earlier.
The current state of Yang Shanshan's storyline is like a tightly stretched string; it hasn't snapped yet, but you can already hear the sound.
The tension will continue to rise before the end of the year. The question is whether she can hold out until the year-end financial report is released, or whether she will find an opportunity to reveal her hand before then.
If she speaks first, Zeng Hao has a way to deal with it. It's nothing more than making empty promises and adding pressure, giving a little something in return and then increasing the workload. This tactic can be used once and then again, but the effect will be reduced the second time. That's the rule.
So the best-case scenario is that she can hold on until the end of the year, and all the current arrangements will be on track, allowing her to crush the other party in one fell swoop.
He closed the memo, picked up his phone and glanced at the time: 6:10.
The letter of intent arrived on Thursday afternoon.
Xu Wen sent a message at 2:30 pm: Mr. Zeng, Studio M has sent over the letter of intent. I will forward it to you.
The attachment was a two-page letter of intent in both English and Korean, which Zeng Hao opened and read.
The letter of intent was worded in a standard business format, with the core content concentrated on the second page. Studio M expressed a formal intention to cooperate on the Goryeo adaptation rights of "Go Princess Go," hoping to acquire the adaptation rights and broadcasting rights in Goryeo. The adaptation period is expected to be twelve months, with filming planned to begin in the second half of next year. The broadcasting platforms will be connected with two major online video platforms in Goryeo.
Regarding the licensing fee, the other party did not proactively quote a price in the letter of intent, but wrote a sentence in the last paragraph, roughly meaning that they hoped both parties would start further negotiations on the licensing fee range as soon as possible, and expressed Studio M's full sincerity for this project.
Full sincerity.
Zeng Hao went over those four words in his mind, closed the letter of intent window, and sent Xu Wen a message: Letter of intent received. The format and content are fine. We will arrange a second video conference next week. I will attend this time. The time is set for Tuesday afternoon. You can confirm with the other party.
Xu Wen: Okay, I'll confirm the time today.
Then Zeng Hao flipped to the page with the Korean version in his memo, crossed out the line he had written before, and rewrote a new line: Letter of intent received. Video conference on Tuesday, Zeng Hao will participate. Quotation range: RMB 80-150. Do not offer a price proactively; wait for the other party to give a figure first.
80 is the bottom line, 150 million is the target, and there is room for maneuver within that range. Where it ends up depends on the other party's attitude. But the initiative in this matter has never been on Studio M's side. They came after us with full sincerity, which in itself shows that they need the copyright more than Sunshine Entertainment needs the money.
As I always say, the one who isn't in a hurry is always the better negotiator.
He closed the memo and picked up the last document of the day, which was Xu Wen's preliminary list of male group candidates. It was an A4 sheet of paper, handwritten, divided into two columns according to the channel. The Beijing Film Academy had initially contacted twelve people, and the Central Academy of Drama had replied, screening seven people, for a total of nineteen candidates. Each name was followed by three items: age, major, and a brief evaluation of appearance.
Zeng Hao read through the list from beginning to end.
He didn't recognize most of the names, but he glanced at a few and paused because the appearance reviews included certain keywords. For example, one was named Zhou Zhennan, a sophomore at the Beijing Film Academy majoring in acting. Xu Wen's appearance review described him as: highly recognizable, with a strong presence and explosive power.
Zeng Hao circled the name.
Scrolling down, a name named Wu Xuanyi appeared in the Central Academy of Drama section. She was nineteen years old and majored in music performance. Her appearance was briefly described as: outstanding appearance, strong stage presence, and a distinctive voice, but her acting skills were average.
This is a girl's name that was mixed into the list of boy group candidates. It's probably because Xu Wen didn't separate them completely when he was organizing them, and Zeng Hao didn't cross them out. He wrote four words next to it: "Listed separately, girl group".
Continuing down, on the third-to-last line of the list, there was a name that made him pause for almost three seconds.
Chen Linong is a sophomore majoring in acting at Beijing Film Academy. Brief description of appearance: clean-cut, with delicate features, approachable, good at variety shows, but singing skills need improvement.
Zeng Hao also circled this name.
He went through the entire list, circled four candidates, and crossed out three whose appearance and demeanor clearly did not meet the requirements. At the bottom of the list, he wrote a note: "The four circled candidates will have their first interview scheduled for this month at the company. I will not attend. Xu Wen will host the interview. After the interview, send me a video recording and a summary; I will make the final selection." Additionally, Wu Xuanyi is listed separately as a girl group candidate and will not proceed to the boy group process.
After finishing writing, I pushed the list to the side of the table and sent a message to Xu Wen: I've finished reviewing the list of male idols. Write your annotations on the paper. Pick it up from Sister Liu and proceed according to the annotations. The first interview will be held within this month.
Xu Wen replied: Okay, I'll pick it up tomorrow.
Zeng Hao put down his phone and mentally reviewed the current lines again.
The film registration for "Diamond Lover" has been finalized, filming will begin on December 5th, Dilraba Dilmurat's resource terms have been fulfilled, and Peng Bing's crew is on standby. The letter of intent for the Korean version has been received; a video conference will be held on Tuesday to determine the bidding range, giving us the upper hand. The box office continues its climb to 2.28 million, ultimately settling around 2.37 million. The remaining settlement payment of slightly over 70 million will arrive monthly, so no further action is needed. Yang Shanshan's emotional buildup is progressing faster than expected; the year-end target remains unchanged, so we'll continue monitoring her. The initial screening list for the boy group has been released, with four people making the initial auditions. Wu Xuanyi is listed separately for the girl group, and Xu Kunkun remains the team leader.
This company has taken off.