Chapter 157: The Lion’s Big Mouth

Listening to the dial tone on the phone, Wen Muye’s face was a mixture of light and shadow.

It was clear, Xu Yang would definitely not be asking him to direct the movie.

“Since that’s the case, don’t blame me for being unkind.”

Wen Muye gritted his teeth and dialed a phone number.

It was the number of an executive from Tencent Pictures.

Before calling Xu Zhen, he had already contacted this executive and shown them the script; the movie was to be led by Tencent Pictures.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Now that things had turned out this way, and since he couldn’t secure a director’s position with Xu Yang, he would have to let Tencent Pictures handle it.

A few minutes later, he hung up the phone and sneered, “Hmph, Xu Yang, if you won’t let me direct, I won’t make things easy for you either!”

On Xu Yang’s end.

Not long after hanging up the call from Wen Muye, his phone rang again.

It was an unfamiliar number, also from Shenzhen.

He was curious about who from Shenzhen would be calling him.

He didn’t seem to have any friends from Shenzhen.

Could it be a close classmate who had moved to Shenzhen for work?

“Hello,” Xu Yang answered the phone.

“Is this President Xu? I’m Wu Chengtao, the person in charge of the film department at Tencent Pictures,” Wu Chengtao said.

“Tencent Pictures? What do you need?” Xu Yang asked.

“I heard you’re currently investing in a movie and have hired Xu Zhen as director, is that right?” Wu Chengtao asked.

“Yes, that’s correct. Why, do you want to invest?” Xu Yang asked.

“Yes, we would like to invest,” Wu Chengtao said.

“No problem, I’ll allocate a portion of the investment quota to you, but I can’t say exactly how much right now; I need to confirm all the investors before allocating.”

Backed by the Tencent Group, Tencent Pictures is a heavyweight in the film and television industry.

If they wanted to invest, Xu Yang naturally had to give them face and a share of the stock.

“I hope you can determine the investment quota for Tencent Pictures right now. How much can you give?”, Wu Chengtao was somewhat aggressive.

“Determine it right now?” Xu Yang frowned slightly, displeased with the tone, “If we have to decide now, I can give you five percent of the investment quota.”

Normally, given Tencent Pictures’ scale, Xu Yang would at least allocate ten percent of the investment quota to them.

Their tone made him displeased, and since they wanted an immediate decision, he would only give them a five percent share.

“President Xu, you’re not joking with me, are you?” Wu Chengtao chuckled coldly.

“I never joke about these things,” Xu Yang’s tone became indifferent.

“President Xu, I hope to get forty percent of the investment quota, and I hope you can agree,” Wu Chengtao said.

Forty percent of the investment quota?

Xu Yang was stunned.

This guy was asking for the lion’s share.

“President Wu, I’m only keeping forty percent for myself. The remaining sixty percent is to share with other investors; it’s impossible to give you so much. If I gave you forty percent, it would leave only twenty percent for others, which is out of the question.”

He had agreed to give ten percent to Xu Zhen, and he also planned to give ten percent to Wang Xiaocong.

If we give another forty percent to the other party, the investment quota will be fully allocated, and we won’t be able to bring in other investors.

That’s unacceptable.

Even though we have Tencent and Wang Xiaocong, our network is already very strong.

But there are other intricate relationships involved that need others to handle.

Otherwise, even for Wang Xiaocong and Tencent Pictures, it’s going to be tough.

Maybe even because of this reason, it could lead to poor box office performance.

It’s the same old saying, money should be made together; this is what will allow things to go smoothly.

To hog it all to oneself or have only a few benefit is absolutely not okay.

“Twenty percent for others is already quite generous. Just find four more people, giving each a five percent stake,” Wu Chengtao said with a laugh.

“Sorry, but that’s far from what I expected,” Xu Yang replied.

“Mr. Xu, if you want to bring in more people, you could reduce your own investment share,” Wu Chengtao said, still smiling.

“Do you think that’s possible? It’s my movie. I give you forty percent of the investment quota, yet reduce my own share. Do you think I’m an idiot?” Xu Yang said with a cold laugh in response.

“Mr. Xu, I don’t think you’re an idiot, but I still hope you can agree. It’s a good thing for both of us,” Wu Chengtao stated calmly.

“Sorry, but I can’t agree to that,” Xu Yang said without hesitation.

“Mr. Xu, don’t be so quick to refuse. I’ve heard from Wen Muye that the movie directed by Xu Zhen is highly similar to the screenplay he wrote, which was originally going to be invested by us. Now, it’s as if you’ve snatched it midway. I’m only asking for forty percent of the investment share, that’s not excessive, right?” Wu Chengtao said.

“Snatched it midway?” Xu Yang laughed, no wonder the other party had the audacity to make such a huge demand. They thought he’d hijacked the project and wanted such a high percentage to compensate for their loss. “Sorry, but this doesn’t qualify as a midway hijack. It’s just bad luck for Wen Muye to have written a script similar to mine. You wanting to invest in Wen Muye’s film was also bad luck. If you really think you can demand forty percent investment share for this, let me be clear: you’re asking for too much.”

“So you’re saying you won’t agree?” Wu Chengtao’s tone turned cold.

“Yes, I won’t agree,” Xu Yang responded coldly.

“Mr. Xu, you should think this through carefully. Tencent Pictures is backed by Tencent Group, and our strength is beyond your imagination. If you don’t agree, we can make sure your movie never gets made,” Wu Chengtao threatened bluntly.

“Are you threatening me?” Xu Yang asked with a cold laugh.

If it were the past, he definitely would have been afraid of threats.

Now, naturally, he was not afraid.

So what if they were backed by Tencent Group? If they really made him angry, he wasn’t against fighting it out.

“That’s right, I’m threatening you. It would be best if you accept my terms and give us Tencent Pictures a forty percent investment share, otherwise, don’t blame me for not being courteous,” Wu Chengtao said with a cold laugh.

He believed that as long as Xu Yang understood the balance of benefits and consequences, he would surely capitulate.

This was the power of strong capital; it could pressure any weaker party into submission.

Even if the weaker party was upset, they had no choice but to endure.

“You know about my dealings with Hua’an Film and Television, right?” Xu Yang asked with a cold laugh.

“I know, but if you think you can use the same method against us, Tencent Pictures, as you did with Hua’an Film and Television, you are mistaken. Try it if you don’t believe me,” Wu Chengtao retorted without any fear.

“It seems that method won’t work, but I still won’t agree to your terms. I was considering giving you a five percent investment share, but now I’ve decided not to give you any at all. Do whatever you think you can do,” Xu Yang defiantly refused to be threatened.

If the other side wanted a fight, then they would have one.

Others might fear Tencent Pictures, but he certainly did not.

The worst outcome was that the movie wouldn’t get made – no big deal.

“Fine, just wait,” Wu Chengtao said with a cold smile and hung up the phone.