msmithbooks Chapter 113 Passing the Throne to the Fourth Prince
Chapter 113 Passing the Throne to the Fourth Prince
Logically speaking, as the absolute protagonist of tonight's celebration banquet, and the behind-the-scenes boss of Vision Entertainment, Gu Heng should have had a line of toasts stretching all the way to the door.
But the reality is quite bizarre.
In the vast banquet hall, Gu Heng was enjoying a leisurely moment, holding a wine glass and occasionally taking a sip.
On the other hand, Ning Hao, the newly minted director with a net worth of over 100 million yuan, was already surrounded by a huge crowd.
Various third-tier celebrities and producers looking to attract investment are practically ready to shove a wine glass down his throat.
Gu Heng, with his sharp eyes, even noticed two actresses in low-cut evening gowns secretly slipping small slips of paper with room numbers written on them into Ning Hao's pocket while they were toasting.
Ning Hao, his face flushed and eyes glazed over, was completely unaware of what was happening.
Gu Heng shook his head as he watched, silently mourning for his good brother: Damn it, if Xing Aina finds this when she's doing laundry at home, you'll be lucky to escape with your life!
As for why no one dared to approach Gu Heng to establish a relationship?
Nonsense! Look at all the monsters and freaks sitting at his main table!
On the left is Han Sanping, the mountain-claw leader of China Film Group; on the right are the two kings of Huayi Brothers, who have a forced smile; and opposite them sit Wang Changtian and several other big shots from Enlight Media.
With this kind of setup, who would dare to sit at this table if they weren't high-profile enough?
Don't let their serious demeanor fool you; these big shots are actually quite gossipy.
They chatted about all sorts of gossip in the industry.
I don't know who brought up the topic of the most anticipated big-budget production in the industry right now.
"Chairman Han, I heard that there's been another problem with Director Wu's 'Red Cliff' production team? They've invested quite a bit of money in it."
When the film "Red Cliff" was mentioned, Han Sanping's originally rosy complexion visibly collapsed, and he let out a heavy sigh.
"Don't even mention it, they were throwing real money into the water! The budget kept increasing, and the crew had so much to do..."
The atmosphere at the table suddenly became awkward. The bosses exchanged glances, all trying to suppress their laughter.
Gu Heng sat to the side, his face as calm as an old dog, but he had already started complaining in his heart.
This movie has had a lot of trouble, and the key question is what kind of garbage it turned out to be?
It's been so many years, Han Sanping must have had the worst luck in eight lifetimes to have run into such a person.
He's a genius who single-handedly bankrupted MGM, a long-established Hollywood giant!
When the two parts of "Red Cliff" are finally released, the most talked-about thing will probably not be the grand scene of burning the ships, but a line that is so outrageous it's almost unbelievable.
"Mengmeng, stand up!"
Gu Hengguang got goosebumps just thinking about Lin Zhiling saying that line in that affected, high-pitched voice.
But with Han Sanping, the biggest sucker, sitting right next to him, he could only force himself to hold back and pretend to be deeply sympathetic.
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Wang Changtian quickly stepped in to smooth things over, changing the subject: "Hey, let's not talk about those troublesome things. You three companies really made a killing this time, President Gu. Next time there's a great project like this, you absolutely have to include Guangxian!"
"Mr. Wang, you're too kind. It's no trouble at all," Gu Heng said, raising his glass in a perfunctory manner.
Everyone actually knows the specific income of these companies.
These are all transparent.
After the two films finished their theatrical run, Vision Entertainment, as the main controlling party, earned approximately 7 million yuan after deducting costs.
China Film Group also took a distribution agency fee, which amounted to more than 3 million yuan.
As for Huayi's final share, it was only a little over ten million.
It looked like a lot, but Gu Heng still felt unsatisfied.
Damn it, making movies is like gambling with your life on the line; it's a long process with slow returns.
When it comes to making a fortune quietly, TV dramas are the way to go!
Look at "Bright Sword". After its premiere, it became a hit. How many times have the rebroadcast rights been sold in the past two years?
Major TV stations are vying for them! There's also "Soldiers Sortie," which just finished airing, and "Wang Zhaojun," which made Yang Mi famous.
The DVD and online rights to these three series, plus the second and third rounds of broadcasting fees, have been steadily generating revenue that has long since far surpassed the profits from these two movies!
This has made Gu Heng want to make a TV series!
While we were chatting, the door to the banquet hall was pushed open, and an old acquaintance wearing a baseball cap and with a face full of wrinkles walked in.
Zhang Yimou!
This person is now a national treasure, busy preparing for the opening ceremony of the 08 Olympic Games, he is incredibly busy.
But when he heard that the Beijing Film Academy had produced two new directors with earnings exceeding 100 million yuan, he squeezed out time from his spare moments to personally come and congratulate them.
Gu Heng quickly went to greet him, and the two exchanged a few pleasantries in a corner.
Zhang Yimou praised "Lost in Thailand" without reservation, then sighed that the younger generation is truly formidable. Without even taking a sip of water, he hurriedly left with his assistant.
The celebration banquet ended promptly at 10 p.m.
There was no second match.
After all, Vision and Allway are legitimate companies.
Hotel lobby entrance.
Gu Heng took his girlfriend from Liu Yifei's hands.
At this moment, Yang Mi was limp all over, with most of her weight leaning on Liu Yifei's shoulder. Her delicate cheeks were flushed, and she was humming softly, looking like she was completely drunk.
"Director Gu, Mimi shielded you from a lot of drinks tonight, so please take good care of her when you get back." Liu Yifei winked mischievously and handed the person over.
"Thank you for your hard work. Please be careful on your way back with your aunt."
Gu Heng had just pulled Yang Mi into his arms and was about to call Wang Gang to bring the car over when he glanced down at her and couldn't help but smile.
The girl, who had been keeping her eyes closed, secretly opened them a crack, her eyeballs darting around as she glanced at him furtively, before quickly closing them again and continuing to play dead.
Good grief, so you're putting on an act with him here, aren't you?
All the acting skills she learned at the Beijing Film Academy are used here!
Gu Heng didn't expose her, suppressing his laughter as he shoved the pretending-to-be-drunk little fox into the back seat, then sat down himself.
With the partition raised, the back seat becomes an absolutely private and independent space.
Yang Mi, who had just been limp as a puddle, immediately clung to Gu Heng, rubbing her head against his neck. The faint scent of perfume mixed with a hint of red wine wafted into Gu Heng's nostrils.
"Hmm... Gu Heng..."
Yang Mi mumbled, her little hands still tugging at his tie, and she would kiss him on the chin every now and then, and then whisper in his ear in a sticky voice that only the two of them could hear, so that it was impossible to understand what she was saying.
Gu Heng felt a tickle in his heart as she rubbed against him, but he also knew that this girl was just pretending to be drunk and acting coquettishly.
He rolled his eyes and decided to tease her.
He leaned close to Yang Mi's mouth, feigning an extremely shocked expression as if listening to a state secret, and loudly continued.
"What?! You want to pass the throne to the Fourth Prince?!"
The carriage fell silent for three seconds.
Yang Mi, who was still enjoying the tenderness with her eyes closed and putting on a show of being "weak and helpless", suddenly stiffened.
next second.
"Pfft—"
Yang Mi couldn't hold back any longer. She opened her eyes and burst into wild laughter, laughing so hard that tears were almost streaming down her face.
"Gu Heng! Aren't you the biggest spoilsport?!"
She was so angry that she sat up abruptly from Gu Heng's lap, pounding his shoulder with her fists, "That's not how you create romance!"
"Shouldn't you hold me tight first, ask me in your deep voice what's wrong with the baby, and then gently kiss me?"
"What the hell? The throne has been passed to the Fourth Prince!"
Gu Heng grabbed her mischievous little hand and pulled her back into his arms. Looking down at her puffed-up yet alluring face, he chuckled mischievously, "Is it too late for Father to kiss you now?"
"Get lost... ugh..."
The protests from the back seat were completely silenced.