Rebirth Of The Godly Prodigal c1-1316, page 26
Ding Chengzhi anxiously jumped on the spot, shouting. "I am the music producer for Penghui Films, Ding Chengzhi. Quick, bring me to your boss!"
In such a situation, he could not make himself be heard regardless of how much he shouted. The security was puzzled and did not know what was going on. A multitude of feelings surged up, and Ding Chengzhi suddenly had an idea. He held up his fist and punched the security officer.
Then he was surrounded and kicked by a group of security officers, then dragged away…
…
Hong Dali was enjoying himself, feasting away with his classmates. They ate the best fruits and snacks, played with the most expensive and cutest dogs, and drank the most extravagant beverages, enjoying themselves to the fullest.
The crowd was cheering and listening to the concert when the stadium's security manager knocked on the door and entered. He bowed to Hong Dali and said, "Young Young Master Dali, there's a man who claims to be the music producer for Penghui Films. His name is Ding Chengzhi, and he wants to see Young Master Dali." The security manager had a weird look on his face, as though he was trying hard not to laugh out loud.
Hong Dali shrugged. "Oh, let him come in. Did he say why he was looking for me?"
The security manager helplessly said, "I"m sorry. I'm afraid he can't come to Young Master Dali. Young Master Dali has to go see him."
Who is so arrogant? I have to go see him myself?! Hong Dali waved his hand. "No!"
The security manager wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Uh… That is not the case… Mr. Ding Chengzhi accidentally got hurt and is not able to move. He's lying in the hospital bed now. Hence, you have to go over…"
Hong Dali mumbled. "Oh… Ask him to wait, then. I'm listening to Sister Nianwei sing."
The security officer had no choice but to leave. "O… okay…"
Music producer of Penghui Films? Hong Dali pouted. "Who is he to be so arrogant? How badly is he injured that he can't even walk? I have to go see him? So weird…"
While he was pondering, someone knocked on the door again. Hong Dali impatiently responded, "Who is it? Don't you know I'm happily squandering? Don't disturb me if it is nothing important. Don't you know I'm really busy?!"
While he was speaking, the knocking continued. Hong Dali replied troubled, "Xiaoyi, ask him to shut up!"
When Xiaoyi opened the door, a shadow rushed in on crutches. "Are you Young Master Dali? I am the music producer of Penghui Films, Ding Chengzhi. This is my name card! May I know if the singer on the stage, Miss Li Nianwei, is an artist under your company?"
Hong Dali turned around and was amused by what he saw.
This man who claimed to be the music producer for Penghui Films, Mr. Ding Chengzhi, was dusty and dirty all over. His head had dirt all over. His face had been beaten black and blue, his arm was bandaged, and his leg was in a cast. He looked amusing, supporting himself on crutches. Hong Dali's classmates all roared with laughter. Those who were easily amused were laughing till they were rolling on the floor. Hong Dali almost spat out the water in his mouth. "Uncle, did you come to the wrong studio? What is with your attire?"
"It was to meet you. No matter how much I shouted, the security officer couldn't hear me. In my anxious state, I punched him." Ding Chengzhi looked for a chair to sit down. "And I got beaten up by the security officers. But it was okay. After they dragged me out, they heard what I had to say. It was really not easy to finally meet you."
Hearing that, Hong Dali stared in bewilderment.
This guy punched the security officer and got himself beaten up just to see me? But the security officer is innocent.
At this instant, Hong Dali finally said, "Comrade, you have worked hard!" His classmates roared with laughter once again.
Ding Chengzhi didn't care about being embarrassed. He grabbed Hong Dali's arm and started to shake it. He anxiously said, "Young Master Dali, Li Nianwei is the most talented and valuable singer. Definitely the first in my heart! Our company made a movie recently, Wind Pursuer . All we are short of now is a theme song for the movie. After hearing Li Nianwei sing, "Lightning Pursuit" is just the right song. Young Master Dali, would you please sell us a license for this song? Our company is more than willing to pay the licensing fee. As long as you agree, 200,000 yuan will be transferred to you at once!"
Two hundred thousand yuan for the licensing fee for one song was a good price. That was just the licensing fee, not the copyright fee. "Licensing fee" meant that Penghui Films would be able to use the song, but the song would still belong to Li Nianwei. If copyrights for the song were sold, that would mean that even the original author would not be able to use it in the future.
This was the difference between the two fees. Even the world's top singer could hardly imagine getting 200,000 yuan for the licensing fee for a song.
While his classmates were all shocked by the matter, Hong Dali calmly drank a mouthful of water and said, "No way."
Chapter 51 - Blockbuster
"Why?!" Ding Chengzhi was stunned when he heard what Hong Dali said. The classmates were all shocked as well.
Tang Muxin tugged at Hong Dali's sleeve and said, "Dali, it's 200,000 yuan. And it is just for them to use the song. Why not?"
Two hundred thousand as the licensing fee was not a small amount. This was not just a monetary transaction. This meant that a well-known company like Penghui Films acknowledged Caiwei Entertainment. This meant that with just one song, Li Nianwei could shoot to stardom and no longer be an unknown singer bullied by others.
But Hong Dali disagreed. It was no wonder these people were so shocked.
All of that meant nothing to the superprodigal Hong Dali. He rubbed his nose and said naturally, "Who knows what kind of standard Wind Pursuer has. I don't want Sister Nianwei's first famous song to be destroyed by a lousy movie. I'm not short of money anyway."
Normally, even if Ding Chengzhi was not able to obtain the song to use as the theme song for the movie, he wouldn't be concerned about saving face. "Lightning Pursuit" might be a good song, but he could always find another song, even though the new song might not be as suitable. As the saying went, one could hit his head and bleed, but one couldn't lose face. This prodigal young master had actually said that his film was a lousy film. He could not tolerate this any longer.
Ding Chengzhi exasperatedly said, "Our Wind Pursuer is a blockbuster with more than 10 million invested. It is in no way a lousy film. Within the country, the number of films of such a caliber is lower than five!"
In this world, a film with a production budget of more than 10 million was really a blockbuster.
When the surrounding classmates heard the production budget, they all drew in a cold breath at the same time.
What kind of person was Hong Dali? He had died on Earth and been reborn to this world. Ten million yuan in this world was only equivalent to 50 million yuan on Earth. That was peanuts in the film industry. There was no way this number could scare him. Hong Dali continued to appear listless. "It is just 10 million yuan… Wind Pursuer , just the name sounds like it will be a lousy film…"
Ding Chengzhi was fuming with rage. This person in front of him was the young master of the Hong family, the only son and descendant. He could not afford to offend this young master. Hence, he could only try his best to calm down and use his gentlest tone to ask Hong Dali, "What would be considered a blockbuster in Young Young Master Dali's opinion? Ten million is the most we can gather for the production budget."
Hong Dali sniffed. "It seems your company is just average. Show me the movie first. If it is good, I will invest another three million yuan. As for the name of the movie, Wind Pursuer does not sound impressive at all. How about The Gale Flash ? That sounds good."
An additional three million yuan investment in the end?
Ding Chengzhi felt like his heart could almost not take it. Previously, he had heard that the Hong family's young master Hong Dali was a prodigal. But he could finally see it for himself today. Not only was Hong Dali a prodigal, but he was also a superprodigal.
To invest three million yuan just like that? The only condition was that they change the title of the movie?
This was like money dropping from the sky. There was no way he would miss it. Ding Chengzhi hurriedly replied, "Okay. I will report to my boss now. On my return, I will bring what has been filmed to show to you, Young Master Dali. The percentage of profits from the box office will be according to the usual rules, in proportion to whatever Young Master Dali has invested."
Hong Dali shrugged his shoulders. "It is no use saying all this. Show me the movie before I decide if it is worth investing in. I may be a prodigal, but I will not throw my money away. Um, when can I see the movie?"
As the music producer for Penghui Films, Ding Chengzhi had some special privileges. This was a good time to gain a greater investment for the movie. He had to do it even if it was beyond his level. He fished out a USB from his pocket and said, "Young Master Dali, do you have a computer here? I have some scenes here. Please take a look."
Hong Dali snapped his fingers. "Do we have a computer? Bring it over."
Everyone around shook their head. "No."
Hong Dali: "Go buy one, then. Who is that?" Hong Dali pointed at a lackey. "You, come over! Go get 10,000 yuan and bring back a computer. It must be a good one. You can keep the change."
"Yes, Young Master!" The lackey had gotten lucky. Just running an errand would earn him seven to eight thousand dollars as pocket money. Who could meet with such a good opportunity! He disappeared in an instant.
Ling Yi took the chance and asked Hong Dali, "Brother Dali, give me an errand too!"
Hong Dali: "There will be a chance for everyone!"
After half an hour.
Hong Dali stared open-mouthed at the computer screen, almost drooling. "I can tell at one glance that this is a fake background. Is this what you said was a blockbuster?!"
"Yes, that's right. Is there anything wrong?" Ding Chengzhi wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Our 3D creation team spent more than half a month creating the background for this scene. This is the most advanced technology within the country. It might look a bit fake, but not to the extent that one can tell at a glance, right?"
Hong Dali had seen all sorts of intriguing CGI on Earth. Although the animation looked real, it did not match the surrounding environment at all. Hong Dali gloomily said, "This is just a scene that has mountains and rivers. You even had to do CGI? Are you kidding me?"
Ding Chengzhi helplessly said, "I didn't wish for this either. But where can we find a suitable background for this scene? This was the last resort. Young Master Dali, do you know? Just this short section of CGI cost us 500,000 yuan! How many 500,000 yuans do we have?"
Hong Dali ignored him and continued with his criticism. "The scene is bad, even the storyline is bad. Where are the ups and downs? Where are the exciting parts? The storyline is like the flow of a river, slow and steady. Were you intending to make this a cradle movie?"
"The storyline is bad?" Ding Chengzhi tried his best to defend the show, saying, "This is the best storyline we have. Those who have seen it have said it is good!"
I forgot the standard of the entertainment industry in this world. What a bother.
Hong Dali continued to mumble, "I had such high hopes. This is bad. the storyline should be good in order to make a movie. The CGI animations have to be flawless and up to standard. The actors have to be beautiful! Look at this, is this really a movie?"
Ding Chengzhi stubbornly replied, "Yes, of course, it is! This will definitely be one of the best films this year."
Hong Dali decisively said, "I'll invest five million yuan! Do it according to my instructions. Change whatever can be changed!"
Chapter 52 - This Pillow Is Comfortable
Ding Chengzhi grabbed his chest. "My heart…" There was too much information, he needed more time to digest it. "Young Master Dali, do you mean you wish to invest five million yuan? But we have to amend the script according to your liking?" His tone was low and serious, and he emphasized the words "amend the script."
Five million yuan was not a small amount, but it was definitely not enough to reshoot the entire movie based on a new script.
Hong Dali understood what Ding Chengzhi was trying to hint at. "Um, something like that." He had tasks that he needed to complete. Money was not an issue. "Five million yuan. But I have conditions."
Ding Chengzhi nodded his head. "Please continue."
"First, change the name of the movie to The Gale Flash ! Second, use Sister Nianwei's song as the theme song. Um, consider this permission to use the song. Third, the script needs to be amended according to my wishes. Fourth!" Hong Dali rubbed his chin. "I have not decided yet. I will let you know then!"
How could Ding Chengzhi miss such a good opportunity? Ding Chengzhi started running to the door. "O… okay! I will go back and let my boss know! Tomorrow, we will send someone down to sign the contract and bring the script for you to go through!"
"Go." Hong Dali waved his hand at Ding Chengzhi before suddenly calling him back, "Oh, yes, I remember now. Remember to spread the news. Say a mysterious person invested in the movie, and that the perfect theme song has been found. Create some hype. You should understand. I don't need to teach you, right?"
"Yes! Of course!" Ding Chengzhi left faster than he had come, and he soon disappeared down the corridor.
When Hong Dali started to get up, Tang Muxin, who had been observing, suddenly shouted, "Dali, you're not serious about investing five million yuan, are you? What exactly are you thinking? You push away when money it's coming your way and instead choose to spend five million yuan investing. Even if you like to squander, this is not the way to do it."
Lang Hao, who had always been at odds with Hong Dali, was gloating. "That's right. Hehe. To invest five million yuan in a movie, if the box office hits 15 million, which should be the highest it could go, after deducting the expenses and everything else, there will only be about one or two million worth of profit. This is provided there are good reviews for the movie. Investing 15 million yuan would just be putting the money in jeopardy."
Hearing Lang Hao being sarcastic, Tang Muxin could not take it anymore. She stomped on Lang Hao's foot and said, "Why should you care what Dali does? If you continue to be sarcastic, wait and see whether I'll beat you up!"
Lang Hao felt the death stares from the classmates around him and quickly gave in. "Okay, okay, okay. I'll stop talking. I just have a foul mouth."
After lecturing Lang Hao, Tang Muxin shook Hong Dali's arm. "Dali, do you really intend to invest five million yuan in the movie? Five million is not a small amount!"
Hong Dali curiously replied, "I'm serious. How could I miss such a good opportunity to squander?"
Dead silence.
Li Nianwei's concert was about to come to an end. The audience was all shouting the word "goddess." The cheers could be heard through the glass of the VIP room. Hong Dali and the others turned to look at the crowd at the same time. The situation in the audience area was almost akin to a riot. If not for the security officers, the audience would have all rushed up the stage.
Hong Dali mumbled, "What are they so excited about? Haven't they seen a beautiful lady before…? Okay, it's getting boring. Let's head to the nightclub for supper. We can stay at the hotel after supper too."
Everyone cheered at the same time when they heard Hong Dali's suggestion. "Yes, yes!"
Hong Dali did not forget about Li Nianwei. He continued to give instructions. "Remember to bring Sister Nianwei along. Tonight will be her celebration feast. She has become a celebrity now. Hahaha."
…
The concert ended at 10 PM. The excited audience could not bear to leave the concert venue. They blocked the entrance to the stadium just to see Li Nianwei again. The policemen were called in to control the situation. The police cleared the path and the crowd finally dispersed at 11:40 PM.
The next day, Li Nianwei's concert was the headline of the Tianjing Morning Paper. A huge banner and photos of the concert took up one-third of the first page.
At noon, the country's biggest video website, Henku, uploaded Li Nianwei's full concert in high definition. The licensing fee cost 600,000 yuan.
In the afternoon, the most searched keyword on the internet was "Goddess Li Nianwei." There was a total of 652,785 searches, and the number was quickly increasing. The download count for the high-definition concert was 1,254,742. Hong Dali received 630,000 yuan for the downloads.
This might not be a huge amount, but for a newcomer with no fame to have achieved these numbers, it was enough to impress the people in the industry. The most important thing was that these numbers were inclining sharply. Many people had watched the video two, three, or even four times.
In the evening, the original disc for "Goddess Li Nianwei" was under production. From the opening of the concert with 40 luxury cars to Li Nianwei leaving the stage, every scene was digitally and artistically processed. Many people ran into disc shops, asking, "Do you have the Goddess' disc?" If the answer was no, some people immediately turned around to leave. Some people pounded the table and scolded: "Why bother keeping your shop open if you don't even have the Goddess' disc!" The bosses perplexedly replied, "Production for the disc has just begun. Our stock has not arrived yet!"
On the third day, on the 1st of May, Labor Day, the words "Goddess Li Nianwei" were first on the Sangle search engine. The number of searches was twice that of the second item on the list. Li Nianwei was known to every household within a night. Nobody could be compared to her.
On the fourth day, Caiwei Entertainment officially opened for business. At the press conference, when the reporters heard that Li Nianwei was one of the bosses, the crowd screamed. When the news was announced, the cheers could be heard throughout all of Tianjing city. The sales for all the major magazines and newspapers increased by more than fifty percent.
On the seventh day, a goddess alliance was formed on the internet. Members of the alliance went up to the millions. If one person posted a message requesting Li Nianwei hold a concert in their city, countless people would respond to it. Some netizens even claimed that they would fly to whichever city she held her concert in. The brands that she endorsed were reserved for her fans. If any of the fans did not use them, the men's legs would be broken, and the women… what happened to them would not be further elaborated. It would not be a pretty sight.
