FYN Chapter 26: A New Beginning
Chapter 26: A New Beginning
After the summer vacation, a new batch of fresh faces flooded into the Beijing Film Academy campus.
As Liu Yu walked down the street, he discovered that his "fame" had reached a new level.
The first thing freshmen do after enrolling is to be introduced to "the school's legend" by their seniors: a first-year student in the Department of Management who wrote, directed and produced his own film, which grossed over 100 million NTD.
The story spread much wider than Liu Yu had imagined; even a security guard would greet him with "Hello, Director Liu" when he saw him.
The most outrageous thing was that once when he was queuing in the cafeteria, a bespectacled boy in front of him suddenly turned around and said excitedly, "Senior! You must be Senior Liu Yu, right? I've read your 'A Moment to Remember,' and I cried three times!"
Liu Yu said thank you while holding the tray.
The boy then said, "Senior, could you sign my autograph? Just on my shirt!"
Wang Chaowen's comment on this was: "Brother, you're now the mascot of Beijing Film Academy."
In late September, Liu Yu made a phone call to Liu Min, who was in London.
The timing was perfect; it was afternoon in London, and Liu Min should have just finished class.
"Sis, it's time to start selling NetEase stock."
The sound of Liu Min flipping through documents came from the other end of the phone: "Sell now? The price is still rising."
"I know. I'll start selling around $62, in batches, and clear it all out before October."
Liu Min was silent for a few seconds, probably doing some calculations.
"Our cost price is only a little over 60 now, that's a 60-fold increase. Are you sure you don't want to wait? I saw an analyst say it has the potential to break 100."
Liu Yu leaned back on the sofa, crossed his legs, and twirled a pen in his hand.
"Sis, if you can believe what analysts say, pigs will fly. Listen to me, start selling around 62, don't hesitate."
Liu Min sighed on the other end of the line. Over the past year, she had grown accustomed to her brother's unquestionable tone.
"Okay. Start selling at 62, clear out the stock before October. Then what? Where will you put the money?"
"Buy apples."
"Apple, the Apple of Apple Computers?" Liu Min's voice rose several octaves. "Their stock price has been falling lately. Are you sure you want to buy at the bottom?"
"Buy when the price drops. Why buy when it's already going up?" Liu Yu twirled the pen, bent down to pick it up, and said, "Sis, trust me. Apple's stock will rise in the next few years in ways you won't believe."
Liu Min sighed again, this time even longer than the last.
"Okay, I'll help you with that. But Liu Yu, could you please not make such a big fuss in the future? I'm in class at school, and if I'm secretly helping you with your stock trading, my roommates will think I'm doing this as a side job."
"Didn't you already have a side business? I took 10% of your profits."
"I'm helping my younger brother, not doing this as a side job!"
After hanging up the phone, Liu Yu did some calculations.
With a current market capitalization of just over $170 million, if that money were all poured into Apple, it could buy a considerable amount of stock at the current share price.
He knew Apple's trajectory for the next few years: the iPod would explode, followed by the iPhone, and the stock price would multiply dozens of times.
...
Early October, the National Day holiday.
Liu Yu didn't go anywhere; he stayed in his apartment, pondering new projects.
He was indeed struggling with the decision. After filming "A Moment to Remember," many people asked him what his next project would be.
Some people say you should strike while the iron is hot and make another romance film, some say you should challenge yourself and make something different, and some say you can make whatever you want, I'll support you anyway.
Liu Yu himself is also weighing the options repeatedly. He is confident in making romance films, but he doesn't want to be typecast.
He's interested in suspense, action, and comedy, but he's unsure of himself.
Until one day, while flipping through his notebook, he came across a title: "Speed Scandal".
It was a Korean movie he had seen in his previous life, about a single radio DJ in his thirties who suddenly had a daughter and grandson.
The premise was melodramatic, but the film was both hilarious and touching, making it a box office hit in South Korea. A later Chinese remake, titled "My Grandpa's 38," received mixed reviews but performed moderately at the box office.
He spent a week writing a detailed story outline and a project proposal, and then called Yu Dong.
"Mr. Yu, we have a new project, a romantic comedy. Are you interested?"
Yu Dong's voice immediately became more enthusiastic on the other end of the phone: "Interested! Absolutely! Where are you? I'll treat you to dinner! But Liu Yu, you need to give me a rough estimate: how much investment are you planning to make for this project?"
"Twenty million."
"Twenty million? That's more than three times the revenue of 'A Moment to Remember'."
"The actors need to be upgraded, the production needs to be upgraded, and the promotion needs to be upgraded even more. Mr. Yu, you get what you pay for."
Yu Dong gritted his teeth: "Fine, twenty million it is."
......
The meeting place was set at a high-end restaurant on the East Third Ring Road.
Liu Yu arrived half an hour early, wearing a dark blue casual suit jacket over a white T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers.
He doesn't like to dress too formally, but he also knows he can't dress too casually.
Yu Dong arrived five minutes earlier than him, wearing a dark gray jacket and with his hair gelled, looking much more energetic than usual.
His first words to Liu Yu were: "Sorry, there's one more person here today, my old boss."
Liu Yu understood; it was probably the future "Mountain Eagle" (a notorious bandit leader).
Han Sanping arrived on time, wearing a black jacket; he exuded an aura as he entered, and Yu Dong quickly stood up to greet him.
"Mr. Han, you've had a long day. Was there traffic on the way?"
Han Sanping waved his hand: "It's alright, the traffic jam didn't last long."
Then his gaze turned to Liu Yu, and he looked him up and down.
"This is Liu Yu?"
"Hello, Mr. Han, I'm Liu Yu." Liu Yu stood up with a smile and extended his hand.
Han Sanping grasped his hand. "I've read your film 'A Moment to Remember,' it's good. It's not easy for a freshman to make a film like this."
.....
The three people sat down.
Yu Dong started ordering, but Han Sanping said anything was fine, so Yu Dong ordered a few light dishes according to his taste. While waiting for the food, Liu Yu handed over the project proposal.
"Mr. Han, this is the proposal for my next project. It's a romantic comedy with a budget of 20 million."
Han Sanping took the proposal but didn't open it immediately. "Twenty million, that's a lot more than 'Eraser'."
Liu Yu repeated his explanation to Yu Dong, and Han Sanping nodded.
Yu Dong listened from the side, nodding inwardly. This kid was more experienced than he had imagined.
After reading it, Han Sanping closed the proposal, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.
"Liu Yu, tell me, what percentage of this project are you planning to take?"
Liu Yu knew that this was the real issue.
"I'll invest six million in cash myself, plus the screenwriter and director's fees, that'll be four million. I'm asking for 50% of the profits."
Yu Dong nearly dropped his chopsticks. Fifty percent? He glanced at Liu Yu, then at Han Sanping.
Han Sanping didn't show any change in expression; he simply put down his teacup and placed his fingers interlaced on the table.
Han Sanping was silent for a few seconds, he was calculating; Liu Yu's first film grossed over 100 million yuan, proving his commercial value; he wrote the script and was in charge of the project, so it wasn't unreasonable for him to ask for 50%.
Moreover, this young man spoke calmly and composedly, without the arrogance of someone trying to elevate themselves or the servility of someone trying to lower themselves. Such a sense of propriety is rare at his age.
"How much did you leave for Xiaoxiang?" Han Sanping asked.
"One-tenth."
"That means there are only 40% left." Han Sanping turned to Yu Dong, "Dongzi, how much are you taking?"
Yu Dong had already decided: "Twenty percent, four million."
Han Sanping nodded, picked up the proposal on the table, flipped through it again, and then put it down.
"Since China Film Group invests four million, I'll take a smaller share for our first collaboration."
Liu Yu breathed a sigh of relief; he was afraid Han Sanping would ask for too much.
China Film Group 20%, Bona Film Group 20%, Xiaoxiang Film Group 10%, and he himself 50%. The deal was complete, and it went more smoothly than he had expected. He raised his glass and toasted Han Sanping and Yu Dong.
"Mr. Han, Mr. Yu, thank you both. I won't let you lose money on this film."
Han Sanping smiled, raised his glass and clinked it with Liu Yu's, a rare smile appearing on his face: "I'm looking forward to it. Good luck."
Yu Dong stood beside him, holding a glass, his smile much brighter than Han Sanping's.
The project he brought along, Han Sanping, was a 20% deal for Bona, and it also secured a connection with the old leader, thus facilitating personal relationships and sharing the risks; by any measure, this deal was a win-win situation.