Becoming Rich with Daily Scavenging APP-Chapter 359: Legend of Rose

Chen Yiyang didn’t respond at all until noon the next day.

Dong Jian, possibly on a whim, posted a second Weibo tagging Chen Yiyang, hoping Chen would respond directly. He claimed to know Chen was also in the Imperial Capital and hoped Chen would meet him face-to-face offline.

Chen Yiyang still paid no attention.

However, Dong Jian’s Weibo post did spark some activity.

Chen Yiyang’s phone buzzed with numerous messages.

They were from people in the entertainment circle recently in the Imperial Capital, many of whom knew Chen. They were asking if Chen could meet up for a meal.

Chen glanced over the messages and decided that it was necessary to meet some of them.

For example, people from Shen Teng and Xinli Media needed to be on good terms for future collaborations.

So, Chen sent messages to Shen Teng and the Xinli team, arranging a meet-up dinner.

"Mr. Chen, you won’t mind if I join the dinner, right?"

In the private room, Jia Lin showed up uninvited.

But, it wasn’t exactly unexpected. Chen Yiyang, preferring to avoid hassle, had told Shen Teng and Xinli’s representatives they could bring friends along for the gathering.

Jia Lin was naturally a friend who got invited.

"I don’t mind at all. I’m even counting on your film to make money for me."

It had been quite a while since Chen Yiyang offered Jia Lin a 1.5 billion minimum guarantee distribution deal.

Jia Lin’s "Hi, Mom" was about to be released.

Chen Yiyang was quite eager to see how much box office the underdog film dictated by the scoop would get in the end.

"Rest assured, when the time comes, I’ll take a few main actors and visit all cinemas, big and small, across the country for promotion."

The real reason Jia Lin was meeting Chen Yiyang was because her film was about to hit theaters soon.

She felt uneasy, so she came to see Chen to basically get some reassurance.

Just in case her movie causes Chen to lose big, she wanted to ensure she could still see him after.

"By the way, how’s the preparation for ’Moon Solo’ going?" Chen Yiyang turned to ask Shen Teng about the progress of the new movie they were preparing last time.

"That movie, the script and shooting are all good, but the special effects need effort. It’s estimated to start filming in the second half of the year."

"Then there’s no rush," Chen Yiyang nodded.

Film and TV projects require large investments with long returns. If luck isn’t on your side, it could take several years from preparation to release.

Apart from coal bosses and internet capital, others in the investment field refrain from easily investing.

"By the way, Mr. Chen, we have a new drama. Would you be interested?" came a sudden proposal from someone from Xinli.

"What drama?"

"It’s called ’Legend of Rose,’ based on a novel from 1981. A movie was made from it in 1986, which did fairly well. We’re planning to turn it into a TV series."

"Who’s investing in it?" Chen Yiyang inquired.

He had little interest in reading the script of a project proposed by Xinli.

If a big company selects a script, the fundamentals should be decent, as long as they don’t mess it up.

So, it’s crucial to check who the investors are.

If it’s the kind that relies on a few stars under their wing for profit, then it means leads have already been decided.

These leads will bring their own screenwriters into the crew to tweak roles and plots to their advantage.

With such meddling, a good script could turn into a lousy show.

"Besides us, the investors are Tengxu Video, Imperial Capital TV Station, and Red Apricot House," Xinli’s representative said.

"Is Liu Yifei the lead actress?" Upon hearing Red Apricot House, Chen Yiyang immediately deduced that the female lead was pre-decided.

Since Red Apricot House only had Liu Yifei.

"Yes," Xinli’s representative nodded, "Liu Yifei had a recent minor hit TV series, so we amassed this project.

Tengxu Video is willing to buy the first-round broadcast rights, but their offer isn’t high."

Chen Yiyang understood their intentions after this explanation.

Liu Yifei is famous, but her works over the years have been a mixed bag.

Returning to dramas, ’Menghua Record’ she starred in was decent, counted as a minor hit, yet not particularly profitable.

This time, preparing another series, Tengxu Video had reservations and hence, didn’t offer much for initial broadcasting.

So, Xinli Media also brought in Imperial Capital TV Station, planning TV broadcasts after series completion.

But TV stations have seen declining viewership over the years, and ad revenue has consistently dropped.

Local stations, even more reckless, dare air any ads.

Thus, Xinli felt uncertain about the drama’s earnings, intending to involve Chen Yiyang.

Given that Chen Yiyang and Tengxu were in a favorable phase and all his previous film and TV investments had profited greatly.

If Chen agrees to invest, Tengxu might relax and offer a better price for first-round broadcasting rights.

"How much investment proportion are you offering me?" Chen Yiyang immediately asked.

"We’re open to about ten percent," Xinli Media’s representative replied.

"That’s too little," Chen Yiyang lost interest immediately.

He wasn’t too sure if the drama would make money either.

With just ten percent, even if it greatly succeeds, he wouldn’t earn much.

Moreover, the series is bound to air on Tengxu Video and TV.

Even with low ratings, it’s unlikely to lose much.

For such series, either a high investment share or the ability to appoint a lead role is preferred. Otherwise, it’s not even worth investing."

"Well, how much do you want? This is negotiable," Xinli’s representative quickly added.

Why the soft approach?

Seeing the representative’s attitude, Chen Yiyang suddenly realized that their objective for involving him might not only be to inflate first-round broadcasting revenue.

In that case, there’s no rush.

So, Chen Yiyang suggested, "How about we have a formal discussion in a few days?"

"Sure," Xinli members realized today’s setting wasn’t apt for negotiations, so they agreed.

Just as Chen Yiyang was chatting with the others, Jia Lin suddenly announced, "Dong Jian’s Weibo account got suspended."

Everyone present today was a veteran in the entertainment circle, and they knew instantly everytime anything happened.

They were aware of the conflict between Dong Jian and Chen Yiyang too.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t know Chen was in the Imperial Capital.

But the clash between Dong Jian and Chen Yiyang wasn’t of their concern, given their vastly different statuses.

Dong Jian dared to tag Chen by name on Weibo simply because, after years of being a prince in the Imperial Capital circle, he forgot his own limitations.