Chapter 450 - 236: Taking Over Universal Entertainment

In the blink of an eye, July had quietly arrived.

After spending half a month in Chengdu, Gu Pan had become quite close with the other girls.

They would occasionally go out shopping or to the salon together, and she was even happier than she had been in the Capital City.

But these happy days were cut short by Qi Sheng’s major move: the acquisition of Universal Entertainment.

The acquisition happened very suddenly.

But it didn’t make much of a splash.

Despite its impressive name, Universal Entertainment had been in decline for many years.

In its early years, it had wielded considerable influence thanks to *Shaolin Soccer*.

In recent years, the only noteworthy titles it had produced were the Xiangjiang films from the *Drug Sweep* series.

While the box office performance was decent, they weren’t projects the company had independently financed.

It was still not enough to halt Universal Entertainment’s decline.

As soon as the acquisition was complete, Qi Sheng immediately dispatched a team to take the reins and manage the company on his behalf.

For a film company, you didn’t necessarily need top-tier talent for every position.

Any Expert Level professional manager was more than capable of managing the company well for Qi Sheng.

When it came to a film company, the most important talents were often the directors and screenwriters, followed by the actors.

In fact, screenwriters were even more important than directors.

There were plenty of good directors, but good scripts were pitifully rare.

Qi Sheng received a remote report on Universal Entertainment’s situation from the new CEO, Yuan Kai.

In short, the situation was far from optimistic.

Other than retaining some of its production and distribution staff and a few worthless copyrights, it was no different from a shell company.

Qi Sheng, however, was prepared for this. He had Yuan Kai rebuild the talent management department.

Back in the golden age of Xiangjiang cinema, Universal Entertainment’s talent management department would have been absolutely star-studded.

But in recent years, Xiangjiang stars had flocked to the mainland.

As a result, an old-school film company like Universal Entertainment was only attractive to some newly-debuted, minor celebrities.

Qi Sheng had no interest in these small-timers and didn’t want to hold back their careers.

He terminated all existing talent contracts, allowing them to find new representation.

As for the talent management department, Qi Sheng did not take it lightly.

He spent 25 million to recruit a "gold-medal" agent.

The "gold-medal" moniker was just a fancy title; in reality, she was another Expert Level talent.

Lin Meishan, who the system had rated as a gold-medal agent, was remarkably skilled.

She had a considerable reputation in the Chinese Entertainment industry and had launched the careers of several popular young starlets.

This kind of top-tier agent was crucial for an actor’s career.

Securing resources within the industry all came down to an agent’s prowess.

"Chairman Qi."

Lin Meishan was dressed in a gray business suit.

Her long hair was tied up, giving her a capable and efficient air, and her gaze was piercing.

She was clearly a strong-willed woman.

But no matter how assertive she was, when facing her boss, Qi Sheng, Lin Meishan had to be completely respectful.

"This is Gu Pan. She’s my girlfriend and the company’s future leading lady. You’ll be managing her personally."

Qi Sheng said with a smile, making the introduction.

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Gu."

"Hello, President Lin. I’m Gu Pan. I look forward to working with you."

Gu Pan didn’t dare to act high and mighty, quickly rising to shake Lin Meishan’s hand.

"You’re too kind. We just need to support each other from now on."

Lin Meishan’s loyalty was to Qi Sheng, but her attitude toward Gu Pan was already much better than it would be for any other actress.

’I have to admit, the boss really has a good eye.’

’Gu Pan’s looks and aura were that of a cool, stunning beauty—the type that could easily become a huge star.’

’Her figure was also excellent.’

’She wouldn’t have to worry about being outshone by other actresses on the red carpet.’

’With the right script, it was only a matter of time before Gu Pan became famous.’

Gu Pan was, of course, well aware of this legendary gold-medal agent’s formidable reputation.

She hadn’t even dared to dream of being personally managed by Lin Meishan.

She sat there, fidgeting nervously like a schoolgirl.

"Boss, you asked me to contact Lemon Film and Television earlier. They’re very interested in our investment."

"However, they want Miss Gu to audition before they make a decision."

Lin Meishan was also a bit unsure whether Gu Pan was just a pretty face or a true talent with both looks and acting ability.

"An audition is fine. You go with Panpan."

Qi Sheng naturally had complete trust in Lin Meishan.

With this industry veteran guiding her, he didn’t have to worry about Gu Pan being harmed by any of the industry’s overt or covert attacks.

"Understood. Then Miss Gu and I will set off now."

"They’re in a hurry, so it would be best for our public relations department to be prepared as well."

Lin Meishan was highly experienced and had fought many of these media battles before.

It was normal to get smeared online after snatching a resource from someone else; you just had to be ready for it.

"I’ll handle the PR department personally. You two just focus on the audition."

Qi Sheng patted Gu Pan’s hand and comforted her in a gentle voice.

"Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Trust your abilities."

"Mm-hmm."

Gu Pan was eager to give it a try.

For some reason, her acting had improved dramatically over the past few days, and the progress was almost tangible.

She could cry or laugh on command.

It was nothing like the cringey, terrible acting of so many other actresses.

Instead, her performance was completely natural, with an effortless ease.

Gu Pan’s acting skill had solidly reached a score of 89.

Many veteran actors couldn’t even match her skill.

That’s how ridiculously overpowered the system’s cheats were.

In the world of television dramas, Gu Pan’s acting was enough to dominate the field completely.

Even in a movie, her acting could absolutely hold up to the scrutiny of the big screen.

...

Besides Yuan Kai and Lin Meishan, Qi Sheng also recruited four other talents of the same caliber for Universal Entertainment.

They were to manage the Public Relations, Scriptwriting, Marketing, and Directing departments, respectively.

The once-declining Universal Entertainment was instantly injected with new blood.

The addition of six Expert Level talents quickly fleshed out the company’s new framework.

Now that he had the money, the plan to acquire film and television rights could no longer be delayed.

Qi Sheng spent 300 million outright to purchase the rights to *Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child*.

For Light and the production team, it was a tidy little profit.

But what Qi Sheng stood to gain was far, far more than what they made!

Universal Entertainment’s main focus for the near future was promoting the upcoming release of *Demon Child*.

After all, Universal Entertainment was still an established film company.

Over the years, it had intermittently released quite a few films on the mainland.

The upcoming *Drug Sweep 2* was also performing quite well at the box office.

After subtracting the 170 million in production costs, the profit was nearly 300 million.

Unfortunately, Universal Entertainment’s investment had been too small.

The piece of the pie they received was tiny.

’Oh well,’ Qi Sheng consoled himself. ’Can’t be too greedy. If you try to eat everything yourself, you’ll just burst.’

Qi Sheng forced his attention back to *Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child*.

Compared to *Demon Child*, the profits from *Drug Sweep 2* paled in comparison.

The main reason was that the acquisition price proposed by the system for that film was also 300 million.

For the same price, choosing the more profitable option was a no-brainer for Qi Sheng.

The newly appointed CEO, Yuan Kai, was brimming with ambition and personally led the team handling the promotional work.

All sorts of promotional materials were being prepared in a methodical fashion.

Acquiring Universal Entertainment cost 450 million.

Recruiting six Expert Level talents cost 150 million.

Add to that the 300 million for the rights to *Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child*.

The 900 million that had just arrived in his account was gone in an instant.

His account balance was down to a mere 15 million.

’Money really doesn’t go far!’

Qi Sheng didn’t regret it, though.

If worst came to worst, he’d just have to lie low for a month.

After all, another 900 million would be deposited into his account next month.

...

「Landing in Shanghai, on the way to Lemon Film and Television.」

Lin Meishan briefly filled her in on Lemon Film and Television and the director of the series.

As for the audition script, Gu Pan had already gone over it many times.

"Panpan, as long as your performance is at least average, the role of Gu Jia is as good as yours."

Lin Meishan’s tone was even, but it exuded a powerful confidence.

"Don’t worry, Sister Lin, I’ll do my best!"

Gu Pan took a deep breath and went back to reviewing the character profile she had put together.

The scene she was about to audition for was the part where the character, Gu Jia, discovers her husband’s betrayal and confronts the other woman.

Clearly, Lemon Film and Television was on the fence.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have made things so difficult for Gu Pan.

Such a climactic scene had high demands for acting ability.

If Gu Pan couldn’t perform well, Lemon Film and Television wasn’t about to risk their production.

The experienced Lin Meishan didn’t put too much pressure on Gu Pan.

...

「Fuxing Road, SOHOA Building.」

Lin Meishan knew her way around, leading Gu Pan to the 15th floor.

"President Lin, President Xu specifically told me to show you directly to the meeting room."

The receptionist was stunned when she saw Gu Pan behind Lin Meishan.

Quite a few actresses had come in to audition recently.

But she had never seen one as stunning as Gu Pan.

"Thank you."

Lin Meishan nodded to Gu Pan, then followed the receptionist to the meeting room.

"President Lin, long time no see! You’re as beautiful as ever."

One of the two people in the meeting room, a woman in her forties, smiled and took the initiative to stand up.

"You’re too kind, President Chen. You’re looking well, too."

Lin Meishan returned the greeting warmly, and after shaking hands with Chen Fei, her gaze fell upon Director Zhang Xiaobo, who remained seated and gave only a perfunctory nod.

’So that’s the angle Tong Yao played,’ she thought, instantly understanding.

"Director Zhang, this is Gu Pan, a new talent that Universal Entertainment is putting its full support behind. We hope you’ll take good care of her on this project."

Unfazed, Lin Meishan extended her hand, her smile not wavering in the slightest.

"You’re too kind, President Lin."

Zhang Xiaobo glanced at Gu Pan.

’She’s definitely much more beautiful than Tong Yao, the actress he’d originally chosen for the lead role.’

’The problem is, Tong Yao already pulled strings with me.’

’Everything was already settled. We were just about to start filming.’

’Who would have thought some old Xiangjiang Company would butt in?’

’And to make matters worse, Lemon Film and Television was desperate for cash.’

’The two parties hit it off immediately, which led to this hastily arranged audition.’

’This was a huge headache for Zhang Xiaobo. If he mishandled this, his own reputation would take a hit.’

’Sleeping with someone and then not delivering on your promise... what kind of person does that make you?’

"Miss Gu, you’ve read the script we sent over, correct?"

"Yes, Director Zhang."

Gu Pan quickly stepped forward and nodded obediently.

"Alright then. Treat me as Lin Youyou. I want to see how you interpret this scene."

An idea sparked in Zhang Xiaobo’s mind—a nasty one.

With his looks, no one would have doubted it if you told them he’d just been released from prison.

’If Gu Pan can perfectly embody the character of Gu Jia while acting opposite someone who looks like me,’ he thought, ’then I guess Tong Yao is just plain unlucky.’

"No problem."

Gu Pan agreed immediately, full of confidence.

This came as a slight surprise to Lin Meishan, whose brow had furrowed slightly at the director’s request.

"President Lin, this new talent of yours has a lot of nerve," Chen Fei remarked.

Chen Fei, for her part, didn’t seem to have a strong reaction to Zhang Xiaobo’s decision.

Although having Gu Pan join the cast with funding would lessen their financial pressure, the condition was that Gu Pan’s performance wouldn’t drag down the quality of the entire series.

Otherwise, Lemon Film and Television would rather forgo Universal Entertainment’s investment than compromise the quality of the show.