Chapter 784 The Game Behind the Screen

Chapter 784 The Game Behind the Screen

The next day.

As agreed, Chen Xi arrived at the meeting place designated by the other party, which was the film and television base in Huajing last time.

Nowadays, some of the movies and TV series are still filmed here.

"Hey, welcome Mr. Xing and Mr. Chen." Under an antique building, the tall and thin man greeted the two enthusiastically.

"I have forgotten what this guy's name is." Chen Xi asked in a low voice behind Xing Tian.

"Huang Youde..."

"Virtuous? I think he has no virtue!"

"hehe."

The two walked over, talking and laughing.

"I wonder what Mr. Huang wants to talk to me about?" Xing Tian said.

"Let's go in and have a drink and chat." Huang Youde pointed to the side. Chen Xi turned his head and looked. It seemed to be a coffee shop, but the door and decoration were more retro, so he didn't notice it at first.

The three of them walked into the store and saw a woman wearing sunglasses sitting on the sofa in the corner.

Chen Xi took a glance and seemed a little familiar.

After sitting down, he looked at the other person again and found that it was an old acquaintance - Shui Ye.

It’s just that Shui Ye is a little forgetful. He just feels that Chen Xi looks familiar, but he can’t remember where he has seen him.

She looked him up and down for several minutes without saying anything.

Humph, Chen Xi raised the corner of his mouth as he looked at the two people in front of him.

Soon, several cups of coffee were served.

Shui Ye sat there drinking coffee and admiring the scenery outside the window, seemingly too lazy to pay attention to the two of them.

Yes, Shui Ye is now considered a top star in China. This year, she became the first Chinese actress to appear on the cover of Time magazine's Asian edition, with the title "China's Most Famous Face".

She has topped the Forbes Chinese Celebrity List for three consecutive years, becoming a well-deserved money-making queen.

But in Chen Xi's opinion, she is just a sperm-sucking queen.

"Mr. Xing, Mr. Chen. I think after what happened recently, you should have some understanding of the film and television industry. The conditions I offered last time may have been too harsh. I think we should all take a step back..."

"Mr. Huang, why did you call us here today just to discuss this matter?" Chen Xi crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows.

"Hmm? What else?" Huang Youde smiled.

"Mr. Huang, don't think you can do it just by finding some people and using some connections to suppress a few of our movies..." Xing Tian responded bluntly.

At this time, Shui Ye, who had been silent, suddenly turned his head and said impatiently: "What a waste of time, you can discuss your interests in private. I am now filming "The Legend of the White-Haired Witch", you should make the special effects better for me. Just like the effects of the "X-Men" I played before..."

The movie Shui Ye was talking about was "X-Men: Days of Future Past", in which she played a mutant with the ability to teleport. The film grossed $7.47 million worldwide.

It can be said that Shui Ye has gone international.

As for the "Legend of the White-Haired Witch", Chen Xi wanted to laugh after hearing it. Although the box office was good, the online rating was pitifully low, only 3.

"X-Men? I'm afraid you don't know how much money the special effects of that movie cost. Mr. Huang only gave us such a small budget, which is almost like asking me to use the money for making firecrackers to build an atomic bomb. Do you think it's possible?" Chen Xi laughed.

He didn't know what was going on in these two people's minds.

"I don't care. I just want that level of production." Shui Ye raised his head like a little child.

Huang Youde secretly patted the other person's thigh under the table, indicating that he could handle it.

"I know that the movie budget is limited. It's not impossible for you to have special effects. But I have a suggestion, I wonder if you would like to hear it." Chen Xi spoke again.

"Hmm? Mr. Chen, you go ahead!" Huang Youde was immediately delighted when he heard this, thinking that the other party had finally figured it out.

"The majority of domestic film budgets are spent on actor salaries and publicity. I think we should reconsider our choice of actors. Some newcomers are very good now. They are not only beautiful and in line with young people's aesthetics, but also have good acting skills..."

"Huh? What do you mean? Huang Daming and I are the highest paid actors in this play. Are you going to replace me?"

After hearing this, Shui Ye glared at Chen Xi unkindly. Although he was wearing sunglasses, he could still feel a murderous aura coming.

"The combined salary of the two of you should be close to 40 million, and you have the highest share of that. If we save 20 million, wouldn't the special effects be better?"

"Why don't you save other people's pay? Zhao Zhuozhuo and Wang Xuebing together make more than 10 million."

Shui Ye sneered.

"Ha, he's a professional martial arts actor, and it's hard to find anyone to replace him. As for you... I feel there are a lot of people who can replace you." Chen Xi smiled.

Huang Youde was also angry when he saw this and said, "Mr. Chen, then who do you think can replace Mr. Shui?"

"She!" Chen Xi pointed to a seat in front.

The two looked in the direction of his gesture and saw a woman dressed simply and fashionably sitting diagonally opposite him. It was none other than Ni Li, an actress from the Tianya Film and Television Group.

"She?" Shui Ye was stunned for a moment, then sneered, "She's just a newcomer with a little popularity. How can she compare with me? It's ridiculous!"

"Haha, she's only been in the industry for a short time and she's already the leading actress, and the box office of the movies she made is not low at all. I remember that you've been in the industry for a long time but you seem to still be playing supporting roles. Every time you play the role of a maid..."

Chen Xi's words made Shui Ye so angry that her face turned red. She used to be known as a professional maid, either working as a maid for princesses or for female knights.

"You're talking nonsense! I'm a top actress now, and you're comparing me to this trash?" Shui Ye's voice suddenly became louder.

At this time, Ni Li also noticed the situation here, and when she saw the boss here, she immediately stood up and came over. When she saw Shui Ye pointing at her, combined with what she just heard, her face suddenly became ugly.

Although she is not as famous as Shui Ye now, her growth rate is still amazing. She became famous overnight with several dramas and is now well-known on the Internet.

Ni Li has an outstanding figure, much more attractive than Shui Ye. In addition, her dressing style is more popular among young people, so many directors want to invite her to film, but they were all rejected.

Ni Li was self-aware and knew that everything she had now was only due to the packaging of Chen Xi's company and the special effects that were not inferior to those of foreign blockbusters. If she changed her sponsor, she would probably not be so lucky. Moreover, with the twists and turns in the film and television industry, she might have to sleep with different people every day.

Chen Xi's company pays well and doesn't have any messy stuff, which has attracted many actresses to join.

After all, those female stars just want to be famous, not to be prostitutes. Some of them sleep with men just to make a living and become famous.

"Who are you calling trash?" Shui Ye was wearing a pair of sunglasses, and Ni Li didn't recognize him for a moment. She responded unceremoniously with her hands on her hips.

"I'm talking about you, what's wrong!"

"I TM..."

"Open your eyes wide and take a good look at who I am..." Seeing that the other party dared to contradict him, Shui Ye immediately took off his sunglasses.

After seeing that the other party was the top actress-Shui Ye, Ni Li was speechless for a moment. She didn't want to be banned.

With Shui Ye's connections, killing this little star would be a piece of cake.

"Haha, you're not being stubborn anymore? See, this is the person you said could replace me, but now he doesn't even dare to fart." After glancing at Ni Li, Shui Ye turned his head and laughed at Chen Xi.

Chen Xi didn't say anything, but silently looked at Ni Li, who was so scared by the stare that he finally mustered up the courage and made up his mind. He straightened his chest and said to Shui Ye, "Don't look down on me. I just debuted earlier than me. If I had entered the industry at the same time as you, you would probably still be squatting there serving me tea and water!"

"What did you say?" Shui Ye widened his eyes in disbelief.

"I say, you are a rubbish actor who relies on sleeping with men to get ahead. You are already in your thirties. I wonder who will be willing to sleep with you in a few years!" Ni Li shouted.

"I'll beat you to death!" Shui Ye raised her hand to slap the other person, but Ni Li grabbed her wrist and pushed her back. She staggered and hit the wall.

"I'm going to fight you!" Shui Ye, who no longer wanted to care about his image, wanted to fight back.

"Okay, stop messing around. What are you talking about? This is a film and television base, not a competition arena. If you think you are strong, just show your performance." Chen Xi scolded.

Shui Ye looked around and saw that there were more than just their table in the restaurant. She said with a sullen look, "Okay, if we want to compare results, then let's compare the box office this time."

"Box office? Everyone knows that box office figures can be faked. I think we should add two more items, one is the online ratings, and the other is the film's return rate! Isn't the "White-Haired Witch" you just mentioned about to start filming? And coincidentally, our "Treasure Notes" is also about to be filmed, so why not use this for comparison." Chen Xi snapped his fingers.

"It's up to you! If I win, you will be in charge of the special effects for the next few movies. Of course, don't think about making money. I want you to make a loss by helping me produce it. You can discuss the specific matters with Mr. Huang. Also, she has to kneel down and apologize to me, and quit the film and television industry!" Shui Ye pointed at Ni Li.

Ni Li's face changed suddenly.

Quitting the showbiz industry means her future is completely ruined, the stakes are simply too high.

"If we win, you have to pay us 100 million in compensation and apologize to her online!" Chen Xi said with his arms folded.

"One hundred million? Are you crazy? This is not equal at all." Shui Ye frowned slightly.

"What? Are you afraid of losing?" Chen Xi asked provocatively.

"I'm afraid of losing? Hahaha." Shui Ye laughed.

"The amount is easy to negotiate. We can talk about it slowly!" Huang Youde rubbed his hands when he saw that the time was right and started to smooth things over.

Seeing that the matter was settled, Shui also looked at her watch and said, "You guys can discuss the rest by yourselves. I still have scenes to shoot!" She stood up and prepared to walk out. When she passed by Ni Li, she stopped and said, "No one in the country dares to fight with me, haha. Just wait!"

After saying that, she left without looking back.

Ni Li stood there, his face pale.

She knew how chaotic the film and television industry was. Poisoning, sulfuric acid, and beatings were common. It was easy for a big star like Shui Ye to take revenge on her.

After some discussion, Chen Xi, Huang Youde and Xing Tian finally decided on the amount of money at 50 million.

But this was also expected. Chen Xi didn't think from the beginning that the other party would agree to bet 100 million.

Even though Shui Ye's pay for a film is often tens of millions, her biggest source of income is still endorsements and event income. According to her current development, she can make at least 200 million yuan from this a year.

This income is of course before tax, and it has to be distributed to employees and certain people, but the amount of money that ends up in her hands is probably not a small amount.

Chen Xi just wanted to test the cash flow of Xia Shuiye, so he called out 100 million. It seems that the other party is not as rich as he imagined, but just a paper tiger.

In fact, Shui Ye does have some fixed assets. His properties in Huajing, Modou and overseas are worth hundreds of millions.

There are also film and television investments, stocks, funds, etc. that have not been taken into account. Chen Xi estimates that she does not have much cash on hand now, probably only around tens of millions.

The three of them chatted for a long time, while Ni Li sat there stupidly, not saying a word.

The conditions they mentioned had turned into gibberish in Ni Li's mind. At this moment, she was still thinking about what to do next.

After Huang Youde left, Chen Xi looked at the woman who was still in a daze and waved his hand in front of her.

"Ah, the person left? Mr. Chen, have you guys reached an agreement?" Ni Li finally reacted and asked incoherently.

"What? Are you scared? Are you afraid?" Chen Xi teased.

“How can I not be afraid…When she left just now, her eyes looked like she wanted to kill me. I don’t think I can last until the bet is fulfilled…” Ni Li was only a girl in her twenties after all. Facing an old woman like Shui Ye who had been through many battles, she was still a little nervous.

"What are you afraid of? Wasn't your momentum strong when you hit her just now?"

"I was just carried away at the time... and you were the one who signaled me..."

"Oh, you're blaming me now?" Chen Xi couldn't help but chuckled when he saw Ni Li's sad face. "Look at your expression. How can you be a big star in the future? Let me tell you, this is a society ruled by law. If she dares to mess around, I will be the first one to send her to the police station. Of course, you probably won't believe this now. But you can rest assured. I have a security company under me. I will send a few more people to protect you when the time comes."

He paused, looking at Ni Li's still tense face, and suddenly reached out his hand, pinched her cheek, and forced a smile: "Come on, smile! Don't be so sad, let's get ready to beat them! The bet is 50 million, and if you win, you will get a share!"

Ni Li was so amused by his actions that the sadness on her face faded a little. She slapped Chen Xi's hand away and glared at him unhappily: "He's about the same age as me, but he's acting like a weird uncle. They have big names like Huang Daming and Zhao Zhuozhuo, how can we win?"

"Just act well and don't worry about anything else." Chen Xi waved his hand.

Seeing the boss say this, Ni Li didn't say much and could only nod.

Xing Tian stood beside him with a worried look on his face. He wanted to persuade Chen Xi to calm down, but the other party ignored him. (End of this chapter)