Chapter 343 Lang Pu Square, the center of the city!
Chapter 343 Langpu Square, the center of the city!
Author: Lin Zhonggu
Chapter 343 Langpu Square, the center of the city!
Zheng Yaoyang and Monica set off at two o'clock in the afternoon and arrived in Los Angeles just after two o'clock in the afternoon.
Although New York and Los Angeles are the same country, they are in different time zones, with a three-hour time difference.
The two places are located at the east and west poles of the American continent. One is the financial capital and the other is the entertainment capital.
Zheng Yaoyang took a car arranged by Zhang Qifeng and went to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which is not only the starry road that countless stars aspire to embark on, but also gathers the world's top film and television companies.
Passing by an old and dilapidated apartment, Monica excitedly pointed to the building and said, "Zoan, I live there now."
"It's still early, I'll go over and have a look later."
This is not the first time Zheng Yaoyang has come to Los Angeles. When he was in school, he often came here to play.
It's been so long ago, and I've seen Los Angeles thirty years later. When I came here again, I felt so behind.
Arriving at the outskirts of Los Angeles, you will see the most famous billboard, which also means you have officially entered the territory of Hollywood.
There are many construction vehicles of film and television companies coming and going, and film and television studios can be seen everywhere on the roadside. The atmosphere of the entertainment industry is more than one dimension higher than that of Xiangjiang.
After driving for a while and entering the city, you can see high-rise buildings everywhere, as well as extras waiting for auditions on the roadside.
The car stopped at the entrance of Lions Gate Film and Television. Shi Tian hurriedly greeted him with a smile: "Zheng Sheng, welcome to our Lions Gate Film and Television for inspection."
The people behind him also looked at Zheng Yaoyang curiously. Apart from being a bit handsome, he seemed to have nothing special about him.
Zheng Yaoyang smiled and said: "Long time no see, Manager Shi. Is the work going smoothly recently?"
"Thanks to you, everything went smoothly."
Shi Tian glanced at Monica, smiled, but took it for granted, and led the two of them into the company for a tour.
Starting from the department responsible for serving Hua Dao, to the innermost technical department, he showed Zheng Yaoyang a clip from a science fiction movie he was recently producing.
The clip uses the latest special effects capture cameras and particle production technology.
It's just five minutes of content, but it cost over three million dollars, and the background is also darker.
Today's special effects technology is still relatively crude, and only with the cooperation of the background can it look realistic.
Shi Tian guessed that Zheng Yaoyang would come here today, probably for industrial technology.
After all, as early as last year’s annual meeting of the Universal Group, Zheng Yaoyang said that the future belongs to industrial films.
Zheng Yaoyang gave a few words of praise, full affirmation, and then asked about the data of Chainsaw.
Shi Tian puffed up his chest and looked proud: "The current box office of the first film is 23 million U.S. dollars. Excluding all other factors, our income is about 6.2 million."
"And the American film industry is different from Hong Kong. Box office revenue is only a part of the total revenue, and video rental is the main revenue."
"As of last month, there have been more than 385,000 rentals, and the revenue from this part has reached 9.2 million US dollars."
"The two add up to 15.4 million US dollars, and the 24 films invested in the past have earned back their capital and profits."
There are more than 500 film and television companies in Los Angeles, and nearly a thousand R-rated films alone are produced every year.
But only a few can succeed, it can be said that thousands of troops cross a single-plank bridge.
They succeeded in only 24 attempts, which is definitely something to be proud of.
What's more, Saw is different from other R-rated movies. As long as you torture the protagonists in different ways, you can make unlimited series of movies. It's not an exaggeration to say that it is a hen that lays golden eggs.
Monica on the side heard this and looked at Zheng Yaoyang, with an almost pleading look in her eyes.
If she could participate in the second Saw movie, even if she only had a few lines, she would be willing to do so.
Appearing in a blockbuster movie is a hundred times better than starring in ten trashy movies.
Zheng Yaoyang asked directly: "How are you preparing for the second part now? Are there any suitable roles for her?"
Shi Tian looked at Monica. Although he didn't know how her acting skills were, her figure and appearance were the best.
It can meet the requirements of an actress in a plasma film. After all, as an R-rated film, in addition to being scary, it also needs some sexy pictures to embellish it.
Shi Tian was a little embarrassed: "Zheng Sheng, in fact, this lady's conditions are very suitable in all aspects, but the second part is currently halfway through the filming process."
Monica looked lost and a little distraught, only to hear Shi Tian say again: "But she can be the leading actress in the third part."
"If you don't mind, this lady can sign with our company. There are still many roles suitable for her to play before filming the third part of Saw."
After all, it was Zheng Yaoyang who arranged it himself. If he didn't give him this bit of face, he would have lived in vain for more than forty years.
Zheng Yaoyang turned to look at Monica and asked her opinion: "What do you think?"
Monica took a deep breath, suppressed her excitement, and said affectionately: "My dear, you can just arrange it."
Although she didn't have the chance to star in the second part, she had the female lead in the third part as a guarantee.
And from what they said, they invested in 24 films in the past year, which is enough to show that it is not a small company.
So no matter what, it is hundreds of times better than the agency she worked for before.
Zheng Yaoyang smiled and said: "Manager Shi, from now on she will sign under the company, you can just make the arrangements."
"Okay Zheng Sheng."
Shi Tian called the HR manager and arranged for Monica to go through the entry procedures.
He brought Zheng Yaoyang to the office and pointed to the signboard of a company not far away.
"ForeverStrong."
Zheng Yaoyang took a look and said with a smile: "Forever strong? That company is also run by Chinese?"
Chinese companies are actually easy to distinguish. Generally, their names have special meanings, unlike European and American companies, which are simple nouns or simply use their own surnames.
Shi Tian hesitated for a moment and corrected: "Zheng Sheng, actually you should translate it into always strong."
"Always strong?"
Zheng Yaoyang was stunned and said in surprise: "Yongsheng? Are you sure that company is a Xianghuaqiang industry?"
Shi Tian nodded and quickly explained: "I told Mr. Zhou about this. At the beginning, she said that if the other party doesn't provoke us, we can just pretend they don't know each other."
Zheng Yaoyang glanced at Shi Tian and knew that he was trying to distance himself from the relationship, so he did not blame him and asked with a smile: "How are they developing?"
Shi Tian replied: "It's a little better than us, mainly because they came a year earlier."
"Things have gotten a lot better since Saw came out, and it's only a matter of time before we surpass them."
Zheng Yaoyang said oh and continued to ask: "Have you ever gone over to say hello?"
Shi Tian said truthfully: "On the opening day, Mr. Xiang sent a flower basket to wish us a prosperous business."
"Have you ever stopped by for a visit?"
Shi Tian shook his head, and Zheng Yaoyang blamed him: "This is too ignorant of the rules."
He smiled and said, "I have nothing to do anyway. I'll go over and see if Brother Xiang is in the company."
Shi Tian panicked and hurriedly stopped him: "Zheng Sheng, in my opinion, you'd better not go."
At first, almost all of the dozen or so Xiang family brothers were sent in by Zheng Yaoyang to eat the royal food.
It could be as short as three years or as long as ten years. He didn't know where Zheng Yaoyang had the courage to go to the meeting alone.
The United States is not like Hong Kong. It is legal to carry guns here, and almost every household has firearms.
If Xiang Huaqiang got excited and suddenly shocked Zheng Yaoyang, he would probably have no choice but to run away.
Zheng Yaoyang laughed and said: "He doesn't have the courage."
At first, Xiang Huaqiang didn't dare to fight with him, so he had no choice but to escape overseas, let alone now.
"Master Zheng, wait for me."
Zheng Yaoyang could not care less, but Shi Tian couldn't care less. He could only pick up the guy and follow him closely, for fear that he would encounter any danger.
Several people came to Yongsheng Film and Television Company and happened to encounter Chen Lan scolding the company's front desk receptionist.
Zheng Yaoyang entered the company, smiled and waved to say hello: "Mrs. Xiang, long time no see, you look even richer."
Hearing the familiar voice, Chen Lan looked up, her face suddenly gloomy: "Zheng Yaoyang!"
The couple gave up their established business in Hong Kong and started over in Hollywood, all because of Zheng Yaoyang.
If it weren't for Zheng Yaoyang, she would still be the revered Mrs. Xiang in Hong Kong, living a life of fine clothing and fine food.
Zheng Yaoyang said with a smile: "Xiang Taidu said that fellow villagers meet fellow villagers, but why are you not happy at all to see me?"
Chen Lan calmed down her expression and said with a smile: "Zheng Sheng, are you joking, are you drinking tea or coffee?"
Although she was angry in her heart, her reason still defeated her desire. They didn't dare to fight Zheng Yaoyang at first, and they dare not fight against Zheng Yaoyang even more now.
After all, who would have thought that a second-generation ancestor would now become the richest man in Hong Kong and an international financial giant.
It is said that he has inextricably linked relationships with several large institutions on Wall Street. If he were to be touched, there would be no place for the couple in the world.
"Xiang Tai, you're welcome."
Zheng Yaoyang seemed to have come to his own company, walking around and asking: "Where is Brother Xiang?"
Chen Lan said: "He has gone out to work, do you need me to call him back?"
"I won't bother him anymore." Zheng Yaoyang said with a smile: "Now we are all neighbors here. We can take care of each other in the future."
Chen Lan found out that Zheng Yaoyang was not a bad visitor, so she laughed and said, "Sheng Zheng, you are too polite. We need Lionsgate to take more care of us in the future."
Zheng Yaoyang walked around in a circle and didn't stay long. He just left a message before leaving: "Mrs. Xiang, you are a qualified wife. You have something to tell Brother Xiang for me. It's best to let the past go.
In fact, I don’t want to leave any hidden dangers, and I hope you won’t give me this opportunity.”
He came here with the idea of eliminating the root of the problem, but he just stretched out his hand to avoid hitting the smiling man. Chen Lan performed so well that he could not find an opportunity to use the topic to his advantage.
But he didn't really care. Xiang Huaqiang who lost Xin'an was just a toothless tiger. Crushing him to death would be like killing an ant.
Chen Lan's heart trembled and she hurriedly said: "Understand, let him let go of the past completely. Hua Qiang and I both think so."
Zheng Yaoyang was just trying to beat them, not to have any bad thoughts, but if there was even a hint, he would ruthlessly eliminate any further trouble.
Zheng Yaoyang left Yongsheng Company, Monica also finished signing the contract, and the two went to the hotel for dinner.
During the meal, I received news from Tang De that he had thought about it and planned to jointly set up a company with Zheng Yaoyang.
Zheng Yaoyang told him the address and asked him to come over and develop the entertainment industry, preferably starting in Los Angeles.
At the same time, he also called Zhou Xiaolin to inform her of the situation here and asked her to allocate special funds to Lionsgate Film and Television to do business with Tang De.
Zhou Xiaolin teased and teased: "Master Zheng, why are you in the mood to manage such a trivial matter?"
"Old Tang is worth investing in, but he is not a good man, so he can only save the country through curveballs." Zheng Yaoyang told Tang De's true virtue to prevent Zhou Xiaolin from being deceived by him in the future.
Zhou Xiaolin asked: "How much does it cost?"
Zheng Yaoyang: "How much money does the company have left?"
"About 1.1 billion Hong Kong dollars, more than 100 million US dollars."
"Then just 100 million."
"Hong Kong dollars?"
"Dollar!"
Zhou Xiaolin hesitated for a moment: "Okay."
If Huanyu was not a listed group, she might not have agreed so simply.
But the best thing about listed groups is that they can initiate financing at any time and borrow money from the market.
Although the market value of Huanyu Group has not reached the 50 billion mark, it still has 40 billion Hong Kong dollars. As long as it raises 5% of the shares, it will be 2 billion Hong Kong dollars.
With the shares held by the two of them, they can raise funds at least five times before reaching the warning line of the shares.
Zheng Yaoyang couldn't help but be curious: "Xiaolin, why don't you ask me what I plan to do?"
"What's the use of asking?"
Zhou Xiaolin knew Zheng Yaoyang's character very well, and at the same time she said angrily: "Also, do you know that we are jet lag?"
Zheng Yaoyang was stunned: "How many hours of time difference?"
"15 hours!"
Zheng Yaoyang looked at the wall clock on the wall of the restaurant. It was 19:14 in the evening, so it was about 4 o'clock in the morning in Xiangjiang.
He laughed a few times and said, "Sorry, sorry, Xiaolin, then you can go back to sleep."
Listening to the busy signal from the other side of the phone, Zheng Yaoyang laughed in surprise, put down the satellite phone, and continued to eat.
Monica, who was sitting opposite, suddenly asked in a low voice: "Honey, can I ask you a question?"
Zheng Yaoyang smiled and said: "What's the problem?"
"Then you have to promise not to be angry."
"I'm not angry, just tell me."
"Do you like the girl you just talked to on the phone very much?"
"How did you tell?"
"If you like someone, the expression on their face and their mood will never lie."
Monica has always been outspoken, and she also knows that her relationship with Zheng Yaoyang is just a purely transactional relationship.
As long as you stay with him and make him happy when he comes, you won't worry about so much, let alone expect a relationship beyond the interests of the two of you.
"Maybe..."
After two lifetimes, Zheng Yaoyang never figured out whether he liked Zhou Xiaolin or was possessive.
Fortunately, he was selfish and kept working hard. He believed that Zhou Xiaolin would one day accept his wishes.
Early the next morning, Tang De took the earliest flight to Los Angeles.
Zheng Yaoyang took him to visit Lions Gate Film and Television and informed him of the main project of the cooperation.
"Comprehensive real estate?" Tang De didn't know why.
Zheng Yaoyang explained: "It is a super comprehensive mall that integrates food, drink and entertainment."
After all, if the two of them cooperated just to create a theater chain, it would be a cannon to swat mosquitoes.
He told Tang De about the concept of Wanda Plaza and that where they are is the center of the city.
Tang De frowned: "Zuo An, according to you, the initial investment should be very large."
Zheng Yaoyang was noncommittal and said with a smile: "I plan to spend 100 million US dollars in the early stage."
Tang De pondered for a moment, considering the feasibility of Zheng Yaoyang's plan, and after a while he said: "I want to hold 51% of the shares, and the square must be called Langpu Plaza."
What attracted him was the concept of integrated shopping malls. Last year, Wal-Mart's sales exceeded US$38 billion.
The city square concept proposed by Zheng Yaoyang is equivalent to the Plath version of Wal-Mart.
Although the initial investment is huge, the concept of city center is destined to choose a well-populated location.
As long as you buy the land in the right location, you won’t lose too much anyway.
You gain blood when you win, and you don't lose when you lose.
It's hard not to be tempted by such a good concept.