Psst! We're moving!
After returning to the company, Shen Qianzhan first approached legal affairs to review the contract.
Qian Deng’s work efficiency had always been high, especially when it was close to mealtime. The legal team, eager to grab a bite, provided feedback in less than half an hour: “Party A’s request is reasonable. This contract has three points of contention. Firstly, regarding our side’s proposal not to involve personal feelings, this clause is not very standardized.”
The legal affairs person was a young man. As he gave his feedback, his eyes fell on Shen Qianzhan’s face, whose features perfectly aligned with a man’s aesthetic, and he nodded understandingly: “However, I think it’s harmless if the other party has no objections.”
“Secondly, the remuneration issue, which can be discussed together with the third point of contention.” The legal affairs person pointed to the contract clauses he had circled in red: “Qiao Xin told me that this Party A is quite special, a technology-oriented investor. They don’t want remuneration; instead, they choose priority control, which is a trap clause for us.”
Shen Qianzhan also felt that the clause added by Ji Qinghe and Fang was inexplicably strange. The wording of the clause was similar to the meaning of having priority cooperation rights, but upon closer examination, it seemed to be something else entirely.
Seeing that she understood, the legal affairs person glanced at his watch and doubled his speaking speed: “This contract needs to be read in conjunction with the investor’s investment terms. I have a vague feeling that this moneybags is incredibly wealthy, and their possessiveness and desire for control are extraordinary. They might want to cover all the costs of the entire project, effectively replacing our concept of joint production with exclusive investment, making you a producer employed by Party A, hired by them.”
Shen Qianzhan clicked her tongue upon hearing this, secretly thinking Ji Qinghe was insidious.
This was one of the common cooperation methods between film and television companies and investors. Investors would invest in a film and television company, and the production company to which the producer belonged would be employed by the investor to develop projects, categorized as joint production.
The cooperation between Shen Qianzhan and Jiang Yecheng was of this nature: Shen Qianzhan provided creative content, and Jiang Yecheng authorized official configurations and post-production publicity channels, having a certain say, thus a joint production with Qian Deng.
Before Jiang Yecheng introduced Ji Qinghe to Shen Qianzhan, Shen Qianzhan’s original plan was for Qian Deng to allocate funds during the project development phase, and then seek investment after the script was completed. Most of the investors sought would choose film and television companies with strong financial backing in the industry to co-develop and disperse risks.
If Qian Deng Pictures had been strong enough, Shen Qianzhan wouldn’t even have wanted to share the pie with others.
Unfortunately, Qian Deng’s funds were insufficient to bear all the costs of a large-scale tribute drama, from development and filming to post-production publicity.
As for Ji Qinghe’s intentions, simply put, it was to only provide money, without effort, with exclusive investment, enjoying the benefits by just talking.
His calculations were meticulous and precise, and he had no idea where he got the confidence from.
And he even called her an ambitious person, truly a capital boss standing at the top of the pyramid, unaware of the sufferings of the world.
The legal affairs person saw her changing expressions, and fearing that this esteemed individual would impulsively detain him for on-site negotiations, he rubbed his hands and tentatively asked, “Sister Zhan, can I go eat now?”
“Go, go, go!” Shen Qianzhan waved her hand impatiently and turned to go to Su Lanyi’s office on the top floor.
This sister usually didn’t eat, only drank dew, so she should still be able to catch her.
________________________________________
After an hour of private discussion, Shen Qianzhan returned to her office, packed the necessary documents, sealed them, and took Qiao Xin to Shijiantang.
Once familiar, twice acquainted, by her fourth visit, Shen Qianzhan was so confident that she didn’t even open her navigation, speeding all the way, hitting every speed trap on her way to Beijing’s Second Ring Road.
Meng Wangzhou was waiting for her at the shop entrance.
After Shen Qianzhan casually complained about the difficulty of parking at Shijiantang last time, Meng Wangzhou would proactively park her car every time she came.
How could such a warm, pure, and understanding person be cousins with that insidious, cunning man, Ji Qinghe?
This world was too perplexing.
Shen Qianzhan spent three minutes exchanging pleasantries with Meng Wangzhou about their recent situations. The first minute was about Shijiantang’s recent business, and the next two minutes were entirely spent inquiring if Ji Qinghe was in a good mood today and thus easier to talk to.
Meng Wangzhou was so idle every day that he was almost growing mold. Shen Qianzhan was willing to chat with him, even if it was about Ji Qinghe, he was willing. He immediately spoke voluminously, extending the conversation time to five minutes before concluding: “Ji Qinghe’s mood usually has no discernible pattern. It just seems he’s in a good mood every time you come.”
Shen Qianzhan felt something strange about that statement.
Ji Qinghe was described by Meng Wangzhou as if he were a convict serving time, full of remorse. So, was she visiting him in prison?
She was amused by her own strange thought, and her steps instantly became lighter.
When they arrived at the backyard, Ji Qinghe was brewing tea in the activity room of the Horology Collectors Association.
Ming Jue sat stiffly on his left, seemingly waiting for them.
Shen Qianzhan stepped over the threshold and first sized up Ji Qinghe.
Unlike the suit-clad, noble Ji Zong she had seen in the morning, Ji Qinghe, sitting at the long table, was wearing only a thin, dark gray sweater, his sleeves rolled up, revealing his distinct wrist bones.
On his wrist was a platinum-colored watch, which accentuated the graceful lines of his bones and the highly aesthetic shape of his wrist.
Huh?
This drama mainly focused on watch repair and manufacturing, so there should be many slow-motion shots of hand details. If Ji Qinghe’s hands were used as hand doubles and then edited into promotional videos...
Tsk!
Who knew how many girls would cry and scream, wanting to place these hands on their chests.
Her mind was filled with all sorts of improper thoughts, but on the surface, she maintained a proper demeanor, very gentlemanly, and found a seat near the door with Qiao Xin.
As soon as Shen Qianzhan sat down, Ji Qinghe looked up and cast a faint glance: “The humble room is simple, Producer Shen, please make do.”
Shen Qianzhan surveyed the “humble room” and felt lingering fear: “Ji Zong, you call a courtyard house in the Second Ring Road a humble room? Qiao Xin.” She turned, her fingers slightly bent, tapping on the long table: “Quickly revise the electronic contract. That investment amount is simply an insult to Ji Zong’s worth.”
Suddenly called out, Qiao Xin’s memory switch for “worth” was instantly triggered by the word, her mind filled with the lingering echo of last night’s “It’s a pity it’s too precious, who can afford something studded with diamonds?”
She quietly covered her face with the back of her cool hand, wisely staying silent.
Because Su Zan, that rebel, defected and betrayed the country this morning, she had been holding her breath when facing Shen Qianzhan. Even though she tried her best to act as if it didn’t concern her, Sister Zhan still found fault with everything she did all morning.
Finally, when reporting work, she leaned her chin on her hand, staring at her without blinking, but her voice was low and eerie, her voice raspy, asking her: “Did you hear all the sleep-talking I did last night, hmm? Xiao Xinxin.”
So, she had been holding her breath all the way to Shijiantang, where she met the male lead of Shen Qianzhan’s spring dream.
Qiao Xin forcibly stopped herself from investigating where Ji Zong was studded with diamonds. She pulled out her laptop, turned it on, and silently, like a frightened chicken, began typing meeting minutes.
________________________________________
Regarding the employment contract for the special consultant, Shen Qianzhan, following the prepared lines she had rehearsed, directly pointed out the key issues.
She didn’t say that Qian Deng’s legal team felt this clause was an auxiliary clause to the investment contract, a trap set by Party A for them. Instead, she tactfully stated that the wording of the priority cooperation right was not rigorous enough. She circled the clause, which she had modified with the legal team after leaving Su Lanyi’s office, in red pen and pushed it towards Ji Qinghe.
Shen Qianzhan had just had a brief exchange with Ming Jue and noticed that this assistant was quiet and spoke very little. When he stood behind Ji Qinghe, his presence was almost imperceptible, but when it came to company business, his eyes were exactly like Ji Qinghe’s when he stared at someone, conveying only the words “devour alive.”
She suddenly felt she had lost out and should have brought along those sharp-tongued young women from the legal department.
The person involved calmly brewed tea. Seeing her purse her lips and look over, he even had the leisure to ask her what kind of tea she preferred: “After you’ve visited a few times, Meng Wangzhou specifically bought some floral teas. Do you girls prefer rose, roselle, or?”
Shen Qianzhan replied, “White lotus.”
Ji Qinghe paused, gave her a meaningful look, and then unhurriedly said, “Business negotiations are a process where both parties strive to maximize their interests. To achieve peace of mind, it depends on who finds the balance point first.”
He spooned some rose petals from the tea caddy, leisurely instructing her: “Misdirected anger and unnecessary negative emotions are the most ineffective.”
Shen Qianzhan stopped beating around the bush: “You want to be the exclusive investor, handling all expenses from project development, filming, to promotion?”
Ji Qinghe countered, “Isn’t it good to save you the trouble of finding investors after the project is developed, hmm?”
A producer seeking investor cooperation with only an idea or concept on hand heavily relied on the trust of the cooperating party.
Shen Qianzhan, backed by Qian Deng, had Qian Deng’s investment in the early project development, which made it much less difficult compared to an independent producer. Coupled with her connections accumulated in the industry over the years, it was indeed not difficult to attract film and television companies for joint production. But this was contrary to Ji Qinghe’s starting point; he was not interested in joint production, he only wanted exclusivity.
Shen Qianzhan felt a headache coming on.
She understood Ji Qinghe’s intentions when the legal team pointed out the significance of this clause.
In the capital market, whoever provided the money was essentially the boss. Ji Qinghe’s exclusive investment basically meant a monopoly, and she would become a soulless working machine.
Perhaps her despairing expression was too obvious. Ming Jue glanced at Ji Qinghe, and seeing that he didn’t stop him, reminded her: “Producer Shen, I reminded Planner Qiao to issue the contract yesterday. Perhaps my hint wasn’t clear enough. Our side trusts Producer Shen’s professional abilities and fully respects the producer’s wishes, provided it doesn’t harm our interests.”
Shen Qianzhan blinked, instantly coming back to life: “Not interfering with specific project matters, just being a generous investor?”
Ming Jue again glanced at Ji Qinghe, and seeing the faint, almost imperceptible smile at the corner of his eye, he sighed, thinking that if Ji Zong were in ancient times, he’d be a potential candidate for “lighting beacon fires for pleasure.” He then added: “It can’t be that optimistic. Producer Shen’s basic estimate for this project is three hundred million, right? Three hundred million to scatter around for fun would take several days.”
The implication of this statement was: a three-hundred-million investment, with no oversight or questions, was not how a business operated; it wasn’t running a charity.
Shen Qianzhan now looked at Ji Qinghe as if he were her father, her eyes and brows filled with fawning smiles: “Successful people are indeed powerful and capable, yet they are also skilled in delegation and deeply understand the art of empowering others.”
Ji Qinghe took a sip of tea, teasing her: “Powerful and capable, have you seen that?”
Shen Qianzhan smiled sweetly, uttering suggestive words nonchalantly: “Others haven’t seen it, but I’ve had the good fortune to witness Ji Zong’s magnificent strategy.”
She was in an excellent mood now and found Ji Qinghe more pleasing than ever before.
Ah, who wouldn’t like a sugar daddy who comes to give money!
Qiao Xin, who was inputting meeting minutes next to them, maintained a poker face, her fingertips trembling: I suspect you two are flirting, but I have no evidence.