Chapter 45: Immediate Agreement

Xiao Ran rubbed his nose, thinking it was fine if Fang Ruohai misunderstood him as wanting to be a director—he would need to give clearer hints in the future. But that clearly didn’t fit his plans; he wanted to be the boss, not work for someone else.

Lin Qingxia watched the negotiation between the two quietly. Fang Ruohai had fair skin and a handsome appearance that could attract many girls. Yet, this was clearly not the type Lin Qingxia preferred. After two intense romances, she knew she would never fall for such handsome men again.

Xiao Ran, on the other hand, was a different type. With his slightly tanned skin, strong build, distinctive personality, and a hint of smile always at the corners of his eyes, he represented another style that attracted women. Thinking of this, Lin Qingxia felt a strange sensation.

Of course, neither Fang Ruohai nor Xiao Ran knew Lin Qingxia’s opinion of them. Seeing them chatting happily, her gaze lingered on Xiao Ran’s face for a moment before she quickly averted it, as if caught in the act. Then she interjected to persuade Xiao Ran, “Aran, actually, Ahai’s conditions are quite good—10,000 per month. Many top directors only get that much!”

The 10,000 Lin Qingxia mentioned was the salary Fang Ruohai offered Xiao Ran, a truly impressive amount. After all, when Xu Ke invited Xiao Ran to join the film studio a year ago, he had only planned to offer 2,000–3,000. Of course, the monthly salary was just to support such talents; screenwriting fees were calculated separately.

For each script written, Fang Ruohai offered 100,000, not including profits. Strictly speaking, even as a director, most people only earned around 100,000–200,000 per year, with only a few top directors earning up to 300,000. So, this offer would tempt anyone, showing just how highly Fang Ruohai valued Xiao Ran.

If Xiao Ran only wanted to be a good director and screenwriter, he would have accepted—after all, who would refuse money without harming others’ interests? Money might be the world’s greatest evil, but it’s also its greatest motivator.

Yet, Xiao Ran still refused. He wasn’t stupid. The scripts he planned to write on his own, like “Infernal Affairs,” were all potential hits. Just “Hero” alone had earned New Art City and the film studio at least 50 million. In three more years, that figure would only increase.

“Sis Lin, you don’t understand. Being a freelance screenwriter is better than being restricted. I like freedom,” Xiao Ran said with a slight smile at Lin Qingxia, then at Fang Ruohai. Rubbing his nose, he continued, “You know, this feeling is really great. And since I’m not short of money now, I’m sorry, but I have to decline Ahai’s offer!”

Just as Fang Ruohai felt deeply disappointed, Xiao Ran had an idea—something very important. Why not use Fang Ruohai’s funds to start his own business? That’s right, why not do that?

Xiao Ran had never considered this before; he originally planned to build relationships with Yin Du. In fact, it wasn’t difficult to do so—in an era when Hong Kong people were already panicking over 1997, Xiao Ran only needed to produce a film that promoted stability or one that showed goodwill toward the CCP. By then, perhaps Yin Du would come to him without him having to seek them out.

Xiao Ran’s long-term plan had been to use Yin Du as a resource to generate profits for himself. Once he had the right timing and funds, he could leave Yin Du and operate on his own. Otherwise, it would likely take many years to accumulate the necessary capital.

Now that Fang Ruohai had come to him, it gave Xiao Ran an idea. He was well aware that in these times, it was better to stay as far away from Yin Du as possible. After all, the events of 1989 had terrified Hong Kong people for a long time, and that could ruin his reputation.

Still, he hesitated. There was no record in history of a film company invested in by Fang Ruohai. Apparently, in the original timeline, Fang Ruohai had invested in someone else but, failing to find someone as suitable as Xiao Ran, he only invested rather than founding a company.

Of course, history was changing now, and Xiao Ran saw this as a crucial opportunity. After a brief hesitation, he decided to cooperate. Smiling, he waved for a waiter to bring him a glass of water before saying to Fang Ruohai, “Ah Hai, I have a good proposal—why don’t you consider it?”

As Fang Ruohai and Lin Qingxia wondered what trick Xiao Ran might be up to, Xiao Ran smiled even brighter, took a sip of water to moisten his throat, and said, “Since you want to invest in films, I’m curious—whom do you plan to invest in?”

Fang Ruohai was taken aback, clearly not expecting Xiao Ran to say such a thing. His target had been renowned directors like Wu Yusen and Xu Anhua, who had recently become prominent. But he clearly understood Xiao Ran’s meaning and smiled slightly, “I was struggling to find the right person, but now I think I don’t need to!”

It was Xiao Ran’s turn to be surprised. He hadn’t expected Fang Ruohai to deduce his intentions from just one sentence. Of course, he was only momentarily stunned before smiling and saying, “Do you think I can do it? This isn’t easy!”

“If you think you can, then I believe you can!” Fang Ruohai refused to back down, countering Xiao Ran’s words as if engaging in a philosophical debate.

“That makes sense—confidence brings everything!” Xiao Ran pretended to be impressed, then smiled broadly. “How much money do you plan to invest? That’s very important!”

Fang Ruohai wasn’t an idiot—his Harvard degree was proof of that. So, he had no reason to simply trust Xiao Ran to make money for him. But then again, Xiao Ran had performed well in front of him, at least in that regard, and Fang Ruohai appreciated him for it.

Besides, this was still just a discussion; nothing was finalized yet. It would indeed be a partnership—this combination could only be a partnership. Fang Ruohai racked his brain, recalling his father’s instructions before he left the United States.

At that time, Fang Poli said earnestly, “Ah Hai, your elder brother’s strength lies in his steadiness. I have great confidence in him to take care of the business. You are indeed cautious in your actions, but you also enjoy taking risks and challenges. That’s why I sent you back to Asia to invest. Trust me, Asia, especially China, will be the real hot spot for investment in the future. So, only you can handle this task.”

And so, Fang Ruohai was sent away by his father. It is said that his father did this not only to let both sons play their proper roles but also to prevent them from fighting over the family fortune. If Xiao Ran knew this, he would surely be in awe.

After some thought, Fang Ruohai remembered his father’s words about taking risks, and he immediately felt a surge of excitement. He was well aware that the greater the risk, the greater the potential reward. Moreover, since he was starting a business, he needed drive, and someone as young as him was undoubtedly qualified for the job.

With that in mind, he made an immediate decision—Xiao Ran was the only choice. There was no need for further deliberation. This was a risk for him, a bet on whether Xiao Ran could become a discerning producer. If successful, he could get involved in the film industry. If not, he would only lose a little money.

After pondering for a moment, he answered Xiao Ran’s question, “If we’re going to do this, it has to be on a large scale—at least five million… dollars. I’m not very familiar with this area. Why don’t you think about it and give me an investment proposal?”

Xiao Ran nodded, thinking hard while tapping his fingers gently on the table. Five million dollars would probably be sufficient, but according to Xiao Ran’s own company structure, that amount was far from enough.

After some thought, he spoke calmly, without any joking, “It’s inevitable to go big, and I think we need to make as much of a splash as possible. You know, Shaw Brothers has almost stopped production and will soon announce its closure officially. Starting a business in such an environment will definitely be something groundbreaking and will surely attract attention.”

“You…?” Lin Qingxia gradually understood and showed her surprise openly. Her beautiful eyes fixed on Xiao Ran, filled with concern. “Ah Ran, this isn’t easy. Don’t be impulsive!”

Xiao Ran smiled gently at Lin Qingxia. “Sis Lin, don’t worry. I’ve already thought this through. It won’t be as bad as you think.”

After further discussion, Xiao Ran and Fang Ruohai finalized the main details of their partnership and agreed on the profit distribution. Since Fang Ruohai was providing the capital, he naturally took the larger share—70%. After much negotiation, Xiao Ran managed to get 30% of the profits. He wasn’t entirely satisfied with this, as it felt like he was working for Fang Ruohai for free.

However, he had no objections either. Since it was Fang Ruohai who was investing, he already had quite a lot. Lei Kaitai invested in founding New Art City, while Huang Baiming and Shi Tian could only split 15% each, with the rest going to Mai Jia and Lei Kaitai.

It’s obvious even to a fool that the profit distribution is extremely unfair, and this is precisely the fatal reason behind the collapse of New Art City. Xiao Ran would never make such a mistake. Fang Ruohai promised him that in the future film company he would establish, Xiao Ran would be the only partner with final say. No one else could approach Fang Ruohai directly to discuss any matters related to the company—this would also be written into the contract.

In simple terms, Xiao Ran’s partnership with Fang Ruohai works just like Xu Ke’s film studio, where Xu Ke can report directly to Lei Kaitai and negotiate profits directly with him. The same applies to Xiao Ran, who can directly share profits with Fang Ruohai.

This is clearly a win-win situation—for everyone except our perfect heroine, Lin Qingxia, who isn’t very fond of it. Although she hasn’t had much contact with Fang Ruohai, her intuition makes her maintain only a casual friendship with him. Moreover, her intuition tells her that Fang Ruohai might not be as simple as she imagines.

Of course, Lin Qingxia might be too worried about her younger brother Xiao Ran (Xiao Han is Lin’s goddaughter, so Xiao Ran can be considered her godbrother), hence she fails to see Xiao Ran’s capabilities. Xiao Ran isn’t sure what Fang Ruohai has in mind, but he certainly has his own plans.

After everything was settled, all that remained was to open champagne to celebrate. Unfortunately, Xiao Ran doesn’t drink alcohol, so they used water instead to wish each other a successful partnership. Of course, before establishing a film company, Fang Ruohai needs to have a legitimate company. Although Hong Kong allows investment in films under an individual’s name, having a company makes things much more convenient.

The rest was simple. Xiao Ran took Lin Qingxia home, and along the way, she expressed her concerns. Xiao Ran simply smiled and comforted this breathtakingly beautiful Lin Jie.

(This book’s VIP chapters will be officially released on July 4th. Stay tuned!)
(Note: This book is about to drop from the recommendation list, so please read it as soon as possible.)