Super Zoo

Su Ming and Lin Mu temporarily parted ways and went to Long Wu's house.

On the one hand, he was thanking him for his help today. Although it was not a big deal, he had not been the eldest brother for many years. For his own business, he intervened in the disputes again. Su Ming could not just let it go without mentioning it; on the other hand, before coming to Hong Kong this time, Long Wu specially invited him to his home.

Sitting is of course not just "sitting", they have common business intersections.

The one who opened the door was a short but strong young man with firm facial lines and a 50% resemblance to Long Wu.

It was Xiang Zuo, who played Lei Zhenzi.

Xiang Zuo had met Su Ming several times. He was a few years older than Su Ming, but because Long Wu and Su Ming were equals, he called Su Ming "Uncle".

The first time on the set, this guy called Su Ming "Uncle" in front of a large group of people, which shocked the audience. Who was this young man? He actually made the prince lower his status. Could he be a hidden gangster?

Su Ming was also embarrassed. I didn't have plastic surgery. I'm not even 25 this year. Is it appropriate for you to call me that in front of a group of pretty girls?

Su Ming said at the time that we were just two people and it was fine to be friends as equals, but Xiang Zuo insisted that seniority was the rule and it couldn't be messed up. He refused to change his words no matter what.

The first time was strange, the second time was familiar. After a few times, Su Ming got used to it. When he saw him, he smiled and called him "young man" without waiting for Xiang Zuo to speak.

"Young man, why are you so stern?" Su Ming changed his shoes and patted Xiang Zuo's shoulder with a smile. Xiang Zuo was dejected and looked listless like a defeated rooster. His face was dark, and this made him look even more gloomy.

This guy had well-developed muscles, but Su Ming's hand was slightly painful.

"Uncle, don't laugh at me." Xiang Zuo scratched his head: "The movie flopped, and I was scolded badly."

"Don't take those things on the Internet too seriously." Su Ming waved his hand: "The Internet is like this. If you take it seriously, you might as well burn charcoal and commit suicide. The more afraid you are, the more fierce people will scold you. If you act like you don't care, people will stop scolding you after a long time. Don't worry, there are too many strange news these days, and people will soon forget about you."

"Uncle, are you trying to persuade me or insult me? I'm an actor. If everyone forgets me, won't I be finished?!" Xiang Zuo said depressedly.

While talking, they had already reached the study on the second floor. Long Wu was wearing a straight suit and a very serious face, sitting in front of a laptop.

"Tenth brother, do you have to be so serious? You wear formal clothes in your own home. And you and your son don't welcome me. You both have stern faces when you enter the door." Su Ming smiled at Long Wu speechlessly and said half-jokingly.

Long Wu shook his head stiffly, like a robot, and said helplessly: "We just held a few video conferences. You know, I have never been good at these high-tech things. I am more nervous to hold a meeting in front of a camera than to hold a meeting in front of dozens of media."

"Dad, you are not good at high-tech..." Xiang Zuo muttered: "What kind of high-tech is video conferencing?" He poured three glasses of red wine behind the small bar in the study, handed one to Su Ming, and said: "My dad has a psychological barrier, sticking to the old ways and unwilling to accept new things. What era is this? Even the club has started to use video connection for meetings, and he still thinks this is high-tech..."

Su Ming shouldn't have asked more about Long Wu's meeting, but since he talked about the club, Su Ming said lightly: "Brother Shi, is there a beginning and an end to what happened today?" It's a bit strange. The club held a meeting and used the Internet. Aren't they afraid of being monitored?

"That's not the case. We stopped doing clubs a long time ago, but a group of people have to eat, so we should all do regular things. Even valet parking and bartending are side businesses that don't make money. Besides, it's not appropriate to call it a club. Just now was a regular meeting. The heads of various places reported on this year's "upgrade and transformation" work."

Su Ming: "..."

"You don't have to worry about Shenghe. Their boss Ale has long wanted to stop doing side business. He even called me in the evening and asked me to say sorry to you. Let's get rich together in harmony." Long Wu said.

"Get rich together?" Su Ming was slightly stunned. This sentence seemed to have other meanings.

Long Wu no longer does side business, and he doesn't do it himself. How can he get rich together with the so-called "Shenghe" boss?

"I'm going to make a new movie. Ah Le wants to invest some money. We used to be in the same business. We used to drink tea and play cards together. Since he wants to change and take the right path, I will support him." Long Wu smiled at Su Ming: "This time, we are going to play big. We lost a lot last time with Legend of the Gods. I can't raise too much money at the moment. Are you interested in joining?"

Xiang Zuo rolled his eyes.

"Another movie?" Su Ming thought for a while and asked: "Tenth brother, I won't beat around the bush. Bringing that Shenghe boss with you, are you trying to launder money through making movies?"

There are many cases in Hong Kong history where illegal income was laundered through making movies. Although it is difficult to trace it afterwards, Su Ming does not want to have anything to do with illegal transactions.

"Money laundering?" Long Wu was stunned, then laughed: "You think too much, do you think this is the 1980s? The money earned from illegal activities nowadays does not need to be laundered at all. That little money is not even on the same level as the investment income of a movie, so everyone does legitimate business. Don't be afraid of you laughing at me, when the Big Four were at their most prosperous, all the protection fees in a year were only tens of millions, and they had to pay for the medical expenses and bail of their brothers and sisters, so there was not much to earn. Now, if you open a nightclub casually, you can earn hundreds of millions a year, and if a movie box office is decent, you can also earn tens of millions or hundreds of millions. The world is colorful and full of gold, who would take the risk of illegal activities?"

After hearing what Long Wu said, Su Ming felt relieved.

Thinking about it, this is not false at all. In the past, the economy was not developed, and there were not many ways to make money. The criminals in the movies would risk being beheaded for tens of millions or hundreds of millions.

Times have changed. With a little background, you can open a shop, such as a medium-sized bar in a downtown area like Lan Kwai Fong. It is absolutely easy to make 100 million a year. In total, you only make more than 300,000 a night. If you meet a really rich person, the wine sold in a booth can reach this number.

Who would go to the side business if they have the ability?

Thinking of this, Su Ming realized that his thinking really couldn't keep up with the times. He smiled and got to the point, saying: "What is the budget, Brother Shi, tell me."

The available funds he has are not too little, more than 100 million, but even Long Wu thinks it is a "big investment", which is definitely in the hundreds of millions.

"Close to 100 million budget..." Long Wu took a sip of wine, put down the wine glass, and without waiting for Su Ming to ask, he immediately added two words: "US dollars."

"Uh..." Su Ming was sweating profusely. Big brother, can you stop breathing heavily when you speak?

With a budget of nearly 100 million US dollars and nearly 600 million Chinese yuan, it is no wonder that even Long Wu feels tight on investment.

Even in the entire history of Chinese movies, this is considered a big deal, and even in a place like Hollywood, it is an absolute blockbuster level.

What are you doing, playing so big?

But it is still a bit strange. With the strength of Huaxia Star, it should be able to take out this money, right? The more investment, the more dividends according to the proportion. Long Wu and I have a good relationship. We can make money together, but there is no need to give me part of the money he can make for nothing.

"This time I am not going to use the name of Huaxia Star, but to be an independent producer and use my own name." Long Wu said, "I can probably take out 200 million myself, and Ale can take out 80 million, leaving a gap of more than 200 million."

Su Ming quickly calculated in his mind that he definitely couldn't take out more than 200 million, but 100 million was not a big problem.

It is said that making movies is very profitable. In the real industry, it is even more difficult to make tens of millions a year. Last time, I spent several months to shoot a successful movie "Zootopia", and I still have more than 100 million left.

But now we can't talk about investment. Let's get the situation clear first.

"Why not produce it under the name of Huaxiaxing?"

"It's because of this loser. He will be one of the protagonists in this movie." Long Wu pointed to Zuo with a bit of doting, "I promised that as long as he makes an effort to show me, I will give him three chances. The Legend of the Gods is the first time. Everyone said it was a flop, but I said it didn't matter. As a father, I have to do what I say no matter what."

Su Ming understood that the first Legend of the Gods flopped, which led to the lack of confidence of many shareholders of Huaxiaxing in big productions. What's more, this time, Xiang Zuo will be the protagonist?

If he rashly took out 500 million or 600 million, the board of directors of Huaxiaxing would definitely not pass it, so Long Wu could only raise funds for filming in his own name.

Looking at Xiang Zuo, Su Ming's mouth twitched twice.

"Uncle, don't worry. I'm just one of the protagonists this time!" Xiang Zuo probably saw Su Ming's worry and said speechlessly: "This play is epic. There is no single protagonist. Many story lines intersect together. I am just one of the more important characters. Strictly speaking, I am a supporting role in this one."

Su Ming was overwhelmed when he heard the word "epic".

Isn't "Investiture of the Gods" an epic?

"Tenth brother, you've been talking mysteriously for a long time, what kind of play is it?" Su Ming couldn't help but be curious.

Could it be "Journey to the West"? In China, "Journey to the West" is definitely an epic, a dazzling big IP.

Or is it "Water Margin"? "Romance of the Three Kingdoms"? The latter is definitely epic, but these days, war movies are not very popular.

It can't be "Dream of Red Mansions", right?

Glancing at Xiang Zuo, if he plays Jia Baoyu, he won't pay a penny!

Long Wu's stern face actually revealed a rare smug look, but he was in no hurry to speak. He took out a cigar, lit it, took a slow puff, and placed the cigar steadily on the edge of the bronze ashtray, whetting Su Ming's appetite. Finally, he said leisurely: "It's not an Eastern epic, but a Western epic. Have you played World of Warcraft?"

Su Ming almost vomited blood.