Chapter 157: What a coincidence to run into each other like this; any later and the food would have gotten cold.

Wang Jun calculated the final revenue share for Su Mu.
According to the previous conversion rate, the net box office revenue accounted for 33% of the total box office earnings.
33% of 1.88 billion amounted to approximately 620 million.
Then, 50% of that had to be allocated to iQiyi, Youku, and Tencent, leaving roughly 310 million for the remaining parties.
This remaining amount was then split evenly between Su Mu and Huayi.
Calculated this way, the various investors did not earn a massive fortune, but at least they did not lose money.
As for Huayi, their total investment was under twenty million, so they still turned a profit.
However, the biggest beneficiary was naturally Su Mu.
His share from this venture would be at least 150 million to begin with.
Combined with his previous acting fee of 70 million, plus this new 150 million, it meant this single film had netted him over 200 million.
Actually, this was already a very impressive figure.
After all, from beginning to end, he hadn't invested a single penny of his own capital, managed to handle everything with just a script, and walked away with 200 million in the end.
A person shouldn't be too greedy; the most important thing is to be happy.
Su Mu: "President Wang, shouldn't we also buy out the copyright for the script? Otherwise, things might get complicated later. Don't get me wrong, I'm really not after the money; I'm doing this for your own good."
Wang Jun: "..."
Zhang Huaimou: "..."
Is he even human?
...
Su Mu stayed in Beijing for a few days.
Mainly to wrap up the final post-production details of the film.
There were also matters regarding the final payments processed according to the contracts, which Qian Jida needed to coordinate.
As for the events unfolding online, Su Mu didn't pay too much attention to them.
Regarding the controversy between him and Lin Haoming, his results were the best response.
Moreover, Su Mu understood the situation very well.
The more heated things got, the less one should say.
Talking too much would only make people feel he was being aggressive and hypocritical about having the best of both worlds.
Maintaining silence and projecting an attitude of effortless calm would make the public perceive him as someone with true vision and broad-mindedness.
A strong person never looks back at the explosion.
Therefore, Su Mu was not going to turn back and beat a dead horse after winning the box office battle.
Such matters were best left to the fans to handle.
...
...
After settling all the major and minor affairs, Su Mu, Qian Jida, and Orange flew directly back to Galaxy City.
It was just the beginning of March.
The southern region already held a faint trace of spring.
Su Mu felt this would be a rather comfortable spring.
After all, he was over 200 million richer.
Even seeing Orange slacking off and sneaking snacks from his luggage didn't bother him in the least anymore.
"Orange, are you happy?"
Orange: "Happy~ Hehe!"
Su Mu nodded with satisfaction: "Alright then, I'll deduct half a month's salary from you to celebrate."
Orange: "Boss, I was wrong! Please don't deduct my salary.
o(╥﹏╥)o"
Su Mu patted her shoulder: "You're still young; money is useless to you. I'll save it for you. Once it accumulates into a huge sum, you'll be able to support a younger brother in the future."
Speaking of younger brothers, Orange's eyes lit up, and she proudly said, "Hmph, I've got a new younger brother recently~."
Su Mu: "Huh?"
Qian Jida: "You changed again?"
Hearing Orange's words, even Qian Jida glanced over.
To be honest, Orange's frequency of changing idols lately was getting a bit too fast.
Last year she liked the young trainees from a talent show, but halfway through she switched to someone else, and now, less than a few months later, she had changed again.
However, this also indirectly reflected that the attitude of the younger generation today toward entertainment idols seemed different from the older generation.
In the past, liking a celebrity could be a lifelong affair.
Nowadays, liking someone for more than a year was considered a long time.
Before long, Driver Zhu arrived at the airport in the RV to pick them up.
The vehicle was washed to a mirror-like shine, spotless and pristine.
Su Mu found it a bit blinding to look at, but he knew he couldn't persuade Driver Zhu otherwise.
When it came to the cleanliness of the car, Driver Zhu always held himself to a strict standard and requirement.
Getting into the car, the group headed toward the studio.
Qian Jida suddenly grew curious: "Orange, tell us, which young idol have you fallen for this time?"
Su Mu turned his head as well: "Right, confess quickly. Your boss has an 18-box office hit and yet you youngsters look down on him. I want to know who this divine being is."
Orange looked smug, then raised her chin with a smile: "Hmph, even if I tell you two, you won't know; this is the inner circle of idol fandom."
Qian Jida: "Oh! I really don't like hearing that. Su Mu was brought up by me in the first place, and he originally debuted as an idol. Besides, how would I not know? You think an agent sits around doing nothing? I keep up with market trends every single day, okay!"
Su Mu: "That's right, spill it."
Orange sighed: "Fine, since you both asked, I'll tell you. Recently, I've staned the Zero-One Zero-Two Heavenly Group!"
Su Mu: "0102? Who?"
Qian Jida: "That sounds somewhat familiar."
Orange: "They used to be with Crystal Entertainment, but later changed agencies and went to Tianxing. Now their popularity is skyrocketing, and they're all young guys in the prime of their youth. Super handsome!"
"Tianxing Media?" Qian Jida froze, then his expression dawned: "So they scouted a new boy band, squeezing out NNQT. No wonder Zhang Hua'an broke the contract with them."
Su Mu looked utterly shocked: "Can Zhang Hua'an and those four even make a living now?"
Qian Jida sighed: "Probably tough. Now that you mention it, I remember seeing this 0102 boy band trending several times over the past few months. Word is they snatched a lot of resources from NNQT. It's very likely that Qin Yufang is deliberately squeezing their living space. That old woman's methods are way more ruthless than Zhou Wanming's. When you broke away from Megalith, the worst he did was talk trash, but Qin Yufang is not that kind of person."
Su Mu: "Driving them to extinction?"
Qian Jida: "Not quite that extreme, but her methods aren't much better. Back then, I chose Megalith instead of Tianxing partly because I knew working under her would be miserable."
Su Mu: "(乛乛)?"
Orange: "(ω)!"
Driver Zhu: "Ahem."
Qian Jida: "...?"
...
Upon arriving at the studio, Su Mu met Sun Liaojun, Xu Jiang, and the others.
After a brief summary, they decided to find a high-end restaurant to host a celebration banquet.
Orange booked a private dining room, and the group headed over.
It was one of the more upscale restaurants in Galaxy City, and the prices were not cheap.
With a table full of delicacies ordered, everyone dug in.
Rather than a celebration banquet, it felt more like an excuse to gather and have a massive feast.
Naturally, Su Mu wouldn't waste such a wonderful opportunity.
He raised his glass and began his speech.
From the studio growing bigger and stronger, he talked all the way up to creating new glories and entering the Fortune Global 500.
Before the first round of seafood was even finished, he was ready for round two.
Perhaps only Xu Jiang was not quite used to it.
The others, however, had long developed an immunity.
Listening to Su Mu's speech didn't slow down their eating at all.
Only Driver Zhu listened attentively.
Three rounds of drinks later, everyone's emotions were pretty much in high gear.
Only then did Su Mu announce the bonuses for this quarter.
He directly assigned a six-figure sum to each person.
Sun Liaojun, Xiao Li, and Xiao Zhang shed tears on the spot.
Thinking back to the hardships of the past, they finally realized how sweet things were now.
...
Outside the private dining room in the restaurant, Zhang Hua'an leaned against the marble wall, carefully stepping out of the restroom.
He tried his best to keep his intoxicated body steady so he wouldn't crash face-first onto the ground.
Downing several large glasses of strong liquor had basically exceeded his ability to control himself.
Yet, because the business deal hadn't been secured, his inner voice told him he couldn't collapse just yet.
At this moment, he had no mood to feel bitter.
Even though his steps had indeed been agonizingly difficult this past year and he was truly on the verge of breaking.
Spotting men in suits walking out of a private room, Zhang Hua'an didn't care about anything else.
He quickly quickened his pace, stepping forward with a welcoming smile.
"President Li, regarding the new drama your company is investing in, do you think you could recommend my people for a chance? I guarantee they will do a great job."
The man smiled upon hearing this: "President Zhang, let's discuss this some other..."
Zhang Hua'an: "President Li, I invited you here today precisely to beg you for an opportunity. If you are willing to put in a word for a recommendation, it will definitely work out."
The man waved his hand: "It's not that I'm not giving you face, but right now we have better options, and you guys are no longer under Tianxing anyway. You know I'm an old acquaintance with President Qin Yufang. I could recommend you, but Tianxing also told me to push 'Zero-One Zero-Two' into the project. What do you expect me to do?"
Zhang Hua'an: "..."
President Li: "President Zhang, let's call it a day. I have matters to attend to; we'll talk next time."
Without waiting, the man brushed past with his assistant and strode away.
Zhang Hua'an stood frozen in place for a long time without a word.
He didn't chase after them, feeling only the world spinning around him.
In the end, he could only return to the private room alone, feeling somewhat desolate.
Looking at the table of dishes that had barely been touched, Zhang Hua'an took a deep breath.
Then he pulled out his phone and sent a message in the group chat.
[Zhang Hua'an: The four of you, don't order takeout tonight. I'm bringing food back for you.]
After sending the message, Zhang Hua'an leaned against the table, feeling utterly exhausted in both body and mind.
At that exact moment, he suddenly felt someone beside him.
He hurriedly looked up.
Immediately afterward, he froze.
"Qian Jida? What are you doing here!"
Qian Jida was sitting on the stool right next to him, pointing outside: "The studio's celebration banquet is in the next room. I happened to see you when I came out, so I came over to take a look. I remember... didn't you not drink alcohol?"
Zhang Hua'an clutched his chest, ignoring Qian Jida's question, and smiled bitterly: "Oh right, Su Mu's 18 box office hit definitely calls for a celebration. Congratulations to you guys."
Qian Jida nodded and didn't pursue the topic, merely looking at Zhang Hua'an: "Carrying them all by yourself must be really tough."
Zhang Hua'an forced a smile: "What's so tough about it? It's not like I haven't been through this before. Maybe my starting point is indeed a bit lower than yours, but you could do it, and so can I."
Qian Jida: "I believe that. Your stubborn pride is legendary."
Zhang Hua'an: "Haha, stubborn pride still gets severely beaten by reality. I'm mentally prepared, just a bit unlucky. But it doesn't matter; I refuse to believe that without Qin Yufang, we're actually going to starve to death. Still, facts have proven that your vision and choices were indeed better than mine—though just by a little. I'll catch up."
Qian Jida smiled helplessly.
He knew Zhang Hua'an's current state of mind.
Offering comfort would only make him feel worse.
Back when they hadn't yet become agents, the two of them had trained in the same professional program.
They used to be very close, but ultimately drifted apart because they chose different companies.
Yet both of them understood one thing.
No matter how much they had competed against each other all these years, deep down there was a nostalgic bond that could never be discarded.
They were both young back then.
Living together in the training dormitories, learning the ways of the entertainment industry side by side.
The two of them would often stroll through university campuses and bars, and whenever they saw someone with good looks, they would fantasize about cultivating them into dazzling superstars in the future.
Then they would meet at the peak and mutually fulfill those unrealistic dreams of theirs.
Alas, dreams ultimately remained in dreams.
After a long silence.
Zhang Hua'an stood up and let out a long sigh: "Alright, don't waste your energy worrying about me. You and Su Mu's studio are doing great. Since you've already succeeded, stop coming over to watch me make a fool of myself. Let's all just keep加油 (fighting) on our own from now on."
With that, Zhang Hua'an motioned for the waiter to pack up the leftovers.
Qian Jida lowered his head without moving, deep in thought.
A few minutes later.
Zhang Hua'an finished packing and realized Qian Jida hadn't left yet.
"What are you doing? Why aren't you leaving yet? Do you need me to send you off?"
Qian Jida suddenly looked up, as if having made a decision, and asked, "Zhang Hua'an, do you think you're doing great right now?"
Zhang Hua'an froze, then smiled: "Yeah, I'm doing great. What's wrong?"
Qian Jida: "Doing great means having your resources squeezed out by others? Doing great means watching newcomers act arrogantly in front of you? Or do you really just not care?"
Zhang Hua'an: "Qian Jida, did you drink too much, or did I? What's your point?"
Qian Jida: "I don't have a hidden point. I just feel that if I were you, I wouldn't be resigned to this."
Zhang Hua'an's eyes shifted slightly: "Of course I'm not resigned."
Qian Jida smiled: "Good, then wait for my call."
Zhang Hua'an: "Wait for your call for what? I don't need your charity."
Qian Jida waved his hand indifferently: "Alright, hurry back. If you're any later, the food will get cold, and those four blockheads are going to starve."
Zhang Hua'an: "You..."
Just as he was about to retort, Qian Jida had already vanished from sight.
As Zhang Hua'an prepared to chase after him, his WeChat notification suddenly chimed.
He pulled out his phone and saw messages in the group chat:
Zhao Feng: Manager Zhang, if there's a big feast, it's best to pair it with a fruit smoothie.
Sun Han: Blueberries are best! Papaya is good too, great for the skin!
Li Hang: By the way, I got tickets to Brother Su Mu's movie! Five tickets, let's all go together tomorrow!
Zhou Yang: Come on guys, Manager Zhang is working hard to bring us dinner, can you show some care~ Manager Zhang, buy a box of strawberries, dessert after a meal is a must!
Zhang Hua'an's eyelid twitched violently.
He patted his pocket, and his expression changed drastically.
We're screwed...
I forgot my rapid-acting heart rescue pills!
(End of Chapter)