Huayu: This director is pretty strong.

Chapter 179 The New King Returns to the City, the Cleaner of the Capital Table

Beijing Capital International Airport, Terminal 2, International Arrivals Exit.

A row of flashes went off, illuminating the glass corridor and even bringing out the dust from the grout lines between the floor tiles.

Security personnel stood arm in arm, their shoulders pressed against the cordon, as the media continued to push forward, the foam covers of their microphones rubbing against the buttons of their uniforms, making a muffled friction sound.

Chen Yan pushed the luggage cart out of the passage.

The black windbreaker was zipped up to below his Adam's apple, and the dust from the wind hadn't yet dissipated from the folds of the fabric.

Su Wan lagged half a step behind, carrying the custom-made black alloy combination lock case in one hand. The case was close to her calf, making a very soft metallic sound as she walked.

Lin Qingqiu wore wide-rimmed sunglasses, half of his face hidden in the shadows, his back ramrod straight, only occasionally pressing his right hand against the spot of his old injury.

More than a dozen microphones bearing the station's logo crossed the cordon and vied to be offered to Chen Yan.

"Director Chen! Now that you've won the Golden Lion, will domestic cinemas lift their boycott of 'Thunder'?"

"The Harvey scandal has caused such a stir abroad that some media outlets have called you an 'Oriental Tyrant.' What's your take on that?"

Chen Yan stopped.

He raised his right hand.

A few reporters in the front row wanted to ask more questions, but they were jostled by the people behind them. The noise gradually subsided, leaving only the faint sound of camera tapes turning and the drawn-out female voice from the airport announcement.

"Movies are simply categorized as good or bad."

Chen Yan turned to the side, and Su Wan placed the briefcase flat on the luggage cart. His palm pressed against the edge of the briefcase lid. "I'll only take pictures of what I want to take pictures of."

The latch popped open.

The lid of the box was lifted.

The golden winged lion lay on a black velvet cushion, the airport overhead lights reflected in the patterns on its wings, making the people behind the camera squint.

The sound of camera shutters clicking in rapid succession.

Chen Yan put his hands back on the handrails of the cart, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the domestic media representatives in the front row. He paused briefly, but no one dared to speak.

"The North American and European rights to 'Thunder' have been jointly acquired by Lionsgate and Gaumont. The initial payment of 15 million euros arrived in my overseas account three hours ago."

There was a pause in the crowd.

Someone's pen tip stopped on the interview notebook, and the ink smudged into a black dot.

Fifteen million euros.

In a year when a domestic film box office of over ten million yuan was enough to host a celebratory banquet, this figure shattered the expectations of everyone present.

Chen Yan closed the box lid and snapped the buckle back into place.

"As for the rules for domestic cinemas, I will set them starting today."

Security personnel pulled on both sides, forcefully creating a path.

The three walked through the crowd and got into a bulletproof Mercedes-Benz van parked by the roadside.

The car door closed, and the flashes of light and shouts outside were blocked by the thick glass, leaving only the cold air coming from the air conditioning vents.

Su Wan sat in the passenger seat and opened her trip folder: "Back to the company?"

"Go to Jinghai Building."

Chen Yan pulled open his collar, his fingertip pausing briefly on the zipper teeth.

In Chaoyang District, a 30-story glass curtain wall building shines in the afternoon sun.

The bulletproof van was parked in front of the main entrance.

As Chen Yan got out of the car, the doors of the two vans behind him opened simultaneously.

Wu Gang led a dozen men in dark jackets downstairs, two to a group, and they dispersed towards the main entrance, the front desk, and the elevator. Their steps were steady, and they even conserved their eyes.

The lobby security guard came forward, but before he could even raise his hand, Wu Gang blocked him, placing his large hand on the head guard's shoulder and pressing down with his fingers.

"Routine procedure. Stand at attention."

The security guard swallowed hard and put his heel back on the spot.

Ignoring the commotion around him, Chen Yan went straight into the president's private elevator and pressed the button for the top floor.

Thirtieth floor, Chairman's meeting room.

The solid wood double doors were closed, with a little bit of cool air from the air conditioner seeping through the cracks.

Chen Yan pushed open the door and went in.

Beside the circular conference table, Shen Peiyuan, vice president of East Asia Trust, was wearing a gray striped suit. Beside him was a bone china teacup, the tea had gone cold and was covered with a thin layer of oil.

Two legal counsel stood behind him, carrying document bags, their ties neatly tied.

"Director Chen, congratulations."

Shen Peiyuan pushed his teacup forward half an inch. "Fifteen million euros, quite a sum."

Chen Yan pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down.

Su Wan placed the two documents beside him, aligning the corners of the papers neatly and cleanly.

"Zhao Cheng went inside."

Chen Yan bent his index finger and tapped it twice on the table.

"Zhao Cheng acted rashly and has been dismissed from the company."

Shen Peiyuan interlaced his fingers, revealing half of his watch chain through his cuff. "The police did indeed issue a freeze order on those thirty plots of land. But Director Chen, as long as East Asia Trust doesn't budge, those thirty plots will remain stuck in the books. You have cash on hand, but you can't afford to wait to build a cinema chain."

He leaned forward slightly, and the leather back of the chair made a soft creak.

"East Asia Trust holds 60% of the debt of Jinghai Film & Television. It's 200 million RMB. You buy the debt, and I'll cooperate to unfreeze it. It saves everyone trouble."

Chen Yan picked up the document beside him and slid it across the long table.

"Let's take a look first."

Shen Peiyuan turned to the first page.

List of overseas fund transfers.

The financial transactions between three offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands and shell companies under Lu Haiming's name over five years, including the transfer time, amount, and person in charge, are all clearly listed.

The sound of pages turning stopped.

Shen Peiyuan pressed his fingertip on the paper and didn't move for a long time.

"Zhao Cheng was just a gofer; you know better than I who ended up with these accounts."

Chen Yan leaned back in his chair. "You've divided the money from the Tianjin construction collapse case very meticulously. This list has three copies. One is on Liang Qinian's desk at the Tianjin Municipal Public Security Bureau, one is at the Economic Crime Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security, and the other is in the car downstairs."

He looked up at the floor-to-ceiling window; the cars below were so small they were just shadowy silhouettes.

"I'll make a phone call, and you'll see it in tomorrow's newspaper. Calculate the future of East Asia Trust's stock price yourself."

Shen Peiyuan's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

The tea in the cup had gone cold, but he didn't touch it again.

What do you want?

Thirty million RMB.

After Chen Yan finished reporting the figures, a legal representative in the conference room crumpled the document bag in his hand. "We've bought out all of Dongya Trust's debts and equity in Jinghai Film & Television. Here's the money, take the person with you."

"Two hundred million in assets, thirty million? Chen Yan, this is robbery!"

The legal counsel blurted out.

Chen Yan didn't look at him, only staring at Shen Peiyuan: "Two paths. Sign, take the money and leave, and let's put an end to the offshore account issue today. Refuse, and I'll leave through this door, and Liang Qinian's men will come up to pick you up in ten minutes. You can explain to the Economic Investigation Department inside then."

The central air conditioning was still running, and the low hum of the air vents circled the conference table.

Shen Peiyuan looked down at the list of funds.

The 15 million euro cash flow was the source of Chen Yan's confidence to overturn the table; these few pages of paper, however, were stuck in his throat, and even the slightest loosening of the tab would be fatal.

After a while, he took the pen out of his suit pocket.

"it is good."

The crisp sound when the pen cap was pulled off made both legal counsel look up.

"I'll sign."

Su Wan pushed the equity transfer agreement and debt settlement document over.

Shen Peiyuan turned to the signature page, paused for half a second before finally writing his name.

"Payment will be made within 24 hours."

Chen Yan handed the signed contract to Su Wan, "Now, take your people and leave."

Shen Peiyuan stood up, straightened the hem of his suit jacket, didn't touch the cup of tea again, and quickly walked out of the conference room.

After the door closed, the room suddenly felt empty.

Chen Yan walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked down at the traffic below. The chill brought back from the airport still lingered on his shoulders.

"Notify Sister Lin."

As he spoke, Su Wan had already pulled out her phone book.

"Jinghai Film & Television will be merged into Yanying Culture. The unfreezing process for the thirty plots of land will begin tomorrow. Within a month, I want to see the construction drawings for thirty directly operated cinemas."

"clear."

Yanying Culture Headquarters.

Chen Yan pushed open the door to his private office. The cheers and confetti outside were blocked by the door, leaving only a few strands of confetti drifting in through the crack and landing on the edge of the carpet.

On the sofa behind his desk, Yan Huaizhong, the vice president of Beijing Film Academy, wearing a gray Zhongshan suit, was unpacking a heavy kraft paper bag, with a bit of red sealing wax on his fingernails.

"Strict School."

Chen Yan walked over and sat down.

"Golden Lion Award, well done. The school is going to hold an award ceremony for you."

Yan Huaizhong placed the official document from the paper bag on the coffee table, his relaxed expression fading. "However, you swallowed Lu Haiming's plate; that was too much of a show. The five major cinema chains and Wall Street have already made their move."

Chen Yan picked up the document.

"Guiding Opinions on Fully Opening Up the Domestic Film Market and Supporting Local Heavy Industry Film Projects".

"The WTO agreement will be signed next year."

Yan Huaizhong tapped the edge of the document with his finger. "It's only a matter of time before Hollywood blockbusters come in. The higher-ups want domestic commercial blockbusters to fill the gap. The era when you could make a living with a few million in box office revenue from a single film is over."

Chen Yan flipped through the documents, the pages passing between his fingers one by one.

"The five major cinema chains, together with Wall Street venture capital, raised 200 million yuan. They hired Director Zhang to direct a period martial arts epic, featuring an all-star cast and a Hollywood special effects team."

Yan Huaizhong looked at him, his eyes showing the blue marks from staying up all night. "The goal is to break 100 million yuan at the domestic box office and take over most of the screens during the National Day holiday. Your art film won the Golden Lion, but when it comes to big-budget films with a 200 million yuan investment, your screenings will still be squeezed out."

He stood up, walked to the door, his hand already on the doorknob, then turned back and added a sentence.

"Art films can get you into the game. To survive to the next round, you need something that can carry the box office. Think about it."

The door closed.

Chen Yan sat on the sofa, his gaze fixed on the word "two hundred million" in the official document.

The chips have changed on the table of capital.

After the old players were ousted, the hunters with even bigger appetites took their place.

A moment later, he pulled open the bottom drawer of his desk.

Inside was a bound script with four large bold characters printed on the cover.

Chen Yan picked up the script and dialed Wu Gang's number.

"Old Wu, stop what you're doing for now."

He turned to the first page, and the densely packed storyboard annotations on the paper came into view.

"Go to New Zealand. Find a special effects company called Weta Digital. Tell them I have a big deal."