Chapter 83: Top Quality Old Lady

  Let's just say that the employees of Meng Huan Ying Ye are overjoyed, but their "financial controller" Gao Jiabao is not happy at all.

  As a close friend of Fei Yang, he naturally understood what was on his mind.

  Yi Feiyang then comforted the sulky Pangzi and said: "What's wrong, unhappy?"

  "What's wrong, can't be more unhappy than you are? How are you, recovered from the previous incident?"

  "Is the test to comfort you, or are you comforting me?" Yi Feiyang smiled and said, "I've taught you before, as a person, you should look further ahead, don't just stare at the tiny gains in front of you..."

  "But this isn't small change, it's several million!"

  "If the old does not go, the new will not come! If you don't lose what's little, you won't get what's more! To put it simply, only by letting go can you gain!"

  "You're always so right, I can't argue with you!" Fatso said indignantly.

  He has never been an easy opponent for Yifeng Yang.

  Yi Feiyang couldn't help but laugh at his "henpecked" appearance: "Hehe, think about it, Lion's Gate Films still owes us 24 million in dividends that haven't been paid yet, and Paramount owes us at least around 20 million in interest..."

  "200 million? Is there really that many?!"

  "How can it be? I've calculated that the sales of movie discs alone, plus the box office revenue sharing for the three plays, are almost 20 million." Yi Feiyang said patiently.

  In fact, this number is just a conservative estimate by Yi Feiyang. Based on the current situation, the total box office of the three plays...

  Among them, "Ghost Story" has been shown for more than half a month, and the box office has already accumulated to over 70 million, while the other two plays have become extremely popular after "Ghost Story" was banned, with a cumulative box office of nearly 830 million. Adding the 80 million earned from the sale of "Ghost Story" DVDs, all these numbers add up to a staggering $170 million...

  Of course, the 170 million here must be inclusive of tax, and the taxes in the US are frighteningly high.

  However, even so. According to the profit-sharing agreement signed by Yi Feiyang and Paramount, as a partner, DreamWorks would still be able to obtain at least $200 million in pure income after paying millions of taxes.

  Compared to before, Yi Feiyang helped Lionsgate create a box office of $260 million with the film "Blair Witch", and finally got a profit of only $24 million.

  Now with total sales of 170 million, they can share a profit of 20 million, this is why Yifeiyang must start his own company.

  When you negotiate with others as an individual, you are weak and will be taken advantage of. When you represent a company in negotiations, both parties are on an equal footing, and interests will be maximized!

  Look at how shocked the fatty is by his own numbers. Yi Fei Yang continued, "At present, Paramount has 200 million and Lionsgate has 240 million. General Manager Gao, in fact you already have control over approximately 440 million in funds, isn't that enough?!"

  "44 million?" The fat man took a deep breath, "But I feel like you're just drawing pies to satisfy my hunger. Now this 44 million, I haven't even seen a single cent!"

  "So, you should look far ahead. Remember, the money in your pocket is also your own!"

  "This isn't farsightedness, it's the philosophy of a thief!"

  "Alright! Film people are almost like thieves, stealing the audience's joys and sorrows, and even their wallets!" Yi Feiyang raised an eyebrow and smiled.

  "Alright, I know I'm not good at talking. You always get the better of me... But since you're so eloquent, why don't you give Hong Kong a call? You know, your parents are worried about you! Of course, most importantly, please ask your mom to stop calling me in the middle of the night, asking about your situation... My god, I haven't slept well for a week. Look, my eyes have dark circles, I'm almost like a panda!" Fatso's words immediately shut down Yifei Yang.

  Originally. Since Yi Feiyang started making his first bucket of gold, filming movies, he would send some money back to his family every month, starting with two or three thousand, then seven or eight thousand, and later thirty or forty thousand...

  In Hong Kong, Yi Feiyang's parents were frightened. They had originally thought that their son was working hard over there and it was normal for him to send back 8,000 or 10,000 yuan every month...

  $40,000 US dollars, equivalent to over 2 million Hong Kong dollars!

  My goodness, the highest-ranking Governor of Hong Kong has a monthly salary of only around 1 million!

  Suddenly their income exceeded that of the Governor of Hong Kong, which frightened the old couple terribly.

  I guess he won't be doing anything illegal in the US, will he?

  It's worth noting that many people's understanding of the US comes from American blockbusters, and the most distinctive feature of these films is the prevalence of guns, frequent crimes, and movies like Scarface, Rambo, Die Hard, and Kill Bill...

  The old couple's simple and honest commoner thoughts unintentionally linked their son with these "unscrupulous" celebrities.

  Yi Feiyang couldn't make it clear, and when he told them on the phone that he was filming a movie, the old couple just didn't believe him.

  Especially easy old dad, opened a lifetime of taxi, the largest art cell is on the mountain top road highway, occasionally carrying customers to play "drift", maybe even be caught by unscrupulous traffic police and open a fine ticket.

  Yi Lao Ma is the same, this life's greatest achievement is occasionally bursting out with a pair of "small four joys" while playing mahjong, otherwise it's either "chicken paste" or "fart paste", never thought that she could get "thirteen uniques", even more didn't think that her son could make movies!

  So, the old couple's brains began to be active with wild thoughts.

  First, imagine your precious son with a match in his mouth and an AK-47 in his arms, like Sylvester Stallone in "First Blood", bursting into an American bank and shouting: "Nobody move, this is a robbery!"

  Then he fantasized that his baby son had scars on his face, holding a dagger, like the male lead in "Scarface", rushing into the jewelry store and shouting: "Those who want to live, take out all the jewels!"

  ……

  In short, the old couple was frightened by the US dollars brought over by Yi Feiyang, and they were worried that one day the police would come to their door.

  In the US, since it's hard to explain, Yi Feiyang also didn't bother explaining and just made timely payments. From time to time, he would even mail some supplements from the US to Hong Kong.

  In comparison, Gao Jia Bao is more "filial", besides mailing supplements, he also mailed TV, VCD, refrigerator, washing machine...

  In short, whatever household electrical appliances are cheaper here, he would mail them over... (This guy simply did not know that overseas mailing requires tariffs, and after calculation, it's even more expensive than buying in Hong Kong!)

  No matter what. Under Yi Fei Yang's consistent remittances, by the end of the year, even though the police uncle hadn't come knocking on the door yet, his parents in Hong Kong had gradually gotten used to the reality of having an "expensive" son overseas.

  It wasn't until two months ago when Yifeng's film was officially released in North America and had a global premiere that his parents finally realized their son had really become a director!

  What joy!

  What a relief!

  The old couple were overjoyed for three days in a row and couldn't close their mouths!

  Moreover, whenever he meets someone, he would say that he has a good son!

  During this time, even Lao Ye's father, who drove a taxi, was in high spirits and no longer hunched over with back pain.

  As for Yi Lao Ma, whenever she encounters happy events, her spirit is refreshed. At the mahjong table, she gets a good hand every time.

  Unfortunately, good times didn't last long. Suddenly, the news of his son's scandalous behavior shocked everyone to death, and then both he and his new play were completely banned in North America.

  Such news.

  Like a bolt from the blue!

  Dad is stunned!

  Yi's mother was stunned!

  How did this happen?

  They asked themselves.

  Is it really impossible for our family to produce a famous person? To accomplish great things?!

  Ancestors, if you know what's going on in the underworld, please protect Ah Yang and help him get through this difficult time!

  It can be said that these days are not easy for the Yi family, and Dad and Mom are worried about Yifei Yang, afraid that their beloved son will think of something...

  Dad is still a man after all, and he's not that nagging or gossipy, always calling his son to ask about the situation on the other end.

  Yi's mother doesn't care, she calls every now and then to ask if Yi Feiyang has lost weight, how he eats, and whether he is being harassed by those bad eggs.

  As for his mother's concern, Yi Fei Yang felt an unparalleled warmth in his heart, but he really didn't want to let his family members suffer again because of his own affairs.

  So when his mother asked him repeatedly, Yi Feiyang just mumbled and evaded on the phone, or simply said some comforting words like "I'm fine" and "don't worry about me".

  Fatso knew that Yifeiyang would rather die than lose face, and he didn't like to worry his family members. However, Yifeiyang's mother couldn't get a clear answer from her son, so she turned her attention to Fatso and started bombarding him with non-stop phone calls.

  So, the fat guy was devastated!

  Good heavens! Hong Kong and Los Angeles have a time difference, so when Old Mom calls over the phone, Fatty is often drooling while having sweet dreams...

  Countless times, just as Baozi was about to take a bite of roast duck or undress the beauty, the phone rang, and on the other end of the line was Mrs. Yi's extremely kind voice: "Hello, is that Jiabao? Can you help me with something? I want to ask about A Yang's recent situation!"

  The voice is too kind, so kind that even if Baozi wanted to explode over the phone, it's impossible.

  All I can do is put on a smile that's even uglier than crying... If the person on the other end of the phone could see me, they'd say: "Don't worry, that guy can eat, drink and sleep just fine. Most importantly, he doesn't have to get up in the middle of the night like I do to answer the phone..."

  Pangzi Gaojiabao's "nightlife" was a bitter and forced one, and Yifeiyang knew it. So when Gaojiabao asked, "Why don't you just be honest with your family?", Yifeiyang fell silent.

  As for his family members, Yi Feiyang has never dared to truly face them, but he also can't let Pangzi always be his shield.

  After some thought, Yi Feiyang promised, "I'll give home a call, and from now on, you can sleep well!"

  "Waaah, Ah Yang, you're making me fall in love with you even more!" The fatty directly hugged Yi Feiyang, "And my poor belly fat can finally grow back now!"

  ……

  Yi Feiyang didn't use his mobile phone to call home, but instead walked out of the house and came to a public telephone booth on the street.

  Fingers danced across the phone keypad, the "clickety-clack" sound striking a chord in Yifeiyang's heart.

  When he dialed the last number, Yi Feiyang hesitated for a moment, his fingers stopped, but only for a slight pause, and then he dialed the last number again.

  It's 8 o'clock in Los Angeles now. Hong Kong and Los Angeles have a time difference of 16 hours, so it should be noon in Hong Kong.

  The phone rang for a few rings and was quickly answered.

  "Hello, who is it?" A woman's voice came from the other end of the phone, with people shouting in the background, "Three lacking one, hurry up, we can't wait!" The sound of mahjong tiles clattering.

  "Mom, it's me." Yi Feiyang said lightly.

  "Are you... A-Yan? Ah. Is that really you, good boy? Why didn't you use your cell phone? This number looks unfamiliar to me, I thought it was someone else's call!" Mom on the other end of the line was overjoyed.

  "I used a public phone... I mainly wanted to give you a surprise." Yi Feiyang made an excuse.

  "Haha, what a wonderful surprise! You really surprised me big time! You know, Ayan, you're not exactly fond of making phone calls to the family..." The tone on the other end of the line was somewhat reproachful.

  Yi Feiyang's heart felt a pang of sourness. "That's because I was afraid you'd worry."

  "You kid, you didn't call us and we were even more worried. Your dad couldn't sleep all night, he would wake up and smoke, or talk about your stuff in America... Has that thing been resolved?" Mom asked cautiously.

  "Ah, it's settled then. Nothing's wrong anymore."

  "Oh, really? Didn't those people give you a hard time? I've heard that those foreigners are very stubborn and quick to take people to court."

  "It's really been resolved, don't worry about it; besides, that thing wasn't entirely my responsibility."

  "That's what I mean, those Americans are really muddled, they do everything in a disorderly way......" The old mother thought like many mothers do. She was biased towards her son.

  "Hello? I'm saying, why are you calling so slowly? The cards are all washed and ready, hurry up and come over!"

  "Stop it! Stop it! You all carry on, my son is on the phone!" The old mother said loudly, seemingly not liking those gossipy women interrupting her conversation with her son.

  The other end of the phone was quiet for a while.

  Mom said over the phone, "Son, are you listening? Those aunts and uncles just love to call me to play mahjong... You also know that I don't have any other hobbies besides this. And you don't often chat with me..."

  Yi Feiyang is a bit too much, I don't like chatting with her, I don't like her nagging, I don't like her chatter.

  "Mom, I...I'm sorry!" Yi Feiyang's voice was choked with sobs.

  On the other end of the phone, there was a moment of silence. "Silly child, what's the point of saying these things? Hehe, you didn't do anything wrong."

  "I should spend more time with you all, even if I'm not by your side..."

  "It's all right as long as you have a good heart! It's all right as long as you have a good heart!" Mom said twice.

  "From now on, if anything happens to you over there, first call home and let your dad and me know, so we won't worry unnecessarily... We also know that you're grown up now, you have a sense of proportion in doing things and you make your own decisions. However, in our eyes, you'll always be that little kid who can't grow up, the crybaby!"

  Yi Feiyang only felt a warm current flowing through his heart, and he looked up at the quiet night sky of Los Angeles, which was brightly lit but still seemed so cold and desolate. Only this phone call gave him a sense of longing for being in a foreign land with his heart in Hong Kong.

  "Besides, son, don't send any more money back home, your father and I can't spend it all. Your side has high expenses, many places need to be spent, without some savings by your side, how can you get by?"

  "I've heard that most directors are poor in the morning and rich at night, spending today's money and worrying about tomorrow's. So I suggest you save your money instead, and take it out when the time is right. Remember, relying on others is not as good as relying on yourself - only the money in your pocket is truly yours!"

  Yi Feiyang didn't know what to say in response to his mother's nagging.

  All along, Yi Feiyang thought he was very manly and wouldn't be moved by such trivial familial relationships. But now, he suddenly realized that having someone care about him felt so good!

  At this moment, Los Angeles' winter is no longer cold because of this phone call!