Chapter 90: Three Conditions

  Yi Feiyang has always had lofty ambitions, pure ideals, or rather, unknown wild ambitions.

  Yes, he has ambitions, ambitions to conquer Hollywood and reign supreme.

  Taking a step back, even if you can't be king or overlord, being the most famous director in Hollywood and the world is also possible.

  In short, making a good movie that touches the world, so that people can recognize themselves, respect themselves and admire themselves... This is Yiyang's dream.

  Aren't you moved by your own movie? Bullshit!

  Don't you feel ashamed watching your own movie? Slap yourself!

  But Yi Feiyang never thought that he would become the master of Hollywood's underground porn empire.

  Shooting films by myself is absolutely not for making many people's tails wag!

  This does not conform to one's ideal logic.

  So when Henry the elephant said he would hand over his career to Dali, Yi Feiyang was shocked.

  But Yi Feiyang immediately calmed down.

  Too strange and absurd.

  To know that I haven't been in the US for long, and I haven't done anything earth-shattering, nor have I made a big impact, the only possibility... is that this is just a polite phrase, or rather, it's a trap.

  Many temptations are visible but untouchable, audible but inedible.

  The elephant Henry in front of him had undoubtedly given himself a bait, what a cunning fat man, almost believed it himself.

  After a moment's thought, Yi Feiyang immediately understood the situation and said: "Thank you, Mr. Henry, for your kindness, but I still say that I have no interest in filming this kind of movie!"

  Seriously, resolutely.

  Not tempted!

  Henry the elephant smiled wryly.

  "Hey buddy, you're really something else. Honestly, if I were in your shoes and heard such tempting words, I'd have been moved long ago, but you... God, you're a monster."

  "No, Mr. Heng Lei, I'm not a monster, I just know my own weight."

  "Maybe, but do you know why I want to get you? You've been in Hollywood for less than a year and have already made a name for yourself in the film industry. Even Gustave from MGM is looking at you with new eyes, and Raymond, the head of Paramount, is said to be very optimistic about you..."

  "Let's not mention anything else, but you actually have a talent for erotic movies. The adult version of SpongeBob, and the bikini promotion you did for the movie "The Witch", and the body painting promotion you did for "Ghost Shadow"... these ideas aren't something that ordinary people can just come up with casually. So I was thinking, if you can make horror movies that scare people to death, then what about erotic movies? Will they make people's... ahem... explode?! Haha, isn't it hilarious?"

  "Sorry, Mr. Henry, please take back your unfunny joke! Especially don't mention that damn thing in front of me!" Yi Feiyang's sharp gaze made the laughing elephant, Henry, immediately shut his mouth.

  "Oh, sorry, buddy, I spoke too soon! I can swear to God that it was unintentional. Yeah, I just said it casually. Hmm, no malice whatsoever!" explained Henry the magnate.

  "But then again, you are indeed a person who is very good at creating miracles, and that's why I chose you! And those damn media outlets that sensationalized your filming being interrupted to death, what does that show? It shows their extreme rejection of your continuous creation of miracles! Yes, America is just such a country, it can't tolerate geniuses of other skin colors! On the surface they advocate for democracy and freedom, but in reality they are very xenophobic. Don't even get me started on you being Chinese, look at those poor black people, who to this day are still discriminated against by many white Americans!"

  "Buddy, maybe I shouldn't have said so much, but I still want to remind you, walking the straight and narrow, filming orthodox movie stories will be very difficult for you. Those American directors, American film moguls, they won't tolerate someone like you who is an outlier... it's the same old saying, I don't have any malicious intentions, please believe me!" said Henry the elephant sincerely.

  Yi Feiyang certainly understands the other party's meaning. After all, as a Chinese person, wanting to make a name for oneself in North America, where Americans dominate, and achieving success is more difficult than exploring Mars. Not to mention others, just look at the miserable situation of Zhou Runfa and Li Lianjie, two Chinese superstars who ventured into Hollywood. One played a ruthless killer, the other a ruthless drug lord... what happened to our "God of Gamblers" Ko Chun, our "Kung Fu Emperor" Fang Shiyu?!

  Apart from this, after Ang Lee's "Life of Pi" won the Oscar, what was the reaction in the US?

  It's said that Spielberg and Lincoln are super idols in the hearts of Americans, who would have thought that a movie about Lincoln emancipating slaves directed by him would lose to a Chinese director when competing for the Oscars?

  American host exclaimed "very unexpected" upon learning the news, while local media described it as a major upset. The front page and inner pages of USA Today did not feature Ang Lee's photo. Another newspaper, Los Angeles Times, had a professional film critic question the awards ceremony, seemingly congratulating Ang Lee on his win but actually expressing surprise that Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty and Ben Affleck for Argo were not nominated for Best Director, making the results more variable, while implying throughout that Ang Lee was not as good as Steven Spielberg and feeling sorry for Lincoln which received 12 nominations but only won two awards.

  It can be seen from this that Americans are very annoying!

  It's very difficult for Chinese people to make a name for themselves!

  "Whether you have ill intentions or not, I really must be off now. Thank you for your hospitality!" Yi Fei Yang said after a moment's thought, standing up.

  "Alas, I know that no matter how much I say, I won't be able to move you, but it's okay, at least you've acknowledged me as your friend." Henry the elephant sighed, making an effort to shift his body and see off his guest. However, his massive body swayed slightly, almost falling over.

  "Damn it, this body of mine..."

  Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep!

  The timer went off at this moment.

  "Dear Yi, before you go, can you help me with something...?" Henry panted heavily, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "It's time, I need...I need a shot, help me...the needle is in the drawer!" Henry looked like he was in a lot of discomfort.

  Yi Feiyang, who was originally walking, had to stop in his tracks and watch as the other person struggled to move... He was really too fat, it was unknown how his small heart could support such a huge body.

  "Is it in the drawer?" Yì Fēi Yáng walked over and pulled open the drawer. He saw a box of injections.

  It looks like inside is insulin for suppressing diabetes.

  "Yes, help me, give it to me right here with a needle!" Henry the elephant stretched out his thick arm, which was densely covered in needle marks.

  "Ordinary needles don't work for me, only this slightly thicker one... is effective." Henry the elephant pointed to the thick syringe in the drawer.

  Yi Feiyang couldn't help but admire the elephant's willpower, such a thick needle tube, ordinary people would probably not be able to withstand it for three days. He had endured it for so long.

  "But I won't give injections to people." Yi Feiyang raised an eyebrow and said.

  "Never mind, just do as I say... Oh God, this damn illness of mine, why can't it just kill me sooner and spare me some suffering!"

  It wasn't until the injection was administered that Yifeiyang finally understood why Henri the elephant needed such a large needle.

  The skin is too thick, ordinary needles can't even penetrate it!

  Huff, huff!

  By the time Yì Fēi Yáng finished injecting insulin, Henry the elephant was already panting with exhaustion. Yì Fēi Yáng suspected that he didn't have to be so exhausted just from posing for a beating.

  "Alright. Dear Yi, thank you, I'm fine now, yes, don't worry about me, I'm good, at least for now!" Henry the elephant said to Yi Feiyang with a bit of exaggeration.

  Yi Feiyang was about to leave after finishing up, but now he didn't dare to take off immediately. "Really nothing's wrong, buddy? I see you're sweating all over."

  "I'm used to it! It's all because of this damn fat body of mine, I start sweating the moment I move."

  "Alright then, I'll leave and let you have a good rest."

  "Hmm... you can go, it's true. I don't know when I'll be lying dead in this office, and my company will be in chaos at that time. So, it's better not to see me, haha!" Henry the elephant sighed, looking old and frail, sitting there waiting for death.

  Perhaps in his eyes, he would truly die silently and unnoticed, after struggling for so long, fighting for so long, what's the point of it all?

  I went all out to get this Chinese actor's help, hoping to use his hand to shoot a classic erotic film at the last minute, so that my name and this play can be engraved together, and everyone will remember me when they remember this play!

  The reason is just that simple!

  Is this wrong?

  Even if there is a mistake, it's because I've entered the wrong line myself!

  ……

  Henry the elephant sighed while keeping an eye on Yifei Yang's movements. From their previous conversation, he had discovered that his opponent was a cold-faced but warm-hearted guy.

  Good people always like to sympathize with others, don't they?

  As expected, Yi Feiyang, who was about to leave with a swift step, stopped in his tracks.

  Thoughts are flying around.

  In an instant, Yi Fei Yang seemed to have made some sort of decision.

  "Mr. Henry, although I don't know why you must have me help you, but helping you is fine, I have three conditions!"

  As soon as he heard this, the elephant's originally dull small eyes lit up. "Three conditions? You tell me, if I can do it, I will definitely agree to it!"

  Yi Feiyang thought for a moment and said, "You asked me to help you film the play, with the purpose of helping you gain fame, so that after your death, people will remember you. In that case, I think it's pointless for your company to keep its theaters, so I want to buy them all!"

  "What, buying my hospital?!" Henry the elephant was shocked. "I'm not even dead yet, and this guy is already eyeing my hospital! Doesn't that mean that once I kick the bucket, TOP Company will be finished?!

  However, it seems that after I die, this company will really have no meaning to continue existing, and there are no children around me who can inherit this "business".

  "Gritting his teeth, 'Alright, I can agree to this condition.'"

  Yi Feiyang smiled.

  Buying movie tickets has always been Yifei Yang's biggest headache and the biggest stumbling block to the development of Dream Film Industry.

  But in Los Angeles, especially in Hollywood, movie theaters are gold mines, and with the thriving American film industry today, they have become a hot commodity.

  For a small company like DreamWorks, it's absolutely impossible to take market share away from the big studios like Fox, MGM, Paramount and even Lionsgate.

  Build your own cinema?

  That's not very realistic, it takes a lot of investment and also wastes time.

  So the only way is to spend money to buy it.

  According to Yifeiyang, this big elephant Henry made a low-level movie, but it was still very insightful for the development of movies. Under the TOP flag, there were at least eight national model cinemas, all located in the most prosperous commercial areas of Los Angeles. According to market estimates, they were worth at least $300 million. These theaters helped Henry the elephant make a lot of money. If he could grab them, then future DreamWorks films would have a solid foundation and a touchstone. No need to beg other cinemas for premieres and screenings.

  Yi Feiyang suppressed his excited mood and put forward a second condition.

  "The second condition is that if this play is successful, all box office revenue, I want you to donate it all to charity!"

  "Huh? Donate the box office?" Henry the elephant's nature of loving money as his life made it difficult for him to agree.

  "Yes, all of it must be donated. Not a single cent can be left behind, will you agree or not?" Yi Feiyang asked, staring at him intently.

  Henry the elephant took a deep breath and his whole body shook three times.

  After I'm dead, who knows which bastard will get these cheapened tickets? Now donating the box office is just a small matter!

  "This condition... I can also agree with you!" The elephant said with difficulty.

  "Alright, the last condition. Since it's to help your company film, I'll try my best to use the artists under your company's banner. However, as for the specific personnel arrangement, I must be fully in charge, and your people absolutely cannot interfere!" Yi Feiyang said this with a firm tone.

  What I fear most when filming is having teammates with poor skills. As the saying goes, it's not the formidable opponents that you should be afraid of, but rather the incompetent teammates!

  Yi Feiyang didn't want to be stabbed in the back while he was working hard filming at the front.

  Besides, this TOP is not even a regular film company. It's more like an entertainment venue, filming just for fun, and I estimate they've never made a movie with an investment of over 300,000. Letting such a company lead you, isn't that like letting a goat lead a tiger into battle... The fable says it clearly, the goat ends up as mutton soup, and the tiger becomes a cannon fodder.

  "As for this condition... Since I asked you to help me with the filming, I will trust you unconditionally. So, whatever you say goes!" Henry the elephant was quite decisive this time.

  Yi Feiyang laughed again, just as he had guessed. The acceptance was so refreshing.

  In fact, Yì Fēi Yáng's order of conditions is very skillful. He first raises the most difficult ones to accept, and only then mentions the slightly less important ones. This creates an illusion for the parties involved that if they can accept something so difficult, these smaller conditions are naturally even easier to accept.

  "Look, friend, I've basically agreed to all your conditions," said Billy the elephant. "So now, can't I also make a few demands of my own?"

  "Of course, you're right." Yì Fēi Yáng wasn't an unreasonable person either.

  "Cough, first of all, I hope you can add a sentence at the beginning or end of the film, such as 'Dedicated to Mr. Henry with respect' or 'This film is Mr. Henry's painstaking work', and so on. Yes, that's what I mean by putting my own label on it, I hope you understand."

  "On this point, I can promise you. After all, I'm helping you film and using your top resources... by the way, the filming costs are also borne by you, aren't they?"

  "That's good, haha, secondly, if this play can't meet my requirements, I mean, can't make the whole Hollywood boiling, then what should we do?"

  "What do you think?" Yi Feiyang asked back.

  "So all the conditions you mentioned earlier are cancelled! And compensate me for all the losses in my filming, note, double! For example, if I invest 300,000 yuan, you have to compensate me 600,000 yuan, if I invest 3 million yuan, you have to compensate me 6 million yuan, and so on! Most importantly, this rubbish film, I will not accept it, can only be labeled with your name, and has nothing to do with my Elephant Henry!"

  It must be said that this big elephant is meticulous and never suffers losses.

  The three conditions he put forward seem harsh, but buying a movie theater chain is about spending money, not letting others give it away for free; asking him to donate the box office revenue is equivalent to helping him do good deeds; and finally, requiring the other party to cooperate with decentralization is also for the sake of making a good film.

  However, the three conditions proposed by the other party are almost all about being shrewd and taking advantage of others without suffering any losses.

  "Not bad, I can also accept your conditions. Yes, there's give and take, that's good." Yi Feiyang said lightly. "However, now I'm short of a very important person to be the deputy director of this play, so I want to recommend someone to you, he has a lot of experience in this aspect..."

  "Oh, who is he?" Henry the elephant didn't care who was doing the assisting directing, but it would be nice to find someone with experience.

  "He's...Bugs Bunny!"

  "Ah, is that bastard okay?" Henry the elephant had a huge psychological gap, just because Bunny Bill was an infamous street vendor when he was in the underground theater.

  "Believe me, maybe he was trash before, but talent can also be trained!" Yi Feiyang swore solemnly.