Ren Jingxi was half an hour late, and after it became clear that no agreement could be reached, she quickly finished lunch and left early, leaving Guan Yinan and Jiang Anqi staring at each other.
There was also a sense of relief.
Neither of them had been particularly fond of My Fair Princess in the first place, and they had only agreed to meet due to pressure from a certain man. Now that Ren Jingxi had taken the initiative to shoulder the responsibility for the failed collaboration, they no longer had to worry about it.
As for the inexplicable sense of loss in their subconscious, it was just a fleeting thought.
They had to keep moving forward.
After seeing Ren Jingxi off, the two continued to eat lunch leisurely. Guan Yinan turned to Jiang Anqi and said, "Since that's the case, should I negotiate further with Golden Harvest about Phantom Agents?"
Jiang Anqi, however, was no longer in a hurry. After thinking for a moment, she said, "I'll take a look at the script this afternoon first."
Guan Yinan nodded and added, "Actually, there have been a lot of film and TV offers for you these days. Most of them were obviously unreliable, so I turned them down. The rest, like Phantom Agents, you already know about. I've been to the U.S., and actors there are quite different—some specialize in movies, others in TV, with clear distinctions. In China, it's not the same. The annual box office here isn't even as much as what one Hollywood movie can make. Focusing solely on movies might give you prestige, but it could also leave you struggling to make ends meet. So, if there's a suitable TV drama, I'd still recommend you take it."
Jiang Anqi understood why Guan Yinan was saying this—she was advising her not to aim too high.
In reality, it was a bit… well, there was some truth to it. However, Jiang Anqi was also well aware of the reality of the industry in China. Few people in the film and TV world focused exclusively on either movies or TV. Even someone like Jiang Wen, who had won international awards with In the Heat of the Sun, still had to work on projects like A Native of Beijing in New York. Who was she to put on airs?
As they chatted, their lunch was nearly finished. Guan Yinan asked again, "Where are you headed next?"
"Someone's coming to pick me up soon. I'll head back to my place near Shichahai and read the script this afternoon," Jiang Anqi said, then remembered something. "Sister Guan, if I have any suggestions for the script, can I participate in the revisions?"
"Of course, as long as you have good ideas," Guan Yinan nodded and explained, "Hong Kong is different from Hollywood in this regard. As long as you have influence, you can even make changes on set. But, as I said earlier, you need to have good ideas. If you're just trying to add more scenes for yourself, they probably won't agree."
"I understand."
"Also, I almost forgot. There's a gathering tonight to celebrate the wrap-up of Kangxi Incognito Travel. It's mainly an opportunity for the company to bring everyone together. Will you come?"
"Where is it?"
"At a private club near Shichahai, not far from your place," Guan Yinan said. "If you're coming, I'll let you know in the evening."
"Sure."
After settling the bill, the two left the restaurant. A conspicuous black Range Rover was already parked by the curb.
This was the car Jiang Anqi had picked out recently.
There was a bit of vanity involved. Seeing her come out, the two women in the Range Rover got out of the car—one approached her while the other opened the door. Jiang Anqi, already wearing sunglasses, got into the car, secretly thrilled by the attention from passersby.
Once inside, she waved to Guan Ynan and instructed the driver to take her home.
She had already received the villa in CP District's Rose Garden but hadn't moved in yet.
The area was still under development, with few residents, and it was somewhat far from the city center. After discussing it with her people and the U.S. side, the man had quickly arranged for her to have a renovated courtyard house near Shichahai, not far from the former residence of Soong Ching-ling, indicating its prime location.
The only slight regret was that this time, it wasn't a direct gift.
On the other side, Guan Yinan parted ways with Jiang Anqi and drove to the headquarters of Jinshu Media, located in an unremarkable six-story office building south of Beijing Normal University in HD District.
The location was close to China Film Group, less than 500 meters away.
When this headquarters was finalized, many, including Jiang Anqi, had some complaints. Simon West was so wealthy—why not secure a spot in the CBD? However, Simon himself had responded: if they wanted better office space, they needed to achieve results first.
In reality, having the entire building leased by Jinshu Media was already quite impressive.
Now, considering that Keep Cool, which had been released before the Chinese New Year, had surpassed 60 million RMB at the domestic box office and had successfully sold overseas rights for an equivalent of 30 million RMB, it was a promising start.
They had achieved some results.
At least their efforts hadn't been in vain.
Guan Yinan's afternoon work involved planning a discussion with Jinshu's top management about Super Girl.
This project had been finalized last year, but there had been several changes along the way—switching TV stations, disputes over the creative team, and so on. After the New Year, it was finally decided that the show would air exclusively on Jiangsu Satellite TV. Jinshu Media would hold exclusive management contracts for the contestants of Super Girl. Given the success of its original version, American Idol, in North America, if everything went smoothly, this could directly establish Jinshu Talent Agency's music division.
After all, the music industry in China was still quite prosperous in the 1990s.
Just as Guan Yinan parked her car in front of the company building, she saw her boss, Wu Shanlin, and a group of people hurriedly entering the building. One of the women looked very familiar—Chen Qing.
Quickening her pace, she caught up with the group.
The top management of Jinshu were all capable individuals in their thirties, and Guan Yinan was even two years older than Wu Shanlin. Since they were all in the entrepreneurial stage, there wasn't a strict hierarchy among them. Seeing her approach, Wu Shanlin and the others nodded in greeting. Guan Yinan moved closer and exchanged a quick greeting with Chen Qing before turning to Wu Shanlin with a questioning look.
The old office building didn't have an elevator, so they all headed for the stairs. Wu Shanlin said in a low voice, "It's settled."
He didn't elaborate further.
Guan Yinan didn't ask more either, feeling somewhat relieved.
She was aware of the situation.
In Suzhou, the Jinshu Film City project had recently been reported.
The reason was that the local government had approved it in violation of regulations.
The cause and effect weren't complicated. Some people had their eyes on the lucrative opportunities of the multi-billion-yuan project and wanted to secure some of the construction contracts. Jinshu had its own plans, and since it was their own money being spent, not government infrastructure funds, they couldn't just hand out contracts to anyone who wanted them.
Thus, some messy situations were inevitable.
Glancing at Chen Qing, who was flipping through a PDA while climbing the stairs, Guan Yinan thought of a certain man.
Given Simon West's connections with the higher-ups, it would have been strange if this matter couldn't be resolved.
After all, in various fields in China, projects like Jinshu Film City that pushed the boundaries were countless. In this era of "crossing the river by feeling the stones," the authorities generally turned a blind eye as long as things didn't spiral out of control.
But there were always messy situations.
Like this report.
It all came down to whether you had enough influence to cover it up.
Guan Yinan had also been selected as a top executive primarily by Chen Qing, and they had met many times. She was quite familiar with this beautiful yet tough-talking woman. Seeing Chen Qing's still-tense expression, Guan Yinan felt that this matter wasn't just about covering it up. Whoever was behind this underhanded move was likely in for a world of trouble.
Of course, this wasn't something she needed to worry about.
Reaching the floor where Jinshu Talent Agency was located, Guan Yinan parted ways with Wu Shanlin and the others and went to attend to her own work.
Chen Qing didn't pay attention to Guan Yinan's comings and goings. She went up to a conference room on the sixth floor but didn't take the main seat, instead sitting casually in a chair. After everyone else had settled, she said, "You don't need to worry about the follow-up to this matter. Tell me about the progress of the company's various projects."
Besides Wu Shanlin, Luo Qian, who was in charge of the cinema chain and film city, was also present, as was He Ze, the main person in charge of the Jinshu Film City project in Suzhou. He was also a young executive in his thirties.
Unlike some other fields, although Simon had personally approved the top management of Jinshu, the specific selections had been made by Chen Qing. Given their familiarity with her and her capabilities, these executives, who were older than her, respected her. Hearing her words, they understood that the follow-up matters were beyond their control. Wu Shanlin began reporting on the various projects of Jinshu Media.
First was Keep Cool, which was wrapping up its theatrical run, and its overseas rights had been successfully sold. With a domestic box office of 60 million RMB and overseas earnings of 30 million RMB, it was a promising start.
Next, the TV drama Kangxi Incognito Travel, which had been finalized last year, had just wrapped up filming the previous week. Along with Super Girl, which was already in production, these were Jinshu Media's main projects for the summer of 1997.
There were no film projects for the summer.
It was a slight regret, but there was no helping it. The company was still in its early stages, and both Simon West and they themselves adhered to the principle of quality over quantity. Moreover, making movies in China at this time was really not profitable.
TV projects were more reliable.
Everyone had seen the pilot episode of Kangxi Incognito Travel, and the results were excellent, so they were confident about achieving another success in the TV drama field this summer.
As for Super Girl, everyone was aware of the saying "what works in the south may not work in the north." Moreover, there had been few such programs in China before, so this was more of an experiment.
Then came the end of the year.
Feng Xiaogang's If You Are the One had recently finalized its cast and was set to begin filming in May. It would undoubtedly be this year's New Year's film.
On the TV side, there was Ren Jingxi's My Fair Princess.
Wu Shanlin and the others had reservations about this project, especially since Ren Jingxi was a novice. However, since it had been personally approved by the big boss, they would do their best to support it, making it the main TV drama release for the end of the year.
As for next year.
On the TV side, if Kangxi Incognito Travel performed well this summer, they would proceed with a second season, turning it into a series.
Then there was the The Grand Mansion Gate project, also slated for the end of the year.
The sets in Suzhou were already being built, and if everything went smoothly, the project would primarily be filmed there.
Additionally, there was the possibility of a second season of Super Girl or a shift to Super Boy, which was still undecided.
The concept of series dramas was still relatively new in China. In previous years, most popular films and TV dramas rarely had sequels. This was something Jinshu had learned from Hollywood, as everyone could see the stability of series dramas. Once established, they could become a flagship for Jinshu.
Then there were the film projects.
With the success of Taken and the conclusion of Keep Cool, Zhang Yimou's Hero was in the final stages of preparation. If all went well, it would begin filming in the second half of the year and be released next summer.
At the end of next year, there was The Dream Factory, whose script had been temporarily shelved.
Finally, Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils was more of a side project, a personal passion of the big boss, not intended to make money. Its production cycle was quite long, but it was expected to generate some buzz.
These were just the main projects.
If other suitable film and TV projects emerged, Jinshu would also consider participating.
Overall, the next two years were packed with plans for film and TV production.
Then there was Jinshu Film City.
They had been hit with a setback, but it wasn't a major issue.
The Qin Dynasty Palace, which had broken ground in October last year, had seen its main sets, such as the palace hall, completed after six months of construction. Chen Kaige had already started setting up scenes for his The Emperor and the Assassin, which was also set to begin filming in the second half of the year. After Chen Kaige finished The Emperor and the Assassin, Zhang Yimou's Hero could move in immediately, making full use of the sets.
However, the entire Qin Dynasty Palace project, including its various buildings, halls, and the accompanying Qin-Han style streets, would require one to two years or even longer of meticulous work to reach the level of a tourist attraction.
The Ming-Qing Palace and Jiangnan Scenery projects were still in the planning and design stages. The selected plots had just begun demolition after the New Year, and breaking ground by the end of the year would already be considered good progress. Since these were also intended to be tourist attractions, careful planning was necessary. The construction period would undoubtedly be longer, with some scenes expected to be available for filming by the end of next year, but they likely wouldn't be ready as tourist attractions until around 2000.
After Jinshu Film City, there was the cinema chain and film city business.
The pilot cinemas in Beijing and Shanghai had been very successful, which was expected given their prime locations in China's central cities. Even in a sluggish industry, there was still a considerable audience for movies. Based on data from their opening last year to the present, both cinemas were expected to generate revenues of 15 to 20 million RMB in 1997.
This was also a promising start.
Thus, plans for a second batch of 20 cinemas in the central areas of various provincial capitals had already been launched, with expectations of being operational next year.
As for the cinema chain, due to domestic legal restrictions and resistance from various regions, progress was quite slow.
However, overall, the entire Jinshu system was quietly expanding with a vibrant energy. In fact, compared to other private media companies in China that were still in their early stages, Jinshu had already become a leading giant in the industry.
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