Love? The Reborn Me Just Wants to Obtain Rewards
Chapter 907 - 375: Looking for Trouble with Me?_2

Chapter 907: Chapter 375: Looking for Trouble with Me?_2

Although Gu Tonglin mentioned he’d accept other deals, Su Huai immediately confirmed that he was primarily aiming for "Battle Through the Heavens."

Su Huai couldn’t figure it out, so he decided to stall for time.

"Thank you for thinking of me for such a great opportunity. Let me consider it and get back to you."

Gu Tonglin left not feeling very pleased, but Su Huai didn’t pay him any mind.

Afterward, Su Huai called Zhang into the office to discuss the details.

"There is indeed this kind of game in the entertainment industry, but have you considered how a 20% share inflated to 500 million yuan ultimately impacts the producer’s cost?"

"2.5 billion yuan?"

"Do you think that’s realistic?"

"Exactly because I think it’s unrealistic that I’m suspicious about what he’s trying to pull here."

"Honestly, I’m not sure either."

Zhang shook his head: "The practice of inflating costs for major film projects in the entertainment industry has always existed, but what they’re proposing is simply too extreme. The cost of ’Battle Through the Heavens’ could at most be pushed to 800 million yuan. Anything more is impossible. He’s clearly selling grand dreams."

Su Huai’s thoughts stirred as he made a call to Wang Siming. "Who’s in charge at Yida Film Industry now?"

Wang Siming lazily retorted, "Which division are you talking about? Yida Film or Yida Film and Television?"

"There’s a difference?"

"Of course! One manages cinemas; the other is a production company. How could they be the same?"

"I’m asking about the production company."

"Jiang Defu. You got business with him?"

Su Huai didn’t elaborate and casually replied, "It’s about a new project they’re spearheading; I want to dig for some information."

"Haha! You better watch out then."

Wang Siming behaved like a madman, delighting in disparaging his own company’s reputation.

"Yida Film is looking to acquire Yida Film and Television. Both divisions saw their performance decline last year. Jiang isn’t doing well, and it’s uncertain how much longer he can hold his position. As for the specifics, I don’t know. You’ll have to hash that out yourself!"

That roundabout, context-shifting commentary was packed with insights, leaving Su Huai utterly puzzled.

Later, he decided it was pointless to agonize over it.

If the problem lies with someone, let them solve it—why not ask Gu Tongshu directly?

And so, in the afternoon, he arranged to have dinner at the Gu Family’s home. Naturally, Gu Jiuyue beamed with delight, cheerfully making preparations and even dragged her father, Gu Tongshu, home from working overtime at the company.

The moment Gu Tongshu saw Su Huai, his expression soured noticeably.

"It’s rare for me to visit subsidiaries and I didn’t even finish the work, yet you dragged me back here. What’s going on? Did you run out of something again?"

Su Huai calmly replied, "I didn’t lack anything, but I might have something valuable now. Your younger brother showed up asking me for something, and I’m still deciding whether to give it to him."

"What? Which younger brother?"

Gu Tongshu’s face showed no expression, but his tone revealed urgency.

"Gu Tonglin." Su Huai turned toward Xiaojiu. "Which uncle of yours is he?"

"My youngest uncle, the eighth one." Gu Jiuyue picked out a shrimp for Su Huai, saying absentmindedly, "The most unreliable one, but my grandfather favors him more than me."

She knew exactly how to provoke her father, and Gu Tongshu’s face darkened further.

"He came asking you for film resources?"

Su Huai gave a thumbs-up: "You’re sharp~~~"

"Ignore him!"

Gu Tongshu’s firm stance immediately put Su Huai at ease. As long as Gu Tongshu remained rational, even a confrontation with the entire Gu Family wouldn’t be a problem.

"What’s the deal? Right now, I simply can’t figure out his angle."

"Tonglin is essentially a financial go-between."

Gu Tongshu probed further: "Which project is he targeting?"

"Yida Film and Xinli Media are jointly developing a major IP, ’Battle Through the Heavens.’"

"Yida Film and Television?" Gu Tongshu frowned, puzzled, "Then this isn’t aimed at the secondary market at all?"

"What do you mean?"

Intrigued, Su Huai pressed for his insights; on this front, he knew little, while Gu Tongshu clearly understood the intricacies.

"To put it simply, this type of operation is usually designed to cash out in the stock market."

Gu Tongshu enjoyed feeling superior while educating Su Huai—even if their relationship oscillated between arguments and cooperation, unbothered by Gu Jiuyue witnessing their dynamic.

Occasionally, they’d discuss serious matters and brainstorm ideas together.

If Wang Lezhi joined in, the two might even share a drink—not in a competitive sense.

"Let me give you an example."

Gu Tongshu patiently explained.

"For instance, Huayi once led a project, and Director Feng had a 20% dividend share. After market research, it was valued at 200 million yuan, but Tonglin bought it for 250 million yuan—an extra 50% markup."

He then bought Huayi stock on the secondary market ahead of time and divided the shares to sell to investors who couldn’t directly enter the market.

For example: coal bosses, demolition beneficiaries, bank private equity clients, and the like.

Sales totaled 300 million yuan, instantly recovering a 50 million yuan profit.

Then, he’d take that profit and negotiate with Yida Cinema to arrange midnight screenings, locking screens for as long as necessary, regardless of cost.

This artificially inflated box office numbers and created significant hype around the film’s success. It also helped producers buy positive media coverage."

Ultimately, this manufactured a blockbuster, causing Huayi stock to soar in value, generating profits of 500 million yuan or more.

In the process, the Wang Zhongjun brothers might even strategically release positive announcements or other moves to lure retail investors into buying the stock—ensuring all collaborators profited while the losses fell on individual investors."

"This is why you often see certain films premiering with mysterious midnight screenings."

"You financial folks truly know how to play the game..."

Su Huai listened in astonishment, shaking his head repeatedly.

"I only knew such tactics wouldn’t work for washing Ma Nai—the costs are too high and too conspicuous. But I never guessed it was all about fleecing retail investors."

"Nonsense." Gu Tongshu sneered. "When there’s a legal way to fleece investors, who would resort to such crude methods for laundering money?"

"But then, what’s happening with ’Battle Through the Heavens’? Neither of the two production companies involved are publicly traded."

Gu Tongshu frowned again: "What’s your company’s role in this?"

Su Huai spread his hands: "A late-stage co-producer primarily tasked with handling promotions. An investment of 20 million yuan got me a 20% share."

"So the total budget was only 100 million yuan?"

"I suspect it didn’t even cost that much." Su Huai laughed bitterly, "There isn’t a single A-list actor; the biggest name is Wu Shanshi, followed by Wajijiwa’s idols—Gu Jiacheng, Wu Jiacheng, Xiao Zhan, Peng Chuyue... Counting the entire production team, actor and crew salaries barely hit 60 million yuan."

"So their goal for the final budget is...?"

"Between 600 to 800 million yuan."

"Holy crap!"

Even the well-informed Gu Tongshu was momentarily stunned, muttering: "These people have clearly lost their minds..."

Su Huai perked up: "So you’ve figured out their game?"

"Who’s the producer?"

"Yu Qin and Jiang Xiaorong."

"And the director and Yida Film and Television’s general manager?"

"Yu Guang and Jiang Defu... Crap!"

Piecing this together with Wang Siming’s hints about Yida Film and Television’s recent changes, Su Huai suddenly understood part of the picture.

"The producers are trying to rake in profits and bail, but what about your brother? What’s his angle?"

"To fleece you for some tuition money, of course!"

Gu Tongshu chuckled, speaking deliberately: "Mark my words—when he sells shares, I guarantee he’ll be touting Xingyu’s brand.

And take a wild guess: does he even know your stake and investment in ’Battle Through the Heavens’ yet?

Don’t forget the relationship between our Gu Family and Yida..."

There it was. Yida might not be scheming against Su Huai; regardless of how bad the show flopped, recovering 20 million yuan wouldn’t be an issue.

But the Gu Family had set their sights on Su Huai, aiming to drag him into a massive mess.

Yet Su Huai didn’t feel angry—rather, he calmly asked: "He couldn’t pull off such a scheme alone. What do you think?"

Gu Tongshu fell silent.

Gu Jiuyue glanced at her father and said matter-of-factly: "There’s nothing dramatic to talk about. My grandparents never liked me, and it’s been this way for years."

"Sigh..."

Gu Tongshu let out a heavy sigh, his expression complicated as he told Su Huai: "Just take care of Xiao Gu. The rest isn’t your concern."

"Ha!" Su Huai scoffed, "Are you even capable of handling it?"

Gu Tongshu obviously couldn’t.

Otherwise, wouldn’t this have been resolved ages ago?

No matter how strong a man is, entangling in family issues invariably leads to helplessness.

One side is the parents, the other the daughter, with hundreds of billions of yuan caught in between. Not even an immortal could sort it out.

"Enough." Su Huai waved dismissively, sneering as he decisively declared, "I’ll teach them a lesson. Trying to mess with me—they’re getting a bit cocky."

If he planned to be lifelong friends with Xiao Gu, then some things were his responsibility.