owlsbooks Chapter 60 Exchanging Intelligence
Chapter 60 Exchanging Intelligence
After returning to the Berlin Hotel, Fu Yibai first made a brief phone call to his parents to share the good news. Although the two elders were restrained, their pride and excitement were hard to hide.
He then checked the unread messages.
The first one is about Fan Binbin.
"Honey! That was amazing! The Golden Bear! I knew you could do it! The news in China is buzzing! When are you coming back? I miss you so much! When you get back, I'll give you a proper 'reward'~~"
Next came Hu Jing's message, her words overflowing with pure joy and admiration.
"Yi Bai, congratulations! The Golden Bear! That's amazing! When are you coming back? I miss you~"
Fu Yibai replied to each of them, but he did not promise a specific time when he would return to China.
Because he still has some things to take care of abroad.
The following days were filled with even more media interviews, negotiations with international film distributors, and social events within the European film industry.
"No Country for Old Men" won both Best Actor and Best Film, becoming the biggest winner at this year's film festival, with copyright inquiries and collaboration invitations pouring in.
A few days after the Berlin Film Festival ended, Fu Yibai did not immediately return to China.
After Wang Peng led his team back to China, only his assistant Liu Yan remained by his side.
He used Star Overseas Investment Company, an offshore company, to efficiently handle the $1800 million European and other regional distribution rights transaction for No Country for Old Men.
With the help of professional financial advisors, the funds quietly settled in offshore accounts, preparing ample ammunition for future international expansion or capital operations.
At the same time, he held in-depth talks with several sincere and resource-matching independent production companies and distributors in Europe and North America, and initially established cooperation intentions.
"System, process the payment for the film 'No Country for Old Men'."
The film "No Country for Old Men" is too dark. Although it successfully passed censorship with Han Shanping, it will inevitably encounter a lot of trouble if it is actually released in China.
There would be a lot of wrangling and cuts then, and Fu Yibai didn't want to make things that complicated.
Therefore, it was not released in the country.
This situation is not uncommon in this day and age. Some films have already obtained the film's license, but they still have to be cut before they can be released.
For example, Li An's film "Liang Caowei" received the Dragon Seal and won an award.
However, when it is released in China, those wonderful scenes still need to be cut.
Although "No Country for Old Men" doesn't have those kinds of scenes, its overall story is too dark, so even if it were released in China, it wouldn't do very well at the box office.
So Fu Yibai didn't want to cause trouble, so he simply decided not to release the film.
In any case, they've already made a fortune from overseas copyrights.
After receiving instructions from Fu Yibai, the system began the settlement process.
[Ding! The host requests settlement for the main sponsored work "No Country for Old Men"]
[System settlement in progress...]
[Based on the current impact of the film "No Country for Old Men" (a comprehensive assessment including box office performance, media reviews, social buzz, and industry recognition)...]
[Settlement complete! Host has gained 50000 Influence Points.]
Current total points: 55000.
Please use this skill wisely to create more and more impactful works of art.
"Fifty thousand points! A Golden Bear is worth that much!"
Fu Yibai never expected that the Golden Bear's influence would be greater than the 100 million yuan box office.
Fu Yibai now has 55000 points left, and he immediately turned his attention to the [Special Items/Intelligence] section.
"Exchange for information on winning the 2004 European Championship."
Fu Yibai had never been involved in football betting in his previous life, but he had heard that this year was considered one of the biggest upsets in football history.
If you want to expand overseas, $1800 million is far from enough.
He can only rely on this European Championship to quickly accumulate funds.
He wouldn't dare to be so outrageous in China, but in Europe, there are legal online gambling companies.
Therefore, he is not worried that the $1800 million investment in this year's European Cup betting will have any negative impact on him.
[Ding! Host has successfully exchanged for [Special Intelligence: Final Results and Path to Victory in the 2004 European Championship in Portugal]. Influence Points consumed: 30000.]
[Current remaining Influence Points: 25000.]
[Intelligence details have been transmitted to the host's memory area. Please check.]
Instantly, a large amount of clear and specific event information flooded into Fu Yibai's mind.
"Greece... initial odds of winning 80 or even higher..."
Fu Yibai's eyes were deep, and his fingers tapped lightly on the hardwood surface of the suite's desk.
The value of this intelligence far exceeds the cost of those 30000 points.
This means that in the next few months, a huge sum of money, obtained through legal gambling channels and by taking advantage of information asymmetry, will be enough to increase the capital of "Star Shine" Investment Company several times or even dozens of times.
This funding will become his hidden trump card and powerful fuel for future international film and television investments, mergers and acquisitions, and even the development of a global entertainment industry chain.
However, the operation must be extremely cautious and professional. These betting companies have a limit on the number of bets per transaction and pay special attention to large bets.
However, Fu Yibai can avoid attracting any unnecessary attention by placing bets through multi-layered offshore structures and diversified channels.
Fortunately, "Star Shine" itself is a clean shell set up for this kind of operation.
Fu Yibai has many such shell companies in his possession.
On February 25, with the overseas business settled, Fu Yibai took Liu Yan on a plane back to China.
June 26, 2004, Beijing Capital International Airport.
More than 20 media reporters had been waiting in the international arrivals hall for some time.
Long guns and short cannons are aimed at the exit, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the goods.
When Fu Yibai appeared at the entrance of the passage, the flashes of light instantly formed a white curtain, almost dazzling.
Fu Yibai wore a dark gray cashmere coat, his posture was upright, and his face was calm. Only when facing the camera did a polite smile appear on his lips.
Liu Yan followed half a step behind him, dragging a small carry-on suitcase in one hand and naturally using her other hand to shield the microphone and camera that were too close.
"Director Fu! Congratulations on winning the Golden Bear Award! How do you feel about returning home?"
"Director Fu, when will 'No Country for Old Men' be released in China? Many movie fans are eagerly anticipating it!"
"Director Fu, you have won major awards in Berlin for two consecutive years. What are your next creative plans?"
Would you consider an offer from Hollywood?
Problems came flooding in.
Fu Yibai paused briefly at the exit, his gaze sweeping over the media, and selected two of the most representative media outlets to give brief responses.
"I am calm. The award is an affirmation of the team's work, but the value of the film itself needs time to be tested."
"No Country for Old Men has no plans for domestic release at the moment; the film's style is more suited to international film festivals and specific markets."
Thank you for your support, fans. We will create more works suitable for domestic audiences in the future.
"The creative plan has been arranged, and we are currently focusing on project development for Morning Light Media."
As for Hollywood, everything depends on a good story and a good opportunity to collaborate.
The answer was watertight, neither cold nor overly enthusiastic.
After speaking, with the assistance of airport staff, he quickly passed through the media area and boarded the black Mercedes that Zhao Qi had arranged in advance.
The car door closed, shutting out the noise.
"Go straight to the company."
Fu Yibai gave the driver instructions, then relaxed and leaned back in the soft leather seat, closing his eyes to rest.