Chapter 439 - 438: Production Investment Discussion

"What was your reason for deciding to invest in this show?"

Yun Zijin felt that her philosophy might be vastly different from theirs.

When Fan Qingmao saw the look on Yun Zijin’s face, he knew she wasn’t optimistic about this investment project.

To be honest, Fan Qingmao himself felt the script was a bit cliché, but you couldn’t argue with the fact that Xianxia dramas had broad appeal with casual audiences, and big stars were willing to be in them.

If A-list stars were willing to act in it, investors would naturally be willing to fund it.

They had fought tooth and nail to secure the exclusive investment rights for this show, *God and Demon Record*.

Of course, whether they ultimately invested still depended on the decision of the company’s shareholders and senior management.

"The director of this show is the renowned Chen Si, and the two lead actors are both A-listers in the industry.

With a lineup like this, there’s no fear of it flopping."

Anyway, no matter how terribly it was filmed, the stars’ fans would eat it up.

After all, fans would never allow any stain on their idols’ records.

"So... you didn’t even look at the script’s content? You decided whether to invest based solely on the director and the two lead actors?"

Yun Zijin never would have imagined that this was their basis for judging an investment.

If that was the case, then Yun Zijin was truly speechless.

The others were rendered speechless by Yun Zijin’s words. They wanted to argue, but they realized she was telling the truth.

"Chairman Yun, you just became a shareholder. You may not be familiar with how things work in this industry.

As investors, we’re obviously in it to make money. A project with a famous director and A-list stars is a surefire bet. What’s there to hesitate about?"

As for the quality of the final product, that was hardly a concern.

"Do you think the audience is stupid?"

Yun Zijin simply couldn’t comprehend their logic: as long as there was a famous director and A-list stars, even if the final product was a pile of shit, the fans would still swallow it whole.

There might be some rabid stans, but most fans these days are rational. If the show doesn’t meet their expectations, it’ll get torn to shreds online.

Making money is one goal, but without a long-tail effect, it’s as if the show was never made at all.

"I wouldn’t put a single cent into a script like this. Of course, if you all decide to invest anyway, then I have nothing more to say."

Yun Zijin was starting to wonder why the System had given her shares in Yuepin Media in the first place. ’What a bunch of money-grubbing morons.’

’Besides, actors who would accept a script like this probably aren’t that talented anyway. A-list stars? They could have a career-ending scandal any day now.’

The thought of scandals made Yun Zijin decide to be cautious. She quickly took photos of the male and female leads’ pictures and their profiles and sent them all to Mei Lin.

With Mei Lin on the case, Yun Zijin wasn’t worried about anything staying hidden—unless the person had never used the internet.

Soon enough, Mei Lin sent Yun Zijin a compressed file.

Yun Zijin opened the laptop on the conference table in front of her, unzipped the compressed file, and quickly opened its contents.

She hadn’t expected much, but what she saw was a huge shock.

"You all should take a look at this."

Yun Zijin turned the laptop screen toward the others.

The file Yun Zijin had opened conspicuously contained the background information on the two lead actors for *God and Demon Record*.

The actress’s private life was clean, but she had committed tax evasion, and for a huge amount.

If that were discovered, *God and Demon Record* would be dead on arrival.

The male actor, however, was far more explosive.

Yun Zijin had just opened his file and couldn’t bear to read any further.

"I feel... they aren’t quite suitable to be the leads for this show. What do you all think?"

While few people in the entertainment industry had perfectly clean hands, Yun Zijin was unwilling to risk betting on someone this rotten.

The others read through the leads’ files, then looked at each other in stunned silence.

They had always known that people in the industry dabbled in questionable things, but they never expected it to be this serious.

The actress’s situation was one thing. It was a problem many people had.

But the male actor... his file was just too vile to look at.

"Chairman Yun is right. Casting should be based on the characters in the script, and these two don’t seem to fit the profiles."

Yun Zijin had presented hard evidence, so even if the others were unhappy, they didn’t dare say anything.

"Since we’ve decided to recast, let’s hurry up and find new candidates. As for the script... let’s find a screenwriter with a good reputation to revise it."

It wasn’t that the plot was bad, but many of the details were handled poorly, and the transitions weren’t smooth enough.

A skilled screenwriter could take the same plot and handle it beautifully, making people feel it’s a great script.

Yu Zejian didn’t want to be called out by Yun Zijin again, so he did his best to address the issues she had just raised.

Anyway, finding new actors would take some time. They could use that time to have a screenwriter perfect the script. It was the best of both worlds.

"We’ll discuss the specific investment amount for this show after the script and cast have been finalized.

Let’s adjourn today’s meeting here."

Yu Zejian really didn’t want to be nitpicked by Yun Zijin anymore, so the meeting ended abruptly.

The others exchanged glances, but when titans clash, it was already a blessing for small fry like them not to get caught in the crossfire.

Yun Zijin didn’t linger. She stood up from her seat and prepared to leave.

"Chairman Yun!"

After everyone else had left, Yu Zejian called out to Yun Zijin, stopping her.

Yun Zijin turned to face Yu Zejian. "Mr. Yu, is there something else?"

"Chairman Yun, sometimes you don’t need to be so particular. Remember the saying: what is too rigid is easily broken.

If the water is too clear, there will be no fish. In this industry, who can guarantee they are completely innocent?"

If they investigated every actor as thoroughly as Yun Zijin did, he feared no one would dare to work with them in the future.

The unspoken rule of the industry was that as long as it hadn’t been exposed, you didn’t bring it up.

But Yun Zijin’s actions had clearly violated this unspoken rule.

"I don’t care about others, but it’s not happening in a production I’m investing in.

If you think what I’m doing is wrong, you’re welcome to come to me with cash and buy my shares."

Her shares in Yuepin Media were disposable to her. If this company couldn’t operate in a way that satisfied her, she would rather not have them.

"You!" ’Buy her shares? Easier said than done. Where would any of them get that much money?’

After all, Yuepin Media had a market capitalization of at least ten billion.

To acquire a 32% stake, you’d need no less than three billion.

Three billion in liquid capital was not an amount just anyone could produce.

"Chairman Yun, you truly are... a breath of fresh air in the entertainment industry."

Yu Zejian could only think that Yun Zijin was still too young. ’With a personality like that, she won’t last long in this business.’

"Think whatever you want. I expect the new male and female leads to meet my standards. At the very least, don’t let me find any records of them breaking the law."

As for the two she investigated today, Yun Zijin had no intention of reporting them. ’They’ll implode sooner or later anyway.’