69novels Chapter 36: A Deadly Move – TVB Artists Mass Contract Termination!
Chapter 36: A Deadly Move – TVB Artists Mass Contract Termination!
As they spoke, Gu Yuhan asked, "When did you two get together?"
"It was last year, when we were filming 'The Tycoon' together, that we met!" Chen Yulian looked up at Gu Yuhan: "And then...and we got to know each other and started dating!"
Well! Gu Yuhan really didn't know much about these things. Although he liked Chow Yun-fat's movies, he really didn't know anything about Chow Yun-fat's movies about his personal love life.
All she knew was that Chow Yun-fat's wife was Jasmine Tan, not Yuk-Lin Chan. "Would you...would you give him a chance?" Yuk-Lin asked cautiously. "So concerned?" Gu Yuhan laughed. "He...he's my boyfriend. I only came to eat with you because of him!" Yuk-Lin was afraid Gu Yuhan would go back on his word. "Don't worry, I'll give him a chance!" Gu Yuhan laughed. "You've already gone to so much, I naturally have to compensate him." He wouldn't tell Yuk-Lin that he had already planned to support Chow Yun-fat.
Just kidding, this is Chow Yun-fat. He's definitely a cash cow in the film industry. When Gu Yuhan poached him, he specifically mentioned Zhou Jun. He never expected that Zhou Jun would use Chen Yulian to come to him.
Seeing Chen Yulian's somewhat surprised expression, Gu Yuhan didn't say anything more. Some things can be said, but there's no need to.
"You two haven't been together long!" Gu Yuhan said, looking at Chen Yulian. "You're mine now. Remember, I won't allow you to be too intimate with other men. Remember, no one, not even your boyfriend!"
Chen Yulian remained silent.
Gu Yuhan said calmly, "Remember this, anyone. Otherwise, I have a million ways to ensure you never have a chance to rise in the world. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I understand!" Chen Yulian said cautiously. Gu Yuhan smiled with satisfaction. Although he admired Chow Yun-fat, he had already taken the bait; was he really going to spit it out?
"Just rest well here with me today. I'll arrange for you to stay in a better dormitory tomorrow!" Gu Yuhan smiled, very satisfied with Chen Yulian's attitude.
Chen Yulian looked at Gu Yuhan and stammered, "I...you...you can't tell anyone about this!" "That's hard to say!"
Gu Yuhan smiled and said, "You're so beautiful, I can't guarantee I won't go out and show off!" "You, you, how could you do this!" Chen Yulian panicked immediately. She was only nineteen years old and had never had such an experience before. For a moment, she became very nervous.
"How about this?" Gu Yuhan said with a smile, "You give me a kiss, and I promise I won't let this matter out for a month!"
"It's only been a month!" Chen Yulian's emotions were very complicated.
"So, I'll go tell your boyfriend's name is Chow Yun-fat right now, okay?" Gu Yuhan smiled maliciously. "I, I'll kiss him!" Chen Yulian immediately tensed up. When Gu Yuhan reached Chen Yulian, she resignedly closed her eyes. "Who told you to close your eyes? Was it me who initiated it or you?" Gu Yuhan smiled maliciously: "Open your eyes, look at me, and also, hug me and kiss me!"
"You, you..." Chen Yulian felt wronged and wanted to cry, but the domineering nature of the man in front of her made her dare not refute anything. She could only listen to Gu Yuhan's instructions, hug Gu Yuhan's neck, and take the initiative to kiss him.
Sweet and beautiful!
"Okay, okay?" Chen Yulian looked at Gu Yuhan with a wronged expression. "Why didn't you stick your tongue out?" Gu Yuhan retorted. "I, I..." Chen Yulian blushed, "I want to, I want to stick my tongue out again!" "What do you think?"
After unabashedly enjoying the increasingly exquisite kissing skills of the third-generation Little Dragon Girl, Gu Yuhan left his General No. 1 feeling completely refreshed.
Chen Yulian obediently stayed at Gu Yuhan's villa. Everything from last night was unforgettable for her, especially this man, who was truly domineering when he could be, and also very gentle when he could be.
Her heart was filled with complex emotions. Gu Yuhan from Guangming Film Industry casually tossed her a script: "Ah Jun, this is a new script, a story about Shanghai, called 'Shanghai Beach.' The lead actor for now is Chow Yun-fat, the female lead is Zhao Yazhi, and the supporting role is played by Ray Lui. Take a look!"
Zhou Jun took the script, quickly glanced at it, and blurted out, "Young Master Yu, are you really going to promote her boyfriend?" Gu Yuhan crossed her legs, poured herself a cup of tea, and said with a smile, "What else? I keep my word!" "I think this girl is quite naive!" Zhou Jun said with a smile, holding the script in his hand, "I'm just afraid that if Chow Yun-fat really becomes famous, she won't be as devoted to serving Young Master Yu!"
"No need!" Gu Yuhan said with a smile, "Her performance was quite good, and she kept her word. Take your time!" Zhou Jun chuckled, then quickly replied, "As long as Young Master Yu likes it!" Gu Yuhan smiled, then slowly asked, "How are Shaw Brothers' artists doing now?" Zhou Jun immediately replied, "We've already poached quite a few, but there are still some artists who are harder to recruit. There are still a group of people who are loyal to Shaw Brothers. Core members like Dillon are unwilling to come!"
Gu Yuhan simply smiled, slowly poured the tea, and pushed it in front of Zhou Jun, saying, "Don't rush. Shaw Brothers can still hold on for now. Once Shaw Brothers can't hold on anymore, it won't be able to keep any actors!"
If we're talking about ruthlessness, we have to look at Shaw Brothers. When Dillon was at the height of his fame, Shaw Brothers treated him with utmost care and always gave him the best resources. But once his era was over, Shaw Brothers became like a clown, turning as ruthless as could be.
Shaw Brothers films suffered a major blow afterward, and many actors switched to television dramas. However, Dillon felt that he should be making movies and he was unwilling to compromise.
His contract expired, and Dillon is getting on in years. 39 is indeed quite old for a martial arts actor, as he can no longer handle many dangerous and high-intensity stunts. Martial arts stars are only popular for a few years when they are young, and if they don't make a good transition later, they are basically finished.
In addition, Dillon was proud and unwilling to film TV series, so he had a disagreement with Shaw Brothers. When his contract expired, Shaw Brothers did not notify him to renew it, but instead sent him a letter that said, "Thank you for your achievements for the company over the years."
Then, Dillon lost all his resources. If it weren't for the later intervention of "A Better Tomorrow," Dillon would have remained unknown.
At this stage, Dillon is still very willing to live and die with Shaw Brothers.
Well, passion, friendship, and gratitude are all good qualities that are worth learning. In the future, these things will become increasingly rare.
Anyway, Gu Yuhan asked himself honestly, if he were in that situation, he probably wouldn't be much different from Shaw Brothers. A company is a company, not a charity.
Gu Yuhan toyed with the teacup in his hand and said, "I'll give you another 100 million to do one thing for me!"
Zhou Jun immediately stopped sitting up and quickly said, "Young Master Yu, what do you say? 'Poach all the people from Shaw Brothers!'"
Gu Yuhan slowly began, "Lighting, cinematography, scriptwriting, and actors, including those recently graduated artists from TVB, and all the teachers from their so-called artist training program—poach them all! Don't worry about the breach of contract fees, we'll cover them, we'll take responsibility!"
Zhou Jun immediately grasped Gu Yuhan's meaning: to leave nothing for the Shaw family.
The actors are poached, the teachers are poached, all the staff are poached. What use would Dillon be even if he stayed?
Is there a director? Is there a screenwriter? Are there any other actors working with you?
To nip the problem in the bud, Gu Yuhan either doesn't act at all, or when he does, he targets the vital points. Zhou Jun immediately became excited: "I understand, I'll get on it right away!"
邵氏
Shao Yifu felt his blood pressure was getting worse lately. Bad news kept coming in one after another.
First, TVB was completely outmatched by Phoenix TV, owned by Gu Yuhan, and its ratings plummeted.
What gave Shaw Brothers an even bigger headache was that Gu Yuhan, that bastard, had poached all of TVB's top talents, including Adam Cheng and Angie Chiu. Shaw Brothers' biggest problem was that they were stingy and paid too little.
In comparison, Gu Yuhan's generosity is beyond description. Everyone wanting to get ahead, to make a name for themselves, flocked to Guangming Film Industry. And Gu Yuhan, that bastard, was incredibly wealthy and generous, even paying out contract termination fees.
The penalty for terminating a contract with Shaw Brothers is quite high, ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands per person. For newcomers, like Chow Yun-fat, the termination fee is around twenty to thirty thousand. Is that a lot of money? Of course it is; it's more than he could earn in several years.
The higher-paid actors also charge tens of thousands, and some even over a million. That's a lot, of course. But for Gu Yuhan, is this amount of money really that much?
Initially, a considerable number of newcomers did not want to leave Shaw Brothers or TVB. In fact, everyone knew that the film market was only so big, and there was no guarantee of success if they went to Gu Yuhan. On the contrary, if they stayed at TVB, their opportunities would be much greater.
However, to their astonishment, Gu Yuhan actually acquired RTV and established the brand-new Phoenix TV. This wouldn't have been unusual in itself, but the key point was that Gu Yuhan's show achieved phenomenal ratings, completely dominating TVB in both dramas and variety shows.
What upset them the most was that Gu Yuhan actually produced something called "The Voice of China," which made Andy Lau, who was in the same season as them, a huge star.
In addition, there was "The Birth of an Actor," which also showcased Tony Leung's amazing acting skills. Gu Yuhan directly gave these people B-level contracts, meaning they could immediately play leading roles, even endorse products, and get merchandise deals.
The profit-sharing logic for TV dramas is similar to that of movies, with 5% of the net profit going to the actors. This has caused more and more TVB actors to become restless. Why can they become so popular while they have to struggle and stay at TVB? More and more people have started to actively seek collaborations with Zhou Jun.
Shao Yifu had a headache.
"Zhang Che is gone too?" Shao Yifu gritted his teeth and said, "What do you mean by 'mixed'?" Fang Yihua gently massaged Shao Yifu's head and said cautiously, "Water flows downhill, and people strive to climb higher. Sixth Uncle, that bastard Gu Yuhan is completely leaving us no way out."
Shao Yifu took a deep breath. Now, he couldn't help but feel a little regretful. He shouldn't have let someone break Zhou Jun's leg in the first place. Who could have imagined that Gu Yuhan's reaction would be so intense?
It's bad enough that they ruined Shaw Brothers' films, now they're even trying to dismantle TVB. Although TVB actually made money in the process, they've lost all their talent; TVB is just an empty television station.
A TV station without people is a complete waste of time and energy. A TV station without people is utterly meaningless. Shaw felt like he was about to have a stroke.
Gu Yuhan's methods, frankly speaking, weren't that sophisticated. In short, it was all about money! Gu Yuhan was too rich; he could simply crush everyone with money. As a transmigrator, Gu Yuhan could produce far more excellent variety shows. However, even if Gu Yuhan did this, wouldn't Shao Yifu learn from him? He would definitely plagiarize and then improve upon it.
TVB could easily replicate this in a short time. However, with Gu Yuhan's wealth, it's a completely different story. No business battles, no backstabbing. I can achieve miracles simply by leveraging my resources. I can increase these artists' salaries and benefits, I can provide them with opportunities for advancement, I can help them resolve their worries, and I can help them pay off breach of contract penalties.
You want to imitate me? Sorry, you simply can't. Because Gu Yuhan has poached all your people. Shaw Yifu's biggest headache right now is Gu Yuhan's financial power. He can't let any more TVB actors and staff be poached; without people, what's the point of running a TV station?
Gu Yuhan from Guangming Group is looking at the book in his hands, translating specialized vocabulary one-on-one.
At this moment, Zhou Jun arrived at the office door with great excitement. "Secretary Su, I need to see Young Master Yu!" Zhou Jun said quickly to Su Rongrong in the secretary's room. Although it was Zhou Jun who arranged for Su Rongrong to meet Gu Yuhan in the first place, Su Rongrong had now become Gu Yuhan's confidante, and her status in Gu Yuhan's eyes was rising higher and higher.
Even Zhou Jun had to be polite to Su Rongrong. "Wait a moment!"
Su Rongrong nodded, picked up the phone, and said, "Okay, you can go in now." After receiving permission, Zhou Jun walked into Gu Yuhan's office. Gu Yuhan was still dealing with some things. During this time, she had acquired a lot of technology from the United States and introduced several production lines.
Gu Yuhan was planning a trip to China to leverage the domestic labor force to enhance his technological advantage, primarily to produce television sets. "You're here?" Gu Yuhan glanced at Zhou Jun. Zhou Jun, however, was quite excited and quickly exclaimed, "Young Master Yu, good news! TVB suspended broadcasting last night!"