radicalducati Chapter 91 You pulled this stunt
Chapter 91 You pulled this stunt
Before Chen arrived, Xu Wen turned on the air conditioning in the conference room half an hour in advance.
This wasn't arranged by Zeng Hao; Xu Wen figured it out himself. He had already figured out one thing when he joined the company: if the boss asked him to tidy up the meeting room in advance, then the meeting was definitely not ordinary; and if after tidying up, he added the instruction, "Change the tea to hot tea," then without a doubt, the person who came was someone who needed to be served well.
Chen, the business manager, has both of these items today.
At 10:00 AM sharp, Chen, the business manager of iQiyi, appeared in the corridor of Sunshine Entertainment.
He was carrying a canvas bag containing his complete personal tea set. He had brought it with him the last time he came, and Zeng Hao had seen it but hadn't said a word.
Xu Wen led the person into the conference room, set out hot tea, and quietly left, closing the door behind him.
Inside, Zeng Hao was already sitting and waiting.
A document lay open on the table, turned to the third page, with a pen on top, looking as if it had been examined for a long time.
He'd only been in there for two minutes. The documents were deliberately displayed, both for his own benefit and for Chen, the business manager. In business negotiations, the first person to sit down has to give the other person the upper hand, making it clear that it's my territory and I'm not in a hurry.
Chen Shangye glanced around as he entered, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. He put down his canvas bag and plopped down opposite him. He unscrewed his own thermos, poured himself a cup of tea, and remained silent.
Zeng Hao slowly turned a page of the document without even looking up: "President Chen, Happy New Year!"
"Happy Chinese New Year." Chen, the business manager, picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Going out to do business on the third day of the Lunar New Year, Sunshine Entertainment really goes all out."
"It's not about working hard, it's that we can't wait any longer."
These words sounded light and casual, but Chen, the businessman, was a beat slower than usual when he put down his teacup.
Zeng Hao then looked up, closed the file, and pushed it towards him: "This is the current data report for our 'Ning An Ru Meng'. It shows the results of the first wave of promotion, excluding the actual content of the film."
Chen, the business manager, glanced down at the cover but didn't bother to open it.
No wonder Zeng Hao always had to be on his guard when dealing with this person. This person didn't play by the rules; he wouldn't suddenly turn on you or offer you something for free. He never said what he wanted first; instead, he would throw out the facts and leave you to figure it out yourself.
People who come from major internet companies are mostly tired of this kind of drawn-out negotiation.
Chen Shangwu opened the document and carefully read through it from beginning to end.
It lists everything clearly: channel coverage, sample video viewing data, number of people who want to see it on Douban, and the natural popularity of the Weibo topic. Each data point is benchmarked against industry standards, and there are handwritten annotations by Zeng Hao in the blank spaces.
When he turned to the fourth page, Chen Shangwu's expression changed slightly, but he quickly suppressed it.
Zeng Hao saw everything clearly, but didn't say anything. He picked up his teacup and took a sip.
The meeting room was quiet for about forty seconds.
"The sample data does have some interesting points." Chen, the business manager, turned back to the third page of the document. "Is this natural popularity something you bought with money, or did it genuinely grow on its own?"
"If we were manipulating the data, would I need to specifically include it in a report for you to see?"
Chen, the business manager, looked up at him: "What do you mean by that?"
Zeng Hao picked up a pen and wrote three words in the blank space: cost-effectiveness. "Last year, with the same promotional budget, how many dramas on your platform could naturally gain popularity and surpass this size?"
Chen did not reply immediately.
He knew perfectly well what was going on. The company had already done an internal survey, and of all the exclusive dramas broadcast on iQiyi last year, not a single one met this criterion.
But he didn't need to expose it in public.
"Is 'Ning An Ru Meng' scheduled to launch in the second quarter?" He simply changed the subject.
"That's right, we'll start broadcasting as soon as the approval is granted."
"How's the approval process going?"
"The normal procedures are being followed."
The three simple words, spoken casually, made Chen Shangwu pause. He had been in this industry for nearly twenty years and knew very well that the so-called "normal path" could have a very broad or narrow scope.
It's possible that everything will be fine, or it's possible that there will be no news at all.
"What if the approval process gets stalled?"
"Then let's discuss another contract." Zeng Hao put down his pen. "President Chen, you brought your own tea set today, which clearly means you have time to chat. Let's be frank: approval is approval, and copyright is copyright. Today, let's talk about copyright cooperation."
Chen, the business manager, picked up his teacup again: "Last time you quoted 55 million, and you said the price was negotiable. I came here specifically today, so tell me how we can negotiate."
"Being able to negotiate means the total price is adjustable, but the prerequisites must be agreed upon first."
"Which rules?"
Zeng Hao pushed over another document. This one had no cover and began with six neatly arranged clauses, all numbered.
Chen Shangwu looked down at the document and frowned immediately when he saw the second item.
Article 2 clearly states: Within seven working days of signing the contract, Party B (iQiyi) shall settle a down payment of no less than 40% of the total amount. If the payment is overdue, Party B shall pay a penalty of 0.03% of the total amount per day.
40% down payment, settlement in seven days.
This is completely against industry norms. The standard practice in the industry is a 30% down payment with a 30-day repayment period.
"Mr. Zeng, isn't this initial investment ratio a bit outrageous?"
"I know the industry's 30% rule better than anyone," Zeng Hao interrupted before he could finish. "But that's when the big platforms hold the initiative. Mr. Chen, you saw the sample data for 'Ning An Ru Meng' with your own eyes. I'm in contact with two other platforms, and one of them quoted a price last week."
Chen, the business manager, immediately grasped the key information in those words: other companies had already made offers.
This is absolutely true. People from Youku came to talk to us before the new year. Their offer was lower than iQiyi's, but if someone else bids, the situation changes. Zeng Hao wasn't exaggerating, nor did he name names.
"Let's look at the fourth point." Chen Shangwu turned the page. "The right to priority negotiation for subsequent dramas—this point is a bit too much to ask."
"This cannot be changed."
Chen Shangwu suddenly looked up.
"Mr. Chen, let me be frank with you." Zeng Hao took the document back to his side and flipped back to the first page. "The current data has proven that Chu Ran has a natural audience appeal. Even if she's not the lead actress, she can still generate buzz. This priority negotiation right isn't something I'm forcing on you; it's a guarantee I've included in the contract to put your mind at ease."
"How can this thing put my mind at ease?"
"Priority negotiation does not equal priority signing." Zeng Hao circled the clause with a pen and pushed it in front of him. "You've been in this industry for so many years, you can't possibly not understand the difference between the two."
The meeting room fell silent once again.
Chen, the business manager, slowly took a sip of tea and gently put the cup down.
Zeng Hao understood perfectly well. Priority negotiation meant that iQiyi had the first round of communication rights for the sequel's sale, but it didn't guarantee a successful collaboration; priority signing meant handing over the initiative to someone else.
Chen, the business manager, had previously written in his internal report that he would prioritize signing contracts, but now that it has been changed to "negotiations," he would really lose face when he went back.
No matter how unseemly it may be, this clause still holds real value for iQiyi.
"I'll look at the sixth one." Chen Shangwu continued browsing.
Article 6 stipulates that Party A has the right to independently verify the background data of this drama during its broadcast on iQiyi. If the verification result differs from the platform's public announcement by more than 15%, Party B shall provide a written explanation of the reasons. If the explanation is not valid, the data shall be directly determined to be falsified, and Party B shall be held liable for breach of contract.
Chen, the business manager, stared at this line for a long time.
"Mr. Zeng, what's the point of all this?"
"It means exactly what it says, nothing complicated."
"You don't trust the data statistics on our platform?"
"I trust you." Zeng Hao's expression remained unchanged. "But trust is one thing, and the right to verify is another. They are two different things. In the past two years, data inflation has been rampant in the industry, I don't need to elaborate, right? I'm not specifically referring to iQiyi, but the entire environment. This clause protects me, and it also protects the reputation of your platform."
Chen, the business manager, closed the document and gently placed it on the table: "You want to use these six points to shut down the 55 million offer?"
"It's not a trade-off." Zeng Hao picked up the document and flipped to the last page. "These six points form the cooperation framework; the real bottom line is here."
The last page boldly proclaimed: Sixty-two million.
Chen Shangwu remained silent for a full ten seconds.
For those ten seconds, Zeng Hao remained silent and didn't even look at him. He simply flipped back to the first page of the document and began reading, as if he didn't care at all whether the price could be negotiated.
There was a soft knock at the door, and Xu Wen poked his head in: "President Zeng, you have an urgent telegram."
Zeng Hao stood up: "President Chen, please wait a moment, I need to take this call."
After saying that, he went out and closed the door.
In the hallway, Xu Wen leaned forward and lowered his voice: "There wasn't a phone at all, was there?"
"Yeah, it's just a smokescreen."
Xu Wen opened his mouth but said nothing, then stepped aside and pretended to fiddle with his phone.
Zeng Hao stood in the corridor for three minutes, then looked out the window. On the third day of the Lunar New Year, the streets of Qianhu City were gradually filling up with people. The Spring Festival holiday was not yet over, and the lazy sunlight shone on the glass walls of the office building across the street, making it hard to open one's eyes.
He pushed open the door and returned to the conference room.
Chen Shangwu remained seated and picked up his teacup again—a good omen indeed.
"Fifty-eight million." Chen, the business manager, put down his cup. "I agree to Article 6, but Article 2, the down payment is changed to 30%, and the repayment period is extended to fifteen working days."
Zeng Hao sat down, pulled over the document, flipped to the second item, and wrote: 35%, ten working days.
He then pushed it over.
Chen, the business manager, glanced at it and said, "Twelve days."
"Just ten days."
There was another brief standoff, lasting only five seconds. Chen, the business manager, finally reached out his hand.
"make a deal."
The two shook hands without exchanging many words. Zeng Hao crossed out 62 million and rewrote it as 58 million. Both parties signed to confirm, finalizing the core cooperation framework.
This isn't a formal contract yet; it still needs to be drafted by lawyers and approved at each level. But this one-page document ensures that the total price and key terms will remain unchanged.
Xu Wen had been waiting outside the door. When he saw the two of them get up, he quickly walked in.
Chen, the business manager, picked up his canvas bag and tidied up the tea set: "I have high hopes for 'Ning An Ru Meng' this year. Mr. Zeng, if you need our platform's cooperation in the subsequent approval process, just let me know."
"no problem."
Zeng Hao escorted the person to the elevator, shook hands, and said goodbye. The elevator doors closed, and he turned and walked towards his office.
Xu Wen jogged a few steps to catch up: "Did you reach an agreement?"
"Um."
"How much will you agree on?"
"Fifty-eight million."
Xu Wen was stunned for a moment, then quickly caught up: "The original base price was fifty-five million, and you managed to negotiate an extra three million?"