Chapter 37: If the Box Office Falls Below Three Billion, I Lose

Over an hour later, Yang Chen finished printing all the documentation for the "Slimming Pill" and scrawled the words "Top Secret" on the cover page.

Yang Chen called out, and Chang Sheng, the president of Four Seas Health who had been waiting at the door for quite some time, walked quickly to Yang Chen's desk with a smile.

"Chairman Yang, what can I do for you? Just give the word," Chang Sheng said with a grin.

Yang Chen pushed the documents toward Chang Sheng and instructed, "Here is the information for a new product. Take it, have the R&D team study it thoroughly, and produce samples for human testing as soon as possible. Do you understand the meaning of the two words written on the cover?"

Chang Sheng nodded immediately and replied, "Understood! Don't worry, Chairman Yang, it will be kept strictly confidential. Has a patent been applied for?"

Yang Chen shook his head. "Not yet. This only contains the formula, the production method, and the clinical trial data. Handle the rest yourself; I only care about the results."

"Understood! I will head to the lab now to have the team begin research, and we will recruit volunteers for human testing as soon as we have samples," Chang Sheng said.

Yang Chen nodded, and Chang Sheng tucked the documents into his jacket and left.

Strictly speaking, from a safety perspective, human testing wasn't necessary, but Yang Chen wanted to see the effects with his own eyes, so a small-scale volunteer trial would suffice.

Usually, Yang Chen would have finished work by now to head home and enjoy his life, but he could not leave so early lately. He needed to write a blockbuster film script as soon as possible. Once Four Seas Entertainment completed the acquisition of Jiayue Entertainment, Yang Chen wanted them to start filming immediately.

What Yang Chen wanted was a Four Seas Group that developed in a healthy, comprehensive manner, rather than one that relied solely on him earning money to pay off its debts.

What constituted healthy development?

Naturally, it meant every subsidiary had to be able to stand on its own feet and survive based on its own operations, rather than relying on Yang Chen to generate money through Four Seas Investment to subsidize their struggle for survival.

Yang Chen’s claim that he acquired Jiayue Entertainment just to "play with celebrities" was merely a joke. His true intention was to supplement the shell company, Four Seas Entertainment, with substantive business and assets; playing with celebrities was just a fringe benefit.

Yang Chen possessed the "Script Master" skill granted by his system, so writing a script was effortless for him.

Since four newcomers—Zhu Yunlong, Du Yunjiang, Yang Min, and Di Li—were willing to sign with Four Seas Entertainment, Yang Chen decided to tailor a film specifically for them.

After a brief reflection, Yang Chen decided to play it safe by choosing a film that had been a massive hit on Earth, using his "Script Master" skill to adapt it into a screenplay, and then having them film it.

After some recollection, Yang Chen typed "Lost in the Stars" into the document and began the creative process.

Yang Chen worked until 11:00 PM. The six beauties were so sleepy they could barely keep their eyes open.

"Chairman Yang, why are you working so hard today?" Huang Wei asked, stretching.

Yang Chen smiled and replied, "I'm writing a blockbuster script. Once Four Seas Entertainment completes the acquisition of Jiayue Culture, this film will be their first project."

"Huh? You know how to write scripts?" Zhao Jing asked.

"What's with that expression? Do I look uncultured to you?" Yang Chen asked.

Zhao Jing explained, "I mean no offense, Chairman Yang, but you didn't even pass the high school entrance exam. You claiming that you made money in stocks because of good luck is barely plausible. But writing a script requires a personal accumulation of cultural knowledge. Are you sure anyone will watch what you write?"

The others nodded in agreement with Zhao Jing. What kind of good script could a poor student possibly write?

Damn it!

It was the original owner who lacked education; Yang Chen was a genuine finance graduate from a top-tier 985 university on Earth.

However, Yang Chen didn't need to explain that much to them. Since they didn't believe him, he would just make another bet.

"Underestimating me, are we? Dare to make another bet? If the box office of the movie based on my script exceeds 3 billion, the six of you will line up every day, morning and night, to hug and kiss me. If it’s below 3 billion, the old rules apply: I follow your orders. Do you dare?" Yang Chen said with a smile.

"3 billion? Are you crazy?" Bai Zhi asked, astonished.

"Has Chairman Yang been thinking about paying off the 3 trillion in debt for so long that he’s become numb to the unit of 'billion'? Do you know what 3 billion even means? The highest box office in the entire history of Long Kingdom cinema is only 1.2 billion, and that was after running in theaters for 100 days," Zhao Jing added.

Chen Xi quickly interjected, "Chairman Yang, 3 billion is really too exaggerated; let’s make it 300 million instead. Does everyone agree that 300 million is better?"

Huh?

Why was she bargaining *down*?

The other five beauties instantly understood Chen Xi’s meaning and nodded in agreement.

"Right, right, 3 billion is way too much, it’s not reasonable at all. 300 million is very reasonable. If the box office exceeds 300 million, we’ll kiss you every morning and night. If it doesn’t reach 300 million, you’ll follow our orders from now on," Chen Lan said.

Yang Chen said with a look of disdain, "Damn! Who are you looking down on? I said 3 billion, so it has to be 3 billion; not a cent less. You can say I lack a degree, but you cannot insult my creative ability. 300 million? If the box office is only 300 million, how stupid would I have to be to work this hard overtime writing a script?"

"Wow, are you serious? You really have to fight us on this? Are you that much of a 'straight man'?" Huang Wei asked.

It was true. The women were trying to intentionally lose to him by lowering the target to 300 million, but he only cared about proving his ability to hit 3 billion.

"Of course! I don't just want to win your morning and evening kisses; I want to win them in style, so that you’ll be truly convinced," Yang Chen said confidently.

"You certainly look confident! Fine, 3 billion it is. If you really win, we’ll wear black silk stockings and hug and kiss you every morning and night. I just don't believe a student who couldn't even pass the high school entrance exam can write a 3-billion-box-office script," Zhao Jing said.

The others nodded in agreement. If the box office really exceeded 3 billion, they would fulfill their end of the bet wholeheartedly.

Yang Chen laughed happily and said, "Remember to be a bit seductive when the time comes; I like that."

The six beauties immediately raised their fists and chased after Yang Chen, their laughter filling the office building.

A week later, Yang Chen finished the 100,000-word film script.

Worried that the director and actors might be mediocre, Yang Chen described every detail with extreme clarity. As long as they put in a little effort and their technical skills were up to par, the film wouldn't turn out poorly.

Meanwhile, Four Seas Entertainment completed the acquisition of Jiayue Entertainment, and the researchers at Four Seas Health had produced the first batch of 100 slimming pills according to the data.

At 10:00 AM, Yang Chen left the investment department on time and returned to his office.

Guo Yi, the president of Four Seas Entertainment, brought the four artists, including Huang Min, to see him.

"Chairman Yang, the acquisition is complete. All staff and assets of Jiayue Entertainment have been transferred to Four Seas Entertainment. However, the company only has these four artists right now. How should we proceed?" Guo Yi asked.

Yang Chen took the "Lost in the Stars" script from his drawer, pushed it toward Guo Yi, and said with a smile, "This is a movie script I’ve prepared for you. I want it filmed and released within a month."

"Huh? A month? That’s so rushed!" Guo Yi said, quickly opening the script to look.

Back on Earth, Yang Chen had read gossip columns saying that many films in Hong Kong had a shooting cycle of only 7 days, and including post-production, they could be released in half a month—even for gangster films with large-scale scenes.

"Lost in the Stars" wasn't difficult; if they pushed hard, they could definitely finish and release it within a month.

"It’s not difficult. Work a little harder, coordinate all sides, and a month is plenty of time. We need a film now to attract the market's attention to Four Seas Entertainment; that way, our actors will have more work opportunities later. No matter why the four of them chose to stay, I will make sure to turn them all into stars," Yang Chen said.

Guo Yi nodded. He understood what this project meant for Four Seas Entertainment: if they did it well, they could come back from the dead; if they failed, they were finished.

"Don't worry, Chairman Yang. I will follow up on every step and ensure it is released within a month!" Guo Yi said earnestly.

At this moment, Di Li whispered, "Chairman Yang, I... I haven't had work lately, so I've gained a bit of weight. If we finish filming in a month, I might not have time to lose the weight..."

Yang Chen laughed and said, "Your weight is a good thing! If you weren't chubby, how could I give you an endorsement contract?"

"Fatty" Di looked surprised. "Huh? Chairman Yang, you're signing me for an endorsement already? What product is it?"

Yang Chen smiled and replied, "The slimming pills produced by our Four Seas Group..."