486: Chapter 486 Capital with thorns can become a knife

Chen Chengrui's breath hitched.

"You aren't reconciled, so for the past two years, you pulled together your own fund, wanting to invest in a few projects to prove yourself to them."

Lin Que's voice was unhurried as he laid them out one by one.

"The period drama you invested in last year flopped.

The web movie from the first half of this year didn't even make a splash.

And that idol short drama that changed its release date at the last minute—the investment didn't break even, and the final payment is still tied up in the accounts.

Across those three projects, you've lost nearly 200 million."

"Your father's attitude is actually already written in the rhythm of the last two project approvals.

"Budget limits have been squeezed, approval cycles have been lengthened, and the scope of the fund management authority disclosed to the public has narrowed as well.

"These things are out in the open; if you piece them together a little, you can draw a conclusion.

"If you lose money one more time, whether you can keep the fund you're holding, Young Master Chen, you know better than I do."

Lin Que paused for a beat, his voice incredibly steady.

"Short-term gains are no longer your top priority right now.

"What you truly need is a performance record that will allow you to stand tall in front of the board of directors again.

"And 'soul ferry' is the only trump card you have right now to turn things around."

Chen Chengrui suddenly looked up, his pupils constricting.

His shirt was soaked through with cold sweat at some point, sticking coldly to the back of the chair.

Before coming here, he had calculated his own status, resources, and trump cards over and over in his head.

Yet he never expected that the person behind the screen, who refused to even show their face,

would lay out all those embarrassing, shameful secrets he kept in his pockets one by one on the table.

These matters—the board reorganization, the fund losses, the shifting of family resources—

were not really secrets in their circle.

But no one would ever say them out loud right to his face so bluntly.

Lin Que not only said them, but he was also completely accurate.

Chen Chengrui suddenly realized that the person he was facing today was absolutely not just some web novel author.

This person understood drama, understood human nature, and the materials they had in hand were terrifyingly detailed.

Chen Chengrui would even rather believe that there was a professional due diligence team standing behind the screen.

What made him even more apprehensive was that the other party, separated by a black screen, saw his situation even more clearly than he did himself.

That bit of intention to keep acting tough was retracted, inch by inch.

He still wanted to fight.

But at this moment, he finally saw the real bargaining chips on the negotiating table.

"Since we've reached this point, I'll give you the third condition as well."

Lin Que's tone returned to being flat.

"Profit distribution.

"The copyright will not be transferred, only licensed for a limited term.

The base licensing fee and the copyright owner's share will go to the original author.

As for the single-project streaming revenue after the derivative short drama is released, I can concede the larger share to you based on your investment proportion."

"You earn the money from this project, while I hold the roots of the entire series.

"You will have priority co-investment rights for subsequent series development. The premise is that this time, you follow the rules strictly."

"As for specific figures, Director Guo will have the producer and legal department draft a contract and send it to you.

If you read it and agree, then sign. If you don't agree, let's pretend we never met today."

The conference room was so quiet that only the low hum of the air conditioner remained.

Chen Chengrui sat there, his mind rapidly crunching the numbers.

He couldn't get the core copyright.

He couldn't touch the roots of the long-term development either.

All he could take away was the profit from this one derivative short drama and the eligibility for follow-up co-investment.

This calculation was infuriating.

But infuriating or not, it could turn things around.

More importantly, this project itself wasn't meant for making quick money.

It was an admission ticket.

A ticket that would allow him to squeeze into all subsequent development of this IP.

If he missed this opportunity to turn things around today,

he wouldn't even be able to touch the threshold of the Chen family's core circle in the future.

The deathly silence lasted for a dozen seconds.

Chen Chengrui let out a breath and stood up.

This time, he didn't cross his legs, nor did he touch the sunglasses on the table.

Facing the screen, he stood straight and bowed slightly.

"Mr. Dream Weaver."

His throat tightened as he spoke, but the second half of his sentence was steady.

"I can agree to your three conditions."

Chen Chengrui looked up.

"But I need the investor signature written into the contract, and I want to oversee the publicity and distribution plan.

During the sample footage stage, I want viewing rights; for publicity materials confirmed by the directing team and the original author, I want retrieval rights; for the release schedule, I want negotiation rights."

He paused for a moment, then added quickly.

"I can stay out of the creative side of the drama, but I cannot be without a battlefield for which I am responsible."

"Fine, but the scope will be written into the contract."

Lin Que said directly.

"What you can view, what you can retrieve, and when you can retrieve it—everything will follow the process."

He straightened up, looking at the three white characters on the screen.

"I am aware of how infuriating this contract is for me."

Chen Chengrui looked at the three white characters on the screen.

"But I also know that I cannot find a second project right now that can let me turn things around."

"I will remember this opportunity to enter the game."

This expression of gratitude was delivered in a low voice.

The angle of his bow was elegant enough, and his tone was sincere enough.

But when he stood up, his gaze still lingered on the screen for half a second, as if he were re-evaluating the price behind those three characters.

In the studio, Lin Que watched the bowing shadow on the screen, understanding very clearly.

People like Chen Chengrui do not lose their arrogance just because they admit defeat once.

He was willing to bow his head today because he had figured out the math and realized it was worth it.

The day he feels it's no longer worth it, he can flip the table at any time.

This is a piece of thorny capital.

If you don't hold it right, it will hurt your own people.

If you set the rules firmly with the thorns facing outward, it will become a usable blade in the future.

"Young Master Chen, I'll leave it at that."

Lin Que's tone betrayed no emotion.

"How the crew's money is spent, how the drama is filmed, and how the cast is selected—you don't need to worry about any of that.

You just need to keep your subordinates in line and don't let them run over to hand out notes or stuff lists at me for no reason."

"Handle things properly; if this drama becomes a hit, you won't be short a single cent of the share you are entitled to."

"If someone doesn't follow the rules..."

He paused for a beat.

"Then the breach of contract clauses in the agreement will be activated immediately.

The subsequent licensing will be terminated, the priority co-investment rights will be canceled, the funds will be liquidated according to the agreement, and the penalty for breach of contract will be paid in full."

Chen Chengrui took a deep breath, pushing the lingering reluctance and calculation in his eyes back into the depths.

He nodded solemnly, his tone revealing a professional crispness:

"I understand. I will personally keep an eye on my people. Happy cooperation."

"Young Master Chen is a smart man. As long as the rules are kept, the cooperation will naturally be pleasant."

Lin Que's voice finally softened a bit.

"Please ask Director Guo and the others to come in; we haven't finished reading the script."

Chen Chengrui replied in a low voice.

He bent down to pick up the sunglasses on the table, but didn't put them back on his face; he just put them into his pocket.

A moment later, the conference room door opened again.

When Director Guo Changhe and the others entered one after another, they saw that the young princeling of the Beijing Circle had already sat back in the corner, with a pen now beside his hand.