160: Chapter 161 Finalizing the Contract

Upon hearing that Chen Sheng was interested in fully funding the project, Yi Wei's eyebrows involuntarily shot up. He quickly pinched his thigh under the table to force himself to calm down. After carefully reviewing the plan in his mind, he gritted his teeth and said, "If you are willing to fund the entire project, Chen Sheng, I guarantee that I can allocate you a share of no less than 30%, though I will still need to verify the exact details."

Chen Sheng didn't know if this share was good or bad, but thinking of the principle of "asking for a high price and bargaining on the spot," he was determined to see if there was any room for negotiation.

Little did he know, just as Chen Sheng was thinking about how to negotiate, Yi Wei, sitting on the side, assumed Chen Sheng was unsatisfied with the distribution plan. Having already reached the end of his rope, he hurriedly explained, "Chen Sheng, a share of no less than 30% really is the highest percentage I can offer, considering the producers, the distribution and marketing teams..."

As Yi Wei explained, Chen Sheng finally understood why he would only hold a one-third share of the profits despite providing half the funding.

This involved the issue of implicit resource exchange. Although the total investment was only one million, the websites collaborating later would help with promotion and publicity once the short drama went live, and this portion of the cost also counted as investment capital.

And the proportion of this quota was not low either.

It was just like how self-media creators publish works on a platform and generate profit; that profit doesn't belong entirely to the creator, as it needs to be split with the platform, and then the portion belonging to the creator is still subject to personal income tax.

It was just that realistic.

After listening to Yi Wei's explanation and looking back at the share of no less than 30%, it was clear that Yi Wei had scraped a portion out of his own bowl.

Regarding this, Yi Wei explained that every production was his child, and he didn't want his children to die prematurely.

Under Yi Wei's expectant gaze, Chen Sheng extended his right hand. "Director Yi, your sincerity has moved me. Happy to be working with you."

Yi Wei hurriedly grasped Chen Sheng's hand, ecstatic. "Good, good, good! Happy to be working with you! Happy to be working with you!"

After the initial ecstasy passed, Yi Wei asked somewhat nervously, "I wonder when it would be convenient for you, Chen Sheng, for us to officially sign the contract."

"I came here with sincerity, so any time is fine."

"Good, good, good!" Yi Wei hurriedly followed up. "Chen Sheng, rest assured, I will calculate the specific shares as soon as I get back and send the electronic contract to your email immediately. Let's strive to get this done in the next day or two. Does that arrangement work for you?"

"To tell you the truth, the production team's funds have hit rock bottom; we can barely keep running."

"No problem. Once the contract is signed, I will immediately transfer the funds into the specified account," Chen Sheng said readily.

Whether it was experience or coincidence on the part of the barbecue stall owner, just as the two reached an agreement on the investment, the owner walked over with the barbecue. "You two, your order is ready. Please enjoy."

"Thanks, boss!" Yi Wei called out to the owner. "Oh, right, please bring us a case of beer."

Soon, the owner brought over a crate of beer.

Come to think of it, Chen Sheng was surprised for a second when he looked at the beer brought over; it wasn't the common 500ml bottles, but 300ml small bottles.

Yi Wei deftly took out two bottles, held one in each hand, crossed the necks, and knocked the bottle caps together. With a flick of his wrist and a crisp "pop," the beer was opened in a fancy way.

Yi Wei handed one of the bottles to Chen Sheng. Once Chen Sheng took the bottle, Yi Wei immediately stood up and said, "Chen Sheng, thank you for coming to invest in our production. I'm not good with words, so I won't say anything else; everything is in the wine."

Chen Sheng hurriedly stood up and replied, "Director Yi, you're too polite. This is a mutually beneficial partnership."

After the two bottles clinked together, Yi Wei supported the bottom of the bottle with one hand and gripped the upper part with the other. He hooked his thumb over the bottle opening, shook the bottle vigorously a few times, then tilted his head back and quickly put the bottle opening into his mouth.

As he released his thumb from the bottle opening, the beer inside sprayed out directly.

Yi Wei quickly straightened his neck, and the jetting beer passed through his throat without obstruction, flowing straight into his stomach.

In about three or four seconds, the entire bottle of beer had been poured into Yi Wei's stomach.

This scene completely stunned Chen Sheng. He held his beer in mid-air, feeling like he shouldn't drink it, but also shouldn't put it down.

Finally, he gritted his teeth, tilted his head back, and put the bottle opening into his mouth. After a series of "glug, glug, glug" sounds, Chen Sheng couldn't help but let out a hiccup after putting down the empty bottle.

He quickly grabbed a skewer of barbecue and chewed it down to suppress the gas that was trying to surge up.

At this moment, he suddenly understood why the beer the owner brought over was in small bottles.

Seeing Yi Wei hand over another opened bottle of beer, Chen Sheng took it and quickly said, "Director Yi, business comes first. Let's just drink casually tonight."

"No problem! You call the shots, Chen Sheng. My task for today is to keep you company."

With Chen Sheng setting the tone, the two began to drink and chat. The topic inevitably drifted to industry gossip. Yi Wei also intentionally flattered Chen Sheng. By the end of the barbecue, Chen Sheng's curiosity had been greatly satisfied.

Not only that, but after they finished the barbecue, Yi Wei suggested continuing to a second round, though Chen Sheng politely declined.

Chen Sheng did want to go and experience the world of Hengdian, but unfortunately, An Xiaonuan was checking up on him.

However, his heart, which had been stirred up by Yi Wei's words, could not calm down no matter what as he stood by the hotel window looking at the neon lights outside. Therefore, on the first night in Hengdian, he had a rare bout of insomnia.

Unfortunately, he couldn't stay in bed. Early the next morning, Yi Wei called. He had drafted the contract overnight and sent it to his email. He asked Chen Sheng to look it over, and if there were no issues, he hoped both parties could complete the contract signing as soon as possible.

Regarding this, Chen Sheng had to struggle out from under the covers. After going to the bathroom and using cold water to wake himself up, he logged into his email, first forwarding the contract to Lawyer Wang to help him check for any traps, while simultaneously downloading the contract himself to review the important information.

Party A and Party B, investment amount, distribution ratio.

Seeing that the final share was 30.5%, Chen Sheng felt a mix of laughter and tears. "So it really was 'no less than 30%,' right? Too bad it was only added by 0.5."

However, he didn't dwell on it any further.

About half an hour later, Lawyer Wang called. "Chen Sheng, the contract is fine."

"Thank you, Lawyer Wang." After hanging up the phone, Chen Sheng directly transferred 2,000 yuan to Lawyer Wang via green bubble.

I have to say! The legal profession is truly profitable.

Lawyer Wang: "Slander, naked slander. Do you really think the qualification certificate is easy to get?"

After confirming there were no issues with the contract, Chen Sheng promptly arranged a meeting place with Yi Wei.

Two hours later, at a coffee shop in Hengdian, Chen Sheng and Yi Wei met again. Looking at Yi Wei's bloodshot eyes, Chen Sheng knew that the other party hadn't slept well last night either.

After a few pleasantries, Yi Wei couldn't wait to take out the contract he had printed in advance. "Chen Sheng, do you see any other issues on your end?"

"Wait a moment, let me check the contract." Chen Sheng took the contract, then opened the electronic version he had downloaded earlier. After carefully comparing them and confirming there were no changes, he nodded and said, "I have no problems on my end."

"Then, you see..." At the final step, Yi Wei was so nervous that he couldn't help but rub his hands together.

"Let's just sign it."

"Good, good, good." Yi Wei hurriedly took out the ballpoint pen he had been keeping in his pocket and handed it to Chen Sheng.

Chen Sheng took the pen and easily noticed it was covered in sweat stains, but he didn't say anything. He turned both copies of the contract to the end and signed his name next to Party A.

He handed the contract to Yi Wei, who hurriedly signed his name under Party B, then immediately fished out the official seal from his bag and stamped it.

After finishing all this, Yi Wei let out a long sigh of relief. After a while, he handed one of the contracts to Chen Sheng. "Chen Sheng, I'm sorry, I've made a fool of myself. Because of the funding issues during this period, it's really been too hard for me."

Perhaps thinking of the experiences of hitting walls everywhere these past few days, Yi Wei's voice was actually choked with emotion when he said this.

"I understand, I understand!" Chen Sheng patted Yi Wei on the shoulder.

After Yi Wei's emotions calmed down a little, Chen Sheng, under his expectant gaze, took out his phone, opened the banking app, and transferred the 500,000 in batches to the designated account.

He was quite helpless about the batch transfers. Even though upgrading to a gold card met the 500,000 total limit, he still couldn't do it all at once.

After the full 500,000 was transferred into the designated account, Yi Wei's face beamed with joy. "Chen Sheng, the role of the second female lead in the production is currently vacant. I don't know if you have anyone you would recommend?"