"Just go by market rates, I'd actually prefer a profit share."
Wang Shu said, smiling at Chen Bo.
"Profit share? That's quite a risk, have you thought it through!"
Chen Bo was stunned when he heard Wang Shu mention profit sharing.
The film market was notoriously unpredictable. Many big-budget blockbusters failed to even recoup their costs upon release, while some low-budget films exploded at the box office, earning billions. Even after the cinema's cut, the production company could still make a substantial profit.
With the script being changed midway through production, Chen Bo couldn't be entirely sure about the film's quality, let alone accurately predict its box office performance. Therefore, he couldn't help but admire Wang Shu's courage in asking for a profit share. In fact, he himself had already braced himself for a potential loss on this film.
"Higher risk, higher reward!"
Wang Shu stated directly.
He understood Chen Bo's implied meaning – that Chen Bo wasn't optimistic about the film's prospects. However, Wang Shu wasn't worried. He was the screenwriter and the male lead. With Chen Bo as the director, the film's success largely depended on him. As long as he could maintain the quality of the subsequent production and help with publicity upon release, he was confident they would make a considerable profit. After all, the original "Way of the Dragon" had achieved considerable box office success in its time, grossing over five million yuan in Hong Kong in the 1970s. At that time, mainland China didn't have a box office system, so if it had, the film's earnings would have been astronomical. Wang Shu was therefore very confident in this project.
"Alright, since you've made up your mind, how about a five percent profit share?"
Seeing Wang Shu's decision, Chen Bo patted him on the shoulder.
"Whatever you decide is fine with me."
Wang Shu smiled. Five percent might not seem high, but for a screenwriter, it was quite generous. Many investors were involved in the film, and even Chen Bo, as the director, might only receive ten percent. Wang Shu was very satisfied with this arrangement. If the film broke a hundred million yuan, he would earn five million yuan in profit share. If the film performed exceptionally well, he could potentially earn tens of millions.
"Great, in that case, I'll have the contract drawn up. We'll sign it over dinner tonight!"
Chen Bo declared.
That evening, during a cast and crew dinner, Chen Bo announced the script changes and formally introduced Wang Shu as the new chief screenwriter. While some of the in-house screenwriters present were unhappy with the decision, they outwardly accepted it out of politeness. After the announcement, Wang Shu and Chen Bo signed the contract.
After dinner, Chen Bo announced their departure for Seoul, South Korea, the following morning. The crew members raised no objections and returned to their rooms.
Later that night, the thugs Wang Shu had dealt with earlier found their way to his hotel.
"Boss, this is the hotel the guy is staying at. The woman seems to be staying here too!" a tattooed man reported to a woman.
"Excellent. I want to see just how skilled this kid is. Have you arranged for the fighter?" the woman said with a sinister smile, her gaze fixed on the hotel.
"Yes, Mr. Song Cai said he'll be here shortly," the tattooed man replied.
"Very well, tonight we wait for the show to begin!" The woman lit a cigarette and began to smoke behind a flower bed.
About ten minutes later, a black jeep pulled up to the hotel entrance. Out stepped a dark-skinned, muscular man, over two meters tall, with a ferocious expression. He loomed like a small mountain.
"Mr. Song Cai has arrived!" the tattooed man quickly reported from behind the flower bed.
"The show's about to start! Let's go out," the woman said, striding towards the entrance.
"Hello, Mr. Fighter!" the woman said, looking up at the man.
"Are you the one who needs my services?" Song Cai asked, looking down at the woman with an unsightly face.
"Yes, we want you to teach a lesson to a conceited brat!" the woman said eagerly.
"Where is he?" Song Cai asked.
"He's inside the hotel!" the woman pointed to the building.
"Kid, get out here!" Song Cai roared at the hotel in Thai, ignoring the woman. The hotel security guards came out to see what was happening and were stunned by the imposing figure at the entrance.
"Isn't that the fighter? What's he doing here?"
"I don't know. Who's he calling for?"
"Are we still going to fight him?"
"Fight him? Are you crazy? You want to die?" The security guards, sensing trouble, retreated to their office to observe. Meanwhile, guests in the hotel rooms above were drawn by the commotion and peered out their windows.
"Wang Shu, look outside! There's a huge guy!" Jiang Jianjia urgently knocked on Wang Shu's door.
"What the heck?" Wang Shu walked to the window, surprised to see a large man standing on the ground.
"My goodness, that guy must be over 400 pounds," Wang Shu commented on Song Cai's physique.
"Boss, look! The guy is coming out!" the tattooed man pointed to Wang Shu's window.
"Mr. Fighter, it's him!" the woman told Song Cai, pointing to where Wang Shu was.
"Kid, get down here right now!" Song Cai roared at Wang Shu after locating him.
"Is he calling for you?" Jiang Jianjia asked Wang Shu curiously.
"I'm not sure what's going on. Should I go down and check?" Wang Shu was confused, having no apparent reason to offend this giant.
"Don't go. He's so big, can you possibly win?" Jiang Jianjia asked with concern. The man downstairs was enormous, making Wang Shu look like a mere twig in comparison. If the man attacked Wang Shu, the odds would be heavily against him. Even with Wang Shu's martial arts skills, he might not be able to overcome sheer strength. It was like a powerful assassin being unable to one-shot a tank in a game.
"How will I know if I don't try? Besides, with so many people watching, wouldn't it be embarrassing if I didn't go?" Wang Shu smiled, turned from the window, and walked out. A few minutes later, he confidently approached Song Cai.
"So that's why I've been targeted. It's you, you ugly woman!" Wang Shu said upon seeing the woman next to Song Cai.
"Who are you calling ugly? Are you tired of living?" The woman flew into a rage, her eyes burning with murderous intent.
"Mr. Fighter, you must help me teach this Chinese kid a lesson. I'll reward you handsomely!" the woman urged Song Cai.
"Don't worry. Dealing with this little brat is as easy as wiggling my little finger!" Song Cai laughed arrogantly, looking at the frail man before him.
"Buddy, don't talk so big, you might sprain your tongue! You Muay Thai guys are all the same, useless. I took down one of you just the other day. You're only slightly bigger than him," Wang Shu retorted without hesitation.
"What? You took down someone the other day? Was my brother the one you beat?" Song Cai was clearly taken aback, asking Wang Shu. His brother had been severely injured and hospitalized two days ago and was still in a coma. He never expected it to be this young man.
"Oh, so it was your brother I beat the other day? My apologies, I might have been a bit heavy-handed." Wang Shu found the situation amusing, realizing he had beaten the giant's brother.
"Hmph! If it was you, then I'm going to settle the score!" Song Cai was furious. His brother's coma was caused by this young man. As a fighter, he couldn't tolerate such an insult. He refused to let Muay Thai be defeated by such a weakling.
"Alright, settle the score quickly. I'm in a hurry to send you to join your brother!" Wang Shu said with a smile.
Meanwhile, the onlookers from the hotel windows were not optimistic about Wang Shu's chances.
"This kid is so scrawny, can he win?"
"I don't know why he's being so cocky. He'll regret it if he gets beaten half to death."
"I heard he's a Muay Thai champion. Can this kid really fight him?" The crowd buzzed with commentary.
Only one person stood calmly by the window, watching the scene below.
"Wang Shu, you have to win!" Liu Yuanyuan bit her lip, looking at Wang Shu. She had witnessed his skills firsthand, having seen him easily defeat the previous Muay Thai instructor. Therefore, even facing this so-called champion, she believed Wang Shu had a good chance of winning.
In another room, Jiang Jianjia also watched Wang Shu nervously. While she knew Wang Shu was skilled, the opponent's sheer size was intimidating, perhaps even too much for Wang Shu to overcome.