Feature Shows Extravaganza - Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Mr. Tao At The Gate

Translator: Henyee Translations

Editor: Henyee Translations

Meng Lang didn’t have to worry about the yo-yo world cup because his old man had it all covered. He could just lay back and enjoy the fame.

The office in Senhai Building was getting too small for the expanding Pengda Pictures, but all the floors nearby had been rented out, so Meng Lang needed to find a new location for his company.

It wasn’t that easy to find a suitable office building in Jiangchuan, because bank business had been shrinking lately, which had a detrimental effect on commercial real estate projects. The existing office buildings in Jiangchuan had all been filled up.

Meng Lang had money, but he couldn’t find an office space for his company. Was that even possible?

As ironic as it sounded, it was the truth.

There were ample housing estates, but commercial properties, especially office buildings, were very hard to come by. That’s just how weird the real estate sector was at the moment. More precisely, this was characteristic of Jiangchuan.

Driving Mr. Old Meng’s Mercedes, Meng Lang travelled to every corner of Jiangchuan.

However, there just weren’t enough suitable locations.

They were either too small, which limited their future expansion, or too expensive — the rent was so high that Meng Lang would have to rob a bank in order to afford it.

In the end, Meng Lang was out of options. He had to pull out a file — given to the CEO’s office by the artistic director — that had been eating dust somewhere in his office. He then weighed the pros and cons.

The file proposed that they should build a headquarter, financed by Pengda Toy Factory, the most affluent member of the group, and companies like Pengda Packaging and Pengda Pictures could move into it.

It was a great idea, but not a realistic one.

It was true. Pengda Toy Factory had indeed made a lot of money from the yo-yos and fairy toys, but the expansion of the factory had cost a fortune as well. The old man might throw a tantrum if he was told that he would have to pay for a new headquarters.

Meng Lang knew that he couldn’t count on Pengda Toy Factory, for his father didn’t see the need to have a headquarters. If it were up to him, a factory building would be more than enough. An office building? What a waste of money!

In that case, he had to figure it out on his own.

Pengda Pictures was a subsidiary of Pengda Group, but it was quite independent financially. Although Meng Minghui had sent his own accountants and cashiers, he didn’t set many limits for Meng Lang.

Currently, Pengda Pictures had an available fund of around 150 million in its account. Although the revenue they received from licensing the toys to companies overseas was quite considerable, they only received it four times a year.

The project in Japan needed money. Since TBS had said yes to Pengda Pictures’ terms, the establishment of the Japanese branch was imminent.

Setting up the company was easy, but they couldn’t fool TBS with a shell company.

TBS might not have been the sharpest tool in the box, but it didn’t mean that they wouldn’t be concerned with Pengda’s new branch.

If they realized that it was nothing but the shell company, they might have called off the deal.

To set up the Japanese branch, Pengda would have to purchase all kinds of equipment, get movie and TV licenses, and pay a lot of salaries. Together, they would cost Pengda at least 10 million.

Then, there was the new team for Blazing Teens 2, and Pengda thought very highly of this project. Because it was a sequel, a rise in the salary was expected.

That would cast Pengda 10 to 20 million again.

After that was Meng Lang’s next project…

Although it hadn’t been finalized yet, the decision to shoot Explosive Boys had almost been made. The production itself wouldn’t cost too much, but at least another 10 to 20 million would be needed.

Together, the three projects would almost clear out the company’s account.

“What building can we build with 50 million yuan?” Resting his chin on his hands, Meng Lang asked Ma Teng and Wang Kui.

Ma Teng was quick-witted and gave an answer immediately.

“An unfinished one!”

Meng Lang was rendered speechless.

“You can stop coming to the office from tomorrow!”

Wang Kui wasn’t as eager for attention as Ma Teng. He had been in the movie and TV industry for many years and knew a great deal of the headquarter buildings of other production companies.

After some consideration, he said, “If we forget about future expansion, the most economical choice is to choose an existing office building. We don’t have to buy a whole one; one or two floors should suffice for now.”

“You think?!

“We can’t afford an entire building even if we want to!”

As for one or two floors…

There was no doubt that they wouldn’t be able to find a suitable place to rent, but if they were to buy the place, they would have a lot more places to choose from. One or two floors would indeed be enough for them.

“That’s it, then. Director Ma, please ask around and let me know when you find the right place. Look for a spacious one. Two floors is ideal, but one floor will do, too. Have the owner call me if the premium is within 10%.”

“Sure, Director Meng!”

Ma Teng nodded.

Once the matter of the headquarters was settled, the subject naturally shifted to the new branch in Japan.

“Thanks to the connections of TBS, we were able to contact a director over there, and he’s willing to sign a contract with us,” said Wang Kui.

Blinking, Meng Lang asked, “What’s his name? Does he have any famous work? We might be making children’s features shows, but that doesn’t mean that we’ll take just about anyone…”

“The guy is called Ishinomori Shotaro. He used to be a cartoonist, but has fallen out with the production company over the live-action show adapted from his manga. He managed to put some funds together, bought back the copyright, and directed the show himself. It was very well-received by the audience! He’s a talented director and I don’t think he’s a swindler…” Wang Kui explained carefully.

He was in the middle of his explanation when he saw that Director Meng was in a trance-like state. He couldn’t help asking, “Director Meng, is everything all right? Do you know this director?”

“Do I know him? Of course I do!”

How could he not know the name of the creator of Kamen Rider?

But was this the man who Meng Lang knew of? Or did the man just happen to have the same name?

Meng Lang frowned and determined that it was a coincidence. The show known as “Kamen Rider” didn’t exist in this universe and Ishinomori Shotaro couldn’t have come back to life and lived until 2015.

“How did you get in touch with him?”

Wang Kui shook his head. “We didn’t. TBS introduced him to us. The guy would never have caught our attention if he hadn’t shown up with a recommendation letter from TBS.”

“If TBS thinks he’s good… sign him, then.”

Meng Lang said after some thought, “Is he good for Magic Girls? He won’t mess things up, will he?”

“I… don’t think so,” said Wang Kui hesitantly.

Once it was determined that Shotaro was going to direct Magic Girls, the Japanese version of Balala the Fairies, and before the meeting was over, the reception told Meng Lang that Mr. Tao of Jiangchuan Children’s Channel was here.

Mr. Tao?

What’s he doing here?

Meng Lang was bewildered when he saw the distressed Mr. Tao. One would have almost thought that his wife had run off with some guy.

“Mr. Tao, to what do we owe this pleasure? What brings you here today?” After pouring Mr. Tao a glass of water, Meng Lang cleared his throat and asked.

Putting down the glass, Mr. Tao asked unhappily, “Xiao Meng, how has my channel been treating you?”

“You have been great to me. Without your help, I wouldn’t have become what I am now.”

Mr. Tao was surprised. “That’s so out of the blue. Mr. Tao, are you in some sort of trouble?”

But that couldn’t be. Jiangchuan Children’s Channel was backed by Jiangchuan TV Channel, a state-owned TV channel. They should have been able to make any trouble go away.