The middle-aged man who stopped Qiao Zheng from pursuing further wasn't anyone else.
It was Zhang Zhiwei, the chairman of Global Pictures.
"Good evening, Mr. Zhang!"
Qiao Zheng respectfully greeted him.
Zhang Zhiwei smiled and nodded, asking politely, "Little Qiao, I saw Mr. Hank looked very unhappy and even angry. What did you do to offend him?"
"Mr. Hank was very displeased with our company's script, and one of the scripts was a plagiarism of Gao Fei's movie, which made him very unhappy."
Qiao Zheng, like an honest person, described what had happened in broken Dragon Country language.
Zhang Zhiwei nodded in understanding and lectured in a parental tone, "You've just entered the industry, so it's normal not to know Mr. Hank well.
Mr. Hank not only strongly dislikes plagiarized works but also hates meeting in places like this.
You'll learn gradually. You've just started, and you have plenty of time."
"Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Zhang."
Qiao Zheng nodded gratefully.
Zhang Zhiwei glanced at Hank, who had already gotten into the company car, and continued with a smile, "If you want to get Mr. Hank's forgiveness, have your boss behind you contact me. I'll make arrangements for you. Understand?"
Qiao Zheng blinked slightly and quickly nodded yes.
Seeing his humble attitude, Zhang Zhiwei was quite satisfied.
After Hank's car departed, Zhang Zhiwei's expression suddenly changed, and he looked sharply at Qiao Zheng, "Tell your boss for me, whether he's a Dragon Countryman or a foreigner, if he wants to make movies in Dragon Country, he'd better not hide things and act mysterious.
If he dares to break the rules of our circle, then your Zero Degree Entertainment has no need to exist in this country."
As he finished speaking, Qiao Zheng's subservient attitude vanished. He grinned dismissively despite the warning and said, "Chairman Zhang, I don't understand your Dragon Country circle's rules. But I know that rules are dead, and people are alive.
If you take issue with our Zero Degree Entertainment, just come at us. We'll take whatever you throw."
Zhang Zhiwei nodded sharply, no longer threatening, and turned to get into his car, leaving with his entourage.
"Farewell, Chairman Zhang!"
Qiao Zheng stood with his hands behind his back, waving goodbye.
Zhang Zhiwei snorted, uttered "Take care of yourselves," and then closed the car window.
Only after all the Global Pictures cars had driven away did Qiao Zheng secretly heave a sigh of relief.
The female secretary standing nearby, seeing his relieved expression, curiously asked, "Director Qiao, you angered Mr. Hank and ruined any chance of future cooperation. Won't the higher-ups blame you?"
"No."
Qiao Zheng lit a cigarette and said, "The big boss's real goal wasn't to cooperate with Hank. It was simply to have everyone from our company make an appearance in front of Hank."
"All this trouble just to make an appearance?"
The female secretary was taken aback, failing to grasp the meaning behind the boss's actions.
The whole operation seemed nonsensical, even a bit comical.
Qiao Zheng glanced at her and took a deep drag from his cigarette, "Let me ask you, how famous is Hank in Dragon Country?"
"It depends on who you compare him to. Compared to Gao Fei, who's currently all the rage with explosive popularity, or compared to domestic A-list celebrities, Hank is nowhere near.
He's not top-tier, but he's better than most. People in Dragon Country really like Hank's works, and his fame is only second to A-list stars."
The secretary analyzed Hank's fame from a professional perspective.
Qiao Zheng nodded appreciatively and pinched her cheek, "Then tell me, how well-known is our Zero Degree Entertainment domestically?"
The secretary pushed his hand away, blushing, and rolled her eyes, "Our company was registered only three months ago. We don't have any popular stars, nor any talented directors or actors. Where would our fame come from?"
After speaking, she paused, her eyes suddenly lit up, "The big boss invited Hank to meet him to leverage his fame to promote our Zero Degree Entertainment."
"Smart!"
Qiao Zheng didn't hide anything and continued to explain the boss's intentions, "Zero Degree Entertainment is in its early stages. Although we have sufficient funding, we lack fame.
If we were to provoke Gao Fei or other stars and directors now, it would not only tarnish the company's reputation and make us a joke in the industry, but it would also incur the resentment of hundreds of millions of netizens, audiences, and the general public.
Therefore, in the early stages of the company, we must cultivate a good public image.
And now that Hank has arrived in Dragon Country, he will surely be a trending topic online. The big boss pulled many strings to get Hank to agree to meet us. The real purpose is to help the company with its publicity."
"Our big boss is truly remarkable, Director Qiao. When can I meet him?"
"Meeting the boss isn't difficult."
Qiao Zheng eyed the young secretary and licked his lips, smiling, "As long as you let me have my fun, meeting the big boss will happen sooner or later."
"You're so wicked!"
The secretary playfully chided him, but she didn't refuse.
It seemed Qiao Zheng had mastered the art of "casting couch."
The two returned to the club, laughing and chatting.
In the private room, another female assistant who had been waiting, seeing them return, produced a digital camera and handed it over, "Director Qiao, I had someone take pictures of your meeting with Hank. They documented everything, from him getting into the car, to getting out, to you seeing him off. Please review them."
Qiao Zheng took the camera and carefully browsed through the photos.
He selected the photos he wanted and deleted all the others.
A moment later, he instructed the secretary and assistant, "Here's what you'll do once Hank's arrival in Dragon Country starts trending..."
Qiao Zheng whispered his plan to the two of them.
...
On the road from the northern suburbs back to the city.
Inside a luxurious business van with license plates all eights.
Zhang Zhiwei leaned back in the rear seat, diligently reviewing documents.
In the passenger seat, a man in his thirties repeatedly tapped on a laptop on his lap, then said, "Chairman Zhang, Mr. Hank's arrival photos in Dragon Country are ready. Should we release them now to get them trending?"
"Look at the time. Even if it trends, can it stay on the list all night?
Release it online precisely at ten o'clock tomorrow morning."
"Understood, Chairman Zhang!"
The male assistant immediately made arrangements after receiving his instructions.
Once everything was settled, he asked, "Should we find someone to investigate that Zero Degree Entertainment and probe them?"
Mentioning Zero Degree Entertainment made Zhang Zhiwei recall Qiao Zheng.
Qiao Zheng's transformation from subservient to confident had made Chairman Zhang very uncomfortable.
Before Gao Fei appeared, no one in the industry dared to put on airs in front of him.
"Tomorrow, go to finance, get the money, and hire some professionals to thoroughly investigate Zero Degree Entertainment.
Find out who their boss is and what connections they have."
"Okay!"
The male assistant nodded and then speculated, "Chairman Zhang, is it possible that Gao Fei is operating behind Zero Degree Entertainment?
Gao Fei liked to use such tactics when he was clashing with Kong Liwei before."
"No! Although Gao Fei likes to play dirty from behind the scenes, Feather Crane Entertainment is already established. He has no reason to create an empty shell company from scratch.
Since the Jia Da Film Festival, the film and television industry has been very united. Gao Fei also knows that solidarity is better than making enemies.
His agent, Jin Qiqi, even asked about Zero Degree Entertainment through intermediaries. If it wasn't for Gao Fei's instruction, why would Jin Qiqi inquire about a new company for no reason?
Moreover, Hank's primary purpose in coming to Dragon Country was to meet Gao Fei. Zero Degree Entertainment suddenly intercepted Hank and invited him away. Gao Fei must be wondering who is behind it."
Zhang Zhiwei analyzed with a smile.
It wasn't that he understood Gao Fei that well, but he already knew that Feather Crane Entertainment was wholly owned by Gao Fei.
Furthermore, with Gao Fei's current status and network, there was no reason for him to establish a new company.
The film market is only so big. With Gao Fei's current fame, he could already claim a significant portion of the cake. Why would he develop a zero-starting company?
Therefore, the assistant's speculation that Gao Fei was behind Zero Degree Entertainment was, in Zhang Zhiwei's opinion, groundless.
While Chairman Zhang was speculating about the boss behind Zero Degree Entertainment, Hank, in another car, was also trying to identify the mastermind behind Zero Degree.
However, after careful thought and recollection, very few people in Dragon Country could contact high-ranking officials in Gaul.
And the high-ranking official who arranged for him to meet with Zero Degree Entertainment held a significant position in Gaul.
Dragon Country businessmen and entertainment bosses were simply not qualified to approach such an official.
Unless, the boss behind Zero Degree Entertainment was a second-generation official from Dragon Country.
Thinking of this, Hank frowned slightly.
Whether in his own country or in Dragon Country, he strongly disliked interacting with people in official circles, and even less so their offspring.
His assistant, Lyons, noticed his boss's troubled expression and assumed he was still bothered by the earlier incident.
"Sir, perhaps I should contact Ms. Jin now and arrange a meeting time with Mr. Gao for you?"
He knew that his boss's main purpose in coming to Dragon Country was to discuss cooperation with Gao Fei, so he offered a suggestion.
Interrupted, Hank snapped back to attention, waved his hand, and said, "Just get Mr. Gao's phone number. I'll contact him myself when it's time to meet."
"If you're not meeting Mr. Gao, how will you arrange your schedule for the next few days?"
Lyons asked in surprise.
Hank smiled slightly, took out a foreign brand cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag, "There's a saying circulating in Dragon Country's high society: 'paying respects to the boss.'
There were so many companies picking me up today. I'll deal with them first before contacting Mr. Gao.
After all, my main partner is Mr. Gao. I don't want anyone else interfering with my cooperation with Mr. Gao."
Lyons nodded thoughtfully and sat down to browse Dragon Country's entertainment news.
Besides being his assistant, he also served as his translator.
Just as Lyons was engrossed in the Dragon Country entertainment news, a report made him utterly shocked.
He handed his phone to his boss, indicating that he should look at the news on the screen.
Hank, curious, took the phone. When he saw the headline, he, like Lyons, widened his eyes in astonishment.