Huayu: This producer has no bottom line.

Chapter 54 3 plus 1

Ni Ni called Ren Pingsheng at 2 PM.

"Signed."

Two words: clean and efficient.

Ren Pingsheng leaned back in his chair and switched the phone to his left ear. "What about the supplementary terms?"

"It was added, but not a single word was changed."

Ni Ni's voice sounded calm, but he spoke faster than usual, a sign of relaxation after the tension.

Ren Pingsheng could picture the scene at the signing ceremony: a 21-year-old girl sitting in the New Pictures Film Studio's conference room filled with posters, facing Zhang Weiping and a table full of lawyers, pushing out the supplementary agreement.

"What was their reaction?"

"President Zhang looked very unwell," Ni Ni paused, "but Director Zhang spoke up for me."

"What did you say?"

Director Zhang said that it's a good thing for young people to have their own opinions.

Ren Pingsheng chuckled. Zhang Yimou was indeed protective of his people. Although the old man had a reserved temper, once he had chosen an actor, no one could easily mess with him.

"and then?"

"Then Mr. Zhang had his lawyer add supplementary clauses. He had a dark expression the whole time, and didn't even shake hands after signing the document."

"That's normal. You slapped the boss across the face the moment you walked in. No wonder he's not going to give you a friendly look."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Director Ren, I'm a little scared now."

"What are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid I won't be able to stay at the company in the future. I feel like Mr. Zhang is quite vengeful."

Ren Pingsheng put the cigarette in his mouth and lit it with one hand.

"You're afraid he'll hold a grudge, but he's afraid Director Zhang will hold a grudge too. As long as Director Zhang is still around, he won't do anything to you; at most, he'll ignore you for a few days. But you should behave yourself in front of him and not give him any reason to make things difficult for you."

"Um."

There was another moment of silence. Ni Ni seemed to want to say something, but hesitated for several seconds.

"Director Ren, thank you."

"What are you thanking me for? You're the actor I hired, so of course I have to think things through for you."

After saying that, Ren Pingsheng changed the subject. It would be pretentious to continue the conversation, and Ni Ni was about to enter a closed training period at New Picture, so the two of them would have less and less contact.

But the line has already been laid.

After hanging up the phone, Ren Pingsheng put his phone back on the table. Just as he picked up the progress bar on the editing timeline, his phone rang again.

"President Ren?"

"Mr. Yang?"

"Excuse me for bothering you at this hour. Is now a convenient time to talk?"

Yang Yuancao's voice lacked the composure she had shown during their last meeting.

"It's convenient, please tell me."

"The matter with Dragon TV has stalled."

"How did it get stuck?"

"We'll proceed with the license issue as you suggested. Dragon TV does have an unused talent show license, and they've expressed their willingness to cooperate."

"So what's the problem?"

Yang Yuancao took a deep breath.

"Localization adaptation".

Ren Pingsheng didn't speak, waiting for her to continue.

"Dragon TV demanded a major localization of the program format, increasing the number of judges to four and adding a pre-screening stage where the TV station's directing team would review the contestants in advance, eliminating those unsuitable for broadcast, before they could perform on stage. They also wanted to add a host to provide commentary, claiming it would better suit the viewing habits of domestic audiences. However, the copyright holder insisted on maintaining the integrity of the original format and did not allow any changes to the core elements."

"Fremantle?"

"Yes, their attitude was very tough. They said that all globally licensed talent shows must maintain the same production standards. The three-judge system cannot be changed, the blind auditions cannot be changed, and even the stage size and the number of cameras are regulated."

Ren Pingsheng leaned back in his chair and sorted out the whole story.

These are two completely different sets of logics clashing, something that has happened before in my past life.

Fremantle sells a globally proven, mature model, the core of which lies in its uncontrollability.

It is precisely because anyone can go on stage that we have famous moments like Susan Boyle's, where she went from being ridiculed for her appearance to having a stunning voice. Once pre-screening is added, the show loses its greatest dramatic tension.

What they fear most is that the Chinese market will completely change their business model, resulting in something that is neither fish nor fowl and ruins their reputation.

But Dragon TV also has its reasons. All content broadcast by domestic TV stations must be reviewed, and the editorial office bears lifelong responsibility.

Why put a group of amateurs who don't know how to say or do anything on prime time?

If something goes wrong, who will take the blame?

Both sides have their reasons, and neither side is willing to give in.

Yang Yuancao was caught in the middle, suffering from both sides.

"Director Ren, I had no other choice but to make this call."

Yang Yuancao's voice didn't deliberately show weakness, but the plea for help was clear enough.

Ren Pingsheng remained silent for a few seconds.

Where is the person in charge of Fremantle now?

"Tokyo, then flying to Shanghai next Tuesday for the final round of negotiations with Dragon TV."

"The final round?"

"Yes, if this round of negotiations fails, Fremantle may withdraw from the Chinese market."

Ren Pingsheng's eyelid twitched.

If China's Got Talent withdraws from the Chinese market, Yang Yuancao's efforts over the past six months will have been in vain.

More importantly, the favors he placed on Yang Yuancao will also be wiped out.

"Next Tuesday?"

"Yes, December 29th."

"Has the location been decided?"

"It'll be on Dragon TV at 2 PM."

Ren Pingsheng glanced at the calendar. "President Yang, I have an idea, but I need your cooperation."

"you say."

"Stop arguing with Dragon TV about the judges."

Yang Yuancao's voice suddenly tightened, "Director Ren, four judges are impossible. I've tried countless times with Fremantle, and their bottom line is three people."

"I didn't say I agreed to all four of them."

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

"You brought me into that negotiation scene."

"What?"

"I told them to be present at the negotiations next Tuesday, and to say that I would be your advisor."

Yang Yuancao hesitated for a few seconds, then said, "Okay, I'll arrange it."

"There's one more thing."

"you say."

"Help me schedule an appointment with the deputy director of Dragon TV. I'd like to have a private talk with him before we begin our negotiations."

Why does he want to see you?

"Because you'll tell him that there's someone who can help him get things sorted out with the four judges."

……

After hanging up the phone, Ren Pingsheng reopened his notebook and turned to the page that read "Yang Yuancao/Talent Show".

The list above includes several keywords: Fremantle, Dragon TV, World Expo, and talent show license.

He picked up his pen and added a line below.

"Three judges plus one judge".

Three judges met the copyright holder's bottom line, and adding a "host" satisfied Dragon TV's appetite.

The key is how to exclude this "one" from the judges' panel while still making Dragon TV feel like they've won.

One of the hosts appears to be a judge, but is actually a host who cannot speak until the performance ends.

The final solution lies hidden in this crevice.

They don't go on stage, don't score, and are only responsible for interacting with the contestants and driving the pace of the game.

Dragon TV secured the fourth seat and the corresponding commercial appeal, and Fremantle's three-judge system was not nominally broken.

Both sides have found a way to back down.