Chapter 210: Scoring Four Goals at Home, Making the Neighboring Red Devils Fans Jealous!
Guo Fan is very talkative, and Lin Quan is not a shy person either.
After finishing a meal, the two have already begun to treat each other as close friends.
"Brother, I really admire you. You've made such a big name in the football world, unlike me, who's useless. I can't even find an investor for a movie, so I have to rely on others everywhere. It's embarrassing, really embarrassing!"
"Guo, why do you need so much money to make a movie?"
"Hey, I've always had a dream of making a sci-fi film since I was young. But as you know, the cost of good sci-fi films in special effects production is very high. We can't afford the big Hollywood studios, so we can only hire domestic studios. But these domestic studios lack experience in this area, and organizing and integrating them itself costs a lot of money.
There's also a lot of trial and error costs involved. For one movie, I feel like it would take at least 350 million! "
"Not in dollars, right?"
"Where could it be? 350 million dollars is the production cost of top Hollywood blockbusters. I wouldn't dare take on such a high-cost project!"
Currently, Guo Fan has only directed one film, The Adventures of Li Xianji, and is still relatively inexperienced. Although he has a dream of sci-fi, he doesn't have much confidence in his own abilities.
And most importantly, he doesn't have money!
Without money, it's difficult to produce such a money-burning industrial film!
"Why don't you start by making a film that meets the current market demand, accumulate some experience and capital, and then pursue your dream?"
Lin Quan persuades him, not knowing that Guo Fan has long had this plan.
Hearing Lin Quan's words, he suddenly slapped his thigh and said:
"Kindred spirit, brother, you really understand me!"
"To be honest, I currently have a script for a youth romance film. This type of film is currently popular in the domestic film market. I've calculated that if we don't hire top stars but instead some second-tier or just graduated young actors, the production cost can be kept within 20 million. As long as the box office exceeds 60 million after release, we can make money!"
Lin Quan was a little surprised after hearing this. This guy's ability to control project costs is quite strong! No wonder domestic sci-fi blockbusters have been successful in his hands, which is related to his personal abilities.
Lin Quan remembers that The Wandering Earth, released in 2019, cost less than 400 million to produce but ultimately grossed over 4.6 billion at the box office, with the production company making over 1.6 billion in profits.
In other industries, achieving a fourfold return on investment in two years is astonishing!
Thinking of this, Lin Quan said:
"Guo, I'm very interested in the currently booming domestic film market and want to make some investments in this area. Since you have such a funding need, why don't we establish a company together? I'll sponsor you to make this movie. How about it?"
"Are you serious?"
Guo Fan's eyes lit up, as if he had found a lifesaving straw, staring at Lin Quan's eyes and asking.
"A gentleman's word is hard to chase. Of course, I'm talking about the 20 million one, not the 400 million one!"
Lin Quan was afraid of being taken advantage of by the Master of Charity, so he quickly clarified the investment project.
"Good good good, just invest in the first one!"
The sci-fi film he wants to make still lacks polishing in the script, and those special effects studios also need to be contacted and communicated with in advance. These things can't be rushed, so he wants to finish this movie first!
If this movie flops, how can he dare to squander hundreds of millions to make a high-cost sci-fi film?
"That's settled then. I'll have my agent handle the relevant procedures with you in China later. How much funding do you currently need?"
"If the cost is 20 million, I've scraped together about 8 million myself, still need 12 million!"
"Okay, I'll cover the 12 million. If we make money in the future, we'll split it fifty-fifty, how's that?"
Although Lin Quan invests more money, he's just the silent partner.
The matter of making movies has to be done by Guo Fan himself. Including his labor and director's fees, their contributions are about the same, so a fifty-fifty split is fair!
Lin Quan thinks this is fair, but Guo Fan thinks it's too unfair.
"Brother, this isn't good!"
"What's wrong? Is the split too low? Then I'll take 40% and you take 60%, how about that?"
"No no no, what I mean is, you've put in 4 million more than me. According to the proportion, it should be 40% for me and 60% for you. You're giving me one-tenth for nothing. How can I feel at ease with that, brother?"
Although Cyborg likes to take advantage, he's still quite righteous.
"Then let's compromise. I'll take 55%, you take 45%. Is that okay?"
Guo Fan is not a stickler either. Hearing Lin Quan's words, he immediately agreed:
"That's settled then!"
After solving this problem that had been bothering him for a long time, Guo Fan breathed a sigh of relief.
"I've finally resolved this worry in my heart. After finishing the last advertisement for President Yu at the end of this month, I'll go back to China to choose locations and actors as soon as possible, and get the framework set up. When everything is ready, we'll start shooting."
The assistant interjected, "The last ad is not easy to shoot. President Yu wants to connect music, family, and phones together, and I really can't think of any good ideas!"
Guo Fan also scratched his head when he heard the assistant's words. Although the pay here was good, the requirements were also high.
Shooting ads with celebrities like Lin Quan is relatively easier because there are fixed templates to use.
But those ads that allow them to freely express themselves are difficult to handle.
Lin Quan heard the conversation between the two and was inspired. He thought of a widely circulated music ad from the future—"Dreams Come True".
"Guo, I have an idea. What do you think?"
Lin Quan explained his idea and even hummed the melody of the song.
After listening, everyone praised it:
"This is great!"
"The story is so touching!"
"The song is also very catchy!"
"If this airs, it will definitely be a tear-jerking anthem!"
Guo Fan was also a little surprised. Lin Quan's story expressed exactly what the company wanted!
And integrating the phone into it didn't feel forced at all. In fact, it could even incorporate several generations of phones based on the changes in the story's timeline. It not only showcases the protagonist's progress through perseverance and hard work but also reflects the phone company's relentless efforts and continuous improvement to meet user needs!
"How about it, Guo? Is this idea feasible?"
Guo Fan gave Lin Quan a thumbs up:
"Brother Lin, you're really wasting your talent not being a screenwriter!"
"Hehe, Guo, you're too kind. As for the choice of talent for the ad, I happen to know someone. She comes from a musical family, and her father is a famous musician. I think she fits the requirements of this ad."
Guo Fan is astute and knows the principle of returning favors.
If someone helps him voluntarily, he must give something back.
"This is even better, so I don't have to bother anymore. I'll leave it to you!"
...
After returning to the residence, Lin Quan immediately sent a message to Lily Collins, saying he had a surprise for her.
But the answer would have to wait until after the end of the tenth round of the league!
"What surprise? So mysterious!"
She tried to ask, but the other party was tight-lipped and didn't reveal a single word.
And the more secretive they were, the more curious she became.
On the day of the match, Lily Collins arrived early in Manchester. After ticket inspection, she entered the Etihad Stadium for the first time.
Her seat was near the field, and as she walked from the entrance, she met many friendly Manchester City fans.
Seeing her, these fans all showed friendly smiles and welcomed her arrival.
"Lin's girlfriend is here. We'll definitely win today, right?"
"Hehe, of course. I don't know about others, but as long as Lin sees his girlfriend sitting on the sidelines, won't he put in extra effort?"
"I suddenly feel a little sorry for Norwich, encountering such a terrifying Lin!"
It turns out the Manchester City fans guessed right.
In this match, Manchester City completely dominated the game from the first minute of the opening.
And Lin Quan's performance was outstanding as always.
In the 17th minute of the match, his dribble into the penalty area resulted in an own goal by the opposing defender, putting Manchester City ahead 1-0 against Norwich.
In the 20th minute, Lin Quan and Aguero completed a one-two pass, and after entering the penalty area, he calmly shot the ball past the oncoming goalkeeper, making the score 2-0.
In the 36th minute, after dribbling past defenders on the wing, Lin Quan delivered a cross. Although Negredo's shot was blocked by the goalkeeper, Lin Quan followed up with a quick shot, completing a hat-trick.
In just over 30 minutes of play, Lin Quan had already scored three goals.
In addition, in the 25th minute, he also assisted his teammate Nastasic in scoring a goal.
Before the end of the first half, Manchester City was already leading Norwich 4-0.
Manchester City's formidable firepower shocked all the commentators covering the match.
"Hehe, Norwich is really unlucky. They've encountered Manchester City, who were just drawn with Chelsea and are now burning with fury."
"If they had encountered Manchester City earlier, maybe it wouldn't have been so bad!"
He Wei felt a bit sorry for Norwich. They were already ranked third from the bottom in points, and after this match, not only would they have no points, but they would also have at least four goals deducted from their goal difference.
And with Manchester City's momentum, scoring two or three more goals in the second half would be easy.
In the first 10 rounds of matches, Norwich had only scored six goals, while Manchester City had scored more goals in one match than they had in ten!
"Yeah, Norwich is really in trouble. But Chelsea isn't having an easy time either. In another match played at the same time, Chelsea, playing away, is currently trailing Newcastle 0-2."
"The match has entered the injury time phase, and Chelsea seems to be unable to turn the tide. Mourinho's team will face their second defeat of the season, dropping out of the top four."
When Xu Yang saw this score, he doubted if he was seeing it correctly.
When they faced Manchester City at Stamford Bridge, Mourinho's team looked very strong.
How come they were defeated by a mid-table team like Newcastle when playing away?
Glancing at the technical statistics, Chelsea had the advantage in possession.
But in terms of shots, they were at an absolute disadvantage.
Newcastle had a total of 15 shots, with 8 on target.
While Chelsea had 13 shots, but only 2 hit the target.
The two teams had similar shot numbers, but the difference in shots on target was too big.
This made people wonder if Chelsea's forwards had been practicing shooting skills properly.
"Chelsea's forward line problem still seems unresolved. Torres was ineffective again in this match, and players like Hazard, Willian, Oscar, Schurrle, and Eto'o failed to score. Including the match against Basel in the Champions League group stage, they have been shut out three times already."
"If we count the drawn matches, Chelsea has had zero goals in 4 matches this season!"
Such statistics hardly resemble those of a strong team.
Even if they score just one goal, as long as they can defend and not concede, they could still secure three points with a 1-0 victory.
But if they don't score at all, even if they defend their own goal, they can only get one point.
Does Chelsea intend to win the league title by drawing games?
Back to Manchester City, as He Wei predicted, they continued to relentlessly attack Norwich's goal in the second half.
In the 60th minute, Yaya Toure scored.
In the 72nd minute, Lin Quan assisted Aguero for another goal.
The score had already reached an exaggerated 6-0!
Norwich's players were disheartened and seemed to be questioning life on the field.
In the 78th minute, Lin Quan scored again, changing the score to 7-0, and also completing a remarkable quadruple.
Subsequently, he and Aguero were substituted.
When Lin Quan left the field, Manchester City fans collectively stood up and applauded him.
Today's thrilling victory at the scene of the match made the attending fans thoroughly enjoy themselves!
So far this season, Manchester City has maintained a perfect home record.
Even mighty Bayern Munich couldn't gain any advantage when playing at their home ground.
This made Manchester City fans feel very proud!
And the excellent performance has also boosted Manchester City's ticket sales. Recently, tickets for Manchester City's matches at the Etihad Stadium have been in high demand.
The attendance rate for each match is close to one hundred percent!
The stadium, which can accommodate fifty-five thousand people, now seems a bit small.
So much so that every match is attended by large crowds of fans who couldn't get tickets and couldn't enter the stadium.
This makes Manchester City fans wish they could borrow Old Trafford next door!
This bustling football market in Manchester is unprecedented in Manchester City's history.
Although Manchester City has had a loyal fan base in the past, their numbers were far fewer than those of Manchester United.
Even after the Middle Eastern consortium took over Manchester City, their attendance rate was still not high, far less than that of Manchester United.
But this year, everything is different.
Manchester City's excellent performance has not only attracted loyal fans to watch the matches in person but also many international fans.
Many of these fans came for Lin Quan, with a majority being of Asian descent.
As a result, Manchester City even added a Chinese ticket booking option on their official website to facilitate these fans in purchasing tickets online.
Compared to the bustling football market in Manchester, Manchester United's market has begun to decline since Ferguson retired.
The attendance rate at Old Trafford has recently seen a significant drop, from around 100% to about 90%.
Of course, considering Old Trafford has 76,000 seats, this attendance rate is still quite terrifying.
But tickets for matches at the Theatre of Dreams are no longer as hard to come by as they used to be.
However, with Manchester United's continuous decline in performance, this data is likely to continue to decline.
Although the Red Devils' fans are very loyal, even the most loyal fans will have a day of disappointment.
Especially compared to the glorious history of the Ferguson era, the current Manchester United is obviously unsatisfactory.
At this time, when they look at the team they once considered as the 'noisy neighbor', the Red Devils' fans can't help but feel a bit jealous.
And many Red Devils fans feel that the only thing missing between them and Manchester City is Lin Quan!
If Lin Quan had chosen Manchester United instead of Manchester City at the beginning, the result would definitely be different!
(End of this chapter)
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