My teacher is Bruce Lee, who dominated Hollywood.

Chapter 9 Universal Pictures

Andrew Morgan, clutching a faxed telegram tightly in his hand, didn't bother to straighten his disheveled clothes as he frantically knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Raymond Chow had clearly not slept well; the ashtray in the room was piled high with cigarette butts.

"How's it going? Did you find anything?"

Andrew handed over the telegram: "Boss, Qin Han's guess was completely accurate."

"This is an urgent telegram just sent from Hong Kong. Yesterday afternoon, a vice president of distribution from Warner Bros. secretly met with Run Run Shaw at the Clearwater Bay film set."

"According to inside sources, the project they are discussing is 'The World's Number One Fist'."

He pointed to several bolded sections in the report: "Run Run Shaw offered an extremely low price; he's determined to use Warner to shut us down at Golden Harvest."

Raymond Chow slammed the telegram in his hand onto the coffee table: "What ruthless methods!"

He knew Run Run Shaw too well.

That film industry tycoon was a strategist who would stop at nothing to win.

If "The Fist Within Four Walls" were to premiere in North America first, Hollywood's resources would instantly be tilted towards Shaw Brothers.

"That kid Qin Han... he really has vision and a broad perspective."

If it weren't for his early warning, I probably wouldn't have made up my mind so quickly. By the time Shaw Brothers' film was released in the United States, it would have been too late.

"Quickly contact Ah Long and Qin Han to confirm our meeting time with Universal!"

Meanwhile, in Qin Han's dilapidated little apartment, the telephone had just rung.

"Qin, everything is arranged!"

On the other end of the phone, Lorna Barrett's voice sounded both excited and anxious: "Sidney Sinberg will meet with you at 2 p.m. today."

"Listen, just because Universal is willing to meet doesn't mean they'll agree to cooperate."

"Sidney is a shrewder Jew than Ted Ashley; he's not going to be taken advantage of. If you don't have something substantial to offer, today's meeting might be pointless."

"Lorna, you're too nervous!" Qin Han interrupted the chattering female reporter: "Don't worry, we'll give Global a big gift in today's negotiations."

"Besides my master and me, there were other people participating in the negotiations."

"What!? Don't bring random people to such an important meeting!" Rona's nerves tensed instantly, and her voice became somewhat hysterical.

"I'm bringing along Raymond Chow, the owner of Golden Harvest."

……

Universal Studios, this vast empire built along Ranksham Avenue, is a symbol of Hollywood's golden age.

Deep within the cinema complex stands a towering, entirely black building—the MCA Building, known in the industry as the "Black Tower."

This is the heart of Universal Pictures, a sacred place that countless filmmakers dream of visiting.

Lorna Barrett stood at the elevator entrance, her heart pounding with anxiety.

Although she was used to big events, she was the one who orchestrated this situation today.

However, she was still a little confused: how did that kid manage to lure the owner of Golden Harvest to Los Angeles?

The door slowly opened, and three people appeared in front of Rona.

"Mr. Zou, Mr. Li, and... Qin." She immediately put on a professional smile: "Welcome to Global. Mr. Sinberg is already waiting in the conference room."

The group entered the private elevator, and as the numbers kept changing, the pressure in the air seemed to gradually increase as well.

The door to the top-floor conference room was pushed open, and a Jewish man with thinning hair wearing black-rimmed glasses sat in front of a huge oval conference table.

Sidney Sinberg, the current vice president of Universal Pictures, is also the Hollywood godfather who discovered Steven Spielberg and created "Jaws" and "E.T."

But now he is at the most delicate crossroads in his career.

With the retiring CEO Lou Wasserman about to step down, the power struggle among several vice presidents has reached a fever pitch.

Although he was very successful in the television industry, he never had the opportunity to get involved in the film industry.

This is also why he agreed to the meeting: he might be able to take the opportunity to get involved in the film sector, which is of utmost importance to the company.

Seeing everyone enter, Sidney took off his glasses, wiped them, and gestured with his chin to the chair opposite him: "Please sit down, everyone."

The voice carried a superior air: "My time is precious; I only have thirty minutes. I hope what you bring is more interesting than I imagined."

This is a show of force.

Raymond Chow's smile remained unchanged as he pulled out a chair and sat down, with Bruce Lee and Chin Han on his left and right respectively.

"Mr. Sinberg, we Chinese value 'fate' in business," he said first. "Since you have so much time to spare, let's get straight to the point."

"I hope Universal Pictures will handle the full distribution of 'The Big Boss' in North America."

Sidney put his glasses back on and scrutinized the three Chinese men in front of him.

"The Big Boss..." He pulled a piece of paper from the folder beside him, which contained data about the movie.

"I know this film broke records in Hong Kong. But, Mr. Zou, this is America."

He casually tossed the paper back onto the table: "American audiences are used to 007's Aston Martins. Do you expect them to go to the cinema to watch a bunch of long-haired Asians fight over a few blocks of ice?"

These words were extremely sharp, even tinged with humiliation.

Luo Na sat to the side, her palms already sweating, making the atmosphere in the meeting room even more tense.

Just then, a soft laugh broke the deadlock.

"Mr. Sinberg, I believe that with Global's intelligence network, they already know that Warner has sent people to Hong Kong."

Qin Han was not intimidated by the other party's imposing manner. He opened his briefcase and took out the documents that Zou Wenhua had just given him:

"A mediocre, second-rate production by Shaw Brothers sold for nearly $100,000, including the copyright and dubbing rights."

He stood up, walked to the whiteboard in the conference room, and picked up a marker:

"Your concerns are nothing more than two things: first, American audiences won't buy it; second, too much of the cost of importing films will be wasted."

After writing a large "0" on the whiteboard, Qin Han smiled and continued, "What if I told you that Global doesn't need to bear any risk in this deal?"

Sidney's expression finally changed slightly: "What do you mean?"

Raymond Chow then chimed in, "Mr. Sinberg, we don't need Universal to pay a single cent in royalties."

Upon hearing this, not only Sidney but also Lorna widened their eyes.

Hollywood rules dictate that imported films must be paid a minimum guarantee or a buyout fee; there has never been a precedent of readily offering the rights to imported films.

"Not only that," Raymond Chow's voice was firm and powerful: "Golden Harvest covered all the costs, including the conversion of the film stock, the re-recording of the English dubbing, the production of poster materials, and even the premiere expenses."

"All we need to do is leverage Universal's distribution channels and theater resources."

"In other words, you don't need to take a single penny out of your pocket to put this movie on the shelf."

This is absolutely insane.

Not only are they giving away movies for free, but they're also spending money to help Universal make money. Where in the world can you find such a good deal?

"First, let me correct you, distribution channels aren't entirely without costs," Sidney said, gathering his thoughts.

"Although these costs can be factored into the company's regular expenses and shared with other films, they are still using the Universal brand, so the price is not cheap."

"However, I still want to ask first, what is Mr. Zou's motive for doing this?"