The moment Harvey Weinstein's bid echoed through the screening hall, the atmosphere changed completely.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
The distributors from various countries simply stared at the fat Hollywood producer standing proudly in the center aisle as if they had just witnessed something unbelievable.
Thirty million dollars.
Not three million.
Not five million.
A full thirty million dollars for the North American and Japanese distribution rights.
Many people subconsciously wondered if they had heard incorrectly.
Even after the translator repeated the number, the room remained silent.
Then, one by one, the distributors who had still been considering further bids relaxed into their seats.
Some shook their heads.
Others exchanged strange looks.
In their eyes, Harvey had only two possible identities at this moment.
Either he was a genius.
Or he was completely insane.
No matter how good Hero was, no matter how impressive its visuals looked, a thirty-million-dollar licensing fee was still a shocking figure.
Meanwhile, standing on the stage, Zhang Weiping felt as if a massive pie had fallen directly from heaven and landed on his head.
His breathing became heavier.
His heartbeat accelerated.
His ears buzzed.
For a moment, he genuinely suspected he had heard wrong.
Unable to control himself, he grabbed the microphone and asked again.
"Mr. Harvey... how much did you say?"
Harvey enjoyed the attention.
He straightened his suit, lifted his chin proudly, and repeated slowly.
"Thirty million dollars."
This time, every word landed clearly.
Zhang Weiping froze.
Then his face instantly turned red.
The next second, overwhelming joy surged through his body.
Thirty million dollars!
The entire production budget of Hero had only been thirty million dollars.
That meant the movie had already recovered its production cost before its official release.
Adding the rights already sold to other regions, the project was essentially guaranteed to be profitable.
How could he remain calm?
At this moment, Zhang Weiping felt as though the entire world had become brighter.
The frustrations he had suffered over the years.
The criticism.
The doubts.
The mockery.
Everything suddenly disappeared.
In his mind, he could already imagine returning to the mainland and announcing this achievement to everyone.
A thirty-million-dollar overseas rights deal.
A record-breaking transaction.
A historic success.
From this day onward, who would dare question New Pictures?
Who would dare question him?
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became.
If not for the occasion, he might have started laughing right there on stage.
Only one person in the room looked completely unsurprised.
Luo Zheng.
Sitting comfortably in his chair, he watched Harvey with an expression that could only be described as amused.
The scene felt strangely familiar.
After a moment, he remembered why.
Because in his previous life, Harvey had used a nearly identical trick.
The victim hadn't been Zhang Weiping.
It had been Feng Xiaogang.
Back then, Harvey had entered an international rights auction and deliberately offered a sky-high price that nobody else could match.
Every competing distributor immediately withdrew.
The producers celebrated.
The media praised the deal.
Everything looked perfect.
Then came the second act.
After obtaining exclusive negotiation rights, Harvey delayed.
He reviewed the finished film.
Then he suddenly claimed the movie failed to meet expectations.
The market positioning was wrong.
The audience wasn't suitable.
The commercial value was lower than expected.
Excuses appeared one after another.
The message was simple.
Lower the price dramatically and sell it to him.
Or watch the deal collapse completely.
As for the deposit?
He didn't care.
Compared to the profits he could squeeze out later, sacrificing some deposit money was nothing.
The cruel part was that by then, the producers had no leverage left.
The film's release schedule was approaching.
Other distributors had already moved on.
Nobody wanted to return and negotiate for a movie they had already lost once.
In the end, the production side usually suffered the most.
And now, Harvey was preparing to repeat the exact same performance.
The difference was that nobody else in the room understood what was happening.
Not Zhang Weiping.
Not Zhang Yimou.
Not even the experienced international distributors.
They merely felt that something seemed strange.
Only Luo Zheng knew the ending before the story had even begun.
Harvey noticed Luo Zheng's smile.
For some reason, it irritated him.
Everyone else looked shocked.
Only this young Chinese billionaire appeared completely calm.
It felt as though he could see through everything.
The feeling made Harvey uncomfortable.
After a moment, he couldn't resist asking.
"William."
"Are you planning to raise the bid?"
The room instantly turned toward Luo Zheng again.
Everyone was curious.
Would Marvel continue?
Would a bidding war begin?
Luo Zheng slowly stood up.
His expression remained relaxed.
His voice carried a faint smile.
"Thirty million dollars is a lot of money."
"Mr. Harvey should be careful."
"It would be unfortunate if your family fortune disappeared overnight."
The smile on Harvey's face immediately stiffened.
His eyes narrowed.
"What exactly are you implying?"
"You doubt my financial strength?"
Luo Zheng almost laughed.
Financial strength?
If shamelessness could be converted into assets, Harvey would probably rank among the richest men in America.
But unfortunately, shamelessness wasn't legal tender.
Still, Luo Zheng had no intention of exposing him.
At least not today.
Across the hall, Zhang Weiping and Zhang Yimou watched nervously.
Especially Zhang Weiping.
His heart nearly stopped.
In his mind, he screamed desperately.
Raise it!
Please raise it again!
Just once more!
Forty million!
Even thirty-five million would do!
As long as Luo Zheng pushed Harvey higher, the final price would become even more unbelievable.
At that moment, Zhang Weiping was willing to promise anything.
Of course, promises were cheap.
Actually fulfilling them would be another matter.
Unfortunately for him, Luo Zheng had no intention of playing Harvey's game.
Bidding higher would only help Harvey.
The moment Marvel increased the price, Harvey would simply add another ten million.
Or twenty million.
The number didn't matter.
Because he never planned to pay it anyway.
The higher the final bid became, the stronger his negotiating position later.
Luo Zheng understood this perfectly.
However, he couldn't simply sit there and do nothing.
Not when Gong Li was watching from beside him.
He still needed to create the appearance of helping Hero.
After all, relationships in the entertainment industry often depended on appearances.
So he smiled.
Then calmly said something nobody expected.
"Harvey."
"Today, Marvel prepared a two-million-dollar deposit to show our sincerity."
He paused.
Then looked directly into Harvey's eyes.
"Since you're bidding thirty million..."
"How much deposit have you prepared?"
The question hit like a bullet.
Harvey froze.
The smile on his face vanished.
The entire room became interested again.
This was no longer about promises.
This was real money.
Anyone could shout thirty million.
But how much cash had he actually brought?
The distributors immediately leaned forward.
Even Zhang Weiping looked curious.
Harvey's brain spun rapidly.
He had never expected the conversation to go in this direction.
For a moment, he regretted speaking.
Yet retreat was impossible.
Too many people were watching.
After several seconds, he suddenly laughed loudly.
Then he pulled a check from his pocket.
"Of course I've prepared a deposit."
"Although I'm not as wealthy as Mr. William."
"It's only three hundred thousand dollars."
The room immediately became silent.
Then several distributors exchanged strange expressions.
Three hundred thousand?
For a thirty-million-dollar acquisition?
That ratio was almost laughable.
Even Zhang Weiping's smile twitched slightly.
Moments ago, he had imagined several million dollars sitting in Harvey's account.
Now reality felt somewhat disappointing.
Still...
Thirty million was thirty million.
The deposit didn't matter.
At least that's what he told himself.
Harvey secretly cursed.
Originally, he had only intended to provide one hundred thousand dollars.
Thanks to Luo Zheng's interference, he had just tripled his expenses.
The thought made his heart bleed.
Meanwhile, many distributors were beginning to suspect something.
Nobody spoke openly.
Nobody wanted trouble.
But doubts had already appeared.
Only Zhang Weiping remained immersed in his fantasy.
His thoughts were filled with future headlines.
Record-breaking sale.
Historic transaction.
Industry miracle.
As for the risks?
He refused to think about them.
Looking at Harvey's increasingly ugly expression, Luo Zheng smiled brightly.
Then he started applauding.
The sound echoed through the hall.
Everyone turned toward him.
"Congratulations, Mr. Harvey."
"Thirty million dollars."
"An impressive acquisition."
"I hope Hero becomes a huge success in North America and Japan."
Then he turned toward Zhang Yimou.
"And congratulations, Director Zhang."
"It seems you've recovered your costs before the movie even premieres."
The applause spread throughout the room.
The auction was effectively over.
Harvey stood proudly.
Zhang Weiping nearly floated from happiness.
Zhang Yimou hurried down from the stage and sincerely thanked Luo Zheng for attending.
Only Luo Zheng knew that the real show had not even begun.
Because somewhere in the near future, when Harvey finally revealed his true intentions...
The joy on Zhang Weiping's face today would become the source of an even greater nightmare.
And Luo Zheng was already looking forward to watching it happen.