Chapter 1556: The Second Fee

Kevin Feige was quite efficient. Only two days after his meeting with Zhao Fusheng, he sent another invitation to Zhao.

But this time, it was clear that he had already made a decision.

When Zhao Fusheng and Tan Kaixuan appeared again at Marvel headquarters, they looked completely calm.

They hadn't been idle these two days. Tan Kaixuan had taken Zhao Fusheng to meet frequently with investors from Brother Capital, and they finally reached an agreement.

Of course, as a price, Zhao Fusheng also gave up his previous shares in Brother Capital.

This relinquishment didn't mean he got nothing in return. Based on Brother Capital's current valuation, Zhao Fusheng would receive nearly one billion US dollars.

But even Tan Kaixuan knew that Zhao Fusheng had actually lost money.

After all, the future development of Future Investment was obviously going to be more valuable, and selling shares now was undoubtedly the wrong choice.

But there was no way around it; you gain some and lose some. It was a choice.

"Do you think you'll regret this decision ten years from now?" Tan Kaixuan asked Zhao Fusheng as they walked.

He naturally understood that Zhao Fusheng was at a disadvantage this time.

But to push forward the plan to acquire Marvel, Zhao Fusheng had to make a choice.

Clearly, he chose Marvel.

"You know, I once thought that if I had the chance to go back in time, I would say one thing to my former self," Zhao Fusheng said with a faint smile, casually addressing Tan Kaixuan.

Tan Kaixuan was startled, thought for a moment, and then asked seriously, "What would you say?"

Zhao Fusheng continued calmly, "I would tell myself, don't be afraid. Don't miss out on trying another possibility in life because of fear."

Huh?

Caught off guard by Zhao Fusheng's sudden literary remark, Tan Kaixuan looked at him in surprise. "Are you joking?"

Zhao Fusheng nodded matter-of-factly. "Of course I'm not joking. That's what I think."

Letting out a breath, he didn't tell Tan Kaixuan that sometimes people really need to do what they like.

He didn't regret giving up his shares in Brother Capital. For him, that investment was originally made because of Tan Kaixuan. Now that Tan Kaixuan had established himself in the US, Zhao Fusheng naturally didn't want to keep his investment there.

It was only out of consideration for his relationship with Tan Kaixuan that Zhao Fusheng had been too embarrassed to bring it up before.

Now that someone was willing to buy his shares with cash, Zhao Fusheng was only too happy.

But he wouldn't use that money for the Marvel acquisition. He would still cooperate with Brother Capital, because Zhao Fusheng knew that to gain a foothold in the US and to develop Marvel movies in Hollywood, he needed both the Americans at Brother Capital and Disney's help.

Cooperation benefits both sides—Zhao Fusheng understood this better than anyone.

"I hope Mr. Kevin Feige won't disappoint us too much."

Looking at Kevin Feige, who had just appeared in their line of sight, Tan Kaixuan smiled and said.

"He shouldn't," Zhao Fusheng shrugged, smiling even more brightly than Tan Kaixuan.

He believed that as long as Kevin Feige wasn't brain-dead, he would know what choice was best for him.

"Hello, Mr. Feige."

"Dear Zhao, and Tan, and the beautiful Miss Dong, I bring you good news." Kevin Feige's face was full of smiles; clearly, he was in a good mood.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled. "Mr. Feige, if you say that, can I assume your lobbying was successful?"

"Yes."

Kevin Feige shrugged at Zhao Fusheng. "Those idiots have lost faith in Marvel. They agreed to sell their shares, and at a price lower than you and I imagined."

"Is that so?"

Zhao Fusheng raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised that Marvel's shareholders had completely lost patience by now.

But thinking about it, he could understand their choice. If it were him, watching his invested funds depreciate little by little, the company struggling and on the verge of bankruptcy...

Under such circumstances, anyone would probably lose hope of continuing to hold Marvel shares.

"Let's talk in the conference room."

Kevin Feige said to Zhao Fusheng and Tan Kaixuan, clearly full of confidence today.

Or to be more precise, Kevin Feige, having convinced the shareholders and confirmed that Zhao Fusheng had enough funds to invest in Marvel, was no longer the same as before.

People are probably like this: dejected when down, proud when successful. No matter how self-disciplined a person is, it's hard to keep emotions from showing on their face, to not be elated by external gains or saddened by personal losses. If such people were common, world history would have been rewritten long ago.

The group entered the conference room. Kevin Feige had only one fat man with him. Zhao Fusheng frowned slightly, glanced at the somewhat familiar guy, confirmed his identity, and silently laughed to himself.

It's him!

Tan Kaixuan and Dong Chenxi were also somewhat puzzled, not understanding why Kevin Feige had brought this person in.

Fortunately, Kevin Feige didn't keep them wondering for long. He smiled and said to them, "This is Jon Favreau, my partner. I believe he will bring new changes to Marvel."

Tan Kaixuan and Dong Chenxi exchanged glances, not understanding what made this fat man so capable that Kevin Feige trusted him so much.

But Zhao Fusheng nodded. "I trust Mr. Feige's judgment."

In fact, Kevin Feige wasn't wrong about Jon Favreau. This guy really did bring hope to Marvel.

Jon Favreau originally studied engineering at a university in his hometown, but before finishing half of it, he ran off to Chicago to do comedy.

When he couldn't get acting gigs, Favreau worked as a car washer, a security guard, and did all sorts of odd jobs. Then he moved into film, working as a writer, director, and producer all by himself.

Jon Favreau himself said that compared to Nolan and Ang Lee, he was at best a clown director, not fit for the big stage. But one should know that in America, not everyone can be a clown.

Jon Favreau's most important contribution was using the Iron Man series to set the commercial tone for superhero movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Not as gothic as Tim Burton's, nor as heavy as Nolan's. His Iron Man was a flashy, obnoxious playboy with a hint of tech-geek pride and a righteous heart willing to stand up to protect the weak.

Iron Man became a benchmark for measuring the success of subsequent Marvel solo superhero movies—in terms of box office,口碑, and even whether the villain was weak enough.

Of course, the guy was self-aware. After finishing Iron Man, he realized he couldn't direct a movie like The Avengers, so he stepped behind the scenes to become a producer.

Except for occasionally guest-starring as Stark's bodyguard, Favreau no longer directed.

In the opening scene of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Tony Stark hands over his "godson" to his big nanny, Agent Happy.

Stark, pointing to Parker's video diary, introduces the suited fat man: "Happy's dream is to be a bean counter. He used to be a security guard, and before that, a driver..."

Hearing this, Happy turns around sharply, "I told you that so you wouldn't go blabbing it!"

That man was the fat guy in front of Zhao Fusheng and Tan Kaixuan.

Jon Favreau.

"I knew it. You and I are alike, Zhao," Kevin Feige said to Zhao Fusheng with a smile. Clearly, he was very pleased that the person he chose had earned Zhao Fusheng's appreciation.

Zhao Fusheng shrugged and said nothing more.

After the pleasantries, it was time to get down to business.

"I've convinced the shareholders. Most of them are willing to sell their stakes. All told, you'll need to put up $1.5 billion, and you'll get 56% of the equity," Kevin Feige said slowly, looking at Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng frowned, his expression not particularly pleased. He looked at Kevin Feige, knowing that Feige surely had more to say.