Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 565 Going to South Korea

After the Olympics, Liu Xiang was subjected to cyberbullying.

The cause was his withdrawal from the competition.

This matter should have been exposed a long time ago, but because of the Olympics, it was delayed until now.

The internet is filled with criticism~
Actually, there were signs that Liu would withdraw from the competition.

News of his injury circulated online a long time ago.

Moreover, the record he set had already been broken by Bolt.

Regardless of whether his injury is real or fake, his chances of winning a gold medal are slim.

Therefore, many viewers had already guessed the decision to withdraw from the competition.

But Sun Haiping just had to throw out a smokescreen, saying today that Liu Xiang's injury was nothing serious, and tomorrow that he had already broken the 12.8-second barrier.

In short, it was all sorts of good news, keeping the audience completely entertained.

With the official statements so confident, the public's speculations are naturally not a cause for concern.

Everyone was watching with bated breath, eager to see Liu Xiang win gold in the sprint. Tickets for the 110-meter hurdles were even being resold for as much as 12 yuan each!
The money was spent, everyone's emotions were stirred up, and then suddenly they said they were withdrawing from the competition.

Damn it, if I don't cyberbully you, who will I cyberbully?
Whether Liu Xiang is to blame or not is unknown, but Sun Haiping is certainly to blame.

This guy's acting is truly superb. Every day he's interviewed by reporters, giving all sorts of responses, and not a single clue seems to come across. He even dispels any doubts people already had. He's the number one actor in the sports commission!
Even so, some media outlets in later generations have continued to clamor that we owe Liu Xiang an apology.
I owe you something~
He owes us an apology.

To put it bluntly, they still don't understand crisis public relations.

Or rather, the concept of crisis public relations simply doesn't exist in mainland China.

Unlike later on, whenever a major event occurs, a celebrity in the entertainment industry inevitably suffers a scandal.

This tactic has been mastered to perfection, to the point that even Phoenix Legend has been used as a sacrificial offering to Narnaxi.

There are already examples of this.

Yao Ming was injured in early 08, but he didn't choose to hide it. After all, he had experience in the United States and knew that such things couldn't be kept secret.

How did Yao Ming do it?

From injury to diagnosis, surgery, rehabilitation, and comeback, the entire process was reported.

It should be made clear to the audience across the country.

Yao Ming publicly stated long ago that he was injured and would likely miss the Beijing Olympics.

and then?
Everyone expressed their understanding.

While it's understandable to be motivated, people can understand why you'd be forced to play if you're injured.

This is just an honor, not a life-or-death battle. Why force an athlete to die if they don't succeed?

Looking back at Liu Xiang, you might say he was under a lot of pressure, but Yao Ming was under just as much pressure.

During the Beijing Olympics, in the game between the Chinese and American men's basketball teams, that guy was there watching live. Was he under a lot of pressure?
However, none of this mattered to Zhang Chen. He hadn't bought a ticket for the 110-meter hurdles. He was just a little disappointed. If only Weibo had been launched by now, the online bullying of Liu Xiang would definitely have become a hot topic and brought a wave of traffic to Weibo.

Cao Guowei also sighed, feeling like he had missed out on 100 million yuan.

In the past, if something like this happened, we would just watch it as a joke and move on.

But ever since we decided to partner with Weibo, looking back at all these things, it's all about money and traffic.
Therefore, Weibo Era Technology Co., Ltd. was quickly established, with Sina as the largest shareholder, holding 40% of the shares, Alpha Technology as the second largest shareholder, holding 35%, and Sequoia China holding 25%.

Alpha Technology is an offshore company registered by Zhang Chen, specifically responsible for holding company shares on his behalf.

As a media platform, Weibo's stance is very important. While it's impossible to be without a stance, it must at least appear fair on the surface.

It is best not to become a vassal of any particular power.

Therefore, Zhang Chen, as a shareholder, needs to remain behind the scenes and it's best not to let people know that Weibo is related to him.

As for control, Zhang Chen did not fight for it; he only needed to have enough say.

In later years, Weibo did a lot of ridiculous things, and many people said that it was biased. All of this was because it was a product of Sina, and Sina had a very complex composition, including a group of Taiwanese people.

Therefore, in this life, he strongly demanded that Weibo operate independently, relying on Sina for development, but not belonging to their system.

Cao Guowei attached great importance to Weibo, and specially assigned Peng Shaobin, the head of the desktop product business unit, to lead its development. The interactive community business unit and the desktop product business unit also drew on their best personnel to fully develop Weibo.

After understanding the functions and architecture of Weibo, Peng Shaobin estimated that the development time would be two months.

Zhang Chen hopes that Weibo can be launched before the Lunar New Year film season, taking advantage of the holiday season's popularity to develop a wave of users and also provide some support for the film.

So, the developers are in for a tough time.

The entire team was taken to a villa for a month-long closed-door development project.

Closed development is a common practice in the software development field.

Generally, closed development is only required for projects with extremely tight deadlines or very high confidentiality requirements.

Closed development is like being in prison; all developers are confined to one place for a specific period of time, and all they do every day is eat, sleep, and work.

Of course, food and lodging will definitely be provided.

There's no need to worry about food; in addition to regular meals, afternoon tea and late-night snacks are also provided without distinction.

You'll be sleeping in hotels and guesthouses, so you won't have to worry about anything.

With no commuting time and no family worries, all the time saved was used for overtime work, and the work progress naturally accelerated rapidly.

While Sina Niuma was working overtime, Zhang Chen was already preparing to head to South Korea for the wrap-up of filming for "Train to Busan".

This trip to South Korea wasn't just for "Train to Busan," but more so for the two-part film adaptation of "Only You."

Third Master Han is still waiting to finalize things before he starts bragging.

As the year draws to a close, not only do companies conduct year-end reviews, but government agencies also carry out year-end summaries.

This year, the film "2012" broke the record for the highest-grossing film in Chinese history, making China Film Group's achievements quite remarkable.

But as for merits, Han Sanping certainly wouldn't mind having one more; the more the better.

Zhang Chen also has a lot on his plate. He has received news from David that Warner Bros. has agreed to his conditions. After dealing with matters in South Korea, Zhang Chen will need to fly to Hollywood to sign a strategic cooperation agreement.

This is tantamount to announcing to the world that the two parties are now in a cooperative relationship, and also a warning to other companies that Zhang Chen is now under the protection of Warner Bros.

There are benefits, but also obligations:

Warner Bros. has priority investment rights for Zhang Chen's three future works.

Warner Bros. has also promised that these three films will receive top-tier promotional resources from Warner Bros., and that Gravity will receive at least one Oscar nomination.

As for Zhang Chen himself, he received a substantial signing fee.

"Zhang, Warner Bros. is about to begin negotiations with Universal regarding the rights to use King Kong..."

David made a point of mentioning this on the phone.

"Then I'll be waiting for your good news~"

Hollywood can be incredibly inefficient at times, and incredibly efficient at others.

When the plane landed in Seoul, Zhang Chen met Zheng Changsheng and Ning Hao.

"Is the movie almost finished filming?"

"Yes, you've come at the right time. We just finished filming today, and the wrap party is tomorrow~"

In South Korea, wrap parties are also a popular practice.

The format is similar to that in China.

"Director Zheng seems to be in a good mood~" Zheng Changsheng had a smile on his face ever since they met.

"Haha, Director Zhang saw right through me. I'm full of confidence in the future of 'Train to Busan.' Director Ning Hao is truly an excellent director. Under his direction, the filming of 'Train to Busan' went very smoothly..."

"Of course, Director Ning is one of the top directors in China too~"

Upon arriving at the hotel where the film crew was staying, I met Hu Jun and Han Geng again.

The two men came forward to greet him, and Zhang Chen said, "You two, you've worked hard these past few days!"

He paused, then teased Hu Jun, "Do you know how popular you are in China right now?"

Hu Jun smiled wryly, explaining that he had been so busy filming that he hadn't even been able to attend the premiere of "Bodyguards and Assassins".

But he was aware of the online reviews of "Bodyguards and Assassins," as his family and friends had told him about them.

Audiences highly praised his portrayal of Yan Xiaoguo.

"Mr. Hu, do you still dare to say that you are a dramatic actor who doesn't know martial arts?"

As it turns out, even Ip Man couldn't beat Master Qiao.
Hahaha~"

Faced with Zhang Chen's teasing, Hu Jun could only smile wryly.

I'm really just a dramatic actor who doesn't know martial arts.

"By the way, Director Teddy Chan told me that he invited you to make a cameo appearance as a martial arts master in his new film 'Kung Fu Jungle,' but you declined?"

"Yeah, I really don't know martial arts. These kinds of people keep asking me out, it makes me feel really guilty."

"Haha, why worry so much? Have you considered that this is actually a good direction? Take your role in 'Train to Busan,' for example. That kind of role is designed to showcase the very masculine side of a man, and it was quite outstanding in the movie. I think you could consider developing in this direction. There's a lot of demand for this type of role lately, and you might just become a top male star in both China and South Korea with that..."

"real or fake?"

"Why would I lie to you? You've been in Korea for months now, haven't you noticed? There's no shortage of handsome men here, but there's a real lack of actors like you..."

Hu Jun seemed to be deep in thought.

But I am, after all, Chinese.

"We didn't ask you to focus your development here. Your home turf is still in China. You're just doing this part as well. If there are any similar roles here, you can take them all on, just to earn some extra money..."

"That can."

Making a name for oneself abroad is a way of bringing glory to the country, so Hu Jun naturally wouldn't refuse.

"Oh, by the way, I've already agreed to director Teddy Chen's offer for you. It's just a cameo role anyway~"

Hu Jun nodded. He had to agree to Zhang Chen's decision, whether he liked it or not, especially since Zhang Chen was so supportive of him.

Given Zhang Chen's relationship with CJ Entertainment, putting aside everything else, CJ will definitely give him all these types of roles in the future. This alone is enough to make countless people envious. Many Korean male stars can't get these good roles even if they sleep with someone.

Zhang Chen then noticed Han Geng beside him: "Little Han, you must be working really hard lately, you've even lost weight!"

Han Geng was actually only a year younger than him, but calling him "Little Han" came out of his mouth very naturally.

No one present felt it was inappropriate; Han Geng even felt honored.

You should know that seniority is extremely important in the South Korean entertainment industry.

The title of "senior" can be incredibly oppressive.

He was extremely envious of Hu Jun's familiarity with Zhang Chen.

I wish I could talk to Zhang Chen like a friend.

Unfortunately, Zhang Chen treated him and Hu Jun completely differently.

Therefore, he could only respectfully reply, "It's not hard work at all. I should thank Director Zhang for giving me the opportunity to participate..."

The two were about the same age, but their social statuses were worlds apart.

Han Geng thought for a moment and tentatively asked, "Director Zhang, may I ask if our film 'Train to Busan' will be released in China?"

By this time, he had already decided to return to China, but returning home was not something that could be done overnight.

He set his sights on "Train to Busan." If "Train to Busan" could be released in China, along with "Lottery," he would have a representative work in China, and he wouldn't be without work when he returned.

These top celebrities are actually very clear about their own positioning. Don't be fooled by their popularity; it's all due to marketing.

Marketing relies on the company.

However, if he leaves SM and returns to China, it will mean losing the company's support.

If you don't have any outstanding works to show for it, you may find yourself in the awkward situation of being famous but no one seeking you out.

In that case, it would be outdated in just a few months.

"Of course! I came here to bring you this good news. The optoelectronics department has said they'll make an exception for zombie films, but there are conditions: the story can't be set in China, and it can't be too gory. So, when editing, you'll need to make a special version for the mainland market..."

Zhang Chen said the last sentence to Ning Hao, who nodded.

This was definitely a pleasant surprise, because at the beginning of filming, he was told that there was a high probability that the film would not be released.

Zheng Changsheng was also very happy, as being able to release the film in China meant a considerable income, and China is now a huge market.

"And I have another piece of good news for you..."

Zhang Chen smiled at Ning Hao again, and without waiting for the other to guess, directly revealed the answer: "The film industry has also stated its position on tomb raiding themes; it's okay to film them, but they can't deliberately promote feudal superstition..."

"Isn't that..."

"Yes, 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' can be put on the agenda now!"

"That's awesome!"

Upon receiving two pieces of good news in succession, Ning Hao was overjoyed and danced with excitement.

Recently, he has found himself increasingly reluctant to make traditional film subjects and is always thinking about trying something different.

So when Zhang Chen said that Train to Busan was a zombie movie, he agreed.

But what he most wants to direct is still "Ghost Blows Out the Light".

Unfortunately, that used to be a forbidden area.
Now that the forbidden area is open, how could he not be overjoyed?

"Director Zheng, there's something else I'd like to discuss with you."

Let Ning Hao go off to have some fun, while Zhang Chen and Zheng Changsheng discuss the matter of the book being auctioned twice.

"Here's the script. Take a look. If CJ Entertainment is interested, we can continue our collaboration. If not, I'll contact other companies..."

Zhang Chen used a little trick here.

I'm looking for cooperation with you, not begging you. If you don't cooperate, I have other companies as alternatives.

He didn't really need to do that; it's a romance film, and the budget isn't that big.

Even if it's just to maintain their relationship with Zhang Chen, CJ would most likely agree to cooperate.

After reading the script, Zheng Changsheng said, "I'll go back and ask the head office for their opinion. How does Director Zhang want to collaborate?"

"There are two options. The first is that you buy out the script and produce it independently."

The second option is that we provide the script for free and take 20% of the profits.

After thinking for a moment, Zheng Changsheng said, "Can't we make it a co-production?"

Zhang Chen shook his head: "That's probably difficult. The Chinese version of 'Only You' has already started filming and will be released next Valentine's Day. Even if the Korean version is made into a co-production, the box office probably won't be very good. But I can personally promise that Golden Harvest can help with distribution. Golden Harvest still has a certain influence throughout Southeast Asia..."

(End of this chapter)