The battle for traffic in Chinese entertainment

Chapter 501 "Changjin Lake" Filming Begins

"Erika was manipulated by Netflix's internal power struggle, most likely at the behest of Tony (Netflix's Vice President for Asia Pacific). Erika's responsibilities have expanded significantly this year, extending beyond Southeast Asia to include Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and even India, posing a serious threat to Tony's position."

"Netflix's subscriber growth in North America and Latin America has slowed down, especially in North America, where it is nearing its ceiling and growth is expected to fall below 10% this year. Meanwhile, growth in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to be close to 60%. The Asia-Pacific region has become Netflix's most important driver of revenue growth."

"Therefore, there are rumors that Netflix is ​​planning to adjust its management framework in the Asia-Pacific region, and Erika may be promoted to a higher position. There are also rumors that Netflix's content budget for the Asia-Pacific region next year may exceed $10 billion, most of which is decided by Erika, making her position extremely enviable. However, the copyright issue of 'The Three-Body Problem' is just a minor tactic and not a big problem for her."

"The three major domestic video streaming platforms, iQiyi, Youku, and Tencent Video, have yet to determine a winner. Mango TV, the only profitable one, is growing steadily. Bilibili has invested in Huanxi Media this year to increase its investment in self-produced dramas and variety shows. ByteDance's Xigua Video is also eyeing the market. Therefore, WeTV is unlikely to make any major moves next year, and 'The Three-Body Problem' is not a key factor."

"Furthermore, Netflix has accelerated its cooperation negotiations with Youku, and they have also made initial contact with Mango TV. It's only a matter of time before Youku's original dramas are uploaded to Netflix, and the library of Chinese dramas will soon be filled to a certain extent. For Netflix, its biggest competitor in the Asian region is still Disney+, which has just entered the market."

"This is Erika's biggest challenge. Disney+ and Netflix are both outsiders, and Netflix has a first-mover advantage. But Disney+ is starting to replicate their approach, investing massive amounts of money and competing with them for talent and teams, which will quickly drive up Netflix's content costs. Once Disney+ gains a foothold, Erika will be in a real bind."

"And if the most important person like you is taken away, Erika will almost certainly leave. Disney is doing everything it can to win us over. To be honest, compared to Erika, who seems a bit lost about her place right now, Disney is showing much more sincerity. Erika will only give you some trivial things, like a cameo role for Fan Bingbing in a movie? Or some woman?"
"Disney, before they entered the Asia-Pacific streaming market, had been trying to invite you to make a movie and co-produce a movie with Zheng Rong. Now they are even looking forward to helping you win an Oscar for Best Actor. If it weren't for the fact that our previous cooperation with Netflix was quite good, I would have suggested that we switch to Disney."

Yu Murong expressed some dissatisfaction with Erika in her words.

After the banquet in Hong Kong, Xu Xing declined all invitations and returned to Shenzhen that night, arriving at Yu Murong's home.

Hearing Yu Murong say that, Xu Xing felt a little embarrassed.

A few days ago, when the news broke that Fan Bingbing had joined the cast of "Don't Look Up," it caused an uproar on the Chinese internet. Her fans shouted that the US should return to the capital and take her talent to Hollywood.

Xu Xing's haters were also extremely excited, believing that this confirmed the rumors that Teacher Fan was being kept by Xu Xing, and once again mocked Xu Xing for only loving those who had fallen out of favor and violated the law.

They believe this proves that Xu Xing herself is the biggest lawbreaker, and that birds of a feather flock together.

Erika, Netflix's Asia Pacific Director, has praised Xu Xing countless times on various occasions, emphasizing how important Xu Xing is to Netflix and that only Xu Xing in China has this ability.

Male netizens also expressed their feelings, saying that Xing Gou really knows how to enjoy life.

He was both protective of the younger sister and fiercely kicking the older sister.

As for the fans, they naturally still believe that Xing Sheng is innocent. It's all the haters stirring up trouble. The 900 million fans are right. 900 million fans have already acted in Hollywood movies. Xing Sheng is just a nobody who can't even get a role in a Hollywood movie. Don't mention him.

Yu Murong's complaints actually show that she surfs the internet to keep up with Xu Xing's little news in her spare time from work.

"Did someone from Disney just visit Sister Rong today?"

Xu Xing picked up a business card from the coffee table.

The back features the Disney logo, while the front displays the name Jiang Yike, without any job title.

"Disney's new Asia-Pacific president will officially take office in a few days, along with Gan Huiyin, who will be the vice president of content development. They originally considered poaching Kim Min-young from Netflix, Erika's team in South Korea, but ultimately decided against it. I got off work early today and chatted with them for a while this afternoon. They also wanted to see you, but I told them you might not be back today, so I wanted to schedule another time. What are your thoughts? Or do you still not want to go to Hollywood to make movies?"

Yu Murong asked.

Xu Xing smiled.

"I really don't want to, it's not very interesting. And we don't need to consider whether to cooperate with Disney for the time being. Let's wait until next year and let them fight it out in Asia first. 'Sweet Home' is coming out soon, and 'Childhood Games' is coming out later. Let's wait for these shows to air. After all, our companies in Hong Kong, South Korea and Thailand are mainly for Netflix projects, and they are just starting out."

Women are just a minor diversion; the real targets of Zheng Rong's collaboration with Netflix are the companies that can easily secure projects within a $10 billion content budget.

Yu Murong knew this too, which was why she mentioned Teacher Fan just now, simply to complain.

Disney now has more and better Hollywood film resources than Netflix, which is the leading company among the "Big Five" Hollywood studios.

But Hsu Hsing has no interest in playing an Asian American, or wearing a costume to film a comic book adaptation, or embracing the LGBT community.

Netflix and Disney both have their own forms of political correctness, but Disney's is much more abstract.

After Xu Xing finished speaking, Yu Murong nodded and changed the subject to South Korea.

SM and CJ have confirmed their collaboration, and Xu Xing will also invest in their US label in collaboration with Interscope.

Not disclosing the investment is simply a way of showing Xu Xing's support for them.

Yu Murong mentioned that Kakao Group had some reservations about the collaboration, partly because of the risk of Kakao Group intervening. CJ ultimately abandoned its decision to acquire SM and instead chose to collaborate with a label.

"Bighit still has allies within the CJ Group, and BTS's overseas accumulation still attracts CJ's attention. CJ is also prepared for both possibilities. Therefore, Bighit, which is temporarily lying low, should return faster than expected."

"It was all bark and no bite, but then it just started to drizzle."

Xu Xing complains.

Yu Murong nodded with a smile.

"However, this is crucial for Lee Soo-man. This collaboration has solidified his position within SM Entertainment. SM Entertainment now finally has a path to enter the US market, and may seize the opportunity to surpass Bighi and reclaim its position."

Xu Xing and Yu Murong finally finished their conversation, and it was almost midnight.

"Should we go see Zhenzhen before bed?" Yu Murong suggested. "But don't wake her up. Actually, as her father, you should visit her more often. She's a year and a half old now, and she's starting to remember things."

“I was going anyway,” Xu Xing nodded. “Due to the pandemic this year, it will be more convenient at the end of the year. I will go in the future.”

"Why don't you go take a look too?"

Yu Murong then asked Sun Man, who mostly listened to the two of them chatting and only occasionally chimed in to talk about some details.

Xu Xing was surprised, and Sun Man was even more surprised.

She hesitated for a moment but then nodded.

"Uh, okay."

"You should take more looks; maybe you'll want your own child."

Yu Murong chuckled.

Sun Man smiled and didn't say anything more.

When they went to sleep, Xu Xing held Sun Man in his arms.

"Want it?"

"what?"

"Children."

"Work? I'm still so young."

"It means I want to."

"...How does that mean you've thought about it?"

"You didn't say you didn't want to, so you did want to, didn't you?"

"You're so bored, let's go to sleep."

"You haven't said you don't want to."

"I don't want to, let's go to sleep."

"Really don't want to?"

"Xu! Xing! You're so annoying, go to sleep!"

"Sigh, I can't sleep, or—ah!"

"You're like an animal, taking so long, and then you have to take a shower afterwards. I just want to sleep as soon as possible. I can fall asleep right away if you don't bother me. If you're still not satisfied, I can arrange for one or several to fly over to you tonight. Why don't you bother them instead?"

"Ugh!"

"What do you mean, 'huh'?"

"..."

"say!"

"See, you don't want to sleep either. I've already shut up, but you still insist on making me talk."

"..."

Therefore, Xu Xing felt more normal when she slept with Secretary Sun.

"Neuropathy!"

"I found Xiao Sun. You really don't want to go to sleep now."

"I--"

What a perfect night!
The next morning, Xu Xing and Sun Man bid farewell to Yu Murong and flew to Jiangcheng.

Filming for "Chinese Doctors" has already begun in Jiangcheng.

Take a night to rest.

On December 2nd, Xu Xing joined the crew as scheduled and began her filming.

Xu Xing plays a young doctor.

The scenes were few, and filming was completed in two and a half days.

For the last half day, Xu Xing spent her time signing autographs and taking photos with the medical staff who were acting as extras, and then stayed in Jiangcheng for another night.

On December 5th, Xu Xingcai flew back to Beijing and went to the recording studio that afternoon. In the two weeks before joining the crew of "The Battle at Lake Changjin", he did as much English major work as he could.

"The Battle at Lake Changjin" is an ensemble film. Although the entire filming period was very long, the time that Xu Xing, the male lead, needed to spend on set, added up to only a month and a half.

The actual filming process should take about two months.

In the afternoon, Xu Xing received a video call from Li Xiuman.

"Son-in-law Xu! Our SM kids have finally debuted today! I still remember you praising them, saying that trainee Karina would definitely restore the glory of SM girl groups! Karina also thought Son-in-law Xu was so handsome that it drove her crazy! So? The four kids didn't disappoint you, did they!"

“Uh…” Xu Xing was speechless.

It was probably because Lee Soo-man was in a great mood after settling into his seat that his smile became even more lewd than before.

"I've been working on the album in the recording studio and haven't been online, so I haven't seen it yet."

"That's such a shame! Didn't they even pay much attention to the previous announcements? But I can understand, given how busy Mr. Xu is."

Lee Soo-man sighed and finished talking to himself before looking on with curiosity.

"Son-in-law Xu, are you making your first English album?"

"Yes."

Xu Xing nodded.

Lee Soo-man instantly broke into a wide smile again.

"As you know, Xu Zixu, Aespa is the name of the kids' group. Aespa debuted to expand into the American market, which is an incredibly difficult challenge for newcomers. You know Karina has long admired you, and Ningning is also a compatriot from China, so if they had Xu Zixu, this world-renowned superstar, this pop king who conquered America, to help them with a song on your album—"

Xu Xing hung up the call.

Really satisfied.

He dares to think anything, and not only that, he dares to say it aloud over the phone.

"SM surprised me quite a bit this time. They suddenly gave me the opportunity to debut in the US, and it didn't disrupt our established debut plans. And unlike NCT, Aespa only has four members."

Back at the villa that evening, Xu Xing discussed this topic with Sun Man during a video call.

With so much work every day, Sun Man really couldn't follow Xu Xing around every day like before, except when she was sleeping.

During those three days in Jiangcheng, she spoke candidly with only Sun Man and Xu Xing present.

She said she was a little conflicted before, but now she feels it's good to sleep, so she doesn't have to think about a lot of random and messy things anymore.

Moreover, she was finally free to stop being tied to Xu Xing and could learn more things.

She used to worry that if she didn't stay by Xu Xing's side all the time, she might gradually drift apart from him, but now she no longer has that worry.

Xu Xing wanted to criticize her for making excuses, but she spoke very seriously.

It was time for her daily work report. After she finished, Xu Xing chatted with her for a few more minutes.

In her previous life, Secretary Sun had mentioned being surprised by Aespa and had briefly paid attention to it.

"Maybe they're trying to compete with Blackpink? I haven't paid much attention to them, and from what I've seen, they're not that pretty. This Yoo Jimin is the one who praised you to her best friend for being really handsome. Her debut makeup and styling are just okay, but she's definitely the most outstanding in the group. Is Lee Soo-man supposed to send her over in a few days? I'll make the arrangements."

The chat wasn't very pleasant.

Finally, Sun Man also asked Xu Xing a question.

"Have the three of them arrived yet?"

She was referring to Teacher Tong, Dilraba, and Gulnazar.

Just like the three flowers gathering at the top of the island province, because Xu Xing and the three of them had unclear rumors circulating, the outside world also fabricated the story of the three flowers gathering at the top of the Xinjiang province.

On the Hupu forum, people frequently post three-on-three polls asking users which three to choose, and the most upvoted comment is always: "[Lucky Dog: I want them all.]"
Newcomers to the fandom often ask, "What are the three flowers that make up the 'Three Flowers Gathering at the Top'?"
South or west, at sea or inland.

After receiving replies from senior members of the fan community, I was amazed by how impressive they were.

Just like exchanging secret codes, they remained vague throughout, but they understood each other perfectly.

In reality, it is only now that Xu Xing has begun to gather the three beauties of Xinjiang Province.

Naturally...

Awesome!

Focus on making songs!

For half a month, Xu Xing focused on making songs in the recording studio during the day, and spent her evenings at the villa, where they would gather together in various ways to prepare for the occasion.

Truly top-notch!

To put it bluntly, the island province's three flowers are still a bit lacking.

The main problem is that the three of them seem a bit estranged. Zhang Junning and Xu Weining are more outstanding in terms of temperament. When they are secretly competing with each other, it is very interesting, but it also makes them lack a sense of harmony.

However, most importantly, Xu Xing and the three flowers only spent one night together, and there was no more time to develop them.

This time, with ample time, the average sequence of the three flowers in Xinjiang Province was higher than that in the island province, and each person had far more opportunities to work out with Xu Xing, making the atmosphere even more harmonious.

In December, Beijing was freezing cold.

According to meteorological forecasts, this is going to be an extremely cold winter.

It made the room feel even warmer and more like springtime.

Getting up every day has become a difficult challenge.

Fortunately, Hsu Hsing managed to overcome the challenges of being in her warmest bed every day and arrived at the recording studio promptly at nine o'clock in the morning.

Self-discipline leads to success.

On December 18, Xu Xing resolutely bid farewell to his small group and headed to Dandong.

Take advantage of this cold winter to finish filming the scenes in Northeast China, and after the New Year, all you need to do is report to the Zhejiang Province base.

The next morning, before heading to the film set to report for duty and attend the opening ceremony, Xu Xing received a video call from Ms. Kim Ji-soo.

"How about it?"

She asked expectantly.

She was referring to "Sweet Home," which Netflix released all at once yesterday.

"I haven't watched it yet," Xu Xing replied honestly. "I'm going to the opening ceremony soon, so I haven't watched it yet. But I watched a few clips online, and I feel... I still need to improve! It's my first time acting, so I'll improve in the future."

"Forehead……"

Jisoo's smile was awkward.

"What do you think?"

Xu Xing asked her.

"I also feel that I didn't act very well. I looked a bit silly in it, and there are a lot of criticisms of me online. I guess I just didn't act well."

Jisoo became increasingly dejected as she spoke.

She called, hoping for Xu Xing's approval. She knew her acting wasn't very good, but she figured Xu Xing might actually say it was okay...

As it turned out, Xu Xing was surprisingly honest.

Although it was said in a very tactful way.

But Kim Ji-soo felt that Xu Xing might not like her anymore.

She had heard rumors that Bae Joo-hyun went to China to see Xu Xing after her house collapsed this year, and that Im Yoon-ah also had a period of supposed vacation hiatus.

Compared to them, Kim Jisoo already felt that she had gone a bit too far.

No matter what excuses you make, Lisa from the group has been to China this year...

"You'll have many acting opportunities in the future. If you really enjoy acting, take more acting classes when you're less busy to improve your skills. Many beautiful people become ugly in dramas because of poor acting. I—I wasn't talking about you, why are you crying?"

Xu Xing felt somewhat helpless.

These words would ideally be spoken in person while being instilled in her, but since I couldn't see her for a while, I said them directly.

She started crying.

“I also feel that I don’t look good in the drama. It seems that my only advantage is that I’m good-looking, but I don’t think I’m actually that good-looking. I…I…am I really that bad? I…I should go to China to see you. I miss you so much, but I haven’t gone yet.”

"I thought something was wrong, but it's just this? Isn't your group particularly busy and inconvenient?" Xu Xing suppressed a yawn. "Stop crying. You may not look good in the drama, but you still look good on stage. I told you, it's your acting that's dragging down your looks. Just work harder; crying like this gives the impression that you don't want to try. You—"

"I'll definitely try my best! I know I was wrong. I didn't act well, and I didn't see you. After the year-end ceremony is over, I'll go to China immediately to apologize, to... to let you punish me, sob sob~"

Ms. Kim Ji-soo's tears just wouldn't stop.

But Xu Xing almost burst out laughing.

Xu Xing wanted to say something more to comfort her, but then she thought about it again.

"That's right, I'm going to punish you severely! I'll punish you with unprecedented force to make you atone for your sins! Ms. Kim Jisoo, are you ready to be tied to the cross?"

"..."

She was still crying, but she smiled.

Difficult to comment.

Just then, a phone call came in, so Xu Xing said goodbye and got up to attend the opening ceremony.

12 month 19 day.

Filming begins for "The Battle at Lake Changjin".

(End of this chapter)