The battle for traffic in Chinese entertainment

Chapter 520 One Play Ruins a Lifetime
That is, the acquisition of Jiaxing by Zhengrong was not particularly smooth.

Although Jiaxing Media has been unwilling to be just an artist agent since its inception, it has been working hard to expand its film and television production business in order to reduce its dependence on top artists, namely Yang Mi.

However, it has not been successful so far. Jiaxing's productions are disliked by fans of its own artists and have become synonymous with a "battle package of bad dramas" in the eyes of netizens.

Even though they successfully promoted Dilraba outside of Yang Mi, it only ensured that Jiaxing wouldn't be unable to continue operating if Yang Mi left. However, it also created a new problem: the company became increasingly reliant on Zheng Rong.

The two leading actresses are both infatuated with Xu Xing, and the risk of them both being abducted by him remains high.

Xu Xing's family is very powerful and influential, so if they really wanted to force him, Jiaxing would almost always have to be forced to maintain a respectable image.

It is widely believed in the industry that Xu Xing now has a personal net worth of over 10 billion yuan, and Zheng Rong is an even bigger behemoth.

Seventeen years after the performance-based agreement was fulfilled, Jiaxing Media received a 500 million yuan investment from Perfect World, valuing the company at 5 billion yuan, which was the peak of Jiaxing Media's market value.

Then came the sudden tax turmoil, restrictions were placed on exorbitant celebrity salaries, regulations on mergers and acquisitions of film and television companies tightened, and the film and television capital market cooled down sharply.

In addition, Jiaxing's self-produced dramas have been flops one after another—the viewership and ratings are high but the word-of-mouth is terrible. Jiaxing Xinyue, which was established to capitalize on the popularity of the first year of idols, sent more than 20 people to various programs, but only Zhou Keyu and Wang Yijin debuted, and their popularity was mediocre.

In other words, while Yang Mi and Dilraba's popularity can indeed withstand the impact of the film and television industry's downturn, their business situation continues to decline.

Jiaxing is now insisting on a valuation of 45 billion yuan, but in the capital market, Jiaxing's valuation is far from 40 billion yuan. Shanghai Media Group Pictures, which had a bet with Jiaxing, cleared out its Jiaxing shares at the end of 18. When it was last sold, it publicly listed 9.5% of its shares at a valuation of 40 billion yuan for more than ten days, but almost no one showed any interest.

Moreover, Jiaxing has a serious problem. The nickname "Jiaxing Palace" has been used for several years, and everyone can see that Jiaxing's two top courtesans are exchanging glances with Zhengrong every day.

The rumors that Zheng Rong poached Reba and that Yang Mi abandoned her family to join Zheng Rong circulated several times a year.

Netizens were just joking, but the wasps and Alice were earnestly hoping that the wicked maggot in the king oyster mushroom's mouth was the perfect female boss in their hearts, while the capitalists had even deeper doubts.

Jiaxing is truly unable to eat or sleep properly.

Xu Xing really did pull Nazha from Sugar Man to Hesong, and even bullied the Korean company Pledis by poaching Zhou Jieqiong.

In recent years, apart from worrying about the daily operations of Jiaxing, Zeng Jia has devoted all her energy to finding ways to avoid the day when Zheng Rong and Dian Jing arrive.

He attempted to persuade Yang Mi.

Having gone through marriage, Yang Mi should have gained a clearer understanding of the entertainment industry and men, and should be more sober and calm. However, she seems to be mentally controlled by Xu Xing, completely infatuated with him. She desperately wants Xu Xing to appear every time she has a break, yet she keeps giving evasive answers, claiming that her relationship with Xu Xing is completely innocent.

His elbows are increasingly turning outwards, and he even seems to be helping Xu Xing control Dilraba...

They desperately wanted to wake Dilraba up.

This one is even more heavyweight, a maggot that plunged headfirst into the deepest cesspool of Xu Xing's life!

Love O2O, one drama ruined my life... I regret it so much!
Yang Mi is suspected of being controlled, but Dilraba is definitely being controlled! Tell her a thousand times that Xu Xing is an absolute scumbag who cheats on her with multiple women. Don't take it too seriously, but at least make her angry and make Xu Xing make a statement, even if he's lying!

Her responses were: smiling, smiling, grinning, chuckling, shaking her leg, pouting cutely, shaking her head, and acting coquettish... as if Xu Xing had transformed her into a smiling doll.

Sometimes, when the words are too harsh, Dilraba will feel sad, but less than two seconds after lowering her head, she will happily get up, jump around, and make funny faces.

What's most infuriating is that when she encouraged Dilraba to ask Xu Xing for film and television resources, Xu Xing completely ignored her. When Zeng Jia took the initiative to ask, she received the humiliating response of acting in a music video with Gulnazar and having a minor role in "Sheep Without a Shepherd 2".

Dilraba didn't feel humiliated at all; instead, she was delighted and determined to complete the task Xu Xing had given her.

Yes, yes, yes, Zheng Rong has secured some endorsement deals and luxury brand opportunities for Dilraba, and he also invests in Jiaxing's self-produced dramas every year—not counting this, projects by top female stars are always in high demand and profitable no matter what.

Xu Xing also sends gifts to Dilraba every day.

But that's where they're cunning; they've never parted with any of Zheng Rong's strongest film and television resources.

Jiaxing's resources are limited, so it's understandable that their self-produced dramas are bad. But Xu Xing just sits by and watches Dilraba act in terrible dramas every day! It's not like a top female star is unworthy to act in their brilliant dramas!
Xu Xing deliberately prevented Dilraba from getting the best resources at Jiaxing, keeping both Jiaxing and Dilraba hanging on. How malicious her intentions were! But Dilraba just kept repeating: her acting skills weren't good enough, she needed to hone them… Were the women in Lucky Star any good actors?
Zeng Jia even bought books on hypnosis and consulted several senior psychologists, hoping to awaken the obsessed Reba, but she could only become more and more helpless.

At the beginning of last year, Cheng Xiao stirred up a storm of rumors that she was "suspected" to be dating Xu Xing. Zeng Jia met Du Hua at an event, and the two stared at each other for a long time, but in the end they didn't say anything.

The pain of being tormented by misfortune is beyond words.

After realizing that Reba was being controlled by Xu Xing through Yang Mi, Zeng Jia even tried to send her away to see if there was any hope of breaking down Reba's defenses.

Xu Xing declined repeatedly, but finally accepted Zhu Xudan... who was also a completely useless good-for-nothing! If she had any talent, the entire Jiaxing could have helped her win Xu Xing's favor—no, wait.

Anyway, this good-for-nothing knows absolutely nothing!

He's a complete liar!

Being taken away by Chen Yuqi was just a simple chat with your girlfriends? When did she become your girlfriend? What were you doing in Xu Xing's RV? Were you the one who couldn't even stand up straight while filming? ???

Of course, Zeng Jia didn't place all her hopes on them suddenly coming back to life.

Even with the most malicious speculation, Xu Xing's malevolent control suggests she has undoubtedly taken countless private photos and videos of them. If they were to truly leave, it's not impossible for Xu Xing to destroy them.

Therefore, Jiaxing must race against time and strengthen itself as much as possible!

but……

It's easier said than done!
Over-reliance on top artists is Jiaxing's Achilles' heel. A management company that can't even control its own artists... its survival situation will only get worse.

In 17, Perfect World invested in the company, increasing its background capital and expanding its film and television resource channels. Things were fine at that time.

Currently, only a few small, insignificant investors have a genuine interest in investing in Jiaxing, and a large portion of them are betting on the possibility that Jiaxing will be acquired by Zhengrong in the future, hoping to indirectly get involved with Zhengrong.

Jiaxing was once determined to cling to Tencent's coattails, but last year's "You Are My Glory" project... Zeng Jia still trembles with anger when she thinks about it now.

Tencent bypassed Jiaxing, talked to Zhengrong first, and then notified Jiaxing that they could "offer" Dilraba... Why is running an entertainment company so difficult?!
At the end of last year, when Zheng Rong finally bared its fangs and made an acquisition offer to Jiaxing, Zeng Jia was already almost completely indifferent.

Jiaxing has been humiliated for a long time by previous acquisition rumors.

The day the acquisition rumors first broke, Zeng Jia received a flood of congratulatory messages on WeChat, which was utterly ridiculous.

When I go out to attend business meetings, I'm always asked when the acquisition will be completed.

All the endorsers and partners are eager to see Jiaxing artists have stronger backing, and they are extremely optimistic that Yang Mi and Dilraba's works will see a surge in reputation after joining Zhengrong. For example, "The Silent Truth" has already proven this.

They even envisioned them entering Hollywood and becoming international superstars.

Ma Feng and Alice celebrated with firecrackers every day, constantly asking when the official announcement would be made, and tagging Jiaxing and Zeng Jia's names to insult them for being ungrateful... It's hard to imagine that their biggest enemy is Xingbaogu, and they are attacked daily by their rivals using Miba and Xu Xing's double attack...

The employee who was slacking off was bragging to his best friend that he was about to become a top-performing employee... He was fired on the spot!
Another strong statement was issued denying the acquisition rumors!
Then--

"Then you should pay me back!"

"I get it, a denial means an official announcement is coming soon! [laughing and crying emoji]"

"Sis, you're kidding, right? We've decided to double next year's budget..." "No way... Zhu Zhu's endorsement deal is probably going to be a bit tough..."

"Your offer was too high, and Zheng Rong is backing out? Take my advice, if the price is right, just agree. Don't wait until Zheng Rong takes the person away before you regret it."

Hehehehehehehehehe?
Fans criticized her and Jiaxing so much that they trended on social media.

Marketing accounts also joined in the commotion... Zheng Rong's marketing account took the lead in making a fuss!
They can't be wronged. Jiaxing's marketing is all contracted out to Zhengrong's marketing matrix, and Zeng Jia knows all those accounts.

Zheng Rong and Xu Xing are really going too far!!!
They have consistently denied Yang Mi and Dilraba good resources, restricting their development and suppressing Jiaxing's strength. When Shangshi Pictures sold its shares in Jiaxing, Jiaxing invited Zheng Rong to take over, but Zheng Rong ignored it. Now, taking advantage of the severe downturn in the film and television industry caused by the pandemic and Jiaxing's weakness, Zheng Rong has finally revealed his true colors, using every means to force them to sell!

This is outrageous!
Zeng Jia had a strong urge to expose Xu Xing, Yang Mi, and Dilraba as much as possible! But... Zheng Rong was really easy to bully, taking advantage of the fact that they didn't dare to give up.

There's something else that really annoys me.

Jiaxing also has shares held by Yang Mi. Such a major event as the company being acquired, especially by her lover, was not only not disclosed beforehand, but she also... when asked about it—

"Oh? You really want to acquire it? Then agree. It's fine if you don't agree, I don't care anyway."

Well, this girl has really grown up. She feels wronged because she thinks she has too few shares in Jiaxing and that Jiaxing isn't giving her enough for what she's contributed.

They completely disregard how they made her famous back then, and how her reputation has steadily declined over the years, yet her status as a top female celebrity has remained unchanged. How much packaging and marketing did Jiaxing do for her?!

With Yang Mi acting as a traitor, and Zheng Rong about to take over the 10% stake held by Perfect World, which had long wanted to leave, Jiaxing... in reality has almost no room for resistance.

Zeng Jia is really unwilling to accept this!

Perfect World agreed to the valuation of 35 billion, so why should she agree?
During the negotiations, Zhengrong's side repeatedly indicated that they did not quite agree with the valuation of 35 billion...

Releasing the cast of "Sheep Without a Shepherd 4" and leading the outside world to believe that Dilraba Dilmurat was ranked higher than Yang Mi was Zeng Jia's first counterattack after she became increasingly angry.

It seems like it's better than nothing, but it's just the beginning.

The truth is—

"Zhengrong is acquiring Jiaxing to prepare for its future IPO. This time, they're not targeting Yang Mi's shares, but rather my and your sister Zhao's shares. After the acquisition, although you and Yang Mi are both artists under Zhengrong, she will still be a shareholder, and will remain one of Zhengrong's shareholders after the IPO. This is what Xu Xing promised her. What about you? Has Xu Xing made that promise to you?"

Zeng Jia asked with a wry smile.

"..."

Dilraba couldn't help but grip her phone tighter, but she still maintained her cute smile, blinking her eyes.

Zeng Jia arrived less than ten minutes after the live stream with Xu Xing ended.

Before Dilraba could even ask her about the billing order in "Sheep Without a Shepherd 4," Zeng Jia immediately brought up the matter of Zheng Rong's acquisition of Jiaxing.

While acquisition rumors were circulating online, Dilraba was still filming "You Are My Glory" on set. She only asked Xu Xing about it on WeChat and when Yang Mi visited the set.

Knowing the rumors were true, Zheng Rong was really determined to acquire Jiaxing, but it would take time before the formal acquisition took place, and Dilraba was really happy.

Xu Xing bought Nazha's personal contract but placed it with Hesong, all for Nazha's sake.

For her sake, Xu Xing was willing to buy the entire Jiaxing company! The company that Zheng Rong acquired was actually Xu Xing's own company!

The difference in quality is immediately apparent!

Dilraba is overflowing with happiness!

She really hadn't considered the issue Zeng Jia was raising...

Dilraba had long taken it for granted that Sister Mi was a shareholder.

Even before her debut, Yang Mi was already very popular. After joining Jiaxing, before "Love O2O", she relied on Yang Mi to help her with filming, variety shows, and commercials.

Dilraba had repeatedly told herself that she should be grateful to Sister Mi.

But now, Dilraba feels that her popularity isn't much lower than Yang Mi's...

Xu Xing initially agreed to let Dilraba treat him as her boyfriend, but Xu Xing's behavior towards Yang Mi... to be honest, during the first group rehearsal, Xu Xing's unrestrained behavior towards Yang Mi made Dilraba feel that Xu Xing was just treating Yang Mi as an object, and that Xu Xing was deliberately showing that Yang Mi's status was inferior to hers.

Xu Xing also made Reba more and more "shameful", but not like Yang Mi.

When they played together, Yang Mi was basically the one cooperating with Xu Xing, and she was "humbly" trying to please her. But it was probably because Yang Mi was taking special care of her.

Although Xu Xing would often treat Yang Mi with extreme leniency followed by exceptional gentleness—even more so than she showed Reba—she generally maintained a level playing field. Reba even wondered if Xu Xing preferred Yang Mi, who was willing to do anything for her.

But in Dilraba's heart, she still believed that Xu Xing liked her more.

At least he likes her no less than Yang Mi.

If Yang Mi retained shares in Jiaxing after the acquisition... even though those were shares she already owned, but...

"Oh, Reba."

Zeng Jia sighed heavily and took Reba's hand.

“I’ve always said you’re naive, that you’re foolish. I’m not criticizing you, or deliberately targeting Xu Xing. I just feel sorry for you! You know what? Yang Mi’s heart has long since left Jiaxing. Xu Xing promised to be her backer a long time ago. She’s always wanted to join Zhengrong, or go it alone. I’ve also planned to use company shares to thank you for all your hard work over the years when she leaves.”

"I really didn't expect that she would directly persuade Zheng Rong to acquire Jiaxing and exchange her own shares for Zheng Rong's. When I founded Jiaxing with her, the predecessor of Jiaxing, was her studio. At that time, she was only 26 years old and didn't want to work as an artist anymore. She wanted to be a boss and become a capital."

"When Jiaxing was officially established 15 years ago, she was 29 years old and officially became a shareholder. Up until now, what roles she takes, what endorsements she gets, what variety shows she participates in, who she dates, whether she gets married, has children, or gets divorced... it's all her own decision. I can offer my opinions, but I can't change her mind once she's made up her mind. It's because she's a shareholder; she's not an ordinary artist."

"Reba, what about you? You're turning 29 this year. Are you aware of that? Have you thought about when you want to become a valuable asset? You always feel like I'm bossing you around, always trying to undermine your plans, not letting you take on this or do that, and always sowing discord between you and Xu Xing. A few times you've swallowed your words, wanting to say why I don't bother Yang Mi every day. Don't you really know why I don't bother her?"
"It's true that I leaked the news that you'd be playing Yang Mi in 'Sheep Without a Shepherd 4.' But my purpose was to test Xu Xing's attitude towards you, to let you see his true intentions. In the script for 'Sheep Without a Shepherd 4,' Xu Xing could have easily cast someone else for the role of Yang Mi. Whoever played her would undoubtedly be the second lead, the male lead's girlfriend, the most important female character! Why did he specifically choose Yang Mi to play the role? To have Yang Mi overshadow you?"
"Furthermore, 'Sheep Without a Shepherd 2' hasn't even been released yet, so why is Xu Xing in such a hurry to launch 'Sheep Without a Shepherd 4' at this time? Dilraba, have you thought about this? You are filled with the ecstasy and sweetness of Xu Xing rewarding you with a movie role! You have no idea that Xu Xing launched 'Sheep Without a Shepherd 4' at the same time as acquiring Jiaxing, and had you act with Yang Mi. He was reminding you that after Zheng Rong, Yang Mi is still above you."

"Xu Xing is particularly skilled at mind control. The methods he uses to subtly suppress and discipline you are countless! I watched you slide into the abyss step by step, falling into the cage he wove for you. I wanted to pull you out, but you desperately tried to pry my hands open, wanting to fall even deeper..."

"How could such a beautiful, lovely, and innocent girl become so subservient to a man, lose herself, and become his puppet, completely unaware and even enjoying it?"

Zeng Jia's tears flowed.

Reba's eyes welled up with tears, and her eyes suddenly felt even hotter.

She tried to lift her head to avoid tears, but in the end she lowered it again.

That way it's easier to shake your head.

She watched as tears dripped onto the dark phone screen, choking back sobs as she gently shook her head.

"No, he's not that kind of person. He likes me, he wouldn't do that..."

(End of this chapter)