Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 232 The Rouge Girl, Fans' Waiting, The Mass Line [Long Chapter of 10,000 Words]

Dong Xuan wasn't the only one who thought Qin Lan's performance was good.

Many viewers who watched the TV series shared this feeling, and some media outlets even spontaneously wrote reports praising her.

However, because the character itself is not very likable and has relatively few scenes, Qin Lan's acting skills have been recognized, but her popularity has only increased to a limited extent.

Since the premiere of "Investiture of the Gods", the most popular character and actor who has gained the most fans is undoubtedly Fan Xiaopang, who plays Daji.

Because Fan Xiaopang plays two roles, namely Daji and the Nine-Tailed Fox.

The fact that the two characters, one good and one bad, somewhat mitigated the audience's aversion to their evil deeds in the drama.

At the same time, the two roles, one positive and one negative, also demonstrated Fan Xiaopang's decent acting skills, and his occasional highlights earned him a lot of praise.

The excellent costumes and props, combined with Fan Xiaopang's naturally outstanding appearance, will definitely give the audience an extraordinary viewing experience.

Her harmonious pairing with Yan Li, the domineering and heroic version of King Zhou, has also garnered her a lot of popularity.

All of this makes Fan Xiaopang the most outstanding character in the early stages of "Investiture of the Gods," not to mention that Yi An was also helping her with marketing and promotion.

[The Most Beautiful Daji] was originally a pre-arranged promotion, and Fan Bingbing, who is used to outshining others, started to put down Wen Bixia and Fu Yiwei, who had previously played Daji and received better reviews.

So it's not without reason that Fan Xiaopang sometimes has poor interpersonal relationships; if someone inexplicably steps on someone's foot, anyone would be angry.

But Fan Xiaopang didn't care. The entertainment industry is full of backstabbing and deceit; how could he possibly rise to a high position if he were all friendly and amicable?

Without diminishing the influence and reputation of Wen Hefu, how can one's own Daji quickly rise to the top, become the most recognized Daji, and transform into one's new masterpiece?

Moreover, Fu Yiwei and Irene Wan are not entirely innocent either; they have been vying for the title of "Most Beautiful Daji" for years.

Almost every related news article and press release contains these words, and there are quite a few that openly or covertly criticize the other party or even other versions of Daji.

If you don't believe me, just search online, and you'll find that the names of the most beautiful Daji or the two of them are basically linked together.

While it's possible that some journalists wrote these articles spontaneously, to say that there were no press releases among them would only fool outsiders.

Currently, the voices of netizens on the internet have not yet fully broken through to a wider audience, and the media still dominates the mainstream.

An artist's public image and reputation rely heavily on the support of writers; popular stars often buy press releases to promote themselves.

Most ordinary people lack sufficient discernment and tend to follow the crowd, believing whatever others say.

Especially now that the media has stronger credibility, press releases are even more effective.

Can the things in newspapers and magazines be false?

Not to mention that writers often use literary techniques to sway and shape public opinion. Ordinary people can't tell the difference, so they naturally assume that whoever the newspapers and magazines say is good is good, and whoever they say is bad is bad.

Why do they all call journalists the "uncrowned kings"? Celebrities without real power and connections really can't afford to offend them.

Just last month, rock singer Dou Wei was driven to the brink by paparazzi Zhuo Wei, who went to his home and burned his car, causing a huge uproar.

Therefore, even if some celebrities don't have a high demand for marketing, they sometimes still have to spend money on public relations, not seeking praise, but just hoping not to be criticized.

It wasn't just Fu and Wen who were vying for power; Luo Haiqiong, who had previously played Daji, had also done something similar.

However, due to her appearance, Luo Guanzhong's claim to be the most beautiful Daji is somewhat unconvincing, so he tends to market Daji as having the best acting skills, subtly belittling her acting abilities.

The reason why marketing press releases from all sides are so frequent is mainly because they don't have any other representative works and can only rely on this role to attract and retain fans, so they care a lot about it.

If someone has another popular representative work or role, they might not bother arguing about it.

For example, Liang Li, who also played Daji, rarely mentions her role. One reason is that the version is not well-known, and another is that she has popular roles such as Sun Erniang in "Water Margin" and the wife in "The Divine Doctor Xi Lai Le". It doesn't matter if she plays Daji, who is not very popular.

Including Fan Xiaopang, if other popular characters come along later, they might not care about the "most beautiful Daji".

But right now, she's on the rise, and it's a new project, so it's bound to get a lot of attention.

As a popular young actress and the leading lady of Yi An, Fan Xiaopang's popularity, fan base, publicity resources, and budget are incomparable to those of artists like Fu and Wen, whose fame has declined significantly or who can even be considered out of fashion.

After the marketing campaign was launched, Fan Xiaopang's exposure increased dramatically, and his reputation grew even stronger.

Speaking of which, Fan Xiaopang's previous roles were not many that were purely based on beauty; they tended to be more pure, sweet, cute, or heroic.

One person hasn't fully matured yet, and their beauty isn't quite at the level to overshadow other stars; there's also the issue of their management team's career planning.

Back then, the atmosphere in mainland China was relatively conservative, and Fan Bingbing was young and not very famous, so going for a pretty young girl or a pure and innocent image was the safest bet.

As for "using her beauty to commit crimes," over the years, only Michelle Reis has managed to do so. Moreover, everyone knows how well-liked Michelle is in the Hong Kong entertainment circle. Although her personality plays a major role, few of the actresses who have been overshadowed by her actually like her.

Before Fan Xiaopang met Yan Li, Wang Jinghua saw that Fan Xiaopang was becoming more and more beautiful and popular, so she thought about changing Fan Xiaopang's style.

Originally, "Cell Phone" was the key to Fan Bingbing's transformation into a powerful and sexy actress, but it was snatched away by Li Bingbing and Yan Li.

Later, after Yan Li and Fan Xiaopang became acquainted and developed a close relationship, her path began to change.

On one hand, it's a battle between two forces, with increased exposure through boosting status and synergy; on the other hand, individuals continuously highlight their advantage of "beauty."

The fifth fairy in "Happy Seven Fairies" is the most beautiful woman in Heaven, Xue Bing in "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" is also a well-known beauty in the martial arts world, and Daji in "Investiture of the Gods" is the most beautiful demon concubine.

Even characters not produced by Yi An, such as Jinmaoshu in "Lucky Star Pigsy", are marketed as the most beautiful fairy, blah blah blah.

The characters emphasize beauty, the marketing emphasizes beauty, and the makeup, styling, and costumes have all been comprehensively upgraded.

Not only did they provide Fan Xiaopang with a styling and makeup team, but they also established long-term partnerships with several top styling teams in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea to meet Fan Xiaopang's various makeup and styling needs.

As a result, in the past year or two, Fan Xiaopang has been constantly making appearances through film and television works, marketing campaigns, and various events, continuously solidifying the concept of "she is the most beautiful" in the industry and to the outside world.

The success of advertising, business, and media exposure is also inseparable from Fan Xiaopang's advantage.

Female celebrities each have their own style and approach, but Fan Bingbing's "using her beauty to commit crimes" style is arguably the most blatant, the most widely accepted, and the most suitable for business occasions.

From jewelry, clothing, and cosmetics to car accessories and games, and down to pots, pans, tea, rice, oil, and salt.

No matter what brand or type it is, it's never wrong to hire a beautiful woman to be your spokesperson or for advertising.

If you're looking, and I'm looking, the more people looking, the more sought-after it becomes.

The extensive advertising exposure, the inevitable competition with other actresses, and the numerous connections with Yan Li, Shuang Bing, and others have kept the topic of discussion going.

According to data statistics from Baidu, Fan Xiaopang has consistently ranked within the top 20 in monthly entertainment figure search rankings since January of this year, with several months even breaking into the top 10.

The search rankings here include top-tier celebrities from Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, the four most popular actresses and actors from Mainland China, popular singers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, and even overseas stars and internet celebrities.

Since the broadcast of "Investiture of the Gods", Fan Xiaopang has topped the charts for several consecutive days.

It's not just Baidu search results; Fan Xiaopang is also among the top trending topics on major portal websites and even in print media reports.

In terms of popularity and fame, Fan Xiaopang is comparable to or even surpasses many A-list celebrities.

In 2005, Fan Xiaopang's ranking on the Forbes Celebrity List rose significantly.

This year, my career has seen a further surge in growth, and my ranking is expected to rise even higher.

Fan Xiaopang's goal is to break into the top ten.

"Investiture of the Gods" and the preceding "Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" are just appetizers. She also has the commercial blockbuster "A Battle of Wits" and "The White-Haired Witch" will most likely premiere in the second half of the year.

With her increasing exposure and income, Fan Xiaopang is quite confident about her goal of making it into the top ten.

...

Besides Fan Xiaopang reaping huge profits, Yan Li's portrayal of King Zhou also gave him a lot of exposure.

From Huo Qubing and Jinzha in early 2005, to Sun Desheng and Gong Jiu later on, and now King Zhou.

Although Yan Li hasn't acted in many dramas, and mostly in supporting roles, the few dramas he has acted in have achieved great success, including some of the most popular dramas of the year, with an astonishing reach and influence.

Yan Li's roles in these dramas are mostly likable or distinctive.

In addition, his own image and the influence of various accolades further boosted his popularity from these hit drama roles.

Netizens' jokes and anecdotes, such as "a good actor whose talent was wasted on business", "going bankrupt means he can only become a big star", "not being a good actor means he can only become a billionaire", "the best actor among entrepreneurs / the richest young actor", and "making money is to play the roles he likes", have made Yan Li's personal image more down-to-earth and popular.

In terms of overall fame and popularity, Yan Li is currently comparable to some popular young actors; the only difference might be that he has slightly fewer fans.

The main reason is that he has too many romantic escapades, and since he doesn't follow the mainstream celebrity route, he makes fewer public appearances and doesn't cultivate his fanbase much, so he doesn't have as many fans as those popular young actors.

However, in the eyes of passersby, Yan Li is more convincing.

In today's climate of valuing success, the mere fact that someone is a self-made billionaire is enough to earn the affirmation and recognition of many.

These people may not be his fans or supporters, but they will have some goodwill towards him.

Among Yan Li's fans, various categories have emerged due to different reasons for liking him.

There are individual fans who are traditionally fans of celebrities, and they like the dramas Yan Li starred in and Yan Li himself.

There are career fans who admire and respect Yan Li's business achievements and support his success in the business world.

The above two categories are broad categories; there are also some subcategories.

For example, there are "body fans" who are only interested in his face or physique, and "womanizer fans" who admire his skill at picking up girls. The "Ice Riding Company Commander" was created by these kinds of people.

There are also those who ship his romantic entanglements with certain actresses or female characters, including Fan Bingbing, Dong Mingzhu, and Li Yuchun, as well as Gong Jiu and Shaman, Jinzha and the Three Fairies, King Zhou and Daji, and so on.

The most outrageous thing is that there is a group of harem fans who help him "manage his harem" every day, analyzing the "rank" and the level of imperial favor of each of his rumored lovers.

For example, Fan Xiaopang is the Empress, Dong Xuan is a Virtuous Consort or a concubine in the Cold Palace, Li Bingbing is a Noble Consort, Wang Ou is Consort Ou, and Huo Siyan and the other seven fairies are Noble Ladies.

It's worth mentioning that this person's concubine rank was earned by personally using a secondary account to fight for it on the forum. Originally, they wanted to be promoted to imperial concubine in one fell swoop, but were strongly opposed by other fans of the harem.

There is another person who wishes to remain anonymous, using a secondary account to create momentum, hoping to replace Fan Xiaopang as the empress.

As a result, she was questioned by fans of the harem, who asked "Who is Qin Lan?" and "Who does she count as?" She got so angry that she reported and had the post shut down.

Seriously, when there are hundreds of people, things get weird and strange.

He has all sorts of fetishes and G-spots. Yan Li himself sometimes can't help but type a question mark when he sees some of his fans' comments on Tieba.

It's not just Yan Li's fans; the fans of Fan Xiaopang, Dong Xuan, Wang Ou, and others are also quite "divided."

Many people praise him, but quite a few criticize him as well.

Yan Li thinks that if he were to officially announce his relationship with Fan Xiaopang or break up with her one day, his fans might have a fierce internal battle, with one group overjoyed and the other devastated, and some might even unfollow him.

Besides Fan Xiaopang and Yan Li, other supporting characters in "Investiture of the Gods" also benefited to varying degrees.

For example, Wang Ou and Wu Jiani, two of the three demons of Xuanyuan, are not yet prominent because the former has appeared relatively few times.

The latter gained considerable attention thanks to her excellent makeup, styling, and character design.

Before this, Wu Jiani had already gained some exposure with her role as the beef soup in "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng". This time, with the addition of the lively and beautiful pipa spirit in "Investiture of the Gods", the two have made her a minor celebrity.

Moreover, this is only the beginning. She is lucky because Yi An wants Fan Xiaopang to mentor Wang Ou and will promote the Xuanyuan Three Demons more later.

Even though the main focus of the publicity is Fan Xiaopang, followed by Wang Ou, and she is just a minor, inconspicuous figure, the Three Demons of Xuanyuan still can't avoid mentioning her.

If she seizes the opportunity, Wu Jiani will also gain a lot of exposure. Combined with the popularity of "Investiture of the Gods", her career will definitely take off.

Wang Ou, needless to say, already had a good foundation of popularity.

After all, the benefits from the hit dramas such as "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng", "Detective Dee 2", and "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio" have not yet been fully realized.

Following her roles in "Investiture of the Gods" and various advertising and commercial ventures, after some time to digest and prepare, she could be considered a rising star.

Wang Ou, a struggling model from out of town, rose to fame in just a few years. Her story is truly inspiring and has become a living advertisement for Yi'an Artist Management.

Although Fan Xiaopang's popularity only started to rise after he met Yan Li and Yi An, he was already quite famous before that.

Wang Ou was a complete novice before, with almost no acting experience. He was essentially trained and supported by Yi An.

For most newcomers and child actors, if joining Yi An could make them the next Wang Ou, they would flock to it and pay any price.

At the same time, Wang Ou's rise to fame, Fan Xiaopang's explosive success, and the varying degrees of career advancement of the previous Seven Fairies, including Wu Jiani, Qin Lan, and other actresses who participated in Yi An's dramas, have led to the spread of the term "Yan Girls".

This is also the norm in the industry: [Zhang Yimou's Girl], [Stephen Chow's Girl], [Crystal Girl], [Qiong Yao's Girl], [Rock Girl].

They are all key figures who promote a group of female stars to fame, thereby creating a certain level of influence and labeling them with relevant tags.

Besides female performers, there are also male performers, the most famous being "Iwa-onna" (Iwa-onna), and the name Ishi x Yami also carries this connotation to some extent.

Actually, the term "Yan Girl" existed as early as the time of the Seven Fairies, but it wasn't very well-known.

Now, with Yan Li's rising fame, the careers of many female stars have also improved significantly, and the term "Yan Girl" is being recognized by more and more people.

Because "Yan Nvlang" and Haiyan's "Yan Nvlang" are homophones, they are sometimes difficult to distinguish, and some netizens also call "Yan Nvlang" "Yan Zhi Nvlang".

The term "rouge lady" is a homophone for "face".

Yan Li likes to name his companies using the pinyin of the character "Yan," so some people jokingly call his companies "Yan-series," which sounds like "rouge-series." These actresses are from the Yi An series, so "rouge-lady" is a more fitting term than "simply Yan-lady."

On the other hand, in ancient poetry, many people used rouge to refer to beauty, and "rouge girl" also means that these girls were beautiful.

On another level, it carries a derogatory and mocking connotation. In "Dream of the Red Chamber," there is a saying that kissing is like eating rouge, and the "rouge lady" is an allusion to the ambiguous relationship between these actresses and Yan Li.

Regardless of its meaning, "Rouge Girl" sounds better and has more distinctive features than "Yan Girl," so it is gradually gaining the momentum to replace "Yan Girl."

The appearance of the Rouge Girl also proved Yan Li and Yi An's ability to promote talents, and to some extent boosted Yi An's artist management business.

Before "Investiture of the Gods" had finished airing, Yan Li received a plan from Jia Qian regarding the recruitment of new artists for the artist management department.

...

Yi'an Film & Television, President's Office

After reading the document, Yan Li took a sip of water: "Most of the company's artists are currently on the rise, so the demand for newcomers isn't that high, is it?"

"President Yan, the low demand for new employees doesn't mean we can't recruit new ones."

Jia Qian and another senior executive from the artist management department began to talk to Yan Li about the necessity and benefits of recruiting new members.

Firstly, popular artists make money, but as the number of mid- to lower-tier artists increases, their earnings also accumulate and become quite substantial.

From a company operations perspective, we need to enjoy both gourmet food and simple side dishes.

No matter how small a fly is, it is still meat.

Secondly, Yi An is now investing in and producing more and more dramas, and many supporting roles are given to artists from other companies, which is a waste of money to outsiders.

If there are enough artists for Yi An, they can fill in completely, which can reduce production costs and allow them to recoup some of the costs through artist revenue sharing.

This can be described as reducing costs and increasing revenue, achieving two goals at once.

At the same time, building a mature and stable talent pool is also the source of an entertainment company's confidence.

In case something happens to the top brother or sister, or the second brother or sister, or if they change jobs or their contracts expire, there will be a quick replacement to fill the gap, so they won't be at the mercy of others.

Yan Li listened to their descriptions and tapped the table: "What if we don't have enough resources to recruit artists on a large scale?"

Jia Qian and another person exchanged a glance: "This situation is very common. We can't guarantee that every artist will become famous, right?"

Yan Li smiled; he knew these two would answer like that.

This is also the practice of many entertainment companies in the industry: recruiting artists on a large scale and then selecting the best to train.

No company can meet the needs of all artists. If you are popular, you can make money for the company, and resources will naturally be allocated to you. If you are not popular, you can only try your luck or just endure it.

Many artists join a company but lack resources and have limited room for advancement, leaving them to waste their time. They either have to wait until their contract expires or pay a penalty to leave.

How much does it cost for a company to sign a contract and hire an assistant? Every penny an artist earns goes to the company.

If you make someone famous, you'll make a fortune; if you don't, you won't lose anything.

This is why many entertainment companies in the industry are called vampires—because they are so beastly. They make donkeys pull the millstone without feeding them, and then kill the donkeys after they've finished.

Although Yan Li was not a good person, he was not completely inhuman.

He can accept artists working for him to earn money, but he really doesn't want to squeeze money out of a bunch of minor actors.

He has plenty of ways to make money; there's no need for him to be so unscrupulous and damage his reputation.

"A group of minor supporting roles and actors, even if they reduce costs and increase revenue, how much can they really reduce or increase them?"

"With this energy, it's better to make a star famous. The income of one person can be equivalent to that of a dozen or even dozens of stars."

"I know you're a bit anxious and want to expand the influence of the artist management department, but you need to have a long-term vision and not try to kill yourself with a fire." Yan Li rejected Jia Qian and her team's plan, proposing instead to focus on high-quality artists, signing fewer but better contracts, and winning through quality.

In this way, the situation of excessive signing, insufficient resources, fierce competition among artists, exploitation by the company, and disruption of internal unity can be avoided to some extent.

Jia Qian and the others still had objections. They argued that large-scale signings were tantamount to raising poisonous insects, and only high-quality newcomers who could survive would stand out and deserve special training.

If you don't engage in the process of raising and killing off monsters, and rely solely on individual discovery, there will be a certain degree of uncertainty. There are many cases where what seems like a promising talent turns out to be a useless one.

Many companies sign a large number of new talents, but still poach talent from other companies, because many of them are just not destined to succeed.

Yan Li nodded. This was indeed a problem, but he could cheat his way through.

While others gamble on stones, he can trigger "clairvoyance".

A basic intelligence system can screen talent, and monthly intelligence reports have a chance to trigger future information.

Therefore, Yan Li asked Jia Qian and the others to go back and compile information on some newcomers in the industry and art school students, and send it to him.

He would take a look whenever he had free time, pick out one and sign them. He didn't need many; he could screen a few people a year. Over several years, that would be enough for Yi'an to build a decent lineup of "stars".

The boss had spoken, and Jia Qian and the others had no choice but to obey.

Moreover, Yan Li's eye for talent is truly remarkable. He discovered and mentored many of the actresses, including the Seven Fairies, Wang Ou, Julian Cheung, Qin Lan, Wu Jiani, Zhou Yiwei, Qiao Zhenyu, and Pan Yueming, who were either child actors or newcomers.

Yan Li personally oversaw the process. He might actually be able to find quite a few promising talents for the talent agency department.

...

After Jia Qian left, Yan Li wrote down the brief glimpse of the jade gambling incident in his notebook.

He only learned about this industry when he went online the day before yesterday and saw a related post. At that time, someone replied that if you could see through things, you would get rich.

Yan Li hadn't paid much attention to it before, just treating it as something new. But today, using this incident as an example, he suddenly realized that his system was quite suitable for this kind of thing, with various intelligence triggers that might be even more convenient than X-ray vision.

Most importantly, gambling on rough stones is very secretive; unless you cut the rough stone, no one knows what's inside.

Yan Li could buy the raw stone, then secretly remove the jade inside, disguise it, and make a fortune in silence, avoiding everyone's gaze.

Top-quality jade and jadeite are very valuable; they can be cashed out, used as collateral, or given as gifts.

Yan Li's previous strategies for winning the Golden Heart are a bit outdated.

The women have all become more famous and earn more money, but Jin Xin only earns a few hundred thousand yuan, so the level of surprise has dropped significantly.

Since the gold heart doesn't work, you can try the glass-type jade heart.

Buying gold requires real money; every extra gram costs money. However, if you're gambling on rough stones, the cost of the raw stones can vary, and it might even be cheaper than buying gold.

Spend less money, get better results, perfect!
Keeping this in mind, Yan Li planned to visit Yunnan and Guangdong provinces when he had time, and buy a few rough stones to take back to the capital for cutting.

At lunchtime, Yan Li didn't ask Hu Ya to order food for him. Instead, he called Wu Maowen and Lin Jiachuan, who worked at the company, to go for a stroll and see what good food was available.

As soon as he stepped out of the office building, he was surrounded by more than a dozen people.

Yan Li was startled, and Wu Maowen and Lin Jiachuan instinctively stepped forward to protect him.

If it weren't for the fact that most of the people in this group were women, they would have already called for the office building security guards.

"What are you doing? What are you doing?"

Wu Maowen questioned him sternly, adopting a defensive posture, as he would have to cover Yan Li's retreat should anything go wrong.

The people on the other side were also taken aback by the three people's reaction. After they came to their senses, the ones who were close by offered explanations all at once.

"Don't misunderstand, we mean no harm."

“We are all fans of Yan Li, and we just wanted to come here to see him.”

"Yes, look, these are the gifts we brought."

People also took out the gifts in their hands as proof, a miscellaneous collection of all sorts of things, indeed containing many elements of Yanli, and some even had Yanli posters or magazines.

"Uh……"

Having confirmed that they were fans and realizing there had been a misunderstanding, Yan Li patted Wu Maowen and Lin Jiachuan on the shoulder and walked closer.

"How long have you been squatting there?"

This isn't the first time Yan Li has encountered being waited for by fans; he's experienced it several times before.

Not only did they block him, but employees of other companies inside the office building and nearby companies also learned that Yi'an Company was located there. Some fans would wander around the area whenever they had free time, hoping to bump into a certain celebrity.

Interestingly, Yan Li participates in few events and doesn't announce his schedule, unlike some celebrities who meet and interact with fans through various events.

But everything has two sides. Those celebrities have too much work, their whereabouts are unpredictable, and they appear and disappear unpredictably. Unless the process is made public, fans can't easily catch them.

Although Yan Li is not necessarily at the company every day due to his work, he appears in public much more often than those other celebrities.

That's great, now we can just camp out and wait for it to refresh.

With enough patience and by waiting around the clock, unless Yan Li is away on a business trip in the capital, you can catch him within a week or two.

Yan Li was also helpless. Most of the fans who came to the company to wait for him were die-hard fans who didn't bother him much and didn't even ask for autographs or photos.

I just wanted to see him, say hello, or give him something as a gift.

Yes, there are also people who interview for jobs at his company.

Persuasion was ineffective, and obstruction seemed excessive, so in the end, all that could be done was to let it be.

And to be honest, Yan Li secretly felt a little pleased with being adored by fans.

But Yan Li also laid down three rules: waiting for a meeting was fine, and even getting an autograph or a photo was no problem.

However, if you follow him without permission, disturb his work, or disclose his personal privacy to others, then I'm sorry.

Yan Li respects his fans, but he is not a celebrity who relies on fans for a living, and he will not compromise with fans without any bottom line.

At the same time, he also hoped that this stakeout would not be spread, so as not to attract people to ambush him.

The capital city has a large population, so even if he has few fans, he can still attract a lot of idle people to come and follow him.

Under Yan Li's instructions, this little trick was not revealed, as Yan Li usually encountered people with two or three companions.

This was the first time he had ever encountered a group of more than a dozen people lying in wait like this; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so startled. The scale of the operation was so large that he almost thought they were kidnapping people.

"I've been squatting here for two days."

A chubby girl with a round face, who wasn't very old, was very excited to see Yan Li and came out to explain.

It turns out that these people were from a fan group. A clever new member came up with this idea and gathered a group of people with time to take turns staking out the place.

These people were lucky; in the past, not many fans could actually catch Yan Li while staking out the place.

Yan Li's get off work hours and schedule are unpredictable. Sometimes he will just drive away from the parking lot. The office building also has more than one exit.

Therefore, those who manage to catch Yan Li are either lucky or highly capable.

For example, one fan once managed to sneak into the office building and waited at the entrance of Yi An Company.

The current group is clearly not smart enough or not united enough. If they were divided into two or three groups and blocked in with a "net of heaven and earth", the success rate would be greatly increased.

Yan Li was quite accommodating to the fans who came to his door, signing autographs, taking photos, and accepting gifts.

After asking the fans about their general address and identity, and learning that many of them were still students, Yan Li took out some money from his bag and gave each of them a red bill.

"It's too hot, everyone should take a taxi home. Try not to come here anymore, I might not be here. Sometimes I'm too busy to have time. Watching TV dramas is your way of supporting me."

He persuaded everyone to leave and instructed them to keep it a secret, so as not to attract other fans or members of the Beggars' Sect.

Afterwards, Yan Li, Lin Jiachuan, and Wu Maowen went to dinner. Lin Jiachuan looked through the posters and photo frames that fans had made for Yan Li and sighed with a hint of envy.

"Bro, you're really famous now. Look how enthusiastic these fans are."

Yan Li also felt a little smug. The online buzz was too much, but it didn't have the same impact as the offline fan support.

Being liked and admired is always a pleasant and happy thing.

Wu Maowen, however, was more concerned with his duty and thought a little deeper: "Brother, you still need to be careful in the future and try not to go out alone."

Even his fans are willing to stake out him; what if there are people with ulterior motives?

"I'll pay attention."

Yan Li nodded. He was always cautious, and he had thought about similar things when he was ambushed before, so he was even more careful in his actions.

However, there's no need to be too nervous. This kind of stakeout isn't a crime of passion. If it's premeditated, Yan Li's system can trigger an alert.

Although he hadn't encountered it many times, Yan Li vaguely sensed that the system should have some kind of alarm mechanism.

In cases where personal safety is compromised, the relevant intelligence system will be triggered first.

In addition, Yan Li's reputation was also an important talisman.

Unless they are mentally ill or antisocial individuals plotting a major crime, normal robbers seeking money would not target Yan Li.

It's not that Yan Li is poor, but rather that his fame is too great, and the impact of being kidnapped, arrested, or killed would be too severe, forcing the police to conduct a thorough investigation and arrest with maximum effort.

There are many wealthy people besides Yan Li, so there's no need for him to deliberately pursue the path of becoming the Ministry of Public Security's number one criminal and create unnecessary excitement for himself.

The mainland is not Hong Kong; if you're caught, you're really dead.

...

After lunch, Yan Li returned to the company, took a short nap, and then continued with the meeting.

The current data for "Investiture of the Gods" is good, with a steady upward trend. Since it is an exclusive broadcast, its potential has not yet been fully explored. The price could be appropriately increased for second and third runs and terrestrial channels.

Meanwhile, a second part of "Investiture of the Gods" could be included in the plan, and it would be necessary to contact Yongle.

Regarding films, Ning Hao has already begun leading his team to conduct preview screenings and roadshows at some universities.

The distribution team has been building momentum online, generating considerable buzz on various forums such as Tianya, Douban, and Tieba, attracting potential viewers.

With only a few days left until the release, some copies have already begun to be distributed to various theaters.

One of the key topics Yan Li discussed this time was cracking down on piracy.

In this day and age, movie release schedules and other such factors are secondary, because there are relatively few movies in theaters. Unless it's a popular holiday season, the competition for releases during the same period is not that fierce.

What film companies, distributors, and even theaters hate most are actually those pirates.

Many well-known directors, such as Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, and Feng Xiaogang, as well as many film company owners, talk most about combating piracy whenever a movie is a hit.

Two years ago, when "Kung Fu Hustle" was released, Stephen Chow recorded a special opening sequence to be played before the movie in theaters. It was essentially a plea for piracy to stop, and he had also recorded a version for CVD distribution, urging support for legitimate copies.
Films like "Crazy Stone" are low-budget movies that rely on word-of-mouth and generate public discussion, rather than being visually spectacular blockbusters.

The viewing experience is pretty much the same on the big screen and the small screen. Audiences have a strong desire to watch, but they are not particularly willing to spend money to go to the cinema just to watch it once.

Buying a DVD is cheaper, you can watch it several times, and share it with friends, which they see as more cost-effective.

It's easy to imagine that this kind of movie is most likely to be targeted by pirates.

If piracy of "Crazy Stone" becomes widespread, it will be a huge blow to the box office.

Therefore, while promotion and distribution are important for the release of "Crazy Stone," preventing piracy is the most crucial task.

If this work isn't done well, no matter how good the publicity is, it will only make money for pirates.

However, the piracy market has persisted for so long, causing headaches for major film companies, and it is clearly not an easy problem to deal with.

It is important to know that producing and selling pirated audio-visual products is a criminal offense.

If the amount involved in the violation reaches a certain scale, the penalty is imprisonment for up to three years or detention, and a fine. If the amount is particularly large or the circumstances are serious, the penalty is imprisonment for more than three years but less than seven years, and a fine.

So people in this line of work all know that getting caught means bad consequences, so they are cautious, slippery, and keep a low profile.

At the same time, because the crimes were not serious, some individuals may have colluded with local forces, forming a protective network.

Film companies are, after all, part of the cultural industry, and their power is limited. They don't have any particularly effective ways to deal with pirates who are so well hidden and have local cover.

Not to mention that these pirates also like to reskin or sell and distribute their products in different locations.

Goods from Henan Province are sold in Shandong Province, distributed to many places. The quantity in each place is small, so it won't attract attention. The packaging and other things are all folk tunes.

With these tactics employed, not only the film company but also the police were initially stumped when investigating.

Even if some clues are sorted out, the period of high box office returns has passed, and for film companies, cracking down on pirates won't bring in the money they should have earned.

But Yan Li is different; he has a cheat code.

In the film distribution business, because it directly targets the audience, Yan Li's intelligence system can play a relatively limited role, and its advantages are not as obvious as those of television distribution.

The only thing that really got them into trouble was cracking down on piracy.

No matter what tricks you use, such as reskinning, relocation, or distribution, they have no effect on Yan Li. No matter how well you hide or how careful you are, Yan Li can rely on the system to directly identify the source.

The rest is simple; just find a way to report the source.

There's no fear of local collusion, after all, it's a gray industry of piracy, and the profits aren't particularly high. It's impossible for one person to cover everything up, and there are plenty of people who want to make a name for themselves.

If all else fails, if you have connections in the county, I'll go to the city; if you have connections in the city, I'll go to the province; and if all else fails, I'll get the media to expose it and put pressure on you.

To put it bluntly, the video piracy industry is like a rat hiding in a gutter; it's difficult to deal with not because it's powerful, but because it's hard to catch.

Therefore, for Yan Li, cracking down on piracy is easy; what worries him is how to crack down on piracy in a reasonable and efficient way.

In particular, making a fortune quietly won't scare these rats away.

If one rat falls, another might take its place. Yan Li can't keep fighting this bunch of rats, especially rats from all over the country.

Therefore, we need to make an example of them and crack down on piracy in a high-profile manner, targeting a few well-known figures in the industry to scare off these pirates.

This will deter them from daring to provoke Yan Li, or at least from distributing their goods on a large scale, lest they attract attention and be targeted by Yan Li.

If these pirates can be subdued, it will not only benefit "Crazy Stone" but also attract more attention and favor from peers.

Piracy is a major obstacle to the release of movies. If Yan Li can crack down on piracy, he can protect the box office. Protecting the box office means making money, and making money means more cooperation.

Yan Li believes that if this piracy war is fought well, it may become the key to the rise of Yi'an Film's distribution business.

After much deliberation, Yan Li contacted the media and released the news—

With the release of "Crazy Stone" imminent, Yan Li is offering a reward of 100 million yuan to combat piracy. Anyone with information about piracy can contact him, and a cash reward will be given upon verification.

That's right, Yan Li plans to take the "mass line".

Pirates may try to hide, but they can't escape the vast ocean of "the people".

Hundreds or even thousands of phone calls could be made, and no one could tell whether the information conveyed in these calls was true or false.

Which one is true is up to Yan Li to decide!
They caught a pirate and insisted that someone else had tipped him off.

If the money is given again, the messenger will insist that it was their doing that brought the news.

Furthermore, to avoid retaliation, they agreed not to disclose the information, making it impossible to investigate.

If you don't believe me, then tell me how Yan Li knew. Surely he doesn't have an intelligence network?

Even if some people still have nothing better to do than question it.

Yan Li's abilities can also be explained by his keen sense of smell and strong analytical skills.

It can extract the true and effective key information from a large amount of complex information.

This point was foreshadowed and demonstrated in Yan Li's previous television distribution business, including his work on the stock market.

While this ability is a bit exaggerated, such prodigies do exist, and there are even more exaggerated examples.

We can't deny Yan Li's exceptional talent, can we?
It's perfectly reasonable for self-made billionaires to have one or two exceptional qualities.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: Updated with 10,000 words, so it's a little late. Please forgive me (2000/6000).

(End of this chapter)