Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 251 Annual Intelligence, 26-Year-Old Billionaire
December 31, 2006, Yangjiaodeng Hutong

Yan Li declined all social engagements and private meetings, drove alone to the courtyard house here, burned incense and prayed as usual, and waited for the annual "Annual Intelligence" report, which was updated once a year.

ding dong~
The specially set alarm clock rang, officially marking the arrival of 2007. Yan Li clasped his hands together, bowed, and opened the system.

[Annual Intelligence Report 1: The Collapse of the LeEco Empire - Why Did LeEco, a company with a market value of hundreds of billions, meet its demise...?]

LeEco?

Yan Li remembered that Boss Jia and opened the intelligence report with great interest to examine it carefully.

The information was quite detailed; it took Yan Li nearly twenty minutes to read through it before he could give a general assessment, at which point he offered a three-word evaluation.

Good accountant!
As mentioned before, Yan Li had seen the name LeEco a few times in other intelligence reports and had a vague feeling that its fate might not be good, but he did not know the inside story.

It was only this time that Yan Li truly gained a comprehensive and detailed understanding of how LeEco rose to prominence and how it collapsed.

His rise needs no further explanation: background, Jia Yueting, and the opportune moment of the times.

Although LeEco failed, Yan Li still acknowledges Jia Yueting's abilities, which can be seen from many of his strategic plans and business operations.

Many people believe that having connections means you can conquer the world, which is a bit of an oversimplification.

Or rather, those with connections don't operate this way; they operate in industries inaccessible to the general public, where things are easier and safer.

Similar to the internet and entertainment industries, it has high exposure and is very competitive. Moreover, each company has something to rely on to some extent. Background is important, but you can't really succeed just by relying on your background.

LeEco's success was largely due to Jia Yueting's personal abilities.

Among personal abilities, Yan Li believes that Lao Jia's accounting skills are the most remarkable, compared to his business operations.

The intelligence report cited LeEco Pictures as an example, highlighting its strengths: a few blockbuster projects, investment from related companies, partnerships with numerous celebrities, and the company's popularity during a booming era.

A company with annual profits of just over 100 million was valued at 10 billion, and then acquired by the listed company LeEco to cash out.

If the acquisition had been completed at that time, Jia Yueting, who had invested over 40 million yuan in LeEco Pictures, could have received over 4000 billion yuan in profit.

What a big appetite!

That's incredibly bold!

LeEco's success was due to its background and Jia Yueting, and its downfall was also due to its background and Jia Yueting.

With no one to back them up, and Jia Yueting's rapid expansion leading to a surge in his financial situation, the company's cash flow became increasingly strained.

The original accounting holes weren't patched up, so they had to keep making false claims until they could no longer keep up the act, LeEco collapsed, and he himself will return to China next week.

Yan Li couldn't help but scan the intelligence report again.

This information was more than just gossip for Yan Li; the rise and fall of a future internet-plus-entertainment empire worth hundreds of billions had profound implications for many of his future plans and actions.

Yan Li can learn from LeEco's good ideas and avoid its lessons, while also serving as a warning to himself.

Old Jia is a "good teacher"!
[Annual Intelligence ②: The Gains and Losses of Alibaba's Digital Media and Entertainment Strategy...]

Yan Li became interested.

Alibaba is no stranger to Jack Ma; he met him at a business conference a few days ago.

At this stage, Jack Ma can't really be considered a big shot yet.

The top tier of internet companies currently consists of Shanda, Baidu, Tencent, and the three major portal websites: Sohu, Sina, and NetEase.

Shanda's boss Chen and NetEase's boss Ding were once the richest people in China. Sohu's boss Zhang started early, has extensive connections, and is very influential. Baidu's boss Li is currently very popular, having gone public in the US last year and enjoying unparalleled success. Tencent and Sina are also indispensable players for all parties.

However, the e-commerce market has not yet taken off, Alipay is just starting out, and Jack Ma has not yet grown to a position of significant influence in the industry.

However, due to the company's amazing potential and the positive outlook from the outside world, coupled with Jack Ma's active presence, it still carries considerable weight.

Jack Ma had already shown interest in the entertainment market at this point.

This year, he also invested in Huayi Brothers, and not long ago he had a special chat with Yan Li about Yi An and Tudou.com.

Yan Li had read a lot of intelligence and knew what Ali represented in the future. At the time, he even considered cooperating with Jack Ma.

Perhaps it was for this reason that the system triggered this intelligence for him, and Yan Li realized how terrible Alibaba's entertainment strategy was.

It's not fair to say that Alibaba is a bad company, or that Alibaba is simply not suited for an entertainment strategy.

The intelligence repeatedly emphasizes Alibaba's habitual e-commerce mindset.

The entertainment industry is, after all, about content creation. Applying internet-based methods to manage the entertainment industry will directly lead to conflict.

Not to mention that Alibaba's core business is still e-commerce, so it habitually requires its entertainment business to support its e-commerce business, which has created a "vampire" effect.

This reflects Alibaba's corporate culture and strategic thinking: prioritizing its own interests above all else, while being willing to abandon and sacrifice other companies when necessary.

You can't say that doing this is wrong, at least not from Alibaba's perspective.

But for the companies that invested in or acquired shares in Alibaba, the investment was like honey laced with poison.

There are benefits, but there's also the possibility of death!

Yan Li pondered whether there was anything he could do about it. He knew he had to avoid contact with Alibaba, or at least not rely on Alibaba completely.

At the same time, could you introduce some competitors to Jack Ma?

He sees that Huayi Brothers and Alibaba are getting along quite well, which is good. No matter how fiercely the two sides fight each other, it's not as good as the enemy stabbing themselves in the back.

[Annual Intelligence 3: Weibo's Ten Years - The Rise and Transformation of Social Media Giants...]

Weibo!

Yan Li had heard this name quite a bit, and in fact, the monthly intelligence reports had even triggered a related future intelligence report.

At that time, he became quite interested in this social media platform, which was touted as the most popular.

To this end, he even went to Wang Xing, the founder of Xiaonei.com and Fanfou.com, where the intelligence had appeared, hoping to learn from his experience or invest in them.

However, after talking with Wang Xing, Yan Li realized that simply investing in such a platform was not enough; it would be best to take control of it.

Investing in Tudou.com and obtaining the right to cooperate rather than control or strategic cooperation has always been a concern for Yan Li.

For Yan Li, other industries might just be commercial investments, but Tudou.com is too important to his industrial strategy.

Based on the fact that the two parties were merely cooperating, and that Yan Li's needs were not met, he wanted to gain control of Tudou.com, or at least a certain degree of influence.

However, Tudou.com was founded by Wang Wei, which has a large internal influence and a large number of shares. It is also in a period of rapid development. Yan Li cannot ignore Tudou.com's development and seize power.

If internal strife causes the company's development to stagnate, wouldn't that just benefit Youku and Sohu that are right behind it?

In any case, Yi'an and Tudou.com still have a close cooperative relationship, so Yan Li is just holding back for now and waiting for an opportunity.

If you really can't wait, then just make do, or leave and find a new video website.

At least around 2010, with the explosion of entertainment traffic and the prevalence of mobile networks, Yan Li had another chance to enter the market.

Having learned his lesson from Tudou.com, Yan Li felt that if he continued to invest in and support social media platforms like Xiaonei.com and Fanfou to grow, he would be in a passive position without control.

Therefore, even with all sorts of obstacles and troubles, Yan Li is determined to give it a try.

After seeing more detailed information on Weibo this time, Yan Li became even more convinced of his idea.

This Weibo account is so important to him!

Yan Li got up, took a notebook, and began to write and draw, combining intelligence with his own thoughts.

Currently, Yan Li's businesses mainly revolve around film and television production, distribution, and cinema chains, focusing on entertainment films and television, while also considering acquiring video websites as platforms.

Within this industry chain layout, Weibo is a strategic must-have, no less important than investing in cinemas and video websites.

In terms of production, distribution, and artist management, the influence of internet platforms is growing and is beginning to surpass that of traditional media.

In the future, film and television promotion and artist exposure will inevitably involve dealing with various internet platforms. Undoubtedly, Weibo, which focuses on social interaction, public opinion, and real-time information, is one of the most important promotional platforms.

In business, there's a concept called defensive positioning.

To put it bluntly, there's a knife here. If you don't grab it, someone else will take it and put it to your neck, and you'll be at their mercy.

Even if the returns are low, one should actively plan for such a situation where someone has a hold on one's vitals, and even be willing to pay any price for it.

Not to mention, Weibo is not only defensive, but can also be used offensively.

With Weibo controlled by Yan Li, how much money can he save each year just from various film and television and artist promotional resources?

It can even, conversely, control competitors, suppress them, or charge exorbitant traffic fees.

Saving money for oneself and then making a profit from competitors—the balance of power is obvious.

In addition, as an entertainment industry professional, Yan Li has always wanted to acquire enough media resources to build his own media matrix.

If Weibo succeeds, Yan Li will have the most popular and largest social media and real-time news platform at his fingertips, not to mention the media matrix, and will directly become a media mogul, with his "discourse power" greatly enhanced.

At the same time, Weibo and video websites, including other websites invested in by Yanli, can mutually drive traffic and cooperate, which not only saves costs but also forms a positive cycle of traffic pool and strategic alliance.

This also provided important assistance for Yan Li's subsequent plans and investments.

In short, a single Weibo account can completely revitalize Yan Li's entire business strategy, provide various forms of assistance, and create a powerful closed-loop ecosystem and industry initiative.

However, while the vision was admirable, Yan Li was still worried about whether he could actually make Weibo a success.

Two difficult problems.

First, Yan Li was an outsider to the internet industry, lacking in-depth understanding of the industry and completely ignorant of technology. This was one of the reasons he didn't start a video website in the first place.

Yan Li needs to find a few capable assistants to help him set up Weibo.

Secondly, the investment in Weibo is not low, and it may not be possible to find a way to monetize and profit in the short term. This requires Yan Li to invest money and attract investment.

Theatrical releases are burning through cash, video websites will probably continue to burn through cash, and then there's Weibo.

Yan Li isn't a goose that lays golden eggs. If his cash flow dries up, he might end up in a worse situation than Lao Jia.

It may be difficult, but there are still solutions.

If there's a lack of talent, then poach them. For example, this intelligence report mentions some of Sina Weibo's future core executives, such as CEO Wang Gaofei (Lai Qu Zhi Jian), product managers, chief operating officers, and technical leaders.

Although Yan Li understood that such a large platform could not be supported by just a few core executives.

Often, a person's success is inseparable from the opportunities of the times, the support of the platform, and luck.

Regardless, these individuals did indeed make significant contributions to the future success of Weibo, at least more reliable than Yan Li's own efforts.

If you don't have enough funds, then raise more.

Yan Li's need for economic returns from Weibo is far lower than his need for business development. As long as he can maintain control of Weibo, he is willing to give up more shares.

Despite the challenges, Yan Li also has his own unique advantages in using Weibo.

For example, resources related to celebrities and famous people.

In addition to introducing the successful Sina Weibo, the intelligence report also mentioned some failed Weibo accounts or similar software.

Fanfou and Penguin Taotao, which preceded Penguin Weibo, both appeared earlier than Weibo. In their early development, due to insufficient development in celebrity traffic generation, they failed to quickly gain traction and were subsequently overtaken by Weibo due to other reasons.

In this respect, it is definitely Yan Li's forte.

Many internet companies, especially startups, have no access to the entertainment industry. Even if they do, if they don't have money, no one will pay them any attention.

Yan Li can leverage his resources and connections within the industry to attract celebrities and public figures on a large scale and at relatively low or even free prices.

While attracting traffic through celebrities and famous figures doesn't guarantee an overwhelming advantage over competitors, combining it with proactive planning can establish a first-mover advantage.

The market is only so big. A sufficient first-mover advantage can create a siphon effect, attracting a large number of new users, continuously consolidating and improving the advantage, and squeezing the survival space of competitors.

In addition, and most importantly, Yan Li has a cheat code: he has a God-like perspective on the future.

While other competitors are figuring things out as they go, Yan Li can clearly and accurately ensure that Weibo's major strategic milestones will not be compromised, and he also employs some advanced and innovative tactical strategies.

Even thanks to the intelligence system, Yan Li can understand the movements of his competitors and launch targeted attacks.

With these advantages, even if Yan Li is at a disadvantage in terms of funding, technology, and traffic, he is confident that he can compete with the various internet giants.

Not to mention, some internet giants are also capable of cooperating, complementing each other's strengths, and achieving mutual benefit and coexistence.

Yan Li spent over an hour writing and researching this Weibo post, which shows how much importance he attached to it.

We can't afford to ignore this; it's already 2007. Renren.com is gaining some fame, and Fanfou.com and Penguin Taotao are already in the production and preparation stages.

Yanli started almost from scratch. First, they had to find a team, then conduct research and development, and gradually adjust and refine their team, as well as engage in various collaborations. Finally, after a certain degree of internal testing and optimization, it could be officially launched.

It will take at least six months to a year, and it will probably take until 2008 to gain a certain influence.

Therefore, we must pay attention to this and act quickly, otherwise Sina and Tencent will make their move first.

[Annual Intelligence Report 4: The XXXX Conference will be held in XX year...]

Yan Li couldn't help but light a cigarette, glancing at the name on it, comparing it to the name in his memory.

As your business grows, you'll inevitably have to deal with various parties. You don't have to go deep into their affairs or pay them any special attention, but you must know who the real benefactors are and never offend them.

In some ways, this is the most valuable intelligence we have today.

[Annual intelligence...]

...

On New Year's Day 2007, Yan Li spent the entire day in Yangjiaodeng Hutong, studying and analyzing the new annual intelligence.

This has become Yan Li's annual tradition on January 1st.

Those close to Yan Li knew that he would rest here for a day, reflecting on the past and contemplating the future, and that unless it was something important, they should absolutely not disturb him.

On January 2nd, Yan Li made an appearance and presided over Yi An's annual meeting.

On January 3rd, I hosted and attended meetings with companies such as Yanye Capital, Yi'an Cinema, and Yi'an Media.

Last year, all the companies experienced varying degrees of development.

Yi An's performance was the most outstanding.

In film and television production, they delivered impressive results such as "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" and "Crazy Stone," with total profits from production and investment exceeding nine figures.

Moreover, this is still a significant portion of the projects are in progress, and some final payments have not yet been settled.

In terms of artist management, Fan Xiaopang has risen rapidly, while Zhang Zhilin and Wang Ou have also performed well.

Although in terms of direct revenue, it is far less than that of the film and television department.

However, celebrities can drive projects and promote the work of film and television departments and distribution, so their impact cannot be evaluated solely based on direct benefits.

In terms of distribution business, Yi'an has maintained its strong position in the industry.

The total annual sales of TV dramas reached 5.29 million yuan, with distribution revenue of approximately 7000 million yuan.

Although the film distribution business is still in its early stages, it has secured several high-quality projects thanks to its unique advantages, accumulating a box office of over 300 million yuan and generating approximately 10 million yuan in revenue.

Similar to artist management, the distribution business cannot only consider direct benefits; the resources it leverages can be used to support the company and other departments.

Another department worth mentioning is the advertising department, which seems to have a relatively low profile within Yi'an.

It brought the company a profit of over 2200 million yuan throughout the year.

Moreover, this is before Yi'an Advertising has gained a strong reputation, and some of its business is done in conjunction with the film and television department and the artist management department, rather than primarily for profit or revenue sharing; otherwise, the profits would be even higher.

Yan Li calculated that Yi An's activities and scale in 2006 were not the largest in the industry, but in terms of making money, it was definitely among the top companies.

However, as the saying goes, film and television companies earn a lot, but they also invest a lot.

Having just made some money here, various other projects were launched, leaving Yan Li with relatively limited surplus funds.

Fortunately, the company is growing stronger and its influence in the industry is increasing.

Yan Li heard that the two Wangs of Huayi Brothers had raised an investment valuation of 15 to 20 billion yuan for Huayi Brothers, so he compared the two companies.

Huayi Brothers' strengths lie in its star-studded lineup, high market share in the film industry, and formidable resources and capital operation capabilities.

Yi'an's strengths lie in its strong capabilities and distribution channels in the TV drama field, as well as its greater profitability. It also has a presence in film and celebrity management.

Looking at it this way, Yan Li felt that Yi An was still not as good as Hua Yi.

To be more precise, Yi An is not as favored by the capital market as Huayi Brothers.

At present, the capital market is far more interested in movies than TV series.

Huayi Brothers' efforts to attract capital from various parties are far superior to Yan Li's "monopolizing" behavior.

Therefore, apart from its strong earning power, Yi'an is far less attractive to capital than Huayi Brothers, which has a "healthy structure".

To put it bluntly, Huayi Brothers is being built like a listed entertainment company, with the goal of going public and raising money.

Yi'an is a more traditional film and television company, whose main business is content creation and distribution channels, and is an important part of Yan Li's industrial empire.

Many investors aim to recoup their investment and make a profit, so they naturally prefer to invest in companies like Huayi Brothers, which have simple and clear goals.

In contrast, Yanli is a long-term investment with a slower rate of return and uncertainties during the period.

However, once Yan Li successfully establishes his business and forms a closed-loop industrial chain, it will be something that Huayi Brothers cannot match.

Yan Li is not considering listing Yi An for the time being, but he is quite curious about Yi An's valuation.

Film and television companies are asset-light, and their profits fluctuate. Their valuations are different from those of normal industrial companies, so you can't simply apply formulas based on profit margins.

However, at the same time, the cultural and entertainment industry also has extremely high hidden value and is at a crucial juncture in economic development. When the economy is good, the cultural and entertainment industry develops rapidly, which cannot be ignored.

Whether it's a bubble or not, if you want to make this money, you have to include the bubble in your portfolio.

Yan Li felt that Huayi Brothers was asking for a valuation of 15 to 20 billion yuan, and Yi An should not ask for less than 10 billion yuan, otherwise it would be a bit of an insult.

Compared to Yi'an, Yi'an's development is currently somewhat inferior.

The main problem is that there are too few cinemas; currently, fewer than 10 are open for business.

In the cinema industry, no amount of fancy talk is useful; what matters is the number of cinemas and box office revenue.

However, the first batch is gradually being put into the market, and the second batch has also begun site selection and construction. There has been no sign of a shortage of funds, so the outside world is quite optimistic about this company. Once it gains industry influence, it will start to become valuable.

Yian Media, which represents copyright, doesn't value its copyrights much in the current market.

Yanye Capital, on the other hand, is now quite valuable because it holds controlling stakes in several companies under Yan Li's name.

Not to mention that Yan Ye has significant investments in addition to the companies in Yi An.

For example, Tudou.com.

On October 9, 2006, Google acquired YouTube for $16.5 billion.

This major acquisition impacted the entire global internet market, instantly making video websites darlings of the capital market.

Tudou.com, currently the number one video website in China, has become a hot commodity, with its valuation soaring ever higher.

By the end of 2006, Tudou.com's valuation had exceeded US$1 million, which is nearly RMB 8 million.

It's important to understand that Tudou.com is currently burning through cash rapidly, with extremely low profit margins, and the market competition is unprecedentedly fierce due to the entry of various internet giants.

Even so, Tudou.com's valuation is still rising rapidly. Compared to the internet, the boom in the entertainment industry is nothing.

Yan Li owns about 30% of Tudou.com, which is worth approximately 2.5 million yuan.

Tudou.com is just one of the projects Yan Li has invested in. Although this project is the most valuable, the others have also brought Yan Li some returns to varying degrees.

Yan Li held meetings for several days in a row, got a thorough understanding of his subordinate companies, and made some arrangements.

I'm really looking forward to this year's Forbes and Hurun rich lists.

Last year he bragged a bit on the unofficial list; this year, it's uncertain whether he'll make it onto the official list. As for whether this is a "slaughter list," that's not something Yan Li needs to consider for now.

Firstly, his money is earned legitimately, and secondly, his ranking isn't high, so there's no need to worry about that for now.

Third, and most importantly, Yan Li needs the rich list to prove his wealth and ability, further solidify his image as a business prodigy, and then support his business plans.
Of course, Yan Li also hoped to show off a little bit on the side.

Ultimately, he's just a young man who recently turned 26 and still has a need to show off.

Besides, if you don't show off now, even if you become the richest person in your thirties or forties, you won't feel the same way anymore.

An 18-year-old millionaire and a 60-year-old billionaire are completely different concepts.

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.

Always remember, there will be reverberations.

This year's Forbes list was released in early January, with 400 mainland Chinese billionaires making the list.

Huang, the owner of Gome, has once again topped the list of China's richest people with a net worth of 180 billion yuan.

Yan Li searched around and finally found himself.

Name: Yan Li, Gender: Male, Age: 26
[Company Name]: Yanye Capital/Yian Film & Television, [Headquarters Location]: Beijing, [Main Industries]: Film and television production and distribution, internet investment
[Rank]: 258, [Total Assets]: 11.85 billion (RMB)
So little?!

The difference between Forbes' estimate and his own estimate is too great.

However, after carefully studying the list, Yan Li found that Forbes was relatively conservative in its valuation of companies this year.

It's not that we should completely ignore it, but we will squeeze out a lot of the excess.

Yan Li believed that the valuations of Yi'an, Yi'an, and Tudou.com, which had significantly increased his personal worth, had all been compressed to varying degrees.

This can be seen from the generally poor performance of internet business owners this year, with only 5 people from internet companies among the top 100.

Another point is that Yi An's earnings and Yan Li's stock market gains were not disclosed by Yan Li, so Forbes, which is always conservative, naturally underestimated them.

If you calculate it this way, Yan Li's net worth is actually quite good; there aren't many other film and television company bosses on the list.

The Wang brothers of Huayi Brothers, combined, are only valued at 8 million yuan, ranking 362nd.

Although he didn't make it into the top 200, Yan Li felt that a net worth of 1 billion was acceptable.

Most importantly, it's more than the Wang brothers.

Yan Li didn't make the list last year, so these two are considered to be at the bottom of the list, with a net worth of around 5 to 6 million.

A year has passed, and although the two brothers have made progress, they can't keep up with Yan Li, who has overtaken them at lightning speed.

Yan Li is trying to stir up trouble by turning back, letting the outside world know who the real "richest man" in the entertainment industry is.

While observing the others, Yan Li picked up his phone, raised an eyebrow, and answered the call.

"Old Yu, what are you congratulating me on?"

"The Forbes list? I haven't had a chance to look at it yet. Oh well, I don't care about that."

"Hey, I'm just lucky. The business is big, but the pressure is also high. I'm always on edge, like walking on thin ice."

"Okay, I'll call you back after I've read it. Treating people? Is it worth treating more than 200 people? Fine, fine, I'll arrange it."

"..."

After hanging up the phone, Yan Li breathed a sigh of relief and savored the moment.

Cool!
Soon, a second congratulatory call rang, and Yan Li's puzzled voice came through.

"The Forbes list? Has it been released yet?"

"..."

Just as Yan Li was showing off to his relatives and friends, the Forbes rich list began to take shape, and Yan Li became a prominent figure on this year's rich list.

Although he's not ranked high, his youth is undeniable!
This year's Forbes list includes 400 billionaires, but only four are under 30 years old.

One is Zhao Ning, 25 years old, from Xinglong Company in Yunnan Province. He has a net worth of 8 million yuan and runs a gemstone and jewelry processing enterprise.

His inclusion on the list is quite simple: his father, Zhao Xinglong, is the "King of Jade Gambling" in Yunnan Province, and he inherited the business from his father.

A man named Chen Danian, 28 years old, with a net worth of 8 million yuan, works for Shanda Networks. The boss of Shanda, Mr. Chen, is his older brother.

Another one is Li Zhaohui, the richest man born in the 80s mentioned last year. Compared with last year, his asset ranking has dropped, but he still remains firmly in the top 100.

Then there's Yan Li, who is the only self-made billionaire under 30 years old on the list with a net worth of over one billion.

Not only was it a sensational story, but Yan Li himself was also very famous, so it naturally attracted a lot of media attention.

[Billionaire] + [Self-made] + [Entertainment Mogul] + [26 years old] + [Born in the 80s] + [Actress] + [Stories told by many popular actresses]

These elements, when combined randomly, can attract readers and onlookers to click on the news, making it far more newsworthy than Huang's return to the top of the rich list.

...

Xinjiang Province, *The Legend of Chu Liuxiang*

Dong Xuan, dressed in her costume, was memorizing her script when Yang Xue quickly approached with her phone.

"Stop carrying it, your man is on the front page."

Is it surprising that he's on the news?

Dong Xuan didn't take it seriously, but then she realized what was going on and asked angrily, "Which vixen seduced him this time?"

"It's not a scandal, it's a good thing."

Yang Xue explained for a moment, then added with a complicated expression, "However, you'll probably see a lot of similar rumors in the future."

"What do you mean?"

Dong Xuan took the phone from Yang Xue, looked at the text news on the screen, and then looked at Yang Xue blankly.

"Yan Li, over a billion!?"

She knew Yan Li was rich, a billionaire, and constantly making money, but surely not so fast.

He was a billionaire last year, and now he's a ten-figure millionaire. Is Yan Li making TV dramas or printing money?

Is this real news?

Dong Xuan was a little skeptical, and Yang Xue was speechless: "Can't you see the words 'Forbes'? If you don't believe me, go back to the hotel and check it on the computer, or call someone and ask."

Upon hearing this, Dong Xuan's sense of relief vanished, and a complex emotion of both joy and headache appeared on her face.

It's a good thing that your man is rich!
It's not necessarily a good thing if your husband is too rich.

Good heavens, there were already a bunch of swarms of women throwing themselves at Yan Li before, and now that Yan Li's net worth has increased, won't there be even more vixens trying to steal him away?
Yang Xue thought so too, and she even suggested, "I think you can talk to Bingbing, so that you can unite against external forces if necessary."

Among the seven fairies, Li Lin was the most popular, followed by Yang Xue.

She had a good relationship with Fan Xiaopang and Dong Xuan, and sometimes she would consciously act as a peacemaker, hoping that the two sides could put aside their disputes.

Dong Xuan didn't say anything upon hearing this, but it was clear that she had taken it to heart.

In fact, there was a tacit understanding among all parties before this, but it was not solid, with many conflicts and selfish motives.

However, if there is a lot of external pressure, Dong Xuan thinks that to some extent, everyone can give up some disputes and maintain consistency in certain aspects and at certain times.

However, Dong Xuan felt that Qin Lan was someone she could talk to, since their situations were somewhat similar.

It's hard to say about Fan Xiaopang; that sly fox is incredibly arrogant!
...

No market, the crew of "The Legend of Yang Yuhuan"

Fan Xiaopang, who had just returned two days prior, was naturally also informed of this news.

Her team is much more astute than Dong Xuan's circle of friends; they've even started figuring out how to ride the wave of popularity. Fan Xiaopang already had a close relationship with Yan Li.

Yan Li is in the limelight, and Fan Xiaopang can also benefit from it.

Moreover, Forbes is not just a list of the rich, but also a list of celebrities, and this year, Fan Xiaopang, who has an outstanding career, has made it into the top ranks.

She ranked sixth overall, only behind sports superstars Yao Ming and Liu Xiang, and actresses Xiao Yanzi, Zhang Ziyi, and Zhou Xun.

Incidentally, Li Bingbing ranked tenth, marking the first time the two Bingbings have teamed up to enter the Forbes Celebrity 10.

Although not as dominant as the three leading actresses, Shuangbing has proven that she is worthy of being compared with the four leading actresses.

After all, there is one dragging down the four actresses, Xu Jinglei, who ranks eighteenth, even lower than Chen Hao, the leading actress of Orange Sky Entertainment.

Fan Xiaopang's rapid rise to sixth place is inseparable from his extensive media exposure and skyrocketing income.

With an income of 1900 million, he is on par with Zhou Xun, ranking seventh on the income list.

It's a bit of a pity, because Fan Xiaopang didn't get much of a boost from the release of "Invisible Wings" at the end of the year. Otherwise, his rankings in all aspects would have risen even higher.

Even if it rises a bit, Fan Xiaopang will at most surpass Zhou Gongzi.

They are still some distance from Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li, who earn US dollars directly by starring in big-budget domestic films and international movies.

Besides, Xiao Yanzi and Li Bingbing both ranked fourteenth on the income list with 1300 million.

Xu Jinglei once again dragged down the overall performance of the "Four Dan and Two Bing" group, with her income reaching only 8 million yuan, placing her outside the top 30 on the income list.

She is also the only one among the four top female singers who did not make it into the top ten in the overall rankings and whose income was less than ten million. It is conceivable that she will be crushed by the others later.

Especially the double-soldier, which is still quite far behind the four-dan, so it has to step on the bottom one to raise the double-soldier and lower the four-dan.

This list also shows that after a year of preparation and catching up, the four top female contestants and two top male contestants have formed a substantial competitive relationship.

As competition intensifies, this concept will become more deeply ingrained in people's minds and give it an overwhelming and monopolistic advantage over other female stars.

For example, Chen Hao, although her ranking on the celebrity list and her income are no less than Xu Jinglei's.

But in everyone's impression, she is not as popular as the "Four Dan and Two Bing" (a group of four top actresses and two top female actors), and her status is not even on the same level.

Fan Xiaopang was also a little surprised by Yan Li's wealth, but not nearly as surprised as Dong Xuan.

As the company's top female employee, she knew how much money Yi An had earned this year. Combined with Yan Li's various investment plans and real estate holdings, she had a rough idea of ​​Yan Li's net worth.

However, Fan Xiaopang himself estimated it to be 8 million to 10 billion, but Forbes estimated it to be nearly 12 billion.

A self-made billionaire at the age of 26!

Even though Fan Xiaopang was mentally prepared, she couldn't help but sigh, "My mother has such good taste; she's caught a top-notch bachelor."

As for those women who might throw themselves at Yan Li, it would be an exaggeration for Fan Xiaopang to say he wasn't nervous or concerned at all.

However, she was confident in her charm, and coupled with her importance to Yi'an, she was more confident than Dong Xuan.

Compared to those vixens, what Fan Xiaopang really fears are those socialites and rich heiresses.

Yan Li's womanizing is indeed a flaw, but that doesn't mean no one is interested in him; such young talents are highly sought after.

At worst, we can just ask him to keep a low profile after the marriage. His family will turn a blind eye. If Yan Li is capable enough to keep this "wife" under control, no one will make a fuss, and then it won't be a problem at all.

Needless to say, Yan Li has an advantage: he values ​​old friendships and doesn't forget his roots.

This quality is far more important to many people than purity or fidelity.

If a girl with a similar background were to make a move on Yan Li, she might not be as pretty as Yan Li, but she could offer her more help.

More importantly, his background and status are more respectable than Fan Xiaopang's.

Popular female celebrities have an aura, and these people also have an aura, some of which are even more alluring to men.

As for Fan Xiaopang, she would rather Yan Li be surrounded by more beautiful women, because they would be difficult to threaten her position, but it's hard to say about these kinds of girls.

But no matter what, her own successful career and Yan Li's abundant wealth are things to be happy about.

She even posted a blog after work, complaining that everyone is too sensitive about money, and that the release of a list causes a constant stream of phone calls. She added that Forbes is just entertainment news, something to watch for fun.

Some netizens asked in the comments whether she really earned 1900 million last year, to which Fan Xiaopang neither confirmed nor denied.

I haven't calculated it. Believe it if you think it's true, don't believe it if you don't. It's that simple.

When netizens inquired about Yan Li's net worth, she did not give a direct answer, only saying that she would ask Boss Yan for a big red envelope later.

...

Qin Lan, who had already returned to China after filming in France, heard the news at a gathering of the Teddy Sisters.

Somewhat bewildered and confused, Qin Lan hadn't even reacted before she was overwhelmed by her sisters' congratulations and flattery.

"About 12 billion, that's a lot of money."

The Teddy Sisters didn't have a deep understanding of this astronomical figure.

This year, two members of the Teddy Sisters group also made the list—Qin Lan and Huo Siyan.
However, both of them ranked relatively low, with an income of only over 100 million.

Some of them are inaccurate, but the difference isn't that big.

As I said before, celebrities don't earn much these days, and they have to give a share to their companies, so what they actually get is very little.

Some celebrities on the list, who supposedly earned two or three million, couldn't help but complain about being poor, saying it was all fake and they didn't earn that much.

Some earned a lot, but for various reasons, they didn't make the list.

For example, Liu Yun's ex-boyfriend, Nie Yuan, earned significantly more than some people on the list, but he was not included.

Li Xiaolu didn't have much ambition in her career and filmed fewer movies, so her income wasn't high last year. However, Ma Yili still earned a lot, with her income exceeding one million yuan, but she didn't make the list.

In any case, these individuals are all hovering around the million-dollar mark, at most a few million.

12 billion is enough for them to work for hundreds of years.

While Huo Siyan and Li Xiaolu could at least imagine something, Xiong Naijin and Zhao Ke, who had even lower incomes, didn't even have a concrete anchor for their imagination.

All I knew was that it was money I couldn't earn in several lifetimes!
While offering congratulations, everyone looked at Qin Lan with a complex expression in their eyes.

I'm worried that my sisters are suffering, but I'm also worried that they're driving Land Rovers!

Qin Lan isn't just driving a Land Rover anymore, she's practically driving an aircraft carrier! Why can't I find a potential partner like her?
Seemingly sensing that something was amiss, Liu Yun nudged Qin Lan, who then smiled.

"I don't understand or care about men's affairs. Everyone, keep having fun. I'm paying today."

"Thank you, Sister Lan. You're so generous. Waiter, bring us some good wine."

Li Xiaolu comes from a wealthy family and is less concerned about money than most people. In addition, she prefers to have fun rather than flatter, so she immediately changed the subject.

As part of the atmosphere-building team and a confidante of Qin Lan, Huo Siyan received the signal and immediately began to set the pace.

After finishing her gathering with the Teddy Sisters, Qin Lan began to ponder the changes caused by Yan Li's exposure of his wealth on her way home.

What Dong Xuan could think of, she could also think of.

She didn't even need to think about it; she had personally witnessed the changes in the Teddy Sisters' eyes and emotions just now.

These women, who have known her for quite some time and are considered good friends, are already finding it hard to resist her charms, let alone others.

Back in Fuli City, Qin Lan paced around at home for a while, hesitated for a long time, and then made a phone call.

"Hey?"

"heard it."

Dong Xuan's calm voice came through: "What do you want?"

Qin Lan rolled her eyes. Dong Xuan was always pretending to be innocent. She didn't believe that Dong Xuan could have remained silent after learning about this.

"If you keep talking like this, there's nothing left to talk about. Everyone's busy with their own things, and at worst, we'll all be finished."

Qin Lan took the initiative to make the call, but that didn't mean she was willing to hand over the initiative to Dong Xuan. No matter what they did, both parties had to be equals.

Dong Xuan was silent for a moment, then her voice became much more natural: "I understand what you mean. What do you want to do?"

Qin Lan said decisively: "Let's join forces."

"Just the two of us?"

"What do you mean?"

This time it was Qin Lan's turn to be puzzled. Dong Xuan paused for a moment and said, "Should we include the one surnamed Fan?"

Qin Lan remained silent, and Dong Xuan didn't say anything either; only the faint static from the phone could be heard.

Although neither of them said it outright, both Qin Lan and Dong Xuan felt that they were more similar to each other, while Fan Xiaopang was an outlier.

On one hand, both of them were with Yan Li before he became successful. Although they were entangled in a mess due to his ex-girlfriend, they both considered themselves his official wives.

Fan Xiaopang was indeed a mistress, and they got together after Yan Li rose to power.

The wives of the principal wives are mutually exclusive, but they both look down on the mistresses.

Behind their disdain lies vigilance and apprehension, because judging from the current situation, Fan Xiaopang is their biggest threat and the most likely to kick them out and take their place.

The two are evenly matched, so cooperation is reasonable. But what if we bring Fan Xiaopang in?

First, does this mean they're acknowledging that the three of them will have equal status from now on, with Fan going from being the mistress to the "official wife"? This would be like giving the two of them an advantage.

Secondly, will it lead to Fan Xiaopang overshadowing the others, forming a trio that becomes one superpower and two strong contenders, which in turn suppresses the other two?

Third, and somewhat embarrassingly, this kind of game, which is more about forming alliances and sticking together, makes it even more shameful for the arrogant Fan Xiaopang not to join them. It would be even more humiliating to be rejected if he didn't want to play with them.

Even Dong Xuan, who proposed the idea, was undecided, let alone Qin Lan.

The two remained deadlocked for several minutes before Qin Lan made a new suggestion.

A three-person alliance is possible, but there is an alliance within an alliance.

Dong Xuan thought for a moment: "You mean the three of us should first join forces and unite against the outside world, and then the two of us should join forces to deal with her internally?"

“I don’t think the two of us alone can hold them off. Adding her would be even more effective, but we can’t let her get too big for us. So this strategy of having a large alliance within a smaller alliance is the most suitable.”

Dong Xuan considered for a moment and nodded in agreement: "Okay."

"Okay, contact her now and bring her in."

Why aren't you pooping?

“I called you first, now it’s your turn to call. Besides, didn’t you two play sisters? You’re easier to talk to than me.”

"You two even played rivals in love, so you have more experience communicating with her."

"You hit."

"You hit."

"Fine, don't bother."

"Fine, fine."

"..."

To call it an alliance is wishful thinking; expecting two women who are still fighting over a man and even had a fight before to work together is delusional.

You're cunning when dealing with enemies, but even more cunning when dealing with allies...

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.

PS: 1.1 words update (7000/7000), month-end accounting complete.
Updates will resume at the normal schedule tomorrow. By the way, I'm asking for your guaranteed monthly votes!

(End of this chapter)