Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 329 A Big Meeting Within a Small Meeting, Hulao Pass, Buying at the Bottom of JD.com
"What 'New Yi'an'? It's like they're some Hong Kong triad."

Yan Li looked at the reports outside and couldn't help but complain.

However, it is understandable. After the merger, Yi'an Cinemas disappeared, leaving only the Yi'an brand. The new company, Yi'an Entertainment, is somewhat different from the original Yi'an Films. Adding the word "new" makes it easier to distinguish.

Don't worry too much about it; it's just a transitional name. Once Yi'an Entertainment stabilizes, the "new" part will naturally disappear.

Merging two companies isn't as simple as just changing the brand name; there's a lot to do.

Yan Li brought the two families together and reached an agreement on the key points, thus overcoming the most difficult hurdle.

Then comes the negotiation of terms and the completion of contracts and formalities. After this step, the company is officially established.

The rest is integration, a power struggle and tug-of-war between the two companies and their various departments, vying for control and so on.

Every advantage has its disadvantages. The merger of the two companies is definitely positive in terms of the overall direction and interests of the company, but it is also inevitable that there will be some internal friction and disputes.

For example, Yi An used to produce movies and then contact Yi An Cinemas for distribution.

The two companies should cooperate according to the rules; at most, it's a strategic partnership with some preferential treatment.

But now that it's between two departments or two sectors, questions arise about who should take the lead, how to cooperate, and how to divide benefits and performance.

Therefore, new companies need a long period of continuous integration and adjustment. In the example above, it is necessary to find ways to formulate norms and systems that are in line with the company's interests and are relatively satisfactory or acceptable to both parties.

This will take a long time.

Even a rough integration, clarifying the system and processes, will take several months. For the two companies to be fully integrated, it may take one or two years to achieve a complete fusion.

Yan Li had long been prepared for this; this is how it is when a company gets big.

Let alone a merger between the two companies, even if they start investing in cinemas from scratch, they will still fight.

Weren't Yi'an's film and television department and distribution department also eager to make moves before? They were unaffiliated and diverse.

Fighting means everyone wants to improve; not fighting would only cause trouble, indicating a lack of ambition for the company and the business. A bunch of complacent people are bound to fail, and the company is doomed.

Yan Li cannot stop the internal struggles, but he can use various means to reduce the intensity of the internal struggles, try his best to reduce internal friction, and turn them into healthy competition that benefits the company.

Whether it's Yi'an Films or Yi'an Cinemas, Yan Li is the most influential founder.

To put it bluntly, all the executives and employees of both companies were under his command, and Yan Li was confident that he could keep the situation under control.

Don't underestimate this point; many company mergers involve the large swallowing up the small, or uncontrollable internal strife stemming from a chain of suspicion.

As the founder of both companies, Yan Li was trusted by all the employees, who even regarded him as their referee and support. Yan Li could use this to control the situation and complete the integration smoothly and at low cost.

Currently, the two companies are still in the negotiation stage, but it is just a struggle for interests and the right to speak. The trend of merger is unstoppable.

Therefore, Yan Li convened a joint meeting of the two companies' senior executives to arrange an integration plan.

It's quite a story, really. Yi'an Film and Yi'an Cinema's offices are located on the same floor, so merging them now is very convenient. They don't even need to move; they just need to make some simple adjustments and change the sign.

Although Mr. Yan repeatedly claimed that he initially put the two companies together for his own convenience in working at both companies and to negotiate prices with the property management, he still insisted on doing so.

However, many people now speculate that Yan Li was already planning the merger when the two companies moved.

At least have this idea. If it doesn't work, it will make it convenient for him to work. If it does work, the upstairs and downstairs buildings can directly become one company.

What a thief!
The actual implementation is none of Yan Li's concern; there are dedicated personnel to formulate plans and execute them. All he needs to do is shout slogans and offer encouragement.

In other words, it's about making a statement, or to put it more bluntly, offering empty promises and laying out the unpleasant truths upfront.

The merger is complete, everyone is delighted. I'll eat the meat, and you can drink the soup.

If anyone tries to sabotage his plans while pretending to comply, then don't blame him for being ruthless and showing no mercy.

After the major meeting, smaller meetings followed. The merger of the two companies could not be kept secret from the core executives; they were all aware of it and had reached a consensus.

Yan Li asked them to pay more attention to and supervise the merger.

Ordinary senior executives and middle managers may suffer losses due to the merger, while core executives are likely to receive some original shares. The merger is beneficial for listing, and everyone can make more money, so they must be on the right track.

Finally, Yan Li kept the HR director behind and talked to him about recruiting a CEO or vice president who was good at capital operations.

At present, the two companies are merging, and no one but Yan Li can stop them. But after the merger, they will plan to go public.

Yan Li is not an expert in this area, so he needs to find someone to take the lead and be responsible for planning and promoting Yi An's listing.

Money and initial public offering (IPO) shares are easy to negotiate; the key is to have real skills.

Yan Li took a two-pronged approach, instructing the personnel department to search while simultaneously using the system to cast a wide net.

While the latter requires a bit of luck, it's still quite prestigious and allows for collaboration with the HR department for review and selection.

Many of the talents on Yi An and Weibo were recruited by Yan Li through the system.

To some extent, the HR director was just a puppet; the intelligence system was Yan Li's true "HR."

...

After giving his instructions, Yan Li looked at the various social invitations on his phone and selected "overtime".

During this period, he was away in Hong Kong and filming, so he was not in Beijing. He came back twice for the hit movie "Painted Skin" and the merger of Yi An. During this time, there was also the financial crisis and bankruptcy rumors. So many people wanted to talk to him.

Yan Li was so bothered that he simply ignored them all, stayed to oversee the operations of a few companies, and then returned to Hengdian.

Upon arriving at the office, Yan Li turned on his computer and browsed Weibo to see what others thought about the merger of Yi An.

As he expected, this move was a huge blow to the rumors of Yan Li's bankruptcy.

Some have estimated that after the merger of the two companies, the company was valued at several billion yuan, with Yanli holding a significant stake, resulting in a substantial increase in his net worth.

Not only did they not go bankrupt, they actually became even richer!
However, some people hold opposing views, such as Pang Yidian, a former reporter for the Southern Metropolis Daily, who is a staunch supporter of the "Yan Li bankruptcy theory".

This bastard used to be Yi An's collaborator, paying her to write articles. Because he shamelessly missed deadlines and broke his promises, Yi An, unable to tolerate him any longer, terminated their collaboration.

This made the shameless Pang Yidian hold a grudge against Yi'an and Yan Li.

Because Pang Yidian was already somewhat famous on his blog, he later joined Sina Weibo, the arch-rival of microblogging.

The rumors about Yan Li's bankruptcy were spread by him and several other so-called influential figures on blogs, microblogs, and Tianya.

Later, Weibo also supported several people to come out and refute the claims. One reason was to clarify things for Yan Li, but the main reason was to win back the traffic.

Because Weibo has a large user base and wide reach, it even forced several people to register for Weibo accounts, and the main battleground gradually shifted to Weibo.

Seeing that Yan Li's bankruptcy theory had been severely damaged, Pang Yidian once again spouted nonsense.

He posted seven or eight Weibo posts in a row, explaining from multiple perspectives that the merger of Yi'an was precisely Yan Li's death throes.

Yan Li wanted to use this to prove that he was not bankrupt. The so-called merger of the two companies did not help Yan Li's financial situation, but was a drag.

Originally, Yi'an Films was profitable, while Yi'an Cinemas was losing money. After the two merged, the money Yi'an earned flowed directly to Yi'an Cinemas.

Yan Li directly lost an important cash pool.

The film and television industry is notoriously high-risk. If money is lost, a large amount of funds will be tied up in cinemas. If Yi'an's capital chain breaks, there is a risk of its collapse.

This was a terrible move, a stupid move. Yan Li was completely flustered. The glorious birth of Xin Yi'an was also the beginning of the collapse of this edifice.

If Yi An gets into trouble, Weibo will be next.

If Yan Li were smart, he would have sold his Weibo account earlier and saved up some money for his wife; otherwise, they would have fallen into the abyss together.

Watching this guy jump around like that, and with quite a few supporters in the comments section, Yan Li was speechless.

How can so many people believe something that's just a half-full bottle of water?

However, it's understandable. Right now, magazines like "Yilin" and "Zhiyin" are all the rage, and people would believe it if you said the air in America was sweet.

Let alone 2008, even more than a decade later, based on the few words Yan Li gleaned from future intelligence, there are still many people who believe in all sorts of rumors and conspiracy theories. Various platforms have groups of storytellers and their followers.

Yan Li did not retaliate against Pang Yidian. Any platform can't only have positive accounts; it also needs some clowns and trash cans—what we'd call "electronic pets" in later times.

Pang Yidian seems like a good candidate.

Give him some traffic later, then find an opportunity to slap him in the face, making him both famous and infamous, providing amusement for Weibo users.

Yan Li ignored Pang Yidian and started browsing Weibo.

Whenever he has time, he browses Weibo almost every day, and every ten days or so he goes through it in detail to experience the changes on Weibo.

Now, Weibo has passed its initial period of rapid growth and entered an era of steady growth and stock accumulation.

Attracting new users is important, but even more important is keeping users active and willing to be more active on Weibo.

In addition to Sina Weibo, NetEase and Sohu also launched their own microblogs. Fanfou received investment and expanded, and the struggling Tencent Taotao also began to revamp its interface, making its features similar to Weibo and attracting celebrities to join.

The previous Weibo battle with Weike was just a small test; now the real Weibo war has begun.

Weibo has already unleashed its powerful weapon: the trending topics list.

The results are quite good, but it's still too early to have a significant impact; it needs time to build up and develop.

In addition, Weibo is constantly launching various activities and features to maintain its leading edge. The rest is about competing with other platforms and burning money and resources.

Those who can hold on, keep holding on; those who can't, get the hell out of here.

According to Yan Li, NetEase and Sohu are not taking the Weibo battle seriously enough. They have realized that it will be difficult for them to grow quickly and catch up with Weibo.

Given the nature of Weibo, being second or third in importance isn't that significant.

Currently, both companies are hoping to capitalize on the chaos and grab a share of the pie, so they are still supporting their own platforms, but are being relatively restrained in their investment due to concerns about the future prospects.

Sina is slightly better than the other two, having entered the market earlier, so there's some hope. I'll grit my teeth and bet on them.

Fanfou is a special case, being an independent platform. Its future prospects and the level of support from its investors will be crucial.

If the prospects are promising enough, perhaps some people will support He Yanli in a showdown; otherwise, he will be abandoned cannon fodder, belonging to the category of beings with high potential but low minimum performance.

But penguins are the most special!
Because of Tencent's strength and later Weibo, Yan Li was actually most wary of Tencent from the beginning, even more so than of Sina.

As a result, now that Weibo has been around for almost a year, Penguin's performance has greatly surprised him. Microblogging is a form of social media, related to Penguin's business, and it certainly won't be willing to give it up easily.

However, there are serious internal divisions. One faction is Taotao, which was newly established last year but has performed poorly. They insist on supporting Taotao because it is a new station and has made a lot of initial investment. It would be a pity to give up.

One faction supports creating a new microblogging platform, arguing that Taotao's performance is insufficient to compete with microblogging, and a new site must be created to leverage Tencent's advantages to compete with microblogging.

Another group opposes both ideas, believing that Taotao's failure proves that running external websites is unreliable, and that it's better to support QQ Space.

Tencent's foundation is QQ, so its strategy must naturally be based on QQ. With hundreds of millions of users, QQ Zone could easily wipe out Weibo.

Each of the three parties had its own valid reasons and interests, and after much debate, they finally compromised and agreed to reform Tao Tao.

Through the system, Yan Li learned more clearly about some of the reasons why Tencent, despite launching Taotao two years earlier than Sina, ultimately lost out to Sina in future intelligence reports.

The two sides are not on the same level in terms of decisiveness, internal mobilization, level of importance attached to this matter, and their thinking.

Even though Weibo has disappeared and Sina Weibo and Tencent's Taotao are now competing head-to-head, Yan Li is more optimistic about Sina.

However, this is not a bad thing for Weibo, as it greatly reduces internal pressure.

By the time we enter the mobile era next year, even if Tencent changes its mind and prepares to invest heavily in competing with Weibo, the situation will be different from what it is now.

More importantly, by then Tencent's home turf will be almost completely destroyed, so it may not have the time or inclination to focus on Weibo.

Just like the plan Yan Li once considered, they would switch hometowns. If Tencent threatened Weibo, Yan Li would pull the lever to develop mobile social software to cut off Pony Ma's escape route.

Whether it succeeds or not is another matter, but with Yan Li's fame and influence, he's enough to give Tencent a headache for a while.

This is also called defensive and defensive entrepreneurship; Liu Qiangdong of JD.com did something similar.

Speaking of Liu from JD.com, Yan Li searched for his Weibo account and found that the update frequency had obviously decreased, and the original high spirits and fighting spirit were also gone from his posts.

Yan Li had heard some rumors that this guy was having a tough time lately, and that Xu, the CEO of Capital Today, had even arranged a bridge loan for JD.com.

But for some reason, I never contacted him. I wonder if he also believed the nonsense about Boss Yan going bankrupt.

Well, the bankruptcy rumor is too much, but maybe they also think he doesn't have much money, or perhaps they're being a bit wary of him.

Previously, Liu Qiangdong asked Yan Li to invest in JD.com. At that time, Weibo had not yet been launched. Yan Li was an entertainment tycoon who brought fame and capital to JD.com, making it a mutually beneficial arrangement.

However, things are different with Weibo.

The two sides can still cooperate, but Weibo is currently very powerful. If Yan Li were to acquire JD.com through Weibo and directly connect e-commerce with its traffic pool, this business empire would be extremely beneficial to Yan Li.

After knowing each other for a while, Yan Li also got to know Lao Liu better. This guy was extremely concerned about controlling JD.com.

A small investment is acceptable, but it cannot pose a threat to JD.com.

Yan Li is too famous, rich, powerful and resourceful, making Lao Liu feel insecure.

"We haven't been pushed to the brink yet."

If you're really pushed to the brink, and the company is on the verge of collapse, don't even mention control. Even knowing they're wolves, you'll still drink poison to quench your thirst.

Moreover, Yan Li has little interest in e-commerce; he sees JD.com as a partner, though it would be better if his own company took the initiative.

Yan Li initially wanted to stretch the other person a bit, but after thinking about it, he decided against it.

Old Liu is indeed too wary of him. He shouldn't let things drag on and end up benefiting someone else.

I originally intended to meet him directly, but it turned out he was out of town on investment trips and not in Beijing, so I arranged to meet him in Hengdian and asked Liu to go there to find him.

Those who pay the money should at least show some respect.

Yan Li stayed in the capital for two days, then returned to the "New Three Kingdoms" crew to film the major drama "Hulao Pass".

In this grand drama, Yan Li's role wasn't actually that big, but it was definitely the climax of the climax, even though he played the villain who served to highlight Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei.

First, film the scene where Lü Bu provokes others.

To be fair, the character Lü Bu in the new Three Kingdoms series gets a lot of screen time, and it's not just because Yan Li is the lead actor.

Because it wasn't confirmed that Yan Li would be in "New Three Kingdoms" at the time, the screenwriters added a lot of detail to the character of Lü Bu when they were writing the script.

It even seemed like a whitewashing attempt. Later, when Yan Li got the script, he actually communicated with the screenwriter and deleted some settings and plot points.

The reason why the screenwriter favored the character of Lü Bu is also related to the current trend of opposing the original work and anti-stereotyped characters.

Cao Cao, the universally acknowledged treacherous minister and warlord, has been exonerated, and so has Lü Bu.

So what if he stabbed a few godfathers to death?

A true man should never be subservient to anyone, ride the fiercest horse, sleep with the most beautiful woman, wield a halberd and fight to the death, living a life of exhilaration and coolness.

Some insights can be gleaned from online novels about the Three Kingdoms period.

Liu Bei is a typical hypocrite and a big-eared scoundrel, the kind of person who would kill eight out of ten protagonists who time-travel. Cao Cao is a true hero, while Lü Bu is controversial, depending to some extent on whether the protagonist tries to take Diao Chan.

Regardless of the controversy, Lu Bu's reputation now is much better than that of a purely villainous character in the original novel.

Yan Li demanded that the changes be strictly regulated and that the core characters conform to popular perception.

But if you want to extract something more from the script, you can only create a more three-dimensional portrayal of pure villains like Cao Cao, Sima Yi, and Lü Bu.

Cao Cao was still a cunning and ruthless hero, but he also had his original aspirations, achievements, and unique personal charm. Sima Yi did not initially intend to usurp the throne, but rather his ambition gradually grew and he began to turn evil.

Lu Bu has his own logic, and he's incredibly fierce!

In the Battle of Hulao Pass, Lü Bu single-handedly provoked the enemy, defeating them one by one with his halberd, and single-handedly intimidating the eighteen warlords, giving Yuan Shao and his allies a resounding slap in the face.

Even with Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei joining forces, Lü Bu could not defeat them. He was exhausted and gradually fell into a disadvantageous position. In order to avoid losses, he stopped fighting and retreated instead of being cut down and fleeing in panic.

After filming the provocation and killing of minor enemies in the morning, they filmed the Three Heroes Battle Lü Bu in the afternoon. Yan Li and the others even discussed their individual styles.

First is Lü Bu. He is fierce, and his strength and skills are beyond question. His moves are expansive yet ingenious.

The three characters Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were designed as follows: Zhang Fei was strong, had great stamina, and was high in both attack and defense, making him a tank and warrior; Guan Yu was explosive, had a fast sword, and possessed skills such as the dragging sword technique, making him an assassin and mage.

Liu Bei excelled in everything, possessing exceptional skills in all areas. He worked seamlessly with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, complementing and reinforcing their abilities, thus serving as a support.

These days, a conspiracy theory is popular: that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were actually capable of defeating Lü Bu in the Three Heroes Battle, but Liu Bei's attempt to gain credit and fame hindered them, forcing Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to take care of him, ultimately leading to Lü Bu's escape.

Yan Li still had a favorable impression of Liu Bei, and he had also read the official historical records. Liu Bei's martial prowess was not low; he was a true ruler who could fight on horseback.

If Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan were to fight one-on-one, it would likely be Cao Cao and Sun Quan who would die.

Therefore, the claim that it's a drag on is nonsense; the new Three Kingdoms uses a more logical explanation.

Liu Bei acted as both the glue and the amplifier, helping Guan Yu and Zhang Fei forge a bond in the Peach Garden, ultimately leading to their victory over Lü Bu.

Fearing that the audience might not understand the fight scenes, they even had Lu Bu say it through his own words after he was defeated at Hulao Pass.

"The black-faced thief is strong and powerful, while the red-faced thief is highly skilled with his sword. Although both are strong, they cannot do anything to me."

"What's hateful is that last big-eared thief. His swordsmanship is only mediocre, but it just made up for the shortcomings of the other two thieves. The three of them worked together with a tight formation. I couldn't find an opportunity and was afraid that a prolonged battle would lead to defeat, so I had no choice but to return to camp first."

The battle between the three heroes and Lü Bu at Hulao Pass is definitely a highlight and one of the peak action scenes in the entire series.

So the filming wasn't very fast; we didn't finish in one afternoon, and we'll have to continue filming tomorrow.

The CCTV version of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" has little to say about its literary scenes, but some scenes and action sequences were not well-executed due to limitations. Therefore, the new "Three Kingdoms" should focus more on these aspects and highlight the strengths of this version.

"Old Liu."

After wrapping up filming, Yan Li greeted Mr. Liu from JD.com, who was waiting on set.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Mr. Liu shook his head: "It's nothing. This is my first time watching a live film shoot. It's not quite what I imagined."

"Filming is tedious and arduous; what's appealing is the finished product after editing."

Yan Li pointed to the scene just now: "You saw me on horseback just now, even a slight poke would make me pause, but when the TV series airs, you'll find that my moves are fierce and I'm very imposing."

"Some people like fishing, some like racing cars, and I wouldn't say I particularly enjoy acting, but seeing a different version of myself on screen and being liked by others feels great. It's a satisfaction of vanity and a sense of accomplishment, and it also gives me a keepsake."

"Time flies, and when I'm old, I can look back at what I looked like when I was young."

Yan Li understood that many bosses didn't understand why he was still personally acting in movies, so he took the opportunity to explain.

Mr. Liu suddenly realized: "President Yan's vision and level of thinking are truly admirable."

Actually, Mr. Liu felt that Yan Li might have made films for this reason, but more importantly, he wanted to be in the limelight and maintain his popularity and exposure.

With such a big production like "New Three Kingdoms," Yan Li's appearance in just a few episodes is essentially a huge advertisement for himself, which benefits the production team, himself, and his company.

Putting aside everything else, the popularity of "Painted Skin" has greatly benefited Weibo, automatically bringing it to its doorstep, and Yi An has also gained exposure.

Don't you see, when movies and TV series become popular, how many of the companies behind them are actually well-known?
Yi An is just a rising star, yet her fame surpasses that of established companies like Huayi Brothers and Bona Film Group. Yan Li, the boss, deserves immense credit for this.

In other words, he can't act and his appearance is also lacking; otherwise, Mr. Liu would have wanted to learn from him.

Many entrepreneurs are low-key, while others are keen to show off and be in the limelight.

Mr. Liu prefers the latter, partly for the sake of the company, but also because of his personal character. If he makes money and becomes successful, he wouldn't want to waste it if he didn't show off.

So, although Boss Liu didn't say it out loud, he was secretly a little envious of Yan Li's glamorous and powerful life.

Yan Li was unaware of Boss Liu's thoughts. Instead, he felt that Boss Liu was much more restrained than before. His brows were always furrowed, and although his hair was not white, it was limp and listless, giving people a depressed and anxious feeling.

He patted Boss Liu on the shoulder: "Let me take off my makeup, then we'll have a drink, you two."

Mr. Liu nodded. He was really in dire straits. Even though he was worried about Yan Li, he immediately came over as soon as the latter hinted at investing.

Putting aside the major issues, if Yan Li invests $500 million, plus Today Capital, and attracts a few smaller investors, that should be enough for JD.com to overcome its current difficulties…

　(5000/177000)

　　
　
(End of this chapter)