Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 354: "Lurking" Becomes a Hit, Yi An's Star Power Grows, Yan Li Applyes Extreme Pressure

The drama "Lurking" was taken quite seriously by the Yi An organization.

The reason is simple: Yan Li values ​​it, and judging from the finished product, the quality is indeed quite high.

But no one could have predicted that this show would become this popular.

The first broadcast of "Lurking" was on four satellite TV channels: Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, and Heilongjiang. With the four channels broadcasting it simultaneously, the highest viewership rating once exceeded 10%, and the market share averaged 22% or more.

What is this concept? !

It's already 2009, and the ratings are nowhere near as impressive as they were back then. A rating of 2 or 3 was considered a huge hit, and "Lurking" was almost a contender for the annual championship.

However, the most exaggerated thing is not the ratings. High ratings only mean that a show is watched a lot, but it does not necessarily mean that it is popular in the general public.

Otherwise, every year's hit shows and popular stars would be the same group of serious drama actors from CCTV.

What's most terrifying about "Lurking" is its immense influence online, offline, and in the media, truly breaking through social circles.

It not only attracted traditional spy drama enthusiasts, but also a large number of young people, women, intellectuals and housewives who never watch this kind of subject matter. The plot was being discussed in offices, schools, canteens and buses.

Countless people have been passionately analyzing not only the plot, but also Yu Zecheng's workplace strategies, Cui Ping's growth story, and the power of faith.

Many lines from the show became popular phrases, and numerous fan-made interpretations of the lines from "Lurking" appeared online and spread widely.

On Weibo, from the premiere to the finale of "Lurking", there were at least 2 to 3 related trending topics every day, and even after the finale, the momentum remained strong, with related topics garnering over 100 million views.

This is the first TV series to become this popular since Weibo was established and launched its trending topics list.

Several main actors from "Lurking" have also gained a lot of followers and exposure on Weibo.

The one who gained the most followers was Jiang Xin. With her straightforward, feisty, simple, strong, and cheerful character Cui Ping, she gained a huge following. At the height of the popularity of "Lurking", she gained more than a million followers in less than ten days.

Jiang Xin originally had over 100 million Weibo followers, which was considered quite good, placing her in the upper-middle tier among second-tier celebrities.

Now that "Lurking" has finished airing, her fan base has exceeded 300 million, and with the spread of the story and the re-airing of "Lurking," the rate of fan growth is still very fast.

According to Weibo's backend estimates, reaching the 500 million mark is definitely not going to be a problem. This is already on the way to becoming a top-tier celebrity, and even among top-tier celebrities, this is considered exceptionally outstanding.

Recently, whenever Jiang Xin posts any Weibo posts related to "Lurking", it almost always trends on Weibo, easily making it into the top ten, and she even topped the trending list twice.

Sun Honglei isn't as exaggerated as Jiang Xin, mainly because he has a better base of popularity, and his acting style and appearance are more suited to a serious actor. The audience who likes him is greater than the fans who like him.

Even so, Sun Honglei's popularity skyrocketed, with his Weibo followers increasing by millions.

This is the level of fame and popularity that a super hit drama brings to its core actors.

In the past, everyone knew that acting in a good drama would make you famous, but there was no clear concept of how famous you would become.

While the current rate and extent of follower growth on Weibo are not comprehensive, they do provide some supporting data.

The Beijing Daily stated that "Lurking" has become a cultural phenomenon, while Weibo Entertainment called it "everyone is talking about 'Lurking'" and the number one hit drama of the first half of 2009.

Yi'an was overjoyed!

Although Yi An didn't earn much from the first round of broadcasting rights for "Lurking," she has already recouped her investment. Now that "Lurking" is a huge hit, the prices for subsequent copyright collaborations will definitely rise, and not only will they rise, but there will be many buyers.

A hit drama of this caliber can generate far more revenue than many ordinary film and television projects.

Everyone wants to ride the wave of popularity, but everyone who tries to ride the wave has to pay. A mature distribution team can make the most of copyrights, and the profits may exceed the film and television copyrights themselves.

Of course, "Lurking" is a mainstream subject, so there are many aspects that need to be considered.

If you happen to come across an idol drama, especially one that's commercially viable and becomes as popular as "Lurking," then it's a gold mine.

However, "Lurking" is still a gold mine, just a small one.

The direct benefits of a project are only one aspect; the potential benefits are even greater.

When Yi'an was preparing for its IPO, "Lurking" was a shining trump card that could be used to its advantage and bring comprehensive improvement to Yi'an.

In addition, Sun Honglei also participated in "The Message," and with his current popularity, he can definitely bring great benefits to "The Message."

Jiang Xin goes without saying. Besides "Lurking", she also had a drama with Yi An. After "Lurking" became a hit, Yi An immediately announced that she would be working with Jiang Xin on a new drama.

In addition, there are rumors that Yi An is interested in signing Jiang Xin and Sun Honglei, and Jiang Xin herself has also confirmed this on Weibo.

However, this "signing" is somewhat different from traditional artist signings.

Sun is the top employee at Xinbaoyuan. Boss Zhao Baogang values ​​him highly, and Zhao is the benefactor who promoted him. It is impossible for him to leave Xinbaoyuan easily.

Jiang Xin had previously signed with Hairun Media. Now that "Lurking" is a huge hit, she was once able to compete with Sun Li for the top spot. Moreover, she already had access to Yi An's resources, so there was no need for her to compete with Yi An and be at the mercy of Fan Xiaopang.

Therefore, the contracts that Yi'an and they discussed this time were not full contracts, but rather film contracts and business contracts.

With the rise of the entertainment market, the artist management field has become more professional and sophisticated, emphasizing resource coordination and win-win cooperation.

For example, Sun Honglei and Jiang Xin work for Xinbaoyuan and Hairun, film and television companies that specialize in TV dramas but have very few film resources and are not good at business resources.

As their fame and commercial value increase, they will inevitably want to move into the film industry and gain better business opportunities.

But Xinbaoyuan and Hairun can't do that, and they might not be willing to let go of these two cash cows.

In this situation, either the artist breaks off the contract and sues to forcibly terminate it, or they drag it out, wasting their prime years for career development.

This is not a good thing for either the artists or their companies, resulting in a lose-lose or even lose-lose situation.

Therefore, Yi An took the initiative to contact Sun, Jiang, and the two companies to discuss cooperation.

The finances of Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek were divided into two parts: the TV series were handled by the two companies, while the film and business were managed by Yi-an.

In this way, both companies will still own the rights to the two artists and can also share some of the film and commercial revenue.

Artists now have better opportunities for development and don't have to fall out with their former employers; they have two employers and two powerful backers.

Yi An's efforts weren't in vain; she could benefit from the popularity of two top celebrities in film and commercial ventures, and establish a certain level of ties with them, thereby expanding Yi An's celebrity strategy.

A true win-win-win situation!
Even for Yi'an, this wasn't just an ordinary victory.
As mentioned before, Yi An's star strategy is actually not as good as Huayi Brothers', as they don't have many artists who can take on leading roles.

There's no way around it; Huayi Brothers' approach is short-sighted and detrimental.

Bringing in a bunch of popular artists is pure fodder for corruption, mortgaging the future. Yan Li doesn't want to ruin Yi An's internal atmosphere and artist talent pool, so he would rather Yi An's star power be dim than not restrain himself.

However, this time, Yan Li, through an annual intelligence report and in conjunction with current market changes, discussed with the artist management department and came up with the idea of ​​"splitting contracts".

Yi An has ample film and television resources, and her business resources are second to none in the industry.

In this way, Yi'an can take these excess resources and collaborate with popular celebrities who lack these resources.

With the addition of several popular celebrities, Yi'an's star power will increase significantly, making up for its shortcomings.

Most people don't understand the difference between partial contracts and full contracts. They just see so many celebrities and make money, so they think Yi An is awesome.

At the same time, these contracted artists each have their own limitations. Although there is still some competition, it does not affect the fundamentals of Yi'an artists, and the competition is not so brutal.

Sun and Jiang were the first artists Yi An launched under the contract system, and the results were even better than Yi An had expected.

You don't know until you compare. Apart from a few companies like Yi An and Huayi Brothers, most companies simply don't have any film resources at all.

Many people don't understand why some popular TV drama actors don't make movies. In reality, it's not that they don't want to, but that the film industry simply doesn't include them.

Compared to the film industry, which is closed off, film companies at least have ways to connect with other sectors.

Business operations are what truly demonstrate the unprofessionalism of many film and entertainment companies; they lack connections, channels, and simply don't know how to operate.

They'll collaborate if someone approaches them, and forget about it if no one does. Some popular celebrities only know how to act, and their commercial resources are pitifully low.

Yes, it's a complete shoddy operation.

Looking at the situation of these companies, Yan Li sometimes felt that he had gone too far in criticizing a certain department and team of Yi An for being unprofessional.

In mainland China, Yi An is absolutely top-notch in many aspects.

Sun and Jiang are the first steps. Yi An plans to sign several more artists, but the requirements are very high.

After all, Yi An's main goal is to enhance its star strategy. If you don't become famous enough, you won't be of any help to Yi An, so there's no need to sign you.

Besides Hong, Yi'an also prefers those with whom she has a good relationship, as this would lead to closer cooperation and a higher degree of coordination.

It's unlikely that Li Bingbing is involved. Given her fame, and Huayi Brothers isn't an ordinary company, they wouldn't easily pair her with Yi An.

However, Sun Li, the top female host of Hairun Media, Hu Ge, the top male host of Tangren Media, Tong Dawei, the top male host of Orange Sky Media, and Nie Yuan, the top male host of Ciwen Media, are all quite popular, close to Yi An, and have all collaborated with her. Given that their companies are not strong enough, the chances of them collaborating with Yi An are still quite high.

Of course, this kind of splitting of contracts is not only something Yi An can do, but Huayi Brothers and others can also follow suit.

However, considering Yi'an's size, resources, professionalism, industry status, and strategic partnership with Weibo, even if other companies try to emulate it, they will find it difficult to match Yi'an's advantages and scale.

...

For every person who is happy, someone else is sad.

Just as Yi An was busy reaping the benefits of "Lurking", Tudou.com was also in chaos.

During a high-level meeting, an executive pointed out the various benefits of having "Lurking" air on Youku.

"The suspense of 'Lurking' leads to extremely high viewer engagement. In addition, its exclusive official broadcast has brought a large number of new users to Youku and significantly increased the activity of existing users."

"According to data released by Youku, the word-of-mouth and social media buzz surrounding 'Lurking' broke multiple platform records on Youku, including single-episode viewership and total viewership. It can be said to be Youku's hard currency for external promotion and attracting advertisers this year."

"According to our statistics, there has been a significant increase in various advertising data related to 'Lurking' on Youku. With the addition of traffic fees, Youku's revenue this time is likely to exceed the cost of acquiring the copyright."

"More importantly, in addition to the short-term quantifiable benefits mentioned above, the 'Lurking' series has an immeasurable strategic value in terms of its ecosystem activation effect, huge influence, traffic generation, and long-term traffic to Youku."

"And this iconic content asset, which is of great benefit to the entire platform, is something we handed over to Youku."

After the executive finished speaking coldly, he plopped down in his seat. The others looked directly or subtly at Wang Wei, who had a very unpleasant expression on her face.

Just as he was about to speak, another executive stood up to report.

The executive who spoke earlier was talking about the significant benefits of Youku, while this executive is now going on to talk at length about how Youku has become so popular, while Tudou has been lukewarm and suffered losses.

The market is limited, and phenomenal works like "Lurking" often have a massive or even all-encompassing effect.

Not to mention the current video website market, where each company has not yet cultivated a stable user base or established a strong content moat, and the lack of widespread VIP subscription services has led to high user turnover.

In other words, the more lively Youku is, the more deserted Tudou is.

Especially when "Lurking" was being updated daily, Tudou.com's traffic plummeted.

Tudou.com and Youku have been competing for several years, with wins and losses, but this time, Tudou.com has indeed suffered the most crushing defeat.

As mentioned earlier, Tudou.com was spoiled by Yi An, and most of the time things went smoothly for them.

As a result, Tudou.com experienced a significant internal reaction to this "humiliating moment," with senior executives even directly confronting Wang Wei in the meeting room, almost pointing their fingers at him and cursing him.

As the founder and largest shareholder, Wang Wei holds a prominent position at Tudou.com.

The fact that it's being targeted like this shows that there's already a lot of "opinion" within Tudou.com.

Both lower-level employees and upper-level shareholders were dissatisfied; otherwise, without support, these two executives would never have so openly challenged Wang Wei.

Wang Wei has lost control of Tudou.com!

This discovery has given some astute executives pause for thought. Yan Li's targeted attack on Tudou.com is indeed devastating, but along with the damage, there are probably deeper thoughts and clashes at play.

Wang Wei was furious. This was a premeditated provocation and attack on his authority, leaving him in a predicament both internally and externally.

He Yanli is definitely not immune to this!

Wang Wei looked at the two executives with a dangerous glint in his eyes. The two executives looked calm, and one of them took the initiative to speak.

"Mr. Wang, please don't look at me like that. I'm pointing out the problems in the company to take responsibility for the company, not to target you."

Without you &＃{}￥￠……

Do you think he's a fool? He can't see the restless commotion within the company, and it's all too obvious that some people want to take credit for the success of his rise to power.

Wang Wei took a breath to calm herself down. She couldn't back down now, or she would lose all face. She had to grit her teeth and hold on.

He spoke again, first admitting responsibility for the "Lurking" incident without shifting blame, which won him favor with the executives.

Then downplay the impact of this incident on Tudou.com. Although Tudou.com suffered a loss, it was only a temporary downturn and not a matter of life or death.

At the same time, they started to steer the narrative toward Yan Li, claiming that Yi An's cooperation with Youku was the key to Tudou's losses, and took the opportunity to boost morale, saying that Tudou should remain independent and autonomous, not controlled by outsiders, and so on.

Regardless of whether the reasons are reasonable, the priority is to create conflict and unite against external forces.

Some neutral executives couldn't stand this anymore: "President Wang, you said before that you wanted to talk, but now you're saying this? Are you trying to start a war?"

No one knows how many executives are secretly colluding with Yan Li right now. If Wang Wei's words reach Yan Li, then it's really going to happen.

Previously, Wang Wei wanted to negotiate, so everyone remained calm. Now that he wants to take action, the impact on Tudou.com will be significant.

Wang Wei's face darkened, and he said in a deep voice, "It's not that I want to start a war, it's that Yan Li has gone too far."

The executive who had just been questioned closed his eyes. It's over; things have really come to a head this time.

Three executives got up and left the meeting room. The remaining executives either muttered to themselves, remained silent, or anxiously surrounded Wang Wei, asking questions and offering advice.

"okay."

Wang Wei slammed his hand on the table and roared, "What are you afraid of? We'll deal with whatever comes our way!"

After saying that, he pushed through the crowd and went straight back to his office.

Several of Wang Wei's staunch supporters hurriedly followed, presumably to discuss countermeasures, while the remaining executives looked at each other in bewilderment.

One of the executives, looking disgruntled, muttered under his breath, "He's gone mad. If Tudou.com goes to war with Yan Li, not to mention Youku, even Kuku6 might be climbing all over us."

Another executive sneered, "I don't care about the deluge after I'm gone. He's afraid of being squeezed out of the company and losing control. So the company's life or death doesn't matter to him."

Some complained, "He's the founder and CEO. He's disregarding the company's interests and the well-being of us and so many employees for his own selfish reasons. He's so irresponsible." Others, however, said, "It's understandable. If I were him, I would also take the plunge. Your perspective is determined by your position."

Someone said with a smile, "That's why we have our own interests too. Changing bosses isn't necessarily a bad thing. Look how well Weibo is doing."

Someone shook their head: "There won't be a fight. The other shareholders on the board are just sitting around doing nothing. Mr. Wang no longer has absolute control over the shares."

"..."

Yan Li learned about the meeting at Tudou.com very quickly, even faster than the intelligence system.

There's no way around it; Boss Yan is too charismatic, and there are also some senior and middle managers who want to rise to the top.

With a simple scan of the system, Yan Li could accurately grasp the needs and psychology of each person, whether by discussing ideals, interests, or a combination of both. He then created a "Yan Party" on Tudou.com with great ease.

This is different from the undercover agent Yan Li planted before; that one was somewhat borderline and could easily have involved commercial espionage.

However, at Tudou.com, Yan Li is a legitimate major shareholder and board member. Associating with him is merely an internal factional struggle, and there is no illegality involved, nor even any moral burden.

If you join a company and work for the second boss, and your goal is to benefit the company, then it doesn't count as betraying the company.

Therefore, due to various reasons, the number of people who support the "face" faction was small and they were well hidden in the past.

Now, with the changing situation, Yan's faction is no longer hiding, and is recruiting heavily. A few radicals have begun to clamor for "Please support President Yan to take the helm and make Tudou.com great again."

So it's no wonder that Wang Wei was angry, or even fiercely resistant.

He had previously wondered if he was being too cautious, but now it seemed that Yan's wolfish ambitions were obvious; he was after power.

Yan Li looked at several text messages from Tudou.com executives, realizing that the company lacked strength and morale was low.

Wang Wei's desire to start a war is understandable, but such an action is indeed unwise.

If all goes as expected, a shareholder should contact him by evening at the latest.

Just as Yan Li was thinking this, his phone rang. He was slightly surprised, then smiled.

He's not the only one with eyeliner!

When the call connected, the person on the other end was Mr. Xu from Today Capital. The two parties had cooperated on several occasions at Ganji.com and JD.com. This time, Mr. Xu contacted Yan Li not to persuade him, but to express his opinion.

"If you want to lead Tudou.com, we support you today."

Yan Li wasn't particularly surprised, but he still asked, "What's the reason?"

"Wang Wei is not capable enough. We believe that Tudou.com will achieve greater success under your leadership."

"Thank you for trusting me so much, Mr. Xu."

Yan Li first expressed his gratitude, and then said: "Tudou.com was founded by Wang Wei. He did not make any major mistakes. It is somewhat unethical to seize someone else's business. What will the industry think of me? What will the other companies I have invested in think of me?"

If Yan Li were to forcibly seize power at this point, he had calculated that there was still a considerable chance of success.

However, the backlash from such a power grab was something Yan Li was unwilling to see.

Wang Wei, the founder of Tudou.com, still has quite a few loyal fans. Yan Li's starting point was for the good of Tudou, and Wang Wei's starting point was not untenable either.

As I always say, don't look at right or wrong, look at which side you're on.

In this situation, Yan Li's use of power to intimidate others was already somewhat sensitive, but he was relatively more in the right. In addition, Yi An had indeed made outstanding contributions, and Tudou.com could not do without him, among other factors, which gave him a significant advantage.

However, if Yan Li wants to go further and take advantage of the situation to kick Wang Wei out, then public opinion may change accordingly.

Wang Wei would be in the better position, and because she is the weaker party, she would garner a lot of sympathy points.

If it were just a matter of internal considerations at Tudou.com and sacrificing some public image, Yan Li could accept it considering the benefits of acquiring Tudou.com.

But the most critical impact will be on Yan Li's business reputation and investor positioning.

By ruthlessly attacking his partner and seizing control of the investment company without cause, Yan Li's business image is inevitably damaged, which is far more serious than simply losing Tudou.com.

Yan Li understood very well that if he benefited from his persona, then he had to accept the limitations and costs that came with it.

Therefore, Yan Li could not forcibly seize power.

Only when Wang Wei makes a major mistake that causes significant losses to Tudou.com can he rightfully take over as a savior.

This is the best script; if he can't wait, he'll start a new one.

However, getting a new script is not easy. Tudou.com has already established a scale and brand, and Yan Li has invested a lot in the early stages, so getting it is the best outcome.

"President Yan, what exactly do you mean?"

Ms. Xu was stunned. She thought that Yan Li had made such a big fuss just to seize power, but in the end, Yan Li didn't try to seize it.

"Tudou.com is very important to my company. I need Tudou.com to cooperate with my industrial layout, which is also beneficial to Tudou.com itself. However, Wang Wei does not trust me. He is sabotaging me and is resistant and confrontational, which makes everyone very unhappy."

“I, Yan Li, am a man of honor. Stealing Tudou.com has ruined my reputation. If we can’t get along, let’s go our separate ways.”

"Mr. Xu, could you please pass on a message to Wang Wei? I'm quitting Tudou.com. There are plenty of video websites out there, and many of them are willing to cooperate with Yi'an and Weibo."

"..."

When Wang Wei tried to negotiate before, Yan Li ignored him. Now that Wang Wei wants to start a war, Yan Li is ignoring him again.

You do your thing, I'll do mine, let's see who can hold out longer!
Now Mr. Xu of Capital Today is getting anxious. All the Tudou.com shareholders are not afraid of Yan Li taking over, but they are most afraid that Yan Li will quit.

Yan Li's previous publicity campaign had already hinted at this intention, but everyone assumed it was an attempt to exert pressure.

But now that Wang Wei is about to start a war, Yan Li is directly undermining the situation by making a personal statement, and no one can guarantee whether Yan Li is serious or not.

Yan Li suffered a great loss by abandoning Tudou.com; if he were to support a new Tudou.com, he would benefit even more.

Considering the strength of Yi An and Weibo, this is not a far-fetched assumption.

Unable to persuade Yan Li, Mr. Xu directly contacted Mr. Xiong of IDG, another major shareholder.

"If Yan Li wants to withdraw, we must convene a board meeting immediately and force Wang Wei to back down."

Mr. Xiong's first reaction was that Yan Li should increase the pressure, and Mr. Xu said somewhat impatiently.

"That would be ideal, leveraging the situation to force Wang Wei to compromise, binding Tudou with Yi An and Weibo, a win-win situation for everyone. But if Yan Li really wants to leave, we at Capital Today must reconsider the value of Tudou and whether Wang Wei is a competent CEO."

Mr. Xiong nodded: "I understand. I'll book the tickets now and fly to Shanghai tomorrow."

While Tudou.com's shareholders were rallying together, Yan Li was not idle; he began to exert extreme pressure once again.

He talked about his initial investment in Tudou.com on Weibo, and bluntly stated that Tudou.com currently has some problems in terms of strategy, technology and content, and expressed some disappointment with Tudou.com's development.

Not only did he post on Weibo, but he also interacted with some netizens in the comments section, sharing his views on the development of video websites.

For example, he believes that content is king for video websites, and in the future, the competition among video websites will be based on whose content is better. On the one hand, they will burn money to acquire copyrights, and on the other hand, they will focus on developing their own films and television series, which will test each website's financial strength and ability to generate revenue.

Yan Li also predicted that web series and online movies will develop rapidly.

Considering the shoddy online film and television market, professional film and television companies that take the lead in producing online dramas will deliver a disruptive blow to the market and reap the benefits.

In addition, Yan Li also discussed Tudou.com's self-created video ecosystem, believing that it has been proven abroad that this path is promising.

However, Tudou.com made a mistake. It should have either become a long-form video platform or focused on incubating its own original videos. By oscillating between the two, it failed to please either side.

However, he also understands Tudou's approach. Currently, the quality of original videos in China is indeed generally poor, and the market environment has not been cultivated. It will take a long time to develop, and Tudou cannot afford to wait, so it has turned to film and television dramas.

If Tudou.com can hold on, given time, its self-developed video business may have a better future than its film and television platform.

After interacting for a while, Yan Li finally responded to a question from a concerned netizen, saying that he couldn't get along with Tudou.com and was considering cooperating with other video websites or creating a new video website.

Even their potential partners have mentioned considering PPTV, which primarily focuses on online TV streaming. PPTV has technological advantages, while PPTV has content and traffic, making them a perfect complement.

Kuaibo could also be considered, but if a collaboration were to take place, it might not be as convenient for everyone to watch videos in the future.

After these words were spoken, everyone supported Yan Li's decision to give up the cooperation with Kuaibo, saying that PPTV was a good choice.

Yan Li was chatting happily with netizens on Weibo, while the shareholders and management of Tudou.com were going crazy with anxiety, and even Wang Wei couldn't sit still anymore.

He understood perfectly well that if Yan Li really withdrew from Tudou.com, he would retain control, but Tudou.com would likely be finished.

He wouldn't even be able to finish cooking the potatoes before he was torn apart by the shareholders and management.

Wang Wei, who had previously vowed to fight Yan Li to the death, began to feel uncertain and panicked when faced with Yan Li's ultimate move.

He even tried to contact Yan Li privately, but unsurprisingly, Yan Li didn't answer his calls at all.

Anxious and restless Wang Wei finally got to attend the board meeting.

All shareholders unanimously agreed that he should immediately do everything in his power to salvage Yan Li and overcome this crisis. Otherwise, some shareholders would demand his removal from office, and some even threatened to withdraw their shares.

After the shareholders' meeting, several core shareholders privately pulled Wang Wei aside and tried to persuade him to reconcile with Yan Li by using both soft and hard tactics, as well as threats and inducements.

After numerous meetings, both large and small, Wang Wei finally couldn't hold on any longer.

It's just a share swap, so be it. Once it's done, Yan Li will have no reason to continue threatening him. A moment of patience will bring peace, and taking a step back will open up a whole new world.

Wang Wei suddenly realized that he had been a bit too extreme before, so he took a plane to the capital overnight to visit Yan Li.

Yes, Yan Li refused to see him.

Just when Wang Wei was having a headache, she heard that PPTV CEO Yao Xin was also in Beijing and had even met Yan Li on Weibo. She was terrified.

This person wasn't invited by Yan Li to perform a double act; rather, he was overjoyed to learn that Yan Li was considering collaborating with PPTV and came over overnight to invite him.

It's not just PPTV; several other video websites are also trying to partner with Yanli through various channels, including Jia Yueting's LeEco.

In Jia Yueting's words, LeEco and Yan Li's copyright library probably contains 90% of the film and television copyrights on the market. With the two joining forces, other video websites simply have no chance.

To this, Yan Li could only chuckle.

So, if antitrust laws don't exist, Jia Yueting has powerful backers and isn't afraid. He doesn't want to get into trouble.

Besides Jia Yueting, there is another important figure: Li Yanhong from Baidu.

Baidu is also planning to launch a video website, which is already in the planning stages, if Layanli joins in.

This new website will have two major traffic sources and technical support from Baidu and Weibo, as well as content provided by Yi An and endorsements from two popular entrepreneurs, Yan Li and Li Yanhong. This powerful combination will be like adding wings to a tiger.

It sounds good, but Yan Li has no intention of playing with Baidu at all.

On the one hand, he doesn't quite approve of some of Baidu's practices; on the other hand, with the two companies joining forces, who will the new website listen to? It might even lead to a fiercer battle than with Tudou.com.

Yan Li contacted Baidu briefly, then gave up, but leaked the news to the public.

Sure enough, Wang Wei was so anxious that her hair almost turned white.

Although he was panicked before, he still thought the chances of winning Yan Li back were greater. But now, seeing so many partners seeking to collaborate with Yan Li, some even more attractive than Tudou.com, Wang Wei is truly afraid.

He visited again and waited in Yi'an for a whole day. He also asked Yan Li's assistant to deliver a handwritten letter to Yan Li, expressing his apologies and various words of reconciliation and compromise.

The next day, Yan Li met Wang Wei at the Limingxuan teahouse. Wang Wei looked tired and even showed gratitude in her eyes when she saw Yan Li.

"Thank you, I was really afraid you wouldn't give me any chance at all."

Yan Li took a sip of tea, and tsk, he felt a little reluctant, but he quickly put away his sympathy. It was precisely at times like these that he had to give it his all.

"No way, I still have so many shares in Tudou.com. If I want to withdraw or sell my shares, I have to go through you, the CEO."

Wang Wei was slightly embarrassed, but still pleaded in a humble voice, "President Yan, I was indeed wrong this time. We can talk about anything."

"You've watched Tudou.com grow from scratch, and I believe you have a strong attachment to it. Now that Tudou.com is about to go public, let's not ruin this great situation over a small disagreement."

"Mr. Wang still remembers that I grew up watching Tudou.com."

Yan Li sneered: "Then tell me yourself, over the years, how many benefits have I brought to Tudou.com, sometimes even at the expense of my personal and company interests? Have I ever said anything like that?"

"I have always believed in win-win cooperation. The share swap is more beneficial than harmful to all three companies, and I have a clear conscience."

"As for President Wang, not only has he been pushing me around in every way, but he's also been very wary and suspicious of me, even wanting to start a war with me. I, Yan Li, am not the kind of person who clings on shamelessly. If we can't get along, then let's part ways and sever all ties."

"..."

Wang Wei was so scolded that she couldn't lift her head. She reviewed her mistakes again and apologized to Yan Li.

After playing the submissive role for a long time, Wang Wei finally managed to "coax" Yan Li into submission, and then presented the share swap plan proposed by Tudou.com.

To show sincerity, this proposal is more favorable to Weibo and Yi'an than Yan Li's previous proposal.

While the pressure of Yan Li's departure was certainly a factor in getting this plan approved on Tudou.com, Wang Wei probably also made a lot of concessions.

Yan Li was quite satisfied with the plan, but if things had escalated to this point today and only a share swap was achieved, then all the effort would have been in vain.

Therefore, Yan Li added a condition: he and his party wanted to gain more say and authority in the board of directors and the management of Tudou.com.

Yan Li made it very clear: "President Wang, things have escalated to this point. Whether you trust me or not is irrelevant, but I no longer trust you."

“I must guarantee the interests of myself and both companies, and also prevent you from abandoning me after I’ve served my purpose. If you accept, then accept; if not, then I’ll leave.”

Wang Wei hesitated greatly, which allowed Yan Li to further intrude into Tudou.com, even laying the foundation for a rebellion and power grab.

But there was nothing he could do; the initiative wasn't in his hands. Even if it was like drinking poison to quench his thirst, he had to swallow it.

"Pleasant to work with."

Yan Li poured Wang Wei a cup of tea himself, with a smile on his face.

He is a major shareholder, and he has supporters on the board of directors. He is currently building his own power within the management and company, coupled with the influence and connection between Yi An and Weibo.

If anything changes at Tudou.com, Yan Li could not only seize power relatively easily, but could even take control of the entire company in the shortest possible time.

　9000 words, making up for the one I missed the day before yesterday.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)