Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 378 The King of Entertainment, Social Circle Education, Ink-Splashing Gate
After the Weibo Night event, the buzz surrounding Zhang Yimou joining Yi An's team was even greater than that surrounding Sun Honglei and Li Bingbing winning Weibo King and Weibo Queen respectively.

The strongest evidence for this news is that Zhang Yimou attended the Weibo Night event and had a pleasant conversation with Yan Li and Han Sanping.

Zhang Yimou also presented an award to Han Sanping, whose film "The Founding of a Republic" won the Weibo "Film of the Year" award.

Although many people believe that "The Message" is the best movie of the year.

However, "The Founding of a Republic" is the highest-grossing domestic film of the year, with a greater influence. Most importantly, it is an official tribute film, and it would be disrespectful to Weibo for not doing so.

Given the previous unpleasantness between Han Yan and Zhang Yimou, and now that Zhang Yimou has "openly taken sides," coupled with various rumors of discord between the two and the negative publicity surrounding "A Simple Noodle Story," people naturally have some speculations.

Zhang Yimou did not respond to this rumor, and Yan Li's statement was ambiguous.

"Of course I welcome Director Zhang to Yi'an, but it's hard to say the specifics right now. Let's wait and see."

Neither denying nor admitting, it was full of implications, prompting netizens to criticize it as inhumane, which was especially provocative for Mr. Zhang.

In an interview, he reiterated his firm stance that Zhang Yimou would not leave.

Then, he used the same attitude to negotiate with Zhang Yimou, who was interested in going it alone, and the meeting ended in another unpleasant breakup.

Not to mention that given Mr. Zhang's personality, he wouldn't tolerate Lao Yizi leaving him. Even if he could tolerate it, the key issue is that he no longer trusts Lao Yizi. Mr. Zhang even suspects that Lao Yizi and Yan Li conspired to betray him.

The two sides talked twice more, but the conversation became increasingly tense, and Mr. Zhang's words became more and more offensive.

In the end, Zhang Yimou simply stopped answering Mr. Zhang's calls. Some of his assistants and team members also left New Pictures to join Zhang Yimou's studio.

These guys all hang out with Zhang Yimou, so naturally they go wherever he goes.

Even some other employees of New Pictures wanted to join Zhang Yimou, either because they were interested in New Pictures because of him, or because they were not optimistic about New Pictures' future.

Now Boss Zhang is really panicking!

He realized that Zhang Yimou wasn't just being stubborn, but genuinely wanted to leave, and he also understood that if Zhang Yimou left, New Pictures would be in trouble.

Mr. Zhang went to Zhang Yimou, intending to play the emotional card, but Zhang Yimou anticipated this and was unwilling to get entangled.

He doesn't answer the phone, he avoids people, and when his wife is blocked at the door by his neighbor, she knows nothing about him.

Mr. Zhang got angry and made some harsh threats, which forced Zhang Yimou to show up.

However, the negotiations still did not go smoothly.

Zhang Yimou was determined to leave, especially after Boss Zhang threatened him, which made him feel even more disheartened and determined to leave.

But Mr. Zhang thought he had Zhang Yimou under control, so he tried to coax him back by using both soft and hard tactics, but things didn't go smoothly. Although Zhang Yimou didn't want to provoke him and his attitude was relatively mild, he still wouldn't budge on returning to the new scenes.

Mr. Zhang, who was anxious, could no longer keep up the pretense and finally revealed his true colors: "Yi Mou, think about yourself and your family. At this age, don't end up with a ruined reputation and a broken family."

After saying that, Boss Zhang stormed off, leaving Zhang Yimou with a livid face.

The wife, who was listening nearby, asked worriedly, "What should we do? Should we go back?"

"Go back? If I go back, I'll be enslaved by him for the rest of my life!"

Zhang Yimou thought they were brothers and collaborators, but it turned out they didn't take him seriously at all.

The idea of ​​parting amicably is a joke; they won't even give you a chance to escape safely, they insist on a complete falling out.

"Then what do we do?"

The wife was somewhat worried. Putting aside the evidence against him, her main concern was that Mr. Zhang might do something shady.

Having been in the business for so long, he knows a lot of people, and his methods aren't exactly clean. Even if Zhang Yimou himself isn't afraid, he can't ignore his wife and children at home.

Zhang Yimou is also afraid of this. He knows his own weaknesses, and there will definitely be some negative impact, but he doesn't care about his life.

But if Boss Zhang uses some underhanded methods, that would be troublesome.

No matter how prestigious his title as the Imperial Advisor is, he's still just a movie director, with limited resources and influence to his name.

"I'll make a few calls and ask."

Now that things have come to this, Zhang Yimou has no choice but to seek help. He needs to use his own connections as one option, and also find allies.

"..."

"Director Zhang, don't worry, I've talked to Third Master. That guy surnamed Zhang would never dare to lay a finger on you or your family."

Yan Li actually wanted to see what methods Boss Zhang would use so that he could gather evidence and send him straight to jail.

But Zhang Yimou certainly didn't want to take that risk, so Yan Li had no choice but to focus on intimidation.

Boss Zhang has been in the business for so many years that he knows people in all walks of life. He has connections in both the legitimate and underworld circles, and even has people under him who specialize in handling shady dealings.

Zhang Yimou has a wife and children, and so does Mr. Zhang. He even knows where his illegitimate son Yan Li, whom he keeps abroad, lives.

Yan Li believes that in business warfare, the main focus should be on striking the opponent, and one should try not to use lethal force if possible.

Even gangsters know that their wives and children shouldn't be harmed, so there's no need to be so ruthless in business.

Therefore, unless the other party's actions are too extreme or involve similar underhanded tactics, Yan Li would never easily resort to this method.

Boss Zhang bullied Lao Mouzi by taking advantage of his power, so Yan Li's move can be seen as giving him a taste of his own medicine.

Yan Li did not show up in person, but he called Boss Zhang and said that he would protect Lao Mouzi. Then Lao Mouzi took the address and information given by Yan Li to negotiate.

Faced with threats from his relatives, Zhang Yimou, unusually, stood firm, not only with Yan Li, but also by enlisting the help of other connections.

As a renowned director, Zhang Yimou has connections in various fields. He might not necessarily go to war with Mr. Zhang, but he can certainly help out and lend a hand.

Feeling the pressure, Mr. Zhang was in a fit of impotent rage for a while, but ultimately he gave in.

However, he still made an agreement with Zhang Yimou that he could work independently, but New Pictures would have to participate in subsequent film projects.

Zhang Yimou was afraid that if he didn't give Zhang any thought, it would lead to a lose-lose situation, so he nodded in agreement first.

Yan Li had previously instructed them to give Zhang a way out and keep him calm. When it came time for actual cooperation, they would have the upper hand and plenty of ways to create something new.

Even if they didn't target him, New Pictures had no money, no distribution channels, and no artists, so they couldn't get any market share at all.

In the past, New Pictures relied heavily on Zhang Yimou's profits and lived comfortably. Now, they can only get scraps and scraps, which is hardly enough to satisfy their hunger.

In late December, Zhang Yimou Studio was established and an official Weibo account was opened, announcing that Zhang Yimou's next film project is "Under the Hawthorn Tree".

The already heated public opinion was reignited, with everyone discussing the two Zhangs going their separate ways.

Zhang Yimou remained silent throughout, handling the situation discreetly.

Mr. Zhang said resentfully, "He doesn't want to have anything to do with me anymore," and he was also busy dealing with the various negative impacts of Zhang Yimou's departure and the terrible reputation of "A Simple Noodle Story" on New Pictures.

Yan Li is no longer active, but his presence is still exceptionally strong.

From Mr. Zhang's outburst to the dispute between the two, and then to the release of the two films, it all took less than a month. Mr. Zhang and Zhang Yimou, who had been partners for more than ten years, were torn apart by him.

How terrifying!

Many of Yan Li's longtime fans have said that this is Yan Li's usual practice, as he is a well-known expert at poaching other people's partners.

Fan Xiaopang was poached from Huayi Brothers back then, and Yang Mi, who is now very popular, was originally from Rong Xinda. Deng Chao, Zhang Zhilin, Qiao Zhenyu, Yang Xue and others also have their own companies.

By the way, Wang Gaofei, the second-in-command at Weibo, was originally a senior executive at Sina. After joining Weibo, he helped Weibo completely shut down Sina's blog and microblogging platforms.

Li Bingbing is Huayi Brothers' top actress, and she acts in more of Yi An's dramas than Huayi Brothers' dramas. Tong Dawei is Orange Sky Entertainment's top actor and a well-known friend of Yan Li. Hu Ge, Sun Li, and Sun Honglei, the top actors and actresses of several companies, have all signed sub-contracts with Yi An.

By the way, when Wang Jinhua left Orange Sky, Orange Sky, which had just acquired Jiahe and was riding high, suffered a major setback, and Yan Li was also behind it.

You won't believe it until you try it out; Yan Li is practically a reincarnation of the "King of Hoes," his hoe-wielding skills are extraordinary.

Yan Li did not accept this title. After all, poaching talent was not a respectable thing to do. It was possible to do it, but it was best to keep a low profile.

So soon, some Weibo influencers said that Yan Li was nothing special; he was just a catalyst for conflict, the last straw that broke the camel's back. Without him, the two Zhangs would still have to break up.

Some people support him, while others still think Yan Chuwang is remarkable.

Compared to the outside world, this has further enhanced Yan Li's prestige within the industry.

When it comes to grudges, Boss Yan is truly vengeful, and he's incredibly ruthless!
Boss Zhang might not matter to Yan Li, but within the industry, he is a big shot, someone many can only dream of.

This big shot was berated by Yan Li, his reputation was ruined, his movie flopped, the director left, and he was in dire straits.

Of course, there are various other factors involved, but people don't consider them that much.

The most straightforward view is that Boss Zhang offended Yan Li, and Boss Zhang was dealt with very badly by Yan Li.

The name Yan Batian is becoming increasingly well-known in the industry. What was originally a joke or mockery is now slowly becoming a reality.

...

Wancheng Huafu
As soon as Yan Li got home, he saw Guan Yue and Dong Xuan chattering excitedly.

"what happened?"

Dong Xuan shook the few sheets of paper in her hand: "Guan Yue is pregnant too."

"what?"

Yan Li thought for a moment. Tong Dawei and Guan Yue got married because she was pregnant. They had just had their first daughter last year, and now, just over a year later, she was pregnant again.

"Don't you two watch TV or anything at night?"

"This was an accident for us."

Guan Yue explained that she and Tong did want to have another son, but their eldest daughter had just been born, and Tong Dawei was focused on his career, so they didn't plan to have another one now.

As a result, she got pregnant without even realizing it, even earlier than Dong Xuan.

However, Guan Yue didn't test every day like Dong Xuan, and she was also carefree, so she didn't realize she was pregnant at all. She thought she was just tired from taking care of the children. It wasn't until almost two months later, when she started experiencing some pregnancy symptoms, that she realized something was wrong. "That's settled then, you and the two children can keep each other company."

Yan Li roughly understood why Dong and Guan were happy; their best friends were pregnant together, they had each other's company, and they had common topics to talk about.

"No, this is your second child, which is considered an extra birth."

Yan Li suddenly realized a problem: the family planning policy is still being strictly enforced. His older cousin back home wanted to have a second child, but he gave up on the idea because of the strict enforcement in his hometown.

Guan Yue said, "Our eldest child was born in Hong Kong and has a Hong Kong ID card, so it shouldn't count."

Many celebrities and wealthy people choose to give birth in Hong Kong to give their children educational advantages and to avoid the one-child policy.

However, according to Yan Li, the policy has changed. Now, if both parents live in mainland China and the child lives there long-term, it is considered an over-birth.

Unless one of the parents has Hong Kong residency and the child does, then it is not considered an over-birth.

Guan Yue was instantly worried. Ordinary people might not care about family planning; at worst, they would just be fined.

However, those within the system and celebrities should try to avoid such situations, as the former could affect their future prospects, while the latter could easily turn into negative news, leading to damage to their careers.

Guan Yue planned to go home and discuss it with Tong Dawei as soon as possible, and inquire about the relevant policies. If that didn't work, they would have to find a way for one of them to obtain Hong Kong residency.

After Guan Yue left, Dong Xuan also asked if they should give birth in Hong Kong to give the child some advantages.

"No need."

Yan Li shook his head. Celebrities like to give birth in Hong Kong because they are famous and rich, but they lack social resources and status.

To put it bluntly, they are better than ordinary people, but they are far from being true big shots and cannot provide enough support for their children, so they can only try to take all sorts of shortcuts.

The real big shots don't need to take shortcuts; they simply tailor-make a shortcut for themselves.

Yan Li couldn't guarantee that all his children would succeed, nor could he be sure that each of them would have a bright future, but getting them into a prestigious school was not a difficult task for him.

Even if the child really needs a Hong Kong ID card someday, we can just apply for one then; it will just cost more money and effort.

Seeing that Dong Xuan was still a little worried, Yan Li spoke more bluntly.

"You can listen to Guan Yue's approach to child education, as well as that of your colleagues, but don't take it too seriously."

“Their ideas are based on their own conditions and vision. Some are middle class, some are moderately wealthy, which is different from our family’s situation.”

Guan Yue and Dong Xuan have a good relationship because of their friendship built up in their early years. Their social circles are similar, but this does not mean they are of the same social class.

For Guan Yue, what she envisions is an international school, cultivating her children's character, and ensuring that the next generation can maintain their assets and social circles, or even move up a notch.

Most of Guan Yue's colleagues at Beijing Film Academy were probably less concerned with school district housing, their children's tutoring classes and academic performance, and how to buy another house and find a good job for their children.

But none of this mattered to Dong Xuan; once the child was born, she had everything.

Those with ambition should train and learn more, preparing to take over the family business or start their own business. Yan Li will personally arrange and train them, so Dong Xuan doesn't need to worry about it.

Those without ambition can simply enjoy life in peace and quiet. As long as they don't cause trouble, they can live a comfortable life without Dong Xuan having to worry about them.

Therefore, Yan Li specifically reminded Dong Xuan to prevent her from blindly following Guan Yue and the others in learning and copying without understanding the process. It wouldn't matter if she wasted her own efforts, but it would be bad if she harmed the child.

Dong Xuan's expression was somewhat complicated, and she felt a certain amount of pressure. After listening to Yan Li's words, she suddenly realized something: she didn't know how to educate her child.

Or rather, they wouldn't know how to educate a child who is born to inherit billions in assets.

Guan Yue and her friends can have someone to discuss and even emulate, but who does she discuss and learn with?
Yan Li was powerless to do anything about it; he was a special case among the wealthy.

China's reform and opening up has only been going on for so many years, and there are very few people like him who only had children after becoming a billionaire.

Many of the earlier wealthy people made their fortunes through years of hard work and didn't have time to educate their children. In fact, many of them only became rich after their children grew up. It's pointless to learn from these people.

Meanwhile, those who started their businesses around the same time as Yan Li were also in the exploratory stage, and these wealthy people all considered themselves to be outstanding individuals, each with their own ideas about their children's education.

There are some established wealthy families in Hong Kong and Europe and America, but their ideas are either outdated, obsolete, or unsuitable. Even if there are some good ones, Dong Xuan can't discuss them with them, nor can they get along with them.

So, after looking around, Dong Xuan's best partner in terms of children's education is actually... Qin Lan.

With the same father, similar family background and living environment, and both influenced by Yan Li's educational philosophy, and even being roughly the same age, she and Qin Lan share a lot in common when it comes to children's education.

Seeing Dong Xuan's somewhat conflicted expression, Yan Li smiled.

Collaboration and reconciliation through children's education can further improve the relationship between the backyard and the children.

Even if it's Chairman Qin and Little Fatty Fan, I might not care about having any relationship with them, but I would compromise for the sake of my child.

Children who receive the same education and spend as much time together as possible will inevitably develop a stronger bond and a sense of belonging.

After all, siblings who have grown up together are always closer and more united than siblings who have grown up without any affection for each other.

Therefore, the evaluation of Yan Li as the "King of Hoes" is incomplete. He was not only good at wielding a hoe, but also adept at sowing discord and stirring up trouble.

He also knows how to find common ground, build bridges, and form alliances to get everyone working together in harmony and happiness.

In other words, the fundamental conflicts among the women are insurmountable; otherwise, Yan Lizhen would consider getting a manor villa so they could all live together…

After chatting about the children for a while, Dong Xuan started talking about her work.

Because she is not pregnant yet, Dong Xuan has not yet asked for leave from the Beijing Film Academy. She plans to wait until after the winter break before officially taking a long leave.

Apply for a one-year leave of absence without pay. If after a year you find it inconvenient to go to work because you have children, then continue the leave or even consider leaving the company.

Leaving her job doesn't mean she's quitting. When her child is older, she wants to return to the Beijing Film Academy. With Dong Xuan's resume and reputation, it shouldn't be too difficult.

Yan Li was fine with it, it was up to Dong Xuan's own wishes, but Dong Xuan herself was still a little reluctant to part with him.

"Yang Mi came from the class of 05, and now Shuangzi and Jing Tian are from the class of 07. The school says I am a lucky star of Beijing Film Academy. Two classes of students I have taught have become very popular on campus. If I resign, the school will suffer a great loss."

Yan Li: "..."

Those teachers in the water and electricity department are pretty good at flattering people!

Yang Mi had already signed with Rong Xinda and starred in "The Return of the Condor Heroes" before she entered the school.

Of course, Dong Xuan later helped Yang Mi a bit, which allowed her to benefit a lot, so at least they had some connection.

However, Shuangzi and Jing Tian are two different people. Shuangzi was made famous by Tianyu Media, a subsidiary of Hunan TV, while Jing Tian is a resource-based star and did not benefit from Dong Xuan's influence at all.

No, some press releases did mention it briefly, saying they were Dong Xuan's students and Yang Mi's juniors, but that's all.

Dong Xuan wasn't the only teacher who taught the 05 and 07 classes; Guan Yue was the same, yet no one called her the "lucky star" of Beijing Film Academy. This shows that Dong's good fortune wasn't in herself, but in Yan Li, who was behind her.

However, Yan Li would not speak out of turn without thinking, but instead expressed his regret for the Class of 09, who did not get to share in Professor Dong's good fortune.

In the past six months, Dong Xuan has been busy preparing for pregnancy and has not attended many classes. She probably doesn't even remember the names of the students from the class of 09.

When she goes back on vacation, it will be at least a year later, and she may not be teaching the class of 09. More likely, she will be directly teaching new students.

Given Professor Dong's resources and influence, it's truly a shame that the Class of 09 missed out.

Dong Xuan was quite happy to be coaxed, but Fan Xiaopang was even happier, and she immediately called Yan Li.

"Quick, check Weibo! Something's happened to that guy surnamed Zhang."

At first, Yan Li thought that something had happened to Boss Zhang, but when he opened Weibo, he found out that it was Zhang Ziyi who had been in trouble. No wonder Fan Xiaopang was so happy.

Dong Xuan was initially annoyed that Fan Xiaopang was being unruly and disturbing her and Yan Li, but after seeing the news on Weibo, she immediately switched to gossip mode, happily bringing over her computer to focus on reading the juicy tales.

But as she looked at it, Dong Xuan became a little disappointed: "Seriously? It's just splashing ink on a billboard, is it really necessary to make such a fuss?"

Yan Li shook his head, which clearly showed that Dong Xuan's sensitivity was far inferior to Fan Xiaopang's.

However, it's understandable. Dong Xuan has always been semi-retired from the entertainment industry, focusing more on teaching than acting. In addition, with Yan Li protecting her, she hasn't encountered much of the cutthroat competition in the entertainment world.

Fan Xiaopang is different. He has fought with the Four Dan and Two Bing for so many years, and he has emerged from the bloody battles. He can see at a glance that there is a lot going on in this ink-splashing incident.

What a coincidence! A group of mysterious people were photographed splashing ink while shouting things like "cheating money" and "seducing husbands," clearly trying to cause trouble.

Putting everything else aside, once this incident occurred, netizens and reporters were certainly curious about what had happened to Zhang Ziyi and who she had offended. With such attention, she was immediately thrust into the spotlight.

At this point, whether it's a reporter with great ability uncovering something or an insider revealing information, the effect is exceptionally good.

Yan Li is an expert in propaganda warfare. He is very familiar with this approach of first creating momentum and generating controversy, and then releasing information to attack the enemy. Therefore, he is extremely confident.

"She has offended someone; someone is deliberately targeting her."

Dong Xuan asked, "Who's messing with her?"

"It's hard to say."

A popular celebrity like Zhang Ziyi must have offended many people, both openly and secretly.

Moreover, Zhang has a bad temper and a wide range of enemies, so she probably doesn't even know who she was targeted by.

It doesn't matter who did it; the key is how big the impact is, whether it will show signs of decline, and whether it will lead to encirclement and retaliation from other groups.

This is why Yan Li resolutely and ruthlessly retaliated when provoked by Boss Zhang.

Sometimes, you really can't hold back. If you do, others will think you're a coward, that you're nothing special, and that you're not that great.

Then, some enemies and people who don't like you will appear to cause you trouble, eventually leaving you flustered and even causing you significant losses.

Previously, some people online felt that Yan Li was too radical and arrogant, including some of his supporters.
However, they don't seem to realize what time it is now. Yi'an will be listed next year, and with the Weibo war reaching a critical moment, countless people are watching Yan Li closely.

Yan Li, a peasant from a fourth-tier city, couldn't openly display his connections. Without being ruthless and assertive, he couldn't control those wolves and tigers.

Therefore, he had to be assertive, letting people know he wasn't someone to be trifled with, that he was petty, vengeful, cunning, and ruthless, and that offending him would be disastrous, thus saving Yan Li a lot of trouble…

(End of this chapter)