Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 379 At the beginning of 2010, I really became the King of Looks...

At the end of 2009, Zhang Ziyi's "ink-splashing incident" became the center of attention, even overshadowing the breakup of Zhang Yimou and Zhang Fei.

Not long after the ink-splashing incident, the mastermind behind it came forward, none other than socialite Zhao, a friend of Zhang Ziyi.

Her own revelation, coupled with in-depth investigations by the media and revelations from some insiders, gradually revealed the cause and effect.

Zhao has connections and is well-connected in the entertainment industry. She was once known as a socialite in Beijing, and Zhang became close to her, and the two became best friends.

Neither of them were content with a mundane life, so they decided to go into business together, but neither of them knew how to run a business and they lost a lot of money.

Zhang wanted to bring in a new boss. Zhao introduced his connections, and Zhang used his reputation to network and recruit people. Then he created a boss named A. Zhang was suspected of having two relationships at the same time, one abroad and one in China.

However, this Boss A was married, and his wife sought revenge on the socialite Zhao who had introduced them. When Zhang Ziyi was discovered to have done this, she believed that Zhao had leaked the information and also caused trouble for her. Zhang's brother even hurled very harsh insults at her. Caught between two sides, Zhao felt that Zhang was being unreasonable and broke off relations with her.

Of course, this is only the official version of events; some sources have revealed that there may also be a conflict of economic interests between the two parties.

The "Ink Splashing Incident" was orchestrated by Zhao's "friends" to "stand up for her."

Thus, the feud between Zhang and Zhao, the identity of the so-called Boss A, and the reaction of Zhang's wealthy foreign boyfriend became gossip that countless people enjoyed talking about.

Even Yan Li suffered an undeserved misfortune; someone pinned the blame on Boss A.

After all, everyone knows Yan's reputation. The general public has always felt that, in addition to Shuangbing, four other members of the Fourth Dan group have also suffered at his hands.

There are also specific analyses, such as A being the same as An, the An in Yi An, and some media outlets saying that Boss A is very generous to Zhang Ziyi.

It is said that a single Tiffany limited edition necklace is worth tens of millions of yuan, diamond earrings and diamond necklaces are also worth tens of millions of yuan, a Hermes diamond crocodile leather bag is worth more than 1 million yuan, an Audi car is worth more than 2 million yuan, and two famous paintings are worth 500,000 to 600,000 US dollars. In less than a year, he spent nearly 200 million yuan on Zhang Ziyi.

Yan Li is known in the industry for his generosity. Back then, he gifted Fan Xiaopang a Mercedes-Benz G-Class, along with countless luxury bags and precious jewelry.

By the way, Fan Xiaopang and Zhang don't get along. Whether it's fighting over a man or revenge, it makes sense.

Isn’t this right!

Yan Li was completely speechless. He could count the number of times he had met Zhang Ziyi on two hands, and yet they still managed to connect.

The most outrageous thing is that they gave gifts worth nearly 2 million yuan. These reporters really don't value money.

Keep in mind, this was in 2009, when 20 to 30 million yuan could buy a large luxury mansion in Beijing.

He spends 2 million yuan a year on picking up girls, and he even has diamonds on his clothes?!
What's most infuriating is that some people actually believe this outrageous news, tagging Yan Li in various ways, which annoyed Yan Li, who originally didn't want to deal with the matter, and finally got him to reply.

[Fake news, I give stones as gifts]

Such obvious irony has somehow gone unnoticed by some trolls, or they're pretending not to understand and deliberately stirring up trouble.

Yan Li, the cricket, comes from a poor background and is not at all as generous as rumored. On the contrary, he is stingy and miserly, unwilling to spend money even when picking up girls. There are also rumors that Yan Li invites people to hotel rooms and even splits the room cost with the women.

Such remarks are outrageous; aside from Yan Li's haters, normal netizens ignore them.

But Fan Xiaopang couldn't stand it and was also interested in challenging Zhang Ziyi, who was rumored to be a tycoon who spent lavishly.

So she posted a picture on Weibo of a jewelry cabinet, with multiple layers filled with all kinds of jewelry and ornaments, most of which were made of jade and pure gold, with the caption: "The sun is nice, showing off the stones at home."

Netizen: "..."

And they really are all "stones"!
Some people even made up jokes, saying that these yellow and green stones were poisonous, and that looking at them would make some people envious.

At first, it was just netizens having fun, but later some experts with keen insight stepped in and conducted a detailed investigation, combining past Weibo posts, early blogs, and interviews to see whether Yan Li was really generous, what gifts he gave to women, and to whom.

Fan Xiaopang was the one whose identity was most exposed. She loves taking photos and likes to show off, both openly and subtly.

The most famous thing is that Mercedes-Benz G-Class, and then there's this "stone" that he showed off. A rough estimate puts it at around ten million.

Just those densely packed gold ornaments and decorations must weigh several kilograms, and at the current gold price, they're probably worth close to a million.

The most valuable items are the jade, gemstones, and diamond jewelry. Since it's just a photo, it's impossible to make an accurate judgment, but a few pieces do look very eye-catching. Experts estimate that they are conservatively worth millions, and several million is not impossible.

One of them is a heart-shaped jade pendant that Fan Bingbing wore once on the red carpet, and its price should be around 200 to 250 million yuan.

Normally, the jewelry worn by many celebrities on the red carpet is borrowed, provided by sponsors and brands, or even counterfeit or fake. Nobody is so bored as to come out and expose it as fake.

However, it is indeed rare to find someone like Fan Xiaopang who wears his own or collects his items after using them.

Fan Xiaopang has them, and Qin Dong, who was previously exposed, also has quite a few related accessories.

Qin Lan is more exposed because she often attends Teddy Sisters' gatherings and takes group photos, in which her jade and pure gold jewelry are sometimes seen, and she even has the same bracelet and necklace as Fan Xiaopang.

Dong Xuan is the most low-key of the three, but some details about her have still been revealed.

However, the one who was exposed the most severely was Wang Ou.

This woman didn't reveal much at first; at most, it was discovered that she also had some jade jewelry. However, it was widely rumored that Wang Ou and Yan Li had an affair, which was expected by everyone.

But later, some unknown expert dug up Wang Ou's Weibo side account.

This woman was letting loose on her alternate account, taking pride in being a lover and bragging about how good her sugar daddy was to her, giving her cars, houses, gold and jade, giving her money to spend, being handsome, strong, and good in bed, blah blah blah.

The most outrageous thing is that, she doesn't know how she did it, but she put Yan Li's gold hearts together with Yang Rong, Bai Bing, and Wu Jiani, and shouted that they were sisters united.

After being exposed, Wang Ou immediately deleted all the Weibo posts from that alternate account, which only made things worse and made him seem like he was trying to cover something up.

Fortunately, it's just a small account, and there's no direct, conclusive evidence. Since the person involved doesn't admit it, everyone can just enjoy the show and guess who's on the same page as the Wang Ou sisters.

The post that was serialized on Tianya briefly mentioned Li Bingbing and Jiang Xin, two well-known figures, before announcing its discontinuation. Later, the post was simply locked and shelved, leading to suspicions that it was persecuted by a certain Yan Batian.

Actually, this has nothing to do with Yan Li. He's got a lot of problems, so it doesn't matter. There are plenty of posts about him, so it's not a big deal.

However, some women did not want to be exposed, and some did not want to know so many details. Everyone worked together, and because it involved some legal issues, the poster and Tianya were unwilling to confront each other directly, so they compromised and gave in.

This incident, aside from giving Yan Li more material to be teased about and making Wang Ou both famous and infamous, didn't have a huge impact. It was mainly because Zhang Ziyi was the one who took the lead.

The impact of the ink-splashing incident hadn't subsided when this person was exposed for fraudulent donations.

Back in May 2008, Zhang Ziyi claimed to have donated 1 million yuan, but some of the funds did not arrive. Later, at the Cannes Film Festival, she held a similar fundraising event and established her own foundation abroad, but she did not actually donate any money.

Fraudulent donations, especially those related to the May incident, are far more egregious than any scandalous gossip about being a mistress.

If the former is merely a flaw in personal morality, the latter is more about damage to Zhang Ziyi's personal image.

The latter rises to the level of public trust and social conscience, having a wide range of negative impacts on charitable causes and social influence, and may even involve legal issues, causing a devastating blow to Zhang Ziyi's career and image.

Then, Zhang Ziyi was exposed for another seduction scandal, which was like kicking a man when he's down.

During the promotion of "Confucius", Chow Yun-fat revealed that while filming "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", he was tempted by some of his fellow actors, many of whom thought it was Zhang Ziyi.

However, this "temptation scandal" was vague and had little impact; many people are more accustomed to mentioning the "beach scandal" of early 2009.

This incident had a significant impact on Zhang, and was even the primary reason why many people disliked her. The ink-splashing incident and the charity fraud incident quickly caused Zhang's reputation to plummet, and the beach incident also laid the groundwork for this.

Thus, following Yan Li's blog scandal, yacht scandal, and bankruptcy scandal last year, Zhang Ziyi has also completed her own triple scandal.

Even including the seduction scandal and the ongoing controversy surrounding the casting change in "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan," Zhang Ziyi should be facing five major controversies.

She also received a new nickname, "Auntie (Yi)," and Yan Li also gained a nickname, "Li (Li)."

However, this nickname is far inferior to "Cavalry Yan," "Ice Pop," "King of Selling Movies," "Yan the Cannon," and "Yan the Tyrant," and it didn't gain much popularity. It wasn't even as popular as the nickname "Stone Brother" that netizens jokingly refer to.

When Auntie Men came out of the oven, Sister Suo and Sister Lian were the happiest.

Sister Suo is Fan Xiaopang. Because she started out playing maids, her rivals, the "Four Dan and Two Bing" (a group of four female roles in Peking Opera), liked to use the name "Jin Suo" to belittle her, as it was a derogatory term. Now, some people also call her Sister Mao, referring to the many times she has been cuckolded.

Sister Lian is Li Bingbing. In an interview, she called herself a "pure lotus" in the entertainment industry, which was ridiculed and gradually became a derogatory term.

The other actresses also have their own derogatory nicknames. Zhou Gongzi is called "Vat," which can refer to her height, but also carries some unsavory rumors. Xiao Yanzi is called "Feces and Poison," one referring to her past experiences and the other to her being considered box office poison.

Xu Cai Nu (Xu the talented woman) is nothing special, but the word "talented woman" is sometimes ridiculed, whether used positively or negatively.

Before Zhang Ziyi, "grape" and "international" were the key words. Now, Zhang Ziyi is showing signs of catching up.

The reason why it is said that Zhang Ziyi's downfall makes Shuangbing the happiest is because Shuangbing is currently riding high. The other members of the "Four Dan Actresses" are somewhat suppressed, but Zhang Ziyi has the international boost and strong awards, barely surpassing Shuangbing.

Zhang Ziyi is currently embroiled in various negative issues, and she'll be severely damaged, but this presents an opportunity for her to overtake others and reach the top.

Furthermore, the two sides have already begun to divide up resources related to Zhang Ziyi.

Fan Xiaopang is the main force in business.

Zhang Ziyi has the aura of an international star, and she is also one of the few among the "Four Dan and Two Soldiers" who can rival Fan Bingbing in some commercial matters.

Now that Zhang Ziyi's scandal has backfired, many of her commercial endorsements may have to be terminated. There aren't many domestic actresses qualified to take them on, so Fan Bingbing is the top choice.

Li Bingbing, on the other hand, set her sights on Zhang's film and television resources.

In particular, regarding the rumored replacement of the actress in "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan," Li Bingbing knows Ms. Deng and is currently in active contact with her. With the momentum of having just won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress, she might be able to take her place.

Unfortunately, Wang Mojing's "The Grandmaster" has been filming for more than half a year. Although I heard that the progress is very slow, it is unlikely that the actor will be replaced. Otherwise, Li Bingbing would be even more eager to get the role.

The two soldiers started to divide the spoils, and the other soldiers in the four palaces were not to be outdone.

As the saying goes, "When a whale falls, all things come to life!"

In the past two years, Zhang Ziyi has been gradually emerging as the top female star in mainland China, even surpassing Gong Li in popularity. She could be considered the top Chinese female star.

This size is too much for the two factions to handle, or rather, they can't completely seize it in a hurry. The others can all get a share.

Once they're full, any useless resources they have will be passed down to others, along with any spilled soup or liquids from the fighting.

These four actresses and two male stars might not be considered good resources by some of the other actresses, but they are valuable resources for the actresses below them. And when the actresses below them are full, they will also extend some resources to those below them.

This is a classic case of "the head falls, everyone gets rich," with Zhang Ziyi single-handedly enlivening a large portion of the entertainment industry...

...

Tuanjiehu, Apartment
"It won't happen again."

Yan Li glared at Wang Ou, who nodded and then fawned over Yan Li by cleaning up afterward.

The exposure of Wang Ou's alternate account has caused Yan Li some trouble, and most importantly, Qin, Dong, and Fan are jealous and are making trouble for him.

At other times it would be fine, but the key is that Chairman Qin is pregnant now, and Yan Li can't afford to offend her. If he's angry, he can only go to Wang Ou Sa.

After a while, Yan Li went to take a shower. Wang Ou breathed a sigh of relief, looked at Yang Rong who was smirking beside him, and angrily grabbed her.

"All you do is laugh; you don't even say a word in my defense."

"What else do you want from me?"

Yang Rong rolled her eyes at her, displeased: "I came all the way from Shanghai to help you out of this predicament."

After making a mistake, Wang Ou knew he would be punished, so he sought help from all sides. He went to great lengths to invite Yang Rong from Shanghai, and even Wu Jiani, who was becoming increasingly estranged from him, came to him to make peace and reunite with Wang Ou. He also urgently summoned reinforcements.

She tried every trick in the book, combining different methods, and groveled before serving Yan Li for several days before finally managing to quell his passion.

"It's your fault for not cooperating. If the four of you had teamed up, I might be fine by now."

After Wang Ou finished speaking, Yang Rong spat at him: "If you want to team up with someone else, go ahead and do it. Don't ruin my reputation."

This time, Wang Ou's private account revealed four golden hearts, symbolizing sisterhood, which has led to various speculations about which sisters they are. Yang Rong, who is very close to Wang Ou, was naturally not spared either.

In fact, she is still angry with Wang Ou.

If Wang Ou hadn't claimed that Yan Li was angry, that the situation was truly critical, and that he hadn't begged so desperately, she wouldn't have come to help Wang Ou.

"Good Rongrong, Sister Rong."

Wang Ou hugged Yang Rong and acted coquettishly, but the latter's attitude was firm: "No way."

In addition, she reminded Wang Ou: "You'd better be careful. If you can get past Yan Li, those others won't be so easy to get past."

Previously, when Wang Oula formed a gang, Qin Dongfan turned a blind eye and pretended not to know anything.

But Wang Ou made quite a scene this time. More importantly, they learned about Wang Ou's treatment, which was somewhat beyond their expectations.

She's really managed to make a living as a pimp!
Whether it's suppression or punishment, Wang Ou will definitely suffer some consequences. Despite the fierce internal struggle between Qin, Dong, and Fan, they will join forces as soon as they realize a threat.

"Tch, if I can't afford to offend them, I can at least avoid them. I'll just lay low for a while."

Wang Ou spoke in an arrogant tone but actually sounded cowardly. She really couldn't afford to offend Qin, Dong, and Fan, let alone the three of them working together.

However, the three of them didn't have many effective ways to strike at her, mainly because Yan Li was there.

Especially since she was willing to back down and avoid direct conflict with the three, using gentleness to overcome strength, Yan Li was even less likely to let her suffer a great loss.

Wang Ou has been able to thrive and receive constant favors in the past two years because she understands Yan Li's psychology and is able to clearly understand her own position.

She was sensible, and Yan Li protected her. Although Qin Dongfan would give her a warning, he wouldn't go so far as to kill her.

"You're really shameless."

Yang Rong complained, while Wang Ou said, "That's what you call wisdom."

Wang Ou is quite satisfied with his niche now. Although he is far behind those three, as long as he keeps to himself, he doesn't have to worry about their opinions and can be the boss in his little group.

Being targeted is no big deal for her; she can just take a break. Wang Ou also received some of the original shares distributed by Yi An this time.

Moreover, based on her seniority and reputation, as well as Yan Li's favors, she received a relatively large number of original shares, worth at least tens of millions, causing her net worth to skyrocket.

Against this backdrop, Wang Ou, who was already financially secure, somewhat lost his motivation to work harder.

Even if Qin Dongfan hadn't targeted her, Wang Ou would probably have taken a break from some of her work. Now, she could take advantage of the situation and improve her image in front of Yan Li.

She had been envious of Yang Rong's travels and leisurely life for a long time, and it was time for her to enjoy it too.

"Aren't you afraid that after you've enjoyed yourself, your position as the second sister will be in jeopardy?"

Yang Rong asked, "Yi An now has a formidable opponent, Yang Mi. Wang Ou is currently going all out and struggling to keep up. If he takes a break, the chances of Yang Mi overtaking him will be even greater."

"Then let's not guarantee it."

Yan Li came out of the bathroom, drying his hair, and said, "There was no need to compete with Yang Mi in the first place."

Promoting Yang Mi to the top is to make money for the company. Yan Li keeps public and private matters separate. Wang Ou doesn't have the ability or drive, so there's no need for him to interfere.

Aside from the special case of Fan Xiaopang, Yan Li doesn't really support his woman being too career-oriented.

Everyone's busy building their careers, what need is there for him? If you need anything, you can't find him anywhere.

Therefore, while it's good to have a proper career, there's no need to force yourself to become a superwoman.

The situation of Chairman Qin, Yang Rong, Huo Siyan, and a few others is one that Yan Li is quite supportive of. They film one or two movies a year, find some other activities and hobbies, relax their lives, and are neither too idle nor too busy.

Yan Li also tried to persuade Fan Xiaopang, but Fan was a workaholic and couldn't stay idle.

In Yan Li's opinion, Wang Ou should have given way to Yang Mi long ago, but she was still holding back, and Yi An needed a celebrity for its IPO, so she didn't mention it.

With Yi'an's IPO imminent and a group of celebrities brought in through contract splits, Wang Ou could totally change his mindset.

"Yes."

Wang Ou took the towel and considerately wiped Yan Li's face, saying, "If she wants to be the second sister, then let her be. She earns the money, and I'll enjoy it."

Actually, Wang Ou was still somewhat unwilling, but Yang Mi's momentum was indeed too strong, and the company's support was also very strong, so she could only use this to save face for herself.

It's not that I can't beat her, it's that I don't want to. She's practically the boss's wife, why is she arguing with her employees?

"You're just a coward."

Yang Rong curled her lips. She and Wang Ou had known each other for many years and were very close. She knew this sassy girl all too well. She was all bark and no bite, always making a lot of noise, but she would shrink back when she encountered someone tough. "You're not a coward. You don't even dare to show your face. I'm keeping my distance, but you've run away to Shanghai to hide."

Wang Ou retorted, saying that she had at least met those people, while Yang Rong had been avoiding them from the beginning, acting like a complete coward.

"Alright, you two are no match for each other even if you're not cowards, so just shut up."

Yan Li smiled. There's nothing wrong with being a coward. If the two of them were always plotting and causing trouble to climb to the top, they wouldn't have been able to get to where they are today.

After chatting for a few minutes, Yan Li told Wang Ou and the others to rest first, while she went to her study to work overtime.

Although it's called working overtime, it's actually about sorting out the annual intelligence that was triggered a couple of days ago. There's just too much information, so Yan Li has been reviewing it whenever he has a spare moment these past few days.

[Annual News Report 1: How Tudou.com, China's No.1 Video Website, Died...]

In fact, Yan Li had seen information about Tudou.com's future developments many times before.

This year's annual intelligence report is more detailed, even touching on many company secrets and power struggles known only to those involved, allowing Yan Li to gain a more thorough understanding of Tudou.com's decline and demise.

Yan Li was determined to take over Tudou.com, but simply snatching Tudou.com wasn't enough.

How to rebuild Tudou.com, which is currently at a disadvantage in competition with Youku, and how to break through the encirclement of the major internet giants that follow are the questions that Yan Li needs to thoroughly study.

[Annual News Roundup 3: The Box Office Dilemma and Artistic Pursuits of Genius Director Jiang Wen...]

I don't know if it's because Yan Li stayed on the set of "Let the Bullets Fly" for too long, but the "Annual Intelligence" system triggered two related intelligence reports for Yan Li.

One topic was about how popular "Let the Bullets Fly" was, leading to its application for UNESCO World Heritage status, and how significant its influence was. The other topic was about the box office performance of Jiang Wen over the next few years.

It was only then that Yan Li realized that Lao Jiang had made money standing up, and then became a headache for investors.

However, the situation is different now.

If it were before, Yan Li would have known that Jiang Wen's subsequent works were still losing money, and might have found an excuse to end the collaboration after "Let the Bullets Fly".

But now that Yi'an is preparing for its IPO, box office profits are just one goal for Yi'an; the stock price is the core objective.

A box office failure doesn't mean a movie can't boost a stock price.

For example, if "Let the Bullets Fly" becomes a huge hit, Jiang Wen's next movie will definitely be highly anticipated, and Yi An's involvement at that time would certainly be a major benefit.

As for the film losing money at the box office after its release, which has some negative impact on the company, there is another way to deal with that.

For Yan Li, there is a lot he can do with the rise and fall of stock prices, which is reasonable and legal, and the returns are much greater than those of the movie itself.

Of course, this approach will have some impact on the company itself, so it should be approached with caution.

In conclusion, this intelligence was still somewhat useful to Yan Li, and it also poured cold water on Yan Li, who had recently become somewhat complacent due to the smooth development of Yi An's film business.

The film and television market is ever-changing, with extremes of success and failure. A brilliant director who is currently enjoying both critical and commercial success may become a box office flop in the future. We must never be blindly optimistic or confident.

[Annual Intelligence Report 5: The Peak and Fall of Huayi Brothers, the Leading Film and Entertainment Stock...]

Yan Li could glean some insights into Huayi Brothers' future from other intelligence sources, which was why he hadn't been optimistic about some of Huayi's previous plans.

Frankly speaking, Yan Li's judgment was somewhat of a hindsight bias.

From a strategic perspective, Huayi Brothers' plans were not obviously wrong, but there were problems with timing, market, and operation.

As I said before, it's not hard to find a way to make money, but the key is whether you have the courage to do it and whether you can succeed.

Take housing prices as an example. Most people say they will rise, and they'll sell their possessions and take out loans to buy, thinking it's a sure way to make a profit. However, many people still don't dare to buy, thinking that prices might fall, or for other reasons they don't buy. Then they watch the housing prices rise steadily and regret it.

The detailed analysis of this year's intelligence report gave Yan Li a clearer understanding of how Huayi Brothers declined.

Just as he had predicted, the Wang brothers did a lot of stupid things, especially compared to the information Yan Li had obtained about Enlight Media's future, which made Huayi Brothers seem even more foolish.

Objectively speaking, while Lightspeed's success is due to its own efforts and capabilities, it also benefited from the success of those who came after it.

As a pioneer, Huayi Brothers was essentially groping its way across the river in the dark, with an uncertain future ahead. It could only explore step by step, inevitably encountering pitfalls and setbacks along the way.

After Huayi Brothers suffered losses, other companies like Enlight Media realized that this path was not viable and turned to other routes.

Huayi Brothers, having suffered a devastating setback, cannot simply turn back.

Of course, pioneers have no role models to follow, but they also have first-mover advantages that are hard for others to match. The biggest reason for Huayi Brothers' decline is its own problems.

First and foremost, there was a strategic miscalculation. Huayi Brothers started out in film, and its biggest brand is film.

Huayi Brothers' desire to move away from solely focusing on film is understandable; it can enhance the company's foundation and resilience. However, gradually de-emphasizing film altogether is tantamount to undermining its own foundation.

If a well-known film company stops making movies, how can it possibly be good?

Furthermore, the Wang brothers are too much of a gambler.

Most of the details Yan Li gleaned from the intelligence revealed a sense of "gambling".

The two brothers became addicted to making quick money, which may be why they stopped caring about movies. But in the long run, you can't avoid losing.

Time comes and the world has the same force, and it is not free to transport heroes.

Huayi Brothers can win a hundred times, but if they lose a few big times, they will be immediately crushed, or even wiped out.

Every time Yan Li reads Huayi Brothers' news, it's like learning a lesson, and he is sincerely grateful to the Wang brothers for their inspiration and warning.

[Annual Intelligence Item 7: Those Spoiled Rich Kids...]

The above lists some typical examples of spoiled rich kids from both China and abroad.

Yan Li felt that this intelligence was very relevant and provided him with a lot of reference.

Since becoming a father, Yan Li has consciously communicated with some wealthy friends to learn about their educational philosophies.

However, these people have different approaches. Some believe that children and grandchildren have their own destiny and that the seed will grow as it may. Others are strict and domineering parents. Some pass on their experience through words and deeds. Some blindly believe in the West. Still others use their own children to raise poisonous insects and play battle royale games.

Yan Li had mixed feelings about the information, but this new intelligence would help him avoid some potential pitfalls.

For example, sending children abroad to study from a young age is said to improve their independent personality, but a child without a complete set of values ​​may be assimilated and led astray, and may even have their gender identity brainwashed.

My son turned into a daughter?

When Yan Li saw one example in the intelligence report, his scalp tingled. If he were in that situation, who knows what he might do.

[Annual Intelligence Report #9: The Rise and Fall of Mainstream Chinese Commercial Films...]

Yan Li thought about "The Founding of a Republic", "The Message" and "Bodyguards and Assassins" and understood the trigger point for this intelligence.

Of these three films, one grossed over 4 million yuan and was the highest-grossing domestic film in 2009; another grossed approximately 3.2 million yuan; and the third had already surpassed 3 million yuan at the time and was aiming for 3.5 million yuan.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, these three films will be among the top three domestic films of 2009.

With the addition of "Crazy Racer," which grossed over 3 million yuan, Yi'an Film Company achieved a super dominance on the domestic film box office charts, shattering various doubts from the outside world and becoming the most successful film company at present.

This achievement is inseparable from the concept of "mainstream ideology".

"The Founding of a Republic" is a tribute film, "The Message" is about faith, and "Bodyguards and Assassins" is also a revolutionary film. Yan Li, who is behind these three films, is regarded as an important promoter of the commercialization of mainstream films.

If it weren't for Han Sanye from China Film Group stealing the spotlight, Yan Li might have been the only driving force behind it all.

Now that he has this title, the market, the company, the industry, and the government all probably hope that Yan Li will continue to promote some mainstream commercial films.

Yan Li wasn't particularly interested in this before, but now, seeing the various advantages of mainstream themes, he suddenly feels there's great potential in it.

As for controversy? Why be afraid of controversy when you're making money!
If we don't make films with a patriotic theme, but instead make those biased, traitorous films, will there be no controversy?

Mainstream themes can make money, gain public prestige, and even receive official favor and support. In Yan Li's view, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. At most, he'll just have to pay attention to the quality and be a little more discreet about how he approaches things.

【…】

This year's annual intelligence report didn't offer many new surprises; it mostly supplemented and expanded upon Yan Li's existing path and experiences.

Yan Li, however, thought it was good, as it allowed him to make a better summary and conclusion, making his career and personal development more stable.

Only by walking steadily can you go far!
...

As the 10s arrived, Yan Li seemed to become even busier.

Yan Li gave multiple interviews just about reviewing 2009 and looking forward to the New Year in 2010, and recorded five or six video clips in one go.

Afterwards, Yan Li flew to Shenzhen to discuss some matters related to Yi An's listing.

The timeframe for Yi'an's IPO has been roughly set, likely between April and June. However, due to regulatory approvals and market roadshows involved, the exact date has not yet been determined, and it may even be postponed if there are unforeseen circumstances.

With the IPO imminent, Yan Li has become more discreet. Although his past issues won't significantly impact the listing, he tries to avoid them as much as possible.

So, during the chaotic January film season, he didn't say a word, regardless of whether it was related to Yi An or not.

It wasn't until Avatar burst onto the scene and kept breaking box office records that Yan Li was caught by reporters while attending the celebration party for Bodyguards and Assassins.

"Mr. Yan, what are your thoughts on the box office success of 'Avatar'? There are many pessimistic voices online, believing that the gap between Chinese films and Hollywood is widening. Do you think this view is correct?"

"Well, I think there's no need to be pessimistic."

Yan Li has always found such pessimistic views boring. Mainland Chinese films have only been commercialized for a few years, while Hollywood films have been industrialized for only a few years.

You can't let a toddler challenge an adult directly.

In recent years, China has been releasing a series of blockbuster films. Regardless of their quality, the related technologies have been continuously improving.

In this regard, Japan, South Korea, and Europe have all given it high praise, and even some people within Hollywood have expressed amazement at the development of Chinese films.

This isn't Yan Li bragging; it's been reported by relevant mainstream overseas media.

Although "Red Cliff" was heavily criticized in China, it received high praise overseas due to its massive and magnificent war scenes, especially in Asia, where it caused quite a stir, with Japanese and South Korean media putting pressure on their respective film and television industries.

That's how it is these days. "Avatar" made domestic films "despair," and "Red Cliff" made Japanese and Korean films "heartbroken." The moon always smells better outside.

Some domestic media outlets and public intellectuals are spreading misinformation, but Yan Li will not fall into their trap.

Open your eyes and look at the world. Avatar conquered not only the mainland market, but also Hollywood itself, leaving a bunch of companies completely bewildered.

Yan Li even believes that the success of "Avatar" is a good thing, as it greatly proves the box office potential of the mainland market.

Before this, everyone in the industry thought that 5 million was the market ceiling, but now it seems they were too conservative.

"This year's box office market should see a bigger surge than last year's. I'm really looking forward to seeing if domestic films can break new box office records."

As the owner of the largest private company in the film and television industry, Yan Li is now subtly seen as a leader in the industry.

His views and judgments on the current market are very significant and have sparked considerable discussion.

During this period, some controversy was inevitable, but Yan Li didn't care. This was just the current trend: treating Hollywood like a father and bashing domestic films. He was used to it.

He didn't care as long as it didn't affect Yi'an's listing.

Instead of wasting his time, he should be negotiating with China Film Group and Hollywood.

《阿凡达》有望破10亿，《2012》大概率破5亿，《变形金刚2》约4亿……

Hollywood's box office performance has been very strong over the past six months, and the feedback from the mainland market has also brought Hollywood a taste of success.

They wanted to further capitalize on the mainland market, but Yan Li, who had learned about Hollywood's bottom line through his intelligence network, was unwilling to see China Film Group giving Hollywood too much preferential treatment.

So he personally persuaded Han Sanye to take advantage of this momentum and talk to Hollywood to try and get some benefits.

It's worth noting that the total box office in mainland China in 2009 was 65 billion yuan, or about 10 billion US dollars, representing a nearly 50% increase compared to the previous year. This year, there may be another small surge.

Following this trend, China may surpass Japan within two or three years to become the world's second largest voting bloc.

Compared to the Japanese market, which is open to anyone, the Chinese market has many more barriers and restrictions, and may even involve control and suppression. If Hollywood wants to make money, it's simply unacceptable not to pay some protection money.

Third Master Han hesitated for a moment, but couldn't resist Yan Li's urging.

At present, many people have a biased view of the United States, or even a fear of it. Yan Li, who is used to seeing future intelligence, has a more neutral attitude towards the United States.

At the same time, due to various psychological factors, many people dare not offend Americans, and even if they have the upper hand, they dare not ask for a price.

With the system's assistance, Yan Li was able to accurately grasp some of the other party's psychology and knew that there was a lot of room for negotiation. He was unwilling to let the Americans get away with it for nothing.

Having known Yan Li for a long time and gone through many things together, Master Han had a very high level of trust in him.

Given that Yan Li has always been reliable, they ultimately chose to listen to him, and even had Yan Li directly participate in and lead some negotiations with Hollywood.

"Third Master, just you wait and see. When the time comes, China Film Group will take the lion's share, and we Yi'an will only get a small share, selling copyrights and letting our artists get some prestige."

Yan Li has no intention of letting Yi An, an artist, venture into Hollywood; the domestic market is large enough to be developed in the future.

But getting a gilded plating, a higher-end brand, and then switching from export to domestic sales is still a good strategy; the word "international" is really valuable now.

"No rush, those people are not easy to deal with, take it slow."

Third Master Han didn't have high expectations for this negotiation. As long as Yan Li didn't cause any trouble, he would be happy if it went well, and it wouldn't matter if it didn't.

Compared to this, what Han Sanye cares more about is that next year will be the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. "The Founding of a Republic" performed well, and China Film Group wants to make another blockbuster to commemorate the occasion.

"You can't shirk this responsibility."

Master Han has become somewhat dependent on Yan Li; he even wants Yan Li to join the film crew as a director.

"Forget about being a director, I can't be here watching you every day. I can only offer you some suggestions."

Yan Li didn't want to be the director, and he didn't know how to direct, but when he heard that Master Han wanted to use Lu Chuan, he suddenly perked up.

"He's really no good. What a mess 'Jinling, Jinling' was. Why did they use him?"

“If you don’t have enough manpower, I’ll send Ning Hao over. I can also talk to Zhang Yimou and Chen Kexin. If he’s really not good enough, I won’t even bother with Guan Yu.”

Yan Li's dislike was no longer concealed; it was rare for Master Han to see Yan Li so averse to a director.

Even with Feng Xiaogang, with whom he had a past feud, Yan Li often held a positive attitude.

"How did Lu Chuan offend you?"

Master Han planned to mediate. He and Lu were old acquaintances, and Master Han could even be considered Lu's benefactor. Master Han provided a lot of help when Lu was filming "Looking for a Gun" and "Kekexili".

"Don't bother, we're just naturally incompatible, just looking at him annoys me."

Yan Li didn't say it explicitly, but he reiterated his dislike for Lu. Han Sanye was confused but didn't pay much attention.

The two didn't have any conflict; if they were unhappy, they were unhappy.

He had a high opinion of Lu Chuan, after all, he was one of the more outstanding directors of the sixth generation. But compared to Yan Li, Lu had to take a backseat. After learning about Yan Li's attitude, he decided not to use Lu Chuan anymore, since he didn't need another director anyway.

"If you don't want to be the director, then be the executive producer. There might be some things that you'll need to oversee and manage."

"I?"

Yan Li was puzzled. With Han Sanye's reputation, why would he need to take action?

However, Yan Li quickly realized Han Sanye's plan. "The Founding of a Republic" was too high-profile, even giving the actor the nickname "Mountain Eagle". Han Sanye was probably a little nervous and asked Yan Li to step forward so that he could share the fire and attention.

Well, he's the one who's in charge of arguably the same patriotic blockbuster as "The Founding of a Republic." Now Yan Li has truly become the undisputed king of looks in the entertainment industry…

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(End of this chapter)