Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 531 You're so wicked!
May 13, 2009 (Gregorian calendar), the third day after the birth of the Empire's twin stars.

Morning light streamed through the towering stained-glass windows into the maternity ward of the Concordia Cathedral, bathing the marble floor in a sacred golden glow.

The empire's most honored new mother, Sisi Liu, leaned against a soft couch woven from velvet and silk. Her black hair, slightly dulled by postpartum weakness, was scattered on a pillow unembroidered with ancient runes.

Juran the Healer, the female physician bestowed the title "Hand of Life" by the Empire, entered the inner room with a mithril stethoscope around her neck.

Behind her followed three healing nuns in white robes, carrying silver platters displaying various shimmering potions and crystal instruments.

“Your Highness,” Zhu Lan bowed slightly, her voice as gentle as a healing spell, “Today, I need to use ‘True Vision Touch’ to check whether your uterine contract is completely closed.”

She gently pressed her fingertips against Sissi Liu's lower abdomen, where the empire's twin stars had once been conceived.

"Praise be to the goddess of nature, the power of chaos has receded, and the tide of ominous discharge has turned into the clear color of morning dew."

Lochia is a natural bodily reaction after childbirth. Juran St. Healer uses this to assess her physical condition and observe whether she can be discharged from the hospital.

The healing nuns stepped forward one by one:
The first person to examine the mother's pupils with an ice crystal lens said: "The soul fire is stable, with no shadow erosion."

The second person placed an amethyst on her chest: "The heart's resonance frequency matches the standard for the third day after childbirth in the Concord Code."

The third person looked at the guidance from the Holy Healing God in his hand: "The intestinal dragon breath test is negative. You can resume eating liquid food made of elven honey and unicorn milk."

The Holy Healer Juran smiled and nodded: "According to Chapter 7 of the Divine Code of Childbirth, women who have dragon blood and are blessed by the elves can end their temple guardianship in three days."

"But please remember, you must not ride a griffin on the return journey; you must travel in an enchanted four-wheeled vehicle."

Just then, Sisi Liu saw a majestic man push open the door and enter, his combat boots striking a majestic rhythm in the silence.

She asked in a deep voice, "Have the 'Bards' and 'Daily Prophet' spies around the hospital been eliminated?"

"What the heck? What bard?" Washing Machine looked completely bewildered.

He glanced at the English version of the Game of Thrones script on the bedside table; it was the first version sent by Netflix. Only then did he realize what kind of trouble his wife had gotten into:

"Oh! You mean paparazzi and fans?"

"Stop talking to me in that Western fantasy tone. Hurry up and pack your things to go home. The police are already maintaining order outside the hospital."

"Haha! Okay!" Xiao Liu shattered the role-playing filter, got out of bed unhurriedly, and the Holy Healer Zhu Lan in front of him also became Director Zhu of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department.

"Then we'll be going now, Director Zhu. Thank you. If there's anything my baby doesn't understand, we'll ask you again."

Zhu Lan exclaimed, "Young mothers recover faster and better. A few years ago, when I was studying in France, I met a 20-year-old athlete. People abroad don't have the custom of postpartum confinement. She went to participate in a competition just two weeks after giving birth, which was quite astonishing."

Young mothers do have a significant physiological advantage when giving birth: their ovarian function is at its peak, their muscles and ligaments are more elastic, their birth canal is less damaged, and their metabolism is faster.

Especially for a young woman like Xiao Liu, who is already in excellent health, apart from the difficult childbirth process, her condition is now quite good.

Based on her own physical condition, she could easily take a month or two off like the foreigners and return to work, but Liu Xiaoli absolutely refused.

By 10 a.m., the main entrance of Peking Union Medical College Hospital was already packed with people.

Dozens of entertainment reporters held up cameras, fans waved support signs, and several people held up the latest Nokia N95 mobile phones, which stood out in the crowd. This top-of-the-line camera phone was flashing its recording indicator light.

Traffic police officers arrived at the scene to maintain order and strictly ordered the crowd to move aside and not to block the road, so as not to affect the normal medical treatment order.

A Maybach with license plate 京A·LL825 honked twice and slowly drove out of the yard. The paparazzi looked at Afei, who was wearing sunglasses in the driver's seat. This cold-faced bodyguard was now the official symbol of Lu Kuan and his wife.

With him there, at least one of those two people is in the car.

"I'm coming!"

"Follow!"

As reporters frantically swarmed and surrounded the Maybach, a brand-new Toyota Alphard quietly slid out from the logistics passage of Union Hospital. Inside sat a family of four and Grandma Liu Xiaoli. They bypassed the media vehicles on Chang'an Avenue, merged into the traffic, and headed straight for Wenyuhefu.

This van was modified to air out the odor while Xiao Liu was pregnant.

The main change is that the rear seats have been replaced with two Graco infant safety seats that can rotate 360°. The base has been reinforced to ensure that they will not wobble during emergency braking, and the seat angle also meets the standards for newborn spinal protection.

The doors and roof are also equipped with 3M sound insulation cotton to reduce external noise interference and avoid waking up sleeping babies. With the addition of independent rear air conditioning, the comfort level is quite high.

Holding her son in her arms, Liu Yifei winked and teased her daughter in her mother's arms, "Yo yo~ yo yo~ let's go home~"

She suddenly realized a serious problem and turned to her husband in the passenger seat: "Lu Kuan, the name you gave our son is quite grand and dignified, but what if his nickname is hard to pronounce?"

The old father clearly didn't care much: "Why give a boy a nickname? It seems too indulgent. Just pick any of them, like Dog Egg, Iron Egg, or Iron Pillar. They sound solid."

Liu Yifei said fiercely, "You're just being biased! Don't you dare show it in front of the children again."

“This isn’t favoritism. It’s better to raise a son roughly so he doesn’t become spoiled when he grows up.” Boss Lu did have this concern. If he grew up spoiled by his mother Liu Yifei and her group of girlfriends, he would inevitably become delicate and effeminate.

However, there aren't many men in the family who are close to them and whom they know well and are reliable. The only option is to let Afei train his body properly and spend more time with his uncle Zhuang Xu to cultivate his upright character.

Liu Xiaoli didn't take it seriously at all, and with a smile, she reached out and tapped Lu Ping's nose: "Look at you, you little brat, your parents will definitely argue a lot because of you in the future."

"Lu Kuan, you can hold him for a while." Liu Yifei's arms were a little sore, and she carefully handed her son, who had "lost his nickname," to her husband.

"Okay!" The washing machine couldn't be happier. He would have to be a strict father when educating his children in the future, but that wouldn't affect his love for his little rascal now.

The father-son relationship in China is always so delicate.

The little one felt like he had been embraced in a different arms and curiously opened his eyes wide to look at this "stranger" he had only known for a few hours.

"Let me try it out and see which name he likes," the old father said mischievously, trying out names for his son.

"Iron Egg?"

"Big hair?"

"Dog?"

"Tiezhu?"

"Waaaaah!" Lu Ping seemed oblivious to the familiar scent on her mother and suddenly burst into tears, her loud cries making her father's eardrums ring.

Liu Xiaoli reacted quickly, lifting the purse to check: "Oh dear, the little brat peed!"

Over the past few days, Xiao Liu has become quite adept at it. She decisively takes out the prepared diapers from the storage box under the seat, quickly lays out the disposable waterproof pad, and lets her husband put the baby on it.

She quickly unfastened the snaps on the onesie, and sure enough, the diaper was already quite heavy.

"This kid's got some skills, he can eat and pee like a dog." Lu Kuan came over to watch the commotion, but his wife glared at him and told him, "Don't block the light!"

Mr. Lu watched her change the baby's diaper with amusement, thinking to himself that giving his son nicknames like Tiedan and Tiezhu was actually quite appropriate. Who could understand the old father's hopes?
This is also one of our core competitive advantages!
The sweet-smelling baby was back in his arms, and Lu Kuan continued to tease him: "Tiezhu? Tiezhu? Did you really like this name just now? You were so excited you cried!"

Xiao Liu leaned closer and affectionately touched his son, then laughed and scolded, "If you keep using these vulgar nicknames to insult my son, I'll start calling you by your nickname too!"

Little Lu Ping, feeling his mother's scent, started to move his arms and legs excitedly. His little face relaxed, and a shallow dimple appeared on the left corner of his mouth.

"Oh my, he's laughing! Lu Kuan, don't move!" Liu Yifei excitedly pulled out her phone, quickly capturing her son's adorable expression.

In just a few days, her phone's memory has almost run out.

Liu Xiaoli, ever the same old story, beamed with delight: "Youyou's dimples are on the right, and Xiao Maotou's are on the left. It's only when they laugh together that it's truly beautiful!"

Xiao Liu flipped through the photos in the album, saying expectantly, "It's just that I'm growing too slowly, and I can't tell who I look like now."

"It would be best to just inherit your strengths; your features aren't particularly outstanding on their own." Now that the mother has developed a special bond with her grandchildren, she's become more casual with her daughter, bluntly stating that Xiao Liu is "the ugliest in the family."

He then teased his granddaughter in his arms: "Isn't that right? Girls with masculine features are noble. You should look more like your father, with a heroic and upright appearance."

Xiao Liu looked dissatisfied but had no way to refute it, after all, this evaluation came from Liu Xiaoli herself, the "Nuwa" who created her, and it was too convincing!
“I think Youyou’s little nose bridge is quite similar to Xixi’s. With that curve, she’ll definitely have a perky nose in the future.” Lu Kuan said with a smile, “Maybe both mother and daughter will have distinctive hump noses. When they go out, they won’t even need to introduce themselves; everyone will know whose daughter she is.”

Liu Xiaoli gloated: "You're the one who's going to suffer! One stubborn wife is enough for you. Let's see whose side you take when things get heated."

The washing machine's expression darkened slightly.

Women with hump noses are not to be trifled with!
The idea that like repels like is always an interesting one, and there are plenty of mothers and daughters who have minor arguments every three days and major arguments every five days.

Imagine another stunningly beautiful young woman, who has inherited his intelligence, fighting against the beautiful young woman Liu Xiaolv.

The former not only possessed the stubbornness and tenacity of 15-year-old Liu, but also a shrewdness and maturity beyond his years...

Wouldn't that cause chaos and disorder?
He glanced at his wife's mocking expression and, taking advantage of his daughter's inability to understand, declared: "I'm definitely on the same side as my wife, completely loyal!"

"Let's hope so!" Liu Yifei squinted, not optimistic about the washing machine's promise.

That bastard is obviously a doting father; who knows what kind of wicked schemes he'll come up with to mess with me behind my back!
We returned to Wenyuhe Mansion, which we hadn't visited for nearly a month, without any hindrance. The main villa had already been prepared for the arrival of the newborn when the family moved to Gongjian Hutong before them.

Besides the master bedroom and study, the remaining empty rooms on the second floor have been converted into a temperature- and humidity-controlled nursery. The entire villa has also been equipped with a Swiss-imported air purification system, which, together with a whole-house fresh air system, ensures that PM2.5 levels are always below 5.

Even after the Olympics, due to the laxity of environmental protection requirements in Hebei Province and the rampant sandstorms in the north, the environmental problems in Beiping remained severe.

The Lu family lives near the Wenyu River, which is already considered an urban oasis. However, within their means, the parents always try their best to give them the best.

The sleeping babies were placed in their cribs, and to give them time to adjust, many of Liu Yifei's usual home-style short-sleeved shirts were laid out on the beds.

The specially designed breastfeeding area is equipped with a UV sterilizer, a refrigerator for storing breast milk converted from a German Bosch constant temperature wine cabinet, and a separate baby changing table with a TOTO smart toilet.

It wasn't particularly luxurious, but every piece of equipment was quite practical; Liu Yifei had planned to buy it during her second trimester.

In addition, there's the outdoor early education area, small children's playground, and pony enclosure outside the Wenyuhe Mansion, which are already on the agenda. To put it dramatically—

This 70,000-square-meter space is enough for children to live in until they go to school without getting bored, and it also provides meticulous care.

After lunch, friends and leaders who had been unable to visit the hospital due to other commitments, such as Leader Liu, Zhao Benshan, and Zhang Huijun, came to visit, along with senior branch managers from Wenjie who gathered to offer their congratulations.

Even when one is in high spirits due to a happy occasion, dealing with this can easily take up an entire afternoon.

Leader Liu and he walked around the manor for about ten minutes, chatting about the current situation by the Wenyu River. He didn't talk much about his responsibilities, but his spirit and high morale were evident in his words.

Grandpa Benshan remains as simple and honest as ever, bringing another carload of Northeast specialties, which he piled up like a small mountain in the kitchen.

The wild ginseng, black bee honey, dried hazel mushrooms and matsutake mushrooms wrapped in red silk cloth, etc., the latter of which Liu Xiaoli praised the most.

Upon opening the bag, the authentic aroma of mountain produce wafts out. A handful can boost immunity when stewing old hen soup, and it can even increase a baby's resistance when breastfeeding.

There are also many other local specialties such as wild dried blueberries and handmade donkey-hide gelatin cakes. They are all natural and high-quality products that can only be bought by finding a close friend. Liu Xiaoli was so moved that she insisted on having dinner at home with her fellow villager, Grandpa Benshan.

Lu Kuan and Lao Zhao met at the 04 Spring Festival Gala. Because of Lao Zhang's collaboration with Dong Jie in "Happy Times", the latter asked Boss Lu to "go easy on" and let Bai Lian off the hook.

In the past two years, Zhao Benshan first used his high-level connections outside Shanhaiguan to help Zhifutong access municipal payment services, and then Boss Lu endorsed his Benshan Art School's master's program.

Up until the Li Yinghe farting incident during this year's Spring Festival Gala, they both considered each other to be close friends, and their personalities and values ​​were very compatible.

Old Zhao's gifts are all pure, natural, and exquisite; the recipients can't find a single flaw in them.

The last to leave were a dozen or so managers from Wenjie Holdings' subsidiaries. Besides offering congratulations and visits, some also took the opportunity to report on their work and boast about their achievements.

During the days that Xiao Liu was giving birth, the purchase data of props in "Ask the World Farm" exploded. Fans contributed a considerable number of new customers and ticket revenue without any ranking or call for action.

Besides ticketing, the biggest beneficiary this time is Dongzi's payment platform. With the June movie season approaching, the entire mall system's listing guidance process is going smoothly, and it has also achieved great success in social game marketing this month.

However, the few words her husband spoke to Dongzi alone before leaving left Liu Yifei somewhat confused.

What's Singles' Day all about?

"Shopping Festival." After coming into contact with outsiders, Lu Kuan disinfected himself in the living room, washed his hands repeatedly, and then couldn't wait to go upstairs to see the cubs.

As he walked, he explained, "We're going to hold a shopping festival on this day, select participating manufacturers to offer huge discounts across the board. Taobao focuses on low prices and low profits, while we've always been known for our logistics services and quality. We'll carry that forward and completely widen the gap between us and them."

In his previous life, Ali organized "Double 11" in 09 to facilitate the transformation of the "Big Peach Tmall Strategy," which was to promote his own Tmall Mall and shift from the original Taobao, which was full of cheap and counterfeit goods, to quality e-commerce, and from the original B2B and C2C to B2C.

However, in this life, Wenjie Mall, in order to catch up with its big brother, clearly started with a B2C strategy. In addition, it invested its first round of financing from IDG in building its own logistics. Now it is time to cut off Ma Yun's "Big Taobao Strategy" and seek a final sprint to overtake.

The young couple glanced at Liu Xiaoli reading inside and their baby sleeping peacefully from the doorway before cautiously walking onto the terrace to talk.

Liu Yifei was still puzzled: "Is there anything special about November 11th? It's neither a traditional festival nor an anniversary. And people's shopping desire is usually stronger during the Chinese New Year. Won't this time be too quiet?"

"This time point is the consumption window between National Day and New Year's Day. Merchants are under great pressure to settle their finances and inventory before the New Year, so we can negotiate more easily."

"For consumers, November marks the beginning of winter across the country, leading to a surge in demand for seasonal goods such as winter clothing, heating equipment, and health supplements. Offline shopping malls have not yet started their year-end promotions. And now there's the 'Singles' Day,' so we can capitalize on the slogan of 'indulging in self-care' and make a difference."

Xiao Liu didn't seem to have the "pregnancy brain" syndrome; her mind worked quickly: "To do promotions, you need to advertise, and if you advertise, others will imitate you. So what advantage do we have? Or can we register a trademark and do it exclusively?"

"Trademarks need to be registered, but they're easy to circumvent," Mr. Lu laughed. "However, we're not afraid of Ma Yun imitating us. Putting aside our four or five years of experience in the B2C market, their own logistics are unmatched. The difference in shopping experience is huge!"

"Liu Qiangdong has already started preparing exclusive launch contracts for various merchants. Once the exclusive contracts are signed, even a skilled cook can't cook without rice."

The seeds sown earlier are now the nitrogen boost for accelerating and overtaking on curves.

While Ma Yun was still struggling to shed Taobao's "cheap" label, Wenjie had already nailed 11.11 to the iron throne of commercial history with its B2C DNA and logistics dominance.

Perhaps after this battle, consumers will no longer ask "Why November 11th?", but only "What has Wenjie Mall prepared this year?"

Liu Yifei simply nodded and didn't take it too seriously, assuming it was just a routine holiday marketing campaign, no different from the previous marketing efforts of various sectors within the platform. Like Liu Qiangdong, or even Ma Yun herself in her previous life when she had just decided to launch "Double Eleven," she hadn't accurately predicted the explosive success of this shopping extravaganza before it became a reality.

She fed the baby a few more times, and by the time the baby fell asleep it was already evening. Xiao Liu went to the study, sat down at the computer, and logged into her Weibo account.

In the afternoon, Yang Siwei came to visit and offer her congratulations. Before leaving, she suggested that she respond appropriately to the fans' concerns on social media.

In the past few days, celebrities and fans alike, whose numbers have soared to around 1750 million, have been eagerly awaiting her official announcement.

Seeing the overwhelming outcry online, how should I post this on Weibo...?

She will never post pictures of her children online. Even if she wanted to share and show off, she wouldn't. She wants to protect them as much as possible until they turn eighteen.

Xiao Liu thought for a moment, then took her husband's plain ring engraved with "LIU" and placed it next to her own "LU" ring, which she hadn't worn since giving birth, and took a picture. (Chapter 467)
He then posted a long article, which was a response to the millions of new fans who had joined his last Weibo post in the past three or four days, expressing their blessings and concern.

It started with Lu, then with i, and then came Liu.

Until May 10, 2009, my first Mother's Day, two more loves were added between Lu Kuan and me, and we became Liiiiu.

Before this day, I never imagined that I would play such a role at the age of 22.

On the day I gave birth, I was in so much pain that I almost lost consciousness.

But when their cries rang out in the delivery room, I realized that people can indeed experience extreme pain and extreme happiness at the same time in an instant.

The birth of these two little elves suddenly reminded me of the inner monologue of the yellow rose giving birth in "The Story of the Rose" that I read a few years ago:
My dear children, today is the first time you have said goodbye to me, leaving my body behind, and eagerly coming into this world.

From that moment on, I could no longer protect you with my body, separating you from this wonderful yet complex world.

The thought of this fills me with immense disappointment and worry; compared to these feelings, all the pain during childbirth is insignificant.

I am your mother, but there is very little I can and cannot do.

But you have given me so much; just having you makes me happy.

As dusk deepened, the fragrance of locust blossoms grew even more refreshing. The children next door slept peacefully, completely unaware of how they had reshaped their mother's world.

My dear child, if it is truly as the poem says, "Every angel chooses a mother from the clouds," then thank you for crossing the sea of ​​people to choose me.

I used to think that maternal love was a one-way giving, until you nuzzled my chin with your baby hair and melted away my weariness with your toothless smiles—

So you are the mentors sent by the universe to teach me to reinterpret life.

The rings stand side by side as ever, their love enduring.

……

This Weibo post quickly became a trending topic, but unusually, there weren't many dedicated fans mocking or criticizing the washing machine.

Regardless of their stance or inclination, fans or casual observers were moved by the heartfelt words of this new mother, a monologue from the heart of an ordinary woman.

At the same time, this once again forms a strong and stark contrast to the female independence advocated by Professor Li and others.

Yes! This is what a normal woman and a normal mother should be like under China's simple moral culture!

More than a thousand buildings were erected in an instant, and fans' emotions and blessings could be seen everywhere.

"The fairy turned into a mother and put on armor. It's been seven years since I met you, and in a few months I'll be a mother too. I'm so touched..."

"Zweig said: 'When the stars of humanity shine, their light often comes from the solitary lamp in the night. Children are hope.' My heartfelt blessings to Ivy and Lu Kuan!"

"In the bizarre and chaotic entertainment industry, it's a relief to finally see an actress who is even more normal than the average person. Thank you for bringing us positive energy about family and love."

Even without deliberate marketing, Liu Yifei's blog post generated a huge public opinion effect, but fans did not offer any congratulations or blessings beyond leaving comments.

After all, unlike other singers who can chart and sell albums, Liu has had almost no other commercial collaborations in the past two years, apart from endorsements with international influence such as Pepsi and Disney. Her fans are in a rather awkward situation of having "no way to spend money on her".

As a result, people flocked to websites such as Wenjie Mall and Wenjie Farm to frantically pre-order points and items for the "Celebrity Open Day" event on the 25th of this month.

With one side gaining and the other losing, the evil axis members, unable to sit still any longer, gathered again for a meeting early on the 14th.

President Liu arrived at Damai.cn's headquarters in Donghuan Plaza earlier than anyone else.

He withdrew from Damai.cn after Wuyue Culture's IPO after the Lunar New Year, and has been extremely busy these past few months, making final preparations for the capital game in August that will determine Lenovo's fate.

We worked with the legal team to verify each compliance document for the listing of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' equity, ensuring that every step of the 29% equity transfer was strictly within the policy framework.

By personally meeting with potential bidders, Lu Zhiqiang of Oceanwide Holdings is always the most crucial move on the chessboard. The friendship between the two, which was formed in the 1990s, has now turned into an unspoken understanding. The hard requirement of holding controlling stakes in the three sectors of finance, energy, and real estate is just like a key tailor-made for Oceanwide Holdings.
The former chairman racked his brains trying to figure out how the employee stock ownership association could consolidate its control through a newly established joint-stock company with a 35% stake.
After Guoke Holdings' 36% stake was reduced to become the second largest shareholder, how should it present its story of "mixed ownership reform" to the market?

In the soft hum of the gears of capital meshing, he seemed to hear the echo of the hammer falling in August.

Currently, Lu, the founder of Oceanwide Holdings, is systematically reducing his stake in China Minsheng Bank in exchange for cash, and the day of their triumphant reunion is not far off.

That's precisely why he has the time today to pay attention to such a low-priority, trivial matter as the Axis of Evil.

Compared to Lianxiang, online ticketing in the film market is merely a tool for him to unite his forces to attack the industry and seek opportunities to invest in and seize assets.

At 9 a.m., the secretary knocked on the door and came in: "President Liu, Mr. Ma from Ali and Mr. Li from Baidu have arrived."

"Hmm." Liu Chuanzhi looked at the People's Daily in his hand, a habit he had developed over the years. After a while, he looked up and asked, "Where's Wang Jianlin?"

"Still on the way, will arrive in about ten minutes."

"Okay, call me on the internal line five minutes after he arrives."

"Yes!"

Old Liu has been so busy lately that he's completely overwhelmed. Suddenly, he remembered that something he arranged last time seemed to have come to nothing: "That Feng from Wanda..."

"Feng Xiaogang!" the secretary quickly replied.

"Yes, Feng Xiaogang got into trouble, and it's causing such a stir online, but Wanda hasn't made a single move?"

The secretary looked somewhat embarrassed. After all, he was the one who handled this matter. Although the old chairman only instructed that it be leaked and hyped up on Weibo, Wanda would naturally think of who was holding a grudge and orchestrating this.

Who else besides Wenjie would dare to challenge Wanda, given that it is a competitor with the ability to stir up a massive wave of public opinion?
Simply calling the secretary and Chairman Liu didn't seem to have much effect.

Aside from intensifying its public relations efforts, Wanda has not made any harsh statements or pronouncements regarding Wenjie other than those concerning fair competition.

Although Lao Wang is a member of the evil axis, he is different from Ma Yun, Liu Chuanzhi and other direct members of the Taishan Society, and has always been outside the "organization".

Competition with Wenjie will remain solely at the commercial level. This is Wang Jianlin's requirement for the entire company and his "dog son" Wang Sicong, based on a thorough understanding of both sides' strengths and the past nature of competitors.

But this is not what the old chairman wanted to see.
Thus, he subtly revealed the affair between Kuzi and Shen Xing to the public, hoping to give Wanda a push from the outside and usher him into the Taishan Club's fold.

Obviously, if Wang Jianlin wants to challenge the world, it would be absolutely impossible without a background organization like the Taishan Society.

The secretary reported on the current situation: "Wanda arranged for Feng Xiaogang's wife, Xu Fan, to be interviewed to do crisis public relations for her husband, saying that this matter is over for her."

"Even if the husband cheats, it's not the man who suffers. The girl who was taken advantage of shouldn't complain. If she has any shame, she should just stay away from him in the future."

"Ha!" Liu Chuanzhi chuckled as he stood up. "She's really got a big heart. These actors are just different. They can perform anywhere, big or small. Hehe."

Behind Lao Liu's thick glasses, his eyes flickered, and it was unclear whether he was thinking about another actress who had recently had good news, and her husband, who was arguably the richest man in mainland China and a troublesome figure.

The secretary asked, "So, what should we do now?"

The old chairman glanced at his watch, estimating that Wang Jianlin and the others had arrived a while ago, and said as he walked, "It was just something I threw down randomly; if it doesn't work, I'll just throw it away."

"I heard that young man has resorted to his old tricks again these past few days, targeting Tencent and Hunan TV with deadly intent, hasn't he?"

"Hehe, those who follow the right path receive much help, while those who stray from it receive little. Let's see if he continues to be arrogant; there will come a time when he will be attacked by the masses."

He pushed open the door and appeared before his "little brothers" with his usual nonchalant demeanor.

"Long time no see, everyone! Is things a bit unsettled at home?"

Of the three people in front of him, Lao Ma, who had previously benefited the most and was happiest from Damai.cn, was now naturally deep in thought due to the worrying competitive situation.

Li Yanhong possessed a refined and scholarly demeanor, but his furrowed brows suggested a sense of bewilderment regarding the current situation. Only Wang Jianlin remained composed, smiling as he rose to shake hands with him.

"President Liu, is everything going well in the United States?"

"Haha, all the way! All the way!" In the eyes of the group before them, Old Liu was undoubtedly a pillar of strength, always so shrewd and decisive.

"I promised to treat you to a celebratory drink last time, how could I go back on my word? Let's wait a little longer, haha!" (Chapter 519)
Old Ma's expression was somewhat bitter: "President, I wonder if you are aware of the current situation..."

"Where is Cao Jie?" Liu Chuanzhi asked curiously. "He reported to me, but I haven't had a chance to see it yet."

The secretary explained, "President Cao went to a meeting at the bureau. Three Hollywood movies are going to be released in June, and there might be an update to the box office statistics software, which involves online ticketing. The heads of major cinema chains all went today, and I heard it was to arrange the film market work for the second half of the year."

The main purpose of this meeting with cinema chains was to request their cooperation in updating the national real-time box office statistics system to prevent box office fraud.
Meanwhile, negotiations were held regarding the scheduling of films for September and October for other key domestic projects, such as "The Founding of a Republic".

The concept of negotiation is something that those who understand it will naturally understand; those who don't understand it are simply ignorant.

Online ticketing websites like Damai.cn and Wenjie Tickets, due to their "box office distribution" model, can be considered cinema chains to some extent, hence their attendance at the conference.

Cao Jie was absent, so Wang Jianlin, who was quite knowledgeable about cinemas and the domestic film market, gave a brief introduction:
"Although 'Wenjie Farm' is just a social game, everyone has seen the results it has achieved in the hands of Wenjie."

"Based on the latest official information disclosed by Wenjie, and considering the ebb and flow caused by the Korean Wave scandal and Liu Yifei's childbirth in the past two days, we estimate that Wenjie Ticketing's current cash reserves are approximately..."

Old Wang paused, not to whet anyone's appetite, but because the number was indeed quite astonishing.

"It's around 8 million."

The meeting room was completely silent. Even the usually calm and confident old president couldn't help but raise an eyebrow; this was indeed somewhat unexpected.

08年11月到09年4月内地近55亿的内地电影大盘，大麦网和问界两家在线票务网站的线上购票占比仅25%左右，整体市场规模20亿露头。

Damai.cn has a market share of 70%, and its total market share is only around 14 billion.

It's true that the mainland film market will continue its rapid growth this year, but the fact that it has already secured 800 million yuan in box office revenue before the fierce competition even begins in June is somewhat unexpected.

Can a simple game really act as such a powerful lever?

Chairman Liu always seemed to find surprises and shocks in this junior businessman whom he considered arrogant.

Even if he didn't really want to admit it.

"I have a question," Liu Chuanzhi said in a deep voice. "Lu Kuan used the pledged funds obtained from Wuyue Culture's listing to amount to about 10 billion yuan. If you plan to engage in a subsidy war from the second half of the year until the Spring Festival, what is the approximate scale of the money you will burn?"

The old chairman didn't want to think too much about it. Now he just wanted to see if he could gather the strength of the Taishan Association and use superior forces to encircle and annihilate them in the frontal war against the enemy.

Wang Jianlin reacted quickly, or rather, he had already thought it through: "Based on Wanda's experience, a large portion of this 1 billion yuan in cash will be diverted to their 4K and IMAX cinema construction. Let's just consider it a 50/50 split, and keep 500 million yuan to fight a subsidy war with us!"

"The main issue now is forecasting the box office revenue for the second half of the year. Assuming a year-on-year and month-on-month growth rate of around 60-75 billion yuan, and with an average subsidy of over 50% per ticket and an average ticket price of 35 yuan, assuming the subsidy covers 50% of the box office revenue—"

Old Wang pointed out, "This is already a very exaggerated number."

"In this scenario, the total subsidy cost for both companies will exceed 10 billion."

Liu Chuanzhi laughed and said, "Our advantage actually lies in our funds. We have long been prepared to 'fire the cannons and blast their mothers.' It seems we need to make this fire burn even brighter, lest Wenjie can't even spend all 5 million."

Seeing his demeanor reassured everyone somewhat; having a well-equipped support team is always a good thing.

However, if Lianxiang contributes more of this money, the shares of the other shareholders of Damai will naturally be diluted. This is equivalent to additional investment, and not all four companies can come up with enough funds.

What if the fire gets even bigger?

Even though they didn't experience the 9.9 yuan movie ticket phenomenon of later generations, it's not hard to imagine the market situation after the two sides fought fiercely.

Liu Chuanzhi recalled the issues with Ma Huateng and Xiangtai, and proactively inquired of Ma Yun: "These days, scandals about Korean wave and so on are rampant online, and it seems that these two companies are in a rather dire situation."

"Xiao Ma, you met with Ma Huateng last time. Is there any hope of bringing him to our side this time?"

Ma Yun hesitated for a few seconds and slowly shook her head: "It's not easy to persuade him. In the current situation, Tencent and Hunan TV can't be said to have suffered a great loss. After all, they gained a lot of competitive advantages during that period of Korean wave."

"The issue now is how to handle public relations. It's too early for us to try to win over an 'enemy of the enemy' who hasn't lost hope in the war."

Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement; it seemed that this path of alliances and counter-alliances was not yet feasible.

It's true that we should unite all forces that can be united, but compared to the risks of joining one's own camp and fighting against the outside world, it's clear that Ma Huateng would rather face the Korean wave Waterloo of "Penguin Ranch" alone at present.

"Mr. Liu! Distinguished leaders, I have something to report, something that should be related to what you've been discussing." Liu Chuanzhi's secretary interjected during the break, and after receiving a nod of approval from his boss, continued:
"The internet is just abuzz again. The three Super Junior concerts in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou that Hunan TV and Tencent planned were supposed to be an event to counter this wave of K-pop scandals and continue to unite fans..."

"Cancelled."

"It is said that Han Geng, a Chinese artist from the Super Junior group, was poached by Fan Bingbing and is going to sue SM Entertainment in South Korea. It seems like things are in chaos."

The secretary adjusted his glasses and, seeing everyone staring at him in disbelief, quickly added, "I subscribed to the WAP version of the 'Beiping Entertainment News' on my phone; it was just a few minutes ago."

Ma Yun, Liu Chuanzhi, and the others looked at each other, first taken aback, then overjoyed!
You wicked seed, you're so good to be wicked!

(End of this chapter)