Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 587 A Clever Plan, Killing Multiple Birds with One Stone

On June 11, 2010, the South Africa World Cup opened, and Xiao Liu flew from Paris to Beiping that evening.

This time, the innocent young woman didn't linger with her husband for half a day, because the second season of "The Book of Peace" was about to start filming, and she had to rush to Hengdian to join the crew the day after she returned.

With the booming development of the entertainment industry 2.0 era, film and television projects from various companies are springing up like mushrooms after rain. The fierce competition is already evident in the summer TV drama season from June to September alone.

On June 18th, the drama "My Love from the Star," starring Fan Bingbing, Huang Xiaoming, and others, was rushed to disrupt the "Ali Penguin 618 Shopping Festival."
In late June, LeTV Culture's directorial debut "Love Story of Beiping," Wenjie's "Naked Wedding Era," and the old wine in new bottles "New Three Kingdoms" and "New Dream of the Red Chamber" were released.
In early July, the summer season began with the spy drama "Before Dawn" and the family drama "A Beautiful Era of Daughter-in-Law" produced by Xiaoma Benteng.

And the highly anticipated first season of the acclaimed drama series "The Book of Peace," although it only has 12 episodes.

With the best actors from across the country getting to know each other better and working together more effectively, coupled with the support of the industry's most elite team at Wenjie Film & Television and official policies, the filming of "The Book of Peace" is gradually accelerating.

With the integration of the Wenjie team, who have received training in Hollywood film industry processes, an industrialized shooting model has been basically formed.
First, there is the ultimate in pre-planning and standardization. Mature pre-visualization technologies such as dynamic storyboards and virtual location scouting are used to conduct sand table simulations of every scene's shot design, camera movement, lighting scheme, and even actor positioning down to the minute.

Meanwhile, strict databases and standardized processes have been established for costumes, props, and sets to ensure that any item can be located and made available immediately when needed.

Secondly, there is modularization and parallel operation. The crew is no longer a single linear work chain, but is broken down into multiple highly efficient and collaborative modular units.

For example, during the later stages of the first season, while Zheng Xiaolong was filming dialogue scenes with Team A, Team B could simultaneously rehearse action scenes or shoot establishing shots, and the special effects team could collect on-site data for post-production. This "parallel" operation mode, like a modern assembly line, allows different processes to proceed at the same time, greatly compressing the overall cycle.

Given this, if we work harder and continue filming year-round in 2011, we can probably complete the main storyline of three seasons, but the time required for post-production cannot be reduced any further.

However, Xiao Liu now has a little selfish motive. Her experience at the British Museum and in Paris has made her very interested in the female lead in the film adaptation of "The Shape of Water." But this requires good communication with both sides and making reasonable filming schedules for the scenes where she is not involved.

However, Lu Kuan's new film script is still in its infancy, so the matter needs to be discussed further, especially since his schedule this year is extremely busy.

The global roadshow for "Ball Lightning" will be held at the end of June and the beginning of July, and August will be the graduation ceremony for the first class of the Pan-Asian Film Academy and the enrollment ceremony for the new class.

In addition, there are the listings of several companies in the Zhijie Group in November, the follow-up reactions of Netflix's first original series "House of Cards" during the US TV season, and the "fierce competition" after the alliance between Big Pony and Small Pony.

The latter is likely to be a protracted battle, perhaps even surpassing the previous cash-spraying war between Damai.cn and Wenjie Tickets. For these companies, it's a matter of life and death, and no one will be willing to admit defeat.

At 8 p.m. Beijing time, the Bombardier landed smoothly. As it was a private plane entering the country, the process was much simpler and more efficient than that of a regular commercial flight.

After the plane came to a stop, ground staff set up the gangway, and customs and border inspection personnel from the private terminal boarded the plane directly to process immigration procedures. The whole process was quick and private. Accompanied by her assistant and bodyguard, Liu Yifei went directly to the VIP exit of the private terminal through a private channel, ready to leave in the waiting chauffeur-driven car.

The sudden appearance of a large group of fans and reporters surrounded them, which revealed the exposure of this trip.

Actually, he hadn't been mobbed at the airport for a long time.

But this time, with the start date of filming for the second season of "The Book of Peace" revealed, and videos of Liu appearing at the Crystal Palace and visiting the British Museum a few days ago, fans and paparazzi knew with their toes that she was coming back.

There are some hardcore paparazzi who have been staking out the Capital Airport for several days, but there are also professional paparazzi who maintain cooperative relationships with the ground staff in charge of the private jet terminal and VIP services.

Things always need to be done by someone, and these are unavoidable loopholes.

The passageway outside the VIP exit of the private jet terminal at Beijing Capital International Airport was now bustling with excitement.

The long-waiting crowd surged forward like a tidal wave, completely blocking the originally spacious passageway. The situation instantly became tense and chaotic, with enthusiastic fans, professional paparazzi, and media reporters all mixed together, forming a thick human wall.

Flashes went off wildly, almost turning the sky into daylight, and shouts, screams, and camera shutter sounds mingled together, assaulting our eardrums.

The crowd surged as Liu Yifei moved, the order was somewhat chaotic, but the core focus was on the beautiful figure surrounded in the middle.

This is the status of a top female star in mainland China.

The kind of online traffic that other female celebrities would have to buy is a real problem for Xiao Liu; all she wants now is to go home and see her baby.

Four bodyguards in black suits reacted quickly, immediately forming a tight protective circle to firmly protect Liu Yifei in the center.

Even though she was wearing large sunglasses, fans could still see that she was slightly surprised but quickly regained her composure. Their goddess was dressed in simple casual clothes, and the sight of the scene before her seemed to have dispelled much of the fatigue from the long flight.

"Wait a minute, we can't walk anymore anyway." Xiao Liu gestured for the bodyguards to make way, and the assistant did his best to maintain order at the scene. "Dear fans of Xixi, please be careful! The signs you hold have sharp edges and corners, so don't touch anyone."

Everywhere you look, the support signs and photos held by fans are diverse, clearly recording her brilliant career journey:

The ethereal Little Dragon Girl from "The Return of the Condor Heroes" and the gentle and intelligent Wang Yuyan from "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" remain the white moonlight in many people's hearts.

The aloof and proud Lu Xueqi in the fantasy epic "Zhu Xian" is captured in countless stills, as is the intellectual and courageous Chinese-American female writer in her transformative work "The Sky of History".

Of course, thanks to the power of publicity, the most prominent figure is undoubtedly Gu Nan, the female swordsman in "The Book of Peace" who carries a long sword and has a resolute gaze.

The reporters' questions came like a barrage, piercing through the cheers of the fans:
"Consort Yi! Welcome back to the country! Will Gu Nan's character in the second season of 'The Book of Peace' show a new breakthrough?"

"Is Mr. Lu's acquisition of Crystal Palace Football Club a gift to you? Will Effie become Crystal Palace's brand ambassador?"

"That video from the British Museum was so satisfying! How exactly did Director Lu confront that fake foreigner? Who is he?"

"I heard that during his trip to Paris, Director Lu discussed with the Pinault family the repurchase of the Yuanmingyuan bronze animal heads and their donation to the country? Are they the rat and rabbit heads? When will they be able to be transported back to China?"

As Xiao Liu was signing autographs for fans with a smile, he suddenly turned around when he heard the last reporter's question, leaving him and the other fans and reporters equally bewildered.

Where did this news come from?
She seemed only surprised for a moment before continuing to complete her autograph task while answering reporters' questions:

"Crystal Palace is a gift from Lu Kuan to his children, and also a gift to all the fans. I hope everyone will support and like it."

Xiao Liu stood still in the crowd, enduring the barrage of questions from cameras and cell phones, and smiled gently: "The little incident at the British Museum... was just a little diversion during the trip. Everyone can just look at it, laugh it off, and move on. No need to take it too seriously."

The first two questions seemed to be a prelude, and Liu Yifei, sensing something amiss, smiled and turned to a paparazzi wearing a baseball cap:

"Where did you get your information, reporter? Who told you my husband would buy the bronze animal heads to donate?"

The deal reached with the Pinault family yesterday will remain unknown to anyone except the two of us, Pinault, or his staff. Both sides had also clearly agreed on the subsequent marketing and public appearances.

How come it's been transmitted back to China in just over ten hours?

The reporter seemed a bit bewildered by the question. Xiao Liu realized he had mistakenly accused the reporter of deliberately causing trouble. The reporter stammered, "I heard it from my colleagues in Hong Kong. It seems Apple Daily posted a message on Twitter a few hours ago..."

Apple Daily can be considered "Hong Kong's Little Nanfang" because it is much more direct than Nanfang due to its geographical location and media control.

He said with some surprise, "I thought the news from Hong Kong was better than ours, but it seems..."

This entertainment reporter wasn't malicious. He suddenly realized this might be some kind of conspiracy targeting the richest man, and immediately loudly clarified, "I'm sorry, my information was incorrect. Please pay attention to official announcements!"

This tactic of first praising someone excessively and then clarifying that the accusations are baseless, leading to a severe damage to the person's reputation, is a common practice in the journalism industry.

Liu Yifei knew perfectly well that whether it was the club's operations, the museum controversy, or the return of the bronze animal heads, these were all major issues with far-reaching implications that required careful handling. They were not matters that could be casually commented on in a setting like an airport. All official information had to be released by the team at the appropriate time.

But with so many cameras and reporters in front of her, she could only play along: "Maybe my husband has some little surprises for everyone, like the Crystal Palace Club, but I don't have any more definite information right now."

"But after all these years, everyone should know him well. He never takes the initiative to clarify trivial controversies, let alone promotes himself or takes credit for himself. Please remain rational, thank you!"

The top female celebrity finally made it to the airport after a difficult journey, and in her car, despite the time difference, she dialed her husband's number.

Lu Kuan, on the other end of the phone, had already received a report from the public opinion monitoring center. "It's nothing. It's just that the French are quite interesting and gave us a little surprise."

"What do you mean?" Xiao Liu asked, bewildered.

"After you left, I asked Leader Liu to contact the leaders of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage. The higher authorities attach great importance to and recognize this return of cultural relics, and have already organized a working group to coordinate it."

Boss Lu chuckled, "I told Pino the news, and he returned the favor by telling me something in return—"

“Someone arranged for him to break the agreement at the final closing, putting us in a passive position and causing Wenjie to lose credibility domestically, but he declined to reveal who this person was.”

"That's why Hong Kong media leaked the news in advance!" Xiao Liu exclaimed in surprise. "Who would do something so sneaky, and how did they find out about our collaboration?"

"Haha! Do you believe what Henry Pinault said?" Boss Lu laughed: "The timing is perfect. He only notified me after I told him that things had taken a turn for the better at Christie's. This is clearly a deal."

"There is only one possibility: he had malicious intentions when he met us, but he was persuaded."

Liu Yifei was taken aback, but then she recalled the expressions and postures of the French tycoon before and after, and instantly understood.

Henry Pinault must have been holding a hidden arrow from who-knows-where, ready to strike, but the situation suddenly changed and he was knocked unconscious by the three-pronged attack proposed by Boss Lu.

Just a few hours later, after receiving news that Christie's might be allowed to resume operations in mainland China, he became even more impressed by the power of this richest man in mainland China.

Only after much painful reflection did they decide to further "abandon darkness and embrace the light."

The key question is how to clear oneself of suspicion?
It's very simple. Just fabricate that someone sabotaged things behind the scenes after the deal was reached, and then inform them of the details immediately. It's completely non-stick!
As for the well-known loophole of how others could possibly obtain the information, whether you, Lu Kuan, would be suspicious, Henri Pinault would never worry—

We're all here to do business, and we all understand the wisdom of sometimes being a little obtuse. As long as the strategic goal of mutual benefit is achieved, we can leave aside some minor details.

Liu Yifei had only one question left: "Then why doesn't he go all the way and reveal who did it? Wouldn't that show more sincerity?"

"There's no need for that, and he's already shown great sincerity, so I'm not worried about him taking it out on me."

"He..." Xiao Liu suddenly realized, "That's right! Since the other party released the message, they've obviously helped us turn the tables on them. This guy is really good at playing both sides!"

Tell Boss Lu that you just heard the news and will tell him right away;
He remained silent towards the Li family and Neil, pretending that the deal was reached. At the last minute, he fabricated a reason, such as the news that Christie's had reopened in mainland China. With such a direct interest in the matter, no one could say anything against him.

The saying "cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents" carries far more weight in the West than in the East. No matter how angry Neil and the Li family were, they couldn't bring themselves to tell the Pinault family to give up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The Pinault family already held a prominent position in France, and as long as things were out in the open, no one could force them to drink water.

But for Henry Pinault himself, he could both confidently tell Neil and the others that he had never told them anything, and also curry favor with Mr. Lu, helping him to retaliate against the schemers and thus enhance his reputation as a patriotic entrepreneur.

There are too many smart people in this world, but smart people only make friends with other smart people, because they will try to trick fools.

But with two smart players, Boss Lu and Henry Pinault, in this game, the role of the fool can only be played by Neil, Zhuang Chenxuan, and Li Zekai, who becomes indifferent after making a move.

Under the planning of Neil, who had close ties with the British authorities, and Zhuang Chenxuan, the third generation of the Li and Zhuang families, a meticulously planned media campaign to praise Liu Yifei to death was launched on the same day that Liu Yifei was ambushed at Beiping Airport and news of the bronze animal heads spread like wildfire.

Their main platforms are foreign media and Hong Kong media.

Apple Daily, as the bridgehead and vanguard, naturally wrote extensively about it, publishing a report on June 13th with its usual sensational headline: "Mainland China's richest man, Lu Kuan, spends hundreds of millions to secretly meet with Pinault in Paris, vowing to reclaim the rat and rabbit heads from the Yuanmingyuan!"

The report was highly sensational, portraying Lu Kuan as a national entrepreneur with a patriotic heart who spared no expense in pursuing national treasures. It also revealed that Lu Kuan's negotiations with the Pinault family were progressing smoothly and that an agreement was close to being reached, amounting to tens of millions of euros. The report claimed that Lu Kuan planned to buy back the treasures and donate them to the country free of charge in order to "wash away the national shame."

Several British media outlets followed up with commentary articles in their culture sections, with titles that were somewhat subtle but pointed clearly: "Art and Diplomacy: The Yuanmingyuan Complex of China's Rich."

The article appears objective, but it actually contains hidden sarcasm. It mentions the controversy surrounding Christie's auction in 2009 and implies that if this private transaction is successful, it could be seen as a "breakthrough in cultural diplomacy." It praises Mr. Lu as an entrepreneur with a sense of international responsibility, helping his compatriots to settle their affairs.

Neil himself also appeared on camera with an innocent look. In an interview with a European art radio station, when talking about the relationship between museums and private collectors, he "casually" mentioned: "I have indeed heard that a Chinese entrepreneur has great enthusiasm for Chinese cultural relics that have been lost overseas. This spirit is commendable, but the road to the return of cultural relics is often complicated and full of surprises. I wish him good luck."

The beauty of this kind of hype and praise lies in the inability to distinguish between friend and foe. If Mr. Lu himself is still in the dark, he will only think that someone is using the hot topic to promote himself, so why would he think more about it?
On June 16th, influential overseas Chinese media outlets such as Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao and Malaysia's Sin Chew Daily reprinted or compiled reports on the matter, further spreading the news that "Lu Kuan is about to win a treasure for the country" to the global Chinese community. Patriotic sentiments were fully mobilized, and Mr. Lu's image instantly became more prominent in the minds of overseas Chinese.

However, in the eyes of Zhuang Chenxuan, Neil, and others, the higher they are praised now, the more miserable they will be in the future.

Of course, the most excited people were the people in mainland China. Almost all online platforms were discussing it. Media outlets such as Xinjingbao and Nanfang Weekend cautiously reprinted the story, while portal websites such as Sina, Sohu, and Tencent quickly made it their headlines.

On Weibo, hashtags such as #LuKuanYuanmingyuanBeastHeads# and #RatHeadAndRabbitHeadsReturnHome# quickly rose to the top of the trending topics list, and countless netizens flooded the almost overgrown comment sections of Lu Kuan and Liu Yifei's Weibo accounts, excitedly leaving messages:

"Washing machines are awesome! They bring glory to the country!"

"This is the true responsibility of Chinese entrepreneurs! We eagerly await the return of the bronze animal heads to China!"

"Thank you to your husband on our behalf! He's made Chinese people so proud!"

"When will it be officially announced? I can't wait to see the bronze animal heads in the National Museum!"

When reporters contacted the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and other relevant authorities, the latter remained silent and did not comment on the matter. This silence appeared to outsiders as a cautious attitude of acquiescence or waiting for the final outcome.

Of course, Crystal Palace's owner, Lukas, at the center of the storm, also displayed unusual calmness and composure. However, despite having already headed to the United States to prepare for the premiere of "Ball Lightning" at the end of June, he was still quite active in his social media presence, posting a Weibo message related to the World Cup and asking fans to look forward to news of Crystal Palace's new season signings.

He then personally promoted "My Love from the Star" by interacting and leaving comments on Weibo with Bingbing, Huang Xiaoming, and Jing Tian, ​​who made a guest appearance, which attracted a huge amount of attention from netizens.

To the uninformed Ma and Xiao Ma, this situation was undoubtedly another targeted attack by the bad guys, trying to steal the limelight from their "Ali Penguin 618 Shopping Carnival" and the open download of QQ WeChat, in order to promote their own WeChat project.

On June 18, 2010, just after midnight, the Chinese internet world was engulfed in a shopping frenzy and traffic storm jointly launched by multiple forces. This time, a "strategic alliance" had already formed against Wenjie Mall, with companies such as Tencent, Alibaba, LeTV, and Baidu each leveraging their strengths to pour resources into Alibaba's Taobao Mall, attempting to carve out a path in the Wenjie-led shopping festival battlefield.

As the core of the alliance, Tencent's social media platform, Tencent's social media platform, utilized its most powerful traffic-generating weapon.

At midnight, online users' QQ clients simultaneously displayed eye-catching pop-up ads that read "Ali Penguin 618 Carnival Shopping Spree, Everyone's Crazy Shopping with Discounts Up to 5% Off," directly linking to the Taobao Mall main venue.

Meanwhile, on QQ Space, which has a huge number of young users, activities such as "share your shopping list to win 10,000 Q coins" were launched to spread virally through social relationships. Tencent Weibo also launched interactive topics at the same time, trying to divert Weibo's attention.

LeTV's video overlays and content integrations are equally impressive, leveraging its rising video platform advantage to play Ali Penguin 618 ads before popular movies, TV dramas, and variety shows.

Baidu is focusing its efforts on search engines. When users search for keywords such as "618," "shopping festival," and "discount," links and promotional information from Taobao Mall are prioritized. Simultaneously, Baidu has established a "618 Shopping Exchange Forum" within its massive online community, Baidu Tieba, and partnered with Taobao to offer exclusive coupons, driving conversions among community users.

With the influx of traffic from multiple sources, Taobao Mall experienced an unprecedented surge in instantaneous visits.

In the instant immediately after midnight, the number of unique visitors surged more than 10 times compared to the same period on weekdays, setting a new record for Taobao.

The massive concurrent access caused temporary slowdowns or page loading in some areas of Taobao's servers, which indirectly confirmed the intensity of the traffic.

The cumulative page views exceeded hundreds of millions in the first hour, and the average number of pages viewed per user increased significantly, indicating that users generated a high level of browsing and exploration interest after being brought in.

在阿狸官方公布的事实成交额上，截止6月18号凌晨12:50，总金额距离去年双十一问界的首小时8000万只差一线！
The coalition forces were fierce, managing to fight the aircraft carrier to a draw after more than half a year. The Chinese internet will once again be sleepless tonight.

As Pony Ma listened to Ma Yun's frequent reports of good news in his office, he saw the huge synergistic effect brought about by the deep cooperation with Ali, as well as the monetization capabilities of his own social ecosystem.

The seemingly impenetrable traffic barrier of Wenjie was not unshakeable under the combined onslaught of Tencent's social media powerhouse and Ali's e-commerce expertise. The traffic data from the first hour greatly boosted his confidence.

Ma Yun was full of confidence at the operations command center in Lin'an. Although the absolute number of transactions may still be to be seen, the booming number of users and their participation had far exceeded his previous expectations.

With PaymentTong suppressing Alipay and Wenjie Mall's B2C business taking a comprehensive lead, this breakthrough in "voice volume" and "user acquisition" achieved by leveraging alliance traffic is of great significance.

So what if the fans of Bad Seeds previously criticized him for plagiarism and imitation?
First, solve the problem of whether it exists, then solve the problem of whether it's good or bad!
Besides, I learned all this from Little Pony. If you want to criticize someone, criticize the Grand Magus!

The person with mixed feelings was Dongzi, who had been closely following the developments of Wenjie Mall from beginning to end. The mall itself was scheduled to be listed on Nasdaq in November, more than three years earlier than the "lone wolf" version of JD.com in the previous life.

Considering the financial attributes and data security of PaymentConnect, this part of the assets has already begun to be divested ahead of schedule.

But Dongzi was clearly not in a good mood at the moment. It had been seven years of hard work since 2003 before he finally managed to overtake Taobao after last year's Double Eleven. These damn internet companies were in cahoots, and the traffic they brought really made Taobao's "revival hopeful"!

In particular, the penguin's ability to attract traffic is unparalleled.

The main pressure he felt came from the traffic-gathering capabilities and appeal to potential new users demonstrated by the competitor alliance. If this joint traffic-driving model continues, coupled with more aggressive price subsidies, it could have a long-term impact on the market landscape.

Dongzi immediately convened his team for an emergency discussion on how to further strengthen the core user mindset of "authentic products, fast logistics, and good service" in order to cope with this battle that seemed to have turned into a traffic reshuffle.

The smoke of the e-commerce war is spreading, and the undercurrents behind the data are becoming increasingly turbulent.

Liu Qiangdong knew that Boss Lu was a workaholic, and was just about to inform him of the team's prediction that the total sales of the "Ali Penguin 618 Shopping Carnival" might be infinitely close to, or even exceed, the mall's 2.5 million yuan last year...

The secretary's sudden, surprised remark ignited the conference room where everyone was deep in thought about solutions!

"President Lu posted on Weibo... no, Miss Liu posted too, and..."

"Go over there!" Dongzi was an impatient person, and he couldn't wait to squeeze out all of his toothpaste at once. He sat down in front of the computer by himself without any patience.

The big boss and his wife, Anita Mui, Su Chang, Jing Tian, ​​Tong Liya, Fan Bingbing, and all the artists and friends of Wuyue and Wenjie, especially Zhang Xiaolong and veteran actors from several major theaters who were "recruited" for the filming of "Taiping Shu", as well as big names in the arts and culture circle such as Zhang Yimou, Tian Zhuangzhuang, and Wu Tianmin.

It's almost unbelievable that so many people started speaking out when "Ali Penguin 618" achieved outstanding results in the first hour. No one else could compare to Boss Lu's influence.

This strategy is like deliberately scheduling the premiere of "My Love from the Star" today; it's blatantly an attempt to steal your thunder and generate buzz.

Wenjie will mobilize top resources across all channels to promote "My Love from the Star," creating a powerful "entertainment content black hole" that evening. During the prime shopping time of 8 PM on the 18th, they will create an attention siphon among female white-collar workers, who are the main consumers.

Watching TV series, participating in plot discussions, and following celebrities—these behaviors directly squeeze out users' time for browsing and comparing prices when shopping. The consumption scenario is forcibly switched from "impulse shopping" to "entertainment and leisure," and the willingness to consume is temporarily cooled or shifted.

Dongzi glanced at Yang Siwei's urgent messages in the subsidiary manager group and realized that this was also a last-minute arrangement, which made him even more curious.

The event has only been going on for an hour. What big news could the big boss possibly come up with to interrupt the "Big and Small Horses Combined" spell and disrupt Ahri's progress?
Liu Qiangdong curiously clicked on the video on the big boss's Weibo. It had only been posted for ten minutes and already had tens of thousands of comments.

The video footage is clear and dignified. The background is a highly designed exhibition hall inside the Pinault Collection at the Paris Stock Exchange, with soft lighting and a strong artistic atmosphere.

Lu Kuan, dressed in a well-tailored dark suit, stood calmly and resolutely in front of the camera.

Behind him, inside a bulletproof glass enclosure, the rat and rabbit heads from the Old Summer Palace are quietly displayed, their weathered bronze surfaces gleaming softly under the lights, bearing the weight of history.

A concise caption appears at the bottom of the screen—

François-Henri Pinault, Chairman and CEO of Kering Group.
Lu Kuan, Chairman of Wenjie Group and internationally renowned director

The camera first focuses on Henri Pinault beside him, who, with a solemn and sincere smile, begins to speak in French (with Chinese subtitles):

"Hello everyone. I am François-Henri Pinault, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Kering Group."

"Today, I stand here with respect for history and a vision for the future. After careful consideration, Kering Group and the Pinault family behind it have decided to donate our treasured rat and rabbit heads from the Yuanmingyuan back to China free of charge."

"This decision stems from our reverence for the shared human memory carried by cultural heritage, our belief that culture should return to its original soil to nourish its vitality, and our respect for China and Mr. Lu Kuan."

“We deeply recognize the special significance of these cultural relics to the Chinese people. This donation is a way for us to express our high respect for your country’s long history and splendid civilization, and it is also a concrete manifestation of Kering Group’s commitment to promoting cultural exchange and fulfilling its corporate social responsibility.”

“We particularly appreciate and thank Mr. Lu Kuan and the Wenjie Group for their constructive attitude and enthusiasm for cultural undertakings during this process. This consensus based on mutual understanding and respect has laid a solid foundation for us to open up broader cooperation.”

"Therefore, I am very pleased to announce that, based on this successful start to cultural cooperation, Kering Group will establish a long-term and comprehensive strategic partnership with Wenjie Group, specifically including—"

"First, Puma, a globally renowned sports brand under the Kering Group, will become the official technical sponsor and equipment supplier for Crystal Palace Football Club, owned by Mr. Lu Kuan."

"Secondly, Kering Group's luxury goods portfolio will collaborate deeply with Wenjie Group and Wuyue Media's top artist resources to jointly cultivate the Chinese market:"
Gucci is honored to have Ms. Liu Yifei as its global brand ambassador.

Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) welcomes Ms. Fan Bingbing as its brand ambassador for the Asia-Pacific region.

Balenciaga will partner with Ms. Su Chang, inviting her to serve as its brand ambassador in China.

"We firmly believe that by joining hands with China's best partners, we can better serve the Chinese market and create value together. Thank you."

……

The camera pans to Lu Kuan, whose expression is calm, whose gaze is deep, and whose tone is solemn yet powerful:
"Thank you, Mr. Pinault, and thank you to Kering for your generosity and foresight."

"Standing before these national treasures that are about to return home, I am filled with emotion. The river of history flows on and on, and these cultural relics that have spanned long years and great distances not only carry exquisite craftsmanship, but also embody the emotions and memories of the nation."

"The return of cultural relics is significant far beyond the return of the objects themselves. It is a dialogue with history, reminding us to cherish the value of civilization and safeguard cultural diversity; it is also a bridge connecting the past and the future, and connecting people from different countries with a shared understanding and respect for beauty, history, and civilization. Wenjie Group is very honored to participate in and witness this important moment."

“We deeply admire Mr. Pinault and Kering’s cultural vision and sense of responsibility. It is this shared appreciation for civilization and shared aspirations for the future that has enabled us to transcend simple business and build a profound mutual trust.”

“I believe that Kering Group is a role model for companies that want to enter the Chinese market in the future. Therefore, I am full of confidence in this comprehensive strategic cooperation. It is not only a strong alliance in business, but also a resonance of ideas.”

“We look forward to creating unique value for consumers in China and around the world by combining Kering Group’s outstanding brand philosophy and product design with Wenjie Group’s deep understanding of the Chinese market and rich industrial ecosystem, and writing a new chapter about quality, aesthetics and innovation together.”

"Friends, today is a day to remember. The power of cooperation and understanding can bridge gaps and create a win-win future. Thank you again to everyone who has worked hard for this. Thank you!"

The video gradually darkens, a spotlight illuminates the rat and rabbit heads, and the outline of the Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan) faintly appears in the background: A line of white subtitles slowly emerges:
[1860-2010, Welcome Home! 7/12]

……

The release of this joint statement was like an "information nuclear bomb" dropped into the heart of the boiling e-commerce battlefield, instantly reshaping the entire online agenda.

The cumulative effect of multiple explosive events is astonishing:
The return of national treasures that carry the humiliation and emotions of the nation, the strategic shift of a top French luxury goods group, and the resource reshuffling of a top mainland artist who has won a top global endorsement.

This goes far beyond the utilitarian nature of commercial promotion, directly appealing to the public's sense of national pride, cultural pride, and excitement over entertainment gossip.

At a time when the promotional information for 618 had already caused a certain degree of aesthetic fatigue, this tsunami-level information that combined history, culture, commerce, and entertainment immediately occupied the headlines of all media outlets and the core topics of discussion on social media platforms late at night.
It successfully shifted public attention from "consumer desires" to "emotional resonance and value recognition," achieving a devastating blow to e-commerce traffic and completely stealing the spotlight from 618.

The online comments have reached an unstoppable fever pitch.

"Did only one person notice the final 7/12? Those few numbers brought tears to my eyes. They clearly tell everyone: this is not the end, but a brand new beginning. The return of the rat and rabbit heads is not an isolated victory to be complacent about, but the beginning of a systematic recovery of lost territory! The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation begins with the return of the twelve zodiac animals!"

The twelve bronze animal heads lost from the Old Summer Palace were auctioned off in 2000. The ox, tiger, and monkey were bought back by Poly Auction. Later, the Ho family from Macau bought and donated the pig and horse, and today Mr. Lu brought back the rat and rabbit.

Five more bottles remain missing, in the hands of some private collectors in the West, their whereabouts unknown.

"What's most touching is that this time the cultural relics were returned without spending a penny. This is the right way to do things, but only someone with international influence like Mr. Lu can do it. Respect!"

"In truth, these are just twelve water taps from the Old Summer Palace, but they are the congealed blood that has fallen from the wounds of our nation, the most glaring scabs on the scars of colonialism. The journey of each bronze head back to its rightful place measures the distance between us and historical justice. Rise up, China!"

"I get it! Buying things at the Ask World Mall = supporting the return of national treasures + sponsoring Crystal Palace + boosting the performance of the Heavenly Fairy!"

"Why bother with 618? Why wait for the QQ announcement tomorrow morning? Let's wait for WeChat! Let's wait for Singles' Day!"

“I returned a pair of summer clothes that my wife just bought within seven days without giving a reason. Ali is a Japanese company, and Tencent is not purely Chinese capital. Maybe I’m a bit narrow-minded, but I feel comfortable spending money on washing machine companies.”

"My girlfriend insisted on shopping during the 618 shopping festival. I told her to wait until Singles' Day, but she wouldn't listen. We've already broken up. Did I do the right thing, guys?"

"The two Mas are probably going to cry their eyes out tonight. We were fighting tooth and nail here, with pop-ups and subsidies, but the washing machine crushed us with just one video. This kind of dimensional reduction attack is too cruel!"

"boom!"

At the Ali headquarters in Lin'an, Ma Yun, with a gloomy face, closed the computer screen after reading this comment. Looking at the large screen full of operational data, the key indicators that were all red and steep just half an hour ago now seemed to be choked by an invisible hand.

The real-time transaction volume curve slowed down significantly five minutes after the video was released, changing from a near-vertical rise to a gentle climb, and even showing a slight fluctuation and decline.
Although the platform's real-time active users and page views are still enormous in absolute terms, the growth momentum has come to an abrupt halt, and the once-prosperous curve now appears weak and powerless.

Even more jarring is the sharp drop in average user dwell time and participation rate in flash sales, two core metrics reflecting user stickiness and impulse buying willingness.

Clearly, a large number of users were drawn to watch and discuss the explosive news, and their shopping carts were temporarily forgotten.

Old Ma's heart sank. His worst fears were coming true; this was no longer a battle for traffic, but a complete loss of attention.

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, at that moment, there was a young man named Xiao Ma who shared the same feelings as him, also contemplating the current situation. Xiao Ma immediately thought of the next point in time:

Tomorrow morning, Tencent is set to launch QQ Messenger, hoping to capitalize on the momentum of the 618 shopping festival and make a strong comeback in the social networking arena. However, the current online buzz and public sentiment are dominated by the "return of the animal heads," "cooperation with Kaiyun," and "the future of the industry," meaning the QQ Messenger launch event will likely generate less than half the buzz it anticipated.

Starting with the video of the return of the animal heads early this morning, to tomorrow's WeChat announcement, and then tonight's prime-time premiere of "My Love from the Star".

The 24 hours that originally belonged to 618 and QQ were fragmented, and traffic and popularity were lost like a flood.

Ring ring ring!
Old Ma received a call from Little Ma.

Ma Huateng didn't say much about the current situation, only that he would be coming to Lin'an tomorrow and that everyone should keep things stable.

Old Ma repeatedly agreed, but he was speechless when asked one question:

Why are Apple Daily and those Hong Kong media figures who have always contradicted Lu Kuan and sided with the mainland's "Nan Fang" so early this time to sing his praises?
Are the British media outlets that the Li family is thriving in, and the director of the British Museum, all foreign dogs that he bought because he had connections?
What can Ma Yun say?
He said that in order to prevent you, Little Ma, from having too much influence in Ali, he had contacted Li Zekai in advance, implying a potential cooperation with him.

Old Ma, who had watched Lin'an at 3 a.m., sat alone in his huge office, feeling a surge of unease.

Ma Huateng's question was like a thorn in his heart, and he couldn't figure out what trick Li Zekai was playing.
Is this how you, Little Superman, show off your "muscles"?
Why don't you Li family put in a little more effort and promote Lu Kuan to a special rank?

Fuck!
(End of this chapter)