Huayu Entertainment: Tianxian really wants to improve

Chapter 326 You really like zombie themes!

"It seems you've been slacking off!"

Gu Bei stared calmly at Peng Shaobing, his tone not harsh, yet it put immense pressure on Peng Shaobing.

Despite Gu Bei not having been to Weibo Technology for six months, far more of his subordinates respect him than he respects him, making him, as CEO, a much easier candidate to replace.

"Mr. Gu, I just feel that this money was wasted. After all, according to the safe harbor rule, we have no obligation to review information on Weibo beforehand!"

Peng Shaobing shared his thoughts.

"Where are you?"

"China."

Where does the safe harbor rule come from?

"North America's Digital Millennium Copyright Act."

Does China's "Regulations on the Protection of the Right to Disseminate Information Online" include a safe harbor rule?

Gu Bei's words refuted Peng Shaobing.

Peng Shaobing quickly started checking the regulations. There were indeed similar safe harbor rules, but they only exempted network service providers from liability in specific matters and did not explicitly state that network service providers had no obligation to conduct prior reviews.

When Peng Shaobing was inspecting the regulations
Gu Bei said calmly, "The safe harbor rule does apply to copyright issues, which is why piracy has proliferated on music and video websites."

However, the most important thing for the Weibo platform is not copyright infringement.
Rather, it serves to guide public opinion.
Twitter already played a role in North American presidential elections last year.

Our user base isn't much smaller than Twitter's. Do you think there are any provisions in the rules that would exempt us from liability if some malicious incidents occurred on our platform?

Peng Shaobing broke out in a cold sweat: "I'm sorry, President Gu, I was too careless!"

"The current number of Weibo users,

It's no longer a matter of giants entering the market and being able to surpass them simply by wanting to!
Google acquired Jaiku two years ago, and it hasn't achieved anything since. Instead of worrying about being overtaken by giants, we should worry about being reported and forced to shut down.

Gu Bei gave Peng Shaobing a nudge.

Then they started comforting each other.
They also offered tangible benefits to align with each other: "You've done a great job over the past six months; the growth in Weibo users has far exceeded my expectations."

I had already reserved enough options in the pool, and I will confirm your and the team's first equity incentive within the next few days.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Gu!"

All of Peng Shaobing's grievances vanished.

Who isn't happy when they receive money?
"You mentioned before that venture capitalists approached us. What was their valuation of Weibo?"

Gu Bei asked curiously.

Mobile internet hasn't even started yet.
He's not considering using Weibo to raise funds for the time being, but that doesn't mean he's unwilling to engage with venture capitalists.
At the very least, when the people at Weibo Technology receive equity incentives, they will have a sense of what that amount of money is worth, which will enhance their sense of belonging.

Peng Shaobing replied with a smile, "In the last two months, the valuation has reached one hundred million US dollars."

"So low?"

Gu Bei was speechless.

I don't know if it's because Weibo is too low-key,
Or is venture capital now just a side project, a casual inquiry?
He said to Peng Shaobing in an annoyed tone, "You followed Twitter's funding round in February, didn't you? Their valuation was already $250 million back then."

Our current user base is about the same as theirs was back then.

Next time, if the offer is less than $1.8 million, just shut them down!

"Yes, Mr. Gu!"

In the next few days,
Gu Bei was with Peng Shaobing and the others.
We began rebuilding Weibo's moderation team.

The workload of manual review is indeed too great. Millions of posts are published on Weibo every day, and it is definitely impossible to review them all in time.

For bloggers with a certain number of followers, a review process will be implemented before traffic is distributed.
For regular accounts, the review process begins after the required number of views has been reached.
Finally, this is combined with machine review, keyword alerts, and complaint review methods.

The entire review system,

We still need to recruit at least several hundred auditors.
But for Hangzhou, this is good news!

After all, looking at 2009 from the perspective of 2025,
You might think this is an era full of gold and money to be found everywhere.

But those who actually lived through 2009, especially college graduates in the last two years, still feel that it was a hopeless and confusing era.

After Lehman Brothers collapsed last September

Less than a year later, the world is still not out of the economic crisis.
Last year, there were still more than 1 million college graduates who hadn't been absorbed into the workforce, and this year, more than 6 million college graduates are expected to arrive. This year is the most challenging year in the past 30 years.

The audit staff are paid low wages, but the work is easy and requires a certain level of education, making it the best job for college graduates who can't find work during their transition period.

Weibo Technology has suddenly created hundreds of jobs, which is a lifesaver for Hangzhou!

Gu Bei stayed in Hangzhou for a week before setting off for Kyoto again.

His main task this time was to step in and reassure people.

Incidentally, they also pointed out shortcomings in the review process, which was a pleasant surprise.
At least this ensures that Weibo won't be banned like Fanfou was due to censorship issues, only to be taken advantage of by tech giants.

"Crack!"

Gu Bei opened the back door and prepared to get in.

Xu Shujun rolled down the car window and said to Gu Bei in an annoyed tone, "Do you think I'm your driver? I'm your mother, sit in the front!"

"Oh."

Gu Bei obediently sat in the passenger seat.

If Liu Yifei saw Gu Bei being so well-behaved, she would probably be very surprised, as she had never seen this side of Gu Bei before.

Waiting for Gu Bei to get on the train,
Xu Shujun started the car and drove towards the airport.
On the way, she said to Gu Bei with a happy expression, "You did a good job this time. Lao Zhang said that the leaders specifically praised you in the meeting."

Uncle Zhang?

Gu Bei pictured a dignified old man in his mind.
However, his relationship with the other party was limited to exchanging greetings during the Chinese New Year. He only knew that the other party did not stay at the university to enter the system when the university merged, but was able to stay in Hangzhou, so he guessed that the position was not very high.

Gu Bei smiled and said to Xu Shujun, "How about it? Did you gain some face?"

"It's alright, I guess!"

Xu Shujun said she was alright, but she couldn't suppress the smile on her face.

Gu Bei wins various awards and makes money at the box office abroad, but he is too far removed from people's lives and is more like a number than a reality.

This time, however, the impact is localized in Hangzhou.

For the first time, I had a real feeling.
This has given Ms. Hsu Shu-Chun plenty of time to gloat.

Gu Bei smiled.

Xu Shujun glanced at Gu Bei in the passenger seat and said with a touch of emotion, "If I had known, I wouldn't have sent you abroad back then. You could have made a name for yourself in China, couldn't you?"
"Having been away from home for so long, I feel no longer like family!"

Gu Bei couldn't help but complain, "When you were focused on your career, I never saw you thinking like this!"

Xu Shujun's expression was slightly awkward. When she sent Gu Bei abroad, she said it was for Gu Bei's future, but deep down she also had the idea of ​​getting rid of a burden.

However, my mindset now is completely different from before.

And so many years have passed in the blink of an eye.

He discovered that his life's work was less profitable than his son's game.

Finally, she could only change the subject: "I'm not counting on you anymore, I can only hope that you bring my daughter-in-law back to me as soon as possible."

"By the end of next year."

Gu Bei thought for a moment and gave him a timeframe.

"You said last year that you would introduce me to a daughter-in-law at the end of the year!" Xu Shujun said resentfully.

"This year's end is the best chance. If I fail to win an Oscar this time, I'll take a few more years to mature."

Gu Bei said lightly.

These past few years have probably been Hollywood's last hurrah!
Streaming media is still very weak.
In addition, Cameron's use of 3D technology brought people back to the cinema.

After this glorious period, Hollywood will also take the form of streaming media.
Gu Bei has been riding on Hollywood's coattails these past few years to build his reputation. If he can bring some new ideas to the Chinese entertainment industry in the second half of the year, it will be better than before his rebirth, right?
China Film Group.

"Chairman Han, I've arrived to report for duty!"

Gu Bei smiled and pushed open the office door, greeting Han Sanpin familiarly inside.

"Tomorrow is the domestic premiere of Starship. If you don't come back soon, I'll send Liu Yifei to Hangzhou to arrest you."

Han Sanpin said to Gu Bei in an annoyed tone, "What have you been doing in Hangzhou these past few days?"

Gu Bei waved his hand dismissively: "It's nothing, just some other business outside of film."

Han Sanpin didn't pay any attention.

I only thought they were some other side jobs.
This is commonplace for people in the entertainment industry.

Because the entertainment industry operates on a project-based system, people are extremely busy for a period of time and extremely idle for a period of time. In addition, they have a lot of cash on hand, so they will naturally look for industries to invest in.

He advised, "Don't put too much energy into other things. Businesses that can make money for free won't come knocking on your door. Your film's return on investment is already very high. Don't bite off more than you can chew."

"understand!"

Gu Bei simply smiled and nodded, "Chairman Han, to be honest, domestic audiences might not be too keen on this kind of 'star-studded' thing. Don't blame me if you lose money with such a big premiere!"

"Your movie has already grossed over $1.6 million in North America and over $3.6 million worldwide. That's about the same as Peak Moment."

Han Sanpin smiled and looked at Gu Bei, "This movie is a collaboration between a Chinese director and a Chinese actress. Even if it loses a little money, it doesn't matter. We must promote it more!"
Besides, with your and Liu Yifei's reputations, how could this movie possibly lose money?

Gu Bei thought about it and agreed.

Domestic audiences are more interested in special effects and grand scenes, but they are also drawn to the fame of the directors and stars.

Even though China Film Group spent millions on the premiere, as long as Gu Bei and Liu Yifei's names are involved, it will be easy to recoup the costs.

He remembered the main purpose of his visit today: "By the way, Chairman Han, how's the script review for the Hangzhou trip going?"

Han Sanpin said with a smile, "The military region is still somewhat dissatisfied, believing that the troops in the script fell too quickly."

"Chairman Han, this is like a disaster movie!"

Gu Bei complained somewhat helplessly, "If the troops in disaster movies didn't fall, wouldn't the main characters' group have been protected by the troops during the Jiaxing station incident?"

The original version contained a lot of satirical content, but Gu Bei has deleted the parts that couldn't be written and filled in some phenomena unique to China.

I originally thought that after getting past the General Administration and then the China Railway Corporation, things would go smoothly.

Unexpectedly, we got stuck here at the military region again!
"Director Gu, don't worry!"

Han Sanpin said with a smile, "I have already explained this to them. If the army were still here, how could they allow the people to flee like this?"
The script is now complete.
Next, we just wait for the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television to issue the approval notice.

"That's good!"

Gu Bei breathed a sigh of relief.

This is truly a case of overcoming numerous obstacles and defeating many enemies!

But at least there was a result in the end.

He said enthusiastically, "In that case, I can shoot a concept trailer and bring it back to San Diego Comic-Con this year, and then release the news along with the The Walking Dead TV series adaptation."

What is San Diego Comic-Con?

Han Sanpin was slightly puzzled.

“That’s the biggest comic convention in North America. I have the adaptation rights to a zombie comic, and I’ve already reached an agreement with HBO to turn it into a TV series. I’m planning to announce the news at the comic convention at the end of July this year.”

Gu Bei smiled and explained to Han Sanpin, "There will be a lot of zombie enthusiasts paying attention to it, and the Hangzhou trip is a good opportunity to warm up in advance."

It might attract the attention of some zombie enthusiasts, paving the way for a future North American release.

"I can tell you really like zombie themes!"

Han Sanpin shook his head helplessly, realizing that Gu Bei truly loved the zombie genre. "One movie wasn't enough for you, so you made a TV series too."

"Not only that,"

There's also a game called The Last of Us that shares the same worldview as Hangzhou.

Gu Bei said with some regret, "It's a pity. If the Hangzhou trip had been approved earlier, it would have been best to show the trailer at this year's E3 game expo together with The Last of Us."

The next day,

The premiere of "Mistake in Our Stars" was held at the Beijing Film Academy.
The release date is set for the 19th, the day before the domestic film protection month, which happens to be a Friday, allowing it to be shown for the entire weekend.

"How did your feelings differ this time when you returned to your alma mater compared to the last time?"

As Gu Bei entered the Beijing Film Academy in his car, he smiled and asked Liu Yifei, who was sitting next to him.

"What could be different?"

Liu Yifei rolled her eyes at Gu Bei, "The last time I came back, wasn't it with you?"

"Then isn't this a triumphant return home?"

Gu Bei said with a smile.

He recalled his first and only visit to the Beijing Film Academy.

I came to audition for the role of Mei Lanfang with Liu Yifei, and while we were there, we also took a stroll around the Beijing Film Academy next door.

That trip reminded him that there was still a chance to acquire the copyright for Chinese Paladin 3, and he also brought Zhu Yilong into Linlang Entertainment.

The top male and female stars of Linlang Entertainment owe a debt of gratitude to Liu Yifei for taking Gu Bei on a tour of the Beijing Film Academy campus.

I wonder if this trip to Beijing Film Academy will yield any unexpected gains?

(End of this chapter)