Shadow of Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 326 Using One's Own Means to Hurt Others
The steam rising from the dining table filled the air, and Liu Xiaoli noticed the barely concealed smile in her daughter's eyes, finding it amusing.

She gently tapped the rim of the bowl with her chopsticks and teased with a smile, "Xixi, what's making you so happy? Look how happy you are, your eyes are all curved into crescents."

An Xiaoqian's cheeks were still flushed with embarrassment. She glanced at Hu Xiaobei with a hint of reproach in her eyes, and seven parts shyness in her gaze.

Then, she recounted in detail how Hu Xiaobei had proposed to her without her consent.

Finally, waving her chopsticks with a hint of smugness, she "complained," "Who proposes without any gifts? It's not formal at all!"

Hu Xiaobei smiled slightly and placed a piece of glossy braised eggplant into her bowl.

Then, she deliberately put on a serious expression: "Who says I don't have a gift? This dish is a 'proposal gift' that I specially prepared for you. It's one of a kind in the whole world, and it'll be gone once it's eaten."

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Xiaoli, who was standing next to him, was already laughing so hard that she kept wiping the corners of her eyes.

An Xiaoqian stared at the trembling eggplant in the bowl, let out a soft hum, and her cheeks puffed up into cute little buns.

She poked the eggplant with her chopsticks, as if she were "competing" with it, and then looked up and glared angrily at Hu Xiaobei.

Seeing him suppress a laugh, I gritted my teeth, closed my eyes, and stuffed the whole eggplant into my mouth.

The soft, mushy eggplant, coated in sauce, slid down her throat. An Xiaoqian frowned slightly as she chewed diligently, her cheeks puffing out.

"Hey, have some soup!" Hu Xiaobei quickly handed over the soup bowl, her eyes filled with the adorable sight of Baozi eating eggplant and puffing out his little buns.

An Xiaoqian took a sip of soup, still not satisfied. She gently tapped the back of his hand with her chopsticks, muttering indistinctly with a hint of threat, "Wait... wait until the day I... I'll stuff your mouth full of eggplant too..."

“Xiao Bei doesn’t dislike eggplant. Are you threatening him or rewarding him?” Liu Xiaoli smiled as she placed a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs on her daughter’s plate, her smile full of doting affection.

Without hesitation, An Xiaoqian confidently blurted out, "Then I'll reward him while threatening him at the same time!"

For a moment, the atmosphere in the dining room became even sweeter than the sweet and sour sauce.

In a lighthearted and casual atmosphere, the three quickly got down to business and began to seriously discuss wedding preparations.

As global figures, their work schedules are already packed.

In July or August, the tribute drama "Qiong Fang in Troubled Times," which they helped produce, will be released.

In November, two different versions of the disaster epic "Armageddon" will be released in theaters around the world.

Looking at the available dates this year, only May, June, September, and October offer a relatively ample selection.

However, for the two people who are at the top and have enormous influence, marriage is not only a major life event, but also carries the expectations and attention of countless people.

Therefore, even if you don't plan to hold a lavish wedding of the century, you must not be perfunctory.

From venue setup to guest invitations, from event planning to security arrangements, every step requires careful consideration and repeated refinement, all of which dictate that wedding preparations require ample time.

After careful consideration, the three of them finally decided to set their wedding date for next year.

For the rest of the year, they can devote themselves entirely to creating the sequel to "The Way Home".

Especially the content after returning to China could include some common sense about post-apocalyptic survival, subtly influencing people, so that Hu Xiaobei's transmigration and rebirth would not have been in vain.

He plans to focus on writing novels and screenplays, striving to further expand the influence of this work, and aiming to complete the filming of three seasons of Chinese content within the limited time available this year.

In this way, next year you can completely unload the burden of work, so that you can prepare and hold the wedding without any worries, and welcome the happy life after marriage in the most relaxed state.

Thinking about it... I'm getting a little excited!

Hu Xiaobei began writing the novel in May, while Liu Xiaoli was responsible for and made advance preparations for the filming of "The Way Home".

In June, Qianbeifeng Entertainment held open auditions for actors in the film "The Way Home".

Since the focus of the sequel to "Homecoming" has shifted to China, many domestic actors are eager to get on board and showcase their acting skills to audiences worldwide.

Although many actors want to join Qianbeifeng Entertainment, Qianbeifeng Entertainment does not sign actors.

Or rather, Qianbeifeng Entertainment only serves one actor. Therefore, the vast majority of Chinese actors have no other options but to rely on auditions.

Of course, some of An Xiaoqian's classmates, friends, and co-stars also have certain privileges and can get roles in advance.

However, due to the unique nature of "The Way Home", apart from the female lead, there are basically no other significant characters.

Moreover, for someone of their stature to be able to play a minor boss in one episode of "Homecoming" and appear in front of a global audience is an incredible opportunity.

After the auditions, filming for "The Way Home" officially began in July, August, and September.

Hu Xiaobei also made time for An Xiaoqian so that she could participate in the promotional activities for "The Legend of Qiong Fang in Troubled Times" and the third season of "The Return".

Filming for the three seasons and 36 episodes of "Homecoming" was completed at the end of September. Including post-production, the series will premiere globally on the same day next July.

In October, Hu Xiaobei finished some planned post-production work and wrote and recorded some songs for An Xiaoqian.

The floral company went public in late October 2009, and its market value exceeded RMB 119 billion based on the closing price on the first day of listing.

The issue price was 28 RMB per share, and the stock opened at 63.66 RMB per share. After trading resumed at 11:21, the stock price continued to climb, reaching a high of 91.80 RMB per share.

Furthermore, the fact that Sugarman Company, which is relatively weak, also chose to go public was quite unexpected for those in the industry.

In reality, behind the glamorous IPOs of both companies, the sharp blade of performance-based agreements was held to their throats.

In order to secure crucial financing, both companies signed performance-based agreements with investors last year, stipulating that if they fail to achieve listing and meet performance targets within the specified period, they will be required to repurchase shares at exorbitant prices.

Forced by the agreement and tempted by huge sums of money, they had no choice but to hastily knock on the door of the capital market, even though preparations were rushed and conditions were not yet perfect.

On its first day of trading, the stock price opened high and continued to rise, and the market value expanded rapidly like a bubble. Outsiders were amazed by the potential for the rise of the emerging company, but little did they know that a carefully planned capital hunt had quietly been set up.

Beneath the surface of prosperity, an unknown force is secretly maneuvering through complex financial operations.

They use multiple anonymous accounts to operate frequently in the trading market, first using large amounts of funds to prop up stock prices to create a false impression and lure retail investors to follow suit.

When market enthusiasm was ignited, a sudden surge of massive sell orders triggered a precipitous drop in stock prices.

The dramatic stock market fluctuations threw the two companies, both with no experience in capital games, into disarray.

The immense pressure of the performance-based agreement is ever-present; the decline in stock price not only affects the company's image but also directly threatens the fulfillment of the performance-based clauses.

In order to stabilize the stock price, the two companies had to use a lot of funds to support the price, but they inevitably fell into a vicious cycle of "investing funds - the stock price briefly rebounds - being attacked and falling again".

After their funds were exhausted, the relevant personnel of the two companies had no choice but to take a desperate gamble, mortgaging various assets and borrowing at high interest rates in order to save their companies and fulfill their performance commitments.

However, under the continued pressure from short-selling forces, the debt snowballed and eventually the cash flow broke down.

Within just two or three months, both companies declared bankruptcy.

The once-glorious listed companies quickly fell from grace, and some of the company's executives paid a heavy price for their failed bets and frantic attempts to save themselves.

Some people are embroiled in legal disputes, besieged by creditors demanding repayment, their former lives shattered, and they have no hope of ever recovering.

Some people have been imprisoned for crimes such as financial fraud and illegal embezzlement.

Others, faced with enormous debt and public pressure, chose to end their lives in despair.

This tragedy, triggered by a performance-based agreement and accelerated by the predatory tactics of capital, has left the shareholders and key personnel of both companies with nothing.

It also made some heinous criminals pay a heavy price for their greed and past illegal acts, losing their freedom and spending the rest of their lives in repentance.

Who could have predicted that the landscape of Chinese entertainment would change so drastically in just a few months?

Hu Xiaobei's overt forces did not choose to profit from this, but simply observed it from the sidelines.

After all, he chose to hurt others with his own resources.

(End of this chapter)