I'm just trying to ride the wave of popularity!

Chapter 360 He is already the overlord
The air in June gradually became hot and dry.

Amidst the rising heat, the news of his wife Zhang Ying's pregnancy was like a gentle breeze, causing ripples in Liu Jiasheng's life.

But this breeze seems to have swept away her former shrewdness. The wife who used to be meticulous in her calculations now has her eyes shining as she looks at the colorful promotional advertisements of merchants, and her shopping cart is piling up higher and higher.

From household goods to baby products, from cosmetics to all kinds of beauty products...

she……

I've completely become a regular customer of the [XuanShi Mall]...

However, this was not a burden for Liu Jiasheng.

Being fortunate enough to be a partner in Zhou Yang's business empire, the monthly discount coupons I receive from [Xuan Shi Mall] are like a timely rain, easily easing these sweet burdens. The coupons, with discounts as low as 4%, are always something to be envied…

Recently, Liu Jiasheng has been sitting on the balcony of his newly renovated house, his gaze always fixed on the distance ahead, and he seems somewhat dazed.

From being a single man in 2003 to becoming a husband and father, the years have etched more than just a change in his identity onto him.

Whenever I stand at the window of an office building and look down at the city, I see those towering steel forests, the sudden appearance of color-screen mobile phones on the streets, and the increasingly realistic special effects of Hollywood blockbusters...

He always felt that this era was developing far too fast, so fast that it was dazzling...

"Online shopping seems to be getting more and more popular lately..."

Online shopping?

"It's online shopping. I heard there's a guy named Ma in Hangzhou who started a site called [BaoTao.com]. He started it in 04, and it suddenly became popular this year. The things sold on it are really cheap, similar to the [XuanShi Mall] we use..."

"..."

My wife, who is pregnant, has recently become obsessed with this new gadget and spends all her time on the computer researching online shopping.

She fiddled with it for a long time but still couldn't quite figure it out. Her eyes were wide open, and she would frown for a moment and then fall into deep thought.
Besides her shopping spree, my wife's biggest hobby now is surfing the internet.

This era is changing too fast. The internet is becoming more and more developed, and more and more people are going online.

Emerging businesses are springing up like mushrooms after rain, with the online shopping industry being one of the most eye-catching...

After glancing at it briefly and sighing for a while, Liu Jiasheng returned to his study and silently picked up the list of films for July's "Domestic Film Protection Month" to look at.

The cinema schedules for July, the "Domestic Film Protection Month," are packed with domestic films.

Liu Jiasheng stared at the film list, his gaze gradually freezing...

Those flashy posters and nonsensical movie titles piled up in front of me like a hodgepodge, making my temples throb.

The internet is buzzing with excitement in the film industry!

With the approach of the "Domestic Film Protection Month," and with [Xuanshi Entertainment] remaining silent on any film releases, the entire Chinese film industry has been swept up in an unprecedented frenzy.

On social media, topics such as #TheEraOfChineseBlockbusters# and #TheNextBoxOfficeMyth# have been trending for months and are still incredibly popular...

It seems that after the huge success of "The Devil Knight", the Chinese film industry has entered the "blockbuster era" overnight.

Major film and television companies have been announcing new projects with great fanfare, often boasting "hundreds of millions of yuan in investment" and "international standards," creating a false impression that the Chinese film industry has undergone a complete transformation and is thriving.

This frenzy swept across the entire internet: from [Movie Home] to [Wandou Movie Network], from [Kuaibo] to [Weibo], from "Nezha Digging Coal" to "The Overbearing CEO Falls in Love with a Zombie," all sorts of outrageous projects claiming to be "the next Zhou Yang" continued to dominate the trending searches.

However, behind the revelry lies chaos: capital is pouring in like crazy, new directors are springing up like mushrooms after rain, bizarre scripts are emerging one after another, and everyone is using all sorts of exaggerated methods that are indescribable to promote their own movies...

Liu Jiasheng has lost count of how many exaggerated headlines he has seen, such as "Crushing Hollywood," "Rebuilding the Glory of Chinese Filmmakers," and "A New Era for the Chinese Film Industry."

On the internet, true and false information are mixed together, and movie fans, investors, directors, and media are all caught up in this frenzy of online traffic...

Liu Jiasheng seemed to see a frenzy of fake "Zhou Yangs" emerging, following Zhou Yang's old path of "riding the coattails" and "creating hype," imitating Zhou Yang's various behaviors, bringing one exaggerated film after another, making countless statements, and jumping around in the film industry.

Various homogenous directors have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, plunging the entire industry into a frenzy.

Ironically, even those veteran directors who once harshly criticized Zhou Yang are now doing the same thing.

Seeing these scenes, Liu Jiasheng couldn't help but close his eyes.

This era seems to have suddenly become unfamiliar.

However, Zhou Yang, who was once so flamboyant, has now become unusually low-key.

They have been silent for several months.

....................................

"Everyone is copying you..."

"The entire film industry is getting worse and worse."

In the office of [XuanShi Entertainment].

Liang Xiaogang sat opposite Zhou Yang, silently lit a cigarette, and looked at the man in front of him with a complicated expression.

Nowadays, Zhou Yang is casually dressed in slippers and a T-shirt, and his signature glasses are nowhere to be seen. He leans back lazily in his chair and flips through documents, yet he exudes an aura that is impossible to ignore.

He didn't actually want to see Zhou Yang.

But he eventually came.

I don't know why, but it seems that ever since "The Last Supper," the entire Chinese film industry has suddenly changed direction, with everyone starting to invest in more unconventional young directors...

He, who was once one of the three most respected directors in China, seems to have fallen out of favor all of a sudden. Liang Xiaogang, who used to be able to easily get hundreds of millions of yuan in investment, is now struggling to even get tens of millions of yuan in investment for "If You Are the One".

Ironically, when Liang Xiaogang criticized those young directors on the internet, his comments on Weibo were banned shortly after they were posted; after switching to Kuaibo, although he was not banned, he was instantly overwhelmed by a massive online troll attack, with the screen filled with "outdated," "who do you think you are," and "what right do you have to point fingers."

What shocked him even more was that the investors quickly sent a "warning"—it should be noted that even when his relationship with Zhou Yang was at its worst, if he made sharp comments on Zhou Yang's platforms, he would at most be met with a few sarcastic remarks from Zhou Yang himself, and the two sides would just exchange insults from afar.

But now, the entire internet film industry has long since become a chaotic battlefield where capital runs rampant, and you can't say a bad word about it...

And looking at these crazy young directors...

Liang Xiaogang gave a wry smile.

Damn it! It was all that bastard Zhou Yang's fault!
Despite his complicated feelings, he ultimately forced himself to go to Zhou Yang's office for the sake of the film.

"Everyone wants to be like me, they all idolize me, how can I possibly stop them?"

Looking at Liang Xiaogang, Zhou Yang shook his head.

A long silence fell over the office.

Liang Xiaogang was at a loss for words, feeling extremely awkward, as if saying anything would be bowing down to that bastard Zhou Yang.

But if they don't speak up, they won't get film investment.
In fact, other investors in the market are also willing to invest in his films, but most of them require a performance-based agreement with ridiculously high box office figures. They say he has to sell his house and car to cover the investors' losses.
In the end, Liang Xiaogang could only look at Zhou Yang.

It seems that only the investment agreement signed by Zhou Yang's side is normal.

"Mr. Zhou, how about some investment? I'll help you make money..."

After a long silence in the office, Liang Xiaogang finally stubbed out his cigarette and forced out these words.

"Ten million isn't enough?"

"It's not quite there, not quite enough..." Liang Xiaogang's face turned slightly red.

He lowered his head.

I really don't want to bow down to this bastard.

How pathetic!
but……

He was at his wit's end.

"How much?"

"Thirty million, I guess..."

"Oh, the script called 'No Love, No Disturbance'?"

"Yes, I sent it to your email. Have you seen it?"

"Looked."

Zhou Yang nodded: "Investment is no problem, but you're still the director of [Huashang Brothers]... It's not easy to invest."

“If you vote, then I won’t be…” Liang Xiaogang wanted to smoke again, but after seeing Zhou Yang frown slightly, he finally withdrew his hand from the cigarette.

Zhou Yang sized up Liang Xiaogang for a while, then laughed: "Okay, but..."

"But what?"

"However, I'm not paying for this..."

"That is……"

Zhou Yang did not respond, but instead picked up his phone and dialed a number.

Not long after, there was a knock on the office door.

Immediately afterward, Li Dongqiang, who was wearing glasses, quietly walked in.

He glanced at Liang Xiaogang, seemingly unsurprised, but not showing much respect. He simply nodded at Liang Xiaogang as a greeting.

"Mr. Zhou, what do you think of that matter?"

Li Dongqiang leaned forward slightly and sat opposite Zhou Yang. His previous composure had vanished, and his eyes revealed a hint of unease.

"It can be done. The plan is excellent. I think Mr. Ma's model in Hangzhou is very good!"

“I think we have more advantages than Mr. Ma. We control resources such as [Movie House], [Xuan Shi Entertainment], and [Kuaibo], which have a huge amount of traffic. Moreover, [Movie House] itself has an online shopping mall. Over the years, we have launched some new products one after another, and the turnover has been quite good... Last year, the operating profit of the [Mall] was about 2000 million. It seems that it is time to separate it out this year…”

"..."

"I've spoken with Mr. Yang. For this online mall, Mr. Zhou, you'll own 51%, I'll own 20%, Mr. Yang Bo will own 20%, and the remaining 9% will be liquid shares, which I'll temporarily hold and operate on your behalf. Mr. Zhou, don't be fooled by the fact that [BaoTao.com] currently has about 30 million registered users; their active users are far fewer than ours… I promise that from the second half of this year to February next year, in eight months, we'll become the industry leader… firmly surpassing Lao Ma…"

"..."

"Yes, I trust you to do things."

Zhou Yang nodded, then glanced at Liang Xiaogang: "Let Director Liang's movie advertise for your movie, by embedding online shopping information..."

Upon hearing this, Li Dongqiang frowned slightly: "President Zhou, Director Liang's film... might have too little influence, perhaps..."

"We'll also help you promote your other films. Let's set the date for October 1st, the day your online store opens..."

"Okay then!"

Liang Xiaogang stood there in a daze, suddenly feeling a sense of disorientation.

Then, a bitter feeling welled up inside.

He had previously felt ashamed to bow down to Zhou Yang.

but……

like……

I don't know when it started, but I've become so insignificant in these people's eyes.

The once-renowned director, Zhou Yang, is now being questioned about his commercial value even by his own subordinates.

At that moment, Liang Xiaogang suddenly realized clearly that Zhou Yang and his group were not just directors, but had already transformed into a new capital force in the tide of the times, controlling an industry...

And myself.
He's just the director!

A director who could be abandoned by capital at any time...

(End of this chapter)