This director lacks vision.

Chapter 179 The Unexpected Mediator
Jiang Yifeng praised the "Let the Bullets Fly" strategy, saying it was quite correct.

It not only received praise from netizens, but also a positive response from Jiang Wen.

Jiang Wen doesn't use Weibo. He was asked by a reporter during a movie promotion event how he viewed Jiang Yifeng's comments on "Let the Bullets Fly".

Jiang Wen's response was also a mutual compliment.

"Thank you for the praise, Director Jiang Yifeng. To be honest, I'm still a little confused."

From my perspective, Let the Bullets Fly is not much different from my other films.

In terms of artistic technique, it may be a bit more simplistic.

Then it suddenly became popular.

Thank you for your support.

But this also shows that I am not a director who is particularly good at business.

In this respect, Jiang Yifeng's ability is indeed unparalleled in China.

He not only makes low-budget comedies that achieve high box office returns, but he can also produce various web series, all of which are very marketable.

In terms of business acumen, I'm definitely not as good as him.

Therefore, I believe that the movie "Back to 20" will still be a big hit.

The reporter then asked, "Director Jiang Wen, do you also enjoy watching the borderline web dramas directed by Jiang Yifeng?"

Jiang Wen laughed heartily and said, "I love watching it, of course I love watching it!"
If a man doesn't like watching this, there's definitely something wrong with his health!

There was a burst of laughter.

Jiang Wen is currently enjoying great success, and his response has been reported by many media outlets.

This interview video was also featured on the homepage of Sohu Video and received a high number of views.

The two directors' mutual praise from afar has attracted a lot of attention from netizens, which is beneficial to the promotion of both films.

Feng Xiaogang was just in a hurry and kept making outrageous statements in front of the media.

Huayi also proactively released negative information and announced the revenue from product placement in If You Are the One 2.

This series of actions finally paid off.

Many viewers criticized the product placement, and If You Are the One 2 finally made it to the top of the trending topics list, becoming the focus of discussion.

As for the controversy that arises from this, those are minor matters; the key is to generate buzz.

This is a simple principle in communication studies: don't treat the audience like fools, but don't forget that the audience is a fool either.

Don't treat the audience like fools; this is a warning to those who spread information to have a sense of awe and not get carried away.
Don't forget that the audience is foolish; understand that the vast majority of the audience is shallow and ignorant, or rather, they don't want to engage in depth and logic.

What they love to read is gossip, scandals, controversies, and simplistic conspiracy theories.

Understanding these points is essential to maximizing the effectiveness of communication.

Huayi Brothers deliberately embroiled If You Are the One 2 in controversy over product placement, with Feng Xiaogang hurling insults at people everywhere, even the audience—this is a very common promotional tactic.

Jiang Yifeng used the "Sisters Who Make Waves scandal" to promote his movie, but when he later reversed his image and cleared his name, many netizens realized it was just a publicity stunt.

But this didn't affect the result—Little Apple became a hit, and her return to being 20 years old became known to more people.

Even people weren't particularly averse to Jiang Yifeng's publicity tactics.

After all, the world is full of advertisements, and it's not shameful to promote a movie; what's shameful is making a bad movie.

In communication studies, if communicators are too respectful of the audience, the result is often poor communication effectiveness; this is a real-world phenomenon.

This is why many media outlets often publish news stories that seem absurd or nonsensical.

This was all done intentionally.

Of course, this is limited to communication studies.

Movies not only have a dissemination function, but also possess the quality attributes of a product.

Ultimately, box office revenue is influenced by a variety of factors.

After the initial hype surrounding "Let the Bullets Fly," Jiang Yifeng's promotion of "Back to 20" entered a period of relative calm, and he didn't rush to make a big push.

Right now, the most anxious people are Huayi and Feng Xiaogang.

At 6 p.m. on December 22, Jiang Yifeng finished his work on Pacific Rim, declined Fan Bingbing's request to discuss the script, and took a car to the "Jingji" restaurant.

This restaurant specializes in Rong-style official cuisine, also known as imperial cuisine, with an average cost of several thousand yuan per person, making it a popular destination for high-end business banquets in Beijing.

Led by the waiter, Jiang Yifeng entered a private room on the second floor, where Wen Lingfeng was already seated.

Upon seeing Jiang Yifeng, she smiled and said, "The financing framework for Fengxing Media and Souhu Video is almost finalized. In a couple of days, we'll meet with Zhang Chaoyang to finalize some details, and then we should be able to sign the contract."

Jiang Yifeng adopted Zhang Chaoyang's suggestion and launched the company's second round of financing after the Sisters Who Make Waves ended.

This round of financing still followed the PE valuation method, and based on Fengxing Media's profitability, the final valuation of Mijin was 3.1 million.

Morgan Stanley invested 3100 million US dollars to acquire a 10% stake.

In addition, Fengxing Media also swapped 10% of its shares with the spun-off Sohu Video.

Following this round of financing, Jiang Yifeng still holds 61% of the company's shares, remaining the absolute majority shareholder.

According to Wen Lingfeng's plan, Fengxing Media will officially launch its Hong Kong stock listing plan after introducing investment from Morgan Stanley.

There may be another round of financing before the IPO, or there may not be, depending on Fengxing Media's operating performance in the coming year.

If all goes well, Fengxing Media could be listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in the first quarter of 2012.

After more than a year of working together, Jiang Yifeng and Wen Lingfeng have become very familiar with each other, and they know each other inside and out.

Compared to Liu Yifei's arrogant statement, the relationship between Jiang Yifeng and Wen Lingfeng is more like a stable partnership.

Jiang Yifeng asked, "When will 'Fifty Shades Darker' be published and released?"

Wen Lingfeng smiled and said, "It's released on the same day as 'Back to 20,' which is also New Year's Day."

Jiang Yifeng also gave Wen Lingfeng some shares in the publishing house he acquired.

Wen Lingfeng is very dedicated to the publishing house and also loves the book "Fifty Shades of Grey," so she has always been in charge of matters related to the publishing house.

Jiang Yifeng nodded and said, "I have finished writing the third book, 'Fifty Shades of Shadow'."

This is the final installment of the trilogy.

Hearing this, Wen Lingfeng sighed, "Those who achieve great things throughout history are all full of energy, but those with the energy you have are extremely rare. In this whole year, you've been involved in movies, web series, two variety shows, and managing the company."

"And yet, he still has time to write novels? That's insane!"

Jiang Yifeng shook his head and said seriously, "What you said doesn't get to the point at all."

What is the key point?

"The key point is that I can still party every night and be surrounded by beautiful women."

Wen Lingfeng chuckled, the thunder in her chest trembling.

She wholeheartedly agreed, saying, "That's true. The key is that every woman can eat her fill. You're really tough, aren't you afraid of working yourself to death!"

Just as Jiang Yifeng was about to speak, the bell for the private room rang.

A woman in her forties walked in, led by a waiter.

She wore a custom-made casual business suit that looked both formal and stylish.

This woman has exquisite and striking features, especially her straight nose, deep-set eyes, and sharp, capable look.

Time has not left many marks on her; instead, it has given her a unique temperament and charm.

After all, she's an extremely wealthy woman; she has the money to maintain her appearance.

"Hello, Mr. Jiang, I am Li Fuzhen. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Li Fuzhen took the initiative to extend his hand and greet Jiang Yifeng.

Her Chinese is quite good.

"Hello, Mr. Li. I've long admired your reputation. Meeting you today, I can confirm that it is indeed well-deserved."

"Oh? Mr. Jiang, have you heard of me before?"

Chinese people know Li Fuzhen, of course, from various tabloids, where there are all sorts of versions of her story with her security guard husband.

Jiang Yifeng glanced at Wen Lingfeng and said with a smile, "President Wen often mentions you."

Li Fuzhen and Wen Lingfeng have a good relationship, and the two have some business dealings within CITIC Group.

Both being top-tier second-generation rich kids and beautiful women, they quickly became friends.

This time, Fengxing Media sued CCM and CJ Group together, seeking damages of up to 2.4 million yuan.

This amount was estimated based on the various costs that Fengxing Media invested in Crown Girls Group, as well as the 10-year contract period and the profits that Crown Girls Group could bring to Fengxing Media, multiplied by a coefficient.

This estimation method is stipulated in the contract.

So there's nothing wrong with it.

However, it's highly unlikely that the court will support such a high amount of compensation.

After the case was filed, Fengxing Media applied to freeze some of CJ Group's cash and assets based on the amount of compensation claimed, which seriously affected CJ Group's business in China.

This is a normal procedure.

First, file a case and freeze the assets, then force the other party to negotiate and seek peace.

Jiang Yifeng didn't intend to drag this out for too long.

On the one hand, the longer it drags on, the less favorable it will be for the Crown Group's comeback; on the other hand, the Crown Group also has a cameo role in the movie "Back to 20".

Jiang Yifeng's plan is to reach an agreement as soon as possible, preferably before the release of "Back to 20".

When the movie is released, the "victory in the lawsuit" can be used to promote the movie and pave the way for the Crown Girls Group's comeback.

Jiang Yifeng considered many possibilities, but he never expected that the person who came to negotiate and mediate would be Li Fuzhen.

It was only after Wen Lingfeng explained that Jiang Yifeng understood that the troll incident involving the Crown Group was also related to the internal strife within the Sanxin Li family.

In February 2012, Lee Meng-seok, who had been living in Yanjing, sued his third brother, Lee Geon-seok, demanding the return of his 700 billion won share of inherited stock.

Not long after, Li Mengxi's son, Li Zaixian, who was also the president of CJ Group, was suddenly placed under investigation and was eventually sentenced to three years in prison.

The Crown Guild troll incident also occurred in 2012.

This is a life-altering event for the girl group, but in the context of the power struggle among conglomerates, it's just a casual move, an insignificant part of Sanxin's series of attacks on CJ.

That's why the Crown Group didn't dare to speak out during that period.

CJ Entertainment also showed no intention of helping.

Otherwise, Liu Huaying alone wouldn't have that much power.

Although the Crown Group troll incident happened earlier than expected, the underlying logic remains the same.

Sanxin Group still wants to put pressure on CJ Group.

Of course, it was just a warning. Sanxin and Xijie are from the same family, and their relationship is complicated, with both internal strife and cooperation.

Sanxin usually gives CJ a stern warning and then offers some sweet words. CJ Entertainment's continued growth is also due to Sanxin's help.

This can also be considered a way for the Li family to expand its branches and descendants.

Li Fuzhen and Wen Lingfeng are friends. She happened to be in China on a business trip, so she took the opportunity to mediate.

The talks went very smoothly.

CJ Group doesn't care about CCM at all. Because of this subsidiary, the group's business in China, worth billions, has been affected. Kim Kwang-soo has already been beaten into a pulp.

With Wen Lingfeng's help, Jiang Yifeng quickly reached an agreement with Li Fuzhen.

Fengxing Media received 4500 million yuan in compensation and acquired CCM for 3000 million yuan.

It's like Fengxing Media acquired a subsidiary for free and also received 1500 million yuan in cash compensation.

With Lee Boo-jeong stepping in, the Crown Entertainment bullying incident was no longer suppressed in Korea, and could be easily clarified.

Jiang Yifeng was very satisfied with the result.

Li Fuzhen was also very satisfied. On the surface, the compensation amount was 2.4 million, but she negotiated it down to 4500 million, which was an excellent negotiation skill.

She also felt that Jiang Yifeng had made a great concession out of consideration for Wen Lingfeng.

So after the deal was settled, Li Fuzhen frequently raised his glass and drank quite a bit of wine.

(End of this chapter)