The only sun in Huayu

Yan Danchen was so shocked she almost forgot to breathe.

That's the boss of Huayi!
She deeply felt Shen Shandeng's influence, which was almost terrifying.

In Yan Danchen's opinion, since things have come to this point, she will definitely help.

However, Shen Shandeng shook his head and said, "President Wang, it's not a matter of whether to help or not. The storyline of the sequel to 'Lost in Thailand' has changed, and there really isn't a suitable role for Baoqiang. Forcing him into the role would be bad for the movie and for Baoqiang."

This is true; Shen Shandeng plans to plagiarize "Breakup Buddies" for the sequel and doesn't need Wang Baoqiang.

Of course, Shen Shandeng can be hypocritical at times.

He was more lenient with those of lower status than him, such as the crew members and extras, and would even crack jokes occasionally.

But when facing big shots like Da Wang and Xiao Wang, whom he used to look up to but who are now his equals and are even slightly overshadowed by him, his competitive spirit comes to the fore.

The other party needs to fully understand who is now in charge of setting the rules.

Hiding outside the tent, Yan Danchen's breath caught in her throat, and her heart pounded like a rabbit in her chest.

The faces of both the king and queen instantly fell.

Wang Zhongjun's lips twitched, and his forced smile was about to crumble.

Fortunately, Shen Shandeng softened his tone and said, "However, Mr. Wang is right. We are all Chinese film and television companies and should help each other. If 'Lost in Thailand' is not suitable, we can start another project."

After all, there's no reason to turn away money and favors that are offered to you.

Wang Zhongjun's mood shifted, and he looked at Shen Shandeng expectantly.

Shen Shandeng pondered for a moment and said, "I have a new idea. It's a historical action film with a grand scope, and it might be made into a new series."

"If Huayi is interested, we can develop it together. In addition, if your company needs it, I can personally, or through Dengfeng Pictures, purchase a stake during the second round of financing."

Shen Shandeng knew very well that the abilities of the two kings were beyond question.

It is indeed lagging behind other industries, but it depends on who you compare it to.

At least from a business perspective, when it comes to ripping people off, foreigners get ripped off too.

Moreover, Huayi is only experiencing a temporary setback; its fundamentals remain intact, with more than ten films grossing over 100 million yuan this year.

It's a genuine temporary correction; now's a good time to buy!

Entering the market at such a low price now is like getting a free lunch.

Shen Shandeng doesn't deliberately seek wealth, but he won't refuse money that comes to him.

The two kings braved the wind and sand of the Gobi Desert to bring him money!

In his eyes, the two kings were simply wonderful people!
When Shen Shandeng made his two suggestions, both the king and the king were stunned.

The two exchanged a glance, their expressions instantly shifting from gloomy to cheerful, akin to a Sichuan opera face-changing act.

Wang Zhongjun exclaimed excitedly, "Brother! This is truly a great help! This is a timely gift, a real lifesaver!"

There are only names that are mispronounced, not nicknames. Shen Shandeng truly deserves the nicknames "Living Song Jiang of Shandong" and "Movie Protector" given to him by people in the industry.

Although he is usually so arrogant that it makes people grit their teeth and wish they could put a sack over his head and beat him up, he is indeed upright when it matters.

They had a broad perspective; instead of kicking someone when they were down, they offered a helping hand.

That's a level of skill, you have to admire it.

Yan Danchen, who was eavesdropping, was dumbfounded.

How can you make someone grateful with just a few words?

Seeing that the conversation inside was almost over, she quickly crouched down and slipped away quietly.

I silently told myself, I wasn't eavesdropping, I just happened to be passing by. Yes, just happened to be passing by.

After seeing off the profusely grateful Wangs, filming of "No Man's Land" continued smoothly.

Life on the Gobi Desert was simple yet fulfilling. It was sunny during the day and a bit cold at night, but the atmosphere on set became increasingly harmonious under Shen Shandeng's guidance.

After finishing work that day, the film crew returned to the city to rest.

Back at the hotel, Shen Shandeng checked the footage he had finished shooting.

Ma Youde called, his tone rather inexplicable: "Boss, there's something I need to tell you."

"explain."

"It's about the melamine scandal. Now, online and in some tabloids, a strange wind is blowing up from somewhere, subtly trying to steer the narrative toward you."

Shen Shandeng was taken aback.

No, he didn't do anything.

This matter is generally known to later generations; there was indeed a mistake, but it wasn't solely the fault of the domestic authorities.

This is inseparable from Fonterra's actions. At the beginning of the year, Sanlu had just won the Science and Technology Progress Award, breaking through a 20-year gap in dairy technology, and then it was targeted.

Looking at the whole incident, the outcome was extremely tragic.

To increase protein content, domestic companies import protein powder or concentrated cream directly from New Zealand. Fonterra, with a 43% stake, is essentially "helping" you expand, then pulling back the ladder to monopolize the market of 1.3 billion people as much as possible.

It's similar to the operation of period dramas.

They're both cunning foxes, Shen Shandeng doesn't understand why he should provoke him!

Does he think he's easy to bully?

Shen Shandeng's face was full of question marks: "Melamine? What does that have to do with me? I'm making a movie, not running a dairy factory!"

Ma Youde quickly explained, "It's related to 'Lost in Thailand'."

"Isn't Niu Geng the worker at the dairy factory in the movie? There's a scene where they mention that their factory is facing difficulties because of rising grain prices and high feed costs."

“Now some people are seizing on this point, saying that you are making excuses and whitewashing for those manufacturers who added melamine, implying that they did not act in good faith due to cost pressures.”

Shen Shandeng was so exasperated by this bizarre line of thought that he almost laughed.

He didn't adopt the original approach to the opening scene of the movie because melamine was facing operational difficulties, and after all, it hadn't actually happened.

They didn't expose the behind-the-scenes operations either.

Shen Shandeng doesn't want to be a prophet; he just wants to make a commercial film.

"The beginning of 'The Eunuch' says I plagiarized 'Iron Man,' and now 'Lost in Thailand' is doing the same thing? It was filmed last year and released at the end of June! The melamine scandal only broke at the end of August! How is that related to me?"

Ma Youde said helplessly, "That's the logic, but we can't stop people from stirring up trouble."

"It seems there's a group of people who hate you to the core and are going to great lengths to smear you, even if it's just far-fetched, to disgust you."

Shen Shandeng felt a surge of inexplicable anger.

It's truly like being in the Gobi Desert when a pot falls from the sky.

This is a completely undeserved disaster!

In a fit of anger, Shen Shandeng got angry.

Since the other party is clearly trying to manipulate your mindset, you can't get angry.

He focuses his main energy on movies and is too lazy to bother with these trivial matters.

"What do you think?" Shen Shandeng asked Ma Youde.

Ma Youde had already come up with a plan and suggested handling it calmly: "This matter has nothing to do with the boss. The more we respond, the more they'll get worked up. We'll just have to wait for this storm to pass."

Shen Shandeng frowned and thought for a moment.

In retrospect, while the melamine scandal did involve foreign organizations exploiting loopholes in regulations to amplify and attack Chinese industries, ultimately the fault lay with our own people for failing to uphold ethical standards.

He originally didn't want to get involved in this mess.

But since someone is deliberately trying to provoke him, wouldn't it make him, Shen Shandeng, seem easy to bully if he didn't do something about it?

When has Shen Shandeng ever suffered such a loss in silence?

Shen Shandeng snorted coldly: "That's too easy on them."

"Old Ma, go find someone and write an article in the same style as last time."

"Just write something praising how 'rigorous' and 'responsible' the business environment is."

Shen Shandeng's lips curled into a wicked smile.

On the other end of the phone, Ma Youde's eyes lit up, and he skillfully pulled out his small notebook.

"Boss, could you give me some pointers?"

Shen Shandeng said, "Go and investigate what a Japanese company called Morinaga Milk did in 1955. To improve the solubility of their milk powder, they directly added arsenic to the stabilizer! As a result, more than a hundred infants died, and tens of thousands were poisoned!"

Ma Youde gasped in shock: "Wow! They're using arsenic directly? That's ruthless! Morinaga Milk is definitely finished, right? They'll be fined into bankruptcy, and the person in charge will be thrown in jail?"

"Damn it?" Shen Shandeng scoffed. "That's where their 'excellent' business environment comes into play."

"An investigation committee was established, and the experts unanimously stated that there is no need to worry about the long-term effects of this poisoning incident. The patients who are still receiving treatment are not affected by arsenic, but by other diseases."

Ma Youde was stunned.

For example, if someone dies from a gunshot wound, the expert's assessment might be that it's due to excessive heavy metals, and not related to the gunshot.

It's not that it's wrong, but it's a little off.

Shen Shandeng continued, "The compensation plan is even more touching: all the deceased will receive 25 yen in compensation, and the survivors will receive 1 yen in compensation."

Ma Youde quickly calculated the yen exchange rate in his mind, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

"1 yen? That's just a few hundred yuan? What can that buy? It's not even enough to buy a few cans of baby formula!"

Shen Shandeng added the final blow, "More than a hundred people died, but they are still one of the dairy giants in Japan and are doing quite well."

"Just go along this direction and give them a good 'praise' for their handling of the situation and their meticulous approach." (End of Chapter)