How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 108 The Company Isn't the Boss's Harem [10,000-word Update, Please Subscribe]

It wasn't just Wu Kebo who faced criticism from the cooperating cinema chains.

Kanpianer.com was also criticized.

But this time, Ren Quan deviated from his usual amiable and easygoing persona, and righteously retorted...

"This is how we treat our employees. What does it have to do with us if your employees are dissatisfied? Besides, the fact that the fire safety is substandard is outrageous. If you're not up to standard, why are you coming to me? Am I your manager?"

"Awesome." Wang Yao gave him a thumbs up when he hung up the phone.

"Awesome!" Ren Quan roared to the sky, finally feeling some of the gloom that had been hanging over him for the past few days.

Although Kanpianer.com's sales fell below one million yesterday, he felt that Chengtian Entertainment on the other side must be feeling even worse.

I finally understand what Wang Yao meant by "repaying injustice with justice."

"However, in doing this, we've really offended all the theater chains. It will probably be difficult to cooperate with them again in the future," Ren Quan sighed.

"At worst, we can just close down and run our own small business. Besides, once the competition is over and we've established a solid user base for online ticketing, we won't have to worry about finding partners." Wang Yao said dismissively.

As long as the users are in our hands, it doesn't matter who the platform is. Moreover, the cinema market still has a lot of room for development in the future, and the current situation is only temporary.

The first step, using employee benefits to disrupt the entire market, was more effective than he had imagined. It seems he really needs to stand firmly with the masses.

"But Sister Hua and the others are here, I'll go greet them." Ren Quan got up and soon brought Wang Jinhua and the Chen Hao couple in.

"Mr. Wang, I've long admired your name." Chen Hao seemed to be pregnant, and her face softened.

"Hello, Miss Chen." Wang Yao stood up.

“This is my husband, Liu Haifeng,” Chen Hao introduced the man in the suit next to her.

"Mr. Wang, it's a pleasure to meet you." Liu Haifeng, with a composed demeanor, took the initiative to extend his hand.

"Mr. Liu, it's a pleasure to meet you." Wang Yao shook hands.

"Sister Hua told me about the situation, and I'm very interested. What do you need my cooperation with?" Chen Hao asked with a smile, seemingly unconcerned about revealing his past in front of Liu Haifeng.

Wang Yao glanced at Liu Haifeng, and seeing that he remained expressionless, he briefly explained the plan.

"No problem." Chen Hao readily agreed, after all, she really liked the character design and dialogue Wang Yao had created. But then she changed the subject, "I heard from Sister Hua that you're also bringing Fan Bingbing along?"

“Yes, we just had a talk yesterday, but she said it depends on your attitude.” Wang Yao smiled.

"She's still as slippery as an eel." Chen Hao snorted. "As long as I don't have to have some kind of historic reconciliation with her, I'm fine with anything."

"It's not that dramatic." Wang Yao smiled.

“I’m very interested in what Mr. Wang asked Sister Hua to pass on to me yesterday. Shall we talk about it privately?” Liu Haifeng said.

“Of course.” Wang Yao got up and followed Liu Haifeng to Ren Quan’s study.

"I heard that Brother Liu is in the private equity business?" Wang Yao asked, changing his form of address.

"Yes, he works at an investment banking group. Is Mr. Wang interested in capital operations?" Liu Haifeng also changed his form of address.

“I’m somewhat interested. I’m collaborating with a media group on an internet platform,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"I've heard some rumors about Myspace recently. They were trying to take down Old Wave, but I don't know why they got caught up in it." Liu Haifeng casually shared information, revealing his status in the financial circle.

“I’m not sure about that, but I’m quite interested in it. I’ve done some research recently. Brother Liu, how much of the entertainment industry do you think is genuine?” Wang Yao asked.

“Not many, after all, there are assets to back it up. It’s unlikely that you can take over from the outside, since Wu Kebo has almost absolute control. Even if the stock price drops to zero, the investors behind him will only care about the existing assets.” Liu Haifeng said bluntly, clearly having done his research.

“I have a bold guess,” Wang Yao said, briefly explaining the matter between the Li family and Dongying Electric.

"Dongying Electric has indeed launched new digital projection products. Your guess is very likely true. According to my colleague's assessment of the domestic film market, there are currently less than 5000 screens in China. In the future, the number of screens will increase by at least 5 to 8 times, and the market size will be conservatively more than 15 times."

The Li family is used to doing business as middlemen; upstream equipment and solutions represent a consumer market approaching 10 billion yuan. Liu Haifeng frowned.

Wang Yao recalls that ten years later, the number of movie screens nationwide exceeded 8, and it continued to grow every year. Liu Haifeng's prediction was conservative; it would be at least a 15-fold increase, with several rounds of technological and equipment iterations, indicating a huge market prospect.

"To be honest, although I'm just a nobody, I don't really want this industry to be monopolized by other countries, so I'd like to ask Brother Liu if there are any companies in China with strong projection technology and equipment?" Wang Yao asked.

"There are several companies that Mr. Wang wants to cooperate with?" Liu Haifeng asked, somewhat surprised.

“Kanpian.com will definitely have to go through the path of owning its own cinemas in the future. If it can integrate production, sales and management, it would be even better to have its own equipment, since equipment is the biggest investment.” Wang Yao smiled.

In the future, digital projectors will cost hundreds of thousands or even millions of yuan each. If one could invest in a technology company in advance, it might be possible to offset a significant portion of the costs.

"I can talk to them about it, but domestic technology is indeed not as good as foreign technology," Liu Haifeng offered his professional opinion.

"Technology is improved through investment. As long as there is a market, the R&D capabilities of the Chinese people are beyond imagination." Wang Yao smiled.

“That makes sense. Money is the most important resource, so you want to short Hejiang this time?” Liu Haifeng said bluntly.

“That’s right, Brother Liu, do you think it’s possible?” Wang Yao asked in return.

“If the negative news is only targeting Chengtian Entertainment, it won’t have any impact on the Li family, since the two are almost unrelated,” Liu Haifeng shook his head.

"What if it's bad news about the Li family?" Wang Yao asked.

"Currently, the market sentiment towards Hejiang is positive. After all, they will be making great strides in the 3G sector this year, and their real estate sector remains one of the companies with the most assets in Hong Kong. Ordinary negative news probably won't have much of an impact," Liu Haifeng shook his head.

"I'm not very familiar with the operation, but if I entrust it to Brother Liu, it should be fine, right?" Wang Yao said with a smile.

"How much capital does Mr. Wang have?" Liu Haifeng raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Small-scale, around 5000 million,” Wang Yao said.

"It's not a big deal." Liu Haifeng raised an eyebrow slightly. This amount would be a VIP at any domestic private equity firm, but for someone of Liu Haifeng's stature, it was indeed a bit small.

“But I want to leverage it, 10 times,” Wang Yao said with a shy smile.

Liu Haifeng was stunned, then frowned. "Mr. Wang, you may indeed be new to the financial field. The risks of leverage are not as simple as the numbers on the books. For investors without special information sources, it's best not to take such a risky step."

Liu Haifeng's advice was well-intentioned, but looking into Wang Yao's calm eyes, he suddenly stopped. "Mr. Wang, do you have any inside information?"

“No, just some trivial news.” Wang Yao shook his head.

“I advise President Wang to think it over carefully,” Liu Haifeng said, a thought forming in his mind.

Wang Yao then shared some negative news about the Li family.

"These are indeed minor news items, at most they might stir up public sentiment, but they may not necessarily affect market sentiment." Liu Haifeng was somewhat disappointed after hearing this.

When Wang Jinhua came to his house last night to tell him the news, Liu Haifeng thought it was about some big fish, but he didn't expect it to be just a naive idea from a young boy.

The two then chatted for a bit, and Liu Haifeng suggested that they save the money to short Chengtian Entertainment, but there was no need to use leverage, since the total value was less than 20 billion. He cautioned against becoming a shareholder through speculation. Wang Yao readily agreed and ended the private chat.

Mr. and Mrs. Chen didn't say much, exchanged contact information, and then took their leave.

"How did the chat go?" Wang Jinhua asked curiously.

"Not bad." Wang Yao said with a smile.

He knew almost nothing about finance, and his talk about leverage was just empty talk. But just because he was bad at it didn't mean that a professional like Liu Haifeng wouldn't seize the opportunity.

Actually, he just wanted to cast a trap and see if Liu Haifeng could bring some unexpected surprises.

After all, contradictions are dynamic.

"So what do we do now?" Wang Jinhua asked.

"Wait for news from Wang Jing and Bernard," Wang Yao said, indicating that there was no need to rush.

That afternoon, Wang Jing called, first scolding Wu Kebo, and then asking Wang Yao to help him protect his rights.

Immediately afterwards, a post appeared on the movie website, revealing that Wang Jing was preparing to reboot the "God of Gamblers" series.

"Gambling X" and "Ancient X" are basically one of the gateway movies for all movie fans, definitely childhood memories.

This post immediately sparked heated discussion, even overshadowing yesterday's topic of monthly salary.

Wang Jing's account quickly responded to the post that broke the news.

'It's fake. I want to film it, but how can I film it if they don't give me the copyright?'

One stone caused a thousand waves!

What does this mean? Wasn't this movie directed by Wang Jing? Who else do we need to ask for the copyright from?

Soon, people on the forum started various popular science posts, introducing the professional knowledge and connections between directors, screenwriters, copyrights, and distribution.

Wang Jing is now an absolute top influencer in the film and television industry on the internet, so his remarks were quickly reposted. In no time, news about the copyright of "Gambling X" was flying everywhere, and many movie fans directly stormed into [Chengtiankanpianer.com] to question why Wang Jing was not allowed to make a sequel.

Meanwhile, the media were among the first to react, flocking to the door to request interviews.

After all, if the "Gambling X" series were rebooted, it could support media professionals for another year.

Before Wu Kebo could resolve the issues with the cinema chain and employees, he was immediately confronted by the rogue Wang Jing demanding copyrights. When the media finally came knocking, he was completely overwhelmed.

He turned to Yangzi for advice. "Do you even need to ask me? Why don't you just declare your consent and authorization?" Yangzi asked, puzzled.

“If I authorize him, what will happen to other people who come knocking on my door? I bought these copyrights with my own hard-earned money,” Wu Kebo said angrily.

"Then just take the money. How could they not pay?" Yangzi laughed.

"The problem now is that I'm afraid they won't pay me and will instead try to get me to invest. You see, public opinion is on their side right now, saying the copyright belongs to Wang Jing."

"And most importantly, I was planning to sell these copyrights for a good price later. If I let Wang Jing film them now, he'll definitely make a terrible movie to make money, and I'll lose a fortune," Wu Kebo said helplessly.

He was determined to retain these copyrights because he saw the potential in the future when the domestic market developed, allowing him to remake these old Hong Kong films and capitalize on nostalgia.

He knew that this kind of sentimental money could only be raised once, and taking it out now would be a huge loss.

Moreover, he simply doesn't have the money to invest in film projects this year. If other production companies invest in them and the films become box office hits, he'll be the one who gets ripped off.

"Mr. Wu, I think one shouldn't have everything. You're being too greedy. My suggestion is to authorize or cooperate with Wang Jing. At least you can gain a better reputation. Even if you earn less, you should focus on long-term development," Yang Zi couldn't help but advise.

"Why don't you lend me 5000 million? I'll invest in the project directly," Wu Kebo sneered.

“If Mr. Wu needs investment, he can participate in this project with huge profits,” Yang Zi said with a smile.

“I don’t mind Mr. Yang making this money, but I’m afraid Wang Jing won’t agree. His purpose in coming here today is clearly to buy back the copyright. Remaking it is just an excuse,” Wu Kebo said coldly.

"I see. Then there really isn't a good solution." Yangzi thought about it seriously.

"Didn't you say you had a great talent for marketing?" Wu Kebo laughed in exasperation.

"In this situation, they're on the moral high ground. You can only choose between reputation and profit. If you choose profit, then you'll just have to wait it out." Yangzi rolled his eyes.

This person was the greediest he had ever met.

Before the two could even come up with a solution.

The copyright dispute has escalated again. This time, it's not just Wang Jing who's involved; Jackie Chan, Stephen Chow, Peter Ching, and other Hong Kong directors have all expressed their desire to reclaim the copyrights to their representative works.

Speaking on behalf of the company, Wang Jing said that those copyrights are like her own children. She couldn't afford to raise them back then, so they were adopted. Now that she has money, she wants to take them home and raise them herself. After all, they are not her own flesh and blood. Who can treat them well when they are living under someone else's roof?
He wants to reclaim the copyright so that others won't ruin his work in the future. After all, it's not just his work, but also the youth of all his fans.

It has to be said that playing the emotional card is really effective.

Even if the original author's adaptation is terrible, movie fans can accept it. But if someone else makes a mess of it, movie fans will feel violated.

This collective outcry stirred up the youthful spirit of countless movie fans, directly crashing the forums of the movie-watching website.

Faced with such a massive public outcry, Wu Kebo calmly closed his doors to visitors.

If you don't like it, then sue me. Let's see if the law can give you justice.

He finally realized that this was the beginning of the retaliatory attack from Kanpianer.com.

But I didn't expect their counterattack to be so shoddy.

Why not have a real, head-to-head competition in the online ticketing industry?

But he clearly didn't expect that this was just the beginning.

Then another trending topic suddenly appeared on the old Sina Weibo, even overshadowing the popularity of Wang Jing and others demanding copyright.

[Tang Yan's boyfriend was stolen by her best friend]

Since the continued popularity of "Chinese Paladin 3", Tang Yan has finally made a name for herself in the Chinese entertainment industry. Her company has boosted her popularity by pairing her with Huo Jianhua, and she also frequently posts on Weibo, which has earned her a good reputation among fans and the general public.

Many people were quite surprised after seeing this trending topic.

Tang Yan has a boyfriend? Not Huo Jianhua? And they've been dating for three years?

Was she snatched away by her best friend? Yang Mi or Liu Shishi?

Dong Xuan? Where did this best friend come from?
After being shocked by this gossip, netizens roughly pieced together the story: Tang Yan had a boyfriend named Gao Yunxiang, with whom she had been in a relationship for three years. Gao Yunxiang, fearing that Tang Yan would become famous and be dumped, proposed to her, but Tang Yan refused, prioritizing her career.

Then the two went through a cold war or a tacit breakup. The man then apparently got together with actress Dong Xuan, whom he had worked with last year, and there are even rumors that he has already proposed successfully.

It seems like another seamless connection like Chen Weiting, Yang Ying, and Ah Sa, but the difference is that this time it's marriage, not dating.

Tang Yan and Dong Xuan had interacted a few times on Weibo, but they couldn't really be considered best friends; at most, they were in the same circle. Their circle also included active Weibo users like Yang Mi, Qi Wei, and Tong Liya, which instantly sparked more controversy.

It even affected Hu Ge, who was asked why he didn't speak up for Tang Yan.

The storm of the crackdown on illegal gambling hasn't died down yet, and the women on Myspace were just worried about not finding a suitable target to seek justice for when this one came along.

The women originally intended to collect various pieces of evidence to prove Gao Yunxiang's infidelity, but they unexpectedly collected even more explosive news.

It turns out that Tang Yan is actually an artist under Chengtian Entertainment, who has been trending on social media recently. Years ago, she was sent to Hong Kong by her boss Wu Kebo to develop her career, where she was sexually harassed by Zeng Ziwei.

Moreover, Wu Kebo seems to have been involved in a love triangle with Tang Yan and Jiang Yiyan.
The more you dig into gossip, the more you find, and the more excited you get.

First, it brought up the Wang Jing and Tang Yan's godfather incident, which was still trending on social media.

Further investigation revealed a complex love triangle involving Wu Kebo, Chen Hao, Fan Bingbing, Tang Yan, Jiang Yiyan, and others.

Now, netizens are so engrossed in gossip that they no longer care about Tang Yan being a mistress, and instead turn their attention to Fan Bingbing and Chen Hao, two celebrities with even higher profiles.

The boss of an entertainment company X is a top female star under his management.

This combination needs no introduction; it's enough to spark the imagination.

Chaos, complete chaos.

But Wang Jing clearly felt it wasn't chaotic enough, and directly addressed the issue on Weibo: "Tang Yan is a good girl, very innocent, she just followed the wrong person back then."

I don't know if they're talking about Gao Yunxiang or Wu Kebo.

But it did push public opinion to its peak.

Tang Yan also quickly stepped in, saying, "I apologize for taking up public resources for personal matters."

She gave a dignified explanation that she had already broken up with Gao Yunxiang, that her boyfriend was not stolen by her best friend, that she only wanted to focus on her career in the future, and that the rumors about her and her boss were completely unfounded.

Netizens found it strange that the more open and honest the person involved was, the more suspicious they became. They all felt sorry for Tang Yan and then turned around and criticized her friends who were pretending to be dead.

Tang Yan gained nearly 500,000 followers overnight as a result.

But it wasn't over yet. Netizens guessed that someone would definitely speak up later, but they never expected that Chen Hao would be the one to speak out and clarify next.

This popular girl, who rarely appears on public platforms but has an excellent public image, is a force to be reckoned with when she makes her entrance.

Chen Hao: Tang Yan is like a younger sister to me. Regarding her situation, all I can say is that the right people will stand by you in your future.

Also, I'm married, and I'm not the boss's wife of Chengtian Entertainment. I hope everyone won't speculate too much. I terminated my contract with Chengtian a long time ago.

Furthermore, Fan Bingbing and I have no competitive relationship whatsoever; we're just ordinary colleagues. Any talk of a love triangle or jealousy is completely unfounded.

Chen Hao's statement instantly shocked everyone.

Netizens were momentarily at a loss for words when it came to this gossip.

However, Fan Bingbing's subsequent Weibo post once again pushed public opinion to its peak.

Fan Bingbing: Congratulations to Sister Hao on your marriage! Congratulations to Tangtang on getting back on track! Also, I terminated my contract with Chengtian a long time ago and now have my own studio.
Besides, an entertainment company isn't the boss's harem; everyone should just go to bed.

Saying something like, "An entertainment company isn't the boss's harem," is a direct attack on the current meta.

However, it was soon discovered that Chen Hao and Fan Bingbing had both terminated their contracts with Chengtian. Does this mean there is something wrong with the company?

This comes after director and screenwriter Wang Jing and others failed to obtain copyright authorization.

Why hasn't this company responded yet?

It seems that netizens have gotten used to how the parties involved respond to trending topics. In fact, if someone doesn't respond, it can prove something.

Instantly, news about Chengtian Entertainment's backdoor listing and its boss Wu Kebo spread like wildfire across various platforms.

Meanwhile, the stock price of Chengtian Entertainment, which had just risen for two days, is also quietly undergoing a baptism.

Just as the Chinese entertainment industry was in a frenzy, Hong Kong was experiencing another round of public opinion.

Hong Kong people rarely use mainland platforms, unless it's a special news item that has been reprinted by Hong Kong media and has a source. Most of the time, they use international software such as Google, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

Myspace has two versions: an international version and a domestic version.

Recently, due to the topic of "Women's Supporters Association", the international version of Myspace has once again come into the spotlight of Hong Kong netizens.

Based on Wang Yao's previous positioning, it aims to attract a large niche audience.

The two versions are basically different, except for certain news that needs to be shared. However, a new post quietly appeared at the bottom of the trending list today and is spreading rapidly.

Hong Kong people have their own three stars.

(End of this chapter)