Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 154 My Path and Huayi's Path Are Different, We Cannot Work Together
And Xiao Yang too!

These four seemingly light words felt like a heavy burden on Chen Sicheng's shoulders, making his face bitter and astringent, yet he was helpless.

A film might have two directors, precisely to maintain a balance of power between them...

Chen Sicheng had already figured this out when he finished filming the movie "Detective Chinatown".

However, at that time, he thought that he would no longer cooperate with Chen Xiu in the future, and that Chen Xiu could do whatever he wanted with checks and balances, which was none of his business.

This idea completely changed after the release of "Detective Chinatown".

A movie that grosses over 10 billion yuan and can produce a sequel in the future, even if the director is called a "blank slate director," the rewards are still quite attractive.

It was after calculating in my mind many times and weighing the gains and losses that I felt that the benefits of following Chen Xiu were great enough, and the losses of not following Chen Xiu were something I did not want to bear.

Chen Sicheng, this master strategist of life, would have slid to his knees so thoroughly!

However, even though he had already expressed his surrender, Chen Xiu still insisted on continuing the balance of power, which was quite frustrating.

After hesitating for a moment, Chen Sicheng tentatively suggested, "Mr. Chen, instead of having Xiao Yang as the second director and paying him an extra director's fee, how about having him as the assistant director? The effect will be the same anyway!"

“I don’t need those few million. If you think Xiao Yang is better suited to be the assistant director, I’ll discuss it with him later. We can also explore who to find to be the new second director.”

"No need, I suddenly think he'd be a good fit as the second director."

Chen Sicheng quickly submitted and dared not utter another word.

He finally understood: Chen Xiu wanted the crew to have two directors, and even if he got rid of Xiao Yang, he would find a new one.

Rather than this, it's better to just make do and get by, at least Xiao Yang is someone I'm somewhat familiar with...

Seeing that Chen Sicheng understood her meaning, Chen Xiu nodded with satisfaction.

Just as he was about to say something, a figure carrying an unpleasant smell of men's cologne walked over, followed by a self-righteous voice.

"President Chen, Si Cheng, what are you two talking about? You're not discussing the sequel to 'Detective Chinatown,' are you? This time, Huayi should definitely be included!"

Wang Zhonglei, acting as if he knew them well, stood next to the two of them and, without caring who was in charge, launched into a barrage of words.

After saying that, he reached out and patted Chen Sicheng's arm, acting like a big shot.

Actually, Wang Zhonglei had already noticed them while Chen Xiu was chatting with Wang Sicong and Wu Jing, but he didn't come over rashly because they weren't familiar with each other.

Seeing Chen Sicheng chatting with Chen Xiu, and remembering their shared familial bond, Wang Zhonglei seized the opportunity to join their conversation.

Chen Xiu glanced at him and said calmly, "President Wang's attendance at the 'Detective Chinatown' box office celebration banquet today is a great honor for me, the host. I wonder if the drinks prepared today are a bit too strong?"

"Mr. Chen, do you think I'm talking nonsense?"

Wang Zhonglei squinted as he approached Chen Xiu, his tone noticeably stiff.

Chen Xiu frowned slightly, thinking to herself: Wang Zhonglei has been in the business world for many years, how could he be so impatient? Tsk, he must have gotten used to being flattered all these years, and now he's become arrogant from not hearing anything unpleasant...

"Mr. Wang, even if you're not talking nonsense while drunk, you're still talking gibberish!"

"what?"

Wang Zhonglei stared blankly at Chen Xiu, not expecting him to reply like that.

The film and television industry has developed rapidly in recent years, and Huayi is the first private film and television company to be listed. As the company's president, Wang Zhonglei has been praised endlessly.

Having been flattered so much, his behavior naturally became more unrestrained. Of course, this only applies when facing people of equal or lower status. If he were facing Ma Yun, Wang Zhonglei would still be very obedient.

Wang Zhonglei felt that Chen Xiu was of equal status to him, so it was not inappropriate for him to put on a senior's airs. However, Chen Xiu did not give him any face at all.

After carefully examining Wang Zhonglei, Chen Xiu said leisurely, "When you came over just now, Mr. Wang, you immediately started giving me a lecture, telling me what to do."

"Anyone who didn't know better would think that you'd taken care of both Director Chen and me! You showed absolutely no courtesy whatsoever as a guest. Isn't this just utter nonsense?"

This statement was reasonable and well-founded, and Wang Zhonglei couldn't refute it for the time being.

After a moment of silence, Wang Zhonglei's somewhat gloomy face suddenly broke into a smile: "Hehe, President Chen is right! This wine is indeed strong today, making people act rashly!"

They're all from the business world, and even if Wang Zhonglei is used to being arrogant and complacent, it's still easy for him to adjust back to his old ways.

Of course, it's just a slight adjustment for now.

Chen Xiu glanced at him, then ultimately chose to remain composed: "This shows that President Wang is also a man of character. Let's just drink, why talk about cooperation!"

"No, no, Mr. Chen, we still need to talk about work. For example, if you had come to Huayi Brothers to collaborate on the 'Detective Chinatown' movie, the box office might have surpassed 10 billion yuan much earlier."

Wang Zhonglei looked at Chen Xiu with a mysterious expression, his words clearly intended to provoke speculation.

"Hehe, Detective Chinatown is already doing very well, and the collaboration with Wanda is going very well, so there's no need to trouble Huayi."

Although she was smiling, Chen Xiu's refusal was all too obvious.

Faced with Wang Zhonglei's repeated offenses, he couldn't be bothered to maintain any semblance of decorum.

However, in Wang Zhonglei's view, as a senior in the film and television industry, he came here today to support Chen Xiu and make friends with him, all for the sake of seeking a cooperation opportunity so that they can become friends in the future.

And you actually refused?!

Isn't this a blatant disregard for Huayi?

Thinking of this, Wang Zhonglei's smile faded somewhat. "President Chen, our industry has always valued mutual help. Sometimes, cooperation doesn't have to be large-scale. Even just having the title of co-production is a form of expression. There's no need for us to narrow our paths!"

"There's nothing wrong with that."

Chen Xiu smiled and nodded, then, as Wang Zhonglei's lips curled into a smile, she changed the subject: "But Huayi and I are on different paths! How could there be any possibility of cooperation between us?"

The slight upward curve of Wang Zhonglei's lips froze.

He looked at Chen Xiu with some annoyance, feeling that he had been played for a fool by the young man in front of him.

Chen Sicheng, who had been standing on the sidelines without being allowed to speak, watched the increasingly tense atmosphere between the two big shots and considered taking a step back and withdrawing from the fray.

However, when he looked back, he realized that the big shots and celebrities who were socializing elsewhere had quietly turned their attention to him.

These people did not rush over to eavesdrop, but maintained a suitable distance and continued to discuss in hushed tones, while they all intentionally or unintentionally adjusted their positions so that they could face Chen Xiu and the others.

Given this situation, coupled with Wang Zhonglei's next words, Chen Sicheng was no longer able to leave.

"President Chen, Huayi has never cooperated with you. Si Cheng was also an artist of Huayi before. You have already cooperated with him. How can you say that we are not on the same page?"

Wang Zhonglei started laughing again, but this time his eyes looked somewhat sinister.

Since she had already rejected him, Chen Xiu naturally didn't mind making things clearer.

"Huayi used to be a leader in the film and television industry and a pioneer in the film circle. Most of the artists who came out of it are now doing very well in the industry. But is Huayi still a film and television company now? Shouldn't you be a game and cultural tourism company?"

These words, spoken with a mix of sarcasm and understatement, made Wang Zhonglei's face darken even further.

"Mr. Chen, to this day, film is still Huayi's main business. What makes you say that?"

"Your annual financial reports clearly state that your investment in games and cultural tourism far exceeds that in movies. Is there any truth to that?"

"The financial statements are naturally accurate, but to say that Huayi is no longer a film and television company is utterly ridiculous!"

"I admit that I misspoke, but reducing the importance of the film and television business that we are already familiar with and focusing on games and cultural tourism that we are not familiar with, from a strategic development perspective, is not exactly wise."

The two then launched into a verbal battle.

Chen Sicheng, who had become a background figure, was extremely conflicted, yet unable to leave.

Those spectators standing a little further away have now stopped their pretentious discussions and started listening intently to this verbal exchange between the bigwigs.

"Not particularly clever? Heh."

Wang Zhonglei, his face darkening, chuckled twice, his contempt tinged with sarcasm, and said, "President Chen, although you were a strategic planner at Didi before, the cultural tourism industry and the internet industry are fundamentally different."

"If you don't understand Huayi's strategic plan, you can always ask me! Our Huayi Cultural Town plan is benchmarked against Disneyland. Does that make things clearer for you?"

Chen Xiu shook his head: "How can one last long if one only learns the form but not the meaning?"

"What do you mean?"

Wang Zhonglei's voice turned stern, and he could no longer maintain his composure.

Chen Xiu tilted her head slightly, a hint of curiosity in her eyes, and asked, "What President Wang just said meant that Huayi's strategic deployment is benchmarking against Disney, right?"

"Not bad!"

"However, Disney's strategic deployment has never lowered the priority of its film and television business. In fact, over the past two decades, Disney has greatly expanded its IP resource library by acquiring Pixar Studios, Lucasfilm, and Marvel Studios."

At this point, Chen Xiu shook her head with a regretful expression.

"On the other hand, Huayi, which had already reaped the first benefits by virtue of its leading position in the industry, changed course and tried to explore the downstream industry chain when the film and television industry was developing rapidly."

"Last year, among the films produced by Huayi Brothers, 'Mojin: The Lost Legend' performed best, but the film and television adaptation rights belonged to Enlight Media. A lack of IP resources means a lack of follow-up, and the film and television industry is full of newcomers surpassing the established ones. If the source is weak, how can the downstream last long?"

Chen Xiu's lengthy speech did not unilaterally negate Huayi, but rather affirmed it objectively, and then predicted the future based on the current situation.

As Didi's former strategic analyst, he has the confidence to offer such an analysis.

Viewers who were following the "battle" carefully considered the statement and found it reasonable, with Wang Changtian even showing a strange expression.

Wang Zhonglei, as the person involved and the main person responsible for this outburst, was also stunned and somewhat unable to come to his senses.

However, Chen Xiu's output was not over yet.

"Even before 'Detective Chinatown' was released, there were rumors on Weibo that many small platforms had bought trending topics after the film's poor box office performance, and many of these were related to Huayi Brothers..."

"This is a misunderstanding!"

Wang Zhonglei hurriedly denied it, a look of helplessness and panic appearing on his face.

Chen Xiu didn't give him a chance to say more: "I believe this is probably a misunderstanding, or perhaps Mr. Wang, a senior figure in the film and television industry, is joking with me! Since Mr. Wang is in such a good mood, how can I, as a junior, not play along and have some fun with you today?"

This statement effectively reduced the debate between the two sides to a joke.

It's like Chen Xiu finished his one-sided attack and didn't even give Wang Zhonglei a chance to fight back.

Everyone was stunned, feeling that Chen Xiu's verbal skills were truly remarkable; after criticizing someone, he also had to deliver a final verdict, and his words were so sharp they seemed to strike at the heart of the matter.

Just when everyone was speechless, a sneer suddenly rang out.

(End of this chapter)