Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 184 The Inspiration Received by Ma Yun

March 15st, Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

Datang Pictures, Tencent Penguin Pictures, and iQiyi held a press conference here to announce their joint production of the historical drama "Qin King's Battle Song".

Representatives from all three parties entered the room one after another. Chen Xiu, who was in the center, looked exceptionally young compared to Sun Zhonghuai and Gong Yu.

The dozens of invited reporters were clicking their cameras incessantly, and the combined flashes created a dazzling light effect.

When it came time for the Q&A session, the press corps naturally made Chen Xiu their primary interview subject.

"Mr. Chen, hello. May I ask what kind of work 'The Qin King's Battle Song' is?"

"As the name suggests, this piece is for whom it is played and tells whose story it is."

Chen Xiu's answer seemed somewhat cryptic, not providing a clear enough answer and leaving it to the reader to guess.

However, the reporters present had basic historical knowledge and were able to discern the answer.

Soon after, another reporter asked, "Mr. Chen, will you act in a TV series?"

The question was clearly directed at Chen Xiu, and Chen Xiu's answer was also very clear.

He sat behind the long table, glanced at the reporter who had asked the question, and then slowly brought the microphone to his mouth.

"Of course, I will play Li Shimin."

"Wow~"

A small gasp rippled through the press corps, but silence quickly returned.

The next reporter to get a question stood up excitedly and asked the question that everyone present wanted to know.

"Mr. Chen, this new work, 'The Song of Qin King's Battle,' is primarily funded by Datang Pictures, with Tencent Pictures and iQiyi as co-investors. I would like to ask, was the choice of the lead actor a reflection of your personal acting desires?"

That was a rather tactful way of putting it.

What is meant by the selective presentation of personal performance desires?

To put it bluntly, the reporter was essentially asking Chen Xiu: Did you spend money to organize this whole thing, get Tencent and iQiyi to invest, and hire a bunch of actors to play along with you?
Asking directly would be too crude, so the reporter chose to be tactful.

However, Chen Xiu's answer was anything but tactful.

"As an investor and also an actor, if the role is suitable and I want to play it, what's wrong with that?"

To put it another way: Having money means you can do whatever you want!
This answer greatly excited the reporter who asked the question.

When he disregarded the one-question-per-person rule and wanted to continue asking questions.

The next reporter in line had already stood up impatiently and quickly asked the question he wanted to ask.

"Mr. Chen, as a newcomer who has only been in the industry for two and a half years, is your acting ability sufficient to support this role?"

Chen Xiu paused for a moment, which was unusual, and then glanced at the reporter with the middle-part hairstyle with a strange look.

"Well, I was definitely confident that I could play this role well, which is why I made this decision! 'The Song of Qin King' is not a production invested in by me alone. If I am not suitable, Tencent and iQiyi will not support it."

"To put it simply, my time is quite precious. I only spend my time on this because I feel it is very important and valuable. Also, I've only been in the industry for two years, not two and a half."

The reporter who asked the question sat down dejectedly, seemingly regretting that he hadn't managed to extract any more explosive statements from Chen Xiu.

The next reporter to ask a question also realized that Chen Xiu's tone had changed, so he asked a relatively conventional question.

"Mr. Chen, has the start date for filming the TV series been confirmed?"

"The project has just started, and the preliminary work of location scouting and preparation will take time. If all goes well, filming should begin in October."

It's mid-June now, and there are less than four months until October.

The time frame was neither too long nor too short, and the reporter, after listening, couldn't offer any objections.

The subsequent routine questions focused on the details of the TV series production and the original intention behind creating it.

These were the polite exchanges. After answering two questions, Chen Xiu smoothly shifted the topic to Gong Yu and Sun Zhonghuai.

They were quite adept at making polite conversations, and their sense of propriety was much better than Chen Xiu's.

After the interview session, Chen Xiu, Sun Zhonghuai, and Gong Yu signed a cooperation agreement in the presence of reporters.

The press conference for the new film "Qin King's Battle Song" has just come to an end, but the Q&A session has taken another turn and gone viral online.

"Datang Pictures, together with Tencent and iQiyi, released a new film, 'Qin King's Battle Song,' in which Chen Xiu will play Li Shimin!"

"Chen Xiu entered the entertainment industry and paid people to act in his films!"

"Farce or blockbuster? 'The Song of Qin King' claims a production cost of 2.4 million yuan, of which 75% will be used for production and actors' salaries will only account for 25%."

"..."

Various trending search terms emerged, expressing doubt, amazement, sarcasm, humor, or veiled criticism.

The entire discussion revolved around two topics: the release of "Qin Wang Po Zhen Qu" (The Song of Qin King Breaking the Enemy's Formation) and "Chen Xiu playing Li Shimin".

The online discussion was lively, with most people expressing their opposition to the decision to cast Chen Xiu as Li Shimin.

Many people left sarcastic comments under the entry, saying things like, "Wouldn't it be better to use the money to do something meaningful? Why waste it on tarnishing historical figures and poisoning the eyes of the audience?" In short, netizens generally don't think Chen Xiulai is a good fit for the role of Li Shimin.

This topic has also led to the question of who would be most suitable to play Li Shimin.

Finally, netizens spontaneously organized a voting activity, and after much deliberation, they discovered that among all the young actors, none of them could truly capture the essence of Li Er.

A new film press conference can generate so much discussion.

It must be said that the promotion of "Qin King's Battle Song" has been quite effective.

The online discussion was so widespread that it even attracted the attention of some influential figures.

In Hangzhou, at the Ali headquarters, in the Peach Blossom Island office.

Taking a break from her busy schedule, Ma Yun looked at the topics about "Qin King's Battle Song" and Chen Xiu on her computer screen, and a thoughtful expression appeared on her face.

He clicked on two of the entries with his mouse, browsed the content, and then his expression became a mixture of confusion and longing.

Ma Yun has always harbored a dream of becoming a martial arts hero.

This can be seen from the fact that he gave all sorts of martial arts character nicknames to everyone in the company, including himself.

Ma Yun felt that if he lived in a martial arts world, he could become a chivalrous hero who roams the world with a sword.

Unfortunately, he was born at the wrong time and failed to become a great hero. Now he can only barely be an ordinary richest man in the country.

While being the richest person feels pretty good, becoming a chivalrous hero has always been my dream...

Originally, this dream would have been buried in Ma Yun's heart with the passage of time.

However, this brief moment of leisure spent surfing the internet today opened up a new avenue for him to realize his dreams.

Chen Xiu can afford to hire someone to play with him, so why can't I? Ma Yun thought to himself.

Every man with dreams has a touch of childish romance in his heart, and Ma Yun is no exception.

He believed that he could mobilize more resources than Chen Xiu, and his net worth was far greater.

If Chen Xiu can do it, why can't he?
Thinking of this, Ma Yun's heart began to pound, and many thoughts began to come to mind, making her mind particularly active.

Having made so much money, how could I not enjoy myself?
Ma Yun's eyes suddenly lit up, and then he took out his phone and contacted his trusted confidant, Fan Luyuan, the newly appointed executive director of Ali Pictures, on DingTalk.

"Lu Yuan, come to my office. I need to discuss something with you."

After sending the message, Ma Yun didn't wait for Fan Luyuan's reply. Instead, she leisurely leaned back in her recliner and began to elaborate on the inspiration that had just sprouted in her mind.

"If we could bring together famous martial arts stars to make a movie about a martial arts showdown, it would be very interesting."

“Li Lianjie knows a lot of people, so I can ask him to help organize a gathering, and then I’ll invest and star in it…”

"Tsk, I need to practice Tai Chi sometime, otherwise the photos won't look good..."

As Ma Yun was lost in thought, she suddenly heard a few knocks on the door.

After pulling up the surveillance footage from the office entrance, Ma Yun stared intently at Fan Luyuan's subtly uneasy face on the screen for a while before calling him using the pager on her desk.

"Lu Yuan, don't just stand there, come in."

On the screen, Fan Luyuan's expression visibly relaxed before he gently pushed open the door.

In Ma Yun's eyes, this reaction of his subordinates from tension to relief was the best manifestation of his personal power.

If subordinates lose their respect for him, or even disagree with him on work matters, then no matter who that person is or how much merit they have made, he will let them go.

Seeing Fan Luyuan, this man from Shandong, standing solemnly in front of him, Ma Yun chuckled and got up from his seat, walked around the desk, and came to stand in front of him.

"Lu Yuan, how's work at Ali Pictures lately?"

"Mr. Ma, I have already contacted director Spielberg in Hollywood. He is willing to accept Ali as a strategic shareholder of Amblin Entertainment and establish a long-term partnership with us."

"Well done, you certainly didn't let me down."

Ma Yun patted Fan Luyuan on the shoulder as a sign of encouragement.

Then, he walked around Fan Luyuan once, as if he had something to say, but he didn't say a word.

Just as Fan Luyuan started to feel nervous, Ma Yun smiled broadly and said, "I suddenly had an idea that I think is pretty good. Can you help me analyze it?"

"Okay, Mr. Ma, please go ahead."

"I'd like to shoot a promotional short film for our Double Eleven event, with the theme of kung fu and martial arts, bringing together well-known celebrities like Li Lianjie and Donnie Yen. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this question, Fan Luyuan subconsciously began to consider the possibilities.

"With so many celebrities, it's possible for Li Lianjie to invite them, but who will play the lead role? These people value status highly and don't want to be inferior to anyone else..."

"That's easy, I'll just be the male lead!"

Upon hearing this, Fan Luyuan stared blankly at the confident Ma Yun, his mind going completely blank.

(End of this chapter)