Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 571, page 569: Prepare to face the iron fist of the Sheng Ying Group!

2004年9月28日，上午10点15分。

Beijing, Haiding District.

The first morning screening of "2046" at "China Film Grand Cinema - Zhongguancun Store" has just ended.

A handful of audience members walked out of the theater, most of them with confused, tired, or even undisguised disappointment on their faces.

"What kind of crap is this? I think he fell asleep three times!"

"Liang Chaowei is so handsome, but what is he doing? And Wang Fei, he only had a few shots, right? Was the story explained clearly?"

"Does the Wang family think the audience are all idiots? Why are they making things so confusing and obscure..."

Similar complaints echoed softly in the cinema corridors and restrooms.

At almost the same time, the virtual world stirred up an even bigger wave of noise.

Tencent QQ's pop-up news pushed follow-up reports on "New Police Story" breaking 100 million views in its opening weekend in the entertainment section, while in the "Related Hot Topics" section next to it, the entry "Can't understand '2046'" quietly appeared.

Clicking the link leads directly to the "Maoyan Movies" community—a movie exchange platform indirectly controlled by Shengying Group and rapidly rising with the help of Tencent's traffic.

On the dedicated page for "2046", the short review section and discussion area were flooded with comments at an astonishing speed.

A post published at 10:08 AM had an extremely jarring title: "[If '2046' wins a Hong Kong Film Award in the future, then the Hong Kong Film Awards will be a pillar of shame for the Hong Kong film industry's self-congratulatory antics!]"

The poster, whose ID is "Movie Elementary School Student," writes with surprising shrewdness:

"Just came out of the early morning show, and I have to get this off my chest! I thought that after 'In the Mood for Love,' Wong Kar-wai would be able to tone down his pretentious ways and tell a decent story."

And the result? *2046* is even worse than before! The time jumps are dizzying, the character relationships are nonsensical, and the dialogue is pretentious, like a middle schooler whining! Aside from the cinematography and art direction being above average (which is his forte), the narrative is a complete mess! Is this the auteur film that some critics have raved about? I think it's a beautifully packaged pile of crap!

This post was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating countless ripples.

"I totally agree with the original poster! I felt so uncomfortable in the movie theater, and I felt so bad about spending my ticket money!"

"+1, I get it now. It's just a bunch of men and women whining about nothing, then constantly changing clothes, smoking, and posing."

"If the Hong Kong Film Awards were to give a major award to this film, it would be utterly hopeless. It would have become nothing more than a product of self-entertainment for a small group within the Hong Kong film industry, with absolutely no credibility!"

"I heard this film didn't get much of a response at Cannes? It's just fooling those foreign-worshipping artsy young people in China."

"It was a wise move for Sheng Ying Group not to give it screenings! This kind of film shouldn't waste precious screen resources!"

Negative reviews spread like a virus in the Maoyan community and were quickly screenshotted and forwarded to entertainment forums on major portal websites, university BBS, and Tencent QQ groups.

Some seemingly "objective" film critics have also begun to speak out, using seemingly professional language to analyze the "flaws" in the narrative structure and character motivations of "2046," further confirming the public's impression that the film is "incomprehensible and not good."

Occasionally, a few comments defending "2046" and emphasizing its artistic exploration and authorial style were quickly drowned out by a wave of criticism and even labeled as "pretentious" or "paid trolls".

……

That afternoon, in Shanghai.

In his hotel suite, Wang Jiawei irritably took off his sunglasses and rubbed his throbbing temples.

The assistant carefully held the laptop, the screen displaying the trending post from "Maoyan Community" and the ensuing heated online argument below.

"Outrageous! A bunch of people who don't understand movies! They have no idea what I'm trying to say!" Wang Jiawei's voice trembled with anger.

The world behind sunglasses is blurry, but the malice on the internet is glaringly clear.

What alarmed him even more was the public opinion mobilization capabilities demonstrated by Maoyan Community.

This is no longer just word-of-mouth within a small circle, but a systemic and large-scale collapse of reputation.

He knew that without someone pulling the strings behind the scenes, it would have been impossible for things to develop so quickly and so systematically.

"Director Wang, now is not the time to be angry," the assistant whispered a reminder. "Many cinemas in Shanghai saw the negative reviews and dismal attendance this morning and immediately changed the afternoon and evening screenings."

Wang Jiawei took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

He can make excuses for box office failure, but this kind of comprehensive reputational failure will directly affect his subsequent creative work and financing.

"Have you managed to contact General Manager Ren?" he asked Ren Zhonglun, the general manager of Shanghai Film Group. He couldn't just sit idly by on Shanghai Film Group's turf.

"I got in touch with him. Mr. Ren said... we can have dinner together tonight."

……

As dusk settles, inside a private room at No. 3 Bund, a place offering exceptional privacy.

Ren Zhonglun listened calmly to Wang Jiawei's emotionally charged description.

The head of Shanghai Film Group is young and energetic, with sharp vision and a clear understanding of the industry landscape.

"President Ren, this is the situation. The public opinion on Maoyan is clearly being deliberately manipulated. It's one thing for Shengying Group not to give us screenings, but now they want to completely destroy us? My '2046' is a film that has obtained the film license and is being released in accordance with regulations! Aren't they going too far?" Wang Jiawei tried his best to make his tone sound sincere.

Ren Zhonglun slowly picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, without answering immediately. Only after Wang Jiawei finished speaking did he put down his chopsticks and wipe his mouth.

“Director Wang, I admire your artistic pursuits. The fact that ‘2046’ was shown at Cannes is a testament to your strength.” Ren Zhonglun first affirmed this, then changed the subject, “However, the market has its rules, and the audience has their choices. Maoyan Community… is, after all, an emerging platform that represents the voice of some young viewers, and we must respect that.”

He downplayed the issue and made no mention of Sheng Ying whatsoever.

Wang Jiawei knew he had to offer something substantial. He leaned forward and lowered his voice: "President Ren, I understand the rules. This time I didn't understand the situation and offended you. As long as Shengying is willing to be lenient and give '2046' a break in terms of screenings and public opinion, I'm willing to contribute 30% of the investment in my next film, and the main roles can be played by artists recommended by the Shengying Group."

This is the biggest concession he could make after careful consideration.

In his view, this was already a great show of sincerity—the lead role in the Wang family's pseudo-film was a resource that many actresses would fight tooth and nail for.

Ren Zhonglun glanced at him, his eyes full of meaning. He pondered for a moment and said, "I have received Director Wang's sincerity. How about this, I'll ask around for you. But I can't guarantee what their attitude will be."

"Thank you, Mr. Ren!" Wang Jiawei quickly raised his glass.

……

The call, originally intended to be a casual inquiry, reached the headquarters of Shengying Media Group the following morning.

The company secretary, Li Tingting, listened to the conditions of the Wang family conveyed by a vice president of Shanghai Film Group, her face expressionless.

She didn't even take notes, but waited for the other party to finish speaking before calmly saying, "President Li, please tell President Ren that Shengying has no interest in the new project of the Wang family's pseudo-director."

His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable resolve.

"Uh... Mr. Zhao, Director Wang is indeed very sincere this time. We can discuss the share and the role..." The other party still wanted to try.

Zhao Jingsong interrupted directly: "President Li, our Shengying currently has a large project pipeline and many partners. The style of Wang Jia, the pseudo-director, may not align with our group's future content strategy. If Shanghai Film Group is interested, they can invest themselves. We will not participate."

There's no turning back now.

When the news reached Ren Zhonglun, he simply hummed in response and hung up the phone.

He finally understood the attitude of the Sheng Ying Group.

This is not a business negotiation; it is a declaration of position.

Wang Jiawei doesn't understand the rules, or rather, he's trying to challenge the rules set by the Sheng Ying Group, so he has to pay the price.

"2046" is the "chicken" that was singled out and "killed" for all those in the industry to see.

Shanghai Film Group and Shengying Film Studio are now deeply intertwined in multiple projects, including the international version of "The Pursuit of Happyness" and the China-US Film Festival, and their interests are closely intertwined. They would never risk offending Wang Shengying, their most important partner, for the sake of a fake Wang family and a film destined to fail at the box office, "2046".

Awards? Shanghai Film Group has plenty. Money? They can earn even more by working with Sheng Ying Group.

As for Wang Jiawei and his art... they appear so pale and powerless in the face of cold commercial rules and channel hegemony.

When his assistant subtly conveyed Sheng Ying's "not interested" response to Wang Jiawei, he was preparing for a small fan meeting that evening.

After listening, he remained silent for a long time, and finally just waved his hand to let his assistant leave.

He sat alone in front of the vanity mirror, looking at his reflection—still wearing sunglasses, yet unable to hide his dejection—and felt a chill that penetrated to his very bones for the first time.

This isn't a debate about artistic viewpoints; it's a crushing defeat by capital and distribution channels. He doesn't even have the right to bargain.

……

September 30, the day before the nationwide release of "Kekexili".

After several days of meticulous preparation and media hype by HanHai Consulting and a professional legal team, a storm targeting "Kekexili" was ignited in the media and online on schedule.

The culture section of China Youth Daily was the first to publish a lengthy investigative report titled "Who Stole the Memories of the Glacier? — Documentary Director Liu Xinyu Accuses 'Kekexili' of Plagiarism."

The article details the striking similarities between "Kekexili" and the documentary "Me and the Tibetan Antelope - The Glacier Flows Here" in terms of core character settings (a resilient patrol team leader and a struggling new team member), key scenes (the patrol team encountering danger on the glacier, poachers brutally slaughtering Tibetan antelopes, the team member's sacrifice and sky burial), and narrative structure. It also includes numerous screenshots of the comparison scenes and Liu Xinyu's heart-wrenching accusations.

The report shocked everyone present.

Almost simultaneously, the entertainment headlines of major portal websites were dominated by the same topic: "Kekexili: Mountain Patrol Embroiled in Plagiarism Scandal, Director of Documentary Based on the Film Files Lawsuit!"

Tencent QQ pushed this major news to users via a pop-up window.

The page for "Kekexili" on the Maoyan Movies community was instantly flooded with posts saying "Support originality, resist plagiarism" and "Lu Chuan, get out of the film industry".

Film critics who had previously championed "Kekexili" and praised its realism and artistic value fell silent, and the few voices that tried to defend it were instantly swallowed up by the overwhelming public opinion.

Offline, at a press conference arranged by Hanhai Consulting, Liu Xinyu faced dozens of media cameras, showing a thick stack of evidence materials and work photos taken back then. He tearfully recounted his and his comrades' life-and-death experiences in Hoh Xil, accusing the "Kekexili" film crew of "stealing his youth and the blood of his comrades."

Public opinion has completely exploded!

The film "Kekexili," which was originally highly anticipated and carried the mission of winning awards, was nailed to the pillar of shame for "plagiarism" the day before its release.

All discussions about its artistic value were instantly drowned in a vast ocean of moral judgment.

Lu Chuan and the production company were caught off guard, and their hastily issued statement seemed weak and powerless in the face of irrefutable evidence and a tragic narrative.

(End of this chapter)