Chinese entertainment industry has been booming since 2008.

Chapter 205 Bait

Zhang Yang felt that this so-called Zhou Shanhe was really disgusting. He clearly wanted to take advantage of others, but he made it seem like he was doing charity.

The show "The Voice of China" is currently enjoying immense popularity online, and many companies have already started pulling strings to try and secure the exclusive title sponsorship. Now, Zhou Shanhe is actually using this as a condition, which is simply treating Zhang Yang like a fool.

As for the screening fee for "Brotherhood of Blades", this thing really existed. In the first few years of the era of internet traffic, there was a screening fee. It seems that it was not until after New Year's Day 24 years ago that it was abolished.

Besides, Zhang Yang didn't think that the scheduling fee was a bad thing for him. He didn't have any strong connections in the cinema system. If he lost the scheduling fee and had to rely solely on connections to get screenings, that would be a loss for Zhang Yang.

Problems that can be solved with money are what Zhang Yang is most willing to see. Once he gets Miaoyan established and secures screenings, who would dare to block him? It's just paying protection money when you don't have the strength yet, and Zhang Yang doesn't care much about that.

Therefore, the two conditions Zhou Shanhe offered were simply a joke. If Zhang Yang agreed to them, Zhang Dahai would beat him to death.

Seeing Zhang Yang's amused gaze, Zhou Shanhe felt his anger rising and said coldly, "Zhang Yang, your variety show called 'The Voice of China' is quite popular, isn't it? Many people have signed up, it has a lot of attention, and the whole internet is talking about it."

But let me tell you, blind auditions, judging solely on voice and background—these gimmicks are a joke in the real industry.

Zhang Yang remained unresponsive, quietly watching Zhou Shanhe put on a show. Zhou Shanhe took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and exhaled a puff of smoke, which slowly dissipated in front of Zhang Yang.

"What if one day, an insider suddenly reveals that your program is rigged and the champion has already been decided, and those grassroots contestants are just there to make up the numbers?"

Hmm? Do you think those people who went to the auditions full of dreams feel like they've been tricked? And don't those netizens who praise your fairness and impartiality online feel like they've been blind?

He took another drag of his cigarette, his eyes turning sinister and smug: "You know the internet better than I do these days. Making someone famous might be difficult, but ruining someone is a piece of cake."

Zhang Yang remained silent in the face of Zhou Shanhe's threat, simply watching him quietly, his eyes as calm as a bottomless pool of stagnant water.

Seeing that Zhang Yang was so unyielding, Zhou Shanhe almost resorted to violence. He took a deep breath, suppressed the urge to strike, and continued speaking, his voice growing louder and more unrestrained.

"And that movie you invested in called 'Brotherhood of Blades,' what if one of the lead actors suddenly has a scandalous past? Would the movie still be able to be released?"

Seeing Zhang Yang's expression finally change, Zhou Shanhe took a few steps forward, brought his face close to Zhang Yang's, and said, word by word, "Zhang Yang, reputation is hard to build, but too easy to destroy. Just spend some money, hire some online trolls, write a few short essays, and add a few dubious photos. Who do you think netizens will believe? You, or those insider leaks?"

It must be said that Zhou Shanhe is a modern man who knows how to use saturation attacks. Or perhaps these methods were not his own ideas, but rather suggestions from Ye Weiming.

Han Shanping looked at Zhou Shanhe's spittle-flecked speech and wanted to speak, but seeing the veins bulging on Zhang Yang's forehead, he ultimately remained silent.

I'm tired. Let's destroy it!

Zhou Shanhe completely ignored Han Shanping's expression, which grew increasingly arrogant and domineering as he spoke, spitting as he said, "And your Xingchen Entertainment, you've really expanded your operations quite a bit, with movies, variety shows, games, and I heard you're even working on some Miaoyan platform? Quite ambitious, huh?"

But have you ever considered what would happen if the tax authorities suddenly came to audit your accounts one day and found some problems? Would your projects, investments, and partners still dare to continue working with you?

Zhou Shanhe's tone carried a hint of regret, but beneath that regret lay a deeper threat.

"Zhang Yang, how many interests are involved behind your projects? Investors, partners, GG merchants—aren't they all in it for the money? Once you run into trouble, they'll be the first to turn their backs. Some will withdraw their investment, some will terminate contracts. There will be far more people kicking you while you're down than supporting you. In that case, you'll be a broken drum that everyone will beat!"

Zhang Yang finally broke his silence and coldly uttered three words: "Finished?"

Zhang Yang's attitude made Zhou Shanhe feel insulted: "Zhang Yang, I, Zhou Shanhe, am not bluffing you. I have plenty of ways to make you regret it. If you know what's good for you, your Zhang family will obediently hand over Xuewei Beer. I advise you to think carefully before giving me an answer!"

Han Shanping knew that he had to step forward now, otherwise the negotiations might fall apart. He walked behind Zhang Yang and spoke in a gentle tone, like an elder advising an ignorant junior.

"Xiaoyang, no matter how hard you work outside and earn a lot of money, you still have to take care of your family in the end, right? The sooner you resolve the Xuewei Beer issue, the sooner you can focus on your big business. Why make things difficult for the Ye family over an old, sooner-to-be-bankrupt factory?"

With Han Shanping's words as a prelude, the ferocious look on Zhou Shanhe's face disappeared, replaced by a kind expression.

"Young man, you need to learn to assess the situation. Some things you can't withstand by stubbornness. Once you walk out this door today, what I just said will never be taken back. Who will suffer then? You, your father, and your whole family."

The private room was eerily quiet, and Zhou Shanhe just stared at Zhang Yang silently.

Waiting for his reply.

Waiting for him to yield.

We await his eventual submission to the rules, as all pragmatic people do.

Zhang Yang remained silent for a moment.

Then he smiled.

The smile was faint, just a slight upward curve at the corners of the mouth, but even that tiny curve made Zhou Shanhe feel...

A bone-chilling cold swept over me.

That smile contained no fear, no anger, no compromise, only a condescending air they had never seen before.

An almost compassionate calm.

Zhang Yang stood up and calmly straightened his suit.

"Zhou Shanhe!"

His voice was soft, yet it clearly pierced through the stagnant air in the private room. Then, he looked at Zhou Shanhe, his gaze as calm as a still pond, yet it made Zhou Shanhe subconsciously take a half step back: "I, Zhang Yang, remember every word you said today."

After saying that, he walked towards the door.

Zhou Shanhe froze for two seconds, then suddenly realized what he meant. His face flushed red, and he roared, "Zhang Yang! If you walk out this door today, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Zhang Yang stopped, but did not turn around.

The light in the private room cast a long shadow behind him. He stood on the threshold, half in the light and half in the shadow.

"Zhou Shanhe, have you ever thought about this?"

Zhang Yang's nonchalant tone made Zhou Shanhe's breath catch in his throat, followed by a sarcastic reply: "Oh, what's the problem?"

Zhang Yang finally turned around and glanced at him.

In that glance, there was no anger, no fear, no despair of being driven to the brink. There was only a condescending, compassionate calm, like someone standing on a mountaintop looking down at the ants at the foot of the mountain who thought they could control everything.

"I recorded every single word you just said."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Shanhe's face turned deathly pale.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but found that he couldn't utter a single word.

That arrogant demeanor, that ferocious face, that confident attitude—all deflated completely in just a few seconds, like a punctured balloon.

At this moment, Zhou Shanhe's face lost all its previous reserve and composure. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but was silenced by Zhang Yang's next words.

"Zhou Shanhe, I drank this cup of tea today. As for the taste, it wasn't very good. How about this, if there's a chance next time, I'll treat you to Hong Kong's specialty, judicial coffee."

After saying that, he smiled slightly at Zhou Shanhe, a smile that seemed particularly cold in the shadows. Then, he nodded to Han Shanping, turned around, pushed open the door, and walked out.

The door closed gently behind him, isolating him from everything inside the private room.

The corridor was quiet, with only the sound of his leather shoes clicking on the bluestone pavement, one step at a time, steady and powerful.

Behind me, I could vaguely hear the sound of something being smashed, along with suppressed, panicked curses.

Zhang Yang did not turn around.

He stepped out of the club, a cold wind hitting his face, carrying a chilling aura.

He looked up at the sky. The dark clouds had dispersed sometime earlier, revealing a corner of clear night sky, with a few stars twinkling faintly in the distance.

He recalled Zhou Shanhe's pale face in the private room, and the ugly expressions on their faces when they thought victory was assured.

Those words, those threats, those despicable tactics, are all lying on his phone, word for word.

Just as Zhang Yang was about to check again, his phone rang. It was Yang Mi calling, inviting him to dinner that evening.

Zhang Yang didn't refuse, so he came over at the address Yang Mi gave him.

When Zhang Yang arrived, Yang Mi and Tang Yan were already there, and the two were playfully fighting.

As Zhang Yang entered, Yang Mi rushed to his side, acting like a little slingshot: "Director Zhang, come help me! Tangtang is bullying me!"

"How did I bully you?"

Seeing Zhang Yang's ambiguous smile, Yang Mi said coquettishly, "She insists that I added technology, but I'm clearly original. So, Director Zhang, you have to prove it to me."

Zhang Yang didn't expect Yang Mi to be so fast, but since they were all on the same side, this little joke was nothing.

"I can't prove that, after all, we didn't grow up together!"

Yang Mi was a little unhappy that Zhang Yang was being so disrespectful, so Tang Yan seized the opportunity to interject, "Director Zhang, we've been friends since we were kids!"

Seeing that Yang Mi was about to lose her temper, Zhang Yang quickly stepped in as a referee: "Alright, alright, let's eat quickly, I'm starving."

And so, the waiter began serving the dishes. Tang Yan kept answering her phone during the meal, as if she had something to deal with. Zhang Yang sat next to her, frowning, and said, "Tangtang, you seem quite distracted. What's wrong?"

Meeting Zhang Yang's gaze, Tang Yan looked flustered and said with a wry smile, "Director Zhang, I'm being watched."

"What do you mean?"

Faced with Zhang Yang's questioning, Tang Yan didn't hide anything: "Cheng Tian knows I'm changing jobs and wants to get me movie roles, many of which are pornographic films, and some are even erotic photo albums!"

"Who told you that?"

"You know the information my agent, Ji Rujing, found out. Sister Ji still has some connections with Chengtian. She said a big shot has spoken to Chengtian and wants to get me!"

Zhang Yang's brows furrowed even deeper. What on earth was going on?

"Director Zhang, why don't you poach Tangtang to our Starry Sky Entertainment right now!"

Zhang Yang found Yang Mi's words believable, so he smiled and said, "Mi Mi is right. Here's what we'll do: have your agent, Ji Rujing, stall for time. I'll go talk to your Chengtian's CEO, Mr. Wu, about your contract."

Tang Yan's face immediately lit up with surprise and delight, and she said gratefully, "Director Zhang, thank you!"

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Zhang Yang left with Yang Mi and Tang Yan. Afterwards, Tang Yan made sure Zhang Yang had a good time. Sure enough, being proactive is more intoxicating than being passive.

Zhang Yang wanted to negotiate with Cheng Tian not only about Tang Yan's contract, but also about acquiring the cinema chain that Cheng Tian had acquired from Jiahe. Without a cinema chain, it would always be a weakness.

As for Tang Yan, although she has the title of the Seventh Princess of Chengtian, it's just a gimmick. She doesn't have much in terms of resources, mainly because Chengtian has been too turbulent in recent years.

It's fair to say that Mr. Wu of Chengtian was born at the wrong time. From the perspective of someone who's been through it all, Mr. Wu's thinking is sound. However, Chengtian didn't really see who truly controlled the Chinese entertainment industry.

Before the era of internet traffic, the power of discourse in the Chinese entertainment industry was concentrated in various circles. With Cheng Tian's aggressive approach, competitors could not remain indifferent, and thus, Cheng Tian was ultimately marginalized and left to fade into obscurity.

Chengtian's approach is the same as that of capital in the era of internet traffic; unfortunately, a single source of capital cannot shake the overall market.

In recent years, due to Wang Jinghua's actions and a series of investment failures, the capital behind Chengtian has become very dissatisfied and urgently needs to produce some results to show its investors.

Zhang Yang wanted to capitalize on Cheng Tianwu's mindset, using the "PUBG" project as bait, offering a portion of the investment as leverage, and if that wasn't enough, offering an investment in another movie as leverage.

Just like what Mr. Ma from Ali said to the Wang brothers of Huayi Brothers, you only make a little money making movies.

Chengtian acquired Zhang Yang's investment in the film to boost its stock price. Stock price fluctuations are the most profitable, which is why companies with top-tier celebrities backing them up in the era of internet traffic can easily reach hundreds of millions in value.

It's not about how much those small workshops are worth, but about packaging them into a star company and making money after IPO. Otherwise, how could capital gamble against a star?

Zhang Yang didn't believe that Cheng Tian's side would remain unmoved by the bait he had thrown out.