Huayu: From the Era of Ringtones to Becoming a Legend

Upon arriving at the headquarters of Jinyu Film and Television, Wu Xuejun, chairman of Jiayu Real Estate, was already waiting at the entrance.

Seeing Lu Jiuge get out of the car, Wu Xuejun couldn't wait to go up and greet her:

"President Lu, we've been waiting for you to arrive."

"These past two days, the Kai Tak development area in Hong Kong has been making headlines. Given that Lao Wang of Dawan Group paid forty times the land price, the 500 million I sold for Jinyu Film & Television won't buy much land!"

Lu Jiuge smiled and said:

"Mr. Wu, I've always kept my word, I'll definitely give you a discounted price!"

With the assurance in hand, Wu Xuejun breathed a sigh of relief and led the way toward the office building.

After both parties were seated, there was no further pleasantries, and they went straight into the formal signing process.

Xu Xin and her team have already checked all the relevant documents and materials; Lu Jiuge is only responsible for signing them.

In less than ten minutes, all the documents were signed, and Jinyu Film & Television officially became a subsidiary of Qianxing Capital, changing its name to Qianxing Cinema Line.

After a brief handover ceremony, Wu Xuejun left without lingering, leading his team away.

Lu Jiuge convened a meeting of the entire management team and officially appointed Sun Minghai as the chairman of Qianxing Cinema Line.

After more than an hour of persuasion, Lu Jiuge kept Sun Minghai behind alone.

"Mr. Sun, the cinema chain is a core business that Qianxing Capital will focus on developing going forward. You'll have a lot of responsibility ahead of you!"

He looked at Sun Minghai and made the decision immediately:

"The first 2 billion yuan of operating funds will then be transferred to Qianxing Cinema's account for use in areas such as cinema acquisitions, franchise cooperation, venue expansion, and channel development."

"This is the first round of funding. My overall investment plan is 10 billion. You don't need to worry about funding at all; just go for it!"

"Ten billion?"

Sun Minghai suddenly stood up from his seat, his eyes filled with shock and excitement:

"Mr. Lu, to be honest, in all my years in the business world, I've managed dozens of projects, big and small, and I've never fought a battle this lucrative!"

"In the past, when expanding cinema chains, we were restricted at every turn, with budgets tied up and having to beg for favors everywhere, leaving us feeling constrained. Now, with a 10 billion yuan safety net, I have no reason to back down."

His gaze was resolute, and he immediately pledged his loyalty:

"I assure you, within a year I will lead Qianxing Cinemas to a strong breakthrough, ranking among the top five cinema chains nationwide and firmly establishing ourselves in the core mainland market!"

Lu Jiuge nodded calmly, her expression serene, indicating she had anticipated this goal.

Nodding, he changed the subject, saying:

"However, Mr. Sun, your most important task right now is to handle the publicity and distribution of the movie 'The Forbidden Kingdom'."

"This is a project I've bet on with all the investors and bosses in Hong Kong's entertainment industry. No matter the cost, there's only one outcome: success is the only possibility; failure is not an option!"

Sun Minghai's expression hardened, and he responded solemnly:

"Don't worry, Mr. Lu, I know what's important. Give me twenty days, and I guarantee that 'The Forbidden Kingdom' will have at least 15% of the screenings in over 70% of theaters across China."

After a brief pause, he looked troubled and truthfully replied:

"However, there is one thing: I can maintain stability in the mainland, but I don't have any connections or resources in the Hong Kong cinema system, so I can't guarantee the screening rate."

Lu Jiuge waved his hand after hearing this.

"The Hong Kong film market is limited in size, and its overall box office share is negligible compared to that of the mainland."

Our core battleground is the mainland. As long as we firmly grasp the mainland market, victory is assured. Whether there are screenings in Hong Kong or not is irrelevant.

Sun Minghai breathed a sigh of relief.

"If that's the case, then things are much easier."

Lu Jiuge thought for a moment and then confirmed again:

"Mr. Sun, how confident are you about securing domestic theater distribution rights in twenty days?"

"Over 90%!"

Having received Sun Minghai's affirmative answer, Lu Jiuge immediately set a time:

"Then let's set a twenty-day deadline. The release date for 'The Forbidden Kingdom' is officially set, and it will be released nationwide in twenty days."

Lu Jiuge looked at Zheng Shuyi:

"Shuyi, immediately allocate 50 million to President Sun as a special publicity and distribution fund for 'The Forbidden Kingdom'."

This expense will not go through the company's regular audit process, nor will it be recorded in the company's accounts; it will be entirely left to Mr. Sun to allocate and manage as he sees fit.

Upon hearing this, Sun Minghai was stunned.

The funds amounted to as much as 50 million yuan, which were not accounted for, audited, or supervised, and were completely left to the discretion of the person in charge.

Such an operation is extremely rare in any large corporation.

Sun Minghai looked at Lu Jiuge, his tone becoming increasingly sincere:

"I will certainly not let down President Lu's trust."

"I trust you with this matter."

Lu Jiuge smiled faintly:

"Keep things running smoothly with the cinema chain. If you have any funding needs or cooperation issues, feel free to contact Xu Xin. I have other matters to attend to, so I won't stay any longer."

After giving her instructions, Lu Jiuge, along with Zheng Shuyi and Xu Xin, got up and left the conference room.

The group then took a car back to Hong Kong.

After the car had been driving for a while, Zheng Shuyi still couldn't suppress her doubts and asked:

"Jiuge, I don't quite understand."

"Sun Minghai has only been with the company for a few days, and you've already given him 50 million yuan without even conducting an audit or keeping any books. That's a considerable sum. Aren't you worried he might have ulterior motives?"

Before Lu Jiuge could speak, Xu Xin chimed in:

"Shuyi, Mr. Lu's arrangement is not only risk-free, but also the safest approach."

Before Lu Jiuge could speak, Xu Xin chimed in:

"Shuyi, Mr. Lu's arrangement is not only risk-free, but also the safest approach."

Zheng Shuyi looked puzzled and turned to look at Xu Xin:

Why do you say that?

Lu Jiuge took over the conversation and began to explain:

"Xu Xin is right. Sun Minghai holds the reins of the cinema chain and controls the lifeline of the entire sector's expansion; his position is of paramount importance."

To put it bluntly, this 50 million is my pledge of trust to him, a testament to my loyalty.

"Once funds are transferred to the public account and audited, every expenditure must have receipts, procedures, and reports, creating layers of constraints."

Many of the flexible offline public relations and networking strategies are simply impossible to implement. He's new to the company and doesn't dare to do those things, as it would actually slow down the publicity campaign.

Xu Xin replied with a smile:

"If a veteran industry elite like Sun Minghai really wanted to profit or falsify accounts, he would have countless ways to evade verification, even with layers of auditing and strict supervision."

"Instead of being constantly on guard and suspicious of each other, it's better to delegate authority and retain talent through trust. Human relationships and a broad perspective are far more effective at winning over top talent than cold, impersonal systems."

After listening to their analysis, Zheng Shuyi pondered the key points.

……

Upon returning to Hong Kong, Lu Jiuge did not rest but immediately contacted Zuo Wei and Chen Huiming to issue a notification.

The official announcement has been made online: The Forbidden Kingdom has been officially scheduled for release, and will premiere nationwide in twenty days.

The news immediately went viral across the internet.

With the powerful collaboration of superstars Jackie Chan and Jet Li, coupled with Lu Jiuge's own popularity, the anticipation for this movie has skyrocketed.

All major film and television forums and social media platforms are filled with discussions about this movie.

On the mainland, Sun Minghai demonstrated strong execution capabilities, successfully securing contracts with over 80% of cinemas nationwide in just three days.

Compared to the smooth sailing on the mainland, Hong Kong presented a completely different picture.

Upon hearing that Lu Jiuge's movie was about to be released, the investors who had placed bets panicked.

Under their combined pressure, all chain cinemas and private cinemas in Hong Kong reached a tacit agreement and publicly stated that they would not give "The Forbidden Kingdom" any screenings and would completely boycott its release.

Time passed quickly, and before we knew it, it was the day before the film's release.

The entire internet is buzzing with anticipation, and everything is ready in mainland China, just waiting for the film's release.

At this critical juncture, Huo Huanyu made no attempt to conceal his true intentions and spoke out publicly:

"Any cinema in Hong Kong that dares to screen 'The Forbidden Kingdom' is going against me, Huo Huanyu!"

Huo Huanyu's public statement quickly reached Lu Jiuge's ears.

He glanced at the anxious Zheng Shuyi and sneered:

"Is the Huo family determined to confront me head-on?"

"Give them one night. If none of the Huo family elders intervene to stop this by eight o'clock tomorrow morning..."

I, Lu Jiuge, will personally confront the Huo family and settle this score!