My capital is quite large.

On the evening of the day they left Hengdian, the black Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan drove straight into Yiwu Airport.

Li Feng took Zhang Xinyu on a first-class flight that evening and flew back to Shenzhen swiftly and efficiently.

Dealing with a self-righteous actress is just a trivial episode in his grand business empire.

He doesn't even need to glance at a disobedient ant after crushing it.

Upon returning to Haofeng Network's headquarters, Li Feng didn't even go into his office. Instead, he called Lao Han, the director of the film and television department, to the conference room on the top floor.

"Mr. Li, did you encounter any problems on your trip to Hengdian, apart from discussing copyright?" Old Han carefully handed Li Feng a cup of hot tea, looking at him, who appeared travel-worn.

"The matter with Tangren has been settled. We don't need to worry about Yang Mi's contract for now; just freeze it."

Li Feng took the teacup and stared sharply at Lao Han. "Lao Han, I called you here today to give the film and television department the highest strategic instructions."

"Starting tomorrow, a dedicated copyright acquisition team will be established!"

Li Feng walked to the whiteboard and slammed it down. "I want you to go and buy up all the wildly popular TV dramas and movies that have hit the market since 2000! Buy out their permanent, exclusive online streaming rights!"

Old Han was taken aback. Although President Li had mentioned the concept of a streaming video platform before, the workload and financial commitment involved in its actual implementation were staggering...

"Not only past hits, but also any promising dramas that are about to be released or are currently in preparation, as long as they are of good quality, keep buying up exclusive online streaming rights for them!"

Li Feng suddenly turned around and threw out a figure that made Lao Han's legs go weak: "I'm approving a special budget of 100 million RMB for your film and television department!"

"One...one hundred million?!" Old Han almost bit his tongue.

In 2008, spending 100 million yuan of real money to buy a bunch of online streaming rights that were considered garbage by the bosses of major film and television companies?! This was simply an outrageous and wasteful act of squandering money!

"This is just the initial startup capital."

Li Feng's tone left no room for argument: "Next month, after the mobile app's payment arrives from the overseas Apple Store, the US dollars earned from the game will be prioritized for exchanging for online broadcasting rights for your film and television department! Buy as many as you can; I want Haofeng Film and Television's film library to become an insurmountable barrier for anyone on the national internet in the future!"

"Did you understand?"

Looking into his boss's eyes, burning with ambition and madness, Old Han swallowed hard and immediately straightened his back: "Understood, Mr. Li! Tomorrow morning I'll be knocking down the doors of every film and television company in China! I'll take the money and pretend to be a sucker this time!"

Li Feng nodded in satisfaction.

Years later, when video websites like iQiyi, Youku, and Tencent Video are fighting tooth and nail for the copyrights of TV series, with the copyright fee for a single episode soaring to tens of millions of yuan, they will despairingly discover that the most lucrative fruits of this era have already been snatched up by Haofeng Network at rock-bottom prices!

……

Meanwhile, in Xiamen, Fujian, the crew of the TV series "Meteor Shower" was also present.

Having just finished a long day of intense filming, Li Xin and Yang Yang returned exhausted to the upscale hotel arranged by the production crew.

During their month-long stay on set, they truly experienced what it means to be showered with money and promoted by capital.

With the best costumes, props, luxury cars, yachts, and lavish sets, Haofeng Films spends money on them without batting an eye.

However, at this moment, there was no trace of joy on their faces as the male and female leads; instead, a deep sense of lingering fear permeated their expressions.

There are no secrets in the entertainment industry.

This afternoon, news that fellow student Yang Mi was blacklisted by her new and old bosses in Hengdian and even faces a huge lawsuit for compensation has spread like wildfire to various film crews.

In the empty hotel corridor, Li Xin tugged at Yang Yang's sleeve, her innocent face filled with fear.

"Yang Yang... have you heard? Sister Mi... she's finished."

Li Xin's voice trembled. "I heard from an old acquaintance of Rong Xinda that the boss personally went to Hengdian because Sister Mi kept making excuses not to report to the company and not giving the boss face... The boss immediately threw five million at Tangren, forcing Sister Mi to stop working and quit! Now Sister Mi not only lost her role, but also faces a huge breach of contract lawsuit from Tangren, and might be ruined..."

Yang Yang took a deep breath. Although he also felt a chill down his spine, he was obviously more rational than Li Xin, being a boy.

"Who told her to be so ungrateful and disrespectful to the boss?"

Yang Yang shook his head, his tone tinged with a mix of wistfulness and clarity. "Xin Xin, our young Boss Li seems easygoing usually, he didn't put on airs even during the makeup trial. But don't forget, he's a big boss who can casually spend hundreds of millions!"

"Mi Jie's mistake was that she thought that just because she had acted in a few movies and had some fame, she could act arrogantly and domineering towards real big shots like this. She hasn't reported to the company for so long. Does she really think the boss is good-natured and a sucker? In this industry, it's easier for capital to crush an actor than to crush an ant."

Hearing Yang Yang's words, Li Xin was not comforted, but instead became even more worried.

She hugged her arms tightly, feeling the chill in the corridor.

"Yang Yang...the boss...he's terrifying."

Li Xin bit her pale lower lip, her eyes slightly red, "You know... if this drama becomes popular in the future, and the boss... if the boss makes that kind of request of me... if I don't agree, will he treat me the way he treated Sister Mi?"

He had signed a ten-year contract with a penalty of 50 million yuan for breach of contract.

She suddenly realized that her current glory was entirely dependent on this man's single thought.

In this industry where holding an agency contract is essentially equivalent to having the power of life and death, if one day in the future, that seemingly gentle but ruthless man asks her to take the initiative to climb into his bed, does she have the right to refuse?

Will refusing her lead to the same fate as Yang Mi, who will face utter ruin?

Yang Yang looked at Li Xin, who was gripped by panic, opened his mouth, but found that he couldn't utter a single word of comfort.

……

Two days later. Shenzhen, lobby of Haofeng Networks headquarters.

A woman, completely covered up by a baseball cap and huge black-rimmed sunglasses, was pacing anxiously back and forth at the front desk of the lobby.

Yang Mi, who flew back to Beijing from Hengdian overnight and was turned away everywhere she went, finally chased after someone to Shenzhen!

At this moment, where is there any trace of arrogance or the glamour of a popular young actress?

His eyes were bloodshot, and his face looked terribly haggard.

In the past two days, she has searched through all the connections she could in the industry, but those directors and producers who used to call her brothers all avoided her like the plague and hung up on her as soon as they heard that she had offended Haofeng Network, which is currently enjoying great popularity.

Meanwhile, the legal letter from Tangren Media had already been coldly sent to her personal email address.

Faced with the prospect of losing everything and being completely blacklisted in the entertainment industry, Yang Mi finally lowered her proud head and came to Shenzhen to beg for mercy like a stray dog.

"bite--"

The doors to the executive elevator in the lobby opened.

Zhang Xinyu, dressed in a bespoke business suit, walked out.

"Secretary Zhang! Secretary Zhang!"

Yang Mi, as if grasping at a lifeline, quickly stepped forward, her voice utterly humbled, "Please, please inform him! I truly know I was wrong. I want to kowtow to President Li in person and beg him to see me!"

Zhang Xinyu stopped and looked down at the disheveled female celebrity in front of her.

Zhang Xinyu naturally didn't give the boss any kind of friendly look at this woman who didn't give him face just because she had some fame.

In Zhang Xinyu's view, everything in this world should submit to Li Feng, and Yang Mi's resistance is simply ungrateful!

"Miss Yang, forget about seeing the boss. He's in a terrible mood right now and doesn't have time for an unruly employee like you," Zhang Xinyu sneered, her tone full of mockery.

"Secretary Zhang, I beg you..." Yang Mi's tears fell instantly. "I'll do anything as long as the boss lets me go!"

Seeing Yang Mi's completely broken state, a cruel sense of pleasure flashed in Zhang Xinyu's eyes.

She leaned slightly closer to Yang Mi and lowered her voice: "Since Miss Yang is willing to do whatever she wants, then I'll pass on a message from the boss."

"The boss said he hopes to see his name appear below yours, Miss Yang, at this time tomorrow night."

"What...?"

Yang Mi was stunned and stared blankly at Zhang Xinyu.

At first, due to panic and exhaustion, the brain didn't even realize what this private anatomical term meant.

But as soon as reason returned and she understood the meaning of those words, Yang Mi was struck dumb, her face turned ashen, and she began to tremble uncontrollably.

There... a tattoo?!

This is no longer just about unspoken rules or sex work; it's an outright humiliation!

He branded her with his slave mark in the most private place of her being a woman! A unique mark that could never be washed away for a lifetime!

Humiliation, despair, shock... countless emotions intertwined in Yang Mi's eyes.

Seeing Yang Mi's expression as if the sky had fallen, Zhang Xinyu curled her lips contemptuously, turned and walked towards the building's revolving doors, leaving behind a countdown-like death knell before departing:

"By the way, Ms. Yang. The boss asked me to remind you that in two days, the production team of 'Chinese Paladin 3' will officially announce the list of actresses to be recast as the female lead."

"If you can't meet the boss's requirements by tomorrow night, there's nothing he can do to help you then."