Huayu: We're asking you to act, and you're playing a superhuman?

Chapter 110 The Biggest Problem in the Domestic Entertainment Industry

After seeing Huang Xiaoming off, Wang Weili was preparing to leave.

However, just as he got up to say goodbye to Ma Yun, a late guest arrived at their table.

Looking at the other person's highly recognizable big nose, Wang Weili suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Wang, there was some traffic on the way from the airport. We apologize for keeping you waiting!"

Dressed in a Tang suit and wearing black-rimmed glasses, Cheng Long, who was elegant in appearance but whose words and actions still couldn't shake off his江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) air, bowed to Wang Zhongjun and apologized.

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhongjun quickly waved his hand, "Brother, it's an honor for me to come. Don't worry about being late, please take a seat!"

"You're too kind."

Cheng Long still bowed, his eyes already searching for the seat arranged by Wang Zhongjun.

As luck would have it, the seat next to Wang Weili was left empty when the seating arrangement was made, which gave Huang Xiaoming a place to stand when he came over to talk to him.

Now, Cheng Long was naturally placed next to Wang Weili.

When Cheng Long's gaze fell upon Wang Weili, a clear look of doubt appeared in his eyes.

"Who is this?"

"Brother, let me introduce you."

Wang Zhongjun stood up from his seat and introduced Ma Yun first, and then Wang Weili.

"This is Mr. Ma Yun, the chairman of Ali Baba, and this is his friend, Wang Weili."

"Hello, I'm Cheng Long."

Cheng Long smiled and nodded at the two of them, neither showing any obsequiousness because of Ma Yun's status nor looking down on Wang Weili because of his age.

Ma Yun has always enjoyed associating with celebrities and was very welcoming of Cheng Long's arrival.

The moment Wang Weili saw Jackie Chan, he immediately thought that the live-action version of Jackie Chan's Adventures that he needed to prepare for filming was related to the man.

Although Jackie Chan doesn't hold the film and television adaptation rights to Jackie Chan's adventures, given his status in Hollywood, he could definitely acquire the rights in a much simpler way.

With this in mind, Wang Weili had the idea of ​​befriending Cheng Long, but he still needed to find a suitable opportunity.

Just then, Wang Zhongjun, who had just introduced the group of people, suddenly stood up, holding onto the corner of the table.

"Mr. Ma, today is Huayi's annual meeting. As the company's CEO, I should say a few words on stage, which can also be considered as a way of giving you, as a major shareholder, a chance to report on my work."

""

"Hehe, I look forward to your content."

Ma Yun smiled politely, but her expression seemed somewhat dismissive.

He likes to show off, but he doesn't like watching others show off, especially someone like Wang Zhongjun who shows off without any skill.

Wang Zhongjun didn't understand Ma Yun's meaning. He simply walked up to the stage with a smug look on his face, took the microphone from the host, and greeted the audience.

"Hello everyone, I'm Wang Zhongjun!!"

The audience erupted in applause, with some even cheering and jumping for joy. The performance was very over-the-top and exaggerated.

Wang Weili glanced at Ma Yun, his meaning clearly asking: Is this your friend?

Ma Yun pouted and waved her hand: I won't talk about it!

Wang Zhongjun stood on the stage, seemingly quite fond of this flamboyant style.

"Today is Huayi's annual meeting. As the chairman of the company, I should say a few words and share the company's situation with everyone."

"Getting back to the main topic, our core business of films has made tremendous progress this year. Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons alone grossed 12.46 billion yuan, making it the highest-grossing film of the year!"

"The other films also performed very well —"

Wang Weili seemed uninterested in what Wang Zhongjun said on stage.

These are all things that can be found online; is it really worth making a big fuss about?

It would be better to talk about future plans and paint a rosy picture for Ma Yun, this capital tycoon.

Wang Zhongjun seemed to have also thought of what Wang Weili was complaining about in his heart. After sharing this year's achievements, he quickly switched to looking ahead to the future.

"Besides movies, I also want to tell everyone that Huayi's future development strategy will move away from solely focusing on film and adopt a four-pronged approach. Huayi Brothers will also transform from a simple film and television company into a comprehensive entertainment group!"

"good!"

The celebrities in the audience, who were good at supporting the audience, immediately applauded.

Wang Weili suspected that they didn't even understand what it meant to move away from a singular focus on film and to activate a four-wheel drive mode.

"What a load of rubbish!"

A disgruntled voice suddenly reached my ears.

Wang Weili turned his head and saw Cheng Long pretending to clap his hands while frowning.

Noticing Wang Weili's strange gaze, Cheng Long smiled gently at him without offering any explanation.

On stage, Wang Zhongjun continued, "The so-called four-wheel drive mode refers to the four wheels of a car. For Huayi, our first wheel is the game track we started planning long ago!"

"Then, the key is the second wheel: we will emulate Disneyland to build a real-world entertainment project that belongs to Huayi."

.

"Huayi will definitely become the Chinese version of Disney in the near future!!"

Wang Zhongjun spoke with such passion and fervor that he almost moved himself to tears.

However, Wang Weili clearly heard Cheng Long next to him say, "China Disney? You can't even dream of doing this."

""

Hey bro, just say whatever you want to complain about!

What's with the muttering behind my back?

Wang Weili turned around and looked at Cheng Long, as if he was brewing something.

Cheng Long turned to look at Wang Weili, pursed his lips, and said awkwardly, "You heard everything?"

"It's hard not to hear—Brother, what do you think is the biggest problem in the domestic entertainment industry?"

"Um?"

Cheng Long: I was just quietly complaining about Wang Zhongjun, how did you suddenly escalate the topic to this level?

Cheng Long couldn't have imagined the biggest problem currently facing the Chinese entertainment industry.

However, as a senior, even if you don't really understand the questions raised by young people, you can't just admit it!

Jackie Chan smacked his lips: "I think the biggest problem in the entertainment industry right now is the lack of good movies —"

"When you get really ruthless, you even criticize yourself?" Wang Weili said quietly.

Jackie Chan was taken aback, suddenly realizing he hadn't truly retired yet, and his new movie was about to be released.

"Um, I misspoke. The biggest problem is that there are too few good movies."

"But now box office revenue is getting higher and higher, cinemas are getting bigger and bigger, and actors' salaries are getting higher and higher."

"this----"

Cheng Long was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to refute.

In his panic, he glanced at Wang Weili and immediately returned the question to him.

"So, what do you think is the biggest problem in the entertainment industry right now?"

"Capital is growing too fast!"

Wang Weili answered without hesitation, almost the instant Cheng Long finished asking the question.

Cheng Long looked at Wang Weili, puzzled: "You mean the money came too fast?"

"More or less."

"Is this a bad thing?"

"Nothing is entirely good. If capital appreciates too quickly, the entertainment industry's original operating system and infrastructure will not be able to keep up, and practitioners will also chase capital and ignore content."

Wang Weili, fearing that Jackie Chan might not understand, added, "That is to say, there are no good movies."

"I understand what you mean."

Old Deng's conditioned reflex: even if you don't understand, you have to pretend to understand.

Cheng Long frowned and thought hard, glancing up at Wang Zhongjun from time to time, and then at Wang Weili.

"That's not quite right! If it really is a matter of capital appreciation, then why is Hollywood fine?"

"Hollywood's capital has evolved and developed over more than 100 years, and its operating systems and infrastructure have changed several times, so the problems are naturally not so obvious."

"Aren't there any people who focus solely on creating content?"

Are you looking for someone who doesn't care about money?

Wang Weili's soft-spoken question was extremely sharp.

Cheng Long was speechless, realizing that his request was indeed unreasonable.

Wang Weili shook his head: "There might be such people, but they are ultimately a minority. Most people at that stage are most likely to grab as much as they can, enjoy the immediate benefits, and let the entertainment industry's state of affairs be irrelevant to them!"

Cheng Long took a serious look at Wang Weili and finally realized that the young man in front of him was no ordinary person.

He frowned and probed, "What are you trying to achieve by telling me all this?"

"I would like to ask you for a favor: help me obtain the live-action film and television adaptation rights to Jackie Chan's Adventures."

Wang Weili is incredibly honest when he needs to be.

Jackie Chan asked in surprise, "Why are we suddenly talking about Jackie Chan's adventures?"

"I want to adapt this anime into a web series and then use web series platforms to distribute it globally!"

"Hmm, I'm a little confused. You've been telling me all this just so I can help you secure the live-action film adaptation rights for an anime?"

"right!"

Wang Weili nodded, not feeling that he was making a mountain out of a molehill.

Cheng Long said, puzzled, "Just say what you're thinking! Why beat around the bush and bring up issues in the entertainment industry again? It's good that young people have ideas, and I'm willing to help if I can—"

"I'm saying all this not just to ask for your help."

Wang Weili quietly interrupted Cheng Long. He needed to clarify the premise of the matter so that it would be easier to act in the future.

Cheng Long asked, puzzled, "Is there any other reason?"

I wanted to tell you—

Wang Weili paused for a moment, then said solemnly, "I don't need to rely on the meager earnings of the entertainment industry, so I will focus on making this drama well and spreading it globally to promote Chinese culture and martial arts."

This idea instantly became much more sophisticated and grand.

Cheng Long was stunned for a couple of seconds by this boastful statement before asking curiously, "Young man, aren't you being a bit too confident?"

Do you think a live-action version of Jackie Chan's Adventures won't be able to achieve global distribution?

"That's not the point. I mean, when you said you don't care about the small profits in the entertainment industry—is that really true?"

""

Wang Weili looked at Cheng Long, and for a moment he didn't know how to prove to him that he was rich.

You can't exactly show him your bank account balance or take out your phone to search for news, can you?

The method of proof should at least be somewhat respectable.

Just as the conversation reached an awkward silence, a sudden inspiration struck Wang Weili, and he turned to Ma Yun and said, "Mr. Ma, lend me 100 million yuan, I'll pay you back tomorrow."

"Don't be ridiculous, do you really think you'd lack that?"

Ma Yun rolled her eyes, too lazy to even play along with Wang Weili's antics.

Wang Weili shrugged at Cheng Long: "Do we need any other proof?"

"May I ask, young friend, who are you?"

Cheng Long cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, a gesture that conveyed both a sense of chivalry and a sense of seriousness and formality.