Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

2005 was a magical year.

Both the television drama industry and the record market have reached their peak since the millennium.

Since the beginning of this year, the era of the big screen has risen, the era of digital music has flourished, and online video has emerged, which is also a prelude to the full arrival of the information age.

CCTV released its top 20 most-watched TV programs of 2005.

"Bright Sword" topped the charts with absolute dominance, winning the championship for two consecutive years and firmly establishing 91 Company's position as the hegemon in the TV drama field.

"The Return of the Condor Heroes" followed closely behind. With Xiaolongnu being so terrifying, Liu Yifei's golden body has already reached two-thirds. The remaining third will be gradually followed up over the next two years through repeated reruns.

The third place was unexpected: "Moment in Peking," which was also invested in by 91 Company. Wan Qian joined the cast as the female lead. Next was Chen Baoguo's historical drama "Emperor Wu of Han," followed by Sun Yanwang's "Halfway Couple."

The sixth place goes to the Taiwanese tearjerker masterpiece, "The Mute Bride." The male and female leads' acting skills are so good that, let's put it this way: they are ex-lovers, crying their hearts out in front of the camera, but as soon as the camera cuts off, it's a life-or-death struggle. It's incredibly impressive.

The documentary-style drama "Ren Changxia" is so compelling that it needs no further explanation. This female police chief deserves everyone's praise.

"The Great Song Dynasty Forensic Examiner," starring He Bing and invested in by 91, ranked eighth. "The Lotus Lantern," in which 91 also invested, ranked ninth. Wang Pangzi's "The Little Fish and the Flower Without Flaws" remained in tenth place.

The above list shows that remote controls are still mostly in the hands of middle-aged and elderly people. This has given Zhong Lifang a lot of inspiration. She is now waving her money around, aiming for this type of product.

The competition for the 10th to 20th places is also fierce, and the order is: Happy Seven Fairies, The Deer and the Cauldron, The Eloquent Ji Xiaolan 3, and Home with Kids 1.

Deng Chao's first work with the Empress, "Happiness Like Flowers", the martial arts masterpiece "The Best in the World", Xing Butou's masterpiece "Migrant Workers", the red-themed "Eighth Route Army", and the second part of the Water Moon series, "Legend of the Spirit Realm".

In the end, the latecomer surpassed the former. Chung Lai-fang believed that the mythological drama "Jingwei," which had flopped, achieved a viewership rating of over 8 when it was rebroadcast, maintaining its position in the top 20.

The release of the list caused another uproar in the industry!

He produced the TV series "Bright Sword", "The Return of the Condor Heroes", "The Great Song Dynasty Judge", "Happy Seven Fairies", "The Deer and the Cauldron", and "Home with Kids", and participated in the investment of "Moment in Peking", "Lotus Lantern", "Legend of the Spirit Realm", and "Jingwei".

Of the top 20 companies, 91 companies alone occupy 11 spots, standing out from the crowd!

With the added recognition from the Beijing tax authorities, Company 91 once again topped the list of small and medium-sized private enterprises with a tax payment of 1.8 million yuan, even surpassing the second-place company by nearly 5000 million yuan.

Madou Media ranked eighth with 5200 million, actually moving up instead of down!

Renowned financial expert Alang once again jumped out to grab attention, claiming that 91 Company's annual revenue has exceeded 15 billion RMB!

When the news spread, people in the industry remained unfazed. The reason was simple: the gap between them was too large. They were already tired of saying "I envy" after last year's incident.

Only Zhang Yimou was secretly pleased, feeling that he had finally made the right choice.

So, are there really that many?

Yes, it is true. The game "Perfect World" alone brought him 1.2 million RMB in revenue.

But after deducting the coal bosses' share of the profits, the actual amount received is only about ten small goals.

After attending the premiere of "Fearless", Liu Yifei returned to Wuhan with her aunt, while Zhuang Huai'an continued to stay in the courtyard house.

The constant stream of interview requests was getting to him. As the New Year approached, the area outside the courtyard house was bustling with traffic, mostly from people he knew and had worked with before, who were sending people to deliver New Year's gifts.

He couldn't turn people away, so he had to accept the gifts again and again, and then give them a red envelope as a token of appreciation.

It wasn't until New Year's Eve that I finally had some free time.

As usual, Zhuang Huai'an went to the backyard to pay respects to his mother, had a reunion dinner with his cousin and the four powerful brothers, and then locked himself in his study.

I looked through the property deeds left by my father and found a villa located on the South Fourth Ring Road. This courtyard house was no longer an option; at least the villa area had a gate and security, which could keep these troubles at bay.

No wonder celebrities don't want to live in courtyard houses; there's absolutely no privacy there! I'll move out after I get back from Berlin!

After brewing a cup of tea and sending New Year's greetings to important people, he found a piece of white paper and began to write.

Nowadays, 91 Company is actually a bit bloated. Such frequent exposure is inconsistent with his low-key lifestyle, and he can't go to the tax department to make suggestions, as that's their job.

Therefore, splitting up the company became an urgent matter.

The film and television production department was separated and formed into three subsidiaries, which were registered separately for tax purposes and named Mango, Banana, and Cherry.

These three companies focus on the TV drama field, while 91 Pictures focuses on the film industry, completely separating them.

With the addition of Strawberry Music Company, the media will probably start calling 91 Company the "Fruit Company" in the future.

The animation department will also become independent. The first draft of "Kung Fu Panda" has been finalized, and 3D rendering is currently underway. Since it involves future production and distribution, the copyright can be kept with the head office and named: TiMi Animation.

After investing in Perfect World, Zhuang Huai'an acquired 80% of the equity in Zulong Studio, plus 18% of the equity in Tencent. This marked the beginning of his expansion into the online gaming industry, and he needed to set up a separate company to operate under.

There weren't many names left for him. After thinking it over, Zhuang Huai'an wrote down the name: Starry Sky Infinite Investment Consulting Co., Ltd.

Oh right, there's also a cinema chain that's about to be established. Let's give it a name in advance: "The Ends of the Earth"!

All done!

Looking at the full page, Zhuang Huai'an nodded in satisfaction. It was profound yet elegant, pleasant to listen to yet resonant!

An! You're a fucking naming genius!

Mango TV, Banana TV, Cherry TV, Madou Media, Strawberry Music, TiMi Animation, Starry Sky Venture Capital, Tianya Cinema, and Hollywood's Sugar Heart TV.

These are all symbols destined to go down in history!

Wow! Perfect!

The personnel also need to be adjusted. Yang Chen, who has made great contributions, will continue to serve as the general manager of 91 Company, while also serving as the general manager of Tangxin Film and Television. The road ahead for the mascot is long and arduous.

Chung Li-fang was promoted to vice president of the head office, managing three film and television production companies. Du Hua was promoted to vice president, managing artists of Madou Media. Wang Zhi-yong was already a vice president, assisting Zhuang Huai-an in managing company affairs.

Splitting up so many subsidiaries all at once, I'll need my aunt to introduce a few classmates after the New Year. After receiving the Iron Fist training, they shouldn't cause any trouble. But they were all taught by the same master, so my aunt can keep them in check.

Zhuang Huai'an was in a great mood after finishing his business. He took out his phone and his mood improved even more!

[Huai'an, I have received your blessings. I also wish you a Happy New Year and hope that your career will flourish in the new year, achieving even greater success and bringing glory to the country!]

Zhuang Huai'an laughed so hard his tongue almost fell out. With your blessing, his career is sure to flourish!

He carefully saved the information, lit a cigarette with a satisfied smile, and dialed Liu Yifei's number to have a long phone conversation.

(I'm so tired of this monotonous life, so I've decided that today is my Lunar New Year. Happy New Year to everyone!)