China Entertainment’s rescue plan is hard to come by

Chapter 986 The End of an Era
Perhaps because the National Day holiday was approaching, Beijing was unusually congested with traffic today. By the time Sun Yi returned to his new villa, the sun was already just a sliver in the sky.

Inside the villa, the warm yellow nightlights were already on, and as soon as the door was opened, that familiar, faint fragrance wafted out.

"You're back?" Liu Yifei walked over from the living room. She had changed into a light gray loungewear outfit, her long hair loosely tied back, and a gentle smile on her clean and pretty face. The little black cat named "Dongdong" followed at her feet, its amber eyes looking at Sun Yi as if it were complaining about the man who had interrupted her interaction with her owner.

Clearly, Ms. Liu had just been petting her cat at home.

"How did the talks go?"

"Yes, it went even more smoothly than expected." Sun Yi changed into slippers, naturally took the warm water Liu Yifei handed him and took a sip. "I was just overthinking it. Chairman Han personally approved it, and there's no problem with 'Superman' being released during the Lunar New Year season."

"Ha, that's great. With Chairman Han's help, we finally don't have to worry about scheduling issues."

Liu Yifei smiled gently and helped Sun Yi put away his coat and hang it up.

The two walked side by side to the living room sofa and sat down. "Dongdong" seized the opportunity and jumped into the little girl's arms again, lying down comfortably.

Sun Yi chuckled and recounted some of the key points from his conversation with Chairman Han to Liu Yifei, especially the considerations and final decisions regarding scheduling.

This matter not only affects Sun Yi and his company, but also Liu Yifei's schedule and publicity at that time.

After listening, Liu Yifei had a general idea of ​​what to do and a general direction for her work arrangements in the last three months of the year.

After finishing their business, Sun Yi brought up Han Sanping's retirement early next year, his tone tinged with a touch of melancholy: "...Time flies. It feels like just yesterday I met Chairman Han. And now, he's about to retire."

Is Chairman Han retiring?
Liu Yifei was also surprised to hear that Chairman Han would be retiring next year. She then snuggled up to Sun Yi, sighed softly, and her eyes also showed a touch of emotion.

“When I first entered the film industry and knew nothing, I heard people tell me that the most powerful and influential person in the entire Chinese film industry was Chairman Han of China Film Group. At that time, when I heard my seniors mention him on set, they all thought he was a very serious, powerful, and aloof person, and they were a little scared of him.”

She spoke softly, then laughed to herself, looking up at Sun Yi:
"After spending time with you and getting to know you better, I realized that Chairman Han is actually a really nice person. He looks a bit serious and can be quite 'fierce' when he's not smiling, but when you chat with him in private, he's completely down-to-earth, especially towards you. It feels like he's giving advice to a junior member of his family."

"yes!"

Hearing Liu Yifei's words, Sun Yi nodded in agreement, put his arm around her waist, and said with emotion:
"To be honest, without Chairman Han's support back then, Starry Sky wouldn't be where it is today. Or rather, even if it could have reached this point, it would have required several times more effort. Going from '0' to '1' is always the hardest part."

Speaking of this, Sun Yi inevitably recalled the gentle cup of tea in Chairman Han's office, and the calm yet slightly complicated look in his eyes when he talked about retirement.

The era of the three major screens (Korean, Chinese, and mainland Chinese entertainment) in the Chinese entertainment industry has come to an end.

“By the way, brother!” Liu Yifei turned her head curiously and asked, “Did Chairman Han say who will take over his business? After all, it’s such a big operation.”

Sun Yi thought for a moment and shook his head. "Chairman Han certainly won't reveal the specific candidate; that's organizational discipline. However, his words did hint at the direction of events."

He recalled his later conversation with Chairman Han, analyzed it, and replied with a hint of speculation:
"Chairman Han actually holds two very important positions: one is the chairman of China Film Group, the helmsman of the 'parent company'; the other is the chairman of China Film Co., Ltd., the leader of the listed company. Back then, the higher authorities put him in both positions to concentrate efforts on promoting the market-oriented reform of the film industry, which was a pioneering role. Now that he has retired, these two positions will most likely be separated."

Liu Yifei blinked. She wasn't quite sure what was going on here, and this was the first time she'd heard of two positions. "Both are chairman. Is there a big difference between a group company and a joint-stock company?"

She asked Sun Yi. "There's a significant difference," Sun Yi patiently explained.

"China Film Group is more like the headquarters of a huge 'aircraft carrier battle group,' managing strategy, direction, major investments, and coordination of its various sectors, such as film production, distribution, exhibition, cinema investment, movie channels, and even film import and export, film equipment, and film research. It is more macro-oriented and more inclined towards 'business' attributes."

“And what about China Film Group Corporation?” he continued to explain.

"It is an entity that is the highest quality and most market-oriented assets spun off from the group and listed on the stock exchange. It focuses more on core businesses that can directly generate profits and market influence, such as film production, distribution, and cinema operation. It can be said that the listed company is the 'main fleet' of the group, directly facing audiences and market competition, with greater performance pressure and a higher requirement for sensitivity to market trends."

Liu Yifei frowned slightly, seemingly understanding but not quite. These things were indeed a bit beyond her comprehension, but she quickly grasped the key point: "So, the successor will be different?"

“Yes,” Sun Yi affirmed. “It’s probably going to be divided between two people. If I’m not mistaken, the chairman of China Film Group will most likely be succeeded by the current group’s general manager, Jiao Hong.”

"General Manager Jiao Hong." Liu Yifei smiled and began to recall, then her eyes lit up. "Which one is it, the one with glasses who looks quite approachable?"

“Yes, that’s him.” Sun Yi nodded in reply. “We’ve met President Jiao on some occasions before. He’s steady and pragmatic, very familiar with the group’s internal affairs, and very supportive of the cooperation between China Film and our Starry Sky. If nothing unexpected happens, there shouldn’t be any changes between us and China Film in the future.”

"Oh~" Liu Yifei nodded knowingly, then asked, "What about the joint-stock company?"

"As for the joint-stock company..." Sun Yi pondered for a moment, "Chairman Han didn't reveal this, but according to convention and the current rumors, there's a high probability that a deputy director-level person will be parachuted in from the Film Bureau under the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. After all, the joint-stock company is closer to the forefront of the market and capital operations, and needs someone who understands policies better, and also has a pioneering spirit and courage to steer it."

"I see~" Liu Yifei nodded as if she understood, her pretty face showing a thoughtful expression.

It's not entirely accurate to say she doesn't care; someone at her level in the entertainment industry is bound to pay attention to the big picture and policies from higher levels. But to say she doesn't care at all is also inaccurate, as these high-level developments seem somewhat distant to her, since her husband handles all of that.
However, she now understands that this is directly related to the future cooperation model between Starry Sky and China Film Group, and may even affect the future ecosystem of the entire industry. "I hope the new leader can be as open-minded and supportive of innovation as Chairman Han."

She said softly.

"I hope so." Sun Yi patted her hand.

The conversation between the two was initially a bit heavy, but they then switched to chatting about lighthearted family matters.

Liu Yifei counted the days on her fingers, wondering if the two of them could find time to take a short trip and relax during the last three months of the year.

After washing up, the two leaned against the headboard side by side. Sun Yi saw Liu Yifei enthusiastically browsing Weibo—this was the little girl's little habit before going to bed every night, provided that she wasn't dragged by someone to do other things.

He also opened his phone, trusting the information.

Speaking of which, he hasn't posted on Weibo since winning the Golden Rooster Award for Best Director, which is a bit of a lapse.

However, the Weibo app seemed to freeze for a moment tonight when he swiped his finger.

Immediately afterwards, the bright red numbers on the private message and @mention icons jumped and increased at an alarming rate, with the 999+ icon hanging glaringly.

"Damn it! What's going on?"

(End of this chapter)