Huayu started as a substitute director

Chapter 737 Getting That Money Back

The entertainment industry used to be a disorganized mess, with everyone fighting tooth and nail for their own interests, status, and resources.

The two kings of Huayi treated celebrities like meat cabinets, providing entertainment for the wealthy, and they also enjoyed themselves.

Now, the principal treats them better. At least the principal won't discriminate against them, won't make someone accompany someone else, and won't treat them as tools to make money.

It's your own business, you can make your own decisions.

"That's natural." Liu Jiang said with his hands behind his back, appearing very relaxed and without any of the expected restraint.

He also knew that Su Mang couldn't be saved.

This time, not only did they offend celebrities, but they also offended investors, with many withdrawing their investments and leaving the company.

Without celebrities and capital, those brands will run away.

"The rest is up to you to figure out," Fang Hong said.

"We'll break this deadlock ourselves?" Liu Jiang didn't quite understand.

“Yes, what can I do to help? Do you expect me to hold a meeting and tell them we’ll continue to play along with you? That’s obviously inappropriate. Just find a big celebrity and have her appear in the show, and the matter will naturally be resolved,” Fang Hong said.

As soon as one celebrity goes to Dengfeng, the other celebrities will naturally be unwilling to be overshadowed, and this unity will naturally break down.

Since he remained silent, the celebrities understood what was going on.

Su Mang has been fired, so his resentment should have subsided.

“Who should we ask? In the current situation, no one wants to be the first to step forward!” Liu Jiang said.

Fang Hong thought for a moment and said, "Fan Xiaopang is quite suitable. She can play by herself, and as long as no one is too powerful, she is not afraid of offending anyone."

Fan Xiaopang had already fought her way up against those big stars, so she didn't care about the attitudes of the smaller stars.

She's not afraid as long as it's not a major film and television production company.

Liu Jiang thought about it in silence for a while. He initially thought of having Liu Tianxian ascend the throne, because as long as Liu Tianxian ascended the throne, it would represent the principal's attitude.

Unexpectedly, the principal didn't want to get involved, but still wanted to lead the team and didn't want Liu Tianxian to become the first to be targeted.

"I thought today's negotiations would be quite difficult," Liu Jiang said with a smile.

"I have no grudge against you, I just can't stand those shady dealings." Fang Hong had no ill intentions towards the Fashion Group.

That's enough that they have this attitude. They can't do anything else. Bringing the fashion group down won't do them any good.

Even without fashion groups, there are other things; without competition, that industry would only become more corrupt.

"The principal is truly kind-hearted!" Liu Jiang said with a smile.

"It's not really about that, it's just that I have a very basic moral bottom line," Fang Hong said.

“Alright, but I will still make arrangements for your wife to become the spokesperson.” Liu Jiang said.

They didn't make things difficult for him, nor did they ask for any benefits; they even offered him advice. He should repay this kindness.

"Let's talk about it next year. It's definitely not suitable this year," Fang Hong waved his hand.

This year, whenever Liu Yifei appears on a magazine cover or secures an endorsement deal through the fashion group, she will inevitably face criticism. She'll be fine once the negative impact dissipates.

"Alright, thank you, Principal." Liu Jiang clasped his hands in thanks.

"I won't see you off," Fang Hong said.

"There's a driver waiting outside. I'd like to see the principal's son." Liu Jiang looked at the two women in the distance, who were playing with a child and laughing heartily.

"Okay," Fang Hong nodded.

The two then walked toward the two women and saw the baby in the crib. Jing Tian was teasing the baby's chin, making "ooh ooh" sounds.

The baby was laughing happily.

"What's this child's name?" Liu Jiang asked, standing nearby.

“Yunxuan, the name is Fang Liu, which is the surname of my husband and me,” Liu Tianxian said.

"It's quite a tongue twister," Liu Jiang thought to himself.

"It took some getting used to at first, but you'll get used to it once you get used to it," Liu Tianxian said with a smile.

"That's true." Liu Jiang took out a gold lock pendant from his pocket. The gold lock was shiny and about half the size of his palm.

"This is for the child! Wishing him good health." He placed the gold lock in the baby's arms.

When he arrived, he had heard that the principal had a son, so he bought it specifically.

You can't visit someone's home without bringing them something.

"Mr. Liu, this is too much, it's too valuable." Liu Tianxian picked up the gold lock and was about to return it.

"It's just a small token of my appreciation," Liu Jiang said, raising his hand to stop him.

Liu Tianxian glanced at Fang Hong somewhat embarrassedly. Seeing that he had no objections, she accepted the money and said, "Then thank you, President Liu."

"You're welcome. I'll be going now. Jing Tian, ​​would you like to come with me?" Liu Jiang looked at Jing Tian.

"You go back first, I won't go back yet. I'll play here a little longer. This baby is quite interesting and fun." Jing Tian was really engrossed in playing.

"Alright, you can stay here." Liu Jiang said, then gestured and walked towards the gate.

Jing Tian stayed there, continuing to play with the children. She seemed to be having a lot of fun and really liked them.

We didn't leave until the children went to sleep, and we agreed to come back again next time.

The entertainment and fashion industries are still vying for dominance, but Liu Jiang is moving very quickly; it's unclear whether he's managed to persuade Su Mang or something else.

Su Mang quickly posted two tweets: "Thank you for the best time of my life and the longest companionship. Fashion Group is the most important part of my life. But now, due to family health issues, I must leave."

This was a difficult decision, but family ties are irreplaceable. May my beloved fashion group remain forever young.

"Over the past 23 years, I am grateful to Mr. Liu Jiang and Mr. Wu Hong, and to all my partners. Please forgive me for not being able to continue this journey with you all."

After these two tweets were posted, the entire entertainment industry remained quiet, with no celebrities posting anything like "Rest in peace" or "The future is bright."

The fashion world was quiet, and no one seemed to feel any regret. Even if they did, people didn't recognize the sentiment.

There was clearly no buzz about it. It seemed like everyone was indifferent to Su Mang's departure, which made Su Mang feel very bad and her heart was ice-cold.

But those in the entertainment industry know that this is their victory, a partial victory in their resistance against the fashion industry.

Who is Su Mang? Once upon a time, he controlled fashion resources and could put whoever he wanted on the cover.

It exists so that it can make anyone donate money at will.

Anyone who doesn't donate money can be sanctioned by issuing press releases under the guise of charity.

They call him a miser, refusing to part with a single penny.

But now that this person has been fired, the entire entertainment industry feels a sense of victory.

"Have you heard? Su Mang got fired." Liu Jialing texted Zhang Ziyi.

The two know each other and seem to have a good relationship.

"I heard about it. He should have been fired a long time ago. He offended too many people. It seems that President Liu still has self-awareness." Zhang Ziyi showed no sympathy whatsoever.

Instead, there was a sense of joy after victory.

"It seems that our joint boycott is still effective and has a lot of impact," Liu Jialing remarked.

"It will definitely work, but it requires a leader. If the principal hadn't rallied us this time, we would be a disorganized mess, not only getting exploited this year but also next year, and then we'd have to thank them for it," Zhang Ziyi replied. These actresses are constantly fighting amongst themselves, none of them willing to concede, making it impossible for them to unite in a resistance.

Only someone like the principal could unite them; there's no other reason than the principal's superior skills and high prestige.

They have all seen what the principal has done over the years; his prestige is earned through his actions.

Even Yao Dazui was discussing Su Mang's departure from the Fashion Group with others.

"I heard that Chairman Liu went to see the principal, and then Su Mang was fired!"

"."

Not only these people, but also Fan Xiaopang, Zhou Gongzi, Li Bailian and other people in the industry are discussing this matter.

They don't discuss it publicly, but they sit together and talk about it when they get together for drinks in private, and all sorts of rumors spread like wildfire.

Some say that Su Mang's dismissal was actually due to the principal's influence behind the scenes, and that Chairman Liu Jiang went to see the principal.

Some say the fashion group has backed down.

Some even say it's the result of a boycott by the entertainment industry.

Anyway, her dismissal excited people in the industry, and there was a lot of discussion about it.

After all, they were the ones who jointly boycotted it, and no one was harmed; everyone was at peace.

That's how it works when there are too many people involved. If there had been fewer people involved, the person who spoke out would definitely have been unlucky enough to be blacklisted. That's just reality.

Chairman Liu Jiang hasn't gone to Fan Xiaopang for the second step yet. He needs to sort things out internally and extinguish this fire. He'll go find Fan Xiaopang once everyone has forgotten about this matter.

We need to take it one step at a time to minimize the impact of this matter.

At the Huayi Building, both the young and old Wangs were present. The young Wang said, "With Su Mang gone, it seems the charity project won't be going to work out."

"It wasn't going to last long anyway. Nobody wants to be taken advantage of and treated like an ATM, especially you. You're making people drink and play with you, losing both your virginity and your money. Who would want that?" said the boss.

"I'm just introducing them to wealthy people," Mr. Wang said with a smile, looking rather embarrassed.

"However, this incident has greatly enhanced the principal's prestige. In the future, if there are any problems in this circle, people will probably have to go to the principal for solutions," said Boss Wang.

Originally, no one was particularly fond of the principal, but this time, the principal rallied everyone together to fight against the fashion industry, directly targeting Su Mang, which can be said to have earned the principal a huge boost in prestige.

"Who cares? We're only concerned with making money. We're still drowning in debt, so we don't have time to worry about those things. By the way, it's been more than half a year. Could we ask the principal to help us contact Warner and get that money back?"

"We've helped the principal so much, and the Wanda issue has finally calmed down," said Manager Wang.

Huayi is still arguing with Warner about the 6 million yuan, saying they'll go to court, but it hasn't started yet. Every time they're about to go to court, Warner drags it out with jurisdictional objections.

It drags on until you're exhausted and numb.

"I'll discuss it with the principal," said the headmaster.

"Brother, you've been talking for so long, has the principal called Warner and asked if he's helped us?" Young Master Wang asked in a low voice.

"I doubt it. If the principal truly wanted to help you, he would have done so long ago; he's the chosen one, after all. If he didn't want to help you, he could have dragged it out until you died," said the headmaster.

In their eyes, there is no problem that the principal cannot solve; if there is, it means he did not intend to help you solve it.

"The principal is too insidious." Little Wang slammed his hand on the table and said, "We've all been his dogs, and he's still wary of us."

"There's no way around it. We've been fighting him for so many years, how could we not be on guard against him?" said the king.

“But we’ve been completely crushed by him, and recently we were hit hard by Wanda. What’s the point of them being so wary of us?” said Xiao Wang.

"Don't jump to conclusions yet, let me go find him first." The eldest son gestured to his younger brother to calm down.

“I’ll go with you,” said Mr. Wang.

"Okay!" the king nodded.

At the Yutu Film and Television Base, Fang Hong discussed the global release of "The Martian" and its participation in the Oscars with Donna from Universal.

One of the strict requirements for participating in the Oscars is that the film must be shown in a commercial theater in Los Angeles for more than 7 days, with at least 3 screenings per day, before December 31 of the previous year.

And there must be one show every day during prime time, which is between 6 pm and 10 pm.

This is a mandatory requirement for public screening; that is, the film must be screened within this month to be eligible for the Oscars.

"The theaters have already been selected for you, but you need to confirm the time. Also, what are your plans for the global release? Will it be released before the Oscars, or after the Oscars?"

"If it were before the Oscars, we'd need to finalize the publicity plan now. If it's after the Oscars, and we don't win an award, it'll just drag things out. You need to think it through," Donna said.

"What's your suggestion?" Fang Hong asked.

"My suggestion is this: if you release the film in a Los Angeles theater, people who have seen it may leak the plot to some extent, which will reduce the audience's anticipation and mystery and affect the box office performance."

Donna was thinking from the perspective of making money without winning an award, and then said, "Of course, if we could win an award, the subsequent release would be very beneficial and the influence would increase dramatically, but the chances of winning an award are slim."

"Even with your efforts, the chances are still slim!" Fang Hong said.

"What you're saying is that you're spending money to promote your work, and others are spending money to promote theirs too. Who's short of money? In the end, it all comes down to the judges' preferences and the quality of the work."

"Just like national elections, both parties have money, and who becomes president still depends on who gets the most votes; it's all about influencing people's hearts," Donna explained.

“That makes sense,” Fang Hong said, indicating that he understood.

"The unfair point is that there are barriers to entry. Good movies don't give filmmakers with little capital a chance." Donna meant that the upper echelons are rigid.

That's just how the United States is.

"I understand what you mean. There's still some time, right? I'll consider whether to do it before or after the New Year." Fang Hong pondered for a moment.

"Okay, I'll wait for your message." Donna hung up the phone.

Just as Fang Hong was pondering this, his secretary outside announced that the two Wangs requested an audience.

Fang Hong didn't think much of it and let them in.

"Principal, you've rid our entertainment industry of a great scourge this time!" As soon as he entered, Young Master Wang gave a thumbs up.

"What do you mean?" Fang Hong asked, puzzled.

"Su Mang! Without you, this woman would still be throwing her weight around." Boss Wang's words and actions were exaggerated.

"What does this have to do with me? She's not an employee of my company, and I didn't fire her." Fang Hong gestured for them to sit down in the seats in front of them.

"Even so, it's all thanks to you. Without your pressure, it's hard to say that this woman would have been fired. You've rid our entertainment industry of a major menace." Mr. Wang spread his arms wide.

"She's gone, Charity Bazaar is gone, shouldn't you be the most heartbroken? Your meat stall business is gone," Fang Hong joked.

I remember this person setting a price tag for star players in Basha.

"The loss is quite significant, but it's okay, you have to give up something to gain something," said Mr. Wang.

"Where did you get that from?" Fang Hong asked instinctively.

"My brother and I came here today to ask you, Principal, why haven't we heard anything since you said you'd help us contact Warner to get back the 600 million?" Boss Wang said at the opportune moment.

"This matter..." Fang Hong pondered.

He had completely forgotten about it; he wouldn't have remembered it if his two brothers hadn't reminded him.

At the beginning of the year, he did promise the two brothers that he would help them get back the 600 million yuan investment from Warner, but he got too busy and forgot about it.

At the time, in order to keep Huayi in check, they put a dog leash on them but didn't take it. Instead, Yutu lent them money, making Yutu one of Huayi's creditors.

"I've been communicating about this. I'll talk to their president again and then give you an answer." Fang Hong thought it was time to get the money back.

(End of this chapter)