Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 682: Taking advantage of the situation
Chaowai Street, Fenglian Plaza

This is the headquarters of Huayi Brothers.

Brothers Wang Zhongjun and Wang Zhonglei stood side by side in front of a huge desk, their eyes fixed on the film release schedule for the second half of the year sent by China Film Group, their faces so gloomy they could drip water.

The air conditioner vents kept blowing out cold air, but it couldn't dispel the displeasure and anxiety between the two.

"Brother, look at this schedule! Star Entertainment has booked all the prime time slots for the second half of the year!"

Wang Zhonglei broke the silence first, jabbing heavily at a few lines of text on the schedule with his finger, his tone full of displeasure:

"The Equalizer in early July, Edge of Tomorrow in mid-August, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol in September, Inception in late December, and Ghost Blows Out the Light in early January – from the summer season to the Spring Festival, they haven't missed a single important period. They're leaving no room for other companies to survive!"

Wang Zhongjun, a cigar dangling from his lips, took a deep drag, slowly exhaling a smoke ring, his gaze fixed on the schedule with a complex expression. He was more composed than his brother, but his clenched fist betrayed the turmoil within him.

"It can't be said that no way out was left at all."

He spoke in a hoarse voice, "Didn't they not have any movies scheduled for the first half of the year? This is considered 'merciful'."

The words were full of sarcasm. Everyone knows that the first half of the year is not the traditional golden period for movies. Star Entertainment has put all its major works in the second half of the year, obviously aiming to monopolize the box office market for the whole year.

Coincidentally, Huayi Brothers' major projects this year are all concentrated in the second half of the year.

Wang Zhonglei reached out and crossed out the names of Huayi Brothers' films on the schedule, his face growing increasingly grim: "Look at our 'The Informant,' it just happens to clash with 'Edge of Tomorrow' in mid-August."

"Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame" is scheduled for release at the end of September, directly clashing with their "Mission: Impossible 4";
Director Xiaogang's "If You Are the One 2" is going up against "Inception";
The Spring Festival release of "Shaolin" will go head-to-head with "Ghost Blows Out the Light".

This isn't a scheduling conflict; it's clearly Star Entertainment deliberately targeting us!

Wang Zhongjun stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray; the sparks rose and quickly went out, just like the suppressed anger he felt at that moment.

"It seems that we have no choice but to fight."

He said firmly, "Universal and Fox have been urging us several times. We've accepted the benefits, and we can't keep dragging our feet without giving a response. Besides, we should also settle that score properly."

When the past was mentioned, Wang Zhonglei's eyes instantly sharpened.

The year Huayi Brothers went public, Zhang Chen extorted 1200 million shares from them as "protection money" using ruthless methods. The Wang brothers have always kept this debt in mind and have never forgotten it.

“Hehe, what goes around comes around. Before we went public, they extorted money from us. Now it’s their turn to go public, and I’ll make them pay back several times over…” Wang Zhongjun said with a fierce look on his face.

With Star Entertainment scheduled to go public in September, now is the perfect time for revenge.

"Brother, I've been waiting for this day for a long time!"

Wang Zhonglei said through gritted teeth, "He made us suffer so much back then. This time, we not only want him to experience what it's like to be targeted, but we should also sabotage his listing plan and make Xingchen Entertainment suffer a complete setback!"

The two brothers exchanged a glance, both seeing a resolute determination in each other's eyes.

"How's it going with getting screenings for 'The Informant'?" Wang Zhongjun asked his younger brother.

Wang Zhonglei became even more unhappy when this was mentioned.

"Those damn theater managers, I treated them to dinner and drinks, and they were all very generous. But as soon as the topic of screening schedules came up, they all started complaining to me, saying that 'Edge of Tomorrow' is a sci-fi film, and that domestic audiences really like sci-fi films now, so scheduling is difficult to coordinate..."

After Wang Zhongjun finished speaking, he glanced at his brother. He thought his brother would scold him as usual, but he didn't this time.

Wang Zhonglei suddenly became a little uneasy: "Brother, what's wrong with you? Why don't you scold me a bit?"

The former gave her younger brother a reproachful look, her face full of disappointment: "Why did I scold you? Would scolding you increase the number of screenings? This wasn't your fault in the first place."

Star Entertainment revitalized the domestic science fiction film market with "Pacific Rim" and "Gravity," and they are right: today's audiences love science fiction films, especially domestic ones.

"Edge of Tomorrow" marks the second collaboration between Guo Fan and Fan Xiaopang, and not only are theaters watching them, but audiences are also keeping a close eye on them.

The level of attention garnered by *Edge of Tomorrow* is absolutely incomparable to that of *The Informer*.

Wang Zhonglei knew that what his older brother said was true, but he was still unhappy.

"What can we do then? Just watch 'The Informant' get shelved?"

"of course not."

"But I asked theater managers who had seen 'Edge of Tomorrow,' and they said the film was of very high quality, and even if we used online trolls, it probably wouldn't be very effective."

Wang Zhonglei felt a surge of powerlessness.

"The film itself is of high quality, and direct attacks are unlikely to be effective."

Wang Zhongjun analyzed, "Since we can't compete in terms of film quality, we should attack the people. The easiest way to smear a film before it's even released is to smear its creators."

He paused, his gaze falling on the names "Guo Fan" and "Fan Xiaopang". "Guo Fan's resume is shockingly clean. From graduation to entering the industry, he has taken every step steadily, without any weaknesses that can be exploited. So we can only find a breakthrough by targeting Fan Xiaopang."

Wang Zhonglei immediately understood and a sinister smile appeared on his face: "Fan Xiaopang was made famous by Zhang Chen. From The Shallows to Pacific Rim, and then to Gravity and Edge of Tomorrow, Zhang Chen gave her almost all the good resources of Star Entertainment."

Who would believe they have no relationship?
We'll capitalize on this, sensationalizing her relationship with Zhang Chen and implying she rose to fame through underhanded means. Once this rumor gets out, regardless of its truth, it will devastate her reputation, and naturally, the box office performance of "Edge of Tomorrow" will suffer.

"That's not the most important thing. The most important thing is to use her to drag Zhang Chen down with them. Isn't Xingchen Entertainment going public? During the quiet period, if the founder is caught in a public opinion crisis, let's see how he goes public?" Wang Zhongjun said sinisterly.

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhonglei immediately gave a thumbs up: "Brother, when it comes to cunning people, you're the best!"

"Get lost, if you can't compliment someone, then don't compliment them at all!"

At Huayi Brothers, Wang Zhongjun was responsible for making decisions and controlling the company's development direction, while Wang Zhonglei handled all the specific tasks, such as promoting movies and smearing competitors.

With the plan finalized, Wang Zhonglei immediately organized Huayi Brothers' own public relations team to begin taking action.

At the same time, they contacted a group of online troll leaders and formulated a detailed smear campaign, waiting for the right moment to ignite public opinion.

Time flew by and it was early July when Star Entertainment's "The Equalizer" was released as scheduled.

This spin-off film from Taken has garnered a lot of attention from the very beginning.

As a talented actor, Chen Daoming's portrayal of Old Chen has long been deeply ingrained in people's minds.

Thanks to its popularity and tight plot, the film achieved both box office success and critical acclaim upon its release.

Its only competitor, Derek Yee's "Triple Tap," which was released at the same time, performed well, but it posed no threat at all under the strong impact of "The Equalizer."

The first week's box office results are in, with "The Equalizer" topping the list with 1.2 million yuan, far exceeding "Triple Tap's" 3800 million yuan.

Based on this trend, it's a certainty that "The Equalizer" will break 300 million in total box office revenue, and with some effort, it might even reach 400 million.

The success of "The Equalizer" boosted the morale of Star Entertainment and greatly increased the confidence of the capital market.

Huayi Brothers, whose performance is not as good as Xingchen Entertainment, still managed to open at 63.66 yuan. Everyone is speculating about what Xingchen Entertainment's stock price will be when it opens.
Zhong Lifang was excited and wanted to applaud. In addition to Brian's main storyline, Star Entertainment's spy universe currently has two side storylines: Abu and Lao Chen.

Now that both storylines have succeeded, the spy universe is secure.

When Mission: Impossible 4 is released during the National Day holiday, people will discover that the spy universe can also connect with other spy film series, and the stock price will definitely see another surge.

After a movie is released, the publicity department is the most exhausted. Now, Star Entertainment's publicity department not only has to ensure the buzz surrounding "The Equalizer" but also push forward the publicity work for "Edge of Tomorrow".

"Edge of Tomorrow" is Star Entertainment's last film before its IPO, and its box office performance will directly impact its opening price after listing. Star Entertainment has therefore developed a detailed publicity plan to ensure the success of "Edge of Tomorrow."

Star Entertainment's three most popular variety shows—Running Man, The Voice of China, and If You Are the One—are all promoting "Edge of Tomorrow."

Guo Fan, Fan Xiaopang, Jason and other main cast members appeared on the show to share behind-the-scenes stories of filming, interacting frequently with the host and guests, which led to a steady rise in the show's ratings.

Meanwhile, promotional materials for "Edge of Tomorrow" flooded various forums and social media platforms, bombarding viewers with everything from plot analysis and character posters to trailers.

Objectively speaking, the core story of "Edge of Tomorrow" is not particularly novel, as the "time loop" setting is quite common in film and television.

However, the film's visual presentation is extremely impactful, especially the look of Fan Xiaopang on the poster, which amazed countless viewers.

In the poster, she wears a mechanical exoskeleton, the explosive lines of the mecha armor enveloping her graceful figure. Her eyes are sharp as knives, and she holds a fighting knife half her height. She possesses both feminine grace and warrior's ferocity, like a blood-stained rose, dangerous yet alluring.

(My skill level is limited, but this is the best I can do.)
Once the poster was released, it went viral online, and the hashtag #FanXiaopangTomorrow'sEdgeStyle# quickly topped the trending list, with discussions exceeding ten million.

Just as the promotional hype for "Edge of Tomorrow" reached its peak and audience anticipation was at its highest, a discordant voice suddenly emerged.

Someone posted an article on Tieba titled "Fan Xiaopang is so beautiful, but I feel heartbroken when I think about her relationship with Zhang Chen."

The author of the post claimed to be a long-time fan of Fan Xiaopang and, in a tone of "disappointment," provided a detailed analysis of Fan Xiaopang's path to fame: from a one-woman show in "The Shallows" to the female lead in "Gravity," and now to the absolute protagonist in "Edge of Tomorrow," her career can be described as "a meteoric rise."

The post deliberately ignored Fan Xiaopang's efforts and hard work during the filming process, instead implying that the reason she was able to obtain so many good resources was entirely because of her improper relationship with Zhang Chen.

In other words, she was being kept by a sugar daddy.

After this post was published, it was quickly reposted and commented on by a large number of online trolls.

For a time, various forums, Weibo, and Douban groups were filled with speculation about the relationship between Zhang Chen and Fan Xiaopang. The internet was full of sensational headlines, all saying "Fan XX is being kept," which made people want to click on them.

Some say "Fan Xiaopang is the second Wu Yue", some have dug up photos of the two together and made far-fetched claims that "their eyes were ambiguous", and some have even spread rumors that "Fan Xiaopang is willing to sacrifice everything to rise to the top".

Fan Bingbing also has her own group of fans, and when they see someone slandering their idol, they immediately defend her.

But just like how it's difficult to clear up rumors about girls, this kind of thing belongs to the dark side of human nature.

Moreover, Fan Xiaopang's rise to fame was indeed due to Zhang Chen. Even his fans, while trying to explain, began to doubt themselves, wondering if he was really being kept by a sugar daddy.

"Boss, something's not right~"

The post had only been circulating for a short time when Star Entertainment's risk control department discovered it.

Zhang Chen, Fan Xiaopang, and Edge of Tomorrow are all keywords.

The bespectacled guy from the risk control department beckoned his boss over, saying, "It seems like someone's orchestrating a large-scale smear campaign against Fan Bingbing."

Within Star Entertainment, Fan Xiaopang is affectionately referred to as "Fan Ye" (Master Fan).

He then pointed to the data on the computer screen: "Monitoring data shows that within 48 hours of the post being published, it has been forwarded 20 times. Now there are negative comments about Fan Bingbing all over the internet. These comments are clearly organized and inflammatory, and it is obvious that there are professional online trolls operating behind the scenes."

The head of the risk control department did not dare to delay and immediately compiled the situation into a report, which was then sent to Zhong Lifang's desk.

Zhong Lifang reviewed the report. At such a sensitive time, targeting Fan Xiaopang was tantamount to targeting Xingchen Entertainment, especially since the other party involved was Zhang Chen, the founder of Xingchen Entertainment.

Zhong Lifang was furious. This was the most crucial quiet period before the IPO, yet someone was maliciously spreading negative comments about Zhang Chen. There was no connection between them; nobody would believe that.
"Do you know who's behind this?"

Zhong Lifang suppressed her anger, but before the risk control manager could answer, there was a knock on the glass door of the office. Through the glass door, she could see that it was the bespectacled man outside.

Zhong Lifang waved, and the bespectacled man rushed in: "President Zhong, President Gao, there's new information!"

"What new development?"

Both of them in the office had a bad feeling.

The bespectacled man opened his laptop and pointed to one of the Weibo posts: "Just now, Huayi Brothers suddenly announced that they will be preparing for 'Cell Phone 2' and publicly invited Fan Bingbing to continue playing the role of Wu Yue."

Zhong Lifang was stunned, not yet realizing how this had anything to do with her, when the risk control manager, Gao, had already reacted and exclaimed, "Huayi is behind this!"

"Yes, it's Huayi Brothers."

Zhong Lifang was only a step behind them, and now she has also realized what was happening.

What is Wu Yue?
She's the other woman.

Huayi Brothers' invitation for Fan Bingbing to continue playing Wu Yue is an implication that Fan Bingbing and Zhang Chen's relationship is just as unbearable as the relationship between Wu Yue and Yan Shouyi in the movie.

What the hell!
Huayi Brothers' move was ruthless; they actually used this method to stir up controversy.

Moreover, the timing was very clever, as if it were "proving evidence" for the rumors circulating online.

And yet you can't criticize him, because he didn't say anything; he just invited you to star in a movie.

"What's the reaction online right now? Can it be suppressed?"

The bespectacled man shook his head: "It's already spread."

Zhong Lifang closed her eyes, realizing that she was desperate and trying anything to suppress the symptoms.

Since Huayi Brothers dared to do this, they must have arranged for their own people to spread it, so it's definitely impossible to suppress it.

"That's not all~"

The bespectacled man pointed to a spot and said, "Some online trolls have started stirring up trouble, comparing Director Zhang to Harvey Weinstein."

When Zhong Lifang looked, sure enough, there were all sorts of opinions.

"Zhang Chen took down Harvey Weinstein in Hollywood back then, but now he's doing the same thing in China. It's really ironic!"

"So that's how Starry Sky Entertainment succeeded. No wonder they can monopolize airtime slots!"

"The dragon slayer becomes the dragon."

Similar remarks spread rampantly online, causing serious damage to the reputation of Zhang Chen and Xingchen Entertainment.

The public opinion crisis quickly spread to the capital market.

As a major shareholder of Golden Harvest, Star Entertainment's negative news directly caused fluctuations in Golden Harvest's stock price.

On July 18, Golden Harvest's stock price fell by 3% at the opening, with a maximum intraday drop of 5.2%, and finally closed down 4.8%, wiping out nearly HK$2 billion in market value.

Chen Xi immediately contacted Zhang Chen, who was currently abroad wrapping up work on "Inception".

The filming of "Inception" went exceptionally smoothly, but Chen Xi's phone call ruined my good mood.

He knew that this meticulously planned smear campaign was not just targeting a movie or an actor, but was aimed at the very foundation of Star Entertainment, and might even affect the upcoming IPO plan.

"The Wang brothers, they're trying to use their own methods against me!"

(End of this chapter)