Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 686 See you on Monday

The next day, just as dawn broke, the latest edition of Fortune magazine began appearing at newsstands across the country.

Despite the widespread adoption of the internet in 2010, newspapers and magazines still maintained a loyal audience.

The Chinese edition of Fortune magazine is primarily aimed at senior corporate executives, business leaders, and investors. But right now, these people are thoroughly enjoying the gossip. Who says elites don't like gossip?

"Charles, have you read today's Fortune?" Zhang Chaoyang's friend called him early in the morning.

Zhang Chaoyang, still half-asleep, asked, "Fortune, a supplement?"

"Yes, that's right, a supplement about Star Entertainment's IPO."

"Not yet, what's wrong?"

Zhang Chaoyang subconsciously felt that his friend's call was definitely not about Star Entertainment's IPO. The other person was different from him and never paid much attention to the entertainment industry.

"If you haven't seen it yet, you should check it out, it's really interesting!"

The friend didn't say it outright, keeping it a secret, which piqued Zhang Chaoyang's interest, and he immediately had his secretary buy the latest edition.

Half an hour later, Zhang Chaoyang, who was having breakfast, looked at the magazine in his hand and chuckled. He immediately instructed his assistant, "Tell the head of the entertainment section to create a special feature, specifically reporting on this war of words between Zhang Chen and Huayi Brothers. Oh, and have Weibo pay more attention to this topic too; maybe we can attract some traffic."

At almost the same time, Chen Xiaowei was also discussing with Cao Guowei how Sina Weibo should maximize its interests in this incident.

"Director Zhang didn't inform me before he started criticizing me; I only found out at the last minute. However, I finished editing the video last night, and the hype started on Weibo this morning."

Chen Xiaowei really wanted to complain about Zhang Chen, but Zhang Chen was her boss, and it was impossible for her to report what her boss was doing in advance.

Fortunately, she manages both PPTV and Sina Weibo.

Last night, PPTV contacted her urgently, saying that Director Zhang had lost his temper on the show, and the content was so explicit that they didn't know if they could broadcast it.

Chen Xiaowei was speechless after reading it. All the senior executives of Xingchen Entertainment knew that Zhang Chen was unhappy with Huayi Brothers. The reason why it hadn't exploded was all to protect the company's listing.

No one expected that Zhang Chen would choose to lash out immediately upon the company's listing; it seems he was really holding back.

The boss has already started criticizing us, so what else can we do but cooperate fully?

At 8 a.m., the online trolls began spreading the video clips, just in time for the first peak usage.

Many internet users are office workers, and these people have a habit of browsing the news for a while as soon as they get to work. The 9 o'clock time is the time when information dissemination is most efficient.

Within the industry, those working in film and television are primarily focused on the myths of wealth creation.

The listing of Star Entertainment created seven billionaires, more than twenty multi-millionaires, and more than two hundred millionaires in one go.

Their focus is mainly on the more than 200 millionaires. There have long been rumors in the industry that Star Entertainment is an all-employee company.

The number 200 is exactly the same as the number of employees at Star Entertainment, which means that everyone at Star Entertainment has achieved their small goal of financial freedom with this IPO.

Envy, jealousy, and hatred~
As Lu Xun once said, if a person has money, their worries will decrease by more than 90%, their emotional intelligence and IQ will improve, and they will be less likely to lose their temper.

But Lu Xun refused to say where the money came from.

However, Zhang Chen said that according to industry rumors, he personally intervened and asked employees of Star Entertainment to buy more stock.

Anyone who listened to him would probably be a millionaire by now.

The previous listing of Huayi Brothers also created a wealth myth, creating nine billionaires and a large number of celebrities who also became multimillionaires, but it had little to do with ordinary employees.

Huayi Brothers has over 500 employees, but it hasn't produced over 500 millionaires.

This is the difference in perspective.

The consensus among all film and television professionals is that working with Director Zhang guarantees success, and many are considering switching jobs to Star Entertainment.

This is within the circle; it's different outside of it.

People are not focused on the myth of creating wealth, nor on Star Entertainment's IPO.

Whether a company goes public or not has little to do with ordinary people. Even if I had money, it wouldn't give me a penny. What people love is watching the drama unfold.

People online are already deciphering Zhang Chen's words:

Who is the actress?
Who is the dialogue coach?
Who is the director?

Who is the screenwriter?
This thing isn't actually that hard to guess; anyone with even a little knowledge of the entertainment industry can figure it out pretty much.

But many more people are completely unaware of the entertainment industry; they are drawn in by the headlines on various websites and end up completely confused.

Then someone explained the science to them.

Wow, so that's how Director Feng and his wife met?

Their love lives are so messy?

Although this isn't a love triangle, it's just as exciting as the former.

haha~
This melon tastes delicious!

"Holy crap, Zhang Chen is going to make a movie about this? That's absolutely disgusting!"

"Upstairs, are you blind? Can't you see how disgusting they are to Director Zhang?"

"If this were actually made into a movie, Director Feng and his wife would be forever shamed."

"I think the most brilliant part is the title—'I Am Not Madame Bovary,' haha~"

"Awesome, you do the first day of the lunar month, and I'll do the fifteenth!"

"Upstairs, you're wrong. It should be, 'It's not that they won't be punished, it's just that the time hasn't come yet.'"

Early this morning, topics such as #ZhangChenFengXiaogang# and #WealthCreationMyth# had already shot up to the top of Weibo's trending topics list at lightning speed.

In less than half an hour, eight out of the top ten trending topics were related to this interview.

#IamNotDanJinlian# quickly became the number one trending topic on Weibo.

Netizens were in an uproar. Some were shocked by the darkness of the industry, some felt sorry for Zhang Chenming, and others began to dig up Feng Xiaogang's past controversies.

Everyone realized who this story was alluding to.

At this moment, the atmosphere inside the Feng family villa was extremely oppressive.

Mrs. Feng sat on the sofa, watching Zhang Chen's face on the television, tears streaming down her face like beads from a broken string.

She picked up a tissue and wiped away her tears, her shoulders shaking with sobs, muttering repeatedly, "What am I going to do... I can't face anyone anymore..."

If someone who didn't know the situation saw her with tears streaming down her face, they might really think that the Feng family had been wronged.

Feng Xiaogang stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, clutching his phone, his face ashen.

He stared at the constantly refreshing negative comments on the screen, so angry that the veins on his forehead bulged.

Hearing his wife crying, he turned around abruptly, slammed his phone onto the sofa, and roared, "Cry, cry, cry! All you do is cry! Will crying solve anything?"

Madam Feng was startled by his sudden outburst of anger, and her crying immediately subsided. She looked at him with a wronged expression.

Feng Xiaogang took a deep breath, picked up his phone with its shattered screen, and edited a Weibo post with trembling fingers.

He felt he couldn't just passively take the beating; he had to fight back.

Soon, a Weibo post filled with anger was published: "If you have a problem, come at me. What kind of skill is it to bully a woman?"

This Weibo post, seemingly defending his wife, was actually an attempt to shift the focus and portray himself as a victim protecting his family.

However, not long after Feng Xiaogang posted his Weibo, Zhang Chen updated his second Weibo post.

Zhang Chen posted his second Weibo post, which was the complete script of "I Am Not Madame Bovary," which added a career storyline—how a screenwriter named Feng Kuzi becomes a director.

Feng Kuzi started as an art director, then taught himself screenwriting and worked as an assistant to a group of veteran screenwriters.

By chance, he got involved in an anthology series project.

This project was full of big shots. At that time, he was just a nobody in the crew. His daily work was to serve tea and water to the big shots and organize script fragments. He had no status at all.

Seeing those screenwriting stars being adored by everyone, he felt both envious and jealous, always dreaming that one day he could also make a name for himself.

In order to change his insignificant situation, he devised a plan to hide the script just before it was completed.

That drama was a key project for the TV station, and the script was the culmination of more than six months of hard work by the entire crew. Everyone had high hopes for it.

After the script was lost, the production team was plunged into a huge crisis.

Just when everyone was at their wits' end, he stepped forward and confidently said that he could write the script from memory and solve the crisis for the crew.

At the time, everyone thought he was their savior and were extremely grateful to him.

He spent three days and three nights 'writing' a script from memory.

After reading it, everyone was amazed by his memory and talent, but no one knew that the script was not something he had written from memory, but something he had stolen and slightly modified.

This scheme fooled everyone; they all thought he was exceptionally talented and introduced him to the circle of bestselling authors.

After entering the circle of bestselling authors, he knew that his background was different from others, so he began to fawn over them.

By flattering and fawning, he finally became friends with the bestselling author, and then began to scheme against the bestselling author and the author's childhood friend.

They used personal connections to secure a book by a bestselling author for adaptation into a film.

At the time, the writer's childhood friend had some connections in the army. After learning about this, he spent every day hanging around the friend, showering him with sweet words and even patting his chest to guarantee that if the writer could help get a tank for the film adaptation of his novel, he could also help secure the film's investment.

The writer's childhood friend was also a very honest person. Unable to resist his persistent pleading, he used his connections and went to great lengths to get him the tank.

But what happened? After getting the tank, he successfully completed filming, but he didn't keep any of his promises, and even pretended not to know the person when they met later. In the end, the movie was completed, using the screenplay of a bestselling author, but he didn't credit the author.

Then the movie became a hit, and he became a famous director, a bestselling author, and his childhood friend got nothing.

This content was like a bombshell, causing a sensation in the entertainment industry and making the entire internet boil.

The experiences of "Feng Kuzi" bear a striking resemblance to Feng Xiaogang's early struggles, leading netizens to almost certainly conclude that Zhang Chen is directly targeting Feng Xiaogang.

Many people left comments in the comment section:

"This is huge! So that's how Director Feng made his fortune?"

"The fact that someone would steal a script is truly mind-blowing."

"Waiting for more updates, Zhang Chen, please continue to reveal more!"

People are speculating about the identities of the "bestselling author" and "childhood friend" that Zhang Chen mentioned.

Feng Xiaogang's Weibo comment section has been completely overrun, with netizens' insults flooding in.

Feng Xiaogang trembled with anger as he read these comments. He wanted to refute them, but found himself at a loss for words, because many of the "stories" Zhang Chen told could be traced back to real life.

Zhang Chen watched the trending topics rise steadily, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips—Little Cannon, this is just the beginning.

As netizens wished, Zhang Chen continued to update.

"After becoming a famous director, he became even more arrogant and began to use his position to sleep with actresses."

If he sets his sights on an actress, he will use the promise of a role as bait to coerce her into complying.

What's even more bizarre is his wife. Knowing all this, she not only doesn't stop it, but also goes around defending him, saying things like, "We're men, we won't be taken advantage of!" This kind of value system is truly baffling.

"This is the kind of person who made a movie. Before filming, he even consulted a famous host, saying, 'The character I'm going to play is very similar to you. I'd like to hear your opinion.'"

The host, a kind person, assumed the film was about an industry story and generously provided a wealth of information about her own life and work, including her daily work processes, communication skills with guests, and even some of her personal reflections.

"Unexpectedly, the movie turned out to be about a mistress."

The female lead in the movie works in a studio, just like the host; she is also a host, and even her hosting style is imitated perfectly.

However, his private life was portrayed as a complete mess, with accusations of infidelity, diva-like behavior, and sexual harassment of newcomers.

After the movie's release, the general public, unaware of the facts, assumed the host was based on the character in the film. A barrage of insults and accusations followed, leaving the host speechless, his career plummeting and nearly ruined.

"What's most infuriating is that the director didn't even offer an apology."

When asked about it by reporters, he simply said, "It was just a joke," and even accused the host of "not being able to take a joke."

At this point, Zhang Chen's tone became sharp: "If you say others can't take a joke, then I'll take a joke with you too."

Do you know what it means to put yourself in someone else's shoes?

I treated you the way you treat others, and strangely enough, you got angry. You even said I was so scary. But if I don't treat you the same way, you'll never know how scary you are.

I am a very polite person, provided that there is mutual respect.

But if I ever act rudely, please look in the mirror first and see what kind of person you really are.

"Don't always take other people's tolerance for granted, and don't mistake your selfishness for individuality."

Respect is always mutual. The politeness and gentleness I show you are because I cherish this relationship, not because I'm born to suffer.

After this Weibo post was published, the discussion among netizens reached its peak.

People were not only outraged by Feng Xiaogang's actions, but also felt sympathy for the host who was implicated.

Soon, netizens explained that the "famous host" Zhang Chen mentioned was Cui Yongyuan.

Actually, there's no need for any explanation; Zhang Chen had already mentioned the impact of the movie "Cellphone" on Cui Yongyuan.

At that moment, in Xiao Cui's house, a grown man was sobbing uncontrollably, his face buried under the covers.

The painful memory was brought up again, but he felt an unusual sense of relief.

He never imagined that his good intentions would be taken advantage of.

After the movie was released, he faced immense pressure and misunderstandings. His friends gradually distanced themselves from him, and job opportunities became increasingly scarce.

He tried to confront Feng Xiaogang, but the latter consistently avoided him, only sending his assistant to say that it was "just a joke."

Now that Zhang Chen has revealed the truth to the public, his long-suppressed emotions finally erupted, and tears soaked his entire pillow.

Meanwhile, Feng Xiaogang had completely gone mad.

He was so angry as he paced back and forth in the living room, muttering profanities as he watched the negative news and online abuse pouring in.

He wanted to delete his Weibo posts and issue a statement in rebuttal, but he found that his account had been "besieged" by netizens to the point that it was impossible to operate normally.

His team was also extremely anxious, calling him repeatedly to offer suggestions, but Feng Xiaogang was no longer willing to listen to any advice and just kept roaring.

The earthquake in the entertainment industry triggered by a talk show continues to unfold.

Major media outlets have reported on this matter, and the industry has begun to reflect on the various chaotic phenomena.

Zhang Chen's courageous voice not only vindicated himself but also served as a ray of light, illuminating the dark corners of the entertainment industry.

The fate of Feng Xiaogang and others serves as a warning to everyone in the entertainment industry: no matter how famous or high their status, they must not lose their basic moral principles, or they will eventually pay a heavy price for their actions.

Netizens are continuing to follow the developments of the incident, and everyone is waiting for a final result.

Some say Feng Xiaogang might retire from the entertainment industry, others say he will try to salvage his reputation through public relations, and still others speculate that more industry insiders will come forward to reveal more information.

Regardless, the storm triggered by this "joke" has completely changed the fate of many people and brought about an unprecedented "purge" in the entire entertainment industry.

In this age of information overload, the truth may be delayed, but it will never be absent.

Zhang Chen challenged injustice in his own way, making more people understand that in the face of darkness and injustice, silence will only allow evil to spread, and only by bravely standing up can one protect their rights and uphold justice in the industry.

Those who once wantonly trampled on the rights of others will eventually be exposed and have nowhere to hide under the sunlight of the truth.

……

The autumn wind in Beijing carried a chill as it blew into the chairman's office on the top floor of Huayi Brothers' headquarters building.

Wang Zhongjun stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, holding a newly printed public opinion analysis report in his hand, his face so dark it could drip water.

Wang Zhonglei rushed in, his voice filled with panic: "Brother, our stocks have hit the daily limit down!"

Wang Zhongjun had known all along, "It was my carelessness. I thought that since this guy had 12 million of our shares, even if he wanted to retaliate, he would definitely use other means. I didn't expect that this guy would rather hurt the enemy by 10,000 while losing 8,000 of his own..."

Because of Zhang Chen's remarks, Huayi Brothers' market value evaporated by 20 billion yuan in one day. It would be a lie to say that the Wang brothers are not heartbroken. They are now so angry that they want to shoot Zhang Chen.

"what should we do?"

Wang Zhongjun ignored him and instead asked, "How's Xiaogang doing?"

"It's about to explode! I just came from there. I smashed everything I could in the house!"

"First, calm him down. Also, it's time to announce our collaboration with Universal; let's see if that can pull the stock price back up a bit."

Universal Music Group offered Huayi Brothers some benefits in exchange for their assistance, including a series of collaborations, which were all major positive developments.

Wang Zhongjun had kept the announcement under wraps to deal with unforeseen circumstances, and it proved useful in this situation.

"Okay, brother..."

Soon, news of Universal Pictures' collaboration with Huayi Brothers on three films appeared online, and then Huayi Brothers' online army began a large-scale promotional campaign.

Chen Xiaowei called at that moment: "Boss, Huayi Brothers' stock price has hit the daily limit down!"

"Well done." Zhang Chen nodded in satisfaction.

"There's a new development: Huayi Brothers has taken countermeasures. They've hired a large number of online trolls to promote their collaboration with Universal Music. I checked, and the collaboration is genuine. The sentiment on Weibo is starting to shift."

In today's online environment, Weibo is the primary platform for propaganda; gaining control of Weibo is tantamount to achieving a large part of success.

Chen Xiaowei said in a deep voice, "Boss, should we suppress things on Weibo?"

"No, let's ignore it and let it do its thing. We'll just deal with whatever comes our way." Zhang Chen decisively refused.

Although Weibo has shares in Star Entertainment, Star Entertainment and Sina have an agreement to ensure Weibo's fairness as much as possible.

Everyone knows that once a public opinion platform loses its fairness and becomes the mouthpiece of a particular party, it is not far from its demise.

Putting aside everything else, the government wouldn't allow it.

Zhang Chen started browsing the internet, watching Huayi Brothers' online trolls stirring up trouble online. New posts were being pushed to the top, and the popularity of the topic about Zhang Chen and Xiao Gangpao was declining.

Huayi Brothers is quite good at publicity (manipulating online trolls), definitely among the top three in China.

Zhang Chen wasn't surprised by this; it would be abnormal if the Wang brothers didn't have a backup plan.

In this situation, he definitely has to respond. Looking at the time, today is Friday.

The stock market will be closed on the weekend, tomorrow and the day after.

Zhang Chen's goal was simple: to take down Huayi Brothers.

The Wang brothers are most concerned about stock prices, so they focus on stock price movements.

Since tomorrow and the day after are the weekend, Zhang Chen also plans to temporarily cease hostilities and let things play out for a while.

A while later, users discovered that Zhang Chen had updated his Weibo again. The content of the post was very simple, consisting of only three words: "See you on Monday!"
(End of this chapter)