The richest person in Chinese entertainment

Chapter 562 Difficult to handle? Then let's acquire it!
"This is not the focus of our discussion today."

Zhang Chen waved his hand, and Xue Yining, who had been silent all along, walked up to the little girls.

Lee Soo-man and his two companions watched blankly as the girls they had carefully selected were led out of the reception room.

"Lyon?" Lee Soo-man looked at Zhang Chen in confusion.

“You can talk to Xixi about what just happened,” Zhang Chen said, pointing to Liu Yifei, who was sitting quietly beside him. “After all, it’s her team, so she has the most say.”

Lee Soo-man opened his mouth.

But when he thought of the power behind Zhang Chen and Liu Yifei, he swallowed his dissatisfaction.

Even if he wanted to use those girls to mislead Zhang Chen's judgment.

But the appearance of Liu Yifei, the main character, completely disrupted his plans.

There's really no need to dwell on this anymore.

"Then," Lee Soo-man glanced at Liu Yifei beside him without making a sound.

“Just say it directly, she has the right to listen.” Zhang Chen saw through Lee Soo-man’s little scheme. “Besides, she is one of the parties involved.”

After a moment of silence, Lee Soo-man suddenly laughed and said, "That's true."

After all that commotion, he'd forgotten why he came here today.

Today, we're here to inquire about Zhang Chen's questions regarding the influence of Lim Yoon-a and Choi Soo-young in South Korea.

If LYC only comes to South Korea once, then everything will be fine.

However, after "Time Capsule" suffered setbacks in sales in South Korea, Liu Yifei and others immediately arranged music video dances for all the songs.

This relentless, unwavering attitude completely dispelled any lingering hope that Lee Soo-man might have.

Now these people can be absolutely certain.

LYC is targeting the South Korean market.

In a non-domestic idol group, there are two citizens of the country, but they are not under the control of their country: Lim Yoon-a and Choi Soo-young.

Its enormous influence has flowed from the international arena into South Korea itself.

If Yoona and her partner's behavior gets out of control, or if Zhang Chen behind them has some bad intentions.

That would undoubtedly be disastrous for South Korea.

Especially now, at this sensitive stage, the financial crisis across the ocean has just broken out and has only just begun to spread to Southeast Asian countries.

Zhang Chen himself possesses a vast sum of money, enough to change the financial market of any country.

Therefore, any move Zhang Chen makes will attract the attention of important figures.

They don't think Zhang Chen's special appearance in South Korea was really just to help his younger sister Liu Yifei promote her album.

Furthermore, Zhang Chen did not help Liu Yifei and the other two promote their album.

Then
What is Zhang Chen's purpose?
This is the main reason why Lee Soo-man and his two companions visited.

"Leon, I wonder what your plans are for Yoona and Sooyoung's business dealings in South Korea?"

After thinking for a long time, Lee Soo-man still asked a rather ambiguous question.

This problem offers both offensive and defensive advantages.

If Zhang Chen hadn't wanted to be honest, the two sides wouldn't have ended up in such an awkward situation.

“Of course they should develop well in South Korea.” Zhang Chen smiled as he looked at the somewhat nervous Lee Soo-man. “After all, this is their homeland.”

"Besides, many South Korean fans have only just gotten to know them and are thinking about how to make up for the previous verbal offenses."

Lee Soo-man broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this.

He exchanged glances with Park Jin-young and Yang Hyun-suk, both of whom saw anxiety in each other's eyes.

At the same time, they also found the "task" for the three of them to be tricky.

This morning, it's so slippery!
Their script, which sounded exactly like a normal business practice in the entertainment industry, left them feeling somewhat powerless.

"Lyon, I wonder if SM Entertainment, which has previously collaborated with you on the opening ceremony performance of the World Cup, is qualified to cooperate with you in this regard?"

Lee Soo-man took a deep breath, trying to control his anxiety and prevent it from clouding his judgment.

“For Chenguang Entertainment, our country is probably an unfamiliar market,” Lee Soo-man asked Zhang Chen cautiously, “If we could help you…”

Before Zhang Chen could speak, Liu Yifei, who was standing next to him, showed a change in expression.

She probably didn't consider as much as Zhang Chen did.

But if we're talking about how much they care about the LYC group, they definitely care more about it than Zhang Chen.

After all, Zhang Chen would only analyze how much benefit LYC could bring him from the perspective of interests and the overall situation.

But Liu Yifei was considering what achievements LYC itself could make.

Especially since both Lim Yoon-a and Choi Soo-young are originally from South Korea.

Although I have lived in China for five years.

But in any case, they spent the first half of their lives in South Korea.

Now that the two are famous all over the world, it would be a shame if they didn't return to their former country.

What's the difference between that and "wearing fine clothes in the dark"?
No celebrity doesn't want to "show off" their status.

Because people who choose to become celebrities are doing so for the applause of others.

However, Liu Yifei did not interrupt Zhang Chen and Lee Soo-man's conversation.

She knew she was allowed to stay to learn.

She didn't want her own actions to influence Zhang Chen's judgment of the situation.

After glancing at Zhang Chen, he picked up the teacup in front of him and silently began to drink his tea.

Zhang Chen noticed Liu Yifei's subtle actions, and after a few seconds of mental calculation, he understood.

"President Li."

Just as Lee Soo-man's unease was about to overflow, Zhang Chen finally spoke.

“I hadn’t originally planned to expand Morning Light Entertainment’s influence in South Korea.”

Lee Soo-man's expression brightened upon hearing this.

But Zhang Chen's next words made his expression darken again.

“But Chairman Lee just sent me so many talented people.” Zhang Chen emphasized the word “talented” and smiled at Lee Soo-man, whose face was ashen. “I can’t let Chairman Lee’s kindness go to waste and allow these talented people to go unnoticed, can I?”

Lee Soo-man quickly explained, "Actually, what I was thinking was to have these people follow you, Lyon, back to China to develop their careers."

Zhang Chen shook his head, saying with a face full of regret, "Even she..."

Zhang Chen pointed to Liu Yifei beside him and continued, "Even she has a hard time carving out a place for herself in the current Chinese music scene, so she can only come to South Korea to seek development."

Upon hearing Zhang Chen's words, Liu Yifei lowered her head, trying her best not to let Lee Soo-man see the speechless expression on her face.

Is Liu Yifei no longer able to make a living in China?

How come she doesn't know?
However, she also knew that this was Zhang Chen's explanation, and she wasn't foolish enough to jump out and contradict him.

"Can't Miss Liu even compete with local stars in China?"

Lee Soo-man was equally perplexed.

But when I think about the more complex situation and larger market in China...

And then there are Jay Chou, Sun Yanzi, Zhang Shaohan, Jolin Tsai, and others who are now popular all over Asia; I actually believed it to some extent.

However, he put that aside and continued to suggest to Zhang Chen, "With those young ladies I just introduced to you, shouldn't Miss Liu's situation in China be a little better?"

Didn't you say that Liu Yifei couldn't compete with others?
Then I'll give Liu Yifei more power, and you guys can go back to China and continue having fun.

Don't come to South Korea and cause trouble for us. "President Lee should also know about my relationship with Yifei, right?"

"Knowing is affection."

“Yes, they are siblings!” Zhang Chen interrupted Lee Soo-man, then added, “To prevent people in the company from saying that I’m favoring them and giving them preferential treatment, I also don’t want the artists in my company to have the misconception that I’m trying to steal their market share.”

Li Xiuman looked completely surprised.

Even now, you're still keeping it a secret?
You said Liu Yifei isn't your girlfriend, but I bet hardly anyone believes that now, right?

However, Zhang Chen's stubbornness is not the main point.

You are a world-renowned billionaire, and many of the companies under the Chenguang Group are not publicly listed.

The only listed company is Morning Light Music (American), which doesn't have much of a relationship with its local parent company.

In short, Chenguang Group is Zhang Chen's personal fiefdom.

In a company where you can do whatever you want, are you supposed to consider the opinions of other employees?
In the entertainment industry, to put it bluntly, these powerful figures can make anyone famous if they want them to.

For people like them, wanting someone to hand over their interests is as simple as saying the word.

Therefore, Lee Soo-man didn't believe a word of Zhang Chen's suggestion that the opinions of other artists in the company should be considered.

“There you go.”

Lee Soo-man once again felt the same sense of powerlessness he had felt from Zhang Chen five years ago.

Five years ago, it was Zhang Chen who, riding the wave of the World Cup, put Lee Soo-man in a completely passive position.

This time, Zhang Chen's global influence, brought together by Lin Yoona and Choi Sooyoung, once again made Lee Soo-man feel powerless.

Looking at Lee Soo-man's dejected expression, Zhang Chen chuckled and said something that sent chills down the spines of Lee Soo-man and the other two.

"I'm here to acquire your three companies."

Not only Lin Xiuman and his two companions, but even Liu Yifei, who was standing next to him, turned around abruptly and looked at Zhang Chen with an incredulous expression.

All four of them had anticipated Zhang Chen's purpose.

But I never dared to think in that direction.

The reason is very simple.

“Impossible!” Lee Soo-man frowned, looking at Zhang Chen with a serious expression. “Lyon, you should know how much South Korea values ​​the cultural and entertainment industry.”

Since the Asian financial crisis of 1997, South Korea's economy has been severely damaged.

Therefore, the South Korean government decided to shift from manufacturing to knowledge-based industries.

Among them, Kim Dae-jung positioned the cultural industry (including entertainment, film and television, games, etc.) as a "national strategic industry in the 21st century".

Furthermore, in 1999, the South Korean Cultural Industry Promotion Agency (KOCCA) was established to coordinate and promote the development of the cultural content industry.

The Cultural Industry Promotion Law was also introduced, providing tax incentives, financial support, and export support.

It is no exaggeration to say that the cultural industry is now a pillar industry of South Korea.

Although they cannot compare with giants like Samsung in terms of industry scale, entertainment companies like SM Entertainment have an influence in the domestic market that is unmatched by bosses in other industries.

Under these circumstances, the South Korean government would absolutely not allow foreign capital to penetrate into their territory.

Even the United States can't get involved.

Li Xiuman also learned through some channels that the current head of the Li family is proposing a "culture-based nation-building" strategy.

The time will be next year.

The goal is to transform South Korea into a global cultural content powerhouse.

Currently, the "Korean Wave Development Fund" is in the planning stage.

If all goes as expected, his SM Entertainment, as well as JYP and YG, will be able to obtain funding and enter the "overseas expansion" phase.

At this critical juncture, does Zhang Chen want to get involved?
Totally impossible!
They were still thinking about "fighting their way out," but Zhang Chen "fighted in" ahead of time and blocked them at their doorstep.

"Chairman Li, are you short of money?"

Zhang Chen's words calmed down Lee Soo-man, who had been looking very serious.

For him, patriotism?
can.

But when it comes to money and patriotism, it depends on which one can bring him more benefits.

Lee Soo-man remained silent, watching Jang Chen and waiting for him to "raise the stakes" further.

Zhang Chen didn't care about Lee Soo-man's attitude and said directly, "You should know that I recently received a sum of money, and I'm wondering how to spend it."

Lee Soo-man's heart skipped a beat.

This money.
If nothing unexpected happens, it should be what everyone is guessing—that Zhang Chen obtained it from "stock selling".

The general estimate for this amount is around $200 billion.

Regardless of how much benefit these three companies can gain from policy in the future.

Judging from the current value of the three companies.

SM Entertainment went public in 2000 and currently has a market capitalization of approximately $1 million.

JYP Entertainment went public in 2001 and currently has a market capitalization of approximately $6000 million.

YG Entertainment went public in 2006 with a market capitalization of only $800 million.

The three companies, with a combined value of less than $200 million, are lambs to the slaughter in front of Zhang Chen, who has at least $2 billion.

"President Li, I have a question for you."

Zhang Chen didn't continue the previous topic, but instead looked at Lee Soo-man seriously and asked, "Where do you think is the most ideal market for South Korea to expand beyond its homeland?"

Upon hearing Zhang Chen's question, Li Xiuman realized the seriousness of the problem.

There's no need to even think about that.

South Korea wants to expand its local cultural industry, and the ideal market is naturally China, which is closest to it and also has the largest population in the world.

Moreover, China's development in the past two years has been remarkable.

Even Hollywood in the United States is looking to China for the future.

Because, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Chinese market will undoubtedly become a territory that the whole world will be vying for in the future.

And they want to enter the Chinese market.
Lee Soo-man looked at Zhang Chen, who had a faint smile on his face, and fell silent.

Want to bypass Chenguang Group in the competition of China's cultural industry?
It is tantamount to a fantasy.

In the film industry, Chenguang Cinemas owns more than half of the screens in China.

In the music market, Morning Light Music is not only a world-class enterprise, but also the only comprehensive record company in China that simultaneously possesses online and offline sales channels.

Not to mention the huge number of top-tier singers, even world-class top-tier singers, within Morning Light Entertainment.

Perhaps the only chance is in TV dramas, which are difficult for Chenguang Group to get involved in.

For various reasons, Chenguang Group finds it difficult to get involved in the affairs of major television stations.

Therefore, this is the only weakness of Chenguang Group.

However, Chenguang Group is also exporting various high-quality TV dramas.

In particular, the variety show sector is at the forefront of the times.

Both "The Voice of China" and "Morning Light Beyond Class" are phenomenal variety shows.

If a company like Chenguang Group were their ally in entering the Chinese market, then everything would be fine.

If they are opponents.
That will be the beginning of a nightmare!
"President Li, what's your decision?"

(End of this chapter)