Generation Z Artists

Chapter 382 The Sunken Ship
When news of Huayi's impending downfall spread throughout the industry, Tangren immediately knelt down and scurried off to apologize to Liu Yifei.

This is the first time Fang Xinghe has demonstrated methods other than propaganda warfare.

They were so scared they peed their pants after just one time.

The entire industry began to live in fear, quietly awaiting the ministry's final judgment.

The ethics committee's review results were formally reported to both ministries.

The evaluation results will be formally submitted to the meeting.

The meeting approved the resolution.

The entertainment industry is experiencing an unprecedented surge of excitement.

The performing arts industry association made a couple of moves—

First, they summoned Fang Xinghe for a meeting, gave him a serious reprimand, and demanded that he be careful with his words and actions, regulate his thinking, face up to his mistakes, and issue a notice within the industry association.

Fang didn't argue at all; he just nodded obediently the whole time.

When the news spread, there was a chorus of exclamations.

The baby's breath had just started to stir, but then I looked at the situation at Huayi... Sorry, I shouted too early, everything's fine now.

Secondly, using its authority, it determined that Huayi had "misbehaved and violated regulations," demanding that Huayi publicly apologize to the victims, admit its mistakes to the whole society, and calling on members to jointly boycott Huayi within the industry.

A united industry boycott would mean not inviting, not organizing, not providing publicity or promotion, and not cooperating with them.

This is not an administrative penalty, and its binding force is quite limited.

In the past, similar initiatives from industry associations were ignored by large companies. If they didn't want to pay attention, they could simply walk away without bothering to do anything about it.

Now, just after the announcement was released, several of Huayi's projects have fallen through, and many producers and screenwriters in the industry have chosen to distance themselves from Huayi.

Are those people afraid of penalties from the industry association?
Of course not, it's purely because the petty-minded Brother Fang is too scary. He's so rich and so lacks any sense of martial ethics. Who wouldn't be afraid of him?
The trial documents couldn't be kept confidential, and once the news got out, the image of the "Demon Boys" side was completely tarnished.

Outsiders may not understand the details of the trial decision, but to industry insiders, every word of that chain of evidence reveals a cruelty and bloodshed far beyond the entertainment industry.

For example, Xiao Xie felt a chill run down his spine, but was also extremely relieved: "Damn it! It turns out Brother Fang really went easy on me?"

"You're only finding out now?" Ms. Huo rolled her eyes at him. "If Fang Sheng wanted to target you, you would have been finished long ago."

Of course, it wasn't just Nicholas Tse who was terrified; the entire Hong Kong entertainment circle was in an uproar.

The Hong Kong Island Performing Arts Association and the Mainland Performing Arts Association are not affiliated with each other. Both are self-regulatory organizations within their respective circles, with narrow boundaries of disciplinary authority and quite limited disciplinary capabilities.

The problem is, the performing arts association can also tattle, and after tattlement, the higher-ups really take action...

Guangzong and Wenhua each moved slightly.

What Guang Zong did was very simple—to designate Huo as a disgraced artist and impose a ban on him from the entire industry.

The announcement sent shockwaves across the country.

This was the first officially issued ban and punishment document in the history of Chinese entertainment, known as the No. 1 Ban Order.

Although the target of the ban was just an unknown second- or third-rate actress, the significance of this document was not in who was banned, but in that it ushered in a "bloody era" of entertainment where mistakes were punished.

The phrase "bloody era" is the original text that Lieyanshan wrote in the article title.

The media outlets were extremely dissatisfied with this punishment, which they deemed a "serious violation of practitioners' freedom of speech." They were furious and launched a large-scale critique on the spot, with wave after wave of protests.

This time, however, the state media will not tolerate them.

“Management measures are also laws. Under the premise of clear regulations, management departments can deal with violators and those who violate the law according to the actual situation. This would also be a reasonable behavior in your Western father’s country.”

Faced with this indisputable fact, the 14 ugly group failed to come up with any decent rebuttal, resorting to their old tricks—distorting the facts and inciting emotions.

However, most people didn't listen to their nonsense. They found the gossip in the entertainment industry fresh and sweet. When you're in the middle of gossip, who cares if you're juicy or not?
The emotional manipulation of the media can generally only be fully displayed in social events. The entertainment industry is a place for entertainment; if you insist on lecturing a badger, then sorry, the badger will burrow into the ground.

Sure enough, the media frenzy died down in less than two days.

This is the first time they've lost to a gossip tabloid.

These tabloids are really malicious. They found out some inside information, and then, relying on their familiarity with wordplay, they started fabricating new rumors.

For example, two photos are displayed, one on the left and one on the right. The left photo shows Mr. Wang and Ms. Huo embracing in an ambiguous way, while the right photo shows Mr. Wang and Mr. Li interacting from a specific angle in a public setting.

Article title: "President Wang's old love is gone, and his new love is about to be exposed. Perhaps it's not that beauty is fragile, but that this whip is poisonous!"

Pfft! Hahahaha!

This ingenious train of thought amused Fang Xinghe; as a leader of an online troll army, he had never possessed such talent before…

But he never applies double standards. Once he decides to crack down on rumors, he treats all situations equally.

You can't spread rumors about our CEO Wang!

After my initial indignation subsided, I took a closer look and realized, oh, it really is a damn Hong Kong tabloid...

Okay, then it's fine. It's really beyond our reach and our control. Who told us that the law supports writing it this way?

However, the overall atmosphere in the industry has been significantly improved domestically.

The other side of the cultural rhetoric was even more terrifying—they classified Huayi as a culturally dishonest enterprise, imposed an administrative fine of 50 yuan, and imposed a three-year market access ban on General Manager Wang.

Good news: Huayi's film and television license has not been revoked.

Bad news: Little Wang is gone!
The market access ban means he must leave Huayi and can no longer be specifically responsible for any of the company's affairs.

On the day the document was issued, Xiao Wang's office erupted in a cacophony of activity, like firecrackers going off. Everything that could be smashed was destroyed, and his furious roars could be heard intermittently in the hallway.

"I'm not done with that bastard!"

Oh.

Ambitious.

But the real issue is this... Is Brother Fang not planning to let this go?

Wang Charlie said with a grin, "Now, our family and Huayi have become mortal enemies. Things are about to get interesting."

Fang Xinghe replied casually, "Just kill him completely, and then there'll be no more grudges, right?"

Wang Chali wasn't too optimistic: "Jack Ma has invested, so they should be able to hold on for a long time, right?"

Fang smiled and said, "Jack Ma is nothing to worry about. Keep an eye on Focus Media and see what they're planning."

This isn't just boasting. Jack Ma isn't the "father of Jack Ma" yet, and Focus Media's advertising resources have been a major channel for film promotion and distribution for the past decade.

Jiangnan Dong is much more important than Jack Ma, and also much smarter.

Before the news could spread, he went into hiding and never showed his face again. When the news finally broke and the media wanted to interview him, he said, "Thank you for the invitation, I'm abroad, I just got off the plane..." Even while abroad, he didn't forget to call Brother De and explain, "It was just a very routine business dinner. I didn't expect these people to lose their tongues after a few drinks and say anything. Of course, I absolutely did not participate in the related topics; I just had to go through the motions out of politeness."

Brother De gave a forced smile and snorted twice: "Heh, what are you saying? Since Guangzong Culture didn't punish Fenzhong, then of course you're an innocent bystander. Our Xinghe style has always been to find the culprit and hold the debtor accountable. Don't worry, no matter what happens, it won't affect you. After all, you're not part of Huayi's family..."

Give Brother De a round of applause! Look at how well he's using that little hammer!

Whether Focus Media is still willing to invest in Huayi is uncertain at this point, but they should have given it careful consideration.

If they insist on getting involved with Huayi, then let's kill one more person. What's the big deal?
As a result, everyone underestimated Focus Media's ingenuity.

A few days later, the media photographed Yu, the CEO of Focus Media, leaving the headquarters of Orange Sky Media Group. Wang Jinhua and Wu, the CEO, warmly saw him off, which moved the business community.

Wow, they really went all out... To show they had nothing to do with Huayi, they went to visit their mortal enemy. Were they afraid their kind father, Daddy Fang, would think too much?
After this incident, the entertainment industry has finally come to fully recognize Fang Xinghe's formidable power.

Huayi was shrouded in gloom and despair.

Liu Yan, the general manager of the entertainment marketing department, hurried upstairs in her high heels, personally bringing an apology statement for General Manager Wang to approve—from now on, there will be no more distinction between "General Manager Wang" and "General Manager Wang"; there will only be one General Manager Wang. Please be aware.

Jun took a couple of patient glances at it, then tossed it aside.

Has the communication made any progress?

“Uh…” Liu Yan secretly groaned, but finally shook her head with a forced smile. “No, Mr. Wang, Zhang Jizhong is still determined to terminate the contract.”

"Hmm. What about Li Bo, Wu Yi, and their group?"

"They're doing alright. The studio has been set up and the project is in the works. They've all expressed their willingness to stand with the company through thick and thin."

"They were on the boat, and they didn't have any swim rings, so how could they dare to jump in?"

Jun Ge chuckled self-deprecatingly, his emotions remarkably stable.

However, the mention of Zhang and Feng that followed made his face turn frosty.

“Zhang Jizhong is different from Xiao Gang. They not only have swimming rings, but they are also very capable. If they are really forced to do something, they can still jump up and splash around a bit, and the chances of getting ashore are fifty-fifty. So you won’t get anything useful from talking to them now.”

Liu Yan felt a surge of sincere admiration.

She vividly remembers how President Wang managed to keep the company's morale high these past few days.

To be fair, Mr. Wang is one of the most outstanding managers she has ever met.

However, this formidable CEO Wang almost squandered his years of hard work in one fell swoop due to a moment of arrogance, which is truly regrettable.
With a lump in her throat, Liu Yan choked up and said, "I will talk to Zhang Jizhong again. He's not entirely clean either. He had to kick me when I'm down like this. I will never let him get away with this!"

"It's not that bad." Mr. Wang sighed. "We can't afford any more damage to our reputation. In this industry, apart from those young people who haven't had a chance to rise to the top, who can say they're clean? Who's really that much better than anyone else?"
The "fight to the death" approach isn't suitable now. The fish might not die, but our net is definitely going to break... Forget it, let him go.

So, just one day before Huayi officially published its apology statement, Lao Zhang stole the spotlight.

"I have officially terminated my contract with Huayi Brothers and am no longer a contracted producer under their umbrella..."

The reporter couldn't help but question, "At a time like this..."

What does "this kind of time" mean?

Old Zhang interrupted him on the spot, extremely angry.

"I signed with Huayi Brothers only because of work requirements. How was I supposed to know they were so shady behind the scenes?"
Sisi is a child I discovered; seeing her is like seeing my own daughter.

Director Fang is my best partner. The TV series "The Return of the Condor Heroes" that we co-created has even been sold to the United States!

If I had known about this earlier, I would have pointed my finger at Wang Lei and cursed him out!

"Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together; it's that simple!"

Wang Si got so angry that he started smashing things again, cursing the old scoundrel for half the night.

But Mr. Wang remained calm and didn't offer any explanation; he simply published an apology statement.

With this, Zhang Jizhong disembarked, and Huayi lost a top producer.

On the other hand, Little Cannon's attitude is also extremely intriguing.

On one hand, he pounded his chest in front of the media and said, "Who am I, Feng Xiaopao? The most righteous man in Beijing! This matter is indeed unethical, I don't deny that, but at this moment, under these circumstances, how could I possibly leave?"

On one hand, he kept sending messages to Brother De: "Brother, I'm just a middle-aged literary youth who's focused on filming. I really don't know anything about those things. Please explain to President Fang. Every time I see him, it's like seeing the Purple Star. I really admire him... By the way, brother, why doesn't our company have opened a single studio?"

Brother De was overjoyed, laughing like a 300-pound child.

"Look, even the little cannon is getting off the bus!"

Fang Xinghe glanced at the text message and couldn't help but chuckle as well.

"Boss, what should we do with him?" Dong Youde asked again.

Fang Xinghe thought for a moment, but couldn't figure out what kind of great evil Xiao Gangpao might have besides worldly interests and frivolous sentiments, so he let go.

"It would be best to fund an independent studio for him. If he insists on coming here, that's fine too, but we need to warn him in advance not to bring any of the industry's bad practices into my sight, or I'll personally deal with him."

Xiao Gangpao once forced a young girl to dance while drunk, and he often jumped up and down cursing the audience. He was the kind of despicable person who had no morals.

However, there are priorities and urgency in everything.

The top priority right now is to take down Huayi Brothers as soon as possible and get this capital company out of the entertainment industry so as not to waste the golden age of Chinese film and television.

As a leading private enterprise, Huayi has been involved in finance, real estate, internal corruption, external drinking, guiding foreign investment, and supporting various projects with ulterior motives, creating a chaotic and corrupt environment in the industry.

Its harmfulness far exceeds that of any individual within the circle.

What the leader sets the example for, others will naturally follow suit. Therefore, at least one-third of the chaos in China's film and television industry can be attributed to the two Wangs.

By the way, they were the first to introduce the performance-based incentive model into the entertainment industry, forcing stars and directors to desperately strive for performance targets.

How many bad movies, bad dramas, and low viewership ratings are due to this kind of short-sighted pursuit of quick success?

Previously, Fang Xinghe hadn't developed his skills or gained enough status, so he quietly focused on developing his abilities and kept his distance from Huayi.

Now, he finally has the chance to vent his anger for all movie fans. He can tolerate not only a small gun, but also Tsui Hark.

Issues of personal morality can be rectified gradually.

As long as the overall atmosphere in the circle improves and regulations become stricter, many people simply won't get carried away.

Of course, Madam Lu couldn't tolerate it; he had to sink with Hua Yi.

Fang Xinghe's idea was simple and clear, and he immediately used Zhang Jizhong as an example—invest in a studio, you just need to find projects, and I, the richest man in the country, will take care of the money!
The news was published in the newspaper, on the front page.

The remaining group of star directors and producers at Huayi Brothers are all in complete disarray.

Anyone with even a sliver of hope was frantically thinking and praying—where is the next job? Someone please come and help me out of this mess!
(End of this chapter)