America: My Time

Chapter 1220 Everyone Pleads for Help
Chapter 1210 Pleading for Help
Soon, everyone knew about the company's punishment. Not only was the film industry affected, but the entire Phoenix Group was impacted. It wasn't just people in Hong Kong who knew about it; people in Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea also knew. This made many people resent these bastards and curse them for their ignorance.

When the crackdown in Hong Kong began, people from Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan all needed to make arrangements. No one wanted to go against the company's wishes at this time, and no one wanted to face the company's wrath. However, these guys were also trying to save themselves. They knew very well that if they were fired, everything would be over, so they were all trying to find someone to intercede for them.

Soon, many people came to Huang Xizhao to plead for him, but he couldn't make a decision. After all, this matter was no longer within his control. He could only push everything onto John. With the big boss around, Huang Xizhao naturally didn't want to take the blame and didn't want his own interests to be harmed. If he were to be kicked out by the boss because of these guys, that would not be the outcome he wanted!
"Sit down. I didn't expect these guys would even manage to get you to plead for them!" John couldn't help but sigh when he saw Zhang Guorong. The Phoenix Group's rapid development in Hong Kong was partly due to his efforts, especially Phoenix Films. If it were anyone else, even with Yang Gongru's intervention, it wouldn't have been effective, but Zhang Guorong was different.

“I have no choice. They came to me, and I can’t just ignore them. Besides, we’ve worked together over the years. If I refuse, they’ll say I’m cold-hearted!”

“Many people are criticizing me now, and many people in the Phoenix Group are worried about their future. There are quite a few loopholes in Phoenix Pictures, and they should be taught a lesson. The company’s rules and regulations are not just for show, and their excuses are not worth mentioning.”

Just as John finished speaking, Hong Jinbao and Yuan Biao also arrived. However, they were not necessarily persuaded by those guys. Rather, the Phoenix Group was in turmoil, which forced them to come and see John. Many people were worried that the Phoenix Group would also carry out a purge against them and that their own problems would be exposed!
"Please sit down. You're all here to plead for those guys. Looks like they're quite popular!" John sighed inwardly. This was the result of personal connections. It was truly a case of one thing affecting the whole situation. Even dealing with just a few people could change the Phoenix Group!
Hong Jinbao and Yuan Biao were well aware of the changes at Phoenix Pictures. They had also felt the difficulties in project approvals, which were no longer as smooth as before. The Phoenix Group's focus was also shifting. However, they were powerless to change it; favors had to be repaid!

Is Phoenix Pictures really at the point of needing to be scaled down? No, it hasn't reached that point yet. The reason for this arrangement is that John did it intentionally, with the aim of reorganizing the Phoenix Group. More than a decade has passed, and the entire group has undergone some negative changes, requiring a cleanup and reorganization.

Phoenix Films differs from other Hong Kong film companies in that it spans across Asia, with branches in South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. Therefore, even changes in the systems of different countries don't significantly impact Phoenix Films. This is simply John using the decline of the Hong Kong film market as a pretext to clean up Phoenix Films!
“We have no choice. Too many people have come to us to plead for them. Under these circumstances, we can’t just do nothing!” Hong Jinbao replied immediately, a troubled look on his face.

"It's not that I'm disrespecting you, but Phoenix Group needs to be reorganized. You should all know how much they've ignored Phoenix Group's rules and regulations. If this continues, even ATV will be affected. Otherwise, why would Wong Sik-chiu make such a decision? I know that Phoenix Group is in turmoil right now, but no matter how much they cause trouble, they can't change the company's decision. Those guys are definitely leaving, otherwise, even more people will ignore the company's rules and regulations in the future. However, for your sake, I won't pursue their responsibility. As for others, the company won't investigate past mistakes either, but from now on, the company's rules and regulations will be ironclad."

As soon as John finished speaking, Zhang Guorong, Hong Jinbao, and Yuan Biao all breathed a sigh of relief. With those words, they could finally relax and give everyone an explanation. Although they hadn't managed to keep those guys, this outcome was already quite good. None of the three of them had ever thought they could persuade John, the big boss, to let those guys go, and all three of them hated those guys. If it weren't for their ignorance, none of this would have happened.

"Alright, that's enough about those few people. You don't need to say anything more. From now on, Phoenix Pictures and ATV will fully implement the company's rules and regulations. Also, the projects you have need to open up to all contracted artists. There are no more excuses. Moreover, the company needs to cultivate new pillars and accelerate its expansion into the mainland. Hong Kong is just a small place with a limited market. If we stick to Hong Kong, we'll only be heading towards death."

John's words were so explicit that Hong Jinbao and Yuan Biao naturally understood that this wasn't just directed at Zhang Guorong, but at them, and at the entire Phoenix Film Company. It was clear that the boss was serious this time, planning a major overhaul of the Phoenix Group and opening up resources to mainland artists. Was this only targeting Hong Kong? No, it was targeting the entire Phoenix Group; Taiwan would also take corresponding actions. Knowing this in advance allowed them to prepare and avoid being caught off guard.

Within the Phoenix Group, very few people are qualified to visit John in person. Zhang Guorong, Hong Jinbao, and Yuan Biao can do so because of their past relationships. This, however, involves favors from people like Mi Xue and Chung Chuh-hung.

Next, John didn't dwell on the issues with the Phoenix Group members. Instead, he discussed the Hong Kong film market with several people. The reason for the continuous decline of the Hong Kong film market wasn't just the influence of triads, but more so the problems of piracy, copyright infringement, and copycatting. If those copycats could produce high-quality films, there wouldn't be any problem, and it wouldn't impact the Hong Kong film market. However, those guys were only after quick money, so naturally, they produced shoddy works, which gradually eroded the Hong Kong film market. Even Phoenix Pictures was affected as a result.

Everyone is aware of the problems and shortcomings of the Hong Kong film market, but changing it is difficult. Most importantly, Hong Kong filmmakers are increasingly moving north, further hindering its development. Not all film companies have the strength of Phoenix Media Group, which is unaffected by the influence of other Asian countries. Losing overseas markets has a huge impact on them. Furthermore, Phoenix Cinemas has its own censorship system, meaning poorly made films simply cannot be shown there, further exacerbating the problem. Of course, another reason is the crackdown on money laundering and other illegal activities. With Hong Kong's return to China, these criminal organizations dare not act so brazenly anymore. Without the influx of foreign capital, the future of the Hong Kong film market is predictable.

John was fully aware of all this, and Phoenix Pictures was prepared for it. Although John kept saying that he wanted to reduce investment in Phoenix Pictures, Huang Xizhao and other key members of the management team knew very well that the film company's investment would not decrease, but only slow down, and a lot of funds were still on the books.

What was the reason? Naturally, it was still the rectification of Phoenix Group. It can only be said that the experiences of Li Bingbing, Zeng Li and others gave John an excuse. Even without their incident, Phoenix Group would still have carried out rectification, only the reasons would be different, and it might not have been John who pushed it, but Huang Xizhao.

After their conversation, the three of them left with peace of mind. On the way back, Yuan Biao sighed, "I really didn't expect the big boss to be so easy to talk to. I originally thought we wouldn't even have a chance to see the big boss and would be turned away directly. After all, Chu Hong and Mi Xue weren't there, and Qian Wen and Zu Xian had also left. We didn't even have a chance to ask someone to plead for us!"

"You're overthinking it. Before the restructuring even started, the big boss was already prepared and knew about our concerns. You don't really think we're so influential that the big boss would give us face. That was just to appease everyone. If you think that, you're being incredibly foolish!" Hong Jinbao could see through the secret behind John's actions, but knowing was useless; he had to face it all. Wanting to film 'freely' again wouldn't be easy, and his relationships outside the company would be affected.

However, even with the restructuring of Phoenix Film Group and the impact on directors like them, Hong Jinbao had no intention of leaving. He was well aware of the changes in the Hong Kong film market and the Asian film market. If he left Phoenix Film Group, he would lose a large portion of the overseas market. Even after leaving, it wouldn't be easy for his films to be released in Phoenix cinemas, let alone be released across Asia.

Only those who truly experience the benefits of Phoenix Group can realize the magnitude of the losses incurred upon leaving. This is precisely why those guys are willing to go to any lengths to stay within Phoenix Group—are they blind to the situation? Those guys understand perfectly well, and it is precisely because they understand that they are acting so recklessly!
(End of this chapter)