Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 360 An earthquake in the entertainment industry—it's time to seize the power of discourse.

Huayi, Chairman's Office.

Realizing that the company's strategic development was flawed, Wang Zhongjun, who decided to revive the film industry and gradually return to work, is currently sitting on the sofa smoking with a melancholy expression.

In his presence, Wang Zhonglei was like an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth in circles while muttering to himself.

"Damn it, Yan Shouyi is a mad dog..."

"It's a fight to the death from the start..."

"After yesterday's talks, not only did they not compromise, but they also pulled a big stunt today..."

Upon hearing his younger brother's report, Wang Zhongjun frowned, finished the remaining half of his cigarette in one go, and then exhaled a long breath.

Extinguishing his cigarette, Wang Zhongjun frowned and glanced at Wang Zhonglei, saying in a tone of resolute determination, "Let's cut ties! We can't save her now, let's not let her affect us."

"Brother, can you cut it?"

"We'll cut as much as we can. The higher-ups have been very dissatisfied with the way things have been done in the industry these past few years. They were looking for an example to make, and then this happened. We've just run into the line of fire!"

"So you mean Cellphone 2 is beyond saving?"

"Forget about that! I just hope other movies won't be affected..."

Before Wang Zhongjun could finish speaking, the landline in front of him started ringing.

He glanced at Wang Zhonglei, signaling him to be quiet, and then immediately picked up the phone.

As soon as the call connected, Wang Zhongjun's expression immediately turned serious. Throughout the entire conversation, he could only agree without questioning or raising any objections.

When the call ended, Wang Zhongjun put the landline back, and his already bitter face seemed to wilted instantly.

Seeing his older brother's expression, Wang Zhonglei's heart sank instantly: "Brother, what's wrong?"

"The commotion is too big to be contained, it's impossible to contain it! Just look at the company's stock price."

Wang Zhonglei quickly took out his phone, opened Tonghuashun (a Chinese stock trading platform), and checked the top-pinned Huayi stock listing. What caught his eye was a vibrant color and an unwavering, steady presence...

"Is it that serious?"

“Typical? Do you even know what a typical case is? We’re actually doing alright; Tangde is probably in even worse shape.”

"What should I do?"

"Cut it off, cut it off quickly. Don't take any chances. It's better to kill the wrong person than to hold back. As for Da Hei Niu, let him do whatever he wants. Anyway, the company doesn't have any resources to give him."

Wang Zhongjun waved his hand dismissively, showing no regard for their past relationship.

Compared to him, Wang Zhonglei's heart softened a little: "Brother, do you really want to do this?"

"Indecisiveness leads to disaster."

"Okay, I understand."

Wang Zhonglei only has this much soft heart, nothing more.

With the decision made, the atmosphere in the office eased a bit, and Wang Zhonglei began to review and summarize the situation.

"Brother, how come the news spread so fast this time? We couldn't suppress it even if we wanted to."

"There are more people online now! Do you think it's still the same as before, where we could buy a few gossip tabloids and say whatever we wanted? Times have changed. A news item posted on Weibo can spread in an hour, and Douyin is even faster."

"Douyin..."

Wang Zhonglei murmured with a complicated expression.

He had initially suspected that "Cell Phone 2" might have been a setup, but then he realized that Yan Shouyi and Chen Xiu weren't close, and that this whole thing was instigated by Feng Xiaogang's script.

Ultimately, it was their own fault. They wanted to film Yan Shouyi's story but didn't consult with the other party beforehand, which led to two major attacks from the other party.

If you do something wrong, admit it; if you get punished, stand up straight...

Thinking of this, Wang Zhonglei stopped worrying: "Brother, I'll go take care of my work now."

"Okay, hurry up."

Wang Zhongjun gave his instructions, but his tightly furrowed brows never relaxed.

For some reason, he had a feeling that this matter wasn't over yet, and he felt uneasy, as if a storm was brewing...

Meanwhile, Chen Xiu, who had returned to the capital after filming "The Xuanwu Gate Incident," also met with three important guests in the office of Datang Film Studio.

In the reception area, Chen Xiu sat on a single sofa, her gaze sweeping from left to right across the faces of Gong Yu, Sun Zhonghuai, and Fan Luyuan, taking in their expressions clearly.

Surprisingly, the three of them had almost identical expressions, all with their eyes darting around nervously, as if waiting for the other to speak first.

After waiting a few more minutes, Chen Xiu decided she didn't want to waste any more time with them.

"The three of you, what are your thoughts on the proposal I just mentioned?"

"Mr. Chen, why did you suddenly think of limiting celebrities' salaries?"

Fan Luyuan was the first to ask a question. As the head of Ali Entertainment, he was there on behalf of Youku. However, as soon as he sat down, he was stunned by the information bombshell dropped by Chen Xiu.

He didn't understand why there was a need to restrict celebrities' pay.

Chen Xiu's explanation was very simple, and she seemed to be completely considering their needs.

"After internet capital represented by companies like iQiyi, Tencent, and Youku entered the entertainment industry, the salaries of celebrities almost doubled. Your price gouging has made the entertainment industry a glamorous place in a very short time."

"Now that the traffic bubble is starting to burst, the proportion of idol dramas that simply focus on idols is flopping, while production costs remain high, and video platforms are suffering increasingly serious losses. Have you considered how to deal with this situation?"

"..."*3
The three people opposite remained silent.

They knew that what Chen Xiu said was true; internet capital entering the entertainment industry had to constantly burn money in order to buy dramas and acquire data.

TV dramas often run to 50-70 episodes. Besides the producers wanting to pad out the series to make money, video platforms are also happy to broadcast these long dramas to attract advertisers and inflate the platform's valuation.

However, their actions have also driven up the salaries of celebrities.

Nowadays, the combined salaries of the male and female leads in an S-level production can exceed 100 million yuan, taking up the bulk of the production cost. This has also caused headaches for the three major video websites that have started to try producing their own dramas.

They were naturally tempted by Chen Xiu's proposal to limit celebrity salaries, but there had to be a reason for everything; they couldn't just lower celebrity salaries for no reason.

Thinking of this, Gong Yu asked on behalf of herself and the other two, "President Chen, if we are going to join forces to limit celebrity salaries, we need to have a plausible reason, right?"

"reason."

Chen Xiu's gaze shifted between the three of them, and she smiled, "Isn't this recent incident a perfect excuse?"

"This is just her personal situation. Is it reasonable for us to use this to limit celebrities' salaries?"

"It's just a matter of wording. As long as it works, why are you making such a fuss? Do you want to continue being the entertainment industry's cash cow?"

This question left all three of them silent.

They're not suckers, so why would they willingly become bloodsuckers for the entertainment industry?

However, if they rashly restrict actors' salaries, the celebrities might stage a collective protest and refuse to film, and ultimately the video websites would be the first to collapse. This is the real concern of the three of them.

Seeing their hesitant expressions, Chen Xiu simply made her point clear.

"If we can unite and find a few long-term cooperating production companies to form a united front with them and implement the restrictions on actor salaries, then the industry's power in the entertainment industry will shift from those established film and television companies to our hands. That is the most important thing."

"I know that the three of you are competitors! But ultimately, we all belong to the internet industry. Even if we are going to compete, at the very least, we should set some rules first. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, all three showed expressions of excitement.

Having been in the film and television industry for so long and having tried many self-produced dramas, they deeply resent the so-called rules of the entertainment industry.

Unfortunately, people in the entertainment industry believe in this kind of thing, which leaves them feeling helpless, as they have no choice but to follow the so-called rules.

Now that they have the opportunity to take back control of the entertainment industry and redefine the rules, they are naturally happy to do so.

Just as the three were exchanging glances, Sun Zhonghuai suddenly said, "President Chen, what would happen if we joined forces to limit celebrities' salaries, and they united to refuse to make movies?"

"You overestimate these celebrities. Forget about them teaming up; if you put people of similar status at the same table, they'd still start tearing each other apart..."

Chen Xiu was very dismissive, not believing that these celebrities could achieve anything.

"What if other film and television companies joined forces?"

"That's easy! Datang Pictures has always used newcomers or veteran actors to make movies, and it proves that you can succeed without popular stars! As long as you use the saved salaries to promote the movies on Douyin, the ratings will still be guaranteed. At that time, these stars will have to give in!"

"Eh?"*3
Gong Yu, Sun Zhonghuai, and Fan Luyuan were taken aback, all thinking: How did Douyin suddenly appear? So, it turns out you were just trying to benefit your own app!

Facing the strange looks from the three, Chen Xiu said confidently, "Currently, more than 6% of TV dramas promote themselves on Douyin, and your three dramas are the main force. If you don't come to Douyin, are you going to go to Weishi?"

"Cough cough."

Sun Zhonghuai coughed several times unnaturally.

Gong Yu and Fan Luyuan finally realized just how much film and television dramas relied on Douyin as a powerful promotional tool, and how important Douyin was for film and television promotion...

Seeing their fluctuating expressions, Chen Xiu steered the conversation back a little.

"Douyin and everyone else are interdependent. Just as you are worried that celebrities will collectively boycott and lower their pay, I am also worried that you will collectively boycott Douyin. So it's better to cooperate and achieve a win-win situation."

Upon hearing this, the three men's expressions indeed improved considerably.

After reaching a consensus, the three major studios agreed to contact their long-term production companies in an effort to find more allies for the salary cap alliance.

Chen Xiu naturally agreed, since a time for the next discussion had been set, and it was impossible to finalize a decision on limiting celebrity salaries in just one meeting.

Just as the three of them got up to say goodbye, Sun Zhonghuai, who was walking at the back, suddenly reached out and pulled Chen Xiu.

Chen Xiu understood and stopped, looking up at him.

Sun Zhonghuai leaned closer and whispered, "Pony is coming to Beijing in a few days and wants to talk to you alone..."

(End of this chapter)