The Entertainment Industry in Turmoil: Young Actresses All Want to Rise to the Top

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A few days before Shen Mo went to attend the wedding, something quite significant happened in the entertainment industry.

Although this incident was not as shocking as the collapse of Huayi, it still caused quite a stir and sighs within the film and television industry.

Li Ming, chairman of Xiaoma Benteng, died suddenly of a heart attack.

The news shocked the industry.

Xiaoma is a top-tier film and television company in the industry, having produced and invested in works such as "Longmen Express", "The Crossing", and "My Own Swordsman".

Li Ming is also known for his kindness and righteousness. Many talented people in Xiaoma chose to stay here because of his loyalty and sense of mission.

However, the seeds of Xiaoma's crisis had been sown several years earlier.

In 2011, when accepting financing from China Construction Bank, Xiaoma signed a special performance-based agreement.

In other words, if Xiaoma had not gone public before 2014, the actual controllers of Xiaoma, namely the Li family, would have had to repurchase the Xiaoma shares held by Jianyin.

However, Xiaoma Investment suffered heavy losses due to investment mistakes in the past two years, and its listing process was repeatedly thwarted. Ultimately, it failed to open the door to the capital market within the performance guarantee period.

If Li Ming were still alive, there might have been room for maneuver, but his sudden death turned this betting agreement into a death sentence.

The pressure did not disappear with his departure; instead, it fell on his widow, Jin Yan, who was appointed chairman of the board at this critical moment.

Despite this, Jin Yan is not actually the actual controller of Xiao Ma.

Because Li Ming's older sister, Li Li, and younger sister, Li Ping, hold more shares.

Before Li Ming's body was even cold, a civil war over control of the company had already quietly begun.

The Li sisters, Li Li and Li Ping, publicly questioned Jin Yan's leadership abilities and fought for control of the company.

Even though everyone knows they are holding the shares on behalf of Li Ming, no one can produce a shareholding agreement.

Even more fatally, the equity held by key employees on behalf of Li Li, which Li Ming had promised to incentivize the core team, was unilaterally denied by Li Li.

This move completely chilled the hearts of the veteran officials.

As a result, within a short period of time, Xiaoma's general manager, vice president, top screenwriter, and even the former vice chairman Zhong Lifang all became disheartened and submitted their resignations one after another.

In addition to internal troubles, there are also external threats.

The repurchase payment in the CCB betting agreement became a huge burden on Jin Yan.

She tried several times to bring in new investors to pay for the buyback, but these attempts were rejected by the Li sisters.

Just as Jianyin was about to join forces with the two sisters to completely remove Jin Yan from her position as chairman.

Inkmarks have come to Jin Yan.

Jin Yan looked haggard, her eyes full of exhaustion, yet still carrying a hint of stubbornness.

Without any unnecessary pleasantries, Shen Mo cut straight to the point, presenting Jin Yan with a concise outline of the plan.

Jin Yan quickly skimmed through the outline, her fingers trembling slightly.

The core of the plan actually boils down to two points.

One is that Mohen invested 10 billion yuan to acquire two assets under Xiaoma.

One part is the core film and television production team, and the other part is the cinema assets that are taking shape but have not yet been completed and opened for business.

The proceeds from this acquisition can be used to repay part of Jianyin's repurchase debt, greatly alleviating her immediate financial pressure.

Another key point is that Mohen transferred the 5% stake in Xiaoma that it had previously acquired to Jinyan at a price far below the current market valuation.

This 5% stake, combined with what Jin Yan originally held, while not enough for her to have absolute control, was sufficient to withstand a joint attack from the Li sisters.

Shen Mo looked at the hope and struggle flashing in Jin Yan's eyes and spoke.

"We've sold the production team and theater chains to InkSign, and we'll let them shine under the new system."

"It's better than letting it fall apart completely due to internal strife, wouldn't you say?"

"Besides, only when you have these 5% of the shares will Chairman Jin be qualified to continue sitting in this position and controlling Xiaoma, right?"

He paused, his tone frank yet sharp.

"For you, this is a desperate measure to save your life, a sacrifice to save the king, but it is also the only option that may allow you and Mr. Li Ming to preserve your legacy and avoid total annihilation."

Jin Yan gripped the outline tightly, her knuckles turning white.

She knew that this was a sacrifice of Xiaoma's most core assets.

But she also knew better than anyone what kind of ending awaited Xiaoma without external intervention.

Shen Mo's plan, though cruel, still left a glimmer of hope and the initiative.

While Shen Mo was negotiating with Jin Yan, the recruitment of talent was also proceeding efficiently and simultaneously on the other side.

Those core members of Xiaoma who had previously left out of despair have successively received olive branches extended by Mohen.

In fact, as early as when Mohen invested in Xiaoma, Shen Mo instructed Chen Jun to establish initial contact with these core talents of the Xiaoma system.

At that time, a sense of goodwill towards Inkhen's professionalism and vision was planted in the hearts of those who had not yet left the company.

At that moment, Mohen's formal invitation was extended to them.

Upon learning that Mohen was negotiating with Jin Yan to help Xiao Ma resolve his debt issues, stabilize the situation for Jin Yan, and even secure a dignified outcome, he realized that Mohen was indeed negotiating with Jin Yan.

The feelings and remembrance for Li Ming have been put to rest and comforted, and at least his widow has been properly taken care of.

As for the remaining invitations from multiple companies, there were naturally no obstacles to joining Mohen.

Shen Mo even met directly with Zhong Lifang to merge the previously acquired Huayi Cinema Line and the newly acquired Xiaoma Cinema Line into Mohen Cinema Line, which was then handed over to her for management.

Chen Zhixi then integrated and reorganized the production team, screenwriters, and directors that Shen Mo had acquired with Mohen's original team.

With the infusion of fresh blood, the ink marks' steps become increasingly steady and powerful.

Those with discerning eyes in the entertainment industry have noticed that although Huayi has fallen, it seems that Mohen has risen up.

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Just as Mohen was quietly growing stronger, the film market also received good news.

The film version of "Beijing Love Story," co-produced by Mohen Pictures and Tencent Pictures, has undergone intensive post-production and a large-scale publicity campaign.

Finally, it officially hit theaters nationwide during the New Year season.

This drama is directed by Chen Sicheng and brings together Liang Jiahui, Liu Jialin, Yang Mi, and some rising popular actors under Mohen, such as Wang Anyu and Wang Churan.

The market response was so enthusiastic that it exceeded the expectations of many industry insiders.

The film accurately captures the complex mindset of urban men and women towards love and reality. It has both the audience base accumulated from the TV series and the support of a more dramatic narrative and star-studded cast.

In terms of promotion, it combines Mohen's expertise in emotional topic marketing with Tencent's ubiquitous online channel coverage.

They accurately seized the opportunity presented by the Spring Festival holiday and cleverly leveraged Valentine's Day marketing.

The film easily broke the 100 million mark at the box office on its opening day, sparking a movie-going frenzy.

In its first three days, the box office grossed over 200 million yuan.

Ultimately, it concluded with a total box office of 4.05 million yuan.

For a romance film with a production cost of 4000 million yuan, this figure represents an amazing return on investment.

It not only brought in extremely considerable profits, but more importantly, it marked Penguin Pictures' first appearance as a film producer.

This near-perfect performance has established a formidable position not only in the market but also within Tencent.

The moment the good news arrived, Shen Mo's phone was almost bombarded with calls from Sun Zhonghuai.

"President Shen! President Shen! Did you see that? Over 100 million on the first day!"

On the other end of the phone, Sun Zhonghuai's voice was loud and excited, completely losing his usual calm and composure as an internet elite, and revealing a triumphant excitement.

"We did it! Tencent Pictures' first shot, following Mohen's lead, was a really big hit! Hahaha!"

Shen Mo held the phone a little further away from his ear, a smile playing on his lips, and waited for Sun Zhonghuai's initial excitement to subside before calmly responding.

"I saw it, Mr. Sun. The results are indeed impressive. Congratulations to Tencent Pictures on their successful start."

"This also proves our initial judgment: good content will be rewarded by the market."

"It's not just a return, it's a return that exceeded expectations!"

Sun Zhonghuai was still excited, "That kid Chen Sicheng, he's really got some skills at directing."

"Inkmark's ability to select books is truly remarkable!"

Shen Mo replied, "The most important thing is the cooperation between our two companies this time. From the initial investment decision to the later publicity and distribution, President Sun cannot overlook it."

Sun Zhonghuai's smile remained unbroken. "Of course I remember! But, Mr. Shen, I still have to thank you properly; this collaboration was incredibly smooth!"

Shen Mo smiled and said, "Mr. Sun, you're too kind. It's a win-win situation."

"Win-win, yes, it's all about win-win!"

Sun Zhonghuai said eagerly, "President Shen, let me tell you, after this battle, the board of directors has greatly increased their confidence in our entertainment sector!"

"There will only be more resources in the future!"

"We must strike while the iron is hot and solidify and deepen this cooperation model!"

"I've already had people organizing our IP library and project plans. If you guys at Mohen have any good ideas, don't keep them to yourselves!"

"We can plan out movies, TV series, and even variety shows!"

Sun Zhonghuai's excitement and eagerness were not mere politeness.

For Tencent Pictures, although it has the backing of Tencent, it also urgently needs to prove itself to the market and to Tencent.

The success of "Beijing Love Story" at this moment was like a shot in the arm, completely opening up new possibilities for him.

The collaboration with Mohen has proven to be an efficient, reliable, and fast way to produce blockbuster products.

How could he not be eager to upgrade this cooperative relationship into a closer strategic alliance?

"Don't worry, Mr. Sun," Shen Mo said calmly.

"The success of 'Beijing Love Story' is just the beginning. As for future collaborations, Zhixi should already have some preliminary project proposals."

"We will arrange a high-level meeting as soon as possible to systematically plan the joint development program for the next one to two years."

"Good, good, good! That's what I've been waiting for!" Sun Zhonghuai repeatedly praised.

"I'll immediately have my team follow up and screen potential collaboration projects!"

"Mr. Shen, next time you come to Shenzhen, I will definitely host a grand banquet to thank you!"

After hanging up the phone, Shen Mo's smile deepened.

The success of "Beijing Love Story" was expected, but Sun Zhonghuai's enthusiastic response was unexpected.

After all, a film like "Beijing Love Story" that did reasonably well at the box office shouldn't have caused him to act like this.

Upon closer examination, it is highly likely related to the cooperation on the Huayi incident some time ago, as well as the recent events such as Mohen's acquisition of Xiaoma's production department.

His eagerness to bind them actually brought Mohen additional strategic value.

This means that in the upcoming competition for industry resources and projects, InkHand has more leverage and its alliance with Tencent is stronger.

This is not only about the profit of a single project, but also about the confidence to compete on streaming platforms, IP collaborations, and even against other potential competitors in the future.

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

While Inkstone and Tencent Pictures were enjoying great success in the film market, exciting news also came from another side.

"The Ferryman," co-produced by Mohen Pictures and Kiwi, has finally been officially launched.

Because the subject matter involved ghosts and supernatural elements, it was unable to be broadcast on satellite TV.

However, this did not prevent it from sparking a viewing frenzy online. In fact, due to the special nature of its subject matter, it triggered an even stronger desire among young viewers to follow the series and engage in discussions.

This version of "The Ferryman" represents a comprehensive leap in quality compared to the original version from Shen Mo's past life.

Thanks to the stimulation from Mohen, Baidu increased its investment in kiwifruit in advance. With the joint production of Mohen, this version of "Soul Ferry" can be said to have extremely abundant funds.

This also resulted in a more cinematic feel to the composition and lighting, with meticulous attention to detail in the costumes, props, and sets.

In terms of the cast, Li Xian, Zhang Songwen, and Li Lin, as the male lead, second male lead, and female lead respectively, all delivered extremely superb acting performances.

At the same time, because it is a supernatural subject, Mohen did not skimp on investment, hiring a professional special effects team to bring out the visual impact to the fullest.

Meanwhile, the marketing teams of Mohen and Kiwi worked closely together to create multi-layered discussions and consistently topped the Weibo hot search list during the broadcast.

Therefore, on its first day of release, "The Ferryman" garnered over 8000 million views, a figure that directly sparked a trending topic on Weibo as the first drama produced by Kiwi.

Because it doesn't need to be broadcast on a satellite TV network, Kiwi boldly chose to release all 20 episodes within 10 days, maintaining a tight pace that kept viewers highly engaged.

By the day of the finale, the cumulative viewership had easily surpassed 10 billion, making it the undisputed "flagship hit" of Kiwi.

What pleased Tao the most was the commercial conversion data; the show brought Tao over a million new paid members that month.

This membership revenue alone has fully covered the platform's investment costs in "Soul Ferry" and has even generated considerable profits.

This is of great significance to Tao, which is still in the investment phase and urgently needs to prove its business model.

The day after the finale, Shen Mo received a congratulatory phone call from Gong Yu, the CEO of Tao.

Unlike Sun Zhonghuai's overt excitement, Gong Yu's tone was calmer, but his joy and emphasis were equally evident.

The content of the discussion was similar to that of Sun Zhonghuai, mainly focusing on further project cooperation and prioritizing platforms for launching non-cooperative projects.

He even offered quite favorable profit-sharing terms for this.

But Shen Mo also knew that this was based on the premise that Mohen had no defeats at the moment.

If a series of failures occur, these revenue-sharing conditions will likely be out of the question. Of course, this is not a problem for Inkmark now.

"The Shura Field of Chinese Entertainment: All the Young Actresses Want to Rise to the Top" - Stunning writing and a thrilling plot!