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

The box office and popularity of "Detective Chinatown" continued to climb, and the cumulative box office exceeded 5 million yuan after the seven-day Spring Festival holiday.

With a commanding lead, it topped the Spring Festival film market, leaving other films released at the same time far behind.

"Mohen is really amazing! At this rate, 'Detective Chinatown' is going to hit a billion yuan. The last movie to reach that level was 'Lost in Thailand,' which they produced!"

An executive at a mid-sized film and television company in Beijing made this remark at a private dinner.

"Yes, it's just a bit too selfish. At least the last 'Lost in Thailand' film collaborated with fiber optics and shared some of the profits. This 'Detective Chinatown' film is all about them eating it all by themselves."

"That's because they have the ability. We haven't produced any high-grossing films ourselves, so who can we blame?"

"Besides, Mohen isn't exactly keeping everything to himself, is he? He's also collaborating with Tencent Pictures, hasn't he?"

"Tencent Pictures? Ha, that internet company that picked up Huayi Brothers' existing business? They don't know anything about movies, they're just an internet company after all."

A colleague next to him also shook his head.

"From director Chen Sicheng's studio to the lead actors Wang Baoqiang and Liu Haoran, oh yes, and the little girl Liu Haocun who suddenly became a hit with this movie."

"They're all their own people from Mohen, not to mention the producer, who is entirely controlled by Chen Zhixi."

"Why bother learning about the internet? Let's build a complete closed-loop industry chain, ensuring that not a single drop of the profits goes to outsiders."

"That's right," someone chimed in. "Detective Chinatown became a hit, and Mohen made a fortune in both money and fame."

Another person shook their head, still holding a different opinion, "Not entirely. He did leave a few sips of soup, though. Chen He, Tong Liya, and other supporting actors weren't part of Mohen's group."

"Besides, didn't you just mention that the penguins also share the profits? Anyone who dares to say they're monopolizing the profits, the penguins will stand up for them."

The man shook his head immediately. "Heh, that's ridiculous. These people are now with Tencent Pictures, and Tencent Pictures also has cross-shareholdings with Mohen. What's the difference between them and the rest of the family?"

"In the past, when we made TV dramas, at least we collaborated with New Classics Media, Perfect World, and Fiberhome. But now when we make movies, they really don't share any of the profits with outside companies."

"Brotherhood of Blades, Detective Chinatown, and supposedly several more movies are being made by Mohen, Tencent, and Alibaba Pictures."

"If they keep playing the game like this, the film market will be finished sooner or later, and all the veteran filmmakers will be squeezed out."

A person next to him nodded, "Ultimately, it's because the Beijing elite circle has declined. Others don't include us anymore, what can we do?"

"It was better before. With a giant like Huayi above us, who would dare to underestimate the Beijing entertainment circle?"

"It's all that bastard Shen Mo's fault," another person said more bluntly, with a hint of undisguised sourness and wariness.

"If he hadn't brought in internet capital, how could the market have changed so quickly?"

"Huayi will not fall, and the Beijing entertainment circle will not decline so quickly."

"If he keeps doing this, won't all the promising newcomers and good directors have to try and squeeze into Mohen first? This ecosystem..."

A person next to him nodded, "In the past, when we collaborated on films, we were intertwined, exchanging resources and sharing risks."

"Inkmark is just getting started. If it becomes a force to be reckoned with in the future..."

These discussions, though not directly reported in the newspapers, have already been quietly circulating within the industry.

These rumors naturally did not escape the ears of the Mohen team, especially since many of the people discussing them wanted to curry favor with Mohen.

The public opinion briefing was placed on Shen Mo's desk immediately.

"I'm speaking," said Lin Wei, the public relations manager, with a frown.

"Mr. Shen, although it doesn't amount to much, if we let these kinds of comments run rampant, it could affect our future collaborations with some external teams and actors, and might even bring us unnecessary attention at the policy level."

Chen Zhixi, on the other hand, was very disdainful, even showing some anger.

"Just jealousy!"

"The film was produced with our own money and at great risk."

"What's wrong with the creators using people they've signed with and know well to ensure the quality and efficiency of the creative process?"

"Does it really mean that you have to make your own movies to make other people famous in order to truly benefit everyone?"

"The market votes with box office numbers! They're just a bunch of losers."

Shen Mo remained calm after hearing everyone's feedback.

"They are right and they are wrong."

"We are indeed building our own core creative team and artist pipeline, which is the foundation for Inkmark's long-term development."

"The problem is that they underestimated the power of internet capital."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the people present.

"But in the battle of public opinion, we can't just talk about reason."

"Behind this argument, there are probably a lot of things going to happen. You should pay close attention during this period. This may just be the beginning. Some people are jealous and might be planning something."

"Moreover, this is just the beginning. When our 'Lost in Hong Kong' and 'Goodbye Mr. Loser' are released this year, they will only be more anxious."

Shen Mo looked at Chen Zhixi.

"Zhixi, how's it going with the director we signed with Moying Alliance?"

"Li Muge is a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy. He previously served as assistant director and executive director in several of our productions on the recommendation of his teachers at the Beijing Film Academy. He has now signed with Mohen Media and is preparing his own low-budget emotional drama, 'Marriage Time Difference,' with an estimated investment of 800 million yuan."

Li Yitong whispered in Shen Mo's ear, "This is the director of the hugely popular dramas 'East Palace' and 'Si Teng'."

"Among those who graduated from Beijing Film Academy are Shen Ao, Xin Yukun, and Wen Muye. These individuals have been serving as executive directors in our various teams, but they haven't yet started preparing their own films."

Li Yitong continued to explain: "Shen Ao is the director of the future films 'All or Nothing' and 'Jinling Photo Studio', Xin Yukun is the director of 'Wrath of Silence', and Wen Muye is the director of 'Dying to Survive'."

"In addition to students from Beijing Film Academy, we have also signed two other new directors: Rao Xiaozhi from the Central Academy of Drama and Mao De Shu."

"Rao Xiaozhi is preparing his own comedy film, 'The Nameless,' while Mao Deshu is currently on set and not preparing his own film."

Li Yitong smiled and squinted her crescent-shaped eyes, "How about it? These are all the people I picked out for you from the crowd to sign. Doesn't it instantly make you feel like your team has grown a lot?"

Shen Mo rolled his eyes at her. "If you're not helping me, you're helping yourself. Mohen isn't just mine."

After saying that, he turned to Chen Zhixi and said, "They have a movie in the works. You should contact China Film Group, Shanghai Film Group, and Fiber Optic Film Studio more often. They reminded us that it's time to find some allies."

Shen Mo continued to look at Lin Wei, "Put more effort into public relations. Make these collaborative film projects public, and also announce our new director support program to attract more directors and screenwriters to join us in the future."

"By the way, let's also talk to Alibaba and Tencent. Since they've already benefited from our success, they should speak up for us. We can't just be the ones taking the blame. Internet companies are much better at controlling public opinion than we are."

"The Beijing entertainment circle, ha, it's nothing in the entertainment industry these days. Don't bother with them."

The "Beijing Circle" is essentially a circle primarily composed of artists and intellectuals in Beijing. However, simply being a resident of Beijing or someone who lives and works in Beijing doesn't automatically grant you entry into this circle.

This is a circle that places great importance on background and connections.

This was originally a circle mainly composed of children from high-ranking military compounds. They had more advantages than ordinary people because of their background. The main figures were Wang Shuo, Ye Daying, Ye Jing, and Zheng Xiaolong.

They can basically make anyone they promote famous. For example, Wang Shuo promoted Xu Jinglei, Ye Daying promoted Mei Ting, and Zheng Xiaolong promoted Zhao Baogang.

In an era before the internet was widespread, the resources within Beijing's elite circle were exceptionally abundant.

For example, Mei Ting acted alongside Leslie Cheung in her freshman year of college, and Xu Jinglei cast Jiang Wen as the lead actress in her directorial debut.

This circle believes in the principle of experienced members mentoring newcomers, with newcomers supporting older members and expanding the circle through personal connections.

Even Feng Xiaogang rose to prominence by flattering Wang Shuo.

However, Wang Shuo later left for overseas for some reason, and his fame declined significantly.

At this time, the Wang brothers became the leading figures in the Beijing elite circle.

With over a hundred people signed, Huayi became the headquarters of the Beijing entertainment circle, and almost all of them were core figures in the circle.

However, the Wang brothers' reckless behavior plunged Huayi into crisis.

They were even overwhelmed by Shen Mo's newly arrived internet capital, with Huayi Brokerage and its production department being taken over by Tencent.

But how can the "big shots" of Beijing's elite circle, who have been high and mighty for so many years, accept the reality of falling to earth and having to compete with others for food?

Therefore, some people in the Beijing circle, led by Feng Xiaogang, did not choose to sign with Tencent and instead started their own companies.

In addition, there are others who were already outside of Huayi Brothers, such as Wang Jinghua leading some artists who jumped ship from Huayi Brothers to establish their own companies.

They've simply dispersed, not disappeared; their network of connections remains extremely strong.

However, even so, after facing the invasion of internet capital, the circle's voice has been greatly diminished.

Moreover, the success of film and television production ultimately depends on its results.

The reason why the Beijing entertainment circle was so prestigious in the past was because they were interconnected and could access the best entertainment resources.

That won't work now. The emergence of the internet has greatly diminished the influence of the old circle culture, so it's not without reason that they hate internet capital and even are hostile to Mohen.

They believe that Shen Mo was the one who started the introduction of internet capital.

If he hadn't chosen to cross-shareholding with Tencent Pictures, how could he have brought Tencent Video, a simple platform, into the film and television production and artist management industry?

If it weren't for Tencent Pictures' involvement, why would Alibaba Pictures and Baidu have invested in Pants and Kiwi?

If it weren't for Shen Mo's matchmaking, how could Tencent Pictures and Alibaba Pictures have joined forces to orchestrate the downfall of Huayi Brothers?

It's worth noting that when Tencent and Alibaba first wanted to enter the entertainment industry, they could only do so by holding a small amount of Huayi Brothers stock, acting as shareholders and observers.

Now look what's happened! They've directly ousted Huayi Brothers and are now openly and legitimately entering the entertainment industry.

Therefore, in their view, the current chaos in this circle, with the Beijing circle losing its lofty status and voice, is all Shen Mo's doing, so how could they not hate him?

Even after internet capital came in, it's one thing for everyone to be bad, but why is it that Mohen can still produce high-quality products one after another and make a fortune? Why?

"Have you heard? Mohen has leaked information that they have several projects with new directors that we can collaborate on."

"A new director? Ha! Do we need a new director?"

Smoke filled a private room in a club somewhere in the capital.

"You think you can solve our problems by taking a few scrap projects and dividing them up? It's not that simple."

Feng Xiaogang, with a cigar between his fingers, leaned back in the large leather sofa. The wrinkles on his face appeared even deeper in the dim light, and his tone was full of sarcasm.

Sitting next to him were several other senior figures from Beijing's elite social circles, all of whom looked displeased.

After Wong Jing-hua left and she and her artists started their own business, they maintained a distant relationship with this place.

"That kid Shen Mo is clearly trying to establish new rules."

"In the past, when we mentored newcomers, it was all about lineage, personal connections, and seniority within the industry. Whoever had potential or was sensible, we'd give them a hand, and resources would flow to them. But what about now?"

"His new director support program and Moying Alliance sound nice, but in reality, he just wants to create his own new circle! A circle headed by Mohen."

"All the connections and expertise we've built up over decades means nothing to him!"

"I think his 'Detective Chinatown' was just lucky; it landed a decent script, plus the marketing was aggressive. In terms of artistry and depth, it's far inferior to what we used to make!"

Someone sighed softly, with a hint of helplessness, "But the audience just buys into it. Besides, these days, TV dramas really can't do without marketing."

"Look at all the projects his company produces, which one isn't targeted marketing? They make sure everyone knows about them well in advance, and that's what young people love these days."

"The box office speaks for itself. These days, who cares about our stuff? What about artistry, what about the depth of humanity?"

"What they recognize are trending topics on Weibo, viral memes, and top-tier influencers."

"Shen Mo is good at marketing and has also tied himself to internet capital. He's having a really good time right now."

Feng Xiaogang stubbed out his cigar heavily in the crystal ashtray, a ruthless glint in his eyes.

"We can't let him be so comfortable."

"Isn't he trying to promote new directors and create an alliance?"

"Let's see if these newcomers can successfully film the movie and get it released smoothly."

"Registration, approval, location coordination, post-production... which stage doesn't involve interpersonal relationships?"

"Even though Huayi is gone, we're still around. After all these years, we've got connections in all the key positions!"

"Besides, are the artists under his management really completely clean? I don't believe it!"

Everyone's eyes lit up slightly.

"Investigate everything. Even if we can't bring him down, we'll at least disgust him."

Feng Xiaogang looked around and revealed the true purpose of his trip.

"I have a good notebook here."

"Guan Hu wrote a novel called 'Mr. Six,' and I've decided to star in it."

"It tells the story of a once-glorious old gangster in Beijing who has retired and gone into hiding. When his son is bullied, he comes out of retirement and clashes with a rising young gangster. Both the old gangster and the young gangster want to set the rules, and in the end they decide to settle things with a one-on-one fight."

A bald man who had been silent all along slowly spoke up, "Director Feng, are you putting this struggle on the table?"

Feng Xiaogang smiled dismissively.

"If we don't bring this out into the open, our Beijing circle will almost be ignored."

"Besides, we also need to show them that even though we're old, we're not so easy for them to mess with."

"We need a victory to force everyone in the industry to take us seriously again."

"I support it, count me in for a co-production."

An elderly man wearing gold-rimmed glasses raised his hand and spoke.

Then everyone looked at each other and raised their arms.

"It's time to teach them a lesson."

"We need to show them that even if we unite, their combined internet capital is useless. We've already secured this year's box office champion title!"

"Director Feng, have the other actors been decided? If not, I have someone I'd like to recommend."

Feng Xiaogang raised his head slightly and glanced at the man.

"Zhang Hanyu, Xu Qing, and I are settled. You can consider the others."

"Haha, with the three of you, we're even more secure. They can't possibly mess with the foundation of our Beijing circle."

"I recommend a young man, Wu Fanfan. Jing Lei is very optimistic about this young man who came back from an overseas boy band. Originally, Lu Han from their group would have been more suitable, as he was also a disciple of a high-ranking official. Unfortunately, he joined Mohen."

"Jing Lei signed Wu Fanfan to a brokerage company under our Beijing Cultural Investment Group."

Feng Xiaogang raised an eyebrow slightly, then nodded. "That's no problem. He can play the role of my son in the script; he'll be a male lead."

The shareholders behind Dijing Cultural Investment are people from the Beijing circle, such as Feng Xiaogang, Li Binbin, and Zhang Guoli.

So, by all accounts, Wu Fanfan can be considered a member of their Beijing circle, and it's perfectly acceptable to use him as the protagonist.