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

Chen Jun's first stop was Queensland.

Spring in the Yangtze River Delta is often rainy. He was driving an inconspicuous black Passat, with a canvas bag on the passenger seat containing a thick stack of due diligence reports.

The business cards of Changhe Capital were printed just three days ago. The silver-stamped logo was pressed onto the matte black cardstock, and it had a slightly raised texture to the touch.

If you're going to put on a show, you have to go all the way. That was the first lesson he learned in his four years at Mohen.

Kunzhou Jincheng Electronics specializes in precision machining of mobile phone mid-frames, operating two fully automated production lines and employing 300 workers. Three years ago, it became a second-tier supplier for LeShi mobile phones, supplying first-tier suppliers, who then assemble the components into modules for delivery to LeShi.

In the first year of cooperation, the payment period was 45 days, and payments were made on time. In the second year, the payment period was extended to 90 days, which was barely enough to keep the company afloat. In the third year, which was the second half of last year, Leshi stopped paying its first-tier suppliers. The first-tier suppliers couldn't keep up with the demand, and second-tier suppliers like Jincheng became the last link in the chain.

The receptionist at Jincheng Electronics was a woman in her forties, making a phone call on a landline. Her voice was very low: "...Mr. Wang, the bank said this month's interest rate..."

Upon seeing Chen Jun, she quickly hung up the phone and put on a professional smile.

"Hello, who are you looking for?"

"I'm from Changhe Capital. I'm looking for Mr. Wang. We have an appointment at 10 o'clock."

The meeting room was on the second floor. Some of the paint on the walls of the stairwell was peeling off, revealing the gray-white cement underneath.

Chen Jun walked around and looked around. The machines in the workshop were still running, but only half of the workstations had their lights on.

Several boxes of unopened raw materials were piled up in the corridor, with the express delivery slips dated two weeks ago. The health of a factory is never reflected in financial statements, but in these details.

Wang Defa, the owner of the factory, was waiting for him in the conference room. Chen Jun handed him a newly printed business card.

"Mr. Chen, if I may be frank, I have never heard of Changhe Capital, nor have I been able to find any information about it."

"That's normal. We make special opportunity investments, and we don't publicize it."

"A special opportunity?" Wang Defa gave a wry smile. "You call my current situation an opportunity?"

Chen Jun didn't respond to that. He took a document out of his canvas bag and spread it on the table.

This is a list of receivables between Jincheng Electronics and Leshi Supply Chain, with a total of 3200 million yuan in accounts receivable, the earliest of which is overdue for 210 days.

This detailed list should not be seen by outsiders, and Wang Defa's expression changed instantly.

"Where did you come from...?"

"Mr. Wang, how I obtained it is not important," Chen Jun said calmly.

"The important thing is that LeShi will not give you this money in the short term."

Wang Defa stared at the details, his lips moving slightly.

He wanted to say that Leshi had agreed to settle the payment next month, and that Boss Jia had personally mentioned his supplier's name at an internal meeting to guarantee priority in resolving the issue.

He had said these words to every creditor and to the workers in his factory over the past three months.

By the end, he was almost convinced of it himself.

But the details were laid out on the table, and the numbers didn't lie.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"We will acquire your debt at 40% of the face value, in cash, with the funds arriving within 24 hours of the contract being signed."

"40%?" Wang Defa's eyes widened. "3200 million? You want me to sell it for 1280 million? My raw material costs alone are more than that!"

"Mr. Wang," Chen Jun interrupted him, "you can't come up with the bank interest payment, can you?"

Wang Defa's words stuck in his throat.

"The workshop is operating at less than half capacity. Those boxes of raw materials in the hallway were shipped last month, right? Have the workers been paid their wages for last month?"

Wang Defa did not answer.

"LeShi's promised payment date changes every month. Are you sure it won't change next time, and that the money will definitely arrive?"

The rain was getting heavier, and the windows of the conference room were covered with a layer of mist.

Chen Jun didn't say anything more. He put the list away and put it back in his canvas bag.

"Mr. Wang, I know what you're thinking. You want to gamble that you can get back the full 3200 million."

He got up, walked to the door, and turned back.

"But you've been gambling for half a year already. If you keep gambling, you're not gambling with money anymore, you're gambling with the entire factory."

The door closed gently, and Wang De stood there, stunned.

The following afternoon, Chen Jun received a phone call in another supplier's conference room in the Suzhou Industrial Park.

Wang Defa's voice was filled with exhaustion: "President Chen, when can we sign the contract?"

Chen Jun hung up the phone and sent a message to Shen Mo.

"First, Queensland, 3200."

The second company to sign the contract was a mobile phone casing injection molding company. The boss was younger than Wang Defa, had just bought a new car last year, and had already mortgaged it this year.

When Chen Jun entered, he was personally adjusting the parameters of the injection molding machine in the workshop, because he had already laid off the technician.

"40%?"

He laughed when he heard the price, "40% is better than nothing."

The agreement was signed on the same day, involving 1900 million yuan in debt and 760 million yuan in cash.

The third company manufactures connector terminals. It's not a large company, with a payment of 200 million yuan. The owner is a woman in her fifties.

After hearing Chen Jun's terms, she remained silent for a long time before asking, "Did you buy my debt to force Le Shi to repay it?"

Chen Jun was taken aback; this was the first time a creditor had asked him this question.

"Mr. Zhou, whether Leshi repays its debts or not has nothing to do with whether I buy your debts or not. But if you sell the debts to me, at least your workers will get their wages and your factory will be able to survive."

The fifth... the eighth... the eleventh...

The canvas bag in Chen Jun's car was getting bulging, and the debt contracts inside were getting thicker and thicker.

Gradually, the news began to spread among suppliers.

"There's a company called Changhe Capital that collects Leshi's debts and the money arrives on the spot."

By the time Chen Jun received the fifteenth order, suppliers had already started calling him proactively.

"Hello, is this Mr. Chen from Changhe Capital? I have some debt claims against Leshi, and I wanted to ask if you're still willing to collect them..."

From Queensland to Sultan, from Sultan to Wuxi, from Wuxi to Changzhou, from Changzhou to Jinling, Chen Jun's Passat traveled on the highway for two whole weeks.

Each station represents a supplier on the verge of bankruptcy, and each has a stack of accounts receivable that are more than six months overdue.

Every business owner is torn between bank interest, workers' wages, and empty promises from Lexis.

Chen Jun parked his car at the service area and took out a second box of business cards from the trunk; the first box had already been distributed.

He bought a bowl of instant noodles at a convenience store in the service area, and while eating in his car, he scrolled through his phone. He had over forty new friend requests on WeChat, all from suppliers.

His finger swiped to Shen Mo's chat box. Starting from Kunming, he would send Shen Mo a message every time he signed with a company.

"Article 4, No stream, 800."

"Article 7, Changzhou, 1500."

"Article 12, Suzhou, 600."

"Article 17, Jinling, 4200."

"Article 21, Nanjing, 2800."

Total debt: 4.6 million.

The debt amounted to 4.6 million yuan, and 1.84 million yuan of real money was invested.

"Has LeShi noticed anything?" Shen Mo asked.

"No, I use a different SPV signature for each order, so it doesn't penetrate to the bottom layer."

"I've given the suppliers a unified story: Changhe Capital deals with non-performing assets and specializes in handling bad debts from small and medium-sized enterprises. They're all in a hurry to get money, and nobody cares who the buyer is."

"Keep collecting."

When will you receive it?

"receive……"

Shen Mo paused for a moment.

"I'll keep trying until I discover it myself."

Chen Jun hung up the phone, threw the instant noodle bowl into the service area's trash can, and sent two WeChat messages at the same time.

One message was from Shen Mo: "The due diligence team from Changhe Capital will be here tomorrow. Wanqing selected six people in total. You'll be in charge of training them."

The other call came from an unknown number: "Hello Mr. Chen, this is Lao Li from Taizhou Hongda Electronics. I heard from Mr. Zhou that you're collecting debts from Leshi? We have 2300 million yuan."

-----------------

Several press releases with highly similar content were published simultaneously on multiple entertainment news accounts, each with an increasingly eye-catching title.

Inkmark Rejects Investment Offer from LeShi Pictures, Accused of Arrogance

Where does Shen Mo and Li Yitong's confidence in "eating alone" come from?

"Exploring Ecological Chemical Reactions: Is Inkmark Reinventing the Car Behind Closed Doors?"

The accompanying images were carefully selected.

On one side, Jia Yueting was speaking eloquently at an entrepreneurs' annual meeting, with the words "Ecological Synergy, Shared Future" displayed on a large screen behind him.

On the other side is a candid shot of Shen Mo at an event. He is turning to the side to talk to Li Yitong, with a smile on his lips, looking like he is... disdainful.

A photograph, by cropping out the context, can turn a "normal conversation" into "arrogance."

The comments section is buzzing.

"Mohen has really become arrogant these past few years, looking down on everyone."

"What size is LeShi now? It's a huge platform with a market value of hundreds of billions. So many celebrities would love to invest in it, but they actually refused."

"Inviting you to invest is a favor to you; if I didn't, you'd just be putting on an act."

"Do Shen Mo and Li Yitong think they're invincible just because they've made a few hit movies?"

Here's a joke: Inkmark refused to try out.

There were also those who spoke up for Mohen, arguing fiercely with the other side in the comments section.

But the other side was clearly prepared; their online troll tactics were too obvious.

Lin Wei's public opinion monitoring system issued an early warning five minutes after these press releases were published.

At the same time, the casting controversy surrounding "Soulmate" continued to escalate.

Song Weilong's Weibo followers surged to 180,000, but at the cost of a deluge of insults in the comments section.

The official Weibo account of Chenxi Media was also flooded with comments. The latest promotional poster was pushed to the top of the trending topics, with the top comment consisting of only four words: "Capital stuffing people in," which received 36,000 likes.

Tian Xiwei has not responded yet, and Chenxi Media continues to release materials and announce filming progress as usual.

At the China World Trade Center, a fashion magazine cocktail party was held, which was attended by both Boss Jia and Gan Wei.

During the free exchange session, several producers and agents came over one after another to offer toasts.

The conversation started with magazine covers, then moved on to new projects, then to the capital winter, and finally naturally slid into the ecological synergy of LeShi.

"Mr. Gan, I heard that LeShi Pictures is opening up equity opportunities?"

The person asking the questions was a producer surnamed Liu, who was in his early thirties. He had just made a romance film that was a minor box office hit last year and was looking for investors for his next film.

Gan smiled and nodded: "Yes, several sectors are opening up, including LeShi Pictures and LeShi Sports, which both have a share."

"The entry requirements must be quite high, right?"

"It depends on who submits the bid." Gan Wei's tone was nonchalant. "Not just anyone can take on the audition."

Producer Liu immediately chimed in, "That's right, that's right. With the size of Le Shi now, how could an ordinary person possibly catch President Jia's eye?"

Gan Wei took a sip of wine and did not deny it.

At that moment, someone mentioned the name "Ink Trace," and the moment the name was uttered, the atmosphere in the air changed.

"I heard that Mohen declined Leshi's invitation?"

The speaker's tone was tentative, unsure whether this topic was safe to discuss.

Gan Wei put down the wine glass, making a crisp sound.

"Some people think they're so great," she smiled, but the smile was fake, "and they don't take Le Shi seriously."

The surroundings fell silent instantly.

"I'd like to see how long they can keep up their tough act," Gan Wei said, raising her wine glass and gesturing towards the crowd.

No one responded. Le Shi was not to be trifled with, and neither was Mo Hen.

Gan Wei's statement wasn't a solicitation of opinions; it was a declaration. Declarations don't need a response; they just need to be spread.

In fact, Gan Wei's counterattack wasn't just because she was embarrassed by the failed invitation to invest. After all, the invitation was only known to her and Boss Jia, so while it was embarrassing, the scope wasn't large.

Although the current valuation of Mohen is not high, only one-tenth of the market value of Leshi's hundreds of billions, Boss Jia will not let her make enemies for no reason.

Ultimately, it all boils down to a struggle for interests.

As one of the major video websites today, LeShi has produced or co-produced more than ten dramas in recent years, but only "The Legend of Mi Yue" and "Go Princess Go" have become truly popular.

However, since its inception, Mohen has produced a string of wildly popular dramas, such as "My Love from the Star," "Beijing Love Story," "The Journey of Flower," "A Little Reunion," "A Little Farewell," "Twenty Your Life On," "Nirvana in Fire," and "Diamond Lover"...

However, none of them were co-produced with LeShi, nor were they broadcast on LeShi's video website.

Even though Mohen Pictures and Tencent Pictures had cross-shareholdings and invested in Kiwifruit, they rejected his offer of a trial.

This made Boss Jia seriously consider whether Shen Mo was targeting him.

Therefore, he chose to let Gan Wei test and provoke her. In his plan, if there was an opportunity later, it would be better to acquire Mohen Pictures, which would be beneficial to the further rise of LeShi.com's stock price.

Testing and provoking are just the first step.

Xuelu Tea House.

Yang Mi didn't bring an assistant. She wore a camel-colored trench coat, her hair was casually tied in a ponytail, and her makeup was very light. She had arranged to have tea with Shen Mo and Li Yitong.

Li Yitong understood the moment she saw her that she wasn't there for a social gathering.

Li Yitong personally brewed tea for the three of them. Yang Mi picked up her cup, took a sip, and offered no comment. In the past, she would jokingly tease Li Yitong about her tea-making skills.

"Gan Wei is looking for me," Yang Mi finally said.

"She didn't explicitly ask me to be a mediator, but I know that what she told me was meant for me to pass on to you."

Yang Mi twirled her finger around the rim of the glass. "She said that LeShi Pictures' valuation will at least double next year, and that Boss Jia and Sun Hongbin have almost reached an agreement on a strategic cooperation worth tens of billions."

She paused.

She asked me if there was some misunderstanding.

"It's not a misunderstanding; she feels that I made her lose face."

Shen Mo picked up the cup of tea in front of him and took a sip.

"But I just didn't want to vote."

"Shen Mo." Yang Mi looked at him, her tone a little more somber than before.

"Letest's current size was over 100 billion yuan in market value before trading was suspended."

"Standing behind Gan Wei is Jia Yueting, and standing behind Jia Yueting is..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but all three of them understood what the ellipsis meant.

Shen Mo put down his teacup. "Sister Mi."

"If I've been around for so many years, do I still need to give her face?"

He looked up. "Then haven't I been wasting my time?"

His tone was very soft, even with a hint of a smile.

Yang Mi remained silent for a while.

"Le Shi is currently gaining momentum."

"Before the trading halt, the market capitalization was over 100 billion. Countless people in the industry were scrambling to get on board, and you..."

She looked at the two people opposite her.

"Are you sure you want to do the opposite? A head-on confrontation?"

Shen Mo and Yi Tong exchanged a glance.

"Have you ever considered," Shen Mo picked up his teacup and downed it in one gulp, "that the greater the momentum, the harder the fall?"

Yang Mi was stunned.

Gan Wei thought she was picking on an easy target.

Li Yitong raised her eyes, a smile appearing in her crescent-shaped eyes.

"She's wrong!"

After receiving a positive reply from Yang Mi, LeEco's actions were faster and more meticulous than Shen Mo had anticipated.

The words Gan Wei uttered at the party have spread throughout the industry after a few days.

But Boss Jia knew that a few harsh words and a few press releases wouldn't be enough to damage Mohen's core strength.

Shen Mo isn't the kind of person who would collapse after being criticized a couple of times. If he were so easily swayed by public opinion, Huayi would have crushed him long ago.

Therefore, LeEco needs a combination of strategies.

Three days later, LeTV's content acquisition center sent an informal "recommendation" to several long-term production companies.

In the next two years, the scheduling and review period for projects featuring artists associated with Mohen on the LeTV platform will be "appropriately extended".

The wording was polite, but everyone who received the advice understood the underlying meaning.

LeTV is currently one of the four major video platforms, with tens of millions of monthly active users, and is an important outlet for many film and television production teams to sell their shows.

If you complete a project but can't sell it on LeEco, it's like missing out on a significant amount of money.

If you want your project to air smoothly on LeTV, then it's best if your actors aren't Mohen's people, your directors don't take on Mohen's projects, and your screenwriters don't write scripts for Mohen.

An extended review period can be explained as process optimization; a delayed broadcast schedule can be explained as the slot being full.

You can't get any evidence that LeEco is targeting you, but your project just can't get on their platform.

Immediately afterwards, LeEco's HR director personally led a team to set up an office in a hotel less than one kilometer away from Mohen's headquarters.

On that day, a figure walked in. It was Zhou Ming, the executive producer of Mohen. He had worked at Mohen for three years and participated in the entire production of "A Little Reunion" and "Twenty Your Life On". He was one of the most experienced executive producers under Chen Zhixi.

LeEco's terms were straightforward: double the signing fee, the authority to independently manage projects, and a sentence that he pondered repeatedly.

"Teacher Zhou, with your qualifications, you'll only ever be an executor at Mohen. Above you is Chen Zhixi, and above Chen Zhixi is Li Yitong. If you come to LeEco, we'll give you the authority to lead projects."

Next is screenwriter Sun Yue, a member of the joint screenwriting team for "Nirvana in Fire." She has solid writing skills, but for the past three years she has been working as a writer for episodes in Zhang Wei's team and has never been credited independently.

LeEco's promise to her consisted of only four words: "Independent attribution."

Within half a month, Mohen lost three executive producers, two screenwriters, and four actors who were struggling in the third tier.

When Chen Zhixi and Yang Tianzhen read out the data at the internal meeting, the meeting room was silent for a full ten seconds.

There are nine people in total. They are not the main pillars, but each one is like a screw embedded in the skeleton.

"No serious injuries." Yang Tianzhen closed the folder. "But if it goes on for another two or three rounds, it's hard to say."

In Jia Yueting's study, Gan Wei looked at him and asked, puzzled.

"Nine people, paid double the price, was it worth it?"

Jia Yueting shook his head. "Even if you take away twenty of his executive producers, you won't hurt Mohen at its core."

"Whether or not you get hurt is not important."

He picked up his teacup and said, "There's a saying: 'Press down the gourd and the ladle floats up.'"

"If one gourd is pressed down, another ladle will float up, but if you press down ten gourds at the same time, will there still be enough ladles?"

This is not just about digging into the root of the ink stains, but also about getting Shen Mo and Li Yitong to shift their focus away from it.

Nine people left, so we need to fill the gaps. While filling the gaps, we also need to stabilize the remaining people. While stabilizing them, we need to set rules for those still in office. And while setting rules, we also need to deal with external questions.

Every step consumes the manager's most scarce resource: attention.

"Poaching people is just a piece of cake," Jia Yueting chuckled. "We can't let them get too comfortable."

Gan Wei didn't ask any more questions.

In LeEco's conference room, Jia Yueting made a rare personal appearance at a business meeting.

The projector's light shone on the entire wall, with a high-quality concept poster of "Fengshen" in the very center, accompanied by a few lines of text.

"A joint production of Jingxi Culture", "Directed by Wu Ersan", "Investment exceeding one billion yuan", "Training camp nationwide audition for male lead".

Seated around the long table were several key figures in the Jingxi culture, representing various forces scattered throughout the Beijing circle after the Huayi Group's collapse.

A vice president from LeEco stood in front of the projection screen.

"Director Wu Ersan has been signed, and the first film is titled 'Fengshen: Chaoge Fengyun'. The script has been revised twice and is currently being polished and is close to being finalized."

"Then there is a nationwide audition training camp, which recruits young male actors from all over the country, regardless of whether they are from a professional background or are amateurs. They undergo six months of closed training, and the winner will play the male lead Ji Fa in 'Investiture of the Gods'."

Immediately afterwards, a planning diagram of the training camp popped up on the screen: camp location, curriculum system, and instructor lineup.

The last page displayed the words: "The next Ji Fa will emerge from here."

The screen then cuts to a list of selected candidates, with a row of young photos and names appearing one by one: Chen Xingxu, Yu Shi, Chen Muchi, Li Yunrui...

Some people in the audience recognized them. These were the people who left Mohen when Huayi poached them. Unexpectedly, after Huayi's decline, they moved around to several places and now gathered again on this stage set up by LeEco.

The vice president of LeEco did not name their background, but simply drew a circle on the screen with an infrared pen.

"These trainees come with performance experience and have solid basic skills, so they can be given special attention and training."

Several people exchanged glances in the audience, but no one spoke up.

After the meeting, Gan Wei intercepted Jia Yueting in the corridor.

"Did you see those four people just now? They were the ones who came out of Inkmark earlier, weren't they?"

Jia Yueting nodded.

"For an artist who left the industry using ink stains, isn't it a bit too deliberate to use ink stains again?" Gan Wei said.

Jia Yueting did not give a direct answer. He walked to the elevator, pressed the down button, and said before the elevator doors opened, "As long as it works."

In the following days, LeTV, Tencent News, and Weibo successively released press releases.

In the following days, LeTV, Tencent News, and Weibo successively released press releases.

The "Investiture of the Gods" training camp opens, attracting a new generation of actors and generating much anticipation.

Wu Ersan, who is in charge of the "Fengshen" series, said that he only considers the suitability of the roles when casting.

The "Fengshen" trilogy officially launches, setting a new benchmark for Eastern fantasy.

In the accompanying photo, young trainees wearing uniform training clothes stand in a row on the camp's playground.

Chen Xingxu was fourth from the left in the second row, Yu Shi was second from the right in the third row, Chen Muchi was in the corner, and Li Yunrui was standing on the far side.

In the comments section, Mohen's fans are already cursing: "Traitor," "ungrateful wretch," "Nothing without Mohen."

No one from Mohen's side responded.

A few days later, an insider rumor began to circulate in the industry: LeTV and Jingxi Culture were in contact with Hunan TV, wanting to turn "Fengshen Training Camp" into a variety show and broadcast it on Hunan TV.

With connections in Beijing's elite circles, LeEco's platform, and Mango TV's promotional efforts, Jia Yueting had a well-thought-out plan. When resources accumulate to a certain concentration, they become "momentum," thereby attracting more capital attention, market interest, and audience anticipation.

This, in turn, boosted Lexet's stock price while simultaneously combating the ink stains.

Shen Mo pushed open the office door, put his phone on the table, and the screen still showed the trending topics on Weibo.

The official announcement date for the acquisition of LeEco Pictures has been set, and press releases are flooding the media.

Leaked photos of the "Investiture of the Gods" training camp made entertainment headlines, showing several familiar faces from the Mohen production team standing in a line, smiling with high spirits.

He leaned back in his chair, looked at the news, and couldn't help but smile.

He understood Jia Yueting's logic all too well: expand the business, tell a compelling story, and tie everyone's interests to one goal.

Once the ship gets big enough, no one will dare to let it sink.

With a business value of 10 billion, banks dare not withdraw loans; with a market value of 100 billion, regulators dare not easily take action.

It's so big it can't fall, and then it really won't fall.

His approach wasn't to kill anyone, but to make his opponents realize that no matter which direction they went, there was a wall in front of them.

The walls aren't thick, but each thin wall, when added together, can be very disturbing to your mind.

A siege doesn't require high walls and deep moats; it just requires making each of your attempts to break out a little slower.

While you're busy trying to climb over those thin walls, he's already quietly and successfully assembled the people he wanted to get together.

He used the same method to deal with the abrasion marks this time.

Use some small things to distract the ink stains.

While you thought he was poaching people and blacklisting you, and you mocked him for doing something pointless, he had already contacted Mohen's arch-enemy, the Beijing entertainment circle, and approached Hunan TV, with which Mohen had just re-established ties.

Shen Mo could even guess what Jia Yueting would do next.

Contact kiwifruit and Tencent Video to cut off Mohen's escape route from the platform's cooperation level.

Mohen Pictures has a stake in kiwifruit, making it difficult to influence, but the same may be true for Tencent Video. Tencent Pictures and Mohen Pictures only have cross-shareholding relationships, but in business matters, personal relationships always come after profits.

If LeEco uses exclusive broadcasting rights as a pre-sale package, co-produced content, or traffic-based betting as leverage, Tencent might very well side with them on certain projects.

Jia Yueting doesn't need to truly sever Mohen's ties with all platforms; he just needs to create more variables and create more scheduling conflicts when Mohen's dramas are released.

With each additional variable, Mohen's energy was consumed even more.

In order to divert attention and prevent Mohen from noticing his actions, he might launch a counterattack when "My Sunshine" is released.

They use some unfounded negative rumors to create a time gap, adding more noise to our initial reputation, then stealing our popularity to boost their own dramas.

There was a knock on the office door, and Chen Jun and Zhao Feng, who had just returned, walked in.

Zhao Feng's expression changed, and Chen Jun also frowned slightly. "Has Yue Shi discovered our movements?"

"Probably not."

A voice came from the doorway, and Yang Tianzhen, Lin Wei, and Zhou Wanqing walked in.

Zhou Wanqing stood in front of everyone, holding an iPad, and showed it to Shen Mo.

"Internal intelligence from LeEco indicates that everything is proceeding as usual recently. There have been no emergency meetings convened, nor any internal warnings regarding debt claims or short selling activities."

"Gan Wei's work schedule these past few days has been entirely focused on media visits to the 'Fengshen' training camp, while Jia Yueting's schedule is booked until next week, consisting entirely of financing roadshows and strategic signings."

Shen Mo took the iPad, flipped through a couple of pages, and nodded.

"Since he hasn't noticed, let's continue." He looked up at the three of them. "Report on the progress."

Zhao Feng opened the notebook he had brought with him. "The funding and investment portfolio plans are ready."

"The combination ratio of short-selling tools has been slightly adjusted as mentioned last time. The time window for building a position is to wait for the official announcement of the LeEco Pictures acquisition and the surge after the resumption of trading, and then enter the market as soon as possible."

"We're just waiting for them to resume trading."

Has the resumption date been confirmed?

"The press release regarding the 98 billion yuan acquisition of LeShi Pictures has been released. Based on this, the resumption of trading is expected in late April or early May."

Shen Mo nodded and looked at Chen Jun.

"What about the creditor side?"

Chen Jun took a piece of paper out of his briefcase and spread it out on the table.

It was a detailed list, with densely packed entries including company name, amount of debt, acquisition price, and date of signature.

"We visited 37 suppliers within three weeks and signed contracts totaling 800 million yuan."

"Eight hundred million?"

"Yes. The acquisition cost was 320 million, all at a 40% discount."

"Most of them are second-tier suppliers for the mobile phone business."

He turned to the second page of the list.

"In addition, there are two creditors we did not touch. They are both related companies of LeEco, which Jia Yueting controls through multiple layers of SPVs. Acquiring them would be like helping him transfer money from one hand to the other."

"I had these labeled to prevent accidental clicks."

Shen Mo picked up the list and read it through from beginning to end.

Behind each name is a small business owner dragged down by LeEco, with 800 million yuan in debt, enough to secure a front-row seat at a creditors' meeting.

He put the list back on the table and turned to Zhou Wanqing, who handed Shen Mo an even thicker document.

"I have completed the collection of information on LeEco's creditors and overall operating status."

Her voice remained calm as always: "The core debt is much larger than the publicly available data suggests."

"The debt that the outside world sees is in the tens of billions, but in reality, if you include off-balance-sheet liabilities and related guarantees, the actual scale is at least double."

She turned a page.

"In addition, we have compiled a list of celebrity shareholders who have invested in Le Vision Pictures."

Her fingertips lightly traced across the list.

"Among those who have a relatively close relationship with our Mohen, Liu Tao contributed the most, 60 million; Deng Chao, 30 million; Sun Honglei, 20 million; Wang Baoqiang, 20 million; and several other artists we met on 'Running Man' and in previous projects, with contributions ranging from 5 million to 10 million."

"If we expose LeEco's true financial situation, their shares will become worthless."

Shen Mo took the list and glanced at the list of names.

"Contact them in advance."

"Don't go through an agent; contact them directly to inform them of LeEco's current true financial risks."

"We suggest they look for a suitable time to exit after LeEco resumes trading and its stock price surges."

"But their stocks can't be traded on the secondary market, so it's best to find some buyers in the primary market."

His gaze shifted to Zhou Wanqing, "If they can't find someone to take over on their own, we can help them out."

Zhou Wanqing quickly took notes on the iPad, asking without looking up, "What standard?"

"Ideally, they should be someone who isn't familiar with Mohen and doesn't have a great reputation in the industry."

"I think the people in Hong Kong and Taiwan are pretty good, you could give it a try."

Shen Mo turned to look at Yang Tianzhen, "Aren't you very familiar with them?"

Those two groups of people in the Hong Kong and Taiwan entertainment circles have always looked down on the mainland entertainment industry, and they themselves are not exactly good people either. Now that they see the mainland economy is doing well, they want to take advantage of the internet economy boom, and they are the perfect successors.

After they took over, they waited for LeEco to collapse, and these shares became worthless in their hands. For Mohen, this meant neither moral burden nor offending people in his circle.

"I understand." Yang Tianzhen smiled, her eyes narrowing.

"I'll help them make a connection later. LeEco is a big name; they'll be interested."

Lin Wei looked at Shen Mo, "Mr. Shen, given the current situation, the release of 'My Sunshine' might be overshadowed by LeTV's hype. Do you have any instructions?"

Shen Mo shook his head. "Execute according to the marketing plan previously established for 'My Sunshine'."

"The trailer, the original work fans, and the CP (couple) pairings are all being developed simultaneously."

"It's highly likely that LeEco will try to steal the spotlight, but their tactics are the same old tricks: negative publicity, online trolls, and press releases."

"Don't follow his pace. Just release the materials that need to be released and open up the channels that need to be opened."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Oh, right, and Gu Man too. Gu Man serving as a co-writer this time is a huge plus."

"After the book was released, fans of the original work saw that she was involved in the entire adaptation process. This endorsement of trust is more effective than any PR statement."

Zhou Wanqing and Yang Tianzhen nodded at the same time.

The office fell silent again.

Shen Mo suddenly recalled that moment in November 2016 in his previous life, when Jia Yueting sent an all-staff letter acknowledging financial pressure, suppliers besieged LeEco's headquarters, and Sun Hongbin entered the scene with 15 billion yuan, attempting to act as a white knight.

But! The white-clad knight couldn't save the doomed dragon.

Shen Mo picked up his phone and sent a message to Li Yitong.

"Shall we have hot pot tonight? Let's invite Ueda-er, if she'd like to come."

The screen lit up a few seconds later.

"She came, and she said she wanted it extra spicy."

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