Pirates began to dominate the Chinese entertainment industry.

The first to make a move were Liu Junjie and Chen Hao.

At 7 PM on July 6th, the two updated their blogs almost simultaneously.

Liu Junjie: "I am grateful to Orange Sky Entertainment for their support over the past few years, but due to personal development needs, I am officially terminating my director contract with Orange Sky Entertainment effective immediately. My next stop is Tiandao Culture. New projects are already in preparation, so please stay tuned."

Chen Hao: "Time flies, and I'm grateful for the encounter. Due to personal academic plans, I'm leaving Orange Sky Entertainment effective today. Thank you to all my former partners, see you again in the future. PS: Tiandao Culture's new script is very interesting, and I will continue to meet everyone in a new capacity."

The entertainment industry exploded within ten minutes of the two blog posts being published.

One is the director under Orange Sky Entertainment who is most capable of making idol dramas.

One is Orange Sky's veteran top female star.

The two switched jobs to the same company on the same day and at the same time.

This isn't just undermining someone's foundation; it's demolishing their entire home.

Orange Sky headquarters.

When Wu Kebo saw these two messages, he was discussing with John Woo a publicity strategy to salvage the reputation of "Red Cliff".

"What did you say?!"

He slammed his phone on the table, his face ashen. "Liu Junjie? Chen Hao? They both left at the same time? And both went to Tiandao Culture?!"

The publicity director, sweating profusely, said, "Liu Junjie has been dissatisfied for a while, but Chen Hao... she's been very quiet; we all thought she just wanted to go back to school..."

"Reading? Read my ass!" Wu Kebo kicked over the chair next to him.

"She's complaining that I'm not giving her enough resources! What has Ji Yun given her that makes her too lazy to even make up an excuse for studying?!"

He paced back and forth a few times, then suddenly stopped:

"No, these two left at the same time, that kid must have been poaching our people all along! Choosing this time to make the announcement was to catch us off guard!"

"Damn it, this kid actually managed to hold out until now!"

Wu Yusen sat on the sofa, his face so gloomy it could wring water out of it:

"Mr. Wu, now is not the time to worry about the fate of two employees; the box office performance of 'Red Cliff' is the most important thing!"

Wu Kebo took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down:

"Director Wu is right. A director and a washed-up actress can't make much of a splash."

Director Wang, please have the public relations department issue a statement saying, "We respect your personal choice and wish you good luck."

……

However, the storm has only just begun.

On July 7, an interview video went viral online.

In the video, Wang Fulin, the chief director of the 94 TV series "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," had a complex expression when facing questions from reporters.

Reporter: "Director Wang, have you seen John Woo's film 'Red Cliff'?"

Wang Fulin was silent for a few seconds: "I've seen it."

Reporter: "What do you think?"

Wang Fulin fell silent again, this time for an even longer period.

His assistant tried to interrupt the interview, but he stopped her by raising his hand.

"Well, how should I put it..." Wang Fulin began slowly, his expression helpless, his voice carrying the restraint of an old artist.

"Our nation has a history of five thousand years. We filmed the 94 version of 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms', which took three years and cost 1.7 million yuan. We never thought we could break even when we started filming."

We're not doing this for money; we're doing it to preserve this history and tell future generations that we once had such heroes and such stories...

He paused, his voice lowering: "The visuals of 'Red Cliff' are exquisite, the special effects are stunning, and the actors worked very hard... but after watching it, I felt empty inside. I don't know who that Zhou Yu is, or who that Zhuge Liang is. All I know is that this isn't my Three Kingdoms."

The video went viral, causing an uproar online.

"Director Wang is absolutely right: 'That's not my Three Kingdoms!'"

"The 94 version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms is unbeatable! Every character is etched into the bone, and Zhuge Liang finally has a real appearance."

"What does John Woo know about the Three Kingdoms! He's making a Hollywood blockbuster, not Chinese history! And he dares to call it a historical epic! I've never seen such a shameless person!"

"Just because of what Director Wang said, I've decided to watch 'Lost in Thailand' again and never watch 'Red Cliff' again!"

......

Following this, several of the lead actors from the 94 version of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" also spoke out one after another.

Tang Guoqiang, who plays Zhuge Liang, only said one sentence in an interview: "Art can innovate, but it cannot forget its roots."

Bao Guoan, who plays Cao Cao, was even more direct: "When I was watching 'Red Cliff,' a young man sitting next to me asked me, 'Is this the Three Kingdoms?' I said, 'Yes, it is the Three Kingdoms.' He said, 'Oh, I thought it was a new online game.' When I watched the movie again, my heart ached."

This phrase was widely shared by netizens and became the hottest meme of the day: "Red Cliff: A newly released online game."

The collective voice of the veteran artists was like a knife, precisely stabbing into the most vulnerable spot of "Red Cliff".

At this moment, whether the special effects are good or not, and whether the actors are big names or not, all become minor matters.

Most importantly... is your foundation upright?

This assessment is even more damaging than Ji Yun's "Seven Deadly Sins".

The "Seven Deadly Sins" are more of a technical critique, which can be refuted and defended.

However, the phrase "incorrect roots" represents a denial at the level of values ​​and culture, which Wu Yusen cannot refute no matter what.

at this time.

However, some anti-China influential figures started to sing a different tune.

Luo Taijun posted on Weibo in support of "Red Cliff": "I don't understand. Japan is clearly the country that best inherited our traditional culture, and there are aspects of its culture we should learn from. Why deny it? This is a sign of cultural insecurity!"

……

Just as many online influencers were jumping on the bandwagon, the current number one internet influencer, an idol to countless young people, spoke out...

On July 8th at noon, a blogger with the ID "Hanhan" posted a blog post.

Let me also talk about "Red Cliff".

Just this one sentence garnered over 10,000 reposts in ten minutes.

The reason is simple: Han Han. At that time, he was already the most popular post-80s writer, race car driver, and a super top blogger whose blog hits consistently topped the charts.

One sentence from him, and millions of fans responded.

Han Han's blog posts are quite long, but they boil down to a few key points:

First, the biggest problem with "Red Cliff" is not the actors or the dialogue, but its "dishonesty".

"Director Wu has been in Hollywood for too long. He learned how to make a movie that 'looks like a blockbuster,' but he forgot how to make a movie that 'has flesh and blood.' Every frame tells you: 'I'm burning money,' but not a single frame tells you: 'I'm putting my heart into it.'"

Second, regarding Ji Yun and "Lost in Thailand":

"I haven't seen 'Lost in Thailand,' but I have read Director Ji's article 'Seven Deadly Sins.' To be honest, his article is better than most film critics'."

It's not because his criticisms were harsh, but because his criticisms were accurate. This is something written by a clear-headed person.

Third, regarding Orange Sky's suppression of film scheduling:

"I heard that the screening share of 'Lost in Thailand' has been reduced from 12% to 5%? If this is true, then I think Orange Sky is not just bullying a low-budget film, but bullying all the audiences who want to see this movie and all the audiences who want to see a good movie."

The last sentence: "I'm going to rent out a whole theater tomorrow to treat my friends to 'Lost in Thailand.' It's not to take sides, it's because I want to see it."

Also, Orange Sky, please don't delete my posts, I'll swear.

This blog post nearly crashed all the network servers.

Tianya, Tieba, Sohu, Sina...

The entertainment sections of all platforms are discussing the same thing: Han Han has left the scene.

"Han Shao is awesome! That's what a top star should be like!"

"Han Han said what I wanted to say! Orange Sky, don't delete this post, we'll get angry! Hahaha!"

"Han Han rented out the whole theater to watch 'Lost in Thailand'? I want to rent out the whole theater too!"

"Wait a minute, Han Han said, 'I haven't seen "Lost in Thailand" but I've seen "Seven"'? Does that mean he supports Ji Yun's brain, not Ji Yun's films?"

"You don't care what he supports, as long as he speaks up, Orange Sky is finished."

......

Sure enough, less than half an hour after Han Han posted his blog, Orange Sky panicked.

The publicity director urgently contacted the person in charge of Sina Blog, requesting that Han Han's post be "handled".

However, this time, the publicity director received a reply that left him feeling utterly hopeless:

We can't delete Han Han's post.

His blog has the most hits nationwide. If you delete his post, he'll just turn around and write a long article criticizing us. How are we going to handle that?

The publicity director relayed these words to Wu Kebo verbatim.

Wu Kebo fell silent.

He finally realized a cruel truth: Ji Yun's connections weren't with the celebrities who posted "I want to see," but with a group of people who didn't care about the rules of the entertainment industry at all.

Princess, Han Han, veteran artists—these are people you can't bribe or control, because they're simply not part of your rules.

On July 9, "Red Cliff" suffered another heavy blow.

This time, it didn't come from outside, but from within Orange Sky itself.

Financial media outlets have reported that Orange Sky Entertainment has a serious disagreement with its Japanese shareholders over the cost overrun of the film "Red Cliff".

Japanese investors demanded a reduction in subsequent marketing and distribution budgets, but Wu Kebo insisted on "protecting box office revenue at all costs."

With the two sides deadlocked, cracks have appeared in Orange Sky's internal financial chain.

Even more devastatingly, reports indicate that Orange Sky originally planned to fully acquire Golden Harvest after the release of "Red Cliff," but due to the film's underperformance at the box office, the Japanese investors began to reassess the feasibility of the deal.

Upon hearing this news, Golden Harvest's stock price immediately plummeted.

The capital market is voting with its feet: it is not optimistic about Orange Sky's acquisition prospects.

Meanwhile, a secret force is quietly accumulating shares of Jiahe.

……

Ji Yun's office.

When Zhao Liying read the message aloud, her voice trembled: "Boss, you did this too?"

Ji Yun leaned back in her chair, crossed her legs, twirled a pen in her hand, and just smiled.

In his article "Seven Deadly Sins," he deliberately pointed out "infiltration of island nation culture," playing on Orange Sky's Japanese background.

With the financial crisis looming, Japanese investors are preoccupied with their own problems. If the box office performance of "Red Cliff" fails to meet expectations, the Japanese investors will inevitably back down.

Ji Yun never intended to defeat "Red Cliff" with a film review; what he wanted to do was make investors lose confidence in Orange Sky.

If the capital market is not optimistic about your acquisition prospects, Orange Sky's "cash chain" will break sooner or later.

Liu Shishi sat to the side, her hands supporting her chin, her eyes fixed on Ji Yun.

The day she ran away from the mountain city, she was only worried that Ji Yun wouldn't be able to withstand the suppression from Cheng Tian.

Now she realizes that it seems the one that's truly "unable to withstand the pressure" is Orange Sky?

A thought suddenly popped into Liu Shishi's mind:

If one day she and Ji Yun become rivals, how many rounds can she last?

...Probably, their legs would go weak after just one glance.

……

Ji Yun's phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and saw that it was an unfamiliar number.

Just to be on the safe side, he first turned on the recording.

"Hello, is this Ms. Ji? This is Wu Kebo." A deep voice came from the phone.

Ji Yun raised an eyebrow: "What advice does Mr. Wu have?"

"President Ji, you've misunderstood. I see that the current public opinion is chaotic, which is really not conducive to the healthy development of the film and television industry. How about our two families join forces to dominate the summer season?" Wu Kebo said in a restrained voice.

Ji Yun sneered, "You can't only talk about healthy development when you can't win."

"It's just fair competition. Mr. Wu, I have something to attend to, so I'll hang up now."

"etc!"

Wu Kebo suddenly became anxious and softened his voice:

"President Ji, it's not impossible for our two families to join forces. Didn't Tang Yan make a cameo appearance in your movie?"

If you like her, how about I ask her to come over for drinks and a chat tonight? Young men and women can talk about anything.

If you don't like her, how about Rosamund Kwan? Or, Mr. Ji, whoever you like, we can talk.

"Sorry, I've been a bit busy lately. Let's talk about it later."

Ji Yun hung up the phone immediately.

But instead of putting down his phone, he forwarded the recording to Tang Yan.

Isn't the effect the same?

------

On July 10th, the fate of "Red Cliff" can be summarized in five words: when the wall falls, everyone pushes it down.

First, news came from within China Film Group that the support originally promised for "Red Cliff" was being "re-evaluated in terms of priority".

Subsequently, several cinema chains that had originally agreed to "protect" "Red Cliff" quietly began to adjust their screening schedules: instead of adding screenings for "Red Cliff", they added screenings for "Lost in Thailand".

Even more dramatically, an old grievance was brought up again.

A fire broke out on June 9 this year during reshoots for the film "Red Cliff," resulting in the death of one stuntman and injuries to six others.

The matter was handled discreetly by Orange Sky Media, with almost no media coverage, and the victim also remained silent after the "negotiation."

However, at the moment when Orange Sky's public opinion defense was at its weakest, this news was still leaked by an "insider".

Once the news broke, public opinion completely spiraled out of control.

"It happened on June 9th, and it's been a month now, why doesn't anyone know?!"

"One person died in the fire, six were injured, and it just passed by quietly?"

"A film with a 600 million yuan investment can't even implement basic safety measures?"

"So, the blockbuster I paid to see was a blood-stained bun?"

......

This is no longer a battle over box office revenue.

This is a human life!

At Orange Sky headquarters, when Wu Kebo received the call, his previous rage had vanished, replaced by deep exhaustion.

"Mr. Wu, the Japanese investors are demanding that we quell the public opinion as soon as possible, otherwise... they may have to reconsider the acquisition of Golden Harvest."

Wu Kebo closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He finally understood that what Ji Yun was trying to undermine from beginning to end was not the reputation of "Red Cliff," but the lifeblood of Orange Sky: capital confidence.

……

On July 11, state media got involved.

At a single command, Orange Sky's army collapsed like a house of cards.

A signed commentary was published in the culture section of RM Daily.

The title is "The 'Roots' and 'Soul' of Historical Dramas".

The commentary did not explicitly criticize "Red Cliff," but every word pointed to the core of the debate:

"Historical dramas are not about 'using history to sell blockbusters,' nor are they visual spectacles built with special effects and stars."

The "root" of historical dramas lies in reverence for history; the "soul" of historical dramas lies in the inheritance of culture.

Without its 'roots' and 'soul,' even the most magnificent scene is nothing but a castle in the air.

The last paragraph of the comment was screenshotted and shared by countless netizens:

"We welcome innovation and the exploration of different styles. But innovation is not about 'de-Sinicization,' nor is it about tailoring our history to others' perspectives. Films can go global, but first they must establish a firm foothold."

Less than an hour after this comment was published, Orange Sky issued an urgent announcement on its official website:

"Red Cliff will be suspended for ten days due to technical adjustments and will be re-released after revisions."

The news caused an uproar online.