A song from Chengdu revived a closed-down pub.

After listening to "As You Wish", everyone was deeply moved.

Sun Zheng also listened to the entire song.

However, what touched him most was not how amazing the song itself was.

Instead, Su Fan was able to stand on a stage like the National Day celebration and sing such a song.

This incident had a huge impact on him.

A young man who was nearly ruined by a joint boycott from the entire industry just a few months ago.

Now, they have actually stepped onto that stage that is the focus of everyone's attention and represents a certain supreme recognition.

Sun Zheng understood the significance behind this better than anyone else.

On the other hand, he himself has been sabotaged by Yuji Honda behind his back and sidelined by the company's shareholders. Now, he has almost no say in the North Bee company.

On one hand, there is a meteoric rise and limitless potential.

On one hand, there is widespread betrayal and the collapse of the empire.

The contrast between him and Su Fan can only be described as two extremes.

Even so, Sun Zheng initially never intended to get involved with Su Fan.

After all, he and Su Fan had a history of conflict.

But when he saw Su Fan step onto the National Day stage, the last bit of hesitation in his heart completely vanished.

He made a decision.

"If you are heartless, don't blame me for being unjust."

So, the day after National Day, Sun Zheng took the initiative to contact Su Fan.

Upon meeting, Sun Zheng didn't beat around the bush and sat down to get straight to the point: "President Su, I'd like to discuss a collaboration with you."

Su Fan said with great interest, "Oh? Mr. Sun, how did you suddenly come to this realization?"

Sun Zheng gave a wry smile: "To be honest, I don't have much of a say in Beifeng anymore."

"They've been sidelined."

"Yes, so, Mr. Su, even if I wanted to fulfill those previous conditions now, I no longer have that authority."

Su Fan put down his teacup and looked at him quietly.

Fortunately, Su Fan was perfectly clear about the ins and outs of this situation; otherwise, anyone else might have thought that Sun Zheng was just using this as a delaying tactic.

Seeing that Su Fan was just looking at him without saying anything, Sun Zheng smiled wryly and spread his hands: "President Su, whether you believe it or not, I really have no say in Beifeng anymore. I came to see you today for two reasons. First, I wanted to hear what you said last time about your ideas on entering the animation market. Second, I also wanted to use you to properly target Beifeng."

Sun Zheng spoke his mind without any hesitation.

He felt that when dealing with someone like Su Fan, there was no need to hide anything; they should just stick to the facts.

"Then let's talk about anime first." Su Fan put down his teacup and continued, "Mr. Sun, let me ask you a question first. What do you think is the difference between us and Xiao Rizi in terms of anime?"

Sun Zheng thought for a moment: "In terms of technology, experience, and industrial chain, their decades of expertise are there for all to see. We really can't catch up with their painting skills and industrialized processes."

Su Fan shook his head: "Wrong, these are all superficial. The real difference lies in the pricing power of culture."

"The power to set cultural prices?"

"Have you ever thought about this? A child grows up watching their anime. The heroes they like are created by them. The passion and bonds they yearn for are defined by them. The standards of what is good and what is cool in their mind are also nurtured by them little by little. When this child grows up, they will naturally think that their things are good, buy their merchandise, watch their new episodes, and even identify with the values ​​hidden in their stories. This is the scariest thing. What they are selling is not anime, but aesthetics, values, and the spiritual foundation of a generation."

Sun Zheng paused slightly.

He had never thought of this angle before.

"So, what we should strive for in animation is not to have more refined artwork or more dazzling special effects. After all, those are just the most basic requirements for an animation. What we need to do is to take back the pricing power and let our own children fall in love with our own heroes, our own world, and the core values ​​that are in our bones."

"But they've cultivated this field for so many years, what do we have to compete with?"

"Culture," Su Fan uttered two words. "This is precisely our greatest advantage, one that they can never take away. Five thousand years of history, the Yin and Yang of Taoism, the Jianghu of martial arts, the primordial chaos of the Classic of Mountains and Seas, the everyday life of ordinary people—this is an inexhaustible treasure trove. What they lack, we possess. Things they can't even fabricate, our ancestors already wrote down long ago. Technology can be caught up with by throwing money and time at it, but the roots of culture take thousands of years to grow. This is something they can never learn."

Sun Zheng stared blankly at Su Fan, speechless for a moment.

He spent half his life in the entertainment industry and always thought that making animation was all about skill, investment, and whose visuals were better.

But Su Fan's words were like a door being suddenly pushed open.

It turns out that while he was still focused on how to make his paintings look more like other people's, Su Fan had already reached the point of understanding how to put his roots back into his own land.

This is no longer a game on the same level.

Su Fan smiled and said, "Therefore, our first work must be entirely based on our own culture, so that everyone can see what our own animation is. Once this first shot is a success, there will naturally be plenty of room for improvement."

Sun Zheng remained silent for a long time before saying, "Before, I agreed to cooperate because I was desperate and wanted to find a way to survive, or even wanted to use you to take revenge on those people. But after hearing what you said, I truly understand what vision and foresight are. I'll take this job."

"Okay!" Su Fan nodded, then changed the subject, "Now that we've finished talking about anime, let's talk about the Northern Bees."

"President Su, what are your plans regarding Beifeng?"

"I have a suggestion for you: withdraw all your shares in North Bee."

Sun Zheng was taken aback and asked, "President Su, what do you mean? If I withdraw all my shares, wouldn't that completely benefit them?"

"To be honest with you, if you really gave me that 100 million yuan and Deng Xinyao's copyright without hesitation, I would find it harder to proceed."

Why?

"Because in that way, the feud between our two families will be settled, the debts will be cleared, and the favors will be done. If I continue to pursue the Northern Bees relentlessly, in the eyes of people in the industry, it will be seen as me being unreasonable and ruthless, without any justification, and it will make me look petty."

Sun Zheng seemed to be deep in thought.

Su Fan continued, "But if you don't pay now, this debt will remain unpaid. It will be perfectly justified for me to take action against him then. Only then will I have no qualms about taking action."

"What are your plans to do against them?"

"Of course, it's about giving them a taste of their own medicine." Su Fan stood up and said, "President Sun, you have to make your own decision about your matter with Bei Feng, but I advise you to hurry, I'm ready to take action."