Chapter 331: Secretly Enchanted

Yutu has transfused blood to Chang'e more than once or twice — before there was "My Love from the Star," "Beijing Love Story"!

Chen Zhixi pretended she hadn't seen it; she had to give General Manager Fang some face.

But this time it was clearly going to be a massive transfusion, because Yutu was going to produce TV dramas and get involved in web series, and Chang'e happened to be the broadcasting platform, which could fill its content library.

What the Principal wanted to do, Chen Zhixi roughly knew, but as a member of Yutu, she certainly had to view the problem from Yutu's interests.

Not from Chang'e's — essentially Chang'e had not a single cent's worth of relation to her.

If she were to view the problem from the same height as Fang Hong, she'd have to be given Chang'e shares, and that was impossible.

What kind of ability, in what kind of position, gets what kind of benefit — with Chen Zhixi's value, she could only get Yutu's share.

So this was the point of contradiction: Yutu had no obligation to transfuse blood to Chang'e; the previous few times could be treated as unseen.

But now Fang Hong had distributed shares to the people below, so the interest groups had multiplied, and so had the points of contradiction.

Of course they hoped a film or TV show would make as much money as possible — the more distributed, the better; earning less, of course, they were unhappy.

"On this matter, I believe the people below will understand. Besides, 'Legend of Lu Zhen' didn't not make money — production cost was thirty million, and it's already returned more than tenfold." Fang Hong sat down on the chair beside Chen Zhixi, leaning back.

Future TV dramas — even trash could make money.

"That's not quite how to put it, is it? Just because we made money, does that mean we should cut our own flesh?" Chen Zhixi spread her hands.

"If you insist on putting it that way, then I'll stop the Zhong family from transfusing blood to Yutu — are you willing?" Fang Hong countered.

Chen Zhixi suddenly lost her confidence: "How… how can these be lumped together?"

The Zhong family had transfused too much to Yutu, and was still transfusing to build a film and television base. If it stopped, the film and television base could only be funded by Yutu itself — that was no small sum.

It could be said that without the Zhong family, there would be no Yutu Group of today, with its powerful backing in the entertainment circle!

"Why can't they be lumped together? I let the Zhong family transfuse blood to Chang'e, and buying Yutu's film and television — isn't that the same logic?" Fang Hong said to her.

Chen Zhixi was momentarily speechless — the Principal really could operate it that way.

Fang Hong added: "Operating it this way also generates taxes — buying back and forth. It's simpler to just have the Zhong family transfuse blood to you through cooperation, and Yutu license the copyrights to Chang'e. Wouldn't that be much simpler?"

"But Yutu today is a company with a mature organizational structure. The way you see it looks like you can't tell public from private." Chen Zhixi said.

She lumped all three together.

"If I were to separate public from private, today's Yutu wouldn't look like this. I could take the Zhong family's money and enjoy it myself, and let Yutu stand on its own." Fang Hong said.

Chen Zhixi had no words to retort — it really was so. The Principal could perfectly well take the Zhong family's money and enjoy life himself.

There was no need to madly support Yutu's rise, and even distribute shares to them and the people below.

Without the Zhong family, for Yutu to rise, the timeline would have to be stretched indefinitely — five years, ten years were both possible — and it would still have to face all kinds of open and hidden struggles in the entertainment circle.

Now that Yutu had risen, it wanted to cast aside the support from other fields — there was no such thing.

"So don't draw the lines so clearly. Once Chang'e Technology rises, it will naturally feed back, and the benefits to you then will be even greater — the power will only grow more and more massive." Fang Hong deeply knew how terrifying the future power of video dissemination would be.

Any publicity, as long as it's promoted on places like Douyin, Bilibili and other video platforms — if they say your film is dog shit, then it's dog shit.

If they say your film is a masterpiece, then it's a masterpiece — this is the terror of controlling public opinion.

Take "749 Bureau" — the first day's box office was crazy, but after they said it was dog shit, the second and third days plummeted.

Too many examples — there's also that weight-loss one, bombarded from all directions; before watching it was hailed as a classic, after watching it was rotten to the core.

The box office had already been contributed — what else could you say?

"Fine, I have no objections." Chen Zhixi was considered persuaded by him.

"Keep a long-term perspective. A great man once said: don't be constrained by the gains and losses of a single city or territory." Fang Hong advised.

Chen Zhixi nodded, having no choice but to show compromise.

Although she couldn't see how big a role Chang'e could play for Yutu in the future, since the Principal insisted on doing so, she could only stand on the united front.

The top two leaders having a conflict was unfavorable to development.

If it came to a deadlock, only one could leave — clearly it would be her.

As long as Chen Zhixi was talked through on this matter, the others didn't need an explanation, and they didn't know who the film and television was being sold to or not sold to.

The accounts weren't fully public either — only a few specific people knew. Anyway, as long as the behind-the-scenes main creators below could get more money, the rest wasn't their concern.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was April 28, the day "Partners" premiered — the first day took 54.45 million at the box office.

This box office performance was very decent — it could break a hundred million by the second day.

But as soon as this film premiered, it encountered attacks and mockery from numerous film critics online.

One film critic reviewed, with the title: "Why is 'Partners' a big rotten film?"

A thousand-odd words eloquently explained why the film was rotten, argued convincingly: said the film used brute force to chase girls; said the foreign segments were mere wishful thinking; said youth wasn't about rebellion or fighting;

Then there was the understanding of entrepreneurship — said entrepreneurship was even more far-fetched: suffer some humiliation, then work hard, then seize the opportunity, and you could achieve a career?

Is entrepreneurship really such a simple thing?

He also said a university teacher of his once said: the greater a person's achievements, the greater the role of chance.???? Anyway, regardless of whether he was right or not, it did look quite reasonable.

But entrepreneurship indeed had different understandings for different people — different levels, different understandings.

Look — even the career line shot by a great director gets mocked as rotten. If you let those web-novel bigwigs write it, they'd definitely be cursed as idiots — understandable!

Of course, while the original poster attacked hard, the audience Wangyi below also mocked the original poster.

"How much money did the original poster take? Writing so hard."

"Without some vested-interest connection, I can't think of any other reason to attack a film like this. Or else you're the kind of person who elevates everything to a political level, belittles others, and elevates yourself. I even suspect you're an angry youth, bursting with negative energy — people like you really aren't worth sympathizing with."

"What kind of idiot mentality does the original poster have!"

"."

The reviews of "Partners" were above the passing line!

Of course it couldn't be called a masterpiece, but it wasn't the trash that numerous film critics mocked, as if they'd coordinated it.

Even the media reported that the original Yu Minhong was very disgusted with this film — the director had made him look too pathetic.

Other media reported: "'Partners' is questioned for being imbued with the air of a nouveau riche!"

In other words, this movie is tacky, not suitable for elite viewers. In any case, it had just been released when it ran into a wave of criticism.

"Huayi stocks are up — they've got money now."

Fang Hong and Chen Zhixi stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at Beijing's skyscrapers: "See that? This is what happens when public opinion can't be used by me — anyone can come along and take a bite."

Chen Zhixi saw it clearly, of course, but they weren't in a hurry. Once that mountain was moved aside, there'd be no competition, and with no competition the audience would have no choice.

No matter how much they cursed, the audience could only choose between the current crop of bad or even worse films, and only then would they discover that "Partners" was actually a good movie.

Now those people are only scolding for a couple of days — they're waiting for "Iron Man 3" to be released.

Let this movie dry "Partners" out!

"Our film won't get into Hong Kong easily — Emperor has that territory," Chen Zhixi brought up another matter.

"Some pissant little place — you think I care?" Fang Hong said arrogantly.

This movie is only suited for Neidi audiences; anywhere else it'll flop. Of course, from now on it'll be a bit difficult for Jade Rabbit's films to enter Hong Kong.

Even if they do get in, good box office is impossible!

Getting in is certainly possible — just go through Yindu — but Emperor has a pretty good relationship with Yindu too.

It's not just that Jade Rabbit has good relations with them.

Actually, although Boss Yang's private life is indiscreet, the impression he gives people is that he's patriotic.

So Yindu won't do anything to Jade Rabbit for their sake; the best they can hope for is to mind their own business and stay out of it, helping neither side.

"Right, why haven't you made your move yet? Didn't you say you were going to push "Iron Man 3" out of the way?" Fang Hong was very puzzled.

Originally he'd said he'd help this film's Propaganda Department push "hurting national sentiment," stir up public opinion, and make the film vanish outright — but there hadn't been a peep.

"Doing it that way is too extreme, too obvious — you'd offend Disney too. The scheme is crude, not good," Chen Zhixi shook her head.

"Then what's your plan?" Fang Hong asked.

"I pulled some strings and reported it. Monday the 29th, Tuesday the 30th — exactly two working days. Let's see how the higher-ups respond. If they don't respond, we'll help them respond," Chen Zhixi said.

"Ah, General Manager Chen, you're the strategist!" Fang Hong was full of admiration.

"Iron Man 3" premieres on May 1st. If this report gets kicked back for re-review in these two days, getting it back into theaters would probably have to wait until after May 15th.

That gives "Partners" plenty of breathing room, because redoing the prints takes time.

But if the higher-ups don't respond, then they'll whip up public opinion and help the higher-ups respond.

Of course, it's best if the higher-ups respond — that way everything stays under the surface, and Disney can't blame Jade Rabbit.

"General Manager Fang flatters me. I merely refined it on the basis of your strategy," Chen Zhixi said with a clasped-fist salute.

The two exchanged glances and smiled knowingly at each other.

Fang Hong threw an arm around her shoulder and sang loudly: "Honestly, every time I see you I'm enchanted too — pity you and I each have our own roles to play, even if in lonely dreams we go beyond friendship, oh—"

He was quite into his singing; Chen Zhixi couldn't stop laughing.

"Only secretly, secretly, secretly enchanted — no need to drag you into all kinds of trouble. Bid me farewell, let emptiness destroy me."

"Go find your Liu Tianxian — your singing is really awful."

Chen Zhixi covered her mouth and threw her head back in a great "Ha ha ha!"

The atmosphere between the two had grown much more relaxed, their relationship much closer, as if they'd returned to the early days of starting the business together.

Since founding this company, the two had each had their own division of labor, and there had been plenty of disagreements and rifts in between.

But now it felt like they were back at the beginning.

(End of chapter)