Chapter 486

This talent exchange thing? They'd already approached Fang Hong before, asking him to go.

But Fang Hong turned it down, thinking it was unnecessary.

He already had his own professional team and was using film shoots to practice—wasn't that far better than just staring with his eyes?

Just as Fang Hong and Chen Zhixi were talking, Liu Tianxian came over with Fang Hong's phone.

"Xiao Hong, your phone—it's Director Zhang calling."

She'd just been over there chatting with Jing Tian on the phone, got so hooked she lost track—no idea if Jing Tian even realized she was talking to a scruffy woman.

If she knew, I wonder what she'd think.

"Which Director Zhang?" Fang Hong asked.

"Oh, Zhang Hongsen—who else do you know named Director Zhang?" Liu Tianxian placed his phone on the desk.

The phone screen showed: Old Zhang.

Chen Zhixi glanced at it, looked up at the ceiling—so disrespectful; the man's so old, holds such a position, and they still gave him such a nickname.

"You can't even mutter his name—he shows up the moment you do." Fang Hong grumbled, picked up the phone, stood, and walked off to take the call.

Liu Tianxian sat in Fang Hong's seat—he always kept two seats here; usually, when she had nothing to do, she'd lean on the desk and watch him work.

"Chen Jie, what were you two just talking about?" Liu Tianxian asked.

"Nothing much—just that the box office for Xiu Chun Dao isn't doing well, and we found someone behind the scenes stirring trouble." Chen Zhixi didn't hide it—even if she didn't say it, Liu Tianxian would probably chat about it in bed anyway.

He hadn't noticed Fang Zong was hiding something from this woman.

"Who?" Liu Tianxian frowned.

"Man." Chen Zhixi said just that one word.

That single word changed Liu Tianxian's cheerful expression to solemnity—this group was not something they could afford to provoke, not even if they combined all their strength.

Just look at how many Qing dynasty period dramas flood the film industry—other dynasties are rarely filmed, and you'll understand why.

Seeing her expression, Chen Zhixi assumed she knew something and asked: "Have you ever had dealings with them before?"

"No." Liu Tianxian shook her head. "I'm someone they blacklisted—how could I have dealings with them?"

Chen Zhixi nodded—she had a point.

Huayi was the public face of that group—no one could afford to tangle with them.

How could a little woman like Liu Tianxian possibly know so much? Just as the two were talking, Fang Hong returned.

Liu Tianxian asked: "What did Director Zhang say?"

"He asked why my sci-fi epic still hasn't come out, why it hasn't been scheduled for release," Fang Hong said.

"And what did you say?" Liu Tianxian asked everything, like a curious child.

"I told him, do you think making a blockbuster is like buying vegetables at the market? So fast? Even buying vegetables takes time—you need a basket too." Fang Hong spoke with a brash tone.

"You really said that?" Liu Tianxian doubted.

Chen Zhixi also thought it impossible—such an arrogant tone? What status did he have to speak to a director like that? "You think so? I saw he was really panicking—so what if it's just Transformers 4? What's the big deal? Can't even stay calm. Nothing like me—I'm never flustered, look at me." Fang Hong kept blowing harder.

He spoke as if Zhang Hongsen meant nothing.

"You're full of it—I don't believe you'd dare say that," Liu Tianxian punched his arm, sure he was just boasting.

"Next time I'll say it to your face," Fang Hong smiled, returning to his usual demeanor.

"Hahaha," Liu Tianxian laughed—she knew he was just bluffing.

Chen Zhixi smiled too—it was amusing.

In truth, Fang Hong hadn't said anything—he'd just said the film was still in post-production, and to calm down, since rushing wouldn't help.

The whole vegetable market thing was pure nonsense.

After the mood eased, Fang Hong told Chen Zhixi: "Since Wanda's pulling sneaky moves, we'll pull sneaky moves too—when people book tickets on Tu Piao Piao, try to prioritize other cinemas."

That is, when buying movie tickets, there's a list of cinemas to choose from—try to push other cinemas to the top.

That's one method; another is to offer bigger subsidies for other cinemas and smaller ones for Wanda—their ticket prices are already high.

Viewers unwilling to spend extra will naturally know where to choose.

This method is called "flow control" in the industry—though of course, it's never openly acknowledged; neither side puts it on the table, and right now there's no need to escalate the conflict.

Fang Hong still lacked a strong countermeasure—he needed more time to develop one.

The conflict with Wanda was essentially the conflict with Ceng Maojun—Ceng Maojun had warned him before, and that had annoyed Lao Wang Zong.

But the core issue was Wanda's constant desire to obtain Yu Tu's production system—and Fang Hong would never share his system with them.

This was a system he'd spent five years building, poured countless funds and sweat into—how could he possibly share it?

As for Xiao Wang—he was just a loose-tongued fool who loved to blab nonsense and insult everyone to feel superior.

He'd deal with him later—just wait until he starts his own business.

You can't really touch someone who just enjoys eating, drinking, and leisure—but once he starts a business, Fang Hong will have a target.

"Alright, I'll discuss it with Zheng Zhihao."

Chen Zhixi added: "But all these are Tu Piao Piao shareholders—this kind of infighting isn't good."

"So what? We can just exit the shares!"

Fang Hong spoke with indifference, full of confidence: "They think I'm still the same guy from a few years ago—but times have changed."

Tesla's stock is now inching ever closer to thirty billion dollars—this month, it might break that mark.

Once it hits that number, he'll trigger a sell-off—and then he'll have massive cash.

What does he fear? Fighting isn't just about strength—it's about money. Whoever holds out longer wins. That's real cash, not just asset numbers.

This gave Chen Zhixi a little more confidence—the Principal had come this far; he must have a trump card.

Liu Tianxian said nothing—she usually didn't interfere in such matters—but she knew exactly what Fang Hong was doing, and she wouldn't criticize him.

This market, this circle is so small—competition is inevitable, just like how Xiao Hua used to face backlash from rivals.

People often drag her down and overshadow her on trending lists.

"As for the poor box office of Xiu Chun Dao..."

Fang Hong paused, then said: "Find an opportunity to strike Hua Yi—can't just let this slide. We must retaliate."

Even if striking Hua Yi won't do much good, it'll let out some steam. We can't just sit idle—those people still think they can bully him.

"Hua Yi doesn't seem to have any movies this year—they're into the internet and games now," Chen Zhixi said.

This year, Hua Yi only released The Cosmetic Diary, A Small Family Reunion, and Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf—no big hits were heard of.

There's one movie coming in two months, A Martial Arts Soloist, probably set for release.

Hua Yi's current focus is on mobile and web games; Zhanqu Technology is Hua Yi's second-largest shareholder.

Its market cap is so high not just because of film, but because gaming has also made money.

"Alright, I'll think about it," Fang Hong lowered his head, pondering how to regain face.

He didn't hate the Brotherhood of Man Ethnicity, but since they deliberately targeted him, he had to make a statement—first, smash their facade.

Chen Zhixi, sensing the talk was nearly over, signaled Liu Tianxian and left first.

Liu Tianxian nodded, signaling her to go ahead.

"Hey, you haven't finished—why are you leaving? There's more," Fang Hong looked up and saw Chen Zhixi about to walk out.

"What else is there?" Chen Zhixi asked, puzzled.

"How's the Option Pool running?" Fang Hong asked.

The Option Pool has been operating for over half a year.

"Thirty-eight million shares total—all fully subscribed," Chen Zhixi said.

Thirty million shares were for company employees, eight million for producers and directors—meaning roughly thirty million in funding was raised.

Some shares were given away for free, no money paid.

These were snapped up quickly because the Principal said they'd be repurchased next year at several times the price.

Something that guarantees pure profit—how could anyone not buy it?

"Good. One more thing: find Xu Laoguai and see if he's interested in directing a film for us. If he is, set up a meeting," Fang Hong said.

"Are you planning to make Super Body 2?" Chen Zhixi ventured.

She'd heard a little about it—from Liu Tianxian—who said Fang Hong wanted Xu Laoguai to direct it.

They were in regular contact; after all, she was the boss's wife—some of her information was far more reliable than theirs.

They shared a pillow; whispering a few words could reveal the General Manager's next move.

Of course, Liu Tianxian only shared trivial matters—she never spoke of Fang Hong's ideas or plans, like leading the rich to help the poor.

She'd never told anyone these things.

"Yes," Fang Hong nodded.

"I'll contact him and see if he's willing," Chen Zhixi nodded, then went off to handle it.

Only Liu Tianxian and Fang Hong remained in the office.

"Hey, don't make this too big—you'll stir up the Brotherhood of Man Ethnicity. They're not just in entertainment—they're in propaganda, education, spanning multiple interest groups. You won't find a target to strike them with—they're deeply hidden," Liu Tianxian said now, having held back earlier.

Some things were only meant for the two of them—not for outsiders.

"Is it that terrifying? How deep?" Fang Hong still didn't know what they were.

Such a group was completely inaccessible, invisible—only heard of in vague terms, never concrete.

But Liu Tianxian's level was high; she'd heard far more than he had.

When her elders talked, she could listen beside them—that was the difference. Her level meant she saw and heard things utterly unlike ordinary people.

"Let me give you an analogy—it's the Brotherhood of Man Ethnicity."

Liu Tianxian picked up a pen holder and placed it before him: "The Brotherhood of Remnant Elders are hidden inside it. The celebrities and ordinary people you see now, those claiming Man ethnicity, are outside this pen holder. Classifying them as one group is completely wrong—do you understand?"

She looked at Fang Hong, who considered her words.

That meant the Brotherhood of Man Ethnicity had many layers—the Man celebrities in entertainment were peripheral figures; those publicly identified as Man were just ordinary people.

Though they bore the Man identity, they weren't the core group. The core group lurked inside the Man ethnicity porcelain—short for: Brotherhood of Remnant Elders.

Liu Tianxian told him this to warn him not to escalate things.

"If I strike Hua Yi, won't I provoke them?" Fang Hong asked.

"No, Hua Yi is just a small pawn. Though they have some ties to the Man, they're not so important that the Brotherhood would act for their sake. The Beijing circle is incredibly complex—there's more than just Hua Yi," Liu Tianxian said.

Indeed, the Beijing circle had Ying Da, Zheng Xiaolong, Hai Yan—all major literary directors with powerful backgrounds.

Thinking of this, the Boss's Wife, the Peacock Princess, was also Man—no one knew her background, but rumors said she had some clout.

No wonder Yu Pangzi abandoned his first wife to marry her—her status must have brought him advantages.

(End of Chapter)