Chapter 670

He finished speaking and walked toward the film base with Liu Tianxian, followed by a group of executives, leaving everyone else staring in confusion at Feng Kuzi.

Feng Kuzi looked equally baffled—when had he ever owed the Principal a slap?

"You've been mouthing off every day about slapping the Principal—now he remembers," Xiao Wangzi reminded him.

This left Feng Kuzi stunned, feeling distinctly uneasy—it was as if he was being asked to offer his own face for the Principal to strike.

Others murmured in small groups, quickly understanding the situation; too bad they couldn't watch Feng Kuzi's humiliation or see the Principal slap him right there.

If only they could see Little Cannon get slapped by the Principal—that'd be some juicy gossip.

Slowly, the crowd dispersed, saying nothing to Big Wang or Little Wang—they were now tigers without teeth.

"Bro, do you think the Principal will really help us get money from Warner?" Xiao Wang asked.

"Hard to say," Big Wang shook his head.

The Principal's actions are impossible to fathom—if you say he's good, he's willing to invest tens of billions to support these 'dogs'!

If you say he's bad, his methods are ruthless, merciless, leaving no one a single path to survive.

"If he won't help us collect the money, are we supposed to beg him?" Xiao Wang sounded angry.

"It's unavoidable," Big Wang sighed.

"Why don't you just offer your face to the Principal to slap?" Xiao Wang said to Feng Kuzi.

"What?! This—" Feng Kuzi stared in shock, wanting to say, "This is your problem—why should I take the slap?"

"Let's wait and see."

Big Wang signaled his brother to stop—things were already hard enough; if they made Feng Kuzi even more upset and he refused to shoot the film properly, they'd have to coddle him again.

Feng Kuzi was also extremely petty!

Fang Hong certainly wouldn't call to help Huayi collect money now—not only did he not call, he acted as if nothing had happened.

He wouldn't help Huayi collect the money until months had passed and Huayi had bled more—what he said earlier was just to give those two brothers a false hope.

Liu Tianxian didn't interfere; her man would handle it himself.

Fang Hong assigned Meng Jun and Chen Zhixi to handle the investments—Chen Zhixi understood the film industry and the status of each company.

Meng Jun managed financial flows and understood partnership terms—how much to invest, whether to fund film projects or acquire equity stakes.

A detailed plan and charter were needed, of course, and Fang Hong would review everything to avoid bad debts.

For example, Xinli wanted to give up part of its equity so the Principal could invest, leveraging Chang'e and Yutu's resources.

Others simply wanted Yutu Investment to fund a single film to get through a crisis—different situations meant different investment terms.

Of course, it was impossible to buy out every company outright—there were hundreds, at least a hundred, far too many to acquire, and far too expensive.

Even if you bought them, you'd need to manage them—how could you run them without people? So acquiring partial influence was enough.

For example, exclusivity—excluding Alibaba and Tencent.

And right now, investment and cooperation could only guarantee they stayed alive and could keep producing films.

If Fang Hong tried to buy out each company one by one, even his vast wealth wouldn't suffice, and he'd also have to guard against the risk of them fleeing after acquisition.

At most, he'd take partial equity, continue cooperating on one or more films, and hold influence.

The news that the Principal was investing tens of billions spread rapidly through the entire entertainment industry—by that same morning, the rumor was already public by afternoon.

It couldn't be hidden—it was impossible to hide, since all circles were interconnected.

"Really? Is the Principal really investing tens of billions in us?"

"Yes, the Principal said it himself—people have already started negotiations, and everything went smoothly; Xinli gave up 27.64% of its equity to Yutu, securing over 800 million yuan."

"Liubai Film and Television has partnered with Chang'e Video to develop Ma Boyong's IPs."

"."

Ma Boyong is a contemporary writer whose works include Chang'an Shi Er Shi Chen and Wind Rises in Luoyang.

Suddenly, the news that the Principal was investing tens of billions into the entire entertainment industry spread like wildfire through the film sector, giving hope to cash-strapped small and medium enterprises and studios.

They all rushed north to Beijing seeking funding and partnerships.

Even Jiaying Chuanmei—now the company where Da Mimi worked—was seriously considering it.

They were discussing whether to bring in the Principal's capital.

After all, the Principal had resources—IPs like Three Lives Three Worlds were already in his hands.

Even many stars had to make pilgrimages to Yutu—not to meet the Principal himself, but to build good relations with his managers.

Even those who knew Liu Tianxian became more attentive to her—she would soon be the "Empress" of the entertainment industry!

She said: "The entertainment industry must be harmonious—this circle must be harmonious!"

She said: "The entertainment industry must not be corrupt—its corruption must vanish from her sight."

This was the meaning Liu Tianxian conveyed in the snow, later exaggerated and spread—its impact was enormous.

Nothing else—just because the Principal listened to her, and Huayi had been humiliated by him, yet Liu Tianxian had still given them a face-saving exit.

Many had seen it with their own eyes—it couldn't be hidden.

Even Big Wang calling the Principal "Dad" had been secretly leaked.

This turned Big Wang's face green, but he had no good solution.

The entertainment industry's landscape had changed completely—Huayi was fading like the setting sun, while Yutu shone like the sun over the entire industry.

And the Principal's investment of tens of billions had injected new vitality into the once-dead film industry, for hardship was only temporary.

As long as someone was willing to spend money, the film industry could be revived again.

As always, the market still existed—it hadn't vanished, only temporarily shut down by higher authorities.

"This man is truly extraordinary—his depth of strategy has made me underestimate him," Jack Ma had also learned of the Principal's plan to invest tens of billions and scoop up assets.

Previously, he'd thought this man was merely aggressive and impulsive, with no plan or method—just winning fights mattered.

But this time, every move was chained together—defeating Huayi, then announcing the tens-of-billions plan—it was clear he'd long planned to buy low.

This directly breaks his "either-or" dilemma, ensuring there's no lack of content.

Ten billion is enough to cover hundreds of film and television productions.

Not every one needs eight hundred million like Xinli; some are satisfied with just one hundred million.

Tens of millions or a few tens of millions are the norm, since they're all small workshops, and very few have the scale of Xinli, Tangde, or Huanrui.

Moreover, the funding comes in batches—that is, not paid all at once now; this month a batch is paid to advance the project, next month another batch to keep pushing it forward.

So the timeline is stretched out; Fang Hong truly might accumulate ten billion, and some projects are already halfway done—once launched, they can be monetized.

"What should we do? Should we counterattack?" Fan Luyuan asked for instructions.

"We can't copy this move—it'll create a mountain of bad debts. You think investing guarantees survival? Many film and television productions fail or flee; then a new policy comes down, and the money vanishes into thin air."

"This industry is heavily affected by policy, has long investment cycles, and without fixed capital backing, it simply won't work," said Jack Ma.

"Then what is the Principal aiming for?" Fan Luyuan didn't understand—what was the Principal's purpose?

"I can only say he has guts," said Jack Ma.

In truth, Fang Hong has the ability to recoup his investment—just invest in film and television projects or companies well-known from his past life.

Of course, he doesn't dare hope to make a profit; breaking even is enough, and even a slight loss is acceptable. The advantage is that he gains control over the industry's discourse and some of its lifelines.

Put it this way: if he wanted, he could rebuild another Hengdian—though ten billion wouldn't be enough.

But he'd have more than enough film crews, continuously, capable of reviving a dead film city entirely—such is his influence.

But Fang Hong is too lazy to do it; it's hard work with no reward, and he'd have to deal with local government—it's too troublesome.

Lao Wang Zong also heard the news, but he didn't care. The Principal's move greatly impacts the streaming platform landscape, TV dramas, and web drama landscape.

But it doesn't affect movies much.

Because those mid- and small-sized companies and workshops are all targeting web dramas or TV stations.

Cinematic releases are still rare; Guangxian Dong hasn't moved at all.

So Lao Wang Zong isn't worried at all—the ones who should be panicking are Ai, You, and Teng, facing Chang'e Video as such a fierce rival.

Meanwhile, they and over half the film industry are lining up to pay fines, and celebrities are lining up to pay back taxes.

Celebrities' back taxes range from hundreds of millions to billions.

The list hasn't been officially released, but Wangyi are especially interested and have begun digging deep.

Soon, a top-tier Wangyi leaked a table showing the back-tax payments of popular celebrities, with a total back-tax amount of 11.7 billion!

As soon as this table and the total were revealed, it sparked a huge uproar.

"Holy shit, even that guy is paying back taxes? I was his fan—I'm so disappointed."

"Why do celebrities get paid so much?"

"Thank goodness Liu Tianxian isn't on it—thank goodness!"

"Great! It's about time!"

"Hope the behind-the-scenes workers get more pay."

".."

Wangyi all praised it—some were disappointed in celebrities as a group, others in their idols, but opinions varied.

The authorities didn't release any names, to avoid making the matter too big; if every celebrity and artist were held to account, the industry would have no celebrities left.

Of course, this is a warning—if they repeat it, they won't be spared.

After this, anyone caught doing the same in the future will be banned—many people are never satisfied.

During this period, the entire entertainment industry was in turmoil, and the celebrities previously blacklisted by Fang Hong, caught in the vortex—could they now be freed?

Huang Jiaozhu brought Da Baobei; Fan Xiaopang brought Heiniu—they personally came to Yutu.

(End of Chapter)