Chapter 692

The Oval Office was spacious and bright, its minimalist style exuding comfort; on either side of the wide wooden desk sat Fang Hong and the two Huayi brothers.

Fang Hong suddenly became warm, abandoning the coldness he'd shown upon entering—he couldn't possibly turn away people who came begging for help.

Moreover, although Huayi was now drowning in debt and on the verge of collapse, a dying camel is still bigger than a horse.

He leaned back in his chair as they poured out plan after plan.

"Even if the cinema chain holds strong power and control, we are the producers—we control the upstream. Without our film sources, without blockbusters, they can't draw audiences."

"What we must do is cut off Wanda's film sources, leaving it soulless. A cinema without film sources is like a body without a soul—what can it offer to satisfy audiences?"

Wang Zhongjun spoke very well.

But it was all empty talk—did Fang Hong not know that cutting off Wanda's film sources was possible? Wanda had just acquired Legendary Pictures, and this year they would have two Hollywood blockbusters—Warcraft and The Great Wall—to carry them.

Their investments include L. O. R. D: Legend of Ravaging Dynasties, The Young Master's Sword, Some Like It Hot, Chongqing Hot Pot, and other films with high traffic and production quality.

But The Young Master's Sword is controlled by Bona; L. O. R. D: Legend of Ravaging Dynasties by LeEco; Some Like It Hot by Xinli.

Bona and Xinli are Fang Hong's subordinates—if he forced them to cut ties, he could make it happen.

But to do so would require sufficient profit and determination—they also need to make money.

The losses must be made up by Yutu; if they can't cover them, it's hard to muster such resolve—film companies are fragile and lack resilience.

Even more so for smaller and mid-sized films—those they invested in and those they didn't won't join the fight just because Yutu is involved.

But these won't have decisive impact—many can't even break 100 million in box office.

Everyone is suffering, but it takes great resolve—right now, Fang Hong is just making Yutu bear the burden.

"Well said. Very thoughtful."

Fang Hong complimented him, offering some recognition, then asked: "You say you can help me—how exactly?"

"We join forces to cut off Wanda's film sources—he won't dare resist." Wang Zhongjun made a slashing gesture downward.

"How do we join forces? First, tell me your leverage." Fang Hong didn't smile—he let him boast a bit longer.

In his past life, Huayi had been crushed by Wanda with no way to fight back, reduced to empty verbal abuse—what real tactics did they have?

"This year, all of Huayi's films will not screen at Wanda cinemas—we will fully support you against Wanda." Wang Zhongjun spoke with iron certainty.

Fang Hong smiled but said nothing—happiness came too suddenly; he felt uneasy.

Just moments ago, the two sides had been fighting to the death, wanting to destroy each other's ancestors—now they sat together in apparent affection—who could adapt to that?

"Yutu, Bona, Huayi, plus our other influence, and we can pull in other small and mid-sized film companies—we can cut off 80% of Wanda's high-end Chinese-language film sources. Even if they have their own sources, how much could they possibly have? They can't have more than us—this will leave Wanda cinemas with nothing to show."

Wang Zhongjun spoke passionately, then added: "I have Huayi World—let's form our own alliance, negotiate with other theater chains, and isolate Wanda and their Wuzhou Alliance."

Combine that with Principal's Yutu ticket data advantage and Chang'e Technology's traffic advantage—we can isolate Wanda completely online and offline. With content, data, and cinemas, how could we possibly lose? Then it won't be us begging Wanda—it'll be Wanda begging us to spare them."

Huayi World was originally created to counter Wanda's Wuzhou Alliance and to counter Yutu—it includes Tencent's WePic, Shanghai Film Group, Dadi, and state capital.

Though it hasn't gained traction, the framework still exists; Huayi still holds traditional promotional resources like CCTV and Satellite TV.

So Huayi still has its advantages—Fang Hong had merely used capital tactics to crush it before.

"Well said!" Fang Hong suddenly raised his voice, nearly applauding General Manager Wang.

He already knew all this—clearly.

He said to Wang Zhonglei: "Learn from your brother—see how far-sighted he is."

"Principal, stop mocking me—we genuinely want to cooperate with you to help you fight Wanda, not joke around," Wang Zhonglei said helplessly.

His tone carried sarcasm—he didn't believe them at all.

"I'm curious—why do you want to team up with me to fight Wanda?" Fang Hong didn't smile; he was genuinely puzzled.

"Of course—we need you to help us get money from Warner. Warner keeps delaying the trial—we can't afford to keep waiting."

Wang Zhonglei spoke earnestly, then added: "To be honest, we don't even have money for film promotion—we can't even pay the bond, and our debts are due again—we're completely out of cash."

"It can't be that bad!" Fang Hong was astonished.

"We borrowed too much. Huayi's market value is now only a few billion—completely collapsed. Plus, many films haven't been released, so funds can't circulate—we urgently need working capital," Wang Zhonglei said, looking at the Principal.

They've sold everything they could—what they couldn't sell is left unfinished, like the Huayi Brothers Movie Towns in Zhengzhou, Changsha, and Nanjing—left abandoned, with no funds to maintain them.

This is probably how these unfinished projects came to be.

Also, last year they invested in filming several movies—all need release; Mr. Six needs reshooting, which requires money—without funds, nothing can proceed.

This year Huayi has many films: Railroad Tigers by Fang Long, The Wasted Times by Guoji Zhang and Ge Daye.

Also, I Am Not Madame Bovary—Feng Kuzi's major film.

"You could find other investors—sell some shares, borrow from banks," Fang Hong said.

"We've tried everything—every method. But we've already mortgaged most of our goodwill; investors no longer trust us," Wang Zhongjun said, troubled.

They'd mortgaged nearly 100% of their equity—there's nothing left for others to take.

The only useful assets left are the films and content—they can still earn money, so they've kept them running, though the brothers have repaid some debts and reclaimed partial equity.

"Aren't you connected to Ma Baba? He could help you solve this," Fang Hong still harbored doubts.

"Ma Baba isn't just Huayi's creditor—he's our personal creditor too. He's even harsher than others. You think he won't come after us? He comes after us just as hard, even harder." Wang Zhongjun said.

When they borrowed from Ma Baba, they signed joint liability agreements—not only their company, but also their personal assets, including their wives', were liable.

Ma Baba is smarter than anyone else.

"Don't I have a grudge against you? Huayi was crushed by me—why trust me so much?" Fang Hong leaned forward, staring at them.

"Principal, we don't trust you—we want you to help Huayi survive, help us recover those 600 million to get through this crisis."

Wang Zhongjun stared back: "You're not our creditor—you won't come after us for money. Only you can help us raise funds. Six hundred million is lifesaving money for Huayi right now."

And honestly—we're exhausted. We don't want to fight anymore. We just want a way to survive."

They feared the Principal would strike again—they'd fought for six or seven years, and they were truly tired.

Fang Hong hadn't realized Huayi was this desperate—so broke they'd sold even their homes and beloved antique paintings. But it made sense—if they had any money left, they wouldn't have done that.

He lowered his head, silent in thought, while the two brothers watched him intently.

"You need to think this through clearly. Going against Wanda with us won't be easy on you either—you'll be caught up in the same vortex." Fang Hong looked up and said.

"Of course we're clear on that, but we believe in you, believe that you'll ultimately win this war and become the final victor. Following you, we won't regret it." Wang Zhongjun said.

"What makes you so sure?" Fang Hong was puzzled—so much trust in him?

"Because Principal, you've never lost. In seven years, not a single defeat, and every step of your development has landed right on the mark, perfectly aligned with the trends of the times.

My live-action entertainment failed, Alibaba's Greater Entertainment is still in its development stage, Tencent's Greater Entertainment films are also a weak link, and Weimob is half-dead.

Only Principal, your Rabbit Ticket has the first-mover advantage, Chang'e Technology perfectly complements Jade Rabbit's weak link, the acquisition of Shanda Entertainment built up a large IP library, and you laid out copyright early on. It can be said your Greater Entertainment is the most successful, basically without any weak links.

Even Alibaba and Tencent couldn't quite get it done, yet you pulled it off, without wasting a single resource, thinking of everything ahead of time. Take this time with that little bastard—Principal, you can handle him with ease, the other side has no power to resist."

"Put it this way, no one can surpass your wisdom."

Wang Zhongjun said it dead seriously—the "little bastard" refers to Xiao Wang. If you didn't look at his expression, you'd really think he was joking.

Even his brother wore a serious face, as if it were really that reasonable.

Seems that old saying is right: the ones who understand you best are always your enemies. These two brothers had been going head-to-head with Fang Hong for so long, they deeply appreciated that the Principal's journey had been like running with cheats.

Who has this ability—completing the layout in just six or seven years, earning the right to challenge giants like Alibaba, Tencent, and Wanda?

These three badass existences—pick any one at random from today's entertainment or internet circles to fight, and you're done for. Only the Principal isn't afraid—a perfect closed loop.

Put it this way, what the Principal has been doing all along is cleaning up the industry, and he doesn't even get criticized for it.

"Hehehe!" Fang Hong laughed.

He didn't expect that after all this, these two brothers no longer hated him, but had placed him on a very high pedestal.

But then again, over all these years Fang Hong hadn't failed a single film, which is very rare given that most films in the industry are just making cameo appearances.

And he fought his way up the whole way, without a single loss—truly baffling.

"We two brothers are definitely going to stand on the side of the Son of Destiny. Standing on the opposite side—that would be going against the natural order, wouldn't it." Wang Zhongjun was convinced the Principal would win, so he didn't hesitate to come pick a side.

Picking a side is also a technical job.

"Good, well said, you've got the觉悟." Fang Hong was quite delighted, feeling like a Son of the Plane himself.

No one had ever said something like that to his face. Seems he beat the other side into questioning their life—am I the weak one? No way, right? Right?

If helping the Principal crush Wanda proves it's not that I'm weak, but that the Principal is just too strong.

See? Even Wanda fell at the Principal's feet. My losing isn't shameful—it's actually a kind of fortune.

"I can help you with your financial difficulties, but asking Warner for money is a bit difficult—Warner doesn't necessarily listen to me. Jade Rabbit can lend you money." Fang Hong said again.

This money can't be given to Huayi for free—if he gives it, Huayi will have no ties left. He can lend money to them; borrowing definitely requires repayment, and needs something as collateral.

That way, Jade Rabbit also becomes Huayi's creditor, and can further bind Huayi tightly.

It's not like a few words of admiration can make Fang Hong drop his guard. He has to keep one hand ready to defend against them. Once he becomes a creditor later, and confirms there's no second thought, then helping Huayi demand money from Warner won't be too late.

And the money demanded back can be returned to them, or used to prioritize repaying Jade Rabbit's debt. When the time comes, whether to cut ties or keep being a creditor—that's all up to Fang Hong.

This money definitely won't be lost—it's guaranteed.

"Principal, you're willing to lend us money?" Wang Zhongjun's brain couldn't process it for a moment.

"Right. You're willing to help me deal with Wanda, so I help you with your financial difficulties— isn't that only natural? We're all in the same boat." Fang Hong spread his hands.

"Then how much are you willing to lend us?" Wang Zhonglei asked.

"600 million. Jade Rabbit can lend you 600 million upfront, for a term of half a year, using your equity and copyrights as collateral, plus the company account as collateral. If you don't repay after half a year, Jade Rabbit has the right to withdraw from Huayi's account for repayment." Fang Hong said.

Meaning once Huayi has money, it has to repay Jade Rabbit first. If it doesn't, the money will be directly deducted from their account. This lays the groundwork for Fang Hong to demand money from Warner later—once it's recovered, it can go straight to repaying the debt.

This made the two brothers exchange a glance, a bit of surprise and shock in their eyes.

Wang Zhongjun said: "That doesn't seem quite right. We have some debts coming due that need repaying too. We just made a bit of money and already have to pay you first—give us some breathing room!"

"This clause is just a safeguard, to put my mind at ease. After all, I still need to deepen my understanding of you. Once we know each other better, I can relax it appropriately—turning a blind eye isn't out of the question." Fang Hong's words sounded very pleasant.

It all came down to whether they'd behave going forward.

This made both brothers fall silent. In other words, loosen when he wants, tighten when he wants—can act as if there's no money in your account.

Equivalent to 1.2 billion of Huayi's being locked down by Fang Hong.

"This money will be used as Huayi's working capital. You two brothers can go back and think carefully about whether to borrow it." Fang Hong said.

"No need to go back and think. I just want to ask the Principal one thing—if we help you take down Wanda, will you ultimately kill the donkey after it's done grinding?" Wang Zhongjun looked at him and said seriously.

"Guess!" Fang Hong raised an eyebrow—he definitely wouldn't give any guarantee.

This hurt the two brothers. They came to surrender in all sincerity, yet the Principal guarded against them like this.

"Principal, you're too harsh on us." Wang Zhongjun said, head lowered.

"Don't be anxious. I'm not as bad as you think. As long as you follow my lead wholeheartedly, I won't do anything to you. On the contrary, Huayi can continue to exist—I say so."

Fang Hong still had to comfort them a bit.

(End of chapter)