Chapter 718

Outside the Revival Gate, the General Administration building's modern architecture stood imposing and majestic, evoking a sense of awe that demanded to be looked up to.

At that moment, the barrier at the entrance guard post rose high, and a line of low-key luxury cars drove in, parking on the square before the main gate.

Out stepped several tycoons: Jack Ma, Tony Ma, Lao Wang Zong, and Fang Hong.

These few were the strongest tycoons in today's internet and film-entertainment industries—figures whose every step shook the ground.

Of course, Ding Sanshi was also a tycoon, but he focused solely on his games and did not deeply involve himself in film and television content.

But he did participate in the music field's competition.

Fan Luyuan, Gong Yu, Sun Zhonghuai, Chen Zhixi, along with some copyright agents and distributors, were mere minor players.

They got out of their cars and exchanged glances, each with a different depth of complexity in their eyes.

Tony Ma appeared calm, still wearing that faint smile; Jack Ma carried an air of aloofness, radiating arrogance.

His gaze toward others felt condescending—unlike the friendlier demeanor he later adopted, which was precisely why Fang Hong disliked him.

Meanwhile, Lao Wang Zong's gaze at Fang Hong was sharp; their feud had already been laid bare.

Fang Hong merely adjusted his suit buttons, acting as if nothing were amiss; since no one liked him anyway, there was no point in seeking trouble.

These people naturally clustered into small circles and ascended the steps of the General Administration building.

A small conference room, bright and spacious, featured a red-patterned carpet on the floor and neatly arranged single sofas along both walls.

Each sofa was spaced slightly apart.

At the front, atop the dais, three white single sofas were placed, with a vase between each.

The entire scene was both solemn and refined.

The conference room door opened; Fang Hong and the others entered under the staff's guidance, taking their assigned seats.

The tycoons sat near the three main seats, facing each other; Fang Hong took the second seat on the left wall, with Tony Ma in the first.

Opposite them sat Jack Ma and Lao Wang Zong; everyone else took seats further back in sequence.

"Please wait a moment—the ministers will arrive shortly," the staff said politely.

Those present nodded, acknowledging the message.

Then they sat in silence, staring at one another, saying nothing—though they were all well acquainted.

After all, they had clashed many times; your greatest enemy knows you best.

As these men sat in mutual silence, the door opened, and three middle-aged men in elegant suits and refined demeanors entered first.

Several others followed behind, including Zhang Hongsen.

"Greetings, leaders!"

"."

Fang Hong and the others rose immediately, their expressions solemn, showing no slackness.

"Good, good, please sit, please sit," the three leaders nodded warmly, gesturing for them to be seated.

It seemed they were not angry over their recent affairs.

Fang Hong and the others sat down; the three leaders sat upright at the head, appearing formal, while Zhang Hongsen and the others found stools nearby to sit and listen.

"What's been going on lately? Speak up—let us understand the situation," one leader said casually, signaling them to explain.

All eyes turned to Fang Hong, expecting him to speak first.

Fang Hong naturally said nothing; if he spoke first, it would appear he was the instigator, the one venting grievances.

The room fell silent; no one spoke.

"If you won't speak, then we must issue criticism."

The leader paused slightly before continuing: "The cultural sector concerns not only ideology but also the development of the cultural industry. Our goal is to foster a thriving cultural industry and build a global powerhouse of cultural production—a task that remains arduous!

You haven't even gotten production right, yet you've already started fighting among yourselves, with vicious competition and market-grabbing incidents emerging endlessly."

Those present remained silent, showing shame.

"Even now, you still fail to recognize your own problems or acknowledge your mistakes, always trying to shift blame onto others."

The leaders had noticed their expressions, hence they spoke directly: "Xiao Fang, tell us your side first."

He added: "Today isn't an especially formal meeting—you may speak freely. Say whatever you wish."

They were being encouraged to relax and speak boldly, without holding back.

"Leader, Chang'e Yutu has always operated normally; we've been focused solely on our own domain, behaving honestly and responsibly," Fang Hong said.

Watching him speak without a flicker of embarrassment, others admired the Principal's skill in delivering such a straight-faced lie—how could he claim to be honest and responsible after striking at one and scheming against another?

"How exactly are you honest and responsible?" the leader found his words amusing.

"Imagine you've worked hard to cultivate your own small plot of land, then one day a group of hunters bursts in, guns pointed at your head, demanding your cattle and sheep—wouldn't you resist? Wouldn't you defend your cattle and sheep?" Fang Hong was comparing everyone else to bandits.

"You're quite good at turning the tables—you call the entire film industry your own little plot of land. Does that mean only you can operate here, and no one else can?"

"Besides, it's you who's been bullying others—you're the real hunter," Lao Wang Zong couldn't help retorting.

"Did I stop you from operating? Which of your films required my approval to make?"

"I was just making a metaphor—I'm a producer, involved in film and television production. If my productions are good and they squeeze others' market share, does that mean I'm bullying them? According to your logic, I should stop making big-budget films and only produce low-quality ones." Fang Hong said.

Lao Wang Zong couldn't outargue him—he always resorted to nonsense and baseless rambling.

"Your restrictions on production completely violate the nature of culture. I've always said culture must spread—only through dissemination, only when more people see and accept it, can the market come alive. What have you done? Restrictions, restrictions, and more restrictions."

Jack Ma remained the same, always occupying the moral high ground—yet he, too, imposed restrictions on Chang'e's subsidiaries.

He was also leveraging internet and capital advantages to disrupt the film industry.

"I have something to say: this is the era of web dramas' explosive growth. Just recently, the Principal restricted our web dramas—those on Chang'e Video couldn't appear on any other platform. Many deals already negotiated were canceled because of this," Gong Yu of iQiyi stood up to accuse the Principal of monopolization.

"Yes, distributing web dramas on a single platform also means more revenue and greater market vitality," Sun Zhonghuai of Tencent added.

All of them had tacitly turned their accusations toward Fang Hong.

"How can you accuse me? Isn't your music industry the same? Once you secure exclusive copyright, you build walls and restrict other platforms—why don't you license it?"

Fang Hong said this, then added: "I'm not that shameless—at least before, I lifted most restrictions."

Indeed, he has more dignity than Tencent; Tencent truly severed your chances of acquiring music copyrights, going to great lengths to secure exclusivity and erect copyright barriers.

Tencent's music copyrights were like this in the early days; only after stepped-up regulation did they begin to loosen licensing.

Fang Hong only tightened restrictions recently due to intense competition; before that, most things—including IPs—were open.

Because he knew the market could never have only one platform; if it ever reached that point, that would be the most dangerous.

All you can say is maintaining a leading position is acceptable.

"It's not that we're unwilling to buy copyrights—it's that they simply aren't for sale, and even if they were, the licensing fees would be absurdly high," said Ding Sanshi.

Whenever music is mentioned, everyone sides with Fang Hong; Jack Ma stays silent—he also stands with the Principal.

"Regarding music copyrights, it's not that we're unwilling to license—we're just saying music is unique; music copyrights are the foundation of the content ecosystem. Our investment in purchasing copyrights is respect for creators and the industry," said Tony Ma. His meaning was that exclusivity is a market behavior, not a monopoly.

"Then I can also say film and television content is the foundation of the ecosystem; our investment in producing and distributing it is respect for creators and the industry," said Fang Hong, equally shameless.

Tony Ma couldn't help glancing at this man—his logic was downright ruthless!

Originally, the several sides were trading arguments well, clarifying the issue—but these two had turned the topic into a dead end.

I didn't monopolize—it's market behavior.

Tony Ma rarely speaks; when he does, it's a killing blow that leaves you speechless.

Fang Hong followed suit by imitation—the enemy is the best teacher.

This made the atmosphere heavy and awkward.

"The market needs vitality and limited competition; monopolies must not exist," the leader declared, setting the tone.

You cannot engage in monopolies—you must promote market vitality; even without competition, you must create it.

"We are willing to adopt an open stance and promote the music service ecosystem," Tony Ma immediately changed his rhetoric, willing to open copyright licensing—his reaction was swift.

It seems living long has its reasons.

Now no one could point fingers at him—they all turned toward the Principal.

Fang Hong's momentum was largely deflated, but he made no statement; this was his trump card—if others didn't stop, how could he?

These two held the most copyrights, but their situations differed: Tencent was stronger overall and hadn't deeply engaged in film disputes—though it did participate in web dramas and TV series.

The leader's words dampened the heated emotions of the earlier arguments.

"Healthy industry development is the foundation, especially in film and television. We allow competition, but not malicious competition. Competition must drive progress forward, not regression—that's unacceptable," the leader said again.

If their competition harms industry development, they must be dealt with.

"We have consistently actively built the film and television ecosystem. For film and television, we are willing to invest more funds and technology to enhance viewing experience and interactivity."

"But recently, the Principal's series of malicious competitive actions have not only caused film and television content to regress, but also led to market traffic loss," said Fan Luyuan.

Directly naming the Principal as the culprit behind film and television regression and market decline.

"Wanda has always been China's largest cinema chain. We've continuously expanded our operations, showing whatever films are available—we've contributed to box office growth."

"But now the film and television market is controlled by the Principal; we theater operators have become lambs to the slaughter, with no talk of healthy development."

"Everyone knows cinemas are capital-intensive. Once content is cut off, we have nothing to show—we can't expand, and if this continues long enough, we'll only face closure," said Lao Wang Zong, claiming his contributions while admitting he wanted to do more but lacked the power.

If malicious competition intensifies, Wanda will have no choice but to close, shrinking the film market—this carried a hint of intimidation.

Of course, the core point was still that the Principal had dragged the industry backward.

"From cinema chains to streaming platforms—it's an entire chain tied to the film market and the prosperity of the entertainment circle. If the chain is severed at the source, it delivers a devastating blow to the entire industry."

"Once broken, reconnecting the chain is hard. Of course we're willing to be repairers, rebuilding what's been destroyed—but let's be honest: destruction is always easier than construction."

Jack Ma's words placed him at the highest moral ground, portraying himself as a saint, tirelessly mending this circle.

In contrast, Fang Hong was the destroyer—the one ruining this circle. The implication was clear.

Others nodded in agreement—it was vivid!

"For the film and television market, diversity is right. More money, more effort—all for a healthier ecosystem," said Tony Ma, also taking a stance.

All these people had turned their spears squarely on Fang Hong, just as they had earlier accused him of imposing restrictions.

Now they accused him of destruction—of being the destroyer of the film industry and even the entire entertainment circle, breaking its rules and dragging it backward.

Someone unfamiliar with the situation listening here would truly be fooled by this group.

No wonder so many people cry foul!

Of course, Ding Sanshi said nothing—it had nothing to do with him; others couldn't speak either—it was all competition among the big players.

The three leaders exchanged low whispers, verifying whether the situation matched what they claimed.

Zhang Hongsen listened silently, expressionless—he knew Fang Hong had done many things, nothing like what they claimed.

"For the film and entertainment circle? When the entertainment circle trembled from tax evasion scandals, Alibaba retreated and Tencent ignored it—who spent ten billion to save the film market from collapse? Me!"

"Who built China's film production industry, exported domestic films overseas, and pushed Chinese animated films onto the global stage? Me!"

"What were Alibaba and Tencent doing then? Pouring money into Hollywood—throwing it around to invest in their films, buying their copyrights. Am I wrong? I dare say I didn't give Hollywood a single penny!"

"Before web dramas flourished, who opened up IPs, lifted investment restrictions, held web drama summits, injected capital, and made web dramas sprout like bamboo shoots after rain, year after year breaking new records, supporting countless small and medium film companies and workshops?"

"From an original market size of just a few billion, we broke through to over a hundred billion today—me!"

"How dare you speak of 'for the film and entertainment circle'? With leaders here today, I'll say it plainly: the burden of film and television rests on my shoulders. When have you ever thought about film development? All you think about is picking fruit."

Fang Hong slammed his shoulders several times hard—his presence was overwhelming.

(End of Chapter)