Chapter 514: The Accumulation of Public Opinion

After hanging up the phone, Lin Nan curiously opened Weibo, preparing to see what was going on.

He saw that the first to sixth trending topics were all about the same matter, causing Lin Nan's eyes to widen instantly.

Good grief, he finally understood why Wang Changtian said the reputation of the three companies had "exploded" among ordinary people—it deserved to explode!

"Official Weibo 'Peaceful Capital' released news: A week ago, acting on a tip-off from the public, the famous actor Zhang 【Surname】 and two musicians were caught on the spot at a residence in Shunyi for consuming..."

"Sina News released the video of the on-site arrest... Drug paraphernalia and remaining drugs were seized on the spot..."

"Interrogation video released; Zhang 【Surname】 is weeping and has confessed without reservation, stating that he had repeatedly harbored others at his home to consume together..."

"Following the incident on January 31, 2012, actor Zhang 【Surname】 has been caught again for drug-related issues. This time, the circumstances are serious, including harboring others... the case will be transferred to a criminal investigation."

The internet was in an uproar. If you count the days, this wasn't many days apart from Gao Hu's incident, was it? It was just that before today, the authorities hadn't made an announcement!

"Ban them! There's no other way; these people are too lawless!"

"This is his second time! No, this is just the second time he's been caught red-handed!"

"Lin Dao Nan's proposal is correct. The actions of Lin Nan Film, Enlight Pictures, and Wanda Pictures are right; they must be banned!"

"I went to Mount Babao this morning and saw many tombstones without 'names' or 'photos.' I asked them if they would forgive, but they didn't answer..."

"Truly, mud cannot be plastered onto a wall. Your father risked his life to pave the way for you, and you are risking your life to tear down your father's walls."

"Sigh, it's a pity for Teacher Zhang Guoli. What a perfect actor, but his son has never let him have a moment of peace..."

The film and television circle was speechless, collectively silent.

Two days ago at the major meeting, everyone was still vehemently refuting Lin Nan's proposal for a ban, shouting in unison about "a prodigal son returning is worth more than gold," "you can't kill them with one blow," and "give them another chance"...

Now, look at this. The son of a Beijing-circle bigwig had "returned as a prodigal son" two and a half years ago, yet behind the scenes, he had re-offended so many times.

This time, he was even harboring others and was caught on the spot! What happens next? Isn't this slapping their own faces?!

"Where is Guoli? Why didn't he tell us about this earlier? It's already been a week!"

Wang Zhongjun frowned and asked Wang Zhonglei sternly.

The latter sighed helplessly and said, "He went to prepare for a media press conference. In this kind of situation, what good would it do to tell us?

If it were just him using, it would be easy to resolve—it would be administrative detention. But he harbored people, and repeatedly at that; now it's a criminal case."

Hearing Wang Zhonglei say this, Wang Zhongjun's expression became even uglier.

Only a few days had passed, and another well-known actor had been reported. The previous wave of public opinion hadn't even dissipated, and this wave had piled on top of it.

To what extent the public opinion on the internet and the resentment of ordinary people would develop was self-evident.

"If a few more come along, the higher-ups will probably really have to bring down the hammer. We won't even need to collect opinions for the second industry conference; they'll just directly enact Lin Nan's proposal! In fact, that possibility exists even now!" Wang Zhongjun said through gritted teeth.

"Half a year. I asked a lawyer; he'll have to stay inside for at least half a year this time. After he gets out, we'll figure out how to arrange things then," Wang Zhonglei added.

Under Lin Nan's Weibo and the company's Weibo, it was packed with people.

The comment count and like count for that post about a unilateral "ban" were skyrocketing every second. Those "whitewashing" press releases on the internet had completely become nonsense.

Lin Nan hesitated—should he turn off the comment function on Weibo?

These emotionally agitated, or even out-of-control, netizens were a bit too self-righteously indignant.

They dared to say anything and curse any relevant department; if this continued, there would be trouble!

After pondering for a while, for the sake of many netizens, Lin Nan turned off the comment function, fearing they might be invited to "drink tea" (be summoned by authorities).

"Oh no, terrible! I forgot to wake up Liu Shishi!"

Remembering the important matter, Lin Nan ran toward the room.

At 8:40, Liu Shishi, wearing a floral dress and high-heeled sandals, hurriedly got into the nanny van and drove away.

Immediately after, Lin Nan also drove out.

He heard that Zhang Guoli was going to hold a press conference at noon; people in the circle didn't need to guess to know what the general content would be—nothing more than an apology.

To be honest, Lin Nan quite admired Zhang Guoli. Not only was he a first-class actor, but he also had a personal second-class merit, which was something he had traded his life for.

Perhaps the only thing he was criticized for was his son. For the sake of this son, he had let Lady Deng not have children of her own.

Not long after arriving at the company in the morning, a call from Jiang Xuerou came back from Hengdian.

"Lin Dao, according to the shooting schedule, 'The Journey of Flower' can wrap up within two weeks. We can return around the 25th."

They started filming at the end of April; in the blink of an eye, four months were about to pass.

"I understand. The company will hold a wrap-up banquet for you in the capital. Also, after arranging the subsequent matters for the crew, you should come back first."

Lin Nan instructed; this TV series deserved this treatment.

That "Swords of Legends" was only airing a few episodes a week on Mango TV, being stingy, and it still hadn't finished its full run.

But it had to be said that its explosive popularity and ratings had maintained for over a month, and to this day, they hadn't diminished in the slightest, making a huge profit. Of course, Potato (Tudou) was the same.

This situation had driven the prices of Xianxia dramas to soar.

Especially "The Journey of Flower," which Lin Nan Film was currently filming, had become the target of competition for several first-tier satellite TV stations.

Moreover, Mango TV had already communicated with Lin Nan Film as early as the end of July.

It was just that Lin Nan hadn't let his subordinates give Mango TV a definitive reply, only saying they would talk about the specific price after seeing the finished product.

Although Lin Nan had the idea of letting several satellite TV stations bid, he had to admit that the final winner would likely be Mango TV, because they had money!

"Alright, Lin Dao. I'll arrange the work and come back in these two days."

"Mm, good."

"He has set a good example this time. Lin Nan Film, Enlight, and Wanda—these three companies have all hit the mark."

At noon, after returning from the General Administration, the first sentence La Peikang said upon sitting in his office was this.

They had held another meeting in the morning, consisting of the number ones and number twos of various official and semi-official institutions and associations in the film and television industry; there were quite a few old fogies.

Director Tong had almost explicitly stated they were going to bring down the hammer, but a group of old stubborns was still righteously refuting and opposing it; the expressions of several leaders were not good.

Don't look at the fact that the group of old fogies were all advanced in age; their skills in verbal sparring, their stamina, and their mental energy were not a bit worse than those of them in their fifties, and were even better. It was like seeing a ghost!

"Chairman La, do you mean they are really going to ban them?"

La Peikang looked at his secretary and confidant and nodded.

"The Administration has this intention now, but the resistance is not small, and it's still in a stalemate.

This afternoon, keep an eye on the films we have produced and invested in that haven't been released yet. If there are any artists of this kind with bad records, find a way to deal with it.

If it's a film that hasn't been shot yet or hasn't finished shooting, replace the person as soon as possible. But remember, you must find other reasons; don't make a scene."

The secretary immediately understood the big boss's meaning: "I'll go handle it this afternoon."

At this moment, La Peikang smiled again:

"I reckon those people from Shanghai Film, Western Film, Ningxia Film, and Changchun Film are all anxious to rush back at the airport right now; at least the calls must have already been made back. Coming yesterday and returning today, they must be exhausted, haha..."

"Chairman La, Legendary Pictures sent an email saying they expect to finish the script next month and bring it over. In addition, they also sent us a list of directors..."

Hearing the secretary's report, the expression on La Peikang's face became serious instantly.

"They sent a list of directors? What do they want to do? Didn't we agree that the director would be decided by us!" La Peikang said with displeasure.

In previous Sino-US co-productions, the choice of director was mostly decided by the Hollywood side.

The final result was also not surprising; the films were all directed by Hollywood directors.

But the co-productions they made basically all had box office figures that were hard to describe.

Looking back over the past ten years, the most profitable and successful co-production was "Pacific Rim," but that was because the script was provided by Lin Nan, had a large number of Chinese engineers involved, and had rich Chinese-style elements.

Next was "The Forbidden Kingdom"; it didn't make money domestically and had poor word-of-mouth, but it made money abroad, so it could be considered a success.

So this time, regarding the script and the director, La Peikang was determined to secure one, and he had obtained the director position he valued more.

"Chairman La, you misunderstood. They didn't say they wanted to change to a Hollywood director; they just gave a list of Chinese directors they think are capable of handling this co-production, hoping we can choose from them."

Hearing this, La Peikang's expression improved slightly. "Bring it here for me to see."

The secretary hurriedly handed over the document in his hand.

"Heh, the first one is Li An?"

La Peikang sneered and said; in terms of closeness, Li An could also be considered an outsider.

"Lin Nan, Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige..."

The paper with the list was casually thrown onto the table by La Peikang, who said with annoyance:

"They really know how to pick people; the investigation is quite thorough. All the directors in the country with major awards and strength are on it, and the higher the name is on the list, the higher the box office achievement!"

"Then?"

"No need to pay attention to it. Wait until their two companies come next month, then we'll talk in person."

Ning Hao, this guy, wanted to conscript soldiers again and set his sights on Lin Nan, wanting him to participate in a promotional activity for "Breakup Buddies."

He even found a reason: firstly, Lin Nan was the producer and one of the investors, and secondly, it was a favor for the support he gave at the conference.

Being annoyed by several consecutive calls, Lin Nan had no choice but to agree.

"Location? Let's be clear in advance; if it's far, I'm not going."

"It's not far, one session each at the Beijing Film Academy and the Central Academy of Drama. Who told you that your influence in schools is much stronger than mine? Haha..."

"Your grandfather's... didn't you say once? Why two places?"

"Going to the Beijing Film Academy is like going home for you; can this count as a promotional session? If the school hears that, how heartbreaking it would be!"

Ning Hao said with a giggle; his skin was truly thick.

Many readers previously asked why I don't do something for the industry. This small subplot can be considered doing something, taking advantage of the momentum. After all, it's too unrealistic for an individual to want to change the industry's macro-environment. I prefer to stay close to reality.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 515 =====