Chapter 233: The Beauty Who Wields Her Looks, Fans Lurk in Wait, the Masses

It wasn't just Dong Xuan who thought Qin Lan performed well.

Many viewers who watched the TV drama felt the same, and the media spontaneously wrote reports praising her.

However, because the character itself was not likable and her screen time was limited, although Qin Lan's acting was recognized, her personal popularity grew only slightly.

Since the broadcast of "Fengshen Bang," the character and actor with the highest heat and the most fans, without doubt, is Fan Xiaopang, who portrays Su Daji.

Because Fan Xiaopang plays two roles: Su Daji and the Nine-Tailed Fox.

The two characters, one good and one evil, somewhat diluted the audience's aversion to her villainous acts in the drama.

Meanwhile, the opposing roles also demonstrated Fan Xiaopang's fairly decent acting, with individual standout moments receiving considerable praise.

The excellent costume, makeup, and set design, combined with Fan Xiaopang's naturally exceptional appearance, provided viewers with an absolutely extraordinary visual experience.

Her harmonious chemistry with Yan Li's domineering and heroic portrayal of King Zhou also fed back significant popularity to her.

All these factors made Fan Xiaopang the most prominent presence in the early stages of "Fengshen Bang," not to mention Yi'an Production's active marketing and promotion on her behalf.

【The Most Beautiful Su Daji】 was already a planned campaign; Fan Xiaopang, accustomed to overshadowing others, began belittling Wen Bixia and Fu Yiwei, who had previously received better critical reception as Su Daji.

So it's not without reason that Fan Xiaopang sometimes has poor interpersonal relations—randomly stepping on others, who wouldn't be angry?

But Fan Xiaopang doesn't care; in the entertainment industry, everyone schemes against each other, and being nice won't get you anywhere.

Unless she brings down Wen and Fu's influence and reputation, how can her Su Daji quickly rise to the top and become the most recognized version, turning into her new signature role?

Besides, Fu Yiwei and Wen Bixia aren't entirely innocent either; over the years, both have competed for the title of 【The Most Beautiful Su Daji】.

Almost every related news article and press release includes those words, and both have frequently subtly or overtly undermined each other and other versions of Su Daji.

If you search online, 【The Most Beautiful Su Daji】 or their names are almost always linked together.

While some media reporters may have written these independently, to claim there are no press releases would only fool outsiders.

Nowadays, internet users' voices have not yet fully broken out of their echo chambers; the media still dominates mainstream opinion.

An artist's image and reputation rely heavily on media support; even top stars buy press releases to promote themselves.

Most ordinary people lack sufficient discernment and tend to follow the crowd, believing whatever others say.

Especially now, when media credibility is relatively strong, press releases are even more effective.

Could the words in newspapers and magazines be false?

Not to mention that writers skilled in rhetoric inevitably use literary techniques to stir emotions and shape perceptions; ordinary people can't tell the difference, so naturally, if the newspapers and magazines say someone is good, they are good, and if they say someone is bad, they are bad.

That's why journalists are called 【The King Without a Crown】—stars without real power or backing truly can't afford to offend them.

Last month, rock singer Dou Wei was relentlessly harassed by paparazzo Zhuo Wei, who showed up to burn his car, sparking a huge uproar.

So even if some stars don't have high marketing needs, they still have to spend money on PR—not to be praised, but to avoid being criticized.

It's not just Fu and Wen competing; Luo Haiqiong, who once played Su Daji, has also done similar things.

But due to her appearance, Luo lacked credibility in claiming the 【Most Beautiful Su Daji】 title, so she leaned toward promoting herself as having the best acting, subtly undermining others' performances.

The reason for the constant stream of promotional press releases is mainly that they have no other major representative roles, so they rely on this character to attract and retain fans, making them particularly sensitive about it.

If they had another highly popular signature role, they might not bother competing at all.

For example, Liang Li, who also portrayed Su Daji, rarely mentions this role; one reason is its low recognition, but another is that she has popular roles like Sun Erniang in "Water Margin" and Lady in "The Divine Doctor Xi Laile," so she doesn't care about a mediocre-popularity Su Daji.

Similarly, if Fan Xiaopang lands another popular role in the future, she might also stop caring about 【The Most Beautiful Su Daji】.

But now, she is in her ascent phase, and this is a new work, so it naturally demands serious attention.

As a top rising star and Yi'an's number one actress, Fan Xiaopang's fanbase, promotional resources, and budget are incomparable to those of Fu and Wen, whose fame has drastically declined—or one could even say they are past their prime.

After the marketing campaign was launched, Fan Xiaopang's exposure surged and her reputation for beauty grew even stronger.

Speaking of it, Fan Xiaopang's previous roles were not many that were purely defined by beauty; she tended more toward pure, sweet, cute, or tomboyish styles.

Partly because she hadn't fully matured and her beauty hadn't yet reached the level to overshadow all other stars, and partly due to her agency's strategic positioning.

Back then, the mainland's atmosphere was more conservative, and Fan Xiaopang was young with low fame, so the safest path was to portray glamorous girls and pure young maidens.

As for 【Using Beauty as a Weapon】, over the years only Li Jiaxin has successfully walked this path—and Li's popularity in Hong Kong circles is something everyone understands; while personality plays a major role, few of the actresses she overshadowed liked her.

Before Fan Xiaopang met Yan Li, Wang Jinghua noticed Fan Xiaopang growing more beautiful and rising in popularity, and had considered shifting her style.

Originally, "The Mobile Phone" was meant to be Fan Xiaopang's key transition into serious acting and sexy, glamorous roles, but Li Bingbing and Yan Li stole the project.

Later, after Yan Li and Fan Xiaopang became acquainted and grew close, her career path began to change.

On one hand, the rivalry with Li Bingbing boosted her status and added narrative depth through their connection; on the other, she continuously emphasized her 【beauty】 as a key advantage.

The Fifth Fairy in "Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies" is the most beautiful woman in heaven; Xue Bing in "Lu Xiaofeng Legend" is a renowned beauty in Wu Lin; Su Daji in "Fengshen Bang" is, of course, the most beautiful demoness.

Even non-Yi'an Production roles, like Jinmao Rat in "Fu Xing Gao Zhao Zhu Bajie," were marketed with claims of 【The Most Beautiful Demon】 and so on.

The roles highlight beauty, the marketing highlights beauty, and the makeup and costumes are comprehensively upgraded.

Not only was Fan Xiaopang assigned a dedicated styling and makeup team, but she also established long-term collaborations with top styling teams from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea to meet her various makeup and costume needs.

Thus, over the past two years, Fan Xiaopang has continuously reinforced the concept of 【She Is the Most Beautiful】 through film and television works, promotional campaigns, and countless public appearances.

The success of her commercial endorsements and topic exposure also stems from this advantage.

Female stars each have their own style, but Fan Xiaopang's 【Using Beauty as a Weapon】 is the most blunt, most widely accepted by the public, and most suitable for commercial endorsements.

From jewelry, clothing, and cosmetics, to cars, accessories, and games, down to pots, pans, bowls, chopsticks, tea, rice, oil, and salt.

No matter the brand or category, hiring a beautiful woman as a spokesperson or for advertising is never wrong.

You hire her, I hire her, the more people hire her, the more in-demand she becomes.

The massive promotional and advertising exposure, combined with inevitable comparisons and rivalries with other female stars, plus her connections with Yan Li, Li Bingbing, and others, ensures endless buzz.

According to Baidu's data statistics, since January this year, Fan Xiaopang's monthly ranking in entertainment personality searches has consistently remained within the top twenty, with several months breaking into the top ten.

This search ranking includes top-tier stars from both sides of the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong, mainland's Four Little Flowers and popular young male and female stars, Hong Kong and Taiwan pop idols, and even overseas celebrities and internet influencers.

Since the broadcast of "Fengshen Bang," Fan Xiaopang has topped the charts for several consecutive days.

Not only that, but on major portal websites' trending topics and even in print media reports, Fan Xiaopang consistently ranks among the top.

In terms of heat and fame, Fan Xiaopang can easily rival, if not surpass, many top-tier stars.

In 2005, Fan Xiaopang's ranking on the Forbes Celebrity List rose sharply.

This year, her career has further exploded, and her ranking is expected to climb even higher.

Fan Xiaopang's own goal is to break into the top ten.

"Fengshen Bang" and the earlier "Lu Xiaofeng Chronicles" were just appetizers; she also has commercial blockbusters "Mo Gong" and "Bai Fa Mo Nü Zhuan," which will likely premiere in the second half of the year.

Coupled with her ever-rising exposure and income, Fan Xiaopang still has modest confidence in reaching her top-ten goal.

…

Besides Fan Xiaopang reaping massive benefits, Yan Li's portrayal of King Zhou also gave him significant visibility.

From Huo Qubing and Jin Zha in early 2005, to Sun Desheng, Gong Jiu, and now King Zhou.

Although Yan Li hasn't acted in many roles and mostly plays supporting parts, the dramas he's been in have all performed exceptionally well, with several becoming annual blockbusters and generating astonishing reach.

Moreover, most of the characters Yan Li portrays in these dramas are either likable or distinctive.

Combined with his suitable appearance and various halo effects, these factors have further accelerated the popularity he gains from these hit dramas and memorable roles.

Netizens' jokes and memes—such as "a good actor ruined by business," "bankrupt, so he became a superstar," "can't make good dramas, so he became a billionaire," "the most skilled actor among entrepreneurs / the richest young actor," and "he earns money just to play roles he loves"—have made Yan Li's personal image more down-to-earth and widely popular.

In terms of overall fame and popularity, Yan Li can now rival some top young male stars, differing only slightly in fan base size.

Primarily because he has too many romantic scandals, and since he doesn't follow the conventional star path, he appears rarely and doesn't actively cultivate fans, so his fan count can't match those top young male stars.

However, among the general public, Yan Li is stronger.

Simply being a self-made billionaire is enough to earn widespread approval and recognition in today's culture that reveres success.

These people may not be his fans or followers, but they still hold some goodwill toward him.

Among Yan Li's fans, due to differing reasons for admiration, various subgroups have emerged.

There are traditional idol fans who like Yan Li's dramas and his personal persona.

There are career fans who admire and respect Yan Li's business achievements and support his dominance in New Shanghai.

These two categories are major groups; there are also minor subgroups.

For example, body fans who only care about his face or physique; romance fans who idolize his prowess in dating—Qi Binglian's captain was created by this group.

There are also fans who ship him with specific female stars or female characters—Fan, Dong, and Li are all among them; Gong Jiu and Sha Man, Jin Zha and the Three Immortal Maidens, King Zhou and Su Daji, and so on.

The most extreme are the harem fans, who daily "manage his harem," analyzing the status and favor levels of all his rumored lovers.

For instance, Fan Xiaopang is Empress, Dong Xuan is Virtuous Consort or Cold Palace, Li Bingbing is Noble Consort, Wang Ou is Ou Consort, and the seven Immortal Maidens like Huo Siyan are Noble Ladies.

Notably, one person's consort rank was personally fought for by her using a fake account on Tieba—she originally aimed to be promoted to Consort, but was strongly opposed by other harem fans.

Another person, whose name remains undisclosed, created a fake account to campaign and tried to replace Fan Xiaopang as Empress.

The harem fans questioned, "Who is Qin Lan?" and "What rank is she?"—she was so enraged she reported and got the post deleted.

Truly, when a hundred people gather, strange things emerge.

Every kind of quirk and kink exists; sometimes Yan Li himself sees some fans' posts on Tieba and can't help but reply with a 【?】.

Not only Yan Li's fans, but also Fan Xiaopang's, Dong Xuan's, Wang Ou's, and others' fans are similarly "divided."

Many praise him; many also curse him.

Yan Li thinks that if he ever publicly announces a relationship or breakup with Fan Xiaopang, these fans might erupt into fierce infighting—one side rejoicing, the other devastated, possibly even quitting fandom.

Besides Fan Xiaopang and Yan Li, other supporting characters from "Fengshen Bang" have also gained some benefits.

For example, Wang Ou and Wu Jiani from the Three Demons of Xuanyuan; the former, due to limited screen time, hasn't seen obvious gains yet.

The latter, however, has gained considerable attention thanks to her appealing makeup, costume, and character design.

Before this, Wu Jiani had already gained visibility through her role as Beef Soup in "Lu Xiaofeng Chronicles"; now, with her portrayal of the Lively and Radiant Pipa Spirit in "Fengshen Bang," the two roles combined have made her somewhat popular.

And this is only the beginning—she's lucky, because Yi An wants Fan Xiaopang to mentor Wang Ou, and more promotion of the Three Demons of Xuanyuan is planned.

Even if the main promotional focus is Fan Xiaopang, followed by Wang Ou, and she's just a minor supporting figure, the Three Demons of Xuanyuan can't bypass her.

If she seizes the opportunity, Wu Jiani can gain substantial exposure; combined with "Fengshen Bang"'s own popularity, her career will definitely rise.

Wang Ou needs no further explanation—her baseline popularity was already solid.

After all, she hasn't even finished reaping the benefits from previous hits like "Lu Xiaofeng Chronicles," "Detective Di Renjie 2," and "New Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio."

With this boost from "Fengshen Bang" and various advertising deals, after digesting and simmering, she can legitimately be called a rising young star.

A Beijing-bound small model who became a rising young star in just a few years—Wang Ou's journey is堪称 "inspiring," and has become a living advertisement for Yi An's artist management business.

Although Fan Xiaopang's explosion began after she met Yan Li and Yi An, she was already quite famous beforehand.

Wang Ou, however, was a complete outsider before—she had barely acted at all, and was entirely cultivated and supported by Yi An.

For the vast majority of newcomers and young actors, if joining Yi An could make them the next Wang Ou, they would flock to it, willing to pay any price.

Meanwhile, Wang Ou's rise, Fan Xiaopang's explosion, and the earlier success of the Seven Immortal Maidens—including Wu Jiani, Qin Lan, and other actresses who appeared in Yi An's dramas—all contributed to a gradual rise in the term "Yan Nülang."

This is standard in the industry: "Mou Nülang," "Xing Nülang," "Jing Nülang," "Qiongyao Nülang," "Yan Nülang."

They all refer to a key figure who systematically promotes a group of actresses, creating influence and attaching a label to them.

Besides Nülang, there are also Nanlang—the most famous being "Yan Nanlang"; to some extent, Shi Xiba Mei also carries this meaning.

Actually, the term "Yan Nülang" had already emerged during the Seven Immortal Maidens era, but it wasn't yet well-known.

Now, with Yan Li's rising fame and the significant career boosts of many actresses, the term "Yan Nülang" is increasingly accepted.

Because "Yan Nülang" sounds identical to Haiyan's "Yan Nülang," some netizens now call "Yan Nülang" "Xiao Yanzhi Nülang."

"Xiao Yanzhi Nülang" is a homophone for "Yan."

Yan Li likes naming his companies using the pinyin of "Yan," so people jokingly refer to his companies as the "Yan System," homophonous with "Xiao Yanzhi System"; since these actresses star in Yi An's productions, "Xiao Yanzhi Nülang" is more fitting than simply "Yan Nülang."

Moreover, in classical poetry, "xiao yanzhi" often symbolizes beauty; "Xiao Yanzhi Nülang" also indicates these Yan Nülang are beautiful.

Additionally, there is a derogatory implication: "Dream of the Red Chamber" says kissing is "eating xiao yanzhi"; "Xiao Yanzhi Nülang" subtly suggests these actresses have ambiguous relationships with Yan Li.

Regardless of the meaning, "Xiao Yanzhi Nülang" sounds better and is more distinctive, so it is gradually replacing "Yan Nülang."

The emergence of "Xiao Yanzhi Nülang" also proves Yan Li and Yi An's ability to promote talent, and has somewhat boosted Yi An's artist management business.

Before "The Investiture of the Gods" had finished airing, Yan Li received a plan from Jia Qian regarding new artist recruitment for the Artist Management Department.

…

Yi'an Film & Television, CEO's Office

After reading the document, Yan Li drank some water: "Most of our current artists are in their ascent phase. The demand for new talent isn't that high, is it?"

"CEO Yan, low demand for new artists doesn't mean we shouldn't recruit them."

Jia Qian and another senior executive from the Artist Management Department began elaborating to Yan Li on the necessity and benefits of recruiting new artists.

First, top-tier artists earn big money, but once the number of mid- and lower-tier artists grows, the cumulative earnings become substantial.

From a company operations standpoint, you must savor the delicacies, but you shouldn't overlook the simple soups and vegetables.

Even a fly is meat.

Second, Yi'an is producing more and more dramas now; if we give supporting roles to artists from other companies, we're just giving away free profits to outsiders—wasteful.

If Yi'an has enough of its own artists, we can fully replace them, lower production costs by cutting actor fees, and recover some returns through artist profit-sharing.

It's a win-win: reducing costs while increasing revenue.

Meanwhile, establishing a mature, stable artist hierarchy is the very foundation of any entertainment company's strength.

Should our top male or female stars, or even second-tier stars, face scandals, defect, or have their contracts expire, our reserve talent can swiftly step in and prevent us from being held hostage.

Yan Li listened to their explanations, then tapped the table: "If we recruit artists on a large scale, what if we don't have enough resources?"

Jia Qian and the other executive exchanged a glance: "This is very common—we can't guarantee every artist we sign will become famous, can we?"

Yan Li smiled. He knew they'd say exactly that.

This is precisely how many entertainment companies operate: recruit artists en masse, then selectively cultivate the best.

No company can meet every artist's needs. If you're famous and make money for the company, resources naturally flow to you. If you're not famous, you're left to luck—or to endure.

Many artists join a company with no resources, narrow upward mobility, and merely waste their years—either waiting until their contract expires, or paying breach fees to switch companies.

Signing a contract and hiring an assistant costs little; the artists' earnings all belong to the company.

If you make them famous, you make huge profits. If you don't, you still don't lose a thing.

This is why many entertainment companies in the industry are called vampires—they're monstrous, forcing donkeys to turn mills without giving them grass, then slaughtering them the moment the mill stops.

Yan Li isn't a good man, but he hasn't sunk to the level of utter inhumanity.

He's fine with artists working for him to make money, but he truly doesn't want to squeeze oil from a bunch of minor actors.

If he wants to make money, he has plenty of better ways—no need to be so heartless and damage his reputation.

"A bunch of minor supporting actors—how much cost reduction and revenue increase could that possibly bring?"

"With that energy, why not make one star famous? One star's earnings can equal ten or even dozens of minor actors."

"I know you're eager to expand the Artist Management Department's influence, but you must think long-term—you can't drink poison to quench your thirst."

Yan Li rejected Jia Qian's plan and proposed artist refinement: sign fewer artists, sign only the best, and win by quality.

This would moderately avoid excessive signing, resource shortages, fierce internal competition, artist exploitation, and damage to company cohesion.

Jia Qian and the others still objected: large-scale signing is like breeding monsters in a jar—only the strongest survive, and those are the premium new talents worth intensive cultivation.

Without this monster-breeding slaughter, relying solely on personal discovery introduces too much uncertainty—so many times, what seems like a promising seed turns out to be worthless.

Many companies sign dozens of new artists only to end up poaching from other firms, because so many simply can't be raised—they simply aren't destined to become famous.

Yan Li nodded. That was indeed a problem—but he had a cheat.

Others gamble on raw stones; he could trigger "X-ray vision."

His basic intelligence system could screen talent, and his monthly intelligence reports occasionally triggered future information.

So Yan Li told Jia Qian and the others to go back, compile data on new artists and drama school students in the industry, and send it to him.

Later, whenever he had free time, he'd browse through it—sign one whenever he found a good one. No need for many: if he could screen a few each year, over several years, Yi'an could build a solid roster of stars.

With the boss's decision, Jia Qian and the others could only comply.

Besides, to be fair, Yan Li's eye for talent was truly impressive—many people, including Bai Bai, Wu Maowen, Zhang Zhilin, Qin Lan, Wu Jiani, Zhou Yi, Qiao Zhenyu, and Pan Yueming, were all discovered and promoted by him from minor roles or as newcomers.

Yan Li personally oversaw every selection. Perhaps he really could unearth many promising talents for the Artist Management Department.

…

After Jia Qian left, Yan Li wrote down the raw stone gamble he'd briefly considered earlier in his notebook.

He'd only learned about the trade the day before, after seeing an online post; someone had replied, "If you had X-ray vision, you'd get rich."

He hadn't paid much attention before—he'd just thought it was novel. But now, using it as an example, it suddenly struck him: his system was perfect for this. With all his intelligence triggers, it might even be more convenient than X-ray vision.

Most importantly, raw stone gambling is highly secretive—unless you cut open the stone, no one knows what's inside.

Yan Li could buy the raw stones, then, away from everyone's sight, quietly extract the jade within, repack it, and quietly get rich.

Top-grade jade and emerald are extremely valuable—they can be cashed out, used as collateral, or given as gifts.

Yan Li's old Jin Xin strategy had become outdated.

Several women had grown famous and earned a lot; a single Jin Xin was only worth tens of thousands—its surprise value had dropped drastically.

Since Jin Xin no longer worked, he could try a "Glass-Seed Emerald Heart."

Buying gold requires real money—every extra gram costs a gram's worth. But with raw stone gambling, the cost varies: you might even spend less than buying gold.

Less money spent, better results—perfect!

He filed the idea away, planning to visit Yunnan and Guangdong when he had time, buy a few raw stones, and bring them back to Jingcheng to cut.

At noon, after work, Yan Li didn't ask Hu Ya to order him lunch—he called Wu Maowen and Lin Jiachuan from the company and went out for a stroll to find something good to eat.

But as soon as they stepped out of the office building, they were surrounded by over a dozen people.

Yan Li was startled; Wu Maowen and Lin Jiachuan instinctively stepped forward to shield him.

Had the group not been mostly women, security guards from the building would already have been called.

"What are you doing? What's going on?"

Wu Maowen demanded sharply, assuming a defensive posture—he had to protect Yan Li's retreat if anything went wrong.

The group across from them was startled by the three's reaction; once they regained their composure, several nearby ones began babbling explanations.

"Don't misunderstand—we mean no harm."

"We're all Yan Li's fans—we just wanted to come here and see him."

"Yeah, look, these are the gifts we brought."

Everyone pulled out the gifts they held—miscellaneous items, all bearing elements of Yan Li; some even carried posters or magazines of him.

"Uh…"

Realizing they were fans and that a misunderstanding had occurred, Yan Li patted Wu Maowen and Lin Jiachuan, then stepped forward.

"How long have you been waiting?"

Being stalked by fans wasn't new to Yan Li—he'd encountered it several times before.

Not only did they block him, but employees from other companies in the building and nearby firms, upon learning Yian Company was here, began loitering around, hoping for a chance encounter with a celebrity.

Ironically, Yan Li rarely attended public events and never released his schedule, unlike some stars who interacted with fans through various activities.

But there were two sides to this: those stars had too much work, unpredictable movements, vanished without a trace—unless their itinerary was public, fans rarely caught them.

Yan Li, due to work obligations, wasn't always in the office, but he appeared far more often than those entertainers.

Now, they'd just set up a stakeout waiting for him to respawn.

As long as they had patience and guarded the spot all day, unless Yan Li was out of town, they'd catch him within one or two weeks.

Yan Li found it frustrating—most fans who waited outside his office were diehards who didn't disturb him, didn't even ask for autographs or photos.

They simply wanted to see him, say hello, or leave a gift.

Yeah, some even came to apply for jobs at the company to work for him.

Persuading them didn't work; blocking them felt excessive, so in the end, he just let it be.

And honestly, Yan Li secretly enjoyed the feeling of being adored by fans.

But Yan Li set three rules: stakeouts and meetings were fine, even autographs and photos were acceptable.

But if anyone secretly followed him, disrupted company operations, or leaked his personal privacy, he'd have no choice but to say no.

Yan Li respected his fans, but he wasn't a celebrity who lived off them—he wouldn't compromise without limits.

He also hoped this stakeout practice wouldn't spread, to avoid drawing crowds.

Jingcheng had a huge population; even with few fans, enough idle people would gather to chase stars.

Under Yan Li's instructions, this little trick hadn't leaked—he'd previously encountered only two or three fans together.

This group of over a dozen staging a collective stakeout? He'd never seen it before—otherwise he wouldn't have been startled; their setup was too large, he nearly thought it was a kidnapping.

"Two days."

A round-faced, chubby girl, young in age, stepped forward, excited to explain.

These people were from a fan group; a new member, a clever fool, had come up with the idea and gathered those with free time to take turns staking out.

They were just lucky—fans who'd previously caught Yan Li were rare.

Yan Li's arrival days weren't fixed, his work hours varied, sometimes he'd just head straight to the parking lot and drive off; the building had more than one exit.

So anyone who caught him was either lucky or resourceful.

For instance, one fan once managed to sneak into the building and waited right outside Yian Company's door.

Clearly, this group lacked either intelligence or coordination—if they'd split into two or three teams and formed a "heavenly net," their success rate would've soared.

Yan Li was cooperative with these fans—signing autographs, taking photos, accepting gifts.

After asking about their general residences and identities, learning many were students, Yan Li pulled out cash from his bag and gave each one a red bill.

"It's too hot—take taxis home. Try not to come here waiting again; I'm not always here, sometimes I'm too busy. Just watching my dramas is support enough."

He persuaded them to leave, reminding them to keep it secret and not bring other fans—or the beggars—to his door.

Afterwards, Yan Li, Lin Jiachuan, and Wu Maowen went to eat; Lin Jiachuan flipped through the fan-made photo frames of Yan Li, sighing with a touch of envy.

"Bro, you're really famous now—look how passionate these fans are."

Yan Li felt a quiet pride; online buzz couldn't match the impact of real-life fan adoration.

Being liked and admired was always a joyful thing.

But Wu Maowen, mindful of his duty, thought deeper: "Bro, you need to be careful from now on—avoid going out alone."

If fans can stake him out, what if someone with ill intent shows up?

"I'll be careful."

Yan Li nodded—he'd always been cautious; after being stalked before, he'd already considered similar risks and acted even more carefully.

Still, no need to panic—this stakeout wasn't a crime of passion; if it were premeditated, his system would trigger a warning.

Though he'd never experienced it often, Yan Li vaguely sensed his system had some alert mechanism.

When someone's personal safety was threatened, the system would prioritize triggering relevant alerts.

Besides that, Yan Li's fame was also an important shield.

Unless someone was insane or a sociopath plotting a massive crime, ordinary thieves wouldn't target Yan Li.

It wasn't that he lacked money—it was that his fame was too great; if he were kidnapped, captured, or killed, the fallout would force police to launch maximum-priority investigations.

There were plenty of wealthy people—no need to deliberately head down the path of China's #1 wanted criminal and give yourself unnecessary thrills.

Mainland China wasn't Xiangjiang—getting caught meant execution.

…

After lunch, Yan Li returned to the company, took a short nap, then resumed meetings.

The data for "Fengshen Bang" was strong, steadily rising; since it was exclusive, its potential remained untapped—prices for second and third rounds and terrestrial channels could be raised appropriately.

Meanwhile, the second season of "Fengshen Bang" could be added to the plan; coordination with Yongle was needed.

In terms of film, Ning Hao has already begun leading teams to various universities for preview screenings and roadshows.

The distribution team has been continuously building online momentum; forums such as Tianya, Douban, and Tieba have already generated significant buzz, attracting potential audiences.

With the release date just days away, some copies have already begun being distributed to theaters.

One of the key issues Yan Li discussed this time was cracking down on piracy.

In today's era, screening schedules and time slots are secondary, because there are relatively few theatrical releases; unless it's a peak season like the New Year slot, competition for同期 screenings isn't that fierce.

What movie studios, distributors, and even theater operators despise most is actually these pirates.

Renowned directors like Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, and Feng Xiaogang, along with many studio bosses, always emphasize cracking down on piracy whenever a film is hotly screened.

When "Kung Fu Hustle" was released, Zhou Xingchi specially recorded an opening message to play before the film in theaters, essentially pleading with pirates to show mercy; he even recorded another version for DVD, urging support for legitimate copies.

Like "Crazy Stone," a low-budget film that relies on word-of-mouth and sparks group discussions, not a visual spectacle.

Watching on a big screen or small screen is nearly identical; audience desire is strong, but viewers aren't particularly willing to pay to see it just once in theaters.

Buying a disc is cheaper, lets you watch it multiple times, and allows sharing with friends—in their view, it offers better value.

It's easy to imagine such films are most likely to be targeted by pirates.

If "Crazy Stone" were to be massively pirated, it would severely damage box office revenue.

Therefore, for this release of "Crazy Stone," promotion is important, but the most critical task is preventing piracy.

If this task fails, no matter how effective the promotion, it's just making money for pirates.

But the piracy market has endured so long and tormented every major film studio—it's clearly not easy to deal with.

Know that producing and selling pirated audiovisual products is a criminal act.

If the illegal amount reaches a certain scale, it's punishable by up to three years' imprisonment or detention, plus a fine; if the amount is especially huge or the circumstances severe, it's three to seven years' imprisonment, plus a fine.

So those in the trade know getting caught means no good outcome—they're cautious and slippery, hiding deep.

Meanwhile, because the crime isn't severe, some may even have ties with local power structures, forming protection.

Film companies, being part of the cultural industry, have limited influence and have no particularly effective methods against pirates so deeply hidden and locally protected.

Not to mention these pirates also like to use tactics like repackaging or selling and distributing in different regions.

Goods from Henan Province get sold in Shandong Province, distributed across multiple locations, each with small quantities that don't attract attention, and packaging is always some folk tunes or minor melodies.

Once these tactics are deployed, even police have no clear leads—not just film companies.

Even if some leads are eventually traced, the box office window has already passed; for film companies, punishing the pirates won't recover the money they should've earned.

But Yan Li is different—he has connections.

For film distribution, which directly targets audiences, Yan Li's intelligence system has limited effectiveness; its advantage isn't as clear as with TV distribution.

But cracking down on piracy is exactly where Yan Li's strengths align.

Tactics like repackaging, regional sales, and distribution mean nothing to Yan Li; no matter how deeply or carefully you hide, Yan Li can use his system to directly pinpoint the source.

What's left is simple: just find a way to report the source.

Even if there are local ties, it's still a gray industry with modest profits—it can't control everything; there are plenty eager to earn merit.

If you have connections in your county, I'll go to the city; if the city has ties, I'll go to the province; if all else fails, I'll let the media expose and pressure them.

In short, the audiovisual piracy industry is just a rat hiding in a sewer—it's hard to deal with not because it's powerful, but because it's hard to catch.

So for Yan Li, cracking down on piracy is easy; what troubles him is how to do it reasonably and efficiently.

Especially, quiet wealth accumulation won't scare off these rats.

If one falls, another rat may take its place; Yan Li can't fight these rats forever, especially rats from all over the country.

So we must make an example of a few—publicly crack down on piracy, target a few well-known names, and scare the pirates.

Make them dare not challenge Yan Li's authority, at least not dare to mass-distribute and attract his attention.

If these pirates can be intimidated, it won't just benefit "Crazy Stone," but also draw attention and favor from peers toward Yi'an's Priority.

Piracy is the main obstacle to film releases; if Yan Li can crack down on piracy, he can protect box office revenue; protecting box office means making money; making money means more cooperation.

Yan Li believes that if this piracy battle is handled well, it could become the key turning point for Yi'an's film distribution business to rise.

After much thought, Yan Li contacted the media and released the news—

"Crazy Stone" is about to premiere; Yan Li is offering a one-million-yuan reward for information leading to piracy crackdowns; any piracy tip can be reported, and if verified, a cash reward will be given.

That's right—Yan Li plans to take the "mass line" approach.

Pirates like to hide, but they can't escape the vast ocean of the masses.

Hundreds or thousands of phone tips—no one can tell which are true or false.

Which ones are real? Yan Li decides.

When one pirate is caught, he'll stubbornly claim it was someone else who tipped him off.

And if money is paid out, the tipsters will all insist it was their own tip that led to the arrest.

Plus, to avoid retaliation, they agree not to disclose the tipster's identity—so there's no way to investigate.

Don't believe it? Then tell me how Yan Li knew—can it really be that he has an intelligence system?

Even if someone still has the nerve to question it.

Yan Li can just explain it away with his sharp instincts and strong analytical ability.

He can pick out true, critical information from a flood of data.

This ability has been demonstrated and laid groundwork in his previous TV distribution business and even in his stock market maneuvers.

Though exaggerated, such geniuses do exist; even more extreme cases aren't unheard of.

Can we really disallow Yan Li from being naturally gifted?

Self-made billionaires often have one or two extraordinary traits—it's only natural.

————

ps: Ten-thousand-character update, so it's late—please forgive me (2000/6000)

(End of chapter)