[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment":3,"chapter-the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-353":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Intelligence King of Chinese Entertainment",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2260656,4411,"Chapter 353","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-353",353,"\u003Cp>Four days later, Weibo and Yi’an reached an agreement to swap shares at a ratio of 1:2.4.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Weibo holds 7.44% of Yi’an’s shares, while Yi’an holds 3.1% of Weibo’s shares.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clear that Weibo was far more dominant and unwilling to give up too much equity, negotiating right at the edge of Yan Li’s requested 3–5% range.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was only natural—by any measure, Weibo’s prospects, strength, and value far exceeded Yi’an’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In their strategic partnership, Weibo didn’t suffer much loss, but it gained far less than Yi’an did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there was no choice: Yan Li needed the two companies bound together to realize his industrial chain layout, achieve mutual complementarity and linkage, and amplify his own influence and voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Put more bluntly, the individual interests of Weibo and Yi’an mattered less than Yan Li’s own interests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The share swap was intentionally staged for public effect, so it was never concealed—the news was quickly made public.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>True to form, it became good news for both Weibo and Yi’an, especially Yi’an: tying itself to Weibo, a major social platform, carried extraordinary significance—if Yi’an had already gone public, its stock would have hit multiple daily limits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li also closely monitored public discourse, particularly regarding Weibo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a mass social and information platform, Weibo’s tie-up with a single film company might invite criticism.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Yan Li soon discovered the situation was far better than he’d expected, because from the start, Weibo had carried the strong imprint of him and Yi’an.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During earlier negotiations, Yi’an had credited Weibo’s rise entirely to Yan Li and Yi’an’s efforts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That statement was entirely accurate: Weibo’s early traffic growth and its stable retention of the entertainment industry were both achieved through Yan Li and Yi’an’s arrangements and intimidation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yi’an endorsed Weibo; Weibo drove traffic to Yi’an’s artists and film projects—this was an open secret, and everyone assumed the two were one entity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The share swap was merely a formality, deepening their financial entanglement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without the swap, with Yan Li mediating, could Weibo and Yi’an possibly split and operate independently?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for platform fairness?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ha, if you think it’s unfair, go to the dying Sina Microblog and see whether fairness matters more than the benefits Weibo delivers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the vast majority, whether Weibo and Yi’an are one entity doesn’t matter—it has nothing to do with them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps Huayi, Orange Sky, and others care somewhat, but they can hardly retaliate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their artists won’t lightly abandon accounts with hundreds of thousands or millions of followers just to rebel against their companies by angering Weibo and Yi’an.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The companies themselves can’t ignore Weibo’s power in film promotion and marketing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this stage, Weibo is the primary battlefield for film promotion—abandoning Weibo is like cutting off one arm, even stabbing oneself in the heart—who dares, and who would dare to?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So they must compromise—they have no choice but to compromise!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least as a platform, Weibo won’t openly target them; at most, it might lean slightly biased, which is still within acceptable limits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huayi, Orange Sky, and others now despise Sina and Tencent intensely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’re useless!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If only either of those two had mustered some backbone and managed to resist Weibo even slightly, they’d have received full support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But both have been crushed by Weibo for so long, with no hope in sight, making them too afraid to risk any major bet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frankly, the Wang brothers now have almost given up competing with Yi’an for the industry’s top spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yi’an’s momentum is too overwhelming, Yan Li’s strategy too vast and merciless—after all comparisons, Huayi feels utterly hopeless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They haven’t fully surrendered yet, only waiting for this one gamble after going public.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if they can’t win, holding their ground and maintaining a challenge to Yi’an means Huayi still has hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This alone shows the Wang brothers are truly out of options.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, they had approached Yi’an as seniors and leaders, cooperating to counter Orange Sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yi’an grew rapidly, Huayi began viewing it as a rival, yet still maintained composure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, as Yan Li’s companies surged one after another, Huayi felt immense pressure, realizing Yi’an would become its greatest rival; it once sought to ally with Orange Sky, but after that failed, it prepared for a brutal war to confront Yi’an head-on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, Yi’an grew even stronger, and Weibo’s dominance became undeniable—Huayi realized normal competition couldn’t match it, so it planned to rely on capital maneuvers after going public to turn the tide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, seeing Yan Li’s series of moves and Yi’an’s terrifying profits and scale, they fear Huayi might still lose even after going public.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their goal has shifted: a small loss is a win—just don’t fall too far behind Yi’an, keep the hope of catching up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Business warfare is war—morale and confidence matter most; Huayi has already cowered before the battle even began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From this moment on, Yi’an already has half its butt seated on the industry’s throne.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li, however, remained oblivious—or rather, as long as Yi’an hadn’t fully claimed the throne and Huayi hadn’t fully surrendered, it made no difference to Yi’an’s actions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In early April, in Shanghai, the film “The Founding of a Republic” began production.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Director Chen Desen, joined by actors Liang Jiahui, Yuan Li, Zhang Fengyi, Donnie Yen, Deng Chao, Li Tianwang, Ren Daohua, and Yang Mi, attended the launch ceremony; producer Chen Kexin and investment representatives Yan Li and Yu Pangzi were also present.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the first day of production, “The Founding of a Republic” announced its release window: the upcoming New Year’s holiday season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Kexin’s tone was shockingly bold—he openly declared a target of 400 million yuan, aiming for 500 million.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reporters asked Yan Li for his opinion; Yan Li smiled and uttered some empty platitudes, while internally cursing Chen Kexin to hell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You can brag all you want, but at least give me a heads-up!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li doesn’t oppose boasting—it’s a form of promotion—but there’s a limit. No film in the market has yet reached 400 million yuan, yet Chen Kexin is already aiming straight for 500 million.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Message” already got slapped down once—now you want another round?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crucially, Yi’an is the lead producer and distributor of “The Founding of a Republic”—if it gets mocked, Yi’an can’t dodge the blame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Director Chen has great confidence in this film?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li smiled at Chen Kexin: “Our promotion team set our target at 300 million. We still have much to learn from Director Chen’s boldness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Kexin sensed Yan Li’s displeasure, but remained confident: “Our cast is outstanding—500 million isn’t out of reach.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If stacking stars alone could generate 500 million, Chinese cinema would have soared long ago.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li loved stacking stars too, but he never believed stacking stars guaranteed success.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Star power is merely the key to attracting some viewers; the quality of the work and successful promotion are what truly matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I won’t interfere with production and filming, but regarding promotion, I expect the crew to consult Yi’an—don’t do anything that puts us in a reactive position.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li’s greatest grievance wasn’t Chen’s boasting—it was his utter disregard for Yi’an’s existence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In plain terms, these famous directors have been spoiled—they say whatever they want, and when they cause trouble, distributors clean up after them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li won’t indulge them: eat my food, follow my rules. At the very least, Yi’an must be kept informed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If something goes wrong, for the sake of the project, Yan Li might still clean up the mess—but the paper he uses to wipe it? He’ll shove it straight into their mouths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Kexin was displeased, but bowed to Yan Li’s status and power, and nodded reluctantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My apologies, Mr. Yan. I’ll be more careful going forward.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a few more words, Chen Kexin returned to his duties; Yu Pangzi, who had remained silent until now, spoke up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aren’t you overreacting? He’s a renowned director, after all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Precisely because he’s a renowned director, his careless words carry massive influence—that’s why I acted this way. If he were an ordinary director, I’d have taught him gently.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li turned to Yu Pangzi: “There’s another reason—you’ve dealt with him before, so you know what I mean.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re shaking the tree to scare the tiger—I finally get why you’re making such a fuss.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Pangzi understood: “The Message” had involved BoNa; Chen had been producer of “The King and the Beauty”—he knew this man well enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A cook who doesn’t steal won’t get the grain harvested—every industry has its side income. I’ve seen countless shady deals in film crews. A little extra cash is fine, but don’t treat me like a fool.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many film company bosses didn’t start in the industry and didn’t understand the crew’s inner workings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Take Yu Pangzi—he began in distribution; the Wang brothers at Huayi came from advertising; Orange Sky’s Boss Wu was a former executive; Star Media’s Boss Qin was also an outsider.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li was different—he rose from the bottom as a minor actor, then personally organized crews and served as producer multiple times, overseeing every stage of project development.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew exactly how crew members siphoned money; he could glance at accounts and instantly spot irregularities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li understood: too clear water has no fish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Working on a film crew is brutal—especially for mid- and lower-level staff, who work day and night, exhausting their bodies, with pay that’s hardly generous. Without some extra perks, why should they stick with you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there’s a limit to profiteering—don’t treat the boss like a sucker and then think he’s an idiot for getting ripped off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Kexin, Yan Li hasn’t shortchanged him a cent—his share of profits and fees are all market-rate; a little extra benefit, Yan Li can pretend not to notice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But clearly, he wasn’t satisfied—now that production had begun, he was starting to stir again. This was Yan Li’s warning.\u003C\u002Fp>",1640,"2026-06-19T16:16:54.562Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9e37b8b62acb89116e564e259782f8fa48b5df2973aa6678d4d9015f937b8384","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-354","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-352",405,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-cover.jpg"]