[{"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-373":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},2260676,4411,"Chapter 373: The Million-Dollar","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-373",373,"\u003Cp>Yi’an, Chairman’s Office\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li, working overtime, had just watched today’s “Lu Yu You Yue” and pointed out several flaws.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, the acting felt forced, the delivery wasn’t smooth enough, and the lines had too much slogan-like rigidity—more naturalness would’ve been better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Speaking of which, Yan Li actually held a decent impression of Lu Yu; though some of his questions were a bit “foolish,” they balanced out the seriousness and made the interview feel more relaxed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many reporters and hosts interviewing business tycoons always tense up, afraid of making mistakes, as if conducting some high-level summit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others constantly try to trap guests or engineer explosive news, with clear inducement and confrontation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such tactics unconsciously push guests into nervousness and formality, even triggering caution and defensiveness, making their speech and behavior overly conservative and stiff—leaving nothing substantial to discuss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether Lu Yu’s interviewing skills are good or not, his lifestyle-oriented approach, with relatively simple topics, puts no pressure on guests—it’s like casual chitchat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li personally preferred this style of interview; if needed in the future, he could chat with Lu Yu again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His phone buzzed with vibrations; Yan Li opened it to find one text message after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each had different content and reasons, but the meaning was unified: they wanted to give this lonely bird a nest…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li couldn’t help but get a headache—too many nests, too few birds, he couldn’t handle them all!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forget it, let’s draw lots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li tore off a sheet of paper, wrote a few options, rolled them into balls, and randomly picked one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, didn’t shake it enough—invalid, try again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh, this slip’s clearly smaller—unfair.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After three draws, Yan Li finally, under fate’s guidance, picked a satisfactory answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swore it had nothing to do with sending Xu Qing a suggestive photo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was Yan Li’s first time visiting Xu Qing’s place—he’d last simply invited her to one of his hideouts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What surprised Yan Li was that Xu Qing’s apartment was rather ordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not that it was bad—by ordinary people’s standards, it was quite nice—but for someone of Xu Qing’s status, it was just average, even a bit outdated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I bought this in the 90s—it’s been fifteen or sixteen years now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Qing wore a robe, her hair still damp; she’d taken a shower before Yan Li arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sticking here out of nostalgia?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li asked. Xu Qing shook her head: “One, I didn’t have the money. Two, I was lying low.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When I was famous, my pay wasn’t that high—though money back then was worth more. But I was young, had no interest in buying property, just needed a place to live, and spent everything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know what happened after that—I got involved with someone, and stopped caring about all this. Then everything fell apart.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I kept some money, but their scandals were too big—I suffered too. I sold off many houses and possessions. I’ve lived here for two years already.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Qing didn’t hide her past—hiding wouldn’t help; it was all public knowledge, and Yan Li knew it all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She couldn’t control Yan Li, and Yan Li didn’t care enough to be jealous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sounds pretty tragic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li commented. Xu Qing shook her head and smiled: “Not that tragic—I still have savings, own more than one house, and I’m earning again since my comeback. I’ve even started looking at million-dollar mansions.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Qing had endured extreme highs and lows, yet her mindset remained strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having been famous for so long and associated with powerful men, her wealth might not match rising stars like Fan Xiaopang, but she was far beyond what ordinary stars could compete with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cool.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li gave a thumbs-up. Xu Qing laughed: “But you’re even cooler—you’re already aiming to become China’s richest man.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just bragging. Wanting to isn’t the same as being able to.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think you definitely can.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Qing lit a lady’s cigarette and offered it to Yan Li; he declined, instead pulling her close and gently tracing his fingers along the neckline of her robe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait, you’re lying to me now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li was annoyed—he’d turned down plenty of temptations to come here. Xu Qing couldn’t go back on her word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Qing sat on his lap: “I can’t come out in my bathrobe—everything’s in the bedroom. Pick whichever you like—I’ll follow your lead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I want to watch you pick.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Qing agreed to everything. Yan Li glanced again at her robe, slightly stirred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This outfit isn’t bad either.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had a simple, slightly worldly charm—like a virtuous woman just entering the industry, or a technician just stepping ashore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Qing blew a smoke ring into his face: “Then keep this on for now—we’ll change slowly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li raised an eyebrow. This sister had still held back a bit on the set of “Let’s Shoot the Bullet,” but back in Beijing, she’d fully let loose—endless variety, always willing to please.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though her stamina wasn’t impressive, the pleasure was rich—that’s why Yan Li kept coming back to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, as Jia Boss predicted, Hua Yi’s stock price rose noticeably after Yan Li publicly praised it—and the increase was substantial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But compared to Hua Yi’s stock performance, the most viral moment from Yan Li’s appearance on “Lu Yu You Yue” was his claim that his small goal was to become China’s richest man before forty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He single-handedly defined the phrase “small goal,” sparking another wave of online imitation: “I’ll make my own small goal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like: “My small goal: become the richest in my village before forty, or the richest in my apartment building before fifty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was quickly twisted into absurd parodies: “My small goal: conquer America, get a 200-yuan raise, confess to Auntie next door, blah blah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most people either supported Yan Li or just enjoyed the spectacle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some mocked him, but they were quickly mocked back by Yan Li’s supporters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, even if Yan Li was arrogant, his words had real grounding—not fantasy. Those mocking him were often asked about their own income and put down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, many were forced to resort to moralizing, claiming Yan Li’s thinking was vulgar, saturated with greed, and that he’d been alienated by capital, lacking a free soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li himself didn’t care about such criticism—he’d just nod and say, “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They chased after free, untethered souls, but lacked the height to do so—so they silently endured the pain and emptiness of wealth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no way to argue with that. Yan Li admitted he was vulgar, utterly vulgar, greedy and lustful—what could anyone do about it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some thought his behavior set a terrible example; others believed he was genuine, bold, and unapologetic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, Yan Li thought simply: he’d been elevated too high already—if raised further, he’d become a saint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saints rarely end well!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li had no problem with others praising his abilities—it helped his business—but his personal morality? No. He’d never been a saint, and never wanted to be one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So now, Yan Li deliberately lowered his public image, especially regarding personal character—within limits, avoiding major errors or widespread backlash—the lower his image, the more benefits he gained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, lust and greed—these are flaws the public accepts, and basic human traits shared by most.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So people’s resistance is weak; many even find Yan Li authentic and grow fond of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, many dislike stupidity but don’t mind wickedness—a capable true villain is often more popular than a useless fool or a hypocrite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rather than arguing with his haters online, Yan Li valued leveraging Hua Yi’s listing to accelerate Yi’an’s IPO.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Yi was already listed; some companies were preparing too. Yi’an’s listing should happen sooner rather than later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li’s plan was to finalize it by next spring—but that would make listing on the main board of the A-share market harder, and many investors and brokers believed the Growth Enterprise Market suited Yi’an better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These factors led Yan Li to shift his strategy: he now planned to list Yi’an on the Growth Enterprise Market, greatly accelerating its IPO timeline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Yi’an was releasing a series of positive news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On November 10, Yi’an held a celebration banquet for “The Message.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since both Li Bing and Wang Ou were filming, Yan Li and Gao Qunshu and others smashed an ice sculpture symbolizing 300 million.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, Yan Li publicly announced another piece of good news: “The New Three Kingdoms” was officially scheduled to premiere in the 2010 New Year slot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shortly after, a “source” leaked that the first broadcast rights for “The New Three Kingdoms” had been sold to four provincial satellite channels—Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Shandong—at 2 million RMB per episode, totaling 160 million RMB.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The news shook the entire film and television industry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As mentioned earlier, TV drama prices had been rising these past two years, with a million RMB per episode gradually becoming the norm for hit shows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But TV stations weren’t fools—they couldn’t afford to spend tens of millions without pressure, so they sought ways to resist the rapidly growing market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many stations began producing their own dramas to cut costs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, Zhejiang TV invested in the Yongle version of “Journey to the West”; Hunan TV produced hits like “Ugly Girl Is Invincible” and “Let’s Watch Meteor Shower” with strong ratings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You charge high? Fine—I won’t buy!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This strategy temporarily curbed price hikes, even pushing some popular dramas below a million RMB per episode. Some low-budget, poorly-distributed dramas were forced to accept prices from years ago, earning barely any profit—or even losing money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they had no choice: if TV stations didn’t buy, they couldn’t keep the shows—only lower prices to sell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Yi’an, dubbed the leader in TV distribution, had to make concessions during this standoff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after this brief rationality, TV stations were now losing control again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Self-produced dramas saved money, but there were still too few quality ones—otherwise stations would’ve long stopped buying entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Plus, if a self-produced drama flopped, they’d lose money, waste time and effort, and face messy responsibility assignments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So external dramas could never be replaced—especially ambitious stations had to compete fiercely in the market for hot projects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, the rise of online video platforms added further pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had to fight TV stations and the internet alike—if their content wasn’t strong, ratings wouldn’t come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially for mega-projects like the “New Four Great Classics,” the more the market stagnated, the fiercer the competition became—because TV stations had money and were desperate to win.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rather than gamble on self-produced dramas or uncertain hot projects, it was better to go all-in on “The New Three Kingdoms.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And for such industry-shaking, sky-high-priced projects, no manager could make the decision alone—it required collective approval from the station’s top executives, so if it failed, no one individual bore the blame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Yi'an also considered the immense pressure of exclusive premiere rights and facilitated a joint broadcast by four satellite TV networks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the viewership ratings were diluted, so too were the risks and costs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ultimately, under Yan Li’s personal promotion, \"The New Three Kingdoms\" sold its premiere rights at record-breaking per-episode and total prices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shortly after, Tudou.com announced it had acquired the exclusive online streaming rights for \"The New Three Kingdoms\" at 180,000 yuan per episode, totaling approximately 15 million yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This price was likewise a record-breaking sum for the online streaming market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Keep in mind, Tudou.com and Youku, the two industry giants, spent only tens of millions annually on film and television rights acquisitions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spending 15 million yuan on \"The New Three Kingdoms\" was a bold gamble by Tudou.com.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Youku executives, in interviews, had deemed this move unwise—but were quickly contradicted by Tudou’s upper management.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Youku had also participated in bidding for the exclusive online rights, at one point offering 165,000 yuan per episode, but ultimately withdrew not due to high risk, but due to lack of funds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving aside the verbal sparring between Tudou.com and Youku, the combined sum of 15 million and 160 million yuan already reached 175 million yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With an investment under 140 million yuan, \"The New Three Kingdoms\" had already recouped its costs and earned over 30 million yuan in profit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this was not the end: Yan Li acknowledged on Weibo that \"The New Three Kingdoms\" had been licensed to Japan at 120,000 U.S. dollars per episode, exceeding 65 million yuan in RMB, setting a new record for the highest price ever paid for a mainland production overseas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Weibo post immediately topped the trending charts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earning 65 million yuan from Japan carried an entirely different significance than earning nearly 200 million yuan domestically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mainland film and television industry had long clamored for overseas exports, yet very few works had genuinely succeeded abroad with substantial results.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The last major hit in Japan had been \"Red Cliff\"; indeed, \"The New Three Kingdoms\" owed a debt of gratitude to \"Red Cliff,\" for without the renewed Three Kingdoms craze it ignited in Japan, \"The New Three Kingdoms\" might never have fetched such a price.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With mainland TV networks yet to air it, if Japanese TV stations had already begun broadcasting and generated significant buzz, it might even have been featured on the National News Broadcast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Yi'an believed the project still had immense potential; the overall producer of \"The New Three Kingdoms\" stated in an interview that their projected total revenue exceeded 350 million yuan, with profits around 200 million yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was no fantasy: \"The New Three Kingdoms\" still held numerous untapped rights and revenue streams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, TVB in Hong Kong claimed it was negotiating with Yi'an for the Hong Kong rights; given the drama’s popularity and scale, it might break TVB’s record for importing mainland series.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Senior executives from Taiwan’s CTS and another network had also emerged, expressing interest and considering acquisition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One record-breaking price after another not only drew massive attention and popularity to the drama but also revealed Yi'an’s profitability to many.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to films, television drama production and distribution were in fact Yi'an’s core strengths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merely this year, Yi'an had produced or distributed over a dozen hit dramas; when including lesser ones, the cumulative transaction value likely surpassed one billion yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if one counted only distribution revenue, Yi'an had already earned nearly 100 million yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recall that Huayi Brothers’ publicly disclosed annual report, even before its IPO, showed total revenue of only hundreds of millions and profits under 80 million yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yi'an’s distribution department alone could overshadow Huayi Brothers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, if one counted the company’s total profit, Yi'an might still lag behind Huayi Brothers, due to its massive spending on theatrical releases.\u003C\u002Fp>",2440,"2026-06-19T16:16:54.562Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","f7fb31b0f44083b4b552531f2fdf9acb36de1803ebc4ccf1e785d38283cdd3f8","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-374","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-372",405,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-cover.jpg"]