[{"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-374":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},2260677,4411,"Chapter 374: Century Hand in Hand, Century Embrace, Golden Horse Double Best Actress","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-374",374,"\u003Cp>Since mid-November, promotional campaigns for Lunar New Year films have begun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This year’s Lunar New Year slot remains lively, with a cluster of major productions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yi An’s “October Siege” gathers multiple stars, while Zhang Yimou’s new film “Three Musketeers: The Comedy” is released.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Jielun, Chen Daoming, and Zhi Ling’s sister star together in “Cave of the Phantom,” while Xiao Yanzi and popular young actor Chen Kun co-star in “Mulan,” alongside Zheng Yijian and Guo Tianwang’s “Fengyun 2.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These are just the December releases; January brings even more hot films, such as Cheng Long and Wang Lihong’s “The General and the Soldier,” and Faye Wong and Donnie Yen’s new films “Confucius” and “Embroidered Uniform Guard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some low-budget films sneak in, exploiting gaps between the big releases, hoping to make a quick profit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As previously mentioned, Yi An leveraged the popularity of “The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3” and the gossip between Hu Ge and Yang Mi to produce a low-budget romantic comedy, “Destined to Love You.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The film’s budget was under 8 million, featuring Hu and Yang, along with Tang Yan, Liu Shishi, and other main cast of “The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3” in supporting or cameo roles, serving as a sister or spin-off series to the TV drama.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Planned for the Spring Festival release, this year’s Valentine’s Day falls on Lunar New Year’s Day, making a Valentine’s premiere impractical, so it’s set for the Spring Festival slot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The target audience is primarily fans of the two leads, young men and women, and couples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given the low budget, if box office reaches 20 million, combined with other revenues, the project will be profitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This year, Yi An invested in two Lunar New Year films: “October Siege” and “Destined to Love You.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, several more films were distributed: Donnie Yen’s “Embroidered Uniform Guard,” Zhou Jielun’s “Cave of the Phantom,” and a low-budget film titled “My Tang Dynasty Brothers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them, “Cave of the Phantom” was not favored by the distribution team, who deemed it truly terrible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Yi An’s previous collaboration with its producer, Changhong Pictures, on “The Big Dunk” went well; they came personally with sincere intent, making refusal difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More importantly, Yi An and its boss have many cooperative ties in Taiwan, and they’ve provided substantial help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One cannot use someone’s assistance then immediately kick them out, so Yan Li personally approved the project.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cave of the Phantom” received heavy external attention, but Yi An, aware of the truth, believed the project had little chance of success.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of the five projects, “October Siege” was the most favored, followed by “Embroidered Uniform Guard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“October Siege” would directly compete with “Three Musketeers: The Comedy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two films were spaced only a week apart, and many media outlets hyped it as Yi An’s next battle against a veteran film company after defeating Huayi in the National Day slot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would the new king maintain dominance, or would the old champion prove resilient?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yi An ignored the media hype entirely; Yan Li scoffed at it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huayi, regardless, is a billion-dollar-valued giant, with resources and influence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, it was quietly regarded as the industry leader; even now, though surpassed by Yi An, it remains the undisputed number two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A battle between the top two, in the same slot and genre, makes logical sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But why would New Picture dare challenge Yi An?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s merely a large studio for Zhang Yimou; meanwhile, companies like Hai Run, Ci Wen, Huace, and Rong Xinda are all preparing for IPOs, while New Picture remains silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it made moves, who would invest in a film company dependent solely on one director?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse still, Zhang Yimou holds no shares in the company; strictly speaking, their relationship is merely a collaboration, bound only by personal ties and long-term cooperation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s terrifying—if Zhang Yimou ever quits, New Picture collapses immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many still judge New Picture by its past achievements, assuming it’s a formidable giant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In reality, at the dawn of the capital wave, New Picture’s outdated mindset and lack of clear advantages doomed it to abandonment and obsolescence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Yan Li paid no attention to New Picture; Yi An didn’t even consider it a rival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhang, the boss of New Picture, was acting recklessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He not only claimed “Three Musketeers: The Comedy” would win decisively, but also sneered at Huayi and Yi An.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Film companies obsess over IPOs—how much heart is left for actual film production?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of Yi An’s executives couldn’t stand his arrogance and mocked New Picture for being stagnant and unambitious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In response, Zhang mocked Yan Li: “How much salary do you pay him? Why are you kissing his ass so hard?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li had been too lazy to respond to this old fool, but he didn’t expect the man wouldn’t stop, thinking him easy to bully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tired of petty verbal sparring, Yan Li struck straight at the heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leveraging news of Yi An distributing original shares, Yan Li publicly spoke out on Weibo, defending Zhang Yimou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He listed the treatment of major directors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Xiaogang received Huayi’s original shares, now worth nearly 200 million; Huayi fully supports his creative freedom and pays him top director fees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Director Chen is his own boss, collaborates with everyone, earns more, and enjoys absolute creative freedom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Ning Hao, a junior, received Yi An’s original shares, highly valuable, with full support for other benefits and creative freedom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Zhang Yimou—the chief director of the Olympic Opening Ceremony—receives nothing from New Picture, is constantly restricted, and is truly pitiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li has always revered Zhang Yimou; if he joined Yi An, he would receive full original shares and top-tier treatment, regarded as a pillar and deeply cherished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This move was truly devastating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang’s greatest fear—and most unacceptable scenario—was Zhang Yimou’s departure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though he knew Yan Li’s public statement was meant to provoke him, he was deeply shaken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He angrily told reporters Yan Li was sowing discord, delusional; he and Zhang Yimou had been close brothers for over twenty years, with deep affection—Zhang Yimou would never leave New Picture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Yan Li continued posting on Weibo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“[...] If you’re truly a good brother, when your brother has a better future, you should help him along—not block him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“[...] Talking about brotherhood while refusing to share real benefits, enriching yourself at your brother’s expense—that’s outright moral coercion and bullying.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“[...] Taking more money is bad enough, but you also meddle, create problems, hide behind the scenes counting cash while pushing your brother out front to take the blame—how noble of you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“[...] Honestly, Zhang, how you’ve endured this long is astonishing—I sincerely admire your magnanimity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“[...]”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang’s temper exploded—he frantically proved how good he’d been to Zhang Yimou, screamed curses, and denounced Yan Li as having sinister ambitions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li replied on Weibo with one line: “[If I’m wrong, why are you so agitated?]”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang: “＃％＆～￡｛％￠｝”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Zhang nearly explode and hearing public speculation, Zhang Yimou could no longer stay silent and stated in an interview:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“First, thank you, Director Yan, for your appreciation. But my collaboration with Weiping has been pleasant; I’m satisfied with the current situation and have no intention of leaving New Picture.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li remained courteous to Zhang Yimou, replied warmly on Weibo, and still slipped in a jab at Zhang:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“[...] I hope Director Zhang has smooth sailing at New Picture; Yi An’s door remains open to him at all times.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether or not Zhang Yimou and Zhang had some agreement, the latter stopped provoking Yi An, and when questioned by reporters, only insisted Zhang Yimou wouldn’t leave or avoided answering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the Lunar New Year slot even began, a major drama unfolded; netizens cheered with delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many speculated whether Yan Li acted to retaliate against Zhang, to poach Zhang Yimou, or both.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others joked that Yan Li, the undisputed pioneer of romantic conquests, had publicly seduced and turned a twenty-year “marriage” into chaos—what a pity he didn’t play Ximen Qing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then again, Ximen Qing had Pan, Lu, Deng, Xiao, and Xian; Yan Li might fall short on Xiao and Xian, but with other advantages, he’s essentially an upgraded Ximen Qing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Yan Li doesn’t pursue married people, so no tragic human dramas are likely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[...]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the upcoming Lunar New Year slot, Yan Li’s main focus was the Golden Horse Awards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In late November, the Golden Horse Awards were held in Taipei, Taiwan; Li Bingbing and Li Xue both entered the Best Actress category, while Yi An’s artist Huang Bao was nominated for Best Actor for “Dou Niu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yi An’s films “The Message,” “The Mystery of Li Mi,” “Crazy Stone,” “Painted Skin,” and “Ip Man” were all nominated in various categories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li led the team, and relevant personnel chartered a flight to Taiwan for this year’s Golden Horse Awards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Bingbing and Li Xue arrived at the airport VIP lounge and saw an acquaintance flipping through a magazine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you doing here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Princess Zhou looked up: “I’m nominated for Best Actress too, you know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This year, Taiwan’s environment changed; mainland films dominated the Golden Horse Awards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of the four Best Actress nominees, only one, Zhang Rongrong, was from Taiwan; of the four Best Actor nominees, one was mainland, two were from Hong Kong, and the fourth, though active in Hong Kong\u002FTaiwan, was actually from Guangdong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even among the eight Best Supporting Actor\u002FActress nominees, only half were from Taiwan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This drew criticism from extreme local media accusing the Golden Horse Awards of flattery, claiming it had become the “Mainland Golden Horse Awards.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Princess Zhou was nominated for Best Actress for “The Mystery of Li Mi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The film was invested and produced by Yi An; she traveled with Yi An’s delegation and benefited from their chartered flight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Bingbing had no reply; it was ironic—the top two actresses of Huayi were both nominated for Best Actress thanks to Yi An’s films and were flying to the ceremony on Yi An’s plane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder so many wanted to leave; Huayi’s performance was heartbreaking and hopeless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two didn’t get along; after asking one question, Li Bingbing sat far away; Princess Zhou had no interest in conversing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Princess Zhou had lost the role in “The Empress Dowager” to Li Bingbing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>New grudges plus old ones—had Princess Zhou not planned to leave Huayi soon and wanted to mend ties with Yi An, she would never have boarded the same flight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, Yan Li arrived, nodded to everyone, then focused on his phone call.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fan Xiaopang came with him; he glanced at Li Bingbing and her sister, then calmly sat beside Princess Zhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Four Dan and Two Bing all disliked each other; everyone had grudges.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But among them, Princess Zhou and Fan Xiaopang’s conflict was slightly milder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from the daily bickering among the Four Dan and Two Bing, the only direct clash was when Yan Li confronted Wang Le of the Four Young Masters of Beijing—but even then, the conflict centered on the two men, and the two women didn’t fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So they maintained outward friendliness and could chat privately when they met.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially with Li Bingbing present, gossiping about their common enemy made them even more cheerful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the Four Dan and Two Bing, the most difficult to get along with was Zhang; Xu Caimei played small circles; the Two Bing and Xiao Yanzi had decent popularity but each had controversy; the one with the best reputation and public image was Princess Zhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fan Xiaopang held old grudges against Xiao Yanzi, looked down on Zhang Kuang, and despised Xu Zhuang; although Li Bingbing and Princess Zhou also faced criticism, they were relatively better off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Princess Zhou felt similarly toward Fan Xiaopang—mainly because they had little direct conflict of interest, and she couldn’t afford to provoke him now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although neither Sidan nor Shuangbing acknowledged it, and tensions still simmered between them, in reality, with Yi’an’s rise, Fan Xiaopang had become the most powerful among them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this stage, Zhang Zou is pursuing an international path, backed by a so-called foreign big shot, and is “best friends” with several celebrities both at home and abroad, so she doesn’t much fear Fan Xiaopang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The remaining few all have some inclination to avoid direct, open conflict with Fan Xiaopang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like Xiao Yanzi, she once courted Fan Xiaopang, even publicly praising her performance in “The Wind” in media interviews and so on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rivalry between the Zhezhu sisters is a curse, yet also a bond; sometimes, a simple remark like “old friend” and a nostalgic memory makes it hard to tear things apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Young Master is about to leave Huayi, losing her major backer, and has even less desire to provoke the rising force of Fan Xiaopang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, she is now free-agent; perhaps she could even collaborate with Yi’an.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fan Xiaopang has no such complex motives—she simply wants to annoy and isolate Li Bingbing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Yanli returned from his call and saw this scene, he understood what was going on and didn’t bother to intervene—he was used to Shuangbing’s cycles of fighting and reconciling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yanli did not meddle in the three women’s covert struggles; instead, he chatted with Ning Hao, Huang Bao, and Guan Hu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guan Hu’s “Fighter Bull” had nothing to do with Yi’an, but with Huang Bao added in, the private jet had room for a few more, so they all went together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the conversation, it was clear that Huang Bao was trying to speak well of Guan Hu to Yanli.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Bao’s debut film, “Get in the Car, Let’s Go,” was directed by Guan Hu, who was essentially his mentor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since then, Huang Bao has appeared in multiple films by Guan Hu, and their personal friendship is extremely close; in Huang Bao’s heart, the two most important directors are Ning Hao and Guan Hu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ning Hao is now Yi’an’s flagship director and has an even better relationship with Yanli than Huang Bao does—he doesn’t need Huang Bao to worry about him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from the old connection from their work on “Survival: The Migrant Workers” years ago, Guan Hu and Yanli have had little contact in recent years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that Yi’an’s status in the industry needs no explanation, Huang Bao thought this was a rare opportunity—he could speak well of Guan Hu; if he could connect with Yi’an, it would benefit Guan Hu’s career.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Guan Hu thrived, given their relationship, Huang Bao would surely benefit in the future too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Bao was proactive, and Guan Hu was also putting on a show.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Yanli first met Guan Hu, the latter still had a touch of aristocratic arrogance common among industry insiders; but times have changed—Yanli is no longer the small-time boss just starting out, but a formidable capital magnate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, Guan Hu could no longer afford to be arrogant before Yanli.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many in the cultural field behave this way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you have no money, he won’t even bother with you—you’re not from the same world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you have a bit more money than him, he’ll pretend everything’s fine on the surface, but inwardly looks down on you, thinking you’re not on the same wavelength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if you’re exceptionally rich, he might start groveling at your feet.\u003C\u002Fp>",2537,"2026-06-19T16:16:54.562Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","0df5a7dff76158122353405627360fea78d2d8084d149aa50a6fbf48afb17db6","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-375","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-373",405,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-cover.jpg"]