Chapter 340: Mistakenly Becoming a Father

6:00 PM, Gongjian Hutong.

Early September in Beiping, some lingering summer heat remained.

The sky had not yet turned completely dark when Proprietor Lu led Ma Yun, Ma Huateng, Zhou Hongyi, Zhang Chaoyang, and others through the door.

The sky overhead was framed into a square of deep blue by the overhanging eaves of the Sihe Academy, and the old locust tree in the courtyard was lush and green, casting mottled light and shadows.

The future internet titans walked along the path paved with blue bricks, and soon they could see the main hall.

A set of carved rosewood tables and chairs was placed in the center, with exquisite blue-and-white porcelain tableware set upon it.

In the corner, a rustic screen cleverly divided the space, painted with lifelike flowers, birds, fish, and insects.

On the other side, a Ming-style long table held a beautifully shaped bronze incense burner, from which wisps of blue smoke rose, adding a touch of elegance to the entire space.

Old Ma liked this aesthetic, sighing with emotion: "To have such a residence in the midst of the hustle and bustle, Proprietor Lu truly lives a life like an immortal."

"If you are interested, Mr. Ma, I can spare a few sets for you."

Ma Yun was surprised: "Really? It seems Proprietor Lu still has quite a lot of stock on hand?"

"I was young and ignorant, so I hoarded quite a bit," Proprietor Lu said modestly.

Ma Huateng, whose expression was somewhat reserved, shook his head: "Proprietor Lu is too low-key. I bought a set for my father in Nanluoguxiang last year, but it really can't compare to your Ice Cellar Prince's Mansion."

"The price wasn't low either, it worked out to nearly 20,000 per square meter."

At this time, the average price of a Sihe Academy did not have much reference value, because due to the complexity of property rights, buying and selling were basically negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

However, the average price of this residence of Ma Huateng's was almost three times what Proprietor Lu paid for the Ice Cellar Prince's Mansion in 2002.

Zhang Chaoyang was a man who loved to eat and play, and as one of the first to get rich among the portal websites, he had done some research on Sihe Academies:

"In the last two years, the city has introduced policies that no longer restrict purchases by non-local residents and foreigners. Last year, the 'Historical and Cultural City Protection Regulations' were also promulgated, which is why the prices have risen so fiercely!"

Proprietor Lu personally led everyone on a tour for a while before returning to the dining room, where Master Qiao had found two kitchen assistants and had already begun serving dishes.

On the table were famous Huaiyang dishes such as crab meat lion's head, Wensi tofu, and soft-stewed eel, with several bottles of wine placed beside the blue-and-white porcelain plates.

"Red, yellow, or white, everyone please choose as you like. Feel free, no one is being pressured to drink today."

Zhou Hongyi had a more rustic air and was usually not very particular about his appearance; he was somewhat unaccustomed to the luxury of this old-money style: "I'll drink some Moutai."

Liu Qiangdong responded: "I'll keep Mr. Zhou company and drink some white liquor."

The rest, except for Ma Yun who insisted on drinking yellow wine, all chose the Haut-Brion that Proprietor Lu had purchased from the owner of a foreign castle—

It came from Château Haut-Brion, one of the five great chateaus, and the only one among the five not located in the Médoc region.

From their choice of drink, one could see the differences in personality among these internet titans who had not yet achieved their ultimate success.

Ma Yun was obsessed with Jin Yong, kung fu, and other classical cultures, so naturally, he liked yellow wine, which served as a cultural symbol of his hometown. Just like his management style at Alibaba and his personal style, it was mellow and gentle.

It possessed both scholarly elegance and an enterprising spirit.

Little Ma's family background was superior, and both his personal temperament and the development of his internet career had a refined and delicate foundation, much like red wine.

As for Zhou Hongyi and Dongzi, their personalities both had the spicy and intense side of Chinese white liquor, possessing the boldness of a wanderer and a daring, competitive spirit.

Regarding Zhou Hongyi personally, he would later fight against BAT in turns, making him a very meme-worthy entrepreneur.

Zhang Chaoyang, who loved to sing, was much like Proprietor Lu; he was half an internet industry entertainer, so naturally, he had to taste such a rare vintage of red wine.

The host, of course, had to propose a toast first:

"My good friends, I am, in a way, half an internet industry person. Among those present, I've only really had dealings with Old Ma."

Zhang Chaoyang asked curiously: "I haven't heard of that?"

Ma Yun laughed: "Two or three years ago, Proprietor Lu waved his money stick and wanted to invest in Alibaba, but unfortunately, I was in Tokyo at the time, and SoftBank later increased its investment by 30 million USD."

Dongzi sneered inwardly; that must have been when Ma Yun rejected his own boss, otherwise, the Wenjie Mall would not have been born.

After all, 30 million held by a film director and 30 million in the hands of Masayoshi Son, who had the backing of multinational corporations and financial groups, had vastly different practical effects.

Even though Proprietor Lu had reached his current position, Ma Yun's choice would still not have changed.

The young director continued: "Today, I calmed down and listened to the instructions of the leaders and the speeches of the industry giants, and I am sincerely happy for the development of the domestic internet industry."

"I won't say much else. Since we've met today, we're friends. Let's drink first."

Zhou Hongyi and Liu Qiangdong were the first to respond: "Come, cheers!"

The others, whether sincere or feigned, at least on the surface of this social drinking scene, were all getting along well.

After three rounds of drinks, Zhang Chaoyang sighed with emotion: "Among so many young entrepreneurs in the country, I envy Proprietor Lu the most."

"How so?" Proprietor Lu asked, using his chopsticks to pick up some steamed shad.

"Wandering in the colorful entertainment industry, sitting on such vast assets and wealth—not to mention that, everyone here has some net worth."

Zhang Chaoyang said with envy: "But there is one thing: Proprietor Lu can spend most of his time doing what he likes. That is too rare."

"I've been reading a serialized novel on Blogcn recently called 'Those Things About the Ming Dynasty'. This author writes quite interestingly."

Dangnian Mingyue, as a strategic part of Blogcn's grassroots stars, was poached from Tianya at the beginning of his rise.

"This book writes about all the emperors, generals, talented scholars, and beauties of the Ming Dynasty, but the essence I love most is the final part about Xu Xiake."

Zhang Chaoyang sighed: "The author says, 'The reason I write about Xu Xiake is to tell you that so-called century-long fame, thousand-year hegemony, and eternal reputation are actually nothing compared to one thing.'"

"'That thing is—spending your life in the way you like.'"

Old Ma loved this kind of sentimental tone and slapped the table: "Well said! This calls for a big drink!"

"Indeed, Proprietor Lu's artistic talent and hobbies are things we vulgar people cannot compare to," Ma Huateng also said, his face flushed from drinking.

Proprietor Lu laughed: "I might be modest in other areas, but I cannot deny what Old Zhang just said."

"To be honest, no matter how much money I make, it all serves my filmmaking and related industries. There are too many ways to make money, but I only take this one scoop."

"Art is intoxicating. In this regard, I am slightly better than everyone here."

The young director smiled and clinked glasses with Zhang Chaoyang, Ma Yun, and others, and blessed this plain-looking Sohu boss: "Old Zhang, if one day you feel stuck in running your business, you might as well learn from Tao Yuanming—a tired bird returning to the forest."

"Singing on our Travel Satellite TV program, or going to a university to be a guest professor and teaching, should also be quite pleasant."

Zhang Chaoyang's eyes lit up: "That's a great idea! I'll remember it, thank you!"

Ma Yun said, half-jokingly: "Mr. Zhang, you've been bewitched by Proprietor Lu!"

"If you retreat now, won't his Wenjie Video have one less competitor?"

"Not necessarily, not necessarily," Zhang Chaoyang waved his hands hurriedly.

"Wenjie Video's film library is several times larger than ours, especially some old films from Golden Harvest. Once copyright issues are put on the agenda in the future, these will all be Proprietor Lu's competitive advantages."

He put down his glass and suddenly frowned: "Speaking of this, Proprietor Lu, I've already talked to Liu Hong about it."

"Both of our companies are now called suckers in the industry for buying so many copyrights. Do you think we should join forces to urge the authorities to speed up anti-piracy regulations? This is for the healthy development of the entire industry!"

Proprietor Lu nodded: "Absolutely, let's find a time to talk about it separately later."

He wanted this time to be later.

The reason was simple: he hadn't hoarded enough copyrights yet.

The more he bought now, the more "wasted money" he spent, the wider his moat would be in the future.

Zhang Chaoyang was a bit high from drinking today; he had always been interested in the entertainment industry, and today was a perfect opportunity to get close to Proprietor Lu.

As a godfather-level figure in the domestic internet, Zhang Chaoyang was different from entrepreneurs like Ma Huateng who disdained showing their faces; he liked to wander around.

He packaged himself as an entertainer, appearing at various film and television events, Sohu Video, and even the wedding of Big S in the future; he was very happy.

Ma Huateng suddenly raised his glass for a toast, smiling: "Proprietor Lu, I've always had a question I'd like to ask."

"What are you saying? Let's exchange ideas."

Little Ma took a sip of the crimson wine: "You sold Mytube in North America, started another company called Weibo, and even promoted it on your show."

"Looking at it these past few months, it seems there is only one company called Twitter in North America now. Is it related to you..."

"Oh, that company of mine was merged into it," Proprietor Lu sighed: "You all don't know, but similar to Mytube, foreign investors cannot hold onto such companies."

The young director met the confused gazes of the crowd: "This involves the vigilance and precautions in the Western ideological field. They won't let foreigners hold a controlling stake in such influential media companies."

"Unless it's someone like Mr. Zhou's former boss, Jerry Yang, who is of Chinese descent; perhaps he is less suspected."

"So later, I sold the company to an American-Chinese investor and focused on making movies in the United States. It was a helpless move."

Proprietor Lu drank a sip of bitter wine with a depressed expression.

The future titans present did not yet have such a vision, and their companies and main businesses were still some distance away from going overseas.

Currently, they had no profound understanding of the American Empire's economic plunder and political suppression through judicial means.

Ma Yun hesitated: "Is Proprietor Lu being too careful? To be honest, the Weibo model is still very advanced. I see that Twitter is developing quite well now."

"It's a pity you sold it just like that."

Ma Huateng and Zhang Chaoyang both had flickering eyes; as entrepreneurs of their level, they had of course noticed this model long ago.

Especially Zhang Chaoyang, who had been paying attention to this internet entrepreneur in a director's skin since the beginning of Wenjie Video.

Lu Kuan said sternly: "Perhaps only Old Zhou here knows that the American Empire amended the 'Foreign Corrupt Practices Act' in 1998."

"The act has extraterritorial effect. As long as a foreign company uses US dollars to sign contracts, or sends, receives, or stores emails through servers located in the United States, the US considers it has the right to investigate and prosecute it."

The legal basis for the Alstom incident in later generations all stemmed from this.

Of course, this was just a trick the American Empire used to deceive the people of the world in order to cover up its wolfish ambitions and the illegitimacy of its long-arm jurisdiction.

It was just that with a strong fist as a background, what could one do?

The crowd present suddenly looked solemn, and when they looked at the young director in front of them again, their eyes were different.

Zhou Hongyi felt a pang of sympathy: "It's still safer here; at least the personal safety of entrepreneurs is guaranteed."

Ma Huateng agreed: "Exactly."

The two sighed and clinked glasses.

Proprietor Lu looked at his nose and mouth, resisting the urge to take out his phone to record this conversation.

He wondered if there would still be the 3Q War in this life, or the anecdotes of the leader of the Red-Clad Sect fleeing to Hong Kong overnight.

Whether it was Zhang Chaoyang or Ma Huateng, everyone present was curious about this previously mysterious young entrepreneur, and they spent some time inquiring and getting to know each other.

But today, the person with the heaviest thoughts was undoubtedly Ma Yun.

In his past life, regardless of the company or his personal stake, Ma Yun had invested in Huayi, becoming its third-largest shareholder.

In this life, he naturally also developed an interest in entering the entertainment industry.

He had indeed wanted to get a foot in the door with Wenjie, but over the past three or four years, domestic venture capitalists had knelt until their heads turned white, yet not one had been able to catch the eye of the people there.

Only last year did Xiong Xiaoge and Xu Xin of Tomorrow Capital invest in Wenjie Mall, a subsidiary under Wenjie, running like wolves and boars in their pursuit of Ali.

In fact, his marriage of interests with Huayi was precisely because he saw this point.

If a man has no far-reaching plans, he will have near troubles; Ali's advantage over Wenjie Mall was not absolute.

Alipay became independent in 2004, and Wenjie was also developing its own payment business.

Wenjie Mall’s deep integration with stars like Liu Yifei and Zhou Jielun, along with its event marketing, were things Ali lacked.

Wenjie Mall took a different path, attempting to overtake on a curve through logistics construction and delivery services; even if the effects weren't visible now, this was also something Ali lacked.

Furthermore, behind Huayi, there was not only the shadow of domestic state-managed capital, but also joint ventures and shareholding relationships with two of the six major Hollywood studios: Warner and News Corp.

One might ask, besides Wenjie, was there a second film or entertainment company in the country worth his consideration?

Ma Yun did not forget the main task of his trip today and probed: "Mr. Lu, you are blossoming in both the entertainment industry and the internet. What do you think of the Ali Star Search project I consulted you about this morning? Is there any potential in it?"

"I really haven't paid much attention, Mr. Ma. It's just a talent show, right? In cooperation with the Xiangtai station?"

"That's right."

Mr. Lu pondered for two seconds: "Go for it. Actually, Wenjie's model over these past few years has long been thoroughly studied."

"It's nothing more than using good works and programs to promote people, monetizing through internet and SP traffic, while the popularity feeds back into internet products, works, and programs, forming a virtuous cycle."

"But the quality of the program, whether the people you select have the potential to become huge stars, and whether the internet products used for monetization are suitable—these things need to be further refined."

Even if he hadn't mentioned it, this was already the consensus in the industry today.

The "trump card product" was Liu Yifei.

Ma Yun clapped his hands: "Mr. Lu is a straightforward person. Since you've laid it out so clearly, we will go all out!"

He stood up; although he was much shorter than Mr. Lu, his aura as a hero of the era was not inferior to anyone's: "Come, Mr. Lu, I must toast you with this cup!"

"I watched your speech at the Beijing Film Academy on Wenjie Video these past few days; you are a leader with great ambition and great vision."

"To be honest, I am also obsessed with classical culture like Jin Yong and martial arts; I hope these excellent Chinese cultures can go global."

Ma Yun suddenly cracked a joke: "Let me share a little thought for everyone to laugh at. Actually, I invested in Huayi because I wanted to see if I’d have the chance one day to invite Jackie Chan, Li Lianjie, and the others to accompany me in filming a martial arts movie, just to satisfy my craving in a film!"

Mr. Lu chuckled inwardly; so you, old Ma, have had this idea since now.

"When that movie comes, Wenjie must support it. Wenjie Jiahe will arrange 100% of the screenings!"

The young director followed up with some polite social talk, and everyone laughed, livening up the atmosphere.

On the table, cups were clinking, while the osmanthus tree in the courtyard swayed gently in the breeze, its subtle fragrance drifting, intertwining with the chirping of a few sparrows resting under the eaves to create a charming scene.

In the domestic internet industry, there were two relatively famous gatherings of industry bigwigs.

The first was in 2001 by the West Lake in Lin'an, where the retired Jin Yong sat in a circle with Ma Yun, Ding Lei, Zhang Chaoyang, Wang Zhidong, and others, boiling wine and tasting tea.

The second was the "Wuzhen Dinner" during the Fourth World Internet Conference, which became a tradition where one after another took the stage, reflecting the factional disputes in the internet world.

Today in 2006, in this atypical gathering at the Ice Cellar Prince's Mansion where the important figures had not yet fully assembled, half of the Chinese internet world was present.

In the future internet landscape, whether those present today or those absent.

Perhaps in the near future, Wenjie would inevitably enter into direct competition with one or several people at the table.

For example, Ali, which had already invested in Huayi, and Tencent and Sohu, which had developed an interest in the Weibo project.

Aligning and conspiring, either as enemies or friends.

Just as he told Liu Yifei, the joy of fighting with people is boundless.

This was also the pleasure of a reborn person.

——

The 2006 China Internet Conference lasted for three days.

However, after Mr. Lu made an appearance and finished his duties on the first day, and after a round of flattery and outlooks under the reporters' interviews, he quickly returned to the Shijiao Film Base in Jinling to continue filming.

Everything returned to normal; the crew, after this period of adjustment, got on the right track, and the filming progress accelerated.

Whether it was the capable Best Actor Tom Hanks, Best Actress Julianne Moore, or Liu Yifei, who was deeply polishing her character, even Lu Kuan, who usually had a bad temper on set, could rarely find many faults.

It was just that some things had both advantages and disadvantages.

Liu Yifei's immersion meant that the young director's efforts to help her shift her focus during this time were somewhat discounted.

Or rather, as long as she hadn't grown to the point of being able to freely enter and exit a role, it was inevitable that she would have real-life entanglements with her character.

It was like pulling a drowning person ashore temporarily; as long as her swimming skills weren't up to par, there would still be risks when she went back into the water.

It was just a matter of having Liu Xiaoli and the others keep a constant eye on her state and make adjustments in time.

In mid-September, several core management personnel from Wenjie arrived from Beijing. Gao Jun, Dong Shuangqiang, and Chen Zhixi arrived at the Sheraton, waiting for Mr. Lu, who had finished filming.

He had to balance the Olympic team and the film crew in Jinling, so if there were important matters, he naturally had to ask the Wenjie staff to work remotely.

Mr. Lu, with stubble on his face, pushed open the door to his suite: "Have you been waiting long?"

The three people chatting in the room stood up, and Chen Zhixi opened her luggage: "Mr. Lu, the tea you wanted is here."

"Good, good, good! I've been exhausted these past few days; without tea or cigarettes to refresh myself, it really won't do."

Dong Shuangqiang saw that his eye bags were heavier: "Don't push yourself too hard, take it easy."

"No choice, I lost over ten days a while ago, so I have to catch up on the progress."

Mr. Lu asked Chen Zhixi to brew it for him right away: "Tom Hanks is also dumbfounded, working overtime every day; he must be missing his capitalist country very much now."

"Hahaha!"

A cup of tea was placed in front of each person, Chen Zhixi handed out a stack of materials to everyone, and Gao Jun also opened his ever-present blue-covered work notebook.

"Mr. Lu, I received some inside information in the industry: Warner is going to withdraw from China!"

The young director frowned, feeling some surprise in his heart; so early?

As early as 2001, when the country joined the WTO, it promised to open up investment in cinema chains and theaters, with shareholding ratios not exceeding 50%.

Warner, one of the six majors, entered China, and its subsidiary, Warner International, formed a joint venture with the Shanghai Film Group to establish the Yonghua Cinema.

The peak of foreign hot money investment occurred in 2003, when the country raised the foreign shareholding ratio from 50% to 75%, and the whole world looked toward this corner of the East.

But just at the beginning of this year, the country issued the "Several Opinions on Introducing Foreign Capital into the Cultural Field," lowering this ratio back to 49% and not allowing foreign capital to take the lead.

Coupled with the fact that foreign investors in cinema chains had felt the dominance of domestic administrative power over the past few years—

The task allocation for various mainstream films made them very troubled, and thus they began to gradually withdraw.

It's just that the timeline in this life seems a bit early?

Gao Jun explained: "Besides policy factors, it's mainly because our ultra-high-end cinemas in Shanghai and Beijing have impacted their profitability. After weighing various factors, they finally made the decision to retreat completely this time."

Mr. Lu smiled: "If you don't eat this meat when it's in your mouth, that's truly a crime."

Gao Jun reported in detail: "Warner is handing over a total of seven cinemas, among which the Yonghua Cinema in Shanghai has won the domestic cinema championship for three consecutive years."

"But among these seven, the Yonghua Cinema in Shanghai and the Shanghai Film-Warner in Jinling are both in the Shanghai Film Group's pocket; they definitely won't let them go."

"We can make a move on the remaining five cinemas that Warner partnered with Shenzhen International Trust on."

Mr. Lu felt a bit itchy: "Old Dong, can you handle the Shanghai Film Group side?"

"This is hanging in the balance; you also know Ren Zhonglun, he is a top-tier workaholic."

"Our Wenjie Jiahe giant-screen cinemas are watching from the sidelines; they can't possibly give up this piece of fat meat. Even with a lot of face, I think it's tough."

"Alright, let's put this matter aside for now." The young director opened the documents: "I called you all over today to make some adjustments to Wenjie Jiahe's expansion strategy."

"As everyone knows, as of now, our layout of ultra-high-end giant-screen cinema halls in first-tier and quasi-first-tier cities is basically complete."

"Two in Beijing, two in Shanghai, one each in Yangcheng and Pengcheng, plus Jinling, Suzhou, Ningbo, Lin'an, Jinmen, Rongcheng, Shancheng, and other places, totaling 13 giant-screen cinemas that cost a huge amount of capital."

The three people taking notes sat up straight.

"Gao Jun, do you think this speed is fast or slow?"

Gao Jun gave a bitter smile: "Mr. Lu, besides the Xi'an cinema chain we are about to acquire, we have really pushed these 13 cinemas with our greatest effort."

Don't be surprised that it took Wenjie Jiahe two years to lay out these 13 high-end cinemas in the country.

Considering the land acquisition, operations, maintaining Jiahe's original heavy-asset cinemas in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia, and especially considering the funding issues, this speed was not slow at all.

Is Wenjie short of money? The answer is undoubtedly yes.

The business abroad is basically self-sufficient.

The domestic blog site burned money for years, burning all the way to the industry leader position, and just when it was barely self-sufficient thanks to the SP wind, Wenjie Video was established.

Copyright purchases plus operating expenses, continuing to burn.

Focus Media swallowed up Target Media, unifying the industry, but the equity pledge funds from the listing were all invested by Mr. Lu into subprime mortgages with Paulson.

DJI currently has no profitability, and Butian Pictures is self-sufficient.

Besides that, there is Wenjie Mall, which has already obtained financing, which can be considered as removing a heart disease in terms of cost-cutting.

But the income from film investment and Travel Satellite TV can basically only support Wenjie Jiahe's market expansion, pushing forward at this speed.

Building cinemas is not a game of Monopoly where you roll dice to buy land and build houses.

The construction of high-end cinemas is truly extremely expensive.

Let's do a simple calculation—

Among the cinema projects laid out in the aforementioned first and second-tier cities, because they involve world-class decoration and equipment imports, and also considering the future appreciation of land prices, they are basically all self-purchased.

A standard 8-hall, 1200-seat cinema generally has a construction area of 1000-1200 square meters.

The commercial real estate purchase cost in first-tier cities is 15,000-30,000 yuan/square meter, with a comprehensive average of about 25 million;

The decoration cost per hall is 2 million-3 million yuan, with a comprehensive average of about 20 million;

The procurement of foreign first-tier brand equipment, giant screens, seats, etc., is about 20 million per cinema.

Operating costs, including staff salaries, utilities, property management, marketing expenses, and merchandise turnover, are around 2 million per year.

All things considered, the average investment cost for a store from scratch is nearly 70 million, and nearly 1 billion for 13 stores.

This also has to take into account the coordination of land acquisition, public relations time, construction time, training time, and so on.

The most critical point is that the total size of the domestic market is only about 3 billion; these cinemas are truly bottomless pits!

Gao Jun complained a little to reflect the arduousness of the work.

Dong Shuangqiang gave him a secret look, signaling him to stop talking.

Lu Kuan’s expression was not very good: "The results achieved by oneself are always gratifying to look at, but one must still keep one's eyes on the entire industry."

He shook the documents in his hand: "Look at the situation of our domestic cinema chain competitors."

"First place, China Film Stellar, 82 cinemas, 550 screens, 18.6% market share, relying on the monopoly of import film distribution rights by China Film to occupy core locations in first-tier cities."

"Second place, Shanghai Film United, 65 cinemas, 278 screens, 15.3% market share, dense layout in the Yangtze River Delta region, completed digital transformation first, closest to us in terms of cinema quality."

"Third place, New Film Union, 58 cinemas, 241 screens, 12.8% market share, controls over 80% of high-quality cinema resources in Beiping."

"Fourth place, Wanda Cinema Line, only 15 cinemas but all are self-owned properties, 120 screens, 4.5% market share, but their output per screen is twice the industry average."

Boss Lu paused: "Fifth is us."

"If we don't count the resources of the Xi'an cinema line that haven't been finalized yet, we have 13 cinemas, less than 110 screens, and a market share of just over 4%."

"I won't mention the rest, such as the Southern New Trunk Line in the Pearl River Delta, Zhujiang Jinyi, and the Pacific cinema line in Sichuan Province."

The atmosphere in the suite was oppressive.

"Everyone, comparing this data, do you still think our actions are fast?"

Everyone understood his meaning very clearly.

Not to mention the number of cinema lines controlled by China Film and Shanghai Film, just compared to our direct competitor Wanda, the disadvantage of Wenjie is undoubtedly huge!

Boss Lu warned: "Everyone should be very clear by now, what is Wanda's model?"

"They sweep through first, second, and third-tier cities like locusts; wherever there is a Wanda Plaza, there is a Wanda Cinema. Their cinemas are nested within commercial real estate."

"Let me ask you all, if you were the local government, would you give the most core location to Wanda, or to Wenjie?"

"If we don't speed up our efforts in second and third-tier cities, once the locusts pass through, don't even think about getting a hand in the best commercial districts and locations."

Gao Jun sighed secretly in his heart.

When the boss opens his mouth, the subordinates run their legs off.

Frankly speaking, the expansion of Wenjie Golden Harvest is restricted.

What kind of restriction? It is undoubtedly constrained by the capital flow of the entire Wenjie Holdings; Boss Lu wants too much, and the layout is spread too wide.

This is the advantage of a reborn person, and also the disadvantage of a reborn person.

But whether it is laying out future streaming video websites, self-sufficient special effects companies, or a series of internet flagship products, which one is not important?

Of course, as a subordinate, he would not say these things, nor was there any need to; after all, workhorses are here to get things done.

"Mr. Lu, we have also realized this problem internally."

Gao Jun reflected decisively: "In April this year, Wanda opened a cinema on the top floor of the Nanchang Walmart Shopping Center, five-star level, only slightly worse than ours."

"I asked a friend over there, Nanchang's total box office last year was 6 million, but as of the end of the summer season, this five-star Wanda has already reached 9 million in revenue."

In less than half a year, it exceeded the entire previous year.

This is the prosperity of the film market, and also a reflection of Wanda's single-store revenue being the best in the industry.

This is not an isolated case, just a microcosm of Wanda in second and third-tier cities.

Boss Lu in this life is perhaps an existence that the natives can hardly catch up to in many fields.

But in terms of cinema investment, Wenjie treats Wanda as an opponent, while Wanda has likely never looked at this "little ant" once.

From 2010 onwards in later generations, Wanda Cinema Line’s market share has occupied the top spot in the country for 14 years.

The boss of the "little ant" spoke: "Everyone, the current situation of Wenjie Holdings, with flowers blooming and oil cooking, is hard-won, but crises are hidden within."

"Not to mention anything else, if we cannot obtain a certain market share in the cinema sector, we won't be able to eat the biggest cake in the era when the future film market reaches 40 billion or 50 billion."

Gao Jun, Dong Shuangqiang, Chen Zhixi, and others nodded silently.

Although they might not have such high expectations for the market size that Boss Lu mentioned, the importance of cinema lines is unquestionable.

Haven't you seen him "sell himself" to Jing Tian as a teacher just for the cinema resources in the Jin and Shaanxi regions!

Dong Shuangqiang suggested: "In second and third-tier cities, if we want to speed up, besides direct acquisitions like the Xi'an cinema line, I think franchising can also be considered."

"No, the speed of franchising is fast, but the loyalty is too low."

Boss Lu refused: "Cinemas are undoubtedly profit-oriented; they join us today, and tomorrow if other cinema lines offer better conditions, they will jump ship. It's too unstable."

"Furthermore, our current management system and corporate culture at Wenjie Golden Harvest might not be acceptable to this group of old-fashioned cinemas."

"By then, there will be a pile of problems with merchandise turnover, box office theft, and membership management; it will be a huge headache."

The young director set the tone: "Cinemas are also a service industry; service is the foundation. Although land prices are still rising, I believe they are far from reaching a high point."

"We must insist on purchasing land and building cinemas ourselves; in special cases, we can buy one or two floors of core commercial districts for renovation like Wanda."

Seeing that the morale was a bit low, Boss Lu also gave a pep talk: "Let's overcome the difficulties for now; our capital situation will be better next year."

The three looked at each other, not knowing how that was supposed to happen.

Can a pie fall from the sky next year?

It really can.

Next year, the first wave of harvesting for the big short-seller Paulson's CDS is about to begin.

By the time of the 2008 earthquake and the Olympics, he also plans to reveal his identity, take back the actual control of BlogCN, and plan for an IPO.

This hot commodity has been coveted by top domestic and foreign investment banks for a long time.

It’s just that he had previously let Zhuang Xu hold it on his behalf, and it was basically breaking even, so he wasn't in a hurry to push it forward.

Times have changed; now, Boss Lu's various preemptive layouts at home and abroad are truly crying out for nourishment, urgently needing this drop of nectar.

The four of them discussed some plans for expansion in second and third-tier cities, such as compressing the cost per store to around 20 million and copying it in various places.

After all, the thirteen top-tier high-standard cinemas in the country already have a demonstration effect; these provincial and sub-provincial cities can form a radiation effect on other prefecture-level cities, establishing Wenjie's high-end commercial image.

It was nearly nine o'clock in the evening, and the three were preparing to leave, but they didn't expect the young director to drop another bombshell.

"Huayi's 'The Banquet' is scheduled for around September 20th, and 'Alien 2' is scheduled for National Day."

"Old Dong, Old Gao, I have a task for you."

The two looked up, bewildered.

"I will tell Han Shanping that 'Alien 2' will be moved up temporarily, directly to the premiere on the 25th, giving 'The Banquet' no way out!"

"Not just our own thirteen top-tier cinemas, use your connections to suppress the showtimes for 'The Banquet' to the minimum!"

Gao Jun hadn't recovered yet, and Dong Shuangqiang said in surprise: "Mr. Lu, this..."

Why is he having murderous thoughts again?

Where did those two blind brothers offend him again recently?

They heard very clearly that increasing showtimes is fine, after all, there is a competitive relationship in the release schedule.

But what does "giving no way out" mean?

"Mr. Lu, is it because of Xu Zheng..." Dong Shuangqiang probed.

Boss Lu waved his hand and smiled: "It's not that; I was the one who suggested Xu Zheng go to Huayi."

"Simply put, the quality of 'The Banquet' is very poor. I saw it at Harvey's in North America; 'Alien 2' has no problem at all against them."

"Move up the schedule to capture traffic faster."

Gao Jun, Chen Zhixi, and Dong Shuangqiang looked at each other.

I believe you!

Boss Lu was indeed lying; at least that was not his true purpose.

His purpose cannot be spoken of to others now, but if Liu Yifei were here, she should be able to deduce it.

This is besieging a point to strike reinforcements!

Lu Kuan intends to obtain control of Huayi through Sina, core artists, and future operations in the secondary market; this is beyond doubt.

Then this Huayi must be more valuable.

How to make it more valuable?

Besiege without killing, putting huge pressure on it so that Ali and Deng Wendi continuously inject capital and extend its life, helping Huayi become more competitive in artist training and cinema development.

After all, they also want Huayi to be packaged beautifully for an IPO to make money for themselves, right?

To use an inappropriate analogy, the current Huayi is Linghu Chong locked in the West Lake Plum Villa by Lu Kuan.

In "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer", Linghu Chong was locked here and learned the Star-Sucking Great Skill, sucked Hei Baizi dry, and after escaping, sucked Yue Buqun and others.

The current Huayi is the Linghu Chong that Boss Lu is deliberately letting go.

He wants to use Huayi to suck the vital energy of Ali and Deng Wendi as much as possible; the more it sucks, the more satisfying it will be for him to eat later!

Furthermore, if he can use this path to drag down Old Ma's Ali, giving Wenjie Mall a chance to overtake on a curve, it would be even better—killing two birds with one stone.

Actually, suppressing "The Banquet" was just an idea that came to him on a whim.

Wanda is good at land acquisition, but the well-connected Huayi is not much worse, after all, it is an advertising company that once undertook the national ICBC standardization work.

The young director wants to use the suppression of showtimes to see if he can force them to develop towards cinema lines; after all, the Zhou Army a year ago tried to snatch Golden Harvest from him.

Imagine, Huayi sucking decades of internal energy from Ali, Deng Wendi, and News Corp, working hard to open up a path for cinema lines, finally achieving success in the divine art, and successfully going public.

Just as the Wang brothers, Old Ma, and Deng Wendi were celebrating, they suddenly heard the shocking news that Huayi had changed hands.

The child raised for many years turned out to be the wife's child with someone else!

A surprise fatherhood!

And he can get the cinema resources developed by Huayi without any effort, continuing to challenge Wanda.

This move is called "borrowing a path to conquer Guo"; on the surface, it suppresses Huayi, but in reality, it also depletes the rivals Ali and the archenemy Deng Wendi, only to turn around and swallow Huayi later.

This move is also called "borrowing a womb to bear a child," utilizing Huayi's red resources to acquire land and build cinemas, then swallowing them in one gulp to make them his own cinemas.

This move is even more so called "drawing the firewood from under the cauldron."

And his firewood, starting from 2002 with Fan Bingbing, Zhou Xun, Zhang Jizhong, and Sina;

As well as the "activists" Huang Xiaoming, Xu Zheng, and Zhang Guoli...

Had already begun to be laid out.

The future Huayi is clearly about to become the Battle of Verdun on the battlefield of the First World War, reduced to a meat grinder for the games and struggles of various capital interests!

(End of chapter)