My capital is quite large.

Chapter 160 The Battle of Two Horses

In the spring of 2012, the Chinese entertainment industry did not start as peacefully as expected. Instead, it ushered in the most magical April amidst a war of words that could tear the entire entertainment industry apart.

Action star Donnie Yen and mainland martial arts actor Zhao Wenzhuo have fallen out online over a script and screen time issue in a movie!

This is not just a personal feud between two actors, but also a fierce clash between the two major camps, the "Hong Kong entertainment circle" and the "Beijing entertainment circle," representing resources and influence.

Both sides stick to their own versions of events, accusing each other of being arrogant, domineering, and altering the script.

Subsequently, the conflict quickly spread throughout the entire entertainment industry.

In this world of fame and fortune where "paying respects to powerful figures" and "choosing sides" are important, many celebrities are forced or willing to take sides in order to show their loyalty to the capital and circles behind them.

Hong Kong celebrities such as Shu Qi and Wang Jing showed their support for Donnie Yen; while mainland figures like Chen Kun were thrust into the spotlight and had to express their stance in front of the media.

For a time, Weibo's trending topics were filled with farcical scenes of celebrities "supporting," "unfollowing," and "tearing each other apart," creating a chaotic and messy atmosphere.

however.

Just as netizens across the internet were scrutinizing the situation with magnifying glasses, trying to find clues about the stances of the major film and television giants in this epic war of words.

To everyone's surprise, the artists under [Haofeng Film & Television] who occupied half of the trending topics...

They all went silent!

Whether it's Yang Mi, who holds the title of "Weibo Queen," or Liu Yifei and Liu Shishi, who have extremely high national popularity, or even Chen Xiao, the new male lead who was recently signed, they are all top stars.

When attending business events or visiting film sets, everyone gives surprisingly consistent answers to the media's tricky questions that try to force them to make statements!

"Sister Mi, what's your opinion on Director Zhen and Teacher Zhao's situation? Which side do you support more?" The reporter shoved the microphone right next to Yang Mi's mouth.

Yang Mi wore sunglasses, her red lips slightly curved, and she didn't stop walking for a moment.

"I'm not familiar with him, I don't know him, and I won't comment. I've been focusing on reading Haofeng's new script lately, and I haven't been paying attention to anything else."

Not only Yang Mi, but Liu Shishi also shook her head blankly when asked: "Sorry, the crew has been filming late into the night these past few days, so I haven't been online to check the news much and really don't know the specifics."

Newcomer Chen Xiao was even more straightforward: "I'm just a newcomer to the industry. I don't understand the seniors' affairs. I just listen to my boss's arrangements and do my best to film."

Not familiar with them! Don't know them! Haven't followed them!

The artists of Haofeng Film and Television are like reclusive masters, standing aside from the chaos of the Hong Kong and Beijing entertainment circles fighting tooth and nail. They remain steadfast and will never get involved in even the slightest bit of the mess!

This unusual move has left many traditional brokerage firm owners in the industry seething with anger, yet powerless to do anything about it.

"Haofeng is too arrogant! He doesn't even give face to the big shots in the Hong Kong and Beijing circles? He's not even willing to say a few polite words?"

"He has the right to be arrogant! Don't you even look at what cards Boss Li is holding right now!"

An experienced insider, who had seen through the situation, succinctly revealed the secret.

Why do traditional celebrities have to take sides? Because they're at the mercy of others! They depend on big directors and producers for their livelihood; if they don't show loyalty, they won't be included in their movies anymore!

But do Haofeng's artists need this?

They have the "Haofeng Film and Television City" in Xuzhou, which covers an area of ​​10,000 acres and has a complete set of real-life scenery!

They have a dedicated director and industrialized team poached with high salaries!

On the distribution side, it enjoys exclusive, top-level promotional and film scheduling support from Wanda Cinemas!

Online, there's also a deep strategic partnership between iQiyi, the streaming giant, and Liangjiang TV and Hunan TV!

From upstream incubation of major online novel IPs, to midstream filming and production, and downstream theatrical and online broadcasting, Haofeng Group has long since completed a closed-loop industrial chain of "full self-production and self-sales"!

They, Haofeng, can't even finish filming their own shows, so why should they fawn over directors from other industries? Why should they get involved in the messy affairs of your crappy industry?!

……

Just when the actors in the entertainment industry were racking their brains over choosing sides.

Jinling, inside a secluded private club with a distinctive Jiangnan garden style.

A top-level dinner party that could truly shape the landscape of China's internet for the next decade is underway.

There were no throngs of bodyguards, nor any glamorous female stars accompanying them.

In the quiet private room, only Li Feng and Jack Ma, who had come all the way from Hangzhou, sat facing each other.

"Brother Li, I really envy you."

Jack Ma put down his teacup, looked at the bamboo forest and flowing water outside the window, and sighed deeply. "Look at your Haofeng, making games, making movies, running a Weibo account, enjoying a leisurely life every day, and being able to look at the beauties in the entertainment industry every day."

"Look at me! These past few days, that penguin in Shenzhen has almost turned my hair white!"

Li Feng personally refilled Jack Ma's teacup, a gentle smile playing on his lips. Knowing the answer already, he asked, "Mr. Ma, what's wrong? Isn't Tencent's payment license still pending? Has Pony Ma started trying to take over your e-commerce business again?"

"It's already over! The Shanghai Marathon is just around the corner in the next couple of years!"

Jack Ma's voice was full of frustration, "Don't you know Pony? He wants a piece of every track!"

"During this period, Alibaba has been expanding its O2O presence in lower-tier cities. I'm optimistic about ride-hailing apps; I just invested in 'Kuaidi,' and they immediately used their money to invest in 'Didi'!"

"I'm expanding into food delivery, and they're supporting Meituan and Ele.me! They're determined to compete with me in the offline payment arena!"

Listening to Jack Ma's complaints, Li Feng leaned back in his chair and nodded in deep agreement.

"Pony has always been like this. He follows other people's paths, leaving them with no path to follow."

Li Feng picked up his teacup, looking at Jack Ma with a half-smile, "However, since Mr. Ma has come to Jinling to see me in person today, it can't just be to pour out his troubles, right? If there's anything I can do for you, Mr. Ma, just ask, and I'll go through fire and water for you."

"Brother Li is very generous!"

Jack Ma was just waiting for those words.

"The penguins are not only blocking me offline, they're also trying to plant spies in my home turf!"

"Just last month, Penguin officially announced that it would spin off its e-commerce business and establish 'Penguin eCommerce Holdings'."

"Pony Ma has really gone all out this time, throwing in a whopping $10 billion! This clearly shows he's prepared for a protracted battle."

Jack Ma's eyes sharpened: "What disgusts me the most is a women's fashion e-commerce website called 'Meilishuo'."

"This company survives by leeching off our Taobao Alliance interface, generating 90% of its traffic and revenue."

"And what happened? These ungrateful wretches actually colluded with Tencent! It's said that Tencent will lead Meilishuo's new Series D funding round at the end of this year."

"They eat the meat with their bowls up, then curse the cook with their chopsticks! Since they want to be fence-sitters who benefit from both sides, then don't blame Alibaba for cleaning house!"

Seeing the murderous intent in Jack Ma's eyes, Li Feng played along perfectly, saying, "Then Mr. Ma must have a way to deal with it, right?"

"We can't be lenient with this kind of opportunist."

Jack Ma sneered and unveiled his counterattack plan:

"Next month, I will officially announce on the entire Taobao platform: a complete removal and ban of all virtual recharge products, including QQ coins and game points, from all unofficial channels!"

"If he dares to touch my e-commerce platform, I'll cut off his revenue stream from distributing QQ Games on Taobao!"