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Chapter 478: Chapter 478: Tit for Tat, Just Do It
Someone had voiced doubts or concerns, but Chen Yan had anticipated them early on.
After all, they were dealing with the behemoth of the Xu Brothers Film Company.
Even though Chen Yan’s fortune was already on par with theirs, each industry was its own battlefield. Especially the film and TV industry, which had barriers unlike any other industry.
So, when facing the Xu Brothers, who had been deeply cultivating the film and TV industry for over twenty years, it was normal for his subordinates to worry.
Thus, he glanced at the Deputy General Manager and said, "Mr. Yuan, right? Share your thoughts."
The Deputy General Manager nodded and began, "Although I have great respect for President Chen and believe in his judgment, those are still the Xu Brothers we’re talking about."
"They have produced so many excellent or blockbuster film and television projects."
"Our company is just starting out and has a long way to go compared to them."
"This time, they’ve made such a grand preparation. Superstars joining, billions of dollars invested, big IPs, big productions."
"Our projects, for the most part, are unknown. Even if they are of good quality, promotion and distribution are just as important as quality for film and TV projects."
"Because we don’t have as many gimmicks as they do, we are naturally at a disadvantage in terms of promotion."
"Going head-to-head with them could very likely affect our projects’ performance."
"Our results might be better if we can avoid clashing with their release dates."
"Besides, if they perform well, it will inevitably squeeze our ratings and box office."
"Therefore, I do not advise that we confront them directly."
It must be said that this Deputy General Manager’s remarks were quite reasonable.
Chen Yan glanced at him and then looked around the entire office, asking, "What do you all think?"
The rest of the executives in the office mostly kept silent, looking down or to the side as if they hadn’t heard Chen Yan’s query.
Clearly, they also tended to agree with the Deputy General Manager’s viewpoint.
The uncertainty of film and TV projects was too great; no one knew whether the Xu Brothers’ projects would turn out to be of high quality.
If any of them were to become a hit, any project going against it would likely flop.
The company was there to make a profit, not to engage in a battle of egos.
Seeing the hesitation and thoughts of the crowd, Chen Yan nodded slightly and then said, "I pretty much understand everyone’s thoughts."
"However, if you all think this way, wouldn’t people in the industry think so too?"
The executives at the table nodded involuntarily.
Clearly, it was the normal thought process for everyone.
Chen Yan continued, "Then, if we challenge the Xu Brothers head-on despite the skepticism, and defeat all their projects in a fair and square manner,"
"won’t our company’s status and influence in the industry immediately reach new heights?"
Upon hearing Chen Yan’s words, someone couldn’t help but blurt out, "That seems very difficult..."
Chen Yan was resolute this time as he said, "Not difficult."
He glanced at Yang Rou and then said, "In the past few days, we have obtained some planning documents for the Xu Brothers Film Company’s projects through various channels."
"After carefully reading and studying them, I can say with one hundred percent certainty that their projects cannot succeed."
Hearing Chen Yan’s words, the people present exchanged glances.
The one who had raised doubts earlier, Mr. Yuan, asked, "President Chen. Do you mean, all the projects?"
Chen Yan tapped his finger lightly on the table, saying, "To say ’all’ may be somewhat presumptive. But at least the four projects I’ve seen will absolutely bomb."
"And because their projects are roughly similar, I can almost conclude that this batch of their projects is unlikely to succeed."
Even though Chen Yan had proven his judgment many times,
the executives still showed hesitation and conflict regarding this significant matter.
After all, the upcoming projects of the Sunrise Plan were not small projects like "23 Days of Lost Love" but were each big investments worth hundreds of millions, even billions.
If an accident occurred with projects of this caliber, the company could very well get stuck in the mud.
The executives were still not bold enough to make the decision to challenge the Xu brothers head-on just because Chen Yan judged that they would not succeed.
At this moment, Yang Rou, who had been silent since the meeting started, spoke up.
She coughed softly to attract everyone’s attention before adopting a calm tone, "I support President Chen’s opinion."
"I’ve also reviewed the planning documents for those projects."
"They seem like they were made by outsiders."
"Plus, I have great trust in President Chen’s vision."
She slowly said, "Let’s not forget. In the past two years, every major hit project of the company was personally green-lit by President Chen."
Compared to Chen Yan, Yang Rou was actually the company’s major owner.
In the past two years, Chen Yan had mostly taken a hands-off approach, while Yang Rou had been in charge of various aspects of the company.
With her exceptional ability, she managed countless tasks efficiently and was always the first to arrive and the last to leave, leading by example.
Therefore, she earned great respect and had a high prestige within the company.
So when Yang Rou stepped forward to support, though the executives were still internally worried, they could only nod in agreement.
Actually, as a major shareholder, Chen Yan did not need to seek his subordinates’ consent.
But a company is made up of people.
All plans are executed step by step by people.
A plan pushed forcefully and a plan carried out with understanding and clarity by subordinates have completely different efficiencies.
Once everyone present agreed with Chen Yan’s "head-on" plan, they all started to arrange the premieres of the projects in collaboration with Chen Yan and Yang Rou.
The Xu Brothers’ four projects were all slated for release in the near future.
The first to release was "The Rebel Princess," scheduled for next month.
"The latest was "Chen Xiyuan," four months later.
Two other projects were sandwiched in between.
Chen Yan’s intention was simple, adjust the release times for the Sunrise Plan’s projects. Each one to directly target the Xu Brothers’ release.
Whatever date they premiere, the Sunrise Plan premieres on the same date.
Whatever time they start, the Sunrise Plan starts at the same time.
Initially, when the executives heard Chen Yan wanted to go head-to-head, they thought he just wanted to premiere around the same time.
But after hearing Chen Yan’s direct competition plan, they were all a bit taken aback.
In all these years, when has the entertainment industry seen such a ruthless character?
This was a blatant challenge, a declaration to fight head-on.
For a moment, they became even more worried.
Because...if they won, well and good.
But if they lost.
Then... how could Chenlu Film Company ever mix in the industry again?
They would have lost face big time.
Thinking this, they couldn’t help but look towards Chen Yan in the lead.
They truly wanted to pry open Chen Yan’s head and see what was inside.
What kind of confidence must one have to dare to confront the Xu brothers in such a way?
Meanwhile, Yang Rou, sitting next to Chen Yan, seeing such a direct and domineering plan unfold, was entirely moved.
Who doesn’t like a strong man, after all?
Confident men are the most attractive.
Especially when this handsome and confident man confronts her own enemy with such tenacity.
Yang Rou felt her heartbeat quicken a great deal.
Of course, this wasn’t love, but a complete absorption in that heroic spirit.
Once the plan was set, Chen Yan encouraged everyone a few more times before declaring the meeting adjourned.
After the meeting was dismissed, Chen Yan left the office first by himself.
But the other people in the office did not budge.
Some executives looked towards Yang Rou and ventured to ask, "President Yang, are we... really going to go all out?"
Yang Rou’s gaze was still following Chen Yan’s figure.
Upon hearing their question, she laughed lightly and then nodded decisively, with a calm but firm tone, "Let’s do as President Chen said."
The executives in their hearts collectively let out a cry.
They realized they had forgotten: their President Yang had always been a die-hard fan of Chen Yan. Whatever task Chen Yan set, she was always the earliest and most steadfast supporter.
Seeing Yang Rou joining Chen Yan in this madness, what could they do?
They had to carry out the wishes of the two owners.
So, following suit, the entire Chenlu Film Company became like a machine set in motion, coordinating with Song Chuang and helping both sides contact various TV stations, platforms, and cinemas.
Generally, the schedules for major TV stations, platforms, and cinemas are settled well in advance.
But that is under "normal circumstances."
Facing bigwigs like Yang Rou and Song Chuang with extensive industry connections,
facing Chenlu Film Company, the hottest company in the industry over the past two years,
facing the astonishing quality shown at Chenlu Film’s test screenings,
facing the "pure revenue-sharing" model offered by Chen Yan,
all major TV stations and platforms were tempted.
So, a week later, Chenlu Film Company held a press conference.
Lu Man, the nominal owner of Chenlu Film Company, took time out of her busy schedule to return to Qin Island and attended the press conference.
At the press conference, facing the camera and the journalists, Lu Man announced the premiere dates for several projects one by one.
Originally, the entertainment journalists invited didn’t think there was any issue.
But when someone noticed something peculiar and soon the entire venue had the Xu Brothers’ release dates,
by comparison, everyone was shocked to see that all the dates were identical, perfectly aligned.
If not for the different names of the drama series, they could have thought they had misread.
So, a journalist raised a hand to ask a question immediately.
"Hello, Ms. Lu Man, I would like to ask whether there is a mistake with our project’s timing? Why does it match exactly with that of Xu Brothers Film Company?"
Before the press conference began, Chen Yan and Yang Rou had given Lu Man targeted "training."
So Lu Man just smiled slightly, her beauty blooming like a hundred flowers with her smile.
"I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you mean by ’exactly the same,’" she said.
"All of our projects are a result of discussions with various satellite TV stations, platforms, and theaters."
"We chose these release dates simply because they were very good."
Not a single person in attendance believed Lu Man’s words.
After all, it was plainly obvious.
It was impossible for the release dates of four dramas to coincide completely by coincidence.
Moreover, even the broadcasting time each day was exactly the same; claiming that was a coincidence was just too fake!
However, since Lu Man had been rigorously "trained" by Chen Yan and Yang Rou, no matter how the reporters questioned or probed, her answers were watertight.
She repeated only one statement: We have no other purpose for choosing the release dates; it’s simply because the dates are good.
Thus, this small press conference sparked a lot of discussion afterward in limited circles.
The reporters weren’t about to believe it was a coincidence just because Lu Man said it wasn’t intentional.
Upon returning, they didn’t hesitate to run with the headline "Chenlu Film directly confronts Xu Brothers" and published it.
As a result, audiences interested in the film and TV industry, as well as many industry practitioners, saw these news stories.
At first, these viewers and practitioners thought it was some unscrupulous self-media spreading rumors.
However, after reading the reports and checking for themselves, they were surprised to discover: everything was actually true!
The broadcast timings of Chenlu Film’s several dramas coincided exactly with those of Xu Brothers Film Company!
Not even "minutes" apart!
If this was called a coincidence, then it would be tricking ghosts!
This is on purpose, isn’t it!
The entertainment and film industries are places where news spreads the fastest and widest.
So, it didn’t take long for the entire industry to be buzzing with this news.
Two companies. One, a behemoth that had dominated the entertainment industry for twenty years, the other a newcomer whose momentum had surged in the past two years.
Both coincidentally announced "billion-dollar film and TV plans."
The confrontation between these two behemoths suddenly caught everyone’s attention.
Many WeChat and QQ groups were discussing it.
"Did you hear? Chenlu Film is directly facing off against the Xu Brothers."
"I heard. That’s really bold. Where do they get the confidence from?"
"Yeah, indeed."
And when it came to the confrontation between the two, the industry generally favored the Xu Brothers.
"I think Chenlu Film is hitting a rock with an egg."
"Yes, I think so too. Just look at the comparison between the two companies. One has been in business for 20 years, the other just over two years. One has big IPs and has found multiple best actors and actresses. The other relies on original content with no fame, with Lu Man as their most famous actor."
"Right. How is that comparable?"
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
Even the more rational practitioners in the industry were not optimistic about Chenlu Film’s head-on approach.
"Frankly, I’m not very optimistic about the few films from the Xu Brothers. But... after all, they are the Xu Brothers. They excel at turning decay into magic. The chances of them releasing a hit or making a good film are not small."
"As for Chenlu Film, although they too have a track record of success, they are less well-known. Going head-to-head like this can likely affect their results."
The Xu Brothers’ influence within the industry was deeply ingrained in people’s hearts.
Before they were defeated outright, most people were still more confident in them.
That’s human nature.
Among these, the occasional comments supporting Chenlu Film were drowned out in the sea of feedback and disappeared without a trace.
In the midst of discussions, everyone also started looking forward to the head-to-head battle between Chemalu Film Company and the Xu Brothers on their first project.
After all, it had been years since such a big drama unfolded.
The first head-to-head project was an international best actress ranked top three in the industry’s debut small screen work "The Rebel Princess," up against the budding talent from Lu Man’s Celebrity Studio in the title role with Lu Man in a cameo for "Hua Qian Bone."
Ever since Mei Li had the idea of starting her own talent agency, she had poached several trainees and actors with potential from various companies.
Then, she set her sights on the "Sunrise Project," hoping to place her company’s actors in it to increase visibility and boost their popularity.
Faced with such a request, Chen Yan certainly would not refuse.
So, he let Mei Li give him a list of key actors, and he began to test them one by one.
As a result... upon testing, he found one actress who was particularly suited for the lead role in "Hua Qian Bone," even improving the show’s ratings.
Therefore, Chen Yan simply appointed this actress as the lead, with Lu Man in a supporting role.
That’s what they call leveraging a big name to boost a newcomer.
Therefore, this TV drama came into being.
From the cast and investment to the production company, both works were almost unanimously dominated at a crushing level.
So, nearly everyone in the industry was backing "The Rebel Princess."
Even, many people privately opened small betting pools for entertainment, inviting others to wager on which show would be better.
As a result... over 80% favored "The Rebel Princess."
This left those 80% joyful while they searched for those with the gall to bet on "Hua Qian Bone."
Time passed day by day, filled with everyone’s anticipation.
Just as everyone was eagerly awaiting this showdown,
suddenly, an unexpected piece of news set the entire film and television industry ablaze.
... "The Rebel Princess" changed its release date!
After learning of this news, those in the industry who were paying attention were a bit stunned.
They almost thought they had read the film name wrong.
And after realizing they hadn’t, they were even more stunned.
"The Rebel Princess" changed its release date? Shouldn’t it be "Hua Qian Bone" instead?
An international best actress ranked in the top three in the industry, and a production company that had dominated the industry for twenty years, were actually giving way to an unknown young girl, and the sharp edge of a newly established company?
Everyone was a bit stunned.
Many scrambled to find out what had happened that made the Xu Brothers and the satellite TV about to air the drama make this decision.
But no matter how much they inquired, they could not find out any results.
Because the answers they got were all the same: They weren’t avoiding the other party; it was simply that they thought the release date was not good.
And those who received this news each muttered in their hearts, "Nonsense!"
"Chen Yan and Lu Man have already fooled us. Now you’re doing the same!"
"Do you think we can be easily fooled?"
