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Wu Kebo is in Hong Kong right now. Hollowing out Huayi and stepping on its corpse to ascend to the top is just one step in his plan. He can't say that he has absolute trust in Wang Jinghua.
He knows women like Wang Jinghua very well. Strictly speaking, Huayi and the Wang brothers have done nothing wrong to her. But because of her own short-sightedness, she did not choose to support the Wang brothers and the company at the critical moment.
Now that Huayi is about to go public, those who stood out in support before will hold a huge amount of original shares. Their wealth will skyrocket and they will go from being employees to shareholders of the company.
As the company's third-in-command, Wang Jinghua would be surprised if she wasn't bitter and resentful. It's like those who longed to leave the country, only to discover, a decade or two later, that life abroad isn't as good as their own. The money they've earned after a lifetime of hard work isn't even enough to buy the shabby apartment they sold when they left. This immediately unbalances their feelings and turns them into anti-China hawks.
Wang Jinghua is now the vanguard of this anti-Huayi movement, desperate to bankrupt Huayi and devastate its star shareholders who previously supported it. Only in this way can she prove that she, Sister Hua, is right and that she has the best vision.
Wu Kebo cleverly exploited Wang Jinghua's mentality, promising her huge profits and, in a surprising move, swallowing up an elephant like a snake, transforming himself into the leading industry giant in mainland China.
Now, however, he's taking a different approach. He's not just aiming for mainland China; he wants to dominate Hong Kong and Taiwan, too. So, he's targeted Golden Harvest, the former dominant force in the Hong Kong film industry, and is looking to acquire it. Not only are the copyrights held by Golden Harvest in question, but its entire legacy as
well. "Mr. Zou, I think my offer is very reasonable. We've been discussing this for about a year now. Could you please explain what's holding you back?"
Zou Wenhuai, a man of considerable wealth, realized with his experience that Wu Kebo's holdings were far more than just the apparent size; he must have become the company's largest shareholder.
But what he really wanted was a 70% stake, delisting Golden Harvest, restructuring its assets, and then listing it elsewhere. That might not necessarily be in Hong Kong, but perhaps even in mainland China or North America. Glancing
at his daughter, who had no interest in the film and television industry, Zou Wenhuai directly asked Wu Kebo, "Can you tell me your plans? Money is never the most important thing. I don't need these 200 million. I want to know how you plan to handle Golden Harvest."
Wu Kebo naturally had his own plans for Golden Harvest. His greatest strength, rather than investing in film and television, was asset restructuring.
He calculated that after fully acquiring Golden Harvest and draining Huayi, the reorganized Orange Sky could directly apply for listing on the mainland's Growth Enterprise Market (GEM). After some capital operations, its assets would skyrocket, making it the undisputed top film and television stock in the entire Chinese entertainment industry.
Wu Kebo was well aware of the influence of the Hong Kong entertainment industry in mainland China, and he was also well aware of the reputable reputation of Golden Harvest, the long-established powerhouse that dominated the Chinese-language film industry for nearly half a century. This is why he conceived this trilogy, which would establish him as a dominant force in the Chinese entertainment industry, rivaling or even surpassing Emperor Entertainment Group.
Wu Kebo, who believed his plans were unfathomable, could never have imagined that Wu Mingxuan was fully aware of his plans, even the two most serious flaws in his trilogy. It can be said that these two fatal flaws led to the downfall of Wu Kebo and Orange Sky.
Therefore, Wu Mingxuan didn't rush to strike. Instead, he held back and continued to build his strength, capitalizing on this major upheaval in the mainland entertainment industry to grow stronger. He would strike at the right moment to reap the fruits of victory and become the true winner.
After a heated exchange of words, Wu Kebo ultimately purchased all 24.78% of Golden Harvest Group shares and convertible bonds held by Zou Wenhuai and his daughter for HK$273 million. His effective stake exceeded 60%, just shy of the 70% mark that would delist the company.
After him, Golden Harvest's second-largest shareholder was Li Ka-shing, the current richest man in China. Therefore, Wu Kebo's remaining stake would be more difficult to secure, requiring a gradual approach.
Wu Mingxuan saw the news three days after filming began. He also noticed that Fan Bingbing had become much cooler towards him, lacking her usual warmth.
After all, judging by the situation, no matter how talented he was, he was only a director. Yuan was no match for the two Wang brothers, while Wu Kebo was the ruthless individual who had acquired Golden Harvest and completely emptied out Huayi.
It could be said that when Huayi underwent major changes, many less discerning outsiders practically deemed Wu Kebo the new king of the Chinese entertainment industry, believing him to be its undisputed overlord.
Unfortunately, they underestimated the mainland industry. The power to import films rested with China Film Group. Without its approval, even Hollywood blockbusters were useless.
Hollywood blockbusters are the cash cows of many cinema chains, many of which survive entirely on the back of Hollywood box office revenue, and many high-ranking executives have even enriched themselves lavishly.
China Film Group Corporation is still the largest brick-and-mortar cinema chain. If the film and television production companies with the most connections and financial resources do not receive support from China Film Group, or even become enemies of it, what's the point of having such a dominant position?
If I refuse to show your films or aggressively steal your box office revenue, all sorts of coordinated suppression will suffocate you in a matter of years.
In Wu Mingxuan's view, Wu Kebo's biggest problem was a lack of channels. If he had first acquired a nationwide cinema chain, or formed a strategic alliance with a cinema giant like Wanda, and then brought in some influential figures, he wouldn't have been able to dominate, but he wouldn't have had much trouble competing with the Beijing-based film industry, led by China Film Group.
Unfortunately, while these idiots took everything into account, they overlooked the crucial, unique national conditions. Consequently, they ultimately suffered a crushing defeat. Wang Jinghua, like Lu Bu during the Three Kingdoms period, defected once more, only to return to the embrace of the Beijing-based industry.
Betrayal is a matter of the first and the countless times. For Wu Mingxuan, this would be a case of once being unfaithful, a hundred times being unfaithful.
After filming the Jade-Faced Fox and the Bull Demon King scenes, Fan Bingbing, who played the Jade-Faced Fox, suddenly approached Wu Mingxuan, who was watching a replay. Wu Mingxuan didn't immediately acknowledge her, only checking in with her after reviewing the previous shots to confirm they were all correct.
This attitude naturally irritated Fan Bingbing, but she knew her mission well and addressed Wu Mingxuan directly, "Sister Hua, a friend here would like to meet with Director Wu. Are you interested?"