noveldepot Chapter 85 Filling the Gaps
Chapter 85 Filling the Gaps
Chapter 84 Filling the Gaps (1st Update)
In the second full work week after the National Day holiday, office workers in Beijing's CBD are just getting rid of "holiday blues" and trying to get back into work mode.
The two announcements on Light Chaser Pictures' official website were like two deep-sea bombs, waking up the entire industry on this ordinary Tuesday morning.
10:07 AM, Sina Entertainment Editorial Department, workstation C.
Intern editor Zhang Xiaowen was secretly browsing Taobao, wanting to buy some Band-Aids for her heels that were blistered from high heels.
She had just added "anti-friction heel pads" to her shopping cart when Old Wang from the next workstation slammed his hand on the table.
"Holy crap! Quick, check out Light Chaser Pictures' official website!"
Zhang Xiaowen was so startled that her hand trembled, and she almost dropped the mouse.
She turned to look at Lao Wang's screen, where two bold, red-highlighted announcement titles came into view:
[Announcement 1] Light Chaser Pictures has completed its acquisition of Hainan Zhouyi Film & Television Production Co., Ltd. Effective immediately, Zhouyi Film & Television is officially merged into Light Chaser Pictures. We welcome Ms. Jiang Xuerou and all Zhouyi colleagues to the Light Chaser Pictures family, and look forward to creating a brilliant future together.
[Announcement 2] Personnel Appointment Adjustment: Ms. Yang Siwei will no longer serve as President of BJ Chasing Light Pictures and will be assigned to another position. Effective immediately, Ms. Jiang Xuerou will serve as President of BJ Chasing Light Pictures, fully responsible for the company's operation and management.
Release time: 10:10 AM on October 20th.
"Zhouyi Films? The Zhouyi that made 'Shuiyue Dongtian'?" Zhang Xiaowen's mind didn't quite register it. "Weren't they pretty awesome? How did they get acquired?"
Old Wang had already opened Zhouyi Film & Television's Baidu Encyclopedia page, his finger scrolling frantically: "Established for 12 years, producing 'Qinghe Jue Lian,' 'Wulin Wai Shi,' 'Li Wei Dang Guan,' 'Shaonian Wang,' 'Xiao Shiyi Lang,' 'Shuiyue Dongtian,' 'Lingjing Chuanqi,' 'Huanying Shenzhen,' and 'Ba Jiu Wen Qingtian'—this isn't just 'pretty good,' it's half of the TV drama industry!"
The entire editorial department instantly erupted in excitement.
Editor-in-Chief Zhao Jianguo rushed out of his office, one button on his shirt misbuttoned: "Quick! Breaking news! Immediately! Publish a breaking news report right now!"
Zhang Xiaowen hurriedly closed the Taobao page and opened the news editing backend.
"Title—how do I write the title?" she whispered to Old Wang.
Old Wang didn't even look up: "Light Chaser Pictures acquires Zhouyi Film & Television, drastically changing the landscape of the television industry! Hurry up, don't dawdle!"
Five minutes later, the first news alert was sent out.
Ten minutes later, major portal websites began to follow suit.
Huayi Brothers, Wang Zhongjun's office.
Wang Zhongjun held a cup of Pu'er tea, stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at the congested traffic on the East Third Ring Road.
The secretary carefully handed the computer to him.
"Mr. Wang, what about Light Chaser Pictures? —"
"I saw it." Wang Zhongjun didn't take the tablet, but just stared out the window. "Zhouyi Films—when did they start talking?"
"I'm not sure, the announcement said the handover was complete," so they must have been talking for a long time. The secretary hesitated for a moment, then said, "Mr. Wang, didn't we also come into contact with the I Ching last year? Jiang Xuerou said she would consider it, but then—"
"Jiang Yu snatched it away." Wang Zhongjun turned around and quickly glanced at the announcement: "Full acquisition — Jiang Xuerou appointed president of Light Chaser Pictures — Yang Siwei steps down —"
With each keyword he read, his brow furrowed more deeply.
"Where did Yang Siwei go?" Wang Zhongjun asked. "The announcement said she's been reassigned," he said. "What exactly?"
The secretary shook her head: "I don't know. Everyone in the industry is speculating. Some say he was squeezed out by Jiang Xuerou, some say he was transferred to be in charge of a new project, and some say he—resigned."
"Resigned?" Wang Zhongjun scoffed. "Yang Siwei is a trusted confidante that Jiang Yu poached from his alma mater, a veteran of Light Chaser Pictures. How could she resign so easily? She's been reassigned." — I bet Jiang Yu transferred her to a more important project.
He paced back and forth in his office. Wang Zhongjun understood the strategic move of acquiring Zhouyi Film and Television.
Light Chaser Pictures has a large number of online novel IPs, but what it lacks is the ability to produce TV series.
Mastering the Book of Changes filled this gap in my knowledge.
He couldn't understand Yang Siwei's transfer.
A company president suddenly resigns to take charge of a "new project" that has not been made public—what project could be more important than managing Light Chaser Animation Studios?
"Investigate." Wang Zhongjun stopped in his tracks. "Use all available connections to find out exactly where Yang Siwei went and what she's doing. I need to know what Jiang Yu's next move is."
"Yes." The secretary turned to leave.
"Wait a minute," Wang Zhongjun called him again, "Also, invite Jiang Xuerou—no, invite Chen Jingming. Tell him I want to invite him to dinner to discuss cooperation."
The secretary paused for a moment, then said, "Mr. Wang, we just collaborated with Light Chaser Pictures on 'Inception,' and now we're doing it again—"
"It's precisely because we've partnered that we need to continue..." Wang Zhongjun sat back down in his office chair.
The secretary nodded as if she understood, and then left.
Wang Zhongjun picked up the computer again and looked at Jiang Xuerou's photo on the screen; a woman in her forties, wearing frameless glasses, with a gentle smile.
"Jiang Xuerou—" he muttered to himself, "Jiang Yu invited you out of retirement, it seems he's determined to make a big splash in the TV drama industry."
At the same time, at the headquarters of Enlight Media, in Wang Changtian's office.
Wang Changtian had just finished a production meeting when his assistant rushed in with his phone in hand: "Mr. Wang, something terrible has happened."
"Light Chaser Pictures again?" Wang Changtian didn't even look up, continuing to sign the documents.
How did you know?
"Who else could be making you so panicked lately besides Light Chaser Pictures?" Wang Changtian put down his pen, took his phone, glanced at it, and laughed. "Zhouyi Films—Jiang Yu's move is quite something."
99
The assistant placed a printed announcement and news summary on the table: "Full acquisition; Jiang Xuerou appointed president; Yang Siwei steps down. Mr. Wang, regarding our discussions with Light Chaser Pictures about 'The Bouquet'—"
"Let's continue the discussion," Wang Changtian said, "but now we need to talk to Jiang Xuerou. You help me arrange a meeting with her; she can decide the time and place."
"Furthermore," he paused, "investigate Yang Siwei's whereabouts. The phrase 'reassigned elsewhere' is too vague; Jiang Yu is definitely plotting something."
The assistant nodded and was about to leave when Wang Changtian called him back: "Wait, there's one more thing."
"Please speak."
"I remember—Light Chaser Pictures started acquiring a lot of online novel IPs last year, right?" Wang Changtian said thoughtfully. "Back then, people in the industry were laughing at them, saying that online novels were all fast-food literature and couldn't be made into good dramas. Now they have the production capabilities of Zhouyi—"
The assistant suddenly realized: "You mean they're going to mass-produce TV series adapted from online novels?"
"Otherwise, why buy so many IPs?" Wang Changtian stood up and walked to the map of China on the wall. "Look, this is the layout of Light Chaser Pictures: Beijing is the headquarters, responsible for films and overall strategy; Zhouyi is in Hainan, responsible for TV series production. I remember they registered a company in Shenzhen before..."
97
"Yes, we registered a subsidiary in Shenzhen at the beginning of the year, but there hasn't been much activity since."
"There's some movement now." Wang Changtian turned around. "Yang Siwei has most likely gone to Shenzhen..."
The assistant left in a hurry.
At noon, Chen Jingming was having a working lunch with some friends from the investment circle.
Halfway through the meal, his assistant came in with his phone and whispered a few words in his ear.
Chen Jingming nodded and smiled at his friends, "Excuse me, I need to take this call."
He got up, walked to the conference room, closed the door, and then dialed Jiang Yu's number.
The call was answered quickly.
"President Jiang, the announcement has been released," Chen Jingming said. "The response has been very enthusiastic; the entire industry is discussing it now."
Jiang Yu's voice, tinged with laughter, came from the other end of the phone: "As expected. How's Jiang Xuerou doing?"
"We had a meeting with the BJ team last week, and the handover went smoothly," Chen Jingming said. "We've retained Zhouyi's core creative team, and Jiang Xuerou also approves of our plans. She said we'll start selecting IPs next week and launch our first TV project."
"Okay." Jiang Yu paused. "What about Siwei? Has he arrived in Shenzhen yet?"
"I arrived yesterday." Chen Jingming walked to the window and looked at the traffic on Chang'an Avenue below. "I went to see the office this morning, and I'm meeting with the Kuaibo team tomorrow."
"Tell her not to rush, to first integrate herself and the team," Jiang Yu said. "Operating a video website is more difficult than film and television production, and it takes time."
"Understood." Chen Jingming hesitated for a moment. "President Jiang, regarding Kuaibo—are we really going to use their technical team? I've looked into it; they mainly make P2P media players, which is quite different from the streaming media website we're going to build."
"That's why we need to transform it," Jiang Yu said. "Kuaibo's technical team is top-notch in China, especially in video decoding and transmission optimization. What we want to create is not another Youku, but a next-generation video platform that supports high definition, low latency, and strong interactivity. This requires breakthroughs in underlying technologies."
Chen Jingming understood.
What Jiang Yu wants to do is not simply replicate the existing video website model, but to create new products using new technologies.
"There's one more thing," Chen Jingming said. "Both Little Ma and Pig Farmer have contacted me, wanting to invite you to dinner. Also, I received news that Hillhouse Capital and Sequoia China are inquiring about our movements."
"normal..
After hanging up the phone, Chen Jingming stood by the window, motionless for a long time.
Downstairs, the traffic on Chang'an Avenue flows like a never-ending river.
In the distance, the CCTV building reflected a cold light in the sunlight.
He suddenly remembered the scene when Jiang Yu found him two years ago.
At that time, Jiang Yu brought tens of millions of US dollars and said he wanted to "change Chinese cinema".
At the time, he thought the young man was either crazy or too naive.
Now, he believes it.
Jiang Yu has not only changed the situation of Chinese films in Hollywood, but now he is also changing the landscape of the entire film and television industry.
I am participating in this transformation.
Chen Jingming returned to the restaurant, and several friends looked at him.
"Jingming, your Light Chaser Pictures has been making a lot of moves lately," Old Li, who runs a private equity firm, said with a smile. "Hollywood and Zhouyi (the Chinese fortune teller), is the next step an IPO?"
Chen Jingming sat down and took a sip of tea: "It's still a long way from the IPO, let's get things done first."
"What exactly is that CEO Jiang Yu trying to do?" another friend who works in investment banking asked. "I've studied your plans, the film..."
TV dramas, intellectual property (IP), and now I hear they're even going to make a video website—isn't this a huge undertaking?
Chen Jingming put down his teacup and smiled, "Brother Li, have you ever played with jigsaw puzzles?"
"puzzle?"
"That's right," Chen Jingming said. "Everything we're doing now is a piece of a puzzle. You might not understand it if you look at it alone. But once it's all put together, you'll find that it's a complete picture."
The friends looked at each other in bewilderment.
"What painting?" Old Li asked.
"The future of China's film and television industry." Chen Jingming said calmly, but the weight of his words stunned everyone.
The room was silent for a few seconds.
Then Old Li slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Awesome! Jingming, your vision is way bigger than those who only know how to speculate in stocks and gamble!"
"So, is there any chance for us to take a stake?" another friend said, half-jokingly.
Chen Jingming smiled: "Not yet. We'll invite everyone to admire it after we've finished drawing the picture."
The rest of the meal revolved entirely around Light Chaser Animation.
Chen Jingming skillfully dealt with the situation, revealing some information while keeping much else to himself.
3 PM, Tianya Forum Film and Television section.
Title: [In-Depth Exposed] Is Light Chaser Pictures' Acquisition of Zhouyi Just a Smokescreen? We've Learned Yang Siwei Went to Shenzhen; the Real Purpose Is Terrifying!
The original poster, "Tech Geek Watching Entertainment," started a thread: "No more beating around the bush, let's get straight to the point. I'm in the Shenzhen IT industry, and I just received a call from a headhunter saying that a Shenzhen-based company called Chasing Light Technology is hiring video technology talent, with salaries 30%-50% higher than the market average. Positions include: Streaming Media Architect, Video Encoding Engineer, CDN Optimization Expert, and Recommendation Algorithm Engineer —"
In light of the recent news of Light Chaser Animation's acquisition of Zhou Yi and Yang Siwei's reassignment, I have a bold guess:
Light Chaser Pictures is going to create a video website, and not just any ordinary video website.
Chain of evidence:
1. Personnel Transfer: Yang Siwei is a veteran of Light Chaser Pictures. His sudden transfer to Shenzhen is definitely not for a vacation. What does Shenzhen have? Many internet companies and a large pool of technical talent.
2. Recruitment Information: Light Chaser Technology's Shenzhen branch is aggressively recruiting video technology talent, offering extremely high salaries. This indicates they are building a core technology team.
3. Content Reserves: Light Chaser Pictures holds hundreds of online novel IPs and thousands of film and television online copyrights, and has now acquired the production capabilities of Zhouyi Film & Television. Who will broadcast this content? Youku? Tudou? Impossible, it will definitely be on their own platform.
4. Technological Foundation: I checked, and Light Chaser Holdings (BJ) has Light & Shadow Digital (visual effects company), Light Chaser Pictures (content), and Light & Shadow Cloud (cloud computing). Running a video website requires strong technological support, and they already have that foundation.
Conclusion: Light Chaser Animation is secretly building an enhanced Chinese version of YouTube, featuring genuine high-definition content, content creation, and multi-terminal coverage.
If successful, the impact on the industry would be:
1. Content providers: This adds a powerful buyer and competitor. Light Chaser Pictures can both buy other people's content and use its own content to compete with others.
2. Platform operators: Youku, Tudou, and 56.com should be worried. Light Chaser Pictures has content, money, and technology; it's a game-changer.
3. For users: This could be a good thing, as increased competition would improve the user experience. However, it could also lead to a monopoly, if Light Chaser Pictures' content is only streamed on its own platform.
4. Actors and producers: With an additional financial backer, their bargaining power may decrease. The platform controls the data, knows what content is popular, and can then guide the creation process.
Finally, I'll say this: Jiang Yu is terrifying. Each of his actions, taken individually, is impressive; but taken together—it's like he's playing a grand game of chess. What will be the end of this game? I don't even dare to think about it.
Within an hour of posting, the thread had over two thousand replies: "The poster is a tech geek? Their analysis is well-reasoned and supported by evidence!"
"So Yang Siwei wasn't demoted, but sent to open up a new battlefield? That's even more impressive!"
"Light Chaser Pictures is going to launch a video website? Trying to steal business from Youku and Tudou? That's interesting!"
"Jiang Yu is trying to integrate the entire industry chain, from production to broadcasting."
"Is it too late to submit my resume in Shenzhen now?"
The original poster replied in post #888: "Here's some breaking news: According to reliable sources, Light Chaser Technology is in contact with the Kuaibo team and may be using their P2P technology. Kuaibo's technology + Light Chaser Pictures' content—this combination is going to keep Youku and Tudou up at night."
This reply instantly rose to the top, and the comment section exploded again: "Kuaibo? That video-watching app?"
"Kuaibo's technology is truly impressive; it runs smoothly and in high definition. If it could be used on legitimate websites—"
"So Light Chaser Pictures is going to acquire Kuaibo?"
"Wake up, upstairs. Kuaibo is a media player, it's completely different from a video website."
"The underlying technology can be reused! Kuaibo's P2P transmission technology is very suitable for video websites."
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