Chapter 198: Various Tactics

The next day, as soon as Wei Dongling entered Xiao Ran’s office, he saw Xiao Ran looking worried, which surprised him greatly. Had another accident happened? After asking Xiao Ran, he learned that Xiao Ran was troubled by the decision of having children or not.

Wei Dongling was stunned and then burst into laughter. Sometimes he really admired Xiao Ran—despite facing such a major battle, he still worried about such trivial matters. He clapped his hands in relief, “Thankfully, I’m not married yet; otherwise, it would be troublesome!”

“Stop acting like that. Who doesn’t know you’re pursuing Li Jiaxin?” Xiao Ran didn’t even bother to lift his head. He even suspected Wei Dongling was gloating. But Wei Dongling’s interest in Li Jiaxin wasn’t just a joke—even the media had reported it: “When you get married, you’ll know how painful it is!”

“I’m different from you. I’m not someone who doesn’t want children!” Wei Dongling seemed quite proud, though it was unclear whether it was for Li Jiaxin or something else. “Besides, what’s there to worry about? I really don’t understand your thinking. A family only exists with children. Haven’t you watched Shaw Brothers’ ‘The Substitute Father’?”

Xiao Ran immediately remembered the plot of that movie, starring Wan Ziliang and Xia Wenxi. It was about a husband who suffered from low sperm count and went to the U.S. for in vitro fertilization to have children. The husband then became paranoid, doubting everything. It was quite interesting.

“Damn it, I knew you were up to no good!” Xiao Ran snapped at Wei Dongling. He didn’t want to joke now—this worry had plagued him all night.

“Alright, enough of that. Let me tell you some good news!” Wei Dongling’s smiling face was truly annoying. He sat down on the sofa before telling Xiao Ran, “Dongli has acquired absolute control of Qingtian Company for 8 billion. Meanwhile, Fang Xiaoqiang has taken 18% control of Toei. Should we launch an attack on Jiahé right away?”

“Really? That’s great!” Xiao Ran forgot all his worries and jumped up from his chair, his earlier gloom gone. What exactly did Qingtian Company do to make him so happy?

It was simple—Qingtian was Toei’s second-largest shareholder, holding 35% of its shares. If Shadow controlled Qingtian, they could indirectly control Toei, which in turn could indirectly control Jiahé’s shares. Despite many difficulties, they had finally succeeded.

Toei was one of Japan’s four largest distribution companies, controlling the rights to two or three theater chains. Xiao Ran had chosen this company as his bridge to enter Japan long ago, so he started acquiring its shares last year, though progress had been slow. Unexpectedly, Toei had come to him voluntarily—no wonder Xiao Ran was smiling so strangely.

Seeing Xiao Ran so excited, Wei Dongling couldn’t help but pour cold water on things: “Don’t forget that the company has already spent over a hundred billion on this acquisition. If it weren’t for Dongli Power Karaoke continuing to provide funds, the company would likely be in trouble right away!”
Xiao Ran chuckled and reassured him lightly, “Don’t worry. We still have 3 billion in working capital! And soon, Dongli Power should be able to bring in another 1 billion or so. By then, we won’t have to worry about cash flow issues at all!”
“But…” Wei Dongling was frustrated. Although Xiao Ran still didn’t know much about business, he no longer found it difficult to deal with him. He had originally wanted to scare Xiao Ran and send him a warning, but it was easily dismissed. Thinking quickly, he continued, “And don’t forget—Qingtian is a burden to us; it will only hold us back!”
“No need to worry. We just need to keep its core company, and sell off all the other subsidiaries and departments!” Xiao Ran gave Wei Dongling a puzzled look. He didn’t understand why Wei Dongling was so anxious. “Pick a few people to audit their assets and accounts, then sell them off after a month. According to Dongli Power’s calculations, acquiring Qingtian can earn us about 600 to 700 million!”
Wei Dongling’s nose almost twisted with delight. How could Xiao Ran be so confident? He quickly thought of another flaw—a fatal one: “Okay, your ultimate goal is still Jiahe, right?”
“Right, but also not!” Xiao Ran chuckled and explained, “It’s a two-for-one plan. I didn’t expect Toei to invest in Jiahe on its own; I just planned to secretly have someone acquire its shares.”
“It’s just that I didn’t expect Toei to walk right into our trap…” At this point, Xiao Ran was extremely pleased. Toei had long wanted to get a foothold in the Hong Kong film market. If not for industry norms, they would have already taken action. Now, they were getting what they deserved—what a pleasure! “This way, I not only indirectly control Toei but also Jiahe. Isn’t that killing two birds with one stone?”
“You’re wrong!” Wei Dongling said seriously, looking straight at Xiao Ran. “Toei only controls 25% of the shares, which is far from enough to gain full control of Jiahe!”
“Trust me, I’m almost certain about Jiahe!” Xiao Ran smiled mysteriously and whispered a few words in Wei Dongling’s ear.
Wei Dongling’s eyes widened as if they might pop out. After a long while, he finally exhaled deeply. “I never expected you to have such a backup plan. I believe we’ll win this time. Though, the process will definitely be interesting!”
Whether it would be interesting or not was still unpredictable for Xiao Ran and Wei Dongling. But the next day, something really unpleasant happened. Shortly after Xiao Ran arrived at the office, Liu Hua, Zhong Chuhong, and others called him, making it clear—Jiahe had made an offer the previous day to poach their people.
Another attempt at poaching! It was hopeless! Xiao Ran was furious. Fortunately, few people were willing to fall for Jiahe’s high bribes, which relieved him.

Xiao Ran had originally been interested in having a fight with Jia He, but now he didn’t like that feeling anymore. He didn’t want Jia He to interfere with any of Shadow’s business, so he thought it was time to deal with Jia He.

Still, sometimes he missed his opponent Fang Ruohai. He had to admit that Fang Ruohai was a smart man, though unlucky—choosing the wrong time to go against Xiao Ran. This final battle with Jia He posed no suspense for him, as everything was already under his control. He liked having a stronger opponent.

“The Gambler” had been in theaters for about twenty days, with box office earnings reaching 28 million. Reaching 30 million should be no problem. A few days ago, “Die Hard” also premiered. Xiao Ran had initially wanted Li Lianjie to star, but in the end, he let Liu Qingyun take the lead role. He wanted to use this example to show everyone in the industry that one doesn’t need to be extremely handsome to be successful at the box office.

“The Die Hard” premiere had decent box office results because its target audience wasn’t limited to local viewers but also included those in Europe, so it lacked a strong local flavor. This meant its premiere earnings were lower than those of “The Gambler”—only 3 million—and it ultimately earned only 30 million domestically. Fortunately, “The Gambler” was competing in the local market, helping it barely claim the top spot during the Spring Festival season.

However, the two films fared very differently overseas. Despite various adjustments, “The Gambler” only earned just over 100 million abroad. In contrast, “Die Hard” did well in Europe alone, earning nearly 200 million, and with Asia, the total reached 500 million. It was clear that different target audiences led to vastly different results.

But that was later. Let’s forget about it for now and focus on the present. With only a week left before the Spring Festival, how would Xiao Ran plan to get rid of Jia He? That was a question, but clearly not one that posed a challenge to Xiao Ran.

Quietly inviting He Guanchang, Cheng Long, Hong Jinbao, and others to his home, Xiao Ran greeted them with a smile and invited them to drink refreshing drinks under the umbrella. He Guanchang and the others knew exactly what Xiao Ran wanted, so they spoke without beating around the bush: “President Xiao, just tell us what you need!”

Xiao Ran glanced at the casually dressed group before fixing his gaze on He Guanchang. He knew that their willingness to come here meant he still had a chance to win them over. Moreover, he knew they were led by He Guanchang, as He Guanchang had made many wise decisions that had helped them maintain their current status.

Taking a sip of the icy cold water, Xiao Ran raised his head and gazed at the blue sky. “Uncle He, what I want is very simple. As you all know, Jia He is deliberately causing me trouble, and I don’t like that!”

No one spoke. He Guanchang knew Xiao Ran still had more to say; otherwise, trying to move him with such words would be utterly futile. Sure enough, Xiao Ran narrowed his eyes and shifted his gaze from the clouds to He Guanchang’s face. “You know I don’t want just Hong Kong—I want the whole world. If Jiahé keeps holding me back like this, it indirectly disrupts my plans. And I will never allow anyone to undermine the rules I’ve set for this game!”

“Uncle He, have you ever thought about promoting Chinese-language movies worldwide to achieve a status even greater than that of Western films?” Xiao Ran’s gaze was fixed on He Guanchang, as he sought to convey his sincerity.

He Guanchang was slightly surprised. Everyone in the industry already knew of Xiao Ran’s ambitions, but he hadn’t expected Xiao Ran to merely aim at promoting Chinese-language movies. Still, upon reflection, it made sense. If Xiao Ran only wanted to make money, there would be no reason for him to push for higher salaries—such actions would only reduce the profits of Meiying.

“Brother Long, Brother Hong! Have you ever thought that one day you might become one of the most famous movie stars in the world thanks to the rise of Chinese-language movies?” Xiao Ran turned his gaze to the other two, offering a gentle smile that appeared natural and harmonious.

Cheng Long and Hong Jinbao’s hearts skipped a beat. This was indeed what they had always desired. Films like “Assassins’ Pit” and “Bullets on Wheels” were made for the international market, but sadly, they failed completely.

However, they also understood that while they were popular locally, they couldn’t compare to Stephen Chow in Southeast Asia, nor even any of Meiying’s top actors in Europe. It wasn’t because they lacked talent, but because Jiahé was inferior to Meiying in every aspect.

“From the start, Jiahé’s strategy was wrong. The international market can’t be gained that way. It’s not something a single film company can achieve—it’s a task for Hong Kong cinema and all of Chinese-language cinema. Just because Jiahé can’t do it doesn’t mean Meiying can’t. But…” Here, Xiao Ran raised his tone sharply, “I absolutely hate it when anyone schemes behind my back. This isn’t just an attempt to destroy Meiying—it’s also an attempt to undermine the status of Hong Kong movies internationally!”

Xiao Ran fell silent, staring intently at He Guanchang. As long as he nodded, Cheng Long and Hong Jinbao wouldn’t have any problems. He Guanchang hesitated for a moment. He really wasn’t optimistic about Jiahé anymore. Zou Wenhui, in pursuit of victory, had even invited trouble by offering 50% control rights—essentially handing Jiahé over.

From Xiao Ran’s earlier words, he could tell that Xiao Ran’s goal wasn’t monopolization but rather having a solid foundation to challenge Hollywood. Yet he still hesitated. What if Xiao Ran changed his mind and tried to monopolize the market? Most importantly, he was reluctant to give up Jiahé, which he had founded himself. If it were to be ruined by his own hands, he likely wouldn’t be able to rest in peace.

But what other choices did he have now? Judging from Xiao Ran’s confident expression, He Guanchang was sure Xiao Ran had a way to deal with Jiahé—perhaps even capable of bringing down the Jiahé empire overnight.

For Cheng Long and Hong Jinbao as well, they were reluctant to simply abandon Jiahe. They had both achieved success in their careers thanks to Jiahe, and leaving it now might mean facing betrayal in the future.
But with the current situation, did they really have a choice? Behind Xiao Ran’s kind appearance lay murderous intent. Not only He Guanchang but also Cheng Long could see that Xiao Ran truly intended to get rid of Jiahe as a burden this time.
“President Xiao, I’m sorry!” He Guanchang gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind: “I still can’t betray Jiahe. I’d rather share its fate!”
“But don’t forget—Jiahe could have continued to be one of Hong Kong’s four major film companies.” Xiao Ran couldn’t help but sigh. People in this era valued loyalty. Though he thought so, he still stared at the three of them sternly: “It was Zou Wenhui who brought Jiahe to this situation!”
“Anyway, I belong to Jiahe. If we’re really going to lose to you, let’s lose together!” He Guanchang’s expression darkened, as if he had chosen failure with his own hands.
Watching the three figures walk away, Xiao Ran sighed slightly, picked up his cell phone from the table, and dialed a number. As the three disappeared from sight, he said in a resolute tone, “We act tomorrow!”