Chapter 256: Quick Resolution (Happy New Year)

The next day, major American media outlets reported that Steve Spielberg had taken on the project of filming “Schindler’s List,” a movie depicting the persecution of Jews during World War II. The production was not solely funded by Universal; its North American branch and the now-independent wholly-owned subsidiary, Charm Film, also participated in the investment. Going forward, all of Universal’s films would be financed and produced by these two companies.
It was clear that Xiao Ran was using Universal’s strength to boost Charm Film. What surprised everyone in the industry, however, was that Universal did not seek financing for this project but instead invested $80 million together with Charm Film. If the film failed at the box office, Universal, lacking such a wealthy backer, would likely face immediate financial crisis.
Unlike Charm Film, which always had substantial cash reserves for film investments and operations, most Hollywood studios invested their money in other areas, relying on financing to spread risks due to their high levels of debt. For example, when Charm Film acquired Universal, it assumed a debt of $2.8 billion.
Of course, if Xiao Ran personally managed Universal, even for projects with little chance of profit, he would likely seek financing to avoid risks, given his wealth. But Hong Kong was different—its film market was growing rapidly, and profits remained high. Apart from films that were certain to lose money, those suitable for overseas distribution were independently funded by Charm Film.
While $80 million might not be the largest film investment in Hollywood, it was certainly among the biggest. This news quickly shocked other companies. It wasn’t that they couldn’t invest, but that they couldn’t avoid financing—proof that Charm Film was unafraid of losses or had absolute confidence in this project.
Steve Spielberg was deeply moved, if not excited—this was the largest sum of money he could control. Moreover, Xiao Ran assured him that he would have the same powers as the producer, with no one able to interfere in the filming as long as it stayed within 10% of the budget.
As a heavyweight figure in Hollywood, Spielberg seemed to break through an ice barrier, creating a positive turnaround for Universal. Jewish elites in high society praised Universal and Xiao Ran’s actions, and the situation seemed to change. As partners of Charm Film, Lucas and others immediately expressed their support for Universal shortly after Spielberg’s speech, following Xiao Ran’s instructions.
On the same day, Xiao Ran played his most crucial card. Through Sony’s Akio Morita, he made it clear to the old man that to resolve Sony’s difficulties, it had to move forward together with Universal.
That afternoon, Columbia announced that it shared common interests with Universal and that the two would pursue long-term, stable cooperation. The alliance of these four emerging forces was clearly sufficient to counter Disney and Warner.

With Lei Shidong’s slight persuasion, the united stance of the various associations completely collapsed, and Warner’s most crucial strategy was neutralized. It was on this very day that several smaller theaters decided to accept Universal’s financing to expand their operations, also announcing that Jurassic Park would be shown in these smaller theaters. The five major theaters, including Royal, immediately panicked. Many had seen the film’s success overseas; even the theater executives had watched it in Europe and knew full well whether it would be a box office hit. Initially, they had only pressured Universal at Warner and Disney’s request and coercion, but ended up losing profits, and the chairman of one of the theater companies who agreed to this almost lost his position. Meanwhile, as Xiao Ran was happily reading a novel, the representative chosen by the five major theaters arrived. Bass was a well-liked and famous nice guy in the industry. However, he wasn’t an actor or director but merely an investor within the industry, holding shares in each of the five major theaters. He was usually the one to mediate in disputes. Bass was an elderly man, and Xiao Ran smiled as he went over to help him sit on the sofa before looking at the old man with a smile and saying, “Mr. Bass, it’s been a while. What brings you here today?” “Mr. Xiao, it’s great to meet you. I’m here on behalf of the five major theaters. They want to work with you. You know, sometimes we’re forced to be controlled by those in power!” Bass was eloquent, though his health was a bit poor. Xiao Ran showed interest and gestured for him to continue. Bass calmed down slightly and said, “You know, people are used to being ruled by those in power. But I think we need some change. I’ll apologize on behalf of the five major theaters. I’m sure you can understand our predicament!” “Of course, I understand. For profit, everyone does the same…” Xiao Ran mercilessly exposed Bass’s pretenses. Seeing Bass lower his head in shame, he chuckled and said, “In fact, I also pursue profit, so you don’t need to apologize.” “Really?” Bass’s spirits lifted immediately, and a kind smile appeared on his face. “You know, the five major theaters are the most powerful. Only here can your film reap the greatest benefits. So, we sincerely hope you’ll give the distribution rights for Jurassic Park to us.” Xiao Ran immediately sneered, stood up, walked a few rounds in the room, then suddenly turned and asked, “Mr. Bass, perhaps you don’t know, but there’s a saying in China: ‘A good horse doesn’t eat grass from where it came.’ That means capable people never take the same path. Do you understand?” Bass was stunned and didn’t quite grasp Xiao Ran’s meaning. Suddenly, Xiao Ran leaned in close to Bass, their faces almost touching. At that moment, his tone was very low, yet full of strength: “Mr. Bass, since you’ve rejected me repeatedly, what do you still expect from me? What do you think I am?”

Baas was startled by Xiao Ran’s actions and couldn’t help turning his face away under the intimidating gaze of his eyes, his complexion paling slightly. “But we did make mistakes before, and it was under coercion from those in power. Even God can forgive those who err—why can’t Mr. Xiao be a little kinder?”
Xiao Ran found this extremely amusing. Still, the pretense seemed effective. He deliberately threw his head back and laughed heartily. “I’m not God; I don’t have such a forgiving heart. In business, no one can afford to show kindness, not even you.”
Baas suddenly felt as if he was afraid of Xiao Ran. He thought he might return empty-handed this time. Just then, a smile appeared on Xiao Ran’s face. “I’m a businessman who pursues profits. So I’ll accept your apology, and Universal will hand over the rights to your next film. But…”
At this point, Xiao Ran’s expression darkened abruptly, and he said in a tone that seemed to change: “But I absolutely won’t tolerate anyone insulting me, anyone—do you understand?”
“Yes, yes, sir! I’ll definitely convey your message!” Baas was sweating profusely, let alone discussing the rights to release *Jurassic Park*.
As Baas’s retreating figure faded away, a faint smile appeared on Xiao Ran’s lips. This was exactly what he wanted. By this point, his victory was certain—a victory that had been planned for a long time.
Xiao Ran was well aware of the difficulties outsiders faced in breaking in, so he chose to acquire companies, just as Fang Ruohai had done before, to gain strength quickly. Companies like Charm Movies had been in the area for years but never truly established themselves, proving that acquisition was indeed a fast way to build strength.
Of course, Xiao Ran understood the challenges of gaining a firm foothold. So he and Wei Dongling carefully devised a plan—more of a strategy. It’s no exaggeration to say that Warner and others’ reactions and tactics were all within his expectations, and he had corresponding measures in place.
The only unexpected factor was the protest. Fortunately, he reacted in time and defused it. Undeniably, everything Xiao Ran had done since arriving in Hollywood had been premeditated. His luckiest stroke was receiving help from Old Steve, though it wasn’t really unexpected—Xiao Ran knew Old Steve would agree after being persuaded by Old Lu.
As for those smaller theaters, Xiao Ran not only let Universal take control of their shares but also Charm Movies, so they could gain recognition with Universal’s backing. This move was crucial—it allowed flexibility. Once they reached a certain level of support, if Xiao Ran became dissatisfied with the five major theaters, he could push these smaller ones to compete.
By then, these theaters, backed by Charm Movies and Universal’s hit films, would be able to grow rapidly. Now, with Charm Movies’ strength from Universal, it had gained most of the industry’s recognition, leaving it unafraid of tactics from Warner and Disney. Next came the competition in film production.

According to Xiao Ran’s habits, he should have dealt with Warner and Disney together this time. But things often work that way, especially in the film industry—if Xiao Ran wanted to establish a solid foothold, he had to give up something.

Xiao Ran happily stepped onto the balcony, gazed at the familiar row of English words on the mountain, and chuckled softly: “Hollywood, once I’ve secured a firm position here, then this place will belong to me!”

Turner was helpless, while Michael was extremely irritable. Turner even believed that if Xiao Ran were in front of Mai Ge, Mai Ge would surely strangle the kid without hesitation. Yet Xiao Ran didn’t even need to meet them to skillfully defuse their attacks indirectly.

Just as Xiao Ran had to allow Hailuo to enter with the tacit approval of Golden Harvest and Deppa, now that the theater chains had submitted to him, Turner and Michael couldn’t do anything to Phantom. Moreover, Phantom wasn’t like those companies like Hailuo and Hongguo, which lacked a foundation—its strength was by no means inferior to the combined force of those two companies, especially in Asia.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Xiao Ran only needed to establish a base or a forward operating base in Hollywood; perhaps he would take on even more responsibilities in the future. But one thing Xiao Ran was certain of: Phantom’s core film business remained in Hong Kong, still centered around Chinese-language films.

Turner and Michael had no choice but to accept this reality. Now they finally understood everything Tie Long had described. This feeling—of building up momentum only to swiftly resolve everything with decisive action—left them utterly frustrated. It made them feel as if they were paper-thin in front of Xiao Ran, or as if they were completely naked. It even gave them the illusion that as long as Xiao Ran wanted to, he could destroy them at any time; they were kept alive only because they still had some use to him.

Now they truly understood Xiao Ran’s tactics, but understanding them didn’t mean they could counter him. The situation had now tilted in Universal’s favor, or rather, in Xiao Ran’s favor. Even knowing that something in Hong Kong was causing Xiao Ran trouble, they couldn’t stop the unstoppable advance of Phantom’s forces, which clearly left them extremely disheartened.

Tie Long watched the two of them quietly, a mocking smile faintly appearing on his lips. These two foreigners thought they could deal with Xiao Ran without him—how overconfident of themselves. He thought it wouldn’t be long before these two old guys came to ask for his help. And Tie Long was confident he could defeat Xiao Ran, because he knew of a fatal weakness in him—he was even sure that destroying that one thing would throw the entire Phantom Group into chaos.

That was his trump card, his last card. He would never reveal it until the very last moment. He still hoped to turn things around with it, truly turn things around, and these two old guys clearly had high value as assets.

Michael roared. He couldn’t tolerate such failure, especially on his own territory: “If it weren’t for those greedy theater chain businessmen and those shameless traitors, we would have punished them!”

Turner glanced disdainfully at the old man. “Punishment? Hell no. The theater chains are still neutral for now. If you push them too hard, won’t they side with Xiao Ran? No one wants to go against money, especially businessmen.”
Michael quickly calmed himself down. This guy always liked to act as a kind star in public, but in private, he was a Disney-style tyrant who vented everything through rage. Turner and the old man both turned their eyes toward Tie Long, who was lazily watching them: “Do you have any good ideas?”
“No ideas. Since Xiao Ran has firmly established himself here, don’t expect to drive him away.” Tie Long knew very well that they needed to strengthen Xiao Ran’s position to gain more benefits for themselves. “Maybe you should worry about how not to get driven away by Xiao Ran!”
“If that’s the case, you’ll probably be the first to get kicked out!” Michael was in a bad mood. It was already rare that he didn’t roar at Tie Long. “Don’t hold back anything for me. Either tell me or get lost!”
Tie Long’s expression changed slightly, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes. Even Xiao Ran hadn’t spoken to him in such a tone, let alone these two old men. He maliciously cursed inwardly: You’ll be ruined by Xiao Ran sooner or later.
“I think there might be another way,” Tie Long said with a leisurely smile. “But I warn you seriously—don’t try to knock down Xiao Ran or Phantom. That’s beyond your capabilities.”
While Tie Long and the others were discussing this plan, Xiao Ran had already boarded a flight back to Hong Kong. On the plane, he closed his eyes and thought quietly about everything. This time, could he thwart the Hong Kong British government’s schemes and stage a comeback as a king…
*****
Wish everyone a happy Pig Year!