Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 377: Eye contact is a kiss without lust (two in one for the leader's lifetime)
"Please invite Miss Liu Yifei to take charge..."

These words were like a devilish sound that pierced the ears of everyone present, shocking them all.

Before the candidates were announced, everyone knew that the Supervision Center, a highly representative functional department, was imperative.

Since no one in the audience dared or was qualified to object, the selection of the leader of the Supervision Center became the top priority.

Who doesn’t want to have someone close to him to be the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?

Concubine Liu Yi herself was also wondering who would take this position.

Dong Shuangqiang, who has extensive connections in the capital city and is considered a tycoon in the capital market, tipped off Tailang and Zhou Jun during their fierce battle, and later eliminated Tailang and his son?

Following Sun Wenwen, there is another official who serves as the prime minister. He has a good family background and has been the focus of training in the past two years. Chen Zhixi?

Was it Zhong Lifang, the first multi-talented person to join the company, or was it Liu Qiangdong who successfully listed Wenjie Mall?
No one would have expected that this little secretary, who was jokingly called "Boss Lu's bag carrier" today, would also be a big star.

Everyone in the conference room was stunned, and seemed to be a little confused about how a glamorous female star could suddenly become the authority of a giant in the domestic entertainment industry.

Boss, aren’t you a washing machine?

It’s okay to just play with the female celebrity, why bring her to the company?

All they know about are shoes, bags and cosmetics, but how can they understand how to run a company?

You made a decision that goes against our ancestors! The harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs!
The person involved, Concubine Liu Yi, was actually a little obsessed with Taylor Swift. She happened to be sitting leisurely in the nearest place, watching her lover show off his power!

How come it suddenly became a knife of my boyfriend?
Yes, it’s a knife. This was her initial understanding of this position.

Boss Lu didn't care about that and continued to introduce:
"The Supervision Center reports directly to the CEO and is a vertical management organization independent of the business departments. It combines the triple functions of the Discipline Inspection and Supervision Commission, management consulting, and data risk control."

“It has three independent departments: the Compliance Investigation Team, which fights corruption; the Effectiveness Evaluation Team, which oversees operations; and the Backend Support Team, which provides technical support for the first two.”

"The company will establish an integrity file, include key positions such as supplier cooperation and procurement bidding under key monitoring, and adopt a 'double investigation' approach, handling both the parties involved and the management responsibilities of their direct supervisors."

"Especially! What we must crack down on more than corruption is dereliction of duty, inaction, and disregard for the company's strategic goals, which delays opportunities!"

At this time, the benefits of keeping the shares closed become apparent.

It's his own way of having the final say.

Decisions made do not require lengthy procedures as required by the Company Law.

Except for Dong Shuangqiang's very small amount of equity, the remaining options, which do not exceed 10%, have no voting rights according to the company's articles of association.

Of course, this extremely high level of stock security also came with a difficult period.

The company faced tremendous financial pressure during its rapid expansion period in 03 and 04, and basically completed mergers, acquisitions, operations, and expansion by taking money from one pocket to fill another.

Concubine Liu Yi's "selfless dedication" played a big role in those years.

In addition to bringing free traffic to Blog.com, Wenjie Mall, and Mytube, her endorsements, ringtones, and portrait rights income provide a certain cash flow, like lubricating the tightly meshed gears of Wenjie.

"Xiao Liu."

"what?"

Concubine Liu Yi, who had treated herself as an outsider throughout the day, barely understood his intention.

All the general managers of subsidiaries in the first row were more or less surprised, but Dong Shuangqiang was the only one who had a blank expression, as if this was not a big deal.

He was the only one present who could guess the blog network and its affiliation, and he was the only one who knew about the conflicts between Zhou Jun and Lu Kuan over Concubine Liu Yi.

Perhaps to outsiders, the marriage of this young Chinese actress and a wealthy mainland businessman is no different from any other marriages between female celebrities and wealthy families.

But for Dong Shuangqiang, his act of being the first to greet Concubine Liu Yi in the morning was enough to demonstrate his sharp eyes and insight into the world.

At this moment, Chen Zhixi felt very conflicted.

She likes the personality of this atypical female star in the domestic entertainment industry very much, and even follows her on blogs and Weibo for a long time, giving her likes and support.

But it is obvious that it is not appropriate for me to get too close to her now.

In particular, she had also heard about how her predecessor, Sun Wenwen, suddenly disappeared from the position of chief steward without any explanation.

Lu Kuan smiled and said, "The position of Director of the Supervision Center is relatively detached. For the sake of the purity of the team and the neutrality of the person in charge, I am considering asking Ms. Liu Yifei, an outsider of the company, to take this position."

"The company will assign dedicated auditors to the supervision center and rehire retired public security, procuratorial and judicial officials as anti-corruption forces."

"We will hire specialized business consulting firms and operations personnel to assess the suitability and work efficiency of each subsidiary and position, and play a supervisory and supervisory role."

He paused and glanced
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself."

Lu Kuan added, "Ms. Liu is a graduate student at the Booth School of Business, which is ranked among the top three in the world, and is expected to graduate before Christmas this year."

"The model for the paid props plan for Twilight 2, which was previously used as a case study for everyone, was also created by her."

The whole audience was in an uproar, and for a moment they ignored the meeting rules and started whispering to each other.

They didn't doubt the truth of this statement. There was no need for the boss to lie!

Besides, there are traces of Liu Yifei's study abroad two years ago on the blogs. At least Chen Zhixi, who has been following her for a long time at the conference table today, knows it all.

But the fact that this Twitter plan was also from her is a bit sensational.

The merger of Ali, Huayi, and News Corporation, which were regarded as major enemies by the company's strategic department, used the microblog-like platform Alispace, which was developed and operated based on the Twitter model.

The carefree Dongzi came up with a plan. Compared with the leaders of other subsidiaries, he had a closer relationship with this person!
When Lu Kuan met him for the first time and had a drink and a negotiation with him, he brought this little girl who was only 16 years old at the time.

What's more, the fame of Wenjie Mall was due to the promotion of her blog and the sales of "Foreign Land" peripheral products.

He had this idea, and so did others.

After the break, I'll go home and ask around to see if there's anyone I can talk to or have a relationship with this person, even if they're just several levels apart!
It might come in handy at a critical moment.

It's just that they are all blinded by their thoughts.

For example, people who know the situation well, such as Dong Shuangqiang and Zhong Lifang, have never considered these things.

Nod, applaud, support, pass.

Because they know clearly that the richest man in mainland China, whose IQ and EQ are far superior to everyone present, can take advantage of this situation to set up a "spy agency" and still give you any loopholes?

The person he found must be impeccable.

Concubine Liu Yi is indeed impeccable.

This does not mean that she has strong professional ability to do these anti-corruption and malfeasance work.

But she is always loyal to Lu Kuan, which is the biggest requirement for this position.

There are no factions in the company, just all kinds of weird things.

Although Wenjie Holdings is not very prominent now, there is no shortage of people forming cliques for personal gain.

Xiao Liu also has a party, but she is a staunch member of the washing machine party, and everything is subject to her will.

It would be extremely difficult to bribe her and influence her independence and purity in this position.

In fact, throughout history, both in China and abroad, there are countless examples of using relatives or spouses as company supervisors, or performing the de facto supervisory functions.

Not to mention the distant past, as far as the domestic Internet industry is concerned, Shanda's Chen Tianqiao's wife Luo Qianqian and Penguin's Pony Ma's wife Wang Danting have both been involved in company management.

The climax of this unique meeting has passed, and the most important content has been presented.

It’s just that the person involved, Xiao Liu, is still a little cute and doesn’t know how he suddenly became Director Liu of the Supervision Center.

According to the procedures, Liu Qiangdong and Dong Shuangqiang reported successively on the listing of the mall project and the preparations for the annual meeting, and both were progressing normally.

It was not until Gao Jun's report attracted Lu Kuan's attention.

Cinema chain construction is a top priority for future strategic development and is also the most capital-intensive industry with fierce competition.

What's more, there are more than just Wenjie who have huge investments to compete in this field. Wanda, Huayi, and even Berna are also involved.

Fatty Yu has maintained a good relationship with Boss Lu over the years, always being available and giving Boss whatever he wants. However, he is not someone who can be manipulated by others, and he has his own ambitions.

伯纳从2004年开始投资影院建设，至 2007年已在山城、郑州、鹏城、西安等地建成5家五星级影城，并计划未来 3-5年投资5亿元在全国布局50家现代化多厅影城。

However, at this time, the scale of its cinema chain has not yet formed an industry-leading position, and film distribution is still its core business.

"As of early August, there were 8 Golden Harvest Cinemas, a 27% increase from last year. Currently, there are 51 screens, with a market share of 252%, ranking fifth nationwide, second only to Wanda's 6.5%."

Gao Jun paused. "Wanda has the same number of cinemas as us, but due to Wanda City's location advantage and customer flow, its single-screen output is almost twice that of its peers."

Boss Lu nodded. He had actually known this data for a long time, and it had been a key issue of concern over the past year.

“The development progress over the past year has not been slow, but there is definitely room for further acceleration.”

"At present, the global economic crisis is just beginning to emerge. Our cash flow is still relatively stable. I think we can appropriately increase the scale of debt and strive to acquire land faster."

He nodded again, "This includes the construction of the Wenjie Mall's national warehousing and logistics center. We must seize the opportunity of falling land prices."

"Yes!", "Got it."

The meeting was adjourned for lunch and the group walked into the company cafeteria on the basement floor in an orderly manner.

No one was treated specially today, including Lu Kuan, who usually had Chen Zhixi bring his meals to the president's office for meals. He also "joined the people in having fun" and the big leader went down to the small kitchen to personally check the food situation in the cafeteria.

The general managers of the subsidiaries, two vice presidents, and Chen Zhixi accompanied them. They all took some food on ordinary plates and sat together to eat and chat.

Dong Shuangqiang was a man of good manners. Seeing that everyone was curious about Concubine Liu Yi but didn't dare to ask, he took the initiative to pick up the teacup:

"Boss Lu, I, Old Dong, would like to overstep my bounds for once. Today, on behalf of all the brothers in the trench, I would like to offer tea instead of wine to welcome Miss Liu to join us!"

Lu Kuan raised his glass politely. Xiao Liu, sitting next to him, smiled sweetly: "Thank you all... colleagues."

Even though she didn't know what the dog man meant, as long as they were outside, even if Lu Kuan said the dog shit on the ground was fragrant...

She would also ask the washing machine to taste it herself!
Dongzi naturally took advantage of the situation and said, "Oh! Mr. Lu's decision is so wise. Miss Liu is not an ordinary person!"

"Of course! She has 1400 million followers on her blog and over 900 million on Weibo. In terms of popularity, she's one of the top three female celebrities in the domestic entertainment industry!"

"Exactly. She's beautiful, and I didn't expect she has such a high degree. That's from the Booth School of Business!"

"It's true that comparison is the thief of anger. How come they can do anything? I'm still tutoring high school students at the age of 20!"

The tables in the small cafeteria were filled with flattery. If there was a camera recording everything, it would be the perfect workplace ukiyo-e.

It goes without saying who is flattering, except for the old fox Dong Shuangqiang who had expressed his attitude to the "Madam" in the morning, and Chen Zhixi who is still a little young.

No one else was spared.

The tea in Boss Lu's mouth swirled around his tongue, and he secretly thought to himself that these people were so shameless.

"Hey, you all don't understand the boss's intentions." Jiang Beichun, who comes from an advertising and marketing background, started filming from his professional perspective: "Letting Miss Liu take charge of the monitoring center is actually a big move by President Lu!"

Xiao Liu found their flattery quite amusing, feeling like he was in a TV drama, and took the initiative to join in the fun: "Boss Jiang, tell me, what trap did the richest man set me up in again?"

Jiang Beichun continued, "Look, Miss Liu, I'll give you a position as the director of the Supervision Center. The rank is M5 or M6, and the annual salary is no more than or yuan."

"Ms. Liu, an average advertising endorsement now earns more than five or six million, right?"

Wenjie’s salary system is divided into M (management position) and P (technical position).

P5 is the starting point for campus recruitment, and P7 and above require more than 3 years of experience and gradually develop into experts or management level;
The M series requires promotion from the P series, focusing on team management and strategic decision-making. Currently, there are few open positions in the middle and lower levels.

The M5 level is already a senior director.

How could Dongzi let the cunning Jiang Beichun take the lead?
He slapped his thigh and said in a loud and hearty voice, "Oh! That's true!"

"She did something worth 50 million for 500 yuan. Miss Liu's job as the director of the Supervision Center is fake. The key is that she's using the low price to advertise our reputation!"

Liu Qiangdong suddenly raised his glass: "Mr. Lu, that's brilliant, it's really brilliant!"

Jiang Beichun looked at Dongzi with resentment, wishing he could splash the scalding tea leaves in his hand on his face.

Damn, we are still brothers!
Stealing my lines, right?

Concubine Liu Yi covered her mouth and giggled when she heard this. It was a good decision for her to come to accompany the "Emperor to court" today. Otherwise, how could she be the best in the world?

Everyone here is talented, speaks well and is interesting!
"Thank you, Mr. Jiang, but by revealing the truth, you've ruined your boss's plans!"

Jiang Beichun smoothly took over the conversation: "Oh! Yes, how could I not notice that I became Yang Xiu!"

The general manager of the first listed subsidiary in the Wenjie system raised his glass and said: "Boss Cao, I was wrong. Please forgive me this time!"

Boss Lu smiled and clinked glasses with him, but didn't comment. He just turned to the smiling Liu Yifei beside him and said, "Xiao Liu, after you take office, you must strictly investigate Jiang Beichun."

Everyone laughed and the scene was very lively.

It's really lively, with a table full of smart people and a smart person from two different lives.

Chen Zhixi, relying on her female advantage, first exchanged numbers with Liu Yifei: "Ms. Liu, you are my idol!"

"I'm older than you, but I grew up watching your TV series, haha!"

"I also graduated from a professional college, but Director Lu said I didn't have any acting talent and turned me into a white-collar worker."

Concubine Liu Yi smiled and said, "Lu Kuan has very high standards, which shows that he really values ​​you."

"If you still want to act, that's convenient. I'll ask other director friends to give you a cameo role when I have the chance. Just try it out, okay?"

"Yeah!"

The two ladies were chatting in low voices, and the other men were not in a position to join in. At this moment, Lu Kuan thought of the two senior executives who were rather frustrated today.

"Dani, Liu Heng, let's clink glasses."

The two of them hurriedly stood up with cups in their hands, which made the employees who were secretly observing the situation around them gasp in surprise.

We're already at the dinner table, and you're still reviewing it?

It seems that he was frightened by this monitoring center.

Boss Lu showed none of the fury he had just shown in the meeting room. He asked the two to sit down with a calm expression.

"I won't discuss the operating indicators or strategic goals of Travel Channel and Wenjie Video any further."

"You two are both heroes of the company. A loud drum doesn't need a heavy hammer. It's not the first day you've known me, so you know my work style."

"Don't think too much, just do what you have to do."

Long Danni and Liu Heng both nodded in agreement, or what else could they say?

The words "don't think too much" can be regarded as a temporary reassurance. At least the sudden execution will be delayed until after the new year.

In fact, Long Danni is not too anxious. After all, the revenue of "The Voice of China 3" in the second half of the year will definitely be considerable. If the copyright can be sold before the New Year, it will be another income.

She just lamented her bad luck and was caught in a fight today because she didn't pay attention.

Liu Heng was really a little flustered.

"Boss Lu, I want to report to you again about the Wenjie video..."

Boss Lu waved his hand to interrupt him: "I know your situation. Are you planning to talk about the copyright war with Sohu's Zhang Chaoyang?

Liu Heng said sheepishly, "Mr. Lu, the copyright issue has indeed become a serious problem. It wasn't very noticeable last year, but this year Youku, Tudou, and Ku6 have been very quick to act."

"We have the first-mover advantage, but we still have the burden of copyright..."

The copyright war in the video industry took place in 2009.

Sohu joined forces with 110 copyright holders to form an "Anti-Piracy Alliance" and sued Youku for 1 million yuan. Youku counter-sued Sohu for infringement, and the industry entered the stage of "copyright mutual litigation."

Subsequently, industry consolidation accelerated, with Ku6 completely removing unlicensed content and transforming itself into a video news portal.

PPStream and PPlive merge to strengthen the advantages of P2P live streaming.

If a copyright war is launched now, he can coordinate the official issues, but is now the best time?
not necessarily.

In 2007, Internet users had not developed the habit of paying. Even if they won the copyright war with video companies, they could not deal with platforms like Qvod that circumvented copyright issues through technical problems.

In addition, not only were their own copyright acquisition needs not fully met, but even their competitors' strategic bets were not fully put on the table.

Since we have decided to use copyright issues to eliminate most of our competitors at once, we will have to watch them step by step into a dead end.

Enter a model that does not care about copyright and relies entirely on self-made content and user uploads.

It would be a clean and efficient way to wait until Youku, Tudou and other thriving websites have given their all and it is difficult for them to turn around, and then give them a fatal blow.

Now you ask Jie and Sohu to join forces to strangle them to death, which is great.

But if they make a comeback with the support of big capital, and the models in the industry are all ready-made, what competitive advantages can they still maintain?
The copyright war is a powerful weapon. If it is used a year or two later, its effect will be comparable to that of a nuclear bomb. But if it is used now, it is just a firecracker.

However, Lu Kuan couldn't reveal this information in advance, so he comforted her, "There are some things I can't tell you in advance, so I'll be honest with you first."

"For next year's Olympics, CCTV International has obtained the new media broadcasting rights for the Olympics in mainland China."

"Their current plan is to license commercial video websites through distribution. Youku, Tudou, Sohu, and Xinlang are all vying for it."

"Wait for the news."

Everyone at the table was stunned, watching Boss Lu chewing a few peanuts in his mouth, not to fill his stomach, but seemingly just out of boredom.

This statement has a beginning but no end.

What does it mean to wait for news?
Of course, no one here is stupid. We know that some things are sensitive and can be done but not said.

For example, is it necessary to distribute the broadcasting rights of new media?
Can it be exclusive?
Yes, it is possible, but it depends on who is doing the chatting and communicating.

If you, the boss of a private company like Youku or Tudou, go to talk to CCTV, CCTV may not necessarily give you face, let alone agree to give you an exclusive.

But this calm and composed young president in front of everyone has many other prominent identities!
For example, the Olympic director.

Later, during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Youku purchased the broadcasting rights for 2000 million yuan and attracted over 2 million users through the "live broadcast + on-demand" model. Advertising revenue during the Olympics accounted for more than 50% of the annual revenue.

Tudou.com has teamed up with several local TV stations to launch the "Podcast Olympics" campaign, focusing on UGC content. Both Sohu and Xinlang have purchased some of the event broadcasting rights.

It can be said that a sporting event of this scale, especially one held at the doorstep of Chinese people, is bound to be a powerful weapon for attracting traffic to video websites.

In order to avoid giving others a chance to criticize, Boss Lu will negotiate for exclusive rights, but he will not leave any for others.

You second-tier pursuers should either get delayed broadcasting rights and rebroadcasts, or purchase live broadcasts of individual events, and make a distinction between them and my full first-hand live broadcasts.

This is the difference in user experience and also a reflection of the company's style.

Lunch ended quickly, and the afternoon agenda mainly included a report on the preparations for the annual meeting and the sharing, display and exchange of highlights of each subsidiary.

Dong Shuangqiang first began to report on the annual meeting: "The overall budget is about 8000 million, of which the prize budget is no less than 4500 million, the performance production budget is 2000 million, and the rest is for venue rental, hardware security, employee transportation, food and accommodation, etc."

"The prizes range from Beijing real estate, cars, computers, mobile phones and other electronic products to shopping cards. The overall winning rate is 50%. Except for management employees above M4 in the company, a total of 6000 regular employees are covered."

"Among them, we set up a prize pool with different prize compositions for employees with different annual salaries. In principle, the winning rate of high-value products for veteran employees will be higher."

Absolute fairness is unfair. This kind of prize pool weighted by years of service is relatively reasonable.

"At the same time, we will also have other arrangements for employees who did not win awards, which I will not elaborate on here."

"Regarding the process..."

The scene suddenly became noisy and chaotic. Apparently, Chen Zhixi, who was in charge of the meeting discipline, had received a reminder from her boss and did not try to suppress the noise.

After a day of giving cold faces and scolding, he had to give everyone a chance to relax and vent.

Leaders are used to this kind of disgusting trick to manipulate people's hearts.

The boss looked up dejectedly. It was obvious that the extremely high budget and the overly rigid prize pool structure had excited the middle and senior management employees who had been depressed all day.

It’s not that they think they can easily get these prizes.

Rather, it is the company's reputation and strength that make every employee proud.

The size of the reward pool covering all employees also enables these middle and senior leaders to lead the team better.

The highest prize pool is a house, and the lowest is a shopping card worth 100-200 yuan. What does this mean?
In 2008, the personal income tax threshold was 2000 yuan. These days, any company cafeteria that serves greasy food can be a source of bragging rights. The scale of this annual meeting is enough to make more than 12000 employees of the Wenjie system look up to the sky.

A storm of "showing off wealth" will soon sweep across Maopu's Tianya Penguin group, blogs, Weibo, and Baidu Bar.

I guess even the employees who rush to the subway and bus in Beijing during the morning rush hour would be unable to hold back and shout, "I'm from the industry, so I'll go first!"
Such an annual meeting is a deliberately created competition conference, with the purpose of rewarding inward and the purpose of displaying outward.

The purpose is to trigger heated discussions in society, continue to enhance and consolidate the industry status and prestige of the No. 1 entertainment comprehensive group in China, and respond to the challenges posed by Internet industries such as Alibaba and Penguin entering the entertainment industry.

At the same time, such an increase in employee participation and empathy for strategic goals is another more expensive and realistic pie in the sky.

Boss Lu is not a stingy person. On the one hand, he is strict in managing the funds of the crew, but on the other hand, he has always been generous in creating benefits for employees, increasing salaries for executives, and shaping the image of the company.

As early as 2003, Wenjie launched an employee housing purchase fund, which was ten years ahead of all mainland companies and is still talked about in the industry.

The discussions in the conference hall gradually died down, and there was a crackling sound of keyboard keys just now. It was obvious that some people could not resist showing off.

"Mr. Lu, please give me more instructions on the schedule for the annual meeting."

"This year's Spring Festival is on February 2th in the Gregorian calendar. Do you think we should put it before or after the New Year?"

Boss Lu rubbed his chin and said, "It's a little late for the Chinese New Year this year... Let's find a time at the end of February."

The Berlin Film Festival opened on February 2008, 2, and the Oscars began on the 7th.

Considering that calling employees to a meeting during the first month of the year is something a beastly boss would do.

Why not just hold it at the end of the month? If the movie is a success, it will be a source of pride for the employees of Wenjie, and they will have more capital to show off.

The theme of the morning meeting was reflection, and the theme of the afternoon meeting was harvest.

With the big news about the annual meeting as a foundation, it seemed that Boss Lu’s cold-faced scolding in the afternoon was not so scary.

At six o'clock, the lengthy semi-annual meeting came to a successful conclusion. Everyone stood up and watched the leader and Director Liu leave.

At the bottom of the Wenjie Building, a group of core leaders were waiting in front of the car to see them off.

"Okay, let's all go back and get back to work. I haven't been abroad much in the past year, so it'll be very convenient to communicate if there's anything."

Everyone's face turned grim.

What I mean by convenient is that I am watching you.

Get the hell out of my way and don’t let me down!
Xiao Liu waved goodbye to everyone with a dignified expression. As the Maybach 62S that the boss had just replaced disappeared from sight, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Even Dong Shuangqiang couldn't help but think that it would be great if Boss Lu was still making movies abroad.

If he had stayed in Peking that year, one can imagine how difficult life would have been for everyone.

Even Dongzi, who usually presents a generous image, is a bit gloomy today: "I was confidently reporting on the listing, thinking everyone would be happy and I would have a drink with the boss tonight, but this happened!"

He waved his hand at everyone and said, "Go home, pack your clothes, and go back to work for your boss!"

Jiang Beichun, who just acquired Juzhong last year and is currently the dominant player in domestic building advertising, also had a sad face: "Corruption problems at Focus Media have always been a major problem for the company. Come on, I'll go back and kill a bunch of them myself!"

The meeting didn't end until around six in the evening.

Liu Yifei's flight was at around 9pm, so she went back to Wenyu River to have dinner and rest for a while. It only took a quarter of an hour to get to the airport, which was plenty of time.

Director Liu had just shaken hands with the company executives and said goodbye with a normal expression, but when he got into the car, he started yelling, "What do you think?! I can do that?"

"Hey, didn't you ask me last time if you could do something in the world of questions?"

Xiao Liu's pretty face turned red as she thought of "working as a CEO".

"No, I was just kidding. I'm going to the US and won't be back until the end of the year. Besides, this doesn't seem plausible at all!" Lu Kuan laughed, "Why is it unreliable? Who else but you could take this position?"

"The company's rotation system will only start next year, with this year's performance as the evaluation criteria. Otherwise, replacing people every six months will be a blow to the normal operation of every department."

"When you come back at the end of the year, you can take up your new position right away."

"In addition, the company will have a professional anti-corruption and malfeasance investigation team. If you want to be in charge, you can be in charge. If you don't want to be a mascot, you can be a mascot."

"It just so happens that we're having our annual meeting this year. Since you're a company employee, you don't have to pay for commercial performances, saving millions."

The Maybach 62S drove into the slowly opening gate of the manor. Xiao Liu looked at the sunset in the sky and said in surprise, "A Fei, stop the car. Let's walk back."

"Ok."

The surface of the Wenyu River was dyed peach-colored by the sunset, the ripples crushed the shadows of the clouds, and spots of light like broken gold danced on the tips of the reed leaves.

The cobblestones on the manor path were still wrapped in the residual heat of the day. Xiao Liu took off her high heels and stepped on them barefoot, which felt slightly hot.

Concubine Liu Yi pinched his nose in a pretentious manner.

Not Pinocchio's nose, a real nose.

"Save millions? You're so generous to your employees, but you only know how to save money on me every day. Do you have any shame?"

Lu Kuan looked at her profile, which was incredibly beautiful in the sunset glow. "I admit that I can increase my income with you, but saving money is a slander. I actually want to spend more every day, and you are willing to do so!"

"Go away, you're ruining the words again!" Xiao Liu shyly punched him, marveling at the yellow stain on the washing machine.

"Look into my eyes!" The girlfriend hugged Lu Kuan's neck and said, "I saw a sentence in a book these days."

"what?"

"Looking into each other's eyes is a kiss without lust."

The smile on Liu Yifei's face gradually faded: "When lovers look into each other's eyes, they can see through the skin to each other's soul."

The pure love girlfriend has entered the mood, and the washing machine has no choice but to cheer up and cooperate obediently.

You accompany me in my bitterness, and I accompany you in my pure love. This seems to have become a tacit understanding between the two people who have been in love for less than a month.

But in fact, she is also intoxicated and enjoying the pleasure of sex, and he also carefully cherishes the comfort brought by this pure love.

The two people who have been together through hardships and difficulties, although they have not been in love for too long, have already become one in spirit and body.

Later, Penguin Video had a variety show that invited more than a dozen couples, parents and children, siblings, etc. to participate in a staring challenge. Those who cried were considered losers.

Many people have emotional breakdowns when looking into each other's eyes because they observe the signs of aging in each other, recall the ups and downs of their shared experiences, or suddenly realize the lack of companionship.

For example, Xiao Liu who is about to leave now.

When the glow of the Wenyu River passed over Concubine Liu Yi's brow, her eyelashes trembled slightly, like the folded wings of a butterfly startled by the evening breeze.

The two professional actors - if the Berlin Film Festival winner can be counted - looked at each other silently.

There was no sophisticated acting skills involved, he just expressed his thoughts in his eyes.

The evening breeze lifted a strand of hair behind her ear, brushing against Lu Kuan's Adam's apple. The feeling made both of them hold their breath. Liu Yifei's right eye suddenly became misty.

Is that an illusion caused by the rays of light from the horizon reflecting through the gaps between the eyelashes?
Or is it the steaming night dew of late summer condensing in your eyes?
It was not until Lu Kuan rubbed the corner of her eye with his thumb that she whimpered and threw herself into her boyfriend's arms.

"I failed the challenge and I couldn't even hold on for a minute before I started crying."

"Looking into your eyes, the past five or six years flashed before my eyes like a movie, with every detail frighteningly clear."

The little girl suddenly looked up at him with hatred: "You are so heartless! You are so cold and cruel, you don't even react at all!"

Boss Lu said sheepishly: "Almost."

If you had told me you wanted to cry earlier, I, the Berlin Film Award winner, would have made you cry in ten seconds.

Liu Yifei wanted to cling to him for a while, but suddenly the phone in her pocket vibrated.

After a quick flip through, she was a little shocked.

"Oh my god, over 20 text messages, all from people introducing themselves. Power is a good thing!"

"People like Focus Media and Wenjie Film and Television, any of these big bosses thrown into the entertainment industry would be forced to flatter them, right?"

Boss Lu said with a smile, "This is just the beginning. I guess someone will send you a gift, Director Liu, soon."

"People within the company give you gifts to ask you to be lenient and let them go. Celebrities in the entertainment industry give you gifts because they value your influence over them."

"There are so many people who will follow your mother's path, your best friend's path, just wait and see."

Concubine Liu Yi was dissatisfied: "So why did you give me this kind of task? It's so annoying! Why don't you just forget it?"

It was natural for Boss Lu to flatter others, saying, "How can that be? This position has the highest corruption rate in the entire company. Who can resist such temptation?"

Xiao Liu smiled, her dimples forming. "I'm not very determined either. What if someone introduces me to a handsome guy, the kind that's incredibly handsome..."

"Well..."

The rebellious and outspoken girlfriend was physically muted before she could finish her words.

The last ray of sunset light on the banks of the Wenyu River leaked into tiny red lines between the two people's lips, like the cause and effect randomly manipulated by the drunken matchmaker.
-
In the living room of the mansion, separation is imminent.

Liu Xiaoli advised: "Xiaolu, it only takes about ten minutes from here to the Capital Airport, don't send me off."

"Yeah." Xiao Liu nodded reluctantly: "You should go to the Olympic Building quickly, the phone keeps ringing."

Today was originally supposed to be a symposium, but the director-general took leave for personal reasons and still had to go to the building to work overtime in the evening.

The little girl glanced at her mother shyly, and the latter understood immediately. She smiled and patted Lu Kuan's arm and said, "Xiaolu, take care of yourself. I'll wait for Xixi in the car."

"Oh, right! I almost forgot!" Liu Yifei lifted her long skirt, turned around and ran to the second floor. Soon she came down with two large bags wrapped in yellow paper.

Lu Kuan knew what it was at first glance: "Autumn Pear Candy?"

"Yeah, yesterday my mom and I went to the courtyard and got some from Lao Xia."

Liu Yifei opened the yellow paper package and immediately picked up a piece and put it in his mouth: "You've been coughing a lot lately. Lao Xia said it's a dry cough caused by the repair of the respiratory mucosa in the early stages of quitting smoking."

"The dietary fiber in pears can promote the discharge of mucus in the respiratory tract, and the antioxidants in honey can help reduce inflammation of the mucosa."

Only the couple was left in the living room. Liu Yifei's white arms hugged her boyfriend like vines, and she buried her face in the second button of his shirt, her eyelashes sweeping across his chest, causing a slight itch.

Lu Kuan's chest rose and fell with his breathing, like the tide soothing a ship about to run aground.

The pure girl in love felt depressed at the thought of not being able to see him for three months.

At this moment, Liu Yifei is no longer the most beloved and beloved first flower in the domestic entertainment industry.

At the age of twenty, she is more like a female college student in a long-distance relationship with her boyfriend.

The weekend passed, and the two were about to part ways after sharing their hearts.

The sunlight filtered through the French windows, casting trembling shadows under her eyelashes, like butterfly wings startled by the wind.

Concubine Liu Yi's voice was extremely gentle, and her lips and teeth opened and closed like a feather touching the water and slowly floating:

"I'm not with you, so eat well and protect your eyes when you're editing."

"Ah."

"You still have to continue to quit smoking."

"Ah."

My girlfriend suddenly asked: "Besides quitting smoking, what else should I quit?"

"Be careful... be careful not to be arrogant or impatient?"

"What about keeping calm and collected? You also need to stay away from women! For three months!"

"OK."

Concubine Liu Yi raised her head in dissatisfaction: "I asked you to give up women, what are you laughing at?"

"Nothing, nothing."

Maybe he remembered Fan Bingbing in the Ask the World video last night, or maybe he remembered Liu Xiaoli telling him to manage a relationship wisely.

Liu Yifei said in a sweet and innocent tone: "I looked up posts online and saw everywhere about how to check if your boyfriend or husband is having an affair with a mistress."

"SMS, mailboxes, address book notes, penguin friends, a whole host of investigative methods..."

Lu Kuan smiled and handed over the phone: "Do you want to see it? I don't care."

"I won't look. I'm not as smart as you. I can't see through your tricks."

"If you really want to lie to me, just don't let me see it. Let me have a sweet dream for the rest of my life."

Xiao Liu looked up at him, his eyes filled with smiles, like broken stars falling into a spring stream.

A few strands of hair trembled slightly, and even her breathing was wrapped in tenderness, like a soft and cute baby animal, obedient and smart, with no reservations of attachment and sweetness in her eyes.

It has to be said that Liu Xiaoli's worries were unnecessary.

Liu Yifei, who only knew how to stab and charge at that time, adopted a completely different management style after establishing a relationship.

The secrets and love of past and present lives revealed by Boss Lu made her more calm, gentle and wise like a woman.

This is her confidence and also her graceful and elegant nature.

As you are about to leave, this girl who has dedicated everything to you, looks at you with her neck slightly raised, sweetness spreading to her eyebrows, and says these words.

What kind of heartless person would let her down?
Concubine Liu Yi's retreat to advance was not a sign of weakness, but a transformation of her sense of morality and desire for control into emotional investment, allowing the washing machine to actively match this trust.

If it were Boss Lu a few years ago, he might have been harmonious with her in person, but would have forgotten about her and used other methods to "imprison" and control her mind.

But after all these years, perhaps in his heart, "Once you have seen the sea, all other waters are but puddles; once you have seen Mount Wushan, all other clouds are but mounds."

Lu Kuan paused for a moment, without any verbal response, he just hugged her and kissed her deeply goodbye.

The "female college student" who had just been dating for less than a month flew to North America and was about to start a three-month long-distance relationship with the washing machine she had finally become her spouse.

The latter also rushed directly to the Olympic Building without stopping.
-
Since Samaranch said "Beijing" in 2001, the country immediately organized the Olympic preparation team and office space.

Everything should be prioritized, everything should be prioritized, and everything should be given priority for the Olympic cause.

In early 2001, the office of the Olympic Organizing Committee was located in the Xinqiao Hotel in Chongwenmen. Later, it moved to the Qinglan Building on Dongsishitiao, and last year it moved to the Olympic Building on Beisihuan Middle Road.

When Lu Kuan arrived, the house was already filled with smoke.

Oh my god, my girlfriend just left and I’m already smelling secondhand smoke.

The atmosphere in the room seemed to be not very pleasant, with a dull feeling. Few people were speaking or discussing, which made the sound of him gently pushing the door seem so abrupt.

More than a dozen pairs of eyes came inquiringly at them, and the smokers seemed to come back to life from their petrified state.

"Oh! Guide Lu is finally back!"

"If you don't come back, we're going to take you in a military vehicle!"

Boss Lu laughed and said, "What are you talking about? Did I steal rice from both of your families?"

The two people who spoke in exaggerated tones were Zhang Jigang and Chen Weiya.

The two people who had some resentment towards the young director at that time are now completely impressed by his personal charm and artistic attainments.

Lao Mouzi's face didn't look good either, but he was calmer than the others. He also had a cigarette in his hand, and he didn't seem to realize that it was about to burn his fingers.

"Xiaolu, are you done?"

Boss Lu politely declined the cigarette Chen Danqing offered him: "I'm done with my work and ready to join the revolution. I've passed by my house three times without entering!"

In the past, this joke, which was not really a joke, would always attract a few chuckles, but now it is obvious that no one has the leisure to do so.

Zhang Yimou's forced smile seemed even older than the Terracotta Warriors. "At noon, the leadership office sent a letter asking the Olympic Organizing Committee and the creative team to reconsider the decision to use LEDs."

"When the results of the daytime symposium were reported, many people in the community questioned our excessive use of LEDs and their importance. What if the lights go out, malfunction, or water gets in?"

Lu Kuan was stunned. This matter would become a big mystery in later generations and was mentioned in Zhang Yimou's Olympic documentary.

He naturally didn't know how the problem was solved later, but it was a fact that LEDs were still used in the final Olympics.

When Zhang Heping heard that Boss Lu had returned, he hurried over from the office.

When I saw him chatting with everyone leisurely, it seemed like he had found his backbone, and he took out a cigarette from his pocket while talking.

He knew that the young man in front of him, who was less than 30 years old, had been smoking for at least 15 years. In the past, when the creative team was brainstorming, he would smoke several packs a day.

only. . .

"I won't smoke anymore. I'm quitting."

"Hey, what's wrong with my front door?"

Zhang Heping and his group of old Beijingers who are involved in the film industry all love Daqianmen. It is always available on the desks of Zhang Huijun and Tian Zhuangzhuang of Beijing Film Academy.

"How is that possible!" Lu Kuan sat down at the conference table and opened his notebook, smiling and gesturing to Chen Danqing: "I didn't even smoke the special red panda that Lao Chen handed me just now."

Ma Wen laughed and said, "Stop teasing the young man. Maybe his girlfriend is controlling him."

"Is he henpecked?"

Everyone laughed and chatted for a while, and then Zhang Heping said in a deep voice: "Everyone, please sit down! Let's see how to deal with this."

Some people put out their cigarettes, some flipped through their notebooks, and Chen Danqing took the initiative to erase the writing on the whiteboard.

This painter, who later gained a bad reputation, was just a handyman in this group. The two directors explained the concepts and he was responsible for the presentation.

Lu Kuan said seriously, "In fact, the leader raised doubts when we first reported it. This is normal."

"The symposium was just a trigger. Ultimately we still have to come up with reasonable solutions or alternatives to deal with the problem."

"The main concern leaders have about LEDs now is that the power supply is not stable enough. Current fluctuations may cause local light strip failure or uneven brightness."

"For example, the LED screen used for the opening ceremony scroll relies on battery technology to ensure long-term power supply. If the power module fails, dark areas may form."

He glanced at Zhang Yimou, who looked gloomy, and knew that during his absence, this senior from Beijing Film Academy was under a lot of pressure.

"Secondly, the physical structure is fragile, and the light strips can be easily damaged by being stepped on or subjected to mechanical pressure."

"In many of our large-scale dance programs, such as Tai Chi and Ink Painting, the ground-mounted LED screens are stepped on by a large number of performers at the same time. Insufficient protection may cause the lamp beads to fall off or the circuits to break, destroying the integrity of the picture."

The more people listened, the colder they felt.

The use of LED as a carrier for the painting was a creative concept he came up with through the movie "Tangshan".

Lu Kuan is naturally the person who understands the weaknesses and shortcomings of LED the best.

"How about this, everyone talk about your own opinions first."

Lu Jiankang, the technical director, is inclined to replace or use LEDs in small quantities: "From a technical perspective, our team hasn't found a foolproof solution yet."

"Think about it, everyone. In front of billions of viewers around the world, actors suddenly have black spots on their feet that can't be removed even with scratching, like bugs. Wouldn't that be awful?"

Zhang Jigang has extensive experience directing large-scale evening shows and is no stranger to LEDs: "I agree with Jiankang's opinion."

"Director Lu just mentioned two points. I would like to add one more point, which is also what we encountered when we organized a cultural performance in Xiangxi two years ago."

"Xiangxi is hot and humid in the summer. Our LED equipment malfunctioned in the intense sunlight and humidity, which was very embarrassing."

"The creative team had already received historical weather reports. The days surrounding the Olympic opening ceremony have historically been rainy, and flooding would be very problematic."

The Olympic team does not have a fixed decision-making mechanism and can be simply regarded as democratic centralism.

Everyone can express their opinions and reserve their own views, but the final decision will be made by only two people, or only one person.

This person naturally has a broad path ahead of him, but he also has to bear enormous pressure.

If something goes wrong, he will be the first to be blamed, while others may not even bear too much public responsibility because they have raised objections.

"I said at the beginning..."

That's probably the case.

Zhang Yimou on the other side was also faced with a difficult decision. As a director, he was of course a firm supporter of LED, just like Lu Kuan.

But sometimes so-called art inevitably has to serve the overall situation.

What's the big picture?

I would rather be a little mediocre than have any flaws.

Art is a matter of personal opinion. If you can't see it, then don't see it. There's nothing wrong with finding a few writers to embellish it.

But a major mistake like the black LED screen could easily lead to a scandal.

But the current situation does not allow him to protect himself at all. He must come out to support his junior brother so that he will not become a lonely man.

Even if everyone is discussing the matter at hand, the authority of the director-general must still be maintained.

However, Lu Kuan, who was standing beside him, spoke up first: "Everyone, please calm down for a moment. Let's recall the excitement we felt when we first brainstormed the concepts of LED and scrolling."

"If we give up like this, wouldn't it be a shame? We still have at least a year!"

He tapped the table lightly, drawing everyone's attention. Now was the time to demonstrate his leadership and core role:

"The use of LED technology goes far beyond its artistic value and significance."

"Combined with a liftable LED scroll and a 360-degree circular screen, the static stage is transformed into a dynamic visual space. This is a real-time scene switching that is difficult to achieve with traditional mechanical devices. It is our biggest creative display to the outside world."

"Secondly, one of the concepts of the Beijing Olympics was a green Olympics, and energy conservation is green. Compared with traditional lighting equipment, LED power consumption is reduced by about 70%, and it supports time-sharing and zone control, avoiding waste of resources."

"Let's talk behind closed doors. The Olympics should be both pragmatic and idealistic. Isn't this the best propaganda material for leaders like Director Zhang?"

"I spend more time abroad, and foreigners use Ren Quan and environmental protection as gimmicks and weapons of attack. This is an opportunity to slap them in the face."

If he had known that there would be no problems with LED, he would have made the decision long ago.

The key point is that in the two performances of "Star Man" and "Tai Chi" in later generations, a black screen did appear in the upper right corner of the LED, but it was slightly covered up due to lighting problems and did not attract much attention.

As if to give everyone some time and space to think, Lu Kuan paused and decided to implement centralization and dictatorship in addition to democracy.

He decided that LED must be used.

This concerns the fundamental artistic foundation of the entire Olympic opening ceremony. We cannot be deterred by this one issue, but we must shoulder all the responsibility on our own shoulders.

The title of Olympic chief director seems glamorous, but it is not that easy to get.

"Everyone, by now, there's no need to elaborate on the pros and cons of LEDs; everyone knows them."

"Since this is a dilemma, I'm going to make the decision and shoulder the responsibility today."

He turned to Zhang Heping with a smile and said, "Director Zhang, I will submit a feasibility report to the leadership. Without LEDs, this Olympics will definitely be reduced to the mediocrity of an ordinary group gymnastics event."

"We have no way to convey cultural connotations in a more modern way, transforming static text symbols into flowing cultural narratives."

"I think this is not only a personal regret for me, but also a regret for our nation."

Lu Kuan paused and instructed the meeting recorder: "Xiao Li, please clearly record the meeting minutes. This decision was made by me, and I bear all the responsibility."

There was silence in the conference room.

He held two meetings back-to-back today, and the atmosphere in the Wenjie Building seemed to be very solemn this morning.

But compared with the Olympics, which carries the high expectations of the whole country, that little performance pressure is nothing.

The pressure of the Olympics can kill people.

The creative team seemed to be under a collective silent curse; even Ma Wen, who was usually lively and active, frowned.

Zhang Yimou had just been overtaken, so naturally he had to make his position clear now.

If something goes wrong, at least I can take the blame with him, so Lu Kuan won't be disgraced.

"No one can guarantee that the signal won't be cut off during the first three and a half hours of warm-up performance. If the signal is cut off during the first show, who will repair it? It's impossible to repair it!"

"This thing is a nightmare if you think about it carefully, but I still think we should use LED."

"This is the only chance in the world to do this in a large square. Other countries will follow this path in the future. If they do, they will run into us. It will be difficult for them to surpass us. We are unique in the world!"

Lao Mouzi and Lu Kuan, a pair of brothers, are actually very interesting in the team.

Boss Lu likes to hit people with a big stick. For example, when they first met, he pointed at the words "The interests of the motherland are above all else" on the wall and suppressed Zhang Jigang and Chen Weiya.

Lao Mouzi, like A Qing Sao, will nag you at length.

Sometimes when there are disagreements within the team, Lu Kuan first explains the reasons, and then Zhang Yimou appeals to their emotions, and often many friction-related issues can be smoothly resolved.

Just like now.

Boss Lu elevated the regret of not using LED to such a high level, coupled with Zhang Yimou's usual simple exhortation.

This will block all the opponents' retreat routes.

Chen Weiya slapped his thigh and was the first to join in: "Come on, the scene without LED is really a bit horrible when I think about it. It loses the sense of entering the grand spectacle of the digital age."

“Using LEDs does carry significant risks, but this kind of visual effect is definitely incomparable to traditional performances. Even I, Old Chen, am stepping into the Liangshan stage!”

Cai Guo-Qiang made his position clear: "I support LED. Please put me in the meeting minutes."

This means sharing the joys and sorrows, and sticking together through thick and thin.

Ma Wen raised her hand: "I support Director Lu. If someone can quit smoking, there's nothing he can't do."

Everyone chuckled twice, as if the clouds of sorrow and estrangement just now were gradually disintegrating.

Zhang Jigang smiled bitterly and said, "I'm not a coward, it's just that..."

"Hey! Boss Lu has indeed brought us so many surprises. Xiao Li, write my name down too. I also support LED!"

"I support!"

"I support!"

Lu Kuan and Zhang Yimou smiled at each other. After more than a year, the team has indeed become more and more united.

The initial minor barriers and factions have all disappeared, and in a historic event like the Olympics, everyone has gradually become willing to contribute as a nail.

Putting aside the pros and cons of the influence of Confucian culture throughout history, the "world view" under the Confucian system has indeed made the Chinese people naturally have a collectivist spirit.

This mode of thinking enables individuals to see themselves as a link in the social chain, thus extending towards their family and country.

Although the internal problems have been solved, we still have to face the challenge of truly solving the LED problems.

On August 8, Lu Kuan spent the entire day writing a report at the Olympic Building and mobilizing all the connections around him to find solutions to the hidden dangers of LEDs.

At around eleven o'clock in the evening, Boss Lu, who had been working non-stop for more than twenty hours, was about to go home when a long-distance call came in.

The stubble that grew from staying up late seemed to become more lively because of the smile on his face.

It was Concubine Liu Yi who landed safely in Chicago.

(End of this chapter)