Li Yan's expression was a bit complex; it was true, Sun Yu had been removed from his post!
He had forgotten about it in a fit of anger!
Sun Yu felt wronged.
Being removed from his post was already bad enough, and now he was being yelled at in the middle of the night.
It was truly miserable:
"Chairman Li, there's no need to kick a man when he's down. I've already been removed from my post and demoted from Aiqiyi's president to a development team leader, leading people in 996 development every day. Is it appropriate for you to still scold me like this?"
Li Yan: "..."
"Chairman Li, you should scold Ma Yuanming! He is Aiqiyi's current president. The lawsuit loss is also his fault; you should find him!"
Li Yan's mouth twitched.
It seemed to be true.
But he had already done the scolding, how could he apologize?
Wouldn't the Baidu chairman lose face?
He could only continue:
"Is it over just because you were removed from your post? Is everything fine now?"
"The losses you caused Aiqiyi, the losses you caused Baidu, exceed hundreds of billions. Does that have nothing to do with you?"
"I still can't scold you?"
Sun Yu's mouth twitched, but he couldn't refute: "!!!"
Li Yan continued to scold:
"You're useless!"
"Trash!"
"You should have been removed long ago!"
With that, Li Yan hung up the phone.
Sun Yu's mouth twitched, and he felt completely unwell.
That night, he completely lost his sleep.
He just puffed on a cigarette in silence, looking at the dark night outside the window, as if his career was in utter darkness, with no light to be seen.
And Li Yan, his anger unresolved, called Ma Yuanming, Aiqiyi's acting president, and gave him a terrible scolding!
It was even worse than the scolding Sun Yu received.
Ma Yuanming also felt wronged:
"Chairman, those previous matters were all done by Sun Yu. I just took office, it really has nothing to do with me, I've been wronged!"
"???"
"It has nothing to do with you either?"
Li Yan's mouth twitched, growing even angrier:
"Sun Yu said he was removed from his post, and it has nothing to do with him."
"You say you just took office, and it also has nothing to do with you."
"Are you two trying to exploit a bug for me?"
Ma Yuanming's expression was complex: "..."
Li Yan was furious:
"You've been wronged? You've been wronged for nothing!"
"You are Aiqiyi's president now. If Aiqiyi develops well, it's your credit. If Aiqiyi doesn't develop well, it's your fault!"
"Instead of finding a way to solve the crisis and make Aiqiyi develop well, you're complaining to me? Is this how you act as Aiqiyi's president?"
"Yes, yes, Chairman, you are right. I will immediately notify all executives to work overtime for a meeting tomorrow!"
Li Yan frowned tightly:
"Stop with working overtime; it's meaningless. Tell me how to solve it? What are your ideas and directions! Don't just talk big."
Ma Yuanming sighed:
"To be honest, Chairman, I've been suffering from insomnia recently, night after night, thinking about this matter, and I do have some ideas."
"Oh? You have ideas? Tell me."
Li Yan swallowed the curses he was about to unleash.
Ma Yuanming spoke slowly:
"Chairman, I have carefully analyzed the reasons for Xingyi Video's success and Aiqiyi's failure. It all boils down to one thing: whether they have high-quality copyrights and whether they have hit exclusive dramas!"
"It's only the first month of 2012, and Xingyi Video has launched three blockbusters in one go, naturally growing bigger and stronger, attracting a large number of members and users."
"And we, Aiqiyi, don't have a single presentable hit drama, so naturally we can't beat Xingyi Video."
Li Yan nodded:
"That's true."
Ma Yuanming continued:
"Among Xingyi Video's three blockbusters, 'The Cliff' and 'Běi Ài' were both purchased from Xinli Media's copyright. 'Xiá Lán' was also acquired from Ruosen. To put it plainly, all three of Xingyi Video's blockbusters were purchased!"
"The logic behind it is that buying hit dramas can make you popular, can make you explode, can attract members, can make you bigger and stronger, and the platform can make money!"
"Therefore, we at Aiqiyi can also do this: frantically buy dramas, buy exclusive hit dramas. As long as there are more hits, we can become popular and win back members and users!"
"If we're reluctant to spend this money, then it's over, truly over."
"What we need most right now is to buy several more hit dramas and compete with Xingyi Video!"
Li Yan's expression became solemn, but he also understood that what the other party said made sense:
"Okay, go buy them. Buy the blockbusters!"
Ma Yuanming looked troubled:
"Chairman Li, buying dramas requires funds. Aiqiyi has been losing a lot of members recently, and our expenses exceed our income. We don't even have money for year-end bonuses…"
Li Yan was so angry he laughed:
"Your performance is this terrible, and you still want year-end bonuses?"
Ma Yuanming's mouth twitched: "..."
He really wanted to say that even if the brothers didn't have achievements, they still worked hard.
But in the end, he held it back; he was afraid of being scolded.
Li Yan sighed:
"I'll give you five hundred million yuan to buy copyrights. You must defeat Xingyi Video and win back members!"
"Yes!"
Ma Yuanming was in a great mood; finally, there was money.
Five hundred million for copyrights, with a little manipulation and some yin-yang contracts, it would be easy to squeeze out fifty to one hundred million, which could be considered a benefit for the company's core executives.
No choice, Aiqiyi was full of Sun Yu's people.
He had just taken office, so he had to show something to win people over!
A six-year exclusive online broadcast right for a drama costs 10-30 million, leaving 400 million, enough to buy 20 dramas.
There was absolutely no pressure.
Ma Yuanming's mouth curved upwards, and he said decisively:
"Chairman, Aiqiyi's reputation currently has some negative impact. The most common complaint from users is that we are reluctant to spend money on buying dramas. Now that we have decided to invest heavily in buying dramas, why not heavily promote it, and get it trending? This way, Aiqiyi's reputation can be restored, and it can also bring some positive impact to Baidu. Maybe the stock price will go up tonight!"
'You kid, you know how to get things done!'
Li Yan's eyes lit up, and his expression improved considerably:
"Excellent, this is entirely feasible. I didn't misjudge you!"
"Thank you for your support, Chairman. I will definitely live up to your expectations."
Ma Yuanming said with a smile, then decisively began to make arrangements.
The next day, New Year's Eve.
After breakfast, Wu Shuang drove Wang Yi and Song Sining straight to Jizhou.
Having been busy until New Year's Eve, it was time for an annual leave.
In the car, Wang Yi was playing with his phone, scrolling through trending topics, and was immediately drawn to a news item:
[Aiqiyi invests 500 million yuan to purchase dozens of exclusive hit dramas, giving back to its members and fans!]
Wang Yi chuckled to himself:
"Aiqiyi has finally figured it out, they know to grab exclusive hit dramas."
Song Sining also nodded:
"Yes, it seems they are also preparing for a big fight, but it seems they are a step late."
"Not one step late, but a hundred steps late."
Wang Yi laughed:
"Let Aiqiyi do whatever they want, it won't affect us much, but it will significantly affect Youku and Sohu. The drama grabbing war might even start early!"
"Chairman, do you think other platforms will follow suit? And also invest hundreds of millions to grab copyrights?"
Song Sining was a bit curious.
Wang Yi nodded:
"They definitely will, as long as they don't want to be eliminated, they will follow."
Sure enough, not long after, Sohu issued a statement:
[In 2012, Sohu invested 600 million yuan to purchase exclusive hit dramas, creating the strongest exclusive film and television library!]
Seeing that both Aiqiyi and Sohu had made their moves, Youku, the leader of long-form video platforms, naturally didn't hold back:
[Youku invests 700 million yuan to purchase exclusive hit dramas, Cool 2012! Watch good dramas on Youku!]
For a time, the entire long-form video platform industry became lively.
Several giants entered the fray, joining the drama grabbing war.
At this point, the wealthy É Chǎng couldn't sit still and directly issued a statement:
[In 2012, Tencent Video will invest 1 billion yuan to purchase exclusive copyrights!]
The fewer words, the bigger the deal.
One billion yuan in one go, double Aiqiyi's initial investment!
It directly overshadowed Aiqiyi's momentum.
This made Ma Yuanming furious, but there was nothing he could do.
Tencent was rich and powerful, what could he do?
Unless Baidu invested another five hundred million to catch up with É Chǎng.
But unfortunately, this was difficult.
Because of the continuous critical hits from Xingyi Technology, Baidu's current market value had been halved, far inferior to Tencent's, and it no longer had such deep pockets.
Ma Yuanming sighed:
"I originally wanted to do something good to save face for Baidu, but how did it turn into a drama grabbing war? How did all parties join in and even step on Aiqiyi?"
Now it was even worse; not only would Baidu's stock price not recover, it might even drop further.
After all, Aiqiyi was at the bottom of the drama buying investments among major platforms!
In this kind of situation, the earlier one announced, the worse it was.
Aiqiyi played first, a pair of fives, then Sohu played a pair of sixes, Youku a pair of sevens, all closing the door.
If it were just that, the gap wouldn't be too big.
But then Tencent directly played a pair of Aces!
Ma Yuanming's mouth twitched:
"If I had known this, I wouldn't have been so high-profile. Now, we're at the bottom. Chairman Li probably won't scold me again!"
Looking at these developments, Song Sining was a bit worried:
"On New Year's Eve, a drama grabbing war, will that affect us?"
Wang Yi waved his hand:
"We have already stocked twenty high-quality dramas for 2012 and purchased fifteen licensed popular dramas. They can go crazy grabbing; it won't affect us much."
No other reason, Wang Yi had already bought all the hit dramas for 2012, and what was left were mostly garbage big productions with low ratings…
The other platforms, whether investing five hundred million, seven hundred million, or one billion, could only pick through the trash.
In the end, they would spend a lot of money, the dramas wouldn't be great, and they would ultimately lose money and be criticized…
"But since they've all made official announcements, we should also make a move or two!"
Wang Yi said, sending a message to Ye Changpeng.
Soon, a piece of news sensationalized the entire internet.
[In 2012, Xingyi Video has secured 20 exclusive hit dramas and 15 licensed popular dramas. A visual feast, all on Xingyi Video!]
Below were attached drama posters and cast information.
"The Cliff," "Běi Ài," "Zhēnhuán Zhuàn," "Mù Fǔ Fēngyún," "I Am a Special Forces Soldier: Blade Out of Sheath," "Dancing with Wolves," "Fire Blue Blade," "Hot Girl Soldier"...
At this, the entire internet was in an uproar:
"When Aiqiyi and Youku were just preparing to buy dramas, Xingyi Video had already secured over 20 exclusive dramas and over a dozen licensed dramas. Truly impressive."
"Before others even made a move, Xingyi Video went all-in. That's real strength!"
"So many exclusive hit dramas, all my favorites. Xingyi Video is mighty!"
"It's over, Xingyi Video secured so many exclusive blockbusters, there aren't many quality dramas left for other platforms."
"Definitely. Choosing dramas is all about quality. You could say that the highest quality ones were all chosen by Xingyi Video, and the rest were left for Aiqiyi, Youku, Sohu, LeTV, and other platforms to scramble for."
"Picking the best of the worst, how many good dramas could there be? Xingyi Video is still superior."
"Yes, Xingyi Video membership is the most reliable, others are too far behind."
"Subscribing to Xingyi Video is definitely worth it. Not only does it have the most exclusive hit dramas, but it also has H.265 decoding for clearer and smoother viewing. Other platforms can't compare."
...
Without any surprise, this display of strength by Xingyi Video once again attracted a large number of new members.
The main source was members lost from other platforms!
This made Ma Yuanming, Aiqiyi's acting president, twitch at the corner of his mouth:
"Damn it, Xingyi Video got to show off again!"
"We went through all this trouble, only to serve as a wedding dress for Xingyi Video, everyone ran to Xingyi Video!"
"This is truly hateful!"
Zhang Yang, Sohu's old chairman, also frowned slightly:
"Chairman Wang's strategy is too brutal and too arrogant."
"We buy dramas one quarter at a time, but he's good; he directly secures a year's worth of blockbusters. He really has no sense of martial ethics, it's too much."
"Brutal and arrogant!"
Sohu Video's top executive had a complex expression:
"If we were that rich, I'd want to do the same!"
Zhang Yang frowned:
"What nonsense are you talking about? Where would you get that much money to do that?"
Most video platforms buy a few first, broadcast them, and recover costs through ad sponsorships and membership fees.
Once they have money, they continue to buy new dramas, revolving like that...
Like Xingyi Video, securing over thirty blockbusters more than a year in advance is truly against martial ethics.
Looking at the public opinion, Song Sining was in a great mood:
"Chairman, other platforms just officially announced they'd buy dramas worth hundreds of millions, but we already secured dramas worth hundreds of millions in advance. We've won big this time!"
Wang Yi smiled slightly:
"Success comes from preparation, failure from lack thereof. We won big this year, but next year might be different."
"What do you mean?"
Song Sining was full of curiosity.
Wang Yi explained slowly:
"Most simply, Sining, there aren't many dramas left this year. What will happen when so many platforms rush to grab them?"
"It will cause the online copyright prices for exclusive dramas to soar!"
Song Sining suddenly understood:
"This year, twenty to thirty million yuan could buy a six-year exclusive online broadcast right for a major production. Now that they are all rushing, the price is estimated to rise to forty to fifty million. Next year, prices will only be more expensive, possibly even catching up to satellite TV copyrights! Then our cost for buying next year's dramas will be incredibly high, this…"
Wang Yi nodded:
"Exactly. That damn Aiqiyi, messing around for no reason, now it's good, they've driven copyright prices through the roof! In the end, all major platforms will suffer heavy losses."
Currently, online copyrights are still very cheap.
For an S-tier major production, satellite TV distribution rights cost millions per episode, while a six-year exclusive online broadcast right only costs three hundred thousand per episode.
But with Aiqiyi doing this, the prices will go up.
In his previous life, online copyright prices were ignited by the drama grabbing wars among major platforms.
Song Sining's willow-like eyebrows furrowed:
"Yes, if only they had been low-key and secretly bought, it wouldn't have led to such a fierce situation. Aiqiyi is the black sheep, single-handedly triggering a strong copyright war. Their drama buying costs will skyrocket, and our dramas for next year will also be affected. What should we do?"
Wang Yi, however, waved his hand:
"Easy to say, while they are grabbing dramas, we will invest and produce a large number of original dramas!"
"Apart from the already filming 'Lángyá Bǎng,' and the spy drama 'Hóngsè,' and 'Hóng Gāoliáng' which are preparing to start filming, Xingyi Video's current original dramas need to add a few more to reserve new dramas for next year. Additionally, let Xingyi Media release news that quality dramas lacking funds can approach Xingyi Media. As long as they pass evaluation and are good projects, Xingyi Media can invest in them, or even buy them out!"
"Okay, Chairman, this way, through investment, we can directly secure the copyrights of those dramas, and won't have to join their drama grabbing war."
"Exactly, that's right."
While Aiyouteng invested heavily to grab copyrights, Wang Yi directly invested in production companies, taking the original drama route!
Of course, Wang Yi would personally review the invested dramas, only investing in blockbusters and popular dramas!
It wasn't until Jizhou that Wang Yi and Song Sining parted ways, each returning home.
They also exchanged New Year's gifts.
Quanjing Garden.
Seeing Wang Yi return, the elders were very excited.
Especially Wang Shulin, who had a kind expression:
"Xiao Yi, your girlfriend came yesterday. She's truly beautiful and has a good personality, very nice. Mom likes her very much. Bring her home more often in the future!"
"Girlfriend? Lin Shu?"
Wang Yi was stunned.
Only then did he remember the Changliao message Lin Shu sent yesterday,
"Save me…"
Wang Yi thought something had happened and replied after he finished his work.
Lin Shu then said:
"It's fine now, Auntie is very warm."
Back then, Wang Yi was busy with the annual meeting and didn't think much of it, but he didn't expect Xiao Shu to actually visit by herself!
This was interesting.
Wang Shulin nodded repeatedly:
"Xiao Shu is so beautiful, even prettier than a celebrity. My son has good taste!"
Wang Qingzhi also praised her profusely:
"Not only is she beautiful, but she also has a good personality and a kind heart. She was worried you'd come back late and wouldn't have time to buy New Year's goods for us, so she sent a large pile of them. Look, we can't even put them all away!"
Wang Yi smiled:
"This is perfect, I've been busy with the annual meeting recently, it only ended at ten last night."
"We know you're busy. Xiao Shu is more considerate,"
Wang Qingzhi said with a smile:
"Your mom is very satisfied. She kept Xiao Shu for dinner yesterday and even gave Xiao Shu her ancestral jade bracelet. She has recognized her as a daughter-in-law!"
Wang Yi chuckled, wanting to ask:
"Mom, how many ancestral jade bracelets do you have?"
But after thinking about it, he decided against it.
A son not finding a partner is a big problem.
A son having too many partners is also a big problem.
After eating a sumptuous family dinner with his parents, Wang Yi called Lin Shu:
"How did you feel meeting the parents-in-law?"
Lin Shu laughed:
"Uncle and Auntie are so warm and kind. I was so nervous at first, but then I relaxed because of their warmth, hee hee, I really liked it. Thank you, Uncle and Auntie, for your hospitality."
Wang Yi replied with a smile:
"My parents also like you very much, they said you're even prettier than a celebrity and want you to come often in the future!"
"Okay, I'll go more often in the future. If you're busy with work, I'll take care of them for you!"
"Okay, thank you, Xiao Shu!"
"You're welcome, Gege!"
Listening to Wang Yi's phone call, Wang Shulin became interested:
"Are you talking to Xiao Shu? Tell her to come over and play when she's free!"
"Okay, Auntie, I'll visit often when I have time."
...
This New Year's Eve was destined to be eventful.
In the morning, the copyright grabbing war among major video platforms had just begun.
In the afternoon, Changliao's news once again caused a sensation across the entire network.
[Changliao Version 1.5 Major Update, Adding Free Video Call Function, Inviting You to Video New Year Greetings!]
[Across thousands of mountains and rivers, Changliao video calls for New Year greetings!]
This news once again caused a stir:
"Amazing, Changliao's new version adds video call function, I really need it."
"Me too, I have to work this year and can't go back to my hometown. Now it's good, with Changliao video New Year greetings, I can see my parents and express my longing."
"I'm also affected by work and can't return home. Originally, I could only call, which was expensive for long-distance and I couldn't see anyone. Now it's good, Changliao video calls are free, and I can see my parents."
"Changliao video calls are so friendly to us migrant workers away from home."
"Agreed with my long-distance girlfriend to have a Changliao video call tonight, to ring in the New Year together!"
"Don't even mention it, I hate Changliao's new features. All three of my little girlfriends want to video call me for New Year's. What should I do?"
"???"
"Such a show-off, you'll get struck by lightning!"
"Honestly, Changliao's new feature is really good, video New Year greetings, a must-have function."
"Just tested it, very clear, very easy to use, Changliao 666!"
"Voice messages, voice-to-text, video calls, local tours, local food, Moments… Changliao is getting further and further ahead of WeChat. Changliao is still more reliable."
"Exactly, our whole family has abandoned WeChat and switched to Changliao."
"Our classmates and colleagues have also switched to Changliao, it's convenient."
...
As soon as this trend appeared, Changliao's download volume rapidly surged.
Especially for those working in different places, who had to stay at their posts on New Year's Eve and couldn't go back home at all.
They all downloaded and registered for Changliao, and also had their parents register for Changliao, then made Changliao video calls.
Although data was expensive, their workplaces had Wi-Fi, and their hometowns also had Wi-Fi, so there was no need to worry.
Even without Wi-Fi, making a video call with a data package was fine, especially during New Year's.
That little data fee was much cheaper than a train ticket.
Wang Yi chose to launch Changliao on New Year's Eve to promote it through video New Year greetings!
Then, before next year's Spring Festival, he would launch Changliao Red Packets, to make it popular again!
The reason for not launching Changliao Red Packets this year was simply a lack of time, and the number of Changliao users was too small.
Currently, Changliao only had over fifty million users, while Alipay had four hundred million.
If Changliao Red Packets were launched now, the user base wouldn't increase much, and instead, Alipay would learn from it, benefiting Alipay.
By next New Year's Eve, when Changliao users reached one to two hundred million, then launching the Red Packet feature, there would be no fear of Alipay copying it!
In his previous life, WeChat only launched its Red Packet feature during the Spring Festival of 2014.
Wang Yi planned to launch it during the Spring Festival of 2013, a year in advance, which was enough.
Without any surprise, Changliao's video function met the needs of many netizens.
Coupled with being on the trending topics, Changliao users began to surge.
The video function was a must-have for people who couldn't go home, for long-distance couples, and lovers.
In just one afternoon, Changliao's user count increased by over two million and was still rapidly growing.
With the ingenious marketing of video New Year greetings, it was bound to win completely.
However, at Tencent's headquarters, it was a different scene.
Other business units had already gone home for their annual leave.
Only the WeChat business unit was still working overtime, rushing to develop the Moments feature.
To get the Moments feature online as soon as possible, the entire WeChat business unit lost its annual leave!
Everyone was working overtime!
Only then could they develop the Moments feature quickly and catch up with Changliao.
But now, WeChat's Moments feature wasn't even ready, and Changliao had released free video calls!
(End of chapter)