mijobooks Chapter 227 The '3 Stars' Join Forces
Chapter 227 The '3 Stars' Join Forces
Upon hearing Zhou Zhixiong's words, Lu Ran leaned back in his chair, looked at the ceiling, and laughed.
Zhou Zhixiong's words reminded him of the stories from his previous life about internet giants invading traditional industries.
Lu Ran wasn't just talking about the entertainment industry, but all other industries.
In those years, countless traditional enterprises were utterly defeated by internet companies.
It's not because they did a bad job, it's because the rules of the game have changed.
Now, the rules of the game in this world are about to change.
"Mr. Zhou," he sat up straight, "who else is at Starlight Entertainment?"
Zhou Zhixiong sensed the softening in his tone and quickly said, "I've also spoken with General Manager Zhang of Xinghua Entertainment. He said that as long as you take the lead, he'll be the first to respond."
Star Entertainment.
One of the three major entertainment companies in China, on par with Starlight and Star Shine.
Three parties joining forces?
Now it's really become 'Samsung', which sounds like it's about to explode.
Lu Ran shook his head, ignoring this ominous thought.
"Mr. Zhou," Zhou Zhixiong continued, "did you know that Xingyao, Xingguang, and Xinghua actually hold shares in each other?"
Lu Ran was taken aback for a moment: "This... I really don't know."
"I only heard about it recently," Zhou Zhixiong explained. "When the three companies were established, they implemented cross-shareholding to prevent hostile takeovers. Although the percentages were not high, they were indeed in the same boat."
On the other end of the phone, Lu Ran listened to Zhou Zhixiong's words while searching for related information online.
Seeing that Zhou Zhixiong's words made sense, he asked, "Mr. Zhou, what do you mean...?"
"What I mean is," Zhou Zhixiong said directly without beating around the bush, "that instead of the three of them going their own way, they should really stick together. For so many years, the entertainment industry has always been about each minding their own business. But now, the avalanche has happened. If everyone keeps going their own way, they'll all get buried."
He paused, then continued, "This collaboration between Weibo and WeChat is backed by Tencent. What they want isn't just a gaming platform, but an entertainment empire. Social media + gaming + film + music + celebrities, all in one. The three of us combined might not be inferior to them in terms of artist resources, production capabilities, and distribution networks. But the problem is, we need to form a united front first."
Zhou Zhixiong took a deep breath: "President Lu, what I'm saying is all based on evidence. That's precisely why Weibo squeezed me out after WeChat joined the platform."
"Okay then," Lu Ran glanced at the time, "I'll schedule a conference call with President Li tomorrow, and we can discuss the specifics of our cooperation later."
"Okay." Zhou Zhixiong's voice was tinged with excitement. "President Lu, thank you for listening to me."
"President Zhou," Lu Ran laughed, "you make it sound like we had some deep-seated grudge."
Zhou Zhixiong laughed too: "To be honest, I really hated you before. But now that I think about it, why should I hate you? You didn't do anything wrong, I was just being stubborn."
"And then what?"
"From now on?" Zhou Zhixiong said seriously, "From now on, you will be President Lu, and I will be President Zhou. We will each serve our own masters, but we will also be partners. Rest assured, I, Zhou Zhixiong, will keep my word. I will cooperate where necessary and contribute where needed."
After hanging up the phone, Lu Ran leaned back in his chair, recalling the contents of the call.
Zhou Zhixiong's call came suddenly, but upon reflection, it made perfect sense.
That move on Weibo was truly hurtful.
Used and then thrown away without even saying goodbye—anyone would hold a grudge.
But Zhou Zhixiong was able to put aside his prejudices and take the initiative to seek cooperation with him. This showed a greater vision than he had imagined.
"Starlight, Star Brilliance, Star Splendor..." Lu Ran muttered to himself, "With the three companies joining forces, plus my TUTU, we might be able to give Tencent a run for its money."
He recalled the internet wars of his past life, the fierce mergers and conflicts.
Sometimes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Sometimes, yesterday's opponent can become today's teammate.
He opened his phone and sent a message to Li Mo:
Mr. Li, are you free tomorrow? I have something important I'd like to discuss with you.
Li Mo replied instantly:
【What is it?】
Lu Ran typed:
Zhou Zhixiong from Starlight Entertainment just called me to discuss a collaboration. Star China Entertainment is also interested. I think this is an opportunity.
Two minutes later, Li Mo replied:
Come to my office at 9:00 AM tomorrow.
Lu Ran put down his phone and looked out the window.
Although he and Li Mo are now at the same level, Li Mo is a veteran of Xingyao, and Li Mo has indeed treated him very well.
Whenever something happens, Lu Ran still habitually contacts Li Mo first.
In the distance, the 88-story office building was brightly lit—that was Tencent's East China branch.
WeChat bloggers, are you throwing money at this?
You guys are trying to build an entertainment empire, aren't you?
Let's see if you have more money or if our content is better.
He stood up, walked to his desk, and reopened the folder named "Starry Song Library".
One hundred classic songs are neatly arranged on the screen.
Tencent owns more than just WeChat. Lu Ran may not be able to take over WeChat now, but he can try to get in from other directions.
"These songs," he murmured to himself, "are just a little gift for you all."
...