My capital is quite large.

Chapter 277 A Standoff

June, Nanjing, Olympic Sports Center.

The highly anticipated coronation ceremony for Weibo's four top influencers has arrived as scheduled.

As the scrolling numbers on the large, open electronic screen gradually came to a standstill, the list of this year's "Four Top Idols" and "Four Little Actresses" was finally unveiled amidst the breathless anticipation of countless fans.

The male celebrity rankings reveal a very subtle yet intriguing reshuffling of popularity.

The top spot still belongs to Luha, which receives significant support from Haofeng Network's resources.

Even though the momentum of the Korean wave in mainland China has begun to be somewhat restricted, his overwhelming fan support and unshakeable exposure have kept him firmly seated on his throne.

The second-ranked person is "that man" from the traitorous duo who had previously switched sides to the Tencent camp.

Although he is no longer officially Haofeng's artist, he still holds onto the second place position thanks to the base he built with EXO in the past two years, plus Tencent's no-holds-barred promotion and marketing efforts during this period.

The real changes occurred between the third and fourth place teams.

With his roles in several hit dramas and consistent performances on various variety shows, Yang Yang's votes surged, allowing him to overtake Li Moufeng and secure third place.

Li Moufeng, who fell to fourth place, maintained his popularity thanks to Tencent's efforts, but in terms of overall data, he was ultimately slightly inferior to Yang Yang, who stayed and cultivated his career at Haofeng's headquarters.

Despite the changes in rankings, a closer look at the data from those tens of millions of votes reveals a disheartening reality.

The combined votes of Lu Ha and that man, who ranked first and second, had already far surpassed those of Yang Yang and Li Moufeng, who ranked last and second.

The overwhelming popularity of these two top K-pop stars remains the most insurmountable barrier in this massive online community.

……

"Now, let's welcome the four top influencers of this year's Weibo Night to the stage to receive their awards!"

As the host's loud voice echoed throughout the venue, Yang Yang, Lu Ha, Li Moufeng, and the man who had just come from backstage adjusted their facial expressions and stepped onto the stage where the lights were shining.

The moment they stepped onto the stairs, "that man" and Li Moufeng, who had been exuding confidence and receiving screams and adoration from countless fans in front of the camera, unconsciously hunched their backs slightly.

Their faces showed no trace of pride or arrogance befitting top celebrities; instead, they exuded a deep sense of restraint and trepidation.

Especially when they received the heavy pure gold trophy from the presenter, the two of them almost instinctively turned around to face the young figure sitting upright in the first row of VIP seats and bowed their heads respectfully.

"Thank you Haofeng Group, thank you Mr. Li..."

Standing in front of the microphone, both "that man" and Li Moufeng, without exception, began their acceptance speeches by expressing their deepest gratitude to Li Feng for his "nurturing and guidance."

On this stage, which was broadcast live across the entire internet and watched by tens of millions of people simultaneously, they humbled themselves completely.

It's not that they are particularly sentimental.

Rather, it's because they are well aware that even though they have now signed with Tencent and become a guest of honor for other major companies, it doesn't mean they can escape responsibility.

But in this traffic-driven marketplace dominated by Haofeng, these so-called top celebrities are nothing more than ants that can be crushed by the torrent of public opinion at any time!

Offend Li Feng to his face?

They wouldn't dare even if they had ten times the courage.

Faced with the almost pleading expressions of respect from the two returning celebrities on stage, Li Feng, sitting in the first row, remained calm and composed.

That aloof and indifferent demeanor only made the two people speaking on the stage break out in a cold sweat.

……

Besides the reshuffling of the male star rankings, the female star "Four Little Flowers" have also experienced a dramatic change in their landscape.

With the huge success of "The Journey of Flower", Zhao Liying has become the de facto leader of Haofeng Group's film and television department during the hiatus of several leading actresses, and naturally topped the list of this year's four little actresses without any suspense!

Fan Xiaopang, who ranked second, benefited from the long-tail effect of "The Empress of China" and its huge viewership and buzz on Tencent Video. His popularity soared this year, allowing him to surpass Li Xin and climb to second place on the list.

As the only female MC on "Running Man", Li Xin naturally has a huge fan base and national popularity. Although she was overtaken by Fan Xiaopang, she still managed to hold onto third place.

As for the fourth place, Song Qian's K-pop experience card will expire in just one year.

This year's rising star is Zhang Ziyi, who has a very deep foundation in the industry and recently secured several major film collaborations with Tencent Video.

The interplay between Haofeng's new generation of talent and the external Tencent camp resulted in a clear division of camps at this year's gala.

The media and netizens quickly sensed the tension in these starkly different data.

Within just a few hours, Haofeng's Weibo splash screen trending topic and various online forums were ignited by several prominent hashtags:

#Tencent Video vs. Haofeng Film & Television: A Battle Between Two Major Camps in the Chinese Entertainment Industry?#

#Traditional film industry heavyweights make a strong entry, changing the landscape of Weibo Night!#

#Monopoly broken? Tencent Video is about to seize control of the Chinese entertainment industry!#

These trending topics sparked a massive online debate.

Fans were fiercely battling it out in the comments section for their idols' camps and rankings, while Haofeng's Weibo, which was behind the scenes, quietly watched as the daily active user data once again reached a crazy peak.

……

At the same time.

Fiyta Building, Nanshan District, Shenzhen.

The office of Tencent Video's Digital Media and Entertainment Division was brightly lit.

The data feedback that shone brightly at the Weibo Night event has livened up the atmosphere in the entire department.

"General Zhou! A great victory!"

A senior planner, holding a report, excitedly reported to the middle-aged man seated at the head of the table:

"Although Li Moufeng and that man, whom we were promoting, didn't top the Weibo Night awards this time, their new album and fan meeting promotions all saw explosive growth in data thanks to the traffic driven by Tencent Video!"

"The viewership of 'The Empress of China' has been steadily rising, and we've already carved out a niche for ourselves on the overall viewership charts!"

This middle-aged man, known as President Zhou, is none other than Zhou Chaozong, the Tencent executive who orchestrated the poaching of two top male celebrities from Haofeng.

Because of this impressive comeback, he not only received double his year-end bonus at the beginning of the year, but was also personally promoted by Pony Ma to serve as the head of Tencent Pictures and artist coordination!

"Li Feng thought he could use his exclusive broadcasting rights to shut down Tencent."

Zhou Chaozong sneered: "But he underestimated Tencent Video's determination and financial resources in producing its own content!"

He turned to the director in charge of project development and began to redeploy the offensive for the second half of the year.

As for the two top male celebrities he poached, he simply instructed them to quickly enhance their image with several big-screen movies, and to lure Lu Ha with higher profit sharing when he privately contacted him, attempting to empty Hao Feng's top male celebrity base in one fell swoop.

But Mr. Zhou knows best that to truly break the content monopoly of iQiyi and Haofeng Films, it's not enough to just have these few top male celebrities hanging around outside.

Tencent Video must seek greater breakthroughs in self-produced dramas.