EFB Chapter 161 Lu Ran Establishes Authority
Chapter 161 Lu Ran Establishes Authority
For a moment, the conference room was completely silent.
Many people haven't yet realized what Lu Ran meant by "it's all trash."
After all, we are all civilized people, and even if we have different opinions, we generally wouldn't use such vulgar language.
But Lu Ran wasn't buying it.
Don't try to morally blackmail him, because he can be without morality.
Wang Hai's face instantly turned a deep purplish-red, and Liu Feng slammed his fist on the table, shouting, "Lu Ran! What do you mean?!"
Even Li Mo, who was standing to the side, was secretly sweating. He hadn't expected Lu Ran to be so bold as to speak so openly!
But Li Deming, who was at the very front, leaned back in his chair with great interest, a smile flashing in his eyes. He wanted to see how Lu Ran would handle the situation.
"Of course, it means exactly what it says." Lu Ran remained expressionless, walked to the projector, inserted the USB drive, and said, "Since you all question my abilities, then I'll let the data speak for itself."
The curtains lit up, and the first page displayed a data summary of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes":
"With a total viewership of 28 billion, a Douban rating of 9.2, revenue from second-run broadcasting rights of 1.2 million yuan, and merchandise sales exceeding 8000 million yuan, this drama propelled Xingyao's long-running drama division from third to first in the industry, increasing its market share by 18%."
He switched to the next page: "Meteor Garden, currently with six episodes aired, has an average viewership rating of 3.2, with each episode garnering over 100 million views online, and Weibo hashtag views exceeding 5 billion. F4 members have gained over 10 million Weibo followers, and Xu Manxue's commercial endorsement fee has increased from 300,000 to 3 million."
On the next page: "The movie 'Those Years, Those Rabbits, Those Things' garnered over 100 million views in just four days, received a 9.8 rating on Douban, and was recommended and reposted by seven official media outlets including People's Daily and Xinhua News Agency. It boosted the popularity of Chinese animation by 300%, and Xingyao Animation, which started from scratch, is now valued at over 500 million yuan."
There are also his musical works, short drama data, and countless other things.
As you turn the pages, each number is like a slap in the face, resounding against the doubters.
"I've been at Xingyao for six months." Lu Ran turned off the projector and faced the crowd. "Six months ago, the eight long-running drama departments hadn't been established yet, and the employees who came later were a bunch of problematic staff. The animation department didn't even exist. But what about now?"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Wang Hai, Liu Feng, and the other directors who were dissatisfied with him:
"The profit margin of any project I'm in charge of is at least 1,000%. The team I lead has expanded from 17 to 60 people. The songs I wrote made Shen Yuege and Liu Siqi famous, and the scripts I wrote made Xu Manxue, Tan Yu, and a few others famous."
For a moment, only Lu Ran's voice could be heard in the conference room.
Some people looked down at their laptops, some pretended to drink water, but no one dared to look Lu Ran in the eye again.
"Seniority?" Lu Ran laughed. "In the entertainment industry, your work is the best qualification. If you think you can get to this position just by accumulating years of experience..."
He walked over to Wang Hai, leaned down, and whispered, "Director Wang, you've been at Xingyao for fifteen years, how come you haven't produced a single work like 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes'?"
Wang Hai's face flushed red and then turned pale from the mockery, and his body trembled involuntarily, but he couldn't utter a single word.
At this point, he truly regretted being the one to stick his neck out. Anyway, the executive director had nothing to do with him; he had just been used as a pawn by the others.
"As for management experience," Lu Ran straightened up, surveying the room, "the animation department was built from scratch and produced a finished product in three months; the eight long-running dramas went from being established to becoming number one in performance in just two months; I won't go into the others. Wouldn't you consider these as management experience?"
He walked back to his seat, his tone calm yet every word carrying immense weight:
"I didn't get this executive director position through connections or luck. It was earned through scripts, songs, and projects, one by one. Anyone who disagrees can have it."
Lu Ran opened his laptop and brought up a blank document:
"I'll give you a project idea right now. If you can produce a proposal of the same quality within a month, I'll resign and give you this position."
He gave a slight smirk and looked at Wang Hai: "Director Wang, isn't the music department looking to promote new talent? I have an idea for you—make a music talent show called 'China's Best Voice,' with the core principle of 'only listening to the voice, not looking at the appearance.' Are you up for it?"
Wang Hai's forehead was covered in sweat. He opened his mouth, but finally shook his head in dejection.
"Director Liu," Lu Ran turned to the film and television department, "Is the department's plan for the second half of the year still open? I'll give you a script outline—a workplace drama about lawyers, called 'The Elite Lawyer.' The protagonist is an invincible top lawyer, but he's actually a fake, relying on his cleverness and memory to win cases. Interested?"
Liu Feng's face turned ashen, his fists clenched and unclenched, and finally he turned his face away.
For a moment, the only sound in the conference room was the hum of the central air conditioning.
Li Deming clapped softly.
Once, twice, three times.
Then he stood up: "Does anyone else have any questions?"
No one answered.
"Alright." Li Deming announced, "Effective immediately, Lu Ran will officially serve as the Executive Director of Content Creation at Xingyao Entertainment, responsible for the overall management of all content segments. Meeting adjourned."
The crowd filed out, their steps hurried, and no one dared to look at Lu Ran again.
As Wang Hai reached the door, Li Deming called out to him, "Director Wang, please stay for a moment."
After everyone else left, Li Deming closed the door, turned to Wang Hai, and asked, "How is Old Wang's illness?"
Wang Hai was taken aback, then realized that Li Deming was referring to his father—Old Wang, one of the founders of Xingyao, who had been bedridden since suffering a stroke last year.
"It's...it's still recovering." Wang Hai's voice lowered.
"Your father dedicated his life to the company and valued talent above all else." Li Deming patted him on the shoulder. "Young people like Lu Ran are the type your father admired most. They are capable, ambitious, and don't get involved in empty talk."
He paused, then said earnestly, "You're a veteran employee, so you should be more tolerant. The company needs fresh blood, but it also needs pillars like you. Don't let Old Wang down."
Wang Hai remained silent for a long time before finally bowing deeply: "I understand, President Li."
Leaving the meeting room, Li Deming stood by the corridor window, watching Lu Ran and Li Mo walk side by side towards the parking lot downstairs, and couldn't help but sigh:
"Shen Zhiwei, you've really struck gold with this son-in-law."
...