060 Yi'an Film and Television, Plotting Against Wei and Huo, Acquiring Internet Cafe Licenses

"Yian Film and Television?"

Zhou Yiwei and Zhang Songwen looked at the document in Lin Jiachuan's hand, then gazed curiously at Yan Li.

"Why did you choose this name?"

"You guys are dense. Yian, Yian—Yi, An, Yan! It's just the pinyin syllables of Brother Li's surname broken down."

Lin Jiachuan pointed out the logic behind Yan Li's naming choice, and only then did Zhang and Lin understand.

"I think Yan Family Pictures sounds much more imposing."

Zhang Songwen rubbed his chin and offered his opinion, leaving Yan Li somewhat speechless.

"It's just a tiny shell company, we just need a name. If you call it Yan Family Pictures, it sounds like some massive conglomerate family, I'd be embarrassed to introduce it to people."

"Yian carries the meanings of peace, comfort, and ease. Broken down into single characters, it can also imply that everything goes smoothly and peacefully. It's a wonderful connotation."

Zhou Yiwei gave his approval, and Lin Jiachuan chimed in proudly as well.

"Not only that, Yian is the literary pseudonym of the great female poet Li Qingzhao. Brother Li said choosing this name lets us borrow a bit of her literary talent, scholarly aura, and fame."

Zhang Songwen cupped his fists in mock respect. "Once the company is established, we'll have to address you as President Yan from now on."

Lin Jiachuan and Zhou Yiwei joined in the banter, chorusing, "Hello, President Yan."

Yan Li didn't stand on ceremony either. He crossed his legs, put on the airs of a boss, and commanded, "Chuan, come over here and massage my legs. Little Zhang, go wash my clothes. Little Zhou, sweep the floor in my bedroom and make the bed."

The few of them exchanged glances, then simultaneously stood up and surrounded Yan Li, flashing forced, sarcastic smiles.

"Oh my, President Yan is really throwing his weight around."

Realizing the situation was turning against him, Yan Li uncrossed his legs, acted as if he heard something, and stood up to slip away. "Sounds like someone's at the door."

"Don't you trouble yourself. Brothers, let's get him! Time to properly 'take care of' President Yan."

At the command of Zhang Songwen, the eldest of the group, several of them swarmed forward, representing the masses in suppressing the evil capitalist.

After laughing and bickering for a while, the brothers turned to serious matters. Zhou Yiwei asked curiously what business Yan Li planned to pursue with this newly opened company.

"The core business will be film and television investment, but since my capital is falling short right now, I'll just have to run some errands and make some pocket money first."

Zhang Songwen, possessing a sharp mind, immediately sensed that Yan Li had something up his sleeve. "You've already found business?"

"Not yet."

Yan Li shook his head, but a moment later, he smiled and said, "Soon, though."

***

[Daily Intelligence X: Gao Qunshu has contacted multiple friends and channels to begin distributing *Conquer*, but has repeatedly hit a wall, leaving him deeply anxious.]

[Monthly Intelligence X: Behind-the-scenes trivia in film and television—Director Gao Qunshu scraped together 4.2 million to shoot *Conquer*, but due to poor distribution, he ultimately sold the copyright for 4.5 million, netting a profit of only 300,000... Meanwhile, the daring boss who gambled on it successfully managed the broadcast of *Conquer*, turning the TV series into a massive hit. DVDs sold out completely, yielding handsome profits.]

Director Gao was truly his lucky star!

He handed out roles when there were no gigs, and business opportunities when funds were lacking.

If he pulled this deal off, not only would he secure his initial capital, but he might also carve out a path for himself, making money while elevating his status within the circle.

***

Yan Li was in no rush to seek out Gao Qunshu; the man hadn't reached his desperate wits' end just yet.

With the capital currently in his hands falling short, there was no way he could acquire the copyright for *Conquer* in one fell swoop.

Therefore, he had to wait until Old Gao was at his wit's end with no other options left, before he would agree to cooperate with a young newcomer like him.

Additionally, Yan Li didn't know much about television series distribution, so he needed to do his homework. At the same time, he wanted to see if he could make contact with and befriend some insiders to make future operations smoother.

Consequently, Yan Li's routine in the following days consisted of trading stocks during the day and using various networking channels at night to contact relevant figures, treating them to dinners.

On the surface, it was about building relationships and seeking industry knowledge, but the real hidden agenda was to use his system to probe their backgrounds, uncover insider information, select suitable targets, and then deepen those connections.

Although Yan Li's intelligence system could trigger relevant information out of thin air based on his subconscious, the randomness factor was high.

Therefore, Yan Li generally prepared a two-pronged approach: actual personal contact combined with subconscious triggering, thereby enhancing the relevance and detail of the intelligence.

Aside from that, Yan Li hadn't forgotten about the production *Emperor Wu of Han*.

The previous monthly intelligence had also triggered future information regarding *Emperor Wu of Han*, revealing to him that it would be CCTV's blockbuster premier drama of 2005, boasting explosive ratings and immense influence.

This only fueled Yan Li's enthusiasm, as he had already been interested in the drama to begin with.

Right now, Yan Li had already gotten in touch with the assistant director under Hu Mei, the director of *Emperor Wu of Han*.

Once Director Hu Mei returned from scouting locations out of town, the assistant director would find a way for him to meet Director Hu and strive for an audition opportunity.

During this time, Yan Li had not only read *Records of the Grand Historian*, but also borrowed *Book of Han* and various related research books from the library, striving to gain a deeper understanding of the legendary historical generals Huo Qubing and Wei Qing so that he could leave a lasting impression on Hu Mei when the time came.

Yan Li had learned this tactic from Teacher Tang Guoqiang!

It was said that back when *Yongzheng Dynasty* was being filmed, Tang was not the primary candidate for the role of Emperor Yongzheng; he was originally slated to play the Eighth Prince.

However, Tang Guoqiang had always wanted to portray Emperor Yongzheng, so he conducted extensive research and wrote tens of thousands of words in character biographies.

After Zhang Fengyi, the originally cast actor, backed out to film a movie, Tang Guoqiang seized the opportunity, approached Director Hu Mei, and used various arguments to prove his deep understanding of Yongzheng. Ultimately, he moved Hu Mei and successfully secured the role.

Older generation directors like her were particularly receptive to this approach. While it might not work every time, putting in extra preparation and demonstrating the right attitude was always better than being unprepared.

Lin Jiachuan wasn't sitting idle either. Yan Li had assigned him a task: to inquire about acquiring internet cafe licenses.

Following the Blue Jisu internet cafe fire incident in June, the internet cafe industry ushered in a massive rectification. A large number of unlicensed, illegal internet cafes were cracked down upon and shut down, and operating an internet cafe now strictly required an [Internet Cafe License].

However, to regulate the market, relevant authorities tightly controlled the issuance of new licenses, with many cities simply suspending issuance altogether.

This caused internet cafe licenses to become hot commodities, with prices soaring steadily.

After researching the matter, Yan Li concluded that there was a profit to be made here and decided to stockpile a few.

Lin Jiachuan wasn't particularly clever, but he was obedient and dependable in his work.

Given the task by Yan Li, he went from internet cafe to internet cafe to make inquiries. After running through several districts in central Beijing, he moved on to the remote outer districts, and even prepared plans for Hebei Province and Tianjin.

Certain internet cafe licenses could be transferred across cities, and many license scalpers specifically went to small cities to buy them up and then sell them in major cities.

Feigning interest in buying an internet cafe, Lin Jiachuan collected information one by one and recorded it down.

Afterwards, Yan Li would use his accounts and details to trigger the intelligence system and select feasible targets for cooperation.

And sure enough, the efficiency was impressive. In just half a month's time, Yan Li had already acquired two licenses.

Feeling that he had finally earned his keep and wasn't taking Yan Li's salary for nothing, Lin Jiachuan felt a weight lift from his chest, though he still had some doubts.

"Brother Li, each of these costs tens of thousands of yuan, and we still have to pay annual fees. Is this reliable?"

Of course it was reliable!

Yan Li wasn't shooting in the dark. The monthly intelligence contained relevant future information indicating that the next few years would be the golden age of the internet cafe industry, making money like flowing water.

The market value of internet cafe licenses would skyrocket accordingly, reaching hundreds of thousands at their peak—a single license could even be worth more than the internet cafe itself.

Of course, Yan Li might not necessarily hold out until that exact moment, but he could take advantage of the currently low prices to stockpile a few. Getting in early meant peace of mind.

Whether he sold them at a high price later or used them to save costs when opening his own internet cafes, he was bound to turn a tidy profit.

Having stumbled recently in the stock market and nearly losing half his net worth, Yan Li became all the more convinced that he shouldn't put all his eggs in one basket.

Being an actor, running a company, and planning internet cafes—running multiple lines concurrently and blooming everywhere was the only way to achieve long-term, stable wealth generation.