Many examples flashed through Shang Yechu's mind.
“Luo Yao is the same,” Ji Juntao sighed. “She’s very talented. If we could expand her influence in the inland areas, do you think it would be a good thing for her?”
Shang Yechu couldn't help but retort, "Even so..."
"Even if what?" Ji Juntao scoffed. "For films with a gay theme, those who want to watch will naturally go to the theater, and those who don't won't contribute to the box office even without pirated copies. Besides, this film isn't even released in mainland China. Apart from your die-hard fans and film critics, very few people would go to Taiwan specifically to see it. There's no story about 'piracy affecting mainland box office'. To put it bluntly, without piracy, and without your involvement, this film's presence in mainland China would be practically zero. Spreading pirated copies at least brings some buzz to the mainland."
Moreover, the buzz and discussion on the internet can have a ripple effect. After all, within the Asian cultural sphere, while people may claim to be indifferent to China, they are actually quite concerned. A film that generates a surge in buzz on the simplified Chinese internet can help "The Forest Without Flowers" achieve a spillover effect, thus boosting its popularity.
Films with LGBTQ+ themes are inherently reliant on word-of-mouth and generating buzz.
Shang Yechu was silent for a moment, then said, "But wouldn't this make viewers in the island province laugh at us for spreading piracy?"
“You really worry about too much stuff.” Ji Juntao shook his head. “I really don’t know where you get such a strong sense of pride… Alright, I’ll tell you the truth. In previous years, this kind of problem would definitely exist, but it won’t happen after this year.”
"Why?"
"First of all, the original source material for this film was posted in a Telegram group. Telegram is a commonly used app for viewers in Taiwan, not ours. So, we can't be held responsible for this. Secondly—"
Ji Juntao shook his head and said, "There was a foreign film that was originally scheduled to be released simultaneously in the island province and that country. However, because someone in the island province openly released pirated recordings of the film, the foreign film company canceled the simultaneous release. How dare the audience in the island province laugh at our audience for spreading pirated recordings? At least we didn't have a situation where the film company canceled the simultaneous release because of piracy. If we really have to confront each other about this, netizens will use this as a pretext to beat them to death."
The last problem has also been solved.
Shang Yechu remained silent for a while, then gave a bitter laugh.
“Old Ji,” Shang Yechu said bitterly, “you’ve become gentler.”
Ji Juntao paused, then sneered, "You're disgusting enough to drive me crazy."
Shang Yechu sighed and said, "You just said that you did intend to encourage illegal filming, but the company hasn't had time to do it yet. I know you're trying to persuade me to agree before taking action."
Ji Juntao took another sip of coffee and said calmly, "You're getting narcissistic again. I just wanted to whet the appetites of the netizens."
Shang Yechu took a sip of water, and after the water moistened her throat, she slowly put down the teacup.
"Our people haven't made a move yet," Shang Yechu said with a wry smile. "So, who do you think is behind this massive marketing and promotion of pirated resources on various platforms?"
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