The Birth of Shanghai's First Conglomerate

Liu Yifei was wearing a black trench coat.

Inside, he was wearing a blue striped and white checkered shirt from the 1990s.

Her unfashionable clothes, paired with her wavy hair, gave her an aloof and unparalleled air.

Chen Pingsheng had a very good impression of her, perhaps because he liked watching her TV dramas when he was young.

The main reason Liu Yifei booked the time with Tencent Film Studio was that Tencent Film Studio had never produced a project that lost money in the entertainment industry.

She transitioned to film over a decade ago.

Aside from earning the title of "box office poison," there's nothing else to it.

Even now, it still relies entirely on its past popularity with the public to sustain itself.

Bai Xin greeted her, and Liu Yifei felt that the girl was somewhat familiar.

I think I've seen him on the plane. After arriving at the president's office of Tencent Entertainment, many people in the industry said that the boss of Tencent Entertainment is one of the least like a big shot in the entertainment industry.

He never participates in entertainment industry activities.

The only time was when she went to see Yang Mi, and then she became an artist under Tencent Entertainment.

After that, no matter how big the event was in the entertainment industry, as long as the invitation was sent to him, he would basically never hear from him again.

No one dared to say anything.

At their level, they can refuse whenever they want.

They don't even need to inform you; that's true mastery.

Unlike those of us who are entertainers, some people have to find the most suitable reason to refuse an invitation, even if they really don't want to go.

Moreover, the business tycoon of Tencent Pictures has too many industries involved, and the entertainment industry is just one of them.

The most popular high-end beauty salon among celebrities in Beijing's entertainment industry is also owned by this company.

When Liu Yifei comes to Beijing, she often goes there for facials or buttock treatments.

A perky butt can be achieved not only through advanced technology but also through high-end cosmetic procedures.
Aside from her mediocre fashion sense, she seems to have no other flaws.

"Sister Yifei, do you remember me? I asked you for an autograph on the plane."

Bai Xin transformed into a little fangirl, happily following her idol online.

Liu Yifei thought about it seriously, but still couldn't remember.

So many people ask her for her autograph.

In terms of national recognition, she is definitely higher than Zhao Liying is now.

She's similar to Yang Mi.

Liu Yifei tilted her head and thought for a moment, but still couldn't remember.

This time, she's the one who's embarrassed.

She was already at the doorstep, yet she couldn't remember that the boss's secretary had asked her for an autograph.

How could this not be embarrassing?

Liu Yifei chuckled, and Bai Xin touched her nose.

In the president's office, Chen Pingsheng was looking at the next script that Zhao Liying had chosen for Bai Lu.

Total investment of 1.3 million, a large-scale production.

The return rate is 210%, which is not bad.

Zhao Liying has a really good eye for choosing dramas.

Chen Pingsheng called her, saying that he had invested all 1.3 million yuan and that they could focus on filming there without having to rush back.

Bai Lu is the actor.

At such a young age, just over twenty, her acting skills are still outstanding for her age group.

It's only 1.3 million.

Tencent Pictures made a whopping 600 million from the movie Charlotte.

The box office revenue is split at a standard rate of 33%.

Of the more than 2 billion yuan in box office revenue, he received more than 600 million yuan, and even after deducting costs, he still had a net profit of 600 million yuan.

Now that 40% of Tengying shares have been sold, he can no longer use Tengying's money for other purposes without permission.

That's called embezzlement.

Tencent's money can now only be spent on Tencent's entertainment projects.

of course.

He no longer needs to touch that kind of money.

We've moved past the period of frequent cash shortages.

He currently keeps 200 million yuan in cash in his own bank account.

Liu Yifei, who had just entered the room, happened to hear this.

I'd always heard that the boss of Tencent Entertainment was very powerful, but I never expected that a 1.3 million yuan project wouldn't even require his artists to come and discuss it.

They simply informed me and the funds were allocated and the project was established.

Liu Yifei felt that coming to Tengying was a good decision. She took off her sunglasses and looked at Chen Pingsheng carefully for a second.

They discovered that he was the person they had met twice on the plane.

Moreover, this person is unlike others.

The men who usually encounter her are either not very capable and just want an autograph.

They either have some ability or they all want to show off in front of her.

He absolutely cannot.

He really didn't bother her after she said she wanted to rest.

Letting her rest quietly shows good manners.

It really is just like the rumors circulating in the entertainment industry.

He was not interested in women, and was only good to his wife.

"Hello... I'm Chen Pingsheng, your fan."

Liu Yifei had met him twice, and only learned his name today, which was quite unexpected.

But since they're my fans, collaboration should be easy to discuss.

It turns out she may have misunderstood.

Liu Yifei wants to make a film project invested in by Tencent Film.

To put it bluntly, they want box office success and urgently need to prove themselves to the market.

Tencent Entertainment's current investments are primarily directed towards its internal artists.

I rarely invest in external projects anymore.

The key issue is that she didn't have a script either, and Chen Pingsheng doesn't produce scripts himself.

Tencent Film Studio doesn't even have screenwriters, and it doesn't allow artists to bring screenwriters to the set privately.

He originally had high hopes for this project, which was going to make money, but you've changed it so much that it's no longer viable.

The female protagonist, as empress, cannot kill or engage in palace intrigue; she can only be a kind and innocent "white lotus."

They messed around and ended up losing money on a project that was originally going to make money.

Who can he turn to for justice?

and so.

Tencent Entertainment has a strict rule that once you join a production team, you must listen to the director and the original screenwriter.

There must be absolutely no situation where a high-profile celebrity can drastically alter the script.

"What would it take for me to make a film that you fully fund?"

The line of people wanting to film a movie now stretches from outside Beijing all the way to the Forbidden City within the First Ring Road.

Even someone as high-profile as a fairy goddess needs to pay the price.

The highest price she could offer was to forgo her salary.

He starred in a Tencent Film Studio movie for free.

As long as you can prove yourself to the market, that's enough.

Chen Pingsheng was in a bit of a predicament; he couldn't just conjure up a good script for her out of thin air.

It's difficult to even find a way to cooperate.

“Here, the artists or directors themselves choose the scripts and show them to me, and then I decide whether or not to invest.”

The meaning is obvious: even you, the fairy goddess, need to bring your own script.

They don't produce scripts at all.

"And you may have some misunderstandings about us. Tengying's projects do not require any cost, provided that you can come up with a good project yourself."

To make it clearer, we don't engage in unspoken rules here. Nor do we exploit artists for their income.

Zhao Liying and her colleagues keep 90% of their earnings from filming.

Tengying only makes money from investments.

They don't extract any income from the artists at all.

This was also the main reason why Yang Mi was willing to sign with Tencent Pictures in the first place.

She had been exploited for many years, and this was the first time she had ever heard of an entertainment group not taking a cut of its revenue from its artists.

For example, when they took on endorsements, they used to only pocket about 30% of the proceeds.

Even someone of her stature would only get a maximum of 40%.

Once you arrive here, you'll have 90% of the shares. How you divide those 90% is entirely up to you.

Anyway, Teng Ying won't care anymore.

Income has increased significantly, and so has freedom.

Over time, this led to most artists wanting to transfer to Tencent Entertainment.

However, the selection process for artists here is very strict.

He would definitely be willing to sign Liu Yifei if she came over. She is the most suitable spokesperson for Deer Antler Coffee. According to the statistics from the market research department, Liu Yifei is the most suitable spokesperson.

Yang Mi was in line behind her.

Her extraordinary and elegant temperament perfectly matches Deer Antler Coffee.

Liu Yifei just can't pick scripts, which is why she's acted in so many bad movies.

“I don’t have a script, but I still get a lot of offers for projects,” Liu Yifei said after thinking for a moment.

She's quite down-to-earth; she doesn't say many polite things, nor does she try to be tactful.

"If you have any suitable ones, you can bring them over for me to see. If they are suitable, we can invest the full amount."

After a pause, Chen Pingsheng added, "If possible, I hope you can consider becoming a contracted artist with us."

Chen Pingsheng asked Bai Xin to show her a contract for a Tencent Entertainment artist.

Liu Yifei has never had a management company and has always worked independently.

It's quite surprising that they've remained popular for so many years.

Now Tencent Pictures wants to sign her, and the criteria they're offering are similar to those for Yang Mi.

Come here to be your own boss.

If there are projects, Tencent Pictures will provide funding; if there are no projects, they can go wherever they want.

Acting fees, endorsements, and business activities are the most lucrative sources of income for artists.

Tengying only takes 10% of the profits.

The big head is all his own; who wouldn't be confused by that?

Liu Yifei said she needed to go back and think about it, perhaps by discussing it with her mother.

Chen Pingsheng went along with her, and after chatting for half an hour, she left.

Chen Pingsheng, being a very straightforward man, would never invite a female celebrity to dinner alone in private.

To avoid them misunderstanding that I have ulterior motives.

Anyone who manages to reach a certain level in the entertainment industry is no naive or innocent.

Those women, during their time at the bottom of society, were ruthlessly trampled down by various palace intrigue scenarios.

Who among those who made it onto this list doesn't have some special talent?
After she left, her secretary Bai Xin came over and asked her, "Uncle, do you think she'd be willing to join our Tengying Entertainment?"

"Who knows?"

Chen Pingsheng said, "Don't overthink it. No matter what, our Tengying will never rely on any one artist to establish itself and survive."

Alright... Bai Xin arranged for another male celebrity who had made a prior appointment to come over.

This person used to act in TV dramas, and later went to Hong Kong to play many villainous roles in action movies.

Very popular.

This year, I directed another military action movie, which was released and did quite well at the box office.

The reviews have been pretty good, and now we're thinking of making the second installment of this military action movie series.

We also need to go abroad to film.

The investment was huge, and the script was held by Tencent Pictures for a while.

The main reason is that the older man doesn't have much time to watch.

He was only arranged to come and see the boss today.

First, we need to invest; second, Tencent has never invested in a project that loses money.

He wasn't entirely confident, given his limited family wealth.

If we can get investment from Tencent Film, then we can probably go ahead and make the film with peace of mind.

I was originally planning to watch his Wolf Warrior 2 movie series today.

The TV series that Zhao Liying submitted was cut off from the schedule, but he still had to meet with her.

Chen Pingsheng really likes tough-guy male stars; he especially dislikes effeminate men.

He wouldn't even watch a show starring a sissy.

This also allowed him to avoid a lot of bad shows.

After hearing that he was going to make a patriotic military film, Chen Pingsheng decided to invest even without the help of a magic touch.

When a group grows large, it becomes essential to adhere to political correctness.

This is extremely important.

Make patriotic films to promote patriotism.

This is absolutely our duty.

Moreover, the script is based on a true story.

Furthermore, he had a very good impression of the actor, so he decided to invest.

"How much do you want?"

"Two hundred million."

“Okay,” Chen Pingsheng said. “I’ll give you 80 million now, and you can come back to me if you need more.”

Chen Pingsheng asked Bai Xin to write down his financial account number.

Here's a contract outlining an initial investment of 80 million for Tencent Pictures.

It accounts for 40% of the film's total revenue.

Whether or not further investment is needed depends on the specific circumstances.

Wu Jing received the 80 million very easily.

I feel like I've met a kindred spirit; everyone hates effeminate men.

They are all interested in patriotic themes.

It seems like this boss is not short of money at all.

It's only a few hundred million; they don't need to go through many auditing procedures at all.

There's no need to find a bunch of random people to judge; they can just hand you money.

This is very exaggerated.

There's truly no more straightforward entertainment industry boss than him.

Back home, after taking two sips of Guojiao 1573, Chen Pingsheng felt that he might have acted impulsively.

How can you invest without going through the "golden finger" expert?
They're really getting carried away by having too much money.

Eighty million is just a drop in the ocean.

That's money too.

At midnight, the calendar showed that it was a new day.

Chen Pingsheng immediately got up and used the "Golden Finger" to check out Wolf Warrior 2.

As a result, he was so frightened that he kicked his wife, Song Yanxi, off the bed.

Song Yanxi was completely bewildered, looking left and right, utterly confused.

How did she end up under the bed?
When she stood up, she realized that it was her husband having an epileptic seizure.

Without saying a word, he grabbed a big red pillow and slapped him.

"What's wrong with you in the middle of the night?"

(End of this chapter)