The Birth of Shanghai's First Conglomerate

Chen Pingsheng drives a Maybach to work.

Their company is very famous in the short drama industry, but in the capital market, it's just a small player.

Let alone the entire short drama industry, even the entire entertainment industry is nothing more than a place that produces beautiful women in the face of capital.

The greatest commercial value of these beautiful women is not in endorsing products or running small advertisements.

Instead, they built bridges over rivers and opened roads through mountains.

Those who know, know. Whenever a big boss has a project he can't handle or encounters some trouble, it's because...

Invest in a big entertainment project, and use resource exchange to get these beauties to accompany the people behind the boss. If it succeeds, it will be more valuable than having them endorse a hundred products.

However, the entertainment industry was completely reformed by the short-form drama trend as early as 2025. Short, fast-paced, and emotionally driven dramas have killed off those long dramas that take 40 or 50 episodes and then fill in 20 episodes in the middle, leaving them with no audience at all.

Short video explanations further discourage domestic audiences from going to the cinema.

Starting with the film "Sunflower" starring A-list actress, the path of film investment has completely abandoned the previous approach of large-scale investment, traffic stars + big IP.

Nowadays, most movies are made with low-budget investments, and the lead actors take a pay cut to invest in the films.

What do you mean?

The era when popular celebrities could easily earn tens of millions in film and television fees is long gone.

Now, the lead actors are involved and share the risks.

If we make money, we all make money together; if we lose money, you won't even get your basic salary.

This model has allowed a large number of entertainment companies to revive.

Tencent Entertainment was also the pioneer of this model, and later, whether it was a long-running drama or a movie, they all used this model.

Share the risks and the rewards.

Both short videos and short dramas have greatly promoted the development of the entertainment industry.

The most significant change is that the status of screenwriters in the industry has risen considerably.

In the past, screenwriters in China had a very low status. Even slightly famous celebrities would bring their own screenwriters, who could change lines and scripts at the drop of a hat.

Especially those second-tier supporting actors who have capital backing, they will frantically add scenes if things don't go their way.

This situation changed dramatically after the overall reform of the entertainment industry.

Whether it's a low-budget film or a low-budget TV series, as long as the script is good and the actors' acting skills are up to par, it can become a minor hit or even a major hit.

In contrast, those big investments that bring in screenwriters who like to add scenes for themselves, including top-tier celebrities, often result in losses so severe that even their own mothers wouldn't recognize them.

This has led to an increasing emphasis on the status and development of screenwriters within the industry. Even a top-notch screenwriter can point at the lead actors and other big names and start criticizing them.

Aside from censorship, the domestic entertainment industry is still developing in many ways, much like the Korean entertainment industry. This was true from the very beginning, except that screenwriters do not have the same status as those in the Korean entertainment industry.

After learning profound lessons over the years, we ultimately prioritize good screenwriters.

They are the ones who have the best control over the script, including its quality.

The script is terrible and has been rewritten haphazardly; it's pointless to hire anyone to act in it.

This is true in the entertainment industry, and even more so in the short drama industry. The emphasis on screenwriters originated from the development of short dramas.

The success of a short drama depends primarily on the script; the actors are secondary.

The most important thing for a good short drama production company is to have good screenwriters.

Chen Pingsheng started pushing for this step a long time ago, but things only started to improve in 2026.

He was assigned to a newcomer group, which was his own idea. The main task for each group each month was to write a good story and produce a decent short drama.

Their bonuses and income are all tied to the performance of that short drama.

This is the current trend of sharing achievements in the entertainment industry.

If it becomes popular, everyone benefits; if it doesn't, the boss isn't the only one to bear the consequences.

The team consists of six people: three screenwriters and three newly graduated female interns.

Don't let their newcomers fool you; they're all formally trained and quite good-looking.

If you don't have good looks, what are you doing in the entertainment industry?

The three newcomers are named Yue Yuting, Ye Qi, and Li Yuxin.

They're all beautiful young women in their early twenties.

I was assigned to this newbie group and paired with this older version of the group leader.

I have a feeling that the future is somewhat bleak.

It's no exaggeration to say that Chen Pingsheng is the oldest person in the company; the other team leaders are no more than thirty-five.

They're too old; I guess I can only take them to film an older version of "The Domineering CEO Falls in Love with Me."

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Lao Chen, Chen as in Lao Chen. You can all just call me Lao Chen from now on. It's my first day at work. I'll treat everyone to lunch at the buffet next door."

He has a very relaxed job at the short drama company, unlike those actors who have to film for fifteen or sixteen hours a day.

Many actors in short dramas are paid by the day, so investors naturally want to speed things up, and the faster they finish filming, the more money they can save.

The investment cost of a short drama can range from seven or eight hundred thousand to four or five million.

The short drama industry has also produced many scammers who call on the public to crowdfund. If they win, the boss gets 90%; if they lose, everyone else has to pay for it.

"Team leader, you've finally arrived! The boss said before the New Year that he would assign us new team leaders, so we've been waiting."

Yue Yuting has a great image, a chosen one from ancient times, the kind that can be both pure and alluring. The boss still put some thought into her, actually assigning such a newcomer to his team.

Ye Qi is the sweet type, and her smile is especially cute. The other one, Li Yuxin, is a Korean beauty, with a cool and broken beauty.

All three are very attractive. If Zhang Wanyi hadn't put in a good word for him, how could they all have been assigned to his new group of recruits?

There are many short drama companies now, at least eight hundred if not a thousand.

They exist in various places, and besides a good script, the actors in a short drama are also key to its success.

You can't expect Pu Xinnu to play that kind of unparalleled beauty from ancient times.

"We're a bit late. Please order whatever you like at lunchtime."

Chen Pingsheng also asked them to introduce themselves to each other so that he could get to know them a little better.

After he finished introducing himself to everyone in the group, the company boss immediately and eagerly invited him to his office.

The boss is a sophisticated woman in her early thirties. She used to write female-oriented novels and had published many best-selling works.

After making some money, he started working in the short drama industry, adapting his own novels into screenwriters and creating many hit shows.

After she established herself in the industry and gained some recognition, she came to Guangzhou to seek investment from the Dream Fund.

At the time, Chu Qiuyan did not invest in her, but instead introduced her to Zhang Wanyi of Tengyou Media.

After all, Yateng Short Drama, including the short video field, is managed by Tengyou Media.

Zhang Wanyi is the primary person in charge of this field.

She met Mulan Qing, who was a very famous figure in the female-oriented novel circle, belonging to the kind of person with explosive talent.

She wrote her first hit novel for female readers at the age of nineteen, which was adapted into a TV series by Tencent Video. She then went on to write three more hit novels at the ages of twenty-three and twenty-five.

Such a person is a rare, exceptional talent, one in a million in this society.

It was because of this that she was able to meet Chu Qiuyan directly in Guangzhou, and was later introduced to Zhang Wanyi, the current media queen.

When Zhang Wanyi met her, she only asked her what she wanted to do and how much money she needed.
If such a person starts a business in a field they are familiar with, investors will generally provide funding.

There's no other reason than that he was able to earn tens of millions with his own hands at the age of nineteen, thereby improving his family's situation and changing his own destiny.

After that, three more hit shows were produced, making it the king of the female-oriented video category. People with successful experience can easily make money.

Zhang Wanyi invested 1.5 million yuan in her, and Mulanqing lived up to expectations, making her company one of the top three in the short drama industry and gaining a certain status in the entertainment circle.

She rarely writes novels anymore, and updates are only weekly. Even so, her novels still bring her a lot of income.

This is a true genius, an even more remarkable realist genius than the heroines in her novels who defy fate.

"Mr. Chen, you are a talent that Sister Wanyi personally instructed me to take care of and give the highest priority to. It is truly an honor and a great honor for you to come to my small company."

Mu Lanqing is very smart; it's impossible for someone like her not to be. Chen Pingsheng knows very well that Zhang Wanyi wouldn't give her any instructions; at most, she would just give her a few words of advice.

They wouldn't even tell her their identity, not revealing a single word.

Even if Mulan Qing was a genius, she was still an ordinary person.

For Zhang Wanyi now, being a genius is just a basic requirement to meet her.

The gap between her and Zhang Wanyi is at least ten streets.

Zhang Wanyi called her personally and said she wanted to bring someone in, and told her to make the arrangements.

Mulan Qing couldn't possibly not value this person. The former secretary, the timid and extremely diligent intern, had finally lived the life she had always dreamed of decades later.

The most reliable thing Bai Xin ever did in her life was choosing Zhang Wanyi as her secretary.

Because of this, Zhang Wanyi would fly to Beijing two or three times a year to see Bai Xin, and she would prepare gifts for her during holidays.

I am grateful for her guidance and support back then.

Her high position and gratitude are one of the reasons why she has been so well-received over the years.

Of all Chen Pingsheng's secretaries, Zhang Wanyi is the most successful. Today, she is the chairman of Tencent Media, a company with a market value of over one trillion yuan.

Being able to sit in this position means that she has a high status not only in the business world, but also in the legitimate world.

Even in her own hometown, a huge sculpture was erected in her honor.

She even changed her name to Zhang Village, and town officials, including important figures from the county, would visit her home every year.

All the girls in the village took her as their highest role model, and her portrait was displayed throughout the county as the most inspiring figure.

Having worked so hard to reach this point, Zhang Wanyi has never let anyone down. Her achievements today are the result of her own hard work over the past half of her life.

Zhang Wanyi is ranked number one as the most inspirational person in the entire group, and Chu Qiuyan is ranked second.

In terms of social status and business influence, Zhang Wanyi is the highest-ranking woman in the group.

She far surpassed any of his female secretaries.

"Mr. Mu, you are a genius in the female-oriented online community, so there's no need to be so polite. I came here simply because my home is close to your company, and I'm getting old. If I just handed you a resume, I was afraid you wouldn't accept it, so I had Secretary Zhang give you a heads-up in advance."

Secretary Zhang?
Is he referring to Zhang Wanyi?

Mulan Qing was suddenly startled, and her delicate face almost broke down.

What kind of status does she have to call Zhang Wanyi her secretary? How come she didn't know that President Zhang had a secretary?

"Mr. Chen, you're exaggerating. If you were to come and present me with the letter, would I hesitate?"

"Little Mu, who taught you to be such a sycophant? It doesn't fit your image as a talented woman who defied fate at the age of nineteen. Please come back to your old ways."

She learned it from society.

To others, she was a talented woman who could earn tens of millions a year with just her pen at the age of nineteen. But once she entered society and social circles, she realized that there were far more capable people than her.

Not to mention those far away, Chu Qiuyan and Zhang Wanyi are people she looks up to.

Moreover, she also met the youngest female billionaire in the country through Zhang Wanyi.

He took over a large number of listed companies in his early twenties, with more than a million employees.

And yet... I can still smile at her and say she's amazing.

This shows how approachable that girl was. Chen An'an, someone who never even appears in the news, actually met her.

Anyone who has met such a person will find their own glorious achievements insignificant.

"Old Chen, I've seen too many important people, so I'm just being cautious myself."

"There's no need for that. You yourself are someone others envy."

Chen Pingsheng said, "The so-called big shots you mentioned are just people with different opportunities. Anyone who can become number one or top three in a certain industry is a rare genius."

Mulanqing thought it made sense. When she went to dinner parties, she would often hold her wine glass very low to toast people, for fear that they might take advantage of her.

"Mr. Chen, what exactly is your relationship with Sister Wanyi? Could you tell me?"

"What, you want to write this as a novel?"

“I originally wanted to use Sister Wanyi as the story blueprint to create a female inspirational novel. If you are willing to talk to me about it, maybe my novel can sell better and be adapted into a best TV series in the future.”

Chen Pingsheng stroked his chin. "Your idea is good, but do you really know Secretary Zhang's past? If you want to create a story based on her, you'll inevitably have to include her boss. Do you know what kind of person her boss is?"

"Of course I know that!"

Mu Lanqing sat on her desk with one end of her buttocks sticking out. She found Chen Pingsheng to be particularly easy to talk to, unlike the important figures she had encountered before.

"To bring her to this social status, her boss can only be the founder of Tengying Group, including the current global tech giant Tengye Group. It's just a pity that he is too low-key. No matter who I ask, they won't say anything about him. Even his two daughters are nowhere to be found in the news. I only know that he has an excellent reputation, is very upright, and has always been consistent with his wife and family. He is also the richest person in the country, without exception."

"Even CEO novels wouldn't dare to write a character like this. I can't even imagine that there really are such perfect men in society."

"It's not as exaggerated as you think. I think her boss just caught the wave of the times."

Chen Pingsheng said with great interest, "If you want to create an inspirational story about women based on Zhang Wanyi, I might be able to provide you with a lot of help. However, once you finish writing this novel, you need to hand it over to a few girls in my team to film it."

"Sure... but will Sister Wanyi agree? And her boss is so low-key, would he let us adapt his image for a movie or TV series?"

"You can just not use her original name, and you can also change Zhang Wanyi's name. It's about her as the main character, not her boss."

Chen Pingsheng tapped the table and said, "Don't worry, since I've agreed to this, her boss and everyone else will definitely have no objections."

Mu Lanqing's delicate face showed surprise again. She was already beautiful, and with her wealth and good dressing skills, she was very well-endowed when she leaned forward slightly.

"Brother, who exactly are you? How did you manage to persuade her boss?"

"It's simple, because I'm her boss."

"this…@%!!"

Even Mulanqing wouldn't dare to imagine that her reliable mother would personally open the door for her.

"Brother, let's be serious, can you say it again?"

(End of this chapter)