2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 1088 Extra: Ten Years? Are you crazy?
P.S.: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to everyone!
"Sisi, I have something interesting to tell you."

Liu Xiaoli held a stack of A4 papers in her hand, her face full of mockery.

"What's new?"

Liu Yifei, who was putting on makeup, did not notice her mother's expression. It is said that the entertainment industry makes people mature, but at the age of 18, no matter how mature one is, there is still some impetuousness. The increasingly busy work made her more or less resentful.

"It's an endorsement deal. A two-wheeled electric vehicle manufacturer sent you an endorsement contract."

Liu Yifei, who gained some fame at the age of 15 and was already known as a goddess of period dramas at the age of 18, holds several high-rated TV drama IPs and is one of the leading actresses on the small screen, as well as one of the promising new stars in the industry.

Her commercial endorsements and even her career planning were all handled by her mother, Liu Xiaoli, who also handled all her business contacts.

"An electric scooter? Oh."

Still a young girl, Liu Yifei wasn't very interested in so-called commercial endorsements, or rather, she had no concept of money. Anyway, her mother managed everything, and she listened to them no matter what.

Although she has secured the lead role in several popular TV dramas and her fame has soared, Liu Yifei's commercial value is not high at present. To date, Liu Yifei only has seven endorsement contracts, some of which are relatively short-term.

Of these seven endorsement contracts, those involving real estate are all under her godfather's name. In terms of brands, only Pantene shampoo can increase her exposure and national recognition, which is what Liu Xiaoli is currently struggling with.

Aren't you going to listen?

Liu Xiaoli was quite anxious because her daughter wasn't interested. Although FlashTech hadn't been established for long, it had already gained fame due to its collaboration with Super Girl and the endorsement of the Super Girl champion, making it a relatively new and popular company.

It's certainly a good thing to have an endorsement offered to you, but there's no need to be in such a hurry. What Liu Xiaoli is anxious about is that this endorsement deal is really too lucrative, but lucrative doesn't come without conditions.

"Isn't it all Mom who signed it? What's so great about it? You wouldn't hurt me."

Liu Yifei finally turned her head and asked with some curiosity. Under normal circumstances, her mother and the people in the company would filter out such endorsement contracts, and then talk to her about them. Before, she only needed to cooperate by shooting commercials and doing some promotion, and basically did not need to ask for her opinion.

what is it today?
"Look at this company, they're very generous. They can sign a ten-year endorsement deal at once."

Liu Xiaoli was also helpless. The endorsement contract was very lucrative, the most lucrative deal they had ever received. In principle, she couldn't wait to sign it immediately. However, as lucrative as it was, the other party was not without its demands.

"Ten years? Are you crazy?"

Liu Yifei was also shocked. She didn't care about these things, but that didn't mean she didn't understand them. Under normal circumstances, endorsement contracts are usually signed for one or two years, and at most three to five years. Signing a ten-year endorsement contract at once is unprecedented in the entire industry.

"Yeah, I didn't expect that either."

Liu Xiaoli sighed, "The entertainment industry is all about youth, especially for female stars. Their peak years are basically only a few years. In ten years, when Xixi will be 28, even if she has made plans, no one knows what her future will hold."

Signing a ten-year contract is undoubtedly a huge risk for a company.

"Not only is it a ten-year contract, but the price is also so high. But why does it have to be me signing it?"

Liu Yifei had already glanced at the endorsement contract. It was a very standard endorsement contract, with all the rights and constraints of both parties clearly written down. The only requirement was that she sign it herself.

"Yes, it's not a contract with the company, it's a contract with you personally."

Liu Xiaoli was a little confused about the company's operations. In fact, the company had sent her three endorsement contracts: one was a normal two-year contract for a total of 3 million yuan, another was a five-year contract for 10.5 million yuan, and the third was the ten-year endorsement contract she had just received, for a total of 27 million yuan.

A ten-year endorsement contract, offered at the price of a near-top-tier celebrity endorsement contract!

Even with a two-year endorsement contract, the price offered is the maximum endorsement fee they can currently receive.

"That's really generous! 2700 million yuan is way too much, Mom. What do you think?"

Liu Yifei had by now recovered from the shock. Her family was relatively well-off, and with a big investor backing them, they weren't short of money, but no one would turn down money.

In 2005 and 2006, the entertainment industry had not yet entered a period of inflation. The endorsement fees charged by top-tier stars were generally around three to four million yuan. As a newcomer, she could not actually get much in endorsement fees, which was roughly one million or even several hundred thousand yuan a year.

"Of course we have to take it on. The CEO of that company is coming over soon, and we'll meet with him later."

Liu Xiaoli's voice was firm and resolute. 2700 million yuan was an astronomical figure for both Liu Yifei and her agency, Hongxingwu, almost equivalent to Hongxingwu's total revenue since its establishment.

This is one of the reasons why she didn't bring out the other two endorsement contracts. She wanted to use this endorsement contract to boost her daughter's value and officially enter the ranks of A-list celebrities.

Liu Xiaoli has some business acumen and keenly recognized that this was an opportunity.

"Great! I heard that the CEO isn't very old?"

FlashTech's signing of an endorsement contract with Li Yuchun at an extremely favorable price during the World Cup qualifiers, ahead of the Chinese Super League women's champion, has become a hot topic in the industry. Meanwhile, this emerging electric vehicle company, which was established less than two years ago, is expanding rapidly.

The black Super Girl edition of the Flash is quite popular among Li Yuchun's fans and sells very well. At the same time, Tan Jincheng's identity and age have also sparked a discussion in the circle.

Liu Xiaoli smiled and nodded: "Yes, I heard she's only two years older than you."

"Then let's meet."

Not only Liu Xiaoli, but Liu Yifei was also curious about the young boss of FlashDrive.

"Okay, I'll go arrange it."

A few days later, Tan Jincheng arrived in Hengdian and looked at the antique-style buildings with great curiosity. Having lived two lives, this was his first time in Hengdian. It was somewhat different from the pictures he had seen online in his previous life. Although Hengdian was taking shape at this time, it had not yet reached a mature stage.

According to information gathered before the trip, Hengdian can currently only accommodate about ten film crews per day. Many big-budget films have been shot there, but most of the sets are still temporary structures.

"How magnificent!"

Gu Qingqing, who had come to watch the spectacle, sighed. She was from Yiwu, which is in the same urban area as Hengdian, but she had never been there before. Such a large area of ​​antique-style buildings was still quite impressive in 2005.

"Hehe, let's have some fun after we finish talking about this."

Tan Jincheng chuckled. He had no curiosity about Hengdian except for a bit of novelty. In a few years, these kinds of places would be everywhere, with all sorts of ancient towns and film studios. Even Ningbo had one. It wasn't anything special.

"Okay, let's find the film crew first."

Gu Qingqing knew that she had come for a serious reason. It was a critical period for the development of Flash Technology, and it was already very kind of Tan Jincheng to bring her along to join in the fun.

Tan Jincheng nodded. This place was too big, and he didn't know where the Condor Heroes crew was for the time being. Sigh, he should have known better than to show off and had Liu Xiaoli send someone to pick him up.

"Hey bro, do you know where the Condor Heroes film crew is?"

Brother Hu looked at the impetuous young man with some surprise, while Yuan Hong, standing to the side, also stared wide-eyed at his good friend with a mocking expression.

The Legend of Sword and Fairy has already aired, and Hu Ge has become a big star. This time, they came to Hengdian to participate in some follow-up activities and also visited the Condor Heroes set. During the filming of Legend of Sword and Fairy, the two of them developed a friendship, so visiting the set is perfectly normal.

Brother Hu looked helpless. He had just been bragging to Yuan Hong that he was now a household name, but he never expected to run into this situation.

"Come with me, I'm going to visit the set of The Return of the Condor Heroes."

"Alright, thanks then, bro."

They winked at Gu Qingqing. Of course, they both knew Brother Hu, but Tan Jincheng had just told Gu Qingqing to stay calm and pretend not to know him. Although Gu Qingqing didn't know what he meant, she was happy to cooperate.

It's not unusual to run into celebrities in Hengdian. We had already spotted several from afar when they arrived, and our curiosity had long since died down.

What were you doing on the set of The Return of the Condor Heroes?

Brother Hu wasn't stupid; he had his own reasons for agreeing to take Tan Jincheng to the film set.

The man was handsome and spoke with a certain air of authority, while the woman was pretty and delicate. They were clearly not fans visiting the set; there might be something going on.

"Oh, go and negotiate an endorsement contract."

Tan Jincheng didn't hide anything. Whether the matter succeeded or not, it would be widely discussed in a few days. Celebrities like to create hype.

Compared to Hu Ge, Yuan Hong is much more unrestrained. In fact, both of them are still quite young and have not been in the entertainment industry for very long, and they still retain their unrestrained personalities.

"Oh, an endorsement? Which company are you with?"

"Flash, have you two heard of it?"

"I've heard of you, you're the boss of Flashrace, right? Don't you already have a spokesperson? Why are you looking for another one?"

FlashTech has been a hot topic in the entertainment industry lately. Although it is an electric vehicle company, no one looks down on it. These days, there is no such thing as luxury brand endorsements making you superior. People who can get endorsements don't care what the company does.

Some veteran artists dare to accept any endorsement, basically just wanting to make money, because they are really "too poor". Newcomers like Hu Ge and Yuan Hong actually don't have much money at all.

They simply don't have the courage to refuse a spokesperson offer. "Oh, there's a new brand line that needs a spokesperson."

Hu Ge and Yuan Hong knew immediately that the other party did not want to continue the conversation, and they wisely did not ask any further questions. However, they still had the intention of making friends. In fact, since Shanchi became the first company in the two-wheeled electric vehicle industry to hire a spokesperson, which boosted sales, other companies have also followed suit.

Both men were eager to make friends, their eyes darting around as they exchanged a glance and pulled out their business cards.

"What's your surname? Let's be friends."

Brother Hu handed over his business card, which Tan Jincheng took, gesturing for Gu Qingqing to also hand over hers.

"Hello, Tan Jincheng."

"Hello, Brother Hu."

"Hello, Yuan Hong."

After walking for about ten minutes, they arrived at the Condor Heroes film set. Tan Jincheng waited outside for a while before Brother Hu and Yuan Hong went inside to visit the set. They also went to inform Liu Xiaoli on Tan Jincheng's behalf, as they already knew on their way there that Tan Jincheng was here to see Liu Yifei's team.

"I'll go inform him right away, Mr. Tan, please wait a moment."

To be able to build a nationally renowned company at such a young age, one must either have powerful backers or possess exceptional abilities. Liu Yifei's endorsement fee must be quite substantial.

"Is this Mr. Tan? I'm so sorry, why didn't you call ahead?"

After a while, Liu Xiaoli jogged over to greet them, accompanied by Liu Yifei, who was dressed casually. The mother and daughter were truly stunning at first sight, but in Tan Jincheng's opinion, Liu Xiaoli had more charm.

"Hello, Mr. Liu, Ms. Liu, would you like to find a place to talk?"

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Tan Jincheng got straight to the point, which made Liu Xiaoli look at him with even greater respect. As far as she knew, this young boss Tan was only 20 years old, yet he had such composure, which was truly rare.

"Okay, I've made all the arrangements. Please, both of you."

After calming herself down, Liu Xiaoli didn't hesitate and led Tan Jincheng and Gu Qingqing to a hotel near the film set. The crew had booked the entire hotel; the Condor Heroes crew was quite wealthy, and Liu Yifei, as one of the lead actresses, naturally received excellent treatment.

"What are your thoughts on the cooperation, Mr. Liu?"

Taking the coffee from Liu Xiaoli, Tan Jincheng went straight to the point. The conditions he offered were quite good; any one of the three contracts was very generous. Although Shanchi had just been established, with the expansion of its production capacity, it would be able to squeeze into the top ten of the two-wheeled electric vehicle industry by 2006.

In 2005, FlashTech's annual revenue had already exceeded 6000 million yuan. Although the shipment volume of 3.8 vehicles was not large, this was only the result of FlashTech's official launch five months ago. This thing was not worried about selling at all.

“We chose the ten-year contract, but Mr. Tan, could you tell me why you offered a ten-year endorsement contract? You should know something about endorsement contracts. Also, what is the meaning of having my daughter sign it?”

Tan Jincheng's direct approach made Liu Xiaoli a little uncomfortable, but she could understand that he was a young man.

Of course, the most important thing is that Tan Jincheng offered good terms, especially the payment method, which was a one-time payment. This is extremely rare, as very few celebrities would proactively disclose the details of their endorsement contracts.

However, if the details of the endorsement contract can bring you benefits, then why not promote it?
"Firstly, I am a fan of Ms. Liu. Choosing my favorite celebrity to endorse our product is a win-win collaboration."

Gu Qingqing, standing to the side, was having a hard time holding back. Here they come again, and it's the fans again.

"As for why I signed a ten-year contract, it's because I'm optimistic about Ms. Liu's career prospects, and I'm willing to take the gamble. This won't cause any loss to your side."

Liu Xiaoli nodded. For them, there was indeed no loss. If they were still in the entertainment industry ten years later, their net worth would definitely increase. However, a one-time payment could solve the company's biggest problem, and the increase in endorsement fees could be ignored.

They had already calculated these things beforehand, so they didn't care how Tan Jincheng answered.

"As for why Ms. Liu had to sign in person, that's perfectly normal. Ms. Liu is now an adult and capable of signing. Besides, since it's a ten-year contract, we need to eliminate the risk of changing agencies."

Tan Jincheng's explanations were all plausible, and although Liu Xiaoli felt there were still some loopholes, she had nothing to say.

After all, there are no hidden traps in the endorsement contract, and they have already consulted a lawyer about this.

"Do you have any requests to make?"

Tan Jincheng could roughly tell that Liu Xiaoli was quite satisfied with this endorsement collaboration. The two sides had no disagreements on major strategies, and the next step was to discuss some details.

Throughout the negotiation process, Tan Jincheng maintained the upper hand. Liu Xiaoli hadn't encountered a business leader like him in a long time. In the absence of transparency, endorsements between companies and celebrities, especially for small businesses, are often at a disadvantage.

"Is Mr. Tan really only 20 years old?"

Liu Yifei was completely bewildered throughout the process. Except for the final signing, her mother led the way, so she didn't feel much emotionally involved. However, Liu Xiaoli was quite different.

"Yes what's the matter."

Tan Jincheng didn't care at all; throwing money around is always one of the best ways, but in reality, he was panicking. Signing a top female star with extremely high future commercial value and no scandals for 2700 million yuan was indeed a huge profit.

However, paying in full at once puts a lot of pressure on Flashpoint Technology. This was more than 40% of Flashpoint Technology's revenue in 2005, and it really hurt to give it away all at once.

Given FlashTech's current cash flow, it would be extremely difficult to come up with so much cash at once; they would need to raise funds from multiple sources.
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"Thank you, Mr. Tan. I never expected that we could cooperate for so long."

In 2015, when the two parties signed the endorsement contract for the second time, Liu Xiaoli no longer had the superior, scrutinizing look she had ten years ago; on the contrary, she was now somewhat afraid of this 30-year-old company CEO.

Over the course of ten years, Liu Yifei gradually transformed from a goddess of period dramas to an international star, attempting to enter the big screen and the music scene, but her overall transformation was unsuccessful, and she also encountered endless controversy and huge troubles.

If it weren't for this young CEO mediating, their lives wouldn't be so easy. For Liu Yifei now, the endorsement contract with FlashTech is just a simple contract, but they dare not give it up.

Giving up means losing the protection of capital.

However, without troubles in his career, there are other troubles, namely his daughter's love life.

The daughter seemed to have developed different feelings for the CEO, with whom she had been married for several years; indeed, it was hard for women who had been in contact with Tan Jincheng for a long time not to be attracted to such an outstanding talent and good-looking man.

Today, Tan Jincheng owns three listed companies: Flash Technology, Weilai Shares, and Orange Technology. He has transformed from a small, dilapidated factory into a tycoon spanning multiple industries, including light industry, physical manufacturing, the internet, and finance.

In Lao Chen's words, in terms of status in the entertainment industry, there aren't many people who dare to offend this young man. It's just a pity that it seems the woman is willing but the man is indifferent.

Actually, she had noticed something was wrong with her daughter a long time ago. At that time, Tan Jincheng was not yet married. She used a collaboration to create a scandal as a test for Tan Jincheng.

Unfortunately, it was just a test, and he put his then-girlfriend, now-wife, in a powerful position at Orange Technology to refute the rumors.

It was during that test that Liu Xiaoli became somewhat afraid of Tan Jincheng's methods. Just one test had prompted him to react quickly and retaliate in the most direct way.

After that, she dared not do anything underhanded again.

"I hope there will be another decade. I will find opportunities to help Xiao Liu and Wei increase their cooperation and strive to enhance your commercial value."

Tan Jincheng smiled faintly. In the past ten years of cooperation, to be honest, Liu Yifei is not as good as Chun Ge and Zhou Pangzi. She listens to her mother in everything, does not have a professional team, and does not know how to do things, which causes constant trouble.

Of the three spokespeople, she is the one who has caused the most trouble. However, fortunately, her personal image and commercial value have been improving step by step, and the image of the "Fairy Sister" has long been deeply rooted in people's hearts.

It must be said that his early works were of great help to him. Although he has produced many works in the past decade, none of them have had the same impact as his early small-screen works.

In terms of commercial value, the two collaborations with Tissot have greatly enhanced its image, and its brand has shifted towards international women. After ten years of dedication, it's time to reap the rewards.

Since 2013, with the gradual influx of capital into the entertainment industry, Liu Yifei's commercial value has begun to rise. Flash Electric Vehicles are no longer suitable for her, and Liu Yifei currently holds endorsement contracts with several international brands.

"Definitely, definitely. Thank you, Mr. Tan, for taking care of me over the past ten years."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiaoli was pleasantly surprised. In the past ten years, her daughter had not brought much change to the sales of FlashTech, and she often had to trouble President Tan. Although their situation has improved a lot now and they are able to protect themselves to a certain extent, they are not as dependent on Tan Jincheng.

But as I said before, 2015 was the period when capital was most heavily invading the entertainment industry, especially internet capital. If you wanted to do well, it was best to maintain good relationships with these investors.

They were genuinely afraid that Tan Jincheng, this powerful businessman, would abandon them.

But from the mother's perspective, she didn't actually need this collaboration. How could she not know what her daughter was thinking? If another ten years passed, wouldn't that be a waste?

"Before cooperating with Wei Lai, we can cooperate with Orange Technology first."

The contract was signed at Tan Jincheng's home, and Gu Qingqing was also involved. Gu Qingqing basically managed Tan Jincheng's connections in the entertainment industry, as he didn't like to get too involved with the entertainment circle.

"Okay, I'll come to your company tomorrow to have a chat."

Liu Yifei responded frankly that her relationship with Gu Qingqing was quite good, and her relationship with Tan Jincheng's family was also good. However, she felt a little uncomfortable, regretful, and afraid when facing Tan Jincheng.

Tan Jincheng was truly ruthless towards her, showing no mercy when he started cursing.

"Hey."

(End of this chapter)