Who said this top flow is crazy! This top flow is awesome!

Chapter 348 Give everyone's manhood a few kicks

Now, Chi Ye has found himself in the same predicament that Sheng Ning once faced.

In comparison, given his past behavior and the number of people he offended, this situation is even more difficult.

How to do it?

Ikeno thinks it tastes better when it's cold.

……

The next day.

On set of a film crew in Hengdian.

Ran Qiao, dressed in ancient costume, walked out of the audition room, her small face thoughtful.

"how is it going?"

Her aunt, who had been waiting anxiously beside her, asked nervously, "Didn't you give an answer on the spot?"

They said they would go back and wait for news.

"It shouldn't be."

The aunt asked in confusion, "Didn't we already agree on this? You were confirmed at the end of last year. Everyone else was supposed to go back and wait for news, but we should have given them a reply on the spot. What did Director Zhang say to you?"

"...Auntie, I think this role might be canceled."

Ran Qiao smoothed her long hair: "They must have changed their minds."

"Changed your mind...?"

Aunt Ran Qiao opened her mouth, then suddenly realized something, her face turning grim: "Could the rumors from yesterday be true?"

"It shouldn't be fake."

"That……"

Aunt Ran Qiao's heart sank to the bottom.

Ran Qiao's signing with Chi Ye Studio was a huge undertaking, as they were previously a family business. The effort involved wasn't just about profits, but also the complexities of interpersonal relationships and family ties.

Ultimately, Ran Qiao's parents felt that they couldn't let such a small gain hinder their daughter's development, so they decided to respect her choice, but still sent Ran Qiao's aunt to be her agent.

After all, the entertainment industry is very chaotic, and they are afraid that Chi Ye might one day become interested in someone like Ran Qiao and draw her wooden card.

The "Peerless Beauty" project was something they negotiated before signing with Chi Ye Studio. It was directed by Zhang Jun, a well-known director of ancient costume dramas. To secure this project, Ran Qiao's parents had to drink with the actors countless times.

Aunt Ran Qiao saw it all and felt heartbroken.

The result is now...

Is the "Peerless Beauty" project going to be cancelled?
Is this some unfounded reason? What's the difference between this and a soft ban?!

"This is outrageous! Don't these people have any integrity? They made a promise, and your dad even had to be hospitalized once. Now they're just going to back out?"

The aunt was furious: "I'm going in to talk to them!"

"Aunt."

Ran Qiao remained calm and composed, speaking with an air of old age: "It's no use, don't go."

The aunt asked in surprise, "How can you be so sure? What did they say to you inside just now?"

Ran Qiao paused for two seconds, her small face expressionless: "They asked me to come to their room tonight to discuss the role."

"...Fuck him! Who let you go?!"

The aunt immediately flew into a rage upon hearing this, yelling, "Are these people deliberately trying to disgust people? Who said that? Was it that old bastard Zhang Jun?!"

“I spilled their wine, Auntie.”

Ran Qiao didn't think it was a big deal. After all, this kind of thing is very common in the industry, but it rarely happens to established female artists. At least they certainly wouldn't say it so openly in public.

Anyone who would do that would be doing it intentionally to humiliate her, so that they would know that this role was definitely not going to be given to her.

"...I need to tell President Chi about this; we can't just let it go like this."

The aunt, hands on her hips, said, "He has influence; he's the boss. Go find him."

“…Brother Chi is just an artist, and his company is still developing, so let’s not bother him.” Ran Qiao thought for a moment and said, “Perfect timing, I recently came across a fishing spot on Douyin. Now that we have some time, how about we…”

"Ranran."

Auntie was exasperated: "Can you please be more careful? You're not even that old yet, why do you like fishing so much... If you really want to fish, you should choose your target carefully. Going to a fishing pond would be better than fishing."

Ran Qiao said seriously, "Auntie, I don't really like doing these things. I feel like it will deplete my yang energy."

Aunt: "???"

You're depleting your Yang energy? Then what are others depleting?
What a clever little guy.

I don't know who she takes after, sigh!
"Don't say anything more, I'll handle this."

She sighed, feeling she had to talk to Chi Ye. If things continued this way, Ran Qiao would only be able to act in self-produced dramas, completely falling into the "gift package" category, which would be very detrimental to her career development.

……

Apart from Ran Qiao, the other newcomers signed by Chi Ye Studio were not affected much—because they were already unknown, and no one would hire them for outside projects, so it's not a question of whether they were affected or not.

At most, they themselves might feel anxious and uneasy after hearing the news, but Ikeno doesn't care about that.

The promotion of "The Martian" started on Douyin. In accordance with the usual style of Ikeno Studio, coupled with the popularity of "Goblin", the account has a high level of traffic and popularity, and the promotional lineup has been gradually rolled out.

"I have two variety shows to film this week, and I have to rehearse for the Spring Festival Gala next week..."

A prefecture-level city.

Holding a tablet, Xiao Liu briefly reported to Chi Ye his detailed schedule for the next two weeks.

Across from them, Chicken Claw Zhang and a middle-aged man sat awkwardly, not daring to interrupt.

After listening, Chi Ye nodded: "That's all for now, I understand."

"it is good."

Xiao Liu looked up at the two people opposite him, nodded, stepped aside, and said nothing more.

"Mr. Chi is usually very busy, so please take better care of your health."

After seeing Xiao Liu leave, the middle-aged man said, "You don't realize it when you're young, but as you get older, health problems keep coming one after another, and you can't get rid of them all."

"Like chives?"

Ikeno asked.

The middle-aged man paused, then said seriously, "Our short dramas are definitely not just about ripping off customers. We don't deny that many of our peers in the industry are doing that, but that absolutely does not include Comet Media."

Comet Media is a short drama company that the middle-aged man and Chicken Claw Zhang jointly invested in.

To be precise, it was the middle-aged men who invested. Chicken Claw Zhang only gained some popularity later on, riding the wave of "My Love from the Star" and having the gimmick of being Ikeno's old teammate, which led to some investment.

Chi Ye came here today because of the matter that Chicken Claw Zhang had asked him about last time.

Comet Media really did transfer the money—a lot of copyright fees, a huge amount.

Ikeno felt that he had underestimated the earning power and development potential of short dramas.

Given his personality, he must have already had the Cocoa Pie team conduct a background check before he came.

Currently, the short drama industry is still in a chaotic stage and is not very standardized. It can only be said that it has begun to emerge by virtue of its unique advantages of being short, simple, and fast. However, due to the frequent emergence of excellent long dramas this year, it has not attracted the attention of large capital.

Many platforms, such as Kiwi, also don't seem to care much about short dramas.

Among them, Comet Media is one of the best, but because it is more legitimate and doesn't operate in such a shady way (exploiting investors), its profitability can only rank in the top three, not number one. But that's why Chino was willing to meet with them.

—He is different from other investors; he is too famous and has too much traffic.

This is similar to choosing a product to endorse. The product must undergo rigorous background checks and testing. If there is even the slightest risk of the product collapsing, the Ikeno team will not accept the endorsement.

Same reason.

The short drama industry is currently experiencing rampant growth, with various "princes running away with their babies" and rampant exploitation of the public. If the company you want to control has a dirty background, Chi Ye will absolutely not get involved.

"I understand. What do you need me to do?"

"We need to invest, preferably by leveraging your reputation, Captain."

The two had been talking for over an hour, so Chicken Claw Zhang didn't hold back and said frankly, "Your traffic has been a huge help to us."

Chi Ye was noncommittal.

At the peak of popularity, his influence has become tangible, generating unpredictable wealth.

"Will you accept the acquisition?"

Everyone in the room was taken aback.

"Acquisition...acquisition?"

The owner of Comet Media opened his mouth, then pointed at himself with a bewildered expression: "Acquire us? Mr. Chi...you're not kidding?"

It wasn't that he thought Ikeno was being delusional, but rather... he never dared to imagine that Ikeno would acquire them.

After all, in the eyes of industry insiders, short dramas are indeed something that is considered "low-class". Only those who can't make it in the domestic entertainment industry will choose to enter the short drama industry. Who would act in short dramas if they have a proper formal education and some baggage?
In addition, while Ikeno certainly had enough financial resources, directly acquiring a media company still gave them a disorienting feeling.

—Ikeno's public persona has been fixed for too long, and his status as a top-tier celebrity is too dazzling, leading many people to habitually treat him and speculate about his thoughts as if he were an artist.

But in reality, he is also a boss, a capitalist who has accumulated "some assets" through various blockbuster projects.

"After the acquisition, I will not get involved in the specific affairs. The original organizational structure will continue to develop, but I will invest funds. Moreover, if we are all one family, we will share resources such as copyrights, scripts, and my personal traffic."

Chino said softly, "You can consider it. I do think this is quite promising, but if you're not willing, we can also adopt a normal cooperation model, but..."

He paused, then said honestly, "I'm very expensive."

Everyone: "..."

indeed.

Although Chi Ye's current status has not yet reached the peak of the Chinese entertainment industry, after all, there are too many big names in the film industry, in terms of influence, traffic, and popularity, he is indeed close to the top.

The industry outside the company charges him exorbitant appearance fees and prices. After "Goblin," very few event organizers can afford to hire him, but they are all willing to grit their teeth and pay the price.

This shows just how popular the once-obscure artist is now.

For a mere short drama, if they wanted to maintain the kind of collaboration that Ikeno and his team desired, the expenses might not even cover the profits.

"...We will definitely consider it seriously."

After a long silence, Comet Media gave its answer. Boss Wang Xiaohong stood up and, together with Chicken Claw Zhang, watched Chi Ye's team leave.

Then the two stood there in silence for a long time.

Why are you staring at him? He's already gone.

Wang Xiaohong waved his hand, signaling Chicken Claw Zhang to stop looking.

"I just didn't expect this..."

Chicken Claw Zhang shook his head with a complicated look halfway through his sentence: "Captain... Ikeno has developed so quickly."

Everyone knows he's made a lot of money in the past few years, but who really knows exactly how much...

Comet Media's current price is not low. If we directly discuss acquisition, Kabuto Ikeno has a lot of ammunition, more than many people can imagine.

Only Chino and Jin Xia know exactly how much they've accumulated during their two-year reign as top stars.

Of course, the old lady has never had a concept of money. In her eyes, Ikeno Studio is the origin and starting point of everything between her and Ikeno, and it has a very important commemorative significance.

But she didn't care about economic matters.

Therefore, some people outside have been saying that the boss of Ikeno Studio is Jin Xia, and that Ikeno is just a lowly employee, which is very wrong.

Because... this summer, I never thought this was my own thing. Ikeno Studio... and now Ye Media, just look at the name, doesn't that say everything?

"I just suddenly realized that he is not only an artist, but also a capitalist."

Wang Xiaohong remained silent for a while before suddenly saying, "Are all artists in your entertainment industry this humble? To be honest, short dramas really can't compare to long dramas. Short dramas simply can't create stars of this caliber."

"The captain wasn't created by a talent agency; he rose to fame on his own."

"...I was just using an example."

"I know."

"Hey, why are you touching me?"

"Do you think I could take over Jin Xia's position if I went to Thailand right now?"

"I think you can take over Shen Qingyu's position as the top female entertainer in Thai entertainment."

"..."

……

On the way back, Xiao Liu hesitated several times before speaking.

Ikeno turned around: "Want to say something?"

"Ah."

"Don't say it."

"...Brother Chi, are we really going to acquire this company?"

"What's wrong? Do you think I'm joking around with them?"

"No... I just feel... this industry is a bit too low-class, not up to your level."

Chi Ye asked in bewilderment, "Let's put aside whether the industry is low-class or not, what does this have to do with my status?"

"Uh……"

Xiao Liu was taken aback, and then realized, "I just... didn't understand it just now."

"You still haven't figured it out."

Chi Ye stretched and said, "This industry will become more and more standardized in the future. When web dramas first came out, they were treated the same way, but now you see, web dramas have a larger market audience than TV dramas. They can even apply for the three major awards. Is there any difference between them and TV dramas in the past?"

Xiao Liu nodded unconsciously.

"and."

Ikeno grinned: "I'm not acting. I'm just investing in a company. As long as my reputation is good and they help me make money, that's fine."

There was one more thing he didn't mention: if short dramas could really sweep through the industry like web dramas did in the past, even revolutionizing it, then he would preemptively acquire the top companies in the field, leveraging his current influence and financial resources…

This will be the biggest shock and blow to Tencent, Coolfilm, and all our old friends.

Previously, he could only tamper with the artwork itself, but if this time it works, then he can kick and crush the vital parts of all his enemies.

The project "The World's Demise" was mainly funded by Cool Film. He didn't say anything, but he remembered it quite clearly.

(End of this chapter)