Entertainment: Since 1990

Chapter 318 Mr. Cao's Entrepreneurial Fan, Little Ma

"Mr. Cao, I heard that you're going to sing a song at this year's Spring Festival Gala. Could you tell me what kind of song it is?"

"You'll find out on New Year's Eve."

"Mr. Cao, this is your first time on the Spring Festival Gala. How does it feel?"

"I didn't feel anything, it was just singing."

"You've been famous for several years, why is this your first time appearing on the Spring Festival Gala?"

"I didn't want to go before."

"Mr. Cao, please tell me that the theme song you wrote for 'Titanic' has been nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song. Are you confident that you will win?"

"Actually, for me, being nominated is already a form of recognition."

When faced with reporters' questions, Cao Jian answered normally, but Wang Fei next to him was quite different.

"Ms. Wang Fei, there are rumors that you and Mr. Cao are dating. Is there any truth to this?"

"Did your collaboration with Mr. Cao develop feelings for each other through song?"

Will you marry Mr. Cao?

When faced with such a gossipy question, Wang Fei's only response was: "What's it to you?"

Faced with Wang Fei's unique personality, the reporters became even more curious.

The answer I wanted to know, I just couldn't get from asking.

Cao Jian finally breathed a sigh of relief after managing to get rid of the reporters.

Entertainment reporters in China these days are indeed quite crazy, but this also shows that the entertainment industry is beginning to enter people's lives.

I need to be more careful when picking up girls in the future, or I might get caught.

However, he was really looking forward to this year's Oscars, because if he won, he would become the first Chinese person to actually receive this award.

The Spring Festival Gala dress rehearsal will be held twice.

Cao Jian and Wang Fei have been together for a long time, and their cooperation and tacit understanding have been perfect.

On January 27th, the Spring Festival, the most important festival for Chinese people, finally arrived.

Nowadays, smartphones are still rare, and computers are even rarer. During the Spring Festival, most Chinese families gather together to watch the Spring Festival Gala, the most important feast on New Year's Eve.

Besides Uncle Benshan's skit, what young people are most looking forward to this year's Spring Festival Gala is that their idol, Cao Jian, will appear on this stage for the first time.

Cao Jian and Wang Fei were also sitting in an inconspicuous spot in the audience, waiting to go on stage.

According to Mr. Cao, although the stage design for this year's Spring Festival Gala is not as lavish as it was more than a decade later, the original intention of the Spring Festival Gala remains unchanged.

That is to bring joy to the audience across the country on this joyous and happy Lunar New Year's Eve, rather than to educate them.

The hosts remain unchanged: Ni Ping and Zhao Zhongxiang.

This year marked Hong Kong's return to China, and the Spring Festival Gala was undoubtedly the most lively one in recent years.

Watching Feng Gong and Niu Qun's crosstalk, Huang Hong and Song Dandan's skits, and Zhao Lirong's skit "Kung Fu," Cao Jian still enjoys the feeling.

"Oh no, good news from the delivery room! She's given birth!"

"You're risking your life to make money like a mouse working as a prostitute for a cat!"

Uncle Benshan's skit "New Year's Greetings" made the audience laugh heartily from the bottom of their hearts.

When the skit ended and the audience was still immersed in its joy, without any introduction from the host, a round balloon appeared on the stage, with two people dancing inside.

Before the viewers in front of the television knew what program it was, the two people slowly appeared via a stage lift.

"Cao Jian of the Four Heavenly Kings!"

"Is this his show?"

"And Wang Fei too!"

"So handsome!"
Only then did the audience realize that this was their idol's show.

Cao Jian's fans were all excited; they stayed in front of their TVs, waiting for this moment.

"Director Meng, how's it going? The ratings haven't dropped, have they?"

"No, it seems to have improved a little..."

Backstage, the director finally understood the reason why Cao Jian's program was placed after Benshan's skit.

Generally, after watching Uncle Benshan's skit, many viewers either go to sleep or go out to set off firecrackers.

With Cao's show on TV, who would still want to sleep?
Among the Four Heavenly Kings, Andy Lau is a regular on the Spring Festival Gala, having appeared on it several times.

Although it was Cao Jian's first time on the Spring Festival Gala, his influence and impact were unmatched by Liu Dehua.

In some parts of China, Fan Bingbing, Wang Yan, Dong Jie, and others, seeing that this man, as well as the lyricist, composer, and singer, all bear the name Cao Jian, felt both proud and somewhat envious of Wang Fei.

Come on, come on, let's meet in 1998.

The melodious singing spread to every household at that moment, allowing Cao Jian's name to reach places that had never been heard before.

The Spring Festival Gala still has the best publicity effect in China today.

"Mom, Godfather sings so well."

Inside a villa in Yanjing, little Liu Yifei listened to Cao Jian's singing on TV and really wished she could be like her godfather someday.

“Sisi, next time you see your godfather, ask him to write a song for you too.”

In Liu Xiaoli's view, Cao Jian can make so many people famous, so he should be able to make her daughter famous as well.

One should become famous as early as possible to lay a good foundation for the future.

"Our hearts are linked, our hearts are linked, we'll meet year after year, no matter how near or far we are."

On television, when Cao Jian and Wang Fei sang the last line, they both spontaneously took each other's hands.

Wang Fei was also extremely happy.

She never expected that she would perform on the Spring Festival Gala with her partner for the first time, and that the performance would be so successful.

After finishing their song, Cao Jian and Wang Fei bowed to the audience. As soon as they stepped off the stage, the station director came over to congratulate them, saying, "Mr. Cao and Ms. Wang, your performance was even more perfect than during the rehearsal. You truly deserve to be called superstar singers."

Cao Jian smiled modestly and said politely, "Thank you, thankfully I was well prepared."

"Mr. Cao, your song might win Best Song at the Spring Festival Gala. Can you participate in the Lantern Festival Gala?"

"I'll skip this one; I'm going to the United States."

"Is it about the Oscars? I've been thinking these past couple of days about whether to have the movie channel broadcast the Oscars ceremony. If you win, it will give Chinese filmmakers confidence."

"It's just a small prize, there's no need to do a live broadcast. We'll talk about it when there's a more significant prize later."

Although "My Heart Will Go On" has become a global hit during this period.

But I am Chinese after all, so it's normal for me to be nominated. However, it's also possible that the Americans might discriminate against Chinese people and refuse to give me the award.

It would be too embarrassing to return empty-handed if the broadcast was broadcast nationwide.

However, the possibility of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" winning Best Foreign Language Film is quite high.

But Director Yang thought the man was just being modest and sighed, "You call the Oscars for Best Original Song and Best Original Score minor awards? Then what counts as a major award?"

Cao Jian said, "Actually, it's the best foreign language film."

"Does Mr. Cao have a new movie to shoot?"

"I'm currently writing a script."

"Great!"

Director Yang gave a thumbs up once again.

While domestic filmmakers are still striving for awards like the Golden Rooster and the Hong Kong Film Awards, Mr. Cao, at such a young age, is already aiming for the Oscars.

After the performance, Cao Jian didn't plan to wait until the very end to sing "Unforgettable Tonight," and left early with Wang Fei.

Tonight, they're going to celebrate the success of their performance. After all, Wang Fei's eyes were practically drooling.

During the Spring Festival, while others were on holiday, Cao Jian was extremely busy.

On the second and third days of the Lunar New Year, I visited some leaders, and on the fourth day, I accompanied Liu Xiaoli and her daughter straight to the United States.

Besides the Oscars, there are two other important things to do on this trip.

First, Blizzard is going public in early February.

Secondly, the chat and communication software QQ, which he invested in and developed, has been successfully developed, and he plans to establish a new technology company in Shenzhen.

Shenzhen, the forefront of China's reform and opening up.

This former fishing village has transformed into a young, modern city after twenty years of development.

As computers become increasingly prevalent in China, many insightful individuals have identified computer technology as a potential entrepreneurial direction.

Among these people was a young man surnamed Ma, who was selling a computer software they had developed at the SEG Electronics Market.

Although there are many people in the electronics market, the main customer traffic is concentrated in the pager, mobile phone, and game console areas. The computer software area usually doesn't open for three years, but when it does, it can sustain itself for three years.

Therefore, ordinary people rarely buy software nowadays; it's mostly internet cafes and businesses that purchase it.

"Xiao Ma, your software is selling well. Would you be interested in starting a software company?"

With nothing to do, the surrounding shopkeepers chatted with Xiao Ma, who wore glasses and looked somewhat refined.

"I have this idea, but I don't want to make this software anymore. It has too many limitations. I want to make a wireless network paging system."

Xiao Ma is still a young man in his early twenties, and he's not very shrewd. He expressed his thoughts in the hope that someone would invest in him.

"Pagers? I feel that pagers don't have much of a future. This year, Ruifeng Electronics' 1001 mobile phone sold so well. I feel that mobile phones have a brighter future."

"Yes."

Speaking of cell phones, Xiao Ma took out his Hualong 1001, which he had just bought during the Chinese New Year, and thought of his idol, Cao Jian.

It is said that Cao Jian was born in 1971, just like himself, but he has already become one of the top ten richest people in Hong Kong.

This person even skipped pagers and went straight to making mobile phones, which shows that pagers are indeed on the decline.

"If we don't do a network paging system, what will we do?"

This young man named Ma Huateng looked into the distance. He really wanted to have the opportunity to meet his idol, Cao Jian, and see how he started his business.

Why are idols so amazing? From VCDs to mobile phones, they are all products at the forefront of the times.

It is said that he also founded a game company in the United States.

Many of the games that people around me often play, such as Red Alert and Age of Empires, were created by them.

Games seem to have a promising future.

Making games is too difficult; it's not possible to do it in China yet.
Ma Huateng admired his idol more and more, and wanted to meet him even more.

However, given their vastly different social statuses, meeting their idol seemed an impossible dream.

Cao Jian was unaware that a promising young man was eagerly awaiting his arrival; at that moment, Cao Jian was already at the New York Stock Exchange.

Because he is Chinese, he kept a low profile during Blizzard's IPO and did not promote it extensively.

However, the release of Blizzard's games still attracted considerable attention from the media.

The IPO of a game company is a significant event for the United States, as it could break Japan's dominance in the gaming industry. They take it very seriously and must promote it.

For Huaxia, Cao Jian is Chinese, and it is something to celebrate that his company was able to list on the New York Stock Exchange.

"clang!"

When the bell rang at the New York Stock Exchange, Blizzard's stock price soared rapidly, fueled by the enthusiasm of Wall Street tycoons.

Anyone with foresight knows that with the widespread adoption of computers, the gaming industry has a bright future.

Mr. Cao watched the price rise from $8.9 to $15.6 and smiled with satisfaction.

From now on, it will be American stock market investors' money that will be spent.

Liu Xiaoli, who came to watch the spectacle, counted on her fingers and realized that her husband was worth nearly a billion US dollars just in the United States.

At this time, he was only twenty-seven years old.

What heights will he reach in ten years?
It seems I need to take good care of myself and not age too quickly, so this man won't dislike me.

But women over forty.
A sense of crisis welled up inside him again, and he couldn't help but glance at his daughter.
What will happen to my daughter if Cao Jian stops liking me?
Blizzard Entertainment's General Manager, Mo Huaimi, and several other veterans looked at the numbers and realized that they were now millionaires.

"Boss, thank you."

All of this was brought about by the boss, Cao Jian.

"I also thank you for your efforts."

Cao Jian laughed and said, "Let's drink together tonight, and I'll show you some light-footed skills!"

At the celebration banquet, Cao Jian directly presented the two game ideas.

"These are two games. We'll set up a project team at the company tomorrow. CS needs to be developed by the end of this year. We'll give you three years to develop World of Warcraft as well."

Now that Boss Cao is rich, his prestige in the company is even greater.

He looked at everyone and continued, "The Internet age is coming, and technology and games are evolving very quickly. If we don't keep up, we will be eliminated at any time!"

At the dinner table, Liu Yifei looked at her godfather with nothing but admiration.

At this moment, the godfather looked both handsome and imposing.

Mo Huaimi and others had received the ideas, and he was deeply impressed by just the game CS (Counter-Strike).

He really didn't expect that a Chinese person could come up with such a game idea, even more impressive than the Americans.

But when I saw the concept behind World of Warcraft, I was so surprised that I couldn't close my mouth for a long time.

This game not only has an interesting backstory, but some of its designs are also very grand.

No wonder the boss gave me three years.

But is three years enough for a game like this?
Cao Jian noticed their concerns and said, "Just three years. If it's even one day longer, you'll all resign! As for how to develop it, figure that out yourselves!"

"Ok."

Mo Huaimi and others were also captivated by the boss's charm.

The company is so rich now, we can just hire more talent.

Of course, this was also Cao Jian's goal.

The game Warcraft is huge and requires a lot of special effects. If we could recruit talent in this area from the US to our company, we could eventually establish a special effects company with that talent.

This is what talent reserves are all about.

But Cao Jian's appearance made Liu Xiaoli's eyes sparkle again.

This is a real man; he's even more captivating than when he's in bed.

Of course, she prefers to enjoy the warmth of the bed.

The Hong Kong media, especially TVB, reported on Cao Jian's game company's IPO, and TVB even dedicated five minutes to showcasing Blizzard's entire development history to the audience.

But Hong Kong people don't care about these things; what they care about more is how much money Cao Jian has now.

Although they may not be as prestigious as established tycoons like Li Ka-shing, they are probably now in the top five.

Upon seeing this news, Shaw Yat-fu became even more determined to have Tsao Kin take charge of TVB in the future.

In contrast, only some financial channels in mainland China reported on this matter.

Ma Huateng, who has entrepreneurial plans, naturally pays close attention to financial channels.

"Mr. Cao's game has actually been listed on the US stock market?"

Seeing his idol on TV, he made an important decision: to go to the United States immediately and see if he could meet his idol!

(End of this chapter)