Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 113 A bright future
On the morning of January 3rd, the last day of the New Year's Day holiday, the winter wind was biting and howling past my ears.

The cold wind was unusually noisy today, but it couldn't dispel the sorrow of parting that permeated the air.

In front of the Dongci Hotel, Song Ci and Liu Shishi, a couple, were embracing tightly, as if time had stood still at that moment.

Parting is always painful, and after a brief reunion comes separation. Their eyes meet, filled with deep affection, longing, and reluctance.

Song Ci gently stroked his girlfriend's soft hair, his eyes tender as water, his voice low and gentle, containing a trace of sorrow: "Take good care of yourself on set, and tell me if you feel wronged. See you at the end of the month, Shishi."

Liu Shishi nodded slightly, straightened her boyfriend's collar, her eyes were moist, and her voice trembled slightly, filled with concern and deep affection: "Yes, darling, you must take good care of yourself too, don't always be so busy with work."

Song Ci gently kissed Liu Shishi's forehead, then reluctantly got into the car, not daring to look at Liu Shishi again, and instructed the driver to set off.

The car slowly started and drove away from the hotel. After a long while, Song Ci turned around and glanced at the blurry figure of Miss Liu through the rear window.

With a sigh, Song Ci said self-deprecatingly, "Why have I become so sentimental?"

Shaking his head to suppress the lingering emotions in his heart, he asked the bodyguard sitting in the front passenger seat, "Tang Yue, what time is the flight?"

Zhang Zhao and his secretary remained in Hengdian to handle the matter of Tengda Culture opening a branch. They did not return to Beiping with Song Ci. The miscellaneous matters such as chartering cars and booking tickets were temporarily handed over to Song Ci's bodyguard, Tang Yue.

Tang Yue is a retired soldier with a strong sense of security and reconnaissance. After being recruited by Tengda Group, he became Song Ci's bodyguard.

While Song Ci and Liu Shishi were making out in front of the hotel, he had been waiting quietly to the side, observing his surroundings. Now, when he heard his boss ask him a question, he quickly and respectfully replied, "Mr. Song, it's the 12 noon flight."

Song Ci nodded slightly, calculating the time. Even if the flight returned to Beiping smoothly, it would probably be around three or four in the afternoon.

I had suddenly come up with some new ideas about the group's development for next year and wanted to have a meeting with Zhang Yong and others to discuss them, but it's not convenient to schedule any meetings now that I'm in Beiping.

The journey was long, and Song Ci sat in the car with his eyes closed, deep in thought. He was still hesitant about the company's plan to launch a Weibo account this year.

In 2006, the mobile internet era had not yet begun. There were approximately 4590 million PCs connected to the internet in China, with about 11100 million internet users. The industry scale was far smaller than it was in 2009 when Sina launched Weibo.

Whether launching a Weibo account three years in advance would be as successful as Sina Weibo in his previous life was something he still needed to carefully calculate and consider.

When Song Ci was heading to Hangzhou Airport, Jiang Tao, the director of the Arts and Literature Center at the CCTV Building in Beiping, was sitting in his office with a furrowed brow, looking down at a document in his hand.

At the start of the new year, the TV station was extremely busy, with everyone working overtime.

Jiang Tao was no exception. With something on his mind, he rushed to the office early in the morning, eager to get the tidying report from the previous night.

Last night, "My Own Swordsman" premiered on CCTV-8 during prime time. As the project he had strongly advocated for as the opening drama of the year, Jiang Tao was naturally very concerned.

In addition, this TV series was the first time CCTV had tried a new model of paying purchase fees in segments based on viewership ratings. Jiang Tao knew that the success or failure of "My Own Swordsman" was closely related to his career. If he messed it up and it gave him a handle to criticize, it might affect his promotion.

The premiere of "My Own Swordsman" only garnered a 2.25% viewership rating, which can only be described as average. It's not outstanding but acceptable. It might be okay for a regular day, but as a prime-time opening drama of the year, it's completely unqualified.

Jiang Tao sighed in disappointment. The entire project had flopped. He rubbed his aching temples and began to think about how to deal with the negative impact that "My Own Swordsman" had brought him.

Attracted by the knocking, Jiang Tao looked up at his assistant standing at the door.

The female assistant didn't enter the office, but said from a distance, "Director Jiang, Station Master Wang requests your presence."

"I understand!" Jiang Tao replied helplessly, not expecting his boss to contact him so quickly.

Not daring to keep his superiors waiting, Jiang Tao briefly considered how to handle the situation before picking up his notebook and pen and heading to Director Wang, the supervisor in charge.

Jiang Tao stood outside the director's office, his heart filled with nervousness and trepidation. After tidying himself up, he gritted his teeth and gently knocked on the door.

"Please come in." A familiar and steady voice came, and Jiang Tao carefully pushed the door open and entered.

Entering the office, where red flags were prominently displayed and the atmosphere was solemn, one could see Director Wang with his head down, reviewing documents, his expression serious.

Jiang Tao tiptoed, not daring to make a sound, and walked to the desk with his head down, saying softly, "Boss!"

Director Wang looked up at Jiang Tao, stopped what he was doing, and said calmly, "Xiao Jiang, have a seat."

"Thank you, leader." Jiang Tao sat down opposite Director Wang, sitting upright and cautiously only resting half of his buttocks on the chair.

Director Wang got straight to the point: "You already know the ratings for the premiere of 'My Own Swordsman'."

As expected, Jiang Tao nodded helplessly and replied, "I understand, boss. The 2.25% rating for the premiere is not ideal."

"This show is unlikely to take off. Once other TV stations start airing their opening dramas of the year, the market will be further squeezed, and the ratings may drop even further."

You need to have a clear idea in mind. Prepare the materials in advance and report to the editor-in-chief with me, so we're not caught off guard when the boss asks questions.

After all, he was a trusted and beloved subordinate whom he had personally promoted, so Director Wang carefully advised Jiang Tao to handle the aftermath properly.

Hearing that he also had to report to the editor-in-chief, Jiang Tao felt distressed, but he dared not show it on his face and replied seriously, "I understand, leader. Thank you for your concern."

“I remember when we purchased ‘My Own Swordsman’, the Arts Center and the production company signed a performance-based agreement. Can you tell me in detail about the signing process?”

When asked by his superiors, Jiang Tao quickly described the scene when Song Ci proposed the betting scheme on CCTV that day, using objective and cautious language.

During the report, I also paid attention to Director Wang's expression and reaction, and adjusted my speaking speed and the level of detail of the content as appropriate. When I mentioned key data, I would pause slightly to give the leader some time to think.

After listening to his subordinate, Director Wang pondered for a moment: "Based on a 2.25% viewership rating, we only need to pay 1500 million yuan for procurement, right? That's a little cheaper than the original quote from the Arts and Culture Center."

"Yes, boss." Jiang Tao nodded; this was the only good news.

Director Wang nodded slightly: "When it comes to ratings, anyone can make a mistake, and the purchase of 'My Own Swordsman' was also a collective decision made by the Arts and Literature Center."

The poor performance isn't solely your fault, and the station won't hold you solely responsible. The performance-based agreement shows you do have some commitment to your work. Make sure to clearly state this in your report to the editor-in-chief, but don't worry, I'll also report it on your behalf. We should criticize and reflect on mistakes made at work, but we should also encourage and praise achievements.

Jiang Tao breathed a sigh of relief, understanding that Director Wang wanted to downplay the seriousness of the "My Own Swordsman" incident and give him a hand. He couldn't help but express his gratitude: "Thank you so much."

Staring at his trusted subordinate who had followed him for many years, Director Wang earnestly advised, "Xiao Jiang, Old Li is about to retire, and you were originally a very promising successor."

However, the opening performance of the year was not handled properly. You must seize this opportunity and make some achievements at the Arts Center in the remaining time so that I can speak up for you in front of the editor-in-chief.

You need to live up to expectations. Don't get complacent just because "Bright Sword" did a good job last year. Resting on your laurels is not a good idea.

Jiang Tao had no words to express his bitterness. At the time, seeing Song Ci's confident appearance, he was so blinded by greed that he decided to make "My Own Swordsman" the opening drama of CCTV-8 without thinking. He never expected that "My Own Swordsman" would flop in ratings.

This left him completely unable to stand up straight in front of his superiors, and he could only bury his head and take the scolding, nodding to Director Wang assuring him that he would be cautious in his actions and strive to achieve results in the future.

"Let's leave it at that. You're a veteran at the station, so you know how to do your job. Once you've written the report, send it to me for my review first."

Seeing that the leader had lowered his head to review the documents again, Jiang Tao knew that Director Wang would not say anything more, so he got up to say goodbye, bowed slightly to show his respect, and then quietly left the office.

With his future potentially affected, Jiang Tao walked dejectedly back to his office, only to find his top lieutenant, the head of the film and television department, Mark, pacing back and forth in the corridor, looking gloomy.

Upon seeing Jiang Tao return, Mark hurriedly went to greet him, "Director Jiang, what did Director Wang say?"

When he arrived at work in the morning and learned about the ratings for the premiere of "My Own Swordsman," he had a bad feeling.

With a premiere rating of 2.25%, this is the worst opening drama for CCTV in recent years. Jiang Tao hurriedly arrived at the station, only to be told that the leader had been summoned to see the station director.

Feeling heavy-hearted and unable to concentrate on work, I waited for Jiang Tao to return at the office door.

Jiang Tao sighed, not wanting to put pressure on his usually conscientious subordinates, and comforted them, "The situation is alright, let's go inside and talk!"

As soon as the two sat down, Mark couldn't wait to speak: "Boss, there was absolutely no problem with the procurement process for 'My Own Swordsman,' and the department's overall evaluation was also positive. It's just that we didn't expect the viewership rating to be only 2.25%."

"There's no point in saying more now. I just hope that other TV stations don't produce any hit shows. If everyone's shows are bad, then I'll have something to say about myself."

Mark still had a sliver of hope and tentatively asked, "Boss, should we check the ratings again tomorrow? The feedback from below says that 'My Own Swordsman' has received good reviews, so there might be a turnaround."

With the premiere ratings already set, how much could they possibly rise? Although he didn't have high hopes, Jiang Tao still thought for a moment and gave the order:

"Let's prepare for both possibilities. It would be best if the ratings improved tomorrow. Your film and television department needs to prepare a report explaining the procurement process for 'My Own Swordsman'. As for whether the station will punish us, let's leave that to fate."

"Okay, then I'll go prepare a report for my supervisor."

Jiang Tao nodded, watched Mark leave, and then lowered his head to think about how to write his report.

The next morning, Jiang Tao went straight to Director Wang's office as soon as he arrived at work, his eyes bloodshot and his expression exhausted.

Yesterday, he was filled with anxiety and tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. He rushed to finish the report in his anxiety and prepared to give it to his superiors for review early this morning.

Clutching the meticulously prepared work report from the previous night, I mustered my spirits and knocked on the door of the station director's office.

"Please come in!" The voice was loud and clear, full of energy.

"Good morning, leader! I'm bothering you again!" Jiang Tao greeted Director Wang, who was tending to the green plants.

"Xiao Jiang is here, please have a seat." Unlike yesterday's indifferent and cold demeanor, Director Wang was gentle and kind today, a stark contrast to yesterday.

Director Wang sat back in his seat, looked at his subordinate with a beaming smile, and said, "Xiao Jiang, the ratings for 'My Own Swordsman' were pretty good yesterday, which shows that you have a good eye for talent."

As soon as Jiang Tao arrived at work, he went straight to the leader's office. He didn't know how the ratings for "My Own Swordsman" were yesterday. But after hearing what Director Wang said and considering the leader's sudden change in attitude, he guessed that the ratings must have improved significantly last night.

Suppressing his joy, Jiang Tao asked expectantly, "Boss, how were the ratings for 'My Own Swordsman' last night?"

Director Wang didn't keep you in suspense: "4.66%."

Jiang Tao couldn't help but exclaim in surprise: "It's actually doubled!"

Overjoyed, the show achieved a 4.66% viewership rating the following day, a more than 100% increase, potentially surpassing the opening dramas of previous years, such as "The Emperor Wu of Han" and "DA Master." At least he could give his superiors an explanation.

Jiang Tao breathed a sigh of relief, his previous dejection gone. His face lit up with joy. He took out the results of his work from the previous night and asked Director Wang for his instructions: "Sir, these are the report materials you assigned yesterday. Please review them."

Jiang Tao still submitted the report to his superiors for review. Regardless of today's ratings, he had to complete the tasks assigned by his superiors yesterday and demonstrate a serious attitude, showing that he valued the superiors' arrangements and had completed the work without fail.

Director Wang nodded in satisfaction, but did not look at the work report after receiving it.

"Xiao Jiang, 'My Own Swordsman' is on a roll right now. You should notify the production company to increase the publicity efforts. If the ratings can rise even further, I'll have more confidence to speak up for you in front of the editor-in-chief."

Knowing his leader's good intentions, Jiang Tao repeatedly expressed his gratitude: "Thank you for your trouble. I will make arrangements as soon as I get back."

"I heard you've already met with Tengda's newly listed chairman?" Director Wang quietly lowered his voice.

There are few things that the station director doesn't know, big or small, from top to bottom. Jiang Tao wouldn't and wouldn't dare to hide anything, so he frankly said, "Yes, Song Ci, the chairman of Tengda Group, came in person during the procurement negotiations that day."

Director Wang looked puzzled: "You know the attitude of those above towards that person. As a representative of the propaganda system, CCTV should also listen to the opinions of outstanding young representatives."

Jiang Tao naturally understood what his leader meant: "I will make the arrangements right away and find an opportunity to invite a few executives from Tengda Group to have a meal together and exchange ideas. I will report to you as soon as the time is set."

Director Wang recalled some rumors that Tengda's young chairman refused any media interviews, so he specifically instructed him: "Young people may be a bit arrogant, but it's understandable that they are accomplished at a young age. We should be more polite to them."

(End of this chapter)