Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 114 The First Show of the Number One
Stepping out of Director Wang's office, Jiang Tao was radiant and full of vigor. He was already highly respected within the station and was in the prime of his life.

As long as the ratings for "My Own Swordsman" don't plummet, and his hosting of the opening drama of the year goes smoothly, half the battle is won in succeeding Director Li.

When Jiang Tao returned to his office, Mark was waiting at the door just like yesterday, but today he was beaming with joy and looked several years younger.

Mark was very excited and quickly walked over to Jiang Tao: "Boss, you already know, right?"

Jiang Tao smiled and nodded, regaining his usual refined demeanor, and said in a gentle tone, "The station director told me that I have some things to tell you. Let's go into the office and talk."

Mark, beaming, followed his boss and casually closed the office door behind him.

Jiang Tao, slumped in his chair, let out a long breath of pent-up frustration and said with relief, "I've passed this hurdle."

Mark flattered him, saying, "True gold fears no fire; you have excellent taste."

Sitting up straight again, the joy in his heart gradually faded, and Jiang Tao said seriously, "Old Ma, the ratings for 'My Own Swordsman' are improving, so we need to hurry up with the advertising sales. Also, notify Tengda Culture to strengthen the promotion and try to get the ratings above 6%."

"Yes, sir, I'll get right on it." Mark quickly replied, keeping Jiang Tao's instructions firmly in mind.

After discussing a few more things, Mark took his leave and left the office.

The sooner the better, so Jiang Tao immediately dealt with the matter that Director Wang had just entrusted to him.

I took out my phone to call Song Ci, but then I remembered that we hadn't been in contact since we met on CCTV, and calling him directly might seem a bit abrupt.

After a moment's consideration, Jiang Tao decided to call Wang Jing first. Firstly, Wang Jing was the producer of "My Own Swordsman," so they would have something to talk about. Secondly, she was the COO of Tengda Group, and her relationship with Chairman Song Ci was undoubtedly close, facilitating communication.

Today is January 4th, the first day back to work after the New Year's Day holiday. Wang Jing is organizing materials in the group's office.

2005 has passed, and as the COO of Tengda Group, she and other senior executives will be giving their year-end performance reviews to Song Ci in a few days. These days, she is busy compiling and summarizing the group's various operating data.

The phone on the table suddenly rang. Wang Jing glanced at it and her heart skipped a beat when she saw that the caller ID showed "Director Jiang from CCTV".

She already knew yesterday that the premiere ratings of "My Own Swordsman" were not ideal, and that the project that Tengda Culture had placed high hopes on had flopped. She was worried and didn't know how to report this to Song Ci.

Now that Jiang Tao from CCTV has suddenly contacted him again, he's probably here to interrogate him.

There was no escaping the trouble, and CCTV was not to be offended under any circumstances. After the phone rang three times, Wang Jing answered the call: "Hello, Director Jiang!"

"Mr. Wang, Happy New Year! I hope I haven't bothered you."

The voice on the other end of the phone was very polite and didn't sound like someone was there to blame her, so Wang Jing immediately relaxed.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Jiang Tao revealed his true intentions: "President Wang, it's like this, the ratings for 'My Own Swordsman' were pretty good last night. I estimate that the ratings are likely to break 6%. Your company needs to pay more attention to the publicity and increase its efforts."

Wang Jing was surprised to hear this. "My Own Swordsman" had good ratings! Didn't it flop on its premiere yesterday?

Suppressing her doubts for the moment, she cleverly replied, "It's also thanks to Director Jiang that the ratings for 'My Own Swordsman' have increased. It's because CCTV is such a great platform, and viewers trust CCTV's prestigious reputation."

Like a sedan chair carried by many, Wang Jing's humble response pleased Jiang Tao greatly. He preferred dealing with people like Wang Jing who knew how to maintain appropriate boundaries.

"It's because Tengda puts their heart into producing high-quality content that the audience likes it."

Wang Jing humbly replied, "Thank you for your recognition and praise of Tengda."

Both of them have high emotional intelligence, and each of them has their own needs and is willing to cater to each other. In just a few words, they quietly drew closer to each other, and the initial awkwardness was gone.

Feeling the time was right, Jiang Tao revealed another purpose: "President Wang, there's something I need to discuss."

Director Wang, who is in charge of our arts and culture center, would like to exchange ideas with outstanding young people like Chairman Song from your company.

I don't communicate much with Chairman Song, and contacting him directly might be too presumptuous. I'd like to ask General Manager Wang to convey this message for me.

Wang Jing understood the implied meaning behind the music, and the CCTV leaders' initiative to curry favor was something she naturally wouldn't refuse.

He quickly assured them, "Thank you for your concern for our work. I will report to the chairman and then contact you."

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Wang."

After hanging up the phone, Wang Jing felt a glimmer of hope for yesterday's ratings for "My Own Swordsman".

He hurriedly called his secretary and learned that yesterday's ratings were 4.66%, more than double that of the premiere, and the show had received rave reviews, with huge potential for further growth.

A surge of joy welled up in Wang Jing's heart; with such achievements, it was no wonder that Jiang Tao was so humble today.

Another highlight in my year-end summary is that, as the producer and executive producer of "My Own Swordsman," I deserve at least half the credit for the show's great success.

Wang Jing silently calculated that "My Own Swordsman" could earn the company at least tens of millions of yuan, finally allowing her to make some achievements in front of the group's senior executives and establish her prestige.

As for the matter Jiang Tao entrusted to her, Wang Jing decided after consideration to schedule the banquet and exchange around the time of the "My Own Swordsman" celebration banquet. However, the specifics would need to be finalized after informing Song Ci.

In the evening, Song Ci, who had returned to Peking University, greeted her roommates and left the dormitory to go home.

"Hey, what brings you back today, New Year's Day?"

Song Zhang was sitting on the sofa watching the news when his son suddenly came home, which made him suspicious.

Song Ci usually lives in the school dormitory and rarely goes home except for holidays. Today is the first working day of the new year, and Song Ci should be in the dormitory.

Liu Xiaoxian and her husband Song Zhang had just finished dinner and were busy cleaning up the dishes when they saw their beloved son come home. They couldn't help but ask with concern, "Have you had dinner yet, New Year's Day?"

Song Ci changed into warm, comfortable slippers, walked into the living room, and sat down on the sofa.

"I had something to do when I got back. I ate at school, Mom. Dad, aren't you on duty today?"

"I was on duty during the three-day New Year's Day holiday, but I got a day off today."

Song Zhang picked up the remote and turned down the volume of the TV. His son's business was doing so well now, and he and his wife usually didn't ask too many questions, but silently supported him.

The Song family of three were all incredibly busy, so this rare family reunion gave Liu Xiaoxian a chance to show her maternal love. She washed some dates and brought them to her son. "These are fresh winter dates that just came into season. I just bought them after get off work. Try them on New Year's Day."

Looking at the lush green winter dates in the fruit bowl, Song Ci's mouth watered. She picked one up, took a bite, and the juice burst out, fresh, tender, and sweet.

"It tastes really good, I'll take some back to school tomorrow."

Seeing that her son liked it, Liu Xiaoxian smiled lovingly and said, "Eat more. There's still some at home. I'll wash some more for you to take with you later."

The night was cool and still. After washing the dishes and tidying up, Liu Xiaoxian sat down next to Song Ci and chatted leisurely with her son.

The family gathered in the cozy living room, the television screen flickering with images. After CCTV-1's "News Broadcast" ended, the "Weather Forecast" was about to begin.

While eating dates, Song Ci noticed her father's intention to change the channel and suddenly said, "Dad, change it to CCTV-8."

Upon hearing this, Song Zhang turned to look at Song Ci, his eyes widening in surprise, thinking he had misheard. "What did you just say on New Year's Day?"

"Change the channel, I want to watch CCTV-8." Song Ci repeated, raising her voice to each word.

Liu Xiaoxian also stared at her son in surprise, wanting to find out why Song Ci was behaving so unusually.

"The sun must have risen in the west today, and you still want to watch TV!"

Despite his joking tone, Song Zhang's hands were quick as he grabbed the remote and switched to CCTV-8.

However, I was quite surprised. My precious son has always been eccentric and rarely watches TV. Today was very unusual. Not only did he come home suddenly without a word, but he also wanted to watch TV programs.

Just after 7:30, CCTV-8 was airing the TV series "My Own Swordsman" during prime time, and the opening theme song was playing.

Noticing her parents' surprise, Song Ci explained, "This 'My Own Swordsman' is produced by my company and was selected by CCTV as the opening drama of 2006."

Upon hearing that it was a TV series produced by his son's Tengda Company, Song Zhang immediately became interested: "Oh, then I'd like to see how well it's made."

Various production information flashed across the television screen, quickly displaying the words "Episode 5".

Liu Xiaoxian stared at the screen and guessed, "You didn't come back from school today just to watch 'My Own Swordsman'?"

Song Ci nodded. He had come home today specifically to watch the fifth episode of "My Own Swordsman"!

Liu Xiaoxian muttered, "This is already the fifth episode. He didn't watch it during the holidays, but he came back from school today. How strange." However, her son has always been unconventional, so she was used to it.

On the TV, the exciting plot of "My Own Swordsman" is unfolding, with the people of Tongfu Inn performing one hilarious story after another.

"That's interesting. No wonder it's being broadcast on CCTV." Song Zhang leaned back on the sofa, arms crossed, intently watching the screen, occasionally chuckling at the funny parts of the story.

Liu Xiaoxian has a serious personality and doesn't particularly like the lighthearted comedic martial arts style of "My Own Swordsman," but having her husband and son by her side makes her feel incredibly comfortable and peaceful.

The family was immersed in a joyful atmosphere, enjoying a rare moment of peace and happiness.

Time flew by, and before they knew it, ten minutes of the fifth episode had already aired. Suddenly, Song Ci looked mysterious and said with a smile, "Mom and Dad, pay attention, there's high energy ahead, a surprise is coming."

After hearing Song Ci's words, the couple immediately focused their attention, eager to see what surprise their son had mentioned.

On the screen, Bai Zhantang, played by Qiao Zhengyu, is recounting the past: "Three years ago, I stole a Concubine's Mirror from the Kang Prince's Mansion, and she has been tracking me all the way to this place, which is Qixia Town."

The scene shifts to Bai Zhantang and a woman facing off on a rooftop, their eyes locked, palms outstretched, fists clenched – their poses exuding a fierce martial arts vibe.

The woman tied her hair up with a bright red ribbon, and draped a black cape over her shoulders, which swayed gently in the breeze, making her look dashing and heroic.

“New Year’s Day, isn’t this Shishi?” Song Zhang immediately recognized that the woman playing the female knight on the screen was Liu Shishi, his son’s childhood sweetheart.

Liu Xiaoxian exclaimed in disbelief, "It really is Shishi! How did she end up on TV?!"

Seeing her son intently staring at the lovely woman on the screen, not having time to answer her, Liu Xiaoxian muttered a few words to herself, temporarily suppressing her questions, and continued watching the television.

As the plot unfolds, Liu Shishi portrays Zhan Hongling, the nation's top female constable, who is persistent, determined, pure, and kind.

In order to enter the Six Doors and pursue Bai Zhantang for thousands of miles, the two became friends after a fight, and eventually turned enemies into friends. Liu Shishi vividly portrayed Zhan Hongling's heroic spirit.

"Shishi's appearance is quite good, young lady." The fifth episode ended quickly, and Song Zhang, still enjoying it, praised his son's darling.

Song Ci nodded and echoed with a smile, "Shishi's acting was indeed very good; she worked very hard."

He went home today specifically to watch his girlfriend's on-screen debut.

My childhood sweetheart officially entered the entertainment industry in October 2004. After more than a year of hard work, from Donghai to Beiping, and then to Hengdian, she finally got a role. It wasn't easy.

In the afternoon, Wang Jing reported to him that the ratings for "My Own Swordsman" were even better than in his previous life, which should bring Liu Shishi some popularity. Now that the show is airing, even if she is just a minor supporting role, it can be considered her official debut.

After Liu's scenes ended in the sixth episode, Song Ci immediately lost the desire to continue watching and prepared to get up and go back to her room.

"Dad, Mom, Shishi only acted in this one episode. I'm going back to my room. If you think it's okay, please keep watching. Consider it contributing to the ratings of 'My Own Swordsman'."

As soon as Song Ci stood up from the sofa, Liu Xiaoxian grabbed him and wouldn't let him leave, questioning him, "Don't go yet, I have something to ask you! Isn't Shishi a dancer? Why did she suddenly become an actress?"

At this moment, Liu Xiaoxian understood perfectly well that her son had made a special trip home just to watch the TV series starring Liu Shishi.

Song Ci, secretly plotting something, pretended to recall something: "Shishi switched careers to become an actress last year, didn't I tell you?"

Liu Xiaoxian wasn't about to be brushed off by Song Ci's words. She frowned and questioned him, "Don't try to fool me. Explain to me and your father what exactly happened."

Song Ci also lost his temper. At the company, he was high and mighty, his word was law, and he managed thousands of people. Now, being questioned by his mother, he became somewhat embarrassed and angry, and couldn't help but argue:
"What happened? I have nothing to explain! Whether she chooses to dance or act, it's Shishi's freedom to choose any career! As long as she's happy, I'll support her."

Besides, actors earn a good income these days, and who knows, they might even become respected artists in the future. Wouldn't it be better for your future daughter-in-law to have her own career?

(End of this chapter)