Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 117 Premiere

Xiao Yue, the group's CFO, is a shrewd and capable middle-aged woman. Upon hearing the chairman inquire about the company's financial situation, she quickly responded:
"Please rest assured regarding funding. Apart from the large projects reported at the end of last year that were listed separately, I have already reserved sufficient budget for this year's R&D and marketing."

"As long as the company's gaming business can maintain the same growth as last year, I can allocate some more funds for new projects for you, Mr. Song."

At this point, Xiao Yue paused slightly, glanced around the conference room, exchanged subtle glances with the other executives, and continued:
"Currently, the entire group's profit burden rests on the gaming business. Toutiao's profits over the past two years have been used to offset the temporary losses incurred last year from purchasing NBA online rights."

Other businesses, such as video websites and music websites, are not yet profitable. The finance department suggests that cost optimization is needed to improve profitability, and that financing and bond issuance should be considered to ensure the group has sufficient funds to support future development.

Upon hearing Xiao Yue mention financing, Zhang Yong instinctively looked at the CFO he had personally promoted, wondering why she was bringing up the old issue again and risking offending the chairman.

He was immediately alarmed, fearing that Song Ci might misunderstand that Xiao Yue's actions today were backed by him.

She quickly turned slightly to the side and glanced at Song Ci out of the corner of her eye, secretly checking his reaction. She found that he was expressionless and calm, making it impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.

Zhang Yong knew very well that Chairman Song Ci was like an iron-fisted tyrant in the company, whose decisions and instructions were not to be questioned, and whose style of action was swift and decisive and autocratic.

He is the sole helmsman of the Tengda Group, a giant ship, and he never allows anyone to have the slightest objection to the direction of the voyage.

Almost every major decision in the development of Tengda Group was made by him alone, and the advice of others often had little effect.

Since Song Ci appeared on the Hurun Rich List last year, some senior executives of the group have been restless and have been suggesting to him that the company’s high-quality businesses, such as Toutiao.com and TD game platform, be spun off and listed.

However, all these dissenting voices were suppressed by Song Ci's absolute control. Several executives who were overly active in colluding were severely criticized by Song Ci and then worked obediently, no longer daring to mention financing and listing.

Zhang Yong lowered his head. He couldn't speak at the moment, so he could only try to minimize his presence. The conference room was silent, and the atmosphere became heavy and tense.

Song Ci felt helpless, taking in the expressions of the senior executives. Their faces were filled with longing and anticipation, all wanting the company to go public as soon as possible to cash in their stock options and become millionaires or even multi-millionaires.

However, Song Ci had his own considerations. Tengda Group is currently in a very healthy financial situation with a very low debt ratio and a game business that generates a lot of revenue, so there is no need for it to go public to raise funds.

Before the cash-burning wars of the mobile internet era began, he wouldn't have considered financing. If he accepts financing now, Tenda's valuation will definitely be severely underestimated.

Human nature is like this, and even Song Ci (a famous Chinese poet) couldn't escape it. Today is probably another test of himself, but we can't let it go unchecked; we still need to give him a wake-up call.
"Mr. Xiao, the Finance Department's suggestion is very good. My opinion is that you should not make suggestions about financing again next time. The overall standardized development of the group is something that Mr. Zhang, Mr. Wang, and I will handle ourselves. The Finance Department should manage the money well and not worry about other things. Just do your job well."

As expected, Xiao Yue lowered her head, making it impossible to see her expression, and replied timidly, "I understand, President Song. I was too talkative!"

Song Ci's sharp gaze swept across the entire room, and all the senior executives present avoided his gaze, fearing that he would single them out as an example.

Having achieved his goal, Song Ci cleared his throat, skipped the somber topic, and said loudly:

"The internet is developing rapidly, with new products being introduced almost every day. This year, Tenda Group naturally needs to innovate and break through, so I decided to launch a team voice online communication tool, TT Voice."

Noticing that everyone's attention had returned to her, Song Ci continued to introduce the new product:
"TT Voice focuses on online voice communication for teams. Users can add friends for instant communication and calls, and also set up channel chat rooms for group voice communication."

Wang Jing, who was listening attentively, felt that the introduction to Song Ci (a type of classical Chinese poetry) was similar to QQ. After comparing them in her mind, she asked:
"Mr. Song, isn't TT's function very similar to QQ? Are you planning to enter the instant messaging field?"

Song Ci shook his head slightly and further elaborated on the product concept: "Yes, but not entirely. Tencent's QQ has already achieved a near-monopoly."

No company can beat QQ in the instant messaging field in this era, but the market can be segmented to create differentiated competition.

TT Voice targets gamers, so the software must have its own unique features, such as high call quality, low latency, and suitability for multi-person voice chat.

During promotion, the platform can be leveraged to attract more users, thus creating a mutually beneficial relationship.

Zhang Yong nodded. "I understand what President Song means. QQ is comprehensive and all-encompassing, while TT is small and refined. TT Voice needs to build its own exclusive technological barriers and user base."

Song Ci clapped his hands and laughed, "That's right. With TT Voice on the game platform, players can communicate and interact more easily, which can further consolidate the company's leading position in the game industry. Of course, TT is free software and is suitable for all scenarios."

After the postponement of Weibo's launch, Song Ci inexplicably felt a sense of urgency. This year, Tencent will also be distributing a game called "QQ Speed." Having tasted success, Tencent will inevitably gradually enter the online game industry.

Tengda had to grab the biggest slice of the huge, lucrative online gaming market, so Song Ci thought of YY, the only communication tool that had survived the oppression of QQ in her previous life.

After careful consideration, we decided to develop a similar product to complement the TD game platform. Only with a stable game business can the company maintain financial health and allow Tengda to smoothly transition into the mobile internet era.

Seeing that everyone suddenly understood the product positioning, Song Ci directly instructed: "Have the Weibo project team switch to developing TT Voice. This project will be temporarily led by President Wang."

"Thank you for your trust, Chairman. I will definitely do a good job on this project."

Wang Jing was overjoyed. The development of new products in the group had always been coordinated and managed by CEO Zhang Yong. The fact that the chairman of TT Voice had asked her to handle it was a great thing. It was a good opportunity to expand influence in terms of manpower arrangement and resource allocation.

Zhang Yong sighed silently. He was close to CFO Xiao Yue, and the sudden probing earlier had displeased the chairman. He was afraid he would be caught in the crossfire.

Song Ci chuckled inwardly. He knew how to maintain a balance. Half of the group's senior executives were Zhang Yong's people. Now that Wang Jing had secured her position as COO, he could give her more power to balance Zhang Yong's authority and prevent himself from being sidelined.

“President Wang, if you are short-staffed, you can transfer staff from subsidiaries. I remember Jiang Tiantian, the vice president of Tengda Culture. She has strong organizational and coordination skills. We can transfer her to the group to assist you.”

Song Ci knew that Jiang Tiantian had always wanted to work for the group. She and Wang Jing had both told her about it and even asked Liu Shishi to put in a good word for her. Today, she could take advantage of the situation and arrange the job transfer.

"Okay, Mr. Song."

Wang Jing was overjoyed. Jiang Tiantian had told her several times that she hoped to be transferred to work in the group. She felt that she was weak and alone in the group and also intended to cultivate her own trusted confidants.

However, the transfer of an employee of Jiang Tiantian's level required the chairman's approval. She had reported the matter, but Song Ci had not expressed his opinion. She thought the job transfer was put on hold, but today things took a turn for the better. With everything arranged, Song Ci concluded by saying, "Today is the last meeting before the New Year. After the meeting, several comrades will be heading back to their hometowns for the New Year."

I would like to extend my early New Year greetings and thank you all for your hard work over the past year. I wish you all good fortune and happiness.

On January 25th, as the city lights began to twinkle, Tengda Culture held the premiere of "Nightclub" at the Oriental Cinema in Beiping.

Although it was a low-budget production, it was the company's first film, making it exceptionally significant. Therefore, Zhang Zhao attached great importance to it and invited many celebrities, guests, and film critics.

Tengda Culture is currently enjoying great success in the entertainment industry, and many artists and colleagues in the industry want to get on the good side of this big company and come to support it to become familiar with its members.

At the premiere, the lights were dazzling, a bright red carpet was laid out, and on the side were some celebrity fans and media reporters who had come to join the fun. The flashes of the cameras in the reporters' hands were constantly flashing, and the scene was noisy.

A luxury car slowly drove up and stopped at the starting point of the red carpet. The door opened, and a male celebrity got out of the car first, followed by a female celebrity.

Sharp-eyed entertainment reporters immediately recognized the two people who had just gotten out of the car as the male and female leads of the hit TV series "My Own Swordsman".

"It's Qiao Zhengyu and Yan Ni."

"Bai Zhantang, Sunflower Acupuncture Technique!"

"Ah, Bai Zhantang and Tong Xiangyu are in the same frame."

"Quick, take a picture! You'll be on the front page tomorrow."

Qiao Zhengyu, dressed in a black suit, looked handsome and had a bright smile on his face. He was arm in arm with Yan Ni, who was wearing a white dress, and they waved to the reporters and fans with ease.

The atmosphere reached a fever pitch with the arrival of the two, and the crowd cheered as reporters raised their cameras to capture the moment.

Qiao Zhengyu was in high spirits. The TV series "My Own Swordsman" propelled him to the top tier and firmly secured his position as the number one host at Tengda.

Today, he is hosting the premiere of the movie he starred in. His career is booming, and he is surrounded by praise and cheers. He longs to be the center of attention.

After signing their names on the autograph wall, Qiao Zhengyu and Yan Ni went to find director Xu Zheng. The director of "Nightclub" and several lead actors were going to be interviewed by reporters, and they needed to discuss some things beforehand.

After walking a few steps, the fans and reporters on the side suddenly burst into enthusiastic cheers, and the place became a hubbub of noise.

"Why would she come!"

Qiao Zhengyu looked back, quite surprised. He remembered that Tengda Culture had never dealt with that person before, and wondered why he would come to support them today.

Yan Ni turned around curiously to take a look, and when she saw that stunningly beautiful face, she couldn't help but exclaim, "So beautiful, and so popular!"

The person who arrived was none other than the big star Fan Bingbing. As soon as she got out of the car and stepped onto the red carpet, she immediately became the focus of attention, overshadowing Qiao Zhengyu and Yan Ni in front of her.

Wearing a red, deep-V, shimmering dress, she resembled a classical beauty stepping out of an ancient painting. The deep V-neck design cleverly accentuated her figure; her skin was as white as snow, and her jet-black hair cascaded naturally, making her both sexy and stunning.

Fan Bingbing strolled gracefully on the red carpet, her figure slender and undeterred by the cold, displaying her charm with poise and confidence.

Fan Bingbing had a smile on her face, but she had something on her mind. She released a music album called "Just Beginning" last November, which was quite successful, and she had been busy with the album's promotional activities recently.

Originally, I was supposed to go to Japan to shoot an advertisement today, but I happened to learn that Tengda Culture's first film was premiering today, so I specially postponed my trip to Japan and came to attend the premiere uninvited.

Fan Bingbing did this for a reason. Her contract with Huayi Company was set to expire in the second half of the year, and she had already decided not to renew it and instead open her own studio to work independently.

Without the support of a film and television company, she wasn't sure if she could build her career on her own.

With the idea of ​​planning ahead and building connections, I decided to take this opportunity to get to know the people at Tengda Culture, a new giant in Beijing's entertainment circle, which is why I came to the premiere.

After signing her name on the autograph wall, Fan Bingbing remained standing there, letting reporters snap photos until she had her fill of screen time before slowly walking away.

As Fan Bingbing entered the cinema lobby, he looked around. Some of the people there were old acquaintances he had met many times, while others were film company executives he had only met once or twice. They were all gathered in small groups, busy chatting and making friends.

Fan Bingbing's eyes lit up when she saw the three people talking in a corner of the hall. She recognized two of them: Li Ming, the boss of Xiaoma Benteng Company, and Wang Changtian, the CEO of Enlight Media, who was famous in the entertainment industry and on par with the two big kings of Huayi Brothers.

Lifting her skirt, Fan Bingbing walked lightly to the three men, her eyes revealing confidence and composure. She exuded the unique charm of a beautiful woman and greeted them sweetly, "President Wang, President Li!"

Wang Changtian and Li Ming turned around at the sound and saw Fan Bingbing in a gorgeous dress. Their eyes flashed with surprise and amazement.

Li Ming and Fan Bingbing weren't particularly close. After nodding to her, he politely complimented her, "Bingbing is getting more and more beautiful!"

Wang Changtian was somewhat familiar with Fan Bingbing, having met her several times before. He greeted her with a smile and asked, "Bingbing, what brings you here?"

Fan Bingbing smiled and replied, "Just came to join in the fun. What, Mr. Wang doesn't welcome me?"

Wang Changtian laughed heartily, "Whether you're welcome or not is a question for the host. With General Manager Zhang here, how could I possibly steal the spotlight? Bingbing, let me introduce you. This is General Manager Zhang Zhao of Tengda Culture."

Fan Bingbing's eyes were bright as she focused her gaze on the person between Wang and Li. This was none other than her target for the day. Her voice was like a silver bell: "Hello, Mr. Zhang, I've heard so much about you."

Zhang Zhao subtly observed the renowned female celebrity before him, and politely smiled, saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Fan. You look radiant today. Welcome to the premiere of 'Nightclub'."

(End of this chapter)