Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 139 Celebrity Romance

In late July, under the scorching summer sun, Liu Shishi bid a reluctant farewell to Song Ci and went to report to the crew of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes".

In a dimly lit private room of an internet cafe in Hengdian World Studios, the lights were soft and the air conditioner was blowing loudly.

Liu Shishi, Hu Ge, and Yuan Hong, the three treasures of Tangren, sat side by side. Several computers emitted a faint glow, and the screens displayed the recently popular online game "World of Warcraft".

Liu Shishi sat in the middle, her long black hair casually tied into a low ponytail, her delicate face appearing exceptionally focused in the reflection of the screen.

With his hands skillfully manipulating the mouse and keyboard, he leaned forward slightly, his bright eyes fixed on the game screen.

While slowly retreating, he anxiously shouted at Hu Ge and Yuan Hong sitting on either side of him, "Hey, you two, don't just focus on dealing damage, pay attention to the boss's aggro!"

Wearing headphones, Hu Ge indulged in a rare moment of free time, playing games with a focused and excited look in his eyes. Hearing Liu Shishi's words, he burst into laughter.

"Shishi, you need to practice your skills more, otherwise you won't be able to keep up with Lao Yuan and me!"

After saying that, she quickly immersed herself in the game, her fingers flying across the keyboard, controlling the rhythm of her character's skill release, so that the boss wouldn't kill Liu Shishi's priest in a few hits.

Yuan Hong was visibly excited. The boss's health was low, and victory seemed within reach. His eyes gleamed with a sense of adventure. "Haha, we must conquer this dungeon today!" he shouted, his hands moving non-stop.

Two minutes later, thanks to the concerted efforts of the three, the menacing boss in the game collapsed, scattering equipment all over the ground.

After finally clearing the level that had been troubling her for so long, Liu Shishi clapped her hands with joy and screamed excitedly, "Let me try! I'm lucky! I'll loot the corpse!"

Yuan Hong and Hu Ge didn't argue with their junior sister and let her pick up the equipment first.

Liu Shishi was lucky and got some good equipment. She kept the equipment that her priest could use and gave the rest to her two companions.

After receiving the equipment from Liu Shishi, Hu Ge asked smugly, "Are we still going to do dungeons, Shishi?" The "Legend of the Condor Heroes" crew will start martial arts training the day after tomorrow, so the three of them can have a good time today.

"No, I want to play some other games." Liu Shishi shook her head, stretching her sore neck as she did so.

Besides playing World of Warcraft, she has recently become fond of Audition Online, a game distributed by Tengda Group. She finds it particularly enjoyable to press the keys to the rhythm, a feeling that is addictive.

Since the trio is missing one member, Hu Ge has stopped playing World of Warcraft and is going online to check the news and keep up with the latest entertainment news.

Seeing this, Yuan Hong suggested, "Old Hu, let me recommend a new game to you. It's a real-time strategy game on Tengda's newly launched TT gaming platform called Dota. It's super fun. No Dota without brothers, a game for real men."

Hu Ge laughed and said, "I know Dota. It's been out for a while now and it's available on the HaoFang gaming platform. I didn't expect Tengda Group to be making a gaming platform now."

Yuan Hong couldn't help but exclaim, "Yes, Tengda is expanding its gaming business more and more. This year, they've launched battle platforms and card games."

The TT Voice chat, which was just launched last month, is incredibly useful. It makes communication easy when playing dungeons or with friends. I've heard that many foreigners also play games on the TT platform, making it a global phenomenon.

It's truly baffling that Tengda Group, an internet company, would consider investing in the film and television industry and establishing a subsidiary like Tengda Culture.

Upon hearing Yuan Hong's question, Liu Shishi explained with pride, "You don't understand, do you? This is called the 'Greater Entertainment Strategy.' Tengda Group is laying out a complete entertainment industry chain."

Take the TV series "My Own Swordsman" that I starred in as an example. After Toutiao.com promoted it strongly, the TV series became a huge hit. They then capitalized on the high popularity by releasing a game of the same name.

TT Video also offers reruns, making the entire process from production to broadcast—multiple uses for a single drama, maximizing the project's profitability.

Hu Ge gasped, shocked by Tengda's strategic layout: "Now that you mention it, Shishi, I remember that Tengda also owns cinema chains and special effects companies. Wow, they really have integrated the entire film and television industry, it's terrifying to even think about!"

"No matter how bad it is, it won't affect us. Tangren Media and Tengda Culture are partners. It's good to be under a big tree. Let's benefit from it. If we promote 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes' more on Toutiao, maybe the ratings will be higher."

Yuan Hong gave a thumbs up, surprised that the usually naive girl had such insight. She praised, "Shishi, you're amazing! You actually saw through Tengda Company's strategic plan. You're truly impressive."

Liu Shishi smiled reservedly and didn't say anything. She didn't have that ability. She was just showing off because she was usually by Song Ci's side and had heard him talk about the development plan of Tengda Group.

Unable to resist Yuan Hong's persistent pleading, Hu Ge registered an account on the TT gaming platform, and the two brothers started playing Dota.

While instructing her good friend on how to download a Dota map, Yuan Hong suddenly said mysteriously, "Shishi, do you know that someone's relationship has been discovered recently?"

Liu Shishi's slender fingers danced nimbly across the keyboard, her ponytail swaying gently with her movements: "Xie Tingfeng and Zhang Baizhi from Hong Kong? I saw the entertainment news; they were photographed holding hands by paparazzi."

"No! Guess again!"

"I can't guess." Liu Shishi stared intently at the computer screen. The entertainment industry was full of gossip and rumors all day long, some true and some false. She couldn't guess, and she was too lazy to guess.

Seeing that Miss Liu wasn't cooperating, Yuan Hong lost interest and bluntly stated the answer: "Far away, yet right before my eyes. It's Old Hu's!"

Upon hearing the gossip about Tangren's top male star, Liu Shishi stopped what she was doing, first glancing at the calm-faced Hu Ge, then turning to Yuan Hong and asking curiously, "Old Hu's relationship, with whom?"

Yuan Hong, separated from Liu Shishi, asked in a cheeky tone, "Can I say, Lao Hu?"

Hu Ge rolled her eyes, not wanting to pay attention to Yuan Hong, this silly girl. You've already said so much, and Liu Shishi looks like she's watching a show with great interest.

If you try to slow down and keep her in suspense, she won't let you. If you try to hide it, the two of them will be driven crazy by the girl!

"Speak!" Hu Ge sighed helplessly. There were really no secrets in the company. If one person knew, the whole company would know soon. Even if Yuan Hong didn't say anything now, she couldn't hide it from Liu Shishi for more than a few days.

Yuan Hong raised an eyebrow and grinned, "Old Hu and Xue Jianing are together."

"I don't know him." Liu Shishi thought for a moment, she didn't have much of an impression of Xue Jianing. Her social circle was very small, and she didn't know many people in the entertainment industry.

Yuan Hong reminded her: "She's the actress who played the male lead Zhang Weijian's sister in the drama 'The Peerless Swordsman' that Tangren Media filmed two years ago."

"Now that you mention it, I vaguely remember her. That lady had a very gentle face." Liu Shishi suddenly realized that since joining Tangren Media, she had watched all the TV series produced by her company. She immediately recalled Yuan Hong's words.

"Old Hu, you're something else! How long have you known this girl?" Liu Shishi nudged Hu Ge's arm with her elbow and teased him. Hu Ge didn't bother to hide it and readily admitted, "We met while filming 'The Peerless Swordsman,' and officially got together in February after the New Year."

"You're something else, Lao Hu. You two have been together for almost half a year. I didn't even notice, my good brother. You've really kept it a secret. If Sister K hadn't told me, I would still be in the dark."

When his girlfriend was mentioned, a sweet smile appeared on Hu Ge's face. He was busy filming and he and Xue Jianing rarely saw each other. In addition, they were careful to keep their relationship a secret, so it was naturally difficult for others to find out.

"Don't just talk about me, Shishi, what about you? I've already confessed, why don't you tell me too?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Hong exclaimed in disbelief, "Shishi, you're in a relationship too?"

His junior sister was gentle and charming, and her career was going smoothly. He had even considered pursuing Liu Shishi, but before he could take any action, she was already taken.

Liu Shishi nodded, a happy smile spreading across her pretty face: "Old Hu, did Sister K tell you?"

"Yes, that day K called me over for a heart-to-heart talk, saying that neither of us gave her any peace of mind, and that's when I realized you were in a relationship too."

Liu Shishi was a little annoyed by Cai Yinong's excessive focus on her private affairs and protested with dissatisfaction:

"We are in the prime of our youth, so it's normal to fall in love. Besides, Tangren doesn't prohibit its artists from having relationships."

Hu Ge understood her boss's predicament and tried to smooth things over by saying, "That's true, but once an artist's relationship is exposed, it can seriously affect their career."

This is also why he and his girlfriend haven't gone public with their relationship even though they've been together for six months. The thought of those female fans gives him a headache. Celebrity relationships are something you can only take one step at a time. Maybe in a few years when he's older and his career is more stable, things will naturally fall into place.

Yuan Hong was full of questions and couldn't help but urge, "Shishi, tell us about your boyfriend! Which celebrity is he?" He was eager to know who had captured the heart of Tangren's top female star.

Liu Shishi cupped her face in her hands, a sweet feeling welling up in her heart: "My boyfriend isn't in the entertainment industry. He's still studying at Peking University, majoring in finance, which has nothing to do with the entertainment industry. If he has time to visit the set later, I'll introduce him to you."

Yuan Hong was quite surprised: "An outsider? I thought you, Shishi, would find a handsome guy in the industry."

Actors rarely date non-celebrity couples. After all, the entertainment industry is full of handsome men and beautiful women. It's a society that values ​​appearance, and good looks make it easier to attract the opposite sex. Non-celebrity couples can't compete with celebrities in this respect.

Even if they don't hire actors from the same industry, they usually hire photographers, screenwriters, directors, etc. in the industry. This is the first time Yuan Hong has heard of hiring a Peking University student like Liu Shishi.

Ms. Liu smiled and said, "I like handsome guys too. It's not like there are only handsome guys in the entertainment industry. My boyfriend is super handsome, even more handsome than you and Lao Hu."

Yuan Hong scoffed. More handsome than him and Hu Ge? Haha! But she didn't refute Liu Shishi, taking it as her bragging. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Hu Ge also got gossipy: "I saw your QQ space photos a couple of days ago, were you in Germany with your boyfriend?"

"Yes."

Hu Ge seemed to be deep in thought. It seemed that her junior sister's boyfriend came from a very wealthy family. Nowadays, many female celebrities in the industry want to find rich second-generation heirs with family businesses. It seemed that Liu Shishi also had this idea.

"A top student from Peking University, studying finance, that's interesting. Can I ask your boyfriend for advice on investment and financial management in the future?" Hu Ge has earned some money from acting, endorsements, and commercial performances in recent years and is thinking about how to make good use of it.

“It’s possible to find someone, but it would be a waste of my husband’s talents to ask him to do something as trivial as financial management. Lao Hu, aren’t you from Donghai? Just buy a house in Donghai. It’s simple, straightforward, and has high returns. In a few years, it will multiply several times. It’s a sure thing.”

Hu Ge was skeptical: "The housing prices in Donghai are already very high, is there still room for them to rise significantly?"

Recalling Song Ci's confident assertion that housing prices would continue to rise, Liu Shishi said with certainty, "A three- to five-fold increase is definitely not a problem."

"Then I'll have to do some serious research on the housing market."

Listening to their conversation, Yuan Hong felt a strange pang of jealousy: "My husband is so cheesy! He even took you to Germany. Shishi, you need to be more careful. You may be happy with this rich second-generation, but don't think he's just playing around with you."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shishi immediately gave Yuan Hong a death stare and said angrily, "Shut your stinking mouth. No one will think you're mute if you don't speak. You're really annoying."

She and Mr. Song were childhood sweethearts, destined to marry, have children, and grow old together. What do outsiders know?

Yuan Hong pursed her lips and remained silent. Although he was a man of harsh words, his honest advice was hard to swallow.

The atmosphere was tense, and Hu Ge hurriedly advised, "Old Yuan, please say less."

My brother is indeed a bit silly. Look at how gentle and tender Shishi looked when she mentioned her boyfriend. You can guess that the young couple is in the honeymoon phase and must be deeply in love.

Saying something so inappropriate at this time is just asking for trouble. Hu Ge quickly tried to smooth things over and changed the subject: "Germany is hosting the World Cup, have you been watching?"

"Yes, I went to the Berlin Olympic Stadium to watch the World Cup final. It was really amazing to be there in person."

I originally brought you some local specialties when I returned to China, such as chocolate and red wine.

Unfortunately, the chocolate melted completely in the summer heat, and several cases of red wine haven't cleared customs yet. I'll send them to you once I receive the goods.

"Thank you so much, you still think of me when something good happens."

Yuan Hong also took the opportunity to apologize and ease tensions: "Shishi, I'm sorry, I misspoke just now."

Liu Shishi was too lazy to pay attention to this blockhead. "By the way, Lao Hu, I have some good news for you!"

Hu Ge felt a glimmer of anticipation: "What good news?"

"I've already pulled some strings for you regarding the matter you and Sister K asked me to do last time, the male lead role in 'Orange Born in Huainan.'"

Tengda has agreed in principle to let you act in it, but it seems there might be a scheduling conflict with "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," so you'll have to coordinate it.

Hu Ge was overjoyed. He never expected Liu Shishi to give him such a surprise today. It felt like a dream. He asked again in disbelief, "Really? Shishi, you're not kidding me, are you?"

(End of this chapter)