Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 144 Prelude
In the CEO's office of Tangren Film and Television in Hengdian, Cai Yinong looked at the mountain of documents piled on his desk and felt a headache coming on. He involuntarily rubbed his aching temples.

Today is Saturday, September 9th. A week has passed since the car accident. Fortunately, Hu Ge and her assistant Xiao Zhang are out of danger after several hours of emergency treatment.

However, the leading man suffered a serious facial injury and will need a long time to recover from the physical and psychological trauma. His acting career has been temporarily interrupted, and Tangren Media's artist management affairs centered around Hu Ge have almost completely come to a standstill.

She has been extremely busy these past few days, trying to calm the emotions of the company's employees and stabilize the morale of Tangren, while also temporarily stabilizing the brand and dealing with the media's barrage of questions, carefully considering the wording of each response to protect Hu Ge's image.

The week's relentless work left Cai Yinong looking haggard, with deep dark circles under his eyes, and even his usually exquisite makeup couldn't hide his exhaustion.

Knock, knock, knock—a knock came at the door.

"Please come in."

Director Li Guoli of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" pushed open the door and walked to his desk. Seeing Cai Yinong's listless appearance, he sighed and offered his concern:
"You also need to take care of yourself and get some rest. If you collapse again, then Tangren will really be finished."

Cai Yinong nodded, still managing to grit her teeth and say, "Don't worry, Mr. Li, I know. I've made you work so hard lately." Li Guoli is a partner at Tangren Media, serving as the company's chief director and art director, a position no less important than hers.

Li Guoli sighed again: "We're all from the same company, it's too formal to say things like that."

He had originally planned to work for another two or three years before retiring, but with this incident, Tangren Company probably won't recover for at least a year or two. It seems that this old man will have to work hard for Tangren for a few more years.

Li Guoli had mixed feelings about the car accident involving the company's top employee. On one hand, he was deeply concerned about Hu Ge's injuries.

On the other hand, the daily expenses of the "Legend of the Condor Heroes" production team were running out, and with time running out, waiting for Hu Ge to fully recover and return to the show seemed like a luxury.

The thought of replacing the male lead couldn't help but cross his mind. After all, the filming schedule couldn't be delayed indefinitely. The pressure from investors, the actors' schedules, and the ever-increasing filming costs were all heavy burdens. The entire crew of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" was in a state of panic, and he, as the director, was also under tremendous pressure.

After hesitating for a moment, Li Guoli finally revealed the purpose of his visit: "President Cai, the situation of the company and the film crew has been stabilized for the time being, and there are some things I have to say."

I want to change the male lead, although saying this now might be inappropriate. But for the smooth progress of the entire "Legend of the Condor Heroes" project, it seems inevitable. The filming crew and other actors can't wait indefinitely for Hu Ge.

Cai Yinong shook his head, his gaze unwavering: "President Li, changing the male lead now would be kicking Hu Ge when he's down. It would be a huge blow to him. He's currently at the lowest point in his life. We should lend him a helping hand, not abandon him. I disagree with changing the male lead!"

Li Guoli frowned and earnestly advised, "President Cai, I don't want to replace him either, but the situation forces me to. Besides, the company isn't abandoning Hu Ge. Once he recovers, he will still be Tangren's number one star, and he can choose any role he wants."

Filming for "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" has only been underway for a month, so there's still time to replace the male lead. The longer it drags on, the worse it will be for us. If filming is interrupted, it will be difficult to explain to the TV station and Tengda.

You need to understand that our contract with Tengda has time limits for filming. If we exceed those limits, we'll have to pay extra compensation. Tangren's funds can't afford to delay. As the president of Tangren, you need to be rational and not act emotionally.

"Alright, Mr. Li, stop talking! I absolutely will not agree to change the male lead." At this moment, Cai Yinong displayed extraordinary decisiveness, firmly rejecting Li Guoli's idea of ​​changing the male lead.

Seeing that Li Guoli hesitated to speak, Cai Yinong comforted him, "Let's finish filming the other people's scenes first, and put aside the part involving Hu Ge for now."

Regarding the issue of effectiveness, I will communicate with Tengda Culture. The company's funds shouldn't be a concern. Next month, "Young Warriors of the Yang Clan" will air, and if the ratings are good, it will fetch a good price, which can temporarily alleviate the company's financial pressure.

Seeing that Cai Yinong had already made up his mind, Li Guoli said no more, although he felt that Cai Yinong was being a little too naive to pin his hopes and future on Tengda's concessions and a TV series called "Young Warriors of the Yang Clan".

But she is, after all, the president and largest shareholder of Tangren Media. Since things have come to this point, he can only back down for now and wait and see how things develop.

Seeing that his persuasion had failed, Li Guoli prepared to leave the office, and before leaving, he earnestly reminded everyone:

"President Cai, you can't put all your hopes on others. The business world is like a battlefield. Our Tangren has always shared the ancient costume market with Zhouyi, but it's a hot commodity in other people's eyes. The company has to prepare for the worst."

"I'll be careful." Watching Li Guoli leave, Cai Yinong's voice carried a deep sense of helplessness.

While Tangren Media was in a state of chaos, Song Ci quietly arrived at Tengda Culture, which had not been there for a long time, during a Saturday off.

The general manager's office was spacious and bright. Unlike Wang Jing's fresh and modern style, Zhang Zhao decorated his office in an antique style, which had a unique charm.

Song Ci stood before the blinds, looking down at the bustling city of Beiping below. The streets were filled with a constant flow of traffic and people. The summer sun shone brightly, draping this ancient yet modern city in a golden veil.

Zhang Zhao brewed a cup of fragrant tea and handed it to the boss: "President Song, please have some tea."

Upon hearing this, Song Ci turned around and took the teacup, sighing, "Beiping is becoming more and more prosperous. It changes every day. After the Olympics, land and housing prices will skyrocket."

"By the way, Lao Zhang, what are your plans regarding the Tengda Culture office building thing we talked about last time?"

Seeing the tall and imposing Zhang Zhao standing in front of him, Song Ci felt very awkward, so he added, "Let's sit down and talk."

The two sat down on the sofa, and continuing their previous conversation, Zhang Zhao organized his thoughts and reported:
"President Song, our team has discussed this and unanimously agrees that it's better to buy a few floors of an existing office building. Building a large building like the group does would take a long time and the land would be difficult to acquire."

Song Ci nodded slightly: "Buying ready-made is indeed more convenient, but office buildings like the Zhongao Building aren't cheap these days."

Zhang Zhao had long been familiar with the real estate market and introduced it by saying, "The Zhongao Building is a Class A office building, and the current average price in Beijing is between 1.2 and 1.5 yuan per square meter."

We are already in communication with the owner, hoping to buy these two floors. The owner is also interested in selling, asking for 1.3 yuan per square meter. We are currently still negotiating the price.

Song Ci thought to herself, "Why hesitate when buying an apartment in 06?" She immediately made the decision: "No need to discuss it anymore. Let's just go with the asking price of 1.3 yuan per square meter. Any delays could lead to unforeseen changes, and we should try to buy as many floors as possible."

Zhang Zhao said with difficulty, "President Song, once the Tengda Building is completed, Tiangong Special Effects will move out downstairs, and there will be two floors available for Tengda Culture to use as offices. The Zhongao Building has 2000 square meters per floor, and buying another floor would cost 26 million yuan. Unless the group supports us, the company will be short of funds."

"Forget about the group's support. If you don't have enough money, take out a loan. How about this, I'll introduce you to a leader from ICBC in a few days, and you can get a loan from him."

Song Ci said matter-of-factly that bank loan interest is only a few cents, and housing prices in Beiping almost double every year. Investing in more fixed assets is a sure-fire way to make money.

"If you put it that way, things will be much easier for me. I'll get this done this month." Zhang Zhao nodded; he wasn't inflexible.

However, he needs to be careful when spending company money, and bank loans also require the group's approval. Now that the big boss has given his approval, he has more room to maneuver.

Song Ci lowered his head and blew away the foam on the tea leaves in his cup. He took a small sip, and instantly the aroma of the tea filled his nostrils, the refreshing taste lingering on his tongue. He couldn't help but praise, "This tea is quite good, Da Hong Pao?"

Zhang Zhao smiled and said, "Yes, it's genuine Wuyi Mountain Da Hong Pao. Wang Changtian from Guangming gave me a few kilograms last time. If you like it, you can take some with you and keep it in your office to entertain guests."

Song Ci chuckled and shook his head. A gentleman does not take what others cherish; why would he want Zhang Zhao's tea? "Speaking of Wang Changtian, how's that movie we collaborated on with Enlight Media coming along?"

The film version of "So Young" was completed in the first half of the year, and in the second half of the year, Tengda Culture and Enlight Media collaborated on another film, "Braveheart," which is a police action film.

The film had a production cost of 2000 million yuan, with Enlight Media investing 30%. The male lead was Qiao Zhengyu, the top star of Tengda Media, and the female lead was a person placed in the film by Enlight Media, actress Zuo Xiaoqing.

Song Ci had no recollection of "Braveheart" and had never heard of the movie in her previous life. However, Zhang Zhao told her that the script was excellent, the story was full of twists and turns, and while he couldn't say it would be a box office hit, with popular star Qiao Zhengyu in the lead role, making money shouldn't be a problem.

"Filming is going very smoothly and is expected to be completed by the end of the year, with a tentative release date next summer."

Song Ci exclaimed, "This year, Tengda Culture has produced three TV series and two movies, which can be considered a high output. It is finally starting to look like a small giant in the Beijing entertainment circle."

"It's thanks to you and General Manager Wang Jing that the company has such a solid foundation," Zhang Zhao exclaimed.

"Of course Sister Jing deserves credit. Now you are the helmsman of Tengda Culture. In just over a year, Tengda Culture has made rapid progress, which is also due to your effective leadership." Merit is merit, and Song Ci would naturally not deny Zhang Zhao's contributions.

Thank you for your recognition.

Song Ci leaned back on the sofa, crossed her legs, and said casually, "I came here today because I have something to discuss with you and would like to hear your opinion."

Zhang Zhao quickly perked up and sat up straight, knowing that the main event of the day was about to begin. The chairman wouldn't come to the door without a reason, so his sudden visit must mean something was up.

Song Ci took another sip of tea before leisurely saying, "You've heard about the Tangren Media company, haven't you?"

"I know a little about it; I heard that Hu Ge was seriously injured."

Song Ci sighed inwardly. He had reminded him so much, but Hu Ge still couldn't avoid it. Was it really a calamity in his life? Fortunately, his assistant was saved in this life, so his good intentions were not in vain.

"Hu Ge is unlikely to make a comeback in at least half a year."

"It's just bad luck on his part. I'd like to ask you something: the male lead role you promised to Hu Ge in 'Orange Born in Huainan' is definitely not going to be filmed according to the original schedule. Should we replace him or wait for him to recover?"

Song Ci didn't hesitate for a moment: "The company will film 'Orange Born in Huainan' as scheduled. You can choose another male lead, and I won't interfere." Hu Ge wasn't an artist under Tengda Entertainment, and he wouldn't make the entire crew wait for him alone.

“Okay.” Zhang Zhao quickly agreed. “Orange Born in Huainan” was about to start filming, but the male lead couldn’t come. If Hu Ge hadn’t been handpicked by the chairman, he would have wanted to replace him long ago. Now he could give Zhuang Liqi an explanation and let the crew start filming on schedule.

Song Ci's expression was grave. "Old Zhang, do you think this will have a big impact on Tangren? Will they go bankrupt?"

Zhang Zhao was taken aback. Did the boss think Tangren Media would go bankrupt?
He hesitated for a moment and said, "President Song, I personally think it's unlikely. Although Hu Ge is a core artist of Tangren Media, her incident will indeed affect Tangren's business development."

However, Tangren's powerful behind-the-scenes production team remains unaffected. It's a bit of an exaggeration to say that a company would go bankrupt simply because an artist was in a car accident. Of course, Tangren must have been severely impacted and will definitely need some time to recover.

Song Ci neither agrees nor disagrees with Zhang Zhao's opinion. Tangren is indeed not at its wit's end yet. When "Young Warriors of the Yang Clan" is banned and Tangren loses a fortune, coupled with the expiration of the copyright of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes", that will be when they will truly be teetering on the brink of life and death.

Song Ci didn't beat around the bush with Zhang Zhao and stated the purpose of his visit: "Old Zhang, you know about my relationship with Shishi. I'm planning to have her invest in Tangren as a White Knight. At the crucial moment, you can step in and put some pressure on Cai Yinong's side."

He thought about it for a long time and concluded that it wouldn't make much sense for Tengda Culture or himself to invest in Tangren. He thought it would be better to let Liu Shishi become a shareholder of Tangren.

In this way, Ms. Liu can work for herself, have her own business, and grow quickly through practice.

Moreover, he was certain that when Tangren was truly on the verge of bankruptcy and liquidation, his girlfriend would definitely ask him for help. Ms. Liu still had some feelings for Tangren; otherwise, she would have already switched to Tengda Culture.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhao connected the dots and immediately understood the chairman's plan: he was to make him play the bad cop and push the matter to escalate further.

Once Tengda Culture's contract with Tangren expires, they will pressure Tengda Culture to withdraw its investment. Coupled with the penalty for breach of contract, Tangren, without any rescue, will likely face utter ruin.

If Cai Yi-nong doesn't want to see Tangren, which he founded, go bankrupt and have his life's work go to waste, he will definitely have to accept financing and investment from others. With the chairman's arrangement, Liu Shishi can easily obtain shares in Tangren.

"I understand, Mr. Song. I will handle this matter properly. Ms. Liu, just wait to become a shareholder of Tangren." After understanding, Zhang Zhao was slightly shocked. Sure enough, someone who could build such a large business must not be a good person. He was destined to play the villain.

Song Ci was satisfied and chuckled, "Don't push us too hard. We'll all be family from now on."

(End of this chapter)