Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 170 Audition Hype
Just as all employees of Tengda Group were making final preparations for the launch of Weibo, time quietly arrived at October 10, 2007.

On this day, the new Hurun Rich List arrived as scheduled, like a bombshell, stirring up ripples in the business world and even the whole society.

Although Song Ci's wealth value achieved steady growth compared to the previous year, reaching a new high of 365 billion yuan, surprisingly, its ranking slipped to tenth place.

With a mere 5 million yuan advantage, he led Guo Guangchang, chairman of Donghai Fosun Group, and almost fell out of the ranks of the top ten richest people in mainland China.

However, compared to Song Ci, who has been on the rich list for three consecutive years, an even more dazzling name has emerged.

Yang Huiyan, the 26-year-old successor of Country Garden, has attracted much attention from all sectors of society this year. With an astonishing fortune of 1300 billion yuan, she has surpassed all others to become the new richest person in mainland China.

Her success is attributed to the booming domestic economy and the unprecedented prosperity of the real estate industry.

Against this backdrop, the net worth of many real estate tycoons has skyrocketed, and real estate giants occupy almost half of the top ten richest people.

As business elites born in the 80s, Song Ci and Yang Huiyan naturally became the focus of comparison among netizens.

Although Yang Huiyan's wealth stems from family inheritance, Country Garden, as a large real estate company that has just been successfully listed in Hong Kong this year, is undoubtedly powerful and influential.

Against this backdrop, some trolls who are jealous of Song Dynasty poetry have praised the Song Dynasty while criticizing it, creating a wave of doubt online.

They expressed doubts about Song Ci's assets, believing that Tengda Group, as an unlisted company, had a net worth of over 30 billion yuan that was nothing more than a castle in the air, lacking substantial support.

Some even sharply questioned the authority and impartiality of this year's Hurun Rich List. Suddenly, a storm of public opinion arose, thrusting Song Ci and Hurun into the spotlight.

Faced with such a torrent of criticism, Hurun's team did not choose to remain silent or evade the issue.

They acted swiftly, releasing a detailed assessment report on Song Dynasty poetry assets. This report, like a mirror, clearly reflects the true nature of Song Dynasty poetry's wealth.

The report points out that after completing its first round of financing, Tenda Group's valuation has climbed to a high of $95 billion.

Although the Hurun team did not know Song Ci's specific shareholding ratio in Tenda, according to their estimates, Song Ci's shareholding is definitely not less than 38%.

This figure undoubtedly provides solid support for the wealth of Song Dynasty poetry.

Furthermore, the report revealed a shocking piece of news: in Facebook's latest round of financing, Song Ci's name appeared prominently on the shareholder list, holding as much as 8% of the shares.

Microsoft's latest valuation of Facebook has reached $150 billion, which means that Song Ci has $12 billion in wealth with just 8% of the shares.

If we only consider the equity of Tenda Group and Facebook, Song Ci's net worth is no less than 365 billion yuan. Faced with reasonable data, netizens who had doubts gradually fell silent, and the voices of doubt gradually subsided.

Song Ci, who has consistently ranked among the top on the Hurun Rich List for three consecutive years, has become the most dazzling rising star in the business world and the most outstanding representative of the post-80s generation with her outstanding business acumen and steady wealth growth.

The next morning, around 8 a.m., Cai Yinong took Liu Shishi to Tengda Culture in Zhongao Building to attend the audition for the female lead in the movie "First Love".

Inside the carriage, Liu Shishi yawned repeatedly, looking listless and extremely tired.

"Shishi, why are you so tired? Didn't you get enough rest last night?" Cai Yinong asked with concern, looking puzzled. With the audition for Tengda Culture coming up soon, his sister's condition couldn't be good.

Liu Shishi gently patted her cheeks, trying to cheer herself up. Her eyes flickered, and she stammered, trying to cover it up, "I'm a little nervous about the audition today. I didn't sleep well last night."

Cai Yi-nong was skeptical: "Then you should rest in the car for a while, and I'll call you when we get there."

"Okay!" Liu Shishi nodded, then closed her eyes to rest and adjust her state.

The real reason for her exhaustion was certainly not nervousness. Yesterday, Mr. Song was in a good mood after being named one of the top ten richest people in mainland China for the second time. He gave her several hundred million yuan in red envelopes in a row last night, and they kept her up until 3 a.m. She finally fell asleep because she couldn't take it anymore.

I got up early in the morning and rushed to the hotel to meet Cai Yinong. I had less than five hours of sleep, so I naturally felt listless.

More than half an hour later, the vehicle slowly drove into the underground parking lot of the Zhongao Building.

Cai Yinong woke up Liu Shishi, and the two took the elevator together to the audition location.

In the elevator, Cai Yinong carefully straightened Liu's collar and looked her over closely. His eldest sister was still as pure and gentle as ever.

Today, Liu Shishi wore a simple white shirt paired with a coffee-colored long skirt, her long hair flowing over her shoulders, looking like a cool and elegant little white flower.

"Shishi, give me a hint: how confident are you in winning over the female lead?" Cai Yinong asked in a low voice, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes.

Originally, she thought that with her status as a top star and her connections, landing the lead role in a movie would be a piece of cake.

However, Tengda Culture's promotion of "A Little Thing Called First Love" was unprecedented, causing a huge stir in the entertainment industry even before filming began.

First of all, the film is directed by Teng Huatao, the godfather of youth films and a director with a net worth of hundreds of millions of yuan. The male and female leads were auditioned openly by the entire entertainment industry.

Moreover, the screenwriter is the famous writer and aristocratic young master, Song Ci, who acts as if it's all business. I wonder if using connections will still work.

"Sister K, no one can be absolutely certain about these things. I can only do my best."

This audition was held in an unprecedentedly grand manner, even Liu Shishi herself was confused. Didn't Mr. Song say that she was the female lead? Then why hold such a grand audition?

I heard that many young actresses went to audition this time. If word gets out that there was inside manipulation, wouldn't Tengda have cheated half of the entertainment industry?

Cai Yinong sighed, shook his head helplessly, and thought that he could only deal with things as they came and take it one step at a time.

After exiting the elevator, the two followed the signs to the waiting area.

The audition room was bustling with noise. Cai Yinong glanced around and saw that the actresses who had come to audition were either standing or sitting. Some she recognized, and some she didn't know at all. All in all, there were dozens of actresses.

With the help of their assistants and agents, the entire floor was bustling with activity, as if it had become a small grand event.

Cai Yinong shook his head, finding the child actors he had no recollection of adorably innocent. With an investment of tens of millions, Tengda Culture would never give away its resources for nothing.

But on second thought, I realized it was understandable. They were just trying their luck, and if they didn't get selected, they could just gain experience and make their mark on the directors and producers.

If you were lucky enough to be chosen by heaven, it would be like rising to the top in one step.

As Liu Shishi looked around, still marveling at the fierce competition among so many people, a familiar figure quietly approached them and greeted them warmly, "President Cai, Shishi, it's been a long time."

"Sister Tongyao, it's you!" Liu Shishi exclaimed with delight upon recognizing the person. The person was none other than Tongyao, with whom she had previously collaborated. The two had not seen each other since filming "Young Warriors of the Yang Clan" wrapped up, but they would occasionally keep in touch on QQ. Now that the old acquaintances had met, they naturally had to chat for a while.

Cai Yi-nong also responded: "It's a nursery rhyme! You're here for an interview too?"

Tong Yao wore a faint smile, seemingly nonchalant, and said, "I'm just here to join in the fun."

But the longing deep in her eyes was still noticed by the ever-observant Cai Yinong. He chuckled inwardly; what woman in the entertainment industry doesn't want to be famous!

Even our own lazy, laid-back queen recently started clamoring to become famous and upgrade her status to attend next year's Bazaar Charity Gala.

Liu Shishi, Cai Yinong, and Tong Yao were chatting and laughing, unaware that several girls were secretly watching them from a distance.

"Mimi, look! Isn't that Liu Shishi?" Yuan Shanshan patted her roommate's shoulder, her eyes filled with doubt and unease, and asked, pointing to the crowd not far away.

“That’s right, it’s her!” Yang Mi nodded, recognizing Liu Shishi at a glance, and a sense of foreboding immediately arose in her heart.

The unpleasant interview with "Nightclub" felt like it was just yesterday, making her wary of Liu Shishi.

Recalling their chance encounter during the National Day holiday, Yuan Shanshan's face instantly darkened, and she said indignantly, "That damned resource-backed actress, isn't she Song Ci's girlfriend? Does that mean we still have a chance at the interview?"

"Tengda Culture has made such a grand interview event this time, so it should be fairer, right? Otherwise, they could just decide on the candidates internally, why go through all this trouble?" Jiao Junyan, who is always optimistic, tried to reassure everyone.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shanshan chimed in, "Yan Yan is right! Maybe my crush has already dumped her, otherwise it's impossible that there hasn't been a single word about them being together for so long."

Zhang Xiaofei nodded to herself, reassuringly saying, "A big company like Tengda Culture would definitely value an actor's own abilities during the audition process."

Today, the four sisters from their dormitory came to Tengda Culture for an interview. Before the results came out, each of them had a dream and expectation in their hearts.

"I hope so!" Yang Mi said dejectedly. She had been working on film sets since she was a child and was not as naive as her three roommates.

Knowing full well that there is no fairness in the entertainment industry, the only hope now is that Tengda really wants to choose a female lead who is a good fit and is not swayed by those with connections.

Inside, there was a flurry of activity as the actresses either prepared themselves and made final preparations, or they busied themselves getting to know each other and building connections.

Inside the audition room, four interviewers, led by producer Zhang Zhao, were ready.

Director Teng Huatao glanced at the time and urged, "Mr. Zhang, it's almost time. Let's start the audition!"

Assistant director Ma Xin and casting director and acting coach Zhang Songwen, who were standing to the side, also looked at the producer. Although they were also in the audition group, they had very little say. Zhang Zhao was the one who really made the decisions.

Zhang Zhao glanced at his watch and said calmly, "No rush, it's not time yet. We'll start at 9 o'clock sharp."

He specially invited the chairman to the interview yesterday, and the boss also promised to come and show his support, so he didn't dare to start the interview early.

Seeing this, Teng Huatao could only wait patiently, but before long, a commotion arose outside.

Zhang Zhao stood up and asked, "What's going on outside?"

A staff member pushed open the door, peeked in, and hurriedly replied, "Mr. Zhang, Chairman Song is here!"

Zhang Zhao hurriedly walked outside. Just as he reached the door, he saw Song Ci approaching with bodyguards. He quickly went to greet her and invited the boss into the interview room.

"Chairman Song, why didn't you let me know you were coming? I could have gone down to greet you."

Song Ci, dressed in a navy blue suit, exuded an air of nobility. He waved his hand and smiled, "No need for such trouble. I just came to join in the fun. There are quite a few female celebrities outside."

The other three people in the room only belatedly realized what was happening and hurriedly stepped forward to greet him. "Chairman Song, hello!"

Song Ci smiled and shook hands with the three men. Teng Huatao, needless to say, was a director promoted by Tengda Culture; I'd met him before.

Ma Xin was also acquainted with him; he was a close associate of the company and Tengda Culture had been focusing on cultivating him. However, this was the first time he had met Zhang Songwen.

Zhang Songwen looked reserved, knowing that the person in front of him was the benefactor in his life. His rise to the top, playing the male lead in "Lurking," and signing with Tengda Culture was all thanks to the chairman's support.

As Song Ci sat down in the main seat, she looked at the thick stacks of resumes on the table and asked, "How many actresses came for auditions today?"

"We received nearly two hundred resumes, and after screening, we kept more than 70," Zhang Zhao replied with a smile.

He was the only one in the entire production crew who knew that the female lead had already been decided, and he was in charge of the entire audition process.

He made such a grand spectacle of the interview, even bringing Song Dynasty poetry to the event, all to create hype and boost the popularity of the film and its female lead, Liu Shishi—a tactic exactly the same as Zhang Dahuzi's hype of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" back then.

"Please sit down too," Song Ci said, gesturing for the four of them to sit down. She then casually flipped through the resumes of the actresses being interviewed.

When her gaze fell on a resume, Song Ci couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Jing Tian!"

Zhang Zhao, standing next to him, glanced at the resume in his boss's hand and asked curiously, "Mr. Song, do you know her?"

Song Ci casually replied, "I don't know him, but I've heard of him."

"The young lady is a freshman at the Beijing Film Academy this year, and she's got quite a background. When she submitted her application, her agent even contacted me, saying she could bring her own investment to the project and we could name our price for whatever investment she needed!"

Zhang Zhao still couldn't help but marvel at the other party's arrogant tone that day.

If the female lead of "A Little Thing Called First Love" hadn't already been given to his girlfriend by the chairman, he really wouldn't mind giving her to Jing Tian so he could rip him off. After all, these days, there aren't many suckers in the entertainment industry willing to throw money at people.

After flipping through a few more pages, a file featuring a girl with a round face came into view.

"Zhao Liying!" Song Ci couldn't help but murmur the name. He had just arrived and seen Yang Mi, but he didn't expect Zhao Liying to be here as well. With his own Liu Gu also present, half of the future top actresses born in the 85s had arrived.

A wicked thought suddenly arose in my mind: what kind of chemistry would be created if Zhao Liying were given a supporting role, playing opposite Miss Liu? Would it spark a fan war?

Song Ci glanced through dozens of resumes and found many familiar faces among them, including Jiang Yiyan, Huo Siyan, and Yuan Shanshan. It was quite interesting!
Song Ci tossed the resume on the table and ordered, "The auditions can begin!"

(End of this chapter)