Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 231 A little refresher

On October 23rd, which happened to be the day of Frost's Descent, the afternoon sun was still bright, but there was already a hint of chill in the air.

Around 3 p.m., the crew of "Chinese Paladin 3" in Hengdian was bustling with activity.

In front of the monitor, director Li Guoli stared intently at the screen, afraid of missing any detail.

When Hu Ge and Yang Mi perfectly completed the last shot on screen, someone suddenly shouted, "Cut! That's a wrap!"

After saying this, Li Guoli let out a long sigh of relief, revealing an expression of great relief.

He then slowly picked up the walkie-talkie, took a deep breath, and said in an excited tone: "Now I announce that 'Chinese Paladin 3' has officially wrapped up filming."

As soon as he finished speaking, the crew members around him spontaneously applauded, and some even cried tears of joy.

After nearly four months of filming in multiple locations and numerous delays due to leave requests from the main cast, the fantasy epic "Chinese Paladin 3" has finally wrapped up filming!

In front of the camera in the studio, upon hearing the director's voice, Hu Ge snapped out of character and stared at Yang Mi's beautiful face. She was momentarily dazed and remained stunned for quite a while.

"Honey, congratulations on wrapping up filming."

Yang Mi, dressed in the style of Xi Yao, was dressed in white like snow, looking like a fairy who had stepped out of a painting.

At this moment, I am also filled with excitement. After nearly four months of hard work filming, the bittersweet reward has finally come.

Looking at the person before him, a hint of affection unconsciously flickered in his eyes: "Congratulations! Jing Tian!"

Liu Shishi, Tang Yan, Chen Xiao, and Yuan Hong exchanged glances, their expressions a mixture of joy and reluctance.

Over the course of four months, we experienced so much joy and sorrow together, and spent countless unforgettable days and nights together.

Now that filming has wrapped up, the crew may go their separate ways tomorrow, and who knows when they will reunite again.

The crew and other staff began packing up equipment and cleaning the set. The lead actors walked together toward the rest area, preparing to rest for a while before removing their makeup and changing clothes to attend the wrap party that evening.

The lead actress and Tang Yan walked hand in hand, chatting about interesting stories from the film crew, their hearty laughter echoing in the air.

When you get close to the rest area, you can see Cai Yinong talking to a man inside.

Although the other person had his back to her and she couldn't see his face, Liu Shishi recognized him at a glance as Mr. Song, whom she had been longing for day and night.

Overjoyed by this unexpected surprise, the eldest sister instinctively let go of her friend and hurried off towards Songci.

Hearing the commotion, Song Ci turned around and saw Miss Liu running straight towards him. He stepped forward to greet her, and soon his arms were filled with her fragrance.

The woman threw herself into her boyfriend's arms, hugging his strong waist and back, lingering tenderly for a moment before slowly letting go of her lover.

"Yi-yi, what brings you here?"

A delicate fragrance lingered around her nose. Song Ci smiled and explained, "I was on a business trip in Donghai this morning. I happened to hear from Yuanyuan that the film crew wrapped up shooting today, so I came to see you. I'm planning to go back to Donghai with you tomorrow. I'll be staying in Donghai for the next few days."

This morning he went to the Donghai government office to sign an investment agreement on behalf of Tengda Group. He will also be conducting on-site inspections tomorrow and the day after to select a location for the cloud computing center, so he will stay in Donghai for several days.

"That's wonderful!" Sister Yi was overjoyed when she heard that Mr. Song would stay with her in Donghai for a few days.

But then she remembered something, and instantly suppressed her joyful expression, speaking in a sarcastic tone: "How could I possibly trouble you, sir? You are busy with your important matters."

Seeing that Miss Liu's expression changed so suddenly, Song Ci was completely bewildered. He had just arrived in Hengdian that afternoon and hadn't offended her.

The newly crowned richest man was bewildered and could only look to Cai Yi-nong for help.

Cai Yinong chuckled, thinking to himself that it was indeed a case of one thing subduing another; his top sister really had Boss Song completely under her thumb.

She understood that the two were childhood sweethearts with a deep bond, and if any other woman dared to cause trouble, the richest man would probably turn on her on the spot.

Seeing Mr. Song pleading for help, Cai Yinong stepped forward and whispered, "Mr. Song, Shishi is jealous. These past few days, there have been rumors online that you helped Fan Bingbing get the Montblanc jewelry endorsement."

She only dared to touch on the subject briefly, and there were some things she couldn't say more about. Although she didn't know the details of the matter, the rumors circulating online were quite detailed, so it's no wonder that the top sister was jealous.

Song Ci understood. It was true that he helped Fan Bingbing, but the other exaggerated and unfounded rumors online were completely unfounded.

"President Cai, you go ahead and get busy. I need to have a few words with Shishi alone."

Cai Yi Nong was taken aback: "Uh, okay!" She was originally full of curiosity and wanted to see how the richest man would coax the number one sister, but it seems that she will not have the chance to watch the drama. She could only leave disappointed.

Only the two of them remained in the small rest shed. Song Ci reached out to pull his girlfriend, wanting to sit down and chat with her: "Shishi, it's just some gossip, you're not jealous about that, are you?"

Although Liu Shishi was feeling resentful, she obediently sat down with Song Ci, but still turned her head to the side, pursed her lips, and looked unhappy.

Song Ci was not in a hurry, and said slowly and deliberately: "Shishi, I did say a few words about speaking on behalf of Fan Bingbing, but the other rumors are nonsense."

Upon hearing this, Sister Yi was furious: "Fine, Song Yiyi, you admit it, huh! What's your relationship with that Fan girl? You're helping her with endorsements, is she your girlfriend?"

Thinking of this, Ms. Liu felt very wronged. Mr. Song had become the richest man, and she, his official girlfriend, hadn't even benefited yet. This first wave of benefits had been enjoyed by Fan Bingbing. It was really infuriating.

“Look at you, you’re in such a hurry. Look at me and let me finish.” Song Ci gently placed his hand on his girlfriend’s shoulder, trying to straighten her body and make her look at him.

Liu Shishi didn't resist. Song Ci turned her body upright, and she could only stare at her boyfriend, muttering, "Becoming the richest man has made him even more domineering than before!"

"Actually, I did this for you."

Hearing Song Ci's shocking words, Liu Shishi was immediately furious: "Song Yiyi, you've been helping other women get endorsements behind my back, and you still say it's for me?"

Song Ci quickly calmed his agitated girlfriend: "Let me explain!"

The eldest sister crossed her arms, puffing out her cheeks in anger: "Fine! Let's see what kind of nonsense you can come up with?"

Song Ci patiently organized her thoughts and recounted the whole story in detail: "In August, Zhang Zhao came to me and asked me to speak to the senior management of Montblanc about Fan Bingbing's endorsement."

Actually, I initially refused, since I didn't know anyone at Montblanc, and it didn't seem right for me to help. But later, he suggested that we use this opportunity to expand Tengda's influence in the fashion industry. He also said that if it worked out, we could take the opportunity to invite a number of international fashion brands to join Weibo, and that as the chairman of Tengda, I should step forward for both public and private reasons.

I thought about it and realized there was some truth to it. Besides, if I could use this opportunity to get to know the three major luxury goods groups, it might help me land some good endorsements in the future. With that in mind, I agreed to his request.

Originally, I just casually mentioned it to the president of Montblanc Asia Pacific by chance, and then nothing happened for a while, so I didn't even take it to heart.

Unexpectedly, a few days ago, Montblanc, seeing that I had become the richest person in China, brought up the old issue again, which allowed Fan Bingbing to benefit from it. But ultimately, it was because Fan Bingbing was already one of their prospective clients, and I was just going along with it.

Having understood the whole story, Liu Shishi's jealousy gradually dissipated, and she feigned magnanimity:

"You have a point. I'll be magnanimous and forgive you for now. But remember what you just said? You owe me a luxury brand endorsement."

His girlfriend's anger came and went quickly, and Song Ci breathed a sigh of relief, nodding repeatedly: "Okay, okay, I'll make it up to you with two luxury brand endorsements later."

Seeing Mr. Song make a promise, Sister Yi was naturally overjoyed, but she still pouted and said with a proud look, "You're smart to know what's good for you!"

After calming down the jealous Liu, Song Ci inquired about her life on set for a few more days before asking, "How's 'First Love' doing at the box office?"

When asked about the movie, Liu Shishi looked dejected: "The cumulative box office is 9600 million, which is not bad overall, but the daily box office has dropped to around 40."

With only a week left in theaters, the chances of breaking 100 million at the box office are slim. Sigh, it's all because "Painted Skin" and "The Dark Knight" were too dominant; they drained the entire market.

Song Ci held Liu's small hand and gently comforted her, "9600 million is already very good. For your first time as the leading lady in a movie, this is an excellent result."

The top sister still had a bitter face: "Sister K comforted me in the same way, but I was just a little bit short of breaking 100 million, so I'm still a little unwilling."

Song Ci pondered for a moment and nodded slightly: "No one knows the outcome until the very last moment; perhaps a miracle will happen."

"I hope so! It would be best if it broke 100 million, but it's not a big deal if it doesn't. By the way, honey, are you going to the wrap party tonight?"

"The wrap party was a mess, and my bodyguards are still waiting for me outside, so I won't go. I'll ask Sister Song to tidy up the house, and I'll go there first."

Miss Liu nodded slightly: "Okay! Then see you at home tonight." She understood what Song Ci meant; this "home" was not the home they were referring to, but their cozy little nest in Hengdian.

Seeing her assistant Lin Xia waving at her from a distance, Liu Shishi knew that she was being urged to remove her makeup: "I'll go to the dressing room first, wait for me, darling."

"I'll go with you." Song Ci felt it was boring to stay in the rest area alone, so he got up and followed his girlfriend to the dressing room.

As dusk fell, the cast and crew of "Chinese Paladin 3" were holding a lively wrap party, filled with laughter and joy.

At this moment, Zhang Zhao, from Beiping Tengda Culture, was pacing back and forth in his office with a furrowed brow, looking preoccupied.

Not long ago, he received a call from the chairman, who demanded that he ensure the box office of the movie "First Love" would exceed 100 million yuan.

Upon receiving the order, he dared not slack off in the slightest. He immediately convened an emergency meeting, mobilizing all departments to continue to strengthen publicity efforts, and also requiring the company's artists to help promote the film on online platforms.

In an effort to reverse the box office slump, they even used their connections to get many big-name stars in the industry, such as Fan Bingbing and Huang Xiaoming, to come forward and create another wave of publicity for "First Love".

While increased publicity might help boost box office revenue, it's not a foolproof solution. The chairman has given him a firm order with no room for negotiation: the box office must exceed 100 million.

After hesitating and pacing in the office for a while, Zhang Zhao gritted his teeth and took out his phone to call Liu Rong, the general manager of Southern Cinema Line.

He knew perfectly well that there was only one way to guarantee the box office would break 100 million.

"boss Zhang!"

Zhang Zhao gripped his phone tightly, his tone serious: "President Liu, I have something important to discuss with you."

"Hold on."

After waiting for about two or three minutes, Liu Rong's cool voice came again: "There is no one around me now, Mr. Zhang, please speak."

Zhang Zhao didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point: "President Liu, President Song gave me a firm order this afternoon: 'First Love' must break 100 million at the box office, but there's very little box office potential left."

I estimate there'll still be a shortfall of around two million before the film's run ends. I need your help.

Having worked in the industry for many years, Liu Rong naturally understood Zhang Zhao's meaning immediately. He wanted to use common industry methods to inflate box office numbers to ensure that "First Love" would break 100 million.

“No problem, this box office revenue is enough to be achieved by showing a few movies a day, and it can be done quietly.”

Seeing Liu Rong agree so readily, Zhang Zhao's tense nerves finally relaxed: "President Liu is a man of few words! Tengda Culture will bear the costs for this part."

Liu Rong didn't care about the cost of vote-buying at all, and readily said, "Don't worry about this little bit of money, Mr. Zhang. We're all on the same side. It's only about 200,000 yuan, I'll cover it directly."

To be on the safe side, she plans to spend 300 million yuan on her own cinema chain. Southern Cinema Chain and Tengda Culture are essentially the same company, and the actual cost expenditure is only 5% for the film industry special fund and 3.3% for the special business tax.

With a box office of 300 million, the cost is less than 25, which is just a drop in the ocean for a large company like Southern Cinema Circuit.

Seeing Liu Rong's generosity, Zhang Zhao didn't stand on ceremony anymore. Since Southern Cinemas was paying for it, if the deal went well, half the credit would go to Liu Rong in front of the chairman.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Liu! I hope you will kindly attend the celebration banquet when we break 100 million."

"Definitely. Mr. Zhang, actually I've been keeping an eye on the box office of 'First Love.' Even though the chairman hadn't mentioned it, I was planning to persuade you to boost it a bit."

After all, a box office of 100 million yuan and less than 100 million yuan are two different concepts. Producers, directors, lead actors, and even our theater chains all need good box office results to boost morale, and even the higher-ups need it too.

Actually, I reckon even without using any cheating software, you could still get your application for an extension of the key approved. After all, every movie that grosses over 100 million is a credit to the higher-ups, isn't it? But since the chairman has spoken, let's be straightforward.

Zhang Zhao said thoughtfully, "This is something I didn't consider carefully."

He couldn't help but reflect that the outstanding success of "Painted Skin" had made him overlook the equally excellent "First Love," and that there were indeed shortcomings in his work.

"Then it's settled. I'll start making arrangements tonight."

Zhang Zhao was full of gratitude: "Thank you! I'm so grateful for your help, Mr. Liu."

(End of this chapter)