Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 260 Asking Her to Invest
In late May, the East China Sea was scorching hot, and the weather was gradually getting hot, with a sticky and dry atmosphere in the air.

At this moment, everyone in the "Go Lala Go!" crew, from the big-name lead actors to the busy production assistants, had smiles on their faces.

Because the filming went very smoothly during this period, far exceeding the original schedule, the director generously agreed to give the entire crew a day off on the Dragon Boat Festival, which is three days later on the 28th.

Let everyone relax and adjust their mental state so that they can greet the final sprint of this TV series with even greater enthusiasm.

"Wang Chuanjun, Zheng Kai, you two have friends visiting the set. They're waiting for you in the main rest area!"

Wang Chuanjun and Zheng Kai, who had just finished filming a scene, were both slightly surprised when they heard the message from the production assistant. They didn't expect that someone would come to visit the set for such minor roles as them.

Filled with curiosity, the two arrived at the rest tent and saw two men and two women looking around, carrying large and small bags of various snacks and drinks.

When Wang Chuanjun saw that the visitors were the four main actors from the sitcom "iPartment," he was overjoyed and strode over, asking, "What brings you all here?"

"Chuanjun, you didn't expect this, did you! We've come to see you." Sun Yizhou went up to greet Wang Chuanjun and gave him a warm hug.

Lou Yixiao and Li Jinming also gathered around with joyful faces, greeting their old friend, and instantly the room was filled with laughter.

Zheng Kai glanced at the group behind him and saw his old classmate Chen Chichi winking at him with a cheeky look. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "I was wondering who came to see me. It's you, Chichi."

Chen Chichi chuckled: "What, not welcome?"

"Welcome! Of course you're welcome!" The two smiled at each other, and Zheng Kai patted his old classmate on the shoulder, saying with emotion, "Thank you for your kindness, brother."

The group consisted of students from the Donghai Drama Academy. They saw each other frequently and were quite familiar with one another. As they chatted together, Li Jinming politely shared the drinks and snacks he had brought.

Everyone ate snacks and chatted freely.

After gulping down a few mouthfuls of mineral water, Wang Chuanjun belatedly asked, "By the way, why did Director Wei let you leave? With none of you main actors around, wouldn't the 'iPartment' crew be paralyzed?"

Sun Yizhou waved his hand, looking distressed: "Hey, don't mention it. The film crew has stopped working, otherwise we wouldn't have had time to visit the set."

"What's going on?" Wang Chuanjun was suddenly startled. He was also one of the main actors in "iPartment".

He was just making a guest appearance in "Go Lala Go!" for a short time, but how come the "iPartment" crew stopped filming just a few days after he left?

Chen Chichi sighed, his expression somber: "The investors ran into some problems and withdrew their investment. Director Wei is frantic, his hair has turned white, and he's running around the world trying to attract more investment."

Lou Yixiao frowned: "Speaking of which, our 'iPartment' has really had a lot of troubles. We couldn't even get investment in the early stages."

Finally, a software company invested some money, but recently the internet industry has been in turmoil, and the investor has been implicated. The company is now facing cash flow problems and has withdrawn its investment.

"What are we going to do? We finally got together to film a movie, and this happens!" Li Jinming pouted, her brows furrowed with worry. She finally got to be the lead actress, and now so many misfortunes had befallen her.

After listening for a while, Zheng Kai realized that his classmates' film crews were facing funding problems and had to stop production. He quickly offered his condolences:
"Don't panic. The film and television industry is booming right now, and investors from all sides are flocking in. I think the director will be able to secure new investment soon."

"I hope so." "Brother Kai, I appreciate your kind words."

The atmosphere was tense, a mixture of helplessness and anticipation in everyone's voices. Suddenly, a cheerful voice broke the silence.

"Chichi, it really is you! I just saw someone from afar whose back looked like you, and when I came over, it really was you. Why didn't you ask your brother Lei for help when you came to the set? You're really not being fair."

Chen Chichi looked over upon hearing the voice and saw it was Lei Jiayin. He thought to himself that there were really a lot of acquaintances in this film crew.

He and Lei Jiayin were both actors at the Donghai Drama Center and both came from the same school. They usually got along well, so he quickly stood up to greet them: "Brother Lei, I really didn't know you were in this production crew! Please have a seat."

After a long separation, the two exchanged a few polite greetings, and Lei Jiayin sat down next to the others.

Noticing the somewhat somber atmosphere, I was puzzled. I thought to myself, shouldn't old friends be happy and joyful when they get together? Why do they all look so bitter and resentful?

"What's wrong with you?"

Chen Chichi then told Lei Jiayin about the predicament they had encountered in detail, and at the end, he asked with a hint of hope, "Brother Lei, do you have a solution?"

Lei Jiayin spread his hands: "I can't do anything about investment. The only thing we can do is for the production team to ask around at several film and television companies and cast a wide net. I believe there will definitely be new investors willing to take over."

Seeing that everyone was in low spirits and their spirits were low, Zheng Kai changed the subject: "Let's not talk about this anymore. I'll treat everyone to lunch."

At this moment, Li Jinming suddenly pointed into the distance and asked with envy, "Whose RV is that?"

Because of her seat angle, she could see a slender figure boarding a luxurious RV in the distance.

She was immediately filled with envy. She had only ever heard of big-name celebrities owning such impressive RVs before, and this was the first time she had ever seen one in person.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Kai turned around, squinted, and looked in the direction Li Jinming was pointing: "That's the RV of the female lead of the crew, Liu Shishi, the top actress of Tangren Media."

Li Jinming cupped his face in his hands, his eyes sparkling with longing: "It's so impressive! When will I be able to own one? This car would be so cool parked on set, it would definitely give me prestige and status!"

Wang Chuanjun glanced at the luxurious RV that gleamed in the sunlight: "Her car probably costs several million. With our current pay, we would have to work for at least ten years without eating or drinking to save up that much."

Lei Jiayin couldn't help but sigh, "It's really frustrating to compare yourself to others. They were born in '87, younger than all of us, but their careers are far ahead of ours."

After graduating from Donghai Drama Academy, he faced setbacks everywhere and was not sought after by any film and television company. He could only apply to the drama center to make a living.

After struggling in the entertainment industry for four or five years, working from dawn till dusk every day, I'm still just a minor supporting actor, achieving nothing.

Chen Chichi suddenly had a bright idea: "You guys think Liu Shishi must have made a lot of money now that she's so famous?"

Zheng Kai chimed in, "Of course. He has several endorsements, plus his acting fees, so he must earn several million a year."

Wang Chuanjun nodded in agreement: "Anyway, Liu Shishi must be very rich. You can tell from the food, clothing and other necessities she eats and uses on set. She often treats the whole crew to fruit and drinks. She is very generous and doesn't seem like someone who is short of money."

“That’s right, she’s absolutely super rich.” Lei Jiayin leaned closer, lowered her voice, and shared some of her observations:
"She wore a watch a few days ago, and the Hong Kong actresses in the crew were so impressed that they wanted to buy the same one."

Upon inquiring, they discovered it was an Audemars Piguet CODE 11.59 series watch, costing 1200 million yuan, which shocked the Hong Kong actresses so much that they never mentioned it again.

"A watch worth 1200 million yuan!" Everyone's eyes widened in shock upon hearing this.

Upon hearing that Liu Shishi was so wealthy, Chen Chichi felt even more confident in his idea and excitedly discussed it with his companions: "Can we ask Liu Shishi for investment? She's so rich, investing three to five million should be a piece of cake. Aren't all the big stars investing in film and television projects to test the waters? Maybe Liu Shishi will be interested too."

Upon hearing this, the main actors of "iPartment" were immediately intrigued and felt that Chen Chichi's suggestion was definitely worth a try.

It would be best to attract investment. Even if Liu Shishi is unwilling to invest, they won't lose anything; it's just a matter of walking a few more steps and saying a few more words.

Sun Yizhou was the first to agree: "I think it's a good idea, there's no harm in giving it a try. Anyway, we don't have any other options for the time being, so let's just try it out."

The two girls exchanged a glance and both agreed that Chen Chichi's idea was good.

Lou Yixiao gently bit her lip, a sense of anticipation rising within her: "Maybe it will work! Who should go and talk to her about it?"

Sun Yizhou volunteered, "I'll go talk to Liu Shishi." He had his own thoughts in mind; he didn't have a management company at the moment and was making his way in the entertainment industry on his own.

I recently heard that Tangren Media is recruiting, and he is interested in joining the company, but he doesn't expect to become a big star by playing a leading role.

I just hope to have a talent agency to help me get roles, which would be better than going it alone and constantly hitting walls because I can't find resources.

So I thought I'd take this opportunity to get in touch with Tangren's top female star and find out some inside information.

After a moment's hesitation, Wang Chuanjun finally spoke up: "Yizhou, Liu Shishi doesn't know you after all. It wouldn't be appropriate for her to come to your door so abruptly. I'll go with you."

He felt that he and Liu Shishi had met while filming the same drama, and as one of the main actors in "iPartment," he naturally had to step forward and take responsibility under such circumstances.

"I'll go too."

"I want to go too."

Both girls raised their hands at the same time. Lou Yixiao thought that since she was a girl, she might be able to help when talking to Liu Shishi. As for Li Jinming, he was just there to join in the fun and see the interior of the RV.

The four quickly reached an agreement and went together to the RV, knocking on the door.

Inside the car, Liu Shishi was comfortably resting in her seat, leisurely browsing Weibo on her phone and interacting with fans through comments.

Hearing the noise outside the car, assistant Lin Xia walked to the car window and peered out to check.

"Senior Sister, it's Wang Chuanjun from the film crew, with one man and two women, knocking on the car door. It seems like they want to come in because they need something."

"Then open the door."

The car door slowly opened, and Wang Chuanjun led the three people onto the RV. Upon seeing Liu Shishi staring at him curiously, he hurriedly greeted her and then warmly introduced his three friends to Tangren's top female host.

"Hello, Teacher Liu!" the three said in unison, with a hint of reverence.

Liu Shishi nodded in acknowledgment, her tone friendly and without the slightest air of being the leading lady: "Hello, please have a seat. Xiaoxia, pour tea for the guests."

The interior of the RV is extremely spacious and cleverly and reasonably laid out, so even if six or seven people sit in it, it will not feel crowded at all.

Li Jinming, with a charmingly innocent expression, stared intently at the soft sofa and exquisite coffee table inside the car. The entire space was decorated luxuriously yet warmly, and she felt quite envious.

After the assistant served tea, the other three took the opportunity to exchange pleasantries with Liu Shishi to glance at the dazzling watch on her wrist. They exchanged subtle glances and had no doubt about her wealth.

Seeing that the men seemed hesitant to speak, Liu Shishi guessed that they wanted something from her, so she asked directly, "Chuanjun, what brings you here with the three main actors from 'iPartment'?"

Seeing this, Sun Yizhou replied sincerely, "Let me explain. Teacher Liu, the thing is, our production crew..."

He did not hide anything and truthfully told the crew about the difficulties they faced, such as funding shortages and work stoppages.

Lou Yixiao, standing to the side, felt a surge of resentment and anxiety upon hearing Sun Yizhou's complete disclosure. Now that Liu Shishi knew the true situation of the production crew, the initiative was in her hands.

"You want me to invest in the TV series 'iPartment'?" Sister Yi tilted her head, a hint of interest in her eyes.

Sun Yizhou nodded vigorously: "Yes. It was also a coincidence. We originally came to visit the film set today, but we learned by chance that you are very wealthy, so we were thinking of inviting you to invest in our TV series."

He recounted the whole story in detail, explaining that he was being honest with the leading lady because he was interested in joining Tangren Media and wanted to gain her support.

Upon hearing this, Liu Shishi smiled gently and was eager to try it out. Nowadays, it's becoming increasingly popular for big-name celebrities to invest in film and television projects, and she wanted to give it a shot.

"That's interesting. How much investment do you need?"

Seeing that the eldest sister did not refuse outright, the four of them showed joy. Wang Chuanjun reacted the fastest and hurriedly replied, "Teacher Liu, our urban light comedy is a small production, and five million yuan in investment is enough."

Having finally seen a glimmer of hope, he didn't dare to report a single penny more, fearing that reporting an excessive investment amount would scare Liu Shishi away.

Liu Shishi quickly calculated in her mind that with her film salary, endorsement fees, and the pocket money given by her father, she could come up with five million without asking Mr. Song for help.

“I can sense your sincerity, and I won’t hide it from you, I am very interested in investing in this drama. However, investing is not a small matter, and I cannot give you a hasty answer based on just a few words.”

The woman paused slightly, picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and the aroma of the tea spread between her lips and teeth, making her thoughts clearer.

"At the very least, I need to see a detailed proposal, including the script, cast, shooting schedule, budget breakdown, and so on, to thoroughly evaluate the project. Besides, there are some things that are not up to you to decide."

This "iPartment" sounds pretty good, and the investment isn't too big, so it seems like a good investment opportunity for me.

Even if she doesn't make money in the end, or even loses a little, it's not unacceptable to her; she can just consider it as gaining experience.

However, making a profit would be ideal, so she thought she would ask Sister K or Mr. Song for their advice once she got the information.

Sun Yizhou beamed with joy, feeling that things were more than half done: "We know the rules, so don't worry. The director is in Donghai, and we'll contact him here to pay him a visit."

Wang Chuanjun echoed, "Yes, yes, don't worry, 'iPartment' is definitely a worthwhile investment project. We will immediately ask Director Wei to bring the materials to the 'Du Lala's Promotion' crew to discuss it with you in detail."

Liu Shishi nodded slightly in agreement, then glanced down at the exquisitely crafted wristwatch on her wrist, the first birthday gift Mr. Song had given her after their engagement.

"It's almost lunchtime. It's fate that we've met. Let me treat everyone to a meal."

(End of this chapter)