Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 261 Another One

In the stillness of the night, at home in Phoenix Mansion.

After washing up, Liu Shishi, dressed in soft pajamas, lay half-reclined on the headboard, with a bedside lamp casting a soft glow.

The eldest sister held a script in her hands, reading it with great interest. She was amused by the humorous and interesting plot, and her giggles echoed in the bedroom from time to time.

Suddenly, a melodious telephone ring interrupted the joy. Liu Shishi glanced at the caller ID and eagerly answered the call.

"Sister K! What do you think of that 'iPartment' show I sent you? Is it worth investing in?"

On the other end of the phone, Cai Yinong paused for a moment before choosing to speak the truth: "Shishi, based on my experience, I'm not very optimistic about this kind of urban youth comedy."

Some of the plot points are a bit nonsensical, limiting its target audience, which might be why the production team hasn't been able to secure funding.

Upon hearing this, Liu Shishi's smile vanished instantly, replaced by deep disappointment. However, she was still somewhat unconvinced; she had read the script herself and found the story very interesting and unique.

"It's only five million. If you really want to invest, you can try it out. After Operation Sword, the price of online film and television copyrights has skyrocketed. Even if TV stations are unwilling to pay high prices to purchase them, they can still recoup some of their costs by selling them to video websites."

Cai Yinong added a sentence, but there was something he didn't say out loud. He thought to himself that this little bit of money was more than the pocket money that Boss Song would give you if you just acted cute. As long as you're happy with investing.

"I see." Liu Shishi was a little sullen, though she had been in high spirits ever since listening to Sun Yizhou and the others' introduction that morning.

But after hearing the opinion of K-sister, a professional producer, who is so pessimistic about the show, I naturally couldn't be happy.

After hesitating for a while, the eldest sister still didn't want to let her enthusiasm go to waste and insisted, "I still want to give it a try."

Cai Yinong remained noncommittal, saying in a nonchalant tone, "Alright, it's just a small amount of money, Mrs. Song can do as she pleases."

"It's not about the money!" Liu Shishi muttered softly. She mainly wanted to prove her judgment and ability and didn't want to be easily dismissed.

"Since you're going to invest in film and television projects, there's something you should take care of as soon as possible."

"What is it?"

"Set up your own film and television studio; that way, investing will be easier."

Cai Yinong couldn't help but sigh. Not long ago, she was thinking that the top male and female stars would probably go independent and establish their own studios in two or three years. She never expected that day would come in the blink of an eye.

"Ah!" Sister Yi exclaimed in surprise. She really had no intention of going independent. "Sister K, is it absolutely necessary?"

"Having a studio makes it easier to handle issues such as investment and taxation."

Liu Shishi frowned slightly, her face showing distress: "But setting up a studio is very troublesome. Fan Bingbing is an example. Although he is his own boss, he is extremely busy, having to worry about the livelihoods of so many people under him."

Upon hearing this, Cai Yinong was secretly delighted. As expected, the leading lady had no intention of leaving Tangren for the time being. Retaining this leading young actress was crucial for Tangren's development.

So he patiently guided her: "Fan Bingbing's studio is completely independent. She has to do everything herself, which is almost no different from a small film and television company."

Your agency contract with Tangren has a few years left. If you're worried about the hassle, you can have your studio affiliated with the company, with two names and one team.

The company charges a token annual service fee, which allows you to enjoy the convenience of the studio while saving yourself a lot of trouble. What do you think?

“That’s great! I’ll cooperate with whatever procedures are needed to open a studio.” Liu Shishi’s eyes lit up, and she nodded emphatically.

I quite agree with the idea of ​​the studio being affiliated with Tangren Media. As for the minor details, I'll leave them to Sister K to handle.

Cai Yinong quickly agreed: "I'll arrange for someone to process your business license tomorrow."

The two discussed some details about the studio, and Cai Yinong suddenly changed the subject: "Shishi, are you really not going to appear on Happy Camp next week?"

"No, no, Sister K, wasn't this already agreed upon?"

Cai Yinong was helpless against the female lead's little whim, and shook his head with a wry smile: "I really can't do anything with you, but let me make it clear beforehand, you have to explain to the fans yourself."

Thinking about the madness of some fans these days, Cai Yinong couldn't help but shudder. Fortunately, his idol's "little lion" is still a bit more rational.

However, when it comes to the top female star, if things don't go their way, they'll lash out at the company and her, especially on Weibo, which is incredibly frustrating.

Of the six main actors in "Chinese Paladin 3", only Liu Shishi did not appear on the show, which makes it hard not to speculate.

To avoid being misunderstood by fans as someone who was suppressing the top female star, which would inevitably cause chaos, she made sure to give Liu Shishi a heads-up beforehand.

Liu Shishi understood K-jie's predicament: "Don't worry, K-jie. I will record a video to explain the situation to the fans."

Cai Yinong sighed, "Just handle it properly. Actually, occasionally appearing on variety shows can help increase exposure and popularity. I have high expectations for Long Kui in 'Chinese Paladin 3,' and I hope it will become one of your classic roles."

The top female host confidently stated, "No rush. I'll definitely appear on good variety shows, but I'll skip Happy Camp. As for exposure and popularity, I have other ways to achieve that."

K-sister, just wait and see. You'll be amazed. It'll be way better than appearing on Happy Camp.

Liu Shishi had barely finished the call and hadn't even had a chance to catch her breath when her phone rang again.

Liu Shishi was initially surprised to see that it was Xu Zheng, whom she had worked with before, calling again, thinking it was something else that had come up.

"Director Xu, hello!"

Xu Zheng's cheerful voice came through the receiver: "Shishi, it's been a long time. I'm contacting you today because there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Liu Shishi recalled briefly that she hadn't had much contact with Xu Zheng in the past two years since "Nightclub," except for sending him a polite text message during holidays.

However, since they had come to our door, we could only assess the situation first: "Director Xu, you're too kind. Please speak."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone as Xu Zheng seemed to be gathering his thoughts: "Shishi, the huge success of 'Nightclub' back then made me somewhat famous in the directing circle."

However, I also discovered many shortcomings during the filming process, so I did not rush to direct again and instead focused on enriching my knowledge of directing.

After two years of reflection and growth, I feel I've made up for my shortcomings, so I'm preparing to direct another film.

Xu Zheng talked at length about his personal journey, and Liu Shishi listened patiently, offering her blessings at the right moment: "Congratulations on Director Xu's return to the screen. When your new film is released, I will definitely book a whole theater to support you."

"Thank you! I've recently been working on a script called 'Lost in Thailand,' a comedy about the Spring Festival travel rush. I'd like to ask you for your help, Shishi." Xu Zheng finally got to the point.

Liu Shishi couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Director Xu, you want to invite me to act in a movie?" "No!" Xu Zheng was clearly taken aback, not expecting Liu Shishi to have misunderstood, and quickly added, "It's just that I'm currently short of investment, Shishi, can you give me a hand?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Shishi's expression instantly turned extremely strange. Today was truly bizarre; one after another, as if they had planned it all in advance, they were all eager to ask her to invest.

She couldn't help but wonder if her identity as the wife of the richest man had been exposed, which was why all these people were eyeing her secret stash of money.

After much deliberation, the eldest sister still politely declined: "Director Xu, I can't afford to invest in the film. I suggest you ask Tengda Culture. You still have a director's contract with Tengda, right? They will definitely invest in your film."

"Shishi, this is a low-budget production, with a budget of only around 700 million. If you're short on funds, you can invest less, how about 20% share? As for Tengda Culture, they invested half of it, and Tengda is also responsible for the film's promotion and distribution."

Liu Shishi was stunned and couldn't quite figure out Xu Zheng's intentions. The cost of 700 million was just a drop in the ocean for a large company like Tengda, and it could be fully invested. Why would Xu Zheng need to go out and raise investment?

Moreover, it's a low-budget comedy film, and it's distributed by Tengda Culture, so it's almost certain to make money. Logically, there should be people waving their money and scrambling to invest.

"Director Xu, your film shouldn't lack investment, right? May I ask, who are you planning to invest in for the other 30% share?" Liu Shishi asked cautiously, her tone tinged with suspicion.

Xu Zheng said firmly, "I'll invest that 30% myself!"

Liu Shishi seemed to understand, a searching glint in her eyes: "Director Xu, I think I understand now. It's almost a certainty that this movie will make money. This 50% share was specially given to you by Tengda Culture for you to use freely, right?"

Now that things were out in the open, Xu Zheng stopped hiding anything and frankly admitted, "Yes."

Upon receiving a clear reply, Liu Shishi thought to herself, "Just as I thought, this is practically giving me money."

"Why are you looking for me?"

Xu Zheng thought about it and decided it was best to make things clear, otherwise Liu Shishi might not invest.

"Because of your relationship with Tengda! Tengda Culture is investing in too many projects now. A small project with a budget of 700 million yuan is probably not of much interest to Zhang Zhao and the others. But if you are involved, the situation will be very different. Tengda Culture and Southern Cinema Line will definitely pay a little more attention to it."

Liu Shishi muttered, "I have nothing to do with Tengda Culture!"

"Shishi, that's not very interesting!" Xu Zheng said with a smile, his tone teasing: "Back when we auditioned for 'Nightclub,' I saw Zhang Zhao favoring you. At first, I just thought you were someone with connections."

But later, when Boss Song came to visit the set, I noticed that the way he looked at you was strange. From then on, I felt that your relationship was unusual.

I've been keeping an eye on things, and all the signs point to you and Mr. Song being a couple. Oh, and I haven't had a chance to congratulate you on your engagement yet. I wish you both a long and happy marriage.

The top woman was mortified; her lie was exposed in an instant. She pouted and said helplessly, "Okay! I admit it, I am Song Ci's fiancée."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zheng thought to himself that he had guessed correctly. After just a little probing, Liu Shishi readily admitted it!

At this moment, my heart was burning with excitement. The richest man's wife was a golden thigh, and I had to hold on tight!
"Shishi, I've been carefully polishing the script for this movie, 'Lost in Thailand.' I can't promise it will be a huge hit, but I'm absolutely confident it will make a decent profit. Otherwise, I wouldn't have invested over two million myself. Now that I've said all that, give me a straight answer."

It would be unreasonable to refuse money when they were offering it reasonably. Since she had already invested 500 million in "iPartment," investing in another movie wouldn't hurt. So, she nodded and said, "I'll invest!"

Xu Zheng was overjoyed. Liu Shishi's willingness to invest was a win-win situation. He figured Tengda would definitely pay more attention to "Lost in Thailand".

"Shishi, have you been in the East China Sea lately?"

Yes, I'm filming on set.

Xu Zheng didn't want to wait a moment longer and said decisively, "Then I'll send you the script and stuff tomorrow so you can take a look. We can discuss the rest in detail when I get to Donghai."

Sensing Xu Zheng's energetic demeanor, the leading lady solemnly replied, "We eagerly await Director Xu's arrival."

After making both phone calls, the night grew even deeper; it was almost ten o'clock.

After thinking it over, Liu Shishi decided to tell Song Ci about what happened today. She hadn't spoken to her lover that evening to express her feelings, so she picked up her phone again, which she had just put down.

As luck would have it, the moment her finger touched the phone screen, Song Ci called, and Ms. Liu quickly answered.

"Honey!"

Hearing his fiancée's soft call, Song Ci chuckled: "Shishi, I'll send you an installation package via email right away. You can install it on your phone."

While operating her phone, Liu Shishi chatted with Song Ci on speakerphone: "Honey, I did two big things today, investing in a TV series and a movie."

Song Ci seemed uninterested in the important matter Liu was discussing, and kept asking, "Is the app installed yet?"

Liu Shishi puffed out her cheeks and huffed, "Song Yiyi, I'm angry! Are you even listening to me?"

Song Ci realized he had been too hasty and neglected his fiancée's feelings, and hurriedly apologized: "Shi Bao, I'm so sorry! You invested in the movie and TV series, right? Go on, I'm listening."

"Yes, I invested in the TV series 'iPartment' and the movie 'Lost in Thailand'..."

As his fiancée recounted the story, Song Ci felt a ripple in her heart. She could accept "Lost in Thailand" as Xu Zheng's deliberate attempt to please her.

But the hugely popular sitcom "iPartment" actually came knocking on their door; it was like a windfall.

"These all sound like good projects, worth investing in!"

Upon hearing her fiancé's support, Liu Shishi beamed and exclaimed that Cai Yinong had no taste.

"Shishi, is it all set up?"

Liu Shishi looked curiously at the new program that Song Ci had asked her to install. The icon was a green frame with two small white bubbles in the middle, which looked quite cute.

"It's installed! What app is this?"

"WeChat! A chat tool for mobile phones."

Liu Shishi felt that her fiancé's voice was extremely passionate and excited. She opened the app and saw a little person looking up at a blue planet. The picture was full of artistic conception.

I quickly registered an account by following the steps. WeChat's page is extremely simple, without any unnecessary complexity, giving people an exceptionally refreshing feeling.

"Shishi, we can use it to chat from now on! Soon, many, many people will be using it!"

(End of this chapter)