Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 368 Major Shift in the Landscape
It was already 11 p.m., but the streets of Beiping were still brightly lit on the eve of National Day.

Neon lights illuminated the entire Chang'an Avenue as if it were daytime, and bustling crowds surged through the streets, their laughter and car horns weaving together a unique symphony of joy on the eve of the festival.

Li Bingbing leaned lazily against the car window, her slender fingers gently supporting her chin. The late summer evening breeze carried a hint of heat, blowing gently and ruffling her loose hair.

Outside the car window, the colorful neon lights were reflected in her dreamy eyes, like a flowing urban painting.

"What do you think of Boss Jia's proposal?" Ren Quan turned around from the front row, his gaze shifting between Huang Xiaoming and Li Bingbing in the back row.

Huang Xiaoming rubbed his temples and slapped his slightly tipsy cheeks: "Ah Quan, the film market is almost saturated now. Isn't it too late for LeTV to become a film subsidiary and enter the big screen?"

Huang Xiaoming paused briefly to think, his eyes growing clearer. "Without established cinema chains, lacking distribution channels, let alone signing renowned directors, how easy is it to establish oneself in the film industry with such basic conditions?"

Despite drinking quite a bit at the Bazaar Charity Gala, Huang Xiaoming's business acumen remained sharp, and his judgment was impeccable.

When the event ended, Jia Yueting, the owner of LeEco, kept the three of them behind for a detailed discussion, warmly inviting several popular celebrities to invest in the soon-to-be-established LeEco Pictures.

But after weighing the options repeatedly in his mind, he felt that this was unreliable. The film industry landscape is now largely set, and major film and television companies have long since reached a balance. If LeEco tries to squeeze in and grab a piece of the pie at this time, it will likely be severely suppressed.

Seeing Huang Xiaoming's cautious attitude, Ren Quan nodded thoughtfully, then turned to Li Bingbing, who had remained silent, and asked, "Bingbing, what do you think?"

Li Bingbing's answer was irrelevant; her gaze remained fixed on the dim lights outside the window, and she murmured softly as if in a dream, "She's so happy!"

"What?" Ren Quan didn't hear clearly and leaned closer.

“I must say, Liu Shishi is truly enviable.” Li Bingbing withdrew her gaze, a ripple of emotion appearing in her eyes. “Song Ci’s thoughtfulness towards her couldn’t be faked.”

At this moment, the leading actress spoke softly but with a hint of melancholy, "After the Tengda artist offered the toast, he clearly took the wine glass away."

But when Cai Yinong brought Hu Ge to toast Liu Shishi, he still cared about his wife's feelings and politely drank a glass with them. From childhood sweethearts to deeply in love, it's truly enviable.

Ren Quan was speechless for a moment, not expecting his friend to be completely absorbed in his own thoughts.

He knew it was best not to disturb women in such emotional moments, so he wisely kept quiet and temporarily put aside the discussion about investing in LeEco Pictures.

Huang Xiaoming, however, remarked with deep feeling: "Song Ci is indeed a good man. Given his status and circumstances, one can imagine how many women would want to be with him, yet I've never heard of any scandals."

Li Bingbing glanced sideways at his friend, a faint smile playing on his lips: "That's why he's achieved what he has today—he's able to control himself."

"Everyone has their own ambitions," Huang Xiaoming shook his head self-deprecatingly, and said frankly, "If I were in his position, I probably wouldn't be able to resist so many temptations."

Li Bingbing covered her mouth and chuckled, a mischievous glint in her eyes: "Xiao Ming, if you say that, your little girlfriend will be heartbroken."

“Baby is alright, she doesn’t ask me about my affairs much.” Huang Xiaoming rubbed his chin. “But she’s very career-oriented and wants more resources.”

He knew perfectly well what Yang Ying wanted; his young girlfriend was ambitious and wanted to climb the social ladder.

“Having ambition is always a good thing. Yang Ying is indeed good-looking. If we invest more resources, we might be able to cultivate her into a top-tier actress.”

"Speaking of which, none of you got anything tonight."

Upon hearing this, Li Bingbing instantly flew into a rage.

The person who stole the show at tonight's charity gala was neither one of the leading actresses nor the popular post-85 actresses, but rather Tian Hairong, who has long since retired from acting.

Relying on her husband being one of the top 100 richest men on the rich list, she frequently bid high to win auction items, enjoying immense prestige.

Recalling the envious looks the female celebrities gave Tian Hairong and Liu Shishi at the banquet, Li Bingbing clenched her fists:

"Does being a successful female celebrity mean only marrying well? With my current status and wealth, isn't that enough to prove anything?"

A silence fell over the carriage. Huang Xiaoming and Ren Quan didn't know how to comfort their friend. After all, in the traditional Chinese mindset, women are expected to marry and have children, and even they themselves shared this view.

After a long pause, Li Bingbing took a deep breath, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit: "The entertainment industry is booming right now, it's a great opportunity to develop my career, I want to build my own capital!"
"Ah Quan, Xiao Ming, could you please come to my Hesong Media tomorrow? We need to discuss investing in LeTV Pictures."

On the other side, along the tree-lined path in Jingyuan, the September night breeze gently caressed the air, carrying the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms.

Upon entering the garden, Song Ci and Liu Shishi decided to walk home. They strolled side by side along the path, enjoying the coolness of the summer evening breeze, surrounded by the melodious chirping of cicadas, feeling relaxed and content.

Liu Shishi took her husband's arm and snuggled closer to his, the diamond earring on her earlobe brushing against his wrist: "Yiyi, are you sober now?"

Song Ci loosened the silver buttons on his suit jacket collar, letting his silk tie hang loosely in front of his white shirt, and exhaled a breath of alcohol: "Much better!"

"Don't drink so much next time. Even if you don't drink, Sister K and Lao Hu won't mind."

Song Ci smiled and shook her head. Husband and wife were one; in front of outsiders, some things concerned her reputation. She glanced down at Miss Liu's high heels and asked softly, "Do your feet hurt?"

"It hurts!" A mischievous glint flashed in Liu Shishi's eyes. The silver ornaments on her dress shimmered in the moonlight. Suddenly, she leaned into her husband's arms. "Mr. Song, please carry me away?"

Song Ci smiled and nodded, supporting Liu's waist and back with one hand, and with the other hand he slipped under her knees and easily lifted her into his arms. At the same time, he deftly took off his wife's high heels and held them on his fingertips.

"Ah!" Liu Shishi exclaimed, then quickly wrapped her arms around Song Ci's neck, pressed her cheek against his chest, and listened to her husband's familiar and rhythmic heartbeat.

"Yiyi, it feels like we've gone back to the past, when you held me like this too."

Song Ci lowered his head and gently inhaled the alluring fragrance emanating from his wife's hair, whispering, "Time may pass, but my love for you remains unchanged. As long as our feelings remain the same, we will always be the same as we were at the beginning."

The night was gentle. Liu Shishi weighed about ninety pounds, but Song Ci carried his wife's light and delicate body effortlessly. After a journey of more than ten minutes, the two finally returned to the front of their villa.

Song Ci gently set his wife down, then turned and pinned her against the wall. In Liu Shishi's dazed and infatuated gaze, he lowered his head and kissed her coral-red lips. Liu Shishi tightly embraced her lover's waist and back, responding passionately, just as they had years ago in the stairwell, their love lingering and tender.

For a long time, the lips are divided.

"Let's go home." Song Ci gently smoothed Liu's slightly disheveled hair, knelt down to help her put on her high heels, and then helped straighten her skirt, her movements gentle and considerate.

Liu Shishi playfully ruffled Song Ci's hair and smiled gently: "Mr. Song, it's the last day of September too, but the stars tonight are much brighter than the night someone rejected me at Peking University, only wanting to treat me as a confidante."

Song Ci glared at his wife and retorted, "Then who said we'd be best friends for life?"

Liu Shishi, however, proudly raised her chin and said smugly, "Anyway, I've already slept with you, handsome guy. If you want to be brothers again, I have no objection."

Song Ci scoffed, "Dream on! At least we need to have the child to maintain our brotherly relationship!"

Liu Shishi raised her eyebrows slightly, not to be outdone: "I'll give birth then!"

The villa's iron gate clicked open, and the corridor lights automatically turned on with a warm yellow glow.

Just as Liu Shishi was about to enter, Song Ci pressed her against the door and kissed her again. This time, he was clearly eager, as if he wanted to melt all the past twenty years into this kiss.

"Shishi, from school uniforms to getting our marriage certificate, I haven't let you down, have I?"

Liu Shishi stretched out her slender fingers and lifted Song Ci's chin: "Mr. Song, for every twenty years from now, you must accompany me to count the stars like this."

After a tender moment together, the young couple went into the living room. Song Ci took off his suit jacket and was about to hand it to the butler waiting at the door when a business card slipped out of his pocket.

Looking at the small card on the ground, he couldn't help but wonder. He didn't remember receiving anyone's business card tonight, and no strangers had approached him all night, so how could there be a business card in his pocket?
Curious, I picked it up. "Wang Ning, Chairman of Beijing Pop Mart Cultural and Creative Co., Ltd."

Seeing her husband staring blankly at the business card, Liu Shishi immediately explained, "I put the business card in your pocket, honey. On my way to the restroom with Sister K, we met a young man."

He wanted to get your investment and gave me his business card. My tuxedo didn't have pockets, so I just slipped it into your suit. I forgot to tell you on the way back.

"I see." Song Ci suddenly realized that this explained it. Only Liu Shishi could slip something into a suit pocket without him noticing.

"Honey, do you want to invest?" Liu Shishi took off her high heels and lay lazily on the sofa. She knew that Lin Hao had been working hard for her husband and had already invested in hundreds of companies, which was why she accepted the business card.

Song Ci of Pop Mart certainly knew that Pop Mart was a future trendy toy giant with great investment value.

However, he already had enough high-quality investments, so he didn't care about this one. After thinking about it, he decided to let Liu Shishi give it a try.

"You can invest in trendy toys. Invest in them under your work name. Then you can help Pop Mart advertise on Weibo, which will boost product sales."

Liu Shishi excitedly swung her toes. Her husband had clearly stated that the companies they could invest in were basically guaranteed to make a profit: "Then I'll contact this Wang Ning tomorrow. He looked so expectant before, he was so eager to invest."

"The economic environment has been very good in the past two years, and there are suitable opportunities. Your studio can consider doing angel investment."

"Yes, that's what I think too. My financial advisor at Standard Chartered Bank also suggested that I could invest in some projects."

Time flies, and it's already October in the blink of an eye.

On the morning of October 8th, international luxury brand Dior launched its official Weibo account and made a major announcement that Zhao Liying, an artist under Tengda Culture, became the brand's first ambassador in China.

This news quickly became a trending topic and attracted widespread attention in the industry. Just as Zhao Liying's few fans were cheering for their idol, a bombshell announcement shocked the entire entertainment industry.

The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television issued an "advertising restriction order," prohibiting the insertion of advertisements in the middle of TV dramas. This order is like a heavy blow, which has a profound impact on the entire entertainment industry and has brought about significant changes to the landscape, business models and content ecosystem of TV stations and video websites.

The "advertising restriction order" has caused television stations to lose an important source of revenue. According to authoritative industry institutions, television stations across the country may lose about 200 billion yuan in advertising revenue. Several television stations, including Hunan TV and Donghai TV, have been forced to adjust their advertising bidding due to the new regulations.

Television stations had to readjust their programming and advertising strategies, compensating for revenue losses by increasing the length of opening and closing advertisements.

In stark contrast, major domestic video websites are overjoyed, ushering in unprecedented development opportunities. Because video websites are not subject to the "advertising restriction order," they have become a new favorite among advertisers.

On the afternoon of the 8th, due to positive news, the stock prices of LeTV and Tudou surged at the opening, indicating a shift in the entertainment industry's direction.

Senior analysts point out that the "advertising restriction order" is a disruptive adjustment to the traditional television advertising model. Video websites will seize this opportunity to rise rapidly, change the business model of the entire entertainment industry, and drive the reshaping of the media industry landscape.

Just when major TV stations were in a state of panic, on October 12th, LeTV announced in a high-profile manner that it had become a subsidiary, LeTV Pictures.

Even more noteworthy is that more than 20 celebrities, including Li Bingbing, Huang Xiaoming, Ren Quan, Liu Tao, and Huo Siyan, collectively made strategic investments in LeEco Pictures, which greatly boosted LeEco's reputation and caused its stock price to hit the daily limit repeatedly.

As one event ends, another begins. While netizens were still discussing the celebrity shareholders of LeTV Pictures, three days later, another bombshell dropped in the video streaming industry.

China's two major video streaming platforms, Youku and Tudou, announced their merger through a 100% stock swap. The new company will be named "Youku Tudou".

New Video Network has surpassed LeTV in scale, becoming the second largest long-form video company in China, second only to TT Video.

Thus, the domestic video website industry has formed a competitive landscape with one dominant player and two strong competitors. Tencent Video, iQiyi, PPS and other video websites are also accelerating their development to catch up, and the entire long-form video website industry has entered a golden age of rapid development.

At the end of October, the entertainment industry saw another new development.

Tangren Media, together with Liu Shishi Film and Television Culture Studio, has made a strategic investment in Yuehua Entertainment, investing 10 million and 1000 million respectively, acquiring 20% ​​and 500% of Yuehua Entertainment's shares. This marks a deep collaboration between the leading costume drama company and a rising force.

At the same time, Liu Shishi's studio also quietly invested 500 million yuan to acquire a 30% stake in a player company called Pop Mart, but this did not attract the attention of people in the entertainment industry.

(End of this chapter)