Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 396 Abandoned

The release of the surveillance video immediately caused a huge uproar, with netizens flooding the comment section and engaging in heated discussions.
"Yang Zi is so unfair! If he had released the video earlier, none of this would have happened!"

"I think Du Chun is the worst. He was arguing with netizens before, shouting that everyone should wait to be proven wrong! Damn it, I have to go to his Weibo to vent."

"Yang Zi is really brave. She is still a student, but she dares to speak out for justice."

"Du Chun's behavior is absolutely laughable! He'll stab anyone in the back, no matter who they're his brother, he's really willing to go to great lengths for them!"

As public opinion reversed dramatically, those celebrities who had previously sided with Xiao Xiao were instantly proven wrong and quietly deleted their Weibo posts.

The noisy night finally passed, and the next morning, inside Tengda Culture Company.

Wang Luodan pushed open the conference room door and found that all the company's artists had already arrived; she was the last to arrive. She quietly walked to the conference table and sat down, waiting for Liu Rong to arrive.

About five minutes later, Liu Rong entered the conference room and sat down in the head seat.

His gaze swept across the entire room, finally settling on Wang Luodan. He sneered, "Congratulations, Wang Luodan! You've successfully earned the title of Female Protector of the Backstabbing Cult."

Wang Luodan blushed, too embarrassed to speak. Last night, some netizens compiled a list of members of the "Backstabbing Cult," and unfortunately, she was on it, earning the title of "Female Protector"!
Now, she has become the focus of ridicule across the internet. Among the celebrities who support Bian Xiaoxiao, she has the highest status and the most popularity, and therefore suffers the most severe backlash from public opinion.

Liu Rong's expression hardened, and her tone became serious: "You all saw the report that was forwarded yesterday, right?"

Everyone lowered their heads and responded in hushed tones, "We saw it."

Liu Rong was furious and angrily rebuked him: "In front of CCTV, Xinhua News Agency, and People's Daily, the most authoritative official media in the country, Chairman Song is being questioned for wasting public resources because of your trivial matter! You have ruined the company's brand image!"

Seeing this, Yang Tianzhen quickly comforted him: "President Liu, please calm down! They have already deleted their Weibo posts. In a few days, the heat will die down and things will calm down."

Liu Rong was furious and criticized everyone she could: "Yang Tianzhen, the artist management department also needs to seriously reflect on this! Your department has a supervisory responsibility for the artists' Weibo accounts, why didn't you stop these inappropriate behaviors in time!"

The usually glamorous celebrities lowered their heads even further, and everyone held their breath, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.

Yang Tianzhen looked helpless. She only had the authority to supervise in theory, but these big stars were now all A-list celebrities who had opened their own studios and were nominally operating independently, so she was powerless to supervise them.

“Wang Luodan!” Liu Rong’s eyes were cold, and his tone was calm but imposing. “I’d like to hear what you were thinking back then, and why you suddenly jumped out to get involved.”
Jia Nailiang and the others were either speaking out for their classmates or trying to suppress Ying Xiaotian and seize resources. What is your purpose in getting involved in this controversy? Are you very familiar with Bian Xiaoxiao?

Wang Luodan was stunned for a long time before stammering an explanation: "I acted on impulse at the time and wanted to speak up for women, but I didn't expect to be deceived by Bian Xiaoxiao."

Liu Rong's face grew increasingly cold: "Then why did you argue back when Yang Zi reprimanded Du Chun? Aren't you from the same company?"

"Me!" Wang Luodan said, looking embarrassed.

Actually, she was just acting impulsively and wanted to show off her authority as the top female streamer of Tengda in front of netizens, so she taught Yang Zi a lesson. Little did she know that a newcomer would dare to talk back, so she impulsively started arguing with Yang Zi.

Seeing Wang Luodan's expression, Liu Rong understood immediately and then called out, "Lü Yi!"

Before the president could speak, Lü Yi replied with a long face, "President Liu, I really accidentally liked it, and I immediately unliked it after I realized it."

Liu Rong stared intently at Lü Yi, unable to immediately determine whether her words were true or false.

Yang Zi and Zhao Liying exchanged a knowing glance, their hearts pounding with unease as they nervously awaited Liu Rong's judgment.

Liu Rong continued calling out names: "Yang Zi! Zhao Liying!"

"Yes," they both said in unison.

"Now that public opinion has reversed, you are on the side of justice. History is written by the victors, and I know the whole story, so I won't say more. But this is a one-time exception!"

Yang Zi and Zhao Liying both breathed a sigh of relief; they had narrowly escaped this ordeal.

Liu Rong's expression was solemn as she sternly admonished, "You are all glamorous and successful celebrities outside! But please be careful with your words and actions. Think before you speak and act!"

"Understood!" "Yes, Mr. Liu!" Everyone quickly responded.

"The punishment decision regarding Wang Luodan will be officially issued in a few days. Everyone should take this as a warning."

Liu Rong glanced around the conference room, gave a few more instructions, and then announced the meeting was adjourned: "President Yang, please stay behind!"

After the celebrities left the meeting room, Liu Rong got straight to the point: "After careful consideration, I have decided to completely cut off all of Wang Luodan's resources in the company."

This decision shocked Yang Tianzhen to no end; the punishment was undeniably severe!

Cutting off Tengda Culture's resource support means that Wang Luodan will have to work hard to develop film and television invitations, business cooperation, and fashion resources in the future, which is tantamount to being completely abandoned by the company.

After careful consideration, Yang Tianzhen cautiously advised, "President Liu, Luo Dan is, after all, the company's first female artist. It's not easy to cultivate her into a top-tier artist. Wouldn't it be a waste to just give her up?"

Liu Rong said in a completely calm tone: "This isn't her first offense, is it? She was punished by Zhang Zhao and had to suspend her business for a period of time before."

If any of the company's artists think that they can bargain with the company because they are high-profile or famous, they are making a big mistake!

Besides Yang Zi, the company currently has six top-tier employees and two near-top-tier employees, so losing her won't have much of an impact!

Seeing that her leader was adamant, Yang Tianzhen dared not say anything more and could only reply, "I understand."

"Although Tengda Culture is a large and powerful company, it is somewhat difficult to support eight top-tier artists with limited resources, especially female artists. They are all around the same age, and the competition for fashion and business opportunities is particularly fierce."

Liu Rong left it at that, but Yang Tianzhen understood perfectly: when internal resources are insufficient, those artists who are unpopular and do not work with the company are destined to be discarded.

Wang Luodan was punished twice, and coupled with her performance during the previous internal share subscription, she ultimately became the first victim.

Yang Tianzhen could easily foresee that what awaited Wang Luodan was a precipitous drop in resources, and whether she could retain her status as a top star would be left to fate.

Liu Rong paused, then looked directly at his subordinate: "President Yang, I know you have entrepreneurial ideas. Now there's an opportunity. Would you like to give it a try?"

Yang Tianzhen was about to explain, "President Liu, I..."

Liu Rong raised her hand to interrupt: "Let me finish what I have to say! From the very beginning of Tengda Culture's establishment, the chairman was not interested in artist management. It was COO Wang Jing who strongly promoted it, and only then did the company start the artist management business."

However, today, the artist management business is practically a liability for the company, and it's an inevitable trend for celebrities to open their own studios. After careful consideration and discussions with the COO, I decided to spin off the artist management division from Tengda Culture and establish a separate subsidiary.

Yang Tian's heart raced, already guessing the other party's intention. With a hint of excitement, he probed, "You want me to become a partner of this artist management company?" "Yes!" Liu Rong said bluntly, "In the Internet age, every move a celebrity makes is magnified infinitely."

In case any inappropriate behavior by an artist, the company's image will be affected and damaged. Therefore, Tengda Culture will, in principle, no longer sign new artists.

Why do I say "in principle"? Because at Tengda, Mr. Song is the principle.

"Will the new company be able to enjoy the resource support of Tengda Culture?" Yang Tianzhen asked with concern. The first core element for the artist management business to grow bigger and stronger is the support of film and television resources.

"of course can."

Yang Tianzhen thought for a moment, then asked, "Will the company's current agents be transferred to the new company?"

“No!” Liu Rongyao denied, adding, “If they choose to renew their contract with Tengda after it expires, the company will continue to accept them.”

"Mr. Liu, I have another question. How will the shareholding ratio be arranged in the new company?"

"Depending on the investment, Tengda Culture will retain at least a 51% controlling stake, and we will not interfere in its daily operations."

The generous offer brought a hint of surprise to Yang Tianzhen's eyes, and she immediately said, "Thank you for your trust, President Liu. I am willing to give it a try and accept this challenge."

"Then it's settled! You can start preparing for the establishment of the new company."

Just as Liu Rong was about to get up and leave, she suddenly remembered something: "By the way, you should accompany Ma Xin to Beihang University tomorrow."

Yang Tianzhen was taken aback: "Beihang University?"

"Last year's winner of the Toutiao Star Campus Beauty Contest was a freshman at Beihang University. Ma Xin looked around among the new generation of actors but didn't choose the female lead for 'The Left Ear'."

Finally, I've set my sights on that beauty queen from Beihang University and want to meet her in person. You should go meet her too; if she's willing to enter the entertainment industry, you could try signing her with a new company.

"I see. Then I'll go to Beihang University tomorrow to meet this number one campus beauty."

Number 22, lecture hall at Beiping University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

As the bell rang, Chen Duling, the school beauty, clutched her textbooks and was about to return to her dormitory when she received a call from her homeroom teacher.

A short while later, Chen Duling arrived at the homeroom teacher's office, knocked on the door, and entered.

Seeing the unfamiliar face in the homeroom teacher's office, she was slightly surprised: "Teacher Li, you wanted to see me?"

Teacher Li nodded, pointed to the student, and introduced her to the guests with a smile: "Director Ma, General Manager Yang, this is Chen Duling."

From the moment Chen Duling entered the room, Ma Xin was already sizing up this campus belle from Beihang University.

Although the girl was only wearing a simple school uniform, her outstanding beauty could not be hidden. Her pure and quiet scholarly air was like a gentle breeze in spring, giving people a beautiful and tranquil feeling.

"Chen Duling, let me introduce you. This is Director Ma Xin. The movie 'Goodbye Mr. Loser,' which recently broke the 1 billion yuan box office mark, is Director Ma's work. This is General Manager Yang from Tengda Company."

Chen Duling, unaware of the situation, still greeted them politely: "Hello, Director Ma, hello, General Manager Yang."

"Hello, Ms. Chen, please sit down and let's talk." Yang Tianzhen was quite enthusiastic. She vaguely saw the shadow of the boss in Chen Duling's face. However, the two had slightly different temperaments. The boss lady was gentle and dignified, while the young girl in front of her was aloof and quiet.

After they got to know each other, Ma Xin asked, "Chen Duling, have you ever read the novel 'Left Ear'?"

“The Left Ear!” Chen Duling’s eyes lit up. This was her favorite novel. “I’ve read it.”

"It's good that you've seen it." Ma Xin's smile deepened, and he got straight to the point, "Chen, I'm planning to adapt 'The Left Ear' into a movie, but I haven't found a female lead I like. Until I saw your photo."

Seeing you in person today, your image and temperament perfectly match "Little Ears" from the book. Therefore, I'd like to invite you to play the lead role in the film.

"Making a movie?" Chen Duling gasped in surprise, her lips slightly agape.

"Yes."

“But I’m studying aircraft manufacturing and have never been involved in performance before. Am I capable?” Chen Duling subconsciously looked at her homeroom teacher, hoping he could give her some advice.

Teacher Li smiled gently and said, "Chen Duling, you can make the decision yourself. Since Director Ma Xin has chosen you, you don't need to worry about the acting; he will guide you."

Chen Duling bit her lower lip, hesitant for a moment. However, a faint desire lingered in her heart—a desire to break through her limitations and to experience a different kind of youthful memory.

Seeing Chen Duling's conflicted expression, Ma Xin did not urge her, but patiently persuaded her: "Student Chen, the filming will probably take about a month."

Life is always full of surprises and unexpected events. You can consider this opportunity to make a movie as a special gift to your youth.

I auditioned for hundreds of people in the entertainment industry but wasn't satisfied with any of them. In the end, I chose you based on just one photo. Isn't that a kind of fate?

Seeing you in person has only strengthened my belief that you are the perfect choice for the female lead in "The Left Ear." I believe Mr. Song will agree with my decision.

Chen Duling tilted her head: "Mr. Song? Is it Song Ci (a type of classical Chinese poetry)?"

"That's right. Mr. Song is the original author, and the final choice requires his approval."

"Can I meet him?" Chen Duling asked expectantly. "I'm a big fan of his books; I've read every single one of them several times."

Ma Xin was somewhat surprised, not expecting that the campus belle of Beihang University was a loyal fan of the chairman. He then smiled and said, "Mr. Song is very busy and it is usually difficult to see him."

However, if you're willing to be the female lead in "The Left Ear," I can inquire for you. As for whether Mr. Song would be willing to meet you, I can't guarantee that.

Chen Duling looked slightly disappointed: "Director Ma, can I think about it? I need to discuss it with my family and mentor."

At this moment, Teacher Li interjected, "Director Ma, General Manager Yang, speaking of which, Chen Duling has a connection with Chairman Song of your company. Her major is aircraft manufacturing, and her mentor was Professor Liu, Chairman Song's mother."

Professor Liu adored Du Ling, mentoring her on research projects since her freshman year and even agreeing to let her pursue graduate studies with him. From Professor Liu's perspective, Du Ling was Chairman Song's junior colleague.

Upon hearing this, Ma Xin's eyes flashed with surprise, but he then smiled and said, "Then Chen is practically family! With this connection, I think as long as you're willing to be the female lead in the movie, Chairman Song will definitely be happy to meet you, his junior sister."

(Do you think it's better for Chen Duling to enter the entertainment industry, or to build rockets for the male lead?)
(End of this chapter)