How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 106 Monthly Salary of Four Thousand [10,000+ Chapter, Please Subscribe]

“Xiao Ren, I think Yao is right about this,” Wang Jinhua said.

"I understand. Should we use this initial money to form a small theater chain? Since they'll definitely continue to take away tickets from the main theaters later, we might as well take advantage of this time to bring a group of people behind us." Ren Quan also had some ideas.

“Those who are willing to support us can invest in our cinemas, and we will manage them together in the future.” Wang Yao pondered for a moment.

If you own your own cinema chain, the online ticketing system can be connected and synchronized, which will greatly reduce personnel costs and improve the overall marketing efficiency of the cinema, allowing for timely adjustments to various strategies online.

Kanpianer.com has partnered with many struggling cinemas, most of which are owned by owners who have no interest in managing them or look down on this small industry. If they could be outsourced, most of these small cinemas would be willing to simply become hands-off owners.

“Alright, leave this to me. Chengtian Entertainment has 220 screens. As long as we can match their number of screens, we’ll have a fighting chance!” Ren Quan said coldly.

Wang Yao shook his head helplessly.

Ren Quanzhen is such an honest man, yet he insists on determining a winner on the chessboard.

It doesn't matter, since cinemas will be appreciating assets over the next ten years anyway, and Ren Quan won't lose money since he's willing to do it.

As Wang Yao predicted, all of Chengtian Entertainment's marketing tactics were basically just trial and error, learning by doing from other online platforms.

That afternoon, the official website of 【成天看片儿网】 released an event announcement.

Inspired by Wang Yao's "Huayi Annual Card," a new "Chengtian Annual Card" has been launched, offering a 5% discount. For 200 yuan, you can watch 10 movies at cinemas under the Chengtian Cinema Line, and you'll also receive a popcorn voucher, which means each movie ticket only costs 20 yuan!

They took out all the hospital's shares.

As soon as the news was released, it topped the trending lists of major forums, sparking discussions. Even many netizens who previously thought movie tickets were expensive couldn't resist placing an order to stock up on a ticket.

After all, 20 yuan for a movie ticket was a huge bargain in 2010 when the average movie ticket price was around 45 yuan.

Most people don't dislike going to the cinema, but they feel it's not worth it. However, 20 yuan is still very tempting, since going to the movies is considered a "high-end" or "petit-bourgeois" activity in this day and age.

Especially for students, it's the best social currency for showing off.

Chengtian Cinemas originally only operated in the Lingnan area of ​​Hong Kong, but this time it has directly partnered with Wanda Cinemas, Huaying Cinemas, and other cinema chains, covering almost all first- and second-tier cities across the country.

The moment this benefit was announced, the first thing to react was naturally the movie website, Kanpianer.com. The forum was filled with discussions, with everyone urging the platform to offer the same benefit, or else they would stop buying tickets on Kanpianer.com.

It even spawned a new trending topic.

Online movie streaming is expensive!

It's obvious that someone is stirring up trouble; the first shot in this public opinion campaign was fired by Chengtian Entertainment.

This has piqued the curiosity of many people familiar with Wang Yao.

Wang Jing loves to join in the fun, and he'd love for the two platforms to compete on ticket subsidies, which would benefit his two films that are still showing in theaters.

The moment I saw it trending on social media, I called Wang Yao.

"Yaozai, what happened? Someone beat you to it?" Wang Jing teased with a smile.

"That's exactly what I was looking for," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Huh? What do you want with me? Although I'm not on good terms with Cheng Tian anymore, I won't do anything that would offend the cinemas. We're brothers, but don't get in the way of me making money." Wang Jing quickly issued a disclaimer.

"Do you want to take back the copyright to the X series?" Wang Yao asked with a smile.

"Hmm? Of course I thought about it. If it weren't for Grandpa Zou's sake, I definitely wouldn't have given a damn about that Wu Kebo guy." Wang Jing scoffed.

“A few days ago, I talked to the management of Berna about copyright issues, and I suddenly realized that domestic films nowadays don’t have the ability to produce sequels like Hong Kong films did back in the day.” Wang Yao slowly explained the important value of IP to Wang Jing.

As expected, Wang Jing became quite anxious upon hearing this.

"You mean? The copyright will still be quite valuable in the future? Especially if a sequel is made, there's a possibility of copyright infringement? I wrote the script myself, I copied myself?" Wang Jing was furious.

“From a legal standpoint, copying yourself is also a form of plagiarism. We were just talking about capitalizing on the nostalgia of the Gambling X series, but if the copyright belongs to Chengtian Entertainment, you might have to pay them money.” Wang Yao smiled.

"Really? This is ridiculous!" Wang Jing asked doubtfully.

“Although the public acknowledges that the Gambling X series belongs to you, the regulations don’t. Actually, I still suggest that you buy back the copyright if you have the chance,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

“This is something we really need to take seriously. Yao brought this up because he must have some kind of copyright collaboration with Berna.” Wang Jing’s thoughts jumped.

He felt that Wang Yao was not the kind of person who would speak without reason.

"I suggested they build their own IP moat, learning from Marvel, Harry Potter, and Disney. Look, the domestic box office market is only around 10 billion yuan now, which, to put it bluntly, isn't even as high as Avatar's box office."
"But we are a country with a population of over a billion. I estimate that the market can grow at least 20 times, which means that the value of all assets, especially copyright assets, will also increase. I don't know if Berna has paid attention to this, but I plan to stock up on some first." Wang Yao smiled.

"A 20-fold increase? Isn't that just like stocks?" Wang Jing was stunned.

“That’s right, I don’t need to elaborate on how much J.K. Rowling’s annual royalties are,” Wang Yao smiled.

"Oh, all those films I made before..." Wang Jing felt a pang of regret. "Yaozai, you're full of clever ideas, help me think of a way. If all else fails, we can do it together?"

"What can we do about this? We'll definitely buy it with real money," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Is there a way without spending money?" Wang Jing asked shamelessly.

"Sorry to bother you." Wang Yao made a move to hang up the phone.

"Stop, stop, stop! It's not that I'm unwilling to spend money, it's that I really don't have much money," Wang Jing began to complain about being poor.

"Besides, even if you want to buy it, people who are always entertaining themselves might not be able to sell it," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"He dares?!" Wang Jing sneered. "I can't shake him by myself, but a group of people can't? Jiahe had so many copyrights back then, it wasn't just my business."

“I was just thinking of talking to Brother Cheng Long about this,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"With so many of us—Cheng Long, Stephen Chow, Peter Chan, and Xu Ke—buying back the shares, how could he possibly have the nerve not to return them to us?" Wang Jing sneered.

Wang Yao raised an eyebrow slightly. He had only intended to urge Wang Jing to pay more attention to copyright, but he didn't expect her to grasp the key point so quickly.

If these people publicly announce their intention to buy back the copyrights, it will deal a major blow to Chengtian Entertainment's assets, regardless of whether they sell or not, it will have a significant impact.

“It’s not that I look down on you, but this matter might not be possible for you to handle on your own. How about this, I’ll contact Bernard and see if they’re interested.” Wang Yao pondered for a moment.

Professional things to professional people.

“Okay, I’ll go contact someone first.” Wang Jing didn’t waste any more words.

Wang Yao turned around and called Cheng Long first, since the two were closer than Cheng Long, and Cheng Long was a heavyweight asset of Cheng Long and could speak to him.

Cheng Long's reaction after hearing this was similar to Wang Jing's.

"Can it be worth that much in the future? My 'Police Anecdotes' and 'Plan A' are both in their hands," Cheng Long said in a deep voice.

“Wang Jing wants to unite multiple screenwriters and creative teams, but I don’t think they can shake Chengtian Entertainment,” Wang Yao hinted.

“I might not be able to help myself, but Bernard should be able to. I’ll give Lao Yu a call.” Cheng Long also realized that this matter required the help of Bernard, whether in terms of funding or connections.

While waiting, Wang Yao browsed various platforms for negative news about the movie website, but there wasn't much to say. He wondered if the other party was indifferent or if they genuinely couldn't find any fault with it.

About half an hour later, Dongfang Xin called again.

"We just finished chatting this morning, I didn't expect to bother Mr. Wang again tonight," Dongfang Xin said with a smile.

"Miss Dongfang, you're too kind. Is this something Brother Cheng Long mentioned?" Wang Yao asked directly.

“Both my brother and President Yu value your proposal, so they want to hear your thoughts. After all, Bernard can only work behind the scenes,” Dongfang Xin hinted.

With Bona backed by Central's Boley, if he has a legitimate reason to challenge them, he shouldn't have much trouble dominating them.

"My idea is to be open and aboveboard. Let Wang Jing negotiate first. If she refuses, then we can have a public discussion and see what the public thinks. We can also see what the public thinks about copyright," Wang Yao said with a smile.

In fact, Wang Yao's idea was exactly the opposite of Dongfang Xin's, because Chengtian Entertainment was almost entirely controlled by Wu Kebo, and it would be difficult to buy back these copyrights unless he agreed.

But Wang Yao only wanted to muddy the waters.

“Okay, then we’ll see how things go and cooperate.” Dongfang Xin smiled. “President Yu said that if this can affect Chengtian Entertainment, then we’ll owe President Wang a favor.”

"Mr. Yu, you're too kind. I was just helping out my friends," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Mr. Wang is truly a kind-hearted person, with the demeanor of a chivalrous hero," Dongfang Xin praised.

"Miss Dongfang, you flatter me." Wang Yao exchanged a few pleasantries and hung up the phone, because the person he had arranged to meet that evening had arrived.

Yang Tianzhen arrived with Fan Bingbing, who was wrapped up tightly like a mummy.

"I'm so nervous, it's more nerve-wracking than having an affair." Before the door was even closed, Fan Bingbing started unloading her gear.

"Please forgive her, Mr. Wang. She likes to make wild analogies when she talks," Yang Tianzhen quickly tried to smooth things over, and then gave Fan Bingbing a light slap on the back.

"Ouch, that hurts! Mr. Wang, I've heard so much about you, I didn't expect you to be such a handsome young man." Fan Bingbing was at the peak of her good looks, her fox-like eyes sparkling. "Hello, Miss Fan, nice to meet you. I grew up watching your TV dramas." Wang Yao smiled warmly and shook her hand.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, my palm felt like it was scratched by the other person's fingernail.

"Tsk, retaliating for calling you young, you're quite vengeful." Fan Bingbing remained expressionless, a smile playing at the corners of her eyes.

"Could you please behave yourself a little?" Yang Tianzhen coughed lightly, then turned and smiled, "I heard that Chengtian Entertainment's actions this time have had some impact on President Wang? Is there anything I can do to help?"

"It's nothing, just normal business competition. Thank you for your help, Miss Yang," Wang Yao said with a smile.

Fan Bingbing sat to one side, tilting her head slightly as she looked at Wang Yao. She found the boy very interesting, noting the maturity he possessed that was completely out of character for his age and appearance.

I don't know if it's an act or if it's just how they are.

"The main reason for inviting you two is to discuss what Miss Yang mentioned last time," Wang Yao said, getting to the point.

"President Wang has come up with a solution?" Yang Tianzhen's eyes lit up. The aftershocks of the three-pronged attack hadn't subsided yet, and she had been on tenterhooks lately, fearing that Fan Bingbing's affair would be brought up again.

Fortunately, other opinions eventually blew the news away, but it did make her somewhat anxious, and she wanted to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

After all, Fan Bingbing is at the peak of her career, so she absolutely cannot afford to have a mishap.

"I've come up with a plan that can not only help Miss Fan eliminate risks, but also enhance her influence and public image," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"What kind of persona do you think I am, Mr. Wang?" Fan Bingbing asked with great interest.

"A grassroots underdog's rise to power, proving at all costs that he's not just a pretty face," Wang Yao replied earnestly.

"???" Fan Bingbing's eyes widened.

I asked you to summarize, but I didn't expect you to summarize it so sharply!
She had met many straightforward people, but she had never met anyone as straightforward as Wang Yao.

For a moment, she even thought Wang Yao was her hater, after all, she had heard that Wang Yao was close to Ren Quan, and Ren Quan was close to Li Bingbing.

But looking at Wang Yao's handsome and sincere face, she thought she might be overthinking things.

Perhaps I've heard too many nice things in recent years, and I can't accept the reality all at once.

However, she knew in her heart that Wang Yao's summary was very accurate.

Why is she working so hard? She's even willing to try things like the explicit content in "Apple Daily"? Isn't it all to prove herself?
"President Wang is indeed impressive." Yang Tianzhen pinched Fan Bingbing lightly, then smiled and said, "But actually, our Bingbing has already won an award and her commercial value has been recognized. It's time to move on to the next stage. What kind of persona are you talking about?"

“I think the strong woman persona suits Ms. Fan very well. Indeed, at this stage of her life, she needs to relax a bit. Otherwise, being too tense will affect both herself and her fans,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Relax?" Fan Bingbing was taken aback upon hearing this, then frowned.

These are unfamiliar words, and I don't really like them.

“It’s important to maintain a balance between work and rest. Your influence is already top-tier, and your hard-working persona over the years has attracted almost all audiences and fans. If you want to break through after reaching a bottleneck, you need to open up new avenues for attraction. Only by attracting new fans can you bring fresh blood and motivation,” Wang Yao explained.

"Why is it a persona? Not a work?" Fan Bingbing countered.

"To be honest, the era of letting your work speak for itself is over. And undeniably, no matter how well you act, you won't surpass Gong Li. It's not because of the difference in acting skills, but because the times are different. The representatives of each era are different." Wang Yao smiled.

Fan Bingbing frowned, and her words were sharp, but no matter how you listened, you could still tell that they were no more than five words related to Gong Li.

“That’s right, that’s right. Even if you get Hollywood resources, you’ll still be ridiculed if you’re not the female lead. It’s really hard work and thankless to let your work speak for itself these days, which is why I’m thinking of working hard on commercial endorsements this year.” Yang Tianzhen agreed wholeheartedly.

“Top international brands have very high requirements for the image of their spokespeople. Blue-blooded brands require them to be at the top of the industry and have a clear advantage, while red-blooded brands require them to have influence and social status. In fact, Ms. Fan does not quite meet either of these requirements at present.” Wang Yao smiled.

As soon as she finished speaking, a hint of amazement flashed in Yang Tianzhen's eyes, while Fan Bingbing frowned.

Currently, the top luxury brands represented by Chinese brands are: Gong Li for LV (blue-blooded), Li Bingbing for Gucci (blue-blooded), Zhang Ziyi and Shu Qi for Armani (red-blooded), and Li Yuchun for Givenchy (red-blooded). Other brands do not have any domestic brand ambassadors.

Fan Bingbing is not among them. The only one she could possibly get is LV, but that would only be a collaboration with them. Her most notable endorsements are the cosmetics brand L'Oréal and the Mercedes-Benz Smart series. Most of her other endorsements are highly commercial in nature.

The main reason she was able to make it onto the list of highest-paid celebrities is because of the sheer volume of earnings.

However, if you really want to break into the top tier of female celebrities, quantity alone is not enough; you must have quality. Therefore, Yang Tianzhen's focus this year is to get Fan Bingbing into the ranks of top luxury brand ambassadors to boost her influence.

But she didn't expect that Wang Yao would be so familiar with these things.

"Mr. Wang, you seem to have a deep understanding of the fashion industry?" Yang Tianzhen asked tentatively.

“I come from a photography background, so of course I’m quite familiar with this field,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Then Mr. Wang, why don't you offer some guidance?" Yang Tianzhen asked seriously.

"No matter how beautiful a flower is, it is still just a flower and can't grow into a big tree." Wang Yao glanced at Fan Bingbing and said, "Miss Fan has accumulated enough nutrients. If she is to change, it can only be a metamorphosis. And once she metamorphoses, all the disputes during her flowery period will disappear with time."

Wang Yao's clear voice made Fan Bingbing's heart itch with desire.

"Does Mr. Wang have a way to help me turn over a new leaf?" Fan Bingbing asked somewhat urgently.

“?” Wang Yao raised an eyebrow slightly.

"What she probably meant was rebirth from the ashes or washing away the superficiality," Yang Tianzhen said, her lips twitching slightly as she tried to salvage the situation.

Sister, please don't misuse idioms.

"Ha, oh, oh." Wang Yao smiled. "My plan is to cut off the old tricks of gossip marketing and comparison marketing, and create a self-admiring persona. You don't need to compare yourself with anyone, and you don't need to borrow anyone's sunshine. You are you, and no one can replace you."

Upon hearing this, Fan Bingbing's eyes flashed with a sharp light. "I like this."

"Very domineering." Yang Tianzhen listened to the logic behind it.

"The 'Queen' persona doesn't exist in the industry right now," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"What should I do? Will it affect my current development?" Fan Bingbing asked hurriedly, seemingly both impatient and worried.

"It's impossible for it not to have an impact, but I can only say it won't cause any serious damage." Wang Yao shook his head. "The negative labels you currently carry are scandal, gold digger, resource grabbing, and pretty face."

"Ahem, Mr. Wang isn't a hater of mine, is he?" Fan Bingbing's pretty face darkened.

“I’m sorry, I’m the kind of person who likes to tell the truth.” Wang Yao smiled shyly. “If you want to change things, you have to face them directly. Right now, your most controversial topic is the conflict with Chen Hao back when you were at Chengtian Entertainment. If Ms. Fan is willing to come out and work with Chen Hao to dispel the rumors, it might cause a huge sensation.”

"Hmm?" Fan Bingbing frowned upon hearing this.

“President Wang, I know about the feud between you and Cheng Tian, ​​but it’s not convenient for us Bingbing to get involved.” Yang Tianzhen was very perceptive and sensed a conspiracy.

"No destruction, no construction. Besides, even if the body is not crooked, Chen Hao will step in. If Miss Fan doesn't come out now, won't it cause even worse consequences?" Wang Yao glanced sideways.

"Mr. Wang, it might not be good to involve innocent people." Yang Tianzhen's heart tightened, sensing the threat in his voice.

"Interesting." Fan Bingbing smiled and said charmingly with her eyes crinkling, "If Chen Hao really steps forward, then I will gladly oblige."

“A gentleman keeps his word.” Wang Yao extended his hand.

"A swift horse, a whip." Fan Bingbing paused for a moment, then giggled and gave him a high five.

Yang Tianzhen stood to the side, her brows furrowed, a bad feeling creeping over her.

"Tianzhen, do you think that kid is reliable?" Fan Bingbing asked, looking at the capital city under the night sky on the way back.

"Whether it's reliable or not, you fell for it too, didn't you? He was clearly using reverse psychology," Yang Tianzhen sighed.

"With Sister Hua around, do you think I won't fall for it?" Fan Bingbing sneered.

"There's always room for maneuver." Yang Tianzhen swallowed hard.

"Besides, there's nothing between me and Wu Kebo, and my relationship with Chen Hao is even more inexplicable. I heard she married well? She should thank me then," Fan Bingbing said with a smile.

"You shouldn't provoke them. I just hope nothing else happens," Yang Tianzhen said, her eyes full of worry.

She was very satisfied with the new persona that Wang Yao had created for Fan Bingbing.

But she wasn't confident that it would work out.

After all, it's easy to say that you have to break down and then build up, but how many people are broken down completely?
"If it works out, I'll reward this kid handsomely; if it doesn't, I'll teach him a lesson too," Fan Bingbing suddenly said with a sly smile.

"You're not interested in younger people?" Yang Tianzhen was taken aback.

"Little sister, I'm almost 30," Fan Bingbing chuckled.

"Hmm? There's a new trending topic on Weibo: What's it like to earn 4000 yuan a month? What's this topic about?" Yang Tianzhen suddenly asked, puzzled.

Fan Bingbing's voice sounded somewhat tired.

"A monthly salary of four thousand? That's actually not bad enough."

(End of this chapter)