How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 136 So there was a strange thing at the scene!
People in the industry are always more gossipy than netizens.

The higher the social circle, the more accurate and faster the information flows, the greater the probability of offending people or making mistakes.

Therefore, most people in the industry have very extensive intelligence networks.

After all, the main purpose of networking is to facilitate the flow of information, and only secondarily to build connections and integrate resources.

At the same time, a large circle is made up of countless smaller circles. Once first-hand information circulates in the core circle, it will begin to become distorted by the time it reaches the second circle.

Distortion during information transmission is unavoidable.

However, the right to priority information can still allow people to avoid many sunk costs in the competition.

Yang Mi's status is not close to the core circle, but she has managed to infiltrate a circle that is close to the core. Huo Siyan, one of the initiators of the Teddy Sisters, became Huayi's ace in social circles thanks to her natural talent for alcohol immunity. She then used the extensive network of contacts she accumulated by attending various business events with Lao Wang to build her connections.

While the "Double Ice" and "Four Dan" were still working their butts off for their careers, she chose a different path. She used resource integration to her advantage, bringing in resources from many big shots and acting as an intermediary. In the process, she made a lot of money and, with the support of many parties, began to expand into physical businesses.

The Teddy Family brand was one of the first to enter the fashion and high-end pet supplies markets by leveraging the early popularity of pets and the influence of celebrity endorsements. It has also invested in a number of properties in Beijing.

Huo Siyan played a significant role behind the scenes in enabling her good friend Gan Wei to marry Accountant Jia and even to quickly raise funds and build connections within the industry when founding Le's.

Therefore, although Huo Siyan felt that her fame and status in the industry were average, she was actually one of the people closest to the core circle. Although brokers do not control the means of production, they can utilize them.

When Yang Mi was choosing between Meiya Company and Wang Yao Company, Huo Siyan gave her a push from behind because, compared to Meiya, Wang Yao, a newcomer in the industry, had more integration value.

Because she felt that Wang Yao's company's core business was publicity and promotion, which meant that the company needed resources within the industry, which suited her role as a middleman, she immediately asked Zhang Yuqi to pass on the gossip about catching Wang Xiaofei cheating to Wang Yao.

Hopefully, Yang Mi can take this opportunity to showcase her additional value to her new boss.

Yang Mi is the youngest in the Teddy Bear Group, not only because of her age, but also because of her seniority and other factors. The eldest sister, Qin Lan, is backed by Lu Chuan; the second sister, Huo Siyan, is backed by Huayi; the third sister, Li Xiaolu, is backed by her mother; and the fifth sister, Gan Wei, is backed by the Le family. The remaining two sisters are not very ambitious. Only Yang Mi needs to be adept at navigating social situations and seize every opportunity.

Even though they only exchanged less than ten words today, Yang Mi still passed the message on to Wang Yao, though she didn't understand how the message was related to him.

But she believed that her second sister wouldn't betray her.

Wang Yao frowned after hearing Yang Mi's sharing, having just finished discussing the script with Yu Zheng.

The plan to arrest Wang Xiaofei in Beijing was his own doing, because Wang Yao needed some negative news about Zhang Yuqi to provoke Zhou Xingxing into accelerating the contract termination process. Coincidentally, Ren Quan approached Wang Yao to discuss the listing of Wang Xiaofei's family restaurant.

Wang Yao then casually asked Ren Quan to entertain Wang Xiaofei at the club, and then told Zhang Yuqi the location so that she could go there and create some news with precision.

Why hasn't Zhang Yuqi herself reported the news yet?

Did Yang Mi get the news first?

And why tell me that?

Do you have an intelligence system?
Has the system assigned you a task?

"Well, my second sister was there and shared some gossip in the group chat. I thought it might be useful to you, since we're in the news industry, right?" Yang Mi seemed to sense Wang Yao's confusion and explained with an embarrassed smile.

It turns out there was a strange occurrence at the scene.

Wang Yao smiled and explained, "Our company does new media promotion, not entertainment gossip or paparazzi. We don't report on every news story; we only cover topics related to our business."

After Tianhuo Media successively promoted Ma Ruo and Qu Shou, it gained a great reputation in the industry. However, most people in the industry mistakenly believe that it is an entertainment gossip hype company rather than a marketing company.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Wang, I didn't understand." Yang Mi smiled awkwardly.

"It's nothing, but thank you for sharing anyway." Wang Yao smiled and nodded, then asked if she had any needs.

Yang Mi said everything is fine, the company's benefits are very good, and she is just waiting to join the film crew.

"Oh, by the way, Mr. Wang, my older sister mentioned that she could offer me a role in 'The King's Feast.' Do you think I should take it?" Yang Mi changed the subject.

"Did Qin Lan say that, or did Lu Chuan say it?" Wang Yao asked.

“It was my older sister who said it.” Yang Mi blinked.

"As far as I know, what she said shouldn't count, but if you want to try, I can help you find out the price," Wang Yao said with a smile.

Wang Yao remembered that Qin Lan did indeed try to get Yang Mi a role as Lady Qi, but Huo Siyan snatched it away. It seems that the two had a falling out because of this. Yang Mi became a sensation because of "Palace", so she simply left that fake sisterhood.

It has to be said that Yang Mi was quite lucky; she wasn't affected by the subsequent series of controversies.

"No need to trouble yourself, the company has given me more than enough resources." Yang Mi quickly stated her position, worried that Wang Yao might misunderstand.

"The company is open to acquiring resources. You can compete for internal resources, and if you see something you like externally, the company can help you get it. It's just a matter of how much it costs. Ji Ruren should have told you this back then, right?" Wang Yao smiled.

"Yes, I know." Yang Mi nodded obediently.

Although she felt somewhat uncomfortable with the model of paying for resources, it was actually helpful for someone as proactive as her.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Yang Mi made an excuse and slipped away.

Wang Yao estimated the time; he figured things were probably still quite chaotic in Beijing, since arguments take time.

After a while, Zhang Yuqi called.

"How's the situation?" Wang Yao asked with a smile after the call connected.

"Awesome! So this is how satisfying it is to slap someone, no wonder you said that!" Zhang Yuqi's voice was filled with a sense of boldness and exhilaration.

"You enjoyed being slapped, didn't you?" Wang Yao chuckled.

"Get out!" Zhang Yuqi snapped, then lowered her voice. "What do we do next? Should we report it? I see there are quite a few people in the private room, including Brother Ren Quan and Huo Siyan. Won't that cause a bad impression?"

"It's alright. If it makes the news, just deny it publicly. It's a private banquet anyway, so the person involved can explain. Besides, it has to make the news for Stephen Chow's side to take it seriously," Wang Yao smiled.

“Okay, I’ll listen to you. I’m going to Sister Su Mang’s place later. Shi Ba magazine is holding a charity gala at the end of the month, so I might not be able to make it back to be with you tonight,” Zhang Yuqi whispered.

“I also received an invitation to that dinner party,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

Although the "Beauty at the World" Star Night is nominally a high-profile charity event, it is actually a marketplace for fashion resources within the industry. In recent years, as the market for commercial endorsements has grown larger and the scale of the event has become increasingly sophisticated, this year, thanks to the momentum of the World Expo, almost all the major luxury brands have participated.

As the initiator of the Women's Support Association, Wang Yao was naturally among those invited.

"You're going in person?" Zhang Yuqi was a little surprised. She thought Wang Yao wouldn't get involved in these public affairs.

"Not necessarily, let's see if it's necessary." Wang Yao was also considering whether or not to go.

If they go, they will most likely be photographed by the media, making it difficult to maintain their behind-the-scenes identity.

However, there are also advantages. The company's various sectors are now in a period of explosive growth, especially the e-commerce apparel brand. Sometimes, relying solely on variety shows and the exposure of the brand's managers may not be enough.

It seems I need to personally get involved and adopt the persona of an 'e-commerce upstart'.

But the public is probably tired of the usual hype formula of young tycoons and female celebrities, so he hasn't figured out what new tricks to come up with yet.

The gossip about Zhang Yuqi slapping Wang Xiaofei couldn't be kept secret, and multiple entertainment media outlets exposed it that very night.

The couple, who had just made a high-profile announcement last year, were embroiled in a cheating scandal less than six months later.

What shocked onlookers the most was that it was actually the woman who took action against the man?
This is utterly upside down! Aren't female celebrities in the entertainment industry supposed to only know how to cry, make a scene, and file complaints? When did a martial arts expert appear?

Zhang Yuqi had little to no memorable qualities in China besides being a "Stephen Chow girl," but this time she truly rose to fame, gaining countless female fans and receiving praise from many rational netizens.

It's certainly wrong for the man to accompany the woman to drinks at a party, but for the woman to resort to violence is rather uncivilized.

Then, after the "anti-cheating storm," another round of discussions about infidelity arose online.

However, Wang Xiaofei soon gave a media interview, vehemently denouncing the false reports and stating that he and Zhang Yuqi had a very good relationship and were even preparing to get married. He claimed that the accusation of catching them cheating was completely fabricated and that he was simply having a gathering with friends that day.

As for the injury on my face? I bumped into something when I was drunk.

Subsequently, Ren Quan, Huo Siyan, and others who attended the gathering that day also came forward to confirm that it was indeed a collision.

However, Zhang Yuqi, the woman in question, has not responded.

"Mom, what should we do? What if she starts causing trouble?" Wang Xiaofei paced anxiously around the house.

Zhang Yuqi's slap really stunned him.

"Serves you right. I told you back then that this woman was hard to handle, but you still insisted on pursuing her. Now you're getting your comeuppance. If you don't have the ability, don't go out and mess around. Getting caught is really embarrassing. But at least she didn't bring any reporters with her, which saved you face," Zhang Lan said with a sinister sneer.

She didn't like Zhang Yuqi's strong personality at the time, and felt that Wang Xiaofei couldn't handle her at all.

Now, after this incident, she feels even more strongly that the two of them are not suitable and plans to find an opportunity to have a serious talk with Zhang Yuqi and break up peacefully. However, she doesn't have time to worry about trivial matters like her son lately; the company's performance and listing are the most important things.

"What did Ren Quan say? Is he willing to cooperate?" Zhang Lan asked, getting back to the point.

"It's all your fault. You insisted that I ask him to talk about something. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been caught," Wang Xiaofei complained.

"I told you to go and meet someone to talk about serious business, not to go and pick up a prostitute?!" Zhang Lan wished she could slap him herself.

“She’s not a prostitute, she’s a college student. That crazy woman has misunderstood,” Wang Xiaofei explained.

"Shut up, nobody wants to hear this nonsense." Zhang Lan waved her hand irritably.

Seeing that his mother was getting angry, Wang Xiaofei quickly got back to the main topic, "Brother Quan said there's no quick way to expand in the short term. After all, the market in first- and second-tier cities is basically saturated. Further expansion would mean competing with local brands."

Our restaurant's investment is too heavy; a mistake at one location could affect the profit margin. He thinks we should either continue to increase the investment, for example, by subtly placing advertisements in restaurants or high-end urban dramas, to see if we can stabilize the table turnover rate.
Alternatively, they could create another sub-brand targeting lower-tier cities, attract franchisees, and use the cash flow for rapid expansion to support Qiaojiangnan.

"He's getting more and more familiar with the company's operations lately; he truly deserves to be called a rising star in the internet industry," Zhang Lan remarked after hearing this.

Ren Quan has recently gained not only fame in the film and television industry, but also in the business world thanks to Kanpianer.com. Many of his classmates from his business school secretly believe that this online cinema model may one day reach a scale of tens of billions.

Ren Quan, who was originally much smaller than her, suddenly ran ahead, which did make her feel a bit disappointed.

Why is it so difficult to run a business in the real economy?

“I think Quan’s first suggestion is good. Invest more in soft product placement in movies and TV shows to increase exposure, so that customers can brag while they eat. It’s a very popular ‘social dining’ model right now,” Wang Xiaofei encouraged.

"Hmph, I think you're just trying to use this opportunity to pick up actresses," Zhang Lan sneered, exposing her lie.

"Honestly, I did all this for the company's sake. Look, even though I got slapped, I'm trending on social media now, which will probably bring a lot of customers to our restaurant," Wang Xiaofei said seriously.

"Fine, then if your performance doesn't go well in the future, I'll get Zhang Yuqi to slap you," Zhang Lan sneered.

"Mom, what should I do to appease her and make her stop being angry?" Wang Xiaofei asked worriedly, touching her still sore spot.

Zhang Lan was speechless.

The slap incident caused a huge uproar online.

The discussion mainly revolved around two topics: "slapping between lovers does not constitute domestic violence" and "ordering prostitutes does not constitute infidelity," and for a time, the debate was quite intense.

Even though Wang Xiaofei has come forward to clarify that it is a rumor, the fact that Zhang Yuqi, the woman involved, has not spoken out has still sparked speculation, leading a large number of marketing accounts to start explaining Zhang Yuqi's path to fame and her family background.

This instantly enriched her identity as a "Star Girl" into an inspirational image of a wildflower who grew up in a single-parent family, treated herself like a boy, and thrived against all odds with her mother's unwavering support.

Because her appearance style is indeed quite rare in the industry.

Especially on the international version of Myspace, Korean and Japanese netizens are very enthusiastic about this kind of news about a beautiful woman fighting back against a chaebol heir, and she has even been given the nickname "Overlord Flower".

“We just left, and Zhang Yuqi has already made such a big splash. It’s hard not to be suspicious.” Zhou Xingxing naturally received the news immediately as well.

"So, what's the point of running this company if we don't even know our own daughter is in cahoots with someone else?" Yu Wenfeng mocked.

"Please, people aren't cats or dogs. People have thoughts and are independent. How could I possibly tie her up? It just shows that people's hearts have changed, and the world is going to the dogs," Zhou Xingxing scoffed.

“You made a decision early. If any more news comes out later, it might implicate you in mismanagement,” Yu Wenfeng said with a smile.

"This Mr. Wang is really something, young people don't know any rules," Zhou Xingxing said with a frown and a sigh.

“Rules? You think you’re so good at talking?” Yu Wenfeng glanced at him. “If you really don’t want the entertainment industry anymore, then you should do these kids a favor and let them live.”

"What you're saying makes no sense. If it weren't for me, would they even have a chance to eat their fill?" Zhou Xingxing said unhappily.

"Would others starve to death without you?" Yu Wenfeng sneered.

"Forget it, I can't be bothered with it. Human nature is evil; what seems good is feigned." Zhou Xingxing sighed, then took out another newspaper. "The Li family is opening another real estate development. Want to go check it out?"

"After the Li family suffered a major blow last time, the prices of all their properties dropped. Are you going to take over?" Yu Wenfeng raised an eyebrow.

"It's the perfect time to buy at the bottom. I wonder who they offended, some stocks have even dropped by more than 2%," Stephen Chow joked.

“Those who do many evil deeds will surely perish,” Yu Wenfeng said with a smile.

Yu Wenfeng's family is also a real estate tycoon, but their early business was in Japan. Later, they suffered many setbacks in Hong Kong from the Lai family during their heyday, and the relationship between the two sides is not very good.

"Go back to Mr. Wang's side tomorrow, I agree to the cooperation." Zhou Xingxing smiled.

Wang Yao waited two days before Yu Wenfeng visited again. They first discussed the cooperation on the Star Back artist segment. Zhang Yuqi's contract was transferred to Wang Yao, but on the condition that the conflict between Zhou Xingxing and Huang Shengyi be resolved and that their image be marketed in a more positive light.

Even if Stephen Chow didn't ask, Wang Yao would have done it, since Zhang Yuqi's "Star Girl" label is still very valuable.

Secondly, Star Returns Company signed a revenue-sharing contract with Wang Yao, who will be responsible for the future artist management business under Star Returns and will receive 50% of the revenue.

Besides Xu Jiao, only the landlady Fan Tiantian has some fame in Star Back. The others are basically extras. Since there is no guaranteed performance, this collaboration is not a problem.

Finally, there's the issue of Zhou Xingxing's own operational rights. He agrees with Wang Yao's previous approach, but only on the condition that each project must be approved by him and that he has priority investment rights.

It seems he also realized that his name is indeed very valuable.

Wang Yao was not surprised by this result, after all, Stephen Chow's controlling nature was well known. After verifying the contract issues, the two parties reached a cooperation agreement.

For the animated version of "Chang'e 7", Stephen Chow made a 1:5 scale guarantee and spent 3 million on marketing and distribution. Since it was to be released in July, there was still plenty of time.

After securing the commercial naming rights for Stephen Chow, Wang Yao planned to make a trip to Beijing. The iQiyi platform had already launched its public beta, so he could discuss cooperation on the copyright of online movies/variety shows.

Before going, I met with Xu Jiao.

Xu Jiao, who is not yet 13 years old, has already transformed into a young girl and met the new person in charge with her parents.

"Mr. Wang, you're also into anime?" Xu Jiao is a veteran actress, so she wasn't shy at all. Moreover, she was raised by Stephen Chow, and her personality is somewhat similar to his.

The main focus is on relaxation.

The moment we met, they started touring the office.

Recently, the business of small card shops has become saturated. After learning the small card model, people in Korea quickly developed and expanded it, which has affected Wang Yao's business.

Although Wang Yao has purchased the image rights of many domestic artists in addition to Korean artists, the domestic fan economy has not yet been formed and the spending power is limited. In order to continuously stimulate the fan economy, Wang Yao is expanding into the new millet economy.

"Badge" is a term derived from the world of anime, manga, and video games, referring to badges or pins used in anime, games, and related merchandise. It comes from the English word "badge." These badges cost less than 2 yuan to produce but can be sold for as high as 29.9 yuan. Like photocards, they also come in limited editions.

Moreover, the advantage of badges is that they can be developed into "ita-bags", which are backpacks decorated with various badges and doll keychains. An ita-bag requires at least 10 badges and sometimes as many as 20 or 30 keychains.

This kind of thing mainly comes from anime and manga culture, so Wang Yao plans to further enrich the copyright library when he goes to Japan to film in a while.

These badges are recent samples.

"I wouldn't call myself a fan of anime and manga, I'd say. You're into anime and manga?" Wang Yao laughed.

"Yes, I'm into Lolita fashion, and I've also been learning about Hanfu culture recently," Xu Jiao introduced enthusiastically.

Wang Yao's impression of her was that of a Hanfu-wearing girl. She was even blacklisted by the fashion industry for supporting the plagiarism of the Mamian skirt, but she obviously didn't care. Instead, she became very successful in the ancient style and anime circles and even invested in many Hanfu brands.

I didn't expect it to start so young.

“I happen to have a designer for a show recently who’s also a fan of Hanfu (traditional Chinese style) fashion. If you have time, you can come here more often.” Wang Yao narrowed his eyes. “What’s the average order value for clothes in your Lolita fashion circle?”

“I buy everything directly from overseas, so it’s a bit more expensive. The basic models are around 2 to 3000 yuan a set, while some rare models can cost tens of thousands,” Xu Jiao said with a smile.

"This child's entire wardrobe is full of messy dresses," Xu Jiao's mother complained.

Wang Yao was somewhat surprised, not expecting that Lolita fashion enthusiasts' spending levels were so high in 2010.

"Are there any well-known domestic brands?" Wang Yao asked.

“There are a few, but most of them in China are made by the craftswomen themselves. Although there is a suspicion of counterfeiting, as long as it is not mass-produced, it will not be criticized,” Xu Jiao explained.

Wang Yao nodded, planning to have Xu Jiao make a cameo appearance in "Fairy Robe" as a Lolita fashion enthusiast to see how the public would react; this niche market still had a lot of potential.

From Lolita fashion to Hanfu, the early consumers were actually the same group of people, and they were all relatively wealthy women. In terms of market size, it was much larger than Xu Jianshu's haute couture dress market.

There was another reason for calling Xu Jiao here: Xingyou Company's "Fruit Assassin" will be officially released the day after tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)