How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 194 How many beatings does one have to endure before becoming a horn?

When the rules are incomplete, those who exploit loopholes will have opportunities; similarly, when the rules are improved, these people will pay the corresponding price.

Those who exploit the rules will ultimately be devoured by them.

But can a belated backlash really be called a backlash?
Some of these people are arrogant, and they pay a heavy price in the end; others are cautious, and they pay a smaller price.

Tan Hui and Accountant Jia are both representatives of the cautious faction.

Tan Hui has been involved in countless major events since his rise to power, yet he has always managed to escape unscathed. This is not simply due to his extraordinary connections and influence, but rather to his innate caution and prudence, which allows him to always cut his losses at the right moment.

In 05, he left Tianshangrenjian and entered the new field of media. So when Tianshangrenjian was shut down in May of this year, he was only summoned and escaped a disaster.

But this also made him realize that the old rules seemed to be no longer applicable, so he hurriedly sought the next rule. In 2005, he laid out his plans for the film and television industry and the cinema industry, but the scale was not large. He invested in "Perhaps Love", "The Warlords", "City of Life and Death" and "The Three Smiles". This year, he invested in two big-budget productions with a value of over 100 million yuan: "Sacrifice" and "The Last Supper".

This is to maintain Xingmei's high profile in the media and film industry.

Because Tan Hui was one of the most famous wealthy businessmen in Beijing before the Internet era, and was known as having a net worth of 10 billion yuan by the age of 30, with two Hong Kong-listed companies under his control, he had to maintain this persona no matter which industry he entered.

In reality, he and the Xingmei Group business empire behind him have long been outwardly strong but inwardly weak. Despite his seemingly billions in assets, his debt ratio has already reached over 90%. Any slight disturbance could trigger a chain reaction and cause the empire to collapse.

Therefore, after Tianjian was seized in May, he accelerated his efforts to promote the listing of his third listed company, Xingmei Cultural Tourism (the predecessor of Huanrui), hoping to raise more funds by taking advantage of the high premium of the stock market for media stocks in the past two years, which were listed by Huayi and Bona.

Therefore, in terms of investment scale this year, Tan Hui's Xingmei Media ranks third in China, only after Huayi and Bona. So, in order to maintain this third position, he has high expectations for "The Banquet".

So when he met Wang Yao at the banquet tonight, even though he was threatened by the younger generation, he did feel a sense of fate. This was because the two companies under Wang Yao's control had grown so rapidly that he even felt that his understanding of the entertainment and media industry was somewhat outdated.

After leaving the private room, Tan Hui first sobered up with He Dujuan's help, and then prepared to take her back to rest.

Unexpectedly, when they went outside, they found that Wang Yao had not left, but was chatting with Fu Rui by the car.

Tan Hui has an excellent memory, especially for women he has met. He can almost never forget a woman he has met. There is no female star who is in the Beijing entertainment circle that he has not met. Naturally, he also has a good impression of Fu Rui.

Tan Hui hesitated for a moment, then decided that there was no time like the present, and decided to ease the unpleasant atmosphere between the two of them at the dinner table.

He also rose from humble beginnings as a son-in-law to a successful career, so his way of dealing with people is to be flexible and adaptable. As long as it benefits him, he doesn't care about other rules.

Having long since outgrown the arrogant and childish phase he had when he detained Xie Si, he now simply wants to run Xingmei peacefully and quietly.

"Mr. Wang, would you like to chat?" Tan Hui walked over with a smile and extended an invitation.

Fu Huan glanced at Tan Hui and nodded as a greeting.

"May I borrow Sister Rui's car for a bit, Mr. Tan and I?" Wang Yao said with a smile as he turned his head.

“Of course, no problem.” Fu Rui smiled, turned around and got into Wang Yao’s RV next to him.

The two got into Fu Rui's Volkswagen and both felt it was a bit crowded.

“Fu Fu’s life is quite frugal, but that’s in line with her personality,” Tan Hui said with a smile, breaking the ice.

“Yes, everyone has different pursuits when it comes to material things,” Wang Yao smiled.

"Mr. Wang must have high aspirations for material things, otherwise he wouldn't be working so hard at such a young age. When I was your age, I was still thinking about having fun, but I didn't have money back then, so I couldn't have fun properly," Tan Hui said with a smile.

"So, Mr. Tan later opened his own nightclub to entertain his younger self?" Wang Yao raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"?" Tan Hui was taken aback, then burst into laughter, "President Wang is truly a brilliant man, inviting his younger self to a banquet, I love that line."

He initially took over Tianjian because he liked the atmosphere of nightclubs, and only secondarily because he discovered the business opportunities there.

"So, Mr. Wang's involvement in the media and cinema industry suggests that he had a passion for the film and television industry when he was young?" Tan Hui countered.

"No, it's just that this industry is lucrative, and it's a traffic portal, so it's easy to make money and has many ways to monetize it. I don't have any hobbies," Wang Yao shook his head.

"How can a man not have hobbies? President Wang has a good eye for people," Tan Hui said meaningfully, alluding to Gulnazar and Dilraba.

“Developing habits is innate, not a hobby.” Wang Yao smiled. “Just like President Tan’s innate love for walking tightrope.”

Tan Hui's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and he shook his head. "If one were lucky, who would willingly walk a tightrope and risk their life? My whole life has truly been like walking on thin ice."

He used a line from the movie "The Warlords".

"The Warlords is a good movie, but with an investment of 3 million and a box office of only 3 million, it's a pretty bad loss," Wang Yao said with a laugh.

"From a box office perspective, it's indeed a loss, but from an investment perspective, it's a profit," Tan Hui chuckled.

“President Tan can’t always calculate from an investment perspective. Why can’t it be a win-win situation? Chen Kexin is not suitable for making big-budget commercial films. This is a decision-making issue.” Wang Yao shook his head.

"A decision-making problem?" Tan Hui narrowed his eyes. "Please enlighten me, Mr. Wang."

"Mr. Tan, the founder of 'Lost in Thailand,' should know that the film's final box office was only around 50 to 60 million yuan, with an actual profit of no more than 30 million yuan. However, as the distributor, I have already generated nearly 200 million yuan in revenue through other diversified means."

"The sponsorship fee for the sequel is already close to 50 million, which means that I can make money from the box office, the sponsorship, and other channels when I invest in a movie," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"If everyone wins, then who loses?" Tan Hui countered.

"Why does it have to be a loss? If everyone earns a little less, the pie will grow bigger and we'll make it all back. Media can make money; Mr. Tan, don't always treat it as just a money channel or a tool." Wang Yao smiled.

Tan Hui's eyes darkened, his mind in turmoil. The main reason why Xingmei, a company worth tens of billions, was outwardly strong but inwardly weak was that it "had no choice but to suffer losses." Wang Yao's words about the money channel directly punctured the abscess in his sore spot.

“The Banquet of Kings is also a guaranteed money-loser. Lu Chuan is even worse than Chen Kexin. I heard from Dongfang Xin about President Tan’s purpose: to promote financing for the new company. But you need to come up with some models that are rare in the industry.” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"For example?" Tan Hui raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Low cost, high return. The probability of a million-dollar investment in a film like 'Lost in Thailand' with a 10x return is vastly different from that of a billion-dollar investment in a film like 'The Banquet.' However, investors only look at the rate of return model. They are investing in risk and the future, not just revenue."

"If we really only look at revenue and scale, why did BYD's CEO Wang become the richest man last year, while Foxconn's CEO Guo hasn't even made it into the top 100 in Asia?" Wang Yao said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Tan Hui frowned and fell into deep thought.

The media industry currently has an average price-to-earnings ratio of 15 to 20, which is why Xingmei Media's current valuation can reach one billion yuan. However, this valuation is the sum of the price-to-earnings ratio and revenue, rather than a single price-to-earnings ratio valuation.

Because he cannot guarantee that the company will be profitable every year, he can only use the conventional approach of losses plus future profit expectations to tell stories to investors and securities firms.

On the other hand, Xingmei invested nearly 3 million yuan last year, and its net profit barely exceeded 2000 million yuan. However, if we consider the case of "Lost in Thailand," which invested several million yuan and also generated 2000 million yuan in revenue, the latter should be valued higher. The key question is whether such a high-risk, high-reward strategy can actually succeed.

"It's easy for Mr. Wang to say. 'Lost in Thailand' is a rare phenomenon in the last five years. Do you think a company worth tens or hundreds of billions can survive on such a bizarre model?" Tan Hui shook his head.

"Living? Is that Mr. Tan's goal?" Wang Yao looked at Tan Hui with a smile.

Facing those eyes that still gleamed brightly even in the dim light, Tan Hui felt a chill run down his spine.

"What are you saying, Mr. Wang?" Tan Hui forced himself to remain calm and said in a deep voice, "I am still very optimistic about the development of the film and television industry."

“I have a film that I think is no worse than ‘Lost in Thailand’. It’s expected to be released in September and is estimated to generate around 9 million in revenue. If this film is produced by Xingmei Media, it will be a great story, whether it’s boosting the stock price or promoting the listing of a new company. And this story can be told indefinitely.” Wang Yao’s tone was somewhat solemn.

Upon hearing this, Tan Hui narrowed his eyes, realizing that Wang Yao wanted to sell him such a 'probability project with a story'.

If, like in the movie "Lost in Thailand," a million-dollar investment yields ten or even twenty times the revenue, it would not only be a financial benefit for Xingmei, but also a benefit to its core business model. If successful, it could definitely generate huge and substantial profits.

This is a huge temptation for Tan Hui, who is already struggling financially.

"How much does Mr. Wang want to sell it for?" Tan Hui asked in a deep voice.

But such a good model and story naturally won't be cheap.

"I heard that President Tan has taken over Feiteng Film City?" Wang Yao grinned, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth.

See you in the picture!

Even seasoned veteran Tan Hui gasped upon hearing this. Feiteng Film City is one of the two most famous film and television cities in Beijing, covering an area of ​​380 acres. It has been the filming location for many famous works in the film and television industry, including "The Grand Mansion Gate," "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy," "The Founding of a Republic," "Iron Teeth and Bronze Teeth," "Princess Pearl," and "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber." It has hosted thousands of film crews and its status is second only to Hengdian.

Around 06, Tan Hui secretly acquired it for 3 million yuan and then restructured it into Xingmei Cultural Tourism Company, intending to use this heavy asset, which is now valued at over 5 million yuan, as the core asset of the new company to promote its listing.

The "Wang Yan" project is to promote this film and television city. The reason why the company brought in cultural tourism is to develop this film and television city into a cultural tourism industry like Dongyang, thereby boosting revenue. That's why "Wang Yan" held such a large-scale nationwide audition with tens of thousands of people.

Therefore, this film and television city is undoubtedly one of Tan Hui's true lifelines.

"Mr. Wang, your information network is too advanced. Did Director Hu tell you?" Tan Hui naturally had no idea that this was Wang Yao's purpose.

Because he didn't think Wang Yao was so audacious.

He could only guess that it was someone behind Wang Yao who had their eyes on this lucrative opportunity.

"President Tan, you don't need to worry about that. I just want to ask, given the choice between a business model that can value the company at over 1 billion and a heavy asset business of less than 500 million, which would you choose?" Wang Yao chuckled.

“Although the film and television city is only worth 5 million, it won’t depreciate. As for the model that President Wang mentioned, if it becomes unsustainable, it will just be a bubble.” Tan Hui also sneered.

"If it weren't for this little bubble, why would President Tan bother going public?" Wang Yao asked with a smile.

Tan Hui fell silent again.

"Mr. Tan, do you know how much the domestic box office has reached by early June?" Wang Yao asked.

"It should be three or four billion, right?" Tan Hui was taken aback.

"62 billion yuan. We just verified and calculated that yesterday. Of that, 25 billion yuan came from foreign films. In the first half of the year, we had 13 films that grossed over 100 million yuan and 2 films that grossed over 200 million yuan. A total of 160 films were released, almost one per day."
It is predicted that the total number of films produced by the end of the year will be nearly 600, with nearly 300 released in theaters, a 20% increase over last year. The box office is likely to reach 120 billion yuan, and the theater expansion rate will exceed 40%. In other words, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the entire Chinese film market may approach 200 billion yuan next year.

According to the standards of US media stocks, the media and film sector should be able to support a market value of at least 200 billion. Currently, Huayi alone is worth 50 billion, and other companies like Chengtian and Huangyu are worth several billion. There is still a market value gap of at least 100 billion. Can President Tan do the math? Wang Yao's tone was calm and slow, like a news anchor.

Tan Hui's breathing quickened, and his brain, stimulated by alcohol, began to work at breakneck speed.

Film studios are inanimate, but stock prices are dynamic.

No matter how well a film studio operates, its revenue has a limit, but the stock market is full of infinite possibilities.

"The speed of development has indeed exceeded my expectations, thanks to Mr. Wang's online ticketing platform," Tan Hui said in a deep voice.

"The industry is developing rapidly, and it's only a matter of time before there's no movie website. It's getting late today, so Mr. Tan can think about it carefully. Does Xingmei want works, box office revenue, film studios, and theaters, or a story that can make everyone look forward to the future?"

Wang Yao's words echoed in Tan Hui's mind. When he came to his senses, he was already back in his Rolls-Royce, with He Dujuan lying on her side like a kitten beside him.

Tan Hui's gaze was inscrutable.

The series of unexpected events that began in May filled him with fear, and tonight's words were a wake-up call.

What is it that I really want?
When Wang Yao and Tan Hui finished their conversation, they saw Feng Xiaopao, Zhang Weiping and others leave one after another. Later, Huo Siyan and several other girls were also picked up by their agencies or friends.

In the end, only Xu Lu remained, her figure somewhat unsteady and lonely, lingering at the entrance of the club, seemingly waiting for someone to pick her up.

"Why haven't they come out yet? Did they send you a message?" Wang Yao asked Fu Ru when he got back into the RV.

He and Tan Hui had been talking for more than ten minutes, and everyone else had come out, but Qin Lan hadn't.

"No, Mr. Wang, you should go back first. I'll wait for her. I reckon the two of them are negotiating right now," Fu Ru said with a smile, seemingly anticipating the outcome.

"Let's wait and see, otherwise I won't be able to explain if something happens," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen. Qin Lan is very fierce. Even if they really fight, Lu Chuan will probably be the one who suffers." Fu Huan was quite confident in Qin Lan's fighting ability.

“Then wait another ten minutes.” Wang Yao nodded, looking at Nazha and Reba who were sitting obediently to the side. “Are you two sleepy? If you are, I’ll take you back first.”

Tonight's experience probably broadened their horizons quite a bit.

"Not sleepy, not sleepy," they both said in unison, shaking their heads like rattles.

They couldn't even imagine what would have happened if Wang Yao hadn't shown up today, especially Nazha. Just thinking about the confrontation between Wang Yao and Tan Hui made her fingertips go numb with fear.

She truly hadn't expected to cause Wang Yao so much trouble.

Dilraba's feelings were complicated.

Unlike Gulnazar, who was picked up and trained by Wang Yao before her debut, she is a true amateur whose understanding of the entertainment industry is limited to various online revelations.

She knew that attending drinking parties was essential to pursuing this path, but she still naively believed that she could control the situation. In addition, she was already a pre-selected student of Shanghai Opera, which gave her more confidence with the school as her backer.

So even after receiving a text message that clearly hinted at the unspoken rules, he still took a chance and went to the drinking party. As for bringing Nazha along, it was completely unexpected.

But when she actually arrived at the banquet and saw how seniors like Lian Huosiyan, as well as several other alumni from the Central Academy of Drama and Shanghai Opera, fawned over Tan Hui and the others, she was completely disheartened.

The reality was far more brutal than any of the countless hypothetical scenarios she had imagined.

She found that in this environment, when faced with malicious attempts to persuade her to drink, she even lacked the courage to resist. Fortunately, Nazha was brave, and Wang Yao's miraculous rescue made her realize that she had escaped a disaster.

My original aspirations and expectations for the entertainment industry have now been completely shattered.

Moreover, after leaving that environment, she felt a lot more guilty towards Nazha, since she had almost faced danger because of her 'momentary naiveté'.

"They both seem terrified. Although Tan Hui doesn't have a great reputation, he's still a pretty gentleman." Fu Ru, being an experienced person, understood the psychological changes in the two girls as they looked like quails.

"Tell me, what insights have you gained?" Wang Yao looked at the two with a playful smile.

"He egged Xu Lu on to drink the nuptial wine, and even made Sister Jin and the others dance." Naza blinked her big eyes, her voice trembling slightly.

"The one who egged us on to drink the nuptial cup should be President Zhang, and the one watching the dance must be Director Feng," Fu Ru guessed, stroking his chin.

"Yes, they originally wanted us to drink, but Sister Huo Siyan helped us avoid it," Reba whispered.

"Then I should go and thank her another day." Wang Yao raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Brother, have I caused you a lot of trouble?" Naza leaned closer and sobbed.

Today's dinner party featured well-known figures in the industry, such as Feng Xiaopao and Zhang Weiping, which caused her considerable shock.

"It's not that bad." Wang Yao patted her head and said softly, "If it weren't for the two of you, I wouldn't have made so many friends today."

"Drinking parties are actually hard to avoid, unless you're so famous that you don't lack any resources, or you don't care about any resources at all," Fu Rui smiled.

"Is this how the entertainment industry is?" Dilraba asked, pursing her lips.

"It has nothing to do with the industry. That's just how adult society is. The core principle is equivalent exchange. If you want something, you have to have enough leverage to exchange for it."

"Of course, there are also some deliberate attempts to target bullying, because there are still a certain percentage of bad people. So every step, every choice, must be made with utmost caution," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"What about Mr. Wang's 520 Company?" Reba blinked.

“Although our company doesn’t have drinking parties, we do need to exchange resources, but it’s quite simple, with clear prices,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"You won't find a boss as kind as Mr. Wang anywhere else in the entire industry," Fu Ran said with a tilted head and a smile. Then, he looked at the two of them with pity. "You two are lucky to have met a boss like Mr. Wang, and to be able to cause such a stir on the internet now. Back then, if we wanted to speak out, we could only do so in the newspapers."
But newspapers are all in cahoots with those people, so most of the time there's really no way out, no choice at all. That's why many of our predecessors chose to marry powerful people early on.

For people from ordinary families like ours, the entertainment industry is not a good choice.

“The movie ‘Farewell My Concubine’ makes it very clear how many beatings one has to endure to become a star,” Fu Hui said with a bitter smile.

The atmosphere inside the car instantly became incredibly oppressive.

(End of this chapter)