How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 45 I Have a Little Money

In 2002, in an effort to continue the last glory of print media, Southern Daily named four actresses born in the 70s—Zhang Ziyi, Xu Jinglei, Zhao Yan, and Zhou Xun—as the "Four Little Flowers" in its entertainment magazine. Subsequently, the "Little Flowers" designation became a barometer for the status of female stars in the entertainment industry.

Nine years later, in 2010, Tencent, in conjunction with several media outlets, once again held a vote among actresses born in the 1980s on various platforms. The results were eventually announced by CCTV, with Huang Shengyi, Liu Yifei, Yang Mi, and Wang Luodan becoming the new generation of four little actresses.

At this time, Huang Shengyi was almost the most popular actress among the new generation, surpassing the other three in both representative works and status.

"President Wang, this is a toast to you." Huang Shengyi also looked very gentle.

However, it's a soft and timid kind of softness. Although she has a heroic and masculine appearance, her temperament is quite different.

They look easy to bully.

Many people lament that she married the wrong person, leading to a career slump. But in reality, Huang Shengyi comes from a highly educated family. Her father went abroad to study in the 90s, her mother was an editor at the Shanghai Daily, and her maternal uncle is a well-known economist in China.

Her choice was likely made after she achieved early success and thought she had seen through some of the rules of the entertainment industry.

However, everyone chooses their own path. Those who attempt to transcend social classes through capital means will naturally suffer the backlash of capital.

"Congratulations, Mr. Huang," Wang Yao said with a smile.

Huang Shengyi looked at Wang Yao in surprise upon hearing this. Although Yang Zi had always proclaimed her as the company's CEO, people inside and outside the industry treated her as a mascot and rarely addressed her as President Huang.

That's quite strange.

The grievances I felt today from being inexplicably scolded by Yangzi and being forced to attend a banquet tonight have instantly dissipated.

“Xiao Huang has a movie called ‘Looking for Liu Sanjie’ going to be released in April. It’s a collaboration with Su Youpeng. Xiao Yao, see if you can help promote it. It’s not a purely commercial film; it’s more of a tribute film,” Chen Lingjuan said at the right moment.

“If Mr. Huang is willing to assign me tasks, I will do my best. I’m just afraid that Mr. Yang won’t think much of me,” Wang Yao said with a light laugh.

"What happened today was an accident. I'll explain it to him later. Juli has many projects we can cooperate on later." Chen Lingjuan said dismissively.

"Then I'll wait for General Manager Huang to arrange work for me," Wang Yao said with a warm smile.

“In the second half of the year, Director Hu and I are planning to start a new company. You can pick any project like this. How about you come and help us?” Chen Lingjuan extended an olive branch once again.

Huang Shengyi was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to leave or stay, and could only stand awkwardly in place.

"President Chen." Wang Yao was interrupted before he could speak.

"Don't rush to refuse, listen to me." Chen Lingjuan waved her hand. "You're young and haven't entered the industry yet, so you don't know about the early days of Meishe. Although they've been trying to get back on the right track in recent years, they're riddled with problems and have become too big to handle."

The situation is very bad lately. Even the higher-ups at the US film studio are struggling to cope, let alone you small fry on a ship.
Whether it's He Ming or Chi Xin, they'll run into trouble sooner or later. Director Hu and I value talent and don't want you to be implicated and suffer undeserved misfortune.

And you're still very young; it's important to choose the right person to follow.

Chen Lingjuan spoke very bluntly, almost as if she wanted to say "beauty pills" all the time.

But she didn't know that Wang Yao knew better than anyone else that Meishe was doomed, and not just Meishe, but the entire entertainment industry was doomed.

Without a doubt, if Wang Yao wants to stir up trouble in this circle, Hu Mei and Chen Lingjuan are both good choices.

Unfortunately, Wang Yao had too many choices.

"Thank you both for your kindness, but please forgive my rudeness. To leave without repaying your kindness would be a betrayal of trust," Wang Yao said in a deep voice, politely declining.

“It’s rare to find a young man with such loyalty and compassion.” Chen Lingjuan looked at Wang Yao thoughtfully. “Anyway, there’s no rush. You have plenty of time to think it over, or you can come to us when problems arise.”

"Thank you, Mr. Chen," Wang Yao said softly.

“Then the subsequent publicity and distribution work for ‘Confucius’ will be a collaboration in the form of a company. You can make any demands.” Chen Lingjuan changed her identity.

"I still need to go back and discuss the specific details of the cooperation with President He and President Chi. Can I give you an update tomorrow?" Wang Yao said, frowning.

“Of course, but if there’s anything we need to prepare, you can tell us now.” Chen Lingjuan shook her head.

Wang Yao pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand and said with a smile, "I have a new idea that can take over the momentum from Ma Ruo and continue to build on it."

"Oh? Tell me about it?" Chen Lingjuan raised an eyebrow.

Publicity and promotion should be rhythmic, ideally with each element building upon the previous one.

Therefore, many news items and trending topics may seem unrelated, but they may actually be highlighting the same event or downplaying the same event.

99% of news is designed to be seen and felt by you, shaping the direction of the world. Only 1% may be naturally generated, and often that 1% is the truth of the world.

But the imagination of the masses can change everything, whether the event is real or fictional.

“However, this matter may involve certain risks, and it will require coordination from everyone present. Of course, if it is handled well, everyone will benefit from it,” Wang Yao said in a deep voice.

"It sounds like a very risky idea." Chen Lingjuan narrowed her eyes, sensing a major news story. "I have a signed artist named Qu Shou." Wang Yao organized his thoughts and briefly recounted the background of the Qu Shou incident, as well as the various interests and risks involved.

Chen Lingjuan's brows initially furrowed slightly, but later tightened into a deep frown, and her expression became increasingly solemn.

"Has the domestic violence and coercion been confirmed?" Chen Lingjuan asked after a moment of contemplation.

"It's already at the prosecution stage, just waiting for the court hearing and approval," Wang Yao replied.

Yesterday, news came from Zhang San that the investigation phase had ended and that he was involved in multiple charges, including intentional injury, threats, and spreading harmful information. He is currently awaiting trial. Regardless of the outcome, it is at least a criminal case.

Wang Yao originally planned to fly directly to Xianghu with Qu Shou tomorrow to first discuss a solution with Li Ying of "Huanben", and then go to the main creators of Wang Jing and Su Youpeng.

Actually, he wasn't entirely confident that he could persuade the three parties, but if he could take advantage of the publicity surrounding "Confucius," things would be different.

Whether it's Wang Jing or Su Youpeng, they are both backed by Huayi Brothers and Yinghuang, and Hu Mei and Chen Lingjuan can all speak on their behalf.

"This is no longer just simple entertainment news; it's become a social issue, and the risks are indeed extremely high." Chen Lingjuan tapped the table, seemingly considering her options.

"I estimate that the controversy on Weibo will last for at least a week. If the marketing direction remains unchanged and continues to focus on gender bias, it will attract a large number of female viewers and supporters."

Qu Shou's case involves multiple elements such as domestic violence, coercion, and explicit photos, which can be further explored through the character of Nanzi, shifting the focus from gender bias to the topics of women's safety and healthy relationships. Although it is social news, its reach will be broader. Wang Yao struck while the iron was hot.

"I'll go discuss this with Director Hu." Chen Lingjuan didn't speak, but went over and interrupted Hu Mei and Li Chao's conversation, pulling Hu Mei out of the restaurant.

The others breathed a sigh of relief when their master was not around.

Li Chao got up and said he was going out to take a call, while Zhang Meng chatted with Nazha.

Ren Quan leaned closer and asked, "Ah Yao, what's the potential of that online ticketing platform you mentioned before?"

"Is Brother Quan also interested in the internet industry?" Wang Yao chuckled.

"I'm interested in anything that makes money. I recently met someone who works at Alibaba. He said the internet industry is on a fast track, and as long as you choose the right direction, you could take off."
Last year, the film market was worth over 60 billion yuan, and this year it will definitely be even better. Huayi Brothers alone has invested in a large number of projects since its listing. Assuming that ticketing platform really works, even if they only charge a 10% commission per ticket, it would still be a business worth at least several hundred million yuan annually.
Moreover, if we could create a platform that gathers a large number of movie fans and viewers, similar to Hupu, we might even be able to earn money from publicity and promotion, right? Ren Quan became more and more excited as he spoke, and his face, which was already flushed from drinking, turned even redder.

"Theoretically, this business should definitely work, but making a profit in the early stages of such a platform isn't as easy as you think. Forget about collecting fees from ticket sales; given the nature of domestic cinema chains, you should be grateful if they don't charge you scalper fees. This model relies heavily on resources."

Moreover, online promotion is a bottomless pit. There are only so many domestic film and television viewers, who are basically concentrated on forums like Hupu and Tianya. They are all long-time users. How much do you think it would cost to bring these people to a new platform?" Wang Yao laughed and poured cold water on him.

"Moreover, online platforms are also trying out the online movie model. In the future, it's possible that people can pay to watch movies directly on the platform and won't even need to go to the cinema," Huang Shengyi's voice suddenly interrupted.

Wang Yao turned his head and looked at her with a puzzled expression.

Huang Shengyi saw five words in his gaze: "Why are you still here?" Her face flushed red instantly, and she waved her hand, saying, "I didn't mean to eavesdrop; you guys were just talking too loudly."

“What Mr. Huang said is indeed the future trend of online entertainment content. I heard that Youku is going public this year, and after the listing, it will definitely vigorously promote the content ecosystem of online video platforms.” Wang Yao smiled.

"To be honest, I'm considered a veteran in this industry. I think the film and television industry, while seemingly lucrative, is actually capital-intensive. You see, investing in a film takes at least a year or even two to see results, and there's no guarantee of a return on investment."
However, the internet industry is asset-light. With the same 500 million yuan and the same one-year timeframe, as long as the direction is right, it's much easier to secure funding later on. And once successful, the return can be ten to twenty times.
If you invest in a movie, you only need 20 times the box office revenue to get a 10x return. Look at the best movies over the years, like "Crazy Stone," which only had a 6x return. We don't count those from abroad, because the national conditions are different and we don't really understand them.

Moreover, last year in China, I heard that the highest-earning celebrity was Zhang Ziyi, with a pre-tax income of over 70 million yuan. After deducting company commissions, she probably only received 20 to 30 million yuan. But how many international stars are there like Zhang Ziyi?

"But I heard from my older brother that last year there were 30 to 40 individual business owners who ran Taobao stores and earned 10 million yuan a year," Ren Quan retorted.

Ren Quan was referring to the income on the surface of the water; as for the income underwater, no one knows.

However, in 2010, before the invasion of capital, being a celebrity was not the most profitable industry. Even Zhang Ziyi and Fan Bingbing could not have imagined the prosperous era of earning 208 million yuan a day a few years later.

"Really? Taobao stores make so much money?" Huang Shengyi was shocked; it was clear that this had touched on a blind spot in her knowledge.

After years of working tirelessly on filming, she has only saved up a little over ten million yuan in film fees.

Wang Yao looked at Ren Quan with a complicated expression.

Dude, you know too much.

“How much net profit does your family’s Yangzi company make in a year? That’s why the internet is where you can really make money. Brother, if you think you’re capable, let’s take a good look at it. You have the brains, and I have the resources.” Ren Quan lowered his voice.

"Can I come with you? I have a little money," Huang Shengyi said hastily.

Wang Yao and Ren Quan both looked at her at the same time.

Why are you still here?

They have absolutely no sense of boundaries.

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(End of this chapter)