How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 56 Tai Chi Eight Desolations! [Please continue reading]

Wang Yao divided the cooperation into three levels.

Third-rate collaborations focus on products, second-rate collaborations focus on value, and first-rate collaborations focus on dreams.

When talking to a genius like Cai Haoyu, you can only cater to his interests by talking about dreams.

No idealist can resist an angel investor who shares their interests and ideals.

Before the celebration banquet held by Ni Nina, Ma Ruo, and others for Wang Yao had even ended, Cai Haoyu gave his answer regarding the cooperation, but wanted to distribute his shares to three other classmates who were also partners.

Wang Yao had no objection to this and invited them to dinner as a celebration before the cooperation began.

When Cai Haoyu arrived with three classmates, she discovered that not only Wang Yao was there, but also five other beautiful young girls, one of whom was Ma Ruo, who had recently become a viral sensation online.

They are relatively introverted tech geeks, and at a top university like National Chiao Tung University, they don't usually have much contact with the opposite sex, let alone pretty girls.

Don't let Ma Ruo and Feng Jiao's looks fool you; they're at least class beauties in real life, let alone school beauties like Zhao Yihuan and Ni Nina.

The first meeting, under the pressure of physical appearance that is sensitive to gender differences, is fatal for a tech geek who is originally innocent.

Apart from Cai Haoyu, who was somewhat better, the other three remained stiff throughout the discussion.

This is exactly the kind of interaction Wang Yao wants, because he knows that it's difficult to have normal conversations with tech geeks, but if you pull them out of their technical or professional mindset and into their masculine state, communication becomes much easier.

This is one of the reasons why negotiations at the dinner table often require members of the opposite sex, especially attractive ones.

He had no way to deal with the tech geek Wang Yao, but he had plenty of ways to deal with men.

Ma Ruo and Zhao Yihuan, the two E-people, basically treated them like Xiao Chunan.

They inexplicably accepted Wang Yao's leading role in controlling the company's development and operations, with them primarily responsible for technology and execution.

Cai Haoyu originally wanted to ask for the initiative, but Wang Yao gained his approval on the condition that he would not interfere with his personal project development. He himself had no interest in company management and operation, and mainly wanted to make his own game.

Moreover, seeing that Wang Yao was indeed experienced and capable, they were completely outmatched.

The negotiations went smoothly and the agreement was finalized. Wang Yao told them to prepare the relevant documents and that he would take them to apply for the licenses another day.

Wang Yao is not a philanthropist. The premise of cooperation is to prioritize his own interests, and let the rest develop as it may. He recognizes Cai Haoyu's talent and believes that investing in him will definitely not be a loss, but the first game can only be a product that can be monetized immediately. Regardless of how much profit it makes, it must at least be able to support the company.

After seeing off the future game champions, a few girls started chattering away.

"Don't underestimate us otaku. We're just not good at expressing ourselves, but our inner world is incredibly rich," Wang Yao chuckled.

"President Yao is also a homebody? The kind who watches anime?" Zhao Yihuan was somewhat surprised.

Because Wang Yao's usual words and actions completely lacked this information.

“I used to attend comic conventions all the time. I met Ni Ni’s senior brother at a comic convention,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"I never would have guessed that Mr. Yao is a fan of anime and manga. I've heard that otaku are all very innocent and pure-hearted," Ma Ruo teased with a grin.

Ni Ni chuckled softly upon hearing this and took a sip of her juice.

"I love Sailor Moon! I even secretly wanted to cosplay her, but my sister caught me. She said the cosplay world is dangerous," Nazha said, raising her hand.

"Wherever there are people, there will be danger, no matter what circle you're in. So the most important thing is for everyone to stay vigilant at all times, especially if you really become famous in the future and enter the world of fame and fortune, you will encounter all sorts of scams." Wang Yao smiled.

"It's alright, Yao will always protect us anyway," Ma Ruo said with a smile.

"Of course, as long as you are still my soldiers, I will guarantee your rights. So if you have any questions or things that are difficult to judge, you can consult me if you trust me," Wang Yao said softly.

Feng Jiao, who had been mostly silent, stared at Wang Yao with a complicated expression.

"President Yao, when can I sign with Tianhuo? Can you help out my fellow townsman?" Zhao Yihuan said coquettishly.

She knew that Wang Yao had called her here today to give her a chance.

“With Mr. He gone, Tianhuo doesn’t have a stable income right now, and I’m not very familiar with many of Meishe’s businesses. If Sister Huan comes, I’m afraid she can only work as an online model for the time being.” Wang Yao smiled.

“It’s okay. I was thinking of leaving Meishe anyway. I’ve done two bit parts before, and actually, a talent agency wanted to sign me, but I think it’s too difficult to make it in the entertainment industry. I’d rather have something more stable.” Zhao Yihuan said with a smile.

"Then let's talk again when you've thought it through. Don't be fooled by Ma Ruo's current popularity; fame comes and goes quickly. Every choice and decision you make needs to be made with caution," Wang Yao subtly warned the women.

Because Nazha has an exam tomorrow, Wang Yao declined Ma Ruo and the others' invitation to sing at another venue.

The Red Building, a landmark building of Shanghai Opera, was built in 1956. It is said to have been modeled after the Red Building at Peking University, symbolizing the Red Building at Peking University as the birthplace of the new cultural movement in the art world.

The four-story teaching building adopts a "回"-shaped layout, with a central atrium forming a natural acoustic chamber. When students rehearse their lines in the corridor, their voices can naturally spread to each floor, earning it the reputation of a "breathing theater."

The first floor features an open exhibition hall that displays student theatrical works year-round.
The second floor is a dialogue classroom, and the walls are designed with acoustics that combine sound-absorbing cotton and wooden grilles.
The three-story Red Building Salon retains the fireplace from the 50s, serving as the core space for academic discussions and a rehearsal room that has nurtured countless star students.

The bronze plaque at the entrance is engraved with the school motto, "Perfection and Excellence." Originally, today was the day of the Shanghai Opera entrance exam, and unauthorized personnel were not allowed to enter. However, Wang Yao was personally escorted in by Ren Quan, an outstanding alumnus. He drove straight in in a nanny car, attracting the attention of many sharp-eyed media people.

The area outside the Shanghai Opera School was packed with people, and various media outlets set up their cameras and microphones, hoping to spot one or two promising talents.

There are also talent scouts from small agencies lurking around, trying to swindle one or two unsuccessful students who feel they haven't found their place in the world. But in reality, the truly promising ones have already been snapped up by major companies or channels.

Most of the attendees were parents accompanying their children to the exam, and they were all quite distinguished, with many luxury cars parked beside them.

This scene made Nazha's mother realize that this path was indeed not one that ordinary families could participate in.

Without Wang Yao, she would probably just have to wait in line outside.

As an examinee, Naza followed her mentor to the basketball court to register and line up, and then entered the Red Building to participate in the preliminary test.

“Auntie, Naza’s exam is still a while away. How about we go for a walk with Brother Quan?” Wang Yao invited, seeing that she looked a little anxious.

"No, I'll just wait in the car. You all go ahead and do your work," Nazha's mother waved her hand, not wanting to cause any trouble.

"Alright, just tell Xiao Zhang what you need to say." Ren Quan pointed to the driver of the car in front.

Having finally caught up with Wang Yao, he naturally wanted to have a good talk about cooperation.

Ren Quan led Wang Yao and others off the bus to visit the Red Building and the campus, and found a good filming location for "The Campus Belle is Here".

Just as Nazha finished her first round of recitation and vocal exams, and the second round of physical performance was scheduled to begin after lunch, she came to find Wang Yao first, bringing another girl with her.

Even with their hair pulled back in a slicked-back style, the two girls' stunningly beautiful faces, completely bare of makeup, were still dazzlingly gorgeous in the sunlight.

"Brother, this is my friend Reba," Nazha introduced with a big smile.

In front of outsiders, especially Ren Quanqian, whom he had met before, Wang Yao always made Nazha call him "brother." This obviously ambiguous form of address could help her avoid a lot of trouble in the industry later on.

"Hello, I'm Dilraba." Dilraba nodded shyly, her big eyes avoiding Wang Yao's gaze.

"Hello, I am Wang Yao. The Northern Frontier is indeed home to many beauties," Wang Yao complimented, admiring the two Northern Frontier beauties, a sight rarely seen in his previous life.

For some reason, the two, who have known each other since they were young, have almost never appeared on the same stage or in the same frame in their more than ten years in the entertainment industry, and there are very few topics about them being linked together on mainstream trending searches.

It's unclear whether this is a "kings never meet" scenario or if there's another hidden reason.

But it must be said that the two of them together are indeed very pleasing to the eye.

"I'll film the video with Ni Ni first, then I'll take you guys out to eat. Nazha, take a good look at this; you also need to film a segment this afternoon," Wang Yao said.

Naza and Dilraba obediently went to the side to watch.

Wang Yao didn't tie the digital camera to his head, but to his chest. This gave the photos a real sense of flirting and candid photography, which was very stimulating to the senses. Luo Hongming and the others set up the camera angles in advance.

They'll first show Wang Yao flirting with the female lead to provoke the audience, then switch to the camera's perspective to show her face—that's what they call staged photography.

After adjusting the equipment, Ni Ni designed the angles and positioning.

Wang Yao pretended to step forward and patted Ni Ni on the shoulder, "Excuse me, can we do a short interview?"

Ni Ni turned her head, feigning surprise, "Me? What kind of interview?"

"Educational Background Survey: What is your educational background?"

"Are you going to check my educational background? I'm a college student."

"College student, let me ask you a few questions to see if your academic credentials are genuine."

"Oh? That's not a good idea. I'm a third-year art student. I can't answer questions that are too difficult. Please be lenient with my question."

"Let's keep it simple. What's your phone number?"

"what?"

"Just kidding. Now, let's get down to business. You're a senior and about to defend your thesis. What do you think is the hardest part?"

"Is the difficulty in defending my thesis?"

The two began to act out the script, delivering each line and joke quite well.