How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 73 2000 Million is Great! [3rd Update, Please Subscribe]

Everyone who rises from the bottom to the top has some common problems.

The upper class's sarcastic remark about being poor and stingy is essentially a stress response to the lack of means of production and cognitive impairment that they experienced from a young age.

The main manifestation is greed, especially greed for money.

Therefore, people like them will always have problems with taxes because they have the wrong perception that money equals means of production. So, in order to hold onto hard-earned money, they ignore the real risks involved.

Many of them are also targeted by those around them who exploit this fact.

Kang Ho-dong is a typical example.

Wang Yao's words, "You evaded taxes, didn't you?" not only shocked Jiang Hudong, but also shocked Chi Ming and Li Rongyu.

Who would bring up tax issues on the first meeting?
Could this kid be some kind of undercover agent for the procuratorate?

Wait, isn't he a foreigner?

"Mr. Wang." Chi Ming was the first to react, his voice trembling slightly.

Now he finally understood why his sister had told him to be careful when dealing with Wang Yao.

This kid is a ticking time bomb!
You dare to say anything!
Kang Ho-dong, the person involved, dared not move, and cold sweat had already broken out on his forehead.

"Don't worry, I just heard some news and saw Mr. Jiang wanting to confirm whether EF Company is handling your finances?" Wang Yao's next question made the atmosphere in the private room even more strange.

"Who are you?" Jiang Hudong asked in a trembling voice.

He was really a little scared.

This situation is like meeting a stranger on the street who tells you the combination to your safe and then claims that the gold bar inside is fake—it's all so absurd.

But it was also terrifying, because what he said was true!

“EF Entertainment seems to be facing some problems. You exclusive artists should check your finances and make plans accordingly. It’s getting late, so I won’t bother you any longer. President Lee, we’ll get back to you later.” Wang Yao left Kang Ho-dong with another meaningful message.

Wang Yao didn't know the specifics, but Jiang Hudong did almost ruin his career because of this incident.

Moreover, he wasn't the only one whose scandal broke around the same time; top stars like Yoo Jae-suk and Jun Ji-hyun also faced similar scandals almost simultaneously. Subsequently, this once-thriving agency disappeared from the Korean entertainment industry.

The founder of this company holds a position equivalent to Wang Jinhua. Even Lee Soo-man of SM Entertainment was once his artist. Interestingly, after Kang Ho-dong's scandal broke, he joined Lee Soo-man's company the following year.

So it's quite obvious that this company has problems, and Kang Ho-dong and the others have indeed been set up.

However, the amount is indeed not much, probably only a few million after conversion. It's surprising that a top MC like him has only leaked this much money after all these years. That's why people say Korean stars are poor.

"Oh? Oh, I'll see you out." Li Rongyu quickly escorted Wang Yao out of the private room.

As they passed the table where the girl group was having a meal, Wang Yao stopped and asked, "President Li, may I speak to Song Qian?"

"Of course." Li Rongyu was still a little shaken when he called Song Qian over.

"Hello." Song Qian had blonde hair, a bright and beautiful face, and her big eyes sparkled with curiosity and doubt. She was still going for the sweet and charming look.

"Hello Ms. Song, I'm Wang Yao from Tianhuo Media. There's a business collaboration that would be perfect for you. If you're interested, you can have your agent contact me." Wang Yao handed over a business card.

"Okay, okay." Song Qian quickly took it and watched Wang Yao leave with some surprise.

"Sister Qian, what's going on? What did that handsome young man give you?" Lee Soon-kyu asked curiously.

"They said it was a business collaboration and asked me to pass it on to my agent." Song Qian sat back down and scratched her head.

"Huh? Is it the brand? So young?" Park Hyomin's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

"A Chinese person?" Goo Hara glanced at the words on the business card.

"I don't know, let's ask PD Lee later." Song Qian was still a little confused.

But Li Rongyu clearly didn't have time to deal with the girls' curiosity and hurriedly returned to the private room to close the door.

Looking at Kang Ho-dong, who was sitting on the ground looking lost and dejected, he asked in a deep voice, "Really?"

"I don't know, but it's possible it's true. I've been working with the company for so many years, it's impossible for the finances to be completely without problems." Kang Ho-dong chewed the grilled meat blankly, as if chewing wax.

Li Rongyu sat down next to him, looking somewhat embarrassed.

He couldn't tell whether agreeing to meet Wang Yao today was a good thing or a bad thing.

“However, his suggestion is correct. You should organize it yourself to avoid being caught off guard. If you really missed submitting it, you can make it up. It's not a big problem,” Li Rongyu said in a deep voice.

"Who is this person?" Jiang Hudong asked in confusion.

Li Rongyu recounted how he met Wang Yao.

"Could he be from North Korea?" Kang Ho-dong swallowed hard.

"Don't scare me. Should I accept his investment or not?" Li Rongyu asked, as if facing a formidable enemy.

"If he really is, and he even knows about the problems in my company, do you think it's your place to refuse?" Jiang Hudong glanced at him.

Li Rongyu was stunned for a moment, then his face fell as if he had lost his parents. "The sky has fallen."

"Maybe it's a good thing, having such a powerful backer." A glint of shrewdness flashed in Kang Ho-dong's narrow eyes. "I definitely won't stay at ET anymore. How about I come and work for your company?"

"Huh?" Li Rongyu was completely stunned.

"Once I've investigated the matter thoroughly, please arrange another meeting with Mr. Wang for me," Jiang Hudong said in a deep voice.

On the way back with Wang Yao, Chi Ming wanted to ask him several times, but he didn't dare to.

Korea is a typical shallow pond with many turtles, full of big shots. Behind every profitable company is a chaebol, and behind every chaebol is a faction.

Having operated in Korea for many years, his biggest lesson was not to get too involved with the Koreans, or he could easily get caught up in inexplicable conflicts.

However, Wang Yao committed a major taboo right from the start, and he did so with complete confidence. It's useless to talk about Kang Ho-dong's status in Goryeo; anything related to him is never a simple dispute.

He was really unsure what Wang Yao was here for.

This man has been pushing the limits of my understanding and tolerance ever since we met.

It's so scary.

No wonder his sister told him to be careful.

"Thank you for your hard work today, Mr. Chi," Wang Yao said apologetically before getting out of the car.

"No, no, it's no trouble at all, Mr. Wang. Please get some rest. I'll come to pick you up again at this time tomorrow," Chi Ming quickly replied.

"Okay." Wang Yao glanced at him, then smiled and got out of the car. Chi Ming swallowed hard, feeling that this one glance contained an explosion of information.

When Wang Yao returned to the villa, Nazha and her son had already moved in and were chatting and drinking tea in the living room. Wang Yao chatted with them for a while, then made an excuse to leave.

The atmosphere is eerie.

"How's the buzz today?" Wang Yao asked as he entered Zhou Cong's room.

His escape to Korea for peace and quiet doesn't mean the storm in China will stop. So many media companies that rely on traffic will definitely squeeze every last drop of this hype out of them.

At least Director Hu, Wang Jing, and Li Ying will not give up easily.

And today happens to be the day that the episode of "I Am a Big Beauty" featuring Qu Shou aired. Sure enough, as soon as the topic of sanitary napkins for Qu Shou's menstrual aphasia came out, it quickly climbed to the top of various charts thanks to Qu Shou's popularity.

The female netizens who had already sympathized with Qu Shou's plight yesterday were moved once again.

Qu Shou's Weibo followers have grown to over three million, which is very close to Yao Chen's four million.

Without a doubt, if Wang Yao is willing to strike while the iron is hot, the title of Weibo Queen will at least change hands.

Huayi must be feeling terrible. The Weibo queen she spent over a year and invested a lot of manpower and money to cultivate is not as popular as Qu Shou's trending topic.

Chi Xin is currently in charge of maintaining public opinion regarding Qu Shou. Wang Yao instructed her to gradually guide public opinion away from Qu Shou's victimhood and towards female empowerment and women's safety.

Chi Xin did a good job. Whether it was public intellectuals or netizens, whether it was paid or free, the discussions revolved around these topics, and Qu Shou's character was gradually becoming more fleshed out.

With the pace and public opinion now relatively stable, it's time to reap the first wave of victory.

"Qu Shou's popularity is undeniable, and Ma Ruo's popularity has also been boosted. As the first group of best friends to publicly support her, their public image has improved significantly."
"Our followers are almost a million, hehe, and our online store sales have also increased. But Baidu is really disgusting; they raised our advertising prices a lot, and our ROI has dropped significantly," Zhou Cong complained.

"It's fine, as long as we're still making a profit, we can keep burning through cash." Wang Yao was unconcerned, because he was already mentally prepared for these platforms' shady practices of bullying their customers.

However, while Baidu, that old rogue, is unmanageable, Sina Weibo is currently absorbing the traffic from Ma Ruo and Qu Shou, which has significantly increased its daily active users. Wang Yao is considering how to collaborate with them.

If Sina Weibo is unwilling, there's always Tencent. Tencent's Weibo hasn't completely failed yet; it probably still wants to turn the tide.

With Zhou Cong's assistance, Wang Yao organized the key data and content for the day, and picked out the important ones to address.

Wang Yao turned on his phone, which had been switched off for a day, and was immediately flooded with text messages and missed calls. He first called Li Ying from Hunan TV.

"Oh my god, you're finally back on! If Chi Xin hadn't told me you were alright, I would have called the police for you. What were you thinking? Do you know how much damage delaying things at a time like this can cause?" Li Ying complained as soon as she received the call.

"Good things come to those who wait, and those who board later will reach the shore first. Fate will always bring things together. Director Li, calm down," Wang Yao chuckled.

"Calmness? A 20 million annual contract is right in front of you, show me your calmness." Li Ying sneered.

"Whose wealthy family is it? Eight Degrees Space? Consort Shu?" Wang Yao raised an eyebrow slightly.

A 2000 million yuan endorsement fee is practically the ceiling for endorsements. In China, only top sports stars and celebrities like Zhang Ziyi and Fan Bingbing can currently command such a fee.

"Both of them offered 2000 million, which one should we choose?" Li Ying couldn't hide her smile.

This one sponsorship alone helped her achieve one-fifth of her annual sales target.

"Is it not appropriate for me to choose? The endorsement shouldn't be for Qu Shou, right?" Wang Yao said with a smile.

Although Qu Shou's public image is currently very positive, his private photos have already been circulating widely. This scandal may not matter now, but once the hype dies down, it will inevitably become an indelible stain unless he can consistently achieve positive results to overshadow it.

Otherwise, no company would associate itself with such a potentially 'high-risk' spokesperson.

"It's for the show, but the brand specifically requested Qu Shou as one of their promotional ambassadors. This ensures the show's popularity and mitigates the risks. Plus, they specifically wanted to talk to you about how to operate that charity project," Li Ying said with a smile.

"Let's choose Shufei. It's an international brand, trustworthy. Oh, and remember to emphasize the breach of contract clause when signing the contract. If our image is damaged due to product issues, the brand will have to compensate us." Wang Yao squinted, a smile playing on his lips.

"Huh? It's always the spokesperson who's breaching the contract who gets the compensation, not the brand." Li Ying was taken aback.

“This shows that we are responsible to consumers, Director Li. Your program is about selling products and building a reputation. If there are any problems with the products, the program will be ruined. So you must do a thorough background check before selecting products,” Wang Yao said seriously.

If I remember correctly, around 20 years ago, the Shufei brand was exposed for cutting corners, illegal production by its distributors, and issues with waste recycling. Although its crisis management was good, problems still exist.

Once problems arise with these kinds of daily necessities, they will inevitably accumulate over the years. With 315 (Consumer Rights Day) approaching, Wang Yao, adhering to the principle of being responsible to consumers, decided to thoroughly investigate this major international brand from Japan.

"Hmm. That makes sense. I'll discuss it at the meeting. As for the revenue sharing for Qu Shou's endorsement fee, how about 200 million + 100 million for appearance fees, and 20 episodes as a regular guest?" Li Ying proposed the collaboration.

Being able to become a regular guest alongside He Jiong is something every artist dreams of. Besides, the appearance fee of 5 yuan per episode is not low, especially considering it's a regular guest position.

Overnight, Qu Shou's net worth skyrocketed dozens of times. Based on a 64% split, this meant that Qu Shou directly received 180 million yuan, while Tianhuo Company would receive 120 million yuan.

"No problem, thank you for taking care of me, Director Li," Wang Yao said with a light laugh.

Although the brand decided to invest because they saw the popularity of Qu Shou, what they ultimately valued was Li Ying and the endorsement of Hunan TV, so this revenue sharing ratio is normal.

After all, it wasn't a specific naming of Qu Shou as an exclusive spokesperson, but that's fine too, so that they won't have to take the blame if problems arise.

"I thank Mr. Wang for helping me make money. You must be quite busy, so I won't take up any more of your time. Remember to call me for dinner when you get back." Li Ying chuckled and hung up the phone.

Then Wang Yao called Ren Quan second.

"Ancestors!" Ren Quan was clearly much more emotional than Li Ying.

"Calm down, be calm. What are your orders, Brother Quan?" Wang Yao chuckled.

“You can’t stay calm. Even if 2000 million yuan is thrown in your face for publicity, you still won’t stay calm,” Ren Quan said in a deep voice.

"It's still 2000 million, isn't it?" Wang Yao frowned.

"Why did you say 'also'?" Ren Quan was taken aback.

"It's alright, tell me what happened," Wang Yao chuckled.

2000 million is great.

　As a newbie launching a book, I'm a bit overwhelmed. First of all, thank you to all the readers who have supported and encouraged me. I'm a rough guy and don't know how to express myself well, so I'll just bow to you all. This book's subject matter is somewhat niche, and it has received a lot of negative reviews. I have a somewhat fragile and introverted personality, and I'm prone to withdrawing, which led to me being extremely anxious for the past few days, writing and deleting repeatedly. However, the premise of this book is indeed a novel combination of business and entertainment. I mainly want to write about the niche aspects of the capital operation model in entertainment and its impact on people. The inspiration comes from my work in the internet entertainment industry in recent years and some industry observations, which I found very interesting and wanted to share with everyone. The joy of writing lies in sharing and collision, right?

　　The creation of the entertainment section is also quite special, as it is interpreted from the perspective of investors or distributors. It may indeed be different from regular entertainment articles. I will try my best to write it in an interesting way, but please be gentle with your criticism if my writing skills are not up to par.

　　Fortunately, with everyone's support and encouragement, I managed to persevere.

　　The initial order volume was around five or six hundred, which isn't much, but it exceeded my initial expectations.

　　I have no way to repay you except to work hard and write well.

　　After the book is published, I will try my best to maintain a stable three updates a day and strive for 10,000 words per day.

　　The storyline is going to get even more exciting (at least I think so).

　　Secondly, thank you to editor Mingyue for her support and encouragement!
　　Finally, I shamelessly beg for any kind of support! ~I bow and thank you!~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)