The younger generation, starting from where the wind blows...

Chapter 114 Creating a "Perfect" Girl Group

The web series that Yang Muyi plans to film is called "Spicy Neighbor," which once had a Douban rating of over 9 points.

Just from the name, you can tell that the screenwriter has a deep understanding of the essence of internet language and culture.

Hu Ling's first reaction was, "Will this name pass the review?"
Yang Muye took a sip of the coffee that the waiter had just brought.

Don't worry, it's guaranteed to pass.

Any new thing will go through a period of rapid, unregulated growth at the beginning of its existence, during which time regulation is relatively lax.

This applies to both current online dramas and short dramas from the past.

Yang Muye's production of "Spicy Neighbor" was like dropping a bombshell right at the beginning of the pioneering era of online dramas.

Anyone who knows even a little bit about Dou Dizhu knows that this kind of hand only has two possibilities: either they don't know how to play at all, or they have a hand full of bombs, and they are all the highest-ranking ones.

Yang Muye clearly belongs to the latter category.

He plans to turn "Spicy Neighbors" into a seasonal drama series, filming it over two years.

Then came a seamless transition to shows like "Unexpected", "Report to the Boss", and "Men's Diary"... basically, just scrolling down the ratings on Douban.

What kind of "wind" is this... In Yang Muye's eyes, it's all called a typhoon, which can uproot even a tree standing on the ground, let alone blow up a pig.

Xu Kaiyang and Zhang Kai, these two "plastic brothers," will now pursue a comedy career and focus on web dramas.

When Weibo launches next year, we'll recruit a bunch of comedians to turn their Weibo accounts into top influencers with tens of millions of followers.

With the addition of various advertisements and commercial activities, their revenue-generating ability is definitely not much worse than that of ordinary celebrities.

The key is that online celebrities make money much more easily than stars.

As for Cheng Feng and Wu Di, these two "old boys," they will first develop their careers in the music industry, and after accumulating enough popularity and representative works, they will then transition from singing to acting.

Since they've chosen this name, they'll definitely start with online micro-films, riding the wave of internet capital's massive foray into the film and television industry, and directly enter the film world.

"Spicy Neighbors" marks the first collaboration between Old Boys and Plastic Brothers, and this web series forms the initial framework for building a college student internet celebrity universe.

Rounded to the nearest whole number, it equals the first stage of the MCU.

The MCU is still nowhere in the works, so Yang Muye has no way to explain his ambitions to Hu Ling in detail.

Whether it's signing the "Plastic Brothers" franchise, filming "Spicy Neighbors," or even the Old Boys' future foray into the film industry, it all boils down to enriching the company's "product line."

As an MCN (Multi-Channel Network), Starry Sky Ocean considers internet celebrities as its "products".

As a former agent, Hu Ling certainly knows how great it is to have top stars in film, television, and music for your company.

For example, when a singer holds a concert, a bunch of award-winning actors and actresses sit in the audience, voluntarily acting as fans and listeners to show their support.
When filming a movie or TV series, the opening and closing theme songs are sung by their own singers, who also help with various promotional activities.

This kind of cross-industry "mutual assistance" can greatly increase the probability of a work becoming a hit.

This is also why celebrities are keen on venturing into other fields.

However, the competition in the entertainment industry is too fierce, and it is very difficult for a company to gather top stars from all industries.

Unlike the influencer industry, which is still in its early stages, achieving a monopoly is not difficult as long as one seizes the opportunity.

Having discerned Yang Muye's ambition, Hu Ling, from the perspective of a professional agent, surprisingly offered the following advice:

Continue to enrich the company's "product line"!
"Old Boys is venturing into the internet film industry, Plastic Brothers is focusing on web dramas, and what about internet celebrity singers? I've met Ma Siyi and Hu Youyu, whom you recommended before. They're available to sign, but there's a problem: they're not college students. If they want to collaborate with Old Boys and Plastic Brothers, they'll need you, the lead singer of the band, to act as a bridge."

Yang Muye had indeed considered the issue that Hu Ling raised.

Ma Siyi and Hu Youyu want to integrate into the universe of college student internet celebrities, just like how Guardians of the Galaxy integrate into the Earth storyline of the MCU, they need a character like Star-Lord.

Currently, the only one who can play the role of "Star-Lord" is Yang Muye himself.

After persuading Yang Muyi, Hu Ling then raised another issue.

“Cheng Feng and Wu Di mentioned to me before that you had found seven beautiful girls to form a girl group and sing ‘Little Apple’ with them at the welcome party. I thought the idea was amazing at the time.”

After glancing at Yang Muyi, who seemed lost in thought, Hu Ling continued:
"Back then, Old Boys hadn't become popular yet, but things are different now. Even plastic brothers can be signed and arranged to ride on Old Boys' popularity. There's no reason for a girl group performing on the same stage as Old Boys to waste this wave of traffic, right?"

"You mean you want to sign the entire girl group?"

"I want to meet with them first."

Yang Muyi thought for a moment and finally nodded.

"Everyone will be rehearsing at a bar outside our school tomorrow at noon. Come over then."

Just as Hu Ling was about to agree, Yang Muye's voice continued.

"One more thing, do you know any makeup artists who are skilled and charge reasonable fees?"

"Tomorrow?" Hu Ling asked.

“Yes, let’s try it tomorrow. If it works well, we can cooperate long-term, or even invite them to join the company,” Yang Muye replied.

Hu Ling thought that a fixed cooperation for a period of time was possible, but inviting the other party to join the company was probably unrealistic.

"Okay, I'll have her come over tomorrow to give it a try."

Seeing that Hu Ling was about to finish her third cup of coffee, Yang Muye suggested that they stop here for the night.

Yang Muyi has class tomorrow morning. If he stays in a hotel, he usually goes to bed before 10 o'clock and gets up at 5:30 in the morning to work out at the gym for an hour and a half, then takes a shower, changes clothes, has breakfast, and walks to school for class.

Just as Yang Muyi returned to his room to shower and prepare for bed, Xu Kaiyang and Zhang Kai were in dormitory 602 of the law school, asking Zhang Wei, whom they had met by chance, to help them review a contract.

Zhang Wei solemnly took the contract and carefully read it from beginning to end. However, when he turned to the last page, he found that the contract had already been signed and fingerprinted, and he was stunned on the spot.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Xu Kaiyang asked with concern.

"Yes, is there some kind of trap or fraudulent clause in the contract?" Zhang Kai asked immediately.

Zhang Wei looked up at the two of them.

You've already signed the contract, why are you asking me to take a look?
Even if you see something wrong, do you still want to break the contract?

If Xu Kaiyang and Zhang Kaizhen intend to do this, Zhang Wei can tell them, from a "professional" perspective, how serious the consequences of breaking the contract will be.

Although Zhang Wei himself is only a freshman and has just entered university, he has not even attended many law-related courses.

Even if you haven't eaten pork, haven't you seen a pig run?

Because he aspired to be a lawyer since childhood, Zhang Wei is very familiar with various legal dramas from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and overseas, and can be considered "experienced".

"Overall, there are no major problems with this contract, except that the penalty for breach of contract may be a little too high, but it is within the legal limits. It is clear that this company called Xingchen Dahai (Starry Sea) values ​​you two very much."

Zhang Wei said with a smile.

The main point is that they say one thing and mean another.

Xu Kaiyang and Zhang Kai patted Zhang Wei on the shoulder, one on the left and one on the right.

"Thanks. Since there are no problems with the contract, we'll head out now." With that, he took the contract and left.

Zhang Wei sat alone in the chair, his smile frozen on his face.

They promised to help me review the contract, but afterwards I had to go to the second floor of the school cafeteria for a late-night snack. Where has the trust between people gone?
Xu Kaiyang and Zhang Kai went downstairs back to their dormitory. Just as they were about to turn on their computers to play a game of Warcraft, Xu Kaiyang's phone rang.

He picked it up and saw that it was a call from Cheng Feng.

Opening his head and craning his neck, he saw the caller's name on Xu Kaiyang's phone screen and couldn't help but ask in surprise:

Why did he call you?

"We've also signed with Starry Sky and Sea. When he finds out, he'll definitely call and show off. After all, we'll be riding on his coattails in the future."

As Xu Kaiyang spoke, he picked up his phone, ready to press the answer button.

Zhang Kai cheered Xu Kaiyang on from the side: "You have to hold on! As the saying goes, 'Heaven helps those who help themselves.' With perseverance and determination, three thousand Yue soldiers can conquer Wu!"

Xu Kaiyang glanced at the guy.

"What do you mean?"

"It means you should be more polite when you talk to people. After all, we're the ones asking for their help right now. We can give them attitude later when we've become famous!"

Zhang Kai said emphatically.

Xu Kaiyang's face immediately fell.

Is that what you call enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens?

That's despicable!

The petty person becomes arrogant and rampant after gaining power!
Xu Kaiyang is now starting to regret teaming up with Zhang Kai, but the contract is already signed and he can't get rid of him.

Xu Kaiyang grew angrier the more he thought about it, and naturally he didn't give Cheng Feng a friendly look on the other end of the phone.

As soon as the call connected, Xu Kaiyang asked directly:
"Speak your mind, or shut up!"

"Xu Kaiyang, are you on fire? Why are you talking so aggressively?"

"If you want someone who speaks nicely, call someone else."

"Fine, you win. I'll ask you about two people. One is named Zheng Wei, and the other is named Ruan Wan. They are both freshmen in your art college."

Xu Kaiyang switched the phone to his other ear, and even his tone of voice became serious.

"Cheng Feng, you've already messed with the girls in your business school, now you're even setting your sights on the girls in our art school. Do you really think we art school guys are all alone? Let me tell you, don't push your luck!"

"From what you're saying, you actually know them?"

"We not only knew each other, but I also personally escorted them to their dormitories when they registered for the new semester."

"Hey, you made your move pretty early. Did you catch up?"

"Can you please stop having such filthy thoughts? Welcoming new students is the duty of the seniors, but you've turned it into a way to pick up girls. How vulgar is that?"

"If you didn't catch up, you didn't catch up. Why are you trying to make yourself look good? If you can't do it, don't occupy the spot. I'll set an example for you."

"Just you?"

Xu Kaiyang sneered as if he had heard a huge joke: "What else can you do to woo girls besides throwing money at them? Oh, I remember now, I forgot you're a big internet celebrity now. But you should look for vain girls. Don't even think about the girls from our art school, you have no chance."

Cheng Feng on the other end of the phone was clearly getting impatient.

"Stop talking nonsense, just tell me if you have their contact information."

"Even if they had the information, they wouldn't tell you. You've never even met them in real life, yet you want their phone number. You need to distinguish between the internet and reality. Don't think that just because you're famous online, everyone in real life will listen to you."

"Who told you we haven't met in real life? Tonight at the movie theater, they were sitting in the same row as me, and I even made way for them."

The theater was pitch black at the time, and neither Zheng Wei nor Ruan Wan recognized Cheng Feng. However, when Cheng Feng stood up to make way, he not only saw the two women's faces clearly, but also heard Zhu Xiaobei calling their names from behind.

Upon returning to school, Cheng Feng immediately searched for the two names on the school's intranet.

The "Wei" in Zheng Wei and the "Wan" in Ruan Wan are not common girl names.

And so, Cheng Feng eventually found it.

I added both of them as friends on campus, but there was no response.

Left with no other option, Cheng Feng called Xu Kaiyang.

"Crazy, since we've both signed with the same company, let me give you a piece of advice: don't even think about those two girls. It's hopeless. I already found out as soon as they arrived. Ruan Wan has had a boyfriend since high school, and they have a great relationship. Although it's a long-distance relationship now, her boyfriend personally took her to school when school started. Do you know what that's called? Declaring ownership!"

"And then there's Zheng Wei. She doesn't have a boyfriend, but she's had a childhood sweetheart who's been secretly in love with her since she was little. He's a senior in our art school. The good news is that he's going abroad to study this semester. The bad news is that Zheng Wei is a bit stubborn. It seems like she's planning to wait for her childhood sweetheart to come back so they can rekindle their romance. You should give up on that idea as soon as possible."

Cheng Feng had thought that Xu Kaiyang would remain stubborn and unyielding, but he didn't expect him to change his attitude so quickly.

Although Ruan Wan and Zheng Wei's situations are indeed a bit tricky and very difficult to pursue, Cheng Feng is not the kind of person who can't resist beautiful women and has to win them over no matter what.

But this phone call couldn't be made for nothing.

“Xu Kaiyang, based on what you just said, I’ll be frank with you. I actually have another purpose in finding Ruan Wan and Zheng Wei.”

"What, you still want to use force? Let me tell you, that's illegal!"

"What the hell are you thinking? Do you think I'm that kind of person? Sister Ling just called me and talked about the performance I prepared for the freshman welcome party. If it weren't for what happened with He Yueyue, we were originally planning to debut by singing that song, so we specially invited seven pretty girls from our college to sing and dance with us. We're rehearsing at a bar outside the school tomorrow at noon. Do you want to come and watch?"

Xu Kaiyang didn't say anything, but he couldn't help but think about it.

Are you testing me by making me look at beautiful women?
Then I'll definitely agree!

"Tell me, what do you want me to do?" Xu Kaiyang didn't believe in free lunches and asked immediately.

"Let's invite Zheng Wei and Ruan Wan to come together."

"If I could get both of them to come out, would I be wasting my time talking to you like this?"

"You must have their phone numbers, right? Tell me, and I'll arrange a meeting."

Xu Kaiyang was puzzled.

What exactly do you want from them?

Cheng Feng decided to stop pretending.

"Sister Ling wants to sign a few girls from our business school, but I don't think many of them will agree. They're all focused on their studies, so I wanted to ask if Ruan Wan and Zheng Wei from your school are interested in the internet celebrity girl group thing."

Xu Kaiyang felt increasingly uneasy as he listened.

What do you mean?
You business school girls are focused on your studies, you don't want to be internet celebrities.

Are all the girls in our art school not focused on their studies, but on becoming internet celebrities?

(End of this chapter)