Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 494 Chen Xiu becomes a director and trends on social media.
May 6, Pengcheng.

Having just finished their holiday, the Penguin Coastal Building was operating at full capacity on the first working day. Pony Ma, the CEO, also received a long-awaited phone call.

"...Masayoshi Son has agreed and he will help WeChat complete the merger with Line."

"it is good."

Pony Ma was a man of few words, but a flash of excitement quickly crossed his eyes.

Chen Xiu continued on the phone, "TikTok's roadshow is expected to end in mid-June. Can Tencent get everything sorted out before then?"

"It's not a big problem. Line doesn't have many listed shares. It should be able to go through the privatization and delisting process in about a month."

After saying that, Pony Ma asked, "What conditions did you offer Masayoshi Son?"

"This doesn't really matter, does it?"

"Just out of curiosity."

"Hehe, I didn't expect you to be curious."

Pony Ma pursed her lips speechlessly, wanting to ask: Do you also find it strange that I can still eat and sleep normally?
He hesitated for a moment, then decided not to say it.

After Chen Xiu finished complaining, considering that the deal he made with Masayoshi Son would be announced sooner or later, he answered Pony Ma's questions in advance over the phone.

“Masayoshi Son knew about our plan and asked for a 40% preemptive right to subscribe to the shares issued in this IPO, as well as a seat on the board of directors of TikTok.”

"You told him everything?"

Pony frowned slightly, inwardly blaming Chen Xiu for not being careful enough in handling matters.

"Why did he withdraw without explaining himself?"

"What if it backfires and makes Yahoo even more determined to compete for Line?"

"TikTok doesn't necessarily need Line... Let's stop talking about hypothetical questions and talk about what you've thought about."

"What to consider?"

"It's about your cameo appearance in the movie! The script has been approved, and pre-production and actor auditions will begin this month. Decide as soon as possible whether you want to come and have a cameo."

"Forehead……"

Pony hesitated, a look of indecision appearing on his face.

Acting is ultimately a challenging task. After all, he usually delegates jobs that require him to be in the public eye to others, and only takes on the role himself when he absolutely has to.

However, Chen Xiu's suggestion of using film to vindicate herself is very appealing... If only I could enjoy the benefits without paying a cent.

Pony was caught in a dilemma and fell into deep thought.

However, Chen Xiu had been waiting for so many days and was already quite impatient.

“If you’re not willing, I’ll ask Wang Xin to make a cameo appearance. Anyway, he’s familiar with appearing on screen.”

Upon hearing this, Pony Ma's expression changed drastically, and her voice became anxious.

"You want Wang Xin to play me?"

“I don’t need to act you out! I’ll just delete your role and replace it with an anonymous angel investor. Anyway, that’s what your character does in the movie.”

"No need to delete it, it would be such a waste to delete it!"

"If you're not going to act anymore, what's there to regret?"

Pony Ma's expression froze for a moment, then he smacked his lips, picked up the whiskey on the table, and took a small sip.

"Tell me about the character."

"Do you want to act?"

Chen Xiu made a final confirmation, preventing Pony from continuing to hesitate.

Pony Ma's wine glass hadn't been put back on the table yet.

A flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes. He tightened his grip slightly, shaking the whiskey in the glass up and down before tilting it and pouring it all into Pony's mouth.

The wine glass was slammed back onto the table, and Pony Ma confirmed, "I'll play the role. Tell me about the character."

"OK! This character is actually you. The role is very simple. I play the main character who goes to your door to solicit investment. I talk to you three times and successfully get the investment."

"and then?"

"Gone."

Pony Ma paused for a moment, then turned to stare at the wine glass, his eyes showing disbelief.

He hesitated for a moment, then said reluctantly, "I have three scenes, right?"

"Strictly speaking, it should be two scenes. We only need to film the first meeting and the third meeting, and then edit the footage for the second meeting."

"No, when you represented Didi to discuss investment, you talked with Martin five times."

"Didn't you say you weren't that keen on acting? Why do you seem a little unsatisfied now?"

Chen Xiu's teasing voice made Pony Ma frown and look at the mirror on her desk.

"I just feel that if you're going to do something, you should do it well! Since you've already agreed to make a cameo appearance, you have to make sure the role is substantial and not just go through the motions."

"Tch... Mr. Ma, then tell me, what constitutes a fulfilling life?"

Pony Ma thought for a while, and when his hand touched his chin, the mist in his eyes was pierced by the light, just like the Tyndall effect.

"Why don't you just write down the process of your initial negotiation with Martin, and polish it a little?"

"Then why don't I ask Martin to make a cameo appearance?"

“He has to go to work, but I can arrange my own time.”

"..." Chen Xiu's voice disappeared on the phone for a while before reappearing.

"Okay, cough cough, I understand what you mean. I'll revise the script. Cough, should I say hello to Martin?"

Pony glanced at her phone suspiciously, her lips slightly pursed.

"I'll go talk to him. Did you just laugh?"

"No, I just suddenly thought of something happy and my mind wandered for a moment."

Pony Ma certainly didn't believe it, but there was nothing he could do about it, since Chen Xiu hadn't laughed out loud either.

"Alright! We'll handle the Line issue, and let's hope there are no surprises with TikTok's IPO. Once we've finished the important business, it's fine to film a movie and relax a bit."

"That's what I was thinking too... Mr. Ma, the film is scheduled to start shooting in early July. Your scenes will probably take two days, and filming will be at the end of the month. Is that alright?"

"Tell me the time in advance and I'll make the arrangements."

"OK, that's all for now, bye-bye."

After saying that, Chen Xiu hung up the phone.

Pony Ma put down his phone, gathered his thoughts, and sent a message to Liu Chiping, asking him to come over to discuss Line work and also to talk about his cameo role in Chen Xiu's movie.

……

For the remainder of May, TikTok's IPO proceeded smoothly, and Tencent officially launched its merger with Line through WeChat.

In the merged company, Penguin will hold 51% of the shares, while Naver, Line's parent company, will hold 49%.

Before the true intentions were revealed, everyone thought that this merger was Penguin's ambitious move to expand into overseas markets.

Just as the attention of China's internet community was focused on "TikTok's IPO" and "WeChat's merger with Line," the United States suddenly announced on the 15th that it would add Dahua Technology to its Entity List...

Suddenly, the tech world began to stir with unease.

Various speculations are rampant.

This led Chen Xiu, who originally planned to hold auditions for the new film actors in the middle of the month, to postpone the auditions to the end of the month after considering the impact and other issues.

The reason they didn't move further away was because in the sixth episode of Peach Blossom Village, Chen Xiu and Sun Zhonghuai, as guests, brought up this topic.

What was originally intended as a program to promote the movie in its early stages has now turned into the first trailer.

As soon as the show ended, Chen Xiu's new movie, which he directed and starred in, became a trending topic on Douyin and Weibo.

Celebrities and directors in the entertainment industry, fans and passersby outside the industry, and the tireless gossip-loving public are all discussing this matter.

Some people questioned it, but after hearing that Guo Fan was also a director, they felt much more at ease; others agreed, saying that if Guo Xiaosi and Han Han could be directors, why couldn't Chen Xiu?
Some people, however, have a unique perspective on criticizing Chen Xiu, making arguments such as that she lacks responsibility in her acting and is unsuitable for the role...

Although there is no causal relationship between the two, as long as the haters are determined, they will always find a way to find fault with you from various angles.

Fortunately, in the end, such people were only a minority.

Most people's attention was focused on Chen Xiu's new movie.

Among them, celebrities big and small in the industry all had the same idea: Chen Xiu was going to make a movie, and Guo Fan was also there to oversee it. With two big shots in the same production team, no matter who you build a good relationship with, you'll reap a lot of rewards!
With this in mind, capable celebrities have begun to use their connections and resources, all in an effort to secure a supporting role!
Those lacking sufficient connections and resources resorted to indirect methods...

In Shanghai, inside the office of Tangren Media.

Nezha stared blankly at Cai Yinong and asked, "Sister K, what did you just ask me to do for Lao Hu?"

"Uh……"

Cai Yinong looked at Nezha with some difficulty and asked uncertainly, "Didn't you say you had a good relationship with President Chen?"

"Yup!"

Have you been following the news about Mr. Chen's new movie lately?

"The female lead was already cast, otherwise I would have liked to try and work with Chen Xiu."

Naza said dejectedly, his downturned lips full of regret.

Upon hearing this, Cai Yinong was overjoyed: "Since you have such a good relationship with President Chen, why don't you make a call and ask about the role for Lao Hu?"

"Asking about roles for Lao Hu?"

Nezha pursed his lips, thinking: What if Chen Xiu misunderstands when I call to help Lao Hu get a role? No, no, I absolutely cannot agree.

"Sister K, I'm not feeling well right now..."

"You're just making a phone call, what's so inconvenient about that? It's not like I'm asking you to come over in person!"

"It's possible for people to go there."

"Ok??"

Cai Yinong stared at Nezha in astonishment, thinking to herself: In the past few years, whenever I asked you to attend a party or banquet, you would always make excuses and miss out on so many opportunities. Now, you're delivering yourself to my door.
However, when she thought about how Chen Xiu was the recipient, Cai Yinong instantly understood. If only Chen Xiu were a few years younger...

“You can go find Chen Xiu. Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll give you a week off. Go talk to Chen Xiu about the role of Lao Hu. At the very least, help him get an audition opportunity.”

"That should work!"

Nazar nodded, and said with satisfaction.

She wasn't sure about the role, but was worried that it would affect Chen Xiu's plans. She didn't care about the audition, since there were so many people, adding Hu Ge wouldn't make a difference.

"Sister K, when does my vacation start?"

"Hurry up, or the audition will start soon."

"Then I'll go tonight!"

"...That's fine."

(End of this chapter)