Business Closed Loop: Starting with Ringback Tones to Take Down Giants

The job posting for a male candidate went viral on the very first afternoon after it was posted.

The bulletin board at the entrance of the Central Academy of Drama's cafeteria was surrounded by layers of people, and those who arrived later had to stand on tiptoe.

"Let me see!!"

A male student majoring in drama finally managed to squeeze to the front row, his eyes quickly scanning the title as he read it aloud:

"Xianming Studio... is hiring three part-time screenwriters, any major, base salary 500?!"

"There's more to come."

A girl next to her chimed in, somewhat incredulously, "We've specially invited teachers from the Department of Dramatic Literature to participate in the judging."

The 50 yuan is all fake.

Only with the participation of drama department teachers in the judging process can these proud and arrogant drama department students be truly impressed.

"Really? Is it a scam?"

"What are you lying about? Look at the signature!" Another boy pointed to the bottom of the red paper.

"Wang Song and Jiang Yilei! Those two who won the National Charity Grand Prize a couple of days ago!"

"The artwork is attached below!"

"Caring for Empty Nest Elderly" and "The Silent World"

"The school's official website has posted the good news, how could it be fake?"

"So, even if your work isn't selected, it will still get a chance to be reviewed by the teacher?"

"What about the number of openings? How many will you recruit?"

"We've received 200 submissions so far, and 20 people will advance to the next round... Holy crap, 200 submissions! Wow, that's going to be a mad rush!"

In the other studio, Wang Song and Jiang Yilei were setting up a submission box.

"Just write online novels, why make it so ritualistic, with two rounds of selection? These evil capitalists."

Jiang Yilei pursed his lips and complained.

"You, you're a perfectly normal person, so why do you have a mouth?"

Wang Song retorted.

From 200 submissions with original stories, he and Jiang Yilei quickly narrowed it down to 20 of the most promising ones.

These 20 people received 50 yuan in cash on the spot.

A copy of the work will be sent to a teacher in the Department of Dramatic Literature to obtain brief annotations.

They've got face, substance, and money.

Those who are not selected are unlikely to complain.

These 20 people will advance to the next round of studio assessment.

The creation was based on the online novel outline provided by Wang Song.

That will be the time to truly see who is capable of making a living in this field.

On the first day, the drop-off box at the entrance was overflowing.

Wang Song and Jiang Yilei squatted in the newly cleared bungalow, screening stacks of printed manuscripts.

I glanced at most of the manuscripts and put them down.

"Ancient style tragic romance, the whole family is wiped out in the third episode, and she falls off a cliff in the fifth episode... falling in love with her enemy."

"Youthful campus life, already showing signs of amnesia, fast forward to the car accident and miscarriage."

"The educated youth sent to the countryside... never mind, this one is even more painful than the last one."

Jiang Yilei, who was tidying up the clutter nearby, couldn't help but ask, "Can you really tell good from bad at a glance?"

Wang Song didn't answer directly, but stopped what he was doing.

From a pile of manuscripts, some ornate and some hastily written, I selected an exceptionally concise printout.

The title is simple: "The Embroidered Uniform Guard: Night Walk".

Contributor: Chen Shu, Class of 03, Department of Production Management.

"Shen Lian, Lu Jianxing, Jin Yichuan..."

"Found it."

Wang Song handed the manuscript to Jiang Yilei.

"That's it?"

Jiang Yilei quickly finished reading it and thought, "He seems...too upright, not like someone who can write web novels."

"Someone's writing an online novel." Wang Song looked at Chen Shu's name on the manuscript.

"But, even the main course needs someone to cook it. What we need is never just writers."

Wang Song paused for a moment, then said, "Vice President Jiang, inform her that she has entered the final selection. The second round of assessment is just a formality."

Jiang Yilei noted it down.

Then he asked, "What about the others? The 20 who got 50 yuan each?"

Wang Song pointed to a stack of selected items.

"Keep screening. Here are the eight that have already been screened. Take them to the teacher to see."

"Alright, alright, I'm just here to run errands for you."

……

three days later.

Twenty people sat crammed together in the slightly larger bungalow of the studio.

A subtle competition permeated the air.

After all, they were one of the twenty who won the preliminary round.

I had a solid 50 yuan in my pocket, and my artwork had already been seen by the teacher.

Awaiting approval.

Wang Song stood in front, and without saying a word, projected the three sets of exam questions and requirements onto the wall.

"The Immortal Cultivator: A Battle of Immortals and Heroes"

"The Mysterious Adventure of 'The Grave Robbers' Chronicles'"

"Joy of Life" is set in an alternate history.

A story summary of 10 chapters has been provided.

"Choose one of the following: continue and expand upon the existing outline, and send the completed work to the studio's email address."

A murmur arose from below.

Soon, the first discordant voice rang out.

He raised his hand, his tone questioning:

"Wang Song, am I seeing things?"

"This is... a web novel? We submitted a screenplay, a serious creative work, and you want us to write this?"

Wang Song looked at him and smiled:

"If you feel this doesn't align with your creative philosophy, or that you can't handle it, you can leave now. The door is over there."

"Everyone has received their 50 yuan reward, and the teacher's comments will be provided on schedule. Let's part ways amicably."

"Those who remain, I assume you understand and accept."

The boy's expression changed several times, and finally, under the complicated gazes of his companions, he packed up his things, turned around, and left.

Four more people hesitated for a moment, then silently followed suit and left.

A week later.

It was the same bungalow, but this time, apart from Chen Shu who was just going through the motions, there were only 12 people left.

Wang Song slammed a wad of cash onto the old table, and everyone's eyes followed the banknotes.

"I've read the manuscript."

Wang Song's words made everyone's hearts leap into their throats.

"Announce the results directly."

"Ma Xiaojun".

A somewhat clever-looking, slightly chubby boy suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Liu Jianjun".

Another boy, wearing black-rimmed glasses and with a composed demeanor, pursed his lips.

"Chen Shu".

When Wang Song read out the last name, the short-haired girl who had been sitting in the corner with little expression nodded slightly.

Congratulations to the three of you.

"From now on, I am a contracted screenwriter with Xianming Studio."

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

The ten people who were not selected had a complex mix of emotions on their faces, including disappointment, resentment, and relief.

Wang Song pointed to the cash on the table.

"This is the studio's first project, a charity GG award, with the school receiving 1,000 yuan and the department receiving 500 yuan."

He first counted out three hundred and pushed it to Jiang Yilei: "Vice President Jiang, you've worked yourself to death, this is what you deserve."

Then he counted out three 150s: "Three people, this is a welcome bonus. It's not much, just a token."

Ma Xiaojun took it.

He chose "The Grave Robbers' Chronicles," which didn't have any unique ideas; even the initial selection was an expansion of the TV series.

Previously, I was always doing polishing work for other people's ideas.

Liu Jianjun held the envelope and breathed a sigh of relief.

He chose "Joy of Life," but he only wrote 6,000 words. He spent the rest of his time figuring out the task relationship table and the event timeline.

Even hard work can be useful.

Chen Shu initially chose "A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality" as a perfunctory choice, but her version transformed it into a classic tragedy with the core themes of betrayal, morality, and struggle.

Upon seeing it, Wang Song gave a wry smile. "Why do I have to pick on this thing?"

After sending out three envelopes.

Wang Song looked at the ten people who were not selected and said, "Thank you all for your hard work this week. Your manuscripts will be archived by the studio."

His tone became more sincere. "There are limited spots available this time, but Xianming Studio has a long way to go."

The pie of the people's entrepreneurs +1.

These words brought a sigh of relief to everyone.

They give you 150 as soon as you join, which is pretty good.

"Alright, three new colleagues, please stay behind."

"Thanks again to the other students. Feel free to send us any good ideas you may have."

The ten people got up and left one after another, and the bungalow suddenly felt much emptier.

Looking at the three new members with such different styles, Wang Song said, "Welcome to the team."

immediately.

I pulled out three more complete outlines from another drawer.

"Ma Xiaojun, continue to work on 'The Grave Robbers' Chronicles' and turn it into a serialized story."

"Liu Jianjun, compare the underlying logic and timeline of 'Joy of Life' with my creative approach; it's the same as Ma Xiaojun's."

Finally, he presented Chen Shu with a detailed outline of the film's scenes:

"Don't you like writing about betrayal and suspicion?"

"This book, 'Gone Girl,' is all about the calculations and reversals in marriage. I'm leaving it to you."

The three men accepted the order and left, leaving only Wang Song and Jiang Yilei in the bungalow.

Jiang Yilei crossed his arms and drawled, "President Wang, they all have work to do."

"And what about me?"