Huayu: From the Era of Ringtones to Becoming a Legend

The auctioneer's voice echoed in the conference hall, but the audience remained eerily silent.

The brands that were just making a fuss have now fallen silent, none of them willing to be the first to raise their bidding paddles.

Everyone is afraid of becoming the first to stick their neck out and being seen as a sucker by others.

The air seemed to freeze.

Chen Bin stood on the stage, at a loss, and subconsciously looked down at Lu Jiuge.

Lu Jiuge remained seated in the center of the front row, her expression calm, her back straight, her gaze sweeping lightly across the room without the slightest hint of panic.

That unwavering composure was like a reassuring pill, putting Chen Bin at ease.

Having worked in the auctioneer's profession for nearly twenty years and witnessed countless sales events, the auctioneer could immediately see through the thoughts of the audience:

It's not that we don't want to film, it's that no one is willing to be the first to break the ice.

He cleared his throat, and his voice rose again:

"Dear bosses, let me remind you again! The premiere of 'The Voice of China' averaged 8% viewership, peaking at a staggering 9.8%! This is the highest viewership rating for a national satellite TV variety show this year, and even in the last three years!"

"Every Google AdSense ad placement translates to tens of millions of impressions! If you hesitate even once today, your competitors will be riding on your coattails and soaring to new heights tomorrow!"

"This might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

These words struck a nerve with everyone present, striking at their ambitions.

Finally, a representative from a snack food brand in the back row gritted his teeth and raised his sign:

"One million one hundred thousand!"

Although the deadlock was broken, other brands were still not very enthusiastic about following suit.

The experienced auctioneer, seeing this, stopped trying to embellish the situation and decisively brought down the gavel.

"One million one hundred thousand, sold!"

Then, Chen Bin played a pornographic video.

On screen, Hua Shao verbally describes the display duration and effect of the GG position.

Chen Bin provides simultaneous explanation:

"Thank you to Mr. Liu from Ling Shi Jia for his support!"

"This is how your photo of the GG spot looks!"

"The previous descriptions of GG (Ghost) positions might have seemed abstract to some! Next, we'll demonstrate the duration, frequency, and exposure level of all GG positions through video!"

"As Mr. Lu just said, all the GG slots offered this time are at an equivalent or even better value!"

After Chen Bin finished explaining, the audience erupted in uproar.

"What does this mean? They're really not taking us brands seriously!"

"Exactly! I was wondering why I didn't see GG's display position on the show!"

……

In the crowd, a middle-aged man with a greasy face suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up. He was Qian Jiang'an's spy who had been planted to stir up trouble.

"Lu Jiuge is treating us like fools! I propose we halt all filming and demand an explanation from Qianxing!"

He vehemently incited the crowd, attempting to stir up conflict.

But just as he finished speaking, the actual test results of the GG position were displayed on the big screen.

The demonstration showed that a 15-second insert was included in the main video, a scrolling billboard was used throughout, and replays were fully covered.

With 1.1 million yuan securing triple top-tier exposure, its cost-effectiveness surpasses all other variety shows in the industry.

Those who were just about to join in the rioting instantly shut their mouths; everyone knows the score.

On stage, seeing that the commotion had subsided, Chen Bin signaled the auctioneer to continue.

With the experience gained from the first round, the subsequent bidding process became more intense, and the brands' enthusiasm for participation was fully ignited.

Even the brand representatives who were initially observing couldn't hold on any longer, and one by one they raised their paddles to bid with red eyes.

Program inserts, stage appearances, transition signs, mentor announcements, contestant backdrops...

One after another, the best spots were snapped up quickly, with prices repeatedly exceeding expectations, creating a fierce competition within the venue.

Amidst this madness, there was one person who stood out from the very beginning.

He sat in the middle of the left side of the venue, in his early thirties, wearing a well-fitting but understated dark suit.

He remained calm and composed, with sharp eyes. He didn't say much from beginning to end, just quietly watching the big screen and the crowd frantically raising their signs.

His assistant would occasionally whisper a few words to him, and he would simply nod slightly.

He finally made a move only after several golden GG slots appeared.

"Eight million."

The young man finally looked up at the prime broadcasting spot with a starting bid of five million, and with a casual remark, immediately raised the bid by three million.

The entire room fell silent instantly.

Many people turned to look at him, their eyes filled with doubt.

"Who is this person?"

"Never seen it before!"

"In today's business world of China, are there still people like this, all of us combined, who we don't even know?"

……

The representatives of the brands present were all industry elites, and they recognized most of the well-known companies, but this face was completely unfamiliar, clearly belonging to the boss of some emerging force.

After some discussion, some people, unconvinced, gritted their teeth and followed suit:

"Eight and a half million!"

The young man didn't even lift his eyelids, and spoke calmly:

"Ten million!"

Clean, efficient, and without any unnecessary delays.

The sheer magnitude of the price increase and the composure of the demeanor instantly stunned the entire audience.

The brand representative, who had been so aggressive just moments before, opened his mouth but ultimately silently put down his bidding paddle.

The gap is too big; we simply can't compete.

From this point on, this young man became the most dazzling main character of the entire investment promotion conference.

Once he sets his sights on a certain spot, almost no one dares to truly fight to the bitter end.

He doesn't make moves frequently, but every time he raises his paddle, he precisely targets the best and most visible prime spots.

Most importantly, their bids are always ridiculously high, demonstrating overwhelming financial power and confidence, which makes other brands hesitant to follow suit!

Chen Bin was deeply moved as he watched from the stage.

He could tell that this was a real big spender, someone who had come for the most core, top-tier resources of the entire investment promotion conference.

In the subsequent auction, they consciously waited for the mysterious big spender to make a bid in each round.

……

Two hours later, the auction entered its most intense phase, with the battle for the exclusive title sponsorship of "The Voice of China" intensifying.

The auctioneer's fingers tightened slightly as he held the gavel.

Having worked in the industry for over twenty years, he has handled countless investment and bidding processes, but he has never seen a variety show generate such terrifying commercial value.

The first 79 slots have already generated over 170 million yuan in sales. With the upcoming title sponsorship, today's investment promotion event is destined to be recorded in the history of mainland Chinese variety shows.

After a long while, and after trying to calm himself down, the auctioneer began his introduction:

"Next, we move on to the grand finale of this bidding process: Exclusive title sponsorship! Starting bid: 3600 million!"

"boom!"

The entire audience erupted in cheers.

"Starting bid at 3600 million? Are you crazy?!"

"Worth it! With these ratings and this level of popularity, 3600 million viewers is no exaggeration!"

"We're going all out! Securing the title sponsorship will instantly make our brand a nationwide sensation!"

After a brief moment of shock, the bidding erupted in a frenzy:

"Forty million!"

"Forty-five million!"

"Forty-eight million!"

"Fifty million!"

……

Prices skyrocketed in the millions, breaking the 50 million mark in the blink of an eye, setting a record for the highest price ever paid for a domestic TV variety show sponsorship.

But this is not the end.

Several established giants are fiercely competing, each vying for this unique prime spot.

Just when the price surged to 53 million, and everyone thought the dust was about to settle down.

The young man, who had always acted discreetly yet never failed, spoke again calmly:

"Seventy million!"

Seventy million!

When that number dropped, the entire conference room fell silent; even breathing was crystal clear.

The brand representatives who had been frantically raising prices just moments before turned pale and then flushed, their hands holding the bidding paddles frozen in mid-air, no longer daring to raise their bids.

Seventy million is far beyond their annual budget; they simply can't afford to compete.

The auctioneer's voice trembled with excitement:

"Seventy million! This boss has offered seventy million! Is there any further bidding?"