Bai Lu got scammed, but I became a superstar through e-commerce.

After arranging the company's next phase of work, Qingxiao went to Beijing.

He didn't go to Bai Lu immediately, but instead made an appointment with Yu Zheng first.

"Teacher Yu, I've come here today for two things."

Yu Zheng held up a purple clay cup, gesturing for him to continue.

"The first thing I'd like to discuss with you is a project investment."

Qingxiao pushed a document in front of Yu Zheng. Inside were backend data for "My Girlfriend is a Little Savage" on Youku, screenshots of recommendations from Weibo users, a summary of posts on the campus BBS, and a copyright statement for the script.

"Bai Lu's short films shot at Cat's Tree have gone viral and gained him some fame. Netizens have dug up this old film again, saying it's well-made and moved them to tears."

Yu Zheng opened the document and looked at it page by page.

He had seen countless data points, but this one made him take a second look.

A short film with a budget of 100,000 yuan is still being brought up and cried about almost a year later.

"I'm willing to invest in expanding this short film into a web movie. I own the script copyright and can license it."

Yu Zheng put down the document and leaned back in his chair.

"President Qing, I've seen your short film. The script is indeed excellent, and the structure of the twenty-odd minutes is very complete. But the length of a short film means that the audience has a higher tolerance for error. Online films need to be sixty minutes or even longer, which are two different things. And..."

He paused.

"Netizens have already seen the content of the short film. They remember Lin Xiao pushing Gu Nian into the water, the scene in the cafeteria, and the USB drive at the end. If it's just a replication of the short film's content with a few transitional scenes, netizens are unlikely to be satisfied."

"I understand," Qingxiao said. "An expanded script is the key to whether a movie can be engaging."

"It's not just about the script." Yu Zheng put his cup back on the tea tray. "What makes a short film so moving is that it tells a complete story in twenty minutes, with a tight pace and focused emotions. The viewing environment for online films is different. Viewers watch it at home on their phones and can swipe away at any time. You have to re-engage them several times within sixty minutes, and every segment is crucial. In a short film, the moment Lin Xiao pushes Gu Nian into the water is the climax. In an online film, you have to rebuild the emotions beforehand and then push that moment to the climax. The workload of this structural adjustment is almost as much as writing a new script."

"That's why I came to you, Teacher Yu." Qingxiao looked at him. "I'll provide the funding and script copyright, and you organize the production. It's not a theatrical film, it's an online film. In 2016, the online film market had already reached one billion yuan, and the total box office revenue of the top 20 films on iQiyi was close to two hundred million yuan. Six online films had revenue exceeding ten million yuan, and at least twenty films had revenue exceeding five million yuan. One film, 'The Taoist Priest Goes Down the Mountain,' which had an investment of 280,000 yuan, garnered nearly two hundred million views across the internet in its first month online, and its box office revenue was nearly fifteen million yuan. This sector is booming, and the barrier to entry is much lower than that of theatrical releases."

Yu Zheng picked up his purple clay cup and took a sip. He pondered for a moment, then looked up at Qingxiao: "What's the investment budget?"

"Three million. Tianmen Films will contribute one and a half million, and you can find a co-producer for the remainder."

"Three million to shoot an online movie was considered a mid-to-high budget in 2016." Yu Zheng put his cup back on the tea tray. "President Qing, that's a lot of money for you, isn't it?"

Qingxiao did not answer the question; he had already calculated the cost in his mind.

Three million, Tianmen Film & Television will contribute half, or if no investors can be found, the entire amount will be contributed.

The company is still in the development stage, and profits need to be used for talent acquisition and promotion, as well as supply chain construction.

The most we can come up with is three to five million, that's the limit.

But isn't the whole point of making money to support your wife?

Moreover, he knew that Bai Lu was bound to become a hit.

This investment will definitely pay off, and the ROI will be incredibly high.

In his previous life, Bai Lu's single work, "Zhou Sheng Ru Gu," made Huanyu Entertainment a fortune. In this life, he's simply betting his chips in advance.

"Okay." Yu Zheng closed the document. "Expand the script first. You put out the first draft here, and I'll have the editing team follow up. Casting, production, and distribution will all be handled by Huanyu. But there's one thing you need to be prepared for, Mr. Qing: the revenue structure for online films is different from that of theatrical releases. Platforms share revenue based on the number of views, not box office revenue."

The two then discussed the specific revenue-sharing ratios and a comparison of the distribution platforms.

According to Yu Zheng, in 2016, iQiyi's revenue-sharing price for exclusive partners could reach as high as 2.5 yuan per valid on-demand view, while the revenue-sharing price for non-exclusive partners was much lower, but they could be launched on multiple platforms simultaneously.

Qingxiao said he chose iQiyi as the exclusive platform.

Yu Zheng asked why.

Qingxiao said that the exclusive cooperation platform would provide better promotional positions, and Bailu's current popularity is more about exposure than the revenue sharing from a few more platforms.

Yu Zheng glanced at him, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly: "President Qing, you've done your homework."

"Of course," Qingxiao said. "This is my first investment in film and television."

Yu Zheng finished his tea and stood up. The matter was settled.

"Teacher Yu, there's one more thing."

Yu Zheng turned around. Qing Xiao also stood up and straightened his coat collar.

"I'd like to visit the company to see Bai Lu's training session, is that convenient?"

Yu Zheng looked at him for a few seconds, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

He's someone who worked his way up from the bottom, and he knows the ins and outs of the entertainment industry better than anyone.

He certainly knew Qingxiao's purpose in coming today. Discussing projects was true, but so was supporting Bai Lu.

"Let's go."

The training classroom is on the third floor.

The moment Yu Zheng pushed open the door, all the young faces in the room fell silent.

The physical education class had just ended, and the air was still filled with the mixed smell of floor wax and sweat.

Bai Lu was squatting in the corner, stacking the scattered soft-soled shoes back into the shoe cabinet one by one.

Her ponytail was askew, and the back of her clothes was soaked, but she was very focused as she sewed the shoes.

The moment Bai Lu looked up and saw Qing Xiao, he paused for a moment, and a pair of shoes slipped from his hands.

"Why are you here?"

Qingxiao didn't speak; his gaze swept across half of the classroom.

Wu Jiayi, Wu Jinyan, and Gao Yuer were chatting at the other end of the classroom. Wu Jiayi was holding a thermos and was turning her head towards Bai Lu.

Song Weilong and Mi Re were also there; one was leaning against the window reading a script, and the other was sitting in a corner making a phone call in a low voice.

Qingxiao withdrew his gaze and turned it to Bai Lu.

"Cousin, how's the training going?"

Bai Lu was completely stunned. He opened his mouth and subconsciously glanced at Yu Zheng next to him.

Qing Xiao blinked at her, a very small blink, so small that only Bai Lu could notice it.

She was stunned for a moment, and then a flash of lightning suddenly struck her heart.

He was helping her save face.

Moreover, he was in the capacity of a cousin.

She almost couldn't hold back her tears at that moment; her eyes welled up with tears, but she managed to hold them back.

"It's alright." Her voice was very soft.

Yu Zheng introduced, "This is President Qing of Tianmen Film and Television, and also Bai Lu's cousin. He came to the company today to discuss a collaborative project for an online film, and also stopped by to check on his cousin's training."

The classroom was quiet for a few seconds, and Qingxiao sensed that everyone was looking at Bai Lu again.

Wu Jiayi paused for a moment, holding the thermos cup, and something flashed in her pupils.

Gao Yu'er tugged at Wu Jinyan's sleeve. Wu Jinyan didn't say anything, but his gaze lingered on Bai Lu for a second longer.

From that pause, one can glean the following: it turns out she has a "cousin" behind her who is willing to smear investors.

Qingxiao didn't look at them. Not satisfied, he deliberately raised his voice a few decibels and said to Bai Lu in a casual tone, "I just talked to Teacher Yu. This time I'm investing, and Teacher Yu is organizing a project to shoot an online movie. The script is an expansion of our previous micro-movie. You'll be the female lead."

The voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the whole classroom to hear.

Bai Lu stood there, stunned. Of course she knew he wanted to invest money, but she didn't expect him to say it in front of so many people, catching her completely off guard.

Then my eyes stung, and tears welled up in my eyes.

It wasn't because of the opportunity to be the female lead in her first online movie—it was because she understood that Qingxiao had come today on purpose to give her a chance to vent her anger.

Those casual chatter, that seemingly nonchalant cousin identity, that sentence spoken in a voice just loud enough for everyone to hear—he must have planned it all out before coming here.

He flew over a thousand kilometers from Hangzhou to arrange an investment negotiation, just so that she could be in this classroom where she had been left out in the corner, and let everyone get to know her again.

Qingxiao walked over, lowered his voice, and reached out to touch her ponytail that was askew to one side.

"Oh dear, why is my cousin about to cry? It's just a web movie. I'll invest in TV dramas and feature films for you. You have investors and backers; you can bring your own funding to the production."