Rebirth 09: Starting from taking charge of Running Man on CCTV

The twelfth-floor corridor.

Zhou Yougen walked with a swagger, wearing a pair of black stiletto heels.

The woman, in her early forties, had her short hair permed meticulously, her makeup was exquisite but not gaudy, and she exuded the shrewdness unique to Hong Kong entertainment agents.

Behind him was a middle-aged man in a dark gray suit, carrying a briefcase and wearing gold-rimmed glasses; he looked like a legal professional.

Baby walked at the very back, wearing a light-colored dress and her hair tied in a low ponytail. She looked much more energetic than last night, but there was still a hint of nervousness in her eyes.

Ma Li greeted him at the door of the director's office.

"Mr. Zhou, you've been flying all morning, you must be tired."

"It's not hard work."

Zhou Yougen's smile was polite but not warm, and he had already scanned the layout of the entire corridor out of the corner of his eye.

Door signs, workstations, staff entering and exiting, and indicator lights on the equipment in the post-production server room.

It's all true.

She spent all night researching and has confirmed that Chen Yang and this project are not a scam.

But confirmation is one thing, negotiation is another.

She has been an agent for over a decade and has never suffered a loss at the negotiating table.

I don't plan to set a precedent today.

Ma Li pushed open the door to the director's office.

"Please come in."

Chen Yang sat behind his solid wood desk, several documents spread out in front of him, a pen in his hand, annotating something.

He looked up when he heard the door open.

His gaze swept over Zhou Yougen, paused for half a second, then swept over the legal staff behind her, and finally landed on Baby's face.

Baby bowed slightly and said softly, "Hello, Director Chen."

Chen Yang nodded and put the pen back in the pen holder.

"Mr. Zhou, please have a seat."

Zhou Yougen sat down opposite the desk, with the legal counsel to her left and Baby to her far right.

Ma Li sat down next to Chen Yang and opened the folder.

No one poured the tea.

It's not that I forgot.

Chen Yang didn't make any arrangements at all.

Zhou Yougen noticed it.

She pursed her lips almost imperceptibly.

"Director Chen, Baby told me about your show last night, and I'm very interested."

Zhou Yougen opened his briefcase, took out a document, and placed it on the table.

"So I flew here from Hong Kong very early this morning. Hopefully that's enough of a show of sincerity, right?"

Chen Yang did not respond.

Waiting for her to continue.

"However, before we discuss cooperation, there are a few things I need to discuss first."

Zhou Yougen raised one finger.

"First, Director Chen may not be fully aware of Baby's commercial value in Hong Kong."

She pulled out a few photos from the documents and pushed them to the center of the table.

It's all magazine covers and photos from brand events.

"Baby is a contracted artist with Hong Kong Fashion International and already has stable fashion resources in Japan and Hong Kong. Last year, she received invitations from more than 20 magazines in Japan, and her commercial endorsement fees have reached six figures in Hong Kong dollars per item."

She then raised her second finger.

"Secondly, if I sign a contract as a regular MC, my bottom line regarding the pay is no less than 80,000 RMB per episode."

Ma Li paused for a moment.

80,000 per period.

The twelve periods total 960,000.

A young Hong Kong model with zero recognition in mainland China is asking for nearly one million dollars in regular film fees.

Zhou Yougen raised his third finger.

"Third, the recording schedule must avoid Baby's existing business schedule in Hong Kong. The production team will be responsible for all food, accommodation and transportation throughout the trip, with a standard no lower than five stars."

Three fingers are placed on the tabletop, with a composed posture.

This is the standard start for Hong Kong entertainment industry agents.

First, set the price sky-high, then slowly negotiate it down.

There was a two-second silence in the office.

Chen Yang leaned back in his chair, his hands crossed in front of his abdomen.

His expression remained unchanged.

It's like listening to a weather forecast that has nothing to do with you.

"Are you done talking?"

Zhou Yougen's eyebrows twitched.

"That's all."

"Then I'll say a few words."

Chen Yang leaned forward half an inch, his gaze landing flatly on Zhou Yougen's face.

"Mr. Zhou, all those magazine covers and commercial endorsements you just mentioned are from Hong Kong and Japan."

He tapped his finger lightly on the table.

"I have a question for you."

How many fans does Baby have in mainland China?

Zhou Yougen's lips moved slightly, but he didn't make a sound.

"How many viewers in mainland China recognize her?"

Still no sound.

How many news articles will appear if you search for "Angelababy" on Baidu?

Chen Yang withdrew his finger.

"I'll answer for you."

"zero."

"There are 1.3 billion people in mainland China who don't know her."

"Mainland readers don't see her on the covers of Hong Kong magazines. Mainland consumers are unaware of her endorsements in Japan."

"You have a business card that is only valid in Hong Kong and Japan, and you come to the mainland to ask for 80,000 per period."

"Mr. Zhou, do you think this is reasonable?"

Zhou Yougen's fingertips tightened on the clasp of his briefcase.

She did not immediately refute.

Because every word Chen Yang said was true.

In mainland China, Baby is indeed nobody.

This is the fundamental reason why she flew here this time.

But she cannot admit this at the negotiating table.

"Director Chen, Baby has potential..."

"Potential is worthless."

Chen Yang interrupted her.

The tone was not harsh, but it was crisp and concise.

"What's valuable is the exposure, the platform, and the fact that tens of millions of viewers across China see her face simultaneously every Saturday night at 8 PM."

"No one in Hong Kong can give her this."

"Only I can."

He bent down, pulled a document from the drawer, and pushed it to the center of the table.

The cover has four characters printed on it.

[Character Development Plan]

Subtitle: Angelababy, the complete plan for the contrasting persona of "sweet beauty and tomboy".

Zhou Yougen subconsciously reached out and flipped it open.

The first page is a diagram showing the location of a person.

The text in the middle reads "The group's darling, a tough girl who never gives up," and the surrounding area is connected by arrows with eight keywords: sweet appearance, hardcore heart, humorous Cantonese-accented Mandarin, appearing without makeup, rolling in the mud, running desperately, the brothers' darling, and a name tag ripping counterattack.

The second page is about "The Path to Creating a Contrasting Persona".

From the "shy little sister with Cantonese-accented Mandarin" in the first episode, to the "workaholic" in the third episode, to the "national darling" in the sixth episode, and then to the "national sweetheart" in the twelfth episode.

The program segment design, camera language, post-production packaging plan, and online topic positioning for each stage were written in dense detail, down to the specific execution details of each episode.

The third page is "Business Value Growth Forecast".

The estimated commercial value curves for the three stages of the program—before, during, and after its broadcast—were marked with hand-drawn bar charts.

Before airing: Its commercial value in mainland China was approximately zero.

Midway through the first season: Brand awareness is projected to increase by 300% to 500%.

After the first season concludes: It is estimated that she will enter the ranks of the new generation of leading actresses in mainland China.

When Zhou Yougen turned to the third page, his hand stopped.

She has worked as an agent for over a decade and has seen countless artist packaging plans.

But I've never seen a plan that details the path to stardom for an ordinary person to this extent.

This is not a proposal.

This is a battle map so detailed it's terrifying.

She looked up at Chen Yang.

Twenty-four years old.

This person is only twenty-four years old.

"Director Chen."

Zhou Yougen closed the file and put it back on the desktop.

Her tone changed; she lost the condescending air she had at the beginning and became more cautious.

"I admit the plan is very professional."

"But a salary is a salary, and a proposal is a proposal."

"I flew to Beijing with my baby, not to listen to empty promises."

Her finger tapped on the table.

"80,000 per period, that's my bottom line."

Chen Yang didn't move.

He waited for two seconds.

Then I dragged the character design plan on the table back two inches and straightened it.

The movements were neither hurried nor slow.

"Mr. Zhou, let me explain the costs and benefits to you."

His voice was neither hurried nor slow.

"Currently, the regular appearance fee for top-tier actresses on variety shows in mainland China is approximately between 100,000 and 150,000 yuan per episode."

"For second-tier cities, the price is between 50,000 and 80,000."

"For third-tier cities, it's between 20,000 and 30,000."

"You know perfectly well what level of celebrity Baby is in mainland China."

He held up one finger.

"My offer to her was 15,000 per period."

Zhou Yougen's eyes widened.

"Fifteen thousand?"

"right."

"Director Chen, you are insulting people."

Zhou Yougen's voice rose half an octave, and he slammed his hand on the table.

"My baby is a contracted artist with Hong Kong Fashion International, not some random passerby you just pulled off the street!"

"Fifteen thousand? You want her to work for CCTV?"

Baby sat beside her, her lips pressed tightly together, but she didn't say a word.

Chen Yang didn't move.

He only spoke after Zhou Yougen had calmed down.

"Mr. Zhou, I haven't finished speaking."

He extended his second finger.

"15,000 per episode is the basic fee."

"But what I gave Baby was more than just the paycheck."

He turned to the third page of the plan and pointed at the business value curve with the tip of his pen.

"Running Man China is a key A-level project of CCTV's variety channel, broadcast during prime time, and receives preferential promotional resources from the entire station."

"It is broadcast on CCTV's evening news program, recommended on the CCTV official website homepage, and shown in channel trailers."

"You can't buy these resources in Hong Kong no matter how much money you have."

His finger drew an upward line on the graph.

"After the first season's twelve episodes aired, Baby's popularity in mainland China went from zero to nationwide."

"By then, her fee for one GG endorsement would be equivalent to her fee for one hundred magazine covers in Hong Kong."

Do you think 15,000 is expensive or cheap?

Zhou Yougen placed his hand on the table and stopped taking pictures.

Her fingers rubbed back and forth on the metal clasp of her briefcase, her nails making a soft scraping sound.

My mind is racing.

15,000 in the first period, 12 periods, 180,000.

This figure, when considered within the Hong Kong entertainment circle, is indeed incredibly meager.

But what if this show actually becomes a hit?