Huayu: We're asking you to act, and you're playing a superhuman?

Chapter 97 Wang Weili is more than just a star

This person looked fair-skinned and plump, with a cunning and greasy air about him.

Yang Mi pursed her lips and gave a less-than-flattering assessment of the appearance of the person invited to today's dinner party.

Cheng Wei was unaware that Yang Mi had given him a low score for his looks; his main reason for meeting her today was to discuss a commercial endorsement.

These matters are usually handled by Yang Mi's agent, Zeng Jia, who is responsible for negotiating the money.

Yang Mi only needs to sit in a chair and present herself, and then have a drink at the appropriate time.

"Personally, I really like Ms. Yang Mi's work and often listen to her songs."

Cheng Wei tried to use this sentence to get closer to him.

Although he had only watched Chinese Paladin 3, he had indeed heard Yang Mi sing songs frequently in the past two years.

Zeng Jia readily agreed, "Haha! I didn't expect President Cheng and Mimi to be so destined for each other. Then our cooperation this time shouldn't have any problems."

"I think so too."

Cheng Wei stopped with the pleasantries and went straight to the point: "For this collaboration, I'd like to invite Ms. Yang Mi to become our company's safety ambassador."

"A safety ambassador?"

Zeng Jia raised her eyebrows, exchanged a glance with Yang Mi, and realized that she hadn't understood either.

"Ahem, Mr. Cheng, do you know the difference between a safety ambassador and a brand ambassador?"

"Here's the thing, our company's main product is an online ride-hailing app. Normally, it doesn't need a spokesperson. But recently we added a safety feature to it and wanted users to know about it as soon as possible, so we wanted to hire a spokesperson. However, the spokesperson's role only covers this one feature."

Cheng Wei attempted to use this method to lower Yang Mi's endorsement price.

Unfortunately, Didi simply can't afford the endorsement fee of over 1000 million yuan.

If it weren't for the fact that Didi Chuxing's market share has been rising these past few days, Cheng Wei wouldn't have thought of inviting Yang Mi.

Just as Zeng Jia was trying to understand Cheng Wei's meaning, Yang Mi suddenly couldn't sit still and asked a question.

"Mr. Cheng, is the online ride-hailing app you're talking about the same as Kuaidi Dache?"

"Um?"

"Mimi?"

Cheng Wei paused for a moment, then turned to look at Zeng Jia. Zeng Jia then looked at Yang Mi, who shook her head to indicate that she would take over the negotiations.

Observing the interaction between the two, Cheng Wei explained, "Our business is very similar to that of Kuaidi Dache."

"Who's faster, you or Kuaidi?"

Yang Mi's foxy eyes darted around Cheng Wei, but she just wouldn't ask that question out loud.

Cheng Wei coughed awkwardly twice: "Both of us are currently regional online ride-hailing companies. Kuaidi's users are mainly concentrated in the southern market, while we are in the north."

Is there a third one?

"No, our combined market share with Didi already exceeds 60%."

"Oh~~"

Yang Mi's expression suddenly became meaningful.

She wasn't stupid; she understood that Cheng Wei's words meant he wanted to lower the price.

However, after learning about the other company's business and scale, Yang Mi suddenly had an even more perfect idea.

"Mr. Cheng, are you familiar with my current endorsement fees?"

"Um—we just want you to endorse this security feature, like you would endorse an online game. All you have to do is strike a pose and recite a few lines."

Cheng Wei had also researched the celebrity market and knew that the cheapest endorsement fees were those that offered "a dragon-slaying sword right from the start."

Yang Mi curled her lips and slowly shook her head: "I no longer accept endorsements for web games. If your company wants to hire me, then we'll have to go through the normal endorsement process."

"this----"

Cheng Wei looked troubled. If he could just follow the normal endorsement route, why would he have to go through so many detours?

Sometimes he thinks about it and he's quite envious of Didi Chuxing.

Wang Weili not only offered advice and strategies, but also actively used his own fame to help the company quickly gain momentum.

Although Wang Weili holds the second largest stake in Kuaidi after Chen Kai, Cheng Wei would not hesitate to invest in such a partner.

Cheng Wei sighed inwardly, then said to Yang Mi, "I'm sorry, our marketing budget isn't that high—"

"That's alright, we can find other ways to collaborate!"

Yang Mi was just waiting for Cheng Wei to say that, and her response was already prepared.

Cheng Wei frowned slightly: "You mean that kind of cooperation?"

"I can accept other payment methods, such as converting the endorsement fee into shares of your company —"

"impossible!"

"Um?"

Yang Mi never expected that her perfect idea would be rejected by Cheng Wei without hesitation.

She paused, puzzled, and asked, "Why? Didn't you have a budget shortfall?"

"There are ways to deal with insufficient budget. Shares are a company's most valuable asset and should not be traded like this."

Cheng Wei's voice was cold and hard, containing an uncompromising determination.

Yang Mi was even more confused: "If Wang Weili can cooperate with Kuaidi, why can't you?"

"Because Wang Weili is more than just a celebrity."

Cheng Wei smirked: "Ms. Yang Mi, you may not be familiar with our industry. Generally speaking, companies that have reached Series B funding are already well-equipped with investors. What we need are resources to help the company develop better."

Does Wang Weili fall into this category of resources?

Yang Mi's words weren't meant to be argumentative; rather, they were a trap set for Cheng Wei.

Cheng Wei saw through the trick immediately: "Wang Weili's resources are not limited to fame. He is a top talent in the industry. To put it bluntly, even if he stops being a star in the future, many companies will be willing to spend tens of millions of stock options every year to invite him to join them."

Yang Mi understood, but she was a little unwilling.

"Last year, Wang Weili even asked me to help him promote Kuaidi in Hangzhou. Does that count as one of his abilities?"

"The ability to effectively utilize available resources is certainly a skill—wait a minute!"

Cheng Wei's eyes narrowed, as if he had thought of something: "Miss Yang Mi, you just said that Wang Weili asked you to help promote Kuaidi in Hangzhou last year?"

"yes!"

"I see----"

"What do you mean?"

Yang Mi frowned, not understanding why these internet users always only said half a sentence when they spoke.

No, Wang Weili is way more handsome than this guy, and he's not greasy at all.

Cheng Wei had no intention of explaining to Yang Mi. He simply wanted to understand the logic behind Kuaidi Dache's revival last year, securing Series A funding from Ali, and acquiring Hangzhou Kuaidi.

Thinking about it this way, Wang Weili seems even more awesome.

Cheng Wei pursed his lips and said, "Ms. Yang Mi, Mr. Zeng, since there is a gap between our expectations, why don't we call it a day?"

"what?"

Yang Mi: Why did it end so suddenly?

"Great! It's okay if this collaboration doesn't work out. I hope we'll have the opportunity to collaborate again in the future."

Zeng Jia was a decent person and knew how to handle a failed negotiation.

Cheng Wei shook hands with Zeng Jia, no longer thinking about how to find celebrities to endorse and promote his products.

He has already figured out a winning strategy, but he still needs to convince the big spender to write a large check, which he believes the fat penguin will definitely support.

Yang Mi stared blankly as Cheng Wei left, still unable to understand the difference between herself and Wang Weili.

Seeing her dejected look, Zeng Jia comforted her, "Mimi, it's okay. This Cheng Wei seems very stingy. If we cooperate with him for an endorsement, we might not even be able to get the final payment back in the future."

"I wasn't thinking about him, I was only thinking about Wang Weili!"

"Wang Weili?"

"No, it's not that either—"

Yang Mi looked embarrassed and stole a glance at Zeng Jia's reaction.

Zeng Jia was overjoyed: "What a coincidence! I was just thinking about Wang Weili too!"

"you?"

Yang Mi: I haven't even had a taste yet, and you're already thinking about it?

Zeng Jia nodded: "Yeah! I just suddenly thought of Wang Weili's betting agreement with Enlight Media. Our studio could do something like that!"

"Oh, this."

"Otherwise, what did you think it was?"

"It's alright, it's alright, please continue with the betting agreement."

Yang Mi's lips twitched down, and she quickly changed the subject, not wanting Zeng Jia to notice anything amiss.

Zeng Jia indeed ignored her little expression: "Our studio has been operating independently from Huanrui Century for more than a year. The internal operating model is basically mature, and the reserve of new talents has reached the standard. What we lack now is cash flow."

"The so-called 'betting agreement' is actually a game between startups and established capital. Take Wang Weili and Enlight Media as an example. First, Enlight Media invested 3 million yuan in Wang Weili's studio, requiring the studio to achieve a net profit of 3.1 million yuan in three years. If it failed to do so, Wang Weili would have to repay the money at an annualized interest rate of 7% per year."

Yang Mi was shocked: "He actually dared to accept these kinds of terms?"

"Not only do they dare to take on these tasks, but they also don't feel much pressure."

Zeng Jia's face was full of envy. She actually agreed with Cheng Wei's statement that Wang Weili was more than just a celebrity.

Yang Mi asked in bewilderment, "With so much tax to pay every year, how can you not feel pressured to earn a net profit of 3.1 million over three years?"

"He's on Running Man!"

Zeng Jia explained, "The first project Wang Weili undertook with this investment was to acquire the rights to the variety show 'Running Man' from South Korea. His studio holds a 25% stake in the investment!"

"Based on the sales performance of the first season's sponsorship and broadcasting rights, he alone could earn 1 million yuan, not even counting the revenue from related merchandise."

"When Running Man prepares for its second season next year, he'll only earn more, so what pressure could he possibly feel?"

Yang Mi was shocked, jealous, and envious.

Yang Mi remained silent.

Zeng Jia exclaimed, "He's truly remarkable!"

"Um??"

"Look, since his debut, Wang Weili has been on the rise every step of the way, achieving in one go what others take several years to accomplish. Isn't that amazing?"

"That's true."

Yang Mi was dejected, feeling that she was indeed no match for Wang Weili.

Ironically, they even invited him to join back then —

"So all we need to do is copy Wang Weili's answers, and we can still achieve great things!"

Zeng Jia clapped his hands, pulling Yang Mi back to reality.

"Honey, during this time, I will try to contact various investors and discuss financing with them. If we can find a normal financing channel, we won't have to go through the trouble of taking the betting route. If we have to resort to betting, I suggest you take some time to visit Wang Weili and learn from his experience."

"The Journey to the West"

Yang Mi experienced the aftereffects of her intense online surfing and began to have all sorts of thoughts about those two words.

Zeng Jia encouraged him: "I think you can maintain your relationship with him. It's never a bad thing to get to know more elites from different industries like him."

"I will."