Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 73 Her and His Plans
Mrs. Liu was overjoyed by Hu Ge's flattery, her face beaming with smiles. "Young man, you have such a sweet tongue. You and Shishi look about the same age. I'm Shishi's mother, you should call me Auntie."

Hu Ge replied with a smile, "I really didn't realize you were so young. I thought you were Shishi's older sister."

Liu Shishi was also amused by Hu Ge's witty remarks and laughed. In just a few words, the atmosphere in the private room became pleasant and harmonious.

After the pleasantries, Liu's mother got straight to the point, "Mr. Cai, I'm sure you don't need to explain why Shishi and I are here. I've also done some research on your company, Tangren Media, these past few days. If Shishi signs with Tangren, what are your plans, Mr. Cai?"

When it came to serious matters, Cai Yinong sat up straight with a serious expression, "Our company doesn't have many artists. Sun Li is about to retire from acting and return to his family."

"As long as Shishi is willing to come to Tangren Media, she can take over Sun Li's position, and the company will do its best to cultivate her. I can guarantee that she and Hu Ge will be Tangren Media's future top male and female stars."

Liu's mother nodded without showing any emotion. Although Cai Yinong spoke well, it was all empty talk. His talk of going all out and the future was all vague and offered no real benefit.

"Mr. Cai, to be honest, we do have some connections in the industry. Shishi has already starred in director Zhou Xianglin's 'Moon Shadow and Lotus Wind,' and filming just wrapped up this morning."

Seeing Liu's mother say this, Cai Yinong understood that the other party had obviously come prepared, and he had to give some practical promises, otherwise no matter how eloquently she spoke, it would be useless.

After thinking it over for a moment, he gritted his teeth and made a promise:

"The TV series produced by the company in the first half of the year have no vacant roles. In the second half of the year or next year, I can first arrange an important supporting role for Shishi to practice, and then guarantee at least two second female lead roles and one female lead role."

Although Cai Yi-nong had long admired Liu Shi-shi, she originally wanted to sign Lin Chia-yu, an artist from Taiwan.

Unfortunately, after getting to know Lin Jiayu, she discovered that this rich heiress wasn't very career-driven and was more curious about the entertainment industry. She might retire from the industry at any time after acting in a few dramas.

This annoyed Cai Yinong. Why are all the female artists Tangren Media has encountered this type? Can't they have any ambition? They don't think about working hard and striving after entering the industry, but only about getting married and retiring from acting!

Finally, after much painful reflection, I decided to find a female artist who is willing to commit to a long-term, stable career in the industry and who can carry the banner of Tangren Media's leading lady.

After making some inquiries, and with Sun Li's previous introduction, Cai Yinong got the idea. She discovered that Liu Shishi was not yet 18 years old. Even if she retired from the entertainment industry around the same time as Sun Li and got married at 27, she would still have nearly 10 years, enough time to develop her career.

Liu's mother neither agreed nor disagreed with Cai Yinong's promise. The conditions were not particularly good, only average, but her daughter was a latecomer to the field and could not compare to those with formal training from the top three universities, so it was still within an acceptable range.

"What about the contract, Mr. Cai?" After a moment's thought, Mrs. Liu agreed to the terms offered by Cai Yinong.

Cai Yinong took out a contract from his bag and handed it to Liu's mother. "This is the first draft of the contract I have prepared. You and Shishi can take a look. If you have any questions, you can ask me."

Mrs. Liu took the contract and began to carefully read through it.

Liu Shishi pretended to look at the contract, but she didn't understand any of it. She was confused by the dense text and could only rely on her mother to make the decision.

Mrs. Liu was engrossed in carefully reviewing the contract, page by page. Cai Yinong didn't urge her; the contract she provided was a standard artist management contract, and she had no need or inclination to set any traps in it.

After about ten minutes, Liu's mother put down the contract, and all three of them turned their attention to her, waiting for her to make a decision.

Liu's mother was comparing the information she knew before with the contract she had just received. Tangren's contract was a very standard ten-year agency contract.

The revenue split between artists and companies is reasonable at 30/70, and it can be adjusted later. It's already very fair for newcomers. Some film and television companies exploit their artists ruthlessly, with splits of 20/80 or even 10/90 being common.

Mrs. Liu still raised a slight objection, "Mr. Cai, there is no problem with the contract, but I would like to ask if the signing period can be changed. Ten years is too long. I hope it can be changed to eight years."

Although ten years is the common practice in the industry, eight years is not unacceptable. The key is that Liu Shishi is really pleasing to the eye. Cai Yinong remained silent for a long time before finally making a concession, "I agree to change it to eight years. Do you have any other requirements?"

"No, Mr. Cai is very generous. The contract is fair and shows great sincerity." Seeing Cai Yinong compromise, Liu's mother subtly flattered him, knowing that her daughter would soon be working for him and she needed to build a closer relationship.

The signing went smoothly. Cai Yinong smiled and said, "Then it's settled. Welcome Shishi to Tangren Media. Do you have time tomorrow? If it's convenient, please bring your documents to the company for the formal signing. I'll also give you a tour of the company."

“If we have time, Shishi and I will go to Tangren Film and Television tomorrow to complete the formalities. From now on, we will entrust Shishi to you.” Liu’s mother held her daughter’s hand tightly, staring at Cai Yinong with a meaningful look.

Cai Yinong understood what Liu's mother meant; she didn't want Liu Shishi to get involved in those dirty things. Without avoiding Liu's mother's gaze, he solemnly promised, "Don't worry, I will never let Shishi suffer any injustice."

"Thank you, Mr. Cai. I'll be relying on you in the future." Liu Shishi thanked her new boss repeatedly.

"No need to be polite, just call me Sister K. We'll be family from now on."

Cai Yinong carefully examined Liu Shishi, growing more and more fond of her with each look. With the matter settled, he felt a weight lifted from his shoulders. As for whether Liu Shishi could become Tangren's leading lady in the future, that remained to be seen.

"Congratulations, Sister K! Congratulations, Shishi! From now on, we are all part of the Tangren family." Hu Ge, who had been quiet all along, spoke up to liven up the atmosphere once things were settled.

Cai Yinong looked at the young couple with satisfaction; they were the future of Tangren Media. "From now on, Shishi will be your junior sister, so you must take good care of her."

"Definitely, definitely." Hu Ge also felt a sense of goodwill towards the pure and beautiful young girl in front of her.

On the morning of February 2nd, Liu Shishi, without telling Song Ci, went to the headquarters of Tangren Media to sign a contract accompanied by her mother. Cai Yinong held a simple welcome ceremony at the company to celebrate her officially becoming an artist under Tangren Media.

While Liu Shishi and her mother were visiting Tangren Company, in the chairman's office of Tengda Technology Company, Song Ci was having their last working exchange before the New Year with Zhang Yong.

There were only the two of them in the office. Song Ci and Zhang Yong were very casual and relaxed when they were alone.

Song Ci sipped his tea, leaning comfortably against the leather sofa. School was on holiday, and once he finished dealing with a few things at the company, he could enjoy the New Year in peace. Zhang Yong sat beside him, intently reading a document in his hands. His relaxed brows gradually furrowed, and he muttered to himself from time to time. This was the development plan for Tengda Technology that Song Ci had just given him.

In Songci's plan, Tengda Technology will expand its business beyond its existing four business segments: Toutiao.com, TT Mail, TD Game Platform, and Game Development Center.

In the first half of 2005, the company planned to acquire the music player software Qianqian Jingting, establish the Chinese music exchange community Qianqian Music Network, and launch long-form video and input method businesses. In the second half of the year, it also planned to prepare for the development of a microblogging platform.

They also plan to establish three research centers for cloud computing, big data, and artificial intelligence within the next five to eight years, with a timeline for each project.

"President Song, this is an enormous undertaking!" Zhang Yong was genuinely shocked by his boss's ambition, and his scalp tingled. Every project plan in the materials required a massive amount of funding.

Song Ci said nonchalantly, "This is just the company's five-year plan." What he had listed so far was only the arrangement for Tengda Technology before the curtain rose on the mobile internet era.

After hearing this, Zhang Yong gave a wry smile: "Although the company is doing very well, these projects are all money-burning. I'm afraid the company will suffer huge losses if you arrange it this way."

Zhang Yong estimated that the first few items were manageable with tens of millions of yuan, but the later items, such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and big data, would require massive funding just from their names. If Tengda really wanted to get all these projects up and running, it would probably go bankrupt.

Since Song Ci dared to make such a plan, she naturally wouldn't leave all the problems to Zhang Yong. "The three research centers can be put on hold for a while, but the other projects must be carried out according to my timeline. As for the funding issues you're worried about, I'll take care of them."

To reassure Zhang Yong, Song Ci added, "The plan can be broken down as follows: the input method will be launched first, followed by Qianqian Music and the video website in the second quarter."

Weibo can wait. These businesses don't have profit requirements for the first two years; just attract customers and keep them going.

At this point, Song Ci paused for a moment, "As for the three research centers, the company will set up the framework first and recruit talent. I will handle the funding issue later."

He had already planned everything out. During the 08 subprime mortgage crisis, he would short US stocks and make a fortune. Part of the profits would then be used to invest in three major research centers.

Hearing that Song Ci was very well-structured, Zhang Yong breathed a sigh of relief and stopped trying to persuade him. "It's good that you have your own plans. I will fully cooperate."

Currently, Tenda Technology is quite wealthy. Minecraft alone has sold 485 million copies worldwide by the end of January, bringing in $1.45 million in revenue for the company. Even after deducting taxes and channel commissions, it is still a huge sum of money, enough for Song Ci to squander for a long time.

"The restructuring of the group after the New Year will basically revolve around these few business segments. Don't reveal this before the New Year so that everyone can have a good holiday in peace."

The formation of the group will inevitably involve personnel changes, and Song Ci did not want the employees to be on edge during the Chinese New Year, so she specifically instructed Zhang Yong.

Zhang Yong nodded and agreed, "That's natural."

"I have already signed the year-end bonus distribution you submitted. There are only a few days left until the Chinese New Year. Tell the finance department to make the payment as soon as possible."

Tengda Technology is currently thriving, with revenue and profits continuing to improve. Based on the year-end performance evaluation, the company has once again distributed a year-end bonus consisting of salaries from June to December.

Song Ci and Zhang Yong discussed several urgent matters from before the Lunar New Year, and it took about an hour and a half to resolve them.

Song Ci stretched, then suddenly remembered something, "There are two more things, Lao Zhang, you should write them down. They are the key tasks for the video network next year."

"Hunan TV has a talent show called 'Super Girl.' Send someone to make contact and make sure we get the online broadcasting rights for this year's show."

"Talent shows, is that show popular?" Although Zhang Yong is usually too busy with work to watch variety shows, he still has some impression of popular shows, but he really has no memory of "Super Girl".

"I've had people do research, and this program is going to be a huge hit this year. Securing the online broadcasting rights will greatly benefit the development of video websites, including Toutiao." Song Ci didn't know how to explain, so he could only give a perfunctory answer.

The first season of "Super Girl" in 2004 was only moderately popular. The second season in 2005 was the real hit across the country. When Shen Sisi helped Song Ci set up a book club, Song Ci remembered this incident. He knew about it in his previous life. Many fans set up QQ groups to help their favorite contestants get votes. It was the hottest show in 2005.

Since the boss said so, Zhang Yong naturally complied. He quickly wrote down the matter in his notebook: "After the New Year, I will send someone to contact Hunan TV and make sure we get the broadcasting rights for 'Super Girl'."

After a moment of contemplation, Song Ci brought up the second matter: "As envisioned when Toutiao was first established, the time is now ripe. We can now make contact with the NBA and European football leagues, and this year we will secure the exclusive online operation rights for these events."

In Zhang Yong's view, this is the company's top priority. "I will handle this personally and fly to the United States after the New Year."

Even in a foreign land, Song Ci was still worried and instructed, "Old Zhang, you can hire negotiation experts and a public relations team to assist you. You can make appropriate concessions on the copyright fee, and the longer the contract period, the better."

Zhang Yong noted down Song Ci's requirements again, saying, "I will report the specific contract terms to you after we have been in contact."

"These are the two things. I don't think there's anything else the company needs me to handle before the end of the year." Although Song Ci doesn't come to the company often, senior executives like Zhang Yong frequently report on their work via email, so he still has a strong grasp of the company.

"Nothing for now. I'll call if anything comes up. By the way, are you sure you're not going to the company's annual party tonight?"

"I won't go. Shishi is returning to Beiping today, and I'm going to the airport to pick her up this afternoon. I haven't seen her for three and a half months." Thinking that she would see Miss Liu in the afternoon, Song Ci was in a good mood, and a gentle smile appeared on her face.

Zhang Yong knew that his boss was usually a reserved person, so the fact that he said these things to him showed that he was genuinely missing his girlfriend.

"Congratulations on your long-awaited reunion with Miss Liu." Zhang Yong congratulated her while secretly marveling at how his boss, a truly elegant and refined gentleman, could actually fall for a minor actress. Indeed, love is utterly irrational.

However, he felt that Song Ci and Liu Shishi still had a long way to go. Just considering that the woman was an actress, if they were to film any intimate scenes in the future, rumors of a romantic relationship could easily arise, which would put their relationship to the test.

(End of this chapter)