Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 99 is about to make the list.
Two weeks of military training passed quickly, and before we knew it, it was September 1st, the day for university registration.

The lingering warmth of summer has not yet completely dissipated, and the ancient and elegant beautiful Yan Garden welcomes the most splendid chapter of the year: the start of the new semester for the Class of 05.

The Class of 04 students, who have just been promoted to senior students, have also successfully completed their two-week military training and returned to the relaxed and vibrant Peking University campus.

The refreshing autumn breeze dispelled the students' holiday laziness. After the baptism of military training, everyone not only strengthened their physique but also tempered their will and cherished the wonderful campus life even more.

As dawn broke, Song Ci's three roommates had already gone to the library to study, while Song Ci stayed alone in the dormitory, clearing up a backlog of work emails and talking on the phone with Liu Shishi.

Song Ci spoke softly, expressing his longing for his girlfriend: "Let's arrange it like this, Shishi. I'll visit you on set this weekend when I'm free, and we can have dinner together after work."

"Want a kiss? Okay, okay!" Song Ci blew a kiss into the receiver.

Liu Shishi, on the other end of the line, finally hung up the phone, satisfied, and let Song Ci go, looking forward to their date in a few days.

After ending the call, Song Ci focused intently on reviewing the work emails sent by the group's senior executives over the past few days.

Most of the emails contained data reports about daily operations. Song Ci usually just skimmed through these emails and wouldn't ask too many questions unless there was obviously abnormal data.

There is only one matter that requires attention and approval: after an internal meeting and discussion within the Toutiao.com department, it was decided that the "Most Beautiful Campus Belle" selection event will be suspended this year.

Toutiao employees unanimously agreed that it is inappropriate to hold a campus beauty pageant every year, since it takes four years of university and the same group of people might be on the list this year as last year.

To prevent aesthetic fatigue, it has been decided to replace the previous year's "Campus Hunk" competition with a separate "Campus Beauty" and "Campus Hunk" competition, which will be held alternately every two years.

Because the suggestion to hold the campus beauty pageant on Toutiao.com last year was made by Song Ci, Toutiao.com President Yang Junfeng specifically consulted the chairman about canceling the pageant this year.

Song Ci nodded slightly as she looked at the report email. As Yang Junfeng said, too much of a good thing is bad. The school beauty pageant last year was very successful organized by Toutiao.

Holding the event again this year might be less effective. Instead, holding a "Most Handsome Campus Heartthrob" contest would be a different approach and could definitely maintain the popularity and traffic on Toutiao.

The backlog of emails was efficiently cleared by Song Ci, and various tasks were either approved or rejected, and were quickly completed.

Upon opening the last email from Zhang Yong, Song Ci's pupils constricted slightly. Zhang Yong's email only mentioned one thing: someone had come to the company wanting to meet him.

Song Ci frowned as she stared at the screen, her expression grave and her tone enigmatic. She muttered to herself, "So soon we're on the list!"

In a quaint teahouse near Peking University, exquisite tea sets are arranged in a pleasingly irregular manner on a pristine white tablecloth.

Soft light shines gently through the delicate paper lanterns, casting a warm and hazy veil over the entire tea room space.

Song Ci admired the wooden screen inlaid with exquisite ink paintings not far away, and smelled the refreshing aroma of tea in the air.

He casually remarked to a foreigner across from him, "The environment here is quite nice. It seems Mr. Hurun is a man of good taste."

The person Zhang Yong reported in an email a few days ago who wanted to meet Song Ci was none other than Rupert Hoogewerf, the man who single-handedly entered China and created the country's first wealth ranking list.

Although Song Ci has always maintained a low profile, after much consideration, he decided to meet with Hurun.

"I prefer to discuss business in a quiet setting." Rupert Hoogewerf filled a porcelain teacup with a jade-like glaze and smiled. "Mr. Song, please have some tea."

Song Ci took the teacup, took a small sip, and gazed at the foreigner who had made a name for himself in China.

After a long pause, he slowly spoke: "I know why you came. Actually, I didn't want to see you; to be more precise, I was afraid to see you."

Rupert Hoogewerf spoke fluent Mandarin, clearly and distinctly: "I understand what Mr. Song means. Chinese people value keeping their wealth hidden. Many of the wealthy people I've met share the same idea as you and don't want to be on the rich list."

That makes sense! One can already imagine that if Song Ci were to appear on the rich list, his future would certainly be filled with unrest and all sorts of troubles.

The Hurun Rich List is also jokingly referred to as the "Pig Slaughtering List" by Chinese people because, due to the times, many of the rich people on the list did not make their fortunes cleanly and often face various legal and business risks. Several rich people "fell from grace" on the list in previous issues, which has attracted widespread attention and discussion in society.

Although Song Ci has a clean background and Tengda Group has always operated in accordance with laws and regulations, if he were to be listed at his age, he would definitely attract a lot of attention, which would go against his original intention of making a fortune in silence.

Looking at the handsome face so close to his, Rupert Hoogewerf couldn't help but sigh that even by Western standards of beauty, Song Ci was still one of the most handsome men. With such good looks and extraordinary business acumen, he was truly God's favorite.

"Mr. Song, given the size and scale of Tengda Group today, it's inevitable that you'll be on the rich list."

When Tengda Technology was established last September, Toutiao.com and TD Game Platform were just starting out and had little reputation.

Now, a year later, the situation is very different from last year, and Hurun will naturally not turn a blind eye to Tenda Group, which has now become a first-class Internet company in China.

Now that things had come to this, Song Ci knew that her inclusion on the list was a foregone conclusion, so she stopped worrying about it. Instead, she became a little curious about her own net worth: "Tell me about it, what a high price you set for me?"

Gone was the relaxed and casual demeanor he had been; Rupert Hoogewerf said with a serious expression, "After a rigorous evaluation by my team, your net worth is around 120 billion yuan, ranking third on the 2005 list of richest people in mainland China."

Upon hearing this, Song Ci was so shocked that she almost spat out the fragrant tea in her mouth, and asked incredulously:

"How much? 120 billion! That's outrageous, Mr. Hurun. I really doubt the professionalism of your team."

Rupert Hoogewerf's expression was extremely serious. He shook his head and argued, "No, no, no, Mr. Song, my team is absolutely professional. The 120 billion yuan net worth is based on evidence. I can explain it to you clearly."

After a moment of excitement, Song Ci calmed down and stared quietly at Hu Run, signaling that he could speak.

Rupert Hoogewerf calmly and methodically presented the team's findings:
"Although your Tengda Group is not listed, we can use similar companies as a reference. For example, NetEase currently has a market value of around 28 billion US dollars and mainly operates portal websites and games. Its business is very similar to that of Tengda Group."

However, Toutiao.com, under Tenda Group, is a major portal website in China, and TD Games is a world-class digital game publishing platform. I'm certain that the revenue and profit of these two business segments alone far exceed those of NetEase. In addition, Tenda Group also owns Qianqian Music, the music player with the largest user base, and the long-form video website TD, plus three subsidiaries specializing in special effects, cinemas, and film.

If the company goes public, Tenda Group's market capitalization will definitely not be less than US$38 billion. According to our investigation, you are Tenda's largest shareholder, holding 40% of the group's shares, with an estimated net worth of approximately US$15.2 billion, which is equivalent to RMB 121.6 billion at the latest exchange rate.

Song Ci remained noncommittal, shaking his head slightly as he leisurely said, "Tengda is not listed on the stock exchange, so your estimation is meaningless."

Moreover, even compared to NetEase, the video and music businesses that are currently underperforming are not worth $10 billion.

Your estimate is absolutely flattering. Besides, I only own 30% of the group's shares; the other 10% are employee stock options, which I'm only temporarily holding on behalf of others.

Rupert Hoogewerf, a seasoned veteran, did not respond to Song Ci's questions. He has long suspected that Song Ci holds far more than 40% of the shares, but so far he has not found any evidence.

His team investigated for a long time but found no financing history for Tengda Group. The two inexplicably appearing shareholding institutions were very likely shell companies used by Song Ci to cover up his activities.

The atmosphere in the tea room became somewhat heavy for a moment. The two were at an impasse, and after a long silence, Hu Run finally spoke up: "President Song, anyone with eyes can see the scale of Tengda. Your shareholding cannot be hidden from those who are interested. Not disclosing the truth will affect the authority of the list."

There's something Hurun didn't say: he could have easily bypassed Songci and released the list directly, acting first and informing later.

But Song Ci's situation was special. He was an eighteen-year-old business tycoon and a well-known bestselling author who was developing his career in China. Song Ci was a promising young man with unlimited potential, so it was best not to offend him. That's why he asked to meet with Song Ci.

Song Ci sighed helplessly. He knew Hu Run's determination; anyone who could come to China alone to start a business must have an unyielding character.

Helplessly, he compromised, saying, "Mr. Hurun, let's be friends. Please help me lower my ranking. 120 billion is indeed too outrageous. Let's put Tenda's valuation on par with NetEase. I'm only eighteen years old. Please leave me some room to grow."

Rupert Hoogewerf understood that this was Song Ci's biggest concession, and nodded, "Mr. Song, you are the most talented person I have ever met. Someone as outstanding as you is like the brilliance of the moon."

No matter how you try to hide it, you can't conceal your brilliance. I can confidently predict that within three years, you will become the richest person in the mainland.

The title of the richest man is impressive, but it is not what Song Ci wants, at least not in the last few years: "The tallest tree in the forest will be felled by the wind. I need time to buy myself some more time."

On September 10th, after more than 40 days of filming, the low-budget film "Nightclub" is finally nearing its end, with only some scattered reshoots remaining. It is expected to wrap up filming in a week at most.

Today, the main actors rarely had many scenes to film, so they could wrap up early. In the dressing room, Yan Ni looked at Liu Shishi, who was getting her makeup touched up, and said:

"Shishi, it's rare that we have so much time today. Let's invite Zhengyu over and have a meal together. I know a really good Sichuan restaurant that I'm sure will suit your taste."

Yan Ni's role as the supermarket owner is only a supporting one with limited screen time, and she will be leaving the set the day after tomorrow after filming wraps up.

Before leaving, she wanted to thank Liu Shishi and Qiao Zhengyu for introducing her to the role, so she planned to treat them to a meal to express her gratitude. She even specially chose Sichuan cuisine to suit Ms. Liu's taste.

Liu Shishi was taken aback when she heard this, and her small hand holding the powder puff hovered in the air. She shook her head and refused, saying, "Sister Yan, it's not possible today. I have something to do later."

She's going on a date with Song Ci tonight. She hasn't seen her boyfriend for many days and misses him terribly. Although she was on set this afternoon, her heart was already with Song Ci.

Glancing thoughtfully at the exquisitely made-up and charmingly dressed Miss Liu, Yan Ni smiled and asked, "Did you make an appointment with Teacher Song?"

Liu Shishi smiled gently and replied gracefully, "Yes, I'm on a date with him tonight."

Yan Ni thought for a moment. She knew her time was limited, and she didn't know when the three of them would get together again. So, she offered a compromise:
"Shishi, I'm leaving the crew the day after tomorrow. I'm lucky to have some free time today. Why don't you invite screenwriter Song to have dinner together? It won't interfere with your time together afterwards."

Seeing Yan Ni's earnest gaze, Liu Shishi hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up: "Then I'll ask him if he's willing to come over."

When the call connected, Liu Shishi told her boyfriend about the dinner party, and Song Ci readily agreed.

Seeing the surprise on Miss Liu's face, Yan Ni asked with a smile, "Teacher Song agreed?"

Liu Shishi nodded slightly and said somewhat shyly, "Sister Yan, let's not eat Sichuan food tonight, because my boyfriend can't eat spicy food."

Yan Ni naturally agreed. Looking at the considerate Liu Shishi, she suddenly thought of Song Ci's handsome appearance and wondered if Miss Liu's love life would be smooth sailing in the future. After all, that face was indeed very attractive to women.

At 5 p.m., the group stood in front of the supermarket where the film crew was shooting. Yan Ni looked at the magnificent sunset and asked Liu Shishi, "Has Teacher Song arrived yet?"

"Here he comes, I'll go call him. Sister Yan and Brother Yu, please wait a moment." After saying that, Liu Shishi ran to a car parked not far away and got into the passenger seat under everyone's gaze.

Fang Yu gently nudged Jiang Yuanyuan with her arm and asked softly, "Who is Teacher Song?"

Jiang Yuanyuan was completely bewildered. She had no idea who Teacher Song was. She had only recently become Liu Shishi's assistant and was not yet familiar with her mistress's interpersonal relationships.

Fang Yu, being experienced, guessed, "Judging from your mistress's expression just now, Teacher Song might be her boyfriend. Yuanyuan, you're in for a headache. No agency would let their artist date so early."

Qiao Zhengyu frowned and scolded, "Xiaoyu, why are you talking so much today? Don't talk nonsense!"

Fang Yu stuck out her tongue and explained, "I was just a little curious when I saw Teacher Liu get into that Passat."

Qiao Zhengyu said speechlessly, "What Passat? If you don't know, don't talk nonsense. That's Volkswagen's most luxurious model, the Phaeton. One is almost worth ten Passats. Shut up and take a break. Don't say another word."

The ladies were all taken aback. Even those who didn't know much about cars knew that ten Passats would cost nearly two million.

Jiang Yuanyuan secretly took notice of Teacher Song, who was hiding in the car and whose face she hadn't seen. She hadn't even figured out "Yi Yi" that her mistress was so eager to know, and now another one had appeared. She wondered how she could help her mistress get ahead if Boss Cai found out that Liu Shishi was in a relationship.

As soon as Liu Shishi sat in the passenger seat, she opened her arms wide, smiled radiantly, and said to her boyfriend in a sweet and innocent way, "Give me a hug."

(End of this chapter)