China Entertainment’s rescue plan is hard to come by

Chapter 998 Begging for Alms [Two Chapters Combined]

Beijing, Zhongguancun, Renren.com headquarters building.

This sleek glass curtain wall building, reflecting a modern glow in the autumn sunlight, was purchased by Wang Xing for 13 billion yuan at the beginning of the year and has now been fully occupied, symbolizing the company's astonishing rise over the past few years.

Under Wang Xing's leadership, Renren.com has long since transcended its early campus social networking scope, becoming a vast internet ecosystem empire integrating social networking, games, payment, and even mobile instant messaging. In the 2013 landscape of the Chinese internet, it was one of the few entities that could exert considerable pressure on even BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent).

The top-floor CEO's office boasts a superb view, offering a panoramic vista of almost half of Zhongguancun's tech jungle. The interior design is a typical Silicon Valley style blended with Chinese minimalism, achieving a balance between vibrancy and understated formality.

When the secretary knocked on the door and led Sun Yi and Liu Yifei in, Wang Xing, who was looking at the company's third-quarter report on the computer screen, immediately looked up, a surprised smile spreading across his face. He casually closed his laptop, stood up, and strode over to greet them.

"Oh! What a rare guest!"

Despite his slender build, prominent hairline, and typical IT guy image, Wang Xing is actually quite cheerful in private, with a loud voice and the natural ease and energy characteristic of internet people.

He first shook hands firmly with Sun Yi, then turned his gaze to Liu Yifei, his smile widening, "And our big star! What wind blew you two goddesses here today? You should have given me a heads-up so I could have had the red carpet laid out!"

Liu Yifei wore a beige knitted long dress with a light brown trench coat, her long hair flowing over her shoulders, a casual yet fresh and gentle look. She smiled and replied, "Brother Xing, please stop teasing us. We came uninvited today; hopefully we haven't disturbed your busy schedule?"

"Not at all! Your presence here with Sun Yi is such an honor to my humble abode, it will surely double our work efficiency!"

Wang Xing laughed heartily, gestured to his secretary that no one should disturb them, led the two to sit down in the reception area by the window, and then personally took out top-quality coffee beans from the smart cabinet next to him and began to grind them.

"Try this, it's really good stuff. A friend just gave it to me. I wouldn't even offer it to anyone else. It's genuine Panama Geisha from Emerald Estate."

Hearing this, Sun Yi didn't react much, but Liu Yifei's eyes lit up, and she asked, "Is it that jade estate that can be auctioned?"

“Exactly.” Wang Xing nodded with a smile.

"What?" Sun Yi looked puzzled. "This coffee can be auctioned off?"

Liu Yifei was defeated by him. She looked at her husband with the eyes of someone looking at a "country bumpkin," wishing she could strangle him. It was too embarrassing.

"Why not? It costs tens of thousands of dollars per kilogram."

"Wow, that's so expensive!" Sun Yi exclaimed.

Wang Xing laughed and pointed at Sun Yi, saying, "You don't know how to enjoy life. Giving you this is a waste. It's only because Yi Fei knows what she's doing that you're getting this much today."

Sun Yi chuckled shamelessly and replied, "Hey, what's this about lending? It's my wife's, so it's mine too, it's all the same."

"Everyone is the same as you."

Sun Yi received a big eye roll in return.

Wang Xing smiled and shook his head. He was used to the couple's love-hate relationship, which happened all the time. It was like that when he attended their wedding at the beginning of the year, let alone now. However, it was still enviable, which showed that the couple had a good relationship.

While Wang Xing was fiddling with the coffee, Liu Yifei glanced around the cozy yet business-like office. She immediately recognized it as her sister-in-law's work, then realized she hadn't seen her today and naturally began to speak:
"Brother Xing, where's your wife? Isn't she at the company? I haven't seen her in ages. Last time Sun Yi and I went on our honeymoon, we invited you two, but she said she was too busy and we'd have to reschedule."

The "sister-in-law" that Ms. Liu mentioned is Wang Xing's wife, Guo Wanhuai, who is also one of the founding members of Renren.com and is now the company's vice president, in charge of the very important strategic investment department.

Liu Yifei has always admired this modern woman who can both start a business alongside her husband and be a leader in the company. She thinks this is the epitome of a "husband-and-wife team" and is very worthy of her learning.

When his wife was mentioned, the sharp edge of Wang Xing's internet tycoon softened considerably, and he even unconsciously revealed a smug expression that mixed pride and sweetness.

As he cleaned the French press, he announced, seemingly casually but actually deliberately:

"She's currently resting at home. She's pregnant, just over three months along, and the morning sickness is quite severe, so I forced her to put her work aside for a while and stay home as a 'national treasure' for a period of time."

"pregnant?!"

Liu Yifei's eyes widened in surprise, then filled with delight. "Really?! Congratulations! Such a wonderful thing, how come you didn't even tell me? That's so inconsiderate!"

Her tone carried a genuine, playful reproach between friends.

Wang Xing chuckled, handed the brewed coffee to Sun Yi and Liu Yifei respectively, and then sat down to the side. "Hey, you're both pretty busy, there's no need to specifically notify me about something like this. When the baby is born and we have the full-month celebration, I'll definitely invite you two first!"

"That's pretty much it."

Liu Yifei took the coffee cup, smelling the enticing aroma, but then turned her head and glanced at Sun Yi with a pair of eyes that held a smile yet also a hint of subtle resentment. The meaning couldn't be clearer: look at him, he's been pregnant for three months already!

Sun Yi received the signal, and could only touch his nose and tactically drink water—no, I mean coffee.

"Ouch! Hot, hot, hot!!!"

"What are you doing? It's freshly brewed, drink it in small sips!"

"Forgot, forgot."

Liu Yifei, who had just been looking mournful, instantly switched to a look of concern that was evident on her face.

Wang Xing took in the young couple's every move and couldn't help but burst into laughter. He even suspected that Sun Yi was playing a self-inflicted injury trick.

However, to be fair, it did achieve the desired effect.

The three sat around a table, the aroma of coffee filling the air, and the atmosphere in the office gradually became lively as the conversation turned to business.

Sun Yi put down his coffee cup, his posture relaxed but his tone slightly serious: "Brother Xing, besides seeing you today, I also have something I'd like to talk to you about."

"I knew it. You two are both very busy people. You would never suddenly come to my 'money-grubbing place' if you didn't have something to do." Wang Xing laughed, leaning forward slightly, adjusting his glasses, and assuming a listening posture. "Speak, what is it? Whether you can do it or not, listen first."

“Alright, then I’ll get straight to the point.” Sun Yi looked directly at Wang Xing. “I’d like to ask, does Renren.com have any major plans or budgets for brand promotion and specific project marketing this year, especially from the fourth quarter to around the Spring Festival next year?”

"Plan? Budget?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xing raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled: "Sun Yi, we're all family here, so I'll be frank. With Renren.com's current size, its annual marketing expenses are astronomical; there's no such thing as 'no need for promotion'."

"Online traffic purchases, offline brand events, title sponsorships, cross-industry collaborations—we're burning money every day, and we're also constantly figuring out how to burn money more efficiently. Why are you asking this?"

He keenly sensed the hidden meaning in Sun Yi's words, but still made a joke.

"What's wrong? You don't want to be a director anymore and want to come to the company? Welcome! It just so happens that your sister-in-law is at home taking care of her pregnancy, and the strategic investment department is short of a head. You are the most suitable."

"Okay, okay, Brother Xing, I can't do it. Please don't even think about it."

When Wang Xing brought up the old matter again and took the opportunity to ask Sun Yi to come to Renren.com for help, he quickly waved his hand and refused.

Just kidding, if he could stay put in one place, there wouldn't be any chance for Wang Xing.

Isn't it all about being a director? There are new projects every day, new places every time, and different people every time. It's fun, isn't it?

Sun Yi pursed his lips, deciding to lay his cards on the table: "I'll be frank. I recently took on the job of being the chief director of the Spring Festival Gala, you know that, right?"

"I know, it's been all over the internet these past few days. The director of the Spring Festival Gala is awesome! This year I'm just going to stay home and watch your shows."

Wang Xing gave a thumbs up, genuinely admiring Sun Yi for being able to take charge of the Spring Festival Gala at his age and in his position.

This is not just a matter of ability, but also a symbol of recognition from all parties.

"It's impressive, but it's also a huge problem." Sun Yi smiled wryly. "One of the biggest problems is the budget. CCTV only gave us 4000 million yuan for the production, which is far from the effect I wanted to achieve. Moreover, they were very strict with us, leaving no room for improvement."

As the head of Renren.com, Wang Xing is a smart man and immediately grasped the key point:

"So, you've become a director, but you're short on budget, so you're starting to 'beg' for money?" He grinned mischievously. "No way, Director Sun? Your Starry Sky Films is so big and powerful that you don't even care about my little temple. Film fans all over the country call you 'the most profitable director in Chinese-language films.' Is this little production budget shortfall a big deal for you?"

"Money isn't a big deal."

Sun Yi readily admitted it.

"But this matter needs to be done legitimately. If I personally advance the money, or if Starry Sky directly invests, the nature of the matter changes, it will easily give others grounds for criticism, and it will also break the rules of the industry. It would be best to find a suitable partner through market-based means to supplement this budget, so that everyone gets what they need."

Wang Xing nodded, understanding Sun Yi's concerns. Renren.com also has many businesses that deal with relevant government departments, and operating in the cracks between the system and the market does indeed require more caution and skill.

"What you said is right, it makes sense. But if you're begging for alms, you need a reason, right? You can't just let people donate money for nothing. Tell me, how do you plan to carry your 'bowl'?"

His interest grew even stronger.

When Liu Yifei heard Wang Xing's analogy, she happened to see Sun Yi holding a coffee cup, and a picture immediately popped into her mind. She couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Sun Yi looked at the coffee cup in his hand, then at the little girl next to him who was secretly smiling, and put the cup down with a helpless expression.

Wang Xing couldn't help but laugh.

Fine, I'll have to accept this favor!
Sun Yi sighed softly and recounted his initial ideas about "product placement" and his recent setbacks to Wang Xing as if they were anecdotes.

"I originally thought the shortfall would be 30 million, and with some more going to CCTV, we could make it 100 million. We could find a few large, well-established companies that also wanted to appear on the Spring Festival Gala, and arrange five or six high-quality, subtle product placements or inserts, and then we'd have the money."

"Besides, I'm a well-known director in the industry, honest and reliable, so I thought it wouldn't be a problem. But it turns out I really overestimated myself."

Sun Yi shook his head and sighed.

"Starry Sky is a relatively new company, unlike those established film and television media companies. It doesn't have a mature advertising brokerage business or team. When I went to talk to them, they came solely because of my reputation. They were genuinely polite, and money wasn't a problem. But when I mentioned specific requirements, wow..."

He mimicked the tone of marketing executives from large corporations:
"Director Sun, our product logo needs at least a 3-second close-up shot in this program, and the background needs to be clean!" "Director Sun, could you arrange for an actor to naturally say 'Using XX is so convenient' in the script? I'll pay extra!" The most outrageous thing was a tech company that brought me a newly launched product and wanted me to use special effects to package it as a "revolutionary epoch" in the program, and then put a disclaimer in the corner of the screen in tiny print that was almost invisible. Damn it, they're trying to pull marketing tricks on me.

Sun Yi couldn't help but laugh and cry when he talked about it.

"This is the Spring Festival Gala! People all over the country and overseas Chinese are going to watch it. This kind of 'product placement' would definitely not pass CCTV's approval, and I wouldn't even be able to get past my own approval. I would be drowned in the audience's spittle. In the end, I had no choice but to reject it all and stop it. This approach is not feasible."

Wang Xing couldn't help but burst into laughter as he listened, slapping the sofa armrest as he laughed.

"Haha. Normal! Absolutely normal! The bigger the company, the more pronounced the client-centric mindset becomes when it comes to advertising. Don't just talk about them, we're the same way. We're used to using data, terms, and market KPIs to define everything, wanting every penny spent to produce double the impact and double the exposure and conversion rate."

"Asking them to be 'subtle' for the sake of artistic effect? ​​That's basically impossible! Asking them to give up those 'must-have' clauses? That's even more impossible! You're essentially asking them to change the rules of the game that have been in place for many years, so it's only natural that they'll run into a wall."

Sun Yi looked helpless and took a small sip of his coffee.

Liu Yifei, who was standing to the side, only then remembered that she felt sorry for her husband and took the initiative to hold Sun Yi's hand.

She had a job announcement these past two days, and she never expected that Sun Yi's talks with those big companies about product placement would end like this. He hadn't mentioned it to her at all before coming here today.

Sun Yi snapped out of his daze, gently patted her to show that everything was alright, which reassured her somewhat.

Wang Xing's smile gradually faded, his eyes becoming sharp and clear. He looked at Sun Yi and tapped his finger on the table: "Stop joking. So, you didn't come here today thinking that I and Renren.com would pay this 'legitimate' money, did you?"

He probably already guessed Sun Yi's intentions.

Just as Sun Yi was about to admit it, Liu Yifei spoke first, answering for him in a joking tone.

"Brother Xing, yes, that's exactly what he thinks. He even said that it's easier to 'make a move' on acquaintances."

Liu Yifei, holding Sun Yi's hand, solemnly admitted it, which made Wang Xing shake his head, laugh, and reveal a helpless expression of "I knew it."

If Sun Yi had directly admitted it, Liu Yifei could have at least made some demands, if not just refused with a legitimate reason. But the fact that Liu Yifei said it changed the nature of the situation.

When it becomes a favor between friends, it can no longer be considered from a business perspective.

You have to understand that Renren.com is now a listed company. Even if he and Sun Yi together have absolute control of the company, they can't just play around and throw away tens of millions of yuan.

Wang Xing didn't immediately agree or refuse. Instead, he leaned back on the sofa, thought for a moment, and then replied seriously:

“Since Yifei has said so, I certainly can’t refuse. But even brothers have to be clear about money. Money is really not a problem for Renren.com. If it’s worth tens of millions or even more, we’ll invest if it’s worth it, even if the results are a little lower.”

"But the problem is, you have to tell me first, how much promotional power will this money bring to Renren.com through your 'method' when invested in the Spring Festival Gala? Or what kind of return will there be? You have to let me know, don't tell me it's just to have a logo appear in the program in a perfunctory way, that's too low a cost-performance ratio, you have to make it acceptable to the board of directors."

He knew that Sun Yi wasn't the kind of person who would ask for money without asking; since he dared to come, he must have a plan.

That's exactly what Sun Yi was waiting for.

He first gave the girl a "good wife" look, then sat up straight, met Wang Xing's scrutinizing gaze, and clearly said:
"If it's just a simple logo appearance or a few lines of dialogue, I won't come to you at all. What I want to do is a deep connection, an innovative interactive form that allows audiences across the country to naturally, actively participate, and experience with surprise and joy on New Year's Eve, so that they can come into contact with, use, and remember Renren.com."

He kept everyone in suspense for a moment, not immediately revealing the specific plan, but the certainty in his tone was extremely persuasive:

"I can assure you that once this format succeeds, the brand influence, user goodwill, and subsequent increase in activity it brings will be unparalleled. It is not just an advertising exposure, but has the potential to become a phenomenal marketing event, and even redefine the way the Spring Festival Gala interacts with the audience. Its value is far beyond what a simple purchase of advertising time can compare to."

Upon hearing Sun Yi's words, Wang Xing's eyes immediately lit up.

He is a top-tier product manager and technical expert, deeply understanding the unparalleled value of "interaction" and "engagement" in the internet age. Sun Yi's words precisely struck a chord with him. Unparalleled? Phenomenal? Redefining the way we interact? These words, coming from the pragmatic and accomplished Sun Yi, carried considerable weight.

"If it really had the effect you described, I'm afraid tens of millions wouldn't be enough to satisfy your appetite. If tens of millions could achieve that, all the internet companies in China would be fighting tooth and nail for it."

Wang Xing said with great interest.

"Yes, tens of millions isn't enough, this amount is the minimum!"

Sun Yi held up three fingers.

Three hundred million?!

"least."

Wang Xing's eyes widened in disbelief. He knew Sun Yi's appetite was big, but he hadn't expected it to be this big. Just four hours of promotion in one night would cost nearly $50 million.

He looked into Sun Yi's eyes and saw enough sincerity and confidence in them.

"seriously?"

"100% true".

"Can it really achieve the effect you described?"

"Beyond your imagination."

The office was quiet for a few seconds. Wang Xing's fingers tapped rapidly on his knees, a habitual gesture when he was deep in thought.

Finally, he raised his head, a signature ambitious smile spreading across his face, and extended his hand to Sun Yi:

"This sounds like a project I can brag about at the Q1 earnings call next year. Okay, this 'connection' is mine, Wang Xing and Renren.com, it's over!"

"Let's have our teams sit down and discuss the specifics of the ritual, how much 'incense money' is needed, and how much 'merit' we can gain!"

(End of this chapter)