Be reborn and be happy to the fullest

Yang Kangcheng immediately praised Li Shuo, "Oh my, it has to be Brother Shuo! Your visit has really accelerated the negotiation process! I'll draft the contract this afternoon, and we can sign it with Mango TV!"

"Sign a contract? No rush, no rush. Let me think about it some more. Actually, I really want to premiere it on an online platform. That way, the earliest you can see 'The Temptation of Returning Home' is tomorrow night..."

Li Shuo's serious expression surprised Yang Kangcheng and Yuan Ke. The former asked, "Really? You're really planning to have it premiere on an online platform?"

"The main thing is to promote and distribute the content first, and then use the traffic brought by 'Unforgivable' to stream the TV series... In addition, there's nothing wrong with premiering it on online platforms, since we have shares in three video websites!"

"But even if you add up the traffic of A, B, and C together, it still won't be as good as Youku Tudou. What's more, online platforms and satellite TV stations are not comparable at all. A TV series premieres on a satellite TV station, which is a sign of prestige and influence! After all, 'The Temptation of Returning Home' is our first self-produced drama!"

"Yes, that's something I didn't consider. Originally, I preferred it to premiere on an online platform... But now, let me think about it..."

At this point, Li Shuo simply stopped and pulled Yang Kangcheng to sit in the lounge next to the hotel lobby, while Yuan Ke hurriedly went to call the waiter to bring some tea, food and other things.

"Actually, I've also noticed the rise of online platforms. 'iPartment 2,' which is currently airing on TV, also originated from an online platform... The strategy you set for Shuoguo Culture was excellent. We started on the front lines of the online world from the very beginning, giving us a head start over other similar companies..."

After sitting down, Yang Kangcheng stopped his forceful advice and softened his tone considerably. In the working environment of the Shuoguo Group, Li Shuo was always the one who had the final say. The fact that he had actually sat down to listen to him was a huge favor, and under such circumstances, he naturally had to return the favor.

Li Shuo didn't think too much about it and casually praised:

"Hehe, I know you're not some old-fashioned academic. Only someone as open-minded as you can run our company well!"

"Tsk, I'm not as open-minded as you, but I'd say I'm a middleman. When you get too radical, I'll step in and pull you back, so you don't fly too high and become unstable..."

After a few meaningless pleasantries, Li Shuo got down to business: "Uncle Yang, the reason I need this much time is not to reject Mango TV, but to try and get better terms."

Yang Kangcheng's spirits lifted: "Oh? How do I take it?"

Li Shuo turned to Yuan Ke and asked, "Remember when I told Shuoguo Culture not to give up contact with Zhang Yi? Do we have Zhang Yi's contact information now?"

The latter nodded: "Of course, and I've spoken to Zhang Yi on the phone before, so now I can contact him directly..."

Li Shuo immediately said, "Call him!"

One minute later, the call connected, and Yuan Ke briefly explained the situation: "Mr. Zhang, do you have time now? Our Chairman Li Shuo would like to speak with you on the phone..."

Only then did he hand the phone to Li Shuo:
"Hello, this is Li Shuo."

"Hello, Mr. Li..."

Zhang Yi, who flaunts his online persona and endlessly stirs up emotions, making his fans' blood boil, was humble and respectful in his first phone call with Li Shuo. His address of "President Li" made the atmosphere of the conversation incredibly "friendly".

Li Shuo wasn't surprised by this. In his memory, Zhang Yi was indeed a profit-driven person who would immediately sit down and drink with his enemies if there was any benefit to be had!

Of course, I was still surprised; Zhang Yi's tone was too humble!

Upon realizing this, Li Shuo's heart stirred slightly, and he immediately changed his mind from what he had planned to say before making the call. He abruptly asked, "Writer Zhang, do you know that Mango TV sent someone over to buy 'The Temptation of Returning Home'?"

Was it because Mango TV decided to buy Shuoguo Culture's films that Zhang Yi sensed something was wrong, hence his overly respectful attitude towards him?
To everyone's surprise, Zhang Yi chuckled and said, "Not only did he know, but Director Wu rushed to Lenghai because I told him that if we could sign 'The Temptation of Returning Home' now, it would be a huge achievement for the TV station! Because I listened to 'Unforgivable,' and regardless of whether it's an adaptation or not, and all the controversies surrounding adaptations, this song is really good..."

He didn't continue speaking at this point, but Zhang Yi's extremely pragmatic style had become incredibly clear in Li Shuo's mind!

Indeed, the average person wouldn't care whether this song is an adaptation or how much of it is original!
For any song, being catchy is always the most important thing. Just look at how Zhou Huanian suppressed "Little Apple" before it was performed at the China-Korea Song Festival! Once the Chopsticks Brothers sang it on stage, the tide turned instantly! In fact, the reason X gained attention for a cover song was simply because he was the composer of "Little Apple"!

"I see. So, I should thank Writer Zhang? If it weren't for you, 'The Temptation of Returning Home' wouldn't have sold so well!"

"No, as I just said, if Mango TV could sign the contract for 'The Temptation of Returning Home' now, the TV station would be getting a good deal. But now that President Li has called, I'm afraid the deal hasn't been finalized. I'm really surprised by this, because after all, it's Mango TV, and compared to other TV stations, it's the most suitable for the style of this drama!"

"The deal is close to being finalized, but the contract hasn't been signed yet..."

"Why? Director Wu must have offered pretty good terms, right?"

Li Shuo's mind raced, and he decided to be more decisive: "Because I believe that Writer Zhang has a great influence on Mango TV, perhaps we can have a win-win cooperation: please help me mediate within Mango TV. I hope that Mango TV can agree to co-release the TV series with the online platform..."

"Huh? This is impossible!" Zhang Yi exclaimed for the first time since the call connected, "Mr. Li, what you're saying is unprecedented! Even ordinary satellite TV stations would never stoop to premiering a drama on an online platform, let alone Mango TV!"

Li Shuo was very happy and laughed, "It seems that Writer Zhang and I are of the same ilk, because if Director Wu and his ilk heard my suggestion, they would probably immediately slam their fists on the table and stand up!"

Zhang Yi smiled wryly: "It's just that I'm being pragmatic. I had only heard that President Li was very capable before, but after talking to him on the phone, I realized how incredibly capable you are. Compared to you, I'm really nothing..."

He's so arrogant online, but he's a completely different person offline.

Yuan Ke and Yang Kangcheng, who were listening to the call, both looked astonished and surprised. At the same time, they found it increasingly unbelievable that Li Shuo had come up with the brilliant idea of ​​contacting Zhang Yi: How did Li Shuo think of contacting Zhang Yi? And it seemed to actually work?!
Li Shuo, who had received Zhang Yi's praise, showed no modesty whatsoever and continued, "Since Writer Zhang thinks I am quite capable, why not collaborate?"

"How can we cooperate? I'm now a major force attacking X online!" Although he said this, Zhang Yi's tone was filled with joy. Clearly, Li Shuo's clear-headedness and straightforward attitude pleased him.

"What does writer Zhang Yi's criticism of X have to do with the collaboration between the two studio owners, Li Shuo and Zhang Yi?"

"Haha, Mr. Li is truly a remarkable person! Please let me know when you come to Wucheng, so we can have a proper get-together!"

"There's no need to go to Wucheng. Shuoguo Culture has contacted Writer Zhang before, hoping to reach a cooperation agreement with you. Why don't you take this opportunity to come to Lenghai?"

"Well, it seems like a good suggestion, but I'm worried that if they actually go to Shuoguo Culture, the news will get out and affect the current online controversy!"

"What impact? Does it let all netizens know that both sides of the argument are signed artists of our Shuoguo Culture? Wouldn't that be perfect!"

"Tsk tsk, I was being stingy... Alright then, I'll book the tickets right now..."

After the call ended, Yang Kangcheng and Yuan Ke remained silent, but there was a silent shock in the atmosphere: compared to ordinary bystanders, they were elites and naturally understood the principle that "online shouting for war does not necessarily mean that the other party is the enemy." However, it was truly astonishing that Li Shuo could reach a consensus so quickly with Zhang Yi on their first call!
Yang Kangcheng exclaimed, "These young people nowadays are really wild... You guys have been arguing with each other for so long, and you can make up with just one phone call. I never expected that!"

Li Shuo smiled and said, "I originally just intended to explain the pros and cons to Zhang Yi: with the release of the audiovisual version of 'Unforgivable,' the buzz surrounding his argument with Han Er and others is no longer sustainable. He will either continue to fade into obscurity or find another hot topic. I wanted to give him a chance to collaborate... Unexpectedly, Zhang Yi is very shrewd. I'm afraid that when he heard Yuan Ke say that I had approached him, he already realized that I wanted to win him over, which is why he put himself in such a humble position..."

"Perhaps so, but that's also because of your renowned reputation!"

Yang Kangcheng sighed, then made no further mention of signing with Mango TV: Li Shuo was able to reach a cooperation agreement with Zhang Yi, and with the two of them working together, Mango TV would only be able to play around. Perhaps, this time Li Shuo could really make history and make the prestigious Mango TV and the online platform sit together and jointly premiere a TV series!

"It's not me, but the reputation of our Shuoguo! Haha, Uncle Yang also deserves credit for this!"

Li Shuo didn't rush to end his conversation with Yang Kangcheng. Instead, he started talking about Shuoguo Culture's current business strategy. He first affirmed some of Yang Kangcheng's ideas, and then said that the entire Shuoguo Group was Yang Kangcheng's solid backing, blah blah blah...

"...In short, regarding the future of Shuoguo Culture, Lu Tingyu and Uncle Yang, there will be no superior-subordinate relationship between you. Tingyu will be more responsible for the online aspects, as well as the influencer training base in Hangzhou, while the traditional film and television aspect will be entirely entrusted to you, Uncle Yang..."

Li Shuo's last words were the real purpose behind pulling Yang Kangcheng to sit down.

Since the goal is to realize the "Greater Entertainment Strategy," the president of Shuoguo Culture obviously cannot be Lu Tingyu anymore. Li Shuo used her before because Lu Tingyu was capable, but as it turns out, although Lu Tingyu is indeed capable, her ability in the traditional film and television field is not as good as Yang Kangcheng's, since this field requires more connections and experience.

In response, Yang Kangcheng, who had just been outmaneuvered by Li Shuo, readily replied, "Okay, no problem, I'll definitely do a good job in the film and television sector!"

"Yes, I've booked some film and television projects for Shuoguo Culture..."

Li Shuo then communicated some of his proposed plans with Yang Kangcheng, such as the investment and preparation work for Guo Laosi's "Little Fourth Generation" and the preparation for Han Er's "Ordinary Road" in the future.

After listening, Yang Kangcheng smiled wryly and complained, "My dear young master Li, when you come to our Shuoguo Culture, don't always bury yourself in the artist management department. Come visit the project department and film and television department too. You don't even know what we're busy with right now. That's outrageous..."

After complaining, he explained in detail that Shuoguo Culture is currently collaborating with Huaying on a TV and film project for "The Invisible Guardian"!
Although these two projects caused no stir in Li Shuo's previous life, in this life, because Li Shuo had discussed them with Han Ping, the film version of "The Invisible Guardian" was even one of Huaying's annual film projects for 12 years, and it even received 2000 million yuan in national funding! Furthermore, its television version is also a collaboration between Shuoguo Culture and Huaying, and it's already in preparation…

Any domestic film and television company that is involved in a collaboration with Huaying will always have to put in more effort, regardless of whether the project is profitable or not. After all, once the project is completed, it will become part of the company's foundation!
"I see, it really was my fault!"

Sure enough, after hearing this, Li Shuo quickly apologized, and then said seriously:
"Uncle Yang, *The Invisible Guardian* is very important. Its game version is Shuoguo Culture's first work, and I hope its TV adaptation won't be too much of a drag! So, if you have the time, I think it would be better if you personally served as the producer of the TV version. Then, you can have full control over the director, screenwriter, cinematographer, and so on. The same goes for the actors. Well, in principle, we should still consider our own signed artists..."

Even with Yang Kangcheng's status and position, he showed a smug look on his face when he heard Li Shuo's arrangement: although he was already a senior executive and becoming a producer was not a promotion, being able to personally assemble a crew and produce a film project was an extremely proud thing for anyone in the industry. The so-called "value of life" was nothing more than this.

After discussing the specific projects, Li Shuo gave some instructions on the overall framework of Shuoguo Culture's film and television division. He hoped that Yang Kangcheng could leverage his strengths and, going forward, not only produce films and television series, but also focus on awards and interpersonal relationships—things that could highlight Shuoguo Culture's influence… (End of Chapter)