The Birth of Shanghai's First Conglomerate

Chapter 20 Investing in TV Dramas

Beijing, Hengdian.

Zhao Liying transformed from an unknown small film crew to a big-budget production crew with a maid's makeup.

Although she was only playing maids, it was still a kind of progress.

She contacted Chen Pingsheng today mainly because there was a scene she needed him to perform.

In the past few months, whenever she had free time, she would go to Tengsheng Fruit to help out.

She was pleased to see Chen Pingsheng make such rapid progress in just a few months.

However, such achievements are nothing in the vast entertainment industry.

Many people are ordinary people today, but become superstars in the public eye tomorrow.

She wasn't envious, but she would occasionally indulge in a little daydream.

When Chen Pingsheng arrived, Zhao Liying had prepared a bottle of black tea for him in advance.

This time, he came specifically for a challenging scene involving jumping off a building, and the director was the same assistant director who had given him his business card before.

Since the fruit shop started making money, Chen Pingsheng stopped taking on extra roles.

I'm here to help out.

The city wall is five meters high. The young male lead, let alone jumping over it, would tremble with fear just standing on it.

Chen Pingsheng wasn't afraid, since everything below was already neatly stacked.

She did her makeup and started dancing right away; if one time wasn't enough, she did it two or three more times.

I'm not injured, just a little tired.

After he finished filming, Zhao Liying came over to wipe his sweat.

"Brother Chen, thank you."

"No need to thank me, you're always helping me out."

After a pause, Chen Pingsheng asked her again, "Liying, it's not right for you to keep playing maids. Don't you ever get a chance to be a lead?"

Zhao Liying's face fell; she longed to be the lead actress just as much.

The investment for just one TV series is at least tens of millions.

Besides being suitable for the role, the most important thing for a protagonist is to have someone to mentor them.

She had no one to mentor her, which is why she spent five years playing minor roles.

"Brother Chen, if I can't get the lead role, I'll sell fruit with you from now on."

"Stop joking. You've persisted for so many years, how can you just give up like that?"

After thinking for a moment, Chen Pingsheng asked curiously, "By the way, I don't really understand the rules of making money in your entertainment industry. Is investing in TV dramas really profitable?"

"Of course it makes money."

Zhao Liying chuckled, as if she had thought of something funny again, and gave a self-deprecating laugh:
"Not only can she make money, but she can also have women on both sides and tell the director and producer, 'You guys make a good film, she'll be the lead.'"

Money talks, and with her on one side and on the other, it's almost as if she's explicitly naming the two leading ladies.

Chen Pingsheng understood what she meant, and then he remembered that his sister-in-law, Song Wu, was also about to graduate.

Could he have used similar methods to rise to power?
Leave the director a small card or room number privately.

When so-called unspoken rules prevail, remaining untainted becomes a joke.

Chen Pingsheng was momentarily at a loss for words when he saw her, such a hardworking girl.

She's still playing minor roles after more than five years, which shows she looks down on those dirty tricks.

However, he also thought about what it would be great if he could cast a superstar in the entertainment industry.

That would be of great help to his future career.

But will such good fortune really fall on his head?
I shook my head and stopped thinking about it, waiting until noon.

Zhao Liying even invited that assistant director to dinner. Like Zhao Liying, he was also a disappointed person in the entertainment industry.

I've been an assistant director for ten years, but I've never actually become a director.

This has a lot to do with no one investing money in him. Actually, Zhao Liying really admires his abilities.

He, as the assistant director, completed most of the filming.

The lack of investors and good opportunities is what has prevented them from taking that crucial step.

"Hey Chen, I heard from Liying that your fruit shop is doing really well now, that's great."

"It's so-so, just enough to make a living."

"It's good enough to be able to support my family. To be honest, I have a great notebook in mind, but I've been lacking start-up capital."

The assistant director's name is Yang Jiancheng, and he is in his early forties.

The reason he said that was because he had a little ulterior motive in trying to attract investment.

"What script is it? Director Yang, could you please tell me about it?"

"A lighthearted romantic comedy set in ancient times."

Yang Jiancheng gave a brief introduction, saying that the book had quite a background and was not his own original work.

It was a wildly popular novel I discovered on a female-oriented website. The plot wasn't particularly original, but it was very interesting.

It tells the story of a woman who got into the wrong bridal sedan chair but married the right man.

"This kind of period romantic comedy doesn't require a large investment, making it perfect for high-return investments. If a small investment can be broadcast on a major network and become a hit, the returns can be huge."

Chen Pingsheng listened with great interest, but he still needed to think about it for a few days.

Firstly, he didn't know Yang Jiancheng very well, and secondly, he wanted to read the novel before making a decision.

Yang Jiancheng had never had any hope for him, so he was naturally not disappointed.

This was just a casual chat.

Back home, Chen Pingsheng had Song Yanxi read the novels he recommended.

This left her completely baffled.

What kind of husband forbids his wife from going to work and instead drags her home to read novels?

It's really weird.

Before long, Song Yanxi didn't need to be urged anymore; she was engrossed in reading the novel.

Chen Pingsheng recommended it to Du Juan and the others, and after finding that they all liked it, he felt that adapting the novel into a TV series would definitely be a success.

In his understanding, the core of a TV series is still the script.

As long as the script isn't drastically altered, a good script can achieve an 80-90% viewership rating even without any big stars.

Conversely, a three-point script can be filled with a lot of big stars.

It's also a terrible show that will be criticized by the audience.

He felt that the TV drama market had become too distorted in recent years.

The market is flooded with traffic stars, and capital can force-feed you garbage regardless of whether you like it or not.

For example, the current top celebrities all came back from training abroad.

After entering the drama industry.

A pretty boy playing a tough boxer?
Various effeminate domineering CEOs.

He didn't know what the director was thinking; all he knew was that he was so embarrassed watching it that he could dig three bedrooms and a living room out of his toenails.

It's the kind of thing that offends your eyes.

Not only this one, but all sorts of other kinds exist; they're practically treating the audience like idiots.

Only after he confirmed that it was indeed a good script did he take the initiative to contact Yang Jiancheng to discuss investment.

According to his calculations, this drama could be filmed without hiring big stars.

The total investment will not exceed ten million.

Yang Jiancheng himself planned to sell his house to raise money, which was the key reason why Chen Pingsheng decided to invest in him.

Imagine if he decides to make a film but he's unwilling to invest any money in it himself, who would trust him?

Yang Jiancheng hadn't expected him to actually invest, so the meeting was rather rushed.

However, he still said, "I can probably raise about five million myself. The filming period is expected to be three to four months. If all goes well, it can be broadcast on satellite before the end of the year. The funding gap is still about five million."

That's quick. Chen Pingsheng can invest money, but he also has his own requirements.

"I'm willing to invest, but the female lead must be Zhao Liying, and only her. That's my only condition for investing."

Although the chances were slim, Chen Pingsheng still wanted to give it a try.

If he manages to cast a big star in the future, even if the star doesn't reach A-list status, he'll still have made a fortune.

"Okay." Yang Jiancheng agreed without thinking, mainly because he felt that Zhao Liying was indeed a very suitable girl.

The key is that she herself is exceptionally hardworking.

With this level of investment, let alone hiring top-tier celebrities, even those from obscure, less established companies might not be willing to come.

Zhao Liying, a beautiful and hardworking nobody, is perfect for the role.

Chen Pingsheng contributed money but not effort; according to the rules, investing half only entitles him to a 40% stake.

The remaining 60% belonged to Yang Jiancheng himself.

He couldn't come up with five million right away, so he had to pay two million first.

The remaining three million will be paid when the auction is halfway through.

That way, he won't feel any pressure.

No matter what.

Small investments are relatively easy to recoup, and he was just trying it out.

What if it happens?

Return on investment is one thing, but creating a superstar is quite another.

When he got home and told his wife, Song Yanxi, about it, she was surprised to learn that her husband had other interests besides running a dried fruit shop.

She even stepped into the entertainment industry.

(End of this chapter)