Huayu became famous overnight

Chapter 236 Demigod
Sohu Building.

Zhang Chaoyang was reviewing his subordinates' reports.

He now feels a sense of emptiness after achieving success, and even fell into depression at one point.

Sohu's stock price rose by more than $100 per share, bringing its market capitalization close to $43 billion, a record high.

He himself, as the CEO of Sohu, appeared on the popular domestic variety show "Day Day Up" and presented the national audience with a song called "That's Not Love".

Despite the lack of skill in her singing, she still received plenty of applause.

Upon seeing the project discussed with Qiming, his listless eyes gradually became focused.

"A music talent show where only the voice is heard, with four mentors choosing their favorite contestants using swivel chairs. Liu Huan, Wang Fei, La Ying, and Jay Chou are among the potential guests..."

They're all top-tier players!

If you can get just one of those guests on a regular show, you can brag about it for a long time.

Zhang Chaoyang became interested in this novel music talent show, and the total investment is expected to exceed 1.2 million yuan.

He glanced at it but didn't take it to heart.

"Contact Xu Ming and tell him that I am very interested in his 'The Voice of China' and want to discuss it further."

"Yes."

……

Xu Ming is still filming on set right now.

He sat behind the monitor, intently watching Han Han speeding passionately on the racetrack.

"Kah, this one passed."

Xu Ming shouted.

To be honest, being a director and being an actor are indeed different.

This sense of control over the entire scene explains why so many actors go on to become directors.

The race car didn't stop; it raced around the track before returning.

Han Han got out of the car, took off his helmet, and shook his hair, which he had washed that morning, asking, "How is it?"

"handsome."

Xu Ming gave a thumbs up and said regretfully, "It's a pity I don't have enough time, otherwise I wouldn't need your help as a stand-in, and I could have taken this opportunity to practice properly."

That's right, Han Han was acting as his stunt double in this scene.

The other racing scenes were also performed by the other party.

"If you really like it, I'll teach you when I have time," Han Han said with a smile.

"Row."

Xu Ming agreed, "After this movie is finished, let's make a movie about racing next."

"It's a word."

Han Han raised an eyebrow. He also liked the show, but he didn't film the racing scenes in too much detail.

As one of the few celebrities in China who has devoted himself to the racing industry, he is eager to promote this field.

Xu Ming noticed Xiao Juan hurrying over out of the corner of his eye, so he stood up and gave his seat to Han Han to watch the playback.

He then turned to face Xiao Juan.

"what happened?"

"Chairman Zhang of Sohu would like to discuss this further with you."

"Let's talk."

"They mean you'd better come to Sohu headquarters for a face-to-face meeting," Xiao Juan said.

Xu Ming rubbed his chin, glanced at the busy film set behind him, and shook his head, saying, "You should reply to Sohu and tell them that I can't spare the time for now. I'll go over when the movie wraps up at the end of October."

"The Voice of China" was just a side project, used to try and bridge the gap between the company's variety shows and music businesses.

His main job is film, which is of utmost importance; he can distinguish between what's important and what's not.

"it is good."

Xiao Juan was taken aback for a moment, but quickly regained her composure.

Given her boss's past record, she felt that whatever the other party did was within reason.

Even if it's the CEO of Sohu, they still won't give him face if necessary.

Xiao Juan just replied.

Not long after, Zhang Chaoyang actually called personally.

This caught her off guard, and she immediately handed her phone to Xu Ming.

The latter handed the microphone to the assistant director and then went to a corner to answer the phone.

"Chairman Zhang."

Xu Ming was quite surprised by the sudden call from this internet mogul.

He has been working with Sohu for quite some time, but this is the first time he has spoken directly with them.

“I think the format and competition system of ‘The Voice of China’ are quite interesting. Is this your idea?” Zhang Chaoyang asked.

"No, I bought the Dutch rights for five years."

Xu Ming didn't mention the price; he just wanted to tell the other party that Qiming held absolute power by controlling the copyright.

“If it’s just the two of us, isn’t a total investment of 1.2 million a bit too much? Aren’t you planning to bring in a TV station?” Zhang Chaoyang probed.

He may not care about 1.2 million, but that doesn't mean he's unaware of the value of this investment.

For a variety show, this is an astronomical price.

"The appearance fees for the four mentors are at least 40 million. The sound and lighting equipment, stage design, contestant training, music copyrights, etc., all add up to 40 million. Add in the publicity and marketing expenses, and this investment is just enough."

"So I told you from the beginning that this is a landmark event, meaning that variety shows are no longer synonymous with shoddy productions; we are going to focus on high-quality and top-notch productions."

Xu Ming paused for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "It's not that we don't want to bring in TV stations, it's that I talked to Hunan TV and Blueberry TV, but the conditions they offered didn't meet my expectations, so I settled for Sohu as a second choice."

He wanted to emphasize the show's popularity, rather than the fact that no one dared to collaborate with it, which is why it had to take the online variety show route.

Just like the men and women you meet on blind dates, they each have their own troubles, but they never mention their own shortcomings.

"You've retreated quite far," Zhang Chaoyang said with a laugh.

"Sohu Video is a leader in the development of online video. Of course, Tencent Video is also good. Although it was only launched in April this year, I believe it will be among the top sooner or later, thanks to Tencent's traffic."

"It's just that we entered the venue too late now, otherwise it would be great to open a video section on the Guangying Ticketing website."

Xu Ming spoke eloquently to Zhang Chaoyang, a trendsetter in China's internet industry.

The confidence in his words drew admiration from Zhang Chaoyang on the other end of the phone.

In fact, Tencent Video was indeed one of his options.

But opening a video section is pure boasting.

When he was reborn, domestic video websites were still losing money hand over fist; without substantial capital, they couldn't afford to burn through that kind of money.

However, Zhang Chaoyang had no doubts.

These days, most internet companies are just trying things out, like tapping here and moving there, wanting to see if they can make money from anything.

"Without the involvement of television stations, the risks are very high."

Zhang Chaoyang still focused on the project risks; even as CEO, he couldn't disregard the group's interests.

"The bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish, isn't that right?"

Xu Ming smiled and said, "Without the participation of television stations, it certainly means there is one less party to share the risk, but it also means that we will take the lead and get a smaller slice of the pie."

"A brand-new talent show format, four superstar-level music mentors—not to mention advertising revenue, how many singers can this show produce? How much profit can they generate?"

"Most importantly, don't you feel a great sense of accomplishment?"

No matter how many sentences are said, none can capture Zhang Chaoyang's heart as deeply as this one.

Yacht models, luxury cars and beautiful women—what extravagant lifestyle hasn't he enjoyed?

The only thing that truly sustains his spirit is a sense of accomplishment. For him, who was deeply mired in depression, Xu Ming's words resonated deeply.

The reason the latter chose Sohu was not only because of the existing cooperation between the two parties, but also because they valued Zhang Chaoyang's ability to be a business tycoon without losing his sensibility.

If it were a penguin, it would be hard to accept not having a TV station as a channel.

"No wonder Qiming's marketing is so good; you, as the founder, are really good at persuading people," Zhang Chaoyang remarked.

“If it were just a trick, I believe you wouldn’t fall for it with your experience,” Xu Ming said with a smile.

“Okay, Sohu will invest in this project, but you have to promise me one thing,” Zhang Chaoyang said.

"You say."

"You definitely won't be in the sequel to 'Men's Diary,' but I think this IP still has potential. How about we cast someone else?"

Zhang Chaoyang paused for a moment, then said, "Da Peng, one of our Sohu hosts, would be a good fit. He's also Uncle Benshan's apprentice, so he's your senior."

Although the copyright of "Diaosi Men" is held by Xu Ming, Sohu has the right of first refusal to purchase the subsequent broadcasting rights.

It would be such a waste to leave it unused.

Moreover, this format of short dramas perfectly matches the style of Sohu Video.

"can."

Xu Ming thought about it for a moment and then agreed.

As the other party said, replacing Dapeng would be acceptable to both parties.

Firstly, Da Peng is not only a member of Sohu, but also related to Uncle Benshan.

Secondly, as the original actor, Xu Ming was happy to go along with the opportunity since he had no shortage of resources, just to satisfy his own false sense of kindness.

The two parties agreed verbally, but the specific contract still needs to be negotiated.

After all, it's a big-budget production with a total investment of over 100 million yuan.

While Tang Shenggang led a team to Sohu for negotiations, "Kung Fu Jungle" finally broke through 4.2 million yuan, surpassing "The Great Founding of a Republic" to rank third.

The media and Xu Ming's fans, who had been eagerly anticipating this moment, instantly erupted in excitement.

"We've swept the top three spots! If we don't move soon, I'm planning to drag my boyfriend to watch it a third time."

"Although this movie is above average, isn't watching it three times a bit too much? Leave your boyfriend alone."

“Every time he comes to watch it with me, I promise to let him sleep in a separate room from me once.”

"Huh? Some are dying of drought, while others are dying of flooding."

There was no noise online, only unanimous praise.

Even the Hong Kong media, which have always viewed Xu Ming with prejudice, could only sourly remark that he benefited from the 1.4 billion-strong film market.

But when asked to name a Hong Kong or Taiwanese artist of the same age who could stand shoulder to shoulder with Xu Ming, they were immediately speechless.

Xu Ming has released five films this year, accounting for the top six.

"The Founding of a Republic," which is sandwiched in the middle, is a tribute film and is therefore special. In fact, Xu Ming also had a role in it.

Even if we can't call it a successful creation of a god yet, it's at least at the level of a demigod.

Let alone artists of the same age, even if we broaden the scope further, who can compare to the other?
They truly used their strength to shut up the usually noisy Hong Kong media.

And amidst this clamor.

The news that Xu Ming and Gucci jointly announced on Weibo added fuel to the fire.

[Gucci: Welcome Xu Ming to the Gucci family @XuDaDaMing]

[Xu Ming: East meets West, I'm really looking forward to what kind of fashion collision this will be.]

That's right, Versace, with whom he had previously been in the most discussions, did not reach a cooperation agreement with him.

On the contrary, Gucci, which joined the endorsement negotiations later, surpassed Gucci.

After all, the fact that this high-end luxury brand's global sales reached 37 billion euros in 2011, a year-on-year increase of 18.8%, was largely due to the contribution of more than 10 billion euros from the Chinese market.

Under these circumstances, the Chinese market naturally became the brand's top priority.

They originally valued Li Bingbing more and had contacted his team many times.

But after Xu Ming's sudden rise to prominence, attention immediately shifted to him.

Compared to Li Bingbing, Xu Ming's disadvantage lies in his seniority, but his advantages far outweigh his disadvantages.

Whether it's popularity or the enduring appeal of the current work.

If I had to say something, it would be that it doesn't have the same international brand recognition as the former.

However, in the international market, apart from superstars like Jackie Chan and Jet Li, most Chinese artists are pretty much the same.

He spent a whopping 20 million to secure a two-year global endorsement deal.

This endorsement fee is already top-tier in China; take Chow Yun-fat, whom Xu Ming doesn't even consider worthy of the name.

Although he looked down on him, it didn't stop the other party from being a top-tier movie star in China, and this year he became the first Chinese male star to become a global Rolex ambassador.

The endorsement fee was only 1200 million.

Xu Ming's price was only slightly lower than the other party's, which meant that in the eyes of capital, he had reached the level of a top male star.

Top male stars and A-list celebrities are different concepts.

The former focuses on traffic, which is true this year, but may decline next year. Only by maintaining this position year after year can one be promoted to the top tier.

Chow Yun-fat, on the other hand, maintained his star status only by relying on his peak period in the Asian market in the 1980s and 90s and the successful comeback with "Let the Bullets Fly".

How many viewers today recognize Ti Lung, who co-starred with him in "A Better Tomorrow"?
Regardless, this high-end endorsement by Gucci is an affirmation of Xu Ming's commercial value.

The latter doesn't care about so-called high-end endorsements, but others do.

In an instant, various activities and invitations came one after another.

The price offered was so tempting that even Xu Ming, who was on set, couldn't resist it.

After hesitating for a long time, he still refused.

He is well aware that his commercial value is built on the success of his work.

The right thing to do is to finish filming "Duckweed".

The reason Stephen Chow was able to create the "Stephen Chow Year" was that seven of the top fifteen highest-grossing films of the year were his, including the top five, demonstrating his absolute dominance.

Currently, I've only secured the top three spots; there's still "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" to come.

If he can't sweep the top five spots, he'll have to put more effort into other areas.

For example, eight out of the top ten spots are occupied by them.

……

Bona.

Yu Dong stared at the report in his hand, his brows furrowed.

“Aside from ‘The Founding of a Republic’ which ranks fourth, all the films from first to sixth are Xu Ming’s. He only had five films released this year.”

"Does the audience really like this effeminate guy that much?"

Despite his collaboration with Xu Ming, that one word, "sissy," still revealed his disdain and disgust for the other man.

There was no other reason than that, in his eyes, an actor was not qualified to sit at the same table with him.

The other person's destiny should be a dish on the table.

"The seventh-ranked 'Overheard 2' has a box office of 2.16 million yuan, just one step away from 'Just Another Pandora's Box Office. This guy surnamed Xu is just lucky. The Lunar New Year film season in the second half of the year is the main battlefield."

The secretary knew her boss's thoughts well: "We have a movie called 'The Legend of the White Snake' coming out soon. It's directed by Cheng and has Jet Li in the lead role. It has more potential than 'Kung Fu Jungle'."

"There's still 'Flying Swords of Dragon Gate' coming up. Xu Ming is far from reaching the top; at most, he can only enjoy a moment of fame."

For the media, the deification of Xu Ming was a feast for the eyes.

For those in the industry, if the latter were to ascend to godhood, it would be a disaster.

"Let's see how 'The Legend of the White Snake' performs first," Yu Dong nodded.

(End of this chapter)