Entertainment: I just want to be the boss behind the scenes

Chapter 379 Who is the enemy? Who is the target?
"The company behind Meng Meiqi and Wu Xuanyi is Lehua Entertainment. They previously debuted in a girl group called 'Cosmic Girls' under the name 'Kimchi'. When they first signed the group contract with Tencent, they proposed to 'run two groups in parallel'. I don't know how the negotiations went exactly, but judging by the pace of the negotiations recently, they probably didn't reach an agreement..."

In the president's office of Taiyang Chuanhe, Meng Bai and Yang Ming were drinking tea while listening to each other introducing the gossip about the "quit group incident".

"What about the other one?" Meng Bai asked, "Didn't three people withdraw?"

"Oh, there was another girl from a small company. She probably felt that her company had finally produced a popular artist, so she wanted to come back and make some money. Just in time, there was someone taking the lead, so she followed suit and withdrew."

Yang Ming finished speaking and sighed, "After all, Lehua is the largest idol company in the domestic entertainment industry. They have some capital, so they dare to do this. These people don't even consider whether they have the strength, and they directly challenge Tencent."

"Benefits are attractive. On one hand, there is a two-year steady income, and on the other hand, there is real money in front of you. Not everyone has the decision to refuse." Meng Bai said: "It's a pity for that girl. No matter how we solve it, I guess she will be treated as a sacrifice."

"Who says it's not?"

Yang Ming sighed with emotion, but then laughed again: "But it doesn't matter. Regardless of whether Tencent can get the people back, we can only allocate resources to other people first. Without the top two, Chaoyue is the most popular and has the biggest profit. This is really, tsk..."

Looking at Yang Ming's inexplicable expression, Meng Bai was not moved at all.

He now purely regards Yang Chaoyue as "metaphysics", and he doesn't find it strange no matter what happens to this girl.

In fact, it is not just him. All netizens who have followed "Produce 101" and Yang Chaoyue now basically regard her as a "human koi". There are also a lot of meme pictures about her circulating on the Internet, such as wearing a halo and shining Buddha's light, claiming that if you worship before the exam, you can use it as a wishing tree.

The most interesting thing is that even many of her haters cursed her online while worshipping her in real life. There was even a case where one hater turned into a fan on the spot after praying for her success in the exam.

Only this wasn't some fantasy martial arts world, otherwise Yang Chaoyue would have to accumulate some willpower.

"How about you put up her poster on the door?"

"Does it work?"

"Anyway, we have the arc light posted."

Yang Ming thought about the development of Arclight Entertainment and nodded: "Okay, I'll ask the administration department to prepare it later."

Anyway, Taiyang Chuanhe is an agency, so it’s not strange for them to post posters of their own artists.

After chatting about gossip, Yang Ming returned to business.

"ByteDance contacted us some time ago and wanted to lead the B round of financing. As a major shareholder, would you like to consider investing again?"

"Byte? How much money do they want to invest?" Meng Bai asked.

"It's not confirmed yet." Yang Ming shook his head. "It's just a preliminary contact, but from what they said, it's about 10 million, which is about % of the shares."

10% of million means that ByteDance’s valuation of Taiyang Chuanhe is around billion.

If calculated according to the conventional PE of the previous film and television market, this valuation is a bit low. However, at this time when capital is withdrawing, it can be regarded as a rare deal.

Moreover, what ByteDance values is definitely the MCN part, which has little to do with the film and television industry.

"There's no problem with following the investment. I'll talk to Gu Fei later." Meng Bai said, "Actually, for such a small investment, you can just contact her directly."

"Tsk tsk, our Boss Meng is now a big capitalist, and his way of speaking is different. A 200 million yuan financing is considered a small project."

Meng Bai waved his hands with a nonchalant expression: "Oh, they are all minor issues. I usually only pay attention to financing companies like ByteDance."

Yang Ming was surprised: "You want to invest in ByteDance?"

"…I'm just kidding, bro. You have no sense of humor at all."

"..."

Yang Ming was speechless. Please, when we say this, we are really joking, but you may not be sure about that.
-
Apart from the fans of "Rocket Girls 101" and some onlookers online, basically no one takes the "Rocket Girls 101" withdrawal incident seriously.

After all, no matter what the outcome is, it is ultimately a conflict between Tencent and Lehua.

Fans of Yang Chaoyue named "Yueye" and "Villagers" just sighed that their fan is indeed the "chosen Koi Holy Body" and mocked the fans named "Yi and Er" who had been mocking them with their "strength" before.

However, when you are in the limelight, even if you do nothing, you cannot stop others from jumping in and taking advantage of the trend.

Shortly after the "quit group incident" broke out, an article on a public account titled "For Yang Chaoyue, scolding her is respecting her" went viral on the Internet, directly receiving "more than one million" views and becoming a new hit.

This article is written by Mimeng, the "godmother of self-media, fairy mouthpiece, enthusiast of gender relations, and the first generation feminist representative" who has millions of fans.

As a top V who is best at creating controversial topics in the era of self-media, he had secretly scolded Yang Chaoyue many times when "Creation 101" was popular.

This is actually normal. After all, most of her fans are women who claim to be elites, high-end, sober, and believe that it is normal for men to spend money on women, and that every ordinary woman is an undiscovered liquidated girl... and so on.

When faced with a girl like Yang Chaoyue who came from a low-income family, is young and beautiful, became famous overnight, has a fan base filled with a lot of men, and says that "she has to rely on her own efforts", people would naturally feel disgusted.

Therefore, Mimi Meng’s previous opinions obviously touched the hearts of these female fans.

Regardless of her character, Mi Meng is quite sensitive to hot topics. Seeing that the topic about Yang Chaoyue was a hot topic, she immediately rushed to write this article and even added a sentence on the cover photo: "Don't stop scolding Yang Chaoyue!"

Later, after being reposted and discussed by a large number of her fans, it became another "million+" hit.

As for the content, it's nothing more than her old stuff. She talks about Yang Chaoyue "having no strength and can only cry", then adds a few sarcastic words of poisonous chicken soup, and finally adds "I hope that one day we will like a girl just because she is cool, strong, and awesome."

In just one sentence, all those introverted and gentle girls are put into the "dislike" category.

This article went viral online, so it was inevitable that Yang Chaoyue would pay attention to it. However, neither the big boss Tencent, the operator Wajijiwa, nor the agency Taiyang Chuanhe made any direct comments.

Artists are popular only when they are controversial. As a girl group idol, Yang Chaoyue is not a talent-based idol. Whether she is popular or not, as long as she can bring attention and traffic, it's fine.

As for her own feelings, no one cares at this time.

Besides, Yang Chaoyue is no longer the ordinary little girl she used to be, but a new star with a large number of fans.

There was no need for the company team to take action at all. The fans naturally rushed over and started to attack Mi Meng.

After all, to be honest, the number of people who hate Mi Meng is not much less than those who hate Yang Chaoyue.

Fans and haters are charging into battle, netizens and passers-by are watching, and the capital behind them is sitting back and reaping the benefits of the traffic.

For example, Tencent even hopes that the quarrel can continue for a while to attract more attention so that they can deal with the "quit group incident" as soon as possible.

But at this moment, another new article appeared in the public eye.

However, unlike the previous article by Mi Meng that focused on "emotional output", this new tweet is titled "Lucky Koi? Poor Goddess? Uncovering the Capital Situation Behind "Village Flower" Yang Chaoyue", which takes the approach of "revealing secrets and breaking news", and the theme is one of the hottest topics at the moment - capital.

【This summer, the most popular people are Cristiano Ronaldo in the World Cup and the center position of the girl group. As we all know, as the most popular contestant of "Produce 101", Yang Chaoyue's personality has always been "village flower", "poor family", and "low-level worker". These backgrounds are naturally true, and no one would lie about such an obvious issue. Yang Chaoyue has also gained a lot of support and love from fans. 】

[But if you think that this alone can make her go from being an ordinary girl with nothing to the third member of the most popular girl group in the domestic entertainment industry, then you are thinking too simply. In fact, the "foundation" behind Yang Chaoyue is much deeper than everyone thinks. They have a common name, capital. ]

[First, there is Tencent, which is the most superficial one. Everyone should know this. Ever since Yang Chaoyue debuted and gained super high popularity, she has always been the most valued contestant, and even invested in her agency...]

[The second is Wajijiwa, the operator of the group "Rocket Girls 101". From the previous photo of Yang Chaoyue and her boss Long Danni, we can also see how much the other party values ​​the group...]

[The next step is the key. Yang Chaoyue’s agency, Taiyang Hengxing, is not very famous, but the Taiyang Chuanhe behind it is the top agency in the industry, with a large number of popular artists...]

[The group "TCG" that Yang Chaoyue participated in the show was put together temporarily by Taiyang Chuanhe using its own newcomers. The other three contestants also appeared in the show. Although their strength is not top-notch, they are all acceptable, which shows that the company's threshold for this temporary group is not low. ]

[Then the question is, Yang Chaoyue's singing and dancing skills are well known, and no one knew she would gain so much popularity before the show, so how did she end up in this group? ]

[Obviously, behind the superficial Tencent, Wajijiwa, and Taiyang Chuanhe, there is a deeper "mysterious force" supporting her. We have researched this issue for a long time and interviewed many insiders, and finally found clues. ]

[This photo shows a poster of Yang Chaoyue posted in front of a company. Many fans should have seen it during the broadcast of the previous program. At that time, many people said that the boss of this company was also a fan of Yang Chaoyue. It is unknown whether the boss is a fan, but we found that there is a relationship between Yang Chaoyue and this company. 】【In fact, Yang Chaoyue had been working in the company in the photo long before she officially signed with Taiyang Xingxing. And many people may have heard of the name of this company - Arclight Films. 】

[Yes, this is the "mysterious force" hidden deepest behind Yang Chaoyue, and the most likely person who sent this ordinary girl to a high position is the boss of Arclight Films, Meng Bai, who is known as the "genius screenwriter". ]

[According to the information we have collected and some industry information, Yang Chaoyue's signing with Taiyang Xingxing and joining "TCG" were all arranged by this boss Meng. Later during the program, he also contacted Tencent Video to keep Yang Chaoyue in a high position. He even personally attended the final group formation night to support and cheer. ]

[As the boss of a leading company in the industry, Meng Bai can be regarded as one of the new bigwigs in the circle. Whether in terms of connections or influence, he is no worse than some of the old circles. ]

[As for why this young boss values an ordinary girl with no background, no strength, and beautiful appearance so much, we don’t know. But this kind of resource support is obviously not something that ordinary relationships can achieve.]

[There have always been many halos surrounding this boss Meng. His various outstanding works, unusually low-key style of doing things, and the gossip that appears from time to time, make him shrouded in a layer of mystery. ]

[Perhaps, we can get a glimpse of something from Yang Chaoyue, who he pays so much attention to...]

Taking advantage of Yang Chaoyue's recent popularity, this article immediately became a new focus of discussion in the public opinion field as soon as it was released.

I have to say that although the purpose of this article is unclear, it still seems to be very authentic. Not only are there various verifiable data, but there are also many photos as visual evidence.

Including mentioning that Yang Chaoyue previously worked at Arc Light Films, and that a photo was obtained from nowhere, proving the credibility. The article was also written cautiously, and all the unconfirmed parts were expressed as "speculation", "possibility", "rumor" and so on.

It is precisely because of this that, whether intentionally or not, the public’s attention on the so-called “capital” has almost been shifted to the relationship between Yang Chaoyue and Meng Bai.

After all, as the article says, if Yang Chaoyue showed super high popularity after appearing on the show, it is normal for her to receive attention. But why push an ordinary girl to the path of an artist when she has not appeared on the show and does not even have a group?

The connotation behind this really makes people think deeply.

At this time, the most shocked were naturally Yang Chaoyue's fans. The reason why she attracted so many fans, besides her beautiful appearance, was her straightforward, natural and pure temperament.

Now, I suddenly find out that there might be a man behind my "little goddess". How can I not be angry?

They were originally still arguing with the haters, but once this article came out, their momentum suddenly dropped, and the haters treated it as a treasure and attacked them crazily on this point.

[Ycy can't do anything, how can she still make it to the end? There must be someone supporting her behind the scenes. 】

[Haha, this is so funny, ‘Village Flower’ is indeed a Village Flower, I just don’t know who she belongs to.]

[That's not right. I heard that the boss of Arclight has a girlfriend who is also in the circle.]

[Oh, aren't all these rich people like this? They change girlfriends more often than they change clothes. In such a dirty place like the entertainment industry, is there still a good person? ]

[I don't agree with this. It's not just the entertainment industry, it's all the industries that are not clean! ]

【…】

All of a sudden, all kinds of attacks and rumors were rampant. Fans wanted to refute, but they didn't know how to say it.

The most important thing is that this paragraph in the original article is all in a speculative tone, which means it may not be true, which makes everyone feel a little confused.

After all, it is possible that someone is deliberately smearing you.

If you want to know the truth, you still need the official intervention. So Yang Chaoyue's fans flocked to the official Weibo of Rocket Girls, Taiyang Chuanhe and Arclight Films, asking the team to come out and clarify.

……

Arclight Pictures, President’s Office.

"Oh!"

There was a loud noise, and Hua Yan slammed her hand on the table. "Really? How can these people say such nonsense? Chaoyue is just doing her normal job in the company. How can there be any special relationship?"

After that, she angrily said to Meng Bai, "Boss, we have to issue a statement to explain, and we have to sue those who spread the rumors and make them clarify and apologize! We can't let them slander you and Chaoyue's reputation like this!"

"It is true that Xiao Yang is slandered, but it may not be slander against me." Meng Bai said slowly while sitting behind his desk.

"Ah?" Hua Yan was stunned. What does this mean?
"Don't be nervous, it's just a joke."

"..."

Hua Yan resisted the urge to roll her eyes: "Boss, at this moment, you still have the mind to joke!"

"That said, the more times like this, the more we need to calm down first." Meng Bai said: "We must explain and clarify, but it is difficult to say whether we will sue. Because we must first figure out one question, who is the enemy? What is their goal?"

"The enemy is the one who wrote this article, and those fans. As for the target, it must be Chaoyue..."

"really?"

Meng Bai turned the computer screen and saw the two articles that had been making a lot of noise in the past two days.

"The first misty article might be aimed at Xiao Yang, but it's more likely to be a hype. As for the second article, if it's also aimed at Xiao Yang, then why do you use so much space in the second half to introduce Arc Light and me?"

Meng Bai gestured at the text on the screen and said, "Look, from the middle to the end of the article, there are several thousand words of content, which details Arc Light's strength, my gossip, and the popular event about 'ratings fraud' a few days ago."

"If the target is really Xiao Yang, then just give me a brief introduction. Is it necessary to describe me in such detail?"

Hua Yan was surprised: "Boss, are you saying that this article is directed at you?"

"Not necessarily. Maybe the author is just showing off the information he collected, or maybe he went off topic."

"..."

Looking at Hua Yan's painful expression, Meng Bai smiled and said, "So I tell you, don't be impatient. Think clearly about the other party's purpose first."

"So, Boss, what should we do?"

Meng Bai stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the yellowed courtyard outside: "Contact Tencent, Taiyang Chuanhe, and Wajijiwa, and draft a clarification document to make things clear. Then, talk to Tencent and ask them to help find out who is behind this."

Tencent, as the leading Internet company in China, also has strong influence in the media field. Asking them for help is much faster than checking on your own.

"Okay, I'll make arrangements right away."

……

Changsha, Mango TV backstage lounge.

The sign at the door read "Rocket Girls 101". As the most popular girl group in the domestic entertainment industry recently, and with a large number of members, they stayed in a lounge by themselves.

Compared to when the group debuted a month ago, the lounge today was a little quieter. Several members gathered together and talked quietly, without the noisy atmosphere.

Today's program was decided long before the group was formed. Therefore, despite the frequent incidents in the group recently, the contract still needs to be completed.

They had just finished performing and were exhausted. Plus, given the group's current situation, they didn't feel like joking anymore.

Originally, they were competitors who survived a "talent show battle royale" and were both familiar and unfamiliar with each other.

We finally developed a little tacit understanding during the trip, but before we could even get warmed up, three of them ran away.

The remaining eight people also had their own concerns. Especially since Yang Chaoyue, the most popular member of the team, was in the spotlight recently, everyone had even more concerns.

As they were chatting quietly, the door of the lounge was suddenly pushed open. Everyone in the room stopped talking and looked towards the door.

The person who came in was Yang Chaoyue, who had just been called away by her agent.

(End of this chapter)