Restart life

Chapter 518 0506 [ByteDance in its early stages]

Pan Yueming was scrolling through Weibo at the entrance of his residential compound.

A car drove up and beeped twice. The female driver rolled down the window and called out, "Brother, get in!"

Pan Yueming got into the driver's seat: "What film did you get this time? You're being so mysterious."

The beautiful driver is named Chen Zhixi. She is currently Pan Yueming's agent, and she is also an actress herself.

But whether it's being an agent or an actress, it's all just a hobby for Chen Zhixi.

When she was 18, she borrowed 20 yuan from her mother and invested in a ringtone company. A year later, the company was acquired, and the 20 yuan turned into 300 million yuan.

Last year she switched careers to become an executive producer.

This year, he officially became a producer for a film called "Pretend Couple," starring Huang Bo and Jiang Yiyan.

In another timeline, she will also serve as a producer for films such as "Lost in Thailand," "Border Town," "City of Rock," "The Breakup Guru," "Detective Chinatown," and "Hi, Mom" ​​in the following years.

Later, he served as the CEO, legal representative, and chairman of Wanda Pictures!

This woman is not short of money and genuinely loves film and television; she is currently exploring her own path and career.

Chen Zhixi turned the steering wheel and said, "Didn't I produce 'Pretend Couple'? Because President Chen took a liking to this film and invited me to work at ByteDance Pictures."

Pan Yueming said, "ByteDance is a big company, but they've never done film and television."

Chen Zhixi said, "I'm a newbie too. I've only done two films in total, one as an executive producer and one as a producer. It's good that I'm developing along with the company."

"You're quite the troublemaker," Pan Yueming complained.

They met while working on a TV series and have always had a good relationship.

Two years ago, Pan Yueming was in a car accident and was even issued a critical condition notice. He spent half a year in the hospital before recovering. After that, he couldn't get any roles. Chen Zhixi volunteered to be his agent and helped Pan Yueming get some supporting roles one after another.

Chen Zhixi said, "Mr. Chen from ByteDance has a movie and a TV series in hand, which were launched at the beginning of this year. The teams have changed twice, but Mr. Chen has never been satisfied. I am the producer of the third team, and I also got you a role."

"You've only just joined their company and you're already engaging in favoritism and corruption?" Pan Yueming laughed.

Chen Zhixi said, "We don't shy away from recommending people based on their connections. Besides, this is also a contribution to the company. Isn't President Chen inviting us precisely to leverage our network of contacts? How about you sign with ByteDance Pictures too?"

Pan Yueming felt somewhat inferior: "I'm already past my prime, I can only play supporting roles. Would big companies even consider me?"

Chen Zhixi said, "You're so stupid. As long as you can sign a contract and participate in the company's first production, even if you don't become famous, you'll still be a veteran!"

"Alright, I'll listen to you." Pan Yueming was rather laid-back.

Chen Zhixi laughed and said, "Don't worry, the actors the company signed this time are even more washed up than you."

Pan Yueming asked, "Who is it?"

Chen Zhixi asked, "Have you heard of 'Sour and Sweet Is Me'?"

“I’ve heard of it,” Pan Yueming nodded.

Chen Zhixi said, "The girl who sang this song has been out of the spotlight for several years, but Mr. Chen has also brought her back to be the female lead in a campus sitcom. I heard that Andy Lau recommended her."

Pan Yueming laughed and said, "Now that you mention it, I suddenly feel confident again."

Chen Zhixi continued, "There's also a half-Chinese, half-Japanese girl who worked as a game showgirl in the summer and was chosen by President Chen to be the female lead in a movie."

“Your company sounds unreliable,” Pan Yueming said.

Chen Zhixi corrected: "It's our company!"

……

That's definitely a bit unreliable.

Other entrepreneurs entering the film and television industry hire big names to build their reputation, but ByteDance Pictures either recruits newcomers or hires has-been stars.

Take Zhang Hanyun for example. At the height of her popularity in 06, she was the subject of a fabricated scandal involving photoshopped nude images. Despite the extremely poor quality of the photoshopped pictures, countless netizens believed them at the time, and the rumors were further embellished and spread by busybodies.

The company arranged for her to appear on a talk show to clarify the situation. The host directly showed her nude photos and repeatedly asked if she was in the photos, which made the young girl burst into tears on the spot.

Her popularity declined and her star faded, so she simply went back to school. She studied at Sichuan Normal University a few years ago and is currently pursuing further studies at the Central Academy of Drama.

Chen Guiliang hadn't really considered Zhang Hanyun; it was purely because Andy Lau recommended her.

Because Zhang Hanyun's manager when she debuted was Andy Lau's manager—the company has since gone bankrupt, and their manager went into sports, managing an athlete management company.

Later, in an attempt to promote her, Andy Lau specially invited her to be a guest on a variety show, so that Zhang Hanyun would recognize him as her godfather during the recording. But he still couldn't make her a star.

I heard that Chen Guiliang has opened a film and television company and is currently selecting directors and actors. Andy Lau personally called Chen Guiliang to recommend him.

"Hello, is this ByteDance Pictures?" Zhang Hanyun asked softly.

The receptionist barely suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and pointed to the ByteDance sign behind her. "It was just made a few days ago; the smell hasn't even dissipated yet."

Before Zhang Hanyun could speak again, the receptionist said, "Go in, I know you. My boyfriend used to be your fan."

"Thank you!" Zhang Hanyun bowed to the front desk.

She had only walked a few steps into the company when a staff member came up to her with a smile and said, "Go wait in the meeting room over there. Get some water if you're thirsty, and make yourself at home."

"Thank you, teacher!"

Zhang Hanyun bowed again, as if she had transformed into a heartless bowing machine.

She now bows to everyone she meets and calls everyone "teacher".

There were already people in the meeting room: a middle-aged woman and a handsome young man.

Agent Zuo Luo comforted him, "Don't be afraid. Although ByteDance is a big company, ByteDance Pictures has only just been established. It's different from Orange Sky." "Mm," Qiao Renliang nodded in response.

Qiao Renliang didn't like acting, but Orange Sky forced him to act because singing alone didn't make money.

He is very serious about his work; even though he doesn't like it, he still tries hard to learn.

Once, when he didn't perform his villainous role well, the director told him to slap himself in the face in front of a mirror every night. He did as instructed and recorded a video. The next day, he went to ask the director if he had done it correctly. The director was surprised and said, "I was just kidding, you actually did it?"

This year, Orange Sky Entertainment experienced a major upheaval at the top, and Qiao Renliang's agent took the opportunity to switch companies, bringing him with him to ByteDance Pictures.

Agent Zuo Luo said, "I asked President Chen, and he said he could help you release an album. ByteDance owns a music website, you've heard of Xiami Music, right?"

"I've heard of it," Qiao Renliang laughed.

Zuo Luo said, "Perform well. President Chen has paid the 50 yuan penalty for your breach of contract."

Qiao Renliang nodded: "Stepmother, I know."

Qiao Renliang's contract with Orange Sky Entertainment was set to expire in a few months. Despite the upheaval at the top, Orange Sky Entertainment was still quite lenient with Chen Guiliang, releasing him after only charging him a 50 yuan penalty for breach of contract.

As for Zuo Luo, Qiao Renliang relied heavily on this agent, always calling her "Little Mom."

"Are you Qiao Renliang?" Zhang Hanyun opened the door and poked her head in.

Qiao Renliang said, "Hello."

Both of them debuted through talent shows, and surprisingly, they had a lot in common. Before long, they started whispering to each other.

Just then, a girl walked in.

She bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle as soon as they met: "Hello everyone, my name is Saka Okada. Please take care of me in the future."

"Hello."

Qiao Renliang and Zhang Hanyun quickly stood up to return the greeting, then exchanged a glance, both surprised that there were Japanese people in the company.

There were not only Japanese people, but also Koreans.

Originally, Choo Ja-hyun was supposed to sign with Qiangshi Media, but Chen Guiliang snatched her away. Today, she came to the company wearing "Pinru" clothes.

“Okay, my Chinese isn’t very good, I’m working hard to learn it,” Choo Ja-hyun said frankly.

Just like a fangirl, Zhang Hanyun exclaimed with delight, "Pinru!"

Another person walked in and waved to the crowd: "Hello everyone."

Zhang Hanyun called out again: "Chengcai!"

Chen Sicheng wasn't found by Chen Guiliang, but recommended by Chen Zhixi.

Feng Xiaogang, Teng Huatao, and their group recommended several directors of youth films, but Chen Guiliang was not very satisfied with any of them—mainly because their values ​​did not align.

Chen Zhixi said some time ago, "Chen Sicheng's self-directed and self-acted 'Love Story in Beijing' is not bad, let him direct it."

This one is barely acceptable, at least in matters of principle, his values ​​don't conflict much with Chen Guiliang's.

What kind of stuff are Feng Xiaogang and his friends recommending?
Before long, Yan Danchen also arrived.

She and Chen Guiliang have a fairly good personal relationship. For the past few years, she's only been playing supporting roles, and even with Chen Guiliang's connections, she can only get supporting roles. Since she's filming anyway, she might as well just stick with Chen Guiliang.

Chen Guiliang and Wang Wei brought Dilraba to the company, and around the same time, Chen Zhixi also arrived with Pan Yueming.

Chen Guiliang said to everyone, "Please get to know each other first. This is Mr. Wang from Tudou.com, who is also interested in film and television."

Chen Guiliang and Chen Zhixi went to another office: "How are you feeling?"

“Everything is thriving, full of vitality,” Chen Zhixi said with a smile.

Didn't we say before that Chen Zhixi invested in a ringback tone company when she was 18?
That company was later acquired by TOM Online, where Wang Erlei was the CEO at the time.

Therefore, Chen Zhixi was recommended to Chen Guiliang by Wang Erlei...

They're all connected by connections.

Chen Zhixi said, "I have high hopes for this film."

"What movie?" Chen Guiliang asked.

Chen Zhixi countered, "Boss, have you heard of 'Lost in Thailand'?"

Chen Guiliang nodded: "I've seen it."

Chen Zhixi said, "This movie could have a sequel, it would definitely make money!"

Chen Guiliang thought to himself: This woman is really amazing, no wonder she later became the chairman of Wanda Pictures.

Chen Zhixi said, "I know Xu Zheng. He wanted to make a sequel before, but it was shelved because the production company changed directors. He has his own ideas for making a sequel, and I think it's worth investing in!"

"What about copyright issues?" Chen Guiliang asked.

Chen Zhixi said, "Let's film it first and then talk about it. At worst, we'll just lose money."

Chen Guiliang said, "Your methods are too unconventional. Let's talk things over."

Chen Zhixi said, "If the copyright could be negotiated, the sequel to 'Lost in Thailand' would have been filmed long ago."

Chen Guiliang said with a serious expression, "This is not just a matter of film copyright; it also relates to the company's reputation and values. I believe we should co-invest in the film with Huaqi. We can all make money together; we can't steal other people's copyrights. There's no end to making money; there are some things I'd rather not earn."

Chen Zhixi's smile faded, but she quickly broke into one again: "President Chen, you're different from other bosses. You're a real man!"

(End of this chapter)