Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 167 First Time
"Zhang Songwen!"

When the chairman asked the question, Zhang Zhao tried hard to recall and remembered the person.

"He is a performance teacher at Beijing Film Academy and works part-time at the company. He is a very low-key person and usually plays small roles in film crews."

Song Ci nodded and said, "2009 is the 60th anniversary of the founding of our motherland. Next year, Tengda Culture will also prepare one or two films as a tribute."

"The project preparation for 'Lurking' can begin, and Zhang Songwen will play the male lead, Yu Zecheng."

"I got it."

Although Zhang Zhao didn't know why Song Ci suddenly wanted to promote an unknown nobody, he complied with the chairman's words.

Within the Tengda Group, subordinates rarely question the chairman's decisions until the chairman has made a mistake.

Song Dynasty poetry has its own merits, and "Lurking" is a legendary classic in the spy genre with a huge influence. In its previous life, it was Sun Honglei's masterpiece that made him a legend.

But now that he has already intercepted and written "Lurking," and the copyright is in the hands of Tengda Culture, even if he is generous, he will not give away such a top-notch resource to outsiders for nothing.

Zhang Songwen is arguably a member of Tengda Culture. He devoted himself to teaching Liu Shishi acting skills some time ago, and Song Ci doesn't mind giving him a chance. As for whether he can seize the opportunity, that depends on his luck.

"Also, Wang Kai isn't currently out of work, so let him participate in 'Lurking' and move towards serious dramas."

Zhang Zhao's eyes lit up. Qiao Zhengyu and Wang Kai, one developing on the big screen and the other moving towards serious dramas, the company's two male stars competing in different directions is the way to go in the long run.

"On behalf of Wang Kai, thank you for your concern."

Song Ci waved her hand, "Actually, I didn't approve of Wang Jing doing artist management back then. It's not only hard work, but if resources are not allocated well, it can easily cause artists to complain. Over the years, Tengda Culture has been doing the same four artists."

Fearing that his boss might act impulsively and cut off the artist management business, Zhang Zhao quickly spoke up:
"President Song, the company also has signed new talents. Have you forgotten? Chen Xiao, the male lead of 'Orange Born in Huainan,' is a good prospect. However, the Central Academy of Drama has strict management, and he currently spends most of his time in school."

Even with him included, five people isn't a lot.

Zhang Zhao defended himself, saying, "The company follows an elite route. Excluding the newly joined Chen Xiao, the other four are doing quite well in their careers!"
Currently, Qiao Zhengyu is in a league of his own. Once Wang Luodan and the other two rise in status, the company will continue to bring in fresh talent.

Since his subordinates already had a plan, Song Ci didn't say anything more. He had just spoken on a whim. In the entertainment industry, following Fan Bingbing's pioneering solo venture, many artists will establish their own studios in the coming years.

When the vehicle arrived at the China Hotel, it was surrounded by luxury cars, creating a lively scene. Many paparazzi were also taking photos outside, looking for news material.

Song Ci's bodyguard Tang Yue and two other security personnel followed closely behind their boss's Maybach.

Upon arrival at their destination, Tang Yue and his two henchmen quickly got out of the car and stood in front of the restaurant. After Song Ci's Maybach came to a stop, Tang Yue swiftly stepped forward and opened the car door.

After the car door was opened, Zhang Zhao got out first and then stood aside with Tang Yue to wait for the chairman.

As soon as Song Ci got off the train, a wave of heat hit him. He unbuttoned the collar of his shirt to let some air in. The weather in Beiping in September was still quite hot, and he felt uncomfortable wearing a suit.

"Old Tang and I will go in together. The rest of you can stay outside."

The Bazaar Charity Night, initiated by Su Mang, president of the fashion group, was founded in 2003 and is the first charity event in China founded by a magazine and held annually.

This year marks the fifth edition. As Su Mang has improved the event over the years, the charity's influence has gradually become apparent, attracting celebrities, entrepreneurs, and social elites to participate actively.

When Zhang Zhao led Song Ci into the waiting area for the red carpet at the gala, Su Mang, who is known as a fashion icon, was still making final arrangements at the gala, checking for any omissions and ensuring that there would be no oversights in the charity event.

After rearranging a few more place cards, Su Mang smiled smugly. She had arranged several top actresses from the entertainment industry at one table, and the actresses would inevitably compete to outshine each other, ensuring that the charity event would generate a lot of buzz tonight.

Just then, the assistant rushed in, panting heavily, and said hurriedly, "President Su, Song, Song Ci is here. The front team asked me to inform you."

"Who's here?" The assistant's words were broken and Su Mang couldn't hear them clearly at first.

The female assistant patted her chest to calm her rapid breathing: "Song Ci is the chairman of Tengda Group, one of the top ten richest people!"

"Really!" Su Mang looked surprised, then his face lit up with joy.

She sent out invitations to Song Ci on a whim, but unexpectedly received a pleasant surprise.

With a business tycoon like Song Ci attending the gala, the reputation of the Harper's Bazaar Charity Gala will undoubtedly be elevated to a new level.

"Where are the name cards for Song Ci?" Su asked hurriedly after scanning the room.

The assistant answered quietly, "It's been put away."

After sending out the invitations, they received no reply and never expected that a big shot like Song Ci would come tonight.

Su Mang glared at his assistant and criticized him with dissatisfaction, "What kind of work are you doing? Hurry up and get it."

Watching his assistant's hurried departure, he shook his head helplessly, then became troubled again about how to arrange the seats.

She had originally intended to arrange for Song Ci to be placed at the table with the big flowers, but then she thought that would be too hasty.

Logically speaking, someone who is young and successful should enjoy having beautiful women by his side, and many big shots have this taste.

But this man is different. Since he made it onto the rich list, he has kept a low profile and almost never appears in public. No one knows anything about his character or conduct.

What if the other party thinks too highly of themselves and believes that putting him at the same table as several female celebrities lowers his status? Wouldn't that be offending someone for no reason?

Just as Su was hesitating, his assistant came running back like a gust of wind with a place card in hand.

After a moment's thought, Su hurriedly placed Song Ci's place card in the best seat at the front row, in the middle.

After careful consideration, I took several place cards from the next table and made a major adjustment before nodding in satisfaction, thinking that the other party should be happy with this arrangement.

Outside the venue, when Song Ci followed Zhang Zhao to the waiting area, some celebrities had already begun walking the red carpet to enter.

Harper's Bazaar truly lives up to its reputation as the most bustling charity event; Song Ci looked around and saw celebrities and socialites everywhere.

Leaving aside the entertainment industry, all four leading actresses and two popular actresses (except Xu Jinglei) are present. On the male side, top-tier stars like Chen Kun, Huang Xiaoming, and Qiao Zhengyu, all currently enjoying immense popularity, are here. In addition, several producers and directors have also come to support them.

The business world, the sports world, and even some well-known figures from the hosting industry all came to join in the fun, making it a truly rare gathering of celebrities. "When would be a good time for us to enter?" Song Ci asked Zhang Zhao beside her.

He's not a celebrity vying for status or insisting on being the finale, but since he's never walked the red carpet before, I'd still like to ask what the usual procedures are.

"Celebrities will take photos at the autograph wall for a while. After the previous group finishes walking the red carpet, you can just follow them in. There is no fixed order of appearance."

"Since that's the case, I'm not waiting anymore. I'll go in next time. By the way, Lao Zhang, should I find a female companion?"

Unexpectedly, even the usually calm and capable chairman has moments of hesitation. Zhang Zhao smiled and said, "It depends on your own wishes. I think if you need a female companion, none of the actresses present would refuse you!"

However, it wouldn't be appropriate for the two of us men to walk the red carpet together; that would be too awkward. If you don't want to wait, you can go ahead first, and I'll catch up later.

"No need then, I'll go first, you can do as you please." Song Ci breathed a sigh of relief. If he had a female companion, he could imagine that he would definitely be the headline of entertainment news tomorrow.

When word gets to Hengdian, Miss Liu will be incredibly jealous. She greeted Zhang Zhao and stepped onto the red carpet.

Today, Song Ci wore a well-tailored dark gray Brioni haute couture suit and walked slowly down the red carpet, looking like a male protagonist who stepped out of a comic book, exuding masculine charm with every step.

His suit was impeccably tailored with clean lines, perfectly outlining his tall and slender figure and long legs. The dark gray fabric gleamed with a subtle yet sophisticated sheen under the light, complementing his gentle and refined demeanor.

A few wisps of hair fell gently across her forehead, and the top button of her inner shirt was undone, adding a touch of unruliness and casualness.

The Song Dynasty poems stood out so much that they immediately captured the attention of the reporters present. In an instant, flashes went off and camera shutters clicked incessantly.

"Who is this newly debuted star? He's so handsome!" A female reporter asked her colleagues while taking pictures.

"Wow, that aura, that looks, it's been a long time since the entertainment industry has seen a newcomer with such top potential."

"It looks familiar, like I've seen it somewhere before, but I can't quite place it."

Before that, Song Ci kept a low profile while studying at Peking University, never giving any media interviews, and very few photos of her circulated online.

Most of the attendees at the Bazaar Charity Gala were celebrities from the entertainment industry, so the reporters present were mostly entertainment journalists.

Many entertainment reporters were surprised that the usually low-profile tycoon would suddenly appear here, and they were unable to recognize Song Ci's identity for a while.

Song Ci walked calmly on the red carpet. When she arrived at the autograph wall, the person in front of her on the red carpet was Li Xiang, a famous host from Hunan TV. She was lifting her skirt as she walked into the inner area.

Clearly uninterested in signing Song Ci, he strode past the signature wall and arrived at the banquet hall ahead of Li Xiang.

Guided to her seat by the staff, Song Ci looked at the place card and found it interesting. To her left was the famous star Fan Bingbing, and to her right was Zhang Zhao.

Next, to Zhang Zhao's right were Zhao Zhetian and Zhou Xun, and to Fan Bingbing's left were Qiao Zhengyu and Huang Xiaoming. They sat down in their seats and waited for the charity event to begin.

Fan Bingbing wore a fuchsia haute couture gown, her long, wavy hair cascading over her shoulders, looking stunning and elegant. She walked the red carpet with Qiao Zhengyu today, taking the opportunity to promote her new drama, "My Love from the Star."

When the two found their seats, Qiao Zhengyu stepped forward first and gentlemanly pulled out a bench for Fan Bingbing. Halfway through the action, he looked down and noticed the person next to him, and immediately exclaimed, "Chairman Song, you're here too?"

Hearing Qiao Zhengyu's words, Fan Bingbing's eyes lit up. When she entered the venue, she saw a man's back and was wondering who the organizers had arranged for her to sit at the head of the table. It turned out to be Song Ci, the chairman of Tengda Group. What a pleasant surprise!
Ever since seeing Song Ci's super luxury mansion in Tomson Riviera, Fan Bingbing has been racking her brains, trying to figure out how to get on Song Ci's good side.

I never expected to run into him at the charity gala tonight, and he even sat next to me. It was like finding a needle in a haystack, only to have him come to me effortlessly.

A startled cry interrupted Song Ci, who was lost in thought. Looking in the direction of the sound, she saw Qiao Zhengyu and Fan Bingbing standing beside her.

Seeing that Qiao Zhengyu was a little reserved, he waved his hand and said, "Oh, it's you guys. Please sit down."

Fan Bingbing sat down gracefully, subtly shifting the chair slightly to the right, and smiled charmingly.

"Chairman Song, it's been a long time! I was wondering why I saw magpies perched on branches when I went out today. Turns out, I was going to run into you."

Song Ci smiled and nodded without saying a word, appearing somewhat aloof.

Fan Bingbing didn't take it seriously. She had plenty of patience. The man beside her was a super big spender, and she was determined to seize the opportunity to make contact with him today.

Just as he was about to continue speaking, Zhou Xun and Zhao Zhetian quietly arrived hand in hand, followed by Huang Xiaoming, the top star of Huayi Brothers.

Zhou Xun and Zhao Zhetian were having a private conversation when Zhou Xun nodded to Qiao Zhengyu, while Fan Bingbing pretended not to see it. Because the venue was dimly lit, neither of them recognized Song Ci.

Huang Xiaoming, however, was very enthusiastic and tried to smooth things over, greeting with a smile, "Bingbing, Zhengyu, has your new drama wrapped up filming?"

"Filming has wrapped. Let me introduce you all, this is Chairman Song of Tengda Group!"

Fan Bingbing was overjoyed to see that the three of them did not recognize Song Ci, and introduced him very enthusiastically, as if he were very familiar with Boss Song.

Huang Xiaoming then turned his gaze to the man next to Fan Bingbing, saw the name card, and instantly realized what was happening, turning pale with shock.

"Hello, Chairman Song! Please forgive my poor eyesight; I didn't recognize you just now!"

Zhou Xun and Zhao Zhetian were startled by the voice, and only then did they belatedly recognize Song Ci. They quickly stood up and greeted him, "Hello, Chairman Song. We didn't recognize you just now. Please forgive us."

"We're all meeting for the first time, no need to be so polite!" Song Ci replied calmly, without any joy or anger. After speaking, she shook hands with the three of them, which was considered a formal introduction.

Seeing Song Ci's calm demeanor, the group breathed a sigh of relief and sat down awkwardly.

Zhao Zhetian glanced at Fan Bingbing meaningfully. He never expected that the little maid from back then would also have a big investor back her up. It turned out that Song Ci was backing her up. No wonder she dared to part ways with Huayi and start her own business, and even filmed a big production with Tengda Culture's investment of 50 million.

Boss Song is one of the top ten richest people, even more so than Jack Ma behind me. Jin Suo is truly cunning and resourceful! She's no less shrewd than I am.

After some pleasantries, Zhang Zhao arrived late. Apart from Song Ci, the group engaged in another flurry of greetings.

Although he is not as powerful as Boss Song, he is still the head of Tengda Culture, a giant in the entertainment industry, and not someone that several celebrities can afford to offend.

Several celebrities entered later, and the charity gala officially began a few minutes after Zhang Zhao arrived.

(End of this chapter)