Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 200 Secret Competition
Jiang Tao replied leisurely, "Actually, it's not a difficult matter. In fact, for Chairman Song, it's an excellent opportunity to enhance his reputation."

I hope that Chairman Song can participate in the selection of the top ten economic figures of the year and take the time to accept an exclusive interview with the financial channel that I oversee.

The older generation of entrepreneurs don't like watching these days; their popularity is nowhere near that of your younger generation.

Song Ci was in a dilemma upon hearing this. After all, he was too young, and it seemed a bit out of place for him to compete for the title of Economic Person of the Year with senior, respected entrepreneurs.

They've been navigating the business world for decades, weathering several economic waves, accumulating countless connections and experiences.

Although he has led Tengda Group to great success in recent years, he still lacks the necessary experience and expertise.

Just as he was racking his brains for a tactful way to refuse, a sudden inspiration struck him:

"Director Jiang, it's not that I'm unwilling to help you. Our company recently donated 100 million yuan, which has made us too high-profile."

During the ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning, the leader told me to take some time to calm down, so given the current situation, I can only wait and see.

Jiang Tao was startled and subconsciously asked, "Is it the leader who inspected Tengda Group last time?"

"Yes!" Song Ci answered crisply.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Tao gasped. That leader was two ranks higher than their station director; he was a truly important figure.

Since it was the leader who spoke, he naturally couldn't refute it, but he still held a glimmer of hope and asked, "If it doesn't work this year, what about next year?"

Song Ci lowered his eyes, quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind. The era of mobile internet officially began in 09, and he should be more high-profile, lead the trend, and create momentum for Tengda Group.

After a moment's thought, he nodded and replied cautiously, "Next year is fine! I promise you I will participate in the selection of the Top Ten Economic Figures of 2009."

Jiang Tao beamed with joy, his voice tinged with excitement: "Great! It's settled then. I'm looking forward to Chairman Song shining brightly on my financial channel next year!"

After ending the call, Song Ci casually placed her phone on the table, leaned back in her chair, let out a long sigh, and rubbed her cheeks.

With everything arranged and handled by subordinates, he, as the chairman, found himself with some free time.

Since I finally had some free time, I decided to go online and check out the trending topics on Weibo.

At this time, Tenda Weibo had more than 60 million registered users and was already showing signs of becoming a major hub for entertainment industry traffic, with every trending topic on the platform receiving high attention from netizens.

The first thing you see on the trending topics page, in the most prominent column at the top, is: "1. Character photos for 'Chinese Paladin 3'".

Song Ci casually clicked on the webpage and found that it was content posted by the official account of Tangren Film and Television, where a very distinctive costume photo immediately caught her eye.

Staring at the photo, Song Ci felt a strange mix of emotions, both familiar and unfamiliar, and it was somewhat different from the one in her memory.

The actors playing Xu Changqing and Chonglou have changed, but the overall look remains the same, with that fantasy and martial arts vibe quietly overlapping with the classic image in our minds.

Looking closely at the picture, Song Ci couldn't help but smile slightly. Her beloved poet was wearing a flowing, wide-sleeved dress, looking absolutely stunning.

I thought it would be interesting to look at this photo again in ten years. Of the six main actors, five have become A-list celebrities, while Yuan Hong is slightly less successful and drags the rest of the group down.

Although Tangren Media has experienced many ups and downs and its development has been quite unsuccessful in the past two years, it is still a leading producer of period dramas, having produced many hit series such as "Chinese Paladin" and "The Little Fairy". Its legend still exists in the industry.

The official character poster for "The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3" caused a sensation as soon as it appeared on Weibo. The comment section quickly became lively, with many viewers and game fans expressing their anticipation.

"A long-time fan of the Legend of Sword and Fairy series for ten years says that the makeup and costumes are a perfect recreation of the game. Tangren Media is amazing! I support them!"

"The lead actors are so good-looking, I could drool over them!"

"Xuejian and Longkui are so beautiful. The casting is excellent; they perfectly match the characters' image and temperament."

Song Ci nodded slightly as she looked at the screen, browsing dozens of comments, almost all of them positive. She understood immediately; "Chinese Paladin 3" was generating buzz even before its release, and its ratings were sure to be phenomenal when it finally aired.

Suddenly remembering something Liu Shishi had asked him a few days ago before she left, he picked up the landline on the table and dialed an internal short number for the group.

A moment later, the call connected, and Yang Junfeng, president of Toutiao.com, spoke in a deep, respectful voice: "President Song, you wanted to see me?"

"Old Yang, there's something I need you to tell your men to do," Song Ci said calmly and directly.

"The Legend of the Condor Heroes, co-produced by Tengda Culture and Tangren Media, is about to be broadcast on satellite TV. You should ask Toutiao Entertainment to do an interview with the four main actors of The Legend of the Condor Heroes and help with the publicity and hype."

Toutiao Entertainment is the flagship section of Toutiao.com's entertainment category. Many netizens like to use it to get the latest news and gossip in the entertainment industry, and it's very effective in promoting TV dramas.

Cai Yi-nong also put a lot of effort into this tumultuous and eventful "Legend of the Condor Heroes". In order to achieve good ratings, he asked Ms. Liu to step in and beg the crew to appear on Tengda Group's popular programs for publicity.

Song Ci thought to herself that this was a small matter and it was no trouble at all, so she readily agreed and asked Yang Junfeng to make the arrangements.

Getting a few celebrities to make headlines was a piece of cake for Yang Junfeng, so he quickly agreed: "Okay, President Song!"

After assigning this task, Song Ci continued to leisurely browse the trending topics, planning to sneak away until noon to go directly to the new cafeteria in the building to try the chef's skills and also to check out the company's food standards.

Meanwhile, the six main actors of "Chinese Paladin 3" are undergoing intensive action training in Xiaobailou before filming begins.

The training was quite intense. After completing a set of movements, Yang Mi and Tang Yan were exhausted, their cheeks flushed and drenched in sweat. Their chests heaved violently, they were panting heavily, and they collapsed to the side, almost completely exhausted.

In contrast, Liu Shishi, having practiced dance since childhood and consistently engaging in yoga, possessed far superior physical fitness compared to the other two. After a training session, she only had a few fine beads of sweat on her forehead and her breathing was slightly rapid, but her overall condition remained excellent.

Looking at Yang Mi and Tang Yan, who were panting heavily, Liu Shishi couldn't help but smile slightly.

He thought to himself: "These two 'rookies' are so competitive. They gave it their all during training this morning, without even considering whether they're physically capable. If they really put up a fight, I feel like I could beat both of them by myself."

As soon as training ended, assistant Lin Xia quickly handed over a water cup and towel, saying with concern, "Senior Sister, wipe your sweat quickly, otherwise you'll easily catch a cold when the air conditioner blows on you."

Liu Shishi nodded slightly, gracefully accepted the towel, gently wiped the sweat from her forehead, then took the water cup, tilted her head back slightly and took a sip. Her every move exuded elegance, a sight to behold.

Yang Mi, who was standing nearby, felt terrible when she saw this scene, and her gums even started to itch.

She thought to herself: This Liu Shishi is always putting on airs in front of me, always putting on this elegant act, as if she's constantly mocking my figure. What's even more infuriating is that she's always surrounded by two lackeys serving her, putting on airs like she's the top star of Tangren Media. It's really infuriating.

Tang Yan and Yang Mi didn't have any assistants, so they had to pick up their own mineral water bottles, tilt their heads back, and gulp down a few mouthfuls to replenish their lost fluids and make the most of this short break, since they would have to continue training soon.

During a break, Hu Ge came over to check on the girls. Tang Yan was from the same hometown, and Yang Mi was an old acquaintance. He was worried that the two might not be able to adapt or handle the training on the first day, so he came to offer his concern.

Tangren's top star leaned slightly forward, a warm smile on his face: "Mimi, Tang Yan, how are you feeling? Tangren's training is tough, can you keep it up?"

Tang Yan felt weak all over and was too tired to speak, so she just nodded reluctantly.

The martial arts training for Tang Dynasty period dramas was more arduous than she had imagined. Although she found it extremely difficult to adapt, she gritted her teeth and persevered. She was also secretly competing with Yang Mi and Liu Shishi, determined not to be outdone and lose face.

Yang Mi glanced at Liu Shishi out of the corner of her eye and saw her calm and collected demeanor. Her competitive spirit suddenly surged up.

With her chin raised, she replied defiantly, "No problem, this little hardship is nothing to me."

Liu Shishi couldn't help but burst out laughing. Yang Mi's hand holding the mineral water bottle was trembling, yet she still stubbornly refused to admit it.

The laughter was particularly grating to Yang Mi's ears. She immediately widened her bright eyes and huffed and puffed, "Shishi, what do you mean? Are you mocking me?"

The eldest sister glanced up at the eldest brother, suppressed a laugh, waved her hand, and tried to comfort the flustered Yang Mi: "No, no. Keep going, Mi Mi, it's only a week, it'll be over soon."

Upon hearing this, Yang Mi instantly broke down, her face turning pale with fright. "What? A week of training?" she exclaimed.

In just one morning, she already felt unbearable soreness and weakness in her hands and feet, making them unresponsive. If this continued for a week, she would be skinned alive and nearly die.

Tang Yan, standing to the side, also stared wide-eyed in horror, her face filled with disbelief.

Looking at Yang Mi's ever-changing expressions, Hu Ge couldn't help but smile: "Usually, we train for three days first, and then we let everyone rest in the middle. We won't keep working non-stop."

Yang Mi and Tang Yan exchanged a glance, both looking dejected, and said in unison, "I can't even last three days."

Fearing it might dampen their spirits, Hu Ge reassured them, "Don't worry, there won't be any problems."

The martial arts instructor will tailor a gradual training process to each individual's needs. The intensity will be higher at the beginning, then gradually adjusted; you'll definitely adapt.

As they were talking, Yuan Hong and Chen Xiao strolled over and sat cross-legged on the ground with Hu Ge, joining the small rest party. The group chatted and gossiped, and the tense atmosphere of the training ground eased a little.

As the group chatted merrily, Cai Yinong arrived at the training ground. Seeing everyone gathered together in such a lively atmosphere, he walked straight over and called out, "Young men and women, what are you chatting about that makes you so happy?"

"Sister K!" "President Cai!"

Upon hearing the voice, everyone turned around, greeted the person warmly, and instinctively wanted to get up to welcome them.

Seeing this, Cai Yi-nong quickly pressed his hands down to stop him, saying, "Sit down, sit down!"

The sharp-eyed assistant, Lin Xia, quickly ran to the side, deftly brought over a stool, and invited the boss to sit down.

As soon as Cai Yi Nong sat down, he smiled at everyone and said, "I have some good news to tell you all."

"Sister K, stop keeping us in suspense and just tell us already." As Tangren's top male star, Hu Ge naturally spoke first, asking the question on everyone's mind.

The others nodded in agreement, their eyes all turning to K-sister.

Cai Yinong glanced around the crowd and said happily, "Your promotional photos have topped the trending list. The online response is very good. Netizens are very optimistic about 'Chinese Paladin 3'. It's already a little popular even before it's aired."

The Weibo trending topic feature has been online for some time now, and everyone present understands the significance of being at the top of the trending list, which means increased exposure and popularity.

Upon hearing this, Yang Mi's eyebrows relaxed and she exclaimed excitedly, "That's wonderful!" This was actually the first time she had ever been trending on social media, proving that all her hard work in securing the lead role in "Chinese Paladin 3" was worthwhile.

She had been eagerly hoping this drama would become a hit and that she would become famous. Now that she's trending on social media, it's a great start, and she feels much happier.

"That's fantastic!" Hu Ge exclaimed with delight, pumping his fist excitedly. He had been silent for a long time and needed the buzz and popularity to sweep away the gloom and regroup.

After saying that, he looked at Liu Shishi, who was smiling gently, and said, "Speaking of which, among us, it seems that only Shishi has been among the top trending topics a few times?"

Tang Yan blinked her big eyes with curiosity: "Shishi, how many times have you been trending on social media?"

Liu Shishi wrinkled her delicate nose, her slender fingers pointing at her exquisite chin, as she began to calculate earnestly:

"I've been on the Weibo charts five times in total: twice for the song 'Because of Love,' once when I was a Dove brand ambassador, once during the Tengda brand ambassadorship controversy, and once again with Sister Jing."

The crowd's eyes instantly filled with envy and admiration. Now, upon closer reflection, it turns out that the most popular among them was Tangren's top female star, Liu Shishi.

Yang Mi tilted her head and stared intently at Liu Shishi's delicate and gentle face, momentarily unable to understand her thoughts.

Why not go public with her relationship with Song Ci? If she went public with her relationship with the "national husband" and "billionaire prince", wouldn't her popularity and fame explode instantly, and she would be trending on social media every day?

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but wonder if the relationship between the two was not as good as I imagined, and that Song Ci didn't want it to be made public.

Seeing that everyone's thoughts had drifted off, Cai Yinong clapped his hands to re-attract their attention and encouraged the lead actors:

"Train hard, and once 'Chinese Paladin 3' is finished filming, I'll treat you all to a trip abroad during the New Year's holiday next year as a reward."

Upon hearing this, Yang Mi's eyes lit up, and she immediately cheered, "Long live Sister K!"

Traveling abroad is a great way to relax and unwind, and you can also take some beautiful travel photos to share on social media and gain more followers. It's such a worthwhile experience!

The others also smiled and were very happy; who wouldn't like to travel abroad for free?

Only Liu Shishi frowned slightly upon hearing this, looking preoccupied. New Year's Day was Mr. Song's birthday, and she had been planning something big.

However, since everyone was in a good mood, she didn't want to spoil the fun. There was still plenty of time, and she could figure out a solution later. She forced a smile and looked at Sister K with feigned calmness.

(End of this chapter)