Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 209 The flower of wealth in the world

Inside the exquisite and luxurious "Sanyuan" private room, the heated discussion between Liu Xiangdong, Lei Jun, and Song Ci about the development of e-commerce gradually subsided.

The three people's voices changed from passionate to calm, but they all still showed a look of unfinished business.

Everyone readjusted to their original seats.

The three ladies—the gentle and charming Liu Shishi, the dignified and elegant Zhang Tong, and the capable and intellectual Gong Xiaojin—sat back down next to their men, regaining their leisure time to enjoy the food.

After taking a few bites, Liu Xiangdong gently put down his chopsticks, his eyes filled with admiration and emotion, and gave a thumbs-up to Song Dynasty poetry:

"Brother, I never imagined that you were not only so successful in portals and social networking, but also had such unique insights into e-commerce. You truly are a business prodigy."

Hearing Liu Xiangdong's praise, Liu Shishi leaned gently against Song Ci, her face beaming with pride in her boyfriend's talent.

Song Ci put on plastic gloves and skillfully peeled shrimp for Miss Liu while responding with a smile:
"The Internet is actually based on the same principle that applies to all things. It is all about user needs. Social networking and portals are no exception. They all follow the same principle."

Lei Jun nodded frequently, expressing his deep agreement: only by making good products and meeting the real needs of customers can we win the favor of the market.

The brilliant sparks that flew from his conversation with the two outstanding entrepreneurs seemed to reignite his latent entrepreneurial passion.

He leaned forward expectantly and asked, "Yes, I really benefited a lot from that very pleasant conversation."

Mr. Song, what advice do you have for starting a business? Which field do you think I'm best suited to enter right now?

Song Ci chuckled lightly, setting the tone: "First of all, ordinary traditional industries are definitely not suitable. We must keep up with the times and definitely focus on emerging internet technology fields."

Lei Jun nodded slightly upon hearing this, agreeing wholeheartedly with the assessment. The traditional industry market was already saturated and no longer suitable for further competition.

After a moment's thought, Song Ci spoke eloquently: "The Internet can be broadly divided into software and hardware."

In the software sector, giants dominate every area, including social media, e-commerce, portals, and gaming, creating a highly pronounced Matthew effect. At this point, breaking through from scratch is extremely difficult.

Liu Xiangdong listened attentively, frowned slightly, and after a moment of thought, he deeply agreed with the analysis of Song Dynasty poetry and the domestic internet landscape.

Today, the four giants, TQBA, are like four mountains blocking the path of development for all internet companies.

In terms of capital reserves, talent pool, and technological research and development, other companies are simply not on the same level as it; the difference in strength is like heaven and earth.

Lei Jun stroked his chin thoughtfully, then tentatively asked, "Does President Song mean to go into hardware?"

Song Ci nodded slightly, his gaze firm and far-reaching, and encouraged, "Yes, let's work on hardware."

Upon hearing this, Lei Jun frowned slightly, looking hesitant, and mumbled, "Brother, in the hardware field, roughly speaking, it covers categories such as computers, routers and switches, servers and storage devices, communication media, and modems."

But in each of these categories, there are established giants blocking the way, making it difficult to break through!

Song Ci remained unhurried, seemingly wanting Lei Jun to think it over first. Without stopping, he handed the peeled shrimp to Miss Liu's mouth, preparing to feed her.

When Liu Shishi saw Zhang Tong and Gong Xiaojin staring at her and covering their mouths to chuckle, her face flushed and a blush spread across her cheeks.

But she was thoroughly enjoying Song Ci's thoughtful pampering, so she finally opened her mouth slightly and obediently accepted her boyfriend's feeding.

Seeing that Lei Jun was still deep in thought, Song Ci coughed lightly and reminded him, "Mr. Lei, you forgot to mention one thing in terms of hardware: mobile devices!"

Lei Jun's body trembled slightly, his slender eyes suddenly opened, and he realized: "You mean the cell phone?"

“Yes, a mobile phone! It should be called a smartphone!” Song Ci nodded solemnly and continued:

"Since the advent of Apple smartphones, the entire mobile phone industry has been undergoing an unprecedented reshuffle, and a new era has quietly arrived."

This is a field full of opportunities and challenges. I believe that with your abilities, vision, and network, Mr. Lei, you will definitely be able to make a name for yourself in the smartphone industry.

As Lei Jun listened to these words, his fingers unconsciously tapped lightly on the table as he fell into deep thought. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the future potential of the smartphone industry was limitless and promising.

In an instant, a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes. At forty years old, he was in the prime of his life, and the passion in his heart for not being mediocre and for starting his own business was once again ignited.

Song Ci's suggestion undoubtedly coincided with his own thoughts.

Zhang Tong and Lei Jun sat side by side. The tacit understanding between the couple over the years was evident in this subtle atmosphere. She could keenly perceive from the subtle changes in Lei Jun's expression that her husband was already tempted and had the idea of ​​starting a business again.

As a virtuous wife who has been by Song Ci's side for many years, Zhang Tong smiled and said affectionately, "President Song, we appreciate your encouragement and guidance to Lao Lei in starting his own business."

But as you know, investment is paramount in the entrepreneurial journey. You've gone to such lengths to help Mr. Liu secure investment today; next time Mr. Lei needs funding, you can't just stand by and do nothing. You'll have to be extra involved.

Zhang Tong's words were very tactful. Although he didn't explicitly ask Songci to invest in Lei Jun's startup, the implication was the same: he wanted Songci to invest in Lei Jun and give him a helping hand.

It's unclear whether Song Ci was overcome by the effects of the wine, which had dispelled his usual composure and restraint, or whether he was genuinely swayed by Zhang Tong's words, which were both soft and firm.

He surprisingly offered a generous guarantee: "No problem, I will definitely invest when Mr. Lei's mobile phone company is established. Once the product is released, Tengda Group will handle the publicity and marketing."

My daughter, Shishi, could even be a spokesperson for Lei Jun's phones. In short, I fully support Lei Jun's venture into the smartphone industry.

Zhang Tong was overjoyed. She had initially had some concerns about her husband starting a new business, but now that Song Ci was fully supportive, she felt much more at ease.

In her view, with Songci and Tengda Group willing to lend a hand, her husband's chances of success in starting his business would increase by at least 30%.

Thinking of this, Zhang Tong nudged her husband with her elbow, picked up her wine glass, stood up, and said, "President Song, you are a successful entrepreneur, so your word is as good as gold."

"I took what you just said seriously. Lei and I will toast you and Shishi. It's settled then. From now on, Shishi will be the spokesperson for all of Lei's company's products."

Lei Jun was still basking in the joy of Song Ci's willingness to invest when his wife gently nudged him. He then snapped out of his reverie, quickly picked up his wine glass, and stood up with his wife, saying, "Thank you, President Song, for your trust in me!"

Song Ci and Liu Shishi, also beaming, raised their glasses in return: "Investment, after all, is about investors. Lei Jun and Dong Ge are both trustworthy entrepreneurs, and I believe my investment will definitely yield rich returns." As the youngest Fortune Global 500 company, Xiaomi Group still holds considerable investment value.

Now that there's such an opportunity to get on board, Song Ci is naturally overjoyed, and she's even helped Liu Shishi earn an endorsement for free. This is a huge win for her.

After the four sat down again, Liu Xiangdong, as the host, repeatedly urged them, "Don't just chat, everyone eat more. This Eight Treasures Chicken is a specialty here. Ladies, please try it."

In no time, glasses were clinked and toasts were exchanged, and the atmosphere at the table heated up once again.

A banquet was being held in an ordinary private room at the Chang'an Club. Although it was not as magnificent as the "Sanyuan" room, it was still decorated quite elegantly.

The private room was warmly lit, with some decorations on the walls, including a prominent banner that read "Happy Wrap-up of 'So Many Years'", and flowers and balloons on a nearby table, all exuding a celebratory atmosphere.

Several figures were seated around a round table in the middle of the private room. It turned out that the crew of "So Many Years" was holding a small wrap party.

There weren't many people attending the banquet. Besides producer Zhang Zhao and producer Zhuang Liqi, there were the male and female leads of "So Many Years," the male lead Ma Tianyu, and the host for the evening, the radiant female lead Jing Tian.

Jing Tian's female agent, Sister Zhao, was also present, handling some minor matters. In addition, Zhao Liying, who plays the female lead's classmate in the drama, was also invited because of her close relationship with Jing Tian.

As the group was talking, the waiter gently pushed open the door, and a person hurriedly stepped into the room, repeatedly apologizing, "I'm sorry I'm late!"

"Director Ma, please take your seat." Jing Tian stood up instantly, her face beaming with a bright smile, as dazzling as the female lead in a drama, and warmly greeted the director who had arrived late.

Zhuang Liqi joked, "Director Ma, you've kept everyone waiting for a long time, you'll have to punish yourself with three drinks later."

Ma Xin arrived late because he was dealing with some post-production matters. Hearing the producer's joke, he waved his hands and begged for forgiveness: "Okay, okay, I'll punish myself with three drinks. Please don't blame me for being late."

Jing Tian smiled and quickly smoothed things over, saying, "Since Director Ma was able to make time to come, how could anyone mind that you were a little late?"

This wrap party was actually something she had carefully planned. She wanted to invite a few key members of the crew to dinner, to build relationships and connections. Everyone knew exactly what was going on.

Upon hearing this, Ma Xin smiled and said, "Tian Tian is so understanding." Although the young girl was admitted through connections and her acting skills were a bit lacking, she was kind and not arrogant at all, and very likable.

Once all the guests had arrived, the agent notified the waiter to serve the dishes. Soon, one exquisite dish after another was placed on the table, making everyone's mouths water.

Smelling the enticing aroma of the food, Zhang Zhao, sitting in the main seat, couldn't help but exclaim, "Tian Tian has really gone to great lengths." He was a worldly man and knew that a trip to the Chang'an Club was not cheap.

Jing Tian, ​​dressed in a simple yet elegant pink dress, cleared her throat and spoke gently and sincerely:

"I am very grateful to everyone for your understanding and care during this time. I have grown a lot with everyone's help during my time on set."

I don't usually drink alcohol, so today I'll toast everyone with tea instead of wine, hoping our drama will be a huge success.

Before she finished speaking, Jing Tian raised her teacup first. The tea was clear and bright under the light, carrying her sincerity and blessings.

Seeing that Jing Tian was serving tea instead of wine, none of the people present had any complaints, even though he was the big spender on the play "So Many Years".

She's usually very generous, frequently giving the entire crew treats like drinks or fruit. Today, she lavishly treated everyone to a luxurious dinner; as long as she's happy and content, that's all that matters.

Seeing this, everyone responded, clinking their wine glasses or teacups together to make a crisp, pleasant sound.

As the group was enjoying their meal, the middle-aged female agent, Sister Zhao, suddenly spoke up, asking in a composed yet assertive manner:
"Mr. Zhang, does your company have any other film and television projects suitable for Tiantian? As long as the project is suitable, we can still bring our own investment to the production."

The entertainment industry is a mixed bag, and Jing Tian's family was naturally worried about her naive nature navigating it. Therefore, they specifically arranged for Sister Zhao to take care of her closely, to prevent her from getting taken advantage of in such a complex environment.

Sister Zhao has investigated some major forces in the industry, and overall, Tengda Culture has the best reputation in the industry. It has never been involved in any dirty deeds and can be considered a breath of fresh air in the entertainment industry.

Furthermore, after this collaboration, we found that the company has a truly positive work ethic, so we hope to continue our cooperation in the future, so that Jing Tian's business development and personal safety can be guaranteed.

Jing Tian also put down his teacup and looked longingly at Zhang Zhao, who was having a great time filming in the Tengda Culture production crew.

Moreover, it's widely rumored in the industry that this company is very powerful, and that making a film with them is sure to be a hit, so I'm really looking forward to our next collaboration.

As for whether the investment will make money, that's not something someone with connections and a life of luxury needs to consider.

Zhang Zhao was enjoying his meal when his eyes lit up upon hearing this. He loved investors like this who didn't seek returns but only wanted to promote him; they were true tycoons, practically giving away money.

Tengda Culture didn't spend a single penny on the entire production of "So Many Years," yet it secured 70% of the revenue solely through the copyright. Such a good thing is naturally always welcome.

"The company's filming schedule for the second half of the year is already full, but the company will be producing a lot of new films next year. If Mr. Zhao is interested in collaborating, we can come to the company another day to discuss the details."

Sister Zhao nodded. This place was indeed not the place to discuss serious matters. As long as Zhang Zhao was willing to accept the investment, everything else could be discussed slowly.

Zhao Liying, who had been quiet and well-behaved throughout the meal, almost like an invisible person, had her ears perked up and silently noted down the matter.

She secretly thought to herself that she should find an opportunity to ask Jing Tian to continue to include her in his next film.

As her thoughts wandered, a bitter feeling crept into her heart. Was it really so difficult for an ordinary person like her, who lacked resources and connections, to make it in the entertainment industry?

When she first joined Huayi Company, she was full of hope that she could make a name for herself in the entertainment industry. Little did she know that her agent was short-sighted and completely looked down on her round and adorable face. From beginning to end, he left her to her own devices and had no intention of cultivating her.

She managed to get two supporting roles in Tengda Culture's film crew through interviews, seizing opportunities in the cracks.

At this moment, Zhao Liying was already hesitating. Since Huayi completely ignored her, should she try to switch to another agency?

She was acquainted with people at Tengda Culture, and Tengda didn't have many artists to begin with. Plus, Zhang Zhao was here today, so this was a rare opportunity. She might as well recommend herself. If she could be signed by Tengda, it would be much better than just coasting along at Huayi.

Thinking of this, I mustered my courage and was about to raise my glass to toast Zhang Zhao when Director Ma Xin spoke up first: "Mr. Zhang, Mr. Zhuang, guess who I saw when I came in?"

(End of this chapter)