Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 245 Getting started
In the study of Jingyuan Villa, warm yellow light softly shone down as Liu Shishi sat in front of the computer, browsing Weibo.

His eyes were glued to the constantly refreshing, densely packed comments and reposts on the screen, closely monitoring the development of the situation.

Song Ci, sitting next to me, is typing away on his laptop, intently writing his new book, "The Great Tang Dynasty".

Sometimes inspiration flows freely, and the keyboard is pounded with lightning speed, with brilliant ideas flowing from the fingertips; other times, the writer is lost in deep thought, with a slight furrow in his brow, as if he is carefully crafting the plot and characters.

In the quiet study, the two did their own thing, keeping each other company without disturbing each other, just like when they used to dance and read together, it was very warm and harmonious.

Before she knew it, it was 10 p.m. Song Ci saved the completed manuscript and stopped writing.

He yawned softly, got up to stretch his stiff muscles from sitting for so long, and slowly walked up behind Liu Shishi.

He leaned down and put his arm around her shoulder, his head intimately pressed against her earlobe, a delicate fragrance wafting into her nostrils: "Are you still looking at Weibo? Have you thought about how to respond to Huang Shengyi?"

Liu Shishi turned her pretty face to the side and kissed her fiancé's handsome cheek. At this moment, her brows were relaxed, and there was no trace of her previous worry. Instead, she was relaxed and happy.

"Honey, I think I don't need to reply anymore!"

"what happened?"

Ms. Liu's eyes curved into crescent moons as she happily explained, "Director Huang came out to clarify things for me, and everyone else is also speaking up for me. Lin Yichen and An Yixuan have both backed down and deleted their recent Weibo posts."

Only Huang Shengyi remained stubbornly obstinate, continuing to hold on, until she was rendered speechless by her fans' rebuttals. She eventually shut down her Weibo comments and adopted an ostrich-like approach.

After listening to Liu Shishi's explanation, Song Ci pondered for a moment and instantly understood why things had taken such a sharp turn for the worse.

When celebrities clash on Weibo, it's not about who speaks first or who has the most words; what matters in this world is talent and connections.

Although he hadn't officially announced his relationship with Ms. Liu, many people in the industry knew about it. Naturally, some smart people would know what to do at this time. Opportunities like posting on Weibo to show support, which were cost-free and could win Liu Shishi's favor, were rare.

Who are speaking out for you?

Liu Shishi looked excited and started counting on her fingers: "There are so many! Not to mention old acquaintances like Lao Hu and Sister Yanni, even Tong Dawei, whom I just met this morning, spoke up for me. Yi Yi, I'm quite popular!"

Song Ci chuckled and patted his fiancée's head: "Silly girl, Tong Dawei is hoping you can help him get the lead role in 'Du Lala's Promotion Diary'."

Aside from Hu Ge and Yan Ni, a few friends you've known since your early days who might genuinely care about you, the others are just trying to ride your coattails.

If you blossom, the gentle breeze will come. As long as I'm here, you'll always be surrounded by good people.

Liu Shishi was taken aback. After thinking about it carefully, she realized that Song Ci's words made sense. She then pouted and said, "Yes, yes, Mr. Song, you are the best!"

Actually, I understand that once Director Huang came forward to clarify, the matter was basically over. The others were just going with the flow, doing superficial work. But seeing so many people praising me still makes me very happy.

Song Ci nuzzled Liu's earlobe, the two whispering sweet nothings: "Just be happy. You're starting to gain influence now."

People in the entertainment industry are smart. After this incident, everyone will probably see through the situation and no one will be foolish enough to cause you trouble again. May flowers and applause accompany you, and may you always be happy.

Hearing her fiancé's blessings and wishes, Liu Shishi was deeply moved and murmured, "My dear, you are so wonderful. How could I have met you when I was so young? I am so lucky."

After a moment of tenderness, Song Ci, inhaling the delicate fragrance of his fiancée's hair, felt an irrepressible surge of desire rising within him: "Poetry Darling, the spring night is too short."

Liu Shishi's eyes were also filled with seductive allure, and her breathing became rapid: "Love me!"

Song Ci gently bent down, picked up Miss Liu and carried her to the bedroom.

Liu Shishi nestled in Song Ci's arms, her hands around his neck, her pretty face flushed, her eyes filled with a mixture of shyness and sweetness, making her look exceptionally beautiful under the warm yellow light.

The next morning, just as dawn broke, Liu Shishi, accompanied by her assistant Jiang Yuanyuan, arrived at the Huairou Film and Television Base again. A group of reporters swarmed around her, surrounding her at the entrance of the film set.

The reporters shouted urgently, eager to dig out some juicy gossip.

"Liu Shishi, what is your opinion on Huang Shengyi's long blog post accusing you yesterday?"

"Shishi, you haven't responded on Weibo yet. Is that a silent form of contempt for Huang Shengyi?"

"Rumor has it that you have close ties with senior executives of Tengda Group, which is why a group of artists from Tengda Culture stood up to support you last night. Is that true?"

This was the first time Liu Shishi had encountered such a sudden interview. Surrounded by reporters with their cameras and microphones, she found it difficult to even move an inch, let alone escape. She immediately became flustered.

Jiang Yuanyuan desperately shielded her mistress behind her, using her arms to block the microphones and cameras reaching out from around them to prevent any accidents from happening to the leading lady.

Several security personnel at the film set's entrance noticed the chaotic situation and immediately stepped forward to help. The director had previously instructed that if any media came to interview and disrupted the normal order of the film crew, they should be asked to leave.

Several security guards quickly parted the crowd, clearing a path for the celebrities surrounded by reporters.

After a flurry of activity, with the help of her assistant and security guards, Liu Shishi finally broke through the encirclement and escaped the reporters' entanglement, slipping into the production base.

"I was terrified! These reporters are crazy! How did they know I was on set?" The actress was still shaken and had lingering fears. The scene just now was indeed a bit frightening.

Jiang Yuanyuan was panting heavily, her clothes were somewhat disheveled, and her hair was a little messy.

"They've probably been waiting at the door since early this morning! Shishi, next time you go out, you should wear a hat and mask. Those reporters are reckless; if something happens, I won't be able to explain it to President Song."

The woman nodded vigorously. She learned her lesson and would have to be fully armed and try to hide her identity whenever she went out in the future.

Liu Shishi and her assistant finally managed to squeeze into the film crew safely, while someone in a van not far from the door had witnessed the entire scene.

"Is she one of the female protagonists in last night's Weibo war?"

When asked by her agent, Zhang Ziyi nodded slightly: "Yes, she is Liu Shishi. She has risen very quickly in the past two years and is quite popular now." "Speaking of which, we should thank her. Yesterday's incident was a lifesaver for you. The heat of the beach incident has finally subsided, and netizens' attention is all on Liu Shishi and Huang Shengyi."

Ji Lingling, Zhang Ziyi's agent, has been very distressed lately.

A few days ago, intimate photos of her artist and her foreign businessman boyfriend on vacation at the beach were exposed, causing a great uproar online. Various websites, forums, and social media platforms reposted the photos, keeping the topic trending.

This has had a huge impact on the positive image that Zhang Ziyi has been painstakingly cultivating. He has been trying to suppress the heat, but the effect is minimal and the heat continues to grow.

Unexpectedly, the drama surrounding yesterday's role-stealing incident successfully overshadowed the beach incident, and the focus was successfully shifted, truly proving the saying "a chance encounter can lead to unexpected success."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ziyi breathed a sigh of relief. No one wants their revealing photos to be constantly criticized by netizens and become fodder for gossip.

"This young lady has a powerful background. You can tell the whole story from just one glimpse. Last night, she managed to get half of the entertainment industry to voice their support for her, which shows she has a lot of influence. You can try to get to know her while you're filming on set these days and find out more about her."

As Ji Lingling spoke, a hint of inquiry appeared in her eyes.

In the complex environment of the entertainment industry, connections and background often determine the height of an artist's development. He was very curious about the power behind Liu Shishi.

Although Zhang Ziyi was proud and unwilling to take the initiative to contact a newcomer who had suddenly appeared, she reluctantly agreed when she saw that her agent was speaking seriously: "I understand."

Ji Lingling pushed up her slightly drooping glasses and asked with a deep gaze, "What have you thought about what I mentioned last time?"

Zhang Ziyi's expression turned serious: "It's fine for us to start a film and television company together. But in recent years, my focus has been on overseas development, unlike Fan Bingbing who has extensive connections in China."

In film and television production, simply investing money isn't enough; to assemble a production team, you need the support of several large companies.

"You don't need to worry about that. With Fan Bingbing setting an example, I think that as long as you are willing to start a company, companies like Huayi, Bona, and Guangxian will be willing to invest in you."

Ji Lingling was confident. He knew the thoughts and interests of these large companies like the back of his hand. He felt that with Zhang Ziyi's fame and status, it would be easy for her to bring film and television companies on board.

Zhang Ziyi hesitated: "Actually, I would still prefer to cooperate with Tengda Culture. Firstly, they have experience in operating studio-type models, and secondly, they have a good reputation in the industry and are very trustworthy."

“Tengda Culture has already partnered with Fan Bingbing, so how much resources can they offer to support you? If you value your reputation, Enlight Media is also a good choice, and Wang Changtian is a fairly upright person.”

Ji Lingling was trying her best to persuade her artist. The reason he didn't consider cooperating with Tengda Culture was partly because, as she had just said, and partly because she was secretly competing with Fan Bingbing's agent, Mu Xiaoguang.

They were all agents of top actresses, and they saw that the other party was doing very well, making a fortune with the drama "My Love from the Star" and her studio was thriving.

Ji Lingling felt that her abilities and connections were no less than Mu Xiaoguang's, so she was unwilling to fall behind. Therefore, she kept urging Zhang Ziyi to start a company like Fan Bingbing, hoping to compete with him in the business world.

"Let's let it get some exposure to the light first." After some thought, Zhang Ziyi finally decided to take her agent's advice. She didn't have much of her own opinion when it came to her career, and in most cases, she relied on Lingling to make the decisions.

Upon hearing Zhang Ziyi's agreement, Ji Lingling's heart burned with excitement, and she confidently assured her, "Don't worry about me. I'll handle everything. If Fan Bingbing can do it, so can we."

“Then let’s arrange it this way. While the reporters’ attention is all on Liu Shishi right now, I’ll go to the set. Otherwise, it would be troublesome to be stuck at the door.”

After speaking, Zhang Ziyi glanced out the car window and, seeing that no one was paying attention to her, quickly put on a baseball cap and mask, opened the car door, got out of the car, and hurried off to the film set with her assistant.

Inside the film crew, the atmosphere was completely different from yesterday when no one paid any attention to them.

Liu Shishi clearly felt that the crew was much more enthusiastic, and even some staff members she didn't know took the initiative to greet her.

The first sister almost thought she was back on the set of Tangren Film and Television. The feeling of being the center of attention and being valued by everyone made her feel a little dazed.

"Hello, Teacher Liu!" "Good morning, Teacher Liu!"

Despite the enthusiasm of the crew, Liu Shishi maintained a polite smile and nodded in response from time to time, demonstrating her good manners and approachability.

Jiang Yuanyuan clicked her tongue in amazement and muttered to herself, "Shishi, these people are so pragmatic. Their attitude today is completely different from yesterday."

"It's only natural. After all, Director Huang spoke up for me yesterday. The director is the highest authority in the entire crew. People are being so enthusiastic because of Director Huang. I need to thank the director properly later."

When Liu Shishi and her assistant arrived at yesterday's rest area, Deng Chao and Tong Dawei were already there, silently reciting their lines and studying the script. Upon seeing Liu Shishi, the two greeted her with smiles.

Tong Dawei greeted her with a warm and friendly smile: "Shishi's here! Have you had breakfast yet?"

Deng Chao glanced at Tong Dawei suspiciously, wondering to himself that he was being a little too enthusiastic today.

Tong Dawei noticed Deng Chao's expression out of the corner of his eye, but didn't seem to care at all. He had told his agent about the news regarding "Go Lala Go!" yesterday.

Wong Jing-hua was incredibly resourceful; he found out everything about the show in half a day. When he returned to his hotel that evening, he had already received the script. After carefully studying it, he discovered that the script was of high quality and had the potential to be a huge hit.

Moreover, Wang Jinghua told him that the female lead in this drama has a lot of influence, and Liu Shishi has a powerful background. If he could get a recommendation, he would have a great chance of getting the male lead role.

Therefore, after Huang Jianxin issued a clarification yesterday, he was the first to jump out on Weibo to support Liu Shishi.

"I ate at home. Thank you for last night, Brother Dawei." After Song Ci's reminder, Liu Shishi was well aware of Tong Dawei's enthusiasm, but since he was all smiles, she naturally had to reciprocate.

When the Weibo controversy of last night was mentioned, Deng Chao immediately became embarrassed. Several female leads from the "Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre" drama crew made trouble for Liu Shishi, and as the male lead of the drama, he was in a delicate situation.

It's not appropriate to take a stance here; siding with either side is unsuitable, so I can only play the ostrich. Now, facing the person involved, I can only offer a silly smile and brush it off.

Tong Dawei waved his hand: "It's nothing, don't worry about it. Huang Shengyi made a mistake herself, how can she put the blame on you? I was just speaking up for justice."

He glanced at Deng Chao, and without trying to hide it, continued, "Shishi, brother, I have a favor to ask you, it's about the movie 'Du Lala's Promotion Diary' that you mentioned yesterday."

I asked my agent yesterday, and the male lead hasn't been cast yet. Could you help me get in touch with the production team? Whether it works out or not, I'll owe you a favor.

(End of this chapter)