Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 281: Thinking Dirty

On the screen, Song Ci speaks eloquently, her gentle voice telling tales of love as flowing as a gentle stream, each word weaving a romantic dream.

Li Hong was filled with longing and couldn't help but feel envious of Mrs. Song, whom she had never met. She thought that she would be very happy to meet a man like Song Ci.

After calming herself down, she continued, "Mr. Song, another netizen asked you what your hobbies are?"

Halfway through the interview, the slightly reserved atmosphere had dissipated, and Song Ci opened up, becoming more relaxed and casual, leaning back on the sofa and crossing her legs.

"I'm a bit of a homebody. When I have free time, I stay home and write novels and screenplays. Occasionally, when I feel like it, I'll write songs."

"You can write songs?" Li Hong asked in surprise. She was well-known as a famous writer and screenwriter of Song Dynasty poetry, but this was the first time she had ever heard of her writing songs.

"I've written a lot, but only four or five have been published."

"You've even released songs?" Li Hong couldn't help but confirm again, her tone full of disbelief.

Song Ci nodded slightly, taking the opportunity to promote her own product: "It's available on Qianqian Music website. It was released under my pen name back then. My wife used to like it and recorded it for fun."

The richest man sings! Li Hong found the thought amusing: "Which songs have you released? I'll have to go listen to them later."

"There are three songs that everyone is familiar with: 'The Wind Rises,' 'A Little Happiness,' and 'Universal Gravitation.'"

"These songs are all your works?" Li Hong looked incredulous, her eyes wide with surprise.

These three songs have become widely popular, with numerous classic covers emerging, while the original singers have been overlooked.

If this topic hadn't been brought up today, she wouldn't have realized that these popular songs were actually written by Song Dynasty poets.

Seeing the host's utter shock, Song Ci looked helpless: "It is indeed my work. 'The Wind Rises' is a song I sang at the freshman welcome party when I went to Peking University."

"Universal Gravitation" was composed at the military training bonfire party, while "A Little Happiness" was specially created for my wife's eighteenth birthday.

I used to have quite a few fans, but after all the cover versions came out, people have forgotten about me, the original singer.

Hearing this, Liu Shishi looked at the screen and saw her husband's helpless expression as he talked about how the original version couldn't beat the cover version, and chuckled softly.

She knew the reason for the situation: a few years ago, piracy of movies and music was rampant online and could not be stopped despite repeated bans.

Mr. Song has always been open-minded, thinking that it's better to share joy than to enjoy it alone, so he simply let netizens freely cover the songs.

In addition, since he was not a professional singer and his singing quality was just average, he was quickly overshadowed by some excellent cover versions.

Several years have passed, and apart from some loyal fans of Song Ci, most netizens are unaware that the original singer of several songs was actually the richest man in China.

"Ah!" Li Jinming, who was standing to the side, seemed to remember something and couldn't control his emotions, so he exclaimed.

"Jin Ming, what's wrong with you? Why are you so unsteady!" Seeing her friend's overreaction, Deng Jiajia was afraid that Liu Shishi would dislike her, so she quickly nudged her with her elbow, her eyes full of warning and reproach.

Seeing the three of them looking at him with suspicion, Li Jinming blushed and explained with an embarrassed smile:

"Oh, I suddenly remembered that Senior Sister's ringtone is actually the Song Dynasty version of 'The Wind Rises'. When I first heard the ringtone, I was wondering why I had never heard this version before."

Liu Shishi glanced at Li Jinming, thinking that she was quite thoughtful: "Yes, I'm a fan of Song Dynasty poetry. Is there a problem with using the original version of 'The Wind Rises' as my ringtone?"

Li Jinming shrank back, secretly thinking to the female lead, "You're a fan of Song Ci? Then why did you say he's just a handsome guy? Are you blind?!"

Deng Jiajia tried to smooth things over: "Jin Ming, please be quiet in the back. Don't disturb everyone's viewing of the program. The host is talking again."

The group's attention returned to the screen, and Li Hong exclaimed in amazement, "Your talent is as breathtaking as your appearance."

You possess good looks, wealth, talent, and even love; God has truly favored you. I especially want to ask you, in your more than twenty years of life's journey, have there been any unforgettable setbacks?

“Setbacks?” Song Ci pondered for a long time but couldn’t recall encountering any setbacks. “Well, it seems not at the moment.”

Li Hong revealed an expression of "I knew it": "A netizen summarized your experiences over the years! President Song, you were born into a family of highly educated intellectuals, became famous at a young age, and were already a well-known young writer at the age of fifteen."

He entered Peking University at the age of seventeen as the top scholar in Beiping (Beijing), and founded Tengda Company in the same year. Just one year later, he made it onto the rich list. Last October, he retained his title as the richest man in mainland China.

Such a remarkable life journey is truly unimaginable; it's practically a legendary tale, a template for a novel's male protagonist.

As the host recounted his exaggerated life story with great familiarity, Song Ci humbly said, "I may be a little clever, but the rise of Tengda Group is also due to the development of the country's economic construction."

Moreover, there are many cases in the business world like mine of people achieving early success, such as Mr. Lei Jun, who earned his first million while coding in college.

Li Hong dismissed the examples cited by Song Ci, saying that there were very few people his age who could be like him: "You are definitely the youngest and most outstanding among them."

The interview lasted a full hour and a half, and the four girls watched with great interest, not even noticing when their assistant brought them lunch.

"It's almost one o'clock, hurry up and eat, we'll be filming soon." Liu Shishi called to the three of them and handed over the boxed lunch that Lin Xia had brought.

Li Jinming took the lunchbox, his face still showing lingering enjoyment, completely absorbed in the program he had just watched: "Song Ci is so handsome and talented. It would be so great if he entered the entertainment industry! It would be even better if I could act with him once."

"What are you thinking? The richest man entering the entertainment industry?"

Lou Yixiao's expression as if he were looking at an idiot infuriated Li Jinming, who retorted defiantly, "He wasn't the richest man to begin with. If a talent scout had discovered him earlier, they might have tricked him into the entertainment industry."

“He has never been interested in the entertainment industry. In 04, Sister Sun Li wanted him to join Tangren Media, but he refused outright.” Liu Shishi said while eating lunch and scrolling through Weibo on her phone.

Everyone has a gossipy nature, and the three women asked one after another, "Senior Sister, how did you know about this?"

Liu Shishi paused slightly in her chopsticks, realizing she had just let something slip, but she remained calm and composed, responding without changing her expression:
"I also heard Sister Li mention it. She once met Song Ci, who was traveling in Hengdian. She was amazed by his appearance and wanted to recruit him into Tangren Media. Unfortunately, the proud son of Peking University looked down on the entertainment industry."

Although the three had many questions in their hearts, they didn't press the matter because they saw that the eldest sister buried her head in her rice after speaking and refused to say another word.

After lunch, it was time for the afternoon filming. The four of them put on their thick, warm coats again, got out of the warm RV one by one, and headed to the film studio.

Deng Jiajia deliberately slowed down, quietly pulling Li Jinming a few steps behind Liu Shishi, and whispered a reminder: "Jinming, be careful in the future, don't mention Song Ci's name in front of Liu Shishi."

Li Jinming stared with his big, bright eyes: "Why?"

Deng Jiajia cautiously glanced at the leading lady in front of her, and seeing that she had already strode ahead and put some distance between herself, she said with relief, "Jin Ming, you do have some cleverness, but not much! Didn't you notice that Liu Shishi and Song Ci's relationship is unusual?"

"Oh, I didn't notice! Jiajia, tell me quickly, what's so special about the two of them?"

"Keep your voice down!"

Li Jinming quickly lowered his voice: "Just tell me already!"

Deng Jiajia paused, piecing together the details she had witnessed in her mind:

"I remember the first time I met Liu Shishi, she was wearing a wedding ring on the ring finger of her left hand. I compared it and found that the ring and the wedding ring on Song Ci's finger were a match!"

Li Jinming quickly covered his mouth, afraid that he would scream out of shock. He stood there stunned for a long time, trying to process the astonishing news.

However, she immediately questioned, "It's just the same ring; maybe it's a coincidence!"

Deng Jiajia glared at her friend with disdain: "Do you think I'm like you, making a fuss over the slightest thing?"

Let me finish. Of course, that's not all. Have you ever noticed that Liu Shishi's phone screen saver and background photos are all Song Dynasty poems?

Li Jinming blushed slightly: "What's wrong with that? I used to have a lot of pictures of Song Dynasty poems on my phone. Maybe Liu Shishi likes handsome men as much as I do?"

"You really love looking at handsome men, but Liu Shishi doesn't, or at least not entirely. The backgrounds of the photos of Song Ci on her phone are very particular; the screensaver should be a picture of Song Ci working in her office."

The desktop background image is even more amazing; it's clearly taken in a place like a study at home, and all the photos are close-ups. Those photos have definitely never appeared online before.

Li Jinming's mouth was slightly open, and he was full of admiration for his friend's thoughtfulness.

At this moment, Deng Jiajia was channeling Sherlock Holmes and confidently deduced: "Combined with some other details, as well as Liu Shishi's expression and tone when she talked about Song poetry, I have come to two conclusions."

Li Jinming couldn't wait any longer and shook her best friend's arm: "What's the conclusion? Jiajia, tell me quickly!"

"The first possibility is that Liu Shishi and Song Ci were lovers! So although Liu Shishi had a wedding ring, she didn't dare to wear it often."

Because of her awkward position, she could only wear it occasionally to satisfy her craving and fantasize about becoming Song Ci's legitimate wife.

Li Jinming shook his head, feeling his worldview crumbling: "No way! Tangren's top female star is the richest man's mistress!"
"Song Ci loved his wife very much! Impossible, absolutely impossible. I don't think Song Ci's devotion was feigned."

"Silly girl, all men are fickle. Do you really think that a big shot like the richest man would be faithful to one woman forever?"

Think about it. With Song Ci's face, how many women would be willing to rush towards him like moths to a flame? How much of a test must he usually endure? Young people are full of vigor, can they resist?
However, if you really don't want to believe it, there's a second possibility: Liu Shishi was Song Ci's wife; otherwise, she wouldn't have had access to Song Ci's private life.

Li Jinming thought for a moment, then shook his head violently: "I think there's a third possibility, which is that you're wrong! Both of your guesses are outrageous."

Deng Jiajia shrugged, looking indifferent: "Whatever the relationship is between Liu Shishi and Song Ci is none of my business. I just want to remind you to avoid mentioning Song Ci in front of her."

Because Tangren's top female star is someone we can't afford to offend, and I don't want to get caught in the crossfire. Jin Ming, do you understand what I mean?

Li Jinming looked conflicted, then slowly nodded: "I understand, Jiajia, thank you." She had already grasped the meaning behind Deng Jiajia's analysis.

If Liu Shishi were Song Ci's mistress, she would be facing the cruel reality of a man getting married, but the bride not being her. At that time, Liu Shishi would certainly be in a state of torment, torn between love and hate.

Bringing up Song Dynasty poetry abruptly would be like rubbing salt into a wound, and might displease the top female figure.

If the two are husband and wife, it is obvious that neither wife would want the other woman to constantly talk about her husband.

Deng Jiajia patted her sister on the shoulder: "We've only just started to gain some popularity, so it's best to be careful in the entertainment industry. Let's go, let's go film."

The day's filming passed quickly. The next morning, before dawn, Liu Shishi and several other leading actresses were getting their makeup done in the styling room.

The eldest sister sat quietly in the chair, her eyes slightly closed, letting the makeup artist apply makeup to her delicate face.

Jiang Yuanyuan, the work assistant beside him, was reporting the latest entertainment news and information about fan clubs.

When Liu Shishi heard that some fans wanted to visit the set during their winter vacation, she quickly instructed, "Yuanyuan, persuade the little lions that it's almost Chinese New Year and I'll be going back to Beiping in a few days, so they don't need to come."

As a new bride in the Song family, she had to make careful preparations for the New Year, preparing New Year's gifts for her parents-in-law, as well as the elders and relatives of the Song family. Therefore, she returned to Beiping a few days later and did not have time to receive her fans.

"I understand, I will comfort the little lions."

On one side, actresses Lou Yixiao, Deng Jiajia, and others listened with envy, as they had never experienced fans visiting the set before since they entered the industry.

"Yuanyuan, is there anything else?"

"There's a news item that just went viral, it's about a female celebrity's wedding."

Liu Shishi asked curiously, "Which female celebrity is it?"

The other actresses also pricked up their ears and listened quietly; news of actresses getting married always attracts a lot of attention.

Jiang Yuanyuan looked at the message on her phone screen with a hint of surprise: "It's actress Che Xiao. She married the richest man in Shanxi Province and is having a grand wedding today."

The group of women exchanged bewildered glances. Just yesterday, they had been privately speculating whether Che Xiao was the wife of the richest man, Song Ci, but today news of her marriage had already spread.

Although this richest man is not the same as that richest man, the amount of money he has is still quite terrifying.

Deng Jiajia glanced meaningfully at the calm-faced leading lady: "It seems that in recent years, there have been constant rumors of female celebrities marrying rich men, such as Liu Tao last year, as well as Gan Wei, Zhao Zhetian, and others."

Lou Yixiao scoffed, "Forget about Liu Tao. It's all been exposed online. Her husband is a fake tycoon. He went bankrupt not long after they got married and is now heavily in debt."

Liu Tao herself has returned to acting. So, we women really need to be discerning when it comes to marriage.

Li Jinming couldn't help but sigh, "Che Xiao is different. Didn't you hear? She married the richest man in Shanxi Province, a figure on the rich list, with a net worth of over 10 billion! Sigh, marrying well saves you so many years of hard work."

Seeing this, Jiang Yuanyuan secretly laughed, thinking that Che Xiao only married the richest man in a province and you all envy her so much, but her mistress is the real wife of the richest man. If it were exposed, wouldn't you all be jealous to death!

(End of this chapter)