Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 321 The Grand Show Begins

In winter, Beiping is shrouded in a cold chill.

Inside a private room at a high-end club in the city, Yang Mi, the recently popular female star, is singing her newly released signature song, "The Power of Love," with deep emotion.

"Turning around, I realized I had already stepped out of the mortal world!"

As the music ended, the lingering notes echoed in the room, and the others applauded and praised, their compliments rising and falling.

"This song is really popular right now!" "MiMi sings it so well."

Yang Mi put down the microphone, moved gracefully back to the sofa, and sat down, taking a sip of fresh juice to moisten her throat.

"I'm sick of singing this song. So many TV stations have invited me to participate in their New Year's Eve galas, specifically requesting that I sing 'The Power of Love'."

Hearing Yang Mi's words, which had a slightly Versailles-like tone, Qin Lan, Huo Siyan, and Li Xiaolu all rolled their eyes.

Today is the second day of the Lunar New Year. Coincidentally, all the members of the Teddy Sisters group are in Beiping, so they arranged to get together and catch up with each other.

"Lu Lu, have a piece of fruit." Jia Nailiang said ingratiatingly, carefully sticking toothpicks into the cut fruit pieces, showering Li Xiaolu with attention.

"Hmph!" Li Xiaolu snorted coldly, turned her head away, and acted like a spoiled young lady.

"Xiao Lu, what's wrong with you and A Liang? Did you have a fight?" Seeing the young couple arguing, the eldest sister Qin Lan wanted to act as a peacemaker.

Li Xiaolu glared at her boyfriend with wide eyes, feeling resentful: "Let him say it himself!"

Upon hearing this, the girls' curiosity was immediately piqued, and they all looked at Jia Nailiang: "A-Liang, did you make Xiaolu angry?"

"Um!" Jia Nailiang scratched his head, an embarrassed look on his face, and stammered for a long time without being able to say anything.

"You can't say it, huh? Then I'll say it!" Li Xiaolu's eyebrows furrowed, and she bit her lip. "He likes Liu Shishi!"

Upon hearing the "revelation," everyone looked on with gossip in their eyes and couldn't help but scrutinize Jia Nailiang. They never expected him to be so greedy, wanting more than he had.

Gan Wei, displaying the authority of the CEO's wife, warned Liang, "You must not do anything to betray Xiao Lu."

Jia Nailiang quickly explained, "I really didn't do anything wrong to Lulu. A long time ago, when we were filming 'Hello, Old Times,' I did pursue Liu Shishi, but she didn't have any feelings for me!"
We haven't been in touch since filming wrapped. LuLu, everyone has a past, don't keep bringing up my past!

Seeing Jia Nailiang's embarrassed expression, Xiong Naijin covered her mouth and chuckled, "Ah Liang, Liu Shishi didn't take a liking to you?"

"Hmph! Why does Liu Shishi look down on A Liang!" A woman's thoughts are like the weather in June, changing in an instant.

One second Li Xiaolu was still upset about her boyfriend having pursued Liu Shishi, and the next second she was standing up for Jia Nailiang.

Huo Siyan crossed her beautiful legs and took a sip of red wine: "Speaking of which, doesn't Liu Shishi have a boyfriend? Do you have any information about who he is?"

The girls subconsciously looked at Yang Mi. Among those present, only she had a close relationship with Liu Shishi and might have met Liu Shishi's boyfriend.

Yang Mi dared not expose the relationship between the richest man and the top female star, so she could only give a vague answer: "I have never met him, but I heard Liu Shishi mention him. He is not in the entertainment industry and works in the IT industry."

Gan Wei spoke with feigned arrogance, "So you're a programmer. My husband's company, LeTV, is short of talent in this field. If Liu Shishi's boyfriend is technically skilled, we can introduce him to work at LeTV."

When Yang Mi heard that Song Ci was to work at LeEco, she was amused by Gan Wei's arrogance. She couldn't help but think to herself, "LeEco is so small, not even a single subsidiary of Tenda can compare to it. What's there to be so proud of?"

She now feels extremely disgusted by Gan Wei's arrogant attitude.

Especially after LeTV went public last year, the feeling of superiority made her extremely disliked. Even though Liu Shishi's husband was the richest man in China, she wasn't as arrogant as Gan Wei.

Seeing Gan Wei's arrogant demeanor, acting like the wife of a listed company's CEO, Yang Mi couldn't help but retort, "She's a core technical backbone of Tengda Group, she probably looks down on LeEco."

"Hmm." Gan Wei was taken aback by the retort, her face instantly turning ugly, a hint of displeasure and embarrassment flashing in her eyes.

Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, Qin Lan quickly changed the subject: "Liu Shishi's new drama is airing today, right? I wonder how the ratings will be, and whether they can surpass 'Palace'."

Li Xiaolu scoffed: "Palace Lock Heart Jade is the highest-rated provincial satellite TV show in the past five years. Such an achievement is rare and hard to come by."

There aren't that many blockbuster dramas in the world. Cai Yinong is just putting on a brave face, while Liu Shishi is just waiting to be embarrassed.

"Let's see what her fans have to say when the premiere ratings come out. They're always hyping up her 'perfect manners,' I just can't stand how she acts all high and mighty!"

"You know what, Liu Shishi's fans are really something. The promotional posters for 'Scarlet Heart' are so creative, I'm so envious."

Thinking of the fan-made posters she saw on her phone, Huo Siyan was secretly amazed. She had debuted earlier than Liu Shishi and had played many outstanding roles, but her number of fans was still less than a fraction of Liu Shishi's.

Xiong Naijin poured red wine into everyone's glasses: "Second sister, what's the situation with Huang Yi? He's been attacking and cursing you on Weibo every day?"

When this was brought up, Huo Siyan became agitated and started cursing: "She's a madwoman. When Yang Yi and I got together, they had already broken up for more than half a year, and she was still harping on this."

The women were stunned. They had thought that Huo Siyan and Huang Yi were fighting over love because of Huang Yi's wealthy ex-husband Jiang Kai, but they never expected that the male protagonist of the story was someone else!

Seeing that Huo Siyan was somewhat out of sorts, Qin Lan quickly patted her back to comfort her, saying, "Just ignore her."

We female celebrities should focus more on our careers. My husband's new movie, "The Last Supper," starts filming in a few days. I'll talk to him and see if he can get you a role.

"Thank you, elder sister." Huo Siyan calmed herself down, trying not to think about those unpleasant things during the New Year.

Qin Lan glanced at Yang Mi, who was drinking juice, and suddenly had an idea: "Mi Mi, you're so popular now, how about I ask Lu Chuan to arrange a leading role for you!"
"Since you and Liu Shishi are having such a bad falling out, you shouldn't act in that movie called 'Goodbye Mr. Loser'."

"The lead actress!" Yang Mi was very tempted, but she remained rational and shook her head to politely decline Qin Lan's invitation.

"Goodbye Mr. Loser" is a movie invested in by Tengda Culture and Liu Shishi Studio. If I quit halfway through, I will offend the company and the top star. No one in the entertainment industry can protect me.

Qin Lan felt a little regretful that Yang Mi hadn't taken the bait. Actresses didn't have many roles in the movie "The Last Supper," otherwise she would have acted herself.

The invitation to Yang Mi was just a pretense, an attempt to vent Lu Chuan's anger, to put Ma Xin down, and to show netizens that even your movie's leading lady has run away, so what face do you have left?

Upon hearing that her eldest sister was going to give the lead role in "The Last Supper" to Yang Mi, Huo Siyan's jealousy burned fiercely. Her eyes darted around, and she began to plot.

Considering my close friendship with Yang Mi and my willingness to stand up for her against Cai Yinong, it wouldn't be unreasonable for me to ride on her popularity and sell some clothing.

"Mimi, about that thing I told you about last time, about investing in my streetwear brand, what do you think about it?" Yang Mi couldn't refuse anymore when her second sister brought up the old topic again. Last time she made an excuse that she didn't have money, but now that she has one endorsement after another, she can't fool her with that excuse anymore.

Moreover, the sisters all spoke up for me a few days ago and strongly supported "Palace," so it would be really inhumane to refuse now.

"Fine, I'll take a share." Yang Mi gritted her teeth and reluctantly agreed. She silently comforted herself, knowing that selling goods on Taobao was incredibly popular right now, and Huo Siyan's trendy brand store was sure to do well.

Seeing that Yang Mi had finally relented, Huo Siyan was overjoyed and clapped her hands, laughing, "Let's all work together to make the trendy brand bigger and stronger. The e-commerce industry is booming right now, and we're sure to make money."

At the Song Family Villa in Jingyuan, Liu Shishi and Song Ci went to their uncle's house to pay New Year's respects. After having dinner, they hurriedly rushed home.

"Sister Li, quickly turn on the TV and tune it to Donghai TV!" As soon as Liu Shishi entered the house, she kicked off her leather shoes and shouted at the housekeeper.

"Madam, we knew your new drama was airing today, so the TV was on the whole time, just waiting for you to come back." Sister Li smiled gently as she responded to the lady of the house while taking the trench coat handed to her by the man of the house.

Song Ci glanced at her watch and said softly, "Scarlet Heart won't start for another few minutes. Shishi, why don't you go change your clothes first?"

Liu Shishi glanced at the time; it was 7:20. Since she had some time before leaving the broadcasting studio, she hurriedly ran upstairs and changed into a comfortable set of casual home clothes.

A few minutes later, Liu Shishi sat happily in front of the television, with the coffee table in front of her filled with fruits, snacks, and pastries brought up by the maid.

"Yi-yi, you want to watch 'Scarlet Heart' too?" Liu Shishi asked in surprise when she saw Song Ci sitting motionless beside her.

My husband doesn't usually watch TV dramas much, he just occasionally watches the news, but today he actually took the initiative to wait with me for the new drama to premiere.

“It’s Chinese New Year, so we watch TV to pass the time.” Song Ci nodded slightly. He also wanted to see how Liu’s masterpiece would be different with two different male leads.

At 7:35, after a few commercials, Donghai TV began playing a moving and slightly melancholic opening theme song.

"A single glance, a single unwavering thought, and you're destined to be like a moth drawn to a flame. Knowing it's a disaster, why are you still at a loss?"

"Was the male vocal part sung by Hu Ge?"

Liu Shishi nodded, reached out and picked up a bright red strawberry from the fruit plate, feeding it to her husband.

Song Ci took a bite of the strawberry tip and said, "You sang well, better than that catchy 'The Power of Love'."

Miss Liu popped the remaining half of the strawberry into her mouth, her eyes crinkling with delight: "I also have a song to sing, the title is 'Waiting for Your Season'."

"Do you have the full version? Send it to me to listen to in a bit."

"Mmm!" Liu Shishi rested her head on her husband's shoulder and said sweetly, "Yiyi, I sang this especially for you, so you have to enjoy it."

Song Ci was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "Okay! It's your birthday in a few days, I'll sing you a song too."

The stirring opening theme song, imbued with a classical charm, quickly came to an end, and the first episode of "Scarlet Heart" began.

With its carved mahogany screen and blue brick floor, the Qing Dynasty prince's mansion in the picture is full of antique charm.

As the camera zooms in, Liu Shishi, who plays Ma'ertai Ruoxi, has bandages tightly wrapped around her head, revealing bright red bloodstains, making her look like a bewitching red plum blossom.

After a long while, Ruoxi's eyelashes trembled, and she slowly woke up from her coma.

"Yi-yi, do you know what's special about this?" Liu Shishi nestled in her husband's arms, smiling sweetly.

On the television screen, the scene shifts, and Ruoxi covers one eye with one hand, staring in disbelief at her other hand.

“Zhang Xiao is severely nearsighted. She’s wondering how she can see clearly without glasses, right? She’s even questioning whether this body is still hers?” Song Ci said thoughtfully, holding his wife’s soft hand.

Commentator Xiao Liu, having no chance to shine, couldn't help but pout and mutter, "This is boring."

As the plot unfolds, the female protagonist soon recalls the reason for her time travel.

On the bustling city streets, Zhang Xiao, a modern woman who had just finished get off work, strode angrily while arguing fiercely with her boyfriend on her phone.

"You surnamed Song, all you ever do is work overtime, work overtime! Do you even know you have a girlfriend?" Zhang Xiao's voice was sharp and tinged with grievance.

Then, a voiceover of Song Ci came through Zhang Xiao's phone, humbly apologizing and making various promises to Zhang Xiao.

Zhang Xiao's anger subsided slightly as she listened to her boyfriend's apology and reassurance. However, while busy making a phone call, she accidentally stepped on a high-voltage power line, which led to a dispute with the worker. Through a series of coincidences, her soul was transported to the Qing Dynasty.

"Honey, do you think netizens can figure out that you're the one who did the voiceover?" Miss Liu was in a playful mood, hoping that her fans would discover this little Easter egg.

Song Ci thought for a moment and realized that she didn't give many public interviews, so netizens probably weren't very familiar with her voice: "The audience is unlikely to pay special attention to this."

The scene shifts back to the Qing Dynasty, where Ruoxi's older sister, Ruolan, appears gracefully with delicate steps. Liu Xinyou, who plays Ruolan, exudes an elegant and gentle charm, reminiscent of a woman from ancient times.

"Ruoxi's body is inhabited by Zhang Xiao's soul, who has traveled from another time. Where did Ruoxi's original soul go?"

Her husband's question was a bit strange, and Liu Shishi thought about it seriously for a while: "It should still be inside the body, which is why Zhang Xiao was able to recall the scene of falling from the building when he had Ruoxi's memories at the beginning."

Song Ci had only spoken out of curiosity, and after hearing his wife's reply, he felt relieved and continued watching the drama.

Time passed quietly, and the forty-minute video ended. The ending theme song began to play softly, the erhu's sound melodious and ethereal, like a lament, filled with a melancholic sense of fate, leaving the listener with a feeling of loss.

"The opening and closing songs are really good. It seems that Tangren really put a lot of effort into this drama, 'Scarlet Heart'."

Liu Shishi's husband's candid comments filled her with anticipation: "Honey, do you think my 'Scarlet Heart' will surpass Mimi's 'Palace' in ratings?"

"It's hard to say how well it will do on its premiere, but after a few more episodes, it'll definitely surpass 'Palace' in ratings." Song Ci is full of confidence in this enhanced version of "Scarlet Heart".

With its unprecedented promotional efforts and cast, coupled with Cai Yinong's clever planning and involvement, including dragging Yu Zheng and Yang Mi into the hype, this drama is poised to capitalize on the popularity of "Palace," ensuring high viewership ratings.

After a few minutes of commercials, the second episode began, with the two male leads appearing one after the other: Nie Yuan as the Fourth Prince and Yu Bo as the Eighth Prince.

After watching the show, Song Ci had to admit that everyone in the cast had excellent acting skills and unique temperament and image.

After watching the first two episodes, Liu Shishi couldn't wait to check Weibo and open the app. She exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, I'm trending on Weibo with 'Scarlet Heart'!"

(End of this chapter)