Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 327 Gossip
The VIP lounge was brightly lit.

Dressed in a gorgeous gown and stunningly beautiful, Fan Bingbing casually glanced at Zhang Ziyi sitting opposite her, who was secretly competing with her.

A slight smile curled at the corner of his lips: "Hmph, stupid woman!"

Putting aside the fact that her appearance as the last person on the red carpet was arranged in advance by the organizers and her team.

Moreover, Tengda Culture is a shareholder of her studio, so Fan Bingbing's commercial value is deeply intertwined with the interests of capital.

The more popular she becomes and the more money she earns, the more Tengda profits, and the organizers naturally give her face.

You, Zhang Ziyi, have no vested interests with Tengda, yet you dare to disregard the organizer's wishes—you're courting death!

Thinking of this, Fan Bingbing beckoned to her assistant who was keeping watch outside the door, and asked in a low voice when she got closer, "What's the situation outside?"

"Sister Bingbing, you and Zhang Ziyi are the only ones left who haven't walked the red carpet yet. The red carpet has been empty for 10 minutes, and the staff are getting impatient!"

"what time is it?"

The assistant glanced at his watch: "7:23!"

"Let's go then." Fan Bingbing stood up gracefully, her skirt swaying gently.

I've decided not to waste any more time with Zhang Ziyi. If we delay any longer and miss the red carpet time, we'll offend the organizers for no reason, which would be a loss.

The assistant breathed a sigh of relief and quickly bent down to help her boss lift the hem of her skirt.

Just before leaving, Fan Bingbing paused slightly, glanced back meaningfully at Zhang Ziyi who was still sitting upright, and sneered inwardly, thinking that if she tried to act like a big shot with Tengda, she would probably suffer a big fall.

Three minutes later, Fan Bingbing stepped onto the red carpet, looking stunning and exuding the aura of a superstar.

Amidst a flurry of camera flashes, she gracefully waved to the reporters and audience below the stage, calmly accepting interviews, autographs, and photos in front of the autograph wall before stepping into the inner area.

It is now 7:32.

Feeling satisfied and convinced of her ultimate victory, Zhang Ziyi calmly walked out of the lounge.

The staff, who had already received instructions from above, began to pack up the red carpet and announced to the media that the "Weibo Night" red carpet event had officially ended.

When Zhang Ziyi walked through the waiting area, full of confidence and ready to step onto the red carpet, she was surprised to find that the red carpet was gone!

To her disbelief, a backstage supervisor jogged over, feigning shock: "Teacher Zhang, what are you doing here?"

Although her anger was burning fiercely, Zhang Ziyi was, after all, an international star who had seen many storms, and she still retained her rationality at this moment.

Taking a deep breath and trying to calm herself, she demanded, "Where's the red carpet?"

The person in charge scratched his head, looking completely bewildered, and acted the part perfectly: "Teacher Zhang, the red carpet event is over. We were instructed not to obstruct passage and to put the red carpet away."

Zhang Ziyi stood frozen in place, her ears ringing, realizing that this was the organizer's way of putting her in a difficult position.

Her fingertips trembled slightly as she gripped the hem of her dress. She was caught in a dilemma! If she forced her way in and was photographed looking disheveled without a red carpet, she would lose all face.

However, if he stormed off, he would completely offend Tengda, the biggest tycoon in the entertainment industry, and he would probably become a laughing stock once the news got out.

As Zhang Ziyi found herself in a dilemma, the person in charge whispered to her, "Ms. Zhang, things have come to this point. You should come in a little later. The reporters at the autograph wall will have left soon."

The person in charge was also helpless. Although he was acting under orders, Zhang Ziyi was, after all, an influential big star. If things turned sour and caused a bad impact, he, a nobody, would probably be the one to take the blame.

After a moment's thought, Zhang Ziyi decided to take the person in charge's advice. Now that the red carpet had been removed, it was a foregone conclusion that she would not be able to walk it. Avoiding the media and finding another opportunity to enter discreetly seemed to be the only option.

With this thought in mind, Zhang Ziyi returned to the lounge again, and couldn't help but think that she should quickly discuss a public relations strategy with her agent.

After all, reporters are very shrewd and will soon realize they didn't walk the red carpet, so they need to come up with a foolproof plan before things get out of hand.

Inside the Weibo Night venue, the stars shone brightly, and a host of guests were already seated, waiting for the grand ceremony to begin.

The seating arrangement in the venue was in a nine-square grid. In the center of the first row were Song Ci and several big names, to the left were a group of famous film directors, and to the right were industry veterans.

The second and third rows were occupied by A-list celebrities, top stars, sports champions, and social elites.

"Really?" Fan Bingbing, who was in the middle of the second row and was the last to walk the red carpet, parted her red lips slightly, as if she had heard some incredible news.

The director cleverly captured this moment and recorded the footage.

Qiao Zhengyu, standing beside him, nodded vigorously: "I heard it was Weibo's president, Ms. Liu, who personally gave the order to remove the red carpet as soon as the time was up."

Fan Bingbing was speechless with surprise. She knew that Tengda would not care about the title of "international superstar", but she did not expect him to be so ruthless. This was simply a resounding slap in the face to Zhang Ziyi.

"So she went straight back?"

"No, it's said that the person in charge of the red carpet reassured them for a few words and then stayed. They might enter discreetly later."

"Seeking glory only leads to humiliation, why bother!" Fan Bingbing shook her head, her tone light but tinged with sarcasm.

The celebrities sitting in the second and third rows were all well-informed, and soon the gossip that Zhang Ziyi had failed to be the last to walk the red carpet and was instead removed from the red carpet spread inside the venue.

"Wasn't she following behind us waiting to go on stage?" Li Bingbing looked at Huang Xiaoming with some confusion.

When she and Huang Xiaoming walked the red carpet together, she clearly saw Zhang Ziyi waiting not far away, obviously preparing to walk the red carpet. How did this whole mess suddenly happen?

"It's said that he ran into Liu Shishi while waiting for his turn, which provoked her," Huang Xiaoming shared on WeChat the news his assistant had just gathered.

"I see!" Li Bingbing suddenly realized, and then a sense of displeasure welled up in her heart.

Only then did she realize that Liu Shishi had walked the red carpet after her and Huang Xiaoming, and a sense of crisis suddenly arose in her heart. "There's a new term on the internet lately, '85 Flowers,' have you heard of it?"

"I know, it refers to several actresses born around 1985, actually the Four Little Flowers: Liu Yifei, Liu Shishi, Yang Mi, and Wang Luodan."

These four all have excellent works and are far ahead in terms of popularity and fan base. Compared to you, they only lack awards and experience.

Li Bingbing sighed, "They were lucky to be born in such a great era. When we first started out, we relied entirely on print media for filming and promotion. It's nothing like now, where you can just post a Weibo and do something creative to make everyone aware of it."

Nearby, Fan Bingbing and Qiao Zhengyu also happened to be talking about Liu Shishi.

"Old Qiao, give me a heads-up." Fan Bingbing nudged his old partner with his elbow and gestured towards Song Ci in front of them with his lip. "What exactly is the relationship between your fellow disciple and this person?"

Qiao Zhengyu pretended to be confused, saying, "What relationship? I don't know."

Fan Bingbing rolled her eyes: "Don't give me that! Not to mention that Zhang Zhao specifically told me not to mess with Liu Shishi. Just look at how your Tengda artists all avoid Liu Shishi like mice avoid a cat, that tells you something. And..."

Fan Bingbing seemed to have thought of something, and her words abruptly stopped.

Actually, when "Scarlet Heart" became a huge hit and Liu Shishi and Yang Mi's fans were fighting, her online marketing team also tried to take advantage of the situation and create some negative news about the two popular young actresses.

However, the online commentators reported that Weibo automatically filters out negative news about Liu Shishi, making it impossible to post any "dirt" on her.

The message could only be sent out on websites like Baidu Tieba and Tianya, which had no connection with Tengda Group.

This shocked Fan Bingbing greatly. Remembering Zhang Zhao's earlier warning, she immediately backed down.

"This..." Qiao Zhengyu hesitated, some things he couldn't say himself. "You know it, I won't say more."

"Is the rumor on the forum true? Is Liu Shishi the mistress of the big boss of Tengda?" Fan Bingbing asked with a gossipy look on his face, deliberately lowering his voice.

Deep down, he admired Liu Shishi greatly, thinking to himself that although the girl looked innocent, her methods were truly remarkable; she had accomplished what he himself had failed to do back then.

By associating with the richest man, it's no wonder he has such good resources, a smooth and successful career, and easily became a top-tier celebrity in the entertainment industry.

Seeing that Fan Bingbing's words were becoming increasingly absurd, Qiao Zhengyu quickly warned, "Don't talk nonsense. If this gets to Chairman Song's ears, it's no laughing matter."

He knew that the big boss and Liu Shishi were childhood sweethearts and first love, and their relationship was very deep. If such talk about "concubine" or "mistress" reached the richest man, he would definitely be in trouble.

"We're just having a casual chat, nobody else is hearing us, why are you panicking?"

Qiao Zhengyu subconsciously looked around and saw that everyone on both sides was busy talking and no one was paying attention to him.

He glanced back at Wang Luodan in the back row, who was looking at her phone, and then breathed a sigh of relief: "Let's change the subject."

Fan Bingbing pursed her lips, knowing her friend was always cautious, so she suppressed her curiosity and changed the subject: "Old Qiao, when are we going to collaborate again and replicate the popularity of 'My Love from the Star'?"

Qiao Zhengyu also perked up, filled with anticipation: "Okay, movie or TV series?"

"Of course, it's TV dramas!" Fan Bingbing blurted out. She realized now that if you want to build up popularity, you still have to do TV dramas.

"Okay, I'm available recently. I'll look through the company's script library when I get back and see if there are any suitable scripts."

The two hit it off immediately. Qiao Zhengyu had been working on the big screen for the past two years, but his works had received lukewarm responses. He was hoping for a hit drama to bring back his popularity.

At 8 p.m. sharp, the lights in the venue suddenly dimmed, and then neon beams shot out from the stage, creating a dazzling display of light and color, while dynamic music filled the entire venue.

Accompanied by an exciting melody, several beautiful young women took to the stage, their slender waists swaying to the rhythm, instantly igniting the atmosphere.

The unique opening performance at Weibo Night invigorated the guests and sparked much discussion.

At the same time, Weibo's official website also launched a live broadcast of Weibo Night, and hundreds of thousands of viewers instantly flooded into the live broadcast room, eager to witness the grand event in the entertainment industry.

"It's Girls' Generation!"

"It is said that this is the most popular girl group in South Korea, and they are famous throughout Asia."

"Tengda is still awesome! I love looking at those white, fleshy thighs."

Every second, the number of viewers in the live stream was rapidly increasing, and countless comments were flashing.

"It's Yoona, my favorite Korean actress!"

"Seohyun! Seohyun!" "Leader Taeyeon is the prettiest."

"That tiny waist and those long legs! So even the richest man likes that. It seems that the tastes of China's tycoons and South Korea's conglomerates are quite similar."

The director seemed to have a good grasp of netizens' psychology, and at the right time, he switched the live broadcast camera to the center of the first row.

In the image, Song Ci stands with his arms crossed over his chest, leaning slightly against the back of his chair, a diamond brooch sparkling at his collar. His chiseled face, illuminated by the stage lights, is exceptionally handsome.

Surprisingly, the richest man closed his eyes slightly, seemingly resting, as if the wonderful dance on stage could not arouse his interest at all.

The live chat exploded with comments: "Damn, Song Ci didn't even glance at it, what a show-off!"

"Mr. Song is so generous. He doesn't watch it himself, but he gives benefits to netizens."

"To be honest, Song Ci's looks are stunning, even in the entertainment industry."

"The richest man's composure is truly admirable!"

The director didn't dare focus on the richest man for too long, so the camera switched to let viewers continue to enjoy the beautiful dance.

The performance ended quickly, and while the audience and netizens were still savoring Girls' Generation's graceful dance moves, the two hosts gracefully stepped onto the center of the stage.

"Distinguished guests, dear audience members, good evening! I am your host, Li Hong. Welcome to Weibo Night, the pinnacle of star power and popularity!"

"I am your host, Sa Beining! Tonight, we gather here to witness Weibo's annual highlight moment!"
Here you'll find the most dazzling stars, the hottest topics, the most touching stories, and the anticipation and love of hundreds of millions of netizens!

The two hosts were full of passion, and the electronic screen behind them simultaneously displayed a series of the year's hottest events, which inevitably brought back memories of last year's events.

From below the stage, Jiang Tao looked at the stage and turned slightly to sigh, "Chairman Song, Li Hong was also an excellent host at CCTV back then. You're poaching CCTV's talent."

Song Ci smiled calmly: "Everyone has their own ambitions. Now, the 'Headline Star' program she hosts is already a well-known talk show in China."

Jiang Tao nodded: "Indeed, outstanding people can shine wherever they go, just like Yang Lan back then."

On stage, Li Hong faced the audience and the camera, delivering a passionate and expressive performance, showcasing her charm to the fullest.
"Here, we can not only witness the glamorous appearances of top celebrities, but also hear the insightful opinions of social elites; we can not only review the year's hottest topics, but also foresee future trends."

Sabinenin then picked up the thread: "Without further ado, let's kick off tonight's night of glory with the warmest applause."

The melodious music started again, and the lights in the entire venue shone brightly.

Holding a thick stack of cue cards, the two hosts began the awards ceremony: "The first award to be announced is the Annual Weibo Influential Media..."

The Weibo Night awards, including "Most Influential Cultural Figure," "Most Inspiring Figure," and "King of Original Weibo Posts," are all diverse and essentially about sharing the spoils—a win-win event for everyone.

The earlier rounds of awards didn't garner much attention, since the number of followers and the buzz surrounding ordinary bloggers simply can't compare to that of entertainment stars. The core driving force behind Weibo's traffic still relies on the dazzling array of celebrities in the entertainment industry.

As awards were presented one by one, the first award related to the entertainment industry, Film of the Year, soon arrived!
(End of this chapter)