Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 497 A Weighty Trust
Inside the cabin was the tranquility unique to high altitudes, and outside the window was an impenetrable darkness of night, with the occasional glimpse of scattered lights from distant cities on the continent below.

Liu Shishi curled up on the sofa, a thin blanket softly covering her body, her head gently resting on her husband's shoulder.

Song Ci wrapped his arms around her, his fingertips lightly stroking her arm, bringing waves of warmth.

On the table in front of them, a tablet screen was lit up, silently scrolling through news about the disaster.

"Yi-yi," Liu Shishi's voice broke the silence, slightly hoarse. She tilted her head slightly, looking at her husband's sharply defined jawline, "How much should we donate?"

Before boarding the plane, I hurriedly made a phone call to Cai Yinong.

Cai Yinong was also in a difficult position, after all, her status as the top female star was too special and the conventional standards of the entertainment industry did not apply to her at all.

She understood Cai Yinong's unspoken meaning.

As the top-ranked celebrity on the Forbes Celebrity List with an annual income of over 100 million, he is no longer just an actor, but a symbol that is the focus of countless eyes.

Good deeds are scrutinized closely, and any slight "shortcoming" may spark controversy.

For ordinary celebrities, donating one or two million is a gesture of goodwill and sets an example; but if she only donated that amount, she would probably be immediately drowned in spittle of "being rich but heartless" and "stingy".

Song Ci paused for a moment, his gaze shifting from the screen to the boundless darkness outside the porthole, as if weighing his options. The soft cabin light cast dappled shadows on his deep eyes.

After a moment, he lowered his head and gently rubbed his chin against his wife's head: "3000 million in cash, plus 2000 million in emergency supplies, that should be about right."

This figure is commensurate with Liu Shishi's status, preventing her from appearing insignificant in the face of a major disaster and maintaining the proper decorum.

Liu Shishi immediately felt reassured and nodded, "Okay, I'll have Sister Tong allocate 5000 million from the foundation and transfer it to the China Red Cross account as soon as possible."

Although she has a "Poetry Charity Foundation" under her name, which is managed by a professional team, she still decided to donate through the Red Cross.

First, avoid creating a situation where things seem suspicious.

If the funds remain in the family's own foundation, even if they are ultimately used entirely for disaster relief, it is easy to be accused of "fake donations."

It would be better to donate directly to a large public fundraising foundation; that would be cleaner, more efficient, and more credible.

Secondly, her foundation mainly focuses on donating money to support education and helping impoverished children, and lacks experience in emergency disaster relief.

As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Shishi felt her husband's body pause almost imperceptibly.

He slowly shook his head, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable air of denial: "Let's go to another one."

Liu Shishi was slightly taken aback, raised her head, and looked up with a hint of doubt in her eyes.

Her husband didn't explicitly state the reason, but she, as his closest bedmate, instantly sensed that it was a judgment that transcended common understanding.

Without asking "why," her absolute trust made her realize that her husband's caution and decisiveness in such matters far surpassed her own.

The information and judgments that Song Ci possessed must have been based on profound reasoning. Therefore, Liu Shishi quickly responded, "I understand."

So, which one should we switch to?
Just as she was thinking, Song Ci seemed to suddenly remember something and said, "We can donate it to the Han Hong Charity Foundation."

"Han Hong?" Liu Shishi was genuinely surprised this time, her eyes widening slightly. "She also has a foundation?"

In her memory, Han Hong was a talented singer with a forthright personality and a passion for public welfare, and she was often in the news. But she never expected that her husband would directly mention this relatively "non-mainstream" foundation.

“Yes, that’s her.” Song Ci nodded and patiently explained, “She may not be as large as state-owned giants, but her execution and reputation are excellent.”

Han Hong herself was almost entirely hands-on, leading teams to the front lines, and the financial arrangements were highly transparent. In times of disaster relief, efficiency is sometimes more important than scale.

The article did not evaluate other organizations, but only highlighted the strengths of the Han Hong Foundation, which was sufficient.

The doubt in Liu Shishi's eyes instantly turned into realization and acceptance.

She believes that Song Ci's vision and judgment far exceed media reports or public impressions. For disaster relief, what could be more important than "efficiency, transparency, and directness"?

"Okay!" Without further hesitation, he sat up straight, picked up the satellite phone, and said, "I'll notify Sister Tong right away."

The call was quickly connected. After giving the instructions, he breathed a long sigh of relief, as if a huge burden had been lifted off his shoulders.

Returning to the embrace of Song poetry, one can feel its comforting warmth and strength.

Song Ci kissed her forehead approvingly and whispered, "Well done, wife."

"It's because you're here," Liu Shishi replied softly, their fingers intertwined.

Song Ci pulled the blanket up to cover his wife's shoulders: "Sleep for a while, it's still early before we hit the ground."

Beijing time, 4 p.m. on April 20, at Beijing Capital International Airport.

The plane landed smoothly, the cabin door opened, and a cool night breeze rushed in, but it couldn't dispel the heaviness and weariness between Song Ci's brows.

Upon seeing Song Ci and Liu Shishi descend the gangway, the assistant, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately stepped forward.

"Chairman, Madam, the car is ready. We will go directly to the group headquarters. General Manager Zhang, General Manager Wang, and other senior executives are waiting in the conference room."

Song Ci nodded slightly, without exchanging any further pleasantries, and simply said, "Let's go." He then got into the car with Liu Shishi.

The top-floor conference room of Tengda Technology Building was brightly lit.

Wang Jing had just finished a brief call, put down her phone, and looked at CEO Zhang Yong on the other end: "Mr. Zhang, Chairman Song's convoy has exited the airport expressway and is expected to arrive at the company in about twenty minutes."

Zhang Yong nodded, his expression grave. He lightly tapped the gleaming conference table with his knuckles, interrupting the scattered whispers among the executives.

"Everyone," the voice was steady and powerful, instantly drawing everyone's attention, "Chairman Song will be here shortly. Time is short, let's start the meeting."

Liu Yan, please first report on the overall public opinion on social media and the public activities of major companies.

The Weibo president, who was mentioned, immediately sat up straight.

As the helmsman of the largest public opinion forum in China, she has also been under tremendous pressure over the past dozen hours.

The platform must be monitored 24 hours a day to prevent the spread of rumors, guide public sentiment, and closely monitor the reactions from all sectors of society.

Liu spoke quickly but clearly: "Public sentiment is mainly grief, prayer, and concern."

However, there is also an extremely high demand for real-time disaster information and rescue progress, and unprecedented attention is being paid to donations from celebrities, businesses, and the wealthy.

He paused for a moment, then concluded: "The public discourse is now undergoing a major test regarding corporate social responsibility."

The public expects leading companies, especially platform-based technology companies like ours, to step forward.

Wang Jing immediately responded, her tone resolute: "The group must make a statement as soon as possible, and the real money must be put into practice."

Zhang Yong nodded, his gaze sweeping across the room: "Chairman Song and I communicated before the plane landed."

His opinion was clear: the country and society have encountered great difficulties, and Tengda, as a company that has benefited from the development of the times, must shoulder its due social responsibility, and should shoulder as much as possible.

Based on this principle, I initially propose that the group donate 3 million yuan as an initial donation for emergency relief and subsequent post-disaster reconstruction. What are your thoughts?

3 million! This number caused an extremely brief silence in the conference room.

It far exceeds the donations of all its peers, demonstrating Tenda's boldness as a top giant.

However, the executives all knew that this was most likely a consensus already reached between Zhang Yong and Song Ci, and that bringing it up now was more about going through the motions and unifying their thinking. Sure enough, after a brief silence, CFO Chen An was the first to speak: "I agree. The amount is appropriate; it demonstrates sincerity and strength without being too abrupt and causing unnecessary pressure."

Other presidents echoed this sentiment, agreeing that the amount was appropriate and responsible.

“Okay, since everyone agrees, it’s settled then.” Zhang Yong made the decision, then added, “In addition, Chairman Song will personally donate 2 million through compliant channels.”

The public relations department must maintain a unified messaging to ensure timely and accurate information dissemination.

"Understood," Wang Jing and the head of the public relations department replied simultaneously.

Wang Jing quickly estimated in her mind: the group's 3 million plus the chairman's 2 million, and she and Zhang Yong were also among the top on the rich list, each donating 5000 million.

The "Tengda Group" has donated at least 6 million yuan, which is enough to make it one of the highest donations made by private enterprises and entrepreneurs in the country during this disaster. No one can find fault with it, whether in terms of the amount or the attitude.

Just then, clear and hurried footsteps came from outside the door, getting closer and closer. Immediately afterwards, the door was pushed open by the assistant.

Song Ci strode in, looking travel-worn, and sat down directly in the head seat: "Please continue, everyone. There's no time for formalities."

Zhang Yong quickly reported the key points of the meeting.

Song Ci nodded in satisfaction: "The amount is acceptable. Let's agree on the principle."

He then raised his voice and looked at the chairman of the Tengda Charity Foundation who was attending the meeting, reminding him: "The Tengda Charity Foundation must plan, implement, and put this money into practice."

Every expenditure, every batch of supplies procured and distributed must be absolutely open and transparent.

"Rest assured, Chairman, the foundation will ensure that the donations are used properly, transparently and efficiently." The chairman immediately stood up and solemnly promised.

Song Ci nodded, then turned to the presidents of WeChat and Weibo: "On the way here, I received a call from a high-ranking official. The official hoped that Tenda would provide a convenient channel for nationwide charitable donations."

Official designated charitable donation platforms were urgently launched on core WeChat and Weibo platforms to accept user donations.

Wu Yi and Liu Yan exchanged glances, instantly understanding the profound meaning and significance of the conversation.

The authorities clearly intend to leverage the massive user base and influence of WeChat and Weibo to transform them into "amplifiers" and "connectors" of social goodwill.

Lowering the threshold for donations will gather the small acts of kindness from Chinese people across the country and even around the world, forming a massive influx of donations worth billions or even tens of billions of yuan to support relief and reconstruction.

“WeChat is fine!” Wu Yi immediately stated, “I will organize a technical team to handle this matter overnight.”

"The same goes for Weibo!" Liu Yan followed closely, "We will promote the donation portal comprehensively through trending topics, startup announcements, and official push notifications, and launch the 'Micro Charity' special program."

“Good!” Song Ci said emphatically, “Technology, traffic, and operations will all be given the green light, and all resources of the group will be prioritized to support it. This is not a commercial project; this is a political mission.”

In a somewhat old-fashioned office in the Jingxin Building.

The night was deep, but the office lights were still on.

Famous singer Han Hong, her voice hoarse, was gathered around a few founding employees of the foundation, engaged in a heated discussion.

"Yes, that's it: tents, emergency lights, instant food, medicine... Everything on the list must be loaded onto the truck tomorrow!"

Han Hong pointed heavily to the southwest location on the map, "I'll personally accompany the car and deliver it there!"

Her "Han Hong Charity Foundation" was only established last year; it is small in scale and not well-known.

Compared to the hundreds of millions of dollars that major official institutions and well-known foundations can readily mobilize, this amount of power seems insignificant.

The donations she has received so far mostly come from her trusted old friends in the industry. The amount is limited, but it is still a token of her goodwill.

The office door was suddenly pushed open, and the young finance girl rushed in, her face filled with shock and disbelief, clutching a freshly printed A4 sheet of paper tightly in her hand.

"Sister Hong! We've received a large donation!"

Han Hong was engrossed in checking the list, not even looking up, and waved her hand: "How much is it? These days, it's all about the sentiment, just keep a good record."

I thought to myself, given the foundation's current reputation, the so-called "large sum" would be at most one or two million, and it was probably another friend who generously helped out.

The young girl's voice was still like a dream: "No, Sister Hong, it's 5000 million! It just arrived in my account, 5000 million!"

"How much?!" Han Hong suddenly stood up, her face filled with disbelief, staring intently at the finance department: "Fifty million? You didn't misread that?"

"That's right! Sister Hong, this is a newly printed online banking electronic receipt!"

Han Hong snatched the paper and eagerly scanned the remitter's information and remarks sections.

Remitter: Beiping Poetry Charity Foundation

Amount: 50,000,000.00
Note: The Liu Shishi Charity Fund is used to support emergency relief efforts for the earthquake in Southwest China (of which 2000 million yuan is specifically designated for the purchase of emergency supplies).
"Liu Shishi's charity foundation?" Han Hong was stunned, countless thoughts flashing through her mind.

How could the wife of the richest man know about this newly established, little-known foundation? And why did she specify such a huge sum of money to be donated here?

This is so unreasonable!
Given Liu Shishi and Tengda's resources, they had many options. They could have donated to a large national foundation or operated through their own channels. Why did they choose her?
Just as my mind was in turmoil and I was completely baffled, my phone rang. After hesitating for a moment, I answered it anyway.

"Hello, is this Ms. Han Hong?" A calm, professional, and polite female voice answered the phone.

"I am, who are you?"

"I am Zhang Tong, the chairman of the Poetry and Lyrics Charity Foundation."

Han Hong was taken aback and immediately responded politely, "Chairman Zhang! I just received a very large donation from your foundation, and I am very surprised and grateful. I haven't had a chance to express my thanks yet."

"You're too kind. This donation was Ms. Liu Shishi's personal decision."

The exchange was brief and efficient. After hanging up the phone, Han Hong stood in her simple office, her emotions lingering for a long time.

Although she didn't fully understand why Liu Shishi trusted her so much, this phone call made her clearly feel the heavy expectations and entrustment behind this huge sum of money.

This is the biggest opportunity since the foundation was established, and also an unprecedented test. Since I started my philanthropic work in 2008, I have seen too much and know how deep the waters are in this industry.

Her idealistic enthusiasm repeatedly clashed with the hard walls of reality, and she even experienced feelings of powerlessness and frustration. It was this experience that prompted her to establish her own foundation four years later.

Accepting this 5000 million now would be tantamount to getting involved with Liu Shishi and Tengda.

This was enough to bring the "Han Hong Charity Foundation" into the public eye overnight, making it famous and gaining unprecedented attention and resources.

But this is also a huge pressure, like a double-edged sword.

Countless eyes will immediately be on you, including scrutiny, suspicion, and even criticism.

Every single penny of this money will be scrutinized.

Any oversight, unclear accounts, or opaque procurement could lead to a devastating backlash from public opinion, damaging not only her personal reputation but also potentially ruining her life.

"We must make the best use of this money!" Han Hong took a deep breath, her eyes filled with unwavering determination.

Immediately, he realized there was something he had to do right away.

In the still of the night, Han Hong sat in front of her computer and typed out a blog post with utmost seriousness. It was not only a letter of thanks, but also a pledge, a public commitment to the whole society.

(End of this chapter)