Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 499 I can't bear to part with it
At noon, the sun blazed down on Hengdian World Studios.

The crew of "The Breakup Guru" had just finished a busy morning of filming, and director and lead actor Deng Chao sat alone on a folding chair next to the monitor.

Holding the phone to his ear with one hand, he used chopsticks in the other to absentmindedly stir the rice in the lunchbox.

On the other end of the phone, Sun Li's voice came through clearly, carrying an unusual stubbornness and a hint of anger: "I don't want to donate!"

Deng Chao's face darkened instantly. He lowered his voice and pleaded, "Wife, my dear empress, this time the situation is really different."

Didn't you see the frenzy online? It's incredibly intense! This isn't normal; without some serious backlash, netizens won't let us off easily.

He and Sun Li are a well-known top-tier couple in the entertainment industry, and their high profile has made them the focus of netizens' attention.

The two had privately agreed to donate 30 yuan to express their gratitude. This amount is not outstanding compared to their previous donations, but it is by no means stingy.

But before any action could be taken, public opinion on the internet changed drastically overnight. 30 yuan? If you put it out now, you'll probably be bombarded with criticism and labeled a "stingy person" and "heartless rich person."

After a long silence, Sun Li's voice was filled with hesitation and struggle: "How about we wait a little longer? Maybe the hype will die down in a couple of days."

Deng Chao knew perfectly well where the obstacle lay with his wife.

In her early years, she kindly sponsored a poor college student, but the student turned around and tried to extort and harass her.

What was meant to be a good deed turned into a chilling farce. From then on, she became extremely cautious about making donations.

But the situation is pressing, he sighed helplessly, "There's no escaping it, wife."

Donating now is like cutting off a piece of your own flesh, but at least you'll gain some good reputation. Once netizens put you on the spot and force you to donate, the feeling will completely change! Donate sooner, and you'll have peace of mind!

Sun Li sensed her husband's determination and knew that this matter could not be avoided. After a moment of silence, she compromised and said, "Then tell me, how much should we donate?"

"Three million?" After careful consideration, Deng Chao gave a compromise figure, taking into account the current public opinion and his own situation.

Currently, netizens' "psychological price" for A-list celebrities is around two million, but his family consists of two people, making him more significant. If he donates less, he will definitely be compared to others.

But since husband and wife are one entity, and the amount can't simply be doubled per person, he felt that three million might be enough to barely get by.

"No way! Are you crazy? Donating so much!" Sun Li's voice instantly rose. "Deng Chao, don't you know our family's situation?"

Family members know their own situation best. After "Empresses in the Palace" aired, she went home to have a child and raise her baby, almost completely missing out on the commercial boom brought by the show.

Although this drama boosted her national recognition and popularity by several levels, it takes time and subsequent works to translate fame into real money.

Deng Chao is at a critical juncture in his transition to directing, and the success or failure of "The Breakup Guru" is uncertain, with money needed at every turn.

She now tries to stretch every penny to its limit, carefully managing her savings.

Deng Chao sensed his wife's agitation and knew that three million had indeed crossed her bottom line, so he had no choice but to back down: "Then two million it is."

This is the "benchmark" for A-list celebrities. Fearing further objections from his wife, he hurriedly added, "It can't be any lower! Your Majesty! Look at the situation now!"

Cheng Long donated a second time, raising 20 million! Huang Xiaoming also donated 10 million! Our 2 million is already a very modest amount, considering we're a married couple!

“One of them is an international superstar, he’s got plenty of money! The other is a shareholder of Huayi, the company made hundreds of millions when it went public, how can you compare to them?” Sun Li muttered in rebuttal, her tone still dissatisfied, but clearly softening.

She had also seen the news and knew her husband was telling the truth. After much hesitation, she let out a long sigh and said, extremely reluctantly:

"Alright, alright, two million it is. Why do we have to be compared to others just for donating money? What kind of nonsense is this!"

The more she talked, the more aggrieved she became, and she couldn't help but vent her anger: "It's all Liu Shishi's fault! She has so much money she doesn't know what to do with it, so she has to donate it so ostentatiously! She set such a high stage all at once, how are others supposed to get off it!"

Deng Chao's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously looked around. Seeing that the surrounding staff were eating and resting, and it seemed that no one was paying attention to them, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The investor in "The Breakup Guru" is Liu Shishi Studio, and the producer is also the general manager of her studio.

There are plenty of informants throughout the production crew. If this gets back to the other party, it would be an unnecessary disaster to offend the investors.

"Shh! Grandma, keep your voice down! How can you say such things?"

Sun Li realized she had spoken out of turn, snorted, and didn't continue the topic.

The donation amount was finally settled, and then the conversation shifted, the tone subtly probing: "By the way, I heard you're going to Mauritius with that girl from Tangren Media in a few days?"

Upon hearing this, Deng Chao remained calm: "Yes, we're going overseas to film on location. The entire crew is on the move. It'll only take a few days, so be quick to go and come back."

Sun Li gave a meaningful "Oh": "She's just a young girl, going to such a far place with you, a place she doesn't know at all. As the director and a senior, you have to take good care of her and make sure nothing goes wrong."

Deng Chao could hear the warning in his words, and his heart raced, but his tone remained calm: "Don't worry, the crew will make arrangements, there's absolutely no safety issue. It's just normal work."

"That's good." Sun Li stopped there. "My son and I will be waiting for you to come home."

After hanging up the phone, Deng Chao looked at the completely cold boxed lunch in his hand, and even the last bit of his appetite disappeared.

In the rest area at the other end of the film crew's set, Gulnazar took a few small bites of her boxed lunch and gently put it down. She is extremely strict with her diet in order to maintain her best appearance on camera.

His gaze inadvertently fell on Deng Chao, the director, who was not far away, his brows furrowed, speaking humbly into the phone.

He nudged Liu Yan beside him with his elbow and whispered, "Is Brother Chao reporting to the Empress again? I bet he's having a headache over the donation issue."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yan looked up and glanced at Deng Chao's gloomy and miserable appearance, feeling a deep empathy for him.

"That's right, the director and the empress, both top-tier actors, are practically being trending on social media by netizens. By the way, Naza, have you donated yet?"

Gulinaza nodded, but her delicate face was scrunched up, full of worry: "I donated it, 50."

Upon hearing this, a hint of envy flashed in Liu Yan's eyes.

The girl next to me only debuted last year with the role of Xiaoxue in "Xuan-Yuan Sword". It's only been half a year, but she's already made quite a splash. She's much better than me.

I couldn't help but exclaim, "You young people are really on fire!"

Guli Nazha realized that Liu Yan had misunderstood, and she felt even more bitter inside but couldn't express it.

The 50 yuan wasn't her own money at all; it was arranged by the company. Cai Yinong decided that the company would advance the payment first, and then deduct it from her subsequent income.

When she joined Tangren Media, the company covered her tuition fees and her father's high medical expenses.

In "Xuan-Yuan Sword", she was just a newcomer with a pitifully low salary and still owes the company money. Where would she get the savings to donate? But the boss had a request, and as a newcomer, she simply couldn't refuse.

Liu Yan rested her chin on her hand, equally troubled: "I still don't know how much to donate. You know my situation, I've always been relatively unknown and don't have much savings."

She was lucky; her friend Da Peng's "Men's Diary 2" became a huge hit recently, and she gained some popularity through her role in it. However, she hasn't had a chance to monetize this popularity yet. Guli Nazha softly suggested, "Just do what you can. I think netizens are mainly focusing their criticism on A-list celebrities and big names; they probably aren't watching us as closely."

"Sigh, that's all we can do." Liu Yan sighed. "I really envy you, Nazha. You're so beautiful, your company is promoting you, you have great resources, and you even know someone like the top star."

As she spoke, her gaze unconsciously lowered, landing on her chest, which was particularly noticeable due to her tight costume. Her voice was even lower: "Unlike me, it seems that what others see and remember is always just this little bit."

Upon hearing this, Gulinaza's lips curled into a bitter smile.

Outsiders only see that she reached her peak right from the start, was able to collaborate with Liu Shishi and Hu Ge, and was called "Liu Shishi's successor".

But who knew that this so-called "future number one" hadn't even truly taken the throne yet, and seemed to have been subtly "abandoned"? The road ahead is shrouded in mystery.

Each lost in their own thoughts, they exchanged a glance and saw a similar helplessness and struggle in each other's eyes, and sighed softly in unison.

A little further away, near a temporary rest shed, Wu Jing and Xie Nan, who were making a guest appearance on set, had just finished lunch and were strolling along the edge of the film set.

Wu Jing rubbed her throbbing temples and sighed, "Nan Nan, I really owe you a lot this time for lending me the money in time."

He poured his heart and soul into his self-directed and self-acted film "Wolf Warrior," raising money and seeking investment from all sides, but repeatedly hitting a wall. He had already spent all his savings, and his cash flow was extremely tight.

"Why are you being so polite with me?" Xie Nan smiled gently. Her relationship with Wu Jing was stable, and they were headed for marriage, so supporting her boyfriend's career was only natural.

Wu Jing was still somewhat dejected.

His deep-seated male chauvinism made him feel that borrowing money from his future wife, even for legitimate reasons, was somewhat shameful.

Xie Nan noticed her boyfriend's low spirits and changed the subject: "How much funding does 'Wolf Warrior' still need?"

Wu Jing took a deep breath and uttered the number with difficulty: "We are still short 4000 million."

"Wolf Warrior" is a military film that requires the use of large equipment such as aircraft and tanks, resulting in high costs. The initial budget was 1.2 million yuan.

Even with the support of the military saving him a lot of money, he still managed to raise 8000 million yuan after risking everything and asking around for help. There was still a huge funding gap.

Xie Nan was also anxious, but as a host, although his income was good, he was powerless to help with the 4000 million yuan shortfall.

"What about film and television companies in the industry? Have the big names like Tengda Culture and Enlight Media tried it out?"

“We’ve tried everything.” Wu Jing shook her head, looking unwilling. “Everyone says that domestic military action films and tough-guy themes are too novel, there are no successful precedents, the market risk is too high, and they are unwilling to invest.”

Xie Nan frowned and pondered for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up: "Look at this production team, it's invested by Liu Shishi's studio, and the producer is the studio's general manager. He'll be here tomorrow to oversee the progress."

Why don't you try to talk to us in person? What if the studio is interested in this topic? Liu Shishi is known for her deep pockets.

Look at her investment in Deng Chao's directorial transition and her investment in Xu Zheng's "Lost in Thailand"—she has a keen eye. For her, investing 30 to 50 million yuan is probably nothing.

Upon hearing this, Wu Jing perked up and nodded solemnly: "You're right! That's a good approach. I'll definitely find an opportunity to talk to the producer tomorrow. If we can really secure investment, then this cameo appearance of mine will have been truly worthwhile!"

At the same time, in the dean's office of the School of Astronautics at Beihang University.

Afternoon sunlight streamed through the glass windows, falling on the mahogany desk piled high with books and drawings. The air was filled with the scent of old books, ink, and a faint aroma of tea.

Academician Xia sat upright at the table, his gray hair neatly combed, and a pair of reading glasses perched on his nose, intently reviewing a technical report.

The knocking interrupted his thoughts. "Come in," Academician Xia replied curtly without looking up.

The door was pushed open, and Liu Xiaoxian walked in, holding a folder and handing over a document.

"Dean, the feasibility study and approval documents for the first hovering test site of rocket recovery technology, which you previously instructed us to do, have been preliminarily completed."

Academician Xia looked up, took the document, and asked with concern, "Thank you for your hard work, Xiaoxian. Which one did you choose?"

As he asked the question, he quickly flipped through the folder, his eyes scanning the summary of the site selection report on the homepage.

"After comprehensively assessing multiple factors such as safety, airspace, meteorology, geology, and logistical support, the final recommendation is to place it in the EJNQ area of ​​Alxa League, Inner Mongolia."

Academician Xia did not respond immediately. He leaned back in his chair, squinting as if retrieving a map and information about that vast region from his mind.

After a moment, he nodded slowly and analyzed carefully: "The edge of the Ejina Badain Jaran Desert is very good. It's sparsely populated and there's very little interference from infrastructure."

Most importantly, the area around the rocket hovering test site must have a large uninhabited zone as an absolute buffer.

To prevent the rocket from becoming unstable in the initial stages, resulting in loss of control, explosion, or debris falling and causing any casualties or property damage.

Ideally, there should be no civilian infrastructure within a ten-kilometer radius. From this perspective, Ejina has exceptionally favorable conditions.

He paused, as if thinking of a more crucial issue, his expression turned serious, and he turned to look at Liu Xiaoxian: "What about airspace control? This is of paramount importance."

Although our experimental rocket is small, it becomes an aerial carrier once it takes off. During testing, the airspace must be designated as a no-fly zone at the highest level to ensure absolute cleanliness and eliminate any risk of civilian or general aviation aircraft accidentally entering the area.

This question gets straight to the heart of the matter.

Rocket tests, especially low-altitude, high-dynamic vertical takeoff and landing tests, have extremely high requirements for airspace cleanliness. Any interference could lead to catastrophic consequences, and their approval process is far more difficult than that of general scientific research projects.

Liu Xiaoxian was prepared and calmly replied, "Please rest assured, Dean. Principal Huai personally coordinated with the relevant departments, and the airspace issue has been basically resolved. The no-fly zone application during the testing window will be handled on a case-by-case basis and given priority."

This rocket recovery technology, ambitiously driven by his son Song Ci and backed by abundant funding, is still at the forefront of private aerospace exploration.

It is far more convenient to operate under the name of Beihang University's affiliated laboratories and joint projects at many sensitive policy junctures than to operate as a purely commercial company.

Principal Huai's strong support and the school's reputation played a crucial role, essentially making it a perfect collaboration between industry, academia, and research.

Upon hearing this, Academician Xia's face showed satisfaction, and he picked up his pen to sign his name in the approval column. "With President Huai involved, I can rest assured."

He put down his pen, handed the document back, and instructed, "Good! Now that the location is set, there's no time to lose. Start constructing the launch site immediately."

According to the design plan, the land will first be leveled, a concrete launch and landing pad will be poured, and a temporary tracking and control center and fuel storage and refueling area will be built.

As expected of a top aerospace expert, his instructions were clear and unambiguous: "Notify the logistics and transportation departments that the transportation of rocket test components, fuel, and all test and tracking equipment can begin."

The journey is long, so safety must be ensured, especially for flammable and explosive materials; operating procedures must be strictly followed.

Finally, after thinking for a moment, he added, "I will personally communicate with our old friends in Dongfeng Space City and ask them to provide the necessary assistance in telemetry, meteorology, and data sharing."

"Understood, Dean. I'll get on it right away." Liu Xiaoxian took the document, a weight lifted from her heart. Her son's project, into which he had poured countless funds, was finally about to begin its first experiment!

(End of this chapter)