Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 76 The First Valentine's Day
Hot pot in winter is indeed very appetizing, and Liu Shishi especially loves the unique spiciness of this restaurant, nodding and praising it repeatedly: "Yiyi, let's come again next time, okay?"

Song Ci nodded slightly, smiled, and skimmed the foam off the surface of the soup, saying in a scare, "Spicy hot pot is fine to eat occasionally, but be careful not to eat too much and get pimples from internal heat."

Looking at her boyfriend sitting opposite her, Liu Shishi felt that every movement he made was graceful and proper. Thinking about her own eating habits just now, she couldn't help but feel annoyed. She had forgotten her mother's advice as soon as she left the house and her old habits had resurfaced, lacking the quiet elegance of a woman.

Song Ci noticed Liu's expression and, after a moment's thought, understood her thoughts. She was starting to feel anxious again, something that had happened more than once in the past six months. He decided to talk things out today and clear up her mind.

"Shishi." Song Ci stared at his girlfriend, his tone friendly, his smile gentle and heartwarming.

"Huh?" Liu Shishi looked at her boyfriend in surprise.

Song Ci turned to the side and took a small black gift box from the coat hanging on the chair. "This is for you."

Ms. Liu's heart pounded. She quickly reached out to take the gift, excitedly opened it, and found a delicate heart-shaped diamond pendant necklace inside, which shone brightly under the light.

Liu Shishi was a little disappointed. "It's not a ring!"

Song Ci chuckled, sensing a hint of disappointment in Shi Ye's tone. Although she understood her meaning, it was too early to say. "Let me put it on you, Shi Shi."

"Mmm." Liu Shishi's face flushed red, and she was a little shy. Her eagerness to get married had just been clearly revealed in front of the young man.

Liu Shishi straightened her posture, and Song Ci stood behind her, placing the necklace around her snow-white swan neck. The sparkling diamonds were like countless stars blooming around her neck, interpreting endless luxury and nobility.

Song Ci buried her head in Shi Ye's fragrant shoulder, leaned down to embrace her soft, delicate body, and inhaled the faint fragrance of her hair.

"Shishi, what I like about you is your liveliness, spontaneity, naturalness, and authenticity. When we're together in the future, we should be as casual as before and not try to be graceful."

Liu Shishi was somewhat bewildered by her boyfriend's sudden intimate gestures; her remaining rationality prevailed over the tender and romantic feelings brought about by their close companionship.

Although she was happy for the young man's thoughtfulness, she still retorted, "I'm a dance student, and my posture has always been excellent."

Song Ci didn't argue with his girlfriend. They understood each other and stopped there. He simply nestled quietly against her, enjoying a moment of peace and warmth.

Ms. Liu closed her eyes and let Song Ci hold her. After a while, she realized that her boyfriend was letting go of her arms and preparing to leave.

She quickly grabbed his broad, strong hand, met Song Ci's questioning gaze, and smiled sweetly, "Yi Yi, I also have a gift for you. It's in my bag. I'll get it for you now."

The same black gift box, but Liu Shishi's Valentine's Day gift to Song Ci was a silver Longines watch.

“I remember you usually wear your watch on your left wrist, let me help you put it on.” Liu Shishi gently placed the watch strap over Song Ci’s wrist and carefully fastened it.

Song Ci gazed at the poet who was bending down to help her put on her watch, feeling deeply moved. Miss Liu had thoughtfully prepared gifts for her on her birthday and Valentine's Day.

Every little thing showed her love for him, and he secretly decided that next month, on Shi Ye's eighteenth birthday, he would definitely show her his feelings.

"Smile, Yi-yi." Liu Shishi playfully pinched her boyfriend's cheek.

After glancing at her smiling boyfriend a few times, Liu Shishi nodded in satisfaction. The young man, wearing the watch she had given him, exuded a refined and gentle air, making him even more handsome and dashing. He could easily charm countless young women; she'd better keep a close eye on him!

"Yiyi, smile more often, don't always have such a blank expression." My boyfriend is fine when he's with me, but he always has a cold face when there are other people around. Such a handsome guy should smile more.

Song Ci remained silent; such was his personality, and it was probably difficult to change. Moreover, he possessed an inherent arrogance that made it even harder for him to get close to others.

Liu Shishi knew her boyfriend hadn't listened to her, but she was just saying it casually. As long as her boyfriend reserved his gentleness and smile for her, what else could she ask for?

After lunch, Liu Shishi dragged Song Ci to see a movie, a romance film called "Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies" starring Chen Kun and Zhou Xun.

Song Ci didn't want to go. He had seen all the excellent movies in his previous life, and he didn't want to see any movies he hadn't seen in this life. But he was defeated again by the empty gaze of the poet, and changed his habit once more.

It's an ordinary romance movie with a bland plot. Song Ci felt that the plot and visuals were just average, but Liu Shishi watched it with great interest.

On their way back from the movie theater, the two passed a flower shop on the street corner. Song Ci specially selected a bouquet of flowers that best expressed his feelings and gave it to Miss Liu.

This bouquet of champagne roses, symbolizing happiness and devoted love, was wrapped in colorful wrapping paper, carrying the sentiments of Song Dynasty poetry, and became the messenger for him and Liu Shishi to convey their love.

February 23rd is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the annual Lantern Festival.

People who need to go out to work can no longer enjoy the warmth of the festival. They can only say goodbye to their families and friends early and return to the city to work hard.

Across the country, the relaxed and leisurely atmosphere of the holiday has been replaced by a gradual resumption of work and production, bringing people back into a busy state.

Peking University started its new semester the day before yesterday, and Song Ci returned to the campus after a month's absence to begin her new academic life.

At noon, the three roommates had already gone to the cafeteria for lunch. Song Ci was delayed by something and stayed in the dormitory, so she asked her roommates to help her get food and bring it back.

He was sitting at his desk in his dorm room, intently watching a news article on his computer screen, while holding his phone and talking to someone, nodding occasionally in agreement.

Song Ci is currently reading an exclusive news article published this morning on the entertainment section of Toutiao.com.

According to reports, Tengda Southern Cinema Line Company invested 3600 million yuan to acquire Jiangsu Yangtze Cinema Line, Oriental Cinema Line, and Donghai City Daguangming Cinema Line.

With the addition of cinema chains and theaters already acquired in Guangdong Province, Southern Cinema Line Company has become a cinema chain giant with 52 cinemas and 262 screens, ranking among the top three in the country.

In 2005, the three-year trial period for the domestic cinema chain system reform expired. Shortly after the new year, Tengda Southern Cinema Chain Company took the lead in initiating a wave of cinema chain mergers and reorganizations, making it easy to imagine that this year would be a turbulent one for the film and television industry.

The person Song Ci was talking to was Liu Rong, the general manager of Southern Cinema Line Company. She had just signed the acquisition agreement on behalf of the company that morning.

After calculating the time, Song Ci returned to her dormitory after class at noon and immediately called her boss to report the matter.

Last year, in 2004, the landscape of cinema chains in South China was unpredictable. In March, Yangcheng Film Company and Jiayu Real Estate jointly established Jinyi Cinema Chain.

At the end of the year, Guangdong Provincial Film Company joined forces with Huaying Group and Xinlian Cinema Line to establish a new inter-provincial cinema chain, Huaying Southern New Trunk Line. In the second half of 2004, Liu Rong joined Tengda Culture and, with the support of Song Ci, founded Tengda Southern Cinema Line Company in Guangdong Province. Due to its ample funds and extensive network of contacts, it successively acquired Guangdong South China Cinema Line and Pearl River Cinema Line.

After mergers and reorganizations, the cinema chain landscape in South China has gradually evolved into a three-way competition between Tengda Southern, Huaying Southern New Line, and Jinyi.

After consolidating his base, Liu Rong turned his attention beyond South China and gradually expanded into East China.

After three months of negotiations and a premium acquisition, the company finally acquired shares from Jiangsu Film Company and Donghai Daguangming Group, thus gaining full control of Yangtze Cinema Line, Oriental Cinema Line, and Donghai Daguangming Cinema Line.

Song Ci remembered reading a film and television industry report in her previous life. By the end of 2004, 36 cinema chains had been built in China, with 1188 cinemas and 2396 screens. According to this calculation, Tengda Southern Cinema Chain Company already accounted for 11% of the total number of screens in the country, second only to Huaying Group.

"Mr. Song, this is the current situation. The company is now the largest cinema chain in South China and East China."

Liu Rong's words carried a hint of pride and joy. From nothing to something, Southern Cinemas was like her child, and she was naturally happy with its current achievements.

Song Ci was also very satisfied with Liu Rong's work over the past six months and praised her generously, saying, "Sister Liu has worked hard and made great contributions. Thank you for your hard work."

Liu Rong humbly replied, "It's all thanks to President Song's trust and support."

Liu Rong was speaking from the heart. Acquiring and selling cinema chains is difficult, mainly because most cinema chains are currently state-owned, requiring considerable effort and connections to coordinate.

It's simple in a way: as long as the money is in place, and the acquisition is at a premium, everything is negotiable.

With ample funding and unwavering trust from Song Ci, she was able to act swiftly and decisively, acquiring cinema chains and rapidly building Southern Cinema Chain to its current scale.

Song Ci didn't want to say any more polite praise. He would naturally fulfill the promises he made to Liu Rong. Southern Cinemas should focus on the future.

What are the follow-up arrangements?

Liu Rong organized her work plan in her mind: "I plan to stop the acquisitions in the near future and focus on renovating old cinemas. At the same time, I will strengthen publicity to attract more cinemas to join the Southern Cinema Line Company."

Song Ci nodded slightly. A gradual approach was the right thing to do, and Liu Rong did indeed need time to digest and integrate the newly acquired cinemas. "You can make the decisions on these matters."

After exchanging a few more words with Liu Rong, Song Ci hung up the phone. Overall, the Southern Cinema Line's operations were on track, and Wang Jing had someone keeping an eye on the finances, so he didn't need to worry too much.

With the addition of the theatrical release, Tengda Culture has now completed all aspects of film investment, production, distribution, and screening.

The only weakness was that the company lacked a director with market appeal who could carry the show. After thinking it over, Song Ci decided to have the company launch a director support program.

Just as Song Ci was about to call Wang Jing to discuss supporting the director, Lin Hao and the others returned to the dormitory with lunch. Song Ci then temporarily put the matter aside and decided to discuss it later.

"Why did you give me so much food?" Song Ci asked her roommate in surprise as she opened the lunchbox.

The dishes I brought him included Kung Pao Chicken, braised lion's head meatballs, stir-fried pork, a chicken leg, and two vegetable dishes—a truly lavish spread.

Lin Hao pursed his lips and said enviously, "This is a Lantern Festival lunch that the beautiful Shen made for you. She noticed that you didn't go to the cafeteria to eat, so she specially picked out a few meat dishes and prepared them for us to take back."

"Sisi took the taxi!" Song Ci rubbed his forehead with one hand, speechless. The dishes looked quite tempting and did indeed whet his appetite.

But the hardest thing to accept is the kindness of a beautiful woman. He already has a girlfriend, so how can he accept the affection of another girl?

Song Ci held chopsticks, feeling hungry. Looking down at the delicious food in the lunchbox, she was torn, unsure whether to eat or not, which made her feel quite uncomfortable.

"Pretentious. The school beauty is chasing after you. You should be grateful you have something to eat." Lin Hao muttered, looking at Song Ci's awkward expression.

Upon hearing this, Song Ci flew into a rage and demanded, "I'm being dramatic? The three of you have been acting very strangely lately. Knowing that I have a girlfriend, you deliberately helped Shen Sisi by being her wingman. Tell me, why did you do that?"

The air of authority emanating from Song Ci was palpable. The three men avoided his sharp gaze, stammering and not daring to utter a sound.

"Fatty Lin, you speak first. You're always talking about Senior Sister Shi this and Senior Sister Shi that, so why are you suddenly betraying her and helping Shen Sisi?" Song Ci pointed at Lin Hao and asked sharply.

Seeing that he couldn't avoid it, Lin Hao explained with a mournful face, "Fourth brother, if I don't help her, the girls in her dormitory will prank me. I have no choice. I'm a grown man, and I can't fight back against them."

Song Ci seemed to be deep in thought, unraveling the mystery, and looked at Tang Xiaochuan and Lu Yugang, "What about you two?"

Tang Xiaochuan stammered, "My classmate Shen helped me find a work-study opportunity through the school's broadcasting room."

Now that things had come to this, and both roommates had confessed, Lu Yugang had nothing left to hide, so he scratched his head and confessed somewhat embarrassedly.

"Hey, fourth brother, I'm dating Shen Sisi's roommate, Sun Jingyi."

"So that's how it is," Song Ci suddenly understood why her three roommates had acted strangely, and couldn't help but sarcastically remark, "You guys are something else."

Looking at Song Ci's somewhat gloomy face, Lu Yugang said awkwardly, "Fourth brother, don't take these things to heart. Shen Sisi was just pursuing you."

Lin Hao nodded in agreement, saying, "A good man doesn't fight with a woman; we had no choice."

Song Ci sighed. It seemed she needed to seriously consider her relationship with Shen Sisi. Ending it as soon as possible would be better for both of them.

On March 8th, a sunny and breezy day, Song Ci arrived at the company early in the morning to personally attend an important meeting regarding the restructuring of Tengda Technology Group.

These few days are a critical period for the company's development, so he decided to stay at the company to handle affairs. The 10th is also Shishi's birthday, so he simply asked the homeroom teacher for three days of leave.

Today happens to be Women's Day, and Song Ci instructed the office to send a bouquet of flowers to every female employee to thank them for their contributions to the company and their families. The company culture and employees' sense of belonging to the company are contained in these little things.

At around 9 a.m., in the company's spacious and bright conference room, Song Ci sat in the center at the top of the simple and elegant black conference table. He was dressed in a suit, which was rare for him. With his handsome face, he had a mature and domineering CEO vibe.

To his left was Zhang Yong, and to his right was Wang Jing. All the senior executives of Tengda Technology and Tengda Culture were present and attended in turn.

(End of this chapter)