Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 83 Grace and Power

One is the group's largest shareholder, a high-ranking chairman. The other is a recent graduate intern who hasn't been officially hired yet and has little influence.

The two women held vastly different positions within the company and rarely interacted professionally. Song Xueying didn't believe that Song Ci was simply looking for someone to chat with.

She didn't expect Song Ci to take care of her out of any sense of camaraderie as a fellow student; she simply wore a shy smile and waited for the chairman to speak.

Song Ci was obviously not there to chat casually; he asked pointedly, "Senior, I've seen your resume. You studied in the United States?"

Song Xueying gently shook her head and explained, "It wasn't really studying abroad; I just went to the United States as an exchange student for a year during my sophomore year."

Song Ci's eyes brightened, and she asked curiously, "Which school are you going to?"

“University of California, Los Angeles.” Song Xueying’s voice was full of pride. Being able to go to a world-class university as an exchange student was indeed a highlight of her academic career.

Song Ci also showed admiration, "Then you must be very good at English, senior."

Song Xueying said modestly, "It's alright. I had no problem communicating normally with my teachers and classmates in Los Angeles."

Song Ci nodded slightly, made a decision in her heart, and extended an invitation to Song Xueying, "Senior, would you be interested in doing something for me?"

Song Xueying looked puzzled and asked, "I don't understand what you mean. I'm working at the company right now."

Using the language of Song Ci, he explained in detail: "The group's work is official business, but I also have some personal matters to attend to."

For example, if I need to buy a house, I don't have time to handle these things myself, so I need someone to help me.

Wang Jing used to handle all these trivial matters for me, but now that she's the group's COO, it's not appropriate to bother her anymore.

Wang Jing used to be Song Ci's agent and also helped him with some personal matters. Later, these small matters were handed over to Jiang Tiantian. Last year, when Song Ci went on a trip during the National Day holiday, Jiang Tiantian helped him book his plane ticket.

Jiang Tiantian is now the deputy general manager of a subsidiary of the group. Although she may not mind, Song Ci felt that it was a waste of her talents to ask a senior executive of the company to do these trivial things for her.

Song Xueying understood immediately, "Similar to your personal assistant?"

Song Ci smiled slightly; he liked intelligent people: "That's one way to understand it."

Song Xueying hesitated before asking, "Do I need to resign?"

"No need. I'll let Wang Jing know, and the group will continue to pay your salary. If you need to travel abroad on business, I'll personally subsidize you. You can also come to work at the group when you're not busy; you'll still have room for advancement within the company."

Song Ci always treated his close friends and family very well, which was definitely worthwhile in terms of income alone.

Giving up a normal career and entrusting her honor and disgrace to Song Ci poetry, Song Xueying was unsure of what to do.

Song Ci didn't urge her: "After all, this happened suddenly. Senior, you can go back first and think it over before giving me an answer."

Song Xueying gritted her teeth, her expression resolute, and replied decisively, "I am willing to be your personal assistant."

Life offers few opportunities to gamble, so she's betting on Song Ci's future. If he becomes a business tycoon, her role as his assistant will be incredibly valuable.

"Great! There's something I need to ask you for help with, senior!"

Song Ci also felt a little embarrassed, so she spoke softly and gently, afraid that Song Xueying would misunderstand that she was treating her like a beast of burden.

Song Xueying puffed out her cheeks. The dog boss was ordering her around so quickly. Unfortunately, she had already said it, so she could only stare at him and wait for his orders.

Fortunately, it wasn't a difficult task, and Song Ci was arranged directly:

"Senior, you should try to keep an eye on the news about courtyard houses in the Beiping market. If there are any courtyard houses with good condition and good location, with more than three courtyards, let me know in time. I will buy a few as an investment in my own name."

Siheyuan, also known as Sihefang, is a type of traditional Chinese courtyard house. The term "Sihe" refers to the four sides of the house: east, west, south, and north. The "He" means that the houses on all four sides are enclosed together, forming a "口" shape. It is a characteristic ancient building type in northern China.

A typical courtyard house in Beijing is usually situated along an east-west oriented alley, facing south. The main gate is located in the southeast corner of the house, in the "Xun" position. The courtyard is spacious and can be used for planting trees and flowers, and for leisure activities.

A courtyard shaped like the Chinese character "口" is called a single-entrance courtyard.
A courtyard shaped like the Chinese character "日" is called a two-courtyard house.

A courtyard shaped like the character "目" is called a three-section courtyard.

Song Ci is planning to buy a three-courtyard siheyuan with a "目" shape. There are not many well-preserved medium and large siheyuan on the market now, and in a few years, they will be even more priceless.

"You want to buy a courtyard house? Many of these old courtyard houses lack basic living facilities, and the surrounding roads are narrow and parking is inconvenient. Many have been demolished in Beiping in recent years. If you're interested in buying one to live in yourself, that's fine, but why do you want to buy several as an investment?"

Even though Song Xueying had studied abroad and seen the world, she was limited by the times and did not understand the value of those old courtyard houses. She was completely confused and could not understand why Song Ci wanted to buy and invest in a courtyard house.

Song Ci was very patient and explained the value of the courtyard houses in Beiping to Song Xueying in a reasoned and well-founded manner:
"Special old houses like courtyard houses, with their unique geographical locations, have become a non-renewable resource. Their significance is no longer just that of a house, but that of a national antique, and their future value is immeasurable."

I predict that the price of courtyard houses will at least increase several times in five years, and in ten or twenty years, I'm afraid even if you have the money, you won't be able to buy one. I will try my best to acquire courtyard houses within the Second Ring Road; I've calculated that the cost is still within an acceptable range.

After listening to the detailed explanation of Song Ci, Song Xueying nodded subconsciously and gradually understood the value of the courtyard house.

After all, Song Xueying would need to work for him with peace of mind in the future, so Song Ci generously offered his guidance:
"Real estate is steadily appreciating, and housing prices in Beijing will definitely continue to skyrocket after the Olympics. If you want to buy a house, you need to plan ahead."

Song Xueying was indeed planning to buy a house and wanted to have her own little home in Beiping. However, she was still in her internship and her income was limited, so she hesitated about taking out a loan. Now, after listening to Song Ci's insightful advice, she made up her mind to buy a house as soon as possible.

"If you find any good villas or large apartments on the market, please let me know. I'm always happy to have as many houses as possible. If you need money to buy a house, I can lend you some to tide you over."

After some consideration, Song Ci decided to help Song Xueying settle down in Beiping as soon as possible. He also needed her to handle some private matters, such as buying Bitcoin, so he decided to do her a favor and win her over.

Upon hearing that the boss was willing to lend money, Song Xueying's eyes immediately lit up, and she responded with great enthusiasm: "Boss is so generous. I will definitely handle the matter you entrusted to me properly. Just wait and see."

Meanwhile, after bidding farewell to Song Ci and leaving the group headquarters, Zhang Zhao returned to Tengda Culture in the Zhongao Building without stopping. Full of ambition and energy, he disregarded the weekend and notified all department directors to return to the company for a meeting, forbidding them from taking leave.

At 2 p.m., the atmosphere in the meeting room was quiet and heavy. Everyone was gathered together, but no one dared to speak out against Zhang Zhao, the new general manager.

A new broom sweeps clean, and no director dares to risk getting into trouble or offending him.

Zhang Zhao sat high in the center, exuding an imposing and authoritative aura. Looking around and seeing that everyone had arrived on time, he nodded in satisfaction and said loudly:
"I apologize for taking up your valuable weekend time. I went to the group this morning to report to the chairman and there are a few things that have been agreed upon that I would like to inform you of."

Everyone stared at Zhang Zhao, wondering what big news the new general manager had to announce.

Jiang Tiantian also gave Zhang Zhao a meaningful look. She didn't expect that the three of them had just finished an office meeting, and this new leader was so eager to go to the big boss to report on his work. It seems that the new general manager is just as eager to get promoted as she is.

Zhang Zhao's authoritative and deep voice echoed in the conference room, "The filming of 'My Deskmate' is about to begin, and the male and female leads have been decided as Wang Kai and Wang Luodan."

This is the second installment of the company's key project, the "Youth Trilogy." Chairman Song has high hopes for it. With the success of "So Young" as a precedent, the entire company must take it seriously and go all out.

Zeng Jia glanced furtively at Yu Xin, who was scribbling and drawing with his head down. Seeing that his superior showed no sign of speaking, he boldly spoke first:
"Please rest assured, Mr. Zhang. On behalf of the artist management department, I will do my utmost. I have already asked Wang Kai and Wang Luodan to thoroughly study the script, adjust their mindset, and make full preparations."

Deputy General Manager Yu Xin is in charge of artist management, so it wasn't Zeng Jia's place to express her opinion. However, she was ambitious. When Wang Jing was at Tengda Culture, her relationship with Wang Jing was just so-so. Now that Zhang Zhao is in charge of the company, she decided to get closer to the new general manager and make a good impression.

Zhang Zhao nodded slightly, extremely satisfied. Regardless of Zeng Jia's performance, at least he had received a positive attitude from everyone. He then turned his gaze to the production director.

Feeling Zhang Zhao's intense and piercing gaze, Zhang Yue, the director of the film and television production department, was terrified and hurriedly stammered a reply:

"Mr. Zhang, our production department is also fine; we definitely won't let you down."

I was cursing Zeng Jia to death in my heart. Doesn't he understand the hierarchy in the workplace? Your supervisor hasn't even given the order yet, so why are you in such a hurry to show off? Aren't you afraid that Yu Xin will make things difficult for you?

Dissatisfied with Director Zhang's performance, Zhang Zhao suppressed his thoughts, deciding it wasn't the right time for him to make personnel adjustments.

"The second thing is that the company's first film has also been decided. It's a low-budget comedy and is expected to start filming in the second half of the year. The company will be sending out audition invitations soon. During this period, the film and television production department needs to prepare for both possibilities."

"Mr. Zhang, why hold public auditions? Shouldn't the company's own artists be given priority for the opportunity to appear on the big screen?"

Yu Xin seized the opportunity to chime in. Unlike the deeply entrenched Jiang Tiantian, he also needed to make his presence felt at the meeting and fight for the interests of his department, otherwise the company employees might treat him like a puppet.

Zhang Zhao naturally wouldn't say that this was the big boss's decision, and I had no choice but to make up an excuse: "It's the company's first film, so we prioritize the suitability of the roles, and the company's artists' schedules are all full."

In fact, the main actors have already been decided. Zhang Zhao's so-called audition was just a smokescreen to create some hype.

Yu Xin thought about it. Qiao Zhengyu was filming "My Own Swordsman", Lü Yi was filming "The Little Fairy", and Wang Kai and Wang Luodan, who were originally free, were about to join the crew to film "My Old Classmate". The four artists in the company really did not have the time, so he did not say anything more.

Zeng Jia is very interested in this movie. She and Qiao Zhengyu have been planning this for a long time and decided to wait until they get the script before making any decisions. If there is a suitable role, she will definitely fight for it and persuade Zhang Zhao to use the company's artists even if it means filming multiple movies at once.

After discussing TV series and movies, Zhang Zhao announced, "In addition to self-produced projects, the company will also increase its investment in external film and television projects in the second half of the year."

You are all pillars of the company, and you all have connections and resources that allow you to get involved in film and television projects.

If you think it's suitable, you can recommend it to the investment department. As long as it passes the review, the referrer will receive a reward of 0.3% of the investment amount.

Those present immediately began whispering among themselves, and some of the more cunning individuals started plotting their own schemes.

If you can secure an investment of 10 million, the company will reward you with 30,000. After all the hard work and networking involved in attracting investment for the project, it's not unreasonable to charge a service fee of tens of thousands. If you calculate it this way, you can earn tens of thousands. Introducing projects to the company is a very lucrative business.

Zhang Zhao let everyone communicate for two or three minutes, then said, "Everyone, please be quiet. We'll find out the specific requirements later."

Once the focus of the attendees had returned to him, Zhang Zhao continued:
"I am new here, and I will rely on everyone for my work. I hope we can work together to achieve results. I will then recommend you to the group for recognition, and you will certainly be rewarded with good benefits and bonuses."

After offering encouragement, Zhang Zhao didn't forget to give a warning: "But let me make this clear beforehand: if anyone slacks off or neglects their duties, don't blame me for being ruthless."

"Director Zhou, your HR department needs to be strict with work discipline. Our company has a 9-to-5 work schedule and the work atmosphere is already quite relaxed. Being late or leaving early is not allowed. Employees going out on fieldwork must be approved by the department director. The director must report to me or the supervisor in charge when going out."

Startled when Zhang Zhao called out Zhou Yu's name, she quickly replied, "HR will definitely do a good job in attendance management and strictly enforce rewards and punishments according to company regulations."

As the saying goes, "A new emperor brings a new court." When Wang Jing was the general manager, she was often away from the company. With the leader absent, the employees naturally became somewhat lax in their work discipline.

Not to mention ordinary employees, even Zhou Yu, the human resources director, occasionally leaves early.

The meeting lasted until dusk, during which Zhang Zhao distributed the proposals that Song Ci had reviewed that morning to each department of the company. When the meeting ended, everyone except Zhang Zhao, who was still full of energy, was exhausted.

Zhou Yu was on tenterhooks during the meeting. Zhang Zhao called on her several times regarding attendance and recruitment, which made her fearful of him.

As soon as they left the conference room, Zhou Yu caught up with Jiang Tiantian and whispered, "Tiantian, why did you remain silent during the meeting? President Yu did say a few words."

She and Jiang Tiantian were very close friends and did not consider their positions to be appropriate in private.

"What can I say? Today, it's obvious that Zhang Zhao is asserting his authority as general manager. Why should I make a fool of myself?"

There were a few more things Jiang Tiantian didn't say. Administration was her area of ​​responsibility, and Wang Jing was away and unable to manage things. She was half responsible for the company's current lax work style, so why would she speak up and make a fool of herself?

Fearing that Zhang Zhao would target her in the future, Zhou Yu decided to leave. After a sigh, she pleaded, "Hey, Tian Tian, ​​could you talk to President Wang and ask him to transfer me to the group?"

Jiang Tiantian shrugged and said, "Don't even mention you. I'd like to go to the group company too. Let's finish our current jobs first."

Even so, Jiang Tiantian was somewhat tempted. Her former boss was the group's COO, and the future boss's wife was now her best friend. Even if she was transferred to the same level, it would be better to be a deputy director in the group's office than to stay in the subsidiary.

Having made up his mind, he decided to leverage his connections with Wang Jing and Liu Shishi and take action.

(End of this chapter)