How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 285 Comfort is indeed innocent (2-in-1)

Courage is knowing you'll lose before you even begin, but still doing it anyway, and sticking with it no matter what.

It's a line that Yang Mi really liked in "To Kill a Mockingbird" and adopted as her life motto.

Because of her stubborn personality since childhood, she tends to take risks when doing many things. Whether it's due to her strong abilities or luck, she has won her gambles at most important junctures in her life.

Moreover, she enjoys the thrill of doubling her money after going all in under extreme pressure.

But never before had the premonition been stronger than this one, even giving her the urge to use leverage.

"What do you need so much money for? Does the company have other projects to compete for? Or has something happened at home?" Zeng Jia was stunned when she received Yang Mi's call asking for money.

Although Yang Mi has been hovering in the second or third tier of the industry for years, she has still managed to accumulate a net worth of nearly a million yuan due to her relentless work ethic and high-pressure acting schedule. Moreover, she doesn't usually spend money extravagantly, so why would she suddenly need to borrow money?

“It’s a great project, and it could very well be the one that changes my life. Quick, calculate for me how much money I can make next year after ‘Palace’ and ‘Island’,” Yang Mi asked with a grin.

"Hmm, if we're lucky and both shows get good ratings, and next year we get 3 TV dramas, 2 movies, and 5 or 6 endorsements, after deducting the company's cut, you should have around 2 to 3 million in your pocket," Zeng Jia roughly and conservatively calculated.

As a seasoned agent, forecasting an artist's revenue is an essential skill.

"Wow? I can earn this much next year?" Yang Mi was surprised. She had become somewhat popular this year, but her annual income was still less than a million. She didn't expect her net worth to increase so quickly after joining Xinghuo.

"This is only because the A-level contract company takes 75% of the profits; otherwise, it would be double. Although we earn less, the stable resources save us a lot of extra social and interpersonal expenses," Zeng Jia said with a smile.

She has always had reservations about Xinghuo's extremely high commission rate, but she also feels that it is worth learning from. If she has the ability to go solo in the future, she can follow suit, which will not only allow her to control the development of her artists, but also ensure the company's say.

"Does that mean my annual revenue is now worth tens of millions?" Yang Mi's breathing quickened, and she began to truly feel the reality that she had become famous.

"This is nothing. If you're as lucky as Zhao Liying, you could easily be worth over 100 million." Zeng Jia cautioned Yang Mi not to get carried away, as her career had only just begun.

"Jiajia, is there any way to raise 500 million for me in advance?" Yang Mi asked in a low voice.

"So much money? Has something really happened?" Zeng Jia became nervous upon hearing this, as Yang Mi was her cash cow.

“It’s a serious investment, very important,” Yang Mi said in a deep voice.

"Hey, hey, hey, let me tell you, there are a lot of scammers using investment as a guise lately. Sister Fu has encountered one before. Don't worry, you might have been scammed." Zeng Jia became increasingly nervous.

"Oh, I'm not stupid. Whether the project succeeds or not is not important. What's important is being able to participate in it," Yang Mi explained. Although Wang Yao did not ask her to keep it a secret, she knew that the fewer people who knew about this, the better.

“Mimi, the company strictly prohibits any messy or disreputable circles. If something goes wrong, the consequences will be very serious.” Zeng Jia became even more nervous after hearing this.

"Tsk, don't ask anymore. If you trust my judgment, just help me out, any amount will do," Yang Mi said seriously.

Hearing the change in Yang Mi's tone, Zeng Jia hesitated for a long time before saying, "Okay, I'll help you put together the money, but if anything goes wrong, you must tell me immediately. We're in this together, and I won't hurt you."

"Mwah, I love you~" Yang Mi said in a sweet voice.

The first episode (part 2) of "Dance for a Thousand Years" achieved a viewership rating of over 1.5% on satellite TV thanks to its massive marketing campaign that disparaged celebrities across the internet. This gave Henan Satellite TV, a second-tier satellite TV station that was lagging behind, the ability to compete with Hunan TV during the weekend prime time slot.

The number of online views on Sohu Video reached tens of millions, and the activity of the bullet comments was very high. A large number of fans transferred the war of words from social media to live broadcasts to fight in real time. The popularity and momentum were much stronger than "Sister Hua". The average premium of the next episode's segment advertisement exceeded 10%.

Moreover, in this episode, Li Yitong wore a red cloud-patterned robe with wide sleeves, and danced a niche dance style called "Xiangji Dance" with her red sleeves fluttering, wooden clogs clattering, and jade pendants jingling. This immediately sparked a new round of controversy.

The incident started when a marketing account on Sina Weibo questioned whether there was anything wrong with the dance.

Why are dancers in "Dance Through the Millennium" wearing Japanese wooden clogs? Isn't it supposed to promote traditional Chinese culture? Is there a traitor among the performers?

Sina Weibo then seized the opportunity to attack and attract traffic. Many viewers hadn't even finished watching the live stream when the trending topic had already reached the top three, and more and more people were joining the condemnation.

Just when it seemed that "Dance for a Thousand Years" was about to collapse, an official account of the Ningbo Museum on MS published an article showing wooden clogs from the Liangzhu Culture period 5500 years ago, and popularized the fact that these are the earliest known wooden clogs in the world.

Furthermore, there are historical records in China indicating that wooden clogs existed as early as the Spring and Autumn Period. The Zhuangzi Yiyuan records, "Jie Zitui died embracing a tree and was burned to death. Duke Wen of Jin cut down the tree to make clogs." This shows that wooden clogs not only originated in China, but were also once a symbol and representation of "loyalty and righteousness."

The Book of the Later Han Dynasty, Treatise on the Five Elements, records that "during the Yanxi era, elders in the capital all wore wooden clogs; newly married women even made lacquer paintings and tied them with five colors." This was already a common fashion item during the Eastern Han Dynasty.

The dance led by Li Yitong in "Dance of a Thousand Years" is a dance created by Xi Shi, one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. It was very popular during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods and is based on the story of Wen Zhong presenting Xi Shi to the King of Wu during the "Sleeping on Firewood and Tasting Gall" period. It is said that Xi Shi created the unique Xiangji Dance.
The distinctive feature is that the dancers wear specially made wooden clogs that make a heavy, clanging sound when they step on the ground. Their skirts or waists are adorned with small bells that jingle melodiously as they move. The dancers control the rhythm of these sounds through their body movements.

The costumes also referenced the story of "King Chu's love for slender waists," which perfectly matched the artistic conception and style of the dance. The program team of "Dance for a Thousand Years" was praised for their rigorous attitude, and the lead dancer Li Yitong was praised as being like Xi Shi reincarnated. The museum also welcomed audiences from all over the country who are interested in wooden clogs and Liangzhu culture to visit.

This post was directly reposted by the official accounts of various museums on MS, and even a few people started arguing over who should be the place of origin of Xi Shi.

But without a doubt, the authorities' intervention not only delivered a resounding slap to all those who questioned it, but also directly ignited the anger and pride of a large number of netizens regarding the ownership of the wooden clogs.

Why did wooden clogs, which originated in China, end up being used by Xiao Yingzi for so long?
I was so focused on defending against Korea that I almost forgot to criticize you guys, huh?
Ms already had a base of supporters, and the emotions following the Captain incident haven't subsided yet. Now, another round of discussion is starting to veer towards cultural aspects.

The popularity of the "clapper dance" spread rapidly. Sina Weibo made a big blunder and quickly pulled back various trending topics, forwarding popular science and debunking information from MS, but it still faced skepticism from many netizens.

Popular online brands like Mixue and Baixiang have also showcased cartoon images of Li Yitong wearing the same clothing and wooden clogs, launching co-branded products with "Dance for a Thousand Years." After purchasing, customers who post a selfie with the relevant hashtag will have a chance to win a spot to watch the finals.

Wang Zidong even posted a Weibo post.

'Ignorance is truly terrifying.'

We're prepared to directly label the platform with a negative stereotype.

Moreover, it wasn't just in China; the overseas broadcasting rights for "Dance of a Thousand Years" were also sold to Hulu, which adopted a model where the first 8 episodes were free to watch, and the last 4 episodes required payment. Hulu has almost no users in Asia, so the show didn't get any views when it premiered.

However, Wang Yao had already edited various clips of "Xiangji Dance" in advance and released them directly on major overseas social media and streaming media in a scattered manner. At the same time, he also directly released related marketing accounts on Ms. Korea and bought the trending search.

'It turns out that Japan stole Chinese wooden clogs thousands of years ago.'

Korean netizens, who are known for their strong emphasis on cultural copyright, quickly identified the keywords and, after understanding the context, spontaneously launched a sarcastic attack. This was a common practice whenever such news appeared in the past.

The main culprit for stealing the spotlight is always Korea, but this time it's different. They've taken the moral high ground, and the one stealing the spotlight is Japan, with whom they've been at odds for the past six months. This time, they can finally cry wolf.

Korean and Japanese netizens on Ms. have been constantly clashing for the past six months, yet they also have a love-hate relationship. Some enthusiastic individuals have even gone to the Japanese section to uphold justice.

Please return the wooden clogs to China, thank you.

The emergence of topics such as "Japanese women simply cannot wear the beauty of wooden clogs, it's a disgrace" and the platform's trending push quickly identified the first batch of precise people.

Although Japanese and Korean netizens are at odds on MS, the alliance between Japanese and Korean girls has always been strong. This topic originally did not involve them, but suddenly it started targeting "Japanese girls", which is naturally unacceptable.

Cultural origins are irrelevant, but it's unacceptable to generalize about them.

The entry of the main groups of girls like Rinka and Sakura quickly raised the popularity of related topics again. What was originally just a discussion on MS overseas spread directly to mainstream platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

Almost all onlookers or participants need to have a basic understanding of the background and watch the video of "Xiangji Dance" before they can provide evidence, since the internet has not yet developed the ability to engage in empty arguments or disregard the facts.

The number of views for "Clog Dance" quickly climbed on major streaming platforms. With such a large user base, there were bound to be some netizens who were interested in dance or beautiful women who would directly trace back to the original full version on Hulu.

Although the volume was not large, it was a successful user acquisition for Hulu, a platform with no roots in Asia.

Moreover, it wasn't just the Asian market; Wang Yao also gave the onlookers in Europe and America a taste of his own medicine by sharing a video of the most popular argument on Paris MS and commenting on it.

Paris V: It mentions that tap dance also originated in China. Does anyone know about it?

The top-tier effect was immediate, and a new round of evidence collection and debate began, turning the situation into complete chaos.

Even video social media platforms like YouTube and Hulu have seen a surge of commentators and broadcasters translating the events and offering sharp critiques.

Of course, Hulu's costs were also high. The entire marketing cycle was expected to generate more than 5000 million clicks and impressions. Based on the CPC (cost-per-click) price of $0.5 per click, this marketing campaign may have cost Wang Yao $2500 million in promotional expenses.

The actual cost is probably less than one-tenth.

Wang Yao's slicing strategy, which involves deploying thousands of videos a day, is more effective than imagined.

Amidst the immense popularity, besides the "Dance for a Thousand Years" program, the beneficiaries are Li Yitong and Xi Shi, whose fan base skyrocketed overnight. The set of photos of them posing for the Xiangji dance, which was just released on MS, received over a million likes in three hours.

"I'm famous?" Li Yitong, with a toothbrush dangling from her mouth and toothpaste foam still bubbling at the corner of her mouth, ran out of the bathroom when she heard Jin Chen's scream.

"It's not just popular, it's exploded!" Jin Chen grinned excitedly, holding his tablet. "Do you know how many followers you've gained?"

"One hundred thousand?" Li Yitong's eyes widened.

"Ten thousand is just a small fire, I mean it exploded!" Jin Chen exclaimed, gesturing wildly.

"One million? Gulp." Li Yitong's eyes widened, and she swallowed the toothpaste directly.

"Almost! And it's even become popular overseas. Your set of stills has almost reached 100,000 likes on overseas MS forums. Sister, you're rich now!" Jin Chen exclaimed, hugging Li Yitong.

"Cough cough cough." Li Yitong's mind went blank, and she only felt a burning sensation in her throat.

Fire?

real or fake?

"Wow, just yesterday I was saying that becoming an overnight sensation was a dream, and I never expected it to come true the very next day. That's amazing, Mr. Wang is truly incredible," Jin Chen exclaimed.

Li Yitong stared at the number of followers on her MS account on the tablet, as well as the 99+ message bar, rubbing the lucky charm bracelet on her wrist that she had bought with a month's salary, and muttered to herself.

"Did they really succeed in cutting in line?"

"What are you whispering about? If you become rich and powerful, don't forget me, okay? From now on, I'll call you Li Xishi." Jin Chen was even happier than if he had become famous himself.

Anger and jealousy are both high-quality sources of traffic.

Disrupting one's perception is the easiest way to trigger anger because it makes people doubt their own existence. When one's subjectivity is questioned or attacked, instinctive defense mechanisms are activated, and it can even lead to the phenomenon of thoughts/behaviors being 'possessed'.

The origin of wooden clogs is like common sense to the Japanese, something as natural as breathing, integrated into their culture. Suddenly, it has been subjected to a subversive questioning, and the other side can even produce artifacts unearthed 5500 years ago as proof.

Especially given the highly sensitive impact of the captain's incident in Japan, the stress response he exhibited even exceeded Wang Yao's expectations.

Not only did netizens in Korea and Japan react strongly, but netizens in Europe and America also contributed excessively enthusiastically to the traffic and popularity. Overnight, the data from overseas was even several times higher than that from the main domestic battlefield.

Why are you in such a hurry if it's so easy?

Wang Yao originally thought that this kind of provocation would only spread and be discussed in a small cultural circle, but he did not expect it to develop into a mainstream discussion.

It's unclear whether it's because netizens in the early days of the internet had such a strong sense of participation and immersion, or whether they simply haven't developed a tolerance for this kind of provocative information.

But as long as it works well, the money wasn't wasted.

I replied to Deng Wendi and Elizabeth's messages this morning, telling them to decide for themselves whether to continue pushing the updates. I then took a car to pick up Yang Mi.

"You're dressed quite formally." Wang Yao raised an eyebrow slightly as he looked at Yang Mi, who was dressed in a white suit dress, black stockings, and white high heels, looking every bit the professional businesswoman.

"Hehe, we're going to poach talent, so we definitely need to dress more formally." Yang Mi smiled shyly, pursing her lips, and gracefully crossed her legs, showing off her slender and shapely calves: "This outfit is a high-end custom design from Yunshang. I bought it at a high price but have been reluctant to wear it. I was thinking of wearing it to the press conference for 'Palace' or 'Island'. Doesn't it look good?"

"It suits you very well; you have a real white-collar vibe." Wang Yao smiled.

"Hehe, I learned it from Sister Meng." Yang Mi smiled slyly: "Ah, I'm so nervous, I feel even more nervous than when I'm filming."

"Just treat it like filming a movie. Put yourself in the role of an investor. If you don't understand something, listen more and talk less. Just nod and smile from time to time," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Don't underestimate me, Mr. Wang. I consulted my uncle yesterday and learned some knowledge about cloud computing. I won't embarrass you," Yang Mi said with a serious face.

Yang Mi comes from a very good family, a typical scholarly family that would be considered middle class in Beijing. The uncle she mentioned should be the one who is rumored to be teaching at Tsinghua University, but I don't know what his major is.

"It's not as formal as you think. Poaching people is actually very simple; just provide enough respect and compensation," Wang Yao waved his hand.

"Okay, whatever you say." Yang Mi chuckled. "By the way, was 'Dance for a Thousand Years' a huge hit last night? It was trending all over the internet. President Wang is amazing; every variety show he stars in becomes a sensation!"

"It was just good luck. The main problem is that there's too little entertainment content in China, and variety shows are quite entertaining," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Mr. Wang is too modest. But it's true that with streaming media, I feel like I have a lot more entertainment options in my life. Unlike before, when I had to be on time to watch TV series and fight with my parents for the remote control," Yang Mi said, her eyes crinkling as she rested her chin on her hand as she looked at Wang Yao.

"Having goals and expectations is quite interesting. I didn't have the experience of 'manipulating the remote control' when I was a child. My mom would come home very late from the factory," Wang Yao said with a smile.

For some reason, Yang Mi's heart clenched upon hearing these words, and her eyes filled with tenderness. An image of a thin, frail figure sitting alone in front of the television, waiting for her mother to come home, appeared in her mind.

Mr. Wang seems to have had a very tragic childhood.

"The release date and promotional materials for 'Palace' have been finalized, and the results are expected to be good. However, I anticipate some reaction from Tang Ren's side. I heard that you and Cai Yinong don't get along very well, so if they have any impact, you don't need to worry about it." Wang Yao didn't expect that a casual remark would make Yang Mi imagine so much, and continued talking about her subsequent arrangements.

Yang Mi quietly looked at Wang Yao's profile and felt that the man in front of her seemed very lonely.

I can only numb my loneliness by working a lot.

The car stopped at the entrance of a residential area. Wang Yao and Yang Mi got out of the car and waited for a while before a man dressed in typical engineering attire came out.

Wang Yao stepped forward and said, "President Liang, over here." "President Wang, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Is this Yang Mi?" Liang Rubo was first shocked by Wang Yao's youth and appearance, and then by the pretty Yang Mi standing next to him.

Yang Mi rose to fame last year with "Chinese Paladin" and became one of the most popular new generation actresses on straight male forums such as Tmall, Huhu, and Mao. Although Liang Rubo is not a fan of celebrities, he is an honest science and engineering guy and inevitably has some biases towards female celebrities.

"Hello, Mr. Liang, I'm Yang Mi." Yang Mi shook hands with him gracefully.

Liang Rubo looked slightly nervous: "Ha, hello, hello, I especially enjoy watching your performances."

"Mr. Liang, let's get in the car and talk," Wang Yao said with a smile, inviting him to get in the car and drive to their next destination.

Liang Rubo is one of the founders of 99fang.com. He is currently working with Zhang Yiming on real estate search. Although the total number of users on PC and mobile devices is less than four million, the company is already valued at $1000 million, which is considered mid-level among current internet entrepreneurs.

He used to be the general manager of a photo company under Shanghai EastNet. Last year, he was persuaded by his classmate and best friend Zhang Yiming to start his own business. The company is still in its early stages. Although it has a monthly revenue of about 30 yuan, it cannot even cover the salaries of its employees.

Last week, he unexpectedly received a call from his former boss, saying that Wang Yao wanted to visit him, which left him somewhat confused.

Taobao Girls/Mulan Street, under Tianwang, is considered an excellent project in the domestic internet industry. Moreover, it is now the largest media company in China. Even Liang Rubo, who works in a different industry, has heard of this rising star in Shanghai.

He really couldn't figure out why Wang Yao had come to visit him.

Because the two sides didn't seem to have any direct business dealings, and although 99fang also needed publicity, it was far from reaching the level of cooperating with a large company like Tianwang, so he was a little apprehensive before the meeting.

Now that Wang Yao has brought Yang Mi along, he is even more uneasy.

“I recently went to the US on a business trip and visited a streaming company called Hulu, which is under a media group. Have you heard of it?” Wang Yao asked with a smile.

"I've heard a little about it. It seems to be a platform that rivals Netflix and YouTube's dual-mode model, right?" Liang Rubo raised an eyebrow slightly.

"That's right, I discovered they're working on a new ad delivery model called user-driven. Users can choose their ad preferences; for example, if you like type A ads, you'll only receive type A ads in the future, with very few others. This method can increase engagement and reduce user aversion to ads."
As you probably know, I created a platform called Mulan Street, which is essentially a platform for subtly promoting products. However, its core is content-driven. I think Hulu's user-centric model is very suitable for platforms like Mulan Street.
This can greatly improve users' acceptance of advertising and avoid user resistance. In the long run, it may form a virtuous cycle of high conversion, high interaction, and high stickiness.

"I've learned a bit about it. This is called an algorithm, right? But it needs cloud computing to help optimize it. The investor in Mulan Street is Shanghai Commercial Investment, which is also your former employer. I asked them for relevant talent, and they recommended you, which is why I took the liberty of visiting you." Wang Yao explained the whole story with a smile.

After hearing this, Liang Rubo suddenly realized that this was the reason.

The algorithm Wang Yao described was something he had mentioned when he was the general manager of Hudong.com. However, it was not promoted due to industry restrictions and funding issues. The reason he chose to start his own business was because he discovered the future value of this type of algorithm, so he agreed to Zhang Yiming's request.

Very few companies in China invest in algorithms because users in the advertising market are not yet 'picky' enough.

“Actually, it’s not just Hulu. Google has already achieved some results in this area, and they’ve invested even more in cloud computing and algorithms. It’s truly admirable that Mr. Wang can see the value of this algorithm that strengthens information cocoons,” Liang Rubo said with a smile.

"Has 99fang already started similar developments?" Wang Yao asked with a smile.

"Well, sort of. But we're a vertical platform, so the content isn't that complicated. It's relatively easier for us. So, Mr. Wang approached me about collaborating on research and development?" Liang Rubo frankly stated.

"I mainly wanted to ask Mr. Liang for his opinion on Hulu's team's technical skills," Wang Yao said with a slight smile.

Although Hulu is a subsidiary of a media company, its technology research and development is based in Beijing. The CTO is a former engineer from the Beijing technology department of Microsoft. The media group directly poached this team to Hulu, and currently all technology research and development is conducted in the Beijing branch.

After Wang Yao showed Liang Rubo a tour of Hulu's technology department, it immediately piqued his interest. Although their directions were different, it did give him a lot of inspiration in some aspects.

"Does Mr. Liang think there's a problem with Hulu's R&D direction?" After the visit, Wang Yao took him to Zhang Chaoyang's private kitchen.

"It's quite interesting. The value of algorithms lies in avoiding the waste of resources caused by inaccurate push notifications in an information overload environment. In fact, the Chinese Internet is currently in a stage of content scarcity. Netizens' demand for information is greater than the supply, so algorithms don't have much value."

"But there's already some overload on the internet overseas, especially with Hulu's huge copyright library. These streaming platforms also have high customer acquisition costs. It would be a real shame if users were lost due to inaccurate content recommendations. Hulu's team is excellent, and they should succeed," Liang Rubo analyzed objectively.

After spending an afternoon together, his feelings toward Wang Yao changed considerably.

"So, there's not much need for it domestically right now?" Wang Yao nodded.

"But it will be needed sooner or later, so it's good to plan ahead, but it requires a sufficient budget," Liang Rubo said with a smile.

"Mr. Liang, you know Wang Zidong, right? He's the former CEO of Sina, and now he's in charge at Ms.," Wang Yao added.

“Of course, he is our senior.” Liang Rubo nodded.

"I bought one of his projects that was halfway through development, the Lava collaboration platform. It allows for instant messaging, simultaneous document editing by multiple people, and workflow automation, which is perfect for office work. Our company has a large number of employees, mostly in the cultural and creative industries."
Meetings are usually inefficient and complicated, so it would be great to switch to online work. What do you think of this project? Wang Yao changed the subject.

This is the future Lark, rumored to be developed under the leadership of Liang Rubo.

“This product is great. It will save a lot of management costs for companies with a large workforce and is very valuable in improving efficiency.” Liang Rubo’s eyes lit up. He had actually thought about this direction back when he was at Hudong.com.

Hudong.com is one of the three major image resource platforms in China, serving tens of thousands of image systems at home and abroad, and connecting with tens of thousands of people daily. However, the process is very cumbersome and inefficient, which causes many things to be delayed. This is one of the reasons why Liang Rubo decided to leave.

"To be honest, my various platforms have a huge future demand for cloud computing and content computing, but I don't trust outsiders. I've contacted many headhunters in China, but haven't found suitable candidates. Either we can't connect, or we lack the necessary understanding."
"But after spending time with you today, Mr. Liang, I feel that you are the person I've been looking for. Therefore, I formally extend an invitation to you to establish the best algorithm-driven technology company in China and even the world in the future." Wang Yao said seriously.

Liang Rubo was taken aback. He had already vaguely guessed Wang Yao's purpose, but he was still somewhat surprised when he saw the solemn expression on the young man's face.

Dude, we've only met once, and you already think I'm good enough?

Even if it's an internal referral, this is far too hasty.

"Mr. Wang, first of all, thank you for your appreciation and recognition. However, I am currently very happy with my business with my friends and I don't have any other plans for the time being, so I may have to disappoint you," Liang Rubo said politely.

"Mr. Liang, why don't you listen to my budget and plans?" Wang Yao smiled and shook his head: "Tianwang is a media company. I can't say how big it is right now, but at least in the entertainment field, we have already served and accumulated more than 60% of our clients."
Currently, the focus is on expanding new media advertising channels in the B2B sector. A ground sales team of two to three thousand people is led by the former "Iron Army" manager, and in just over a month, they have already handled more than three hundred clients of varying sizes. The company expects to serve over 2000 clients within six months.

With Mulan Street serving as a distribution platform, and our deep partnership with Ms allowing us access to their content library, we dare say we have a significant advantage in both content and client-side information.

"Furthermore, the company plans to invest $2 million to prepare for its own cloud computing platform. If you join, you can obtain 10% of the technology equity, and we promise that as long as Mr. Liang doesn't leave, he can hold my shares indefinitely to ensure control over the company's development." Wang Yao said with a sincere smile.

Liang Rubo gasped.

The most important aspect of the algorithm is that it requires a large amount of material to be fed and debugged. If Wang Yao can really access the two major content libraries, Ms and Mulan Street, it can greatly increase the chances of success.

But most importantly, it involves a $2 million investment budget, a 10% equity stake, and near-100% control.

This year marks the nascent stage of cloud computing in China, with many leading companies investing in this sector. However, the entire industry is still under development, with a scale of less than $3 million and in a period of complete chaos and investment. It is unlikely to be profitable for at least two or three years, and is essentially a loss-making R&D effort.

Decision-makers who are willing to spend such a large amount of money have a vision that is definitely ahead of its time.

An investor who offers you $2000 million worth of equity in less than 12 hours of meeting you, and whom you trust 100%, is an outsider but understands and respects technology, and even has some research directions that overlap with yours.

This is simply a match made in heaven.

It's impossible not to be tempted, but Liang Rubo finally clenched his fist and refused: "I'm sorry, Mr. Wang, the offer is indeed very generous, but I also have to be responsible to my current investors."

If he were CTO a year ago, he would have accepted without hesitation. But now he is an entrepreneur with partners and investors to support. It's not that he's arrogant, but it's his first time starting a business, so he's bound to have some inexplicable insistence.

“President Liang, I don’t think there’s any conflict. It’s easy to solve. Just turn 99fang into a wholly-owned or shareholding subsidiary, right?” Wang Yao smiled and was quite satisfied with Liang Rubo’s choice.

Wang Yao was indeed hesitant to reassure Wang Yao if Wang Yao were to switch jobs immediately for personal gain.

"Huh?" Liang Rubo was stunned.

It can still be like this.

“Yes, Mr. Liang, wouldn’t it be great if we became family? Your friends and colleagues are also our friends and colleagues.” Yang Mi smiled.

"Hiss," Liang Rubo swallowed hard.

99fang is currently valued at only $1000 million, and he holds less than 25% of the shares. However, Wang Yao generously offered a valuation higher than the entire company's value, and could directly transform himself from one of the major shareholders into the big boss.

I wonder if Lao Zhang can accept this change in status.

To be honest, although the 99-room project on the left has started, profitability is a long way off, even for next year.
“It’s alright, Mr. Liang, take your time to consider it. There’s no rush.” Wang Yao smiled and changed the subject: “Actually, the rental/buying market is quite promising. There’s a local column on Mulan Street where people share listings. If you want to advertise in the future, Mr. Liang, you can consider us.”

Wang Yao gave Liang Rubo time to think, allowing him to catch his breath.

While eating and chatting, Liang Rubo was still quite curious about things in the entertainment industry, and Yang Mi's presence eased the atmosphere considerably.

The conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Please come in." Wang Yao raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Mr. Wang, Mimi's here too." Liu Tao poked his head in and greeted her with a smile.

"Please wait a moment, Sister Tao," Wang Yao said.

"It's nothing. I had an appointment with someone here, so I just came to say hello. You can let me know when you're done." Liu Tao nodded to Liang Rubo with great tact and turned to leave.

Liang Rubo watched Liu Tao leave, still somewhat dazed. Compared to younger generations like Yang Mi, Liu Tao was more like the "white moonlight" of their generation. After all, A Zhu from Tianlong was extremely attractive to science and engineering men.

The entertainment industry is wonderful.

"Mr. Wang, it's getting late, so I'll take my leave now. Let's keep in touch later." Liang Rubo realized he had been too impetuous and quickly got up to say goodbye.

"Ms. Liang, it's alright. I made an appointment with them an hour later, and she did arrive early." Wang Yao stood up to persuade her to stay, as if chatting with you was better than chatting with Liu Tao.

“I really should go back, otherwise it’s not good to be absent from work for too long.” Liang Rubo smiled.

"Alright, I'll have the driver take you." Wang Yao and Yang Mi got up to see them off.

Unable to refuse, Liang Rubo sat in Wang Yao's Mercedes-Benz RV, experiencing the increasingly luxurious interior after the modifications, and seemed to be deep in thought.

Especially after returning to the relatively cramped office, looking at a dozen unkempt men crammed together, and comparing Yang Mi next to Wang Yao today with Liu Tao later, one can't help but sigh softly.

Comfort is indeed a sin.

"Sister Tao looks very charming today," Yang Mi teased with a smile after following Wang Yao to Liu Tao's private room.

Today, Liu Tao wore a purple bodycon dress, her hair styled in big waves, and she exuded the aura of a young married woman.

"What are you today? Mr. Wang's secretary?" Liu Tao also looked Yang Mi up and down, and even touched her stockings.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing?" Yang Mi said angrily.

"Did I disturb Mr. Wang's serious conversation?" Liu Tao asked Wang Yao with a smile.

"No, we just finished chatting. Has Sister Tao eaten yet?" Wang Yao asked with a smile.

"I can't eat anymore, I've gained a lot of weight recently." Liu Tao pinched his waist to show off the results.

Yang Mi raised her eyebrows slightly, and, not to be outdone, straightened her back and flicked her long hair across her chest.

"Sister Tao looks like she's lost a lot of weight," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"It's been half a year since we last met, Mr. Wang, do you still remember?" Liu Tao pursed her lips, her smile alluring.

"Has it been that long?" Wang Yao chuckled. "Have you read both scripts? What do you think of them?"

"Since Mr. Wang is willing to give me a chance, of course I have no reason to be picky. The pressure is immense, you know that." Liu Tao sighed, looking like he was destined for misfortune.

"How's your husband's business lately?" Yang Mi asked curiously.

"If things were to turn around, would I still need to come out to work?" Liu Tao scoffed.

"It's okay, it will pass." Yang Mi patted Liu Tao on the shoulder.

"I can't guarantee anything else about Xinghuo, but at least it won't cause you to stop working. It'll just be a bit tough," Wang Yao said with a smile.

With two scripts, "Ode to Joy" and "Doctor-X," and the upcoming "Flower 3," Liu Tao will be working non-stop for at least six months. During this time, she will also have to cooperate with the production team on various promotional activities. She is truly being used like a beast of burden.

“What’s hard work? It’s the shutdown that’s worrying. But it’s still about the commission. I don’t think it’s high, but you know my situation. I need a lot of money every month just to pay off the loan, so I need to make ends meet.” Liu Tao bit his lip and said with some difficulty.

"Don't worry about that, Sister Tao. The company has a guarantee and advance payment plan for employees in case of emergencies. As long as it's not too much beyond your income, the company will take care of it. You signed an A-level contract, which guarantees an advance payment of about 100 million yuan per month. If there are any blockbuster upgrades or special commercial value, the limit can be increased," Wang Yao said with a smile.

After hearing this, Liu Tao's eyes darted around; the rule was quite humane.

But then she thought about it again, and realized that the money still came from the customer. Normal companies only take a 20% cut, and if she kept working, she could earn at least tens of millions a year. But Xinghuo takes 70%.

The only advantage is that as long as you complete full attendance according to the company's schedule, you are guaranteed a minimum income of 1000 million yuan per year, and you don't have to worry about work gaps or other networking costs.

Liu Tao wanted to save himself the trouble, and since Tianwang was developing so well, he decided to sell himself to them. Also, it would give him a reasonable excuse to escape his family.

Liu Tao smiled charmingly, took the contract out of her bag, pressed her fingerprint on it, and handed it over.

"From now on, we'll have to rely entirely on President Wang."

(End of this chapter)