How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 3 Destiny
Protecting one's rights is a very costly endeavor.

It's not just about burning money; it also requires a lot of time and energy.

Zhang San estimated that if they really wanted to pursue the most serious legal action, the plaintiff would need to prepare at least 20 yuan in initial funding.

This doesn't even include some hidden fees.

After all, rule of man comes first, rule of law comes second.

However, faced with such high costs and unknown consequences, Wang Yao did not hesitate at all, but simply asked for details.

It was eerily calm.

Watching the boy get into the taxi, Zhang San couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

"He has thunder in his heart but a calm face; this kid is destined for great things."

It was almost midnight when Wang Yao returned to his residence.

This accommodation is a company-provided dormitory located in a residential area three kilometers from the company. Tianhuo Media has rented two houses in this residential area as dormitories for the company's contracted high-quality models and employees.

As a senior executive, Wang Yao enjoys a two-bedroom apartment all to himself.

However, he has a roommate.

"Brother, why are you back so late?"

My cousin Zhou Cong's face, which I've seen for two lifetimes, reappeared before my eyes. Apart from being a little thinner, it looked perfectly natural.

Zhou Cong is the son of Wang Yao's aunt. They are the same age, only two months apart in birthdays. The two brothers have been inseparable since childhood and even went to university together.

The main reason was that both of them had poor grades in high school and originally did not plan to go to university. However, a relative from their hometown was doing recruitment in Shanghai, so they spent money to find an adult university and thought they could get a bachelor's degree by completing their associate's degree.

Shanghai Open University.

Despite its unconventional name, it is indeed a legitimate university, and one of the most renowned ones, with over forty branch campuses and more than 100,000 students.

However, this kind of university is just about getting by, so Wang Yao indulged himself in his passion for photography for three years, which led to the incident where he was chosen as the legal representative and scapegoat after interviewing for an internship as a photographer at a photography company in his junior year.

It really is true.

A DSLR camera can bankrupt three generations; photography can ruin a lifetime.

Even after becoming a person who broke their promise in their previous life, their cousin Zhou Cong always stayed by their side through thick and thin, ups and downs. They were truly blood relatives.

Zhou Cong is a typical otaku, unwilling to socialize, chasing celebrities, reading online novels, and immersing himself in the world of anime and manga characters, possibly due to the aftereffects of being bullied as a child.

However, this kid has both talent and luck. In his previous life, he worked with Wang Yao as a photo editor and video editor at Tianhuo Media.

Later, I went to the Korean branch and worked as a Korean variety show editor for more than half a year. I developed editing skills that surpassed those in China and became a popular content creator with 100,000 followers in China by editing and uploading Korean variety shows.

Then he followed Wang Yao to write online novels. He chose the seemingly unconventional but actually most profitable new media novel genre at the time: the "Soldier King's Son-in-Law" genre. His novel "God Emperor's Son-in-Law" earned him up to 20 yuan a month, which made Wang Yao, who was struggling to write harem entertainment novels at the time, green with envy.

In the era of short video self-media, two brothers started an MCN together. One of them had a camera on his head and spent his days among a group of flashy internet celebrities, cosplaying the story of Zhu Bajie accidentally entering the Spider Cave.

On the other hand, look at Wang Yao himself.

Why is it that the harder I try, the more heartbroken I become?

"Xiao Cong, do you know what fate is?" Wang Yao asked with a sigh.

"Fate? Bro, did you go to a fortune teller?" Zhou Cong asked, taking off his headphones.

“When you face a situation, your actions based on your usual personality and logic can be called fate. But when things happen and your actions don’t conform to your logic and personality, that’s luck,” Wang Yao sighed.

"That's why our ancestors said, 'What is destined to be yours will be yours, and what is not, you cannot force.'" Zhou Cong was puzzled.

"It seems you really believe in fate." Wang Yao narrowed his eyes.

"The fortune teller said I would have a very good life," Zhou Cong grinned憨厚ly.

"So, do you think they're part of your destiny?" Wang Yao asked, pointing to Zhou Cong's computer screensaver.

The screensaver features nine girls in white, modified naval uniforms, their long, white legs more dazzling than fluorescent light.

This is the title image of Girls' Generation's second mini-album "Genie" from 09. It seems that the nickname "Thigh Era" gradually spread from this period.

My cousin Zhou Cong also started obsessively following Korean stars around this time.

"What do you mean?" Zhou Cong was taken aback.

"Exactly, do you think you'll ever have any chance to cross paths with them in this lifetime?" Wang Yao chuckled.

"How is this possible?" Zhou Cong said instinctively.

"Since they appeared, caught your eye, and influenced you, yet logically you'd never have any interaction with them in this lifetime, that's just fate."

But if I told you a way to connect with them, even with the celebrities you admire, would you be willing to try it? That's luck." Wang Yao's smile was subtle.

Zhou Cong blinked, feeling confused but also restless.

"I'm going to take a shower and go to bed." Wang Yao patted his cousin on the shoulder.

Zhou Cong blinked, put on his headphones, and originally wanted to open CF for a tense and exciting game of Transport Ship, but for some reason, he started staring blankly at the screen.

"destiny."

The next day, when Wang Yao got up, he was startled by Zhou Cong's pale face and dark circles under his eyes, and quickly tried to comfort him.

"Xiao Cong, youth is not appreciable, old age brings only regret. You are still young, you must not be too indulgent."

"Brother, what method are you talking about?" Zhou Cong asked, staring with his cloudy eyes.

He tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.

My mind was filled with all sorts of random thoughts, and I didn't manage to get any sleep until dawn.

"What method? Oh, you've been thinking about this all night?" Wang Yao chuckled and teased, "What? Want to try defying fate?" "You never speak without reason?" Zhou Cong's gaze was intense.

He didn't know much about others, but he knew his cousin very well.

“You’re being influenced by luck right now,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"I've actually always been pretty lucky," Zhou Cong said with a shy smile.

"I think you're controlling the big head with the small head," Wang Yao chuckled.

"Don't use your worldly and dirty thoughts to speculate about a true fan like me. I just want to know more about them!" Zhou Cong's face was solemn, and his gaze was as firm as if he were about to join the Party.

"I can't reason with you bunch of pure love warriors." Wang Yao rolled his eyes. "But if you really want to try, I can tell you how."

"What?" Zhou Cong's eyes were burning.

"Money," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"?" Zhou Cong thought he had misheard.

“SM Entertainment’s revenue last year was about 3.6 million, but its market value dropped to about 72 billion due to TVXQ’s contract termination. It is estimated that you can participate in the management by purchasing at least 3 million shares to take a 5% stake. Moreover, based on SM Entertainment’s development, its market value can grow 3 to 5 times in the next ten years, which is a very good investment,” Wang Yao analyzed.

After a long silence, Zhou Cong said, "Then the question is, where am I going to get this 100 billion?"

“It’s 3.6 million. If you had 300 billion in cash, you could even influence the entire Korean entertainment industry,” Wang Yao corrected.

"Nonsense, what difference does 3.6 million or 300 billion make to me?!" Zhou Cong retorted helplessly.

“Then, as a second choice, a popular girl group like Girls’ Generation is basically equivalent to a second-tier or near-first-tier actor. You can invest in a TV series specifically for them, with a budget between 800 and 1500 million. As the investor, you will naturally have plenty of time to befriend them,” Wang Yao said with a light laugh.

Zhou Cong's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes lit up. "That's right, but I feel like I've seen this plot in a novel before. So the question is, where do we get the money?"

"I wouldn't even dare to dream of 3.6 million, but you'd like to try your luck with 1000 million, wouldn't you?" Wang Yao sneered.

“No, Girls’ Generation is the pinnacle of girl groups right now. They’re comparable to A-list or even A-list actors. I don’t think 1000 million is enough; at least 2000 million is needed.” Zhou Cong waved his hand, his expression solemn.

"Fine, fine, I haven't seen a wretched person like you in a long time. So what if they're ceilings? They still need suspended ceilings." Wang Yao sneered.

"I don't know why, but when I heard 1000 million, I actually felt that it was still possible with some effort," Zhou Cong said, scratching his head with an optimistic expression.

"This is your subconscious, which is also your destiny," Wang Yao said meaningfully.

"So where do we collect the 1000 million?" Zhou Cong rubbed his hands together.

"The wool comes from the sheep's back." Wang Yao pointed to the nine pairs of legs on the screen. "Collect and categorize the classic fan-taken photos of Girls' Generation, TVXQ, Super Junior, and Big Bang according to their concert dates, and then wait for kind-hearted people to crowdfund for you."

"Huh?" Zhou Cong was completely dumbfounded.

But he distinctly felt something inexplicable knocking at his brain.

Fortune seems to be turning.

At nine o'clock in the morning, Wang Yao and Zhou Cong arrived at the office on time.

Zhou Cong, his face beaming with excitement, rushed to his workstation to begin carrying out the task assigned by Wang Yao.

Although he couldn't figure out which sheep was actually paying for the wool, he figured he could trust his cousin's advice.

Wang Yao carefully strolled around the office with his water glass in hand, piecing together many forgotten memories from the corners of his mind.

The office is actually not very big, only a little over 100 square meters. Most of it is a shooting room and a meeting room. There are actually less than 20 workstations for employees. Including He Ming, there are only 10 employees.

This is undoubtedly somewhat disproportionate for a startup that claims to have received $100 million in investment.

A typical shell company, all show and no substance.

Unfortunately, at the time I was 20 years old, I could only see the surface.

He has moved past the period of regret, because he no longer wants to bully his 20-year-old self.

Wang Yao sighed, returned to his workstation, turned on his computer, and began browsing news and collecting the information he needed.

Around 9:30, other employees arrived at work one after another, and greeted Wang Yao with fake smiles.

After all, no one would genuinely respect a company executive who hasn't even graduated from university.

Wang Yao wasn't very familiar with them either, since according to the timeline, He Ming was going to send him to the Korean branch next month.

"Good morning, Mr. Wang. I brought breakfast. Would you like to have some together?" Pan Shuang greeted him with a smile.

Her outfit was clearly carefully designed; after all, even if the company has air conditioning, a normal person wouldn't dress in high heels, bare legs, and a deep V-neck.

This is Shanghai in January.

The thermometer says -1°C, but it's actually -10°C.

Because the sub-zero temperatures in the south during winter need to be multiplied by ten.

Wang Yao, a spirited young man from Northeast China, put on cotton-padded trousers and a down jacket.

"I've already eaten this morning, thank you, Sister Shuang." Wang Yao smiled modestly.

"Mr. He said he'll be at the company in 20 minutes and asked you to go directly to his office to wait for him." Pan Shuang bowed slightly and lowered her head. "I sensed that his tone wasn't good; I guess he's thinking about those three contracts from yesterday."

The Tiffany Classic Eau de Parfum enveloped Wang Yao's senses of sight and smell.

"Okay, I'll go to the office and wait for him." Wang Yao pretended to be flustered, picked up the contract on the table, and headed towards the general manager's office.

Pan Shuang's playful chuckles behind her drew the attention of everyone in the office.

These two scoundrels are treating the company like a king-size bed room, aren't they!

(End of this chapter)