How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 71 Accelerating the introduction of foreign aid to promote the entrepreneurial development of the local cultural and entertainment industry.

Humans cannot create or understand things beyond their own perception.

Just as most people grew up reading the story of Cinderella as a fairy tale, some people read it as a guide.

The absurdity of works of art pales in comparison to the magic of the real world.

Deng Wendi is a magical real-life Cinderella story. From an ordinary girl to the wife of a world media tycoon, and even after the divorce, she successfully received a huge fortune of tens of billions. No matter how arduous her journey was, her actions are an undeniable example of a grassroots success story and defying fate.

Deng Wendi's existence provides a real and reliable basis for all people in the world (regardless of gender) who fantasize about becoming 'Cinderella'.

Wang Yao actually wanted to keep his distance from such a complex person, but he was genuinely curious about the mental and lifestyle of someone who had achieved almost everything that ordinary people could imagine and had attained financial freedom.

This is very helpful for him.

However, we'll have to wait until he finishes dealing with his original plans before we can discuss it further.

In fact, for most Chinese people, there is no concept of vacation.

The education and environment we received from childhood instilled in us a sense of 'rest shame'.

Even during holidays, you can't completely relax and unwind, otherwise you'll feel immense guilt and shame afterward, and then you'll have to work twice as hard to make up for the losses of the holiday.

The source of this evil is probably the well-known proverb, "Time is money."

Therefore, Chinese people cannot simply play around; this is the invisible power of language.

A relaxed state of mind is a very precious quality, but unfortunately Wang Yao doesn't have it.

Wang Yao said he was there for a relaxing vacation, but in reality, he had a full schedule planned for him.

Early in the morning, Chi Ming took him to the local branch of Meishe, where he revisited the place.

"Chi's company is doing quite well, much more professional than our Tianhuo." After his tour, Wang Yao returned to Chi Ming's office and chatted over tea.

"Mr. Wang, you're joking. What's the use of looking glamorous? One of your subordinates, Ma Ruo, could probably do the work of our entire company. Try some Korean sencha." Chi Ming smiled and pointed to the tea master in a cheongsam.

“Chairman Chi enjoys it, so I’ll go back and apply to the company to hire a tea master. That would definitely make things more classy,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Hiring a tea master in China is too expensive. Everything is expensive here in Korea, except for the people. These are our company's current models. Mr. Wang, could you take a look and see which ones have potential or are suitable to be brought back to China?"

"My sister said that the number of co-productions between China and Korea has increased a lot this year, and the control over Korean artists has also been relaxed. I want to see if there are any suitable opportunities. Korean artists are obedient and cost-effective, and the training cost is at least half that of domestic artists." Chi Ming handed over the basic model card booklet.

Wang Yao took it and casually flipped through it. "I don't really know much about this. Are overseas artists also restricted in their development in China? When I was a kid, I watched a lot of TV dramas with Korean actresses, like Jang Nara and Choo Ji-hyun."

"That's for sure, especially in the entertainment industry, where there are still significant restrictions on foreign artists. For example, the proportion of foreign artists in TV dramas cannot exceed 15%. There are many intricacies involved, but the main reasons are taxation and political stance."

But last year, a lot of coal mine owners and hot money emerged and poured into the film and television industry, so the restrictions were relatively relaxed.
"We've recently received many collaboration offers from Korean entertainment companies, but foreigners are inherently at a disadvantage when developing in China, so we need to do a good job of packaging them," Chi Ming explained simply.

"The best way to change your nationality is to find a way to change it to Hong Kong, that would be fine too," Wang Yao said with a smile.

“President Yao doesn’t understand these Koreans. Don’t be fooled by their willingness to sell anything for money; when it comes to this, it’s not so easy for them, and they’re quite resistant,” Chi Ming said with a smile.

"Then why don't you let them become American citizens?" Wang Yao raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

Chi Ming was stunned for a moment, then clapped his hands and said, "Hey, you know what, it's true. These bastards aren't refusing to sell, they're just not interested."

"So we can't spoil them too much. You said it yourself, the cheapest thing about Korea is people. If you don't do it, there are plenty of others who will. Just find people willing to cooperate."

"Besides, Korea started by organizing red-light districts to earn foreign exchange from foreigners, which is how they made their first fortune. Now that they want to earn our foreign exchange, of course we have to show them the right attitude," Wang Yao said dismissively.

Korea's opportunity to become a developed country was built on the lives of Korean women, which is also the main reason for the excessive levels of natriuretic peptides in the West Han River basin. Even now, it remains one of Korea's pillar industries.

Compared to the global entertainment industry, the Chinese entertainment industry is truly pristine and untainted.

Wang Yao's words had a significant impact on Chi Ming. Although his sister had repeatedly emphasized the importance of this boy, Chi Ming was still unconvinced.

After all, it's hard to change the stereotype that young people are lazy and incompetent, and Wang Yao's outstanding appearance only made him a little unhappy. But what he just said really made him look at him in a new light.

This kid really knows a lot about Goryeo.

"Well said. You want to make money off us but you're being picky. You're really clueless." Chi Ming said with a smile, "President Wang seems to know quite a bit about the history of Goryeo. How about I take you on a site visit tonight?"

"I'll wait for an opportunity. I might be quite busy these next couple of days; my sister has assigned me a lot of work," Wang Yao said with a smile, then pointed to two selected model cards. "I think these two look pretty good to me."

Chi Ming took the document and read the introduction. “Oh, Kim Ji-won and Kim Tae-ri? President Wang really has a keen eye for talent. However, both of them were recommended by our partner company, Lion Media Entertainment. Kim Ji-won, in particular, is one of their rising stars this year. As for Kim Tae-ri, we haven’t had much contact with her.”

Judging from her model card, Kim Ji-won already has the look of a star, and her bone structure is quite good with a striking red glow. She is born to be this kind of person, and even stole the spotlight from Song Hye-kyo in "Descendants of the Sun".

Another actress, Kim Tae-ri, may not be as eye-catching as others, perhaps because she hasn't fully matured yet and her features have a somewhat bitter look. However, Wang Yao really liked her acting style in "The Handmaiden," which is a relatively rare type in the Chinese entertainment industry.

"How big is Lion Media?" Wang Yao was a little surprised, not expecting that the two of them were from the same company.

"It's a small company, almost ten years old. In the early days, it was just a shell company, sending talent scouts everywhere to junior high and high schools to trick people into signing contracts, and then letting them grow up without any support. If any of them managed to make it on their own, they would just earn a penalty fee. It was only in the last two years that they started to seriously train artists, and Kim Ji-won was one of the first batch." Chi Ming said, then shut his mouth.

Because I suddenly realized that Tianhuo Media seems to be a company that follows the same pattern in the country.

"That's good. A shell company that can survive in Korea for ten years shows that the team has some ability. Mr. Chi can make an appointment with them and ask if they are willing to accept investment." Wang Yao said dismissively.

The tactic of scamming celebrities/livestreamers out of contract termination fees seems to have originated in Korea, with China simply copying it.

"Huh? Mr. Wang is going to invest in Korea?" Chi Ming was taken aback.

Wouldn't that be competing with American photographers for resources?

Moreover, Wang Yao hasn't even established a firm foothold in the domestic market yet. Isn't it a bit reckless to blindly expand internationally?
“I’m quite optimistic about the future of the Korean entertainment industry, and Tianhuo also needs something special to create hype. If the price is right, we can invest in such a company as a talent incubator. If you’re interested, Mr. Chi, you can participate,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

Despite being a developed country, Korea is a country built on a highly repressive social structure driven by capitalism. As a result, Koreans from top to bottom all harbor a dream of becoming stars.

Because other industries have been monopolized by conglomerates like the Three Stars, the entertainment industry seems to be the fastest way for them to cross social classes.

But for conglomerates, people in the entertainment industry are usually treated like food on the table, but when they make any moves, they are immediately pushed out as shields to draw attention away from the situation.

Because the entertainment industry in Korea is essentially a fantasy created by conglomerates for ordinary people to release their stress; otherwise, this structure would have collapsed long ago.

Therefore, one in ten Korean women have experience signing with an agency, and almost every woman who is not unattractive has experience as a model. On average, one in 100 women has worked in the sex industry.

Therefore, in this environment, the cost of cultivating and discovering stars or public figures is so low.

For example, Kim Ji-won is known as a typical example of 'low cost, high return', and the company has earned thousands of times the return on her.

Wang Yao's goal is to "accelerate the introduction of foreign aid and promote the entrepreneurial development of the local cultural and entertainment industry."

They're really going to great lengths for the Chinese entertainment industry. "Okay, I'll contact them then," Chi Ming said without refusing.

"Have you found out anything about the information I asked you to inquire about before?" Wang Yao asked.

"We've contacted the copyright holder of 'Temptation of Wife' and arranged lunch. It's about time, so we can head over there. As for the other two, they're rather unique in the industry, so it'll take some time to get in touch with them, since they're not really in the same circle," Chi Ming explained.

Before Wang Yao came to Goryeo, he asked Chi Xin to inquire about three people in Goryeo.

1. The original copyright holder of "The Temptation to Go Home", written by Kim Soon-woo.

2. Lee Rong-woo, PD of the variety show "Invincible Youth".

3. And Kim Beom-joo, the founder of Kakao Communications.

According to the six degrees of separation theory, if you know these three people in Korea, you can basically be considered to know the Korean entertainment and business circles.

Wang Yao came to Korea for only two words: to find bargains, find bargains, and find the absolute best bargains.

Everyone knows that Le's Films earns tens of millions a year to support the company with just one drama, "Empresses in the Palace," but in fact, the copyrights of dramas like "The Temptation of Going Home" can also generate income passively. These are Wang Yao's future retirement funds.

As for whether Kakao Communications will have the opportunity to invest, that depends on luck, but it's always good to make a good connection first and offer some assistance.

After chatting for a while at the company and watching the fancy tea ceremony performed by the Korean tea master, Chi Ming took Wang Yao to meet Kim Soon-woo, the screenwriter and copyright holder of "Temptation of Wife".

Unlike in China, screenwriters in Korea hold extremely high status, sometimes even surpassing directors, especially established screenwriters like Kim Soon-woo, who is known for her unique and extremely fantastical female revenge style.

It perfectly resolved the repressed emotions of Korean housewives, controlling the emotional outlets of almost one-fifth of Korean women. More than ten years after the melodramatic revenge drama "Temptation of Wife," it created the crazy and eccentric "Penthouse" series.

However, the author's personality is often very different from his works. For example, Yu Hua, and Jin Shunyu herself, have gentle and intellectual smiles, and you can't see any signs of madness at all.

Goryeo is a place where looks are everything, and Wang Yao's appearance is especially popular among Goryeo women. He looks both gentle and fierce.

After understanding Wang Yao's purpose, Jin Shunyu shook her head regretfully, "You're too late."

"Has the copyright been sold?" Wang Yao raised an eyebrow slightly. In his memory, "The Temptation to Go Home" only started filming at the end of this year. Could it be that the copyright has already been negotiated and sold?

“Last year, a Chinese company wanted to buy it, but after taking it back, they said the script had issues with its content and couldn’t be remade, so they returned it to me,” Jin Shunyu explained.

Wang Yao breathed a sigh of relief. "Screenwriter Jin, don't worry. I just like this script. Even if it can't be filmed in China, it can be filmed in Japan and Taiwan. I believe Japanese female audiences will like this work even more."

He knew that the show had faced many setbacks during its release, and almost failed and lost money. It was only by using an innovative batch submission method that it finally made it to the scheduled time. But he didn't expect that it had already been submitted for review in 09 and was rejected once.

"Japan? Mr. Wang's company is a global production company?" Jin Shunyu looked at the overly young boy with some surprise.

“Yes, mainly the Southeast Asian distribution market, covering both movies and TV series. Our company primarily serves the Southeast Asian female audience market, aiming to enrich the lives of East Asian women through diverse works,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"That's amazing. There are very few cultural and creative companies in East Asia that specifically cater to women. They basically treat women as tools," Kim Soon-woo exclaimed.

Korean women are the group that shouts the loudest about feminism, but are also the most oppressed in reality. Yet, it is often these women who need recognition and spiritual support the most.

Wang Yao steered the conversation towards the plight of women with just a few words, immediately winning over Jin Shunyu and gaining her approval.

"Since you insist, I'll sell it to you for $5. Let's consider it a joint effort to promote the growth of women in East Asia." Kim Soon-woo was all smiles as she was coaxed into giving a final price.

$5, which is roughly equivalent to 35 RMB, was used to acquire the adaptation rights for this script in multiple Southeast Asian regions, which is indeed a very good deal considering the script's value.

It's also possible that because it had been returned once, it felt it wouldn't fetch a good price, so it was doing Wang Yao a favor.

After all, at this time, Goryeo's cultural exports had not yet begun to have their peak influence, especially the script copyrights for film and television, which were worthless in other regions except China.

But things will be different in a few years; once a copyright is acquired, it will be sold city by city.

The two parties finalized the cooperation on the spot, and the subsequent contract was handled by their respective agencies. Wang Yao also asked some questions about the Korean film and television industry. They had a very pleasant conversation. When they parted, Jin Shunyu held Wang Yao's hand and said that she had gained inspiration from him and planned to create a work based on him when she returned.

"President Wang's negotiation style is quite unique," Chi Ming complimented after carefully considering his words.

"In negotiations, sincerity is very important. Which company bought this script before?" Wang Yao smiled.

"You're also from Shanghai. You've probably heard of Zhanjie Culture, right?" Chi Ming said with a smile.

“Zhanjie Culture?” Wang Yao frowned and pondered for a moment. “The company that published ‘Red Apple Paradise’? Huang Shengyi’s former employer?”

“Yes.” Chi Ming nodded.

After pondering for a moment, Wang Yao roughly knew how to handle the script. He sent Huang Shengyi a text message, asking her to help make connections after the New Year.

Zhanjie Culture is a distribution company specializing in the import of overseas copyrights. It has produced two hit shows, "Red Apple Paradise" and "Du Lala's Promotion Diary". Its peak period was "The Temptation of Going Home", but it is estimated that it did not catch the right opportunity to transform later and eventually did not make much of a splash.

Chi Ming then took Wang Yao to visit several well-known entertainment companies in Seoul. During dinner, they received good news: they had made contact with the second variety show PD, Kim Yong-woo.

Kim Yong-woo was previously the director of the variety department at KBS, one of the three major television networks in Korea. He was considered a senior executive at the network. It is unclear whether he was ostracized at work or for other reasons, but he left his job at the television station last year to start his own production company.

Leveraging her extensive network of contacts at the television station over the years, she planned a large-scale rural variety show for a girl group called "Invincible Youth" last year.

The show "Let's Farm" was inspired by this variety show, but at the time, perhaps due to its target audience, it didn't become as popular as "Running Man" or "2 Days & 1 Night" except for female idol group fans.

But Wang Yao really likes this kind of down-to-earth variety show.

The contrast between the usual glamorous female idols and the reality of being sent to the countryside to work hard in the fields every day is quite interesting.

This is the kind of girl group variety show that the people should be watching!

Moreover, the Chinese entertainment industry is about to enter the era of variety shows. Wang Yao is unwilling to get too involved in the fiercely competitive film and television industry. Instead, he plans to invest in variety shows in advance, which will not only allow him to break into the mainstream faster, but more importantly, variety shows have stronger commercial monetization capabilities and lower requirements for actors.

At its peak, the creators of Running Man in China earned more from variety shows in a year than they had earned from filming in the previous few years combined, and it was much easier. This is the main reason why many promising actors can't make it out of variety shows once they get involved.

Making money is too fast, but of course, live-streaming e-commerce is even faster.

Lee Yong-woo arranged to meet at a place frequently featured in Korean entertainment novels: Kang Ho-dong's BBQ restaurant.

Upon seeing this name, Wang Yao had the illusion that he had stepped into the typical plot of a male protagonist in a Korean entertainment novel.

Seeing the main cast of "Invincible Youth"—Song Qian, Lee Soon-kyu, Park Hyo-min, and Kim Hyun-ah—sitting around a table surrounded by familiar faces, the sense of immersion was even stronger.

It feels like some DNA has been activated.

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(End of this chapter)