Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 16, Section 16: A Poisonous Scheme

The purple house over here.

The contract was drafted quickly.

Manager Zhao adopted the pricing suggested by Wang Sheng.

The standard package is priced at 1999 yuan, the mid-range package at 3999 yuan, and the mid-to-high-end package at 6999 yuan.

With the new pricing and a 35% commission rate, Shengying Media's profit margin has been further improved.

The gross profit of the low-end package is about RMB 1353.2; the gross profit of the mid-range package is about RMB 3029.1; and the gross profit of the mid-to-high-end package is about RMB 4623.6.

In the presence of lawyers, Wang Sheng, representing Shengying Media, signed a one-year exclusive contract, which included quality clauses and penalty clauses.

The project will officially launch in one month. This month is reserved for Wang Sheng's preparation period, during which personnel and equipment need to be prepared. If Wang Sheng can complete the preparations in advance, the project can also be launched earlier, but no later than one month; otherwise, it will be considered a breach of contract. The preparation period is not included in the formal contract period.

After signing the papers, it was nearly dusk outside the window.

Manager Zhao warmly shook Wang Sheng's hand again and said, "President Wang, young people are so efficient and have a bright future. Come on, we must have a meal together to celebrate our successful cooperation."

"Manager Zhao's hospitality is too kind of me to refuse," Wang Sheng replied with a smile.

Manager Zhao: "Okay, please wait a moment while I change into casual clothes."

While Manager Zhao was changing clothes, Wang Sheng quickly went to the public phone at the front desk of the Purple House, took out his address book, and sent a message to Chen Liang's pager: "Call back immediately to XXXXXX in Dongcheng District (Purple House's public phone number)."

After waiting for a few minutes, the phone rang. Wang Sheng answered it; it was Chen Liang.

“Liangzi, it’s me. Find Chen Yu immediately and get five thousand yuan in cash. Then book a small private room at the Beijing Hotel and wait for me. Hurry up.” Wang Sheng spoke quickly and concisely.

"it is good."

Chen Liang didn't ask Wang Sheng what he wanted to do. He simply answered and hung up to take care of the matter.

……

Inside the private room, after several rounds of drinks and several dishes, the atmosphere was relaxed.

Manager Zhao had a good capacity for alcohol and was in high spirits, talking about everything from the changes in wedding customs in Beijing to the glorious history of the Purple House.

Wang Sheng drank quite a bit with them, but he remained clear-headed throughout, providing timely comedic relief and creating a harmonious atmosphere.

Seeing that the meal was almost over, Wang Sheng took the opportunity of toasting to pull out a not-too-thick kraft paper envelope from his inner pocket and casually stuffed it into Manager Zhao's hand: "Manager Zhao, this is a small token of my appreciation. This cooperation is all thanks to your strong support. I hope you will continue to take care of me in the future."

Manager Zhao weighed the envelope in his hand; its thickness was evident. His smile faltered for a moment, then deepened. He pressed the envelope down, feigning reluctance: "President Wang, what are you doing? This is too formal! Cooperation is mutually beneficial; there's no need for this..."

"Of course, of course, Manager Zhao, please don't think it's too little. It's just a small tip for your travel expenses. I'll be troubling you a lot more in the future." Wang Sheng's tone was sincere, but the force in his hand left no room for refusal.

Manager Zhao politely declined a couple more times, then reluctantly accepted the envelope, smoothly slipping it into his briefcase.

The atmosphere at the table immediately became even more "harmonious".

After finishing their meal, Manager Zhao was still not satisfied, so he took Wang Sheng to a newly opened karaoke bar nearby. They drank until nearly 11 p.m. before finally parting ways.

Move to the roadside.

They flagged down a taxi.

Just as Wang Sheng was about to wave goodbye to Manager Zhao, Manager Zhao, who had already opened the car door, seemed to suddenly remember something, turned around and staggered back, grabbing Wang Sheng's shoulder and breathing hot air into Wang Sheng's ear: "Brother! Look at my brain, I was so happy that I forgot to tell you some good news!"

Wang Sheng helped him up: "Brother Zhao, what's the matter?"

Manager Zhao let out a burp and lowered his voice, even though there was no one else around: "Our...our cooperation has already started, right? Brother, I saw that ad you filmed, it's...it's this one!"

He gave a thumbs up: "Although Purple House has become famous in recent years, it still needs to keep up with the times, right? We also want to shoot a new promotional advertisement, so we can hang it in the store and play it on a loop, and also send it to the TV station."

"So, how about this job... let Shengying do it? The price... we're easy to negotiate... it'll definitely be more profitable than wedding videography!"

Wang Sheng's heart skipped a beat; this was indeed an unexpected windfall. However, he remained outwardly calm, instead revealing a troubled smile as he carefully spoke, "Brother Zhao, thank you for your trust in us. But I need to tell you something."

He said sincerely, "To be honest, that veil kiss ad last time was a bit of a flash of inspiration. It was all about timing, location, and luck. To replicate the same amazing effect would be extremely difficult, and you could even say it's something you can only hope for."

Upon hearing this, Manager Zhao's eyes, blurry with drunkenness, revealed a hint of disappointment.

Wang Sheng then changed the subject: "However! If our goal is to shoot a corporate advertisement that highlights the heritage, professional service, and standardized procedures of the Purple House brand, then we are absolutely confident in doing it well! Using film studio equipment and shooting techniques, the quality and style will definitely be far superior to those ordinary advertisements on the market, guaranteeing you and your superiors a satisfactory product."

Upon hearing this, Manager Zhao's disappointment vanished, replaced by a smile. He patted Wang Sheng's shoulder forcefully: "Good! Good! That's exactly what we wanted! Excellent corporate advertising! Really good! So... it's settled then? I'll have my people handle the details with you later!"

"Sure, Brother Zhao, don't worry, I'll get it done for you." Wang Sheng readily agreed, then casually asked in a low voice, "So... Brother Zhao, regarding the fee for shooting the advertisement, how about... we reserve a few spots for you here?"

Upon hearing this, Manager Zhao squinted his eyes slightly, chuckled twice, held up two fingers and waved them in front of Wang Sheng, mumbling, "Hey, we're all brothers now, you figure it out, just do what you think is best. Ten percent, that's about right..."

Wang Sheng quickly calculated in his mind that ten points was a fairly common "rule".

He nodded immediately: "Understood, Brother Zhao. Ten points, I'll arrange everything perfectly for you, don't worry."

"You're on the right track! Brother, you really know what you're doing!" Manager Zhao was satisfied. This time, he didn't say anything more, waved his hand, and got into the waiting taxi.

Wang Sheng stood there, watching the taxi's taillights disappear into the road, rubbed his face, and suddenly realized what was happening.

This advertisement was the reason why Manager Zhao took the initiative to contact him. As for the wedding video, as Manager Zhao said, it was just an add-on to the whole wedding service.

However, Manager Zhao clearly didn't understand how big this market, which he considered a bonus, actually was...

……

the other side.

Near the dormitory of the Oriental Song and Dance Troupe, in a small, fairly clean restaurant.

Li Xiaoran and several sisters from the song and dance troupe sat around a table. The dishes on the table were barely touched, but the copy of the "Beijing Evening News" was passed around until it was almost dark.

"Oh my god, Xiaoran, look what this says, 'Exorbitantly Priced Wedding Movie'! Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine! So it's not an advertising fee for you, it's the price of their service!" A friend exclaimed, pointing at the newspaper.

“I knew it! How could they pay you so much for shooting an ad? It scared me to death!” another woman said, patting her chest.

Li Xiaoran held the newspaper and read the report word by word, her cheeks burning.

So this is the kind of business Wang Sheng was running!

That "veil kiss" is their standard service!
I completely misunderstood; I thought he...

Thinking about how she almost went to confront Wang Sheng, Li Xiaoran wished she could disappear into the ground.

Thank goodness I didn't act impulsively, otherwise I would have been incredibly embarrassed!

She secretly rejoiced, but at the same time, her curiosity about Wang Sheng's "wedding movie" involuntarily intensified.

……

The next morning.

The staff canteen of Beijing Film Studio.

Wang Sheng took a big gulp of strong tea, suppressing the lingering hangover from the previous night, and his eyes regained their clarity.

Across from him sat Chen Liang, munching on fried dough sticks; Monkey, drinking soy milk; Da Liu, eating steamed buns; and Xiao Bing, stirring tofu pudding.

Wang Sheng briefly recounted how he signed a one-year exclusive contract with Zifangzi to develop the low-to-mid-end market.

"What? The Purple House? Exclusive contract?"

The monkey dropped the fried dough ring in its hand into the bowl, splashing a few drops of juice.

"Brother Sheng...you...you're not kidding, are you? The Purple House's video recording business is all ours now?" Big Liu's mouth was agape, big enough to fit a whole steamed bun.

The soldier was completely dumbfounded, muttering, "That...that's a lot of work..."

Although Chen Liang already knew the general outline last night, he still couldn't help but excitedly slam his fist on the table when Wang Sheng officially announced it: "Awesome! Shengzi! We're really going to be rich now!"

After the group had a moment to process their surprise, Wang Sheng tapped the table, his expression turning serious: "Don't get too excited yet. We've secured the job, but to truly succeed, we face three major hurdles: a lack of money, a lack of manpower, and a lack of equipment."

Upon hearing this, Monkey's eyes darted around, and he spoke first: "Brother Sheng, I think that low-end business doesn't require high technical skills, but the volume is probably the largest. We can outsource it, for example, to those students in the autumn training class of the photography department. They lack practical opportunities, and the price is easy to negotiate. It's a good opportunity for them to practice."

He paused, then continued, "For mid-range and mid-to-high-end businesses, we must ensure not only the quality of the products but also the safety of the equipment. For this, we must use our own people—the children of our Beijing Film Studio!"

The monkey became more and more excited as he spoke, clearly having thought it through carefully: "I've roughly calculated that, aside from those who went to acting, directing, or literature training programs, and those who are good at studying and have other career paths, there must be about a hundred of us born between 76 and 78 who are idle and don't have proper jobs."

Most of these guys are people I know well, and they're generally of good character. Although they're not academically gifted, they're skilled and willing to learn. They're the main force in maintaining the quality of mid-range business and ensuring equipment safety; we can't waste their time doing low-end work.

Wang Sheng looked at the monkey with some surprise. He didn't expect that this usually eccentric guy could analyze personnel and business structure so thoroughly and systematically. He couldn't help but look at him with new respect.

"Hey monkey!" Chen Liang patted the monkey hard on the back: "You're pretty good, kid. With that brain, you'd be more than capable of being a strategist."

Da Liu and Xiao Bing nodded repeatedly, agreeing wholeheartedly.

Monkey: "What kind of strategist is this? This is like saying three lousy generals are equal to one Zhuge Liang."

"They're all about the same..."

Inspired, Chen Liang also offered a suggestion: "Shengzi, now that the monkey mentioned it, I have an idea. You see, we've been doing training these past few days, and I've noticed that many of the trainees have absolutely no photography background. If they really want to get started, they'll need systematic instruction."

The Beijing Film Academy's photography training program dares to charge 5000 yuan a year. Let's open a short, intensive course, guaranteed to teach and teach until we learn, and graduates can directly join our team. Charging them 2000 yuan a year isn't unreasonable, is it? That way, we'll have money to buy equipment!

The factory subsidized 90% of the 5000 yuan tuition fee.

After listening, Wang Sheng pondered for a moment.

Chen Liang's proposed method is somewhat like exploiting his own people, which is not very ethical, but it is indeed a way to quickly raise funds and overcome the barriers to equipment and personnel training.

"Your idea... should be kept as a backup." Wang Sheng finally said, "Don't announce it yet. Liangzi, you can spread the word privately these next few days to gauge everyone's opinions and wishes. As for me, I still need to go to Director Han first to see if I can get some more funding or equipment support from the factory."

At this moment, Chen Liang added, "By the way, Shengzi, Chen Yu asked me to tell you that two clients from 'Golden Jubilee Collection' have scheduled detailed discussions today, one at 1 p.m. and the other at 6 p.m. Please keep an eye on the times."

Wang Sheng nodded: "Okay, I've got it. Alright, hurry up and eat, then go do what you need to do. Liangzi, be careful with the leaks. Monkey, refine the personnel reconnaissance. Da Liu, Xiao Bing, don't slack off on the training! Meeting adjourned!"

(End of this chapter)