Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 19: Gold Coins Explode
Wang Sheng's voice, transmitted through a simple loudspeaker, echoed clearly in the small square of the residential area as dusk fell and mosquitoes buzzed, reaching the ears of every Beijing Film Studio employee and their family, whether sitting or standing.

"Dear uncles and aunts, brothers and sisters!"
I know everyone's worried; they're all thinking, "Has Wang Sheng gotten into trouble again? Is he trying to scam people? Is he trying to cheat us out of money?"

Wang Sheng's gaze swept across the room, his tone candid: "A while ago, I led a disturbance, got beaten up, caused trouble for the factory, and brought shame to my family. But it was precisely because of those three blows that I truly understood one thing—waiting won't bring you a job! Relying on others won't get you a permanent position! Asking won't get you food!"

These words were direct, even harsh, but they instantly struck a chord with many people's hidden pain and confusion.

A slight commotion arose in the crowd, with many people nodding subconsciously or exchanging complicated glances.

"Our Beijing Film Studio is a large and large enterprise with heavy burdens! Director Han and the leaders are working desperately to find money and projects outside. Why? Because the studio can hardly support our thousands of employees by making movies alone!"

Wang Sheng's voice suddenly rose: "The equipment is aging and needs repair, the medical expenses reimbursement for retired employees is overwhelming, and we children of employees are even more unemployed. Is this situation true?"

The audience remained silent; this was an unspoken predicament shared by almost all the employees of the Beijing Film Studio.

What's it like outside?

Wang Sheng abruptly changed the subject, his tone becoming extremely authoritative: "In Northeast China, how many tens of thousands of workers have been laid off? It's reported in the news every day!"
So what if it's a state-owned factory? They can collapse at any time! Our Beijing Film Studio is a large state-owned factory, a symbol of the nation, it won't collapse for now! But what about the profits? Who can guarantee that the next person to be fired, have their salary reduced, or be like us who can't even get a job won't be one of you here, or your children?!

He paused for a moment, letting this heavy reality weigh heavily on everyone's hearts.

"Now, I, Wang Sheng, along with Chen Liang, Hou Jia, Liu Zhi, Zhao Bing, and our brothers, have found a way! A way to turn the old foundation of our Beijing Film Studio—this technology, this equipment—into real money!"

Wang Sheng picked up the prepared manuscript and, under the dim light of the streetlamp, began to explain in detail: "Wedding video! Don't laugh, and don't think it's cheap! We're not doing the kind of cheap street-corner filming that costs 300 yuan! We're making a 'wedding movie'! We're using broadcast-grade Betacam SP equipment from the factory, with cinematic lighting, and post-production editing in the factory's control room! This is the effect we'll get—"

He gestured, and Chen Liang immediately plugged in the small TV and VCR on the table, playing the beautiful veil kiss advertisement clip.

The moment the image appeared, especially its cinematic quality and the words "Shengying Media," it drew a murmur of surprise.

Many people were seeing this advertisement, which sparked heated discussions, for the first time.

"With this level of performance, our 'Golden Jubilee Collection' package is only 9999 yuan! We've already signed three contracts! And we've already received the deposits!"

When Wang Sheng announced the numbers, the audience erupted in an uproar and whispers began to murmur.

"But this is just the appetizer!" Wang Sheng pressed down, continuing with his big move: "Just yesterday, we finalized a contract with the time-honored Beijing wedding planning company, 'Purple House.' For the next year, we will handle all the video recordings for Purple House's wedding services, from the lowest to the highest level!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Liang and the others handed out copies of the contract signed by the Purple House to the onlookers for review.

How many weddings are held at the Purple House each year?

Wang Sheng began to do the math, his voice strong and clear: "Last year, more than 80,000 couples registered for marriage at the Civil Affairs Bureau in Beijing. Even if only 20% of them chose professional wedding services, that would still amount to 16,000 weddings!"

"As the first and leading enterprise in Beijing's wedding service industry, even if Zifangzi only occupies 30% of the market share, it still hosts 4800 weddings every year. The low-end package we developed with Zifangzi is priced at 1999 yuan, the mid-range package at 3999 yuan, and the mid-to-high-end package at 6999 yuan!"
Even after deducting all costs, and conservatively estimating, just from contracting the Purple House, the gross profit for a year would be at least this much—

He held up four fingers, paused, and then declared firmly, "Four million! No less!"

"Four million?!"

Someone in the audience gasped in surprise.

Four million in 1996 was undoubtedly an astronomical figure for an ordinary working-class family.

Even 30 years later, it will still be a considerable sum.

"This is just Zifangzi! If we can take over the entire market in Beijing, and even expand to Tianjin, Hebei Province, and even the whole country in the future!"

Wang Sheng waved his arm forcefully, outlining a grand blueprint: "Achieving hundreds of millions in output value and tens of millions in profit a year is not a dream. Nine out of ten people in China are businessmen, and there are countless people who have become rich. The market is right there, waiting for us to seize it! Waiting for us to take it over!"

He paused again, his gaze fixed intently on the villagers below, who were somewhat stunned by the series of numbers:
“Now, to seize the market, we need ‘weapons’! We need more professional cameras, lighting, and recording equipment! We need money! The factory is in financial difficulty and can’t allocate that much money. Factory Director Han nodded and allowed us to find a way ourselves! So, today, we came up with this ‘Image Memory’ project profit-sharing rights!”

He then explained the project details and profit-sharing rules in detail: "..."

"Invest 2000 yuan and you become a shareholder in this project! If the project makes money at the end of the year, we will distribute dividends to everyone according to their share!"
The more you earn, the more you share! If we really take over the entire Beijing market and expand nationwide, your share of the profits might be worth far more than two thousand or twenty thousand! It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it's worth a fortune!

Wang Sheng's voice was full of passion, but also a little hoarse: "However, I have to say this first! In a market economy, there are gains and losses!"
This money, once invested, might bring a generous year-end dividend, or it might... due to market changes or poor management, result in the loss of the principal! This isn't a bank deposit; it's an investment, a gamble! We bear all the risks ourselves!

He surveyed the room, his tone hardening: "So, the reason I've gathered you all here today isn't because the factory is imposing a quota, nor is it because I, Wang Sheng, am forcing you to pay. I'm presenting you with this opportunity."

Now, it's not just me, Wang Sheng, who needs everyone's money to buy equipment and explore the market; everyone also needs me, Wang Sheng, and us young people to try and see if we can create a way to survive and make a living for the Beijing Film Studio, for those of us who rely on our skills!

"What if the factory's performance worsens in the future, or... what if? Having some dividends would give us more options, wouldn't it? And if our children are unemployed, wouldn't they be able to make a living through this project?"

After Wang Sheng finished speaking, he put down the loudspeaker.

The small square was silent, save for the sounds of mosquitoes buzzing and people breathing heavily.

The sheer volume of information and the weight of difficult real-world choices weighed heavily on everyone's mind.

The two million in gross profit and the market worth hundreds of millions are very tempting, but the two thousand yuan of hard-earned money and the words "bear the risk yourself" are equally heavy.

Many people whispered among themselves, their faces full of hesitation and doubt.

"They make it sound so eloquent, but who knows if it's true or not..."

"Two thousand yuan, how long would it take me to save up..."

"Are you just making empty promises to scam us out of our money?"

"But the Purple House contract seems to be real..." "..."

Quietly, doubts began to circulate.

at this time.

A clear female voice broke the silence: "I believe in Shengzi! I'll buy five shares!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Xu Ling, Zhang Xiulan's apprentice, stand up. She had a carefree and reckless look on her face: "I've been in the makeup workshop of the factory for so many years and have watched Shengzi grow up. This kid is quick-witted and hardworking. This time, he's really going all out to make something of himself! I've seen his advertisement, and it's really well done!"

I think this approach can work! I'll invest ten thousand yuan! I'll accept the loss if I lose it all!

Ten thousand yuan is roughly one-third of Xu Ling's savings over the years.

Xu Ling's words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake.

Wang Sheng was stunned. He had arranged for Chen Liang to be the scapegoat, but he didn't expect Xu Ling to be the first to step forward.

Upon seeing this, Chen Liang was surprised, but he quickly realized what was happening and jumped up, shouting, "My family too! I'll buy five shares! Ten thousand yuan! If Shengzi messes things up, I'll work for him for the rest of my life to pay off his debts!"

This tiger cub...

Chen's mother was at her wit's end.

When Chen Liang returned home, he immediately asked for 10,000 yuan. His mother refused, saying that this was the money she had saved for his wedding. Chen Liang said that if she didn't give him the 10,000 yuan, he would never get married in his life. No one knows a son better than his mother. She knew that her son was stubborn and once he made up his mind, nothing could change it. So she had no choice but to take out the money she had worked so hard to save.

Ugh……

This calamity was destined to befall me.

That was the only way Chen's mother could console herself.

"Our family has purchased three units!"

The monkey shouted in response.

"We need two portions!"

Da Liu raised his hand.

"We'll have two portions too!"

The soldier and the family members of several core members next to him also spoke up.

The way they asked their families for money was similar to Chen Liang's.

This caused the crowd to become even more agitated.

But many people still have doubts: These are all Wang Sheng's own people, of course they are shills!

Just then, an old but steady voice rang out from behind the crowd: "Little Wang, give this old man five servings too."

Everyone turned around and were surprised to find that the speaker was an old photographer from the factory who had long since retired. His surname was Qin, and he was highly skilled, upright, and respected in the factory.

His son went south to do business years ago and doesn't rely on the Beijing Film Studio for a living.

Old Master Qin, leaning on his cane, slowly walked to the front, looked at Wang Sheng, and then at everyone else: "I'm old, and I can't manage things at the factory anymore. But my eyes aren't blind yet. These young men, Wang and his gang, are energetic, resourceful, and more importantly, they don't complain like some people do. Instead, they're genuinely trying to find ways to make a living with their skills!"

He paused, then raised his voice: "I just looked at the contract for the Purple House, and it's real."

"I think Xiao Wang's calculations are too conservative, considering how big the wedding market is! What's our Beijing Film Studio's forte? The art of light and shadow! Using it to shoot weddings is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, but then again, it brings in real money to support our own people, so what's wrong with that?"

“I invested this 10,000 yuan in my grandson. I'm not hoping he'll make a living from it, but to let him know that his grandfather spent his whole life at the Beijing Film Studio. Even when things get tough, the people there aren't cowards; they can still find ways to move forward! I think this profit-sharing right is more valuable than dead money in the bank!”

Old Master Qin's words carried great weight.

He was not one of Wang Sheng's "insiders"; his subscription was purely based on judgment and trust.

In an instant, most of the skepticism in the crowd was dispelled!
"That's what Master Qin said..."

"It seems like it might actually be a viable path?"

"Two thousand yuan... should I take a gamble?"

"For the sake of the children's future..."

"I'll buy one!"

"We'll have one for our family too!"

"Register me, two copies!"

Hesitation and doubt began to be replaced by desire and impulse, and more and more people began to raise their hands and shout, surging towards the table where Chen Yu and others were in charge of registration...

(End of this chapter)