Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 283, Section 281: The First Melon of the New Year

February 5, 2000, the first day of the Lunar New Year.

The first rays of dawn of the new millennium pierced through the gaps in the heavy curtains of the Hilton Hotel's executive suite.

Wang Sheng woke up in an environment filled with luxurious fragrances and enchanting atmosphere, with Cecilia Cheung's even and long breaths in his ears, curled up beside him like a docile cat.

He didn't get up immediately, but lay quietly for a while.

Wang Sheng gently moved Cecilia Cheung's arm away from him and stood up nimbly.

After taking a shower and changing into casual clothes, he glanced at Cecilia Cheung, who was still fast asleep, but did not disturb her. He left a note and quietly left the room.

The driver was already waiting at the hotel entrance.

In the early morning, the streets of Beijing were empty, exuding a festive tranquility.

In the morning, Wang Sheng accompanied his parents, carrying carefully prepared nutritional supplements and fruits, to visit his grandparents and maternal grandparents to offer New Year's greetings.

In the afternoon, Wang Sheng reappeared in the suite at the Hilton Hotel.

Cecilia Cheung had already woken up and was humming a song as she dressed up in the bathroom. When she saw him return, a bright smile immediately appeared on her face.

"..."

For the next few hours, the two were inseparable in the suite, as if trying to exhaust all the passion they had at the beginning of the new year.

Cecilia Cheung exudes a vitality and passion unique to her age.

In the evening, the two had dinner together at the hotel's upscale restaurant.

Cecilia Cheung enthusiastically talked about her commercial performance schedule during the New Year period, which spanned several first-tier cities and was packed with activities.

“It’s good to be busy, to maintain exposure.” Wang Sheng said calmly as he cut his steak, “But you also need to take care of your health, don’t work non-stop.”

"I know!" Cecilia Cheung smiled sweetly, "Daddy cares about me the most."

After dinner, Wang Sheng wiped his mouth with a napkin and said, "I'm going back to Tianjin tonight. The film crew will resume work tomorrow."

A hint of disappointment flashed in Cecilia Cheung's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by understanding: "Well, work is important. I'm also taking a flight to Shanghai early tomorrow morning."

The two parted ways at the hotel entrance without much reluctance, each getting into their waiting vehicles.

For them, this separation is the norm, and their careers are always their top priority.

As the car drove onto the expressway leading to Tianjin, Wang Sheng leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes to rest.

……

In the days that followed, Wang Sheng completely immersed himself in the "Lurking" film crew in Tianjin.

The atmosphere on set was serious and focused, with actors such as Wang Zhiwen, Jiang Wenli, and Li Youbin completely immersed in their roles, creating countless highlights in their acting.

As the director, Wang Sheng meticulously captured every subtle expression and the weight of every line of dialogue, striving to make this spy drama an insurmountable peak.

Meanwhile, voices from the outside world continued to emerge.

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, the 40-episode rural-themed TV series "Liu Laogen," fully invested by Shengying Media and directed and starring Zhao Benshan, officially premiered on CCTV-1's prime time slot amidst the anticipation of countless viewers.

With its solid script, vivid characters, and rich local flavor, the series achieved astonishing ratings upon its premiere, sparking widespread discussion from official media to ordinary people. The "Liu Laogen spirit" has become a positive cultural symbol at the beginning of the new year, further solidifying Shengying Media's strength and reputation in the television drama field.

On the same day, Channel 7 (Children's, Military, Agriculture, and Science and Technology Channel) aired the first episode of the popular science animation "Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit's 3000 Questions" on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Although, as Han Jianu said, Wang Sheng's generation and older teenagers may no longer pay attention, its novel animation style and interesting plots that incorporate popular science knowledge quickly attracted a large number of children and their parents, forming a fixed audience.

……

Time flies, and it's already the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, February 11th in the Gregorian calendar.

The festive atmosphere of the New Year has not completely dissipated, but the gears of all industries have already started to turn at high speed again.

The headquarters of Shengying Media and Enlight Media in Jingxin Building have returned to their former bustling state.

The first thing to be implemented was the reshuffling of the "Five Tigers of Shengying" that was decided at the pre-Lunar New Year dinner: Monkey officially handed over the Jinxi Collection business and set off for Shenyang to take over the operation and management of the Chuang Guandong Film and Television Cultural Tourism Base; Xu Ling returned to Beijing to take charge of Jinxi Collection; Chen Liang, Yu Dong, Da Liu, Xiao Bing and others will remain in their positions for the time being to maintain their core positions.

Enlight Media has also begun its strategic planning for the new year.

The TV drama production department, overseen by Deputy General Manager Cai Yinong, has ambitiously planned five long-running period dramas after market analysis and internal discussions.

The themes cover multiple directions such as political intrigue, fantasy, and martial arts, aiming to leverage Shengying Media's strong production capabilities and distribution network to further seize market share and build the "Enlight Media Costume Drama" brand.

Meanwhile, the television content production department, overseen by Deputy General Manager Wang Changtian, continues to leverage its keen market sense.

In response to the growing demand for entertainment programs from local TV stations, the department acted swiftly, tailoring a variety of new entertainment program plans for multiple TV stations. These programs ranged from quiz shows to celebrity interactions, aiming to gain a larger share of the booming television program market.

At Shengying Media's headquarters, a significant adjustment is quietly underway—the upgrade and restructuring of the public relations department.

As the company expands and its artists increase, traditional public relations models are no longer sufficient in the face of an increasingly complex public opinion environment.

Wang Sheng personally instructed that professional talents be promoted from within and recruited from outside to form a more combat-effective and responsive modern public relations team.

One of its core functions is to systematically plan and manage the public image of its artists and respond to potential crises.

The reorganized public relations department soon faced its first tough battle – Zhang Bozhi's family affairs.

Shortly after various industries resumed work, Hong Kong media suddenly broke a bombshell, revealing that Cecilia Cheung's biological father owed a huge amount of gambling debts and was trying to use his daughter's fame to borrow money or demand repayment.

The news quickly spread to the mainland, sparking widespread attention and discussion.

After receiving instructions from Wang Shenghe's company, Cecilia Cheung's side reacted quickly, issuing a strongly worded and clearly stated statement through the public relations department of the restructured Shengying Media.

In the statement, Cecilia Cheung publicly acknowledged for the first time that she had a distant relationship with her biological father and made it clear that her achievements as an adult were unrelated to him. She also stated that she "will not, and has no obligation to, bear a single penny" of the huge gambling debts owed by her biological father, and appealed to the public not to be misled by false information. She added that she would focus on her career and strive to repay the audience who supported her.

This statement was like a bombshell, causing a huge stir in the entertainment industry and among the public.

Supporters praised her independence and decisiveness, believing that she dared to sever ties with the negative influence of her family of origin; opponents, on the other hand, accused her of being cold-blooded and ruthless.

However, under the effective guidance and control of the public relations department, the focus of public opinion was successfully kept on the event itself, and it did not cause a subversive blow to Cecilia Cheung's public image of "struggling against adversity". On the contrary, it strengthened her "independent and self-reliant" label to a certain extent.

This also marks a new stage in Shengying Media's artist public relations management.

In addition, within Shengying Media, a new department shouldering the strategic responsibility for the future—the Film Distribution Division—has also entered a stage of intensive preparation.

(End of this chapter)