Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 4, Section 04: The Veil Kiss
Inside the Wang family's cramped outer room, the two families sat around a makeshift dining table, the atmosphere much more relaxed than before.

Mother Wang and Mother Chen busied themselves serving the last dish, while Father Wang poured Father Chen a bottle of loose Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor).

"Come on, Lao Chen, let's have a drink."

Wang Baoguo raised his glass: "For these troublesome kids, and for all the endless worries we have."

Mr. Chen didn't say much, he just silently raised his glass, the two clinked glasses, and both downed their drinks in one gulp.

The spicy liquor dispelled some of the evening chill.

After a few rounds of drinks, the conversation naturally returned to Wang Sheng's plans.

The adults discussed which factory leaders had influence, which departments might be sabotaging them, and more importantly, their concerns about the market outlook and a glimmer of hope fueled by alcohol.

Wang Sheng and Chen Liang, the two younger members of the family, quickly finished eating. Seeing that the adults were chatting happily, they exchanged a knowing glance and slipped out of the stuffy room one after the other, heading to the window of the common corridor of the tenement building.

The cool April night breeze dispersed the smell of alcohol and the noise inside the house.

The scattered lights of the residential area downstairs and the neon lights of the capital city gradually illuminating in the distance outlined the hazy silhouettes of two young people.

"Hiss... It's fucking cold."

Chen Liang wrapped his coat tighter, leaned against the mottled railing of the public corridor, and looked at Wang Sheng: "Shengzi, I really admire you. You dared to barge into Han Sanping's house all by yourself? Aren't you scared at all?"

"A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger."

Wang Sheng laughed without a care in the world.

In his previous life, he struggled at the bottom of society, meeting with various bosses and producers to attract investment, and his self-esteem and pride had long been worn away.

Chen Liang clicked his tongue and lowered his voice: "There are quite a few people who privately call Lao Han 'Han the Tiger.' When he came to be the factory director in '94, what a mess the factory was in! There were all sorts of factions, and a bunch of people who just collected money without doing any work."

He came in swift and decisive, cutting budgets, reducing staff, and auditing accounts. He didn't care about background or faction; if you weren't going to work, you were fired. He really did lay down a lot of hands on people, beating those old men until they cried out in pain, and he managed to curb a significant amount of the corrupt practices.

He paused, a hint of barely perceptible awe in his voice: "But despite the criticism, everyone knows that if it weren't for his tireless efforts in recent years to raise money, secure projects, produce co-productions, and develop the audio and video recording company and other related businesses, the factory probably wouldn't even be able to pay wages."

In short, this guy is ruthless.

Anyway, just seeing him makes my legs tremble. You're this guy!

As Chen Liang spoke, he gave Wang Sheng a thumbs-up.

Wang Sheng listened silently, and his understanding of Han Sanping became much clearer.

In his previous life, he had heard of Han Sanping's illustrious reputation, but had never met him in person.

After meeting him today, I found that he is indeed a strong person with an iron fist, a pragmatic spirit, and a pioneering spirit. No wonder he was able to lead the reform of the film industry in the future.

"We've taken the first step in this endeavor; there's no turning back now..."

Wang Sheng changed the subject: "Now we'll have to get down to business. We need to be careful with the 50,000 yuan startup capital. We also need to start thinking about the team members."

Chen Liang immediately perked up: "Right! We need to find reliable ones! If you ask me, let's start by looking among our group of brothers who grew up together. Da Liu, Monkey, Xiao Bing, their parents are either in lighting, sound recording, or prop workshops. We know them well, and they all have some technical skills. We can trust them!"

He immediately showed a look of disgust: "Don't hire those kids from the security department, personnel department, and propaganda department who sit in the offices! They've always been at odds with us. Last time we went to ask for an explanation, the security department was the worst offender!"

Besides, our parents are tech people; they'll never get along with those managers. It's easy to invite them in, but hard to get rid of them. We don't want them to cause us a lot of trouble after we haven't done much work, and then we'll have to watch out for them stabbing us in the back.

Wang Sheng nodded; Chen Liang's words, though crude, were reasonable.

In the early stages of a startup, team trust and execution are crucial.

The children of technical staff have been immersed in the factory environment since childhood, possessing basic skills, similar family backgrounds, and aligned interests. Moreover, having just experienced the blow of "unemployment," they are even more motivated to band together and strive for success.

The children of managers often have complex relationships, and there are bound to be some who are arrogant or have ulterior motives, which is not conducive to initial unity.

“Yes, let’s just handle the initial preparations.” Wang Sheng agreed. “When the business gets going and we need more people, we’ll prioritize hiring Da Liu and his team. They’re technically skilled, honest, and most importantly, trustworthy.”

"That's right! That's how we should do it!"

Chen Liang was pleased to see that Wang Sheng had adopted his suggestion and patted the railing of the public corridor.

……

the following few days.

Wang Sheng's brain started working at high speed as soon as the stitches were removed.

With the help of Mr. Wang and Mr. Chen, two other veteran technical workers with strong connections and unemployed children in their families also agreed to act as guarantors.

Wang Sheng met with Han Sanping again, carrying a guarantee letter jointly signed by the four people and a detailed plan for the use of funds.

Han Sanping glanced through the plan, said nothing more, and directly instructed the finance department to process the loan application.

The 50,000 yuan in cash, under the guise of a "loan for the Beijing Film Studio's young director incubation project," was transferred to the account of the company Wang Sheng was about to register. In reality, it was handed over to Wang Sheng; the paperwork would be completed later once the company was registered. The loan term was one year, with the annual interest rate calculated based on the bank's prevailing loan rate—a very reasonable offer.

In 1996, the process of registering a company was far more complicated than it is today.

The most common form of company is the "limited liability company".

The main process includes name approval, providing a registered address, capital verification, submitting materials, and obtaining a business license.

The most difficult part is the capital verification process. According to the Company Law implemented in 1994, the minimum registered capital for an ordinary limited liability company is 10 yuan, and an accounting firm is required to issue a capital verification report. 5 yuan is far from enough.

However, Article 24 of the Company Law allows for contributions in the form of currency, physical assets, or industrial property rights.

Han Sanping then instructed the Beijing Film Studio's subsidiary, Beijing Film Recording and Video Company, to inject capital into "Shengying Company" in the form of "equipment leasing as equity investment," thus making up the remaining 5 yuan shortfall in registered capital and thereby holding a 20% stake. Originally, the company was supposed to hold a 20% stake, and it was considered a tertiary industry of Beijing Film Studio.

Wang Sheng held 80% of the shares on behalf of a group of children of Beijing Film Studio employees. In reality, the shares were registered under his name. There was no written document that directly stated that he held 80% of the shares on behalf of the children of Beijing Film Studio employees. Rather, Wang Sheng directly held 80% of the shares, which was with Han Sanping's tacit approval.

The capital verification report was issued expedited by the accounting firm that cooperates with Beijing Film Studio.

Under normal circumstances, the entire registration process takes one to two months.

However, as an influential state-owned enterprise, Beijing Film Studio received coordination from the factory office and the Industry and Commerce Bureau, which expedited the approval process. The business license was issued in about a week.

While waiting for the business license, Wang Sheng was not idle.

I first went to talk to the head of the advertising department at Beijing Film Recording and Video Company.

To Wang Sheng's surprise, the head of the advertising department was also promoted and appointed by Han Sanping, and he gained support with almost no effort.

Following this, Wang Sheng and his team cleaned and furnished a rent-free office of about 20 square meters that the factory had provided for them. Then, again leveraging the name of the Beijing Film Studio and through connections in the factory's switchboard, they expedited the installation of a direct-line telephone. Although there was a discount on the initial installation fee, it still cost 3500 yuan. Adding the expenses for registering the company earlier, and the purchasing expenses of the past few days, the 50,000 yuan instantly became…

……

"The company currently has 42,687.05 yuan in cash and a 100-day usage right for a Betacam SP camera in its account..."

Inside the office of Shengying Media Co., Ltd., Wang Sheng, along with the company's legal representative Chen Liang, accountant Chen Liang's cousin Chen Yu, and other key technical personnel, gathered for a routine meeting.

Chen Yu studied accounting in college, but unfortunately encountered the "Interim Measures for the Employment of College Graduates with Higher Vocational Education Who Are Not Guaranteed by the State" issued by the Ministry of Personnel in January of this year, and she couldn't find a job in the short term.

But she was also lucky to meet her cousin, Chen Liang.

Chen Liang felt that managing the money bag required the help of a close relative or someone he could trust, so he recruited her to work for Wang Sheng.

Of course, if she didn't do well, Chen Liang would kick her away.

I don't care if you're my cousin or not.

Chen Yu is still able to sort out the company's assets.

Chen Liang frowned slightly: "What is this 100-day usage right for the Betacam SP camera?"

Wang Sheng explained, "This Betacam SP camera is an 'equipment leasing investment' provided by Beijing Film Recording and Video Company. It's valued at 50,000 yuan and can be rented for 500 yuan a day. Once the rental amount reaches 50,000 yuan, the market price will be restored. It's considered extra support from the factory."

"That's it..."

Chen Liang said with some regret, "It would be great if you gave it to us."

Wang Sheng leaned back, also feeling a bit regretful: "Yes, it's a pity that our entire company is not as expensive as this old thing."

The Betacam SP camcorder, launched by Sony in 1986, is an analog component video recording format that was the dominant force in broadcast television and professional film and television production from the late 80s to the mid-to-late 90s.

The Betacam SP camera set supported by Beijing Film Studio is a mid-to-high-end product manufactured in 1989. It is still worth several hundred thousand yuan at present, making it a very valuable item.

The teaching tool that Wang Sheng and his colleagues used in the training course was a Betacam SP camera.

Film cameras are rarely something you can touch; they're practically exclusive to undergraduate students.

"Let's get back to the topic..."

Wang Sheng got down to business: "As you can all see, the company is in its early stages, business hasn't started yet, and funds are extremely limited, so every penny must be spent wisely. Our next step is to launch an advertising campaign..."

He paused, then looked at everyone: "I've already met with Director Liu of the Advertising Department of Beijing Film Recording and Video Company. Out of respect for Director Han, Director Liu gave us a special internal price."

"Regarding television advertising."

Wang Sheng stood up, picked up a piece of chalk, and wrote down key information on the small blackboard behind him: "We've secured the broadcast rights for a segment called 'Midnight Cinema' on Beijing TV's Arts and Literature Channel after 10 PM. Although this time slot is late, we've heard the audience is quite stable. The price is 300 yuan per broadcast, and our package is for 15 consecutive days, once a day, for a total of 4500 yuan."

"Regarding print media," he wrote another line on the blackboard, "Director Liu has connected us with the 'Boutique Shopping Guide' newspaper. We can place a 'newspaper ad' in their 'Wedding Services' section, which is about the size of a business card. It costs 500 yuan per issue. We'll subscribe to four issues in a row first and see how it goes, which will cost another 2000 yuan."

Chen Liang quickly did the mental calculation: "The advertising fee alone is six thousand five? And that doesn't even include the cost of shooting the commercial!"

"We must save money on advertising!" Wang Sheng continued, "Director Liu only provided the distribution channels; we have to shoot and produce the commercials ourselves. This is the first tough battle we're about to fight..."

His gaze swept over the group of young people who had just finished their training course, and his tone became highly persuasive: "This is 'Shengying's' first battle! If it's a success, it'll be an instant hit, and orders might come knocking. If it's a disaster, thousands of dollars will be wasted. So, this commercial must be made at 200% of our quality; it has to look like it's worth 58,000, not just 500!"

"Brother Sheng, what do you suggest?" Da Liu rubbed his hands together, eager to get started.

The others nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with the youthful energy and trust in Wang Sheng.

Wang Sheng walked to the small blackboard and drew a simple storyboard sketch.

“My idea is very simple. We don’t have the money to hire celebrities or put on a big show. We just want to shoot a concept, a feeling, a moment that will make those rich people think at a glance, ‘This is what I want.’”

He described the scene in his mind: "The scene will be set up in a church or on a lawn, decorated like a wedding venue, with good lighting to create a cinematic effect of light and shadow and silhouettes."

"The main characters are a newlywed couple. The groom is wearing a bespoke suit, and the view is mainly from behind or in profile, so you can't see his whole face, but he has to have a good physique, a handsome profile, and elegant movements."

"The bride, wearing a pure white wedding dress, needs a close-up to highlight her beauty and happiness, the key is..."

Wang Sheng paused for a moment, then emphasized:

"The key is one action—the veil kiss."

"A veil kiss?"

Chen Liang and the others were stunned; they had never heard of this before.

“Yes!” Wang Sheng explained in detail, “It’s when the groom lifts the bride’s veil and then kisses her lips. The camera should be close-up, capturing the hazy effect of the veil and the ultimate ambiguity, tenderness, and sacredness of their lips just about to touch. The background music should be a very soothing and moving piano piece or string music. Finally, the scene fades out, and two lines of text appear: ‘Shengying Media, creating unique love stories for you,’ along with our phone number.”

The inspiration for this advertisement came from the wedding video of Cheng Xiao and Cheng Yanxi. It is said that there were many takes, but in any case, the veil kiss video caused a sensation on the Chinese Internet in 2016. A few years later, the two divorced, and the video once again caused a sensation on the Internet, leaving a very deep impression on Wang Sheng.

The office was silent for a few seconds as everyone imagined the scene.

"Fuck me..."

Chen Liang muttered, "Shengzi, what's wrong with your brain? Just hearing about this scene makes me feel... damn high-class! Like a foreign movie!"

“That’s right, that’s exactly the effect we want!” Wang Sheng affirmed. “We want to capture those cinematic, beautiful scenes that can instantly touch the softest part of people’s hearts. That’s more effective than any boastful advertising slogan.”

“But,” the monkey in charge of the lighting raised a practical question, “where are we going to find a bride and groom? We don’t have enough money to hire celebrities.”

Wang Sheng seemed to have been waiting for this question. He cleared his throat, a "I'll suffer for myself" expression on his face, and said, "Groom, I'll do it."

"what?"

Everyone looked at him in surprise.

Wang Sheng is tall and has a good physique. Although he is not stunningly handsome, he looks very energetic when he grooms himself and has a good presence.

"You little rascal, you want to use your position for personal gain and experience being a groom, don't you?" Chen Liang said with a laugh.

"Get lost! This is to save costs! I still have my first kiss!" Wang Shengyi said sternly, then quickly changed the subject: "The most important thing is the bride..."

He looked at everyone and said, "We need to find a female model. She doesn't need to be famous, but she must have a good temperament and figure, a pure and sweet appearance, and be able to carry off a wedding dress. Most importantly, when shooting the veil kiss scene, she can't be awkward; she has to portray that natural sense of happiness."

Does anyone have a suitable candidate to recommend? Preferably a student from Beijing Film Academy or Central Academy of Drama—they're inexpensive, have good stage presence, and need this kind of advertising experience to hone their skills.

The group looked at each other, then began to rack their brains to recall anyone they knew.

(End of this chapter)