Huayu: Rising from Tencent

Shen Ci is in charge of the self-produced content department at Tencent Video, overseeing the entire process of all self-produced projects.

In the past two days, he met with his subordinates to review the handover documents and the projects currently underway.

Prior to this year, Tencent Video's development strategy was clear: primarily purchase copyrighted films, with self-produced content as a secondary focus.

The film "Darker," which was produced last year, has garnered widespread attention since its release last month.

Apart from this drama, most of the other self-produced projects have achieved mediocre results and have failed to make a big splash.

In the variety show sector, Tencent Video has increased its investment this year and successfully acquired the rights to "The Voice of China".

Shen Ci didn't focus too much on variety shows; he concentrated all his energy on figuring out his first project after taking office.

His ideal project is one that requires little investment, has a short cycle, but can bring high returns.

The first thing that comes to mind is LeTV's "Go Princess Go," which is currently being filmed, but unfortunately, we've already missed the opportunity.

However, Shen Ci quickly thought of an even more suitable project, namely "The Romance of Tiger and Rose".

The notable features of this drama are its relatively small total investment, simple set design, and inexpensive costumes.

But this seemingly insignificant drama became a phenomenal hit, and Zhao Lusi rose to fame because of it.

Of course, in Shen Ci's view, one "The Romance of Tiger and Rose" is far from enough, and he is determined to create high-quality content.

Video platforms are currently in a critical period of fierce competition for users.

Whoever can establish a reputation for "high-quality products" first will gain the upper hand in this brutal competition.

In his mind, a clear blueprint had already been drawn up: to create Tencent's "Mist Theater" in advance.

Dramas like "The Hidden Corner," "The Long Night," and "The Silence" are all excellent works that have achieved both critical acclaim and popularity.

Creating a high-quality drama series is no easy task and requires a significant amount of funding.

Although the headquarters allocated twice as much budget to Tencent Video this year as it did last year, it was still only 16 billion yuan.

This money needs to be used for both procurement and supporting self-production, so the funds allocated to each project are stretched thin.

Sun Huaizhong knew that Shen Ci was young and impetuous, and worried that if he took too big a step as soon as he took office, it would easily cause problems.

When Shen Ci took the initiative to come to him and mentioned the self-made project, Sun Huaizhong's smile froze a bit.

"After carefully reviewing the previous projects, I still think it's more appropriate to start a new series first."

As Shen Ci spoke, he calmly accepted the tea that Sun Huaizhong offered and took a sip.

Wang Juan was also in the office, discussing matters with Sun Huaizhong, when Shen Ci's arrival interrupted their conversation.

"What's the approximate budget?" Sun Huaizhong paused briefly, then added, "The overall budget for this year..."

"I understand," Shen Ci interrupted him directly.

Sun Huaizhong shut his mouth and stared intently at Shen Ci, while Wang Juan, who was standing next to him, also turned his gaze to Shen Ci.

Shen Ci continued, "The set is basic, the crew is small, and everyone's a newcomer. Approximately how much will it cost?"

Sun Huaizhong's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, eased slightly upon hearing these words, and he glanced at Wang Juan.

Wang Juan understood his meaning and offered, "A few million should be enough."

"Mr. Shen, have you already identified a target?" Sun Huaizhong asked tentatively.

"That's right." Shen Ci nodded affirmatively. "I found a novel on Yuewen that I think is very suitable."

China Literature has not yet been fully acquired by Tencent; the entire acquisition plan will not be completed until the end of the year.

"Then I wholeheartedly support President Shen."

Sun Huaizhong smiled, thinking that even if he lost money on such a small project, it wouldn't be a big deal.

Shen Ci smiled slightly and didn't say anything more.

He did not want to reveal the plans for creating the "Mist Theater" to Sun Huaizhong for the time being.

After "The Romance of Tiger and Rose" achieves success, we can proceed step by step. We can't rush things.

Currently, his main focus is on creating his own content; as for other aspects...

I'll make plans after I get a further promotion.

"There's another matter; the studio needs to be set up."

Shen Ci put down his teacup and said seriously, "With the studio set up, we won't be controlled by outside production companies anymore."

"We've discussed this before, and we're planning to start setting up the studio this year."

Sun Huaizhong nodded in agreement and added, "President Shen, don't worry, Wang Juan will cooperate well."

Wang Juan looked at Shen Ci with a smile and said, "I will speed up the process of setting up the studio."

"Yes, thank you for your help," Shen Ci replied politely.

"Of course," Wang Juan waved his hand, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "Has President Shen met any celebrities?"

Shen Ci glanced at her, feeling that this question was somewhat off-topic from the serious matter they were discussing.

Wang Juan explained:

"Here's the thing, we're going to finalize a project in a few days, and the female lead is quite famous."

"Sister Xia, you've heard of President Shen, right?" Sun Huaizhong said.

Shen Ci nodded and said, "I've heard of it."

"If Mr. Shen has time, shall we go and take a look together?" Wang Juan stated his purpose.

She thought Shen Ci was young and might be curious about female celebrities, so she casually made this suggestion.

Sun Huaizhong advised, "You can go and experience it. President Shen will have more and more opportunities to interact with artists in the future."

"Let's go take a look." Shen Ci thought it made sense and felt a little curious about interacting with celebrities.

"Sunman, take good care of President Shen." Sun Huaizhong reminded Wang Juan upon seeing this, a hint of concern in his eyes.

Wang Juan nodded. She wasn't familiar with Shen Ci yet and didn't know his personality, so she would definitely have to be careful during their interactions.

"Let's have a meal together? Consider it a welcome dinner for President Shen," Sun Huaizhong suggested.

Shen Ci didn't refuse and said, "Okay, thank you for your expense."

"Don't mention it, it's my duty, it's my duty."

Sun Huaizhong waved his hand, then picked up the phone and called Ma Yankun and the others.

During the two days he spent with Shen Ci, Sun Huaizhong gained a deeper understanding of him.

He noticed that although Shen Ci was young, he did not have the impetuousness and eagerness of young people; on the contrary, he appeared exceptionally calm and composed.

As expected, the children of truly wealthy people are not the useless cowards they're used to!

Upon receiving the call, Ma Yankun, Han Zijie, and others immediately went to Sun Huaizhong's location.

Everyone gathered, went downstairs, got into the car, and drove towards the hotel.

After arriving at the hotel, everyone went into a private room. Shen Ci didn't drink much, and Sun Huaizhong didn't force him to drink.

"Which project is Sister Liu involved in?" Shen Ci suddenly remembered this question and turned to ask Wang Juan.

Wang Juan put down his chopsticks and said, "We're going to take over the online streaming of 'The Imperial Doctress' and the sugar figurine project."

Shen Ci had not watched the show, but based on his experience and intuition, he felt that the data might be mediocre after winning the contract.

Thinking of this, he suddenly remembered that there was a hugely popular TV series that seemed to be filming right now.

"There's a project called 'Diamond Lover,' and if possible, we could try to take it on," Shen Ci said with certainty.

Wang Juan didn't know where Shen Ci had heard about this project, but he still nodded in agreement.

"I will have someone make contact and find out what's going on."

"Mr. Shen, let's not talk about work all the time at the dinner, haha," Sun Huaizhong said with a laugh, trying to change the subject.

Ma Yankun chimed in, "There were no female celebrities at the dinner. Does President Shen usually follow celebrities?"

"I don't really pursue them." Shen Ci was quite curious about what it would be like for a female celebrity to accompany someone for drinks and dinner.