Huayu: Rising from Tencent

Sun Huaizhong had just put a cigarette in his mouth and was about to light it when he heard Shen Ci's words, and his hand paused.

"How large a sum of money is Mr. Shen prepared to invest?"

"President Sun, don't worry," Shen Ci explained patiently. "I'll go back to Shenzhen in the next few days to try and secure some financial support."

"It seems like something big is about to happen?" Sun Huaizhong asked, a hint of curiosity and anticipation in his eyes.

Shen Ci said firmly, "I am prepared to start producing variety shows and documentaries simultaneously."

Originally, he planned to proceed with the work step by step, but the current situation made him feel that this was a bit too slow.

After all, with the rollout of the new model, the self-manufacturing section he was in charge of bore a heavy responsibility.

While Tencent Video has no shortage of talent, the number of experienced producers, directors, and other core personnel is limited.

While external talent can inject fresh blood into a project, it is ultimately easier to use one's own people.

Shen Ci already had a preliminary and clear plan in mind for the variety show project.

One of "Go Fighting!" and "Mushroom House" will be his first project to fully commit to.

"Since President Shen has said so, of course I fully support him."

"Yes, not only that, we will also focus on building our own artist team in the future."

Upon hearing this, Sun Huaizhong's eyes flashed with excitement; he had actually had this idea for a long time.

"Does President Shen also think it's necessary to cultivate our own team of artists? I also believe it's imperative."

Owning your own artists gives you a greater advantage in content creation and also brings benefits in cost control.

Shen Ci said, "What President Sun is thinking is exactly what I wanted to say."

"We, the senior executives, will find a time to discuss the specific implementation plan in detail," Sun Huaizhong said.

The two discussed some details at length for a while, and Shen Ci drank several cups of tea before getting up to take his leave.

As soon as Shen Ci entered his office, before he could even sit down, the phone rang urgently.

He glanced down; it was an unfamiliar number.

Shen Ci did not answer the call. Instead, he sat down and then pressed the answer button, turning on the speakerphone as he did so.

"Is this Mr. Shen? I'm Mr. Wu. I've arrived in Beijing and I've come to apologize to you in person."

On the other end of the phone, Grandpa Wu's voice carried a hint of caution and ingratiation.

"Have we arrived yet?" Shen Ci's tone was unreadable.

Grandpa Wu quickly smiled apologetically and said respectfully:

"Yes, Shishi came along too. Are you free now? Do you have time to see us?"

"Come now," Shen Ci said succinctly before hanging up the phone.

Then, he called Lin Xin over and asked her to prepare to pick up the person.

During this period, Grandpa Wu was overwhelmed with worries about the "Shu Shang Zhan Ji" (a historical drama series), and he tossed and turned every night.

He was genuinely curious about who Liu Shishi had found to get Shen Ci to reveal the truth.

"Who exactly did you contact? How did you manage to get that brat to change his mind?"

"You wouldn't know even if I told you," Liu Shishi replied.

"I was just asking casually!" Grandpa Wu reached out to put his arm around Liu Shishi's shoulder, trying to ease the tension.

Liu Shishi nudged him and said:

"You'd better think carefully about how to apologize later, lest you offend someone again by saying the wrong thing."

I know what I'm doing.

Grandpa Wu was a little unhappy, feeling that Liu Shishi had become much colder towards him and wouldn't even hug him.

However, getting Shen Ci to accept the apology and ensuring that "The Legend of Shu" passes censorship is the top priority right now.

He no longer cared about these things.

The two drove to the office building where Tencent Video was located, and Grandpa Wu called Shen Ci again to let him know that he had arrived.

A short while later, Lin Xin came out of the building to greet her.

Seeing Grandpa Wu, a hint of curiosity flashed in Lin Xin's eyes, but she wasn't too surprised by Liu Shishi.

She was the one who received Liu Shishi when she came to see Shen Ci.

When Liu Shishi saw Lin Xin, she felt uneasy, fearing that her affair with Shen Ci would be discovered.

Fortunately, Lin Xin only glanced at her and didn't say anything more before leading the two into the office building.

They took the elevator together, and after arriving at their floor, Lin Xin led the two to Shen Ci's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" came Shen Ci's calm voice from inside.

Lin Xin stepped aside and politely said to Grandpa Wu and Liu Shishi, "Please come in."

"Thank you!" Grandpa Wu said hurriedly, and couldn't wait to push the door open and enter. Liu Shishi followed closely behind with her head down.

Shen Ci sat behind his desk, looking at the two people at the door.

He first glanced at Grandpa Wu indifferently, then focused more of his gaze on Liu Shishi.

When Liu Shishi saw Shen Ci's gaze, she lowered her head and pretended not to know him, a sense of immorality welling up within her.

Grandpa Wu noticed Shen Ci's gaze.

A sense of pride welled up inside him, and he secretly thought that Shen Ci was envious of his girlfriend, Liu Shishi.

"Mr. Shen, I've come to apologize to you!!"

Grandpa Wu's smugness lasted only a few seconds before he had to face reality and hurriedly bowed deeply to Shen Ci in apology.

"Heh~" Shen Ci looked at Grandpa Wu's appearance and said sarcastically, "You've completely lost your backbone, haven't you?"

Grandpa Wu's face flushed red and then turned pale, extremely embarrassed.

But when he thought of the "Shu Shang Zhan Ji" project, he forced a smile and said ingratiatingly:

"It was my ignorance that led me to offend you. Please forgive my insignificance.

Shen Ci said, "You worthless wretch."

"Yes, yes, yes..."

Grandpa Wu hurriedly responded to Shen Ci's words, not daring to look at Liu Shishi.

He was filled with regret, wishing he hadn't let her come along, so as to avoid losing face in front of her.

"President Shen!"

At this moment, Liu Shishi suddenly interrupted and looked at Shen Ci.

This action made Grandpa Wu's legs go weak, fearing that Liu Shishi would stand up for him and anger Shen Ci again.

Shen Ci turned his gaze to Liu Shishi, saying nothing, but simply looking at her quietly.

Meeting Shen Ci's gaze, Liu Shishi tried to appear strong and said:

"We are so sorry, we really are so sorry!"

After she finished speaking, she also bowed deeply to Shen Ci.

Regardless, Grandpa Wu was her boyfriend, and she didn't want to hear Shen Ci say those sarcastic things.

"I'm sorry!" Grandpa Wu quickly said upon seeing this, bowing repeatedly.

The two men moved in exactly the same way, and Shen Ci felt a surge of inexplicable annoyance as he looked at them.

"Get lost," Shen Ci waved his hand and said, "If there's a next time, you can find a place to jump into the river and die."

"I'm so sorry!!"

Grandpa Wu bowed several times and then turned to leave.

Liu Shishi followed him out of the office, but just as she was closing the door, she couldn't help but turn back to look at Shen Ci.

But then he discovered that Shen Ci was staring at him!

This glance made Liu Shishi immediately turn her head away, lower her head deeply, and quicken her pace to catch up with Grandpa Wu.

In the elevator, Mr. Wu felt a little awkward, unsure how to face Liu Shishi.

After a moment of silence, he forced a smile and said:

"Luckily, Shen Ci didn't make us kneel down, hahaha!"

Liu Shishi did not respond, but stood silently, her eyes gradually reddening.

Her sadness wasn't because of Grandpa Wu, nor because of Shen Ci, but because she was disappointed in herself.

"Don't cry, everything's resolved now, it's okay."

Grandpa Wu thought Liu Shishi was feeling sorry for him because he had been wronged, so his tone became exceptionally gentle.

Liu Shishi said, "Call the kiwi fruit company and tell them that 'The Chronicles of Shu' has been resolved."

"Yes, I almost forgot if you hadn't reminded me!"

Grandpa Wu slapped his forehead, only then remembering that there was such a thing, and hurriedly took out his phone from his pocket.

After the two got out of the elevator and into the car, Mr. Wu dialed Gong Yu's number.

Gong Yu was quite surprised, but didn't ask any more questions. She simply said that it was resolved.