Huayu: Rising from Tencent

"Did you just take a shower?"

"Yes, did you just arrive at the hotel?"

"Yeah, I just got back from the company."

Shen Ci slowly turned his phone camera around the room to show off the hotel environment.

"I wasn't lying to you when I said I'd stay at the hotel I usually stay at."

"Okay, I believe you." Naza waved her hand magnanimously, her voice full of coquettishness.

Shen Ci felt quite pleased with those coquettish words, and he asked with concern, "Is it working properly?"

Naza shook his head and said half-jokingly, "No problem, I'm a big shot."

"Ha ha..."

Shen Ci was amused by her playful appearance, but looking at her on the screen, a surge of anger welled up inside him for some reason.

Seeing Shen Ci laugh, Na Zha became even more excited and started chatting about everyday things.

"What does Mr. Shen usually do after get off work? Do you go to a bar to relax, or play golf or something?"

"Neither," Shen Ci replied.

Naza became interested, bringing his face close to the camera, his eyes full of curiosity, and asked, "What's that for?"

"Playing games," Shen Ci joked seriously. "With my status, I can't do without playing games."

Naza couldn't help but cover her mouth and burst into laughter, so much so that she leaned against the headboard.

She found the little man in front of her incredibly interesting!

After laughing, Naza's eyes lit up, and he said:

"I play games too, mobile games, like 'Temple Run,' and I've spent a lot of money on it."

Speaking of money, she remembered Shen resigning from his job in Shenzhen.

"How did your trip to Shenzhen go? Was it smooth sailing?"

"It went quite smoothly," Shen Ci replied succinctly.

Naza really wanted to ask Shen Ci if he was going to start some big project, but she was afraid that Shen Ci would think she was too materialistic.

After hesitating for a moment, he ultimately swallowed his words.

"Mr. Shen," Naza said earnestly, her voice soft as she looked at Shen Ci on the screen, "would you like to come visit the set?"

"Visiting the set?"

"You haven't been to a film set before, have you? You should learn more about how filming takes place."

Naza spoke eloquently and with a sincere expression, which made Shen Ci want to laugh.

"If you have time, I'll go take a look."

Naza was clearly not satisfied with the answer; she longed for a definitive reply.

So she looked at the camera, pursed her lips, then relaxed them, and raised her chin slightly by half an inch.

Looking at Nazha's appearance, Shen Ci felt truly helpless and increasingly unable to cope.

He was young and impetuous, and faced with Naza's obvious hint, his anger flared up.

"You should rest now; we have a formal shoot tomorrow."

Shen Ci stared at her for a moment, forcibly suppressing the impulse in his heart, and spoke.

Naza couldn't help but admire Shen Ci; she had already given him such a hint, yet the little man was still able to restrain himself.

But at the same time, she felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

I think I'm pretty good at judging people; Shen Ci isn't the kind of shallow person who's easily swayed by good looks!

"You should get some rest too," Naza said in a soft, gentle voice.

"Okay, goodnight," Shen Ci replied.

"Goodnight, Mr. Shen, sweet dreams~" Naza said sweetly to the camera, then hung up the video call.

Shen Ci put down her phone, got up and went into the bathroom, turned on the shower, and let the warm water wash over her body.

Even a fool would understand the meaning behind Naza's actions.

He actually felt that if something really happened between him and Naza, it wouldn't matter.

Time flies by, and September has arrived in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Tencent Video held a crucial meeting on the planning and development of its studio.

After the meeting, Shen Ci called Li Eryun to his office.

As soon as Li Eryun entered, Shen Ci got straight to the point.

"The film and television studio is called Tianxuan, and you'll be in charge!"

"Thank you, Mr. Shen!!!"

Li Eryun was so excited that she bowed ninety degrees, and the huge weight that had been hanging over her heart finally lifted.

The fact that Qiu Yue was appointed as the temporary head of the studio a few days ago really made her feel uneasy.

Now things are much better. I'm in charge of a proper studio now, unlike Qiu Yue's temporary one.

"In your first studio, you need to set a good example and set a benchmark for future studios."

Shen Ci spoke with a serious expression, making polite remarks, before abruptly changing the subject to get to the point: "How's 'Chef Fang' going?"

"We're actively negotiating the copyright, and we should definitely be able to secure it this week."

Li Eryun patted her chest to assure him, and to put Shen Ci's mind at ease, she continued to report the latest news.

"The creative team has already started searching, and we're aiming to finalize everything this month."

"Yes, this is the first project the studio has produced in-house, so we absolutely cannot afford any mishaps," Shen Ci said solemnly.

"The Romance of Tiger and Rose" is a collaboration with an external company.

Once the studio is established, it will naturally need to demonstrate its capabilities and strive for perfection in its self-produced projects.

Li Eryun quickly nodded in agreement and asked, "Don't worry, Mr. Shen, what are your thoughts on the choice of the female lead?"

"Don't worry about that. Just focus on setting up the project and the studio." Shen Ci told her to concentrate on her work.

Li Eryun nodded knowingly, and Shen Ci gave her a few more detailed instructions before letting her go back.

It's impossible to set up just one or two studios; there need to be around ten in total.

Following that, there's Tencent Pictures, as well as a series of other production companies outside the Tencent ecosystem.

These things cannot be rushed; they will be gradually implemented over the next two years.

The matter that Shen Ci had previously asked Sun Huaizhong to poach talent from others has also come to a conclusion, with both positive and negative outcomes.

Xie Tiaokui has left Hunan TV, but he has chosen to start his own company and focus on producing variety shows.

Yan Min from Dragon TV did not resist contacting Tencent; on the contrary, she was very easy to talk to.

This delighted Shen Ci, as it would be a perfect opportunity to recruit Yan Min to his team and put her in charge of the "Go Fighting!" project.

Poaching talent, frankly speaking, is all about throwing money at it.

Not only should you offer sufficient benefits, but you should also show the other party the vast potential for future development.

People strive for higher positions, so he wasn't worried about Yan Min not coming.

The people are almost in place, but the project is still nowhere in sight. Shen Ci took out Ren Yuxin's phone number and called her.

Fortunately, it was him who made the call. If Sun Huaizhong had bothered Ren Yuxin so frequently, he would probably have been severely scolded.

"Uncle Ren, how's the situation in South Korea?"

"I just got a call yesterday, and I should have a result soon, Zane, but their quote might be a bit high."

Ren Yuxin said on the other end of the phone, giving Shen Ci a heads-up in advance.

Upon hearing Ren Yuxin's words, Shen Ci said, "Let's communicate first, and talk things over as we go."

He already had a plan in mind: if the deal went through, the second season would follow the example of "Running Man" and change the name.

The definition of variety show formats is rather vague, so even if South Korea were to file a lawsuit, it would be difficult to determine absolute plagiarism.

Even if netizens find out, he won't be afraid.

Anyway, Tencent has been criticized for plagiarism quite a bit in the past.

Besides, if we really cooperate with them, I'll be paying them money, so it's not like I'm getting something for nothing!

After talking with Ren Yuxin, Shen Ci felt a little annoyed. He reached into the drawer to get some cigarettes, only to find that they were all gone.

He picked up the intercom and asked Lin Xin to go buy cigarettes.

Ten minutes later, Lin Xin rushed over, carrying several packs of cigarettes. Shen Ci opened one of the packs, took out a packet, and lit it.

As he smoked, he began to think about who would play the female lead in "Chef Fang".

Like "The Romance of Tiger and Rose," "Fang Da Chu" features a strong female lead as the main character, while the male lead is relatively a supporting character.

When considering candidates, people often think of those they have met first, and Shen Ci is no exception.

He thought of Mao Xiaotong and Liu Shishi, but it was definitely impossible for either of them to take the role.

That leaves only one: "Ultraman Seven"!

With a cigarette dangling from his lips, Shen Ci didn't hesitate to find Zhang Ruonan's contact information and dial the number.

He greatly admired Zhang Ruonan.

She is beautiful, gentle, shy, obedient, and compliant, with no aggression.

Such women have an irresistible attraction for men.