Huayu: Rising from Tencent

"Zane, I've had someone talk to them about the price again."

"Okay, thank you for your help, Uncle Ren."

After Tencent and MBC had been in contact regarding the copyright of "Infinite Challenge", they finally received an offer from MBC.

MBC quoted 1.5 million for the entire process, including authorization, team guidance, and scripts.

Furthermore, if a second or third season is to be launched, the licensing fee for each season will be between 30 and 40 million.

After ending the call, Shen Ci went to Sun Huaizhong's office and told him everything without reservation.

Upon hearing the price, Sun Huaizhong's relaxed brows instantly furrowed tightly.

"This price is comparable to that of Zhejiang TV."

"Running Man?"

Shen Ci's heart skipped a beat, and he understood what Sun Huaizhong meant.

Sun Huaizhong nodded, his expression slightly grave:

"I looked into it, and the price that Zhejiang TV paid for the license of 'Running Man' was about the same."

Shen Ci's lips twitched, and he muttered under his breath, "These Koreans really think they can get away with anything by exploiting the domestic market."

"Isn't that just being a sucker?"

Sun Huaizhong shrugged helplessly. Nowadays, South Korean entertainment companies treat the domestic market like their own ATM.

As he spoke, he reached into the cigarette pack on the table, pulled out two cigarettes, handed one to Shen Ci, and lit one for himself.

"Mr. Shen, what are your plans?"

"What else can we do? If we can't reach an agreement, then we'll just copy it."

"Do you have a budget in mind?"

"Less than one hundred million." Shen Ci's tone was resolute. "Any more, I'd rather outsiders accuse us of plagiarism."

Upon hearing this, Sun Huaizhong almost couldn't help but laugh, but fortunately, his years of work experience allowed him to control his expression in time.

"This matter is best left to President Shen to decide." Sun Huaizhong knew that he really couldn't be of much help in this matter.

Shen Ci nodded, then asked, "What did Yan Min say? When would be a convenient time to meet?"

"These days are fine. Should I have someone go and talk to him?" Sun Huaizhong suggested.

"Okay," Shen Ci replied, then added:

"If we can't reach an agreement with South Korea by the end of the month, the project will start immediately, and we won't need to worry about anything else."

"Has the team communicated everything?" Sun Huaizhong asked.

Shen Ci said, "We have contacted several teams and are currently in communication with them."

South Korea has abundant resources in outdoor variety shows, and countless professionals in filming and editing.

After finishing his cigarette, Shen Ci got up to say goodbye.

Back in his office, Shen Ci sat in his comfortable boss's chair, opened the company intranet, and began approving projects.

These projects were all purchased from external sources; Tencent Video had already begun working on them before he joined the company.

The approval process he is currently undertaking is the final review stage.

Shen Ci browsed through the project details and shook his head inwardly.

Most of these lack originality and highlights, but video platforms currently need a lot of content to support them.

When reviewing the last project, Shen Ci saw the title "The Perfect Bride" and rejected it without hesitation.

Rejecting just one project isn't a big problem.

The main problem is that the name is really terrible, giving people a strong sense of shoddy workmanship.

In a daze, Shen Ci thought he had traveled back ten years to the future and was watching a short drama with no quality whatsoever.

Less than a day after the project was rejected, Shen Ci was focused on handling other matters in his office when there was a knock on the door.

"Please come in," he said without looking up.

The door opened, and Han Zijie walked in.

Han Zijie was extremely frustrated and couldn't help but suspect that Shen Ci was deliberately targeting him.

He was really frustrated that he rejected two projects in a row.

Even though he was angry, he still had to fight for what he needed to do for his project, so he took the initiative to approach them.

"Mr. Shen, don't let the name 'The Perfect Bride' fool you, the content is truly excellent!!"

"Mr. Han, please sit down." Shen Ci was quite polite, gesturing for Han Zijie to sit down.

Han Zijie then sat down in the chair opposite him, leaning forward as if eager to explain.

Shen Ci asked, "Is this project currently in the filming stage, or has it already been completed?"

"Filming is already finished," Han Zijie quickly explained in detail. "The male lead is Jin Shijia, and the female lead is Li Lin!"

Shen Ci naturally knew these two people, but he really didn't expect that they had actually worked together on this drama.

It seems that my decision to pursue this project was the right one!

Han Zijie continued, "A TV station has already bought this project, and the premiere will be on Jiangsu Satellite TV."

"Jiangsu TV??" Shen Ci interrupted, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"Jiangsu TV's variety channel," Han Zijie added.

"Mr. Han, you should finish what you're saying at once. Do you really think Jiangsu TV's main channel has been bought?"

Shen Ci shook his head helplessly. The difference between the main satellite TV station and its subordinate stations is enormous.

Han Zijie wanted to retort, but he swallowed the words back.

"Let's not talk about this anymore," Shen Ci said, too lazy to discuss the matter further, turning his gaze to Han Zijie.

"Mr. Han, you know that Tencent Pictures is going to be established, right?"

Han Zijie was taken aback for a moment, then said, "I know."

Shen Ci looked at him, her eyes scrutinizing him, and slowly said, "Do you want to take responsibility?"

"think!!"

Han Zijie agreed almost without hesitation, his eyes flashing with surprise.

"I will bring it up at the establishment meeting. The things that President Han is currently in charge of are indeed a bit of a waste of his talents."

Shen Ci's tone carried a hint of certainty.

"Thank you for your support, Mr. Shen!"

Han Zijie stood up, quickly took out a cigarette from his pocket, respectfully handed it to Shen Ci, and even thoughtfully lit it for him.

Shen Ci's words were not spoken on a whim, but rather after a period of careful consideration.

Regardless, he knew that he would be working at Tencent Video for at least several years, and he needed to have his own people around him.

It's easy for our own people to use, and they're obedient.

Even though Sun Huaizhong and others outwardly accommodated him, Shen Ci still felt it was necessary to cultivate his own confidants.

"Mr. Shen, are you free tonight? I'd like to invite you to dinner." Han Zijie pressed his advantage and extended the invitation.

I came with doubts, but things turned out to be in an unexpectedly good direction.

He believed Shen Ci's words from the bottom of his heart.

If Shen Cizhen supports him taking charge of Tencent Pictures, then Sun Huaizhong and other high-level executives definitely won't say anything.

"Okay, let's go now, I'm starving." Shen Ci glanced at the time and thought it was a good time to go eat.

"Okay," Han Zijie said cheerfully, "I'll arrange a car right away. Someone just happened to give me a bottle of good wine."

Shen Ci nodded, and Han Zijie hurriedly went to make the arrangements.

Almost fifteen minutes later, after making the arrangements, Han Zijie hurriedly returned.

Shen Ci then turned off the computer and went out with him.

The two had just stepped into the corridor when they ran into Lin Xin.

Shen Ci's eyes lit up, and he called her over, asking her to come along as well.

Not only that, Shen Ci also sent messages to Li Eryun, Qiu Yue and others, inviting them to come over together.

Perfect timing, let's take this opportunity to get together as a family.

Upon seeing this, Han Zijie immediately understood Shen Ci's intention and was overjoyed.

Only a fool would refuse when the "crown prince" takes the initiative to show goodwill.

As the saying goes, having connections in the imperial court makes it easier to get an official position. If you cultivate a good relationship with Shen Ci, you might have more opportunities for promotion and salary increases in the future.