Huayu: Rising from Tencent

For Zhang Ruonan, the trip to the capital was like a magical, dreamlike journey.

Before going, she thought she would sign a contract or something.

However, the actual situation was far beyond her expectations. She only met with Shen Ci and had a meal together.

Even so, Zhang Ruonan's sense of satisfaction far exceeded the joy of signing the contract.

She had complete faith in Shen Ci; in her eyes, he was an exceptionally good person, not only gentle and considerate, but also...

And he never did anything inappropriate throughout the entire process!

From childhood to adulthood, Zhang Ruonan had never had such a wonderful experience of being surrounded by gentleness.

Shen Ci gave her the feeling of a kind and reliable older brother, making her feel warm and dependent.

"Shen Ci, can I call you brother from now on?"

Unable to contain her excitement, Zhang Ruonan sent Shen Ci this message and then stared intently at her phone screen.

After a while, Shen Ci's message popped up.

"No problem, you can call me brother from now on."

Upon seeing this reply, Zhang Ruonan was overjoyed, her fingers quickly tapping on the screen: "Brother!"

Shen Ci immediately replied, "Sister Nan~"

This address brought a smile to Zhang Ruonan's face like that of an aunt, and she was so excited that she almost shouted it out.

Little did she know, Shen Ci originally intended to return to "Sister Qing"...

At the same time, there was another person who harbored a special affection for Shen Ci, and that was Reba.

She didn't object to thanking Shen Ci, perhaps out of curiosity about this unknown act of kindness.

Seeing that Reba was so obedient, Zeng Jia contacted the relevant personnel of "Diamond Lover" to ask for Shen Ci's contact information.

After receiving the request from Jiaxing, Wang Juan gave Shen Ci his contact information without consulting him.

However, Shen Ci was completely unaware of this matter at the time.

Even if he knew now, he wouldn't be very interested, because good news had come from "Infinite Challenge".

During this period, Tencent has been engaged in a difficult dispute with MBC over the copyright fees for "Infinite Challenge".

The Tencent staff responsible for the negotiations gradually lost patience and even began to consider focusing on the behind-the-scenes team.

If they really can't get authorization, they might as well go down the "piracy" route.

However, as the old saying goes, the future is full of variables, and surprises often come unexpectedly.

During this period, CCTV suddenly contacted MBC, expressing its interest in "Infinite Challenge".

This gave Tencent's negotiators an opportunity to quickly contact the central bank and propose cooperation.

Let's work together to deal with MBC and prevent them from raising prices arbitrarily!

CCTV held an internal meeting regarding this matter and, after discussion, concluded that it's common for similar variety shows to compete against each other...

Even if a similar program is produced and broadcast at the same time as Tencent's, given the nature of Tencent's online video platform, it would be difficult to create a significant impact.

Moreover, partnering with Tencent will definitely lower the copyright fees.

This is undoubtedly a good thing for the central bank; no one wants to be the sucker who wastes money.

MBC had originally intended to raise the price and sell the copyright to the highest bidder.

However, faced with the combined efforts of CCTV and Tencent, they had no choice but to abandon this idea.

Ultimately, MBC relented, offering 7000 million won, while keeping all other conditions unchanged.

Tencent readily accepted, as this was almost a 50% cut from the initial offer.

Today, Shen Ci received a call from Ren Yuxin, who explained the whole story in detail.

"Zane, is this acceptable?"

"Sure, I'll have someone handle it," Shen Ci replied without hesitation.

He was full of confidence in competing with CCTV in the variety show field, showing no panic or fear whatsoever.

In the previous generation, similar variety shows produced by CCTV were completely outclassed by "Go Fighting!"

"Zane, take your people to make contact. You can go to South Korea for a visit," Ren Yuxin said with a hint of lighthearted teasing.

Shen Ci didn't think there was anything particularly fun about South Korea: "Uncle Ren, how about we go eat kimchi?"

Ren Yuxin smiled and said, "K-pop is all the rage right now, isn't Zane interested in those girl groups?"

After saying that, he added with a slightly joking tone, "Usually when signing contracts like this, the other party will bring a girl group to accompany them."

"Uncle Ren, I think I should go there myself. This variety show is crucial for Tencent Video!"

Shen Ci felt that as an entertainment professional, he should learn more about the entertainment models of other countries.

The formal signing of the contract is scheduled for early August, which is only a few days away.

After hanging up the phone, Shen Ci called Lin Xin and asked her to book a plane ticket for him.

After understanding the situation, Lin Xin asked, "President Shen, besides me, do you need to bring a few more teams along?"

"No need," Shen Ci explained when he saw Lin Xin's puzzled look. "There are people in Shenzhen to meet us there, that's enough."

"Okay, I'll book the tickets right away," Lin Xin replied.

Shen Ci added, "Just decide on mine, you don't need to go."

Lin Xin was taken aback. She glanced at Shen Ci, and although she had some questions, she nodded silently.

She then turned and left the office to arrange for someone to handle the plane tickets.

A day later, Shen Ci received another piece of good news.

Yan Min officially resigned from Shanghai Media Group and, with several capable subordinates, came to the capital.

Shen Ci was not in a hurry to have Yan Min join the company.

Instead, following the promise he had made earlier, he took him and his men who had come with him to a restaurant for a meal.

This arrangement filled Yan Min with a feeling of being flattered and overwhelmed.

After they were seated, he picked up the decanter and poured wine for Shen Ci with practiced and respectful movements. He raised his glass and said:

"Mr. Shen, thank you for your hospitality. I'd like to propose a toast to you."

Shen Ci clinked glasses with him and started chatting.

"The copyright issue is basically settled, and I'll go sign it in person in a few days."

"Director Yan, what are your thoughts on the project?"

Yan Min understood that this was Shen Ci testing her.

He immediately put down his chopsticks, thought for a moment, and after organizing his thoughts, said:

"The core of 'Infinite Challenge' is not actually the specific tasks, but the uncertainty and sense of realism."

Shen Ci nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.

"Many domestic variety shows are designed to be too detailed. While this ensures a smooth flow, it loses its naturalness and authenticity."

This format is not suitable for our program.

What we need to do is provide the guests with a framework and goals; how they achieve them is not something we need to control too much.

"So what do you mean?" Shen Ci asked with interest.

Yan Min said earnestly:

"I believe the rules should serve the unexpected. For example, a simple chase could be designed as an open-ended scenario."

The guests can choose to cooperate, betray, or even act outside the established rules.

"As long as a good program effect can be achieved, the rules can be flexibly adjusted."

Upon hearing this, Shen Ci realized that he had not misjudged the person.

Yan Min's idea perfectly aligns with the logic behind the success of "Go Fighting!"

"That's a great idea. I'll fully cooperate with you. Director Yan, just do it your way."

Yan Min raised her glass again and said, "President Shen, let me toast you. Rest assured, I will do my best."

Shen Ci smiled and clinked glasses with him, then turned her gaze to the others.

"Since you've come with Director Yan, we're all family now. As long as you work hard, I won't treat you unfairly."

Seeing this, the others raised their glasses.

Regarding the selection of regular guests for "Go Fighting!", Shen Ci felt that it was safest to stick with the original cast.

He couldn't think of anyone who could replace the original guests, and he was worried that the show would not be as good if the guests were replaced.

Shen Ci didn't have a good impression of Chef Huang.

This guy has a really greasy personality, a paternalistic air about him, and he always likes to act like a know-it-all.

But for the sake of the variety show going smoothly, Shen Ci could pretend not to see it, as long as this person didn't mess with him.