I really didn't intend to make a living based on my looks.

Guangzhou, China Hotel.

When Sun Zhonghuai came out of the forum venue, he loosened his tie.

Guangzhou was unbearably hot at the end of April. The air conditioning in the venue was on full blast, but it couldn't keep up with the large number of people.

A roundtable forum on "Internet Video Content Ecosystem" lasted for four hours, with the speakers repeatedly stating the same few points: content is the core, copyright is the barrier, and users are fundamental.

Who doesn't know?

The problem is, how to implement it?

Sun Zhonghuai graduated from the Department of Economics at Renmin University in 1993.

Most of my classmates went on to work in traditional financial media, such as Xinhua News Agency, Renmin Daily, and CCTV Finance Channel.

He became one of the first people in the industry to "jump to the internet".

He first worked at NetEase as a content director, then joined TOM Online in 2002 as the director of the production and editing department. In July 2003, he officially joined Tencent and was one of the founders of Penguin.com, where he built the foundation of Penguin Media's business.

Tencent Video just launched this month, marking its official entry into the market.

Liu Chunning is in charge of the specific business operations, but Sun Zhonghuai will participate in the decision-making process.

To put it bluntly, the video business is just starting out, and the entire online media business group has to provide it with financial support.

The assistant came up to me, handed me a bottle of water, and gave me a report as we walked.

"Mr. Sun, the acquisition of older dramas for the content library is basically complete. We've secured the rights to classic dramas like the 'Princess Pearl' trilogy, 'My Own Swordsman,' 'Bright Sword,' and 'Soldiers Sortie.'"

Sun Zhonghuai unscrewed the bottle cap. "Where's the new one?"

"New..." The assistant flipped through the folder in his hand, "It's not easy to negotiate. Youku and Tudou are fiercely competing, and they've already locked up the online rights to several of this year's popular dramas. Youku got 'Palace,' and we're still negotiating 'Scarlet Heart,' Tudou's offer has already reached 25 million."

Sun Zhonghuai frowned.

Buying a TV series that hasn't even aired yet for 25 million yuan would have been unimaginable three years ago.

But that's the current market situation.

The show I bought is being streamed all over the internet.

Why should users come to Penguin to watch?

exclusive.

Only exclusive content can make users remember the name "Penguin Video".

But where do so many exclusives come from in the market?

Popular content is locked, and unpopular content is bought but no one watches it.

Liu Chunning's team is also promoting self-produced content, but the process is lengthy and slow to show results.

The assistant flipped through the folder again: "Mr. Sun, there's one more thing. The actor named Jiang Chen has arranged to meet you at 3 PM. He should be waiting at the coffee shop by now."

"Do you really want to see him? He's just a small-time actor!"

"Let's meet him. It's only a few minutes, and who knows, there might be a surprise?"

The coffee shop is on the second floor of the hotel, with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the garden.

Jiang Chen sat by the window, with an untouched Americano in front of him and a brown paper bag beside him.

He stood up when he saw Sun Zhonghuai walk in.

"Mr. Sun."

Mr. Jiang.

The two shook hands and sat down.

Jiang Chen skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.

"Mr. Sun, I've brought a gift for Tencent Video."

He pulled the project proposal out of the brown paper bag and pushed it over.

Sun Zhonghuai looked at it for a while, then closed the project proposal and looked up at Jiang Chen.

Popular game IPs, Kong Sheng, Yang Mi.

These three things combined can be summed up in one word: explosive.

"Xiao Jiang, you made the right decision to come see me today."

"We at Tencent Video may not have much else, but we have plenty of money."

……

The meeting lasted less than half an hour, and Jiang Chen received a clear indication of Tencent's intentions. He then took the last flight back to Yanjing that same day.

In just a few days, under his management, the "Gu Jian Qi Tan" TV series project was completely launched and took shape.

The total investment for the project is 5000 million yuan.

Tencent Video, with its deep pockets, invested 3000 million yuan, which should have given it a 60% stake.

However, they secured the exclusive online streaming rights, holding a 45% stake.

Jiang Chen then asked his father to give a favor to Hou Hongliang, the project manager at Shandong Film Production Center.

Now, the project is no longer chasing after investors; instead, various types of capital are scrambling to get a chance to enter.

Ultimately, Shandong Film & Television invested 1000 million yuan to acquire a 20% stake in the project, with Hou Hongliang serving as the chief producer.

We must control the quality of broadcasts and open up broadcast channels on top-tier satellite TV channels!

The remaining 35% of the shares will be used to allocate core creative talent and artists.

Yang Mi secured her position as a top star in 2011 with "Palace," playing the female lead Feng Qingxue. At the time, her per-episode salary was nearly 250,000 yuan, and her total salary for the entire series exceeded 10 million yuan. Ultimately, she converted all of her earnings into shares, holding a 20% stake.

Jiang Chen, as the project initiator, was also responsible for the script adaptation and the male lead Baili Tusu. His salary could not be compared with Yang Mi's. In addition, the screenwriter's fee was also converted into shares, ultimately resulting in a 10% share.

Shanghai Aurogon invested in the company by licensing the original game copyright of "Gu Jian Qi Tan", acquiring a 5% stake.

The final production companies are listed as: Tencent Video, Shandong Film & Television, and Jiang Chen Studio.

Directed by Kong Sheng, with Hou Hongliang as the executive producer.

Capital, production, TV stations, platforms, top influencers, and IP—a complete closed loop!

For Jiang Chen, a 10% share is already quite a lot.

After all, he didn't spend a single penny from beginning to end, managing to revitalize the entire project with nothing.

It should be called resource integration!

But the most crucial character is the male lead.

Baili Tusu.

He absolutely had to get this role.

Following the normal procedure, the copyright of "Gu Jian Qi Tan" was later transferred to Huanrui.

These popular IPs only promote their own people.

Jiang Chen, being an outsider, didn't even get a chance to audition.

The biggest beneficiary of this drama is precisely the male lead!

Li Moufeng became an overnight sensation with his role as Baili Tusu, and at his peak, he single-handedly rivaled the four former EXO members who returned to China, demonstrating his immense popularity at the time.

Jiang Chen intercepted the deal ahead of time, which can be considered as helping Li Moufeng.

To prevent him from going astray in the future...

In May, Yanjing

Zhang Yisan pushed open the dormitory door, full of high spirits.

"My minions! Your king has returned!"

No one cares about him.

In the dormitory, Jiang Chen was lying on the old beanbag chair, legs crossed, holding the script of "Gu Jian Qi Tan" in his hands.

Yang Zi was standing behind him, diligently massaging his shoulders.

"Brother Chen," Yang Zi's voice was sickeningly sweet, "are you strong enough?"

"Haven't you eaten? No way."

"Alas, it's my fault," Yang Zi gritted her teeth, tightening her grip. "I'll use more force!"

But the most outrageous things are yet to come.

Li Xian came out of the kitchen with a cup of tea and respectfully handed it to Jiang Chen.

"Brother Chen, please try this. It's Bijian tea from my hometown in Jingzhou, a new tea harvested before the Qingming Festival. What do you think?"

Jiang Chen took the cup, took a sip, and said calmly, "It's alright."

"Oh!" Li Xian smiled broadly. "I'm glad you like it, Brother Chen. I'll put it in the fridge for you. Just call me anytime you want some!"

Zhang Yisan stood at the door and rubbed his eyes hard.

What's going on?

He only went out to film for a few days, so why does it feel like the whole Yuanju Gang has changed since he came back?

"Little Chenzi!" He rushed over, pointing his finger at Jiang Chen's nose, "Are you trying to seize power?"