This producer has no bottom line.

Thursday afternoon, Jinshan Building.

When Ren Pingsheng arrived, Guo Weiwei was already waiting in the conference room.

There were two cups of tea on the table, one of which was already more than half drunk.

"Mr. Ren is here, please have a seat."

Guo Weiwei was younger than Ren Pingsheng had imagined, with a baby face and wearing a plaid shirt. He didn't look like a producer; he looked like a recent graduate programmer.

Ren Pingsheng didn't exchange pleasantries and sat down to get straight to the point.

"Mr. Guo, the last six episodes of JX3 will be released on October 15th, that remains unchanged, but that's not what I'm here to talk about today."

Guo Weiwei held his teacup, waiting for him to speak.

"I may have to leave Sohu."

Guo Weiwei's expression changed slightly as the teacup stopped at her lips.

"When did this happen?"

"It hasn't been officially proposed yet, but it will be by the end of the year at the latest."

Guo Weiwei put down her teacup, leaned back in her chair, and placed her fingers on her stomach.

"Mr. Ren, if I may be so bold, what will happen to the follow-up cooperation on the JX3 series after you leave? The contract is with Sohu Video."

"Yes, that's why I said the contract will not be affected. The content will be uploaded as usual, and the data will run as usual."

"So what do you want to talk to me about?"

Ren Pingsheng took out an A4 sheet of paper from his bag, on which he had handwritten a few lines, and pushed it to the center of the table.

Guo Weiwei looked down for two seconds. There weren't many words, but they contained a lot of information.

First line: Independent studio, focusing on original online content.

Second line: First batch of projects - web series + game customized content.

The third line: Cooperation model - the producer owns the IP, and the brand buys the broadcasting rights and product placement rights.

The third line is key.

Guo Weiwei looked up. "You want to own the IP yourself?"

"right."

"Souhu won't release it, will they?"

"I don't touch the IP of 'Unexpectedly,' it belongs to Sohu, and the contract clearly states that."

Ren Pingsheng tapped his finger on the paper, "I'm talking about a new project, a completely new IP, which has nothing to do with Sohu."

Guo Weiwei clicked her tongue. "What about your team? Aren't those people also employees of Sohu?"

"The intern did not sign a non-compete agreement."

After saying this, Guo Weiwei's expression visibly relaxed.

Interns mean no legal constraints; they can leave whenever they want. Ren Pingsheng used interns to build his team not to save money, but because it made it easier for him to extricate himself.

Guo Weiwei then realized that this young man in his early twenties had never intended to settle down in Sohu.

"Have you found a direction for your new project?"

"Yes, but I can't say now, otherwise it will lose its value."

"So you came to me today because you want me to invest money?"

"It's not about investing money, it's about prepaying production costs."

Guo Weiwei was stunned for a moment.

"The difference is," Ren Pingsheng leaned forward, "that if you invest money, you have to take a stake, and I don't want anyone to take a stake. Prepaying production costs is a business transaction; you pay, I deliver the film, the IP is in my hands, and you get the exclusive broadcasting rights and product placement rights for the agreed period."

"What good will it do you?"

"free."

"What's in it for me?"

"First, the cost is lower than raising your own team. Second, I guarantee the content quality with data. After the JX3 article goes live, you can see the results. If you're not satisfied, you can tear up this piece of paper on the spot. Third—"

Ren Pingsheng paused for a moment.

"Third, I'm easier to negotiate with than Sohu."

Guo Weiwei smiled.

That's too blunt, but it's also too true. Working with Sohu involves long processes, slow approvals, and constant changes in the person you're dealing with. Working with Ren Pingsheng, on the other hand, can be done with just one phone call.

"What about the amount?"

"The first project, 800,000 yuan, three-month cycle, twelve episodes."

"Similar in scale to 'Unexpected'?"

"Similar in size, but different in direction. It's not purely comedic; there will be added storylines."

Guo Weiwei remained silent for half a minute, then drew circles on the table with her finger.

"Mr. Ren, I personally have high hopes for you, but 800,000 is not a small amount. I need to report this to my superiors."

"I understand, but I need a specific timeframe."

"how long?"

"Two weeks. The JX3 chapter will be released on October 15th. Once the data is available, you'll have a basis for reporting to your superiors."

Guo Weiwei thought for a moment and nodded.

"Okay, I'll give you an answer within a week after October 15th."

Ren Pingsheng stood up and put the paper back into his bag.

"Mr. Guo, there's something I want to make clear beforehand."

"explain."

"I'm also discussing this cooperation proposal with other companies."

Guo Weiwei's smile faded slightly.

"This isn't a threat, it's the truth," Ren Pingsheng said, looking at him. "First come, first served."

After leaving the Jinshan Building, Ren Pingsheng stood by the roadside for a while.

Eight hundred thousand isn't a huge sum, but it's not a small amount either. It's enough for his team to live on for three months, but not enough for six months. He can't rely on just one client; he needs at least two major investors at the same time.

Changyou is one, but Changyou and Sohu have a very close relationship. Once he leaves, Sohu will most likely take over Changyou's cooperation.

Guo Weiwei is the cleanest choice. There is no equity relationship between Jianwang 3 and Sohu. It is a purely market-driven decision.

But one more is still missing.

He took out his phone and scrolled to a number in his contacts that he had never dialed before.

Perfect World, Jade Dynasty 2.

When he was working on the MJ campaign, Perfect World's marketing department had once connected with Google for a Google ad campaign through Sohu. That collaboration fell through, but a person named Chen Lin from the other party's marketing department added him on MSN.

Ren Pingsheng didn't dial immediately; he put his phone back in his pocket.

Perfect World isn't in a rush; let's wait for the data from the JX3 (Sword Net 3) chapter. Data is their calling card; without data, everything else is just empty talk.

It was past five o'clock when I got back to the company, and half of the office lights were on.

Luo Hongming was asleep at his workstation, the screen in front of him still lit up, the editing software's timeline stretched to the middle of episode nine.

Liu Hao was wearing headphones and adjusting the audio, his fingers flying across the keyboard, completely unaware that Ren Pingsheng had returned.

Sister Zhao wasn't there; a note was left on the table: "Go to HR to process your internship contract. Be back by 6 PM."

Ren Pingsheng sat down at his workstation and turned on his computer.

Two new emails appeared in my inbox. One was the official version of the organizational restructuring plan, forwarded by Deng Ye's secretary. Just like what was said verbally yesterday, it would take effect on November 1st.

The other one was sent by Alex.

The title reads "Work Arrangements After the Establishment of the Content Center".

Ren Pingsheng opened it and scanned it.

The email was very formal, written in official document style. The gist of it was that after the establishment of the Content Center, the projects of the Original Innovation Team would be brought under unified management, and all ongoing projects would need to resubmit their project applications and budget proposals.

The last paragraph was written very politely: "I look forward to working with you and your team to create even better content products."

Ren Pingsheng closed the window after reading it and did not reply.

The nicer the words, the sharper the knife. Alex waited three months, and finally, he got this card.

He didn't hate Alex; in fact, he felt he would have done the same. Revenge is the best policy, and seizing any opportunity to crush someone is a fundamental principle of the workplace.

But he won't give Alex the chance to step on him.

The phone rang; it was Dapeng.

"Finished meeting?"

"That's all."

"How so?"

"Waiting for the data."

Da Peng paused for two seconds on the other end of the phone, then said, "Um... my boss in Jinan is contacting me again, and he's really pushing me."

"What did you say?"

"He said his money would be back by the end of the year, and if he wanted to do it, he had to finalize a plan before December."

Ren Pingsheng quickly did the math in his head. Guo Weiwei's reply would be at the end of October at the earliest, and registering a company would take at least two weeks, not to mention setting up the team and finding a venue—

The timeline is too tight.

"Brother Peng, is that boss's three million a pure investment or does he want to take a stake?"

"He wants 51% of the shares."

"Controlling stake?"

"right."

Ren Pingsheng chuckled.

"What's wrong?"

"Fifty-one percent means he has the final say. You contribute your manpower, effort, and influence, but in the end, the company belongs to him."

Dapeng didn't speak; he had obviously thought of this as well.

"Brother Peng, tell him that it can't be more than 30% at most, no more than that."

"Thirty? He definitely won't do it."

"If he doesn't want to do it, so be it. He's not the only one with three million. You have leverage now, so don't rush to sell."