This producer has no bottom line.

Teng He didn't speak, but his fingers had already withdrawn from the keyboard.

Chen Lin stood at the door without moving. She knew that she couldn't go in and sit down at this time; she had to let Teng He digest the situation on his own.

"Who are the two clients?"

"Changyou's Tian Long Ba Bu, and Xishanju's Jian Wang 3."

Teng He frowned slightly. Tianlong and Jianwang 3, one an old rival, the other a new threat, both ended up with the same person's marketing budget.

"How did he, an intern at Sohu, manage to take on two competing projects at the same time?"

"He's no longer an intern; he was promoted to project leader four months ago and now reports directly to Gong Yu."

"Didn't Gong Yu leave?"

"Yes, so he's leaving too."

Teng He leaned back in his chair, placed his fingertips on the armrest, and tapped it twice slowly.

Chen Lin seized the opportunity and took a step back, saying, "President Teng, I'm not saying we have to cooperate with him, but he has orders from two competing products in his hands. If 'Zhu Xian 2' is absent from this game, it's like giving away the attention of young users to Tian Long and Jian Wang 3 for free."

These words struck a nerve with Teng He. One month after the release of "Zhu Xian 2", the data was not bad, but it fell far short of expectations.

Zhou Xun's endorsements were everywhere, but the conversion rate was far below the historical average of traditional channels. The expensively hired actress didn't even maintain a buzz on online forums for more than two weeks.

On the contrary, the poorly made "Unexpectedly" managed to raise the Baidu Index of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" by 30% with a budget of several hundred thousand yuan.

"How much money does he want?"

"700,000, 12 episodes, delivery in three months, no exclusivity."

"Don't want an exclusive?" Teng He's tone carried a hint of surprise.

"He wanted to accept product placements from multiple brands simultaneously, so we bought the rights to co-produce the film and for product placement within the film."

Teng He did not answer immediately. He stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to Chen Lin.

Outside the window, the sky over Yanjing in October was hazy and you couldn't see much.

"Seven hundred thousand," Teng He said emotionlessly, "Zhou Xun's appearance fee for one event."

Chen Lin didn't respond to that; she waited.

"Let him come to see me."

"Mr. Teng, he wants to talk to me."

Teng He turned around and glanced at Chen Lin.

"Then you can talk, but there's one condition: the content can't be vulgar. 'Zhu Xian' is a legitimate IP, not something to be used for cheap gimmicks."

"I will explain it to him."

"Also, don't include things like Aoi Sora's actions in our projects."

"clear."

Chen Lin went out and took out her phone to send a text message to Ren Pingsheng.

"Mr. Teng has agreed to discuss the terms. Are you free on Wednesday afternoon?"

A reply will pop up after ten seconds.

"have."

……

On Wednesday afternoon, Ren Pingsheng entered the Perfect World building for the second time.

This time, Chen Lin didn't take him to her office, but instead took him to the small conference room on the nineteenth floor.

There were two printed documents on the table. One was a copy of the A4 paper that Ren Pingsheng had left behind last time, and the other was a cooperation framework drafted by Perfect World's marketing department.

Ren Pingsheng glanced at the frame and focused on three key areas.

The 700,000 will be paid in two installments. The first 50% will be credited to your account within ten working days after the contract is signed, and the remaining balance will be paid after all items have been delivered and accepted.

Co-produced and credited, product placement in all twelve episodes, and non-exclusive broadcasting rights on Perfect World's official website and partner channels.

Restrictions: Article 7 - The content style should conform to the overall tone of the "Zhu Xian" series IP and must not contain vulgar, pornographic, violent or other elements that may damage the brand image.

Ren Pingsheng put the framework down.

"Let's revise Article 7."

Chen Lin, holding her teacup, asked, "Where?"

"The statement 'in line with the overall tone of the Jade Dynasty IP' is too vague and prone to disputes during implementation. It should be changed to a written confirmation of the script outline for each episode by both parties before filming begins. The confirmed content will be the final cut, and there will be no further adjustments based on style issues."

Chen Lin thought for a moment, "Are you afraid we'll decide after we've finished filming?"

"It's not that I'm afraid, it's that I want to set the rules in advance. I have no objection to your review, but the review should be done at the script stage, not the finished film stage. If you make changes after the finished film is released, all the costs will be mine."

Chen Lin circled the seventh point with a pen. "I checked with the legal department, and the general direction is fine."

"There's one more thing."

"explain."

"Payment terms. The first payment cannot be made within ten business days of contract signing, that's too slow. I need the funds to arrive within three business days of contract signing."

Chen Lin's pen paused for a moment. "Need money urgently?"

"I'm in a hurry to get things done. I won't turn on the camera until the money is in my account, otherwise I'll fall behind your promotional schedule."

That made sense, but Chen Lin sensed something else. He wasn't in a hurry to work; he was in a hurry to use the advance payment to do something else.

But that's none of her business. It's a business partnership, a mutually beneficial arrangement. Whatever the other party does with the money is up to them, as long as the film is delivered on time.

"I'll go and schedule it within three business days."

The two went over the details again, and the framework was finalized in less than forty minutes.

As Ren Pingsheng stood up, Chen Lin suddenly asked a question.

"Mr. Ren, after leaving Sohu, are you planning to register your own company?"

"right."

"Have you decided on a company name yet?"

Ren Pingsheng opened the conference room door and glanced back at her.

"Wanhe Tianyi"

Chen Lin repeated those four words without commenting.

After leaving Perfect World, Ren Pingsheng stood by the roadside and took out his phone.

Three messages.

First, Guo Weiwei: "The data has been submitted and approved. It's 800,000 yuan, and the contract will be sent out this week."

Second, Dapeng: "They're urging me again from Jinan. How much longer do you want me to wait?"

Thirdly, Sister Zhao said: "Alex came again today, bringing two HR people with him. He said he wanted to take stock of the innovation team's fixed assets."

Ren Pingsheng replied to Guo Weiwei first: "Received. Send the contract to my personal address, not to Sohu."

Then he replied to Dapeng: "No need to wait, let's talk tomorrow."

Sister Zhao didn't reply. He could sell off the fixed assets if he wanted; those things originally belonged to the company, and he couldn't even be bothered to look at them.

He opened his phone's calculator and did some calculations.

Guo Weiwei: 800,000, 50% of the first transaction, 400,000. Perfect World: 700,000, 50% of the first transaction, 350,000.

The two advance payments totaled 750,000 yuan.

The company wasn't even registered yet, but it already had orders worth 750,000 yuan in its accounts.

Bringing this figure with you when talking to investors in Jinan gives you a completely different level of confidence.

Da Peng wanted three million in angel investment, but the other party offered 35%. However, Ren Pingsheng now has two pre-payment contracts, which means the company has positive cash flow from day one.

What are investors most afraid of? Losing their money.

What are we least afraid of? We're not afraid to invest in a company that's already making money.

The 750,000 yuan prepayment isn't profit, but it's a certainty. With that certainty in hand, the 5 to 10 percent negotiation margin is secured.

It's not impossible to reduce the percentage from 35% to 25%, or even 20%.

Ren Pingsheng put his phone back in his pocket and hailed a taxi.

Wudaokou.

He closed his eyes in the car, his mind not on numbers, but on people.

Luo Hongming, Liu Hao, Zhang Yibo, and Wang Cong are all interns with no non-compete agreements, so they can leave whenever they want.

Sister Zhao is a full-time employee with a non-compete clause. However, she's already 42 and has worked at Sohu for eight years; her life will only get harder after Alex takes over. With the severance pay and the benefits he offers, Sister Zhao will accept.

Xiaolin is unsure. Xiaolin is timid and used to the security of a large company; the probability of her leaving is fifty-fifty.

Dapeng, don't worry, that's your partner.

Including himself, the core team consists of seven to eight people.

A prepayment of 750,000 yuan is more than enough to support this team for three months.

What about three months later?

Three months later, the first batch of finished products was delivered. With positive reviews and data, a second round of customers would naturally follow.

The online video market in 2009 was a wild frontier, with all game companies feeling their way across the river. Whoever blazed a trail first would become the benchmark.

He has already made it through.

The taxi stopped at Wudaokou, and Ren Pingsheng paid the fare and got out.

When I got downstairs at the company, I saw Dapeng leaning against a pillar by the entrance, smoking.

Didn't we agree to meet tomorrow?

Dapeng stubbed out his cigarette and came forward, his expression not as playful as usual.

"The investment from Jinan has been withdrawn."

Ren Pingsheng stopped in his tracks.

"When did this happen?"

"An hour ago, he called to say he was not investing anymore, and that he had other plans for the money."

Da Peng crumpled the cigarette pack and stuffed it back into his pocket, his voice a little hoarse.

"I asked him why, and he only said one sentence."

"What did you say?"

He said someone told him that our team was about to fall apart.