This producer has no bottom line.

(I'll just post the old draft first! I'm really sorry, I have to work during the day and then I'll work hard to catch up after work. I should be able to catch up today, so I don't need to post the old version anymore.)

Da Peng's call came faster than expected.

The next day at noon, Ren Pingsheng was revising the script outline for the "Diaosi Man" Zhuxian chapter at his workstation when his phone vibrated.

"I've made plans."

"When?"

"The day after tomorrow afternoon, at the Wanda Realm Hotel, he has a long-stay private room there."

Ren Pingsheng glanced at the calendar: October 18th. There were thirteen days left until November 1st.

"How did you arrange the meeting?"

"My buddy is really capable. He did some tax advice for that kid from the Wang family on an overseas asset, so we have some connections. I asked him to send over the links to 'Unexpectedly' and 'Men's Diary,' saying that a young man who makes online videos wants to meet him."

"What did he say?"

"It's said that he finished watching it that very night and replied with just two words—'When I'm free'."

Ren Pingsheng put down his phone.

The phrase "I have time" indicates that he is not uninterested, but he is not at the point of actively reaching out.

This perfectly reflects the mindset of a 21-year-old rich kid who just returned from London with 500 million in his account. There's nothing in the world he can't reach, so there's nothing for him to worry about.

"Brother Peng, you're coming with me the day after tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll take half a day off."

After hanging up the phone, Ren Pingsheng opened the data report that Sister Zhao had exported overnight, which was a full forty-seven pages long.

"Unexpectedly" has accumulated 23 million views across its twelve episodes, with a peak of 1.6 million views in a single day. "Men's Diary: Romance" has surpassed 18 million views in just 15 days since its release, with a daily growth rate 70% faster than the former.

The two projects combined garnered over 40 million views across the internet.

This figure, if placed in 2009, would have been enough to make any investor sit up straight.

But Ren Pingsheng knew that Wang Sicong didn't care about this.

For someone with 500 million, 3 million isn't even enough to cover his monthly expenses. He doesn't lack returns; he lacks a compelling story.

A story that he could tell at a dinner party and get his father's approval.

Ren Pingsheng closed the data report, reopened a blank document, and began typing.

Title: Analysis of Market Opportunities for Original Online Content in China – A Message to Mr. Wang

It's not a business plan, it's a letter.

He wrote for forty minutes, 1,200 words, then cut it down to 600.

There were no charts, no curves, and no technical jargon.

He only talked about three things.

First, in 2009, China had 300 million internet users, of whom 150 million spent more than two hours watching videos every day. However, 90% of the content on the market consisted of pirated American dramas and copied TV programs, with almost no original content.

Secondly, all video websites are burning money to buy copyrights; no one is really creating content. Whoever creates original content that young people will follow will be able to retain those 150 million viewers.

Third, he has proven that this is feasible. Two works, with a total cost of less than one million, generated forty million views and two paying clients. Now he needs three million to replicate this model fivefold over the next twelve months.

In the last paragraph, he wrote a sentence:

"This is not an investment, it's a ticket to a future. In three years, all young people in China will be watching videos on their phones, and the size of this market will exceed anyone's imagination."

He saved the file and turned off the computer.

……

October 20th, Tuesday, 3 PM.

Executive Lounge, 26th Floor, Wanda Realm Hotel.

Ren Pingsheng and Dapeng arrived fifteen minutes early. Dapeng was wearing a formal suit jacket and had his hair gelled, making him look like a wedding emcee.

"Don't be nervous," Ren Pingsheng said.

"I'm not nervous," Dapeng said, tugging at his collar. "It's just that this shirt is too tight."

At 3:05, the elevator doors opened.

It wasn't one person who came out, it was two.

The guy in front of me was wearing a black hoodie, regular jeans, and sneakers. His hair was a bit long and unkempt, and he was carrying a Starbucks.

Principal Wang, at twenty-one years old, looks like any ordinary male student you might encounter at the gate of any university.

Behind him was a man in his early thirties, dressed in a sharp suit and carrying a briefcase; he was probably his personal assistant.

Wang Sicong glanced around the lounge, saw Dapeng and Ren Pingsheng, walked straight over, and put his Starbucks on the table.

Who is Ren Pingsheng?

"I."

Wang Sicong looked him up and down for two seconds, then pulled out a chair and sat down.

"I watched 'Unexpectedly,' it was alright. 'Men's Diary' is better than the first one." He spoke quickly, without any intention of small talk.

"Thanks."

"Did you find that Ms. Cang?"

"Yes."

"How much did it cost?"

"Two hundred thousand, including airfare and accommodation."

Wang Sicong's lips twitched slightly, it was hard to tell if it was a smile or something else. "Two hundred thousand for a trending topic across the entire internet, you're pretty good at business."

He picked up the Starbucks, took a sip, and then drew a circle on the table with the bottom of the cup when he put it down.

"Tell me, how much money do you want, how much are you willing to give up?"

Let's get straight to the point, without any unnecessary words.

Ren Pingsheng pulled the 600-word document out of the folder and pushed it over.

Wang Sicong took it, looked at it for less than two minutes, and then put it down.

How do you know that everyone will be watching videos on their phones three years from now?

"Don't you think so?" Ren Pingsheng asked in return.

Wang Sicong fiddled with the cup, not speaking immediately. He had used an iPhone 3GS in the UK and had also browsed YouTube. He knew what mobile internet was, but almost no one in China talked about it.

"Three million, twenty percent," Ren Pingsheng announced.

The assistant next to him frowned, as if he wanted to say something, but was stopped by a look from Wang Sicong.

"A valuation of fifteen million? And you have a company that hasn't even registered yet?"

"It's not about valuing the company, it's about valuing the people."

Wang Sicong leaned back in his chair, his fingers interlaced on his stomach—exactly the same posture Ren Pingsheng usually adopted.

"I've met many entrepreneurs in London, all sorts of people. But you're the first one who dared to say to my face that you value the person, not the company."

"Because at this stage, the company itself isn't valuable; what's valuable is that I can achieve the results of someone else's ten million with only one million. There are two contracts in progress, a prepayment of 750,000, and the company has positive cash flow even before it's registered. You're not investing in an empty shell; you're investing in a machine that's already running."

Wang Sicong stared at him for a few seconds.

Da Peng sat beside him without daring to say a word, his palms sweating profusely.

"Where is your team?" Wang Sicong asked.

"Seven core members, covering all aspects of writing, directing, and post-production."

"Did they all originate from the search engine?"

"I recruited them all myself."

"You've only been at Sohu for less than six months, and you've already managed to pull away a whole team?"

"Because these people are not Sohu's assets, they belong to me."

There was a silence of about ten seconds.

Wang Sicong suddenly laughed, not a polite laugh, but a genuine laugh.

"You're an interesting person." He stood up and picked up a Starbucks.

Ren Pingsheng's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained expressionless.

"I'll take your six hundred words back and read them again," Wang Sicong said, taking two steps before suddenly stopping and turning back. "But you need to think about one thing clearly."

"What?"

"If you take my money, you have to follow my rules. I don't care how you spend it, but I need to see results. Every three months is a milestone, and if the data doesn't meet the requirements, I have the right to add performance-based clauses."

Ren Pingsheng stood up.

"Mr. Wang, if my data doesn't meet the requirements, you don't need to add any additional clauses; I'll return the shares to you myself."

Wang Sicong took one last look at him, then turned and left.

The assistant followed behind, and politely nodded to the two of them before leaving.

As soon as the elevator doors closed, Da Peng's legs went weak, and he collapsed into the chair.

"Holy crap... he agreed?"

"I neither agreed nor refused."

"What does that mean?"

Ren Pingsheng looked at the floor numbers flashing above the elevator.

"It means he's going to go back and investigate me."

My phone vibrated.

Sister Zhao's message was just three words: "I'm with you."

Ren Pingsheng handed his phone to Dapeng for a quick look.

"Let's go back and wait for news."

As Dapeng stood up, Ren Pingsheng's phone vibrated again.

A call came in from an unknown number.

He answered the phone; the voice on the other end was young, crisp, and carried a hint of condescending casualness.

"Ren Pingsheng, there's something I forgot to ask earlier."

"Please go ahead, Mr. Wang."

"There's a line in your show 'Men's Diary' that goes, 'She's only with someone for money.' Do you think that's fair to rich people?"

Ren Pingsheng was stunned for a second.

The person on the other end of the phone hung up without waiting for his reply.