Chapter 129: Jiang Shuying's Pursuit of Progress

How much money did Wei Jin Company actually make last year? Not only the company employees were concerned, but peers in the industry were also very concerned.

In fact, before the banquet began, the heads of every department in the company had already given their year-end reports to Wei Jin, and the situation could be described as excellent.

In terms of films, the nearly 100 million in profits from *Painted Skin* were all accounted for last year, *Time-Space Cohabitation* also had nearly 90 million in profits, and *Lost on Journey* had over 50 million in profits.

In terms of television dramas, the net proceeds from multiple rounds of selling *My Love from the Star* reached 74 million, with 5 million USD from overseas copyrights, all of which had been received; the net proceeds from multiple rounds of selling *Temptation of Going Home* reached 110 million; it is worth mentioning that after *Soldiers Sortie* became a hit on the internet, despite there being a lot of piracy, it still brought significant traffic to video websites, and the company could earn 6 million in internet revenue.

Afterwards, the television station finally offered 600,000 per episode, and the results after broadcast were very good; the second and third rounds actually sold for 200,000 per episode, and the total revenue for this drama reached 18 million.

In terms of cinema lines, the Shanhe Cinema Alliance controlled a total of 138 cinemas and over 550 screens, with a market share exceeding 15%; last year's total revenue reached 440 million, with net profits as high as 110 million, so the subsequent expansion finally did not require the company to provide more blood transfusions.

In terms of artists, they brought a total of over 80 million in net profit to the company, more than half of which came from Qiao Zhenyu.

In terms of ringback tones, it was already the sunset of the industry, bringing in a total of 100 million in revenue.

The business undertaken by Shanhe Ink was still relatively small, with revenue last year of only 50 million, barely covering expenses.

In terms of variety shows, *Boys and Girls Rush Forward* brought in over 20 million in profits, and *I Love Remembering Lyrics* was still airing, so it was estimated that it would not be lower than this figure.

A rough estimate showed that the company's revenue last year reached as high as 1.2 billion; after deducting various expenses and costs, the net profit after taxes exceeded 500 million, with a net profit margin as high as over 40%, which could be described as leaving others far behind in the industry.

And this was without calculating the profits from *Room*, *Ip Man*, *Beauty's Rival in Palace*, and *Zhu Xian*; otherwise, it would be even more terrifying.

Of course, this was also thanks to Wei Jin's status as a college student entrepreneur, which came with significant tax incentives, but that would not be the case this year, as the preferential policy period had already ended.

Thinking of this, Wei Jin actually felt a bit of a heartache. "President Wei, I'd like to propose a toast to you."

A voice interrupted Wei Jin's train of thought.

Since it was the company's annual meeting, it was naturally impossible to be without the artists under its banner; the male artists were fine, as they just needed to be dressed in crisp suits and tidied up a bit.

The female artists, however, racked their brains to dress up, hoping to leave a good impression in front of the company's top management and the boss.

Today, Jiang Shuying was in a red dress, her fair swan-like neck paired with an exquisite necklace, giving her a somewhat noble temperament.

"Oh, it's Xiao Ying. You look really beautiful today."

Looking at Jiang Shuying, who had a somewhat mature and sophisticated temperament, Wei Jin offered a compliment and then encouraged her, appearing very kind and easygoing.

Returning to her table, Jiang Shuying had a smile on her face; she was just afraid that the boss would have no interest in her at all.

"Xiao Ying, what were you talking to the boss about for so long?"

Yang Xue asked with some curiosity; she hadn't chatted for that long when she went over to toast earlier.

"It was nothing, President Wei was just praising me a few times."

Although Jiang Shuying spoke modestly, the smile on her face could not be hidden no matter what.

"Still saying it's nothing, your gums are almost showing."

"No way."

The women at the table began to chatter and tease, looking like they really had a deep friendship as best friends.

Zhang Li, who was on the side, had a thoughtful expression.

Liu Yan watched this scene and felt a bit of emotion in her heart; she didn't know if the temptation of the entertainment industry was too great, or if the boss's charm was too great, but it seemed someone else wanted to take a shortcut.

However, she didn't have any thoughts about it herself; Wei Jin had already given her more than enough.

*I Love Remembering Lyrics* was already airing on Beijing Satellite TV; although there wasn't much room for the host to perform, the show's ratings were very good, and if nothing went wrong, this show could keep recording, which was undoubtedly a great help to her career.

"Sister Liu Yan, what are you thinking about? You're so distracted."

Yao Beina asked; she was the lead singer for *I Love Remembering Lyrics*, and her relationship with Liu Yan was naturally good.

"Nothing, just feeling that the company is growing stronger and stronger, and there are more and more newcomers."

Liu Yan naturally couldn't say what she was thinking, so she made up a lie.

Wei Jin had been very busy lately and hadn't had time to be intimate with her, and she was craving it. "It's you, you should go and interact with President Wei; maybe he'll write a song for you."

As a newly signed singer for the company, Yao Beina was a bit indifferent to fame, and Liu Yan was using this to give her a hint.

"The company has so many TV dramas every year, singing the OSTs is also quite good."

Looking at Yao Beina's "salted fish" attitude, Liu Yan felt a bit of frustration that she wouldn't live up to expectations; she was the only female singer in the company, yet she wouldn't seize the opportunity well. — After the banquet ended, Jiang Shuying returned to the employee apartment; as a Shanghai native who had debuted for less than half a year, she didn't have the conditions to buy a house in Beijing.

Jiang Shuying was pacing back and forth in the room, checking her phone from time to time, as if waiting for some important notification.

The waiting time was a bit agonizing, so Jiang Shuying simply turned on the TV, but to her surprise, watching it made her feel even more agonizing. She also had a role in the drama *Zhu Xian*, but it was just as a background board, with no more than 20 lines of dialogue in total.

Looking at Jing Tian on the TV screen, she was truly very envious; why was the boss so good to an outsider? She was the one who was a company artist.

Afterwards, she picked up her phone to check for text messages, but there were still no unread messages; for a moment, she felt a bit dejected. The message had been sent out for a long time, and she thought she had expressed her meaning very clearly, yet there was still no news. Was the boss too busy to check his phone? Or had someone else gotten there first?

Thinking of this, she gathered her courage, picked up her phone, found a number, and dialed it. Wei Jin wasn't ignoring the message; he really hadn't seen it, as he was currently chatting and drinking tea with Ning Hao.

"Senior brother, do you mean the new script is ready?"

When Ning Hao came over to toast during the banquet, he mentioned this, saying he had come up with a script outline and wanted Wei Jin to give some pointers.

Wei Jin was clear about this in his heart; pointers my foot, it was mostly finished, and he was in such a rush, perhaps even harboring the intention to show off. One had to know that Ning Hao had always viewed him as a target, although Wei Jin felt it was unlikely he could catch up to his own "cheating" self.

"Yeah, I worked overtime with your sister to get it out. Take a look, don't mind the name."

As he spoke, Ning Hao took the script out of his bag; it hadn't been convenient to chat in detail at the banquet earlier.

"*Crazy Racer*?"

Wei Jin instantly perked up; Ning Hao was awesome, was he stimulated by him? It hadn't been long, had it?

"This script is in the same vein as *Crazy Stone*; we made several scripts, and we just felt this one was the best. Take a look."

Speaking of the script, Ning Hao was somewhat self-satisfied.

Wei Jin actually already had an idea in his heart, but he still patiently flipped through it.

"Hmm, not bad, it's got that flavor."

Ten minutes later, Wei Jin confirmed it was indeed that racing film, and then asked: "How much is the investment? What are your plans?"

As a director in the Billion Yuan Club, Wei Jin gave Ning Hao corresponding respect, and he had great autonomy within the company.

"The investment budget is 10 million, and this time I want to take the full share."

Hearing Ning Hao's words, Wei Jin raised his eyebrows; it seemed Ning Hao was full of confidence this time.

Since *Lost on Journey*, the company had re-signed a cooperation agreement with Ning Hao:

If he provides the script himself and seeks company investment, he can invest at most 50% and must invest at least 20%; this is to ensure the company's contracted directors understand reverence and do not let themselves run wild. With the director's own investment in the project, at the very least, he will know how to control costs and pursue profit.

Of course, Ning Hao could also choose not to seek investment from Wei Jin and go it completely alone; at worst, he could just hand the promotion and distribution over to Wei Jin.

However, Ning Hao is not stupid; the risks of going it alone are too great, and Wei Jin never interferes with his projects—isn't this much more reliable than outside investors?

"Fine, go to the company tomorrow to sign the contract. Polish the script a bit more; this time, let's strive to break 200 million."

Wei Jin did not hesitate in the slightest, agreeing readily and expressing great confidence in the project.

"If it really breaks 200 million, your sister will wake up laughing even in her sleep, haha."

Although Ning Hao had confidence, the matter of box office is truly unpredictable; otherwise, so many projects wouldn't have ended up losing every cent.

Just as Wei Jin was about to chat a while longer with his senior brother about gossip in the circle, his phone rang. Zhu Wei parked the car downstairs at Golden House, watched Wei Jin go upstairs, and waited until the room lights turned on and another ten minutes passed before he left.

Wei Jin opened the door, and Jiang Shuying was already waiting inside.

Golden House uses a keypad lock here; while in the car, Wei Jin had already sent the address and password to Jiang Shuying.

"President Wei, the bathwater is already drawn; please go and wash away your fatigue."

Seeing Wei Jin enter the room, Jiang Shuying helped him take off his coat very naturally, as if she were a wife waiting for her husband to return home.

Regarding Wei Jin's fondness for taking baths, she had inquired about it from Zhang Xu. Since she wanted to strive for advancement, she naturally had to be fully prepared. Zhang Xu was also very gratified by this; after all, what superior doesn't like an artist who is single-mindedly focused on progress? "Mm, you're thoughtful. Let's go together."

Since Jiang Shuying dared to take the initiative to call, she was prepared to offer herself, and Wei Jin did not intend to engage in any fancy, convoluted steps.

"Mm."

Seemingly not expecting her boss to be so direct, Jiang Shuying blushed slightly. Although she had had a boyfriend before, this was her first time bathing with a man.

After Wei Jin walked into the bathroom, Jiang Shuying began to undress, constantly cheering herself on in her heart.

Watching the beauty step into the bathtub, Wei Jin was somewhat surprised in his heart; he hadn't expected Jiang Shuying to be so well-endowed, her figure was quite something.

Having made up her mind, Jiang Shuying did not dawdle any longer and quickly leaned down to help her boss relax. Although her technique was immature, she was very attentive, and Wei Jin enjoyed it greatly.

Wei Jin felt Jiang Shuying's gentleness, and Wei Jin's hands were not idle either, employing the unique skills of the Dali Duan Clan to provide guidance. A romantic atmosphere gradually rose within the bathroom, and a great battle was about to break out. Today's second update, I implore all readers to reward me with subscriptions, follow-up readings, and collections. Please flip to the last page for the follow-up reading, thank you everyone! (End of this chapter)