Chapter 16: Expansion and Investment

As time entered 2004, some of Wei Jin's plans were gradually put on the agenda.

First was the expansion of the Studio's business; Wei Jin intended to step into the field of television drama investment and production.

Since the 16th National Congress was held in 2002, the cultural industry had been clearly incorporated into the state's macro-strategic development framework by the government, and the television industry began its journey of breaking the ice.

During this period, the art of television drama creation was becoming increasingly mature, and the entertaining nature of popular culture began to be compatible with the professionalism of artistic works, creating a new landscape of diverse creation for domestic television dramas. It was precisely the time when television dramas in Mainland China were booming; as long as the Studio could successfully participate in a few hit television dramas in the early stages, it would be enough to gain a foothold in the industry.

Once the production experience and team were mature, supplemented by the ideas in Wei Jin's mind, he could completely lead hit projects himself, thoroughly make a name for himself, and become a new upstart in the industry.

However, the film and television industry is a highly complex and closed circle. Wei Jin was not accustomed to lowering himself to curry favor; he wanted to form his own faction.

The most urgent task was to recruit talent related to film and television dramas. Through the connections of Teacher Jiang Wei, a veteran insider was introduced.

This person was named Chen Zhiming, born in '65. Both his parents worked at the Beijing Film Studio, so, counting it up, he was a child of the Beijing Film Studio.

After graduating from high school, he started working at the Beijing Film Studio, rising step by step from the grassroots level. He was quite familiar with various business aspects of film and had participated in many projects at the studio.

After the state-owned film studio reform, he joined a private company and started from the television drama field. He had deep connections with major regional satellite TV stations and also had his own network in the Beijing film and television circle. He was also a very amiable person.

Today was the first time the two were meeting. Arriving at the agreed-upon restaurant private room, Chen Zhiming was already waiting inside.

Wei Jin raised his wrist to check his watch; he had arrived ten minutes early, and it looked like this person had arrived even earlier.

Wei Jin felt slightly more confident and had a good first impression of Chen Zhiming.

"Mr. Chen, sorry, I'm late," Wei Jin said as he entered the room to greet him.

"Wei Jin, right? Come, come, please sit. You're not late at all; I just arrived too, haha."

Chen Zhiming smiled, rose from his chair, and gestured for Wei Jin to take a seat.

After Wei Jin sat down, he began to size the man up: he was over 1.7 meters tall, of medium build, wearing casual clothes, with a sharp, short haircut. His face was scholarly, and he looked quite approachable when he smiled.

"Don't call me Mr. Chen. Call me Lao Chen, or Brother Chen—either is fine. Don't be a stranger; your teacher Jiang Wei and I almost became sworn brothers."

Chen Zhiming smiled.

"Alright, then I'll call you Lao Chen. Let's not stand on ceremony. Let's order some food first and chat while we eat."

Wei Jin also responded with a smile. Both sides were very clear about the content of today's meeting. They called the waiter, ordered dishes, and the two began to exchange pleasantries.

Taking advantage of the gap while the food was being served, Wei Jin introduced the Studio's current main sectors and profitability, as well as future plans, to him in detail.

To retain talent, one must paint a picture of the future, but it cannot just be empty promises, so showing the Studio's revenue was very necessary.

Originally, at the start, Chen Zhiming had only come to the appointment out of politeness and had never thought a sophomore student could accomplish any great career.

But upon learning that Wei Jin Studio's revenue had exceeded 20 million in less than half a year, he put away his sense of contempt and adopted a serious attitude.

Through the two's continuous in-depth communication, Wei Jin expressed considerable approval of Chen Zhiming's professionalism.

And Chen Zhiming held Wei Jin's foresight and unique insights into the film and television industry in high regard.

After Wei Jin offered an annual salary of 500,000 plus project incentives, Chen Zhiming gladly accepted the new job and became a glorious wage earner.

"Lao Chen, after the New Year, you might need to accompany me on a trip to Berlin."

After finalizing the cooperation, Wei Jin did not stand on ceremony.

"Is it about the film being shortlisted earlier?"

Chen Zhiming had already heard Jiang Wei mention this matter before coming; if not for that, he wouldn't even have given him the chance to meet.

"Yes, some public relations work is needed there. Although Teacher Jiang Wei is the Producer, he is a school teacher after all, and this type of work might be difficult for him to handle. Um, how is your English?"

Wei Jin explained.

"It's alright. I've done overseas projects before and stayed abroad for two years." Having been in the film and television field for so many years, Chen Zhiming understood what Wei Jin meant—whether a film can win an award at a film festival depends heavily on public relations.

"In addition, for the Studio, the current focus remains on music and novel copyright operations, with appropriate television project investment as a supplement."

Wei Jin also began to lay out the work priorities for the next stage.

"By the way, can you get in touch with Tangren in Shanghai?"

"I should be able to. Is President Wei planning to cooperate with Tangren?"

Chen Zhiming was very smooth in his transition of identity.

"That's right. I heard they currently have a project that is a game-to-film adaptation. I'm quite optimistic about it and intend to take a share."

"No problem, I will implement this matter as soon as possible."

"You go and negotiate the specific plan. The more shares, the better; my bottom line is 10%, and a premium is acceptable."

"Alright, President Wei, I will report the project progress to you at any time."

As the first task after joining, Chen Zhiming intended to handle it beautifully.

After the meal, the two went to the Studio. Wei Jin began to hand over some work, and Chen Zhiming quickly threw himself into his duties.

From the moment he received the notification of being shortlisted, Wei Jin began a crash course in English and German. Relying on his super memory and learning ability, foreign languages were truly too simple for Wei Jin.

In less than a month, Wei Jin could already communicate fluently in spoken language, which left Li Jie very amazed, even joking that if his films flopped in the future, he could make a living as a translator.

Before the New Year, Ceng Li received a call from her mother and hurried home for the Spring Festival.

Wei Jin was not used to staying in Beijing alone, so he also returned to his hometown.

After a long time apart, Wei Xingbang hadn't changed much, and he was very happy to see his son.

He accompanied his father for a few days, chatted about many family matters, and also briefly reported his work achievements, which made his old father look very gratified.

Afterward, Wei Jin brought gifts to visit his uncle, Wei Anguo, who lived alone at home. His uncle had no children of his own and treated Wei Jin even better than Wei Xingbang did, pulling Wei Jin aside to chat for a long time.

The atmosphere of the Spring Festival in this era was still very strong, which also brought Wei Jin a rare experience.

On the fifth day of the lunar new year, Wei Jin returned to Beijing and began to consolidate his connections.

After visiting the teachers at school, Wei Jin began to seclude himself in 501 to write.

*Sword Snow Stride* had a total of twenty-some volumes, and he had currently written up to the eighth volume.

Wei Jin had once made a pact with Ceng Li, promising to finish writing it; after all, this novel could be considered a witness to their relationship.

On the tenth day of the lunar new year, Chen Zhiming also sent news from Shanghai: after multiple negotiations, Tangren agreed to sell a 10% investment share, priced at 3 million, to be claimed by Wei Jin Fengliu Studio.

With this, *Chinese Paladin*, the television drama revered as a classic by later generations, was officially branded with the mark of Wei Jin Fengliu Studio.

In fact, this drama was not highly regarded before it aired in the previous life, and its overall revenue was actually not high; it only sparked a viewership frenzy during the later rounds of broadcasts.

Wei Jin's main purpose for investing was, on one hand, to plant a flag in the industry, and on the other, to set his sights on the production team at Tangren.

As a tool for Chinese entertainment novels, Tangren has had quite a bit of wool pulled from it; from artists to the behind-the-scenes team, and even the boss, Miss Cai herself, they have basically been picked clean.

Wei Jin was not that cruel, however; he only intended to slowly poach some behind-the-scenes talent and gradually build his own production team.

The process of secluding oneself to write was dull, and soon the time arrived for the crew to assemble and head to Berlin.

Thank you all for your support, I have officially signed the contract, three chapters today.

(End of this chapter)