Chapter 691: The Dawn of Chenxi Entertainment's Takeoff

Tian Ding Entertainment had temporarily halted June Summer's scheduled activities to lie low amid the scandal, but Jin Li paid no attention to the matter.

However, she did know that with the explosive success of "Farming, Boys," those trainees whose futures had once been uncertain had also risen to fame alongside the variety show.

Recently, whenever Sister Xiang arranged activity appearances for her, the words "Farming Boy Group" appeared frequently in her speech.

Sui Lingfang said, "The company originally devised a team name for them, which was officially revealed on the day 'Farming' launched."

She shrugged helplessly and added, "But for some reason, netizens preferred calling them the 'Farming Boy Group'; this name spread farther and was more readily accepted by the public."

"So, within just two days—not even lasting three—the company swiftly deleted the post announcing their official team name and re-edited a new one to publish instead."

"Thus, those trainees officially debuted as the Farming Boy Group."

"Netizens noticed this maneuver and mocked us in return, saying we knelt down too quickly, and that 'Farming Boy Group' was the inevitable trend, urging us not to fight against heaven's will."

Jin Li chuckled with amusement. "Actually, this is a good sign; if netizens are willing to joke with you, it means the company's image in their eyes is still quite favorable."

Sui Lingfang nodded involuntarily. "That is true."

Nowadays, many companies launch idols to stardom and earn money, yet their reputation among netizens remains poor.

Especially in the eyes of fans, that reputation is even worse.

In fans' view, whenever their beloved brother's or sister's schedule declines or fails to meet expectations despite potential for improvement, they blame the company's inaction.

In the minds of some fans, their idols exist in a state of oppression within the company.

Even when the idols have repeatedly issued clarifications to refute these claims, it proves useless.

Fans think: "I don't care what you think; I care what I think."

Fans only believe what they hold in their hearts, refusing to accept clarifications from either the idols or the company.

Any clarification only convinces them that the idols were forced into it!

There seems to be an inherent contradiction between fans and companies, with few enjoying good relations.

Of course, some companies, due to their exceptional performance capabilities, manage to attract a wave of fans instead.

Whenever fans feel their idols have been wronged by their original agencies, they flock to the official social media accounts of those powerful entertainment companies to recommend their idols.

In the past, such scenes only occurred beneath the accounts of large, top-tier entertainment firms within the industry.

But in recent years, many messages from netizens seeking employment for their idols have also appeared under Chenxi Entertainment's official account.

Originally, fans only sought opportunities for actors and singers, suggesting Chenxi Entertainment make contact if they found them suitable.

Now, with the explosive popularity of the "Farming Boy Group," fans seem to have discovered a new continent, believing Chenxi Entertainment also possesses the strength to create idol groups.

Consequently, they flocked to the official account to introduce the boy groups or girl groups they supported.

Most absurdly, Tian Ding Entertainment had previously been one of the agencies whose idols were recommended by fans, but because Tian Ding poured all its resources into June Summer, it aroused widespread dissatisfaction among fans.

The reduction in scheduled activities for their own idol groups served as the best evidence.

Fans of those idol boy groups actually ran to Chenxi Entertainment, hoping they would poach Tian Ding Entertainment's idol teams!

[With your management, the group I support can definitely regain its former glory; they are very talented!]

[Chenxi Entertainment, go! Dig up Tian Ding Entertainment by the roots for me!]

[The old emperor is dead; the new emperor must rise. It is time for Chenxi Entertainment to inherit Tian Ding's legacy. Hurry up and use business tactics to bankrupt Tian Ding Entertainment! I don't believe a company as big as Tian Ding hasn't evaded taxes (doge head)]

Due to the explosive success of the Farming Boy Group, combined with numerous netizens leaving messages hoping Chenxi would take in their favorite idol groups,

those few days swelled Chenxi Entertainment's head so much that they almost believed themselves to be a top-tier entertainment agency.

Yet they were merely a small second-tier firm!

Although the president of Chenxi Entertainment had indeed become swollen with pride.

After all, the idol groups recommended by netizens were both relatively mature and possessed an existing fanbase.

Furthermore, these boy groups had been trained by Tian Ding Entertainment, meaning their basic professional skills were fully up to standard.

If they could really be poached, then...

The president's beautiful dream had just begun to rise when it was immediately extinguished by other executives.

"Mr. President, this month's employee salaries have not yet been distributed."

The president looked down and his eyes widened; was the salary payout alone going to exceed ten million?!

Did Chenxi Entertainment really hire this many people?

The finance officer answered calmly, "Yes. Previously, you absorbed many trainees and new actors, all of whom require preliminary training."

"Since hiring external teachers for individual lessons was too expensive, we recruited them directly, employing teachers as long-term staff."

"The significant increase in this month's salary disbursement partly includes these teachers' wages, which were previously accounted for in a different category."

"In addition, every trainee and new actor has signed a contract with us lasting three to five years, so they are also considered company employees."

"Although they do not receive a no-responsibility base salary, their monthly wardrobe allowances are substantial. Plus, we spent extra on media interviews and various miscellaneous exposures... all of which I have included under employee salary expenditures."

Hearing this, the president reluctantly accepted the expenditure.

Were it not for the several advertising fees generated this month by "Farming, Boys," he would have doubted his ability to come up with the money.

Thinking about these large expenditures one by one gave the president of Chenxi Entertainment quite a headache.

The company was developing well, but the faster the growth, the greater the investment required.

They were currently in a cash-burning phase; being able to recover funds rather than being crushed by debt was already quite good.

Many companies with promising prospects carried huge debts behind the scenes.

As the saying goes: The more you earn, the more you borrow.

However, these companies were all high-quality assets; if their presidents went to a bank, bank managers would be eager to lend to them, fearing only that they wouldn't borrow.

With the company operating smoothly and developing rapidly every year, there was absolutely no risk of default.

Securing a major client while simultaneously solving the bank's annual lending quota targets—why wouldn't they do it?

Although the president of Chenxi Entertainment had not visited any banks personally, many bank managers had already contacted him through various channels to ask if he needed a loan.

If the company wished to expand its scale, financing was certainly an option.

However, the CEO paid no heed to any of this.

President Xiao held fifty percent of the shares in Chenxi Entertainment; in truth, the company was solely funded by him.

As long as President Xiao had no plans for an initial public offering, Chenxi Entertainment would have none either.

Furthermore, Chenxi Entertainment was thriving, bolstered by three major stars, so there was no fear of lacking follow-up resources.

Without external financing, yet outperforming entertainment companies that had it, the CEO could proudly declare:

"If not me, then who!"

But just as he regained his composure and prepared to rally his spirits, the finance officer lightly added another remark.

"CEO, this month's payroll expenses were already low; according to my calculations, next month's will be double this month's."

The CEO nearly thought he had misheard: "Dou... double?"

Alarmed, he exclaimed, "How could it be so high? Weren't all plans and arrangements already underway and properly settled?"

The finance officer explained, "You previously requested several additional practice rooms; the extra ten million yuan is allocated to build a top-tier practice facility.

This practice room isn't even particularly top-tier; many first-tier singers privately invest tens of millions in their own. I was wondering if you wanted to upgrade further.

Manager Liu oversees this sector; he believes that with top-tier singers like Xi Mengze under our roof, failing to build a top-tier practice room would be wasteful."

The CEO frowned tightly: "Old Six said that? I recall him being quite frugal before."

By "before," he referred to the period before Chenxi Entertainment entered its rapid growth phase.

As the person in charge of corporate procurement and venue planning, Old Six had displayed a style even more stingy than that of the accountants, precisely and strictly controlling the budget.

The finance officer remained calm and rational.

"After winning the championship on 'I Am a Singer' last year, Xi Mengze surged back to popularity, for a time even surpassing Jin Li in fame.

However, unwilling to exhaust her popularity by frequently accepting engagements, Team Leader Sui Lingfang secured numerous film and television OSTs for her.

You may not be aware of how many film and television OSTs she recorded in the final three months of last year: a full thirty songs, all recorded in rented top-tier practice rooms.

The rental fees alone amounted to three million yuan."

Without hesitation, the CEO of Chenxi Entertainment declared, "Build it! But there's no need to spend tens of millions; one million will suffice, as long as it's functional."

The explosive success of the variety show "Farming Bar" propelled Chenxi Entertainment into a period of rapid growth, as if catching a favorable wind.

Projects that had previously stalled were rapidly advanced this month.

Projects that were merely awaiting finalization were all wrapped up this month, recovering the funds.

Projects that were only in embryonic form had their proposals finalized this month and were then swiftly advanced.

Companies perform differently at different stages; clearly, Chenxi Entertainment had officially entered a phase of rapid development.

It remained to be seen how long this surge would last and how high it could climb.

As Chenxi Entertainment continued to improve, it would undoubtedly benefit Jin Li as well.

Her team became more comprehensive, and they also learned how to negotiate benefits on her behalf.

Previously, Chenxi Entertainment's confidence stemmed entirely from Jin Li's status; unable to lower the standing of a top-tier A-list star, they were forced to set high standards.

Although Sui Lingfang had worked hard negotiating with brands, she still felt lacking in confidence.

Later, she realized that this lack of confidence arose because the company itself was somewhat insubstantial.

Not to mention those established first-tier entertainment companies; even Guangyue Media, founded only recently, immediately secured a seat among the first tier upon its establishment.

Though it was merely a new company, it possessed the capabilities of a first-tier firm.

Therefore, once established, the industry automatically recognized it as first-tier.

Although Chenxi Entertainment was developing well, people still regarded it as merely second-tier, so brands and engagement parties inevitably adopted a slightly condescending attitude during negotiations.

The only saving grace was that Jin Li's fame was so immense that those engagement parties faithfully adhered to market rates.

Now, however, Chenxi Entertainment had heated up alongside the variety show "Farming Bar," demonstrating to the industry their ability to gauge trends, causing everyone to view them differently.

Sui Lingfang soon felt this confidence emanating from the company.

In fact, she perceived it even sooner than the CEO: Chenxi Entertainment had firmly taken the lead among second-tier companies and was now launching an assault on the first tier!

This was not because she possessed divine foresight or had predicted it in advance.

Rather, the attitude of the engagement parties toward her had shifted to that reserved for negotiations with first-tier companies, granting her respect.

Although Sui Lingfang knew this transformation was not entirely due to "Farming Bar," the variety show had nonetheless triggered certain changes.

Recently, whenever Jin Li saw Sister Xiang, she found her beaming with smiles.

A casual inquiry revealed that the company's development had been improving steadily.

Sui Lingfang said, "I believe your vision is unique; when you decided to invest in 'Farming Bar,' no one favored its prospects, yet you believed in it.

If the company hadn't invested alongside you, where would the company stand now?"

Jin Li shook her head: "Opportunities exist for everyone, but not everyone can seize them.

My optimism is one thing, but without the company's promotional efforts, 'Farming Bar' might not have proceeded so smoothly.

Personally, I only wish to invest and not engage in other matters, but I know that securing funding alone does not guarantee a good project will continue to improve.

If those managing the project do not devote themselves, even the best project will fail."

Jin Li smiled gently, her expression soft as she said, "Sister Xiang, this is what Chenxi Entertainment deserves."

Sui Lingfang smiled brightly and said, "Tomorrow, the 'Counterattack' production team will release a batch of behind-the-scenes footage; they specifically instructed me to ask you not to post anything for promotion."

Jin Li was stunned: "They don't need me to promote? Then how do they plan to promote?"

She glanced at the time; it was already mid-June. If "Counterattack" was scheduled for release in July, launching promotions now was perfectly timed.

Neither too early nor too late.

A one-month promotional period represents the level of film exposure that audiences find most acceptable.

Yet, not requiring her to post on social media was indeed quite unusual.

A celebrity's influence is actually quite strong; nowadays, every film and television production team must have their stars cooperate with promotion.

If the stars of a drama do not promote it, they lose the support of their fans, and it is highly likely the project will flop without anyone even knowing about it.

Sui Lingfang recalled the phone call she had with Director Xu yesterday and said, "He believes that whether it's you or Gu Cheng, your usual exposure rates are already impressive, so there is no need to warm up the audience for the movie in advance."

"Otherwise, if you appear frequently before the public and become overexposed, it will only provoke audience resentment."

"Therefore, he has decided to quietly leak some clips and behind-the-scenes footage through a certain netizen's exposure, spark some audience interest in this drama, and then let word-of-mouth promotion spread naturally like tap water."

"He calls this promotional method the 'Tap Water Recommendation Technique'."

Jin Li: ...

It was the first time she had ever heard of such a marketing strategy, but after a moment's thought, she felt it might actually work.

Open and aboveboard promotion often leaves audiences indifferent.

But leaking information secretly might just pique the netizens' interest.