Chapter 207: Public Opinion

As the new album continued to gain momentum, Su Qingya brought good news from her end.

Pepsi invited Cheng Chen to join the Pepsi Star Family for the filming of this year's China regional promotional advertisement.

This time, Cheng Chen's participation in the Pepsi ad includes one part of the Nine Great Superstars Series: Arena Chapter.

Nine celebrities are participating in this advertisement, namely:

Cheng Chen, 4, Zhou Dong, Cai Yiling, Zheng Xiuwen, Guo Fucheng.

In addition to the Arena Chapter, Cheng Chen also filmed an extra ad of about thirty seconds.

Rumors suggest Cheng Chen might film an ad with one of the three internationally renowned women: Britney, Beyonce, or Pink.

Because all three of them also filmed an ad for Pepsi this year.

Their ad features them shouting "wewillrockyou" in the Colosseum Arena.

Let's be honest, Britney's figure is incredible—the exposure level just barely dodged the River Crab God.

That's exactly what gets people's blood boiling…

The news of Cheng Chen being invited to join the Pepsi Star Family failed to stir much attention amid the flood of reports about his new album's massive sales.

"Cheng Chen endorsed Pepsi? Pepsi actually has good taste."

"Today I'm not drinking Coca-Cola—I'll buy a Pepsi as a reward!"

The contract between Cheng Chen and Pepsi includes more than just these ads—it also requires Cheng Chen to participate in promotional activities and commercials within the contract scope.

You get paid to do the job—that's normal.

However, both sides agreed on the number of promotional activities, the number of commercial shoots, and the duration of the endorsement.

Pepsi, as an international giant, has extremely strong promotional power.

Their ads don't just impact one country or one continent—they influence the entire world.

From this perspective, the benefits to Cheng Chen are considerable.

This collaboration maximized mutual benefits for both parties, and the price negotiation took a long time.

Considering Cheng Chen's current influence in Asia, Pepsi offered 15 million to buy out his beverage endorsement rights for the next three years.

Cheng Chen was satisfied with the timeline, as he didn't want to be tied to a single brand for too long.

His personal career is on an upward trajectory; signing a long-term contract with a brand would mean prematurely over-consuming his personal value.

At 15 million, the price in 2004 was already astronomical.

But Su Qingya said there was still room for negotiation, so Cheng Chen entrusted her fully to handle talks with Pepsi.

After all, with 15 million as the baseline, a lower price was impossible—only a higher one!

Eventually, negotiations stalled at 17 million, at which point Su Qingya finally agreed.

This negotiation lasted a long time, involving as many as a hundred people from both sides—keeping it secret was impossible.

Thus, through determined investigation by those with intent, the news broke: Cheng Chen joined the Pepsi Star Family with a 17-million-yuan endorsement fee.

Previously, when people learned of Cheng Chen's collaboration with Pepsi, they reacted with indifference.

But when the 17-million-yuan figure surfaced, some finally lost their composure.

So being a celebrity is this profitable!

Moreover, some tabloids, eager to seize trending news, began digging into Cheng Chen's past.

The results were shocking: Cheng Chen had been in the industry for only two years, yet his personal wealth was nearly approaching one billion yuan.

He had investments in internet companies, record labels, entertainment firms, and film and television ventures.

Two upcoming films and TV series, Crazy Stone and Chinese Paladin 1, were quietly preparing for release.

Cheng Chen's meeting with Shang Jing was filmed and leaked online; rumors claimed they were negotiating a new drama project.

With Cheng Chen's current net worth, he may not be the top richest entertainer in the Mainland, but he's certainly among the top tier.

Remember, Cheng Chen has only been in the industry for two years—averaging 50 million yuan per year?

Most of his income comes from album sales royalties and copyright fees.

He's not just Tianhai Records' top artist—he's also its largest shareholder.

His next largest income source is endorsements and commercial appearances, accumulated through his two years of frenzied endorsements and performances.

This portion of income ranks second only to earnings from album releases.

As for film and TV acting fees, that portion is minimal—after all, how much can acting really earn…

Of course, this only accounts for how much Cheng Chen has earned since his debut; his expenditures are far greater.

But the public only cares how much he's made—this terrifying earning power left many speechless.

Some, envious and jealous, questioned: Is it a good thing or a bad thing that entertainment stars earn money so easily?

Thus, internet netizens began debating online.

"Singing a few songs and acting in a few dramas earns more than an ordinary person makes in a lifetime—what's wrong with this world?"

"No one asks about heroes' graves, yet everyone knows the gossip of entertainers—this is China's reality, truly tragic!"

"Some physical industries work tirelessly, diligently, yet their profits can't match those of a single entertainer? Sigh!"

Under this storm of public opinion, Cheng Chen's presence became glaringly conspicuous.

Fortunately, this situation didn't last long—someone soon spoke up for Cheng Chen!

"You people only get jealous when you see others making money, but that's money Cheng Chen fought for with all his effort."

"When did earning money through talent and ability become someone's sin?"

"Please, reporters, can you be professional? Don't get jealous just because someone makes money."

"Cheng Chen earned all this money—do you even know how much charity he's done behind the scenes?"

"Do you know he built three public elementary schools in his hometown?"

"Do you know he funded road construction to connect his village to the outside world?"

You say Cheng Chen owns many companies, but do you know he also runs a foundation?

In just two years since his debut, through this foundation he built three public elementary schools in the mountainous regions of Sichuan.

How many problems of children in the mountains struggling to attend school has this solved—do you all know that?

You envy how much money he makes, but do you know he's quietly doing charity?

And he has never publicly promoted any of these deeds—could you do the same?

This article defending Cheng Chen went viral online.

Only then did people realize Cheng Chen had done so much good behind the scenes.

As for the foundation's establishment, it had already been set in motion when Cheng Chen returned home for Spring Festival this year.

After all, when he donated elementary schools to his hometown of Nan County, Cheng Chen had already thought ahead.

He had the newly established foundation oversee the construction and subsequent management of the schools.

The donations to Sichuan were also operated through his foundation.

Cheng Chen's passion for charity stems from personal motives.

As his fame grows and his wealth increases, it's both a blessing and a chain for him.

"Why should a celebrity earn so much money while hardworking people struggle at society's margins?"

Many know this view is arbitrary and wrong, yet some still support it.

After all, resentment toward the rich exists in every Time.

So, founding a foundation and engaging in charity became a "shield."

Of course, it's not so cynical to say—put more spiritually—he does charity to accumulate virtue.

He himself is a clear example, so he believes in it.

And you've earned so much money—who made it possible for you?

It's China's market. Earning so much, giving back a portion for charity, helping the weak—

This is already emotionally accepted by the public.

In ancient times, doing such things would earn you a stele of merit, praised by countless people—you'd be a good person.

So good people deserve to get rich; we don't envy them when they do—we bless them!

Cheng Chen never stepped forward to publicize these charitable acts because such deeds should be done quietly.

If you publicize them loudly, you invite suspicion, and the meaning of your actions becomes corrupted.

Today, with the internet so advanced, every action you take leaves a trace.

What truly wins goodwill is when others expose your deeds as news.

After the story of Cheng Chen's charity broke, the "Bai Shi record-breaking endorsement fee" was buried.

Cheng Chen has harvested goodwill this time—and also boosted his visibility.

After this incident, Cheng Chen updated a brief message on his personal blog:

"Do good deeds without asking about the future."

This blog post sparked numerous comments; fans flooded his comment section.

"This is the idol we should be fanning for—not only does he have talent and ability, but his character is outstanding!"

"Cheng Chen is never just an idol—he's a role model, a goal to strive for!"

"I adore our boss so much—I never knew you did so much good behind our backs."

"Now I can proudly tell my parents what kind of person I'm following!"

…

The day after Cheng Chen posted this blog, official media quoted it as a headline for an article.

The article highly praised Cheng Chen's charity work and encouraged him to continue on this path.

It also mentioned Cheng Chen's contributions to China's traditional culture, using music to carry it beyond national borders.

At the end of the article, it subtly warned those petty individuals envious and deliberately stirring up online controversy.

After this incident, Cheng Chen resolved to take control of public opinion.

Of course, he would never cross the red line that exists.

With this mindset, Cheng Chen returned to Huaxia Blog to meet General Manager Li Zhenyu.

The first thing he said to him was:

"Zhenyu, remember the Huaxia Weibo project I mentioned last time? Let's launch it!"

Li Zhenyu had been involved throughout Cheng Chen's recent public opinion storm.

Although Huaxia Blog played some role, its involvement remained limited.

And it dared not openly assist Cheng Chen.

After all, it's Cheng Chen's own business—too much interference would raise suspicions of favoritism.

Li Zhenyu sensed the gravity in Cheng Chen's tone and nodded:

"I've already formed a dedicated project team to tackle this issue—we'll see results soon."

Cheng Chen continued:

"For the specific model, you can take Penguin Chat as a reference.

They're no longer just active on PCs—mobile phones now support their core chat functions!"

Yes, as early as last year, in 2003, the mobile version of Penguin Chat had already been launched.

At the time, most phones were still feature phones running Symbian System.

The entire software interface was simple, but sufficient to meet the basic need for online chatting with friends.

Of course, this was also the most fundamental function of Penguin Chat as a communication tool.

At this time, network conditions and hardware limited users to far fewer functions on mobile phones than they would have in the future.

If Cheng Chen's Huaxia Blog launched a product allowing feature phones to browse blogs, post articles, and leave comments,

it would inevitably ignite the entire blog ecosystem.

Of course, what Cheng Chen intended to do was not to overthrow or ignite the blog ecosystem.

He aimed to launch a new type of blog, lighter and with broader dissemination speed.

That is, the Huaxia Weibo he had always mentioned.

"Model it after Penguin Chat's mobile version and create a Huaxia Weibo app.

Just meet three functions: browsing Weibo, posting Weibo, and commenting.

Later, in subsequent updates, add the '@friend' feature to fulfill its social attributes.

Meanwhile, develop the web version of Huaxia Weibo in parallel—ideally launch it simultaneously with the mobile version.

I'll coordinate the promotional work with you; this is the core of Huaxia Blog's transformation.

I hope you give it your full effort and aim to launch as early as possible!"

Cheng Chen looked at Li Zhenyu and solemnly entrusted him.

"Got it, Boss Cheng."

…

After leaving Jingcheng, Cheng Chen headed for the Wenyang Film and Television Base.

The production of The First Under Heaven was progressing well but had not yet wrapped.

Fortunately, Cheng Chen's scenes were mostly filmed, so Wang Sanri urgently summoned him to the set of Xiao Yu Er and Flower.

Yes, the Xiao Yu Er and Flower production team had already been formed.

Today's summons was for Wang Sanri's "kick-off symposium."

This symposium mainly aimed to announce cast members, the shooting start date, and related information.

Undeniably, Wang Sanri was a highly successful commercial director.

When he saw Cheng Chen's album go viral and learned Cheng Chen had become a focal point due to his "record-breaking Pepsi endorsement fee" and "public-spirited charity," he immediately organized this symposium.

The so-called announcements of lead actors and shooting details were merely attempts to ride Cheng Chen's popularity.

When media arrived on site and saw that the lead actor was the popular star Cheng Chen,

they instantly had both a promotional hook and a buzz point—the production team saved a huge amount on press releases.

For films and TV dramas, promotion was the most important thing.

Xiao Yu Er and Flower became popular before airing—exactly what the producer and crew wanted.

When Cheng Chen arrived at the film base, the lobby was already packed.

The moment he appeared, he drew the media's attention; reporters immediately surrounded him with questions.

"Cheng Chen, how do you respond to claims about your exorbitant endorsement fee?"

"How much is your fee for this shoot? Would you mind disclosing it?"

"Some say your public-spirited charity is just a fabricated persona—what's your take?"

Although Cheng Chen had official media backing, entertainment reporters always enjoyed digging up celebrity scandals.

To put it crudely, if a celebrity slipped up in an interview, they were happier than during the New Year.

Of course, they would never admit they deliberately set up conversational traps to provoke such slips.

"Alright, alright, everyone step back. Please don't ask questions unrelated to today's symposium. Thank you for your cooperation."

Seeing Cheng Chen surrounded, Wang Sanri stepped forward to help, placing a hand on Cheng Chen's shoulder and smiling at the reporters around him.

…