Chapter 295: Little Liu: This dog is named

9:00 PM, September 13th, Beiping time, Ideal International Building, Wenjie Holdings headquarters.

The floor housing the subsidiary New Vision was still brightly lit, and the core management team sat in the conference room with grave expressions.

Dong Shuangqiang gave a light cough, setting the tone for today's expanded meeting: "The total advertising revenue budget of 300 million set by the station at the beginning of the year still has a gap of at least 80 million. We are about to enter the fourth quarter; everyone, let's discuss this."

As Executive Vice Station Chief, Long Danni spoke up without hesitation: "The gap... is mainly in the title sponsorship fees and the advertising slots during the same time period for 'The Voice'."

Once these words were spoken, everyone in this variety show iron army, newly formed by Wenjie last year through 'Super Girl', felt the immense pressure.

Travel Satellite TV's prime time had a constant stream of good shows, and its seasonal theater was also a domestic first; advertising bids for the preceding and following time slots had exceeded expectations early in the year.

Only the 'The Voice' project, which had just launched this year, had seen four episodes pass, and apart from steadily rising ratings and good word-of-mouth, it had yet to make any progress on title sponsorship fees.

Compared to last year's 'Super Girl' total advertising revenue of 80 million, and then comparing it to the roughly 45 million in title sponsorship fees for this year's castrated version of the Hunan Station's 'Fast Girl'...

Currently, the highest bid for 'The Voice' title sponsorship was only 40 million, and it had been directly rejected by Boss Lu, who signaled for further negotiations.

Seeing that a quarter of the show's total schedule had already passed, the production crew and the variety team were anxious from top to bottom.

In fact, the most depressed of all was Dong Shuangqiang.

Originally, at the premiere of 'Genius Gunner', he had agreed to invite the popular young star Liu Yifei to participate in one episode to drive traffic, just like last year's 'Super Girl'.

Unexpectedly, not long after the Yifei incident on August 25th, she directly obtained a long-term student visa and went to North America.

What to do...

Long Danni, who had been in charge of 'Super Girl' last year, had reaped the benefits of Liu Yifei's popularity, and naturally, she had the same idea this year: "Boss Dong, I have a proposal."

"Speak."

"For this week's recorded broadcast, shall we connect with Liu Yifei?"

"Oh? Tell me your thoughts."

Long Danni smiled: "Everyone here is on our side, so I won't beat around the bush."

"The program format and creativity of 'The Voice' are absolutely fine, it's just that we are currently being siphoned off by the intense top-20 schedule of 'Fast Girl', so we are temporarily in a trough."

"And whether it's 'The Voice' or 'Fast Girl', the trend of younger audiences for these two music variety shows is very obvious."

"My meaning is, since we've decided to ride on Liu Yifei's popularity, we might as well do it thoroughly."

"In the recorded broadcast of the next episode, we will connect with her directly to do the show as a little Easter egg, and put out the teaser in advance."

Dong Shuangqiang pondered for a few seconds.

He had, of course, considered this before; at that time, Don Quixote and Big Windmill had not yet "broken up", and the plan was to put Boss Lu in the family observation room to let him suffer social death.

It was just that after Liu Yifei had this incident, the plan seemed impossible, but her personal traffic alone was precious to the current 'The Voice'.

Dong Shuangqiang was doubtful: "Just singing?"

"She has a good relationship with our judges Zhou Jielun and Sister Mei, and since the birthday incident last month, she has rarely appeared on camera or given interviews."

"Singing a song and showing her face on Travel Satellite TV's flagship show, and catching up with old friends Zhou Jielun and Sister Mei, wouldn't that be acceptable?"

"Our show is meant to be relaxed, entertaining, and warm; we don't do ugly-shaming, venomous tongues, or sensationalism, so it should be quite fitting."

Long Danni suddenly leaned closer to Dong Shuangqiang and whispered: "I don't know if Boss Lu..."

"Don't even think about that."

Dong Shuangqiang said gloomily: "Before that incident happened, it might have been possible for the sake of advertising fees."

"Furthermore, he is busy with the post-production of the earthquake movie and the Olympic proposal; it's impossible."

Thinking of Lu Kuan, and then thinking of Zhou Jun, who was either already "forced abroad" or struggling to survive somewhere, Dong Shuangqiang felt a sigh in his heart.

At the same time, the old station chief and his capable subordinates at the "enemy station" had just finished their meeting, and Ouyang Changqing let the driver take Yao Jia back first.

"Has there been any movement from Travel Satellite TV lately?"

"None at the moment."

The old station chief leaned back in his seat and rubbed his furrowed brow: "Expecting a company with such a tough style as Wenjie to admit defeat is impossible; be prepared."

"For what?"

"They should be using the same old trick, right? Like last year, finding Liu Yifei to drive traffic."

Ouyang Changqing slapped his thigh with regret: "What a great opportunity it was, to establish a cooperative relationship with her through that female host position."

"As long as she doesn't stand on stage and cheer for 'The Voice', and interacts with us more, our lead will be even more obvious."

Yao Jia was speechless, thinking to herself that this matter really belonged to "non-combatant guilt".

Early in the year, when Lu Kuan attacked excessive entertainment, and subsequently the Bureau issued the four black rules for variety shows, her old leader had seen the situation clearly and told her to befriend Liu Yifei.

Since then, whether using her traffic among the youth or as a buffer zone in the confrontation with Wenjie, it was a good move.

Who knew that this chess piece, Liu Shishi, would be so unruly and jump off the chessboard herself, ending up shattered.

Now, having to watch Travel Satellite TV use the same old trick and start catching up to Hunan Station, she felt helpless.

Yesterday, Yao Jia had already reported to him that Liu Yifei's studio had replied that it was inconvenient to cooperate for the time being.

This was an exclusive agreement reached between Lu Kuan and Liu Yifei in the office.

As a quid pro quo for her public relations, at least within the 2005 natural program year of Travel Satellite TV, Liu Yifei was not allowed to reach any form of cooperation with Hunan Station.

Boss Lu also knew that these two years were a critical period for Travel Satellite TV to challenge Hunan Station, and he could not let the help he had cultivated become a bullet for the enemy station.

Even if this help was now somewhat out of control.

September 17, 2005, a very ordinary weekend.

But countless Linger fans, Fairy Sister fans, Lu Xueqi fans, and the "no-makeup fans" who had recently joined the fandom because of 'Genius Gunner' were all in place on time, waiting in front of Travel Satellite TV.

Due to the promulgation of the four black rules, song talent shows were not allowed to be broadcast during prime time.

Everyone waited expectantly until 9 o'clock for 'The Voice' to officially start.

In front of the television, whether they were interested in music or not, almost all the fans of Liu Yifei who were free were waiting by the TV.

A week ago, Travel Satellite TV had already released news that a mysterious female guest would remotely connect to join the "family observation room" to support her good friend Yao Beina.

At that time, the domestic top-tier star who had not appeared for a long time would communicate and interact with the guests about her current situation.

'The Voice' was aiming for the traffic of her millions of fans, while Yang Siwei intended for her female artist to seize the opportunity to show her face more, and a friendly cooperation was reached.

Chaoyang District, and Qiaolijing residential area, Zhang Ruoyun stretched and came out of the study, grabbing the remote control from his father's hand.

"What is this kid doing?"

Zhang Jian was watching the hit show 'Judge of the Great Song' on CCTV, naturally examining it from the dual identities of an audience member and a TV director.

"Dad, don't just watch TV all day; go out more, it's good for your health, okay."

"There's 'The Voice' tonight, I'm relaxing."

Watching Zhang Ruoyun's rebellious behavior, in the past, Zhang Jian would have pulled out his belt.

However, his son was now in his third year of high school and in a rebellious phase; every time he lectured him, the kid would talk back endlessly.

Zhang Jian had just divorced his third wife and couldn't bring himself to be too harsh on this little brat.

"You don't even like music, why are you watching that stuff?"

Zhang Ruoyun didn't even look up, grabbing sunflower seeds from the plate to crack: "Liu Yifei is on! Today!"

Zhang Jian shook his head helplessly at his star-struck son and carried his teacup back to his room.

Although he had a background in the Beijing circle, in recent years, he had been the source of the greatest noise behind Boss Lu's rise.

But Zhang Jian was cunning and had never opposed his son having more contact with that faction; having more paths in the future was never a bad thing.

Let him be.

At nine o'clock in the evening, after a piece of opening music, Liu Yan and Da Peng walked onto the stage and began the short opening lines.

Da Peng was a male host Long Danni had poached from Sohu, and the opening lines were short because the title sponsor had not yet been confirmed.

The current 'The Voice' was neither fish nor fowl, but the show would be 1/4 through its progress after this episode, and if there was no major improvement, they would have to grit their teeth and settle.

Liu Yan was sexy and charming, and quite popular with the audience: "Alright, everyone has seen the teaser for today's episode, we have a mysterious guest!"

"Oh? Liu Yan, introduce her to everyone."

"Hey! There's no need to introduce her, is there anyone in the country who doesn't know her!"

The audience cheered, and many fans were present to participate in the recording and cheering, even if it was just a remote connection.

The four judges appeared under the dazzling light show, and Zhou Jielun raised his microphone first: "It's Yifei, right? She called me before, saying she wanted to support a good friend."

He immediately clarified: "Of course, she didn't tell me who it was, so everyone still has to rely on their own abilities."

Sister Mei smiled: "Yifei has been abroad for more than twenty days, I miss her a bit too, let's see if we have a chance to chat later."

On the side, Han Hong and Liu Huan also echoed a few words, and the show immediately began.

In front of the TV, the "non-target audience" including Zhang Ruoyun, or the fairy fans who had temporarily defected from Hunan Station, were all a bit impatient.

Why hasn't Liu Yifei come out yet?

Where is Yao Beina? Why hasn't the production team arranged for her to go on stage?

For this part of the audience who were forced to tune in by Liu Yifei, they were resistant and impatient with the appearance of other contestants at the beginning.

But as they watched, they suddenly discovered...

It seems quite interesting, huh?

The blind selection with backs to the stage subverted the traditional talent show's emphasis on appearance and performance;

The two-way choice between judges and contestants was full of laughter during the interaction, and the topicality was greatly enhanced;

There was also the luxurious lineup of four judges with different styles—Zhou Jielun, Mei Yanfang, Han Hong, and Liu Huan—who were all heavyweights in terms of popularity and strength.

In this 'The Voice' by Wenjie, it was actually the Hong Kong and Taiwan stars Zhou Jielun and Sister Mei who were mainly responsible for mediating the atmosphere and cracking jokes.

On one hand, they felt that this was Lu Kuan's show, so it felt like coming home to them, and their mental state was very relaxed;

On the other hand, early variety shows in Hong Kong and Taiwan had quite a large scale and were full of sensational and quirky elements, so they were used to it.

Amidst the laughter, three contestants had passed by without realizing it.

A junior girl from the Central Conservatory of Music, a Chinese-Singaporean guy, and a spirited Yi girl from the mountains of Guizhou.

Either a powerhouse vocalist from the academy or a fellow countryman from abroad, plus those with purely natural, gifted golden voices.

Added to the banter and antics of the four judges, it was truly a novel and refreshing sight.

Zhang Jian frowned as he came out of the room: "Ruoyun, go to sleep early. You're done watching Liu Yifei, right?"

"Huh?"

Zhang Ruoyun looked up in a daze and glanced at the time display in the top right corner of Travel Satellite TV; the show had already been on for half an hour.

Then he looked at the sunflower seed shells all over the floor...

That's right! I came here today to watch Liu Yifei!

The three contestants were interacting so interestingly here that he had almost forgotten about that!

"Wait! Wait! She hasn't appeared yet! I'll go to sleep as soon as I finish watching!"

Zhang Jian's face darkened, and he felt the urge to pull out his belt: "This is the last time I'm warning you. You still have tutoring tomorrow, you hear me?"

"Alright, alright, I know."

"You go get some rest early, okay? Don't worry about me."

Coincidentally, the same scene was playing out in thousands of households across the country.

The shy, fair-skinned Yi girl from Guizhou ultimately chose Han Hong's team. After the two shared an intimate hug and left the stage, the broadcast angle switched to Liu Yan.

In the Travel Satellite TV studio, Long Danni felt relieved as she looked at the 25% instantaneous viewership rating sent over by CSM.

In the later years around 2005, the program with the highest average viewership was the Spring Festival Gala at 37%, but instantaneous viewership was a target many satellite channels could aim for.

Jiangsu Province's "Very Weekend" had reached an instantaneous viewership rating of 45% back in the day.

Long Danni looked at the 25% instantaneous rating in her hand, waiting to see the data performance when Liu Yifei appeared, and how quickly the ratings would drop after her segment ended.

The television camera cut to Liu Yan, who walked onto the stage with grace.

"The next contestant is quite special; she is a fanatical fan of Sister Mei and has liked her for over twenty years."

"Due to some special circumstances, she cannot be here in person, so today we have specially invited her to participate in this episode via video link."

Liu Yan faced the audience, using her expressions and gestures to signal everyone not to make any noise for a moment.

Suddenly, a video image of Little Liu appeared on the screen, and she was fumbling with the camera in a daze.

Her hair was simply tied into a high ponytail, with a few stray locks not quite lying flat by her ears. Her face was pressed right up against the lens, unafraid of being seen without makeup.

The fans in the audience were just about to scream, but seeing Liu Yan's gesture, they all pursed their lips and smiled.

This surprise was a real treat!

It had been advertised that Liu Yifei would appear in the observation room segment as part of a friend's support group; it seemed she was going to perform remotely!

The live audience stared intently at the big screen in front of them.

Because they couldn't speak in advance, Little Liu, having adjusted her equipment, smiled and blew a flying kiss to the audience, then immediately muted her mic, cleared her throat, and made an 'OK' gesture at the screen.

The fans off-stage couldn't suppress their excitement, but they couldn't make a sound to avoid giving the judges a clue, and the production had collected their phones to prevent leaks.

It was agonizing to hold it in!

The teenage audience in front of their TVs were different; every single one of them was joyful!

"Holy crap! It really is the Fairy Sister!"

"A natural beauty! She's still so pretty even with the camera right in her face!"

"If Lu Xueqi doesn't come out soon, I'll almost forget I came here to watch her..."

The four judges were the most confused right now; they looked at each other and smiled bitterly in front of their screens, not knowing why the audience was making such a racket.

Zhou Jielun was puzzled: "Sister Mei, your fan is here, and a fan of over twenty years at that."

"Twenty-plus years, so she must be at least in her thirties this year, right?"

Han Hong laughed: "A thirty-year-old fan of Sister Mei? Then she must have grown up listening to your 'Red Temptation', 'Bad Girl', and 'Walking My Own Path Alone'."

Having said that, she began to imitate it with intoxication: "Walking my own path alone, exploring the journey by myself, my heart full of loneliness, who is whispering encouragement in my ear~~~"

The audience facing them laughed and applauded, with many whispering to each other.

Clearly, they were laughing at how the "twenty-plus years" key information provided by Liu Yan had misled the four mentors.

Even counting the time Liu Yifei spent in her mother's womb, it didn't add up to twenty years.

Very abruptly, an extremely familiar intro sounded!

Simple and lively, the rhythm was brisk, melodic, and carried a sense of leisurely comfort.

Isn't this "Common Jasmine Orange"!

The four judges stared at each other with wide eyes, while the audience at the scene and in front of their TVs were all beaming.

Liu Yan was cunning indeed, another piece of deceptive information.

Added to the changes in voice and tone arriving at the scene via video transmission, it was hard to say if old acquaintances Zhou Jielun and Mei Yanfang could guess it.

The fans got their wish, quietly enjoying Little Liu's brief return to the domestic entertainment scene after going abroad.

The sparrows outside the window / are gossiping on the telephone pole

You say this line / has a very summery feel

The pencil in my hand / goes back and forth on the paper

I use a few lines of text to describe you / as who you are to me

The director cut the camera to the judges' seats, who were facing away.

Sister Mei spread her hands, looking at Zhou Jielun with a 'black person question mark' face.

Why is my fan singing your song?

Zhou Jielun raised his eyebrows: "It should be a young girl's voice, not very old. It seems we've all been fooled."

"It sounds a bit like Yifei, but she's here to be part of the support group today."

Liu Huan shook his head: "What do you think, Jielun? If you turn, we won't compete for her."

A surprise is a surprise, but the four judges still strictly followed the rules, deciding whether to advance a contestant based on their singing and vocal performance.

Little Liu, over in Chicago, sang with intoxication:

"The rain falls all night, my love overflows just like the rain~~~"

"Leaves fall in the yard, and my longing is thick with a..."

"Woof woof woof!"

"Woof woof woof!"

The little yellow dog at her feet was startled by the suddenly soaring high note, and its instinct to protect its owner kicked in, jumping onto Liu Yifei's lap.

The young girl was startled, pressed her hand on the dog's head, and struggled to smile as she finished the last line!

Mei Yanfang frowned in wonder: "Why is there a dog's harmony?"

The audience burst into laughter.

"Slap!" Zhou Jielun, having realized what was going on, had already pressed the button and turned around.

Little Liu's clumsy high note just now had allowed him to identify her accurately; after all, they had just performed a duet at a concert not long ago.

"Hey, not bad!"

Zhou Jielun smiled and waved at Liu Yifei in the video. As the ending faded, the other three judges all pressed their buttons and turned around.

"Wow! Surprise, Xixi!"

Mei Yanfang made a hugging gesture toward the big screen, and Little Liu returned a flying kiss.

Liu Yifei then smiled and greeted Han Hong and Liu Huan.

The show's little easter egg had gone off-topic here, but it was a welcome deviation; now, it briefly entered Little Liu's fan meeting activity.

"It's 40%, Director Long."

Long Danni nodded with satisfaction, having long since leaned back in her chair with her legs crossed.

For today's crazy traffic, it remained to be seen how much retention the next episode would have, and the final showdown with advertisers should be at that time. Judging solely from today's live atmosphere, viewership data, and her experience operating large-scale variety shows last year, this wave of volume had been firmly captured.

Long Danni had mixed feelings; she was happy that Chen Zhixi told her Liu Yifei would not cooperate with any TV station other than Travel Satellite TV this year.

But what about next year?

Boss Lu, oh Boss Lu, hurry up and use your shameless spirit or dirty tricks!

Don't let this golden arowana go to another pond!

Fairy fans across the country fell into a frenzy, impatiently watching the song end and waiting for Liu Yan's questions and interaction.

"Hello Yifei, have you eaten?"

Little Liu appeared on camera holding the little yellow dog: "Haha, it's midnight here, I just finished sneaking a late-night snack."

She immediately greeted the fans at the scene and in front of their TVs: "Hello audience friends, I'm Yifei, long time no see!"

After the 825 Yifei incident, she had almost vanished from the domestic entertainment scene.

She had made a hurried appearance after Zhou Jielun's concert, followed by a blog post telling everyone she was leaving.

The fans had been looking forward to it for over twenty days, and finally saw this "spirited little sister" again; she seemed to be in good condition.

"Brother Jielun, your eye for talent is still the best, Sister Mei didn't even turn around."

Zhou Jielun teased her: "Uh, actually, I recognized you from your voice crack."

"Hahahaha~~~"

The audience burst into laughter, and Mei Yanfang kept a straight face: "Actually, I almost recognized you too, your little dog was making trouble at the end."

Little Liu was still holding the dog's head; the little thing was hyperactive and kept trying to break free from its cage.

Liu Yan asked: "Where is Yifei now? The studio's announcement said you went to school?"

"That's right, I'm in a state in the American Midwest, I just started school two weeks ago."

Liu Yifei is a part-time university teacher, and upon hearing this, she praised: "Yifei is very sharp. She should still take time to temper and enrich herself; that is reasonable."

Han Hong laughed: "Retreating when at the peak of success—that is great wisdom."

"Is your puppy newly raised? What is it called?" Anita Mui looked at the little yellow dog, thinking it was quite cute.

"Uh, it's called..."

Little Liu frowned, wanting to make up a name on the spot.

Unexpectedly, the little yellow dog could not stand her squeezing, turned its head to bite her lightly, broke free from its owner, and ran away.

"lu! ehere!"

"lu!"

Liu Yifei's face disappeared from the screen for two seconds, seemingly to chase the dog.

But those two "lu" sounds were heard clearly by the entire nation!

Lu?

Anita Mui and Zhou Jielun looked at each other and burst into laughter simultaneously!

A mudslide is a mudslide; even an occasional appearance is so extraordinary.

The entire audience also knowingly screamed and cheered; some were venting for their idol, some were just stirring up trouble, and others were simply following the trend.

In less than ten seconds, Little Liu's fan army quickly occupied the homepage of a certain washing machine's account on Blogcn.

"The washing machine was born in 1982, the Year of the Dog in the lunar calendar... everyone understands now, right?"

"Why are you so disobedient! And biting people!"

"Washing machine, you can even sing harmony!"

"Director Lu's acting is not bad, he's a directing genius, and his harmony is even more awesome!"

"I have a little yellow dog~~~ lu lu lu lu lu~~~"

Several voice-overs came from the live broadcast video; the escaped puppy should have been captured by Liu Xiao, and only then did Little Liu sit back in front of the camera with disheveled hair.

Her fair cheeks carried a flush of hurried panting, and facing the teasing Jielun and Sister Mui, she felt a trace of inexplicable embarrassment...

Liu Yifei gave a coy, awkward smile: "The puppy is called Lucy, nickname is lu."

She actually wanted to say that everyone shouldn't misunderstand, but the words felt like they would only make things worse, so she just gave a dry explanation.

Jielun joked: "Oh~~~ okay, I believe you."

Sister Mui said with a straight face: "Xixi, don't let it watch movies; it might end up scolding those actors who don't perform well."

"Hahahaha!"

The scene didn't understand applause, but it understood laughter; the meme of Boss Lu being a tyrant on set was widely circulated.

But there were not many people left who could joke with him.

Iconic scene! Iconic scene!

It must be said that there is a reason why he is a big celebrity in the eyes of domestic entertainment reporters, especially when he gets involved with Liu Yifei.

From being slightly inferior, to the confession incident, plus this unexpected "collaboration" tonight...

Little Liu on the screen waved her hands eagerly: "No, no! This... he..."

Liu Yan received a prompt in her earpiece from the backstage that the interaction time was up.

She also timely connected and smoothed things over: "Yifei, thank you for your appearance. Only Chairman Zhou turned his chair on site. May I ask if you have made your choice?"

Little Liu took the opportunity to step down: "Yes! Okay! I will join Brother Jielun's team."

For Liu Yifei's fans, the short and happy ten-plus minutes had passed.

But surprisingly, including Zhang Ruoyun, not many fans directly changed the channel or turned off the program; instead, they watched on with even more relish.

The next day, for the sake of promotion and hinting to advertisers, the official blog of Travel Satellite TV intercepted a ten-minute segment of Liu Yifei's interaction from last night's program.

Among them, below the video, in addition to thanking her for accepting the invitation, there was a conspicuous font marking the instantaneous 43% peak viewership rating of yesterday's program, which drew side-eyes from industry insiders.

Since 2002, with his forward-looking perspective, Boss Lu utilized Liu Yifei—a "consumable" proven in his past life—along with the internet, public opinion, and film and television tools he controlled, to create the first generation of standard traffic starlets in domestic entertainment.

Whether it was in the initial development stage of the Wenjie Mall, the stage of harvesting ringtone dividends from Blogcn, or using her popularity to drive traffic to various sectors of the Wenjie system.

This model of traffic monetization greatly attracted the attention of the industry.

In view of this, whether it was the established Huayi Society, Emperor Group, or the newcomer Cheng Tian, they had all been purposefully looking for templates and replacement "consumables."

At the same time, professors from industry academies like the Communication University of China also keenly paid attention to this phenomenon.

Because of the addition of the traffic starlet, "The Voice," which was originally inferior to "Super Girl," saw its momentum soar, and in less than a week, it successively received advertising and naming rights offers far exceeding expectations.

On September 15, Communication University of China professor Dai Qing published an article titled "A Study on the Promotional Effect of Celebrity Traffic on the Entertainment Industry under the Schramm Formula—Taking Actor Liu Yifei as an Example."

In the article, Dai Qing used the formula Media Selection Probability (p) = Media Efficacy (v) / Cost to be Paid (c) to conduct a targeted study on the "The Voice" case and reached relevant conclusions.

This article was "suitable for both refined and popular tastes," containing both professional academic content and real-life cases, and it circulated widely.

Beiping, Chang'an Street Oriental Economic and Trade City.

In the office of Cheng Tian Entertainment, which was just established this year, Wu Kebo looked at this article thoughtfully.

This is the office location of Cheng Tian Entertainment, which was just established this year.

In the domestic entertainment landscape of one superpower and many strong players, as a member of the "strong players," Cheng Tian boss Wu Kebo was clearly not very satisfied with the status quo.

Wu Kebo himself was a rich second generation from a wealthy family, having graduated from Soka University in Japan in his early years.

After working in the Japanese business world for many years, he accumulated considerable connections and wealth.

In 1998, Wu Kebo joined hands with the famous Japanese musician Tetsuya Komuro to enter the entertainment industry, established the rojam company, and rapidly developed into an excellent comprehensive music studio in the Asian region focusing on music production.

Through his cooperation with Tetsuya Komuro, he accumulated experience in the field of music production and, with the help of Tetsuya Komuro's influence and network resources in the Japanese music industry, further expanded his business network in the entertainment market.

In this life, he was attracted by the great tide of the domestic entertainment and film industry and returned to China to found Cheng Tian Entertainment.

He had a very deep relationship with Japanese capital.

This point, let alone others, was seen clearly by Wang Jinhua, who had just joined Cheng Tian, in the office.

For example, the office everyone was sitting in; upstairs was the mainland branch of NEC Mobile, a company with Japanese capital background that Wu Kebo was involved with.

Downstairs was Cheng Tian.

Take another example, Wu Kebo's well-known confidante Chen Hao; the mobile phone she endorsed was NEC, and it was rumored that the latter invested 50 million in startup capital for Wu Kebo.

Of course, like another big shot in the entertainment circle, Boss Lu, Wu Kebo was also single and had no major scandals, so Chen Hao didn't have to bear any reputation pressure.

Today was the meeting of the three big shots of Cheng Tian.

Wu Kebo needs no further mention.

Wang Jinhua was fully responsible for the brokerage business and had an independent company called Cheng Tian 18.

The last person was named Zhuang Liqi, who had worked in film and television at the Shanghai Film Studio for many years and later served as the general manager of the Shanghai branch of China International Television Corporation.

This person was a big shot in the Shanghai circle's TV dramas; "Romance in the Rain" and "Pink Ladies" were both from his hands.

In the currently nascent Cheng Tian International Entertainment Group, Wu Kebo coordinated the overall situation, Wang Jinhua specialized in artist management, and Zhuang Liqi was responsible for film and television production.

After reading the article by Communication University of China professor Dai Qing, all three put down the materials in their hands with complex expressions.

"Two, after reading Dai Qing's article, what are your thoughts?"

Zhuang Liqi gave a bitter smile: "Previously, this Boss Lu had visited the Shanghai Film Studio, back when he was filming 'Foreign Land' in 2003."

"We did eat together; to call him a dragon among men would probably still be underestimating the heroes of the world."

He tapped his knuckles on Dai Qing's article: "Such a model sounds simple, but from the three core links of internet tools, public opinion volume, and film and television works, it is almost impossible to replicate."

"Boss Zhuang sees it clearly. You two may have had less dealings with Wenjie, but in Huayi, there was almost not a day I could escape facing this behemoth."

Wang Jinhua sighed: "Blogcn is almost Wenjie's backyard, and Focus Media and Travel Satellite TV are their own industries."

"If we say we have the possibility of imitating these two pieces, then the only thing that Wenjie, or Lu Kuan himself, cannot replicate is his creative level and that of the two directors he brought up."

"Four movies in four years, all critically acclaimed and commercially successful, without a single failure; this is a very terrifying thing."

Wang Jinhua knew what Wu Kebo meant by calling the two of them over today: "Boss Wu, Cheng Tian wants to build Huang Shengyi or Chen Hao according to this model."

"You must find a director with high stability to be able to effortlessly raise the status of actresses like Lu Kuan."

She picked up her cup and took a sip of tea: "Huayi at least has people like Feng Xiaogang, Guan Hu, Lu Chuan, Gao Qunsheng, and He Ping."

"We at Cheng Tian... still need to work hard."

The truth is hard to hear, but Wu Kebo had long anticipated such a situation.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought out a project like "Red Cliff" right from the start, attempting to recruit the Hollywood "returner" John Woo.

Recently, the casting for "Red Cliff" had entered its final stages, jointly produced by Cheng Tian, China Film Group, and others, with filming expected to start within the year.

Boss Wu, who had returned with honors from Japan, was still unwilling to give up: "Jinhua, Liu Yifei, can we poach her?"

Since you two say it's so difficult, what the hell am I supposed to cultivate?

Just steal the fruits of victory.

Wang Jinhua thought to herself that this domestic entertainment novice hadn't yet experienced the prowess of certain people: "Boss Wu, I don't recommend it."

"Her own willingness shouldn't be very strong, and she is currently studying overseas, so it's not easy to approach her."

Wu Kebo felt a little dissatisfied.

I am the boss, you are the employee; I raised the problem not for you to complain, but for you to solve it.

Don't give the boss a fill-in-the-blank question; you need to give me a multiple-choice question!

"If the willingness is not strong, we can add money to negotiate terms. What kind of problem can being overseas be? It's not like she doesn't plan to come back."

The thirty-six-year-old Wu Kebo was quite confident.

This confidence not only came from his previous academic and career success in Japan and his wealthy background, but more importantly, from the strong support of NEC and certain Japanese capital behind him.

"Jinhua, come up with a plan to negotiate. I'll give you a signing fee cap of 50 million. I think the role of Xiao Qiao in 'Red Cliff' can also be discussed, and other supporting conditions are all negotiable!"

50 million is not even enough to shoot a blockbuster; if we can sign her for this amount, it would be a steal.

"Besides..."

"Mr. Wu!"

Wang Jinhua interrupted the leader's speech, a rare occurrence, and the expression of Wu Kebo, who had been heroically deploying tasks, turned gloomy.

"Speak."

"You have been back in the country for less than half a year, so you might not be very clear about some things."

Wang Jinhua deliberated: "This Liu Yifei... has a very deep connection with Lu Kuan."

"What do you mean by 'very deep'? Didn't they break up? It was such a scene at her birthday party, what else is deep about it?"

"Oh! Mr. Wu, you are all men, you must understand a man's psychology."

Wang Jinhua smiled meaningfully: "Especially for a person of that status, he has an extremely strong desire for control over everything around him."

"I really don't think this is a good idea; we might as well try to buy a stake in Wenjie's films, which I think is better than trying to poach Liu Yifei directly."

"Hey!"

Wu Kebo was truly incited to some resentment now; why did you, Wang Jinhua, always boost others' morale?

Oh, so the meaning is that in this domestic entertainment industry, whoever Wenjie and Lu Kuan have their eyes on, no one else can reach out?

So overbearing?

Is looking a crime too?

Boss Wu said sternly: "Manager Wang, whether it is difficult or not, we have to try to know."

"I actually understand what you mean; isn't it just the Olympic leak incident that has caused such a stir in the city recently?"

"But business is business; these are all normal commercial competition behaviors, so it seems we don't need to consider the opinions of certain people too much, right?"

"Oh, we are a new company that just arrived, and it is the time to expand our business; if we are all so timid, wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

Seeing that he was truly angry, Zhuang Liqi had no choice but to mediate: "Manager Wang, what Mr. Wu says also makes sense; I think we can give it a try."

"This Liu Yifei is an independent company and an independent individual; I think she also has the qualifications to make independent decisions!"

Wu Kebo's expression was dark and unreadable, thinking Wang Jinhua would continue to pester him, but unexpectedly, the latter just smiled brightly: "Alright, then I will follow the leader's instructions."

"Before noon tomorrow, I will come up with a plan, and we will discuss it again."

Boss Wu's expression cleared slightly: "Good, thank you for your hard work."

At this moment, Wang Jinhua was spinning a pen in her hand, expressionless, but a trace of regret suddenly welled up in her heart.

She thought that coming to Chengtian would be like a bird flying high in the sky, but she didn't expect to run into a stubborn and self-opinionated boss.

Compared to Lu Kuan, there is no need to mention him, and even compared to Wangda Army of Huayi, he is far worse.

Good words cannot persuade a damned ghost; she could almost foresee the trend of the situation below.

If Liu Yifei refuses directly, it would be fine if Wu Kebo gives up.

If he wants to use some underhanded tactics...

I hope he can see clearly that one name that has already fallen, a bloody name.

"Alright, let's stop here with the Liu Yifei matter, and continue to discuss the following work."

Wu Kebo opened the materials in his hand: "Previously, a talent development plan for Wenjie was leaked on the market, right? The one for the 'chick flick' route?"

"Yes, the current Su Chang of Wenjie is their standardized 'product'."

"Hmm, my train of thought also comes from here."

Seeming to show his open-mindedness, Wu Kebo did not keep it a secret.

"The Four Young Dan Actresses, the two Bingbings, and one Fei."

"Besides Liu Yifei, do you two think there is any possibility of continuing to poach or find alternative plans?"

In Wu Kebo's view, the development of the newly arrived Chengtian relies on nothing more than two levers: works (directors) and artists.

Good directors and works are hard to come by, but good artists are like dazzling commodities on the market.

Isn't the poaching operation brought by Wang Jinhua's team based on this line of thinking?

It's just that every track for female stars in the domestic entertainment industry is full of people.

The Liu Yifei path has already been discussed, and replicating it is as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Then what about the others?

Wang Jinhua listed them like family treasures: "Zhao Yanzi is mired in scandals, and her previous works also lack replicability."

"Zhang Ziyi mainly relies on film resources to break out and enter Hollywood, which is also very difficult."

"Actually, counting them up, only Xu Jinglei and Fan Bingbing are easier."

Wu Kebo was still willing to listen to her professional analysis: "How so?"

"For Xu Jinglei and Fan Bingbing, it would be an exaggeration to say they have no acting skills, but they are indeed very average, and their representative works are also lacking."

"Xu Jinglei follows the talented woman and literary youth persona, while Fan Bingbing follows the sexy and fashionable style; these are all things that can be imitated and hyped."

Zhuang Liqi smiled: "The company's Chen Hao is very suitable for following Fan Bingbing's path."

"There is another candidate, I think she is quite good."

Wang Jinhua thought of the news about "Tangshan Earthquake" she saw recently: "Song Jia, her acting skills, temperament, appearance, and figure are all very malleable."

Wu Kebo did not commit, just silently noted down the name.

"For the literary and talented woman temperament, is Manager Wang familiar with someone called Jiang Yiyan?"

"Jiang Yiyan?"

Ten thousand words a day, trying my best to maintain it, it's too busy at the end of the year.

Continuing to ask for votes!

(End of this chapter)