Chapter 753 Unique

YeMai.com is indeed a unique website and social platform in China.

Various websites and social platforms exist, each with different positioning and characteristics, but only YeMai.com has managed to make its artistic attributes so strong.

Of course, just like any website with unique features, this feature is both its strength and its constraint.

The "artistic" attribute itself is niche, not mainstream. It can be used to elevate one's taste, but it's fundamentally unworkable for opening up the market.

On this basis, YeMai.com's creation of a social platform based on a "rating" system to support its user base is very clever.

Lu Yanhe asked curiously, "But this website must have a lot of paid trolls, right?"

“Many,” Xin Zixing nodded. “Our website’s rating system, for example, has a very complex calculation formula, designed to reduce the weight of paid reviewers or users with low trust levels. You know, some projects starring celebrities get tens of thousands of accounts registered less than six months ago giving them full marks as soon as they go live—it’s outrageous. So, in reality, after many rounds of revisions, the coefficient corresponding to each ID on YeMai.com is different. This coefficient is determined based on the number of login days and activity level, in order to eliminate paid reviewers, trolls, and some commercial score-boosting behavior as much as possible.”

Lu Yanhe nodded.

"But everyone has their own interpretation of Hamlet," Lu Yanhe said. "Even if your rating system is perfect, there will still be people who criticize it, right?"

"Of course, firstly, no rating system is perfect or without flaws."

"Secondly, our rating system, to put it bluntly, is based on the average of public data, and moreover, it is based on the average of data from a group of people who are willing to share their opinions online. To put it bluntly, it is even difficult to truly represent the opinions of the vast majority of people."

"However, I never intended to make Yemai.com a rating website that could give a final verdict on any work. My positioning is still social media. What you see is not only the score displayed on the work's page, but also what works you follow, what you appreciate, and what your friends are watching recently, and what their attitudes are towards these works."

"To put it bluntly, it's like one day I post on my WeChat Moments that I've read a certain book or watched a certain movie and shared my thoughts. If people in my WeChat Moments see this, they might look it up and watch it based on their trust in me. What I want to emphasize is this kind of social attribute."

"Everyone has an idealistic and artistic side to some extent. On other platforms, they may not be able to express it normally, but on YeMai.com, they can."

"On the other hand, many people don't actually not want to express themselves, but are embarrassed to do so. They feel awkward sharing their thoughts and feelings about books or movies on social media. But Yemai.com is a website where you can express everything with a rating if you don't want to talk. It can satisfy the desire to share that many people don't want to express themselves through words."

Lu Yanhe nodded.

That's really true.

“I’ve also discussed with Shi Jin what YeMai.com plans to do over the next five years: how to gradually transform the artistic attribute into style and aesthetics, and how to solidify everyone’s desire to express their work on this social media platform,” Xin Zixing said. “City Travelogue and similar works are all aimed at achieving the former, while we do all sorts of themed activities to satisfy the latter.”

Lu Yanhe understood what Xin Zixing meant.

Xin Zixing clearly has a very grand plan and idea for the leaf vein network.

Her passion for leaf vein networks is evident in the amount of effort she puts into them.

Lu Yanhe said, "What if Shijin turns around and abandons you after you've served your purpose?"

Xin Zixing shook her head. "Everyone has to go down someday. I don't think I can stay in this position forever, but I won't be foolish enough to give it my all without leaving myself a way out. I'll work my way up slowly. If they really want to discard me after I've served my purpose, we'll see if the mill can keep turning after they kill me."

Lu Yanhe: "Actually, it would be great if we had the opportunity to acquire Yemai.com in the future."

"We ordinary people with no capital, how could we dare to dream of such a thing?"

“There might be opportunities in the future,” Lu Yanhe said. “Of course, if Shijin makes the right move into the entertainment industry, then it will probably be difficult.”

Xin Zixing exchanged a surprised glance with Lu Yanhe.

Lu Yanhe: "However, that's not necessarily true. These kinds of things are all about waiting for the right opportunity. Before that, we should accumulate experience and skills so that when the opportunity comes, we won't be unable to seize it."

Xin Zixin nodded.

She suddenly thought of something and said, "Actually, YeMai.com is quite suitable for a leapfrog acquisition, as all its business segments can be integrated."

Lu Yanhe: "Jump up and acquire YeMai.com? Haha, let's see if that's possible in twenty years."

Xin Zixing said, "Actually, given your current pace of development, it may not take that long."

Lu Yanhe: "I'm already very satisfied with my current state without setting such high goals and putting so much pressure on myself."

“That’s true.” Xin Zixing smiled and pointed at Huang Kairen, saying, “He’s so envious of you.”

Huang Kairen: "As an actor, let's not talk about Yan He winning awards or anything. The key thing is that he can now choose what projects he wants to do and get projects to come to him. If there aren't any, he can film them himself. Which actor wouldn't envy this kind of choice and initiative?"

Lu Yanhe asked, "Brother Huang, is there any project you'd like to work on?"

“Me? I didn’t.” Huang Kairen shook his head. “I think it’s fine as it is now. I don’t want to work as hard as before.”

Lu Yanhe nodded.

"It would be best to slow down on your own initiative. Besides, with your current status in the industry, you don't need to work so hard anymore. Filming one or two movies a year is enough."

“That’s what I originally thought, but when I saw you guys, it was so exaggerated. Just you, Li Zhibai and Yan Liang, the three of you together open more than ten projects every year,” Huang Kairen said. “I’m not even forty years old yet, and I’m already starting to feel a mid-life crisis because of you guys.”

“Our situation is special,” Lu Yanhe said. “Besides, we can’t keep filming like this forever.”

"Really? I have a feeling you can keep filming like this forever?"

"Now is the time to conquer the country, and everyone is holding their breath," Lu Yanhe said with a smile.

"You guys were still conquering the land? The three of you have already taken over most of it." Huang Kairen couldn't help but complain after hearing Lu Yanhe's words.

Lu Yanhe laughed and said, "Look at the projects we've taken on, isn't this exactly the time to conquer the world?"

Xin Zixing nodded, "That's right, when they were fighting for the country, they all went overseas."

Huang Kairen suddenly realized, "Okay, if you put it that way, that's indeed the case."

The three of them, including Lu Yanhe, now almost all of their projects are overseas projects—Linghe's projects overseas.

Huang Kai-ren said, "Although I know you definitely don't lack actors, if anyone stands you up and you need me to fill in, you can contact me anytime. I only take on 1-2 projects a year now, so I have plenty of time."

Xin Zixing immediately rolled her eyes at him, "You're really something. If you wanted to film Yan He's scenes, you should have just said so. You even had someone ask you to fill in for you."

Lu Yanhe laughed heartily and said, "I'm so touched that Brother Huang would say such things to me. I'll remember that, thank you, Brother Huang."

For an actor like Huang Kairen, it's one thing to get good projects to come to him, but it's quite another for a good project to ask him to save the day.

Despite Xin Zixing's high praise for Lu Yanhe's project and her low regard for Huang Kairen, the truth is that Lu Yanhe is not the only one in China capable of running a successful project. Moreover, an actor like Huang Kairen, who has won Best Actor awards and enjoys fame and popularity, is highly sought after by any good project.

Putting aside other things, Huang Kairen was not Lu Yanhe's first choice for "My Own Swordsman" at the time, due to various requirements - Lu Yanhe did not want Bai Zhantang to be played by such a handsome and popular actor.

However, as a major S+ level project for the Northern Lights, when Lu Yanhe chose Liu Zi, an actress who was relatively unknown at the time, to play the female lead, and Xiao Yun, although somewhat famous, was not yet at the level to carry the show, and Jiang Jun only had a guest appearance in a supporting role, and the other actors were all newcomers, they needed a male actor who was recognized in all aspects and could carry the show, and that was Huang Kairen—

This alone is enough to explain Huang Kairen's current position.

In fact, even without Huang Kairen, "My Own Swordsman" might still have been a huge hit, but the commercial revenue of the first season and the investment in the series itself would have been significantly reduced.

Therefore, Huang Kairen's willingness to say such a thing to Lu Yanhe truly shows his loyalty.

Lu Yanhe said, "Brother Huang, after the final season of 'My Own Swordsman' airs next year, would you like to film an American TV series?"

Huang Kairen was somewhat surprised, "American TV series?"

“Yes.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “Although it’s just an idea right now, and the script is still being developed.”

"Okay," Huang Kairen said, "but shouldn't I start learning English?"

“It would be best if you could speak English,” Lu Yanhe said.

"Okay, then I'll go find a teacher to teach me."

“No rush, you can learn at your own pace,” Lu Yanhe said with a smile. “In the next few years, my projects will gradually target the global market simultaneously, and I will create some projects that can be launched globally at the same time.”

Huang Kairen: "You're going to make a big splash, aren't you?"

“Yes.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “Having gone abroad so many times, I always feel that with such a great culture and such great creators, why can’t we get more attention when we have the opportunity? Hollywood can establish channels all over the world, so can we.”

"Everyone is talking about cultural differences and cultural barriers. Aren't you worried about these things?"

“It exists, and I don’t believe it can be completely eliminated,” Lu Yanhe said. “However, artistic works are never meant to resonate with everyone. Good creations will always find their audience, and I firmly believe that. So, if a movie only makes five million dollars at the box office in the US, would you just stop trying to sell it? If it can make more than two million dollars at the box office in five markets, wouldn’t that mean it’s worth over ten million dollars overseas? That’s sixty or seventy million yuan, isn’t that income? Isn’t that influence? Japan hasn’t established a global distribution network either, yet its animated films are now flourishing all over the world. In North America, they often make millions of dollars, and sometimes even tens of millions of dollars at the box office. Didn’t they spend many years accumulating experience before achieving this in just a few years? Take it slow, accumulate little by little.”

“You’re absolutely right.” Xin Zixing nodded. “Look at Korean dramas on Maxine, they consistently have shows that are in the top five in global viewership for years. Although they have the support of Jong Bon-seok, Korean dramas themselves are indeed very well made, and they excel in various aspects, including subject matter.”

“I see that many platforms are now reducing the number of episodes in their dramas and making shorter series,” Lu Yanhe said. “Moreover, this situation is even more pronounced than it was a few years ago.”

"This is mainly because everyone is trying to reduce costs and increase efficiency," Huang Kairen said immediately. "It's not about aligning with international standards or anything. The price and cost system of TV series are basically still linked to the number of episodes. If the number of episodes is reduced, the cost of purchasing and producing each series will also be reduced."

“Everyone talks about reducing costs and increasing efficiency, but in the end, the most popular dramas every year are still those with more than thirty episodes.” After Xin Zixing finished speaking, she suddenly thought of something and looked at Lu Yanhe, “Oh, except for your drama. But your drama can’t be judged by conventional standards. It’s either a sitcom, which is made in seasons, or a top-tier drama with a cast of big names.”

Lu Yanhe: "I don't really like filming very long dramas. Of course, it's another story if I come across a good script. But the reason why the dramas I film are relatively short is because I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. You see, starting with 'The Seventeenth Floor,' it was an experiment by Beijing TV to make a genre drama. It was only because Chen Bige was willing to act that the drama started. Otherwise, it probably wouldn't have started filming. Then I started making 'Friends,' which was before 'Friends.' Both of those were short dramas. After that, it was the drama that director Lingling collaborated on with Maxine. It was made entirely according to the short dramas that Maxine usually produces. It really was just a matter of timing. After that, I only filmed 'Friends' and 'The Seventeenth Floor,' and I didn't take on any other dramas."

Xin Zixing: "Have you forgotten about 'The Legend of Sword and Fairy'?"

“Oh, it hasn’t aired yet, so I didn’t say anything. ‘Chinese Paladin’ is an exception. I think this drama should be made into a long series. It’s an ensemble piece, and the world it involves is very large. However, the storyline is also seamless. If it’s made into seasons, it will greatly affect the viewing experience,” Lu Yanhe said.

Xin Zixing nodded, "Speaking of which, you understand theater the most, and you have a say in it, running your own company to produce plays."

Huang Kairen said, "I'm really looking forward to the TV series 'Chinese Paladin.' It's Director Luo's first time directing this kind of genre, and it's the three of you acting in it. It's hard to imagine what this fantasy drama will be like."

Xin Zixing: "Indeed, you can see from the backend data of Yemai.com that the anticipation for 'Chinese Paladin' is very high. The show hasn't even started intensive promotion yet, but every day many people are searching for news about the show, wanting to see if there are any new materials."

"Is it the data page you mentioned you wanted to make before?" Lu Yanhe asked.

“Yes.” Xin Zixing nodded. “Don’t we have connections and collaborations with various film and television production teams? The number of daily page views for the film and television information section is also increasing. For example, the page for ‘Chinese Paladin’ gets four to five thousand page views every day.”

That's a lot indeed.

“We only control this data in the backend to prevent it from being manipulated by fans who use it as a troll or manipulate data. But you can see a lot from this data, such as how many users are paying attention to this show and what the data of first-time visitors is like,” Xin Zixing said. “At first, when we invited many production teams to cooperate with us for consultation and release, many production teams were unwilling. But later they discovered that our backend data can help them make a lot of advance judgments.”

“Yes, just hearing you say that makes me realize that if there are many new users browsing recently, it means that the recent promotion has been effective in attracting people. If a large number of users disappear, it means that something has made them start to resist the show.” Lu Yanhe said, “If this data is used well, it can be of great significance for the show’s promotion and even for tracking the production process.”

“Yes,” Xin Zixing said. “Moreover, due to the design of the weights and coefficients for users in Yemai.net, the final data quality is relatively high.”

"If YeMai.com can maintain the quality of this user data, then all content providers will probably come to you for cooperation in the future," said Lu Yanhe.

"We hope to achieve this," Xin Zixing said with a smile. "A large portion of our annual operation and maintenance and technology costs is allocated to monitoring and improving the quality of user data."

-

After the meal, Lu Yanhe parted ways with them and drove off alone to retrieve the fire.

There are several supplementary agreements that he needs to go and sign.

Supplementary agreements regarding the distribution of brokerage and agency revenue for individuals including Huang Feng and Cai Na.

The main reason is that although Lu Yanhe doesn't hold a large share in Shihuo Company, many of its clients are brought in by him.

From the outside, Lu Yanhe seemed to be the one who benefited the most. In reality, Chen Ziyan and Lu Qingzhen were the ones who actually benefited.

Chen Ziyan and Lu Qingzhen also felt that if things continued like this, Lu Yanhe would suffer greater and greater losses.

After all, these actors could totally sign with Linghe, since they signed with Shihuo because of Linghe's film and television resources.

Therefore, they wanted to provide Lu Yanhe with some compensation in terms of revenue through several supplementary agreements. For the clients that Lu Yanhe brought in, they made a very detailed calculation formula, taking 5% each from the shares under Chen Ziyan and Lu Qingzhen's names, and giving it to Lu Yanhe as a company gift.

Lu Yanhe didn't hesitate and said "okay".

Now that his family is large and his business is thriving, although he may not be able to keep many accounts straight, he understands the principle of "even close brothers should keep clear accounts."

Moreover, there's no reason for him to openly give Linghe's shares to Chen Ziyan but not to openly accept Shihuo's shares from Chen Ziyan.

Commercial collaborations must be clear and transparent, with no room for ambiguity. However, beyond clarity, every action also involves human relationships.

In this way, they can bind their relationships even closer together.

Good.

-

At this very moment, Chen Ziyan was also talking to Lu Qingzhen about work.

“Yu Sha might leave,” Lu Qingzhen said. “It’s said that Meng Li offered her a high price and wanted to poach her to be his agent.”

Chen Ziyan was also somewhat surprised: "Yu Sha? Meng Li has set her sights on her?"

“Isn’t Yu Sha mentoring Xiao Bai? Xiao Bai had a conflict with Meng Li while recording a show, and Yu Sha handled the situation very well, allowing Xiao Bai to escape unscathed and even turning it into publicity, boosting his popularity even further. Although Meng Li suffered a loss, she probably saw Yu Sha’s actions and got the idea, and it’s said they’ve been in contact for two months,” Lu Qingzhen said. “Meng Li’s collaboration with Zhou Ping’an is almost over, and what I’ve heard is that she’s planning to open her own studio and desperately needs someone with strong leadership skills who can manage both external affairs and internal team building.”

“Meng Li is a really smart girl.” Chen Ziyan’s eyes narrowed. “It seems that Zhou Ping’an is probably going to leave Xingyu. Otherwise, given the two years that Zhou Ping’an and Meng Li have worked together, Meng Li shouldn’t be leaving Zhou Ping’an at this time.”

"Is Zhou Ping'an going to Shijin? Why isn't he taking Meng Li with him?" Lu Qingzhen was also puzzled.

"Who knows? Meng Li is smart, but she's also genuinely crazy; she never plays by the rules," Chen Ziyan said. "What does Yu Sha think?"

“People always strive for better opportunities. Yu Sha would undoubtedly have more room for development in Mengli than in Shihuo. If she wants to go, we can’t stop her,” Lu Qingzhen said frankly. “However, she probably hesitates. After all, Mengli is not a kind person. If we really want to cooperate, we may not be able to cooperate happily.”

Chen Ziyan smiled.

That's true.

"Moreover, although Yu Sha is shrewd, her weakness is indeed a lack of resources and connections. She's good at managing rising artists like Xiaobai, but for a top-tier female star like Mengli, what she has is not enough," Lu Qingzhen said. "She is also aware that she can't use many resources outside of the Shihuo platform."

Chen Ziyan: "Yu Sha is indeed very capable and has potential. You can find an opportunity to have a good talk with her. If she can bring Xiaobai into a top-tier artist, there is a chance for her to become a partner."

Lu Qingzhen: "Okay."

Chen Ziyan: "Shihuo is now well-equipped and powerful. For many artists, our agents are highly sought after. This situation is likely to continue in the future, so we need to be on guard."

"We should study the partnership system we discussed earlier and roll it out as soon as possible," Lu Qingzhen said. "Truly capable people don't want to work for someone else their whole lives."

“Yes.” Chen Ziyan smiled and shook her head after thinking about this. “I never thought about starting my own agency before. If I had a good company, I would be willing to work for them for the rest of my life.”

"Come on, you're not willing to work for someone else your whole life. You just want a place where someone will do all the things you don't want to do for you, and you only need to do what you want to do, and no one can say anything about it."

Chen Ziyan: "Do you think Lu Yanhe's development has been too unexpected? I feel that if I don't do this job, I won't be able to keep up with his growth rate, so I got caught up in his success?"

“Of course, that’s what I think,” Lu Qingzhen said. “Don’t you remember? You used to work hard, but you didn’t really have much ambition.”

(End of this chapter)