Chapter 239 New Year, New Project

January 9, 2009, Friday, the weather was fine and the wind was gentle. There were still more than two weeks to the Spring Festival, and the whole of Beijing was already immersed in a joyous atmosphere of welcoming the New Year.

In the conference room of Tengda Group’s headquarters, all the senior executives gathered for the annual year-end meeting.

In the conference room, the tables and chairs that were usually neatly arranged were now full of people. Everyone was talking in low voices or flipping through the documents in their hands, waiting for the meeting to begin.

Slightly different from the past, the two seats at the top of the conference room were now empty, which made the atmosphere in the conference room a little strange.

It was time for the meeting. Jiang Tiantian, the office director, looked around and saw that all the participants had arrived. He picked up the microphone and said:

"Ladies and gentlemen, the chairman is ill and CEO Zhang is in the United States for a very important business negotiation and cannot attend this meeting. Therefore, today's annual meeting will be hosted by Chief Operating Officer Ms. Wang Jing."

As soon as the words fell, the meeting room suddenly became noisy, with everyone whispering and talking.

Some well-informed people had learned about Song Ci's illness and hospitalization long before the meeting. Others who had just learned the news were worried and hurriedly asked their colleagues about the situation.

Seeing this, Wang Jing clapped his hands and made some noise, signaling the other executives to be quiet.

She knew that some people were worried about Song Ci's physical condition. After all, the chairman was the absolute soul of Tengda Group and there must not be any problems with him.

"Everyone please be quiet, the chairman only has a minor health problem, he will be recuperating in the hospital for a few days and will be back to work next week.

Since the meeting notice had already been issued, and considering that everyone was busy with work before the Spring Festival and their schedules were very tight, the meeting date was not changed. The chairman and General Manager Zhang entrusted me to preside over the meeting.

Although Mr. Song cannot attend the meeting in person, everyone needs to submit their year-end reports in writing to the chairman for review after the meeting. I hope everyone will take it seriously. "

Upon hearing that Song Ci would be able to come to work as usual next week, the meeting room gradually quieted down and everyone began to concentrate on the upcoming year-end meeting.

Seeing that the meeting was in order, Wang Jing turned to CFO Chen An and said, "Mr. Chen, you start first!"

Chen An nodded, walked up to the podium, opened the prepared PPT in his notebook, cleared his throat, and said into the microphone:

"My dear colleagues, let me first report on the Group's operating conditions in 2008. The Group achieved remarkable results last year, with annual revenue of 12.5 billion and net profit of 4.2 billion..."

After Chen An finished his report, each business department took turns to come on stage to make a year-end summary, including Toutiao, TD Game Platform, Mobile Game Department, Weibo... One by one, each department came on stage to show the group's senior management their work results and future plans for the past year.

The meeting lasted from 9 a.m. to sunset.

The winter sunset shone into the conference room through the window. Wang Jing looked tired as she made the final work arrangements before the meeting.

“Everyone, the business department’s report is over today. Next Monday is the group management department’s report. The chairman will personally preside over the meeting then.

As for the year-end evaluation and distribution of year-end bonuses to each department, after General Manager Zhang returns from the United States, I will discuss with General Manager Zhang and report to the chairman for decision based on everyone’s performance in the previous year.

But I can tell you a good news in advance. The group's operating results this year are gratifying, and the year-end bonuses of all departments have increased significantly compared to last year."

Upon hearing this, all the executives smiled brightly and applauded. After all, they had worked hard for a year and everyone was looking forward to a good year.

After the meeting, the room was empty and it was so quiet that only the occasional whistling of the wind outside the window could be heard.

Wang Jing sat in her seat and rubbed her temples gently. She had been in meetings all day and had been highly focused throughout the whole process. She was now physically and mentally exhausted.

I couldn't help but admire Song Ci. In the past, when the chairman held meetings, he could accurately grasp the abnormalities in the data reported by each department, often raised some key questions, and maintained a high degree of concentration and sharpness throughout the process.

She was in good spirits during the morning meeting, but after three o'clock in the afternoon, she was exhausted and her mind gradually couldn't keep up with the pace. She had to force herself to stay awake after that.

Jiang Tiantian, who was still at the meeting, came over with a concerned look on her face: "Boss Wang, are you okay?"

She understood that Wang Jing had been under a lot of pressure these days. The chairman had gone abroad for a romantic trip, and CEO Zhang Yong was on a business trip to the United States. All the big and small affairs of the group had recently fallen on Wang Jing's shoulders alone, which was indeed very stressful.

Wang Jing waved her hands tiredly: "I'm fine! Tiantian, what's wrong?"

Jiang Tiantian sat down next to Wang Jing and took the opportunity to ask: "Boss Wang, do you think we should go to the hospital to visit the chairman tomorrow?"

There is a saying that goes, when the leader is sick, he may not remember who visited him, but he will definitely remember clearly who did not visit him.

"Needless to say, I must go." Wang Jing said without thinking, "I will ask Shishi tonight to see which ward Mr. Song is staying in. You can prepare a fruit basket for me. The boss doesn't need anything. The main thing is a token of my appreciation. You can accompany me tomorrow."

After saying that, he remembered something and added, "Tiantian, please prepare an extra fruit basket, and include one for Mr. Zhang."

Jiang Tiantian nodded: "I'll prepare everything and pick you up tomorrow."

Wang Jing nodded, stood up to stretch her aching neck and shoulders, and responded, "Then let's arrange it this way."

After the matter was settled, the two of them left the meeting room together. Jiang Tiantian was burning with gossip: "Boss Wang, did the chairman really propose to Shishi?"

"That should be the case. Anyway, in all these years, I have never seen Mr. Song with other women. Who else could it be but Shishi?"

"That's right. I never thought that the little girl who was doing internship in the company would finally become the boss's wife. I envy Shishi for meeting such a great man like the boss."

Seeing Jiang Tiantian's envious expression, Wang Jing couldn't help but joked, "Instead of envying others, why not find a partner quickly?"

When talking about finding a partner, Jiang Tiantian looked frustrated: "My mother urges me every day, and the Chinese New Year is coming soon. I get a headache when I think of all the aunts and uncles at home. How can I be impatient to find a partner? I have to meet the right one eventually."

Wang Jing looked sincere and said earnestly: "Tiantian, be realistic. Forget about meeting someone like Mr. Song. There is only one Song Ci and only one Liu Shishi in the world.

You and Zhou Yu both have too high standards. You use Mr. Song as a model. How can you find a partner like this? You two are the same age. You will be 30 soon. It is normal for your family to urge you to get married.

First find someone who is of equal status to you and who you like, and then spend some time with him or her. You should know what to do at each age in your life."

Jiang Tiantian knew that her leader was sincere: "I know, thank you, Mr. Wang."

"Come sit in my office. My boyfriend is on duty tonight. I'll treat you to a nice dinner later."

The two women walked side by side and entered the elevator together. When they reached the top floor, they saw Zhang Zhao, general manager of Tengda Culture, wandering outside the access control.

Wang Jing was curious: "Mr. Zhang, you haven't gone back yet?"

"Boss Wang! Director Jiang!" Zhang Zhao greeted. "I'm undecided about something and would like to ask Boss Wang for advice."

Jiang Tiantian said tactfully: "Boss Wang, since Boss Zhang wants to report to you, I will go back first."

"No need, Director Jiang, it doesn't hurt to listen and give me some suggestions."

"Let's talk in my office." Wang Jing took out the access card, swiped the glass door open, and led the two into the office area.

Different from the grand and elegant office of Song Ci, Wang Jing's office is decorated in a unique style, with an elegant atmosphere of the Jiangnan water town.

The three of them sat down on the sofa in the reception room. Wang Jing's face lit up with joy when she recalled Zhang Zhao's report on the operating status of Tengda Culture at the year-end meeting just now.

He looked at Zhang Zhao with admiration: "Mr. Zhang, you have done an excellent job this year. In terms of the box office, A Little Thing Called First Love has achieved remarkable results and successfully exceeded 100 million.

The performance of Painted Skin was even more amazing, breaking the 200 million mark, and both films made it into the top ten of the Chinese entertainment film box office. The TV series also achieved outstanding results.

At the beginning of the year, "My Love from the Star" was a big hit in Asia. At the end of last year, "Living with a Stewardess" and "Insidious" also had high ratings and achieved gratifying results. Tengda Culture's year-end evaluation is definitely the best."

Tengda Culture was founded by her and is like her child. Now that the company is thriving, her joy is naturally beyond words.

Zhang Zhao did not dare to take credit for it and said modestly: "I benefited from Mr. Song's help."

"What's the matter? Tell me."

"That's right, Mr. Wang." Zhang Zhao's expression became serious. "Recently, Jiang Wen has a film project that is seeking investment everywhere. He contacted me and wanted Tengda Culture to be the main investor. However, the investment amount is a bit large, and I'm not sure, so I came to ask you for your advice."

"What's the budget? Which other companies are following up on this project?"

"The budget reported by Jiang Wen is currently 150 million, with Huaying Group and Hong Kong's Emperor Entertainment Group following suit."

Zhang Zhao looked cautious. After all, Tengda Culture has always been taking the route of small investment and high return in the film industry. The company has never been involved in the production of top-level Chinese-language films of the scale of 150 million.

However, if the company wants to further develop and grow, large-scale production is the only way forward. But if this project suffers heavy losses, he is worried about being held accountable. All these concerns made him hesitant for a while, so he came to ask Wang Jing for advice.

After hearing this, Wang Jing frowned slightly. An investment of 150 million is not a small amount. According to market rules, if the box office is less than 450 million, it will be a loss.

The box office champion of Chinese-language films in 2008, "Red Cliff", only took in 317 million yuan. Even with the overseas copyright fees, it is estimated that it would be difficult to make money.

"What kind of movie is this, and who are the stars, that needs such a high budget?"

Zhang Zhao immediately gave a detailed introduction: "It is adapted from the novel "Night Talks", which tells a story from the Republic of China period. The leading actors are Jiang Wen, Ge You and Zhou Runfa, and Zhou Runfa's salary alone is 40 million."

"The budget is too high! I think it can be reduced by at least 20 million."

Upon hearing the subject of the movie, Wang Jing burst into laughter. She had also been a producer and knew very well that directors of these big projects would definitely set high budgets.

Zhang Zhao understood the leader's implication: "You mean, we can invest if we can reduce the budget."

Wang Jing nodded firmly and helped analyze: "These leading actors are all very popular at the box office, so the box office of 200 to 300 million should be guaranteed. Add in the overseas copyright income, and the three companies will jointly invest, so even if there is a loss, it won't be too big.

As a film and television giant, Tengda Culture has made a lot of money in recent years. Now it really needs to make a few big productions to go further. Besides, we can also think of other ways, such as arranging our own people to perform and make up for it from other places. "

Zhang Zhao breathed a sigh of relief. He also wanted to invest in this project subjectively. After hearing what Wang Jing said, he felt relieved: "I thought so too. With your support, I feel more at ease."

“The TV drama company invested tens of millions in “My Love from the Star” before, so let’s invest tens of millions in Jiang Wen’s project to test the waters.

The group will not suck the blood of its subsidiaries now. The chairman has given you great autonomy. Don’t hesitate when it’s time to be bolder.”

Zhang Zhao thanked him repeatedly: "Thank you for your understanding and support."

Wang Jing said cheerfully: "Tengda Culture was established by me, and I will do my best to support it wherever I can.

Oh, I forgot to ask, how are the company's artists doing now, and how is the young lady that Mr. Song asked to focus on training last time doing now?"

"The main artists are all doing well. Qiao Zhengyu is filming the movie "The Whistleblower" produced by Huayi, and Wang Luodan is even more impressive. "The Stewardess" was a big hit, so there is no shortage of scripts.

She recently chose a film produced by Xinbaoyuan, "Who's in Charge of My Youth", and the company also invested half of the funds for this drama. Wang Kai and Lv Yi are committed to developing serious dramas, and they are not short of good scripts.

As for Chen Xiao, he just finished filming Chinese Paladin III for Tangren Media and returned from a trip to Switzerland with the chairman. He will first complete his studies at the Central Academy of Drama.

As for Zhao Liying, who you are concerned about, the young girl is quite capable. She took on the TV series "Li Wei as an Official 3" on her own. The ratings of this series are quite popular, and the company agreed to let her participate. The company will also arrange a film for her to play the leading female role later."

Listening to Zhang Zhao's detailed account of the company's artist management department, Wang Jing smiled with satisfaction and said, "Boss Song was not happy with me being an artist manager back then, but now that Tengda Culture's artist management has developed smoothly, I can finally put my mind at ease."

Seeing Zhang Zhao hesitate to speak, Wang Jing asked: "What's wrong? Just tell me what you want to say."

"Now that Qiao Zhengyu and Wang Luodan are gradually becoming more popular, I can't help but be more ambitious and want to modify the agency contract with the company. Although this is always the case in the industry, I am still considering this matter.

Hey, now there is a trend in the circle that celebrities with some status want to learn from Fan Bingbing and set up their own studios. I think Qiao Zhengyu also has this idea, but he just hasn’t told me yet. "

Upon hearing this, Wang Jing opened her mouth, thinking of Song Ci's assertion about the artist management business, and for a moment she didn't know how to answer Zhang Zhao.

As things turned out, it turned out just as the boss predicted, and the facts once again proved the chairman's foresight.

After weighing the pros and cons in his mind, he instructed Zhang Zhao, "We can make some concessions on the brokerage contract. This is also the old rule in the entertainment industry. It has always been the case for the contracts of first-line stars. As for letting them go out and open studios, let me and Director Song ask for your instructions."

Zhang Zhao nodded: "This matter is not urgent, but I just want to report the situation to you."

(End of this chapter)