Chapter 505 Are You Okay?

As night falls and the lights of Peking come on, a black Maybach drives smoothly on the bustling streets.

Outside the car window, there were crowds of people and neon signs flashing with a blurry light.

The car was completely silent.

Song Ci tilted his head slightly, his eyes sweeping across the rapidly receding lights outside the window, and then pressed the window control button.

The bulletproof glass lowered silently, and the breeze of the early summer night immediately rushed into the car.

The evening breeze dispelled the faint smell of alcohol lingering around Song Ci, and also made his mind, which was a little drowsy from the social activities and thoughts at the banquet, clearer.

After a brief silence, he opened his mouth, his voice low and magnetic due to being slightly drunk: "Tang Yue."

On the passenger seat, the head bodyguard turned quickly and said, "Boss, your orders."

Song Ci exhaled a drunken breath and said, "Check someone. Sun Tongyu, the former president of Taobao."

"Okay, boss." Tang Yue agreed immediately.

The scene at the cocktail party just now emerged in Song Ci's mind.

Liu Xiangdong's half-true and half-false test ignited the interest that had been dormant in his heart for a long time.

Times have changed, and the situation has changed. Now that Tengda is on the rise and the game is in the middle stage, perhaps it is time to meet the "Father of Taobao".

Once the thought arises, it is difficult to suppress it.

Just as he was about to speak again, he heard a steady and continuous vibration from the cell phone in his suit pocket.

He pulled out his phone, his lips curled up slightly as his fingertips brushed the answer button. The screen lit up, and his wife, Liu Shishi's delicate face, instantly filled the frame.

She seemed to be taking a break on the set, still wearing an elaborate ancient costume and a pearl hairpin. Under the soft light, her bright eyes, white teeth, picturesque eyebrows, and skin as white as snow, made her look even more stunning.

Liu Shishi looked at the camera, smiling softly, her eyes full of concern: "Yi Yi, is the cocktail party over?"

She habitually called him by his nickname.

"Hmm." Song Ci leaned back into the soft leather seat with a relaxed body, letting out a comfortable hum.

The neon lights outside the car window occasionally passed over his profile, flickering.

Liu Shishi said softly, "I've asked Sister Li to prepare some hangover soup. Remember to drink some when you get home. You can't hold your liquor well, or you'll have a headache tomorrow morning."

"I understand, wife." Song Ci agreed obediently, enjoying the timely concern even though they were thousands of miles apart.

Looking at his wife's beautiful ancient costume on the screen, he suddenly thought of something and a smile flashed in his eyes: "Dear, I have good news for you."

Liu Shishi looked around with a bright look on her face, full of anticipation.

"I'm going on a business trip to Donghai in a couple of days." Song Ci said slowly, deliberately keeping it a secret, "and then I'll go to Hengdian to see you."

"Really?!" Liu Shishi exclaimed in surprise, her voice rising unconsciously, "Husband, you're coming to visit the set!"

This surprise came too suddenly.

She originally thought it would be difficult to reunite with her husband throughout May, after all, he would be heading to Dongfeng Aerospace City deep in the Gobi Desert at the end of the month.

Song Ci looked at his wife's excited reaction, the smile in his eyes deepened, and he nodded slightly: "Well, I'll go over after the meeting."

He immediately explained: "Donghai is about to be officially established as a free trade pilot zone, and I was invited by the municipal government to attend a high-level corporate symposium.

Tengda has decided to establish its East China headquarters in the newly established Free Trade Zone and is one of the first core enterprises to sign a contract to move in.

Although Liu Shishi was not completely proficient in business, she had been by her husband's side for many years and could understand most of it.

Curious, I asked, "Free trade zone? Are there any specific benefits for Tengda?"

Song Ci originally wanted to simply pass it off as "policy benefits", but seeing the curiosity in his wife's eyes, he patiently explained.

"Simply put, it's a special economic zone whose main purpose is trade liberalization and facilitation, with many groundbreaking policies. Naturally, there are many benefits."

After a brief thought, he picked out a few key points and explained them in plain language: "For example, Tenda has a large number of overseas businesses, such as WeChat overseas promotion, Silicon Valley investment, and game overseas expansion, all of which require frequent cross-border capital flows.

Within the free trade zone, Tengda is allowed to establish a cross-border two-way capital pool, which will allow it to allocate domestic and foreign funds in the future without having to apply for approval for each transaction. This will greatly improve efficiency and save exchange costs."

"Oh, this is indeed much more convenient." Liu Shishi nodded.

Song Ci continued, giving an example: "Tenda needs to purchase massive amounts of servers, routers and other hardware equipment every year to support the operation of its global data centers.

In the free trade zone, the import and customs clearance of these equipment will implement new policies such as 'enter the zone first, declare customs later', which will be faster and simpler."

At this point, his expression became slightly more serious, and he sat up straighter. "However, the most important thing is about data! The free trade zone will be built into a 'special zone for cross-border data flow.'

On the premise of meeting security standards and regulatory requirements, you can apply to transfer some business data, such as desensitized international user behavior data and data used for AI model training, overseas, such as WeChat's artificial intelligence research center in Silicon Valley.

This will facilitate analysis and processing by experts there, driving algorithm research and product optimization. This is crucial for future competition with giants like Google and Amazon in the international market.”

Liu Shishi listened very carefully. Although she didn't fully understand the professional terms, she was able to grasp the core.

This is a "reform experimental field" with special policies, which is extremely important to my husband's career.

He nodded thoughtfully, then asked worriedly, "Such a good policy, will there be any different opinions in Peking?"

Song Ci understood his wife's concerns, gave her a reassuring look, and said in a calm tone, "Don't worry.

This matter was already discussed when the leader visited the Donghai Free Trade Zone in March.

We clearly hope that innovative technology companies like Tengda will take the lead in supporting the development and relocate some of their core businesses and international business segments to the new district, thereby setting up a demonstration effect.

This is a national strategy, not a local action.”

When Liu Shishi heard this, she understood.

The Peking University graduate was her husband's supporter. It was his appreciation and support that allowed Tengda to develop with peace of mind. With this relationship in place, many things naturally flowed more smoothly.

She relaxed her brows and smiled sweetly, "That's good."

Song Ci looked at his wife's gentle smile and felt more relaxed, but he also felt the heavy responsibility on his shoulders.

He sighed softly, his words tinged with emotion: "Yes, this is an unprecedented opportunity for Tengda. Financing, data, supervision and other aspects have all been opened up and relaxed.

If we seize the opportunity, Tengda's globalization pace and development speed will surely reach a new level."

After a pause, his voice deepened. "In order to support our competition with American tech giants, the country has provided a lot of resources and preferential policies. This free trade zone is a key step."

On the other end of the video, Liu Shishi felt the weight and determination in her husband's words and did not ask any more questions about business matters.

She just looked at him tenderly and whispered, "But don't get too tired. There's always more to do."

The couple chatted about family matters across the screen, and a warm atmosphere filled the carriage, diluting the smell of gunpowder from the commercial game.

Before we knew it, the Maybach slowed down and drove into Weijing Garden.

"I'm home." Song Ci looked at the familiar scenery outside the window and chuckled at his wife on the screen.

"So soon?" Liu Shishi's face was filled with reluctance, but she quickly regained her composure. "Then go to bed early! Don't forget to ask Sister Li to give you some hangover soup when you get off the bus."

"Yes, ma'am. Don't worry." Song Ci agreed readily, his eyes full of warmth. "You too, don't work too hard on the filming. Go back to the hotel and rest early after work."

"I know." Liu Shishi waved at the camera.

The next morning, the sun shone on Hengdian Film and Television City, which is like a Jiangnan water town.

The crew members were in a hurry, and prop trucks were coming and going, creating a busy scene.

In the dressing room of the crew of "The Golden Marriage", however, there is a different relaxed atmosphere.

"Are you okay... Are you okay..."

A magical and brainwashing advertising dubbing came from Tang Yan's mobile phone, breaking the silence in the room.

At this moment, the big star completely disregarded his image, staring at the phone screen, and bursting into a hearty and even somewhat "desperate" laugh:

"Hahaha... oh my, I can't take it anymore! This Mimi commercial is so outrageous! I'm dying of laughter!"

Tang Yan laughed so hard that she fell backwards, tears almost coming out. She covered her stomach with one hand and almost couldn't hold the phone with the other hand.

Agent Ji Rujing was infected by the laughter and shook his head helplessly, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise slightly.

"Yes, the creativity is indeed unexpected. But to be honest, Yang Mi's national popularity is really high now.

Coupled with this viral advertising effect, I heard that the Lychee Plums she endorsed were sold out on Taobao.”

I thought to myself: The commercial value and influence of the 85 flowers are still rising.

Looking back at last year, she resolutely resigned from her position as vice president of Chentian Entertainment and teamed up with Tang Yan to open a studio.

He was very ambitious and wanted to take advantage of this favorable situation to push Tang Yan into the ranks of 85 flowers and take advantage of this wave of popularity.

Unfortunately, it is far from easy to do.

Fans of Liu Shishi, Liu Yifei, and Yang Mi are very aggressive and noticed it immediately, making sarcastic remarks and mocking remarks online.

They even bluntly gave Tang Yan the nickname "Auntie 83" and excluded her from the "85 Flowers" team.

Under the pressure of public opinion, they had no choice but to temporarily suspend this bundling operation. Thinking of this, a trace of frustration and unwillingness flashed in Ji Rujing's eyes.

Tang Yan finally stopped laughing, but couldn't help but play the advertisement again.

Looking at my good friend Yang Mi's devilish expression and lines, I burst out laughing again. I watched it over and over again for more than ten times before I could barely hold it back.

But the magical slogan "Are you okay?" seemed to have taken up residence in her mind, playing on a loop and unable to be shaken off.

"I can't take it anymore. If I keep watching this, my line today is going to end up being 'Are you okay?'"

Tang Yan patted her chest and took a few breaths, trying to calm her stomach that ached from laughing and her overly excited mood.

Turning around, she looked at her agent with a puzzled look in her eyes: "By the way, Sister Jing, you came to the crew to see me so early in the morning. Is there something important?"

Ji Rujing restrained his smile and said seriously, "Well, let me talk to you about the new play.

I've helped you secure the leading female role, and the script and contract details are almost finalized. I came by to see if your filming is going well."

Hearing this, Tang Yan turned around and examined her makeup in the mirror. While gently pressing her makeup with a powder puff, she casually asked, "What movie? Which company invested in it?"

She is now very famous and has received many scripts, but if her agent can personally take charge of it, it must be a good project.

Ji Rujing introduced the drama, "It's called 'The Female Thief of the Golden Flower,' an idol drama set in the Republican era. It focuses on romance, dislocation, and adventure. It's considered a female-led drama, and the production company is Yaoke Culture."

"Yao Ke Culture?" Tang Yan paused, looking through the mirror at her agent, her eyes filled with unfamiliarity and confusion. "I've never heard of it. Is it a new company?"

"Yes, it's newly opened." Ji Rujing nodded and added, "The largest shareholder is Lu Chao, who just left Dongying Group to start his own business."

"Lü Chao?" Tang Yan repeated softly, her brows slightly furrowed as she searched the depths of her memory. "The name sounds familiar. I've heard it somewhere before."

Ji Rujing had already done his homework: "He was the producer of the drama 'Myth' starring Hu Ge."

"Oh! It's him!" Tang Yan suddenly realized, put down her powder puff, and thought for a moment, "The entertainment industry is getting more and more prosperous nowadays, and there's a lot of hot money.

In the past two years, many state-owned enterprise executives and senior producers like Lu Chao have started their own businesses.

They have connections and experience, so it's easy to build a platform. As long as they produce a hit, the company can gain a firm foothold and take off directly."

"Isn't this also true for celebrity studios?" Ji Rujing agreed. "We've also taken advantage of this wave of entrepreneurship. So, collaborating with a new company like this might be an opportunity."

Tang Yan nodded eagerly, and was more concerned about the project itself: "Sister Jing, what do you think of the prospects of the script "The Female Thief with a Rich Face"?"

"After a preliminary evaluation, the script has a good foundation, the character settings are interesting, and Republican idol dramas have a fixed audience."

Ji Rujing answered clearly, "The production team was assembled by Lü Chao, and overall, it has the potential to be a hit.

Otherwise, I wouldn't have easily helped you take it. After all, you have plenty of roles to play right now, so it's better to have nothing than to take on something less than perfect."

After hearing this, Tang Yan's heart moved: "Where's the male lead? Has it been decided? Who is it?"

Ji Rujing's expression was subtle: "Liu Kaiwei."

"Liu Kaiwei?" Tang Yan was stunned, then frowned, her tone filled with displeasure and doubt, "Mimi's ex-boyfriend? What kind of celebrity is he? Is he worthy of acting with me? Is Yao Ke trying to use me to boost his status?"

She reacted strongly. On the one hand, she felt that the other party was not worthy of her, and on the other hand, it involved her friend's ex, which was a bit embarrassing.

"I've studied this matter thoroughly." Ji Rujing hurriedly reassured him, "Before joining Dongying, Lu Chao was the general manager of Donghai Emperor Entertainment Group and had a very good relationship with the Hong Kong circle.

Liu Kaiwei used his connections in Hong Kong to find Lu Chao. Lu Chao was a startup company, so he needed to make connections and gain face. So, to a large extent, it was a matter of personal relationships.

Tang Yan's expression eased slightly, but her brows were still furrowed.

After a few seconds of silence, she suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with tentativeness and expectation: "Sister Jing, is it possible to replace Liu Kaiwei?"

Her cheeks flushed and her voice softened, "Why not give the male lead to Ajin? He has good acting skills and looks, and..."

Ji Rujing looked at her flushed cheeks and her impulsive eyes, sighing helplessly. What you fear is what will come true! This girl is good in every way, except that she gets love-struck from time to time.

She had fought tooth and nail for the man surnamed Qiu before, and finally got over it. Not long after dating Luo Jin, she wanted to use her resources to get him an important role?

Seeing that Ji Rujing didn't say anything and just stared at her with an "I see through you" look, Tang Yan felt a little guilty but more anxious.

She stood up, took her agent's arm, shook it gently, and said coquettishly, "Good sister Jing, please, help me think of a solution!"

Ji Rujing was so confused that he said helplessly, "It's not that there is no solution at all."

"Really?" Tang Yan's brows immediately lit up with joy. "What's the solution? Tell me now!"

Ji Rujing pondered for a moment and slowly said, "Perhaps we can ask Liu Shishi to come forward and give it a try."

"Shishi?" Tang Yan was surprised. "It's not appropriate to ask her for this kind of thing."

"Listen to me." Ji Rujing lowered his voice and revealed the core information, "In the equity structure of Yaoke Culture, Lv Chao holds 45% of the shares and is the largest shareholder.

There are two other shareholders, one with a deep background that has not been disclosed, and the other is Liu Shishi's studio, which holds a 25% stake."

Tang Yan's eyes widened in surprise and delight: "Shishi is actually a shareholder of Yaoke? There was no news of this before!"

Quickly realizing what this meant, Liu Shishi's investment provided Yaoke with a cooperation channel between Tangren Film and Television and Tengda Culture.

This is a surefire way for startups to double their valuations!

"Lu Chao's connections are incredible! He was able to recruit Shishi!" Tang Yan calmed down and asked, "What has Shishi been doing recently?"

"The Tang Dynasty Theatre crew is filming a costume drama next door at the Ming and Qing Palaces."

Tang Yan's eyes lit up, and a clear idea emerged: "This is a rare opportunity! It's in the next group! I have to find time to visit the set and catch up with Shishi and have a good chat."

(End of this chapter)