Chapter 544 Heading North

On the last day of June, Hengdian Film and Television City was shrouded in sultry humidity.

It was almost noon when the sky suddenly turned gloomy, with dark clouds rolling in and gathering like ink. In an instant, a torrential rain poured down.

"Done!" Director Li Guoli's voice came through the loudspeaker, and the entire crew relaxed immediately.

The staff began to pack up their equipment, and the actors also walked towards the rest area in the heavy rain.

Liu Shishi was wearing a simple and elegant ancient costume. She saw Cai Yinong, Hu Ge and their assistant standing at the edge of the set from a distance. She raised a gentle smile at the corner of her lips and walked towards them quickly, holding up the hem of her skirt.

"Old Hu, how come you have time to come to the crew today?"

Hu Ge was in high spirits, his sunglasses pushed up to the top of his head, revealing his fresh features. "I came specially to visit you on the set. I'll also be joining the team in a few days."

Teacher Liu took the thermos cup from her assistant Su Xiaoxiao, took a sip, and looked curiously:

"Didn't you say you were going to focus on performing in plays and honing your acting skills this year? Why did you suddenly change your plans? Did you come across a script that caught your eye?"

Hu Ge shrugged helplessly and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his hand: "Don't mention it.

People from the Anhui Provincial Propaganda Department and the TV station came to us personally, and among the investors was the East Film Group. You know, it’s really hard to refuse such a lineup.”

"That can't be helped." Liu Shishi smiled, her eyes curved into crescents, "You haven't filmed in a while.

This play is a good opportunity for me to test the results of my drama training and see if my acting skills have improved. By the way, what type of film is it?"

Cai Yinong interjected at the right moment, his words full of sarcasm: "It's a realistic urban drama, the heroine is Yan Ni, Hu Ge and her play a couple, and there are kissing scenes!"

When Liu Shishi heard this, she remembered Yan Ni's usual lazy look, as if she was slightly tipsy. Then she imagined the scene of Hu Ge and her acting out intimate scenes, and she couldn't help laughing out loud:

"There's a kissing scene with Lao Hu, so Sister Yanni will be very happy."

While chatting and laughing, Cai Yinong glanced at the exquisite watch on his wrist, and saw that the rain outside was gradually stopping. He said seriously:

"Shishi, Hu Ge is here too. I have something to discuss with you. Let's go to the lounge."

Liu Shishi nodded, took the umbrella handed to her by her assistant, and said as she walked to the lounge, "I heard that Yaomei successfully got into the Beijing Film Academy. Congratulations to her."

"Yeah." Cai Yinong showed a look of satisfaction on his face. "She is doing well. Her grades in professional courses are very good."

Hu Ge helped Liu Shishi lift the hem of her skirt, which was dragging on the ground, and said, "Going to the Beijing Film Academy to receive systematic acting training is very important for an actor's long-term development.

Sister K, I think you should arrange fewer acting appointments for her in the next two years."

Cai Yinong sighed softly, a trace of distress flashing across his brows: "That's what I planned too.

But I’m worried right now. Yaomei has to go to school, and Shishi… Hey, how should I arrange the female lead in the next play? "

"Don't we have Naza? Jin Chen, Hu Bingqing, and Yuan Bingyan can also try it." Liu Shishi said in a calm tone, casually brushing away a strand of hair that fell on her forehead.

"Hasn't Naza been very well behaved recently? After breaking up with that super boy, she has been filming honestly. With her looks, she was born to do this kind of work."

Cai Yinong nodded slightly, holding an umbrella, lost in thought: "Let me think about it. There's still some time before I have to shoot the next movie."

"Sister K, is the company going to produce a new play?" Hu Ge was very surprised when he heard this and raised his voice unconsciously.

Among the company's projects, "The Imperial Doctress" is currently being filmed, and "Xuan-Yuan Sword 2" is still in post-production, which means there are already two dramas in backlog.

In addition to investing in "Nirvana in Fire" and the talent show "Star Trainee", and developing mobile games, the company has invested over 100 million yuan.

Is this the same Tangren Film and Television that almost went bankrupt a few years ago because of my car accident and the postponement of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes"?

Cai Yinong smiled brightly, his eyes gleaming with confidence. "Hu Ge, you're also a Tangren shareholder, but you still don't care enough about the company. The Tangren of today is a completely different place."

Hu Ge seemed to be thinking about something. He knew that "Startling by Each Step" and "Xuan-Yuan Sword" were not only big hits in China, but also made a lot of money from overseas copyrights.

But the profits from these two dramas are definitely not enough to support Sister K's "extravagant" investment.

The only explanation, then, is...

"Sister K, are the two Taobao stores under the company doing so well?"

Cai Yinong's lips curled up slightly, his pride evident in his expression: "It's more than good. Let me tell you, the annual revenue of the two stores is no less than 200 million!"

"So profitable!" Hu Ge's eyes widened in shock, and he even stopped walking unconsciously. "Are snacks and clothes really that popular?"

He had bought some small items from Tangren Taobao store before and didn't think there was anything special about it.

Liu Shishi was also surprised. She knew that it was her husband's idea to open an online store and the effect should be good, but she didn't expect the revenue to be so astonishing.

You have to know that the revenue of Taobao stores is real cash, unlike investing in film and television dramas, where the funds have to be accumulated for a long time before they can be recovered.

"It's really easy to make money from fans!" Cai Yinong explained excitedly, his voice unconsciously rising a little, "Our store has celebrities attracting customers, and business is booming.

"Our co-branded clothing and film and television merchandise are exclusive, and fans are particularly eager to buy them. They also buy snacks and other small items when they enter the store, which naturally drives up revenue."

She paused, then added with a hint of pride, "I'm very restrained. I rarely over-expend myself on artists and never sell autographed photos or exclusive materials. Otherwise, my revenue would be even higher."

Liu Shishi nodded in agreement, and the pearl earrings on her earlobes swayed gently with her movements:

"Sister K, you're right to do this. It's okay to use celebrities to attract traffic occasionally, but you can't overly consume the artist's credibility."

As they were talking, the three of them had already walked into the rest shed. The cool breeze from the air conditioner blew in their faces, dispelling the summer heat.

Su Xiaoxiao neatly poured freshly brewed Longjing tea for the three of them. The refreshing fragrance of tea filled the air, and then she left tactfully.

Cai Yinong picked up the teacup, gently blew away the floating tea leaves, took a sip, and then slowly spoke in a serious tone: "Shishi, Hu Ge, I plan to move the Tangren headquarters to Beiping."

Liu Shishi looked normal, her slender fingers gently turning the teacup. However, Hu Ge was stunned and asked, "Why are you moving out of the blue?"

Cai Yinong put down his teacup, folded his hands on his knees, and said: "Beiping is the absolute core of China's film and television industry.

Going to the capital will allow Tangren to more efficiently raise funds, negotiate projects, and expand its business. In fact, the company already had a branch in Beijing in 2005.

Liu Shishi took a sip of tea without comment, her eyes drifting out the window to the gradually subsiding rain. To her, it didn't matter whether the company was in Donghai or Beiping.

After moving to Peking, it was more convenient for her to come to the company on a daily basis. She didn't have to fly back and forth between the two places, which saved her a lot of time.

Hu Ge scratched his head and asked in confusion, "Sister K, hasn't the company always been considered Shanghai-based? Are we moving north to try to squeeze into the Beijing circle?"

Cai Yinong chuckled, his eyes shrewd, and he adjusted his sitting posture and replied calmly: "Although Tangren Film and Television is rooted in Donghai, it is not in the traditional Shanghai circle.

In fact, the company was originally backed by Hong Kong and Taiwan capital, but later on, thanks to Shishi, we were able to connect with the Tengda Group, which is how we have been able to make rapid progress and prosper.

Hu Ge suddenly realized and chuckled, "Tengda Culture is the number one giant in the Beijing circle. After all this time, Tangren is still a force in the Beijing circle."

Cai Yinong glanced at Sister Yi, who always had a calm smile on her face, nodded and shook his head at Hu Ge, his tone becoming serious: "Yes, and no.

Tengda Culture is indeed the largest force in the Beijing circle, but it is just a film and television company and its size is extremely small in the entire Tengda Group.

This time I moved north, I hope that Tangren can better embrace internet capital.”

Hu Ge's expression straightened and he sat up straight unconsciously.

He had completely understood Cai Yinong's deep meaning. With Liu Shishi, the boss lady of Tengda, Tangren Film and Television had gained too many conveniences and resources.

The little bit of resources that leaked from Liu Shishi's fingertips was enough to support the growth of the Tang people.

For example, the previous Weibo splash screen promotion, although it was the richest man's love for his beloved wife, made Liu Shishi gain a lot of popularity and super high national recognition, but the drama was produced by Tangren, so the company naturally benefited from it.

This is the top resource that the entertainment industry dreams of.

Some resources may not even be easily available to Tengda Culture. After all, the scale of a film and television company is far inferior to that of an Internet giant like Weibo.

Cai Yinong further explained, tapping his fingers lightly on the coffee table: "The headquarters of the four major platforms, Toutiao, LeTV, Youku, and iQiyi, are all in Beijing. If Tangren moves there, future cooperation will be much more convenient."

She sighed, her gaze becoming far-sighted: "In the past, it was the bigwigs in the Beijing circle and the producers in the Shanghai circle who held the power of life and death over film and television projects.

They decide who can act, what to shoot, and where to broadcast. Now, the platforms have gradually become the largest buyers and rule makers in the film and television industry."

Hu Ge understood and sighed unconsciously.

This is the current state of the entertainment industry. Film and television companies in Beijing and Shanghai have gradually become suppliers to the platforms. As time goes on, internet capital will only become more powerful.

"To put it bluntly, the main purpose of going north is to facilitate cooperation with the platform." Cai Yinong continued with a firm tone.

"Next year, Tangren will increase the production of customized dramas on Toutiao Video, and plans to shoot more than three."

Hu Ge's expression was as expected. Cai Yinong's words confirmed his suspicions: the relationship between film and television companies and platforms had shifted from offensive to defensive.

"Oh right!" Cai Yinong seemed to suddenly remember something, and his eyes fell on Sister Yi who had been quiet the whole time. "Shishi, speaking of the Shanghai circle, I just remembered something."

"What's the matter?" Liu Shishi raised her eyes with inquiry in them.

"A new film and television company was recently established and is highly regarded by the industry.

I've spoken to the person in charge, and they're willing to accept Tangren's investment, but unfortunately the company is currently short of funds. Shishi, you might consider investing."

Hu Ge was stunned and looked at Cai Yinong in disbelief. "Sister K, you were so confident before that your online store was doing well, but now you don't even have the money to invest in a new company? What's going on?"

Cai Yinong glared at Hu Ge and said unhappily, "Do you know how high the valuation of this new company is?"

"How high?" Hu Ge curled his lips in disapproval. For a new company, a valuation of twenty or thirty million was already the highest.

Cai Yinong uttered two words, his voice exceptionally clear: "500 million!"

"How much?" Hu Ge was stunned, thinking he had heard wrongly.

But seeing Cai Yinong's serious expression, he knew she wasn't just talking nonsense, so he quickly asked, "Why is it so exaggerated? Isn't it inflated?"

Liu Shishi also showed a curious look. It was really unbelievable that a startup film and television company was valued at 500 million.

"Overpriced?" Cai Yinong sighed, shaking his head. "I didn't set the 500 million. It was Tengda's assessment."

"Assessed by Tengda Culture?" Hu Ge was even more incredulous.

Cai Yinong shook his head again, his tone meaningful: "It's not Tengda Culture, it's Tengda Industrial Investment Fund."

Liu Shishi was slightly surprised when she heard this. After a moment's thought, she asked, "Sister K, is this company's founding team really that strong?"

"Yes." Cai Yinong nodded affirmatively, his eyes showing admiration and appreciation, "The soul of the company, Su Xiao, is the general manager of SMG Shangshi Pictures and is recognized as a top operator in the industry.

The other three core members are also top-notch distribution, production and operation talents.”

After hearing this explanation, Liu Shishi and Hu Ge understood instantly.

This is not an ordinary entrepreneurial team, but a collective attack by industry elites. They are not only capable, but also have deep industry resources, personal networks, and the ability to accurately grasp content review and market trends.

"Tengda Industrial Investment Fund invested 100 million yuan and acquired a 20% stake. Tangren is currently short of funds and has reduced its investment. A stake below 10% is meaningless."

Liu Shishi nodded slightly, a knowing smile on her lips: "I am very familiar with the industrial investment fund of my husband's company, and the team is very professional.

Since they think the company is worth 500 million, then it must be worth that much. If they are willing, I will invest 50 million."

Cai Yinong chuckled, his tone relaxed: "The Tengda boss lady is willing to invest, they are more than happy to have her."

"Sister K, what is the name of this company?"

"Lemon Studios."

"Okay, I've got that in mind. I'll let Yuanyuan take charge of this later."

Liu Shishi responded softly, then joked, "I've invested in several film and television companies, and I don't know which one will thrive. At the moment, Noon Sunshine seems more reliable."

Cai Yinong echoed: "Kong Sheng and Hou Hongliang are a truly remarkable pair of master and apprentice. I'm already looking forward to Nirvana in Fire."

While the three of them were chatting, a stagehand called out from outside the door, "Senior Sister Shi, there's a little girl outside the crew. She says her name is Liu Yuqing, and she's your sister-in-law, and she's here to visit the set!"

Liu Shishi was stunned: "Yuqing? Why didn't you tell me she was coming to the crew?" She quickly ordered: "Hurry and bring her in."

Then I walked out of the lounge and found that the rain had stopped.

Summer thunderstorms come and go quickly. After a while, the clouds clear and the rain stops.

(End of this chapter)