Chapter 556 Dreams?

In the afternoon, Liu Shishi lazily sank into a rocking chair, a cashmere blanket draped over her, her eyes half-closed, resting and recuperating.

"Shishi, where's Zhao Liying?" Jiang Yuanyuan pushed open the door and came in, her eyes scanning the room. "I heard from the production assistant that she came to visit the set?"

"She didn't know you were coming; she just left ten minutes ago."

"That's really unfortunate," Jiang Yuanyuan said with a regretful expression.

She met Zhao Liying while working on "The Legend of Chasing Fish" and they were also bridesmaids together. They had a good relationship and wanted to catch up.

Just as he was about to sit down next to Liu Shishi, his eyes were drawn to an exquisite gift box on the small table.

"Shishi, what is this? It's a beautiful box. Can I look at it?"

"Look, Liying just brought it to me." Liu Shishi's lips curled up slightly, her tone carrying a hint of warmth from being cared for.

Jiang Yuanyuan opened the box, and on the black velvet cushion, lay a jade pendant.

The jade is crystal clear, with a warm and smooth luster throughout. It is flawless and clearly a high-quality jade material with considerable value.

I picked it up gently, and felt a cool, delicate touch on my fingertips. The jade pendant was exquisitely carved, which was truly amazing.

“It’s the Goddess of Mercy who grants children,” Jiang Yuanyuan said softly as she examined it closely.

Sitting in the rocking chair, Liu Shishi's smile deepened; this gift truly touched her heart.

She couldn't help but sigh softly, her words tinged with affection: "When I was injured last time, she traveled a long way to the hospital to see me. Liying is so thoughtful."

Jiang Yuanyuan was also full of praise, saying that Zhao Liying's sense of propriety in dealing with people and situations was truly admirable.

As the top female figure, what rare and precious treasures haven't she seen? If she were to give her ordinary items, they would probably be forgotten as soon as they see them.

It just so happens that this auspicious Guanyin statue, symbolizing the granting of children, was placed when she was six months pregnant, and this gesture truly touched her heart.

After playing with it for a moment, he carefully returned the jade pendant to its original place, sat down next to the eldest sister, and said excitedly:

"Shishi, 'Day and Night' is a hit! Advertising on the platform is selling like hotcakes. Preliminary revenue sharing estimates suggest the studio can conservatively earn 100 million yuan."

Liu Shishi slightly turned to the side, adjusting to a more comfortable position. Her reaction was calm, and she wasn't particularly concerned about how much money she would make.

"I read in the reports that the new popularity index system launched by Toutiao Video seems to be very popular with advertisers?"

“It’s more than just favor!” Jiang Yuanyuan nodded vigorously, explaining, “Advertisers aren’t stupid. In the past, they only looked at the number of views, which was so inflated it could be used to raise fish.”

The popularity index system integrates multiple dimensions of data, including viewing time, bullet comments, reviews, and shares, providing a clear picture of the true situation and making it more reliable.

She paused, her tone tinged with sarcasm, "These days, TV series viewership numbers are inflated by more than 30% on average, the data is completely distorted, and advertisers have long been dissatisfied."

"Hmm." Liu Shishi's eyes were not open, but her mind was clear. "By creating a popularity index system, the platform has gained the initiative in setting the rules and has a greater say in the film and television industry."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuanyuan chuckled and said, "The more say you have, the better. After all, the biggest platform is owned by your family, Shishi."

Liu Shishi smiled and changed the subject: "Day and Night has come to an end. What are the studio's new plans?"

When the conversation turned to business, Jiang Yuanyuan, the general manager of the studio, put away her smile and said seriously, "Yaoke Media has submitted a script called 'Divorce Lawyer,' which is an urban professional romance drama. They hope to co-invest with the studio."

"The project on President Lü's side?" Liu Shishi searched her memory. "I remember they were preparing for 'Lady & Thief'? They still have the energy to do two projects at once?"

“Yaoke was only recently established, and the production team has limited resources,” Jiang Yuanyuan explained. “Therefore, they wanted the studio to produce the ‘Divorce Lawyer’ project.”

What is the investment budget?

“Eighty million,” Jiang Yuanyuan announced the figure, paused, and then added, “of which the actors’ salaries account for fifty million.”

The two lead actors recommended by Yaoke, Wu Xiubo and Yao Chen, have a combined salary of 40 million yuan.

Liu Shishi opened her eyes, her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and asked in surprise, "This fee... it seems to have increased again?"

This feels significantly better than when Zhou Xun starred in "Red Sorghum," it's almost exaggerated.

Jiang Yuanyuan shrugged: "There's nothing we can do about it. That's just how the market is. Celebrity salaries are skyrocketing."

When Pan Yueming filmed "Day and Night," his salary was only four million, but now his asking price has soared to twenty million.

"Shishi, your current market price of fifty million is just a casual offer."

Liu Shishi sighed softly: "In just one or two years, the film and television industry has become so popular."

"That's right!" Jiang Yuanyuan, who has worked in the industry for many years, also felt that the current entertainment industry was too hot and unreal, and was filled with emotion.

“Take Huayi Company as an example. Its market value has exceeded 60 billion yuan and its price-to-earnings ratio is as high as 170 times. This shows that the market’s expectations for the film and television industry are exaggerated.”

"That's enough!" Liu Shishi shook her head, her words revealing a clear understanding of the industry's currents and a touch of helplessness, a far cry from the insistence she had when investing in "Red Sorghum".

"Since the issue of pay is an inevitable trend, we don't need to be the bad guys; let's just go with the flow."

Jiang Yuanyuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and then reported: "Since you don't object, Shishi, this project will proceed according to the normal process. The studio plans to invest 50 million."

Liu Shishi closed her eyes again, her voice softening slightly: "Can the studio manage its cash flow?"

"Yaoke will pay the initial startup funds first. In a few days, Toutiao Video will transfer the first settlement payment for 'Day and Night,' which will greatly reduce the financial pressure."

Jiang Yuanyuan explained in detail, then remembered something, "Oh right, the person in charge of the 'Divorce Lawyer' project at Yaoke is Zhang Meng. She wants to come and visit you on set this afternoon."

"Zhang Meng?" Liu Shishi didn't react for a moment.

"It's Zhang Meng, the actor who played in 'The Myth'."

"Why is she in charge?" Liu Shishi asked curiously. "Did she switch to working behind the scenes?"

Jiang Yuanyuan chuckled lightly: "She'll soon be the boss's wife at Yaoke, so naturally she'll have to help President Lü manage the project."

"Zhang Meng and Lü Chao?" Hearing the gossip, Liu Shishi perked up, turned to the side, and looked at her agent with great interest. "How did they get together?"

Jiang Yuanyuan leaned forward and shared some insider secrets: "After 'The Myth,' Zhang Meng signed with Yaoke Media."

Later, the woman pursued the man and won him over. Their relationship is very stable, and they plan to get married next year.

One was a business partner, and the other was an old acquaintance. Upon hearing this, Liu Shishi nodded and said, "Then I really must congratulate them."

Jiang Yuanyuan added, "Zhang Meng is about to become the boss's wife of Yaoke. It's only right and proper that she comes to pay her respects."

So she had hinted to me beforehand that she wanted to take this opportunity, under the guise of the project, to give you a formal visit this afternoon.

Yaoke Media is also an external force of the Tengda Group. Zhang Meng couldn't reach the level of a top female star before, but now that her status is different and she has connections with Lü Chao, she is eager to get close to this big tree.

"Let's do it another day," Liu Shishi politely declined. "We'll meet again sometime."

Zhao Liying's arrival in the morning has already delayed the filming schedule considerably. If Zhang Meng is also present in the afternoon, the entire day will likely be wasted.

At this moment, all she wants to do is focus on finishing filming "The Imperial Doctress" as soon as possible so she can return to Beiping to rest and prepare for childbirth.

“Okay, I understand.” Jiang Yuanyuan said knowingly. “Then I’ll find a reason to reply to her.”

"Is there anything else?"

"Filming for 'Red Sorghum' has already started..." Jiang Yuanyuan succinctly reported on the progress of the projects invested in by her studio.

Finally, it was mentioned that "the variety show 'Super Idol' that they collaborated on with Yuehua Entertainment was incredibly popular!"

The offline auditions just started yesterday, with thousands signing up on-site. The topic immediately topped the Weibo trending list, even surpassing the popularity of "Day and Night"!

As she spoke, her tone couldn't help but carry a hint of excitement and anticipation: "Judging from this momentum, if we can replicate the glory of 'Super Girl' back then, that would be amazing!"

"Several thousand people a day? Won't there be tens of thousands of applicants by the end of the preliminary rounds?"

“Definitely!” Jiang Yuanyuan analyzed matter-of-factly. “The entertainment industry is actually a very closed circle. It’s extremely difficult for outsiders to get in.”

The older generation of actors mostly came from various performing arts troupes and drama theaters. The younger generation, if not graduates of the three major art academies, must be graduates of other art schools.

"The talent show 'Star Trainees'—selecting ordinary people to become stars directly from the entire society with no entry requirements—is unprecedented in China!"

She chuckled, a strange anticipation gleaming in her eyes: "If this show really comes to fruition, it might break the industry's unspoken rule of relying solely on formally trained professionals. Then we'll see if it becomes a hit, and to what extent."

"Let's wait and see." Liu Shishi's voice gradually softened, carrying a calmness that seemed to understand the underlying patterns. "If this path to creating stars works, given the instincts of capital, countless imitators will soon flood in."

The entertainment industry is bound to undergo another reshuffle... Yuanyuan, I'm tired, I'm going to take a nap.

"Okay, you can sleep peacefully, I'll watch over you." Jiang Yuanyuan replied softly, carefully pulling the blanket up a little more to cover her sister completely.

Then, he quietly took out his laptop, processing emails while keeping an eye on the top sister.

After an unknown amount of time, Liu Shishi slowly awoke from her light sleep, a gentle smile playing on her lips.

In my dream, the scene of my two beautiful children playing happily at my feet is still vivid in my mind.

Lifting the blanket, I got up from the rocking chair, stretched my limbs, and found Jiang Yuanyuan, Lin Xia, and Su Xiaoxiao gathered around a laptop, talking in hushed tones.

What are you looking at?

The three turned around at the sound and saw that the eldest sister was awake. She replied, "I'm watching the LeEco press conference live."

How long did I sleep?

As Liu Shishi asked questions, she curiously approached, her gaze falling on the screen, where she caught a glimpse of Jia Yueting's free and easy movements.

"About forty minutes." Jiang Yuanyuan turned up the volume on her laptop.

"LeEco's newly launched Super TV is selling well. The first batch of 10,000 units sold out within an hour of going on sale, bringing in 75 million yuan."

Liu Shishi joked, "It seems that Mr. Jia's hardware business is doing quite well. This time, he's finally not just talking big."

On the screen, the press conference was reaching its climax.

Jia Yueting, beaming with pride and speaking in a high-pitched voice, announced: "LeTV plans to invest 500 million yuan to establish a cloud computing company!"

Committed to providing the highest quality CDN distribution, video cloud services, and big data analytics.

He paused deliberately, emphasizing his words, "LeEco's goal is to surpass Tenda Technology in the field of cloud computing within three to five years and become a world-class cloud service provider!"

"I take back what I just said!" Liu Shishi's face darkened, and she began to understand why her husband disliked this person.

Tenda Technology's cloud computing technology is the result of seven years of arduous research and development, an investment of over 10 billion yuan, and overcoming countless technical challenges, which has enabled it to gradually reach a world-leading position.

To Jia, his casual remark about "catching up in three to five years" is nothing short of delusional and a blatant disregard for the years of hard work of the Tengda technical team.

Seeing that the eldest sister looked displeased, Lin Xia went along with her wishes: "Boss Jia is really overestimating himself."

LeEco's annual revenue and profit don't even compare to Tengda Culture's, yet it dares to shamelessly try to piggyback on Tengda Technology's success?

Jiang Yuanyuan echoed, "It seems that the hot sales of Super TV and the guaranteed distribution of 'Tiny Times' have made Mr. Jia a bit carried away."

"...Tengda is not just making videos, they are setting the next generation of industry rules! LeEco must keep up and break through!"

As we all know, the three giants of TAB have monopolized the entire internet startup resources, and with their huge ecosystem power, they have made the entire industry breathless!

So, where does LeEco's path to breaking out of this predicament lie?

Upon hearing the other party openly accuse her husband's company of monopolizing resources and suppressing the industry, Liu Shishi was displeased.

I simply sat down in front of the computer to see what profound insights the other party could come up with.

"The answer is ecological transformation and the synergy of hardware and software!" Jia Yueting waved his arms, his words highly infectious.

"The success of the Super TV is just a great attempt and the beginning for LeEco in the field of hardware terminals! Next year, LeEco will join hands with Foxconn to launch LeEco mobile phones!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the press conference room erupted in gasps and enthusiastic applause.

Liu Shishi was stunned; she hadn't expected Jia Yueting's ambition to have grown to this extent.

After her initial surprise, a sense of schadenfreude arose within her; she wanted to see what kind of phone LeEco could produce.

Jiang Yuanyuan, Lin Xia, and Su Xiaoxiao looked at each other in bewilderment.

They watched most of the live stream. At the beginning, they were talking about film and television projects. How did they suddenly change the subject and start talking about making mobile phones? This is too big a leap.

The live stream camera panned across the front row of the audience, showing Huang Xiaoming, Ren Quan, Li Bingbing, Zhang Yimou, and others...

Familiar faces appeared on the screen, all of them big names in the entertainment industry who had been invited to the event, their faces filled with surprise and curiosity.

“Shishi!” Jiang Yuanyuan remembered something and turned to say, “It’s quite a coincidence. The studio received an email from a company called Smartisan Technology. Their person in charge wants to meet you.”

"Smartisan Technology? What do they do?"

Jiang Yuanyuan looked puzzled: "The information they sent shows that they also manufacture mobile phones."

Liu Shishi was taken aback. "You want me to be the spokesperson for your mobile phone?"

"The email didn't mention any specifics, it only asked for a face-to-face meeting, it felt a bit..." Jiang Yuanyuan spread her hands, "...a bit mysterious."

Liu Shishi pondered for a moment: "I'll send them an email. If they're not in a hurry, we can meet after I finish filming and return to Beiping later this month."

"Okay, I'll take care of it shortly."

In the video, Mr. Jia is still on stage, talking non-stop, describing a dream blueprint that is "breathtaking", which makes the audience scream.

Liu Shishi stared at the screen, her gaze slightly narrowed, as if deep in thought.

A thought arose in my mind: Didn't you, Mr. Jia, keep saying that Tengda monopolized the ecosystem and wanted to break the deadlock?

Alright, then let's wait and see how you respond.

(End of this chapter)