Chapter 117 Premiere
Xiao Yue, the group's CFO, is a shrewd and capable middle-aged woman. When she heard the chairman's concern about the company's financial situation, she quickly responded:
“Please rest assured about the funding. In addition to the major projects reported at the end of last year, I have already reserved sufficient budget for this year’s research and development and market promotion.
As long as the company's gaming business can maintain the same growth as last year, I can squeeze out some more funds for you, Mr. Song, to use for new projects."
Xiao Yue paused for a moment, looked around the conference room, exchanged a glance with several other executives, and continued:
"At present, the entire group's profit responsibility is placed on the game business. Toutiao.com's profits in the past two years have to make up for the temporary losses incurred from purchasing NBA online copyrights last year.
Other businesses such as video and music networks are not profitable yet. The Finance Department suggests that we need to optimize costs to improve profitability and consider financing and issuing bonds appropriately to ensure that the group has sufficient funds to support future development.
When Zhang Yong heard Xiao Yue mention financing, he subconsciously looked at the CFO whom he had promoted. He wondered why she brought up the old matter again and wanted to offend the chairman.
Then he was shocked, fearing that Song Ci would misunderstand that Xiao Yue's actions today were supported by him.
He quickly turned slightly to glance at Song Ci out of the corner of his eye, secretly checking his reaction, and found that he had a blank expression on his face, and was so calm that it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.
Zhang Yong knew very well that in the company, Chairman Song Ci was like an iron-fisted overlord. His decisions and instructions were unquestionable, and his style of doing things was swift and arbitrary.
He is the sole helmsman of the giant ship of Tengda Group, and never allows others to have any objection to the direction of sailing.
Almost every major decision in the development history of Tengda Group was made by him alone, and the suggestions of others often failed to produce any effect.
Ever since Song Ci was listed on the Hurun Rich List last year, some senior executives of the group have been worried and have repeatedly suggested to him that the company's high-quality businesses such as Toutiao and TD Game Platform should be split and listed.
However, all these noises were suppressed one by one in the face of Song Ci's absolute control. After being severely criticized by Song Ci, several executives who were overly active in collusion also worked honestly and dared not mention financing and listing again.
Zhang Yong lowered his head. It was not convenient for him to speak at this moment. He could only try to reduce his presence. The meeting room was silent and the atmosphere was dull and frozen.
Song Ci felt helpless as he took in the expressions of all the executives. Their faces were full of desire and expectation. They all wanted the company to go public as soon as possible to cash in their options and become millionaires or even tens of millions of dollars.
But Song Ci has his own considerations. Tengda Group is now in a very healthy financial situation, with a very low debt ratio and a huge money-making gaming business, so it does not need to go public for financing.
Before the money-burning war started in the mobile Internet era, he would not consider financing. If he accepted financing at this time, Tenda's valuation would definitely be seriously underestimated.
Human nature is like this, Song Ci can't do anything about it. Today is probably another test for himself, but he can't let it go. He still has to give in:
"Mr. Xiao, the Finance Department's suggestions are very good. My opinion is that you should not suggest financing next time. Mr. Zhang, Mr. Wang and I will make our own arrangements for the overall standardized development of the group. The Finance Department should take care of the purse strings and not worry about other things. Just do your job well."
As expected, Xiao Yue lowered her head, making it difficult for people to see her expression. She replied, "I know, Mr. Song. I was too talkative!"
Song Ci's sharp eyes swept across the entire room. All the executives attending the meeting avoided his gaze, fearing that they would be singled out by him as an example.
Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Song Ci cleared his throat, skipped this depressing topic, and said loudly:
"The Internet is developing rapidly, and new products are being introduced almost every day. This year, Tenda Group naturally needs to make innovations and breakthroughs. I decided to launch a team voice online communication tool, tt Voice."
Noticing that everyone's attention was on him again, Song Ci continued to introduce the new product:
"TT Voice is a team online voice function. You can add friends for instant communication and calls, and you can also set up collective voice in the channel chat room."
Wang Jing, who was listening carefully, felt that the function introduced by Song Ci was similar to QQ. After comparing them in her mind, she asked:
"Mr. Song, isn't the function of TT very similar to QQ? Are you planning to enter the instant messaging field?"
Song Ci shook his head slightly and further elaborated on the product concept: “Yes, but not entirely, Penguin’s QQ already has a near-monopoly position.
In this era, no company can beat QQ in the field of instant messaging, but the track can be segmented and differentiated competition can be carried out.
The target group of tt voice is game players, so the software must have its own characteristics, such as high call quality, low latency, and suitability for multi-person voice chat.
During promotion, we can use the promotion of the TD game platform to gain more users, and then the two will complement each other. "
Zhang Yong nodded. "I understand what Mr. Song means. QQ is large and comprehensive, while TT is small and refined. TT Voice needs to establish its own exclusive technical barriers and user groups."
Song Ci clapped his hands and smiled, "Yes, after the game platform is equipped with TT voice, it will be more convenient for players to communicate and interact, which can further consolidate the company's leading position in the game industry. Of course, TT is free software and is suitable for all scenarios."
After postponing the launch of Weibo, Song Ci inexplicably developed a sense of urgency. This year, Penguin Company will also be the agent for a game called "QQ Sonic". Having tasted the sweetness, Penguin will inevitably gradually enter the online game industry.
Tenda must tear off the biggest piece of the fat meat of online games, so Song Ci thought of YY, the only communication tool in his previous life that survived the oppression of QQ.
After careful consideration, we decided to develop a similar product to promote the TD game platform. Only a stable game business can maintain the company's financial health and allow Tenda to smoothly transition to the mobile Internet era.
Seeing that everyone suddenly realized and understood the product positioning, Song Ci directly arranged: "Let the Weibo project team switch to developing TT Voice. This project will be temporarily led by President Wang."
"Thank you for your trust, Chairman. I will definitely do a good job on this project."
Wang Jing was delighted. The development of new products for the group has always been coordinated and managed by CEO Zhang Yong. Now that the chairman of TT Voice asked her to handle it, it was a great thing. Staffing and resource allocation were both good opportunities to expand influence.
Zhang Yong sighed silently. CFO Xiao Yue had a close relationship with him. The sudden test before must have made the chairman unhappy. He was afraid that he would be implicated.
Song Ci chuckled in his heart. He also knew how to use the necessary balancing skills. Half of the group's executives were Zhang Yong's people. Now that Wang Jing had firmly established herself as the COO, he could give her more power and share the power with Zhang Yong so that he would not be sidelined.
"Boss Wang, if you are short of manpower, you can transfer them from the subsidiary. I remember Jiang Tiantian, the vice president of Tengda Culture. This female comrade has strong organizational and coordination skills. You can transfer her to the group to assist you."
Song Ci knew that Jiang Tiantian had always wanted to work in the group. She and Wang Jing had both told him about this, and he also asked Liu Shishi to help intercede. Today was a good opportunity to take advantage of the situation and arrange the job transfer.
"Okay, Mr. Song."
Wang Jing was extremely happy. Jiang Tiantian had told her several times that she hoped to be transferred to work in the group. She was alone and weak in the group and also intended to cultivate some confidants.
However, the transfer of employees of Jiang Tiantian's level requires the chairman's approval. She has also reported the matter, but Song Ci has not expressed his opinion. She thought the job transfer was shelved, but she didn't expect that there would be a ray of hope today.
Everything was arranged properly, and Song Ci concluded with one sentence: "Today is the last meeting before the New Year. After the meeting, several comrades will leave to return to their hometowns to celebrate the New Year.
I would like to send you my New Year greetings in advance, thank you for your hard work over the past year, and wish you all good luck and happiness. "
On January 25th, as the lights came on, Tengda Culture held the premiere of "Nightclub" at the Oriental Cinema in Beijing.
Although it was just a low-budget production, it was the company's first film after all and was of great significance, so Zhang Zhao attached great importance to it and invited many stars, guests, and film critics.
Tengda Culture is now at its peak in the entertainment industry. Many artists and colleagues in the industry want to get on board this big tree and come to support it and become familiar to the public.
At the premiere, the lights were bright and a bright red carpet was rolled out. On the side were some star fans and media reporters who came to join in the fun. The flashlights in the cameras of the reporters kept flashing, and the scene was bustling.
A luxury car drove slowly and stopped at the starting point of the red carpet. The door opened and a male star got out of the car first, followed by a female star.
The sharp-eyed entertainment reporter recognized at a glance that the two people who just got off the car were the male and female protagonists of the hit drama "Wulin Waijia".
"It's Qiao Zhengyu and Yan Ni."
"Bai Zhantang, Sunflower Point-Acupuncture Hand!"
"Ah, Bai Zhantang and Tong Xiangyu are in the same frame."
"Take the photo quickly! It will be on the headlines tomorrow."
Qiao Zhengyu was handsome in a black suit with a bright smile on his face. He held the arm of Yan Ni, who was in a white dress, and waved calmly to the reporters and fans.
With the appearance of the two, the atmosphere on the scene instantly reached a climax. Everyone cheered and reporters raised their cameras to record the scene.
Qiao Zhengyu was full of vigor and vitality. The drama "Wulin Waijia" promoted him to a first-tier star and firmly secured his position as the number one in Tengda.
Today, the movie he starred in held its premiere. His career was booming and he was fascinated by the constant flattery and cheers he heard. The feeling of being the center of attention made him feel excited.
After Qiao Zhengyu and Yan Ni left their names on the autograph wall, they went to look for director Xu Zheng. The director of "Night Club" and several leading actors would be interviewed by reporters soon, so there were some things they needed to communicate first.
After walking a few steps, the fans and reporters nearby suddenly burst into warm cheers, and the place was filled with noise.
"Why is she here?"
Qiao Zhengyu looked back, very surprised. He remembered that Tengda Culture had never dealt with that person, so he wondered why he came to support it today.
Yan Ni also turned around curiously to check, and when he saw that stunning face, he couldn't help but exclaimed: "So beautiful, so popular!"
The person who came was the big star Fan Bingbing. As soon as he got off the car and walked onto the red carpet, he immediately became the new focus, overshadowing Qiao Zhengyu and Yan Ni in front of him.
Wearing a red deep V flowing dress, she looks like a classical beauty from an ancient painting. The large V-neck design cleverly highlights her good figure, her skin is as white as snow, her black hair falls naturally, and she looks sexy and beautiful.
Fan Bingbing strolled on the red carpet with an elegant gait, her figure graceful, unafraid of the cold, and she displayed her charm to the fullest with ease and grace.
Fan Bingbing had a smile on her face, but she had something on her mind. She released a music album "Just the Beginning" in November last year, which did well. She has been busy promoting the album recently.
My original schedule was to go to Japan to shoot a commercial today, but I happened to know that Tengda Culture’s first film would be premiering today, so I deliberately postponed my trip to Japan and attended the premiere uninvited.
Fan Bingbing did this for a purpose. Her contract with Huayi Company was about to expire in the second half of the year. She had already decided not to renew the contract and to start her own studio.
Without the support of the film and television company, she had no idea whether she could build a career on her own.
In order to prepare for the future and build more connections, I decided to take this opportunity to get to know the people at Tengda Culture, the new giant in the Beijing circle, so I made this trip to the premiere.
After signing her name on the autograph wall, Fan Bingbing still stood there, allowing the reporters to take pictures. Only after she had enough time to appear in the camera did she walk away in small steps.
Walking into the lobby of the cinema, Fan Bingbing looked around. Some of the people there were old acquaintances with whom he had dealt many times, and some were senior executives of film and television companies who he had only met once or twice. They gathered in groups of three or five, busy chatting and making friends.
Seeing three people talking in the corner of the hall, Fan Bingbing's eyes lit up. She knew two of the three people. One was Li Ming, the boss of Xiaoma Pentium Company, and the other was Wang Changtian, the president of Light Media, who was very famous in the entertainment industry and was as famous as the big and small Wangs of Huayi.
Lifting her skirt, Fan Bingbing walked lightly to the three people. Her eyes revealed confidence and calmness. She showed the unique charm of a beautiful woman and greeted them in a sweet voice, "Boss Wang, Boss Li!"
Wang Changtian and Li Ming turned around when they heard the voice and saw Fan Bingbing in a gorgeous dress. There was a flash of surprise and amazement in their eyes.
Li Ming and Fan Bingbing had an average relationship. He nodded at her and politely praised her, "Bingbing is getting prettier!"
Wang Changtian was relatively familiar with Fan Bingbing, having met him several times before. He asked with a smile, "Bingbing, why are you here?"
Fan Bingbing responded with a smile: "I came here to join in the fun. Why, Mr. Wang doesn't welcome me?"
Wang Changtian laughed, "You should ask the host whether you are welcome or not. Mr. Zhang is here, so how can I take over the show? Bingbing, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Zhang Zhao, the general manager of Tengda Culture."
Fan Bingbing's eyes were bright, and he fixed his gaze on the man between Wang and Li. The man in front of him was his target today. He said in a voice as bright as a silver bell: "Hello, Mr. Zhang. I have heard of your name for a long time."
Zhang Zhao looked at the famous female star in front of him without revealing his feelings, and said with a polite smile: "It's nice to meet you, Miss Fan. You are so radiant today. Welcome to the premiere of "Night Club"."
(End of this chapter)
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