Chapter 319: The First Explosion of the New Year
The morning light shines through the spacious and bright glass curtain wall of the office building and onto the office area of Tengda Culture.
Employees arrived at their posts one after another, and when a tall and beautiful figure appeared in the field of vision, the entire office area instantly became lively.
"Good morning, Sister Mi."
"Sister Mi, "Palace Lock Heart Jade" is so good!"
Greetings came one after another. Yang Mi modestly responded to the enthusiasm and flattery of the Tengda Culture employees, but she couldn't hide the smile on her lips. She was so popular recently!
After "Palace" was broadcast on the Hunan Satellite TV Golden Eagle Exclusive Theater on January 8, the average viewership rating was 2.6% in two weeks, with the highest rating being 3.5%.
It has topped the national ratings for ten consecutive days and is the TV series with the highest ratings on provincial satellite TV stations in the country in the past five years.
Luo Qingchuan's name became famous overnight across the country. Thanks to this role, Yang Mi also topped the Weibo hot search list for several days and successfully became a top-tier female star. Her popularity is not inferior to that of Liu Shishi and Wang Luodan.
After asking her assistant to distribute the prepared milk tea to her colleagues at the unit, Yang Mi went straight to Zeng Jia's office amidst voices of thanks and praise.
In the vice president's office, Zeng Jia was humming a tune happily and fiddling with the flowers and plants on the windowsill. He was obviously in a very good mood.
"Jia Jie."
When Zeng Jia heard the voice, he immediately put down the gardening tools in his hand and said with a smile on his face: "Mi Mi is here, come sit down."
The two sat down on the sofa, and Zeng Jia congratulated sincerely: "Mi Mi, congratulations, you finally have a hit work that goes viral."
Yang Mi's delicate face was full of excitement. "I didn't expect that 'Palace' would be so popular. At that time, Yu Zheng hurriedly moved up the release date, and I thought the show was going to flop."
Zeng Jia also sighed: "It's really an accidental achievement! But it's also thanks to the company's strong publicity and promotion capabilities, otherwise the wine will not be well known even if it is not well known.
You were not happy about the scandal between you and Feng Shaofeng before, but it was just a little trick, and now it seems that it was all worth it."
Yang Mi nodded slightly. She didn't expect the hype to be so effective. Her mentality changed quietly. She thought that she could copy the same tricks in her new dramas. It doesn't matter if the tricks are old, as long as they are useful.
"I called you back to the company today because I have a few things to discuss with you."
Yang Mi sat upright, listening attentively, realizing that what Zeng Jia said next was crucial.
Although "Palace" is a big hit, the key at the moment is how to maintain this popularity and turn it into long-term benefits.
"Yu Zheng, I and Xiangnan TV have discussed this. We should strike while the iron is hot. You and Feng Shaofeng should quickly appear on more variety shows to intensify the publicity and hype to add fuel to the popularity of 'Palace Lock Heart Jade'."
"No problem for me. I'll do my best to cooperate."
Zeng Jia grinned, "The second thing is definitely good news! The company has accepted three new endorsements for you, and is negotiating for another five."
Yang Mi's beautiful eyes lit up instantly, and she asked impatiently: "Jia Jie, tell me quickly, what is the endorsement!"
Zeng Jia listed them all: "At present, Veet Skin Care, Guangyuan Biscuits and Sharan Mobile Phones have already reached an agreement. Sony Digital Cameras and Qiaodi Shanghui Cosmetics are also under negotiation."
Yang Mi suddenly gained three brand endorsements, and she was all smiles: "With these three brand endorsements, I have the most endorsements among the four young actresses."
"With 9 endorsements, the number does exceed that of Liu Yifei, Liu Shishi and Wang Luodan, but the quality still needs to be improved."
Yang Mi was very open-minded and confident: "Just take your time. There are still five companies in the negotiation. I will catch up and surpass them!"
Zeng Jia nodded slightly. It was just as Yang Mi said. There was still room for further development of the benefits of "Palace Lock Heart Jade". It was still unknown which new generation of female stars would be better in the future! "
"What I'm going to say next is extremely important!" Zeng Jia's tone became serious, and his expression was solemn. Seeing Yang Mi's restrained expression, he continued to speak solemnly:
"Nowadays, celebrities in the entertainment industry like to create their own personalities. Compared with Liu Yifei's celestial fairy and fairy sister, Liu Shishi's personality is as quiet as a chrysanthemum, and Wang Luodan's personality is straightforward, opinionated, and the spokesperson for urban women.
Your hard-working woman character is not up to par and lacks highlights. Top actresses must have style, so I want to change your character style.”
Yang Mi thought about it carefully and compared it silently in her mind. She felt that the name "Pin Pin San Niang" was indeed too low. It sounded like she was destined to be a hard worker, as if she was a worker in the entertainment industry.
"Jia Jie, a celebrity's personality must match their image and temperament. What new personality do you think I should change to?"
"I have discussed and researched with the company team and suggest that you take the route of the traffic queen and fashion queen.
This character is highly talked about and can maintain a very high popularity, but it will also be controversial and may be questioned by netizens for a long time. "
"Traffic queen, fashion queen!" Yang Mi whispered softly, feeling familiar. After thinking for a while, she suddenly realized, "Is this the route Fan Bingbing is taking? More hype, more eyeballs, more attention?"
"Yes, in general it's the same approach! Market yourself as a commodity, and maintain your popularity by constantly creating controversial topics and generating buzz.
But everything has its pros and cons. This route will definitely have a lot of haters. Look at Fan Bingbing being scolded online every day. He needs to have a strong mental quality, otherwise he won’t be able to survive! "
Yang Mi curled her lips and said disapprovingly: "Which star doesn't have black fans? Tianxian and Yijie both have a lot of black fans. If there is no black fans, it means they are not popular! But Jiajie, doesn't my personality overlap with Fan Bingbing's?"
Zeng Jia further analyzed: "There is still a difference. She is now running a company and becoming a boss, and she has begun to create the image of Fan Ye and a female CEO.
The focus of your marketing is your temperament and image. Participate in more variety shows and fashion events to increase your exposure and create a unique personal charm. "
Yang Mi has always acted decisively: "Jia Jie, you and your company team are professional in celebrity image packaging.
Since you think this route is suitable for me, I will trust you, follow this character's arrangement, and continue on this path in the future."
"Mi Mi, don't worry, I will definitely make you the most popular female star in the entertainment industry."
After all, she had known Zeng Jia for many years, and it was Zeng Jia who strongly recommended her to star in "Palace Lock Heart Jade", which led to her current popularity. Yang Mi still trusted her: "Thank you, Sister Jia."
Zeng Jia looked deep in his eyes and paused for a moment, as if he was thinking about something: "Mi Mi, your contract with Tengda is three years, right?"
"Well, yes, 13 years is due."
"Have you made long-term plans? Have you thought about what to do after the contract expires in three years?"
Yang Mi was stunned when she heard this. It was only the first year of her contract with the company. She was busy filming and attending to announcements on weekdays and had never thought about such a long-term thing.
Zeng Jia saw Yang Mi's confused expression and knew that the little girl had no long-term plans, so he decided to get straight to the point: "Mi Mi, I won't hide it from you. In a few years, I plan to start my own business. A film and television company."
Yang Mi was shocked: "Jia Jie, you want to leave Tengda?"
"Yes and no." Zeng Jia nodded first, then shook his head. The ambiguous response left Yang Mi confused.
"Tengda Group is an Internet company. Tengda Culture is deeply influenced by its headquarters in terms of business thinking and likes to invest in shares and make strategic layouts.
That’s why it was so smooth for Qiao Zhengyu to establish his own studio. After “Love Is Not Blind” grossed 200 million yuan at the box office, the company was willing to invest and support director Teng Huatao to set up a studio. It was based on the same idea.
This year, Wang Luodan and Wang Kai may also set up their own studios. So the company does not object to everyone going out on their own.”
Zeng Jia spoke slowly and carefully observed Yang Mi's expression. She originally wanted to reveal her plan to start a film and television company later, but she didn't expect that the drama "Palace" would make Yang Mi suddenly famous.
He was afraid that his favorite young actress would open a studio, which would make it difficult to persuade her to start a business. He had no choice but to inform Yang Mi of his plan in advance.
"Jia Jie, do you mean to start your own company and ask Tengda Culture to invest?"
"Yes! After all, it is difficult for a new company to develop without support. With Tengda Culture as a shareholder, it is a great opportunity to enjoy the shade under a big tree."
Yang Mi was thoughtful, vaguely understanding Zeng Jia's meaning: "Sister Jia, do you want to start a business with me?"
"Yes!" Zeng Jia nodded very seriously, "Just like Fan Bingbing and Mu Xiaoguang. Without Tengda's support, her small company would not have been able to develop so smoothly.
You and I are both from Tengda, and we are much closer to the company than the two of them. If we start a company, we will definitely get more support from Tengda than Fan Bingbing."
Yang Mi was very excited by the beautiful blueprint Zeng Jia painted, but starting a business is no joke. Details such as the amount of investment and equity distribution need to be carefully considered, and it is not something that can be hastily decided in a short period of time.
"Sister Jia, let me think about it. Besides, my contract with the company hasn't expired yet!"
Zeng Jia felt relieved when he saw that Yang Mi did not directly refuse. He said softly, "Don't rush. Think about it slowly. I still need to find a chance to test Mr. Zhang's attitude.
In the next two years, I will expand my network of contacts and strive to build a production team. Let's discuss your recent schedule."
At the same time, unlike the joyful atmosphere at Tengda Culture, a depressing and dull atmosphere permeated the Donghai Tangren Film and Television headquarters.
After Cai Yinong hurriedly passed by the office area, a female employee breathed a sigh of relief: "Boss Cai looks so bad."
"That's right. Ever since the broadcast of 'Palace', I haven't seen President Cai in a good mood. Every time the ratings of the show go up, President Cai becomes more gloomy."
"Both 'Palace' and our company's 'Startling by Each Step' are about time travel through the Qing Dynasty. The other one is so popular, and similar things will repel each other. It will definitely affect 'Startling by Each Step'. President Cai must be very anxious."
While the employees were discussing this, Cai Yinong entered the office, unable to suppress his anger, and yelled, "Yang Mi, you are ungrateful! Yu Zheng, you are just a rubbish that can only plagiarize!"
Knock, knock, knock. "Come in!"
Director Li Guoli walked into the office and saw Cai Yinong's face was livid. He sighed and advised: "Calm down. Things have come to this point. Getting angry will not help."
"Yu Zheng did it on purpose!" Cai Yinong paced back and forth in the office in annoyance.
"I asked someone and found out that "Palace" was originally scheduled to be broadcast in March. After he learned that "Startling by Each Step" was to be broadcast in early February, he urgently changed the schedule to seize the opportunity.
A low-quality drama with crude costumes and props and a patchwork plot has become so popular just because of its novel subject matter and the title of the first Qing idol drama in mainland China! These honors should have originally belonged to "Startling by Each Step."
Cai Yinong was furious and became more and more excited as he spoke. The themes of the two dramas are highly similar. The popularity of "Palace" will inevitably steal the attention from "Startling by Each Step".
Tangren Pictures is counting on "Startling by Each Step" to make a comeback. If the ratings are not ideal, Tangren may suffer a serious blow and return to the situation before liberation.
Li Guoli frowned, "I am still confident in the quality of "Startling by Each Step". If we strengthen the publicity, the ratings should not be bad. By the way, what did Shishi say?"
"Don't mention it. The movie "Palace Lock Heart Jade" was a huge hit, and it was Tengda Culture that made the money. Shishi was completely unwilling to show up."
Cai Yinong looked helpless. The other party had even calculated Liu Shishi's character and was sure that Yijie would not stand up.
If Liu Shishi did not show up, Yu Zheng, who had the support of Tengda Culture and Hunan Satellite TV, would not have to worry about Tangren at all, and he really had no way to deal with him.
Knowing that they can only rely on Tangren's own strength, Li Guoli offered a suggestion: "To forge iron, one must be strong. I have seen "Palace Lock Heart Jade", which is very average. We can start by comparing the quality of the two dramas and focus on promoting them."
Cai Yinong's eyes flashed coldly: "I have my own ideas about publicity. Isn't "Palace" very popular now? I might be able to use it for my benefit. Tangren Films is no pushover."
After seeing Li Guoli off, Cai Yinong immediately called the company's legal director and asked directly, "If I sue Yu Zheng for plagiarizing "Startling by Each Step" in his "Palace Lock Heart" and infringing on the copyright, what are my chances of winning the case?"
The legal director was embarrassed and said, "Mr. Cai, plagiarism in film and television works is difficult to define. In addition, Yu Zheng is very cunning. He patched up and pieced together the plot of "Palace Lock Heart Jade" to make it seem plausible. If we really want to sue,
We have a hard time collecting and identifying evidence, and our chances of winning are slim. And... "
Seeing that the legal affairs officer was hesitant to speak, Cai Yinong said calmly: "And what? Just say it directly."
The director took a deep breath and said, "Boss Cai, litigation takes a long time. Even if we win the first trial, Yu Zheng can still continue to appeal.
If the case is dragged to the second and third trials, it will take at least three to five years for the lawsuit to be won. By that time, even if the other party is defeated, "Palace" will have been broadcast for several years and the drama will be over. "
Cai Yinong nodded her jaw. It made sense. Everyone knew that lawsuits were difficult, but the legal director's fear of difficulty made her unhappy.
His eyes were like knives, and he ordered word by word: "Go back and prepare the materials immediately. This lawsuit cannot be fought illegally. If you feel that you are not competent, I will hire a professional team of lawyers outside."
Seeing the boss's firm attitude, the legal director knew that further persuasion would be futile and could only focus on preparing the prosecution materials.
The office fell silent again. Cai Yinong looked at the hot searches about "Palace" and Yang Mi on the computer screen, and carefully considered what to do next.
No matter how difficult the copyright lawsuit is, Tangren Film and Television will definitely insist on fighting it. It must take a tough stance to label Yu Zheng's "Palace" as a pirated and infringing copy and establish the impression that "Startling by Each Step" is an authentic copy in the minds of netizens and audiences.
(End of this chapter)
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