Traffic Star Development Program

Chapter 37 A Chicken Must Die Meaningfully

Xue Zhijian wrote: "Did the teacher listen to the new arrangement? I feel that the second verse is a little awkward, but I'm not sure if it's my problem."

After reading the message, Zeng Hao's lips twitched slightly, which could be considered a smile.

My ears are accurate.

He replied to Xu Wen: He told Xue Zhijian that the feeling of being stuck was real. The arranger was making changes, and he would listen to it again after the changes were finished. Only when there were no problems would he go into the recording studio.

Xu Wen: Okay.

Xue Zhijian's message illustrates one thing: this person is aware of his own work and is not the type to hand over the song and then ignore it. Using this kind of person may cause friction, but the results from that friction will be better than those who are compliant.

The premise is that the friction must be within the framework of the contract.

At 10 a.m. on Friday, the first message was, as always, from Xu Wen.

Xu Wen: Mr. Zeng, Studio M just sent an email saying that the internal evaluation is complete and the licensing fee can be increased to 1.1 million RMB. They asked if we could accept it. If we can, they hope to arrange contract negotiations next week.

Zeng Hao read the message, put his phone on the table, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

One million one hundred thousand.

The jump from 500,000 to 800,000, and then from 800,000 to 1.1 million illustrates one thing: their actual internal budget ceiling is higher than 1.1 million, but 1.1 million is a figure they are willing to offer as a gesture of goodwill, not their last resort.

But this number is already within his target range.

He thought about it for about twenty seconds and replied to Xu Wen: "Reply to Studio M, 1.1 million is negotiable, but the contract needs three additional clauses: First, any revisions to the outline must be confirmed in writing by Sunshine Entertainment; second, the script review before filming of the Korean version will be completed by personnel designated by Sunshine Entertainment; third, the copyright cannot be transferred or sublicensed to any third party within three years of the Korean version's broadcast. These three clauses are standard terms, not additional conditions. If Studio M accepts, contract negotiations can be arranged next week."

Xu Wen replied after reading: Understood, I will reply now.

Zeng Hao put down his phone.

The most direct result of getting 1.1 million was the acquisition of the copyright, but the three additional clauses were what made the deal truly valuable. The right to confirm the outline and the right to review the script meant that he had a veto right over the direction of the Korean adaptation, and the three-year ban on transfer meant that the circulation of the copyright in the Korean market was locked, and if the other party wanted to expand the adaptation, they could only come back to him to negotiate.

This is control gained through licensing fees, and not every copyright holder wants this level of control.

At 2 PM, Xu Wen forwarded Studio M's reply email. Park Jae-won's wording was polite, saying that they could accept the three additional terms in principle internally, but the specific text of the terms needed to be further confirmed during contract negotiations, and he hoped to arrange a video or face-to-face meeting next Tuesday.

Zeng Hao replied with two words: Next Tuesday, video.

In the Korean version of this matter, he maintained the initiative in the negotiations throughout the entire process. From the initial offer of 500,000 to the final offer of 1.1 million, he took the initiative to raise the price at every step. He did not provide any figures; he simply waited.

Chen Mo's commission will be settled according to the contract percentage; Xu Wen can handle this matter.

Saturday, December 5th.

The movie "Diamond Lover" is now live.

Zeng Hao was not present.

This is not the place he needs to be. Peng Bing is here, Xu Wen is here, and the crew's affairs are Peng Bing's responsibility. Zeng Hao's presence would only make the entire crew tense, resulting in an unnatural final product.

He sat in the company with the day's financial data sheet beside him, which Sister Liu had brought over that morning. The iQiyi revenue share from "Go Princess Go" reached 62,000 yuan this month. Adding the earnings from Yang Shanshan and Zhang Tianai's appearances this month, the miscellaneous items totaled 310,000 yuan, not much, but stable.

At 11:20 a.m., Peng Bing sent a message.

Peng Bing: Mr. Zeng, the third scene is finished. It went smoothly. Dilireba was in good condition and didn't have any problems with her lines. She got it in one take. We'll continue this afternoon. We should be able to finish five scenes today.

Zeng Hao replied: I understand.

A minute later, Peng Bing sent another message: By the way, there was a little incident with the extras today. One of the extras complained that there weren't enough boxed lunches and had a few words with the props teacher on set. I had the assistant director handle it and get a replacement, so it didn't cause any problems.

Zeng Hao read the message but didn't reply. He put his phone down.

Peng Bing handled the incident of extras arguing over lunchboxes on set when "Go Princess Go" was filming. He had suppressed it on the spot that time. This time, Peng Bing resolved it himself, which shows that the director has a solid ability to control the situation on set and doesn't need Peng Bing to worry about it.

He noted down the standard for the extras' boxed meals and asked Sister Liu to check how this part of the budget was set. It wasn't about adding money, but about confirming that the standard was consistent. Inconsistent standards were the root cause of the trouble.

He sent a message to Sister Liu: Check the meal allowance for the extras in the "Diamond Lover" drama series, confirm with Peng Bing whether it matches the contract, and let me know if there are any problems today.

Sister Liu replied ten minutes later: I checked, the meal allowance is 30 yuan per person for three meals a day, and the contract states that it is between 30 and 35 yuan. Today we were given 30 yuan, which is within the range, so there is no problem.

Zeng Hao read the message and replied: Got it.

If there's no problem, then there's no problem. Let's leave it at that.

At 3 PM, Xu Wen sent a message from the film set, along with two pictures.

The first picture shows the filming location for the third scene today, in the lobby of a commercial building. The lights are already set up, and Dilraba is standing in the middle of the corridor with her back to the camera. Her profile is clearly visible in the light. Next to her is the male actor she is acting with. Neither of them is looking at the camera. This is a break in filming, not a staged shot.

Figure 2 shows the overall scene today. Peng Bing is standing in front of the monitor, and the assistant director is next to him. The crew is not large, but the division of labor is clear, and everyone is in their own position.

Xu Wen added a sentence: Director Peng said that her condition was better than expected today. Dilraba joined the crew quickly, was down-to-earth, and got along well with the crew members.

Zeng Hao glanced at the two pictures and replied with a single word: Okay.

Zeng Hao wasn't surprised that Dilraba was down-to-earth. When she joined the company, she signed a five-year, 55% contract. This contract term isn't considered exploitative in the industry, but it's not exactly generous either. She understands her current position, and her low-key approach to joining the production was the right choice. It's not that she has a good personality, but that she's clear-headed.

A person with a clear mind is useful.

In his memo for Dilireba, he wrote: "Smooth start-up, good condition upon joining the crew, first step of fulfilling the resource terms has been completed."

After finishing writing, put down the pen.

The light outside the window began to slant. In Qianhu City, the days are short in winter. You can feel the sun moving westward as early as 3 p.m., casting long shadows on the opposite building like an irregular pointer, pointing in an unclear direction.

Sister Liu brought in the annual financial report on the morning of December 23rd.

A bound document, not thick, but when Sister Liu brought it over, she held it with a little more force than usual, and placed it on the table more steadily than usual, as if she were solemnly handing over something.

Zeng Hao took the document and turned to the first page.

Below the cover is the abstract, and Sister Liu wrote four words in red pen in the upper right corner of the abstract: "Turnaround to profitability for the whole year".

He flipped through the abstract, directly to the page with the summary table.

Annual operating revenue: 11.37 million.

Total expenditure for the year: 6.04 million.

Full-year net profit: 5.33 million.

This is the company's operating data, excluding box office revenue sharing, licensing fees for the Korean version, and revenue sharing from "Go Princess Go" on iQiyi. These are all outstanding receivables, and there are separate details.

Turning to the next page, under Accounts Receivable, the remaining revenue share for "Back to 20" is approximately 68 million, of which 16.78 million has already been received, with the remainder to be settled monthly; the revenue share for "Go Princess Go" on iQiyi has totaled 710,000 received throughout the year; the licensing fee for the Korean version is 1.1 million, with the contract to be officially signed next week, and updates will be made after the funds are received.

Zeng Hao went through the numbers from beginning to end.

This company had 30,000 yuan in its accounts at the beginning of the year and borrowed 4 million yuan to catch its breath. Now, at the end of the year, its cash on hand has exceeded 20 million yuan. With accounts receivable added, its actual asset size is a completely different figure.

Half a year, less than a year.

Sister Liu was still standing at the door, waiting to see Zeng Hao's reaction, or waiting for him to say something.

Zeng Hao pushed the documents over, "Make a separate list of accounts receivable, arranged by the arrival time, showing when and how much each month will arrive. I need a table that I can check anytime."

Sister Liu took the documents and said, "Okay, I'll have the accountant do it today."

"Also," Zeng Hao said, "we won't disclose the financial report to the public yet, including the artists and Xu Wen."

Sister Liu agreed and left with the documents.

The room fell silent again.

Zeng Hao sat in his chair, thinking about the first step in clearing up his reputation.

Rehabilitating one's reputation requires specific methods and techniques.

The financial report showed that the company had turned a profit, but he did not intend to speak out about it. Speaking out would be tantamount to pushing himself out into the public eye for judgment, which was not his style.

He wanted outsiders to discover this on their own.

The method is very simple. Sister Liu is responsible for filing the annual report with the data of turning a profit throughout the year through normal business channels. The annual report is public information, and anyone can find it. She doesn't need to push it; someone will take the initiative to check it.

What kind of people in the industry like to check their peers' annual reports?

reporter.

Analyst.

And then there are the competitors.

When competitors discover that Sunshine Entertainment has turned a profit, their first reaction is not to congratulate them, but to investigate. After the investigation, they will spread the news, and the media will follow up. Only after the media follows up will they speak out, and at that time, whatever they say will be a passive response, not an active performance.

This is the proper way to clear one's name; it's not about putting on a show, but about letting others ask the questions and then answering them yourself.

He sent a message to Sister Liu: "Complete the annual report filing within this month. All data should be filled in truthfully, without any discrepancies. Follow the normal channels. No need to rush. Proceed at the normal pace."

Sister Liu replied: Understood, will handle it within this week.

That matter was then passed on.

At 4 PM, Xu Wen sent a message: "President Zeng, Yang Shanshan's agent just called and said that Yang Shanshan's schedule this month is too packed. They asked if it could be adjusted a bit, with two fewer appearances next month."

Zeng Hao read the message, put his phone on the table, and did not reply immediately.

Yang Shanshan's agent called to inquire about reducing her appearances. There are two possibilities for this action: one is that Yang Shanshan herself instructed the agent to sound her out; the other is that the agent noticed the problem herself and took the initiative to communicate with her.

Regardless of the reason, this call indicates that Yang Shanshan has started to push things forward; it's not just a matter of pent-up emotions, but rather that action has been taken.

The year-end financial reports are now out.

The time has come.

He also has many resources at his disposal.

So he replied to Xu Wen: Tell the agent that starting next month, Yang Shanshan's appearances will be suspended, and the specific resumption time is yet to be determined. The reason is that the company is internally evaluating and adjusting the artist's development direction, which will take some time. This statement is for the agent, not for Yang Shanshan herself.

Xu Wen replied two minutes later: Okay, I'll call my agent now.

Ten minutes later, Xu Wen sent another message: I told the agent what I said, and they asked if there was a specific recovery time. I said it was pending, and they said they understood and would pass it on to Yang Shanshan.

Zeng Hao put down his phone.

To make an example of someone, the chicken must die meaningfully.

After he dies, everyone in the circle will know, but the way they will find out is not by him telling them.

It's about letting the chickens go out on their own so that others can see them.

No one will say that Yang Shanshan's being sidelined is Zeng Hao's fault, because the contract is in place, the announcement limit is set, and all the exploitation is within the scope permitted in writing. Being sidelined is a legitimate adjustment in the company's development direction, and no one can find fault with it.

This storyline ends with him.

Zeng Hao took a deep breath and looked into the distance.

The light outside the window continued to thin, and the shadows in the parking lot stretched to their longest, extending all the way to the tree roots across the street. The streetlights were not yet on, and the sky was darkening. Winter evenings come early in Qianhu City, and it gets dark in the blink of an eye, as if someone is adjusting the lights, slowly but relentlessly.

My phone vibrated, and Xu Wen sent another message: "President Zeng, Xue Zhijian asked if we could listen to the adjusted arrangement before recording Happy Camp. He said he wants to confirm the quality."

Zeng Hao read the message and replied: Let him listen to it. If he has any questions, he can ask them directly. If he has no questions, he can go to the recording studio. The recording time for Happy Camp remains unchanged, in late December, and will not be postponed.

Xu Wen: Okay.

He put his phone in his pocket, stood up, turned off the lamp, took his coat off the rack, put it on, and walked towards the door.

It's almost the end of the year.

There's still a lot to do next year.

The day of recording Happy Camp arrived quickly, and we entered the studio at nine in the morning.

Xu Wen sent the instructions to Xue Zhijian and Xu Jiaying a day in advance; it was two pages long.

The first page contains the program schedule and important notes.

The second page contains a Q&A plan that Zeng Hao personally reviewed. It lists several possible directions that the Happy Camp hosts might ask, with one or two reference answers for each direction. The purpose is not for them to memorize it, but to let them know what they can say and what they should avoid saying.

After receiving the message, Xue Zhijian replied to Xu Wen with a message: "I'm a little touched that the teacher prepared so carefully."

Xu Wen forwarded this message to Zeng Hao.

After reading it, Zeng Hao replied with three words: Don't be moved.

Then I put down my phone and continued looking at what I was holding.

What's so touching?

This contingency plan is to protect company assets, not to appease Xue Zhijian's feelings.

If he says something he shouldn't on Happy Camp and the topic goes off-topic, the subsequent release of "Ugly Monster" won't be about riding the show's popularity, but rather about causing trouble.

This is business logic, and has nothing to do with being moved.