Chapter 1549
Setting the Table
The Book of Changes, the first of the Five Classics, states, "The revolutions of Tang and Wu were in accordance with Heaven and responded to the people."
This short passage is the origin of the words "revolution" and "following the will of Heaven and the people".
The so-called "following the will of Heaven and conforming to the will of the people" means conforming to the will of Heaven and conforming to the will of the people.
It was due to both favorable timing and harmonious human relations.
Zhang Yuan looked through the glass door of the small room at the four large characters on the office door.
"Wanhe Tianyi".
"All things are in harmony, in accordance with the natural order."
"It seems your ideal is to go with the flow and govern by doing nothing."
As Zhang Yuan spoke, he turned to look at the three people in front of him.
It's clear that the founders are quite cultured to come up with such a company name.
This also represents their attitude towards the internet.
Go with the flow and follow the times.
The policy of non-interference is not the same as lying down and doing nothing.
It is to act in accordance with the natural order.
The representative figure of governing by non-action was Emperor Wen of Han, Liu Heng.
In the TV series "Ming Dynasty", Emperor Jiajing asked Hai Rui: "Among the three generations of Chinese emperors, who should be considered the foremost wise ruler?"
The answer was: Emperor Wen of Han.
In reality, these words were spoken by Zhu Guozhen, the Grand Secretary of the Wanli Emperor's cabinet, but the drama applied them to Hai Rui.
The viewing platform in Emperor Wen's palace was broken. The cost of repairing it was 100 gold coins, equivalent to the annual income of ten average households. Emperor Wen, being stingy, simply waved his sleeves and refused to repair it.
Without the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing, there would have been no need for Emperor Wu's aggressive military campaigns.
Just like in the movie "Let the Bullets Fly," officials must be patient.
If an emperor can endure this, he deserves the title of "literary".
The people at Wanhe Tianyi also deserve the title of "governing by doing nothing".
They're pretty stingy...
They didn't cause any trouble. These people would work when there was work and rest when there wasn't. They were always half-dead and half-alive, and they actually chose this state.
It is known as the most "depressing" company.
This is quite different from the work style of other colleagues who are always fighting and wish they could kick others to death.
Zhang Yuan felt that this wasn't despair, but freedom.
With work to do and money to earn, what more could you want?
He felt the other person was cultured.
The other party heard that he could tell at a glance what the company's ambitions were and also thought he was very cultured.
Especially compared to other artists.
At this point, it was already an industry consensus that artists had low levels of education.
Even the older generation, not to mention Ma Jingwu's generation, Tang Guoqiang's generation of veteran artists were all very cultured.
If Zhang Yuan's situation were 50 years ago, he would only be considered above average.
Now... it's all thanks to the contrast with its competitors.
Among those born in the 80s, very few are still willing to read and study; the number is even lower for those who came after.
"I really like your work, I should say I really like it."
"To be honest, please don't take it to heart."
"I actually came here for Professor," Zhang Yuan said, looking at the bald man.
The reason why the two people in the advertising and sales department of Tudou (a Chinese tech company) pulled Professor to start a business was because Professor was the number one blogger on Tudou back then, without exception.
Two people who worked on sales channels teamed up with one who worked on content creation, and that's how this company came to be.
Zhang Yuan asked Wang Wei to help contact the two veterans, Tudou and Yang Zi.
But the focus is still on Professor, who shoulders more than half of the company's business.
People who didn't experience that era might not know how popular Professor Beast was back then.
In the early days of internet video, it was practically a god-like existence.
A laptop, an A4 paper mask, a brief explanation of the game, and a 10-minute video can garner hundreds of millions of views.
His talent for bizarre and satirical humor is so high that it is no exaggeration to describe it as a gifted individual.
He is the originator of the online style and track of talking nonsense in a serious manner.
It can only be said that the civil engineering industry does produce talented people. This guy came from a construction site supervisor background and only started making videos because he had too much free time.
Actually, he had a dream of becoming a director, so when his two remaining partners called on him, he quit his job and came to Beijing from Changsha to start his own business.
His family was against it, but he came anyway.
After arriving, they didn't sit idle; they filmed several short films in a row.
Unfortunately, the results were not as expected, and the number of views on Tudou.com was less than his previous parody videos.
So what they initially wanted to take was actually the path of Xiao Yangwang Taili.
"The platform is not suitable; Tudou's traffic has declined significantly."
"Furthermore, the success of 'Old Boys' cannot be easily replicated."
"This film resonated with a wide audience's feelings about youth and dreams."
"It perfectly resonates with the mainstream audience of internet videos, who are aged 15 to 35."
"In addition, Xiao Yang and Wang Taili are both very talented, especially Xiao Yang, who has a great talent for directing."
Zhang Yuan gave an example when talking about the short film produced by the other party.
"I am unworthy of the title, but I happen to be the boss of these two people."
"They are now my artists."
"Oh!" The professor raised his head and looked at him silently.
He was also a talent scout.
And they have relevant experience.
“I think you should leverage your strengths, continue down the path that the audience has loved, and build upon that.”
“It is difficult for micro-films to create a brand effect, and the source of commercial revenue is also unstable.”
"I would recommend doing what Professor Beast did before, creating a series of short dramas."
At that time, short dramas were a novelty.
Professor and Dapeng are considered the "pioneers of short dramas".
The two of them ushered in the era of short dramas.
This has allowed the TV drama genre to evolve once again, from long-running dramas on television to long-running dramas on both online and offline platforms.
This evolution has resulted in two different paths: long-form internet dramas and short-form internet dramas.
The ultimate form of online dramas will be the exclusive dramas broadcast on various platforms in the future.
Internet short dramas are evolving into the era of short videos.
They belong to two different evolutionary paths and have different cores.
Exclusive dramas on the platform are driven by viewership and celebrities, while short dramas are constantly increasing their emphasis on brevity, speed, and creativity.
In any case, the next few years will be the golden age of short dramas.
Especially "Unexpectedly" which had not yet been created by the professor at this time.
Each episode averages over 2000 million views, with the highest exceeding 4000 million views.
Youku and Tudou had an average user reach of just over 5000 million during the same period.
This demonstrates the show's formidable strength.
After chatting further, we discovered that the film wasn't still in development, but rather already had a prototype!
After several short films were not very successful, Professor and his team have begun to consider returning to the track they are best at.
"it is good!"
“It seems we’re on the same page.” Zhang Yuan took the initiative to shake hands with the other person.
"That would be perfect."
"And I can also tell you a confidential piece of information that concerns your future survival."
He lowered his voice and said mysteriously.
"Tudou and Youku will soon be merging and consolidating!"
The three of them were stunned after hearing this.
"So, from now on, don't focus on the Tudou platform. I know you all came from Tudou and are familiar with them."
"But in the future merger, Youku will definitely take the lead, and it will be clear who will be the higher-level platform."
"And I can pave the way for you to access Uku as a shareholder."
"So... Holy crap!"
As Zhang Yuan was speaking, he glanced out of the corner of his eye and noticed several people pressed against the glass outside the room, their faces almost touching the glass, which startled him.
"I'm sorry, I lost my composure."
"No, I'm just being myself." The three people opposite him thought he was more forthright and genuine than he appeared on screen.
Zhang Yuan raised his hand and waved to the people leaning against the glass, greeting them.
There was a group of people, but he only recognized a few of them.
Leading the group is the leading male actor playing female roles, Bai Ke.
His real name is Luo Hongming, and he will become famous throughout the country for his role as Wang Dachui.
The name Bai Ke comes from the fairy tale "Bai Ke" by Zheng Yuanjie.
The girl next to him is Xiao Ai, his classmate and roommate from the same school.
They formed a self-made voice acting group called cucn201 during their university years.
He gained some fame for voicing characters in the then-popular anime "Gag Manga Biyori".
Their videos became a hit on Tudou, which led to their recruitment today.
The other one Zhang Yuan recognized was named Zi Mo, and he was short and thin.
Originally, they were post-production and behind-the-scenes staff at Tudou, but they were also pulled in to start a business together.
Zhang Yuan suspected that the creative team behind Tudou had been poached by Wanhe Tianyi.
He got up, opened the door, went out and chatted with these people for a while and took photos with them.
Then he came back and sat down.
"Besides Youku, I also have my own TV series and film production company."
"If things develop in this direction in the future, I can also provide assistance."
The professor got even more excited when this was mentioned.
Anyone who dreams of becoming a director will yearn for the big screen in theaters.
His ultimate goal, of course, is to invest and acquire shares.
The company is too small now; it doesn't even have a sign.
Initially, it cost two to three million yuan and resulted in a small loss.
Although Fan Jun, the person in charge and initiator, received a small share of the profits from the potato's listing, he was not a board member, so it was only a few million.
The general agreement reached was for 35% of the shares for 500 million. For Zhang Yuan, it was just a small amount of money, but for them, it was a huge sum.
We agreed to discuss the details later, then sign a contract through legal channels, and the payment would be made in installments after completion.
Filming and distribution matters will be discussed separately.
"I was planning to treat everyone to a meal," he said apologetically as everyone saw him off.
"But I have something to do today, and I have to go out of town soon."
"So another day I'll treat everyone to a good drink and we'll all drink until we drop."
"I've got it. I won't go back on my word."
Amidst the laughter of the crowd, he turned and left.
His arrival helped solve the two major problems of money and distribution channels; he was a true angel investor.
They were protected like angels as they embarked on their journey.
Of course, these people boosted his stats.
Unexpectedly, he's quite talented... Zhang Yuan glanced at him and found that he had acquired quite a few professional skills.
Don't be fooled by the small size of the temple; it's full of real monks.
He headed straight to the airport and boarded a flight to Yuhang.
After landing, they met up with Huang Xiaomao, who had already arrived.
Huang Xiaomao felt a little guilty, having previously mentioned that he was afraid of being ambushed in Yuhang, only to be dragged here by him.
By voluntarily coming to their territory, are we courting death?
But then he saw Zhang Yuan looking confident and self-assured.
"Teacher Huang, don't worry, I'm here for you," Zhang Yuan said, comforting him as he remained silent the whole way.
"My worries are because of you."
Zhang Yuan: ...
We arrived at a restaurant near the Lantai Building and sat down in a large private room.
After waiting for a long time, Huang Xiaomao kept glancing at his watch.
Looking at Zhang Yuan again, she found that her young boss was quite calm, even humming a tune with his eyes closed.
I told him on the way here that I came to see the leaders of Lantai TV today.
Huang Xiaomao thought to himself, "How can people be happy to see you?"
Leader: I've never seen such an arrogant person in my entire life.
Zhang Yuan: Oh, you've met me today.
Huang Xiaomao was too conservative. He hadn't thought about why Zhang Yuan wanted to come, why he dared to come, and why he was able to get a dinner appointment with the leaders of Lantai.
"Oh, nice to meet you, Mr. Huang." The door to the private room was pushed open, and Huang Xiaomao had just reacted when he found that Zhang Yuan had already stepped forward.
Their reaction time was much faster than mine.
Huang, the director of the Blue Platform Production Center, smiled helplessly and awkwardly, and shook hands with Zhang Yuan.
"Please sit down."
He took the initiative to invite the other person to the seat of honor, and even helped pull out the chair.
He poured drinks and ordered food, and chatted with the other party very attentively.
"This is my first time visiting your esteemed place, and I haven't brought any suitable gifts. I hope you won't mind."
"Ah...it's nothing."
Huang Xiaomao observed that this leader of the Blue TV station seemed a bit "dejected".
Given the current situation, shouldn't the other party be very angry?
After all, our side made headlines by saying we had to change the channel when the show was airing.
At this moment, Huang Xiaomao still couldn't figure out why Zhang Yuan had brought him here.
After the cold dishes were served, Zhang Yuan stood up and picked up a glass.
"Mr. Huang, I won't beat around the bush either."
"I've come today to apologize to you and Lantai."
These words surprised even the leaders of Zhejiang TV.
The other party assumed that Zhang Yuanlai was there for "peace talks".
I didn't expect them to apologize as soon as they arrived.
"I'll punish myself with a drink first, you don't need to move."
Finish one glass, then have another.
"After careful investigation, I found that there was a misunderstanding in the communication between our subordinates."
"Our General Manager Huang mistakenly thought there was a major problem with the collaboration, which is why he was looking around for someone to take over the program's copyright."
"Mr. Huang, have a drink too."
"You're completely wrong about this."
Huang Xiaomao: ...
No...didn't you make me do all of this?
Now they're all pinning it on my head!
Zhang Yuan gave him a wink.
nonsense!
What's the point of having a subordinate if they won't take the blame for their boss?
I brought him here today to take the blame.
Not long after the incident, Zhang Yuan seized the opportunity to personally handle the matter.
After thinking it over, he felt that there were several key issues at play in this matter.
First, I am not familiar with the people at Blue TV, especially the leaders.
The lack of personal connection causes the other person's already limited "good/evil value" to veer towards the evil side.
Especially with the immense popularity of "The Voice of China," the profits are enormous.
However, instead of broadening the scope of who was responsible for the problem, he broke it down into smaller, more specific parts.
You can't make the entire Blue Platform your enemy just because you have a conflict with someone.
Instead, we need to pinpoint the target more precisely.
Zhejiang TV and Hunan TV are different.
Hunan TV has its own artist management company, Tianyu Media, in which Hunan TV holds a stake.
But Lantai doesn't have such a company.
So there's a problem with the artist's contract, and someone's trying to take it from me?
This is not right.
It's not Zhejiang TV that's competing with me; it's someone else using Zhejiang TV and its programs to compete with me.
These are two completely different concepts!
If you start from the wrong point, you'll only find it harder and harder to keep going, and you'll only make more and more mistakes.
He wouldn't easily find out who was behind it all, and the matter was urgent.
So I'm not looking anymore!
All you need to know is that the person in charge of the variety show department who contacted you is definitely suspicious.
If there's no conflict of interest, why are you going against me?
Communicating with this person will be fruitless because we have a conflict of interest.
The term "bureaucrat" first appeared in the Zuo Zhuan.
This word has been quite complex since its inception.
Our ancestors understood thousands of years ago that the work and purpose of bureaucrats is often not to carry out tasks assigned by their superiors, but to use those tasks to seek personal gain in a way that suits their own preferences.
Those who can both seek personal gain and fulfill their superiors' tasks already surpass 9% of bureaucrats.
Television stations are also a hotbed of bureaucracy, something Zhang Yuan knows all too well.
I'm not familiar with Zhejiang TV, but I'm very familiar with Hunan TV and Mango TV!
This direct executive in charge of variety shows is definitely planning to cash in.
But higher-level leaders are different; they might not even care about such paltry sums.
What they want is high viewership ratings, because viewership ratings are political achievements.
Like most officials in ancient times, regardless of their rank, they all tried to make money while in office.
But far fewer emperors were fond of making money.
It was originally mine. As the sovereign and father, the whole world belongs to me. Why would I want to take it?
If it really came down to making money, the emperor had far more ways to do so than officials.
Therefore, he concluded that even within the same television station, the goals of senior and middle management are different.
Just like Hunan TV, Tianyu Media often clashes with its artists over control and profit sharing. Do the higher-ups want to see this?
Chen Shengsheng's disruptive behavior at the gala resulted in disciplinary action against a whole group of people, demonstrating that the higher-ups don't care about money or the gains and losses of individual artists; what they care about is face and stability.
Middle managers are the ones who love to use tricks to frame people, while senior executives at TV stations don't need any tricks to frame people.
Once you break the other party down, things change.
The reason I made a scene online was not to vent my anger, but to "reach the ears of the heavens".
Only after a stir will the higher-ups at Zhejiang TV realize that there's a problem with the program.
Otherwise, the message will most likely be blocked in the middle layer, and the higher-ups will not hear it at all.
Just like Emperor Jiajing in the TV series "Ming Dynasty" said, "If you're not deaf and blind, you can't be the head of the household."
Because deafness was a sign of royalty...
It is common for those in power to be deceived by those below them.
Even if you see something, you might deliberately pretend not to hear it.
After all, his subordinates are his own people.
But once the problem becomes public, the higher-ups have to treat it as a serious matter.
Only in this way can one meet with the other party's senior management.
But that's not enough!
If they get angry, they might just turn their back on you and never see you again.
So he took out an "insurance" for himself.
That's Feng Shaofeng, the "young master" of the Yangtze River Delta.
As mentioned before, this person is a typical example of someone who was a soldier in the first generation, a businessman in the second, and an artist in the third.
Feng Shaofeng's father was arranged by his grandfather to become a leader in a state-owned enterprise. Later, he went into business through connections and resources, which led to his wealth.
He was able to get together with Huayi because of their revolutionary family background.
However, their family's network of connections is not in Beijing, but in the Yangtze River Delta region.
Now, this guy has the leverage over his affair with the boss's mistress.
His girlfriend is also one of my artists.
Let's not talk about threats; we can always help each other.
His request wasn't to resolve the matter, but simply to find someone to act as a go-between, someone who "sets the table" behind the scenes.
I'll set the table myself.
So when the deputy general manager of Lantai arrived, he looked embarrassed. He should have been angry, but he also had to give others face.
It would be inappropriate to take advantage of someone's kindness at this point.
Therefore, he took the initiative to apologize, giving the other party a way to back down gracefully.
But the story doesn't end here... (End of Chapter)