yournovel Chapter 37 Ancestors Wealthy
Chapter 37 Ancestors Wealthy
"Lin Gou?"
Ren Pingsheng called out subconsciously.
The tall, thin man stiffened, then suddenly turned his head, his large eyes wide open, his voice thick with the accent of Northeast China, and stared at him.
"Hey bro, who are you? How did you know my... nickname?"
Looking at that youthful but handsome face, Ren Pingsheng smiled.
It really is Lin Gengxin.
"A friend from your school mentioned you to me, you know, the most handsome guy at the Shanghai Theatre Academy," Ren Pingsheng casually made up.
Upon hearing the name "school heartthrob," Lin Gengxin's anger subsided by half, but he still stared at Ren Pingsheng with suspicion.
The guy waiting for the solo match was getting impatient, "Hey! Are we going to play or not?"
"What the hell are you talking about!" Lin Gengxin waved his hand dismissively. "I won't stoop to your level today, I have a distinguished guest."
He left the other person hanging with a single sentence, then approached them first, saying, "Which friend is so gossipy? Sure enough, everyone in our dorm is a dog."
"Not from your acting department."
"Forget it, I know what they're like. They're all dogs!" Lin Gengxin waved his hand. "But whatever, I'm a hero among dogs, what do you want, brother?"
Ren Pingsheng didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point.
"Let's get to know each other again. My name is Ren Pingsheng, and I'm a director. I think your temperament is perfect for a character in my new drama. How about we find a place to eat and chat?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Gengxin showed a wary expression, and the girl who had been silent until now also leaned in from behind and tugged at his sleeve.
"Director? What are you filming?" Lin Gengxin looked Ren Pingsheng up and down, then took a half-step back with the girl in his arms. "I'm a serious actor from the Shanghai Theatre Academy. I don't do those art photos from pirated DVDs."
Ren Pingsheng knew that he was a behind-the-scenes person. Even though "Wanwan" and "Diaosi" were incredibly popular online, no one would recognize his face on the street.
Without saying much, he turned around and shouted at Bai Ke, who was still frantically typing on the keyboard.
"Hongming, stop hitting him, come here for a second."
Bai Ke was engrossed in the world of Tian Long Ba Bu, and reluctantly walked over after taking off his headphones.
"Pingsheng, what's wrong?"
"Take off your glasses."
Bai Ke inexplicably took off his black-rimmed glasses, revealing a clean face.
Lin Gengxin's gaze lingered on Bai Ke's face for a moment, then he let out a "whoosh".
"Holy crap!! Isn't this a giant hammer?!"
The girl recognized her too, and covered her mouth in surprise.
Bai Ke stood there blankly, completely unaware of why he was being used as a human verification code.
But the effect was immediate; the two men no longer looked at Ren Pingsheng with wariness.
"Do you believe me now?" Ren Pingsheng pressed his advantage, "Are you still going to eat?"
"Eat, eat, eat!" Lin Gengxin quickly agreed. "I'm so sorry, Director Ren, there are just too many people around our school who use the guise of talent scouts and directors to swindle money and sexually exploit others."
"By the way, this is my girlfriend, Wang Rong, who is also in the acting department of the Shanghai Theatre Academy."
Wang Rong nodded politely to Ren Pingsheng.
……
A restaurant without flies, 200 yuan per person.
While eating, Ren Pingsheng recounted the details of "Report to the Boss" without beating around the bush.
Lin Gengxin picked up a piece of braised pork but didn't put it in his mouth.
"You mean you want me to have a cameo role?"
"Yes, one role, taking up a whole day of your time, plus reimbursement for travel expenses and your salary."
"How much was the pay?"
"Not much, but you're not here for the money, are you?" Ren Pingsheng looked at him. "Wanwanjia Diaosi has almost 50 million views across the internet. Report to the boss, it's a new work by the original team, so the data can't be bad. If you show your face in it, the probability of being seen by other directors and producers is much higher than if you were waiting at school."
That hit the nail on the head.
How many students graduate from the Shanghai Theatre Academy's acting department each year?
After a long and arduous process, less than one-tenth of the time manages to get on camera; the rest either change careers or become extras in Hengdian World Studios.
Lin Gengxin was silent for a few seconds, then turned to look at his girlfriend, Wang Rong, who nodded at him.
"Okay," he said, stuffing the piece of braised pork into his mouth and chewing indistinctly, "when are we filming?"
"I'll let you know in advance at the end of this month or the beginning of next month, and we'll sign an agreement in a few days to confirm the details."
After exchanging phone numbers and chatting about school for a while, Ren Pingsheng paid the bill, and the two groups parted ways at the restaurant entrance.
Walking on the pedestrian crossing, Bai Ke sighed.
"Brother Pingsheng, I don't know whether to say you're efficient or too hasty. Yesterday you rushed to Jinling to find a female college student with no acting experience, and today you picked up another one who hasn't graduated yet at an internet cafe. What if they..."
"Snapped!"
Before he could finish speaking, he was slapped on the back of the head.
"How come you've gotten so arrogant after being a big star for just two days?"
Ren Pingsheng glanced at him sideways, "You and Xiao Ai weren't even graduated before I got you out of there, so you two have experience now?"
Bai Ke shrank his neck, just about to open his mouth to explain.
"No need to explain," Ren Pingsheng interrupted him, his tone tinged with extreme helplessness and weariness. "If this drama doesn't have you, it'll just be some ugly comedians like Da Peng and Qiao San. If I don't find some handsome men and beautiful women to salvage it, who's going to watch it?"
Bai Ke was rendered speechless by the rebuttal and could only swallow his grievances silently.
"Let's go back to the hotel and rest," Ren Pingsheng hailed a taxi. "There's a real battle to come tomorrow."
As he gazed at the receding night view outside the window, Ren Pingsheng's thoughts raced.
The reason for inviting Lin Gengxin to make a cameo appearance was certainly not to find any handsome men or beautiful women to boost the overall appearance.
Judging by the timeline, Tang Ren should be coming to Lin Gengxin soon with that ten-year "contract of servitude".
His first drama after signing with Tangren Media was the Qing Dynasty time-travel drama pioneer, "Scarlet Heart," which swept the screens in 2011!
As the most lucrative TV drama rated by the China Securities Journal, its quality goes without saying.
But what Ren Pingsheng really cared about was the copyright operation behind this drama.
With the support of Shanda Pictures, Tangren Media's production of "Scarlet Heart" spurred a new industry centered around online literature IPs.
The matrix marketing approach, which integrates television stations, video websites, cinemas, and online games, upgrades "TV-Internet synergy" from a simple broadcasting model into a complete business operation system.
The fact that GG's revenue has driven up the entire online video industry proves that video platforms are just as commercially valuable as traditional television stations.
Ren Pingsheng certainly wanted to get involved in such a huge market, and if given the opportunity, he even wanted to hijack Tangren and keep this super IP in his own hands.
Although he didn't know the specifics of how it would work, fate had arranged for him to meet Lin Gengxin at the internet cafe.
Let's start by forming a good connection, like planting a seed.
Who knows, this seed might grow into a towering tree someday.
As for why I know so much about "Scarlet Heart" and the afternoon's "China's Got Talent"?
As a veteran of Sohu in his previous life, he could only sigh.
Our ancestors were once wealthy!
In the previous life, it was Sohu Video that spent a fortune, not only buying the exclusive online rights to "Scarlet Heart," but also single-handedly organizing the online premiere ceremony of the drama, propelling it to the peak of popularity that year.
……
On the other side, the Shanghai Theatre Academy.
Lin Gengxin ran into the school.
Several boys were sweating profusely on the basketball court.
"Brothers!"
He snatched the basketball from mid-air, his face flushed with excitement. "I got a film offer! And it was personally approached by the director of that super popular online show, 'Men's Diary'!"
A crowd surged forward in a flurry.
"Holy crap, really? Lin Gou, you didn't get scammed, did you?"
"Which male lead is he? Are there any kissing scenes?"
Everyone chimed in, practically shoving Lin Gengxin's chin up to the sky.
Just then, a sunny and cheerful young man with a muscular physique, who had just finished shooting a three-pointer, walked over from the edge of the crowd.
"Congratulations, senior! You're already working with such a popular production team before you've even graduated."
Lin Gengxin looked at his junior, who was covered in sweat, and patted him on the shoulder with an extremely arrogant air, acting like a seasoned veteran.
"Young man, you're still young and don't understand how murky the entertainment industry is. I'll go and wade in for you. Once I'm successful, I'll definitely treat you to the best of everything!"