Yu Shiwen sent another question mark, followed by a sentence: "You still haven't said, what's your new company called?"
Xiao Xun typed two words: "Longtan."
The other party was silent for a while and replied, "Great! So you're the real hidden boss. No, you have to treat me to a meal when we meet."
Xiao Xun smiled. This big star, why was she acting so childish?
He replied, "How do you know I have money? What if I'm just a regular employee."
Just as he was about to send it, he withdrew it. At this hour, which regular employee wouldn't be in a meeting? Since she could chat with me for so long and talk about cooperation, she couldn't be an ordinary person!
Xiao Xun pressed the call button and summoned Secretary Fan. "President Xiao, you called for me?"
Xiao Xun looked up at Secretary Fan. "Oh! I'm a little hungry. Do we have anything to eat here?"
"Can cake do? The kitchen just made Tiramisu."
"Fine!"
Secretary Fan turned and left.
Xiao Xun continued to reply, "I'm looking forward to meeting you more and more."
The other party replied, "I'm so nervous! Meeting a boss worth over a hundred million, do I need to pay attention to anything?
Xiao Xun smiled and typed: Just try not to bring too many paparazzi, I don't want to be on tomorrow's headlines.
The other party replied with a smiley face and went offline.
A moment later, Secretary Fan came in with tea and snacks and placed them gently on Xiao Xun's desk.
"President Xiao, is there anything else?"
Xiao Xun looked at Secretary Fan without speaking. Secretary Fan actually started blushing, like a ripe apple.
"It's nothing, go find the current director of the film and television department for me."
Secretary Fan was stunned for a moment. It wasn't until Xiao Xun said it again that she responded with a 'yes' and went out.
A moment later, a middle-aged man walked in with Secretary Fan. He showed no nervousness facing Xiao Xun. Firstly, he had been with the company much longer than Xiao Xun, and secondly, Xiao Xun was still young, so there was a hint of disrespect in his tone.
"What do you need me for?"
Xiao Xun leaned back in his chair. "Are you new to the workplace? I am your superior. When working, please address me as President or President Xiao."
You brat, acting like a big shot just because you're president. With your limited abilities, do you really think you got where you are through your own merit?
Although the other party was very displeased in his heart, he didn't say it out loud. "President, just get straight to the point! I have a lot of work to do over there."
Seeing the other party's attitude, Xiao Xun didn't indulge him any further. "Your department, last year was worse than the year before, this year is worse than last year. You've spent a lot of money over the years, not only not making a cent for the company, but also suffering huge losses. I'm thinking about whether to shut down your department."
Secretary Fan was bewildered. Shutting down a department was a major decision. Although he was the president, he didn't have that authority.
Moreover, the film and television department had already burned so much money. If they failed at this point, it would truly be a loss.
Unexpectedly, the other party didn't get angry. "President, there are some things you might not know. Nowadays, a lot of resources can be found online, and they are in high definition with no ads. Since people can watch for free, why would they pay to watch ours, and even need to open a membership? I think shutting it down is a good idea too."
Secretary Fan couldn't listen anymore. "President Xiao, video is the cornerstone of portal websites. Although we don't rely on it to attract traffic, Mr. Feng's plan last year was to build an entire ecosystem model, and video is a crucial part of it!"
The middle-aged man, hearing Secretary Fan's words, raised the corners of his mouth and looked at Xiao Xun with a victor's demeanor.
Xiao Xun suppressed his anger. "Facing the current situation, don't you have any ideas at all?"
The middle-aged man spread his hands. "All the video websites are burning money now. I'm already very careful with the budget."
Xiao Xun licked his lips. "What did you just say? You can watch anything without paying, and with no ads, that's piracy!"
The middle-aged man nodded. "That's right, it's piracy. As soon as a new movie is released, a pirated version comes out immediately. I think movie theaters are suffering even more than us."
Although the middle-aged man said that, Xiao Xun knew it wasn't entirely true. The audience for movie theaters was different, and their purpose for going to the movies was also different. Those who were truly there for the movie probably accounted for less than half.
People just liked to experience the other half in that environment and atmosphere.
Although Longtan Group was wealthy and powerful, every industry had its own circles, and within those circles, there were more or less unwritten rules. No celebrity would endorse you for no reason.
And the appeal of celebrities was immense. Therefore, to win this battle, they needed to interact more with celebrities.
Xiao Xun stood up and walked to the middle-aged man's side, patting him on the shoulder. "It's almost Chinese New Year! What we lack most right now is traffic. Since we don't have it, let's create it ourselves."
The middle-aged man felt the pressure of Xiao Xun's aura and started to sweat on his forehead. "President Xiao's idea is good. I'll go back and discuss the next variety show."
Secretary Fan looked at Xiao Xun and shook her head. "President Xiao, there are too many talent shows now. Almost every TV station and video website has one, but very few truly successful celebrities have emerged. Audiences are getting a bit tired of the same old thing."
Xiao Xun looked at Secretary Fan, thinking: What's wrong with her today? Just because I called her in the morning, can't she just dismiss every suggestion?
Xiao Xun glanced at the middle-aged man, then at Secretary Fan. "What's your suggestion then?"
Secretary Fan didn't have any good ideas. Xiao Xun said to the middle-aged man, "This audition will only accept women, between eighteen and twenty-five. Those over one month older are not allowed. You decide the audition format, but once they pass the preliminary selection, there will be three traffic celebrities serving as guest judges. The winner will become a team member of one of the three guests, and finally, there will be a team vs. team competition to select a champion."
Secretary Fan asked again, "Why only women?"
Xiao Xun couldn't take it anymore. "Why so many questions? This is a beauty pageant, okay? The winning team will debut as a group directly. If we want to promote them, we should promote several, find those with sweet looks, and collaborate with the gaming department to designate some 'otaku goddesses' to attract attention."
Seeing the middle-aged man just nodding continuously, Xiao Xun patted his shoulder. "Did you remember everything?"
The middle-aged man nodded and said, "I remember, I remember. President Xiao, don't worry, I'll make sure this show is done beautifully for you."
After the middle-aged man left, Secretary Fan asked Xiao Xun, "I already hinted that talent shows are a waste of money. Unless you create a phenomenal show, you won't get much viewership."
Xiao Xun smiled. "Secretary Fan, I hope you understand your position. You are just my secretary, not my boss. Also, I know that video websites are burning money right now, so I'm taking a different approach by creating a film and television company to cultivate artists directly. This way, whoever we want to promote can be directly pushed on the homepage of our own video website."
Then, he sat directly on the desk. "You should know that a traffic celebrity earns more in a year than a medium-sized company earns in two or three years."
Upon hearing this, Secretary Fan lowered her head. "President Xiao, I apologize for my earlier offense."