Traffic Star Development Program

Chapter 31 Squeeze Every last drop

"It wasn't included in the attachment," Ms. Liu said. "This is a verbal outline of resource directions; the timeline will be determined by the company."

Xu Jiaying nodded. "I understand."

She didn't ask any further questions, packed her things, thanked him, and left.

Zeng Hao received the contract confirmation message from Sister Liu in his office. In the memo, he changed the word "talk" next to Xue Zhijian and Xu Jiaying's names to "sign" in each of them.

Both of them came in.

The timing was right.

The window for variety show opportunities is still open; I'll have a slot available for "I Am a Singer" next year.

When the time comes, once the two of them are brought in, the topic will emerge, and the song will follow; the logic is sound.

He turned to the next page of the memo and glanced at the box office remarks for "Back to 20".

It was updated once this morning, at 2.19 million.

The second batch of payments to cinema chains is expected to arrive as early as the end of this month, amounting to approximately seven to nine million. The exact figure will depend on the settlement statement from the cinema chains.

He added a line below the remarks column: "Second batch of settlement payment, expected in late November, estimated at seven to nine million. Update the accounts after the payment is received."

In the afternoon, Xu Wen sent Chen Mo's initial feedback.

After receiving Xu Wen's call, Chen Mo contacted a mid-sized production company in Korea that he knew that same day. The company, Studio M, specializes in idol dramas and has a cooperative relationship with two regular broadcasting platforms in Korea. Upon hearing the name "Go Princess Go," their reaction was more enthusiastic than Xu Wen had expected.

Xu Wen wrote in the message: The other party said that some of their employees had watched this drama and believed that there was a market for adapting it into a Korean version. They had an initial interest and hoped to arrange formal contact as soon as possible. They asked if it was convenient for us to have a video conference or send someone over.

Zeng Hao read the message and replied: "Video conference, scheduled for this week. You will lead the discussion, Chen Mo will attend, I don't need to participate. Give me a summary after the meeting."

Xu Wen: Okay, I'll set the time.

This matter has been put on hold.

The core logic of the Korean version is simple: license it out, collect the money, don't worry about production, squeeze out all the remaining value of the "Go Princess Go" IP with minimal effort, and then focus on the next project.

An IP can be used three times: web series, theatrical release, and overseas licensing. This was something that most domestic production companies hadn't figured out in 2015.

But Zeng Hao was very clear about this, so he was one step ahead of others.

In the evening, Sister Liu brought over the initial screening plan for the boy group candidates. It was a handwritten list that listed several channels: Beijing Film Academy, Central Academy of Drama, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and contact information for two internet celebrity incubation bases, which Xu Wen had compiled earlier.

Zeng Hao finished reading the list, circled the channels next to the art school, crossed out the two internet celebrity incubation bases, and wrote next to them: No, the vibe is not right.

He pushed the list back, "Have Xu Wen send someone to all the major art schools, focusing on second- and third-year male students, not fourth-year students. They're either already signed or their minds aren't on training. Screen them based on these four criteria, show me the list, and I'll make the final selection."

Sister Liu wrote down the annotations, "Time requirement?"

"Before the end of the year," Zeng Hao said, "there's no rush, but we need to get moving."

Sister Liu went out.

The boy group thing is currently in the ignition stage. The spark is Xu Kunkun, and the framework is the four candidate standards. The next step is to pile up the firewood and wait for the right time to ignite it together.

The first year of talent shows hasn't arrived yet, and iQiyi and Tencent haven't yet entered this market. This time gap is a window of opportunity—not a big one, but enough.

He updated the section on boy groups in his memo with a new line: Initial screening channels: mainly art schools, with Xu Wen following up; draft candidate list to be released before the end of the year.

After finishing writing, put down the pen.

The sky over Qianhu City outside the window had already darkened, with thick clouds that looked like it was about to rain, and the glow of the streetlights downstairs was more diffused than usual.

Zeng Hao stood up, walked to the window, put his hands in his pockets, and mentally reviewed the current lines again.

Xue Zhijian and Xu Jiaying have signed contracts and are officially on the market. Xu Wen is following up on variety show resources. Song arrangements will be finalized once Xue Zhijian sends over the seven arranged tracks. Liu Jie is coordinating with Fang Qing on the project approval form for "Diamond Lover," which will be submitted to the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television for filing this week. The box office for "Back to 20" is still active, with the second batch of payments expected by the end of the month. Xu Wen is in charge of negotiations for the Korean version of "Go Princess Go," with a video conference scheduled for this week. Initial screening channels for the boy band have been expanded, with the list expected by the end of the year. Yang Shanshan's weekly status report is being continuously monitored.

Every line is in motion; none are stuck, and none are left unused.

This is enough.

Just as he was about to turn back to the table, his phone vibrated. It was a message from Xu Wen: "President Zeng, Yang Shanshan came back from filming today and spoke a few words with her assistant in the dressing room. The assistant told me that Yang Shanshan mentioned wanting to change her pace, specifically wanting more time for herself. The assistant was unsure whether to tell me, but after hesitating for a long time, she did."

Zeng Hao read the message and replied: "Got it. Keep an eye on it. Don't let Yang Shanshan know that your assistant told you about this."

Xu Wen: Understood.

He put his phone back in his pocket and sat back down in his chair.

Yang Shanshan wants her own time. This means that her schedule is too packed, she can't breathe, and her emotions are building up, but she hasn't reached the breaking point yet. She's still using talking to release the pressure.

It's better to say it than to keep it bottled up; saying it means she hasn't figured out what to do yet.

It's time to deal with it once she's thought it through.

As she signed more and more celebrities, Yang Shanshan lost her value.

Conflict is unavoidable.

We'll extract as much as we can now.

At worst, we can just freeze it out.

The year-end deadline remains unchanged.

He turned on the desk lamp, looked down, and continued looking at the financial forecast table in his hand.

The wind outside is making a slight rattling sound through the window cracks; the first rain of early winter in Qianhu City will probably come tonight.

The video conference is scheduled for Wednesday at 3 p.m.

Xu Wen sent a message in advance, saying that Studio M's representatives were the production director and the copyright manager, both of whom could speak Mandarin, so no translator was needed, and the meeting was expected to last an hour.

Zeng Hao replied with a single word: Okay.

He did not attend the meeting.

Xu Wen led the talks, with Chen Mo in attendance; this was pre-arranged. Zeng Hao didn't need to appear in this level of contact; his presence would only send the wrong signal to the other side.

This project is very important to us, and we really need this money.

The initiative in negotiations never lies with the loudest party or the least anxious party.

After the meeting, Xu Wen sent over the minutes, two pages long, which Zeng Hao read through from beginning to end.

Studio M's attitude was even more proactive than Xu Wen described. The production director stated directly in the meeting that they had already conducted a preliminary adaptation assessment internally and believed that the core setting of "Go Princess Go" had a market in Korea. The gender-swap time-travel genre had not yet been fully explored in Korea. If they obtained the adaptation rights, they planned to start production in the second half of next year.

The copyright officer's questions focused on the scope of authorization and the degree of freedom in adaptation.

Xu Wen answered according to Zeng Hao's previous statement: the scope of authorization is limited to Korea, and island countries and Southeast Asia will be discussed separately; regarding the freedom of adaptation, the script outline must be reviewed by Sunshine Entertainment, the core character settings cannot be changed, and the other party will handle the specific execution details.

The other party did not object to either of the two conditions on the spot, but said they would discuss it internally and give a formal letter of intent next week.

Zeng Hao finished reading the minutes and wrote a note on the last page: Wait for the letter of intent. Discuss the price after receiving it. Don't bring up numbers proactively. He then sent it to Xu Wen.

Then I put the minutes into a folder and picked up the USB drive that Xue Zhijian had given me yesterday.

The USB drive was given to Sister Liu by Xue Zhijian's assistant. Sister Liu then placed it on Zeng Hao's desk with a note attached, in Xue Zhijian's handwriting: "All seven songs are here, with notes. Please read and listen."

Zeng Hao plugged the USB drive into the computer and opened the folder.