Yang Mi Pays a Visit
Late November.
A major piece of news spread in the entertainment industry—The Legend of Lu Zhen, produced by Tengying Entertainment as the primary investor, had finally sold its broadcasting rights.
After seven rounds of bidding, the highest-rated channel in Nan Province, Mango TV, secured the exclusive premiere rights for a staggering 150 million yuan.
With this announcement, Zhao Liying was instantly thrust into the spotlight.
Tengying Entertainment also gained significant attention. After all, when this entertainment company first emerged, it was merely a self-funded venture producing The Journey of Flower, a historical romance adapted from a novel, with a budget of 100 million yuan.
Yet in just a short time, things had changed drastically.
Everyone knew that filming TV dramas was a high-risk business, and making a profit was even harder.
But Tengying Entertainment, despite being a newly established company, had managed to turn a profit on every project it invested in.
Naturally, this gave entertainment reporters plenty to talk about.
However, compared to that, Chen Pingsheng was far more concerned about the money in his hands.
The Legend of Lu Zhen had a total investment of 30 million yuan, with him personally investing 15 million, securing a 40% stake.
Now that it had sold for 150 million yuan, his return on investment had skyrocketed to 400%.
With the 20 million he already had in his pocket, his savings had now surged past 80 million.
Life was good.
Just as he was fully focused on preparing for The Journey of Flower, a major production crew unexpectedly reached out to him.
To be honest, the first time he laid eyes on the woman before him, he was stunned.
She was the undisputed top-tier star of 2013—Yang Mi.
In reality, Tengying Entertainment had only gained traction in small circles, as every project it invested in starred Zhao Liying as the lead.
From an outsider's perspective, the company seemed almost tailor-made for Zhao Liying.
That said, as someone who was now a small-time boss in the entertainment industry, it wasn't surprising for him to meet Yang Mi.
"Mr. Chen, your returns from The Legend of Lu Zhen are impressive. Our company has a drama in the works—would you be interested in learning more about it?"
It was an investment pitch.
But the one speaking wasn't Yang Mi. Instead, it was a deputy general manager from Jiaxing Media.
In 2013, Jiaxing Media was barely holding on, entirely propped up by Yang Mi alone.
It wasn't much more powerful than Tengying Entertainment.
"Where's the script? Let me have a look."
The deputy general manager, a woman in her early forties with stylish gold-rimmed glasses, handed it over.
"Eternal Love (Three Lives, Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms)?"
The name was quite appealing.
Chen Pingsheng felt like making money in the entertainment industry was like taking candy from a baby.
He didn't even need to think—just used his golden finger (system ability) to analyze everything.
"Target Analysis: Eternal Love."
"Analysis in progress. Please wait."
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds passed.
A new line of golden text appeared before him.
Drama Title: Eternal Love
Filming Duration: 2 years
Total Investment: 180 million yuan
ROI (Return on Investment): 200%–500%
It was a profitable project.
However, the investment cycle was significantly longer than he liked.
And the return rate wasn't particularly outstanding—far inferior to The Journey of Flower.
He wasn't overly interested.
But since Yang Mi was involved, he didn't mind hearing more.
"So, how much are you hoping I'll invest?"
"Mr. Chen, to be frank, our company has great confidence in this drama. With Yang Mi as the lead, ratings are guaranteed. The total investment is 180 million yuan, and ideally, we'd like you to invest 20% to 30%."
That meant 30 to 40 million yuan.
Chen Pingsheng took a sip of tea and quickly weighed his options.
"Investment is not a problem. I have only one condition. If you can meet it, I'll transfer 30 to 50 million yuan to your company immediately."
In the entertainment industry—especially for newly established companies—big-budget productions were rarely funded by a single investor.
It was common practice to have three to five partners co-investing to spread out the financial risk.
If the project succeeded, everyone profited. If it flopped, at least the losses wouldn't sink an entire company.
Yang Mi raised her head, a hint of displeasure flickering in her eyes.
She seemed to have an inkling of what was coming.
If it was that kind of condition, she would walk away without hesitation.
At this point in her career, she wasn't someone who could be easily taken advantage of—unless the person in question could completely shut down her future.
And the only people capable of that were those in charge of the industry's regulatory approvals.
"Mr. Chen, may I ask what your condition is?"
Not just Yang Mi—her deputy general manager also felt a sense of foreboding.
After all, a woman like Yang Mi, at the peak of her beauty and career, would make any man's heart race.
"My wife owns a high-end beauty salon called Shui Yun Jian. She loves what she does.
So, my one and only condition is that Yang Mi must serve as the brand ambassador for Shui Yun Jian—for free—for two years."
That was unexpected.
The condition caught them off guard.
Maybe it was because they had mentally prepared for something far worse, but this request suddenly felt quite reasonable.
After all, endorsements didn't take much effort.
Securing this 50 million yuan investment to guarantee Eternal Love started filming was the priority.
"Mr. Chen, to be honest, you're the most unique person I've ever met in the entertainment industry."
"Don't flatter me. Yang Mi is beautiful—any man would find her attractive. But compared to my wife, she's still just a little bit lacking."
Chen Pingsheng chuckled.
He hadn't forgotten his promise to Song Yanxi—getting Yang Mi to endorse their salon's bust enhancement treatment.
The goal was to turn it into Shui Yun Jian's signature service.
Yang Mi scoffed softly.
She knew there were women prettier than her.
But no man had ever told her—right to her face—that his wife was more beautiful.
Playing hard to get? Reverse psychology? Who cared?
"Oh, right. If possible, I have someone I'd like you to consider. If there's a suitable supporting role, I'd appreciate it if you could give her a chance. She's got real talent."
Chen Pingsheng called Bai Xin over.
The girl was so overwhelmed with excitement she nearly cried.
This was Yang Mi!
For years, there hadn't been a female star more popular than her.
If she could land a role—even just a minor one—in the same production, it would be an incredible starting point.
"Thank you, Uncle!"
"You've been working hard as my cleaning lady. Now that there's an opportunity, go for it."
If he was investing this much money and couldn't even get a supporting role allocated, what was the point of being a major investor?
50 million was nothing—just a fraction of his profits from The Legend of Lu Zhen.
Meanwhile, Yang Mi's endorsement for Shui Yun Jian would yield immediate returns.
He was looking forward to it.
Now the real question was—if Shui Yun Jian's bust enhancement packages could trigger his system's random multiplier effect...
If it could, then this investment would be insanely profitable.
The 50 million yuan investment was formalized under the oversight of legal representatives.
As for Yang Mi's endorsement? That was handled privately.
He spent the entire afternoon discussing the specifics of Eternal Love's investment.
Since he already knew the drama would be a success, there was nothing to worry about.
A free Yang Mi endorsement? Why not?
Before heading home, he even called Song Yanxi over to finalize plans.
Yang Mi's schedule was tight—she wouldn't be staying in Beijing for long.
She would set aside half a day to visit Shui Yun Jian.
And when that happened, they needed to be fully prepared—journalists, viral marketing writers, everything.
After all, this was Yang Mi!
If they failed to capitalize on this opportunity, those 50 million yuan would be wasted.