aircannonsinc Chapter 235 The sisters meet
Chapter 235 The sisters meet
After Xu Manlin finished speaking, there was silence on the other end of the phone.
After a long pause, Mr. Liu sighed and said, "Manlin, do you know what your words mean?"
"I know," Xu Manlin said. "It means we might have to go through a tough time. But tough times always pass. Once we're used as pawns, there's no going back."
"You've changed," Mr. Liu suddenly said.
Xu Manlin smiled: "Yes, things have changed. They've become more forward-looking."
"Okay," said General Manager Liu. "I respect your opinion. I'll reject their offer to acquire you."
"Thank you, Mr. Liu."
After hanging up the phone, General Manager Liu dialed the board of directors' number.
In fact, the decision on whether or not to acquire the company had already been largely made at the board meeting, with the majority opposing the acquisition.
Although the acquisition of only 10% is not yet decisive for Myth Entertainment's decision-making, they are aware that if the company develops well in the future, the other party will eventually have the opportunity to gradually erode the company.
If the company doesn't do well in the future, the other party can kick them out.
For Tencent, owning one of its own companies is of no consequence whatsoever.
Of course, not everyone is against the acquisition; there are also those who support it, believing that being backed by Tencent is a great advantage.
Just then, Xu Manlin returned to China, and the board of directors decided to take her opinion into consideration.
Now that everyone agrees, all is well.
...
The sky over Shanghai was overcast, but Xu Manlin's mood was exceptionally bright.
She took out her phone, found that familiar number, and dialed it.
"sister?"
Xu Manxue's voice came through the phone, a mix of surprise and uncertainty: "You're back in China?"
"Just got off the plane." Xu Manlin dragged her suitcase towards the parking lot. "Are you free? Come out and sit for a bit."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Xu Manxue said quickly, "Where are you? I'll come pick you up!"
...
Forty minutes later, the two met at a coffee shop near Jing'an Temple.
Xu Manlin took off her sunglasses, looked at her younger sister across from her, and couldn't help but smile: "You've lost weight."
"Filming is tiring." Xu Manxue chuckled, then looked her sister up and down carefully. "Sis, you've lost weight too, but you look much better than before."
"Going to bed early and waking up early every day abroad, how could you not look radiant?" Xu Manlin picked up her coffee and took a sip. "Tell me about yourself, how have you been these past six months?"
Xu Manxue's eyes lit up, and she immediately started talking:
"Sister, you have no idea what I've been through this past year!"
"First, I filmed 'Meteor Garden' and played Shan Cai! That drama was incredibly popular, and even now when I go out, people call out 'Shan Cai, Shan Cai!'"
"Then I filmed 'The Starry Night,' playing Xia Zhixing! This drama became a hit, with ratings exceeding 4 last week, and the internet is full of praise for me!"
"There's also 'The Return of the Condor Heroes,' where I played Cheng Ying. Although it was a supporting role, it was a film directed by Chen! And before that, I played Mu Nianci in 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes.' In short, I've really learned a lot recently!"
As Xu Manlin listened to her sister's endless chatter, the smile on her lips grew wider and wider.
Her younger sister was quite depressed after her voice was ruined, but she regained her confidence after finding acting as a career path.
It was Lu Ran's discovery that helped his younger sister find her right place.
Xu Manxue is now beaming with joy, radiant with energy, and practically glowing.
"Oh, right," Xu Manxue suddenly lowered her voice, "Sister, do you know who wrote the scripts for these plays?"
Xu Manlin raised an eyebrow: "Lu Ran?"
"That's right, it was all written by Brother Lu." Xu Manxue said with admiration, "Brother Lu wrote it! He wrote 'Meteor Garden,' he wrote 'The Starry Night,' and he even wrote the script for 'The Return of the Condor Heroes'!"
Xu Manlin paused for a moment while holding the coffee cup.
Lu Ran.
It's that name again.
When she first went abroad, she heard that Xingyao had created a lot of works, but she didn't expect that they were all created by Lu Ran.
"Anything else?" she asked.
"And that 'That Rabbit' animation! It was also made by Brother Lu! Even the People's Daily reposted it!"
As Xu Manlin listened, she silently did some mental calculations.
Scripts, songs, animations...
Is Lu Ran a man who has descended from the God of Literature?
How come everything is a little bit?
"Oh, right," Xu Manxue suddenly remembered something, "Brother Lu also started a company called Tutu Technology, which makes the TUTU app. It's incredibly popular now, with tens of millions of users!"
Xu Manlin had done some research after getting off the plane and knew a little about it, but she was still somewhat surprised after confirming it with her sister.
Xu Manxue continued, "Sis, you might not know this while you're abroad, but TUTU is really popular right now. Lots of our celebrities have opened accounts on it to interact with fans. My account already has over eight million followers!"
Xu Manlin was very happy to see her younger sister telling the story so vividly.
Of course she knows TUTU.
Although she has been abroad for the past six months, she has still kept up with news from China.
She's now familiar with the battle between WeChat blogs and TUTU.
This man always manages to surprise people in unexpected ways.
"What about Shen Yuege?" she asked. "How is she?"
Xu Manxue's expression brightened even more: "Sister Shen is amazing now! She opened a studio called Star Moon Studio, and I was among the first batch of people signed in!"
"Then she also started a show called 'Super Girl,' a singing competition with open auditions for everyone! You might not have heard of it abroad, but it was incredibly popular in China!"
Xu Manlin nodded: "I've heard of it."
I have indeed heard of it.
During the past six months abroad, she occasionally browsed domestic news and could see news about "Super Girl".
What "Top 372 Revealed," what "Lin Xiaoxi Stuns the Audience," what "Su Qian's Original Performance Brings Judges to Tears"...
But she didn't pay much attention at the time, thinking it was just an ordinary talent show.
Only now, hearing it from her younger sister, did she realize the significance of this program.
"Is the second round over?" she asked.
"It just ended!" Xu Manxue said. "The top 36 have been selected, and the finals will begin in a few days! It will be broadcast live, with audience voting and real-time data updates!"
She paused, then lowered her voice: "Sis, you have no idea how popular this show is. Sponsors were scrambling to get the title sponsorship; Xiaomi finally paid 20 million to secure it. Brands were lining up to throw money at it; even a single spot on the platform could fetch an astronomical price."
The naming rights fee was 20 million.
Xu Manlin was somewhat surprised.
The commercial value of this show is much greater than she imagined.
"What about the players?" she asked. "Have they all signed contracts?"
"Some have been signed," Xu Manxue said. "Xingyue Studio and Xingyao Entertainment have priority signing rights, but it's not mandatory. Those who want to sign can sign, and those who don't can continue competing."
She scratched her head: "But to be honest, they'll probably all sign in the end, right? After all, Sister Shen and Brother Lu offered pretty good terms, and working with them will definitely give me a better future than going it alone."
Xu Manlin asked, "So how long do you think this show will remain popular?"
Xu Manxue thought about it seriously: "I think... it can be popular for a long time."
Why?
"Because this show is different." Xu Manxue organized her thoughts. "It's not one of those high-level professional competitions, but a selection process from the grassroots. The contestants are all ordinary people, like the little sister next door, your college roommate, or your company colleague. Watching them improve and grow little by little, the audience can relate to them."
"And," she added, "Sister Shen said this is just the beginning. There will be a second season next year, and a third season the year after. Once the brand is established, we can continue doing it indefinitely."
"I believe in Sister Shen and Brother Lu."
Xu Manlin nodded, picked up her coffee, and took a sip.
Before she knew it, her coffee had gone cold as she listened to her sister praising Shen Yuege and Lu Ran incessantly.
But when she heard the final program, a fire burned in her heart.
She recalled when she first debuted.
She was sixteen years old at the time. She ran away from her hometown to Shanghai to participate in various talent shows, and was eliminated time and time again, only to start over each time.
I finally signed with a company and thought I had finally made it through, only to find out it was just another pitfall.
The company exploited her, her agent took advantage of her, and her colleagues ostracized her.
She climbed with all her might, and finally reached where she is today.
Her path to becoming a superstar was by no means easy.
And she knows that there are thousands of girls now following the same path she took.
They are talented, have dreams, and are passionate, but they lack an opportunity.
A truly fair opportunity.
In the past, such an opportunity would never have been possible in the entertainment industry.
And "Super Girl" was that opportunity.
...