Chapter 49: Chapter 48 Tengying Entertainment

After not pursuing the recharge plan, Chen Pingsheng did not give up on his fruit business.

Essentially, he had already thoroughly researched the matter.

In the future, even if he couldn’t make a windfall through random increases, he could still earn profits through a steady stream of income.

However, plans could not keep up with changes.

After the recharge event was stopped, the previously established management share distribution plan had to be altered.

This was actually normal, his decision to grant management 49% of shares for free was based on the aftermath of the recharge event.

It might be difficult to understand if put this way, but it becomes easy from another perspective.

It’s like he invested one million in a store.

Within three months, it attracted customers and initiated recharges from the opening.

He completed three million in cash recharges.

Apart from breaking even, there was also a considerable profit.

And this store, having received millions in prepayments from customers, effectively had a liability of two to three million.

For a store that had broken even but still had millions in liabilities, he could of course offer shares to management for free.

Without this liability, the store’s profits would undoubtedly be many times higher.

The break-even point would naturally be much slower as well.

Under these circumstances, management could still enjoy 49% of the shares.

Only now, they needed to purchase them based on the original investment.

For this reason, Chen Pingsheng had even called a general meeting to announce it.

The stores that had been recharged in the past would remain unchanged.

Moving forward, any new fruit shops would not have recharges, and management would need to buy shares with the original investment amount.

However, he considered that most of the management team was still young, and their family conditions were not particularly good, making it difficult for them to come up with so much money at once.

It could be deducted from their salaries ahead of time.

That is to say, the management could pay half upfront and enjoy the full dividend entitlement.

The remaining half would be deducted from their salaries.

This was the best concession he could offer his employees.

Opening stores could not stop; once it stopped, the employees’ promotion path would also disappear.

This greatly affected the employees’ motivation.

The rate of opening new stores in the future would not be as fast, probably increasing by five to eight stores per month.

With the experience they had already gained in the fruit business, the stores opened in the future were likely not to be loss-making.

The target for the next year was to move from the fourth ring to the second ring slowly.

If he could open a hundred or two hundred fruit stores in Capital City, not only would he gain more management experience,

but the annual profit of Tengsheng Fruits would also not be lower than a small target.

He was still working slowly towards this goal.

Other aspects remained the same, just as they were.

Every month going forward, he would likely take out three million from his own pocket to open stores.

The other shareholders at the headquarters would also put in three million, and the store management team would contribute a similar amount.

This money would likely be used to continue opening stores.

The reason he did not use the profits to open new stores was firstly, it was too slow.

Secondly, his wife, Song Yanxi, would not be able to get any profits from Tengsheng Fruits for a considerably long time.

Although the money was not much, it could easily affect her mood.

This was not good.

So he thought about it and decided to still take money out of his own pocket.

A fruit supermarket, if run well, could be operated for decades.

If nothing unexpected happened, it might even be handed down to Chen An’an in the future.

After settling the matters with Tengsheng Fruits, Chen Pingsheng decided to go to the second ring and officially set up Tengying Entertainment Investment Company.

With the “Golden Finger” in the entertainment circle, investing here would definitely be more profitable than the fruit business that could not pursue the recharge scheme.

This was also him making a move towards whichever side was more profitable.

…

On October 25th.

After sorting out the matters of Tengsheng Fruits, Chen Pingsheng officially drove to the second ring.

Capital City has dozens of film and television shooting bases, large and small, with famous ones including the Bayi Film and Television Base, Hengdian Film and Television Base, and Putuo Film and Television City among others.

As for the largest film and television shooting base in the country, Hengdian Film and Television City, it is located in Zhejiang.

This time, he also specifically took a ride-sharing order.

If we’re talking about the hottest entrepreneurial venture right now, it has to be the internet.

Just like that, within a few years, valuations could shoot up into the billions.

Too bad he couldn’t even figure out a computer, let alone start an internet business.

But, just to make sure he wasn’t left behind, he still tried to engage with it as much as possible.

The vehicle he used to drive had been upgraded to a Mercedes-Benz Bosworth, the big minivan kind.

Mainly, it was to accommodate his pregnant wife. Besides, this was a luxury MPV worth more than two million, and its driving experience was quite exceptional.

Carpooling, as the name implies, was mainly about catching a ride with the wind.

It was very popular among young people and a lot cheaper than regular taxis.

From Shijingshan to the Second Ring in Dongcheng District was about twenty-something kilometers.

A normal taxi ride wouldn’t cost less than seventy or eighty yuan, and if there was traffic, a hundred yuan would vanish just like that.

Carpooling was different – a flat rate of twenty-five yuan.

Didi was still in its promotional phase, and the platform had all kinds of subsidies.

In the end, it added up to just over ten yuan.

Chen Pingsheng had taken a few of these rides before, so he was familiar with the rules.

When he reached the passenger’s destination, instead of seeing a girl with a backpack, he initiated a call.

“Hey, I’m here. Where are you?”

“I’m under the tree, I don’t see your car.”

The voice was quite pleasant. Probably a young lady.

“Black car with a B sticker, I’m quite noticeable. How could you miss it?”

“Ah! Are you the big black car with the hazard lights?”

Bai Xin paused momentarily. She was no naive young girl out of college.

On the contrary, she was a talented student from the Beijing Film Academy.

This kind of luxury car shouldn’t be available for picking up passengers. A Bosworth V class was usually the specialized nanny vehicle for top-tier celebrities.

She saw right through it. This surely was a luxury car driver sneaking out for a private job.

She just didn’t know who his boss was?

Bai Xin, true to her name, was fair and pretty.

She wore tight blue jeans and a small white jacket.

The temperature in Capital City was in the teens, requiring a coat when going out.

She chose not to sit in the co-driver seat but in the second row.

Chen Pingsheng asked her, “Miss, are you heading to the film city for a shoot?”

“Yeah, uncle, I’ve figured out you’re the driver.”

Bai Xin fluttered her attractive eyes, her lashes quite long, which made her look rather cute when they fluttered.

The implication was clear. Don’t try to hit on me; I’m not going to fall for a driver uncle.

Chen Pingsheng awkwardly said, “Miss, you misunderstand. I’m also partially in the entertainment industry; we might be colleagues.”

“You’re in the entertainment circle too?”

Bai Xin’s eyes sparkled. “Your boss isn’t some big celebrity, is he?”

“Zhao Liying, ever heard of her?”

“Her?” Bai Xin was surprised. “Your boss is Zhao Liying? That doesn’t make sense. She’s been running extras for several years. I think she only got a sponsor to invest in her as a leading actress this year. However, her previous low-budget TV drama became a huge success when it aired on a local channel.”

“It’s a pity though. That local channel has too little influence. If it had been on a channel in Capital City or one with high viewership like Mango, perhaps she would have become an overnight sensation. But she’s currently shooting the lead drama ‘Legend of Lu Zhen.'”

So she was also in showbiz.

“Uncle, since you’re her driver, you must know her backer, right?”

Bai Xin asked with some curiosity, and Chen Pingsheng smiled lightly. “Why, are you also looking for him to invest?”

“How could I? I’ve just heard that her backer is an outsider to the industry with a good reputation for investing, at least not like others who invest money just to sleep with the lead actress.”

Chen Pingsheng curiously asked, “In your industry, is it that anyone who invests can sleep with someone?”

Bai Xin shook her head. “Not exactly, at least some can’t. They’re the ones who can guarantee viewership. If others can’t guarantee making money, without giving something extra, why would they get the lead role?”

“Uncle, although showbiz is filled with beauties, don’t envy it. It’s not that easy to thrive.”

Bai Xin simply seemed a bit cold at first, but once she started talking, she could go from one topic to another like a chatterbox.

She could take you from the deepest oceans to the highest skies.

Being at the Beijing Film Academy, she heard a lot of the small talk within the industry.

In showbiz, it wasn’t just the beauties that were subject to the unspoken rule, but the very handsome male celebrities as well.

Mostly, it’s because several big shots in the industry preferred the more niche types.

Once those moguls threw their resources at them, many male stars couldn’t avoid being preyed upon behind closed doors.

Chen Pingsheng tensed, inwardly remarking on the depth of the entertainment industry waters.