Traffic Star Development Program

Chapter 52 Thinking More, Level 1

"I got through," Xu Wen's voice was a little fast, like someone who had just finished running. "The program team's keyword was effective, and I was transferred to someone who claimed to be from the copyright acquisition department. I dictated the core data from a one-page document, and he didn't hang up. He told me to email the document to him, and he gave me a direct email address."

Zeng Hao picked up the pen from his memo and asked, "Is the email address starting with neteasecloud or some other domain?"

"163, but he said it's an internal collaboration email address," Xu Wen said. "President Zeng, is this person reliable? How can I confirm whether he's the purchasing manager or just some random customer service representative who forwarded this message?"

"Check the name he gave," Zeng Hao said. "Search for it on LinkedIn, add 'NetEase Cloud Music copyright,' and see his job title."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for almost a minute.

"Found it," Xu Wen said. "Content copyright acquisition, senior manager, three years with the company."

"Send an email," Zeng Hao said. "Send the original documents, and make the email body no more than three lines, saying that you have an exclusive first publication intention and hope to schedule a phone meeting this week. Please coordinate the time." He tapped his pen on the table. "Let me know after you've sent it."

Okay, I'll send it now.

After hanging up the phone, Zeng Hao turned to the next page of his memo and wrote a line in the "tomorrow" column: "Waiting for NetEase Cloud Music's copyright purchase response, expected tomorrow or the day after."

The light outside the window was already turning yellowish, the color of around four in the afternoon. There were cars reversing in the parking lot downstairs, the sound of the reversing radar coming in and out, distant but clear.

He closed the memo, picked up the script for "Three Lives Three Worlds" from the table, and turned to scene twenty-one.

Fang Qing hasn't sent the revised draft yet today.

He picked up his phone, ready to send a message to Fang Qing, when his phone vibrated first—it was a message from Xu Wen: the email had been sent.

He sent out Fang Qing's message: Can you send me the revised manuscript for the 21st scene today?

Fang Qing replied quickly: I've finished writing but I'm still reading. Wait for me for twenty minutes.

He put down his phone, flipped to scene twenty-eight of the script, and started reading from there, looking for the rhythm problem that Fang Qing hadn't yet investigated.

The 28th game, no problem.

In the twenty-ninth performance, the third section had a slightly loose rhythm, which wasn't a major problem, but it could have been a bit tighter.

He was watching the thirtieth show when his phone vibrated again.

This time it was an unfamiliar number, with an area code from Shanghai.

He answered the phone. "Feed."

The other party paused for a moment, then said, "Hello, is this Mr. Zeng from Sunshine Entertainment? I am from NetEase Cloud Music's copyright purchasing department. I just received an email from your colleague. I looked at the materials and would like to confirm some things with you directly."

The sound of the reversing radar stopped outside the window, the parking lot became quiet, but the other person's voice was still on the phone.

"Mr. Zeng, I've looked at the materials your colleague sent. There are a few things I'd like to confirm with you regarding the data. Is it convenient for you to discuss them now?"

"Speak." Zeng Hao pushed his chair back a little, leaned against the backrest, and used his left hand to push the script on the table aside to make room. "Speak."

"How was the range of program popularity and viewership mentioned in the material calculated? Is it supported by historical data or a predictive model?"

"Both are true," Zeng Hao said. "We did statistics on the average number of online views per episode of 'I Am a Singer' Season 2. We took the lowest value, multiplied it by the search conversion rate of exclusive songs in the same period, and then applied a conservative factor of 20%. The lower limit of the range is this number, which is then discounted by 90%. So what you see is the result after two conservative treatments. The actual performance is likely to be better than this."

The other party paused for a second or two, then said, "Understood. Do you have any expectations regarding the exclusivity period? Is it seven days or longer?"

"How long do you want it to be?"

"Our standard is seven days of exclusivity," the other party said, "and then it will be available on all platforms simultaneously."

"We can talk in seven days," Zeng Hao said. "But I have an additional clause: priority negotiation rights for subsequent albums, for a period of twelve months. During these twelve months, your platform has the right to be the first to sit down at the negotiating table for Xu Jiaying and Xue Zhijian's new albums. It's not an exclusive guarantee, but a priority negotiation right. You won't lose out."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for about four seconds.

Xu Wen sat opposite Zeng Hao, picked up the convenience store bag from the ground, put it down again, and didn't say anything, his eyes were on Zeng Hao.

"I need to go back and confirm this clause with my supervisor," the other party said. "It's not something I can decide on my own."

"No problem," Zeng Hao said. "I need a response by Friday. After that time window, we may need to reassess the issuance plan before the end of the workday on Friday."

"Okay, I understand. I'll get back to you as soon as possible."

"Okay, that's settled then," Zeng Hao said. "If you have any questions, just call this number."

hang up.

He placed his phone face up on the table, picked up a pen, and wrote in his memo: "Initial contact for NetEase Cloud Music copyright acquisition completed. Exclusive for 64+7 days, plus a 12-month priority negotiation right pending internal confirmation. Request a reply from the other party by Friday."

After Xu Wen finished writing, he asked, "President Zeng, what does the priority negotiation right, twelve months, mean for us?"

"It means that if Xue Zhijian and Xu Jiaying release anything new in these twelve months, NetEase Cloud Music will have the right to be the first to negotiate," Zeng Hao put down his pen. "But being the first to negotiate doesn't mean we'll definitely sign. If the price isn't right, we can still refuse. The other party feels that this clause doesn't cause them any loss because they think that getting priority means getting the content. In reality, they've just bought an entry ticket. Whether they get the goods or not is still up to me."

Xu Wen considered this in his mind for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"There's one more thing," Zeng Hao said. "This afternoon, check the exclusive copyright signing records of Tencent Music and Xiami for the past three months, see which artists' content they're vying for, and compile a one-page summary for me."

"Why are you checking this?"

"Knowing what our opponents are fighting for is the key to understanding the value of what we have," Zeng Hao said. "Go."

Xu Wen stood up, picked up the convenience store bag, and walked towards the door. He paused at the threshold and said, "President Zeng, the purchasing manager just said that he needs internal confirmation. Do you think they will agree?"

"Yes," Zeng Hao said. "He had already studied our materials before making this call. He called because he felt there was a chance. It wasn't a routine reply. People who are promising won't be easily dismissed by the interviewer."

Xu Wen went out.

Zeng Hao put down his phone, closed the script, stood up, and rushed to the filming location.

...

"This can't go on!"

Peng Bing stared at Dilireba's face on the monitor screen and had already made a judgment in his mind, but he didn't speak because he knew that after he called a halt, it would take her at least five minutes to get back into the zone. Each time he called a halt, she would have to wait five more minutes. He had already called a halt twelve times today.

The problem wasn't with her technique; her positioning, movement, and lines were all fine. The problem was with her eyes. Scene 45 was a one-woman show; she was facing thin air, without any co-stars. She had to bring out the emotions from within herself, but every time she reached that point, her eyes would glaze over. It wasn't emptiness; it was as if she was thinking, "I should cry now." Once she started thinking about that, it was over.

"Stop," Peng Bing pressed the intercom. "Reba, come out and have some water."

The lights on set were still on, the props crew were leaning against a corner scrolling through their phones, and the lighting technician stood on the ladder without moving—he was used to it.

Zeng Hao stood in the monitoring area without saying a word, holding nothing in his hands, just standing and watching.

Peng Bing walked over and put the walkie-talkie on the table. "This is the thirteenth time. She's getting more and more tense. If I keep pushing her, we won't be able to film today. Do you have any ideas?"

"I'll go say a few words."

Peng Bing glanced at him, said nothing, and moved aside.

Dilireba stood outside the scenic area. A staff member handed her water, which she took but didn't drink. She held the bottle in both hands, her head down, her eyelashes slightly wet—not from crying, but from holding back tears.

Zeng Hao walked over and stood next to her. He didn't squat down or pat her on the shoulder; he just stood there and spoke in a low voice, loud enough for her to hear. "Do you remember how long you waited in my office the day we signed the contract?"

Dilireba looked up at him, a little confused in her eyes, "What?"

"On the day of the signing," he said, "you waited outside for forty minutes. Xu Wen came in and told me you had arrived. I said to wait a little longer, and you waited outside for forty minutes without leaving."

She didn't speak, her gaze still fixed on his face.

"That woman in the forty-fifth scene," Zeng Hao said, "is waiting for the same thing you're waiting for."

After saying that, he didn't say anything more, turned around and walked back to the monitor.

Peng Bing followed him back and asked in a low voice, "What did you say?"

"It made her think of something real," Zeng Hao said. "Let's turn on the camera."

Peng Bing picked up the walkie-talkie, glanced in the direction of the scenic area, and saw that Dilireba had already walked back and stood in her position. The staff took away her water bottle, she tucked her hair behind her ears, took a deep breath, and then looked up, her eyes fixed on a certain point in front of her.

Peng Bing didn't hesitate any longer. "The fourteenth time, let's go."

When she reached that point this time, she didn't disperse.

There was something holding his eyes together, not an act, but something real. The photographer later told Peng Bing that he almost forgot to focus on that shot; he just paused for a moment.

Peng Bing called for a cleanup, and the lights in the set area began to change. The prop team stood up and started packing up. Dilireba stood there for a few seconds, then walked to the side of the field. As she passed the monitor area, her eyes swept over Zeng Hao's direction. It was a quick glance.

Zeng Hao was watching the playback and didn't look up.

She went out.

Peng Bing leaned over to watch the playback. After watching it, he didn't say anything unnecessary, just one sentence: "Use this one."

Zeng Hao handed the walkie-talkie back to Peng Bing, "There are still a few games today."

"There's only one emotional scene and two blocking scenes today, it's simple," Peng Bing said. "You don't need to stay here and watch, I'll send you the daily report."

"Um."

Zeng Hao came out of the film set. The corridor was quieter than inside. His footsteps echoed on the floor. He walked to the stairwell and his phone vibrated. It was a message from Xu Wen: "The competitor analysis is ready. Are you free to look at it now?"

He replied with a single word: Come.

Xu Wen came directly, not with a document. He entered the office, placed the sheet of paper on the table, and sat down opposite him. "I've checked the exclusive copyright activities of Tencent Music and Xiami over the past three months and summarized a few key points. Take a look."

Zeng Hao took the page of paper over.

The list above shows: Tencent Music's exclusive signings in Q4 were concentrated on top-tier celebrities, with average copyright fees increasing by about 30% compared to six months ago; Xiami Music focuses on niche and artistic artists, signing several independent musicians with low copyright fees but including derivative licensing in the terms; NetEase Cloud Music has been relatively quiet lately, but just last month it negotiated a joint promotion agreement with a talent show, though the specific list of artists was not disclosed.

Zeng Hao paused when he saw the last line.

"The joint promotion agreement between NetEase Cloud Music and the talent show," he said. "Do you know which show it is?"

"I don't know," Xu Wen said. "What I found was a brief report from an industry media outlet. It didn't have a specific name, but it said it was a talent show that was about to air."

Zeng Hao put the page down. "Go find the original article of this report and give me the publication date and media name. Also, send another email to the purchasing manager at NetEase Cloud Music, saying that we have some new data that we would like to provide to him before giving a formal reply. Don't mention any data, just say that."

Xu Wen wrote down these two points: "Why send this email?"

"Because they are currently evaluating our case internally," Zeng Hao said. "We sent this email not to actually supplement the data, but to let them know that we still have cards to play. Before waiting for a reply, they will report this to their superiors, who will think about it from an extra perspective, and that extra perspective will be beneficial to us."

Xu Wen looked up at him, glanced at the two lines again, stood up, and said, "Okay, I'll get it done."

"Also," Zeng Hao said, "if that talent show is an iQiyi project, you should tell me today."

Xu Wen walked towards the door, paused on the threshold, and said, "What if that's the case?"

"If so, we need to add a clause to our terms," ​​Zeng Hao said. "You check first, and we'll talk about it later."

Xu Wen went out.

The parking lot lights outside the window were already on; they were those orange-yellow sodium lamps, which made the ground below look a bit old. Several cars were parked there, their engines off.

When Zhang Tianai arrived, the parking lot lights had just been turned on.

She didn't send a message beforehand; she just appeared at the door, knocked twice, pushed it open, draped her coat over her arm, came in, sat down on the chair opposite, and put her coat on her lap. "You said you'd wait for my message that day, so I've been waiting."

"Diamond Lover hasn't finished filming yet," Zeng Hao said. "I told you so."

"I know," she said, "I'm not here to pressure you into discussing the project."

She finished speaking and didn't continue. The room was quiet for a moment. Occasionally, a car would pass by in the parking lot outside the window, its headlights sweeping across the ceiling, leaving a trail of light before disappearing.

She removed her coat from her lap and placed it on the back of the chair next to her. A thin silver chain on her wrist swayed slightly in the light.

"That braised smell in your office last time," she said, not knowing why she brought it up, "who bought it?"